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Good stuff. But sometimes I LIKE my writing to ramble. It doesn’t literally always have to serve the plot. That’s not how we naturally communicate all the time. It’s often the some of the most interesting, memorable stuff. Still, mostly true.
Here’s the thing. Some of your so-called rambling probably falls under the vast umbrella of character development, especially if it’s in first-person. Don’t oversell it, but these little asides can tell us a lot about the person who’s speaking, as long as they provide context or perspective for other actions in the story. Otherwise it’s just written masturbation, which you as the writer may enjoy, but I promise you that paying readers have a low threshold for it.
How about:
Onward Crispin Glover
Meat Beat Manifesto
Free Beer
The Itchy Bitches
The Freds (who would perform as Fred Zeppelin, Simply Fred, etc.)
It was to supplement a montage of old B&W photos. I can’t replace the guy because it’s his story (written down for him, weird). It’s only about a page, and is a small part of a bigger docco. I’m going to see if there’s a time convenient for him to come back in, and I’ll be at the session myself.
Ah yes, this is a super-cool instrument in the hands of someone like Jordan Rudess, and it sounds phenomenal when played well with a preset voice that takes advantage of it’s capabilities. Sadly though, in the hands of most, it’s just so much hype. Like a 7-string bass, very cool, but you better know what the hell you’re doing!
There is literally nothing this instrument can do that can’t be done via programming or the use of alternate controllers. I think it’s interesting to watch Jordan’s left hand as he plays, he grips the side of the unit like he doesn’t know what to do with it!
(On the Rudess video): Of course there’s a mondo delay on the tone, which has nothing to do with the controller. That feedback sound that you hear when he pushes forward is the equivalent of the feedback sound I get on my 17-year old Yamaha SY-22 using the “Vector Synthesis” controller (MIDI Controllers # 16 & 17 for X & Y respectively).
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking the controller, it’s use, or the demonstration, necessarily, I’m just saying the perception might not be the reality. In fact, NOTHING about the fundamentals of synthesis has really changed much since the early 1990s. So then, this isn’t really new technology in regard to synthesis, only in regard to live performance. And in that arena, it kicks veritable ass!!
So what’s my point? I guess I just wanted to throw a microscope view at this instrument to underscore just how powerful, relevant and (albeit) invisible MIDI still is in 2006. It had it’s heyday in the 80s, and as DAWs began to pervade the music scene in the 90s, MIDI kinda started to take a back seat to the point that nowadays, if you ask a college music student about MIDI, they’ll talk about “some technological thing from the ’80s).
*sigh*
Well in that case, maybe an old man’s pained, raspy, jowel-y delivery is just what’s called for. But you would know better than I.
Yep, sho nuff, mixer = line and camera = mic. Thanks for the quick response, got another scene tonight.
i was nearly sold already. thanx for the info. maybe i’ll check ebay first since the 700 is out of my price range.
how’s the acoustics sounds?
The idea of location as character is not a new one. Still, there’s some great tips here. Why the hell do they call it pathetic fallacy, anyway?
Keep it up!
I looked into that RedRock Micro you mentioned in an old post. Guess the waiting list is really long. Poeple have some plans online that you can download to build your own. You think it’s worth it?
hee hee Couldn’t have said it better myself. And stop calling their tan gowns “nudes,” ya preverts!
i’m pretty sure the reason they do all their annoyingly long hugs n kisses at their table before going up to the stage is to force some screen time for their friends! so pretentious. if i ever win an an award, i’m just going to make out with my date at the table the whole 60 seconds.
Wow. Thanks for this. One of the points you make in favour of formalized education is the fact that students often have to work outside of their comfort zones. I think this is critical for two reasons. One is the really basic issue of not knowing what you love if you’ve never tried it. The second is that all experience — including working with other who are of a different mind-set from your own — are invaluable for any writer. I hope others will weigh in on the topic. Thanks again for sharing your insight.
so… should i go to film school or not?
Abby Singer, which is coming out on DVD July 24th
Abby Singer, is the true indie movie of 2007, shot on a shoe-string budget, featuring a blazing line up of celebrity appearances by Jake Gyllenhaal, Roger Ebert, Jill Hennessy, Jay O. Sanders, Stockard Channing, Don Cheadle, Dave Attell, Lloyd Kaufman, Mark Borchardt, Mike Schank and many more.
“The film is an inspiration to independent filmmakers everywhere…”
Mayor Ray Nagin – New Orleans
After a botched production, financial difficulties, evictions and inevitable homelessness, news of the DVD distribution release slated for July 24th, 2007, (from Mill Creek Entertainment through their “Reel Indies” line) brings with it a renewed since of confidence for the independent film, as well as for the producers.
The title, ABBY SINGER, reflects upon the filmmaker’s journey. An ‘Abby Singer’ is a film set term used to designate the second to the last shot of the day. For the filmmaker’s, it means something a little more. It means having another chance to turn impossibility, an un-actualized dream, into a possible reality.
