Shared Creation Projects

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A quick break from the usual exploration of creating a zombie film. An idea free for anyone to use.

We enter the second decade of the twenty-first century and we are long overdue according to the annals of Science Fiction for some deep space flight and whilst there is no doubt that there is some exploration coming up, what about long term colonization? What about for the first time making mankind a creature of more than one world? 

Exploration for the sake of science is being run by the usual agencies, and commerce is making its first tentative steps into space but will this be enough to uproot a sizeable number of people into a risky enterprise with a small chance of returning home and even bigger financial cost? The question has to be who can move people with nothing more than blind trust and who has in principle the ability to invest the required resources with none of those nasty business and commercial entanglements.

My thoughts turn to religion. Religion has great power and great need. Traditionally when we think of man in space we think of National Pride, the Power of Currency and Corporation. But what if it religion moves man into space. What if religion seeks to deliver its message beyond Earth?

I first thought of the Church of Rome. Largest in the world and with obvious riches. It is too conservative – what is needed is a church of radical thinking. A church that has historic links to science and to undertaking great deeds.

I’m thinking about Islam.

Forget about the image painted by the media of crazed suicide bombers wanting to take down the West and instead think of a religion that once upon a time inspired great science and art. Think also of a religion that is behind ethical banking and which is capable of invoking great acts of passion. Imagine what would happen if Islam went back up being a patron of sciences.

Whilst the West worries about the cost and commercial return of space exploration imagine what would happen if a religion existing outside of our established rules of commerce and research put together a colony to Mars purely on religious grounds.

I’ve no idea what such a colony would look like. 

I do know that it would shake the world.

Imagine another world established by a non secular state establishing laws and morality as it saw fit, and distanced from Earth by both the void of space and long travel times almost anything could develop.

So perhaps we should not be thinking as writers about transplanting ourselves and our culture but instead think beyond that into something that is different but not so far from home.

Tags: Colony, Fiction, Islam, Mars, Mosques, Science, social, Society

As promised here are the results of Zombie Reaction Day. No videos were uploaded to You Tube. This is a disappointment however I am not desolate over this because an awful lot of good zombie action did start as a result of the day.

I did receive a good number of zombie SFX photos and excellent they are too. It seems that one mention of the “Z” word and people are only too keen to throw on a pile of makeup and fake blood. There is a gallery of these pictures at the end of the article.

Zombie Reaction Day also triggered some great fiction from the Mass Twitter Fiction crowd. We agreed to plug each others work and to share storylines, the next thing I new we were writing zombie fiction on Twitter. That has in fact carried on through the week under the tag of #htfe and on Friday 13th November expect even more great material as the #htfe is taken up a notch by its participants. In fact anyone is welcome to join in and I recommend that you do. You won’t find a nicer bunch of people and you will be amazed as to how good a story can be carried by a series of 140 character messages.

Running the ZRD gave me some time to finish editing the next Consumed mini film. This will very shortly be on YouTube and I will post up a link to it when its ready.

A few people have mentioned that ZRD caught them by surprise and I have requests to run another. I will do this. I am also thinking about running a poll about the topic of the next Zombie Reaction Day that way we can tailor it better. I also note that I did receive messages from potential participants having problems with story, about what story that could portray well as a part of the ZRD. I wonder perhaps that the number of entrants was constrained by the problem of specifically having to act. This perhaps can be fixed by a the poll. To make sure that a challenge is issued which can better fit into the comfort zones of people.

And Now.. The Zombie Gallery

First a special mention to our two top of article photographs. Two of my friends decided to part as Zombies on ZRD.

And some pictures from http://twitter.com/zammi who definitely had a day of zombies- thanks ZAmmi.

1. http://twitpic.com/omj9m
2. http://twitpic.com/omktu
3. http://twitpic.com/omn4r
4. http://twitpic.com/ompgz
5. http://twitpic.com/omrgp
6. http://twitpic.com/omudm
7. http://twitpic.com/omxux
8. http://twitpic.com/omy84
9. http://twitpic.com/omm4s

A special mention for  #htfe -  type this twiiter search to see a zombie invasion unfold before your eyes.

