Action Poetry

In the most recent posts, I took a turn at writing poems.  They didn't all rhyme and they weren't all readily understandable.  But! after reading them a dozen times maybe with a dictionary/ thesaurus you figure them out or at the very least get the gist of the message.  They were all in fulfilment of a class assignment but they were also due to a recent surge in interest I have had in this genre of writing and speech delivery.  Today's post will be on Performance Poetry.

Photo of Sarah Kay, Spoken Word Poet
TED Conference (Voted 2011 Best TED Presentation)

Poetry is ...
                  /ˈpəʊɪtri/ literary work in which the expression of feelings and ideas is given intensity by the use of distinctive style and rhythm; a genre of literature.
This is our working definition.  Many things to many people; anyone can conjure up their own definition for poetry but here we will stick to Oxford's.




Performance Poetry is written not for print or reading but to be seen and heard.  The art form has many names: Spoken Word, Stand Up, Dub, Slam; to-may-to/to-mah-to. I will first introduce you to the work of Taylor Mali to open your mind to the wonder of poetry.  This video, "What Teachers Make", is an interpretation of Taylor Mali's poem performed by actors.  Therefore this is a merger between poetry and acting.

 

A teacher by profession and Page Meets Stage Curator, Taylor has dealt with the situations he describes in this poem.  These are his opinions, this is his burden that he has put to writ and transferred to stage.  In a previous post I tackled the topic of what to write.  While I won't tell anyone what to write I mentioned some of the features of what is considered 'good' literature.  Passion, Plot development, Literary value.  Tell the story that you care about, keep your reader/listener on the edge of the seat and fearlessly use the literary tools that you have.

The next poem is "The Truth Without Photoshop" by P4CM poet Janette...ikz needs no introduction but be warned it will likely draw on your emotions.

The words spoken by Janette...ikz here is truth.  This is her story unapologetically, creatively, hers.  This video shows performance poetry in the manner that it is most often seen; done by the original author, to an audience and without props.

These pieces differ in content and presentation yet are common in that they are poetry in action.  Follow up on these artists and enjoy the world of performance poetry.

...withShantelleS

Quality Production with Limited Resources

Hey guys today we will be talking about Video Production.

and Action!
Image from Behind the Scenes of Casual

The project we will focus on to bring across key points is Casual a webisode series that is based on the 'casual' relationship between "a Guy and a Girl".  This series is an outstanding example of how having 'limited' resources does not put a limit on quality.

Casual has a few strengths that every video needs. These are:

• good writing
• good acting or on-screen personalities
• good technical production crew
• a production team with drive

One added bonus:

• Beauty-Full locations

In the words of the Director, Jay Diaz and Cinematographer, Tony Joun the shooting style was "dirty" or "guerrilla" to portray a realism or feel of the audience spying on the relationship.

The production has been described as "low budget" with a lot of:

• handheld or Steadicam usage
• no lighting set up; just natural light & the use of reflectors
• on-location shoots   
• A skeleton crew of Producer, Director, Cinematographer, 2 Starring Actors and few featured cast.

In spite of these limitations the quality of the series cannot be denied just watch this series trailer and you too will get sucked into the the drama of Casual. 

After the critical acclaim of Casual the series it was made into a feature film and is now on the Film Festival Circuit!

...withShantelleS

Making Mass Media Social (Part 1/2)

Hey guys, today we delve into creative writing for the Internet by converting newspaper (mass media) articles into a blog post (social media).


The first pick will be the Jamaica Gleaner's Sports article titled "Bolt's Late Show" published Friday June 8.  Yes, the link is to an online edition.  No, it does not effectively use social media; they just placed everything that would be printed on the Internet.  There was no real utilization of the what the Internet has to offer like hyperlinks to videos of the race or interviews of the participants.