The journey began in 2001 and was packed full with countless phone calls, attempted marketing campaigns, party crashing and a game of Hollywood roulette in hopes of obtaining celebrity releases. All packaged with a bit of charm and charisma topped off with a covert paramilitary operation dubbed, ‘Operation Nighthawk’, specifically designed to penetrate every major Hollywood Studio to gain exposure.
Following close behind was ‘Operation Altitude’, which specifically aimed to attract acquisition representatives and close a distribution deal by grabbing attention away from the Sundance Film Festival’s Empire.
Throughout the saga, even in the darkest hour, ABBY SINGER has proven to endure even the most demanding and extreme circumstances. At the end, the filmmakers have found peace in learning that all you need is a little hope, a little faith, some patience and persistence and anything is possible.
“Abby Singer has a mesmerizing central performance by Clint Palmer, a distinctive visual style, sharp editing…”
Tim Cooper – UK Guardian Observer
Produced by Clint Palmer, Jonathan M. Black and Ryan Williams, ABBY SINGER is a darkly comic tale that chronicles the life of Curtis Clemins (Clint Palmer), who is torn between the love of his life and accomplishing his dream. When hitting rock bottom during the Sundance Film Festival, Clemins’ calls upon his old college chum, Kevin Prouse (Ryan Williams). Although in the throes of a divorce, he is left with the only clue that will salvage Clemins’ rapidly deteriorating life. Shot in a French New Wave / Cassavetes style, ABBY SINGER is NASHVILLE meets THE PLAYER with a twist of AMERICAN MOVIE.
For more information about the film and upcoming events please refer to the following:
Please check out our websites at:
http://www.abbysinger.net
http://www.abbysingermovie.com
Abby Singer
Abby Singer MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/abbysingermovie
Abby Singer YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/abbysingermovie
Great entry.
I won’t allow undeserved attention to the movie-in-discussion, as you have sidestepped any major give-aways expertly, but I wanted to comment also on how the plethora of media can also make catching a plagiarist difficult. Where the hell does one even catch wind of a stolen IP? Luckily sites like our own Velvet exist. If only we all had armies of devotees (and ideas worth stealing).
Hopefully the attention will be a non-issue, as I believe the distributor has pulled the film. I wrote them a lovely note warning what they might be getting themselves into, but it was more likely a result of cease-and-desist from a more persuasive source.
Yeah, identifying them, catching them, proving them. I’m just baffled at the arrogance of thieves who think that it will go unnoticed in such blatant cases. Even a publicist who collects clippings for you would have a hard time spotting most instances due to the way they’re commonly integrated. I imagine most theft is in minor details or conceptual unprovables (derivative rather than copied).
I once had a client get busted by ASCAP to the tune of $10K even after I’d warned them about using copyrighted material without license. That’s a separate issue, though, and those organizations literally have people walking among us whose jobs are to find and report such violations. I guess we can only hope that if we create strong enough material it will inspire advocates like those of the mighty Velvet.
i’ve lost count of how many times i’ve seen a movie or tv show that i had the idea for a long time ago. it’s hard to accept this as coincidence, but it’s not like i ever really shared them with anybody either.
This is why your favorite screenwriter or author will politely decline to read your screenplay or book for critique, blurbing, or agent pass-along purposes. They don’t want to open themselves up to the possible future accusation of having stolen from it. Sure, file your work with the copyright office and Guild, but don’t stamp copyright warnings all over it, or you’ll be labeled as paranoid and amateur, and will limit these opportunities even more.
We’ve all experienced that “they stole my idea” syndrome before. I keep long lists of loglines on file for possible future projects, and more than I can count on my hands have since been realized by others, with zero influence from me. It’s further proof of the power of our collective unconscious, and how there’s truly nothing new under the sun. The originality is likely in your details and execution, not the concept.
Hey thanks for that. Yes, Mac. I downloaded Scrivener and it looks awesome. Haven’t played with it yet, but I’ll let you know.
Cool. Sorry it took me so long. Be sure to have a look at the forums on that site as well. The guy who wrote it (and its solidity belies its version as a 1.1 release) is very active on there to answer questions. Plus it’s a cool community of writers and Mac advocates as well.
That is frackin’ cool! So far I’ve only written a short story with it, but could totally see using it like a warehouse when I’m researching something grander. I’ll send it to your gmail if you’d like. Thanks again.
…and when you haven’t the resources for a remake you convince yourself that “reality” is an idea.
And when you’ve run out of reality, you run into reruns.
And when you’ve run out of reruns hopefully you’ll pick up a book for a change.
Truth: JK Rowling cannot possibly be an environmentalist given her massive waste of timber.
The Sexual Fountain
There Will Be Sexual Blood
The Black, Sexual Dahlia
A Mighty Sexual Heart
The Last Sexual Mimzy
Well, a fallacy’s just a misconception. But pathetic doesn’t always mean lame, it can just be emotional, as in “pathos.” But even then, yeah, a bit of a reach, so I’m not sure. It’s one of those techniques that’s probably best just used without being mentioned specifically.
One of your best posts. I don’t write, but still always enjoy getting yoru take on what goes into this stuff. The kid’s been begging me to take him to Walle.