And now how could we run a zombie day without some advice on how to deal with the undead. This time from masters of the genre Nick Frost and Simon Pegg

Tags: Day, Nick Frost, Photographs, Reaction, Results, Simon Pegg, video, Zombie

Image by NeilsPhotography via Flickr

This is an extrapolation from the discovery of a fungus that turns ants into zombies dedicated to the propagation of said fungus. How it does this is truly terrifying. The fungus literally takes over the ants brain and compels into leaving its nest and becoming a fungal incubator. The full text of the article is here (including citations to more formal sources.)

I’m mentioning this here because image the horror of this if such a thing mutated and started to move to other species. Including man. The results would be horrific and apocalyptic. There was a discussion on species jumping zombie vectors in the Shared Creation fan room. The result was a horrible scenario leading to world changing mass extinctions. Now we see a real world example of something taking over a victim, changing its behaviour and killing the victim. Imagine if that jumped species. It would make a terrifying film, a great story and perhaps a good adjunct to the main Consumed universe.

Tags: Consumed, Control, Fungus, Mind, Zombie

Image via Wikipedia

I recently saw a man who was walking oddly, he had an even gait that fumbled and lurched his body across the road. At his side hung his arms and his gaze never wandered from dead ahead. In fact he walked like the dead and that got me thinking.

We tend to avoid the odd, the different, the deformed, the disabled, the aged and the demented.

We ignore them.

We let them by.

What would happen the day or hours before it became obvious that people were turning into zombies. Would we simply not notice the walking undead. As obvious as it is that the zombies or those turning are not right, would we take notice?

I don’t think we would. I think that Shaun of the Dead has it about right. During the time before; Shaun sees zombies on the turn – only they are not, they are just odd people.

I think that this makes sense. We don’t know that zombies exist. After all zombies only exist as entertainments and not real world ending threats. Zombies are not El Nino or Global Warming, they are the dangerous with a bomb. They are simply a bogey man we scare ourselves with.

So on the rise of the zombies, we will let them walk our streets, enter our pubs, and go were they please. Only when it is too late will we realise what his happening.

There is story potential in this. It is the creeping horror. It is Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It is our worst nightmares come to life. Its your best friend looking like he has had one too many, just before he bites through your neck.

When you’re writing a zombie story or thinking about joining in with Consumed remember this.

Everyone ignores the odd and no one believes in zombies. Any number of unpleasant things could happen.

As for the man I saw walking & staggering across the road. Don’t worry he met some friends and walked into a pub. Whatever his condition was – he was not alone.

Tags: Consumed, Disabled, Ignore, normal, odd, Ordinary, Strange, Zombies

I have to give a special mention to We Blog The World. Something that I discovered via Twitter and which turns out to be a site that offers a global experience for readers, writers and photographers alike.

Take a look at this short video

Things That Happen When Filming Part 1

It came about as we were filming a short sequence from Consumed. As we made the film we stumbled upon a moment to do a bit of simple comedy.

Then came the next idea – how to package it as the beginning of a short series of funnies that illustrates the madness, hard work and fun that is film making. There is something worth capturing in these moments.

Now the series will only be very occaisonal. I only get very little time to work on Consumed, but the point is that episode 1 exists and I would never have thought of it without the shoot. Now I have an idea and something to do with all the bloopers and stupid moments on film.

This is a timely reminder that the muse can strike at any time and that doing anything can lead to another unseen possibility. Its a bit like the advice to blocked writers – go take a break. In other words – go do something and see what happens.

The point of all this that I’m problems closing off is this. Be aware of whats going on around you. It could lead to something good.

I’m also very glad as its given my very sporadic video work and new focus. That is a good thing.

Its time I drew your attention to The Glass Eye. A wonderful blog by photograhpy hobbyist Matt Brooker. I first discovered this one via a strange combination of Flickr & Twitter – it was a link to a fine article about phtoographing model daleks. These were great photos , something that wouldn’t look out of place in production work.. So that made me look further and I discovered a real gem of blog. Good photography and good articles. Its at once something personal and inspirational. I only wish the Mr Brooker could blog more often; but then we may get quantity and not quality and I do like the quality here.

There is also a great Flickr account that goes with this. Take a look at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/glasseye/