As I talked about in previous blog posts, I went to Denver for grad school. I was enrolled in the Publishing Institute, and I thought I'd share some of what I learned.
Publishing is the "Accidental Industry"
Apparently, most people in publishing, up until more recent years, didn't set out to be in publishing. They fell into it. Even for people who had gotten into it in the last 20 years, many got their break largely because of good timing. Yes, they were doing something to advance their career- moving to New York, working at a bookstore, going on informational interviews, etc., but they were in the right place at the right time and that's how they got the job.
Everyone Wants to be an Editor
One of the primary goals of the program was to convince people to look at other areas of publishing. People who choose to go the editorial route spend a long time paying their dues to move up. It's also the hardest area to land a job in, because of the competition. I was slightly frustrated with this aspect of the program. As I came in with almost no interest in the editorial side, I felt that they spent far too long on it (nearly half the program!) and not enough on everything else.
Diversity is Harder to Achieve Than I Previously Thought
The publishing industry is overwhelmingly filled with white women. Books with authors of other races are often seen as not having mass-market appeal, only to people of that culture. Unless the author is a celebrity, of course. Without people of color entering the industry to fight for those authors, I fear that those voices may not get heard. Looking at my class at DPI, we reflected the industry. There were 98 of us- 92 were women. Of those 92, maybe 5 or 6 were WOC.
These Are My People
Look, I know myself. I can be kind of an awkward human. I don't always bond the same way other people do. But I didn't meet a single person in the program that I didn't like. If they're representative of the industry, then I can rest assured that this is the industry I want to be in. These are the people I want as my bosses, my coworkers, the people I interact with daily. And I think that was the most important lesson of all.
Monday, September 19, 2016
Monday, September 12, 2016
The Return of Sam
Hi guys! Been a while, hasn't it? I said that I would post irregularly over the summer, but without a deadline, I lost motivation. Oops. You'd think I'd know that about myself by now. There were just so many other things to do, books to read, shows to watch, jobs to apply for...
But I really stopped doing this weekly because it took too much of my creative energy, leaving not enough for my weekly vlogs. Well, I've got videos scheduled for the next two months now and I could use another creative outletespecially since I'm unemployed and have all the time in the world.
So, what have I been up to? Well, I've been reading, obviously. Not as much as I should be. Netflix and YouTube are just such great distractions. Plus, I can do that while I'm cooking or cleaning or doing laundry.
I got a lot of books at the Denver Publishing Institute. I should probably dedicate a whole separate post to my time there. I learned a lot about the publishing industry, and I remain firm in my resolve that it is the industry for me. I also met some really cool people, and I hope I'll have the chance to work with them in the future. Anyway, I'm currently working my way through the books. I'm actually reading a nonfiction book that isn't a memoir right now, so that's a first. With each one I read, I think of a friend or two who might like it, and have been sending it to them for their birthdays. I've never been particularly good about giving people gifts, but I think this is a nice gesture.
I've been trying to start going to book events in my area and make some contacts. I've been to two so far, but it appears that authors aren't traveling with their agents or publicists or whatever. However, I think that attending these events gives me a better understanding of how a book tour works, and thus I will eventually be a better publicist for it.
I think that's quite enough for my first blog back, but I will return. I've got a few ideas of stuff I want to talk about, so keep your eyes peeled.
But I really stopped doing this weekly because it took too much of my creative energy, leaving not enough for my weekly vlogs. Well, I've got videos scheduled for the next two months now and I could use another creative outlet
So, what have I been up to? Well, I've been reading, obviously. Not as much as I should be. Netflix and YouTube are just such great distractions. Plus, I can do that while I'm cooking or cleaning or doing laundry.
I got a lot of books at the Denver Publishing Institute. I should probably dedicate a whole separate post to my time there. I learned a lot about the publishing industry, and I remain firm in my resolve that it is the industry for me. I also met some really cool people, and I hope I'll have the chance to work with them in the future. Anyway, I'm currently working my way through the books. I'm actually reading a nonfiction book that isn't a memoir right now, so that's a first. With each one I read, I think of a friend or two who might like it, and have been sending it to them for their birthdays. I've never been particularly good about giving people gifts, but I think this is a nice gesture.
