Get The Message?

There's this visual novel that I've been obsessed with for about a year now. Katawa Shoujo is a choose your own adventure story that takes you through relationships in the character's senior year of high school. From that description it sounds like it would be a sappy collection of brooding, teen romance novels. What makes the game fantastic is the dialogue is well written and crafts gripping stories. There are five major story arcs and each of them are worthwhile, because they avoid the obvious.

I tried looking at each story based on its events to determine the emotional arc the story creates for the characters, but this varied among the stories and was often times deconstructing romance stories that are cliché's. The single aspect that is unchanged in all of the stories is that you can only reach the "good ending" once you make decisions that cause the character to think of themselves. If you try to "get the girl" by "being the hero" you end up screwing around with the character's feelings and things fall apart as the characters lose touch with each other. I thought that was a stroke of genius to force the player to realize that you can only truly support someone else by having the courage to make your own feelings clear.

I think that's why stories like "Twilight" bother me so much. They only focus on the events that "bring" people together and forget to emphasize the aspects of the characters that "keep" them together. You can't have two characters who support each other simply because they have the other person. A person can only be there for another once they have some level of personal satisfaction. You can't see what someone really needs until you can take yourself out of equation and know that you already have your own security intact.

Letting Go

My senior film has been a nightmare in numerous ways. Mainly because I indulge too heavily in torturing myself. I entered into this project setting out to make THE FILM. I wanted to make my masterpiece, my Fantasia. Now that it's falling short of expectations, I consistently do this thing where I spiral downward into total depression over the slightest details. I can never seem to build myself up on my own, but all it takes is for someone else to say, "dude, what are you worried about? You'll make other films."

I don't like the thought of slugging through a film just to get to the next one, but there's a lot of truth in their advice. We make films so the next will always be better. It's also the strangest thing. This semester I've kind of blown off most of my electives, but I'm making more "A's" than usual. Maybe the secret of life is to give less of a shit?

An Appreciation of Time

30 seconds sounds like a lot of time for a commercial, just like how 500 words like a lot of time to tell a story. In thirty seconds, my goal was to introduce a new innovation to the world of fast food advertising and show the benefits of this approach. My commercial tells the story of a man who sees what he wants advertised on a bilboard. The twist is that a headgear accessories in the future will incorporate technology that can identify attention patterns in human thought. The device allows companies to send you personalized savings coupons based on your individual tastes.

If I gained anything from the mess I came up with, it's the experience of finding out what can be cut and to simplify an idea.

Link To Clip: https://vimeo.com/54511559

Here are a few of the Style Sheets for the shots that had to be cut

The design is happily the only thing I can say I'm proud of from this train wreck.

Propaganda Power

I was surprised to find how much some people's ideas had changed for their propaganda posters. I greatly enjoyed a lot of the designs we saw two weeks ago, and was saddened to see that many had been edited down so heavily. Admittedly, my early concepts were hastily assembled, but the idea was there. I had my direction and any changes were to clarify the message and make the picture more visually interesting. After seeing how dramatically some ideas had changed, I felt like many messages became shy or feared standing out as dramatically as before.

Propaganda is supposed to be daring and push the envelope. If it comes off as extreme, that can be a strength when handled correctly. I proposed a tagging stencil for graffiti-based propaganda. That's an art form that is illegal! It's effective because it deals directly with the notion of controlling how art should be distributed and viewed. Graffiti images are largely designed to gain perceived power through mass distribution. The image by itself isn't a masterpiece, but it gains value by dominating a space and immersing the audience in a simple message.

Thanksgiving Break

Over the break, I expected to be bombarded with advertisements pertaining to the current holiday at hand, Thanksgiving. Much to my surprise I didn't see a single commercial pertaining to food or how to provide the perfect family setting. All ads were hellbent on convincing me to attend the Black Friday shopping events. I only go if there's something specific on sale that I know a family member or close friend would like to receive as a gift. The exception this year is that a friend invited me to come along as they shopped for a deal at Best Buy. Knowing my sister would enjoy a decent pair of headphones, I accepted the invitation.

