*Sigh of Relief*
I have something tangible. It's the first three pages of my comic about a girl who moves to a new school only to be targeted by a random girl for a random reason (I know it sounds like ABC, but it's different I promise!). Their class will eventually go on a field trip to the MoMa, where, lo and behold, the girl and her nemesis get lost in the city and find themselves up against a bike messenger gang!! Ahhhhhh!!! They fight the gang, flee on the bikes and ends up with some kind of resolution that's forthcoming.
It's at www.stanford.edu/~cseverin (look at the .tiff files). I'd like to thank JessJ for her constant Meyer support; I'd like to thank Photoshop for turning ideas into reality; I'd also like to thank coffee and cinammon tea for making it all possible. Oh, you guys are the best.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
"Star Wars" by Camus
Chris and I will strive to make the story of Davin Felth both cosmic and personal. The first part of the piece focuses on Davin, an average joe with relationship issues (his Twi'lek stripper girlfriend wants him to figure out his life) and work issues (a planetary gang war is brewing, his garrison is being shut down). From there, our focus expands to the real world, and we focus on an extraordinary man: George Lucas, the creator of Davin's universe. Davin's very existence offends him - he is a jealous god, and a micromanager, and if he didn't create it, it doesn't exist.
The main narrative thrust of the piece rests on Lucas trying to convince Felth that he doesn't exist. The model for this main part of the story, I would say, is something like "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead," with two minor characters trying to figure out their place in the grand scheme of things. Of course, in this case the set-up is twisted: a minor character (Davin) feels like he's lived a useless life, and his creator comes to tell him he's absolutely right.
Ultimately, we want their status relationship to shift - Davin tries to leave Tatooine, and the rut Lucas created for him, and in the process begins to radically change the galaxy, becoming more godlike as Lucas becomes more human.
We have about 19 plot points, so we can probably get a good 35 pages out of this. We need to work out our basic stylistic goals and work out exactly what kind of character Davin is, and from there we'll probably work on different parts of the comic separately, then come together and fuse them all together at the end.
The main narrative thrust of the piece rests on Lucas trying to convince Felth that he doesn't exist. The model for this main part of the story, I would say, is something like "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead," with two minor characters trying to figure out their place in the grand scheme of things. Of course, in this case the set-up is twisted: a minor character (Davin) feels like he's lived a useless life, and his creator comes to tell him he's absolutely right.
Ultimately, we want their status relationship to shift - Davin tries to leave Tatooine, and the rut Lucas created for him, and in the process begins to radically change the galaxy, becoming more godlike as Lucas becomes more human.
We have about 19 plot points, so we can probably get a good 35 pages out of this. We need to work out our basic stylistic goals and work out exactly what kind of character Davin is, and from there we'll probably work on different parts of the comic separately, then come together and fuse them all together at the end.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
A broken man posts on a blog via his grandma's laptop
1. I walk the lonesome, narrow road between verisimilitude and interesting. I want bombastic people to interact in a realistic though humorous way. I’ve had to concede that I can’t do this and keep time realistic, that is, the reader will have to suspend disbelief when looking at the timestamps on all the posts. Ideally this will be a fun playground. I don’t want to use the words “roleplaying forum,” but maybe that’s what it is.
2. I guess I am just a student of internet culture and also an avid bounty hunting enthusiast. This is the fruit of those forbidden passions, my forbidden passionfruit. Moreover, I have never seen anything quite like this, which is a big thrill. I feel a lot of pressure to do it right. Nothing is more depressing than a fun idea that is just butchered by some clod. Help me not be that clod.
3. I want maybe [EDIT: CYA mode engaged, concrete number removed] posts by 30 or so characters. I have to get threads done. Troublingly, I also have to get other people excited about this, because to create the thick environment I want, I am going to need quantity and variety of voices. I know just the people but they are FREEZING ME THE HELL OUT. This is where you come in, New Media.
4. I must
Write a whole hell of a lot of .txt files that comprise conversations and then painstakingly graft them in, logging in and out like a seamstress’s needle through so much storytelling cloth.
BUT ALSO create a bunch of open-ended “improv-y” content that inspires others and just makes them want to up and crawl inside a voice.
Please help me gang. Be some bounty hunters or other members of a very askew criminal justice system.
God, I hate improv so much, though.
New Solo Story Arcs:
Heated DOG argument
Salazaar robs a Dallas Mavericks game
Flirting between Guz and Angel Slice
Open-Ended extradition debate
Stakeout food!
The one that got away (women)
Haha, stalking!
No Cops Allowed
2. I guess I am just a student of internet culture and also an avid bounty hunting enthusiast. This is the fruit of those forbidden passions, my forbidden passionfruit. Moreover, I have never seen anything quite like this, which is a big thrill. I feel a lot of pressure to do it right. Nothing is more depressing than a fun idea that is just butchered by some clod. Help me not be that clod.
3. I want maybe [EDIT: CYA mode engaged, concrete number removed] posts by 30 or so characters. I have to get threads done. Troublingly, I also have to get other people excited about this, because to create the thick environment I want, I am going to need quantity and variety of voices. I know just the people but they are FREEZING ME THE HELL OUT. This is where you come in, New Media.
4. I must
Write a whole hell of a lot of .txt files that comprise conversations and then painstakingly graft them in, logging in and out like a seamstress’s needle through so much storytelling cloth.
BUT ALSO create a bunch of open-ended “improv-y” content that inspires others and just makes them want to up and crawl inside a voice.
Please help me gang. Be some bounty hunters or other members of a very askew criminal justice system.
God, I hate improv so much, though.
New Solo Story Arcs:
Heated DOG argument
Salazaar robs a Dallas Mavericks game
Flirting between Guz and Angel Slice
Open-Ended extradition debate
Stakeout food!
The one that got away (women)
Haha, stalking!