I've been trying to start going to book events in my area and make some contacts. I've been to two so far, but it appears that authors aren't traveling with their agents or publicists or whatever. However, I think that attending these events gives me a better understanding of how a book tour works, and thus I will eventually be a better publicist for it.
I think that's quite enough for my first blog back, but I will return. I've got a few ideas of stuff I want to talk about, so keep your eyes peeled.
Friday, April 29, 2016
So... I don't have to do this anymore
The semester is wrapping up, and my class requirement of keeping a blog is over. I got to admit, I actually really like having a blog. It's something I've thought about doing for over a decade, but never really made the commitment to doing. I guess I just figured that no one really cares about what I have to say.
I definitely feel like doing this took up a lot of the time and creative energy I would have normally spent on vlogging- for those of you who follow Finals And Hearts, you can probably tell that my video quality tanked this semester. And I want to change that back this summer. But... I think I want to keep the blog.
So here's what I'm thinking. I go back to better quality vlogs weekly, and this becomes a more organic, irregular blog. I'm still going to focus on books, adaptions, and publishing, I just won't post every Thursday like I did during the year. Just... whenever I feel like I have something to say.
I guess that's it. Goodbye- for now.
I definitely feel like doing this took up a lot of the time and creative energy I would have normally spent on vlogging- for those of you who follow Finals And Hearts, you can probably tell that my video quality tanked this semester. And I want to change that back this summer. But... I think I want to keep the blog.
So here's what I'm thinking. I go back to better quality vlogs weekly, and this becomes a more organic, irregular blog. I'm still going to focus on books, adaptions, and publishing, I just won't post every Thursday like I did during the year. Just... whenever I feel like I have something to say.
I guess that's it. Goodbye- for now.
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Life After Bradley
With graduation less than a month away, the pressure to figure out what you're doing afterwards is on. It seemed like everyone in my classes had a job lined up or was going to grad school. Not me. I knew my path was going to be a little different, because I want to go into publishing, which isn't a direct application of my degree. It will be useful, for sure, but I would have to prove that to a hiring manager. Industry standard is applying for a job two weeks before you're ready to start, so even while I was applying, no one was going to take me seriously until May. Plus, I had my heart set on getting a graduate certificate in publishing, which would give me the edge I needed to get in for an interview. I had no idea what I would be doing after graduation.
Fortunately for me, most of my friends are not in my major, and were pretty clueless as to their next step too. Yeah, Katrina's sitting pretty with a nice software job in South Carolina and Alex is off to Arizona at one of the top research institutions for fiber-optic-something-sciencey-that-I-don't-understand. But the rest of us? No clue. So I had plenty of people to commiserate with.
Last Friday, that changed. I got into the Denver Publishing Institute! Man, I wish I had gotten it on camera. I was sitting on the couch narrating as I tried to get to the page with my application status, and Olivia (my flatmate) was in view, on her bed, freaking out for me.
I called my mom. She happened to be having dinner with my aunt, so I told her too. Then I tweeted. Then I posted on Facebook. (As I write this, I can hear Olivia telling her mom over the phone.) And then I decided we needed to go out. Olivia had wanted to go to the bars anyways, but the people we had originally invited were too busy. So we invited a bunch more to celebrate. Turns out only Casey could join us, but we had a good time anyways.
I'm really excited about this opportunity. It's only a month-long graduate certificate program, but the skills I'll learn there and the contacts I'll make will be invaluable. Another girl in the program saw my tweet/Instagram about getting in and tweeted at me. Turns out I wasn't the only one she tweeted at, so I went and followed her and everyone else she had found who got in. Everyone seems so cool and smart and nice. I really think I'm making the right choice for me, and I'm finally getting excited about life post-Bradley.
Fortunately for me, most of my friends are not in my major, and were pretty clueless as to their next step too. Yeah, Katrina's sitting pretty with a nice software job in South Carolina and Alex is off to Arizona at one of the top research institutions for fiber-optic-something-sciencey-that-I-don't-understand. But the rest of us? No clue. So I had plenty of people to commiserate with.
Last Friday, that changed. I got into the Denver Publishing Institute! Man, I wish I had gotten it on camera. I was sitting on the couch narrating as I tried to get to the page with my application status, and Olivia (my flatmate) was in view, on her bed, freaking out for me.