The biggest let down of the "Black Friday Sales" was that nothing was actually on sale. Once in the store, I made my way through the crowds towards the sale event signs and was disappointed by what I found. Each set of headphones was listed at $20-30 below the regular sale price, but Best Buy always offers those prices because they're exclusively an electronics wholesale store. By listing the retail price they create the illusion that you're saving money, but their prices were no different than usual.

Nostalgia Goggles

We were discussing about how people romanticize things of the past to be much better than they actually were. I'm well aware that my "nostalgia goggles" are the thickest rose tinted lenses around, but I like to believe I have credible reasons for loving the things I do. Video games serve as a good example of how newer isn't always better. 2D sprite animated gameplay obviously lacks any true grasp of realism, and so it engaged players through story, gameplay, and theming. When a well made game, in terms of the playable experience, is visually lacking it requires the players to bridge the gap through imagination. Where a character onscreen may simply execute its basic slash animation, a player knows the experience is artificial and imagines what kind of dynamic attack their hero would use.

This is an experience ultimately lost in the world of three dimensional graphics. The artificial reality tries its hardest to appear believable, but characters are still programmed with set patterns of movement. Video games no make such an effort to look real, but cannot fully succeed. Since games no longer have the stronger visual disassociation that sprite games did, the experience doesn't bring me to a place where I openly accept the games obviously artificial world. This makes digital movement programmed patterns stand out more glaringly. What happened to letting a player's imagination do some of the work? I'm no longer experiencing the immersion on my own terms.

SKYFALL Rises!

Yesterday, I entered the theatre filled with anticipation, but keeping an open mind. I am very pleased to say that Sam Mendes' "SKYFALL" is a triumph! By far, the best movie I have seen this year. I would put this film up against "The Dark Knight Rises" & "Paranorman" and say that "SKYFALL" trumps them all. Mendes' bond is not formulaic in the slightest of ways. While it remains faithful to the franchise, it does not rely on any of the "old tricks". The film strongly addresses multiple points about Bond's character and seamlessly ties them together to make a story that treats all the characters with dignity. There are no throwaway moments in Mendes' masterpiece. His camerawork flawlessly puts the audience into this unique world he has created, and subtly reveals clues that all come together to form meaningful moments of small revelations leading to the climax of the film. Mendes' has not only raised the bar for Bond films, but has redefined action movies by doing the most by using less. At no point did I feel an element of his filming was overused. His camerawork is modest when necessary, but always carried a flare of genius as it lead into a telling moment.

The IMDB review I read a few days earlier has no credibility. Javier Bardem's performance was remarkable, and he was working with an equally remarkable script. The villain avoids being this plucky madman who simply wants to "rule the world or watch it burn". While there are moments that his character is humorous, his motivations are specific. It is important to have some lighthearted moments with your villains, because when executed properly then can disarm the audience and make the character unsettlingly threatening. Sam Mendes is a master of playing with an audience's expectations and Skyfall does precisely that. The review was grossly underselling the film, and it is no surprise that I can no longer find the article.

SKYFALL or SKYFAIL?

On October 26, "Skyfall: 007" was released in European theaters. The theatrical release for USA is November 9. I've been reading some reviews for this film, and largely the criticism it receives it that MGM is trying too hard to mimic the style and success of Christopher Nolan's "Batman" series. Many fear that the reinventing of Bond that has taken place since casting Daniel Craig has broken too far from the more satirical roots of the series and is trying to establish a sense of realism that does not fit well with the sensational stunts that are consistently in Bond movies.

While I am not unaware that darker, grittier styles have grown vastly more popular after Nolan's success with the "Batman" series, those movies did not at all attempt any form of realism. This realism that critics claim the Bond movies are reaching for is something that I feel is purely an invention of opinionated writers. The sensationalism of Bond movies has largely been what decides wether an audience loves or hates the series as a whole. I'm not going to get into what defines "The Bond Universe" because that's an issue purely for fans of the series. Bond is a character that demands a suspension of disbelief, and that is maintained not by throwing around sex and explosions but by staying faithful to the character you are setting out to create.