No Cops Allowed
foiled again
Blast! I'm sorry, my page hadn't renewed and I thought I was the first to post. I am so wrong. Ignore my previous comment.
Goals Yay!
Goals as artist/ Impact on Reader:
I want to explore my ability to express my stories not only with words but with images. I would like to eventually work with film and this would be a neat way to transition. I want the reader to feel secure and relaxed within the story and then feel as strangely as Casey (the main character) feels at the end.
Model or Mashup
I love graphic novels and I have seen a lot of different expressions for creepy twisted stories. For example, Jonny the homicidal maniac. That work was very inspirational for me. I love working with true horror stories and making them my own. Putting a spin on a real life creepy situation is one of my favorite things to do, besides making up my own little creepy situation.
Practical goals
I want an artist since I can't draw. I want to tighten up the panel choices in terms of long panel, split screen, etc. We have around 65 frames and I want to see if once we start drawing that we can maybe condense.
To-Do
-Find an artist
-Organize the panel use
-Figure out Comic Life
And here's the Script with Art Direction: Script
I want to explore my ability to express my stories not only with words but with images. I would like to eventually work with film and this would be a neat way to transition. I want the reader to feel secure and relaxed within the story and then feel as strangely as Casey (the main character) feels at the end.
Model or Mashup
I love graphic novels and I have seen a lot of different expressions for creepy twisted stories. For example, Jonny the homicidal maniac. That work was very inspirational for me. I love working with true horror stories and making them my own. Putting a spin on a real life creepy situation is one of my favorite things to do, besides making up my own little creepy situation.
Practical goals
I want an artist since I can't draw. I want to tighten up the panel choices in terms of long panel, split screen, etc. We have around 65 frames and I want to see if once we start drawing that we can maybe condense.
To-Do
-Find an artist
-Organize the panel use
-Figure out Comic Life
And here's the Script with Art Direction: Script
Free Write: Goals
1. Goals as artist/impact on reader
As a Human Biology major, I have not spent much time writing, other than writing purely for my own pleasure. I hope this assignment will help me to develop both my writing and collaboration skills. By working with Tessa, I will be able to contribute my own ideas and get a sense for her thought process and goals as a writer. I’m excited to see what I am able to learn and contribute. Also, by putting our short story into a graphic novel, I will be able to further explore another area--images and their efficacy in writing.
As we wrote out the script, we realized the value of having pictures to help tell the story. Rather than writing out details of the scene, we will be able to show them through the drawings. The only disadvantage is that we sometimes felt it was better to leave out side comments or thoughts because we didn't want too much text. However, I think the story is better in the end and did not suffer any losses from such editing.
2. Model or Mashup
My partner, Tessa, came up with the idea based on a creepy graphic novel that she read. I was inspired to work with her because I like the eerie aspect of the story. I was also draw to the fact that the story could happen. As Tessa shared the story in class last week, I was able to visualize details of the scenario, such as characters' dress, expressions, etc... The story I was going to do, based on my uncle's situation, entailed my adding onto a real event in order to create a more entertaining story. I appreciate the similar realistic aspect of this story.
3. Practical Goals
We are creating a graphic novel, so we want art and need an artist
Adding a connection between the dead girl and the preppy girl who sees them. (We were able to do this by incorporating a flashback into the story)
Possibly condense the 65 frames that we have at this point
4. To Do
Find an artist**
Familiarize ourselves with Comic Life
Better organize our panel use
Think of a title
As a Human Biology major, I have not spent much time writing, other than writing purely for my own pleasure. I hope this assignment will help me to develop both my writing and collaboration skills. By working with Tessa, I will be able to contribute my own ideas and get a sense for her thought process and goals as a writer. I’m excited to see what I am able to learn and contribute. Also, by putting our short story into a graphic novel, I will be able to further explore another area--images and their efficacy in writing.
As we wrote out the script, we realized the value of having pictures to help tell the story. Rather than writing out details of the scene, we will be able to show them through the drawings. The only disadvantage is that we sometimes felt it was better to leave out side comments or thoughts because we didn't want too much text. However, I think the story is better in the end and did not suffer any losses from such editing.
2. Model or Mashup
My partner, Tessa, came up with the idea based on a creepy graphic novel that she read. I was inspired to work with her because I like the eerie aspect of the story. I was also draw to the fact that the story could happen. As Tessa shared the story in class last week, I was able to visualize details of the scenario, such as characters' dress, expressions, etc... The story I was going to do, based on my uncle's situation, entailed my adding onto a real event in order to create a more entertaining story. I appreciate the similar realistic aspect of this story.
3. Practical Goals
We are creating a graphic novel, so we want art and need an artist
Adding a connection between the dead girl and the preppy girl who sees them. (We were able to do this by incorporating a flashback into the story)
Possibly condense the 65 frames that we have at this point
4. To Do
Find an artist**
Familiarize ourselves with Comic Life
Better organize our panel use
Think of a title
Robots and resistance
In case you are interested, here are the first 7 pages of my comic (minus a speech bubble on the second page and a caption on the 7th page):
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Currently they're just hosted on GooglePages, which is, as usual, fills me with dissatisfaction. It will be difficult for you to read the panels because they're displayed as either way too large or way too small. Fucking GooglePages, man.
Moving onward...
Goals as an Artist/Impact on Reader
I want to make a comment on the themes present in the Bible story which I’m basing my narrative off of. The main message of the Bible story is, “Stand up for what you believe in against big scary forces,” but when you say it like that it sounds inordinately dumb, whereas when you read the Bible story, you’re like, “Those are some hardcore dudes.” I want to show how the themes in that story are relevant in all sorts of situations, not just Biblical ones. Like robotic totalitarian governments, which is relevant to everyone! I want it to be playful but also serious. I don’t want it to get too corny. I want to evoke that feeling you get when you stand up for something you believe in.
