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Post by ironhold on May 6, 2015 18:03:14 GMT
Had an idea for an "audience participation" column (of a sort) to keep kids busy during summer break: Crossing Over[ Well, Marvel’s “Avengers” franchise is making Hollywood history, and DC’s direct-to-video Justice League releases are nothing to sneeze at. Looks like crossovers are big business these days. And so folks, it’s time for another peek into the creative processes. To quote Wikipedia, “A fictional crossover (or simply crossover) is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story.” [1] Most crossovers, obviously, happen between franchises owned by the same organization, thereby ensuring that ownership rights are no issue and that the stories can be kept in continuity with each other (that is, the crossover hopefully should not interfere with anything else). On occasion, however, you’ll see a crossover involving either public domain characters (which means that they are no longer protected under copyright) or crossovers involving characters owned by different organizations. Why might crossovers take place? In some cases, a crossover occurs because one property is not as popular; the hope here is that a sort of “halo effect” will take place, with the less popular property getting a boost from the more popular one. In others, both properties are popular and so it’s hoped that a crossover will be an even bigger hit. Perhaps our crossover was the result of fan demand, shared thematic elements, or another such consideration. Sounds easy, eh? Just throw two or more big names together and have at it, right? Not exactly. As a hypothetical, let us consider the fictional company Desert Moon Publications. The company has four superhero comics – “Lester Steel, Federal Agent”; “Torpedo Man”; “Hammer of Justice”; and “Urban Ninja” – plus children’s titles “Timmy the Tree Squirrel” and “The Happy Dancers”. With me so far? Good. For the superhero titles, we have options. Perhaps a villain planted evidence to make the Hammer of Justice seem like a criminal, resulting in Lester Steel being sent to track him down. Perhaps Torpedo Man and the Urban Ninja both tracked members of a criminal organization to the same dockyards. Or perhaps all four have done so much to hinder crime lord Boss Bass’ efforts that he puts bounties out on them. And so on. But the others? “Timmy” is a “funny animal” series, while “The Happy Dancers” is a “gag” series about some very much human hip-hop artists. We could easily cross over “The Happy Dancers” with one of the superhero titles, provided that the resulting material is age-appropriate for the target audience (I swear, I will never understand the logic behind the “Archie” / “Predator” cross-over…). For example, perhaps some of the band’s equipment is stolen and the Urban Ninja helps them find it. But with Timmy, however, we have major problem in that the format does not lend itself well to crossing over with the other titles. We could, say, have some Timmy merchandise or Timmy comics in the background of a particular panel. We could even have a squirrel show up that looks just like a more realistically-rendered version of Timmy. But having Timmy as he is meet up with someone else? We may or may not be talking “somehow altering the reality in which one or more titles takes place”, such as through magic or experimental technology. It can be done, but it’s going to take some more effort. And this is where we come to the kids out there in the audience. Just for fun, pick two fictional characters you like and imagine a situation in which they cross over. You might even be able to practice your creative writing by actually putting your idea to paper. [1] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fictional_crossover |
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Post by ironhold on May 14, 2015 19:24:28 GMT
Owing to a number of incidents that have happened lately - including several that took place at work - I'm doing this piece on cell phone etiquette.
Any other issues needing to be addressed?
Thanks.
**
Folks...
Cell phones, smart phones, pagers, beepers, and all other such gadgets can be a blessing if used properly. They enable communication between individuals over great distances, making it easier to contact other human beings. This can be especially critical in an emergency situation, particularly when lives are on the line.
Emphasis on “if used properly”.
To begin with, you should not be using any sort of electronic device if you are operating any sort of motor vehicle. Such devices can serve as a distraction, making it more likely for you to be involved in a traffic accident. In fact, the increased likelihood is such that various jurisdictions have passed laws against it. For example, here in Texas you face a fine for using such a device in a school zone. Generally speaking, your best bet is to simply pull over if you need to send or receive something.