Christopher Nolan's Batman certainly broke away from the goofy, more humorous, counterparts of the past. It didn't aim for any sense of realism. The world became more relatable to ours by focusing on the forces that drive the characters and how they grapple with forces beyond their control. Any sense of realism we gain as an audience is because we are shifting how we view heroes and seeing more of ourselves in the story. We are seeing heroes bleed, fall, and rise more because the characters are now becoming the centerpiece, and the stunts are more in service to the style and the fantasy. I'll have to see the movie this Friday to look for this "realism" the new director is searching for, and see if the reviews I read hold water or if they were just trying to be juicier read throughs.

The Wrong Kind Of Attention

There's moments where you stop and think, "Who could've thought that was a good idea?" This is a photograph I managed to take at a stoplight of a local convenience store. I've always assumed that people have a basic level of common sense that causes them to stop and think before putting something up on a wall or bilboard. I was wrong. Of all the vowels that had to replace "e" to keep the sign from reading "Negro's" they had to select the one letter that makes the name of the store look like an even more offensive word.
I'd like to believe we live in a world where this kind of thing doesn't matter, but that's not the reality. Words carry content, and the subject dealt with here is a weighty topic. If anything this serves as an example of why it is important to proofread your work.

Getting Attention

Walking along the streets of Kansas City on Halloween has its benefits. The heightened awareness of my surroundings, mainly watching out for the crazies, brought this sign to my attention.

In my case, all it takes is for an ad to be clever. I immediately wanted to know more, because I felt there was some information I was lacking. It was like there was some bigger joke i didn't want to be left out of. The sign ended up being an ad for a local law firm.
I am seeing a growing popularity in ads adapting to this idea that all it takes is to get noticed. Just maybe someone will share this on their popular tumblr, then the ad will be seen by all of their dedicated followers. It's fascinating how advertising has developed around this idea that you just have to be memorable. If it gets people's attention, regardless of wether it is good, then it has achieved its purpose.
This is definitely what drives a lot of propaganda. The message is often hard to grasp and poorly constructed, but all that is needed is for the message to spread and it will eventually sink in by playing on people's fears or expectations.

Revelations

I encountered an interesting sale tactic that I can't say was directed at me as an audience, but if the writer was trying to be humorous, then I'm happy to say I was entertained. The cereal was visually similar to the "regular" flavored Captain Crunch Cereal, but the packing indicated this to be a generic brand. While the packaging showcases a name similar to its name-brand counterpart and all of the healthy attributes of this cereal, it addresses a unique benefit of its signature style of packaging. Notice the label in the upper-left corner. The opening on the bag is a resealable ziplock, but they have also taken the liberty of making me aware that the tip of the bag is "pourable". Wherever would I be without their wisdom? It's fortunate they told me this fact, because I was rather puzzled as to how I am supposed to get the cereal out of the bag.

Here's an EXCELLENT example of what I was talking about earlier.

While it's clearly not addressing actual benefits of the product, it is loosely related to the point it's trying to make. If one thing's for sure, I will not be soon forgetting this commercial.

Advertising Research

One thing I've always found interesting is Korean & Japanese commercials, particularly advertisements for energy drinks and specialized beverages. Many of these commercials appear to have very little to do with showcasing the benefits of the product. Of course, I'm limited by not being able to understand the native language or get all of the cultural references, but these commercials are memorable. It's not too hard for me to accept that the overall goal is simply to get me to remember their product, but I want to believe there's something more significant this trend of sensationalism.
It's a trend that is apparent in the Korean Pop idol, Psy's new hit "Gangnam Style". In his lyrics he comments on Korea's upper middle class that goes to great lengths to appear more sophisticated by living up to their ideal image of a successful "westerner".

Brighter Days

First off, I'd like to excuse myself for my previous post. There's no need to share such defeatist dialogue, and it doesn't make any situation better. Things already have begun to make a turn around. Sometimes things just work out.