Model
Several things are serving as a model for me, to the point where I’m scared of plagiarism, even though I don’t think many people have done Bible stories with robots before. The Bible story is one, Borges’ short story “La noche bocarriba” has the same dream into reality type of thing. The totalitarian government idea is from many, many sources including but not limited to We, 1984, and V for Vendetta. I’ve been looking at several graphic novels/comic books to get a better sense of panels and how they can be used. The coloring is modeled after John Allison’s (brilliant) comic Scary-Go-Round.
Practical Goals
It’s going to be 48 pages long, and the script is already planned out in detail. I have 8 pages done right now, so I need to start doing 3 or 4 pages a night instead of 2. I’m sketching and inking by hand, and then scanning and coloring on the computer. I can copy and paste certain characters and backgrounds, which quickens the process.
To Do
- get my shit together
- do more pages per night
- remember that the magic was inside me all along
Who wants to give me title ideas?
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Currently they're just hosted on GooglePages, which is, as usual, fills me with dissatisfaction. It will be difficult for you to read the panels because they're displayed as either way too large or way too small. Fucking GooglePages, man.
Moving onward...
Goals as an Artist/Impact on Reader
I want to make a comment on the themes present in the Bible story which I’m basing my narrative off of. The main message of the Bible story is, “Stand up for what you believe in against big scary forces,” but when you say it like that it sounds inordinately dumb, whereas when you read the Bible story, you’re like, “Those are some hardcore dudes.” I want to show how the themes in that story are relevant in all sorts of situations, not just Biblical ones. Like robotic totalitarian governments, which is relevant to everyone! I want it to be playful but also serious. I don’t want it to get too corny. I want to evoke that feeling you get when you stand up for something you believe in.
Model
Several things are serving as a model for me, to the point where I’m scared of plagiarism, even though I don’t think many people have done Bible stories with robots before. The Bible story is one, Borges’ short story “La noche bocarriba” has the same dream into reality type of thing. The totalitarian government idea is from many, many sources including but not limited to We, 1984, and V for Vendetta. I’ve been looking at several graphic novels/comic books to get a better sense of panels and how they can be used. The coloring is modeled after John Allison’s (brilliant) comic Scary-Go-Round.
Practical Goals
It’s going to be 48 pages long, and the script is already planned out in detail. I have 8 pages done right now, so I need to start doing 3 or 4 pages a night instead of 2. I’m sketching and inking by hand, and then scanning and coloring on the computer. I can copy and paste certain characters and backgrounds, which quickens the process.
To Do
- get my shit together
- do more pages per night
- remember that the magic was inside me all along
Who wants to give me title ideas?
Free write from class
I'm the first to post this time! Suckas!
Here's my list:
Goals as artist:
-don’t let the media hinder the narrative—make it illuminate the story!
-get the comic timing down, as that’s really the essence of the story. It’s a funny story, and I want to make it light and interesting
-get the different perspectives. Since I have Troy’s perspective in his oral history, I need to make the comic come from a different perspective.
Model:
American Born Chinese, for coming timing and framing
Story Corps for my oral history. I employed more of a give and take method in this oral history, and it was much more successful than my previous one where I tried to just let the interviewee talk about whatever he wanted.
Practical goals:
-get three media done
-get graphic story done with just pictures, but still make it cool
-capture the essence of text messaging through dlogger
To Do:
-get all of Toy’s pictures
-decide which pictures I want to use, which ones speak to me
-write a script using the pictures
-figure out dlogger
-write the text messages!
-type them into dlog as I want them to be displayed
-make the oral history into a better format??
Here's my list:
Goals as artist:
-don’t let the media hinder the narrative—make it illuminate the story!
-get the comic timing down, as that’s really the essence of the story. It’s a funny story, and I want to make it light and interesting
-get the different perspectives. Since I have Troy’s perspective in his oral history, I need to make the comic come from a different perspective.
Model:
American Born Chinese, for coming timing and framing
Story Corps for my oral history. I employed more of a give and take method in this oral history, and it was much more successful than my previous one where I tried to just let the interviewee talk about whatever he wanted.
Practical goals:
-get three media done
-get graphic story done with just pictures, but still make it cool
-capture the essence of text messaging through dlogger
To Do:
-get all of Toy’s pictures
-decide which pictures I want to use, which ones speak to me
-write a script using the pictures
-figure out dlogger
-write the text messages!
-type them into dlog as I want them to be displayed
-make the oral history into a better format??
Bunnies and Death (Yippee!)
So my project is about bunnies and death. (Yes, my friends have laughed at me, it's okay for you to laugh at me about it too). I'm not sure I completely abandoned my old ideas of doing a graffiti project, I just couldn't decide what the significance of format was. Who knows, maybe you will all see some campus wide project come spring.
I guess my intentions are to disarm the reader with a friendly subject -- rabbits. (Though clearly some level of this is supposed to relate to humans) One of the sample pages I even completed (page three of the story) even features the protagonist as a young rabbit with big doe eyes. Thus as the author I am presumably dealing with a fairly light subject matter. As the comic goes on it will become apparent that this is less and less true. I think comics work as a medium for this because they embody the idea of escapism with the cartoon -- only, do they really? At the end the protagonist makes a decision to stop running and I'd like to think it's slightly more complex then a simple FACE DEATH answer. We'll see how subtle the final project makes it. It's not really clear whether the right decision was made or not for the protagonist, we just know one was made. I think there is a moral but if I was that good at putting it into words I wouldn't have to write about it.
One of the obvious references I guess is Watership Down (or at least quite a few people have told me it's just like ___). Watership Down though is all about the culture of the rabbits and their strife. My rabbits are name-less seemingly cultureless entities. All that you know is that they are running (from death). I also think I was influenced by bird and moon - a comic dealing with a non-human protagonist and somewhat serious subject matter in a whimsical way.