I called my mom. She happened to be having dinner with my aunt, so I told her too. Then I tweeted. Then I posted on Facebook. (As I write this, I can hear Olivia telling her mom over the phone.) And then I decided we needed to go out. Olivia had wanted to go to the bars anyways, but the people we had originally invited were too busy. So we invited a bunch more to celebrate. Turns out only Casey could join us, but we had a good time anyways.
I'm really excited about this opportunity. It's only a month-long graduate certificate program, but the skills I'll learn there and the contacts I'll make will be invaluable. Another girl in the program saw my tweet/Instagram about getting in and tweeted at me. Turns out I wasn't the only one she tweeted at, so I went and followed her and everyone else she had found who got in. Everyone seems so cool and smart and nice. I really think I'm making the right choice for me, and I'm finally getting excited about life post-Bradley.
Thursday, April 14, 2016
LIW Award Winners
So... the winners for the LIW Awards were announced on Saturday, so I thought I'd catalogue my reactions. Click here to see the videos.
Best Chemistry on Screen
Me: I'm gunning for George Squared. Er... Adam Bowes and Steven Christie as George Gleeson and George Bates in Call Me Katie.
Winner: Mandy Harman and Tanner Gilman as Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe from Green Gables Fables.
My reaction: At first, utter disappointment. Then, remembering how cute they were and how much I actually ship them and was super heartbroken for Gilbert when he told Anne he loves her and she rejected him.... a lot less so. They deserve it too...
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Me: I want Elise Cantu to win as Cara Graves in Classic Alice. But... not by much. If she doesn't win, I'll understand.
Winner: Abigail Snarr as Ruby Gilles from Green Gables Fables
My reaction: Really? I mean, she was great, but she really wasn't that big of a character until right before she died. I'm genuinely surprised, but not at all upset. But I am sensing a pattern...
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Me: Oh, I actually want Tanner Gillman as Gilbert Blythe from Green Gables Fables to win this one... but now that they're winning everything I'm not so sure... but he was the best, I just like the underdog.
Winner: Tanner Gillman as Gilbert Blythe from Green Gables Fables
Reaction: Surprise, surprise. I mean, he was really good.
Best Costume and Set Design
Me: The Misselthwaite Archives better win this hands down. Have you SEEN the glade? Or the basement? Too perfect.
Winner: The New Adventures of Peter and Wendy.
Reaction: Ok, yes, their costumes and sets were absolutely impeccable. And I would have voted for them too if I didn't feel like having sponsors for that was like cheating. I mean, they have a set dressing sponsor (lootcrate) AND a costume sponsor (modcloth). How could it not look incredible?!
Best Script
Me: This one goes to Misselthwaite Archives for me too. Like, damn. Mary's one-liners are my favorite thing EVER.
Winner: Green Gables Fables
Reaction: Again? But... as much as I love that show, the script never wowed me. Also, we're halfway in and a show in it's first season has yet to win. That's going to bother me. Also GGF has won 4/5 categories.
Best Ensemble Cast
Me: I struggled really hard with this one but ultimately settled on From Mansfield With Love. But now I just don't want it to be Green Gables Fables because I don't want any one show to win over half the categories.
Winner: Lovely Little Losers
Reaction: Well, I'm glad it wasn't GGF. But LLL wasn't one of the ones I was debating between. Yeah, the cast is really talented, but I just don't feel that LLL did them justice. Also, LLL was a spin-off series, so it's basically a second season.
Best Transmedia
Me: Well, I originally voted for Green Gables Fables, but now since I'm kind of rooting against them (sorry not sorry), I don't know. All of them deserve it, and all for completely different reasons.
Winner: Green Gables Fables
Reaction: They deserved it... and now they've won half the categories.
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Me: I'm for Phosido Dwinte winning for his role as Kitso Harper in Lovely Little Losers... but I would not be disappointed if Steven Christie won for George Bates in Call Me Katie. Just saying.
Winner: Steven Christie as Gorge Bates in Call Me Katie
Reaction: A big smile. Still a little bit in love with him. Also, FINALLY! A new show won.
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Me: Holly Truslove. Holly Truslove. HOLLY TRUSLOVE. (Frankie Price in From Mansfield With Love)
Winner: Many Harmon as Anne Shirley in Green Gables Fables.
Reaction: Yeah. So... the clip they used of her for the videos was best. But like... it came out during nomination time and should have not been considered.