I had an interesting experience with advertising while driving home from school. A commercial came over the radio for "Jack In The Box". The commercial was scripted like a radio show for relationship advice. A woman asks Jack if she should be concerned that her boyfriend calls her at 2am to go with him to get some Tacos for 99cents. Jack replies by saying, "It's just a friendly 'Foody Call'"

What makes the commercial unique is that it's only successful through the medium of TV or RADIO, because you have to actually hear the language used to make the connection between "Foody Call" and the idea they're referencing...a "Booty Call"

Different messages are often better suited for different mediums.

When do you know that you've lost something

I truly believed that storyboarding and getting an animatic together would make things easier and save me time on my thesis. How very wrong I was. All it has shown me is that I have a loose plan, that isn't jiving with my audiences and isn't fully realized. As I started to make changes, I realized that I don't actually have a story. I know the personal narrative that is driving the work, but I had mistaken my story's lack of a concrete sequence of events as flaxibility. Making the animatic took much more time than I thought it would, and all it has done is cost me more time.

If only I could've had this writing class during junior year. I would have known ahead of time that you can't create anything for its own sake. I wanted to create something that was aesthetically beautiful and open to interpretation. All I've gotten as feedback is "I don't get it" or "love to see it when it's done"

Now I'm knee deep in production schedules that I can't continue to progress through until I finally nail down what the hell I'm actually working on.

Selling the Benefits

One message stares me in the face whenever I leave studio, "Life Tastes Good"
What is Coca-Cola selling me? Obviously they're selling their product, but what is it they are claiming to sell? Saying "life tastes good" doesn't direct or command me, so how does it attract me to their brand? I enjoy things that taste good. How does my life "taste" right now? My diet consists of a hot lunch, and then ramen, macaroni, or cereal fill in any gaps where I feel hungry. So I don't get much variety outside of my lunch. They're offering a good taste to add to my life, because as they're telling me "Life Tastes Good". I want my life to taste good. They know that. I know that.
How do I stay above the influence? I don't carry cash. No temptation. LIKE A BOSS.

Bilboards

I was driving down Main St., and saw a billboard advertising women's underwear. It boasted that their panties were designed for comfort with the everyday woman in mind. It took me a moment to notice that there were two women in the picture, because one had been cropped out revealing nothing but her panties and legs. The one who had been cropped out was black, while the other, who was white, was sleeping peacefully in full view of the billboard. I'm sad that my mind asks this question first, but it had me thinking, "who then is the 'everyday' woman?" Can't gripe at them for knowing, or rather thinking they know, their target audience.

"Heroes"

Was walking down Main St. off of Westport, and saw an open window in an abandoned building. I asked myself why the window was open. A flood of guesses rushed through my mind until I realized I was no longer looking at the buildings as a landscape, but rather as a character.

I began seeing the "character" of the city, and a story emerged. What if one person could see the character of the city? How would they interact? What conflicts would they have? If a person can see the character of the city, then how do they interact with the rest of the natural world?

I have definitely arrived at the "first wave" of creativity, because I see this character as a kind of superman. Being a human in what many could consider an imaginary world, makes this person someone who can make an impact on both realities. Playing with this idea of an imaginary world, children see the world in such a way. I'm interested in this character being childish, even if they're older. Having grown up with knowing the city as a character, they would be truly unique if they never grew out of that.

The challenge remains to figure out what interactions such and individual would have. I want to keep the idea playful and child-like. I think if I present this character having a childish mentality, then it will be easier for the audience to accept their imaginative world.

It could be appropriate for this character to consider themselves a hero. If they're the only ones who perceive the characters of the city, then he/she would feel a sense of obligation to protect and defend those characters while the rest of the world seems to ignore them.