From there, we have issues dealing with what should be basic courtesy in using these devices. Of course, we have the usual guidelines concerning when to use or not use them. Do not use them in any place where silence is expected, such as a library or a movie theater. Do not use them in places where their use is restricted, such as (at the time of this writing) aircraft during take-off or landing. And so on.
But courtesy goes beyond this; it also involves common courtesy towards others who also use such digital devices.
To begin with, consider texting. Not everyone prefers texting. Others either cannot text at all, or if they can they must do so sparingly; for example, I have tendon damage in the thumb on my dominant hand and so texting can become painful after a while. Texting can be appropriate if one must send pictures, numbers, or other bits of data to the end user. But if you know ahead of time that you’re likely going to need a lengthy conversation with the individual you’re attempting to reach, go ahead and call them. Some months back a situation arose in which a person felt the need to speak to me about something. The conversation normally would have only required two minutes’ time to discuss by way of an actual phone call, but the other party instead insisted on taking twenty minutes’ time texting it out, in the process initially ignoring my requests to simply call me.
From there, consider the issue of necessity. Do you specifically need to contact the other person at this particular moment? If it is a legitimate emergency, then go ahead and contact them. But if it’s not? What then? Suppose for example that you’re waiting for someone or something to arrive at a particular destination. If you have an estimated time of arrival, then give the person time to arrive. If they are not back yet, one phone call should suffice. If not, then give the other person a reasonable amount of time. “Calling every five minutes” is not reasonable; give the person a good half an hour or so at least between calls. And if you don’t have an ETA? Again, one or two phone calls. Then let things wait.
And of course, let us not forget about voice mails. If you intend to leave a voice message, please be concise. Your name, a brief statement, and a phone number will suffice. If you have a voice mailbox, please check it periodically. People may be trying to reach you.
Keep this all in mind, and we can have a more civil, more courteous wired society. Thank you.
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Post by mrfatso on May 15, 2015 3:08:49 GMT
One one my own bugbears, turn them off in cinemas when the film is playing, the trailers and adverts fine if you must.
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Post by the light works on May 15, 2015 16:10:58 GMT
and mine: if I want to buy something from you, I'll call you. when I say I'm not interested, I won't be any more interested tomorrow, or the next day.
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Post by silverdragon on May 25, 2015 13:30:36 GMT
When I first started out Driving trucks, we had no comms at all.
I set out on a list of things to deliver, and that was that.
I still set out with the same number of things on the truck, its not as if they can magically ad an extra 20 tons or something....
But now, I get constant nagging "where are you have you done this yet".
All the have done is manage to put the pressure from the transport manger to get things done delegated to the Driver...
And its NOT good news.
It often seams that whatever you do they want better.
Therefore, I dont choose to work for constant nagging firms, they cannot change the speed I drive, so I dont let them.
I have seen one delivery form with handheld comms that scans the package you deliver, and it "knows" where you are, and when you are there.
It then delivers constant "you are late you need to pick up speed".
Getting nagged by a (beep)ing COMPUTER?....
That would be going out the window at high speed.
I did NOT take this job to play office politics with the office where several staff have an interest in getting their part of the load delivered first, nor did I enter this job to play favourites with the firms I deliver to "you will come here fist wont you?.."
Nor did I enter into a contract that I WILL be at the delivery bay by half-past the noted hour on the dot otherwise the load will be refused.
You get it when I get there, If I am delayed, its most probably nothing to do with me, so you can wait.
Its getting to the time where I am considering permanent retirement from this game.
Its not fun any more.
And if I aint enjoying it, I cant see why I need to do it.....
I have a Bank that likes to do that.
They try to phone us every month to make sure we are getting the services we need....
I have threatened them that if they continue I will be talking my services elsewhere.
I know what they have, its not as if I wish to constantly change my account, nor do I need all those extra services, especially the one about foreign travel, as my Passport ran out and I didnt renew it, because I dont plan on travelling anywhere abroad soon.