Best Literary Inspired Webseries
Me: I really really want From Mansfield With Love. Or The Misselthwaite Archives. But I think we all know who's going to win here.
Winner: Green Gables Fables
Reaction: Acceptance. We all knew it was coming.
So... Green Gables Fables won 7/10 categories. 7/9 that they were nominated for. I suppose that's better than last year, when Nothing Much To Do won 8/10 categories, 8/9 they were nominated for. I feel like every year there's going to be one show that dominates and it makes me sad because I would love to spread the love to many deserving shows. The Misselthwaite Archives was nominated in EVERY CATEGORY and did not win a single one.
I also thought that this second-season phenomenon was weird. Only one category had a winner who was new this year, the best actor in a supporting role, Steven Christie as George Bates. Interestingly, he was also the only person of color to win, and he is definitely white-passing. But we can save a rant about racism in the media (even out of the mainstream, sadly) for another time. And, of course, Steven Christie will be reprising his role in a spin-off series, Nothing Like the Sun, as a main character. Don't get me wrong, I'm way excited about that, but I worry that we're discouraging new, fresh shows and faces.
Best Chemistry on Screen
Me: I'm gunning for George Squared. Er... Adam Bowes and Steven Christie as George Gleeson and George Bates in Call Me Katie.
Winner: Mandy Harman and Tanner Gilman as Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe from Green Gables Fables.
My reaction: At first, utter disappointment. Then, remembering how cute they were and how much I actually ship them and was super heartbroken for Gilbert when he told Anne he loves her and she rejected him.... a lot less so. They deserve it too...
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Me: I want Elise Cantu to win as Cara Graves in Classic Alice. But... not by much. If she doesn't win, I'll understand.
Winner: Abigail Snarr as Ruby Gilles from Green Gables Fables
My reaction: Really? I mean, she was great, but she really wasn't that big of a character until right before she died. I'm genuinely surprised, but not at all upset. But I am sensing a pattern...
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Me: Oh, I actually want Tanner Gillman as Gilbert Blythe from Green Gables Fables to win this one... but now that they're winning everything I'm not so sure... but he was the best, I just like the underdog.
Winner: Tanner Gillman as Gilbert Blythe from Green Gables Fables
Reaction: Surprise, surprise. I mean, he was really good.
Best Costume and Set Design
Me: The Misselthwaite Archives better win this hands down. Have you SEEN the glade? Or the basement? Too perfect.
Winner: The New Adventures of Peter and Wendy.
Reaction: Ok, yes, their costumes and sets were absolutely impeccable. And I would have voted for them too if I didn't feel like having sponsors for that was like cheating. I mean, they have a set dressing sponsor (lootcrate) AND a costume sponsor (modcloth). How could it not look incredible?!
Best Script
Me: This one goes to Misselthwaite Archives for me too. Like, damn. Mary's one-liners are my favorite thing EVER.
Winner: Green Gables Fables
Reaction: Again? But... as much as I love that show, the script never wowed me. Also, we're halfway in and a show in it's first season has yet to win. That's going to bother me. Also GGF has won 4/5 categories.
Best Ensemble Cast
Me: I struggled really hard with this one but ultimately settled on From Mansfield With Love. But now I just don't want it to be Green Gables Fables because I don't want any one show to win over half the categories.
Winner: Lovely Little Losers
Reaction: Well, I'm glad it wasn't GGF. But LLL wasn't one of the ones I was debating between. Yeah, the cast is really talented, but I just don't feel that LLL did them justice. Also, LLL was a spin-off series, so it's basically a second season.
Best Transmedia
Me: Well, I originally voted for Green Gables Fables, but now since I'm kind of rooting against them (sorry not sorry), I don't know. All of them deserve it, and all for completely different reasons.
Winner: Green Gables Fables
Reaction: They deserved it... and now they've won half the categories.
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Me: I'm for Phosido Dwinte winning for his role as Kitso Harper in Lovely Little Losers... but I would not be disappointed if Steven Christie won for George Bates in Call Me Katie. Just saying.
Winner: Steven Christie as Gorge Bates in Call Me Katie
Reaction: A big smile. Still a little bit in love with him. Also, FINALLY! A new show won.