Outline (Beat List)
Hero is waiting at the bus stop
Person walks up
Asks if Hero if he/she needs a ride
"No I'm waiting for my sister to pick me up"
Person drives away
Hero "hears" cry for help [animated word gets attention]
Sees character being mugged by other characters
Looks around
No One Else Responds
Rushes In To Help
Fights Off Muggers
Character Kisses Hero In Thanks
Muggers crawl into Building's Texture
Muggers Turn Into Graffiti Monster
Battle ensues
Hero Delivers Finishing Combo
In middle of attack, audience sees hero alone [they see it's all in his head]
Sister Pulls Up
Calls Hero into car
Hero obeys
As car Drives away, audience sees the victimized character waving goodbye in thanks

UGH, summarizing

Anyone can tell from my posts that I'm not a short winded thinker. I just can not condense. It can't be done. It just can't! There comes a point where leaving out key information leads to pushing your audience in a direction you didn't mean to, or worse they begin to apply assumptions to your work. I can't stand how whenever I think I've finally broken down something to its basic concept then somebody wants to attach some unrelated idea to it, because then that's all I can focus on and fixing that drives me crazy.

Subtext is important, but it bothers me to no end when people pick up on subtext that isn't meant to be there. It's a good thing I'm taking this writing class, because half the time I feel I have no idea what I'm doing.

Believe It Or Not

Interestingly enough, characters have always been difficult for me to discover. They never really revealed themselves to me naturally. I had to always stop and think, "Hey, wouldn't it be cool if…"
Then I'd usually follow that up with adding a whole back story to the character that doesn't fit that character's purpose. It all ended up sounding like a bad fanfic.

Now That I've started having to investigate myself. I'm starting to see what makes people tick. By coming to understand my own flaws, and slowly growing to accept them, creating characters has become much easier for me.

I have been doing a lot of personal reflection lately. I don't always like what I see, but I suppose everyone goes through that. I've been searching to find something I'm supposed to aspire towards becoming, because I feel I need some focus. I've taken to quickly to just criticizing myself and not knowing where to go from there.

On the way home last night, I was driving in my car and an angel came to me. A large owl flew down in front of my windshield, and glided barely a foot away from me down the rest of the street. As I came to a stop at the intersection, it flew off into the neighboring trees. I turned to look back at it as I drove away, and it looked straight back at me as if to say, "It'll be alright. Trust me"

I started doing some research on owls. It turns out that they're a Native American Totem Spirit symbolizing: Insight, Messenger, Wisdom, and Clairvoyance. The meanings vary from different sources, but all seem to share "insight". I do seem spend nearly all of my time investigating or trying to gain a deeper understanding of myself and other people. I know people see connections where they want to, but something here feels right. I need to trust in that.

Ridley Scott's "American Gangster"

I saw this movie for the first time the other day. I have no idea what delayed my having seen this film. It's a masterpiece in every sense of the word. One thing that immediately stood out to me was the use communicating without dialogue. It is a tricky thing to manage, but it was very effective in "American Gangster". I began thinking about how difficult a challenge this can be for a writer to factor in. There are times when I feel pushed to come up with exactly the right words to use, because I know how important a scene is. It is a careful line to walk, but "American Gangster" puts such care into shaping the persona of Frank Lucas, played by Denzel Washington, that those moments of total silence are easily filled by the Frank's own thoughts. Scott places the audience into the main character's head, so that the audience has a clear picture of what goes on in Frank's mind.

This, I think, is the single greatest challenge of any filmmaker or narrative artist. The goal, of course, is to engage and inform the audience of what is happening, but film becomes true art when the creator can immerse the audience and imply subtle details to guide them through a story. Very few audiences enjoy being clobbered over the head with large puzzles that they have to decipher. Showing them all the pieces, then allowing them to watch as they fall into place, is theoretically all you really need. The challenge that lies in this is controlling how much they get to see before the conclusion is revealed.

Bernie "Sly" Sylvester

After playing around with various character ideas, I've finally arrived at something I can stand behind and treasure. This character very much came out of the blue and was an expected find...

Bernie Sylvester is forty-two years young and still the life of the party. Preferring to be known by his street name, Sly, he established himself as a web designer and sound technician within the California music industry. His total lack of any sense of fashion, unshaven legs, sun-kissed aging skin, and wispy combover make him a bizarre sight to behold. However, his charming smile and smooth talking either help you warm up to him, or further encourage you to ignore him and hope he goes away. If you carry on a conversation long enough with Sly, you’ll likely end up hearing about how he dropped out of high school to tour as a roadie for “The Red Hot Chili Peppers”.