I have 12 more pages to complete and I think I started out with some of the easier ones so we'll see how the later ones come along. At least I have the hang of this whole sketch-ink-scan-color thing a bit more.
I guess my intentions are to disarm the reader with a friendly subject -- rabbits. (Though clearly some level of this is supposed to relate to humans) One of the sample pages I even completed (page three of the story) even features the protagonist as a young rabbit with big doe eyes. Thus as the author I am presumably dealing with a fairly light subject matter. As the comic goes on it will become apparent that this is less and less true. I think comics work as a medium for this because they embody the idea of escapism with the cartoon -- only, do they really? At the end the protagonist makes a decision to stop running and I'd like to think it's slightly more complex then a simple FACE DEATH answer. We'll see how subtle the final project makes it. It's not really clear whether the right decision was made or not for the protagonist, we just know one was made. I think there is a moral but if I was that good at putting it into words I wouldn't have to write about it.
One of the obvious references I guess is Watership Down (or at least quite a few people have told me it's just like ___). Watership Down though is all about the culture of the rabbits and their strife. My rabbits are name-less seemingly cultureless entities. All that you know is that they are running (from death). I also think I was influenced by bird and moon - a comic dealing with a non-human protagonist and somewhat serious subject matter in a whimsical way.
I have 12 more pages to complete and I think I started out with some of the easier ones so we'll see how the later ones come along. At least I have the hang of this whole sketch-ink-scan-color thing a bit more.
Goalkeeper
1. As a reader, I love stories with extraordinary characters and human emotions. I love how magical realism, super humanism, special powers, extraordinary talents can isolate a character, and yet the still experience the most common human emotions: lonliness, fear, triumph, glory, you name it. I think everyone has a slight affinity for these character, be they the Harry Potters, the Hulks, the Spidermen, etc. I want my reader/viewer to sense these deeper emotions. I want the reader to be surprised and delighted by the character, but even perhaps a little disappointed in him/her too. I also want to find a way to incorporate humor believably. I don't want it to feel "stuck" in there. I don't want it to feel contrived. I'm still having a hard time weaving all these elements together in a story that will inevitably be rather short, but I think it can be done with enough foresight. I just have to make it happen!
2. I guess I model my magical realism ideas off of a short story writer (and now a novelist) named Aimee Bender. I got my first taste of magical realism from Gabriel Garcia Marquez, but I don't think that type exactly fits in this medium. The way that I'm writing the graphic nove in Comic Life is based off of my aforementioned favorite webcomic "Overcompensating" by Jeffrey Rowland. He puts regular pictures behind what he draws; it's almost magically real in and of itself. Eh? Eh?
3/4. I want to have about three acts in my story over the span of about 15 pages. Hopefully I'll be able to crank that out. It will require a lot of picture hunting and a lot of drawing. I'm not quite sure yet if I want to have any sort of audio over the piece; I might if I end up with enough time. Right now I just need to get to drawing, which means that this scanner in Meyer Library sitting right next to me needs to get to working. Now.
2. I guess I model my magical realism ideas off of a short story writer (and now a novelist) named Aimee Bender. I got my first taste of magical realism from Gabriel Garcia Marquez, but I don't think that type exactly fits in this medium. The way that I'm writing the graphic nove in Comic Life is based off of my aforementioned favorite webcomic "Overcompensating" by Jeffrey Rowland. He puts regular pictures behind what he draws; it's almost magically real in and of itself. Eh? Eh?
3/4. I want to have about three acts in my story over the span of about 15 pages. Hopefully I'll be able to crank that out. It will require a lot of picture hunting and a lot of drawing. I'm not quite sure yet if I want to have any sort of audio over the piece; I might if I end up with enough time. Right now I just need to get to drawing, which means that this scanner in Meyer Library sitting right next to me needs to get to working. Now.
Update!
Hey guys,
Sorry I didn't post earlier, but I had nothing to tell. I got the oral history of the Paris story from my friend, and the only time he could do it was today, so now I finally have something. I imported the file of his story to itunes, and I am trying to upload it to this website called wikiupload.com so that I could link to it here but it's taking FOR-E-VER so I don't predict it will be ready by class time. In any case, I can send it out or something, so that people could listen to it should they be so inclined. It's kind of fun to hear it in his voice. Anyway, I downloaded comic life and I am playing around with that now. In terms of whether or not I can make three different media to tell this story...we shall see. Right now I am kind of looking at how I can do the comic with a mixture of pictures and drawings, since I have lots of pictures of my friend and of Paris, but not specific enough ones to really illustrate the story...
That is all. See you in class.
Sorry I didn't post earlier, but I had nothing to tell. I got the oral history of the Paris story from my friend, and the only time he could do it was today, so now I finally have something. I imported the file of his story to itunes, and I am trying to upload it to this website called wikiupload.com so that I could link to it here but it's taking FOR-E-VER so I don't predict it will be ready by class time. In any case, I can send it out or something, so that people could listen to it should they be so inclined. It's kind of fun to hear it in his voice. Anyway, I downloaded comic life and I am playing around with that now. In terms of whether or not I can make three different media to tell this story...we shall see. Right now I am kind of looking at how I can do the comic with a mixture of pictures and drawings, since I have lots of pictures of my friend and of Paris, but not specific enough ones to really illustrate the story...
That is all. See you in class.
The story of "Story"
Here is "Story" or what I think is the first half or 2/3rds of it.
GOAL AS ARTIST:
The reader/viewer of “Story” – a short fiction told in text and photos – should crumple in a heap of pain and joy at the conclusion of the tale. Since I’m not good enough to get that sort of reaction, I’ll be satisfied if she/he comes away feeling that nothing taken on faith, nothing arrived at through the customary modes of thinking, the intellectualizing of experience, fully explains the heartache, puzzlement and ultimate acceptance of life that’s felt as a result of having read this. I may not be good enough to get that reaction either, but that’s the goal. This is being told with photographs as well as text in order to augment the story, to amplify the effect, to pile on the impact. The photos will not be necessary to comprehend the essential thread of the story, but they won’t hurt. My hope is they’ll be the dessert after a satisfying meal.