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Me: Holly Truslove. Holly Truslove. HOLLY TRUSLOVE. (Frankie Price in From Mansfield With Love)
Winner: Many Harmon as Anne Shirley in Green Gables Fables.
Reaction: Yeah. So... the clip they used of her for the videos was best. But like... it came out during nomination time and should have not been considered.
Best Literary Inspired Webseries
Me: I really really want From Mansfield With Love. Or The Misselthwaite Archives. But I think we all know who's going to win here.
Winner: Green Gables Fables
Reaction: Acceptance. We all knew it was coming.
So... Green Gables Fables won 7/10 categories. 7/9 that they were nominated for. I suppose that's better than last year, when Nothing Much To Do won 8/10 categories, 8/9 they were nominated for. I feel like every year there's going to be one show that dominates and it makes me sad because I would love to spread the love to many deserving shows. The Misselthwaite Archives was nominated in EVERY CATEGORY and did not win a single one.
I also thought that this second-season phenomenon was weird. Only one category had a winner who was new this year, the best actor in a supporting role, Steven Christie as George Bates. Interestingly, he was also the only person of color to win, and he is definitely white-passing. But we can save a rant about racism in the media (even out of the mainstream, sadly) for another time. And, of course, Steven Christie will be reprising his role in a spin-off series, Nothing Like the Sun, as a main character. Don't get me wrong, I'm way excited about that, but I worry that we're discouraging new, fresh shows and faces.
Thursday, April 7, 2016
BookTube
So. In an earlier post, I mentioned that I'm not a fan of BookTube. It's shocking, I know. Books and YouTube are two of my biggest passions, so why don't I like BookTube?
BookTube is the YouTube community surrounding books. While there are some authors involved, it's mostly fans discussing books. They do challenges which gives them rules on how to select books and how long they have to read them. They do reviews and give recommendations. They also try to facilitate discussion. A few big names in the community actually work with the authors to do book cover reveals.
In theory, I like all these things. I like challenges, but I would rather do them than watch someone else talk about doing them. I get excited when someone I watch gives book recommendations, and I add the ones that sound good to my list. But I don't want a constant stream of recommendations because I don't have much time to read during the school year, and my list is already a mile long. I'd rather it be a happy surprise. And obviously, I love talking about books; this is what my blog was supposed to be about, but with my aforementioned time restrictions, I don't get around to reading too often.
I never really got why anyone watched book reviews. If I haven't read the book in question yet, I don't want anyone's opinion to taint my reaction to the book. I want my reading experience to be separate so I can form my own thoughts. Discussion is for afterwards. On the flip side, if I've already read the book, why would I watch a review? People look towards reviews to decide what to read. It seems contradictory, so I never watch them.
Perhaps after graduation, when I have a bit more downtime and get back into the groove of reading nonstop, I'll look into BookTube again; it has been a few years since my last attempt to get into it. But for now, I'm happy without it.
BookTube is the YouTube community surrounding books. While there are some authors involved, it's mostly fans discussing books. They do challenges which gives them rules on how to select books and how long they have to read them. They do reviews and give recommendations. They also try to facilitate discussion. A few big names in the community actually work with the authors to do book cover reveals.
In theory, I like all these things. I like challenges, but I would rather do them than watch someone else talk about doing them. I get excited when someone I watch gives book recommendations, and I add the ones that sound good to my list. But I don't want a constant stream of recommendations because I don't have much time to read during the school year, and my list is already a mile long. I'd rather it be a happy surprise. And obviously, I love talking about books; this is what my blog was supposed to be about, but with my aforementioned time restrictions, I don't get around to reading too often.
I never really got why anyone watched book reviews. If I haven't read the book in question yet, I don't want anyone's opinion to taint my reaction to the book. I want my reading experience to be separate so I can form my own thoughts. Discussion is for afterwards. On the flip side, if I've already read the book, why would I watch a review? People look towards reviews to decide what to read. It seems contradictory, so I never watch them.
Perhaps after graduation, when I have a bit more downtime and get back into the groove of reading nonstop, I'll look into BookTube again; it has been a few years since my last attempt to get into it. But for now, I'm happy without it.
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Shadowhunters vs. City of Bones
One of my best friends in high school, Hannah, insisted I read The Mortal Instruments series. I put it on my reading list and eventually I read the first book, City of Bones. This was years ago already. City of Ashes, the second book, is only becoming one of the top books on my list now.