So why do I need to use my cards abroad, why do I need foreign travel insurance, why do I need anything at all "just in case I go abroad"?...
Its the same with my Car insurance.
I have insisted that they do NOT try to include foreign cover.
If I go abroad, I will hire a car when I get there, a Left-Hook drive, I wont try and drive my own right hook car on left hook roads.
But still they "Insist" in having to inform me every time I renew that I dont have foreign insurance and shall they just add that on for me?...
I dont have a tow bar on this car, so why dont you add cover for a caravan that I dont own as well?...
But I dont tell them that, because they would probably besiege me with offers for caravan insurance.
What is my Job?.. Heavy good driver.
Do you use your vehicle for work?..
Sure, you can tuck 20 tons of grain in the boot of any family hatchback....
What part of Class 1 (C+E) HEAVY goods indicates that I may even possibly be stupid enough to use my car for work?...
Do I need insurance for the vehicle I work with?...
Get real.
Its a COMMERCIAL vehicle, that business insurance, I am NOT an owner driver, so why the hell are you offering me that?...
You are wasting my time.
Trying to sell me products I do not need.
I now use an insurance form that pones me every year and asks a simple question...
"Has anything changed"
They MUST do that by law.
They then run through the important stuff like has my heath deteriorated in a way that may prevent me driving, the basic stuff like that that they are legally obliged to do.
They then state that they are offering me insurance on the basis that I have read and understood the policy they have already sent me in the post.
They then remind me, politely, that if I have not notified them of anything important, it may invalidate the insurance.
After that, they then DO NOT try to sell me aircraft insurance that covers me in outer space, or anything else that they know I have no interests in, ask me to sign and return my permission, and give me the next years insurance....
Last year, I could have saved half a ton (£50) or more by switching to another firm, but on reading through, I would NOT get the guaranteed like for like hire vehicle if mine is off the road, I would have not got the take the vehicle to my OWN choice of repair yard, such as one near home, and I would have had zero contests insurance, whereas with the one I have, I have basic luggage coverage for loss of uninsured things like a first aid kit tools and emergency equipment like spare bulbs shovel and such that I always carry.
And they are a firm I know constantly nag you to get House insurance from them, and in fact every kind of insurance product you can imagine...
I know this because a friend has made the mistake of using them, and gets three or four "special offers" a month through the post, and constant text updates almost every day....
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Post by the light works on May 25, 2015 22:58:07 GMT
I was speaking of having the SAME girl from the SAME google search placement service call me three days in a row.
I recognized her voice, I recognized her name, and I recognized the script she was reading from.
how many ways do I have to say I don't WANT people to be able to find me easily before it sinks in? I am already giving people my competitors' names and numbers because I can't take on any more work, why should I pay you to make me answer the phone MORE?
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Post by ironhold on Jun 8, 2015 21:16:04 GMT
Back during WWII, the United States maintained a force of Hollywood types for use in deceptive warfare.
These individuals did everything from "create and maintain fake military bases" to "bombard German forces with pre-recorded audio to make them believe that Allied forces were incoming".
Does anyone remember the name of the unit(s) involved with this effort?
I'm looking to have them be the subject of my July 4th column, but I can't remember the details.
Thanks.
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Post by OziRiS on Jun 9, 2015 11:55:45 GMT
Back during WWII, the United States maintained a force of Hollywood types for use in deceptive warfare. These individuals did everything from "create and maintain fake military bases" to "bombard German forces with pre-recorded audio to make them believe that Allied forces were incoming". Does anyone remember the name of the unit(s) involved with this effort? I'm looking to have them be the subject of my July 4th column, but I can't remember the details. Thanks. Are you thinking of the Ghost Army? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Army |
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Post by mrfatso on Jun 11, 2015 12:02:19 GMT
The British units involved was Force-R. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/R_ForceYou might want to google Operation Bodyguard, and It's components such as Fortitude. The name is alleged inspired by a quote from Winston Churchill. |
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Post by ironhold on Jun 14, 2015 0:10:23 GMT
Character Building
[author name]
Ladies and gentlemen, consider the following character descriptions -
[1] "Lt. Commander Henrietta Thorne is the engineer on board the O. Porter Rockwell. She's a muscle girl. And she's African-American."