Hard to say what my model for this is. It’s meant to be the kind of story that, say, Brecht or Borges might write. That’s the basic narrative. There’s also the kind of popular novel told through photographs, the “photo-comic” novella that’s become popular, I believe, among Hispanic readers. I was also inspired by a young woman I know (a classmate in an acting class) – by only her looks and her name, since her life story in no way resembles that of the young woman at the heart of “Story.” This woman’s face came to me, unbidden, as part of the core. I knew that her parents were from El Salvador though she was born in the U.S. I’m surprised at the number of elements that worked their way into this story faster than I was aware of them, on an instant – the movie “Volver,” for instance; the movie “Spanglish,” about a Hispanic domestic in the home of a couple who have serious problems (wife is cheating on husband, husband is falling for the domestic, etc., etc.). Also entering into this are my immediate surroundings in Palo Alto / Stanford, including the lemon tree in the backyard of my landlord and the well-done landscaping all around us. And to be in this part of California is to be surrounded by the Hispanic influence, in the names of towns and streets as well as the many workers out there who keep it all going. Finally, one of my classmates in the New Media Writing course -- see her comment -- offered me a song by PJ Harvey ("The Garden") that in its mood and some of its images fits nicely with my story. Don't know yet how I'll use it, but I may.
PRACTICAL GOALS
I’m seeing this project as about 10 (roughly 8-12) web pages, with text plus 2 or 3 photos per page. … The text will appear as large captions.
I’m seeing a total, therefore, of anywhere from 15 to 30 photos.
The photos I will take myself with my own digital camera, but I may borrow my wife’s camera. The photos need to be taken outdoors (most of them) – in our backyard, in some areas of the campus, but also indoors, and I’m not sure where that can be. The shots need to be of my chief actress, Karmen, but also of other actors: e.g., I’ll need someone to play Fiona, Sylvia, Raimundo for the dining-room table scenes; I’ll need someone to play Emmanuele for the garden scenes. And what about Karmen’s child, Pablo? ... Given that I don’t have many actors, I may use only a dozen or 15 photos – showing only the more important scenes.
STILL TO-DO
a) Finish writing the story, which means the second half of the story. I could probably leave the first half alone, although I’ll probably want to tweak some details.
b) Recruit at least 4 other actors for the photos (besides Karmen), and set up a shoot that is NOT on a weekend, but which occurs before March 12. So must start shooting this week (during the week) and finish next week (during the week).
c) Must download the photos to computer and then assemble the pages. (need tech help there)
d) Upload the pages to the Web. Place links on the blog or wherever.
GOAL AS ARTIST:
The reader/viewer of “Story” – a short fiction told in text and photos – should crumple in a heap of pain and joy at the conclusion of the tale. Since I’m not good enough to get that sort of reaction, I’ll be satisfied if she/he comes away feeling that nothing taken on faith, nothing arrived at through the customary modes of thinking, the intellectualizing of experience, fully explains the heartache, puzzlement and ultimate acceptance of life that’s felt as a result of having read this. I may not be good enough to get that reaction either, but that’s the goal. This is being told with photographs as well as text in order to augment the story, to amplify the effect, to pile on the impact. The photos will not be necessary to comprehend the essential thread of the story, but they won’t hurt. My hope is they’ll be the dessert after a satisfying meal.
Hard to say what my model for this is. It’s meant to be the kind of story that, say, Brecht or Borges might write. That’s the basic narrative. There’s also the kind of popular novel told through photographs, the “photo-comic” novella that’s become popular, I believe, among Hispanic readers. I was also inspired by a young woman I know (a classmate in an acting class) – by only her looks and her name, since her life story in no way resembles that of the young woman at the heart of “Story.” This woman’s face came to me, unbidden, as part of the core. I knew that her parents were from El Salvador though she was born in the U.S. I’m surprised at the number of elements that worked their way into this story faster than I was aware of them, on an instant – the movie “Volver,” for instance; the movie “Spanglish,” about a Hispanic domestic in the home of a couple who have serious problems (wife is cheating on husband, husband is falling for the domestic, etc., etc.). Also entering into this are my immediate surroundings in Palo Alto / Stanford, including the lemon tree in the backyard of my landlord and the well-done landscaping all around us. And to be in this part of California is to be surrounded by the Hispanic influence, in the names of towns and streets as well as the many workers out there who keep it all going. Finally, one of my classmates in the New Media Writing course -- see her comment -- offered me a song by PJ Harvey ("The Garden") that in its mood and some of its images fits nicely with my story. Don't know yet how I'll use it, but I may.
PRACTICAL GOALS
I’m seeing this project as about 10 (roughly 8-12) web pages, with text plus 2 or 3 photos per page. … The text will appear as large captions.
I’m seeing a total, therefore, of anywhere from 15 to 30 photos.
The photos I will take myself with my own digital camera, but I may borrow my wife’s camera. The photos need to be taken outdoors (most of them) – in our backyard, in some areas of the campus, but also indoors, and I’m not sure where that can be. The shots need to be of my chief actress, Karmen, but also of other actors: e.g., I’ll need someone to play Fiona, Sylvia, Raimundo for the dining-room table scenes; I’ll need someone to play Emmanuele for the garden scenes. And what about Karmen’s child, Pablo? ... Given that I don’t have many actors, I may use only a dozen or 15 photos – showing only the more important scenes.