The timing is perfect. I finished the first book significantly before the first movie, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, was released. I saw it when home on break one year, it happened to be on TV. It was OK. I thought it was a pretty faithful adaption, but nothing about it really jumped out at me. I figure that if the second book was turned into a movie, I'd probably watch it on TV or get it from a Redbox. It didn't matter enough to me to see it in theaters or to make sure I read the book first.
Recently, I joined Instagram. I thought I was going to need it for #busmm, so I decided to get familiar with the platform over winter break. Aside from people I know in real life, some of the first people I followed were YouTube personalities I follow. One of these was Christine Riccio aka PolandBanana20. She had barely been posting on her main channel for the last year or so because she made a second channel, PolandBananaBOOKS, where she put a ton of videos, becoming a staple of the BookTube community. I didn't follow this channel, surprisingly enough. I have mixed feelings about BookTube, but that is a story for another post.
Anyway, a ton of her Instagram posts were about this show, Shadowhunters. She was posting reviews on PolandBananaBOOKS, she was meeting the cast, she was dressing like a Shadowhunter. Simultaneously, I started getting an influx of gifsets from the show on Tumblr, mostly of people shipping the main character, Clary, with Isabelle, one of her friends. A few weeks back, I had a free night and started catching up online just to see why everyone was so excited.
This adaption is less faithful. It mixes up the timeline. For example, Clary's best friend Simon becomes a vampire towards the end of the book. In the show, he becomes a vampire much earlier, around episode 7, about 1/3 of the way through the length of a normal season. It allows him to develop as a character post-vampiring, like his story almost parallels Clary's own. Having a parallel structure always helps with pacing of shows because then you don't watch the same 3 people the entire time. It takes liberties that actually enhance the storyline and relationships.
What I really like is that the show isn't whitewashed like most mainstream media I see. In fact, it uses race to make a statement about power structures. The elite, powerful Shadowhunters are all white, with the exception of Isabelle and Alec, who are half white half Hispanic, but mostly white-passing. The twist? Their parents were reformed traitors. So they're not in as good of graces with the Clave as they thought. The Downworlders are all people of color. Luke, a werewolf, is black. Raphael, a vampire, is Puerto Rican and Jewish. Magnus, a warlock, is Chinese. Meliorn, a fey, is Lebanese.
This is no accident. It's a commentary on the way our society is structured. White people are disproportionately powerful. Oh, those people can't have any say in our society. They have inferior blood. Downworlder blood. Even the fey, who have half downworlder blood and half angel blood (Shadowhunters are half angel half human) are excluded. Systems like this feed into themselves and are cyclical. This is how the rich and powerful get richer more powerful, but the poor and powerless get poorer and are silenced.
Overall, I'm liking this show. I got behind during spring break and caught back up last night. Just be happy this post wasn't me fangirling over #Malec. I will definitely keep watching- and now I want to read the second book before the second season comes out.
The timing is perfect. I finished the first book significantly before the first movie, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, was released. I saw it when home on break one year, it happened to be on TV. It was OK. I thought it was a pretty faithful adaption, but nothing about it really jumped out at me. I figure that if the second book was turned into a movie, I'd probably watch it on TV or get it from a Redbox. It didn't matter enough to me to see it in theaters or to make sure I read the book first.
Recently, I joined Instagram. I thought I was going to need it for #busmm, so I decided to get familiar with the platform over winter break. Aside from people I know in real life, some of the first people I followed were YouTube personalities I follow. One of these was Christine Riccio aka PolandBanana20. She had barely been posting on her main channel for the last year or so because she made a second channel, PolandBananaBOOKS, where she put a ton of videos, becoming a staple of the BookTube community. I didn't follow this channel, surprisingly enough. I have mixed feelings about BookTube, but that is a story for another post.
Anyway, a ton of her Instagram posts were about this show, Shadowhunters. She was posting reviews on PolandBananaBOOKS, she was meeting the cast, she was dressing like a Shadowhunter. Simultaneously, I started getting an influx of gifsets from the show on Tumblr, mostly of people shipping the main character, Clary, with Isabelle, one of her friends. A few weeks back, I had a free night and started catching up online just to see why everyone was so excited.