I had a dream of naming my child Moldy Splooge so that his nickname could be Fuzzy Nutbutter.
Fuzzy Nutbutter . . . wasn’t that a Pearl Jam b-side?
Hey, you found my YouTube video (Egregious Philbin, Assassinine, Afraid of Canadians). I’ve made 2 more since that one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABVRUDDUfCw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsLH8TAwsVc
You could always subscribe to me. Or not.
My biggest peeve is movies where it's sunny for the whole movie, and the moment something bad happens or is about to happen, it starts raining like crazy.
I also hate horror movies where the car fails to start exactly when someone's trying to flee. Thankfully every car in the last 20 years has fuel injection, so this one's been dying out.
Speaking of modern advances, isn't it interesting how the simple availability of a cell phone probably would've gotten the hero out of at least half his predicaments in older films?
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Nice work sir. I love the final paragraph. I was wondering where the “I love Northwest” part would come.
Bring it, Highland!
Wish I were a fly on the wall for this! 😉
Ta, Gordon! 😉
Congrats, Gordon!
Thanks for the great write up. You do, however, still owe my mother an apology.
I’m afraid to ask … the repeated abortion mentions? The no-books-in-the-crapper policy? Or did I forget her birthday again?
Awesome! Hope your liver has recovered partially since the show.
Cynthia, I hope you will please coenidsr revisiting this memoir with us over at The Lit Pub, because we’re reading it a chapter a day every Monday Thursday. We have a few other featured titles there, too. Lidia is also known to make appearances in the comments. Check us out! thelitpub.com
Hahahaha, I just saw this, sorry I missed it earlier. 😀 Thanks for the cross-post, and man, I want to make it to the finals and hopefully beat the crap out of you!
Figuratively of course.
;o)
Beautifully written run-down. I would say more, but I’m on a cell phone. I promise this isn’t spam.
Booked, huh? I shall commence exploring the internether regions for validation of your un-humble praise.
It ain’t bragging if it’s true! I also really dig the title of your story; genius.
Cheers (as always), Gordon!
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Read a bunch of these myself and loved them all, too (Junkie Love goes down as my 2013 favorite, I think). I just learned about HitRECord, and have been messing around on their site, cool to see that the book is cool.
Great shelf reading in that picture, Gordon! 😉 And agree with you and Renee about ‘Junkie Love’. Finally, what a great response to ‘The Tobacco-Stained Sky’. Always a pleasure, mate. Happy new year.
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Thanks for this– I just learned a ton of useful stuff, and recognized a couple of my own bad habits. I hate designing and it doesn’t come naturally to me at all; I will definitely be coming back to this.
Good to hear it, Jason. Can’t wait to read a book by you!
Thanks for the article. It was very useful. Though I know it takes time from my writing, I love designing the book interior.
Are there any things that really set a good designer apart from a meh one? What would be the Apple of interior book design?
I’m sure there are many wonderful examples when it comes to coffee-table books, art books, maybe even some textbooks. But I was just approaching this one from a simple fiction-writing standpoint with very little visual interior design, since that’s what most self-publishers I know write. Nothing really stands out to me in that regard, because it’s invisible when done well and only grabs attention when flawed. Off the top of my head, After the People Lights Have Gone Off by Stephen Graham Jones looks great, as does that Tiny Book of Tiny Stories series, and Cipher Sisters has this cool two-way fore edge illusion. Of course, there’s the legendary House of Leaves, which took visual metafiction to absurd levels, as well as Caleb J Ross’s As a Machine and Parts for more of a homegrown feel. I couldn’t tell you from memory whether or not those books did the fundamentals well (the stuff I talked about in this article), I just remember them being visually interesting for fiction.
Gordon, We are so very proud of you, this is so AWESOME, GREAT,WONDERFUL and what an OUTSTANDING job you did. We keep watching it over-n-over, we LOVE it, and sure that you are very proud of this, can’t believe your nice set-up you have, it’s like walking in toa studio. We Love You and are so VERY PROUD of you. Shelia-n-Dave
So glad you liked it, and I hope you enjoy the CD. The video was a total afterthought, nothing planned out. Only took a couple hours to shoot, but it came out way better than expected. I just thought it’d be fun for people to get a glimpse of what the process looks like. Without all the bad takes, of course.
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I can’t believe you have done all of this, you have been super busy! And just to think that you and your parent’s stayed safe but you all did it all the right way and practiced safety. I am so proud of you for all you do and you are so awesome at it all, you are so amazing!!! Love you
Thank you for sharing. I’ve always loved your flow of words, and this is no different. Cherish your parents. I know you do but it’s worth stating. Take care friend!
I always enjoy reading your blog and enjoyed hearing what all you’ve been up to of late. Btw- Thanks for the shout out! Many people have had more time to talk in 2020, leave it to us to actually be even busier than normal during the pandemic. Keep doing you brother! Stay healthy and safe. Talk soon.
Pretty interesting how you simplified all your research work and made it easy for all us layman to understand. Thanks