michaellsanborn-blog

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I’m pretty sure everyone in my life feels close to this about now. By the way, in case you weren’t aware... I’M A WRITER!

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Branding Effectiveness

My research began with investigating author websites, hoping to mine what has come before me concerning effectiveness in writer branding. J.K. Rowling’s and Neil Gaiman’s sites I found to be clean and effective, but I found Henry H. Neff’s site to be even more cohesive and targeted. Consistency in the teal and gold color scheme and font choice effectively tied everything together, and on the splash page of the site, visitors experience imagery that defines the fantasy subject matter throughout his books. His book series also benefit from cohesive design elements and consistent cover layouts.

Moving away from author sites, I found the branding at the Mysterious Package Company to be compelling. Specializing in the creepy and mysterious, the website presentation is clean and immediately draws you in with the use of expertly-themed, genre-specific video imagery that informs you about the nature of the product. Font use and a muted color palette accompany the white, burgundy and copper color to the graphic elements on the site. The font choice matches the genre and maintains consistency throughout the website and mailing materials. A circular motif and consistent logo also accompany the foundational graphic elements.

The final bit of branding research I embarked on was much broader in scope. As a worldwide company and immediately recognizable brand, Starbuck’s coffee demonstrates a rock-solid and universally recognizable brand. Relying on white and a single, definitive color selection and the round graphic element, Starbucks effectively made those two elements of art a signifier of their brand and products.  Even when a different graphic replaces the logo, as long as the color and round visual element are consistent, the branding remains discernible. Additionally, their font choice is constant within the brand, maintaining a cohesion within their products and marketing materials.

Henry H Neff Website [Website]. (2017, August 20).  Retrieved from http:// http://henryhneff.com

The mystery of the Mysterious Package is revealed! (2015, September 18).  Retrieved from https://www.geek.com/geek-culture/the-mystery-of-the-mysterious-package-is-revealed-1634345/

The Secret to Starbucks’ Brand Success. (2017, July). Retrieved from https://martinroll.com/resources/articles/strategy/secret-starbucks-brand-success/

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Rishichhibber [Photograph]. (2012, February 1).  Retrieved from

     https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Home_under_construction.JPG

CGI ranch home [Photograph]. (2014).  Retrieved from 

     http://gbi-avis.com/custom-homes/ranch/spring-grove-1.html

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Here is some concept art from the animated show I’m writing, “Miranda and the Men from Mars,” where eight-year-old Miranda saves the world from a Martian robotic invasion. Years ago I wrote a book for my first daughter entitled “Ruby June and the Voice of the Sea” where she saves the world from Cthulhu. I always knew a book for my second daughter would need to come about. Definitely cheaper than therapy. “Why didn’t you ever write a book for me dad?!” Now that I am taking a class on writing for animation and storyboarding, what better opportunity than to write the story, get some professional critical feedback on it, and get a jumpstart on creating the artwork all under a month deadline! I had hoped to finish the panels but forgot to calculate that I would need at least 22 panels minimum and I like to do 3-4 versions of each to find just the right composition. That is a lot of work for one month with the added rigors of writing and re-writing the story and working a full time job. Still, Miranda is only 4 so time is still somewhat on my side. I figure I have another 2-3 years to bring this to fruition.

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Gamification and Media Convergence

Gamification, the act of incorporating game inspired elements like badges and achievements in everyday life, is growing in prevalence. Several months ago, my wife gifted me with a Fitbit, a watch that records daily exercise like walking and stair climbing, keeps a log of your heart rate and cardiovascular exercises, and helps you remain active by issuing reminders to get up and move every hour. Along with celebratory animations when you meet hourly movement goals, the on-line tracker awards you with badges for numbers of steps and stairs climbed and weight goals met. Additionally, there is an on-line connection that allows you to compete with fellow Fitbit owners, adding to the competitive, game-like experience. I’m not certain what effects the badges have on the average owner. I find that they are not a huge motivation for me. The desire to meet my daily goals, however, I liken to soft mind control. Several co-workers and I have the same reminders at ten before the hour and, like robots, we all stand and head for the door. If I weren’t aware of the benevolent nature of the conditioning, I might be concerned. For the time being, I’ll just be happy with the health benefits.

Media convergence, the melding of different media in new and unique ways, is another trend strongly manifesting itself. One example I noted was the game Pokemon Go and how it incorporates the intellectual property of the animated Pokemon show with a virtual reality treasure hunting game implemented through smartphone video. I have never played it personally but have witnessed my wife drawn into the Pokemon universe, a property that she never would have experienced were it not for the virtual reality game. Due to the way that the game places you in the role of a virtual Pokemon trainer, it acts as a sort of role playing experience.

The Mysterious Package Company materializes as another notable example of media convergence. This on-line company specializes in a type of interactive experience based on well-known science fiction and horror writing. A customer visits the website and purchases a package for themselves or an often unsuspecting second party. Shortly after that, the recipient will begin receiving parcels and letters in the mail that hint at a mystery. The experience I took part in sent me, over the course of a month, old photos, newspaper clippings, a playbill, an antique pendant and crate containing a mysterious statue. Some internet research on my part revealed additional pieces of the mystery and rounded out the rest of the story. Shortly after the final delivery occurred, a note arrived unveiling the experience to be an elaborately orchestrated bit of fiction, much akin to mystery theater with the lone participant unaware they are acting a part. The entire experience loosely sprung from the writings of H. P. Lovecraft. From a media convergence standpoint, the Mysterious Package Company’s packages bring together traditional horror and science fiction intellectual properties and a type of role-playing experience heavy on the mystery with the added element of self-directed research.

