All Consuming Principle (need to change this title)
Its been a long time since the Consumed film project was first mooted. Some footage has been produced (links here) but the final film was never produced. I think this is due in part to the brilliant script. Thats not sarcasm. The original Consumed script was brilliant. It also was one that we found hard to complete. There will shortly be a video blog telling the story of the script, the crew from a producers point of view, but the short version is - not everything came together.
All is not lost however. I’ve have been watching the Web video and have come up with a way of telling the zombie story behind Consumed. Not with the original script - that will wait for the right day to be made. This is what will happen instead. The principles behind the Consumed zombies will be published and I will follow those principles to make some very short films. Cameos of the action if you like. Each one showing a fragment from the overall story of the Consumed story arc. The objective here is to build up a feel for the Consumed ‘Universe’ because I would like to throw the gauntlet open to other Zombie fans. Make your own film true to the Consumed mythos and lets build up the story of the society being ‘Consumed’ by a rising tide of Zombies.
So here’s the plan. I’ll shortly release a video and a PDF that talks about the idea of opening up the Consumed universe and then I will produce some very short vignette pieces that set the tone. Slowly we’ll build Consumed up into a great Zombie story.
Until then watch out - there may be a zombie behind you.
A quick note of an established Arts web site starting an overhaul project. Their intention is to improve both visual design and user experience over a three month period. This is being done in a very open way by asking members of their community what they would want.
Its a good idea to do this - your community is a great source of information about your product.
I’ll keep an eye on this project - it could be something that is interesting to watch being developed
I’d like to introduce you to :
http://www.dwaynetucker.com/blog/
It is the blog of Dwayne DC Tucker II who is very passionate about advertising, design and photography.
Its a simple blog - Dwayne updates it with a nice combination of personal chat and useful photography tips. Dwayne comes to problems in photography with a point of view that includes elements of practicality, design and photography.
In this blog Dwayne does something that particularly interests me - he blends the technicalities of capturing or enhancing an image with the emotional side of photography. Photography is art, it is meant to affect feelings. Sometimes this gets lost in talk about camera’s, lighting arrangements, and camera settings. Its nice to see it getting a mention here.
I’d recommend this blog, as something to dip into regularly (or better still subscribe to). It is able to make you think about your own work, and that really is the key to creative photography. Think about your work and then incorporate some good lessons or good ideas into your pictures.
This will improve your photography and this blog will help you do this. It is a good source of inspiration and information.
I’ve recently been involved in the creation of a new website.
It’s called Larpbook and although at an early stage you may find it a worthwhile look.
The purpose of Larpbook is to provide a place for people involved in the LARP hobby to share information. To exchange news, pictures and videos. In effect it is a social networking project.
It is build out of easily available components.
Its a proof that anyone with a bit of skill can create a social networking site.
Have a look. I hope you enjoy watching its development.
You can find Larpbook at http://www.larpbook.com.
This time we’re talking about where and how to write for the Internet.
Well where is easy - any where you feel comfortable. It really is that simple. When you are writing for the Internet you need to write material that is personal, passionate, contemporary and compelling. This sounds like an impossible combination. It’s not. To achieve this the writing has to flow, and for the writing to flow you need to be in the moment. That means writing as the inspiration hits you. Inspiration can come at any time and any where. So be prepared to make notes at a moments notice. This is good. It means you’re removing the task of writing and replacing it with just note taking.
To do this remember the tools of working in the moment are everywhere. To make notes remember the old standard of pen and paper and the new standard of the mobile phone. Phones are pretty useful things. You can take photographs to remind you. Make notes to read, use the phone as a dictaphone with a voice recorder or if the phone is fairly smart - it makes a good notepad as well. Of course you could be actually in front of the computer when the idea seeds. This means that you need to instantly access something to write with. You should check out Scribefire - a Firefox extension that is a great note taker and blogging editor or something like Evernote. Evernotes beauty is simply that it stores your notes in the cloud. Meaning you can start your note on any computer you have access to and finish it any other computer you have access to. Giving a nice and easy workflow.