While touring with the California born rock band, he met the love of his life, Roxanne. Both of them being on the road at the time, the relationship didn’t last. They still send each other an occasional postcard. Roxanne knows Bernie has big dreams, but a skewed sense of how to realistically pursue them. Sly’s relationships tend to be short lived, but that does not weigh on his heart. As far as he is concerned, he is simply a free spirit. Sly maintains this carefree attitude in many aspects in his life. His most prized possession is a convertible Ford Thunderbird which is mainly held together by shear luck and healthy applications of industrial strength epoxy. Whenever Sly does not have enough money for gas or to tackle the laundry list of repairs his car needs, he gets around by means of skateboarding. Hardly bothered by this, Sly enjoys getting the exercise and sees his hobby of skateboarding as a personal connection with California’s history.

Sly dreams of one day discovering the next major talent in the music world, and acting as their manager to guide them to stardom. Doing what he refers to as “talent scouting”, Sly hosts house parties which attract college students in the area. This provides him the opportunity to present himself as a pathway into the music industry for eager hopefuls. These parties also allow Sly to earn some extra cash by besting inexperienced youth at a few hands of poker. Deep down he has a good heart and hopes to one day make some close friends. He eagerly awaits the day when his dreams of stardom will be realized. Until then, he plans to take life as it comes and keep up with the hustle.

Thoughts On Characters

Working with other people on characters made me think a lot on how I go about forming my own characters. What stereotypes do I tend to fall into, what cliches do I make an effort to avoid, do these decisions strengthen or limit my work? After sitting down with a small writing session, trying to flesh out some characters, I usually lock onto a memory from that character's past and use that to shape them. It's a slippery slope, because it becomes easier to fall into stock characters. I need to allow myself time to sort out a character, because I need to take some time away from these characters and approach them with a fresh mindset. I also need to not be afraid of twisting a character and breaking away from what seems right at first glance.

I need to really ask myself, "Do these qualities make the strongest character I have to offer?" Not to say that all my characters have to be strong, active, major players, but I should give careful thought when putting a piece on the board. Every character should be important to the core story. Obviously, there will be a main character, but all characters should contribute directly to the central idea.

Short Story "The Thing In The Chair Stared At…"

I was given a phrase, "The thing in the chair stared at…" and was asked to write a story in response. Here's what I managed to come up with

The thing in the chair stared at the tears building up in her eyes. All she could do in return was stare back into the darkness, and wait for what she knew to be the inevitable end. Forcing herself not to cry, Madalyn could feel the thing’s penetrating gaze carefully study her. she winced and tightly shut her eyes. Madalyn’s other senses intensified, which only made its presence more terrifying. She could hear the harsh creaking of the chair as it stood up. She could feel the vibrations in the floor as it trudged towards her. Worst of all, as it moved closer still, she began to smell a foul odor in the air. An odor she was sure could only be the scent of blood. Sensing the beast to be within inches of her, Madalyn fell to her knees and held her breath.

A moment passed. Nothing. She could still sense the ominous creature towering over her, but nothing beyond that fact. Feeling the air in her lungs running out, she tightly curled up hoping to hold onto this last moment. Silently, Madalyn wished that she could somehow will herself away from this place. How did she even get into this situation? She thought back to her friends, and how they waved goodbye earlier that day not knowing it would be the last time. What possessed her to take that shortcut home? If only she could see them again; just to tell them how special each of them are too her. Hours seemed to pass in those few seconds. Madalyn softly exhaled in resignation.

Her eyes opened momentarily. Just as she moved to shut them closed again, Madalyn caught a brief glimpse of the thing’s eyes. In those eyes she saw something unexpected. There was a hunger in those eyes, not a savage hunger for flesh, but for warmth. A warmth that could help heal prolonged suffering. Those were the loneliest eyes she had ever seen. Somehow, she no longer felt threatened. No longer trembling, Madalyn pulled herself to her feet. Now that the creature was standing before her, Madalyn was surprised to find herself to be nearly a foot taller than it. The thing slowly bowed its head and gently rested itself on her shoulder. She was startled at first, but immediately calmed by the soothing sound that came from its beak. It’s cooing was something like a raspy kitten’s purr.