STILL TO-DO
a) Finish writing the story, which means the second half of the story. I could probably leave the first half alone, although I’ll probably want to tweak some details.
b) Recruit at least 4 other actors for the photos (besides Karmen), and set up a shoot that is NOT on a weekend, but which occurs before March 12. So must start shooting this week (during the week) and finish next week (during the week).
c) Must download the photos to computer and then assemble the pages. (need tech help there)
d) Upload the pages to the Web. Place links on the blog or wherever.
Where it's at
So I've spent too much time just trying to think of bounty hunter names. I'll admit that.
Anyway, The Longer Arm of the Law
I have some threads mapped out in .txt files already. What I always struggle with in these workshoppy classes is that my fellow students are both my sources of helpful criticism and my audience, so I always want to withhold stuff until it is worthy of a stranger's love. I will post again tomorrow, but right now I'm building a framework and trying to register as many characters as I can think of.
Anyway, The Longer Arm of the Law
I have some threads mapped out in .txt files already. What I always struggle with in these workshoppy classes is that my fellow students are both my sources of helpful criticism and my audience, so I always want to withhold stuff until it is worthy of a stranger's love. I will post again tomorrow, but right now I'm building a framework and trying to register as many characters as I can think of.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Draft of a draft
So the first draft of my wacky Shakespeare story at this point doesn't even deserve to be called a draft or a script - it's like the script of a script. Or, you know, an outline. That's up here.
In terms of actual work with form and so on, I've been playing around with writing up some of the individual sections (which I am not posting up yet, as it's all kind of painfully rough thus far, with 'rough' here being a polite term for 'bad') and also toying with the poem I want to take through various stages of alteration using dlog. Unfortunately, dlog kind of hates my computer. Or my computer hates it. Or something. But the draft of the intro I want to use is up there - introducing the premise through dlogger outbursts I think is a kind of cool way to do it, if I can pull it off in a classy fashion.
In terms of actual work with form and so on, I've been playing around with writing up some of the individual sections (which I am not posting up yet, as it's all kind of painfully rough thus far, with 'rough' here being a polite term for 'bad') and also toying with the poem I want to take through various stages of alteration using dlog. Unfortunately, dlog kind of hates my computer. Or my computer hates it. Or something. But the draft of the intro I want to use is up there - introducing the premise through dlogger outbursts I think is a kind of cool way to do it, if I can pull it off in a classy fashion.
Bright Center of the Universe
Chris and I are going to be working together on the Davin Felth story. I've been exploring a few different options, both stylistic and narrative, in terms of telling the story with Comic Life. You can check out the results here, though I really want to stress that of all the shitty first drafts, mine is probably the shittiest. I was mostly trying out different visual options - screen grabs from the movies, videogame images, google, etc - and also a few different storytelling modes (realistic, narrator interacting with characters, going between "real" world with George Lucas and Star Wars world with Davin).
Sunday, February 25, 2007
First Draft
So I decided to go with a graphic novel because I didn't know why I wanted to play with form other then to just play with form. Sooo I have a script written that right now is fifteen pages (40+ panels). Click hereif you want to read it. I've also completed three pages of the comic so far and I'd post that here but I'm not completely happy with how they've turned out (I'll show them in class). I'm leaving a lot of blank space -- but at the same time it takes a long time to get to the point that they are like that. I have colored them in and despite it taking a long time I really think that aspect of the project makes it a little more legitimate.
Really Short Short
So yeah...not a lot to talk about yet, unfortunately. Parents weekend doesn't lend a lot of time to write but a few things have been figured out. Carolyn and I are going to work together on my idea about the train. We are also going to go ahead with the graphic novel version.
Here's the main gameplan:
1. We've got a main script for the original version of the story planned out. We will be adding onto it to incorporate that extra something that we discussed in class. We have chosen the suggestion from class to have the main girl meet the dead girl before the train scene. We are very open to suggestions on how to go about doing this. One of the ideas we had was to have them stay at the same hostel and run into each other in a dinning area of some sort. But any amazing ideas are more than welcomed.
2. We are currently searching for artists. If you know anyone who has time and would be interested let us know. For example, anyone taking a quarter with no classes who draws.
3. We're really excited to do :)
Anyways there is the short, short about what we are doing. All suggestions will be much appreciated and we'll see you in class on Tuesday!
Here's the main gameplan:
1. We've got a main script for the original version of the story planned out. We will be adding onto it to incorporate that extra something that we discussed in class. We have chosen the suggestion from class to have the main girl meet the dead girl before the train scene. We are very open to suggestions on how to go about doing this. One of the ideas we had was to have them stay at the same hostel and run into each other in a dinning area of some sort. But any amazing ideas are more than welcomed.
2. We are currently searching for artists. If you know anyone who has time and would be interested let us know. For example, anyone taking a quarter with no classes who draws.
3. We're really excited to do :)
Anyways there is the short, short about what we are doing. All suggestions will be much appreciated and we'll see you in class on Tuesday!
Friday, February 23, 2007
Shitty first draft, indeed
Well I've got my first draft of the script for my graphic short story down, and it is not perhaps the best thing I've ever created. Nevertheless, I will present it to you, and hopefully you will be able to salvage it from the depths of mediocrity. I'll hopefully have a few pages done by next class, but I wanted to get any suggestions as early as possible, so I could start making revisions, and get to work soon. Coz it's gonna be a lot of work.
The script is below, but first you should look at some character sketches that I've made and photographed and uploaded. Otherwise, it'll be like when you read a book and then you see the movie, and you're like, "These aren't the characters I pictured at all. This hella sucks."
So, Character Sketches:
Happy Daniel, Mom
Sad Daniel
Dad, Aunt
Hannah
Mishael, Azariah
Storm trooper bots
Evil totalitarian dictator
Okay great. Now that you have seen my limited drawing skills, it's time for my limited writing skills. There are two script versions below.
