Author Archives: Gordon

About Gordon

Gordon Highland is a video producer/director in the Kansas City area who also makes music and writes fiction.

Movies I’d Pay to See

Posted on December 7, 2006 by Gordon

In high-concept Hollywood, idea is king. The single-sentence pitch. Here are a few of my aborted attempts at “star vehicles” for celebrities who could use a career-energizing role. Normally I don’t like to just give away my golden tickets for … Continue reading →

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My Television Education

Posted on December 6, 2006 by Gordon

I like to think that all those years spent in front of the idiot box made me a better person. TV is a great way to learn about how the world works. Were it not for television, I would never … Continue reading →

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Gain Staging

Posted on December 6, 2006 by Gordon

The audio levels on both the camera and the mixer looked good, but everything was distorted when we played it back. What the hell could it have been? There are many places where things could’ve gone wrong. That’s why it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in multimedia, music | 1 Comment

Literary Ventriloquism

Posted on December 3, 2006 by Gordon

so what’s your take on how to write good, engaging, and realistic dialogue? i’ve heard some writers say that you should never use “he saids” and “she saids”. other writers say you HAVE to identify who’s talking at least every … Continue reading →

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Voice-Over and Over and Over

Posted on November 30, 2006 by Gordon

The narration track he gave me was pretty much unusable. A little noisy, there’s all kinds of mouth sounds, odd breaths, sloppy pronunciations . . . How can I salvage this? Well, this is why he’s in a booth and … Continue reading →

Posted in multimedia | Tagged | 2 Comments

Dirty Words

Posted on November 22, 2006 by Gordon

Cover your virgin ears, we’re about to dive into the vile netherworld of profanity. This topic polarizes people. On one side are the folks who preface every decision with “is it good for the children?” On the other are the … Continue reading →

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Truths, Vol. 2

Posted on November 8, 2006 by Gordon

• Ego only becomes an obstacle when it’s not yours. • Some natives believe that each photo captures part of your soul. Do the red carpet math to understand the vapidity of celebs. • Every minute spent rehearsing prolongs your … Continue reading →

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The Dead Kennedys Were Tame

Posted on October 31, 2006 by Gordon

I am obsessed with unusual band names, and I confess to keeping a running list on my laptop that I’ll add to whenever inspiration strikes. You never know when your polka-core group is going to take off. . . Anyway, … Continue reading →

Posted in humor, music | 1 Comment

Manufacturing Fear

Posted on October 31, 2006 by Gordon

Depending on who you listen to, our greatest fears as humans are either: terrorists, spiders, and death; or loss of identity, rejection, and humiliation. There’s not much documentation to support a collective fear of Slovakian hostels, finger-knives, the undead, mechagodzillas, … Continue reading →

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Truths, Vol. 1

Posted on October 30, 2006 by Gordon

I’ve learned a thing or two in this business. A lot of businesses, actually. And if I can prevent just one of you from making the same mistakes I’ve made, it will all be worth it. Okay, that’s horseshit. But … Continue reading →

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Red Zone Writing

Posted on October 27, 2006 by Gordon

It’s a great feeling when you can “see the light” at the end of a long-form work like a novel. A premature sense of accomplishment sets in, followed by the creeping dread of anxiety. But how the hell am I … Continue reading →

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Space. Time. Continuum.

Posted on October 17, 2006 by Gordon

A saw a prototype of this a couple of years ago and promptly forgot all about it. Then last week I was watching the new Dream Theater live DVD Score, where their world-class keyboard player Jordan Rudess was rocking one … Continue reading →

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Theme vs. Plot

Posted on September 25, 2006 by Gordon

I haven’t really written anything yet because I’m struggling to come up with a theme for [the book]. Also, would you agree that all the stories have already been told before? Yes, there’s really nothing new under the sun from … Continue reading →

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