It’s neck was covered in thick folds of shining black and green feathers. The creature nudged her shoulder again, and Madalyn began to stroke the bird-like creature’s breast. Its long feathers tickled her cheeks. As she moved her hands through the thing’s plumage, the smell of blood again reached her nostrils. She must have adjusted to the smell in the air, but now the smell was much stronger than before. Almost immediately, she felt an oozing wound concealed by the dark feathers.

The thing winced as her fingertips lightly pressed against the exposed flesh. The pitiable creature quickly withdrew from her and began jerking about; letting out painful cries. Madalyn felt her heart begin to ache and her eyes well with tears. Seeing this creature in such pain, and having no idea how to help, was more than she could bear. She swiftly reached out and firmly wrapped her arms around the creature, pulling the two of them close together. Seeming to understand her gesture, the creature calmed down. The whole room seemed to go silent. The only sound that could be heard was the creature’s raspy breathing and Madalyn’s sniffling as she fought to hold back tears.

The pair seemed to relax. No longer curious or afraid of the other. As they pulled away from each other, the sound of a metal latch and a heavy door opening echoed from a dark corridor. The creature, in response, became very agitated. Its feather ruffled, making it appear several times larger than before as it withdraw from the sound. Madalyn looked back and forth from the mysterious corridor to her newfound companion. She grew worried as her friend let out an unsettling growl. The beam of a flashlight shattered the darkness of the corridor, and a foreboding voice whispered,

“Now, what do we have here?”

Upon hearing the stranger’s voice, the creature let out a sharp, defiant cry. The next thing Madalyn knew, her friend sharply clasped its beak around the collar of her shirt and hoisted her onto its back. She held on tightly as it turned from the light and furiously sprinted away into a series of winding tunnels. Madalyn could only guess as to why her friend had become so alarmed, but now all her attention was focused on maintaining her grip as they darted through tight, narrow passages at startling speeds.

Character: How Do They…Grr

I've never exactly had a "problem" coming up with characters. I have a major issue with coming up with ways of using character in stories to make them compelling. Maybe it's as simple as over thinking it all. I'll often have an idea for a story, but it is based around an event that unfolds in my head. I'll think, "OH! That's cool. Now how did all these characters get together to make this event happen?" I'll try to build a plot around that and it always ends up being forced and melodramatic. I enjoy dramatic stories, but there's a point where they have no impact and things are just happening for the sake of the story going onward. That's not enough!

A story should never just "happen". There needs to be a specific reason as to why things unfold to give them meaning. It's fine to build to an event, but it should have a rhythm that is consistent and guides an audience to a natural conclusion. The worst feeling in the world is being invested in a story that ends without real catharsis and/or resolution. That's why I can't stand a lot of movies lately that leave you hanging with a lot of loose ends. If some people enjoy that, good for them. Those endings should not be striven for, BECAUSE THEY ARE LAZY EXCUSES FOR NOT COMING UP WITH A MEANINGFUL ENDING.

Stories, um, yeah about those

Part of reaching a solution is understanding a problem. I've always struggled at telling stories. If I can hold someone's attention, it's often because I'm sharing someone else's stories. The only explanation is that I have a hard time evaluating my ideas. I have to trust that my stories are worth telling, because if I don't believe in them then there's nothing worth sharing. I have good ideas. I do. I just can't figure how to tell them.

I personally hate the idea of writing for an audience. Sure, it's the foundation of figuring how to hold anyone's attention, but I hate it just the same. It would be nice if it could be as simple as just telling the story or just producing whatever it is you want to make, and then whoever wants to can enjoy it can do so at their own discretion. The problem is there's no power in that. I've spent far too much valuable time trying to figure out what people want and trying my hardest to please them. My feeling this way should be an indicator to me that I shouldn't make stories to "please" anyone. I should think about my idea, and once I have it, decipher who would most likely find it pleasing.