Ok so thats a few notes on the where. Where being anywhere so long as inspiration is with you. Now for the how.
How means you need something to write with. For Internet use avoid Microsoft Word. You don’t need most of its features - or the dubious code it generates. Word is better for other jobs. Not that this means Microsoft is down and out. If you run Windows then check out Live Writer. It is a first class blogging tool. If you’re not on Windows then check out Scribefire (turning into a favourite this), or perhaps one of the online writing tools. If you are writing online its not a bad idea to store your prepare your writing online. Take a look at Google Docs or Adobe Buzzword. Both are fine Word Processors. Alternatively you try out a virtual computer such as g.ho.st.
There are of course plenty of other alternatives. Whats import is that your tool is easy to use, feels right to you and be inserted into a blog entry with the minimum of fuss and bother.
Next - Platforms
Often when I mention projects it sounds as if something has been heavily planned. Maybe a little over thought and a little too aware of itself.
This really does not have to be the case.
Last week The Cabarazzi hit the news with an exhibition of photographs hosted in North London. The pictures which are really quite stunning were all taken with a simple point and shoot camera from a London Cab. It sounds like a cool idea. Yet it started when Cabbie Dominic Shannon started carrying a (disposable) camera as a precautionary measure to collect insurance evidence in case of an accident. He realised how good London looks and started to take photographs. The disposable camera became digital and the pictures are now on display.
If you’d like to view Mr Shannons photographs click here.
This is a case of one idea getting caught up in enthusiasm and turning into something special.
It proves that all you need is an idea, some patience and not very expensive equipment to produce good art. To me the message is - just get on with things and see what happens.
Ok so you want to write online. It’s not an uncommon desire. In fact blogging has become one of the most popular of activities taking place on the Internet. I don’t want to restrict myself to blogging though. I want to look at the concept of publishing online. This can be fiction, non-fiction, newsletters, newspapers. No limits and no exceptions.
I’m not going to give advice on computers and Internet connections, but remember this; you need to write - not play the latest games or rendered complex 3D images - these are different creative pursuits. Writing only needs a basic computer. Text is easy for a computer to process. This article is being written on a browser plugin running on an aging Mac laptop, not the latest fashionable piece of multi-core kit running a heavy duty word processor.
So where do you start?
You start with an idea. You need to have some idea of what you need to write about, and then there is passion. Whatever you want to write about you need to be passionate about it. Remember you are going to be spending a lot of time with this subject material - it is essential you have real feelings for it. If there is no passion you are in trouble.
It is possible that you feel the need to write but are feeling a bit fuzzy on subject. That is fine. The passion is there - but not the focus. You need to find something to focus on. Read around some blogs, add some comments. Join services like Twitter and Plurk, follow a lot of people and see what is being said - it will help. If you are nervous about writing in public then practice on paper. You have total control over a piece of paper. Only the people you give the paper to can read it. You can practice until you are feeling happy enough to commit something in public. Remember though that when practicing writing you are own enemy. It will be easy to be over critical and that kill your ambitions before they really start. So remember this rule, you are not looking for a great style of writing, you are confirming what you want to write about. Be honestly brutal here. When you find your subject you will know it, anything else just won’t feel write. Write until you feel enthused. Then you go online. Not when you have written a perfect piece. The reasoning here is simple. Writing online is a serial affair, no matter how it starts - over time it should improve. This is fine as no website gets instant recognition from nowhere. Recognition comes in time. It comes when you have a body of work behind you and when it is interesting for others. That comes with application on practice. Your words will be improving as people find you. You ‘just’ have to have the faith that this will happen.
By now you have an idea. Now give it an easy to remember name. You will be placing your work on a website and a good name helps a bundle. Think carefully about the name. No so long as you don’t start. Just long enough for a name to come about. What you are looking for here is an identity for your writing. Ijustine is a good example. Take a look at http://tastyblogsnack.com/ its simple sassy writing with a clear idea of who ijustine is. Great stuff. Learn from it.
Ok so you know what you want to write about and what it is going to be called. Next time - where to write it and thoughts on creating content.
Technorati Tags: how, to, write, online