I also wanted to mention the television show Supernatural though I feel like the line between their integration of different media borders on Transmedia. In the show, the main characters, Sam and Dean Winchester, are hunters of supernatural creatures that regularly take part in saving the world. The intellectual property originally developed for television but, as the show grew in popularity, books and a convention presence, complete with cosplay, came into being. These were then incorporated back into the running storylines of the show through the use of Chuck Shurley, a prophet character, who chronicles the exploits of the Winchesters, supposedly writing the Supernatural books. Chuck was also well known in the convention/cosplay circuit and the show based more than one episode around the characters making an appearance at a con. Unlike other intellectual properties, Supernatural’s writers embraced the alternative media within their primary outlet, the television show, instead of treating it as a separate entity. On media convergence, Supernatural marries more seamlessly the world of the television show, novelizations, and convention cosplay than other shows of its ilk.

Sastry, Keertana. (2014, November 11). Chuck Appears in 'Supernatural' Episode 200 "Fan Fiction," But What Does the Cameo Mean? Retrieved from https://www.bustle.com/articles/48812-chuck-appears-in-supernatural-episode-200-fan-fiction-but-what-does-the-cameo-mean

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Writing the Web Series

Creating an episode for a web series was an incredible challenge! I came to enjoy the economy of the medium. Having to be extremely strategic in what to include and making sure everything had a purpose was good for me as a writer, forcing me to be more deliberate and driven in my writing than I otherwise might have been.  In the pilot episode, every piece of dialogue and every action needed to move the story forward, define a character better, or illustrate something about the world. I loved the sense of accomplishment when I was able to have dialogue and action serve double or triple duty. I also found a perverse pleasure in having to cut an enormously funny line or sequence, saving the patient by removing a limb.

Working with a small cast and limited environments was liberating in a way. Instead of being lazy and creating a new character to fit a necessity, I found that it was more efficient tweaking the established characters I had and working with their already defined personalities. The action began unfolding on its own. The characters started driving parts of the story. Between the plot points, the characters interacted with each other, allowing me to chronicle what I saw playing out between them.

The more I worked with the characters in the pleasantly restrictive episodic structure of the show, the more I found episodes unfolding naturally before me. They were not driven by the objects tying the episodes of the show together but rather by the characters and their interactions. The objects acted more like a story catalyst. The characters grew backstories in a very natural way, dictated by the necessities of future installments. It wasn’t long before I began casting people into roles and scouting locations with high hopes that I will be able to film an episode at some point in the upcoming months.

I would never have thought this would be a medium that would interest me, but now I see the freedom I could enjoy starting out in web content. The scope is reasonable enough that I could build a sizable body of work and get it published on-line. I can begin growing an audience. It would also be an excellent way to work on my writer’s voice, polishing my storytelling skills, and filling out my portfolio. I collaborate with enough people in the industry that finding camera people, actors, lighters, and even post-production people will not be a challenge. I even know a few professional musicians that have committed to providing original music on the condition that they receive credit for their work. Apart from the challenge of writing the show, the biggest hurdle will be ensuring that everyone feels like they got what they wanted out of the experience.

Sanborn, M. (2016, March 21). Cursed Objects [Photograph].

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Here is a link to my pinterest boards for my antagonist (Captain Dwayne Burley) and protagonist (William Leighton) from the current screenplay I’m working to develop.

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Idea #3 to build my creative writing portfolio: I can assist my fellow artists in writing their artist biographies and artist statements. Many of the galleries we show at require biographies and artist statements to be held on file for publicity purposes. I can use my newly strengthening narrative and grammar skills to assist them in refining their written promotional material.

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Idea #2 to build my creative writing portfolio: I can help my fellow instructors with their work on animated short films. Many of my colleagues have aspirations of creating short animated films. I can help them with the mechanics, better defining their character roles, theme, and where turning points should happen in their work. I can also help them with proper script formatting should they intend to submit their ideas in addition to working on them on their own.

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Idea #1 to build my creative writing portfolio: I can use my burgeoning writing skills to help my fellow instructors develop more narrative content connection with their assignments and fill them in on more of the finer points of script writing. In the field of computer animation, almost all of what we do is in service of the script and it would be advantageous for students to understand that connection early on in their careers. Even if they don’t work directly with the script when they enter the industry, having a better understanding of the needs from that end can help them achieve their supervisor’s or team’s goals.

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Photo Credit:

Tom Simpson

Flickr via

Compfight

cc

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Continuing my search regarding the necessity of dialogue tags, I found this article that clarified the issue. Since the character was employing inner dialogue, I found that quotes and a dialogue tag were not necessary. Good thing as there was a pretty tight word count.

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Recently I wrote a piece of hint fiction and, when presented with a word count issue, became curious whether a dialogue tag was necessary. I found this article by King. It did not answer the question but had good advice on the topic of the use of said in dialogue tags.

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I found this interview to be extremely helpful. I enjoyed King’s (2013) commentary about sharpening one’s craft on smaller works before jumping into the quagmire of a novel.

Reference:

Fahle, Rich. [Bibliostar.TV]. (2013, Feb 20). Stephen King on the Craft of Short Story Writing[Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1qItKJ8RiQ

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This is a video presentation of my Mastery Journey Timeline

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Above is a link to my Mastery Journey Timeline.