1) Full script. This has page by page and panel by panel breakdowns of the entire comic. It's going to be almost 50 pages long, but before you break my spirits and tell me it's too much work, keep in mind that I'll be using the computer to copy and paste backgrounds and characters, and there are a couple pages that require hardly any drawing at all. And I have the whole thing planned out very specifically, so it's just a matter of drawing it all (after making revisions to the script based on suggestions). And I'll start with the more important scenes, so that if I don't have time to finish the less important scenes, I can just leave them out.
2) Skeleton script. This is if you can't manage to slog through like 30 pages of detailed directions about paneling and paging and such. You'll get a better picture if you read the first one, but I realize that's not exactly realistic. So this second script just gives you all the plot points and a lot of the dialogue.
Here are the two things I'm mainly worried about:
1) I've given the Dreamer character a purpose, but I'm not going to tell you what it is, because I want to see if I've conveyed it accurately at all. Any help with her character would be appreciated.
2) A lot of the scenes are a bit heavy-handed. I'm trying to find where exactly the limit is for those scenes, because it seems like the graphic novel as a medium lets you get a little more over-the-top than just regular text. But I don't want it to be uber-cheesy. So if you have suggestions on that, they would be much appreciated.
The script is below, but first you should look at some character sketches that I've made and photographed and uploaded. Otherwise, it'll be like when you read a book and then you see the movie, and you're like, "These aren't the characters I pictured at all. This hella sucks."
So, Character Sketches:
Happy Daniel, Mom
Sad Daniel
Dad, Aunt
Hannah
Mishael, Azariah
Storm trooper bots
Evil totalitarian dictator
Okay great. Now that you have seen my limited drawing skills, it's time for my limited writing skills. There are two script versions below.
1) Full script. This has page by page and panel by panel breakdowns of the entire comic. It's going to be almost 50 pages long, but before you break my spirits and tell me it's too much work, keep in mind that I'll be using the computer to copy and paste backgrounds and characters, and there are a couple pages that require hardly any drawing at all. And I have the whole thing planned out very specifically, so it's just a matter of drawing it all (after making revisions to the script based on suggestions). And I'll start with the more important scenes, so that if I don't have time to finish the less important scenes, I can just leave them out.
2) Skeleton script. This is if you can't manage to slog through like 30 pages of detailed directions about paneling and paging and such. You'll get a better picture if you read the first one, but I realize that's not exactly realistic. So this second script just gives you all the plot points and a lot of the dialogue.
Here are the two things I'm mainly worried about:
1) I've given the Dreamer character a purpose, but I'm not going to tell you what it is, because I want to see if I've conveyed it accurately at all. Any help with her character would be appreciated.
2) A lot of the scenes are a bit heavy-handed. I'm trying to find where exactly the limit is for those scenes, because it seems like the graphic novel as a medium lets you get a little more over-the-top than just regular text. But I don't want it to be uber-cheesy. So if you have suggestions on that, they would be much appreciated.
Monday, February 19, 2007
George's Adventures in the Star Wars Universe
For an Imperial Stormtrooper, Davin Felth is kind of a putz. Sent into the military by his wealthy father after seven wasted years at a University, Davin was so unimpressive as a cadet that his superiors sent him to the absolute ass-end of the galaxy: the planet Tatooine. There, Davin spends most of his time charging Jawas speeding tickets, accepting bribes from Hutt crimelords, seducing naive local farm girls with fabricated stories of fighting the Rebellion, and generally wasting his time sipping Corellian whiskey at the cantina. Davin knows that he's wasted his life but is too lazy and cowardly to do anything about it. He lives in perpetual fear of being scalped by Sand People.
George Lucas is upset. He's spent his life building the Star Wars Universe, just the way he wanted, and now his precious creation is slipping out of his hands. A cult of personality is growing among the online Star Wars fan community based on the character of Davin Felth, a throwaway stormtrooper popular in FanFiction. George Lucas knows there's no Davin Felth; knows that, as he clearly explained in Episode 3, all the stormtroopers were clones, lacking individual hopes, dreams, and lives. Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia - these people, George's people, are real. To prove once and for all that Davin Felth is not real, George Lucas commissions the greatest scientific minds in the world to build the Virtual World Engine, a complicated system of holographic technology and electromagnetic fusion that opens portals to fictional worlds. George Lucas is the God of the Star Wars universe - he must clean up his galaxy of all excess baggage, reassert his control over his creation, destroy Davin Felth.
Three ways to tell this story:
1) I'm fascinated by the perpetual growth of fictional worlds - the notion that the Star Wars Universe has grown so big (with books, comics, fan fiction, video games, etc) that even its creator doesn't really understand it anymore. I like the idea of a straight dialogue between George Lucas and this random little character who shouldn't even exist - because unlike the people in the trilogies (great heroes and villains), he's just sort of an everyday putz. I think it'd be cool to do a comic strip like "Get Your War On," very minimalist, just one "stormtrooper" graphic for Davin and one "George Lucas" picture for George Lucas, and the two of them arguing over notions of authorship and existence.
2) Duelling video documentaries - one from George Lucas's perspective, one from the perspective of Davin Felth - arguing for and against Davin's existence, and the existence of the Star Wars universe outside of George Lucas's original creation.
3) Telling the story in hypertext style. The internet is the perfect platform for talking about Star Wars, since both are gigantic universes that exist entirely in the mind (and onscreen). Wookiepedia, the online Star Wars wiki, has over 45,000 individual articles. It could be cool to make the central story relatively short, but just include a billion tangents - Davin passes some random throwaway character, link away to his own story and to his wiki. Something to suggest the mass of information swirling even through one tiny corner of the galaxy.
Sort of a Fan-Fiction/criticism mash-up.
Sorry this is so late. I was in New Orleans.