I need to think of this, not in the sense of catering to an audience, but learning to attract an audience.

Whale Of A Tale To Tell Ya Lad

In class, there has been frequent use of the word "story". It begged me to question, where exactly did that word come from. Oddly enough, the most basic definition of the word refers to an oral recounting of events."Myth" coming from the Greek "mythos" means, delivered by word of mouth. "Tale" coming from the Latin "talo" means, speech or language. Why do all these definitions focus so closely on the act of speaking? Does a story have any different meaning if read from a book?

It is important to acknowledge the significance of telling a story by word of mouth from a contemporary point of view. With widespread illiteracy, in ancient times and now, the spoken word has a power that reading cannot convey. Even when pitching an idea to creatives and/or producers, it is preferred that the idea be presented in person rather than strictly through the written word. An important goal for me is to break down what are the powerful qualities of great public speakers and focus on emphasizing similar qualities in my written work.

First Draft

It's not complete, but here's what I have of the first draft of a short series I'm working on.
"The Chronicles of Marshal, The Sophisticated Marshmallow With A Monocle"

It is meant to be told through pantomime with food items that have been decorated with google eyes and such. The script will be read aloud by the fictitious narrator, Jagger Peabody.

Marshall, The Sophisticated Marshmallow With A Monocle - Vol. I

T’was a lovely Spring day,

(establishing shot of Marshall, sitting atop a large open book, and white void BG)

and Marshall, The Sophisticated Marshmallow With A Monocle, was just sitting down with one of his favorite erotic novels. As he eagerly turned the page leading to the next chapter, he heard a faint sound echo over the horizon.

Marshall, The Sophisticated Marshmallow With A Monocle looking for the source of the sound, glanced over his shoulder and was astonished to find...a candy corn!

Marshall, The Sophisticated Marshmallow With A Monocle was most puzzled by the lone candy corn, for as any sensible person knows candy corns travel in herds

“Whatever could have caused this candy corn to become separated from its candy corn bretheren?” Marshall, The Sophisticated Marshmallow With A Monocle thought to himself. Could it be that this lone candy corn had simply fallen behind, or perhaps some scandalous affair caused it to be banished? Nonsense, surely there is no reason to jump to such conclusions. This candy corn did not seem sinister or deformed in any way that would suggest it having been banished.

Seeing no danger in introducing himself, Marshall, The Sophisticated Marshmallow With A Monocle, approached the wayward candy corn. 

“Greetings my tri-colored comrade”

The candy corn gave no reply. (this line delivered hushed and mysterious)

The pair stared at one another for a short while (unnecessarily long pause, afterwards)

“Might I assist you?” asked Marshall, The Sophisticated Marshmallow With A Monocle becoming uncomfortable with the situation. Again the candy corn was silent. Instead of answering the question, the candy corn began sniffing about the ground; no doubt in search of the scent of its lost herd. Marshall, The Sophisticated Marshmallow With A Monocle not being one to take kindly to being ignored became rather irritated by the candy corn’s actions. How rude to introduce oneself and in return be completely disregarded. Honestly, how hard is it to say, “Hello there, I’m a lost candy corn. Have pity on me good sir”?

While Marshall, The Sophisticated Marshmallow With A Monocle simmered in quiet rage, the candy corn became more frantic as it scurried about.

Despite still being angry, Marshall, The Sophisticated Marshmallow With A Monocle could not ignore the candy corn’s obvious distress. Collecting himself, he approached the candy corn once more. Before Marshall, The Sophisticated Marshmallow With A Monocle could breathe another word, the candy corn stopped suddenly.

The expression on the candy corn’s face could no longer hide the anguish and despair it carried. Marshall, The Sophisticated Marshmallow With A Monocle knew there was nothing more he could do for this poor soul. He could only watch as the lone candy corn fell to its knees in a fit of awesome grief, and tragically, ended its life.

(shot of Marshall, The Sophisticated Marshmallow With A Monocle’s face, his eyes reflect the massive explosion offscreen)

funeral scene