[2] "Lt. Commander Henrietta Thorne is the engineer on board the O. Porter Rockwell. Her war hero father Commodore Henry Thorne served as the engineer on board the Silverwings during the Kilo Domination, then became chief engineer on the Spartan during the Victor Evacuation before ultimately heading up the naval engineering school on the planet Sparta. Her mother, Marianne Thorne-Rose, is a famous artist; her parents met when some sketches her father did were being displayed at the gallery where Marianne once worked.
"Henrietta inherited her mother's artistic nature. However, she also inherited her father's great size (6'6"), strength (she once lifted a vending machine off the ground), and technical aptitude. This puts her in a bind, as she has trouble being taken seriously in either world; the "fancy" art types reject her on sight for her masculine appearance, while the Navy brass tend to consider her occasional efforts at being "girly" unbecoming.
"Fortunately for her, the captain of the Rockwell is Colonel Nathaniel Granger, a childhood friend. Nathaniel has his own legacy to live up to (his father, Fleet Admiral Oliver Granger, was Commodore Thorne's captain on both ships), and so he understands full well what Henrietta is facing; he also has a naturally deep well of patience (which is useful given the crew of irregulars he's been handed), and so doesn't mind helping her find her niche. It's for this reason that Henrietta quietly nurses a crush on him, but she can't bring herself to vocalize it due to protocol concerning relationships within the chain of command."
Which would you consider to be the "stronger" rendition of the character as far as development and planning go? Which one is more interesting?
All too often, writers seeking a "diverse" cast will mistakenly presume that this can be achieved simply by going through a hypothetical "checklist" and filling out enough categories, regardless of whether or not each character has any reason to exist beyond their category.
A June Salon.com opinion piece (http://www.salon.com/2015/06/06/its_time_for_marvel_to_make_magneto_black_use_the_coming_secret_wars_reboot_to_make_x_men_get_real_about_race/) made this fallacy all too clear. The author argued that Marvel comics should use the "Secret Wars" reboot to make the Magneto character black. The logic? Magneto's character is tied to a real-life event, thus making him "old". As the author asserts, "The best fix for Magneto's origin problem is to reboot him and Professor X into the heart of the Civil Rights Movement."
In the process of doing so, however, the author hand-waved the very thing that makes Magneto who he is: his status as a Holocaust survivor. He was broken by what he experienced, and he's so afraid of being on the receiving end again that he ironically contemplates doing to others what was done to him. His very existence as a character is an exploration of Neitzche’s warning about looking into the darkness. The author's proposal, meanwhile, would turn him into a generic terrorist lashing out at random.
People can't simply go "this is going to be a(n) _____ character" and leave it at that. Characters need to be designed holistically, such that each facet of their personality interacts with all of the other facets. And in the event that one facet does become dominant, then there needs to be a well-developed reason for it. Otherwise, we get characters who are so one-dimensional that they risk becoming the very stereotypes that they were meant to oppose.
And that's not cool.
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Post by the light works on Jun 14, 2015 4:59:10 GMT
BAM.
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Post by silverdragon on Jun 25, 2015 7:03:08 GMT
I would be more interested in a "short" description of the character to introduce them, with the longer explanations of who they are and why they are coming at a later date as the plot develops.
That way the Writer can develop the character along with the plot, without having to go back and re-write huge chunks at the beginning.