Points to note when writing for the Internet include:

• Attract the eyes.
• Give viewers hypertext links to get more information.
• Reduce your text; most Internet users won't read everything that is written, they will scan for points.
• Keep your pages (stories, articles, videos) short.
• Use a hook to engage your viewers.
• Write for an international audience.

Now I will use these points to make the story more Internet friendly.

Bolt's Late Show

Men's 100 metres world record holder, Usain Bolt, sprinted to a win in the last 20 metres of the Diamond League Bislett Games in Norway on Thursday June 7.

The Jamaican set a new meet record of 9.79 seconds, surpassing his compatriots Asafa Powell who finished in 9.85 seconds and Lerone Clarke who closed in 10.10 seconds for third place.

Usain Bolt had this to say about his race, "The starting reaction was good, but I did not have the flow in the first metres like in Rome.  Overall, technically, the race was not as good as in Italy, but I showed I can compete well under pressure."

Usain Bolt now has the three fastest times for the year and is set to run the 200 metres race in Monaco on Friday July 20.

-30-


When using social media it is important to remember that your audience has many other choices.  It is your job to bring together all the information that they need to ensure that you are the preferred choice.

...withShantelleS

Write What...?

Hey guys, today we will focus on choosing and telling the story.

So I have spent hours these past few days watching what I described on my Facbook as a "car crash" in the making. What happened you may ask? The Rolling Stone's magazine article featuring John Mayer, 34, talking about his feelings toward Taylor Swift, 22, is what happened.  The two were thought to have been in a relationship back in 2010 after some song collaborations.

John and Taylor performing at z100's Jingle Ball in 2009

Now this was all exciting stuff for me because I happen to be a huge fan of John's music and a passable-know-every-song fan of Taylor's.  Nevertheless... if you don't care a wit about either of these two skip to right here.






Creative Writing is many things to many people but what you will hear very often is that the key ingredient is a good story.

The question is "Write what?"  What you know? What inspires you? What interests you?  Let us take Taylor's song lyrics for Dear John.  Here a few points we notice about this song:

• Passion--it is her story that she lets the world (and arguable John Mayer) know about her thoughts and feelings.  Writers do not want to bore their readers/listeners so the story better be interesting
• Story telling--the song does not simply say "I hate you and you shouldn't have hurt me"; there is a picture painted of what the relationship was like and why she chose to leave.
• Literary value--the very title of the song is a pun that plays on 'Dear John letters' and on the name of the alleged subject John Mayer.  Readers need to be intrigued and have a burning desire to find out what happened next, or you could be plain and spell it all out...Which would interest you more?

If you are in love with the story and your friend (good friend now and preferably one who is well read) is in love with the story then you have just successfully written creatively!

Take some time to look at how Taylor presented her story with passion.

...withShantelleS

Welcome/Introduction

Good Night all :D

Welcome to this brand, spanking, shiny, new blog.  Really quickly just so you know what we will be doing here; I will outline the Aim of the blog, the Inspiration behind the blog, and a little bit About me.  Not sure if the time of publication will be shown so I will say it is now 03:06 hours and I am so pumped about this soooo, lets go!


Aim:
Inform people interested in the Media (social and mass) on some key principles that will give their work the edge over the competition.  The emphases will be on:

• Video production 
• Audio production
• Creative writing
• Plot development

and geared toward students of the craft, teachers of the craft, and producers of the craft.  The very concept of New Media is unlocked right here because knowledge is not just for the people with money for school.

NewMedia Origins

Inspiration:
"Enjoy work: Maximize the time spent doing non-schoolwork relating things."


About me:
I am a student.  I am pursuing a bachelors degree in Communication and I have had countless hours of experience doing television and radio production.  I also have a vlog on YouTube and voraciously use social networking sites.  What else qualifies me to disseminate information like a big know-it-all?  Drive.  Desire. Inspiration.  An awareness of where new media is and can go; I just want to push for everyone to have all the opportunities I have so this industry can benefit.




So that is it.  Next time we will be learning and I will be sharing my nuggets.

...withShantelleS