George Lucas is upset. He's spent his life building the Star Wars Universe, just the way he wanted, and now his precious creation is slipping out of his hands. A cult of personality is growing among the online Star Wars fan community based on the character of Davin Felth, a throwaway stormtrooper popular in FanFiction. George Lucas knows there's no Davin Felth; knows that, as he clearly explained in Episode 3, all the stormtroopers were clones, lacking individual hopes, dreams, and lives. Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia - these people, George's people, are real. To prove once and for all that Davin Felth is not real, George Lucas commissions the greatest scientific minds in the world to build the Virtual World Engine, a complicated system of holographic technology and electromagnetic fusion that opens portals to fictional worlds. George Lucas is the God of the Star Wars universe - he must clean up his galaxy of all excess baggage, reassert his control over his creation, destroy Davin Felth.
Three ways to tell this story:
1) I'm fascinated by the perpetual growth of fictional worlds - the notion that the Star Wars Universe has grown so big (with books, comics, fan fiction, video games, etc) that even its creator doesn't really understand it anymore. I like the idea of a straight dialogue between George Lucas and this random little character who shouldn't even exist - because unlike the people in the trilogies (great heroes and villains), he's just sort of an everyday putz. I think it'd be cool to do a comic strip like "Get Your War On," very minimalist, just one "stormtrooper" graphic for Davin and one "George Lucas" picture for George Lucas, and the two of them arguing over notions of authorship and existence.
2) Duelling video documentaries - one from George Lucas's perspective, one from the perspective of Davin Felth - arguing for and against Davin's existence, and the existence of the Star Wars universe outside of George Lucas's original creation.
3) Telling the story in hypertext style. The internet is the perfect platform for talking about Star Wars, since both are gigantic universes that exist entirely in the mind (and onscreen). Wookiepedia, the online Star Wars wiki, has over 45,000 individual articles. It could be cool to make the central story relatively short, but just include a billion tangents - Davin passes some random throwaway character, link away to his own story and to his wiki. Something to suggest the mass of information swirling even through one tiny corner of the galaxy.
Sort of a Fan-Fiction/criticism mash-up.
Sorry this is so late. I was in New Orleans.
I think I'd like to do something
like a George Saunders story, but different. Saunders is fond of the milquetoast character in an absurd corporate environment. I love the environments Saunders evokes, but I'm sick of the milquetoast. So maybe a story from the point of view of an outsider who happens upon one of these corporate wastelands, or maybe from a real go-getter with middle to upper management written all over him. Or maybe cast a political campaign in the light Saunders casts on whatever business he's dealing with.
I've got three ideas:
1) An interactive text. Not really a hypertext, because I think linking away from the page you're on trashes the narrative flow. Maybe like underlined words or phrases, and when the mouse cursor nears them something happens. A picture gets displayed, an audio clip plays, lines of text rearrange themselves.
2) An oral history of the protagonist, or someone near him. Oh, or maybe this. The milquetoast's story from the perspective of his more industrious coworkers, from the man sleeping with the milquetoast's wife, from the reliable sentry, etc. Maybe even rewrite an alternate story from a different perspective, one that Saunders never gives us. Or a collection of different perspectives.
3) A mashup. Maybe fabricated audio clips from the CEO, real clips from real life corporate or political Americans talking about their own personal corporate responsibilities or constituents, photos of the protagonist, etc. Although I think this approach would lose the feel of a Saunders-style work, in which so much of the meaning resides in the irony of the language. So 1) and 2) make more sense I think.
4) A text-based game. Like a text-based adventure game, the hitchhiker's guide for example. Hmm, this approach seems well-suited to the milquetoast character actually. Like:
You see a red lever. Do you pull it?
If you pull it, you discover that your wife's rash is actually carpet burn. She's been sleeping with Simon from Sales. Simon has a college degree, you remember. When you confront her, she is indifferent to your anger.
If you don't, you discover that actually it's Ron from Loading/Unloading and that "tupping" might be the appropriate Shakespearean verb. You faint from righteous indignation. Fortunately, lying down averts the bulldozer moving toward your house.
I could run with idea 4), but the one-liner format would make cheap jokes hard to resist. As I just showed. Still, the way these games offer the illusion of agency but actually deny it by constraining your choices might be well suited to the typical Saunders character.
I've got three ideas:
1) An interactive text. Not really a hypertext, because I think linking away from the page you're on trashes the narrative flow. Maybe like underlined words or phrases, and when the mouse cursor nears them something happens. A picture gets displayed, an audio clip plays, lines of text rearrange themselves.
2) An oral history of the protagonist, or someone near him. Oh, or maybe this. The milquetoast's story from the perspective of his more industrious coworkers, from the man sleeping with the milquetoast's wife, from the reliable sentry, etc. Maybe even rewrite an alternate story from a different perspective, one that Saunders never gives us. Or a collection of different perspectives.
3) A mashup. Maybe fabricated audio clips from the CEO, real clips from real life corporate or political Americans talking about their own personal corporate responsibilities or constituents, photos of the protagonist, etc. Although I think this approach would lose the feel of a Saunders-style work, in which so much of the meaning resides in the irony of the language. So 1) and 2) make more sense I think.
4) A text-based game. Like a text-based adventure game, the hitchhiker's guide for example. Hmm, this approach seems well-suited to the milquetoast character actually. Like:
You see a red lever. Do you pull it?
If you pull it, you discover that your wife's rash is actually carpet burn. She's been sleeping with Simon from Sales. Simon has a college degree, you remember. When you confront her, she is indifferent to your anger.
If you don't, you discover that actually it's Ron from Loading/Unloading and that "tupping" might be the appropriate Shakespearean verb. You faint from righteous indignation. Fortunately, lying down averts the bulldozer moving toward your house.
I could run with idea 4), but the one-liner format would make cheap jokes hard to resist. As I just showed. Still, the way these games offer the illusion of agency but actually deny it by constraining your choices might be well suited to the typical Saunders character.
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