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Post by the light works on Jun 25, 2015 15:25:01 GMT
I would be more interested in a "short" description of the character to introduce them, with the longer explanations of who they are and why they are coming at a later date as the plot develops. That way the Writer can develop the character along with the plot, without having to go back and re-write huge chunks at the beginning. Ironhold is referring more to character notes than to actual story text. as in, with his first example, there will be no further character development. |
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Post by silverdragon on Jun 26, 2015 6:26:28 GMT
I am guessing these "Notes" would be written right at the start, not put on the pages to be sold, but as a "book of words" instruction manual for the author.
Even so, the shorter of the two, gives more space for development as the story line unfolds, unless you already know where its going.
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Post by mrfatso on Jun 26, 2015 7:13:16 GMT
I think what ironhold is talking about is more the simplification and more importantly in the case of Magneto changing a character backstory from a rich one that has developed overtime to a simplified new version to fit a particular agenda. In this case changing him from a Holocaust survivor to an African American .
Imagine if for example to use a more British example in the new Dads Army film that they are making at the moment they decided for no good reason to cast Colin Salmon, a good British Actor (who went to Ashcroft High School but I don't hold that against him much) who is of Afro Caribbean descent as Sargeant Wilson. It would change the dynamic of the Walmington on Sea Platoon straight away.
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Post by silverdragon on Jun 26, 2015 7:49:18 GMT
I think what ironhold is talking about is more the simplification and more importantly in the case of Magneto changing a character backstory from a rich one that has developed overtime to a simplified new version to fit a particular agenda. In this case changing him from a Holocaust survivor to an African American . Imagine if for example to use a more British example in the new Dads Army film that they are making at the moment they decided for no good reason to cast Colin Salmond, a good British Actor (who went to Ashcroft High School but I don't hold that against him much) who is of Afro Caribbean descent as Sargeant Wilson. It would change the dynamic of the Walmington on Sea Platoon straight away. Forgetting slightly the "Token black" reason, it would cause arguments from the super-sensitive historically correct about placing a coloured person in that high rank in the UK forces. In the American forces, that just wouldnt happen, especially in "mixed" race troops. In UK, we were less racist at that time, but more highly unlikely than not possible, ... Changing the character, I cite recent news they are recasting Loki as Female. Changing Magneto in that way is bull-feathers, and we all know it, 'cept no one dare speak out in case they offend someone?... I dare. Its just not possible that Magneto could, in the the whole of the story so far, including X-Men origins and the rest, be suddenly not who he was but someone from a completely different place, and I cite him as being Russian instead of European type differences there as an example. In fact, I would encourage the Holocaust survivors to complain about that, and cite the Holocaust DENIAL movement as their target.... He is, after all, a hero of all those who suffered directly or indirectly because of the holocaust. My main reason for disapproval, if it works, dont fix it. If you REALLY want to add an African American, go ahead, just invent your own story line for him?.. What would be more exiting, upsetting the fans by changing an old character, or, inviting in a NEW unknown character that has been hidden from the world for a while, or is "n00b" to all this?.... In Return, take any African American Hero and change his gender and colour, see how far you get with that. You know the one I mean there. 'Coulsons friend. As for the Loki scenario, what, they dont have any Female hero's they can use instead?... There is a whole bloody PLANET of them to draw from, including some we never ever heard of before, and who knows, isnt there someone they could call Loki's STEP-Sister, who has equal powers, and maybe even a new exiting different power or weapon to bring to the story line?.... Throw in a Loki who gets tamed by her with some silly throw away one liners, and hilarity, and you are on to a winner.... Heck, even I can see the story line in that.  |
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Post by OziRiS on Jun 26, 2015 10:03:02 GMT
If they truly want an African-American hero or villain in there, I say create one. Seriously, has anyone really created any new superheroes since the 1950's?
Superman still wears his underwear on the outside of his clothes and the only reason he was drawn that way originally was because wrestlers of that era (1930's IIRC) did that and it was associated with "strong men". But that was 85 years ago! Think we can upgrade the wardrobe a little? Maybe even just forget about Superman and try something new?
