it's a shan show @itsashanshow-blog - Tumblr Blog

I am a WRITER!

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSoRr4Jv3mQ)

Advanced Vidual Storytelling: WEEK 4, Post-Production

Advance Visual Storytelling: Week 1

Short Scene revision

Click the link above for a PDF of my short scene!

By Saturday Evening Post - Saturday Evening Post, May 1, 1920. Scanned from Some Sort of Epic Grandeur, by Matthew J. Bruccoli, 2nd. revised edition (2002)., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3907262

Short Story to Short Film “Bernice Bobs Her Hair”

Learning to write an adapted screenplay has been a very rewarding journey. The past four weeks have allowed me to apply what I have learned about three-act structure in a screenplay to short stories; one of my favorite literary forms. I learned that one of the main reasons adapted novels fail as movies is that the step of creating a structurally and cinematically sound screenplay is often either rushed or skipped altogether. Also, filmmakers who attempt to keep every detail the same from a novel or short story to movie end up doing a disservice to both the original text and the adaptation. Not to mention, the fact that a film’s budget requirements would be astronomical if every character and story detail were translated to film.

My adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “Bernice Bobs Her Hair” is different from the original short story in that it takes place in the present day and the original is set in the 1920s and all the supporting characters in the original have been replaced by one character; Frank, a short-lived love interest for Bernice. Learning to write adaptations will likely be a necessary (and hopefully profitable) skill for me to have acquired on my journey to mastery. I would like to adapt novels and films to other media formats (like games and advertisements) for amusement/theme parks and sporting/concert venues. This project was different from others that I’ve done because having an original text to work within allowed me to focus my imagination to where elaboration or alteration was needed, skipping the anxiety of coming up with ideas “out of thin air.”

Gamification and Media Convergence

Gamification is a constant presence in most of our lives these days, but I had never even heard of the term until this week. Now that I have an understanding of what it is, I realize that when I was a teacher, I used gamification software to help increase my students’ engagement in and understanding of language, mostly via board games and points/rewards. When I was being hired for that job, the human resources process was gamified. We used Chromebooks to complete forms and questionnaires on a web-app and the information our employer gathered influenced the design of our professional development curriculum. Most major retailers utilize gamification software to increase consumer engagement via customer loyalty and rewards programs. Customers are offered points, cash back, discounts, etc. in exchange for their increased engagement (read “increased spending”) with the retailer or services provider’s “gamified” platform. Those platforms may be anything from a point-of-sale in a brick and mortar store to an app on the consumer’s smartwatch.

Mention of smartwatches brings me to my next topic: media convergence. The combination of a phone, a computer, instant media access, and frequently even medical/health equipment is a perfect example of how the lines between industries, technologies, and social relations are shifting, and in some cases, dissolving. In entertainment, specifically, convergence is especially apparent in the ways we consume television, film, and music. We stream everything, and usually from handheld devices. Also, most popular t.v. shows (or at least the networks they belong to) have social media accounts and apps (gamification at work) where fans can go to get all sorts of extras in exchange for their engagement.

I think I’m hooked!

One of my favorite tv shows, HBO’s Insecure, started off as a web series called The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl. I’ve watched the show transform from indie undertaking to home box office hit and seen quite a few interviews where the show’s star and creator, Issa Rae, tries to convince me that I can do the same thing. I see now though, that no amount of external encouragement could have given me what the experience of actually sitting down and writing my own pilot has given me. The experience of writing the pilot for my own web series this month has been illuminating and stimulating. One of my personal/professional goals as a writer is to be able to write well across various genres and forms/formats, so this past month has helped me put a notch in my belt of accomplishments. I was able to use what I’ve learned in previous classes about the creation and development of characters, story structure, genre, and more to write a script that I am very proud of. Being given such detailed information about the formatting and formulaic composition of web series and other episodic and serial formats in our lessons helped me to get out of the trap of my own thoughts and insecurities about how difficult the writing would be and actually get the words on the page. Having practical guidelines helped me create a solid outline for my webisode and I feel like it was smooth sailing from that point on, pretty much Figuring out the scriptwriting process has made me more eager to learn the rest of the process of getting content onto screens. I feel so encouraged and much more confident in my ability to be a working screenwriter. I definitely plan to continue writing scripts to strengthen my skills and to start building a portfolio of work. When the day comes that a script of mine gets picked up, I want there to be plenty more where that once came from.

All the pictures I have chosen are of zebras because the zebra is the symbol for Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders. There is a saying in the medical world that doctors are taught as students: “When you hear hoofbeats, think horse, not zebra.” Unfortunately, this teaching makes it difficult for many people who suffer from EDS/HSD to be diagnosed an recieve proper treatment because we are considered medical anomalies. Zebras may not be as common as horses, but we do exist.

The first picture (of the zebra carrying books) reminds me of the idea to help students and parents of students with EDS/HSD navigate the world of education successfully.

The second picture (of the zebra reading the paper) reminds me that I can help my local EDS/HSD support group with the newsletter and any other communications.

The last picture (of the adult and child zebras together) reminds me that I can write something to help children with EDS/HSD understand their bodies and help parents feel more comfortable with discussing what can be a very difficult topic with their children.

Francie’s (protagonist) favorite website.

Breaking science news and articles on global warming, extrasolar planets, stem cells, bird flu, autism, nanotechnology, dinosaurs, evolution -- the latest discoveries in astronomy, anthropology, biology, chemistry, climate & environment, computers, engineering, health & medicine, math, physics, psychology, technology, and more -- from the world's leading universities and research organizations.

Dr. Alphonse’s (antagonist) favorite website

Added 2 new pins!

Discover recipes, home ideas, style inspiration and other ideas to try.

Antagonist

Discover recipes, home ideas, style inspiration and other ideas to try.

Protagonist

Photo taken from drodd.com (https://www.drodd.com/html7/black.html)

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

it's a shan show