I personally loved the Seth McFarland comics of the 90's with their dark anti-heroes, Spawn, The Darkness and Witchblade. Spawn was turned into a cartoon and a movie and an attempt was made at turning Witchblade into a TV series, but they both failed miserably. One reason was the low budget both had to work on, but also the poor visual effects. Re-making those today would be interesting.
ADDENDUM: Oh, and Al Simmons, the guy who was recruited by the devil to become Spawn... African-American.
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Post by mrfatso on Jun 26, 2015 12:04:50 GMT
Well Nick Fury was originally a white character. There is a movie in which David Hasselhoff plays him it some times is shown on something like the SyFy or Horror Channel over here. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Fury#/media/File:Nickfuryshield.jpgIt is only the Ulitmate version that is African American and it is that characterisation that they have used in the MCU for that character. The new Spider-Man they have cast is not as some people lobbied for based on the Rick Morales Ultimate Spider-Man but a white British actor. Marvel have created many new heroes since the 1950s many of their charters were created in the 1960s and 1970s, such as the Fantastic Four and the X-men with new ones created even now such as Spider-Gwen. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-Gwen I am not a great comic book fan but Luke Cage a.k.a Powerman is African Americain as is Blade, Black Panther who is to get his own film soon if you have seen Age of Ultron the Vibranium the arms dealers had was stolen from his Kingdom. Storm of the Xmen is another Marvel character of colour. I am sure there is a whole list out there somewhere. I am less fanmliar with D.C. But Cyborg of the Teen Titans comes to mind there. As I understand it with the recent New 52 reboot Superman no longer wears the red underwear his costume is now more of a one blue coloured suit with the Cape. |
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Post by the light works on Jun 26, 2015 14:12:18 GMT
I am guessing these "Notes" would be written right at the start, not put on the pages to be sold, but as a "book of words" instruction manual for the author. Even so, the shorter of the two, gives more space for development as the story line unfolds, unless you already know where its going. typically, when you write a story, you already have a pretty good idea where it is going, and in that, you have to have a good idea where everybody has come from. for example, in one of my bigger short stories, I had a black soldier/cop. that would be enough for many authors - or as the writing industry likes to call them - "hacks" however, before I even started writing, I already knew that the reason he had stopped being a soldier and started being a cop was because his unit was betrayed by his employer, and half of them had been killed. I knew that the entire unit went by some variant of "Jack" I knew that he still had contact with a few of his men, I knew that he took pride in his ethnic heritage, and I knew that he tended to shoot from the lip. that way I wouldn't have had to go back and rewrite if he had suddenly developed a new character trait midway through the story. |
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Post by the light works on Jun 26, 2015 14:16:13 GMT
Well Nick Fury was originally a white character. There is a movie in which David Hasselhoff plays him it some times is shown on something like the SyFy or Horror Channel over here. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Fury#/media/File:Nickfuryshield.jpgIt is only the Ulitmate version that is African American and it is that characterisation that they have used in the MCU for that character. The new Spider-Man they have cast is not as some people lobbied for based on the Rick Morales Ultimate Spider-Man but a white British actor. Marvel have created many new heroes since the 1950s many of their charters were created in the 1960s and 1970s, such as the Fantastic Four and the X-men with new ones created even now such as Spider-Gwen. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-Gwen I am not a great comic book fan but Luke Cage a.k.a Powerman is African Americain as is Blade, Black Panther who is to get his own film soon if you have seen Age of Ultron the Vibranium the arms dealers had was stolen from his Kingdom. Storm of the Xmen is another Marvel character of colour. I am sure there is a whole list out there somewhere. I am less fanmliar with D.C. But Cyborg of the Teen Titans comes to mind there. As I understand it with the recent New 52 reboot Superman no longer wears the red underwear his costume is now more of a one blue coloured suit with the Cape. the new superman suit is basically the dark knight suit without the extra armor plating and the batman specific decor. |
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