This adaption is less faithful. It mixes up the timeline. For example, Clary's best friend Simon becomes a vampire towards the end of the book. In the show, he becomes a vampire much earlier, around episode 7, about 1/3 of the way through the length of a normal season. It allows him to develop as a character post-vampiring, like his story almost parallels Clary's own. Having a parallel structure always helps with pacing of shows because then you don't watch the same 3 people the entire time. It takes liberties that actually enhance the storyline and relationships.
What I really like is that the show isn't whitewashed like most mainstream media I see. In fact, it uses race to make a statement about power structures. The elite, powerful Shadowhunters are all white, with the exception of Isabelle and Alec, who are half white half Hispanic, but mostly white-passing. The twist? Their parents were reformed traitors. So they're not in as good of graces with the Clave as they thought. The Downworlders are all people of color. Luke, a werewolf, is black. Raphael, a vampire, is Puerto Rican and Jewish. Magnus, a warlock, is Chinese. Meliorn, a fey, is Lebanese.
This is no accident. It's a commentary on the way our society is structured. White people are disproportionately powerful. Oh, those people can't have any say in our society. They have inferior blood. Downworlder blood. Even the fey, who have half downworlder blood and half angel blood (Shadowhunters are half angel half human) are excluded. Systems like this feed into themselves and are cyclical. This is how the rich and powerful get richer more powerful, but the poor and powerless get poorer and are silenced.
Overall, I'm liking this show. I got behind during spring break and caught back up last night. Just be happy this post wasn't me fangirling over #Malec. I will definitely keep watching- and now I want to read the second book before the second season comes out.
Thursday, March 24, 2016
Musical Parodies
Recently, Team Starkid announced their new show, Firebringer. I love how they've finally decided to make a woman-centric show, and it looks like Meredith has a huge hand in the creation process, which is great because she's hilarious.
As I watched the video asking for money for the kickstarter to fund this production, the harmonies brought me right back to the first production of theirs that I saw, A Very Potter Musical (AVPM). Hannah, one of my best friends in high school, insisted I watch it, and I was instantly hooked. Soon, I was watching their other shows online and taking the train into Chicago to get in a line to hope to score tickets to a live show and going to C2E2 (it's a comic book convention- something I never thought I'd have any interest in) just to get autographs and attending their concert tour. I have two of their tshirts.
In addition to literature, one of my passions have always been theater. I started going to theater camp when I was four years old. I've been in countless shows, and even took to writing plays, though I never actually produced them. My dad had a little workshop in the basement and I was taught how to use tools from a young age, so when I was old enough in one of my theater troupes to have a shop requirement, I thrived there too. I even student directed my high school's production of RENT. I never cared what I was doing, I just wanted to be a part of the production.
Given my passion for both literature and theater, what could be better than a musical based on a book I love? Now I must contend that AVPM is a parody, not a direct adaption. To be honest, I think it's all the better for it. When it comes to adaptions, I can be a bit of a purist. When Harry Potter moved from page to screen, I was upset about so many missing details. The missing potions task to get to the Sorcerer's Stone. The wrong teacher revealing information about the Chamber of Secrets. Dumbeldor's reaction to Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire. The fact that Peeves was cut entirely. The list goes on and on.
The fact that AVPM is a parody allows it some wiggle room. They keep the heart of the story while simultaneously making fun of it. A sorting hat? That's ridiculous! Is there a scarf of sexual preference too? Well, there is in our version.
I don't know if a musical parody would be quite the right adaption idea for many great stories, but I do wonder if it would be for the fantasy/sci-fi/dystopian fiction types of work that tend to be hot right now for Young Adults. These works require the audience to suspend their disbelief. A good parody just points out where you do, and pushes it.
If you're not familiar with AVPM but you like Harry Potter, I suggest you watch it now. You won't regret it.
As I watched the video asking for money for the kickstarter to fund this production, the harmonies brought me right back to the first production of theirs that I saw, A Very Potter Musical (AVPM). Hannah, one of my best friends in high school, insisted I watch it, and I was instantly hooked. Soon, I was watching their other shows online and taking the train into Chicago to get in a line to hope to score tickets to a live show and going to C2E2 (it's a comic book convention- something I never thought I'd have any interest in) just to get autographs and attending their concert tour. I have two of their tshirts.
In addition to literature, one of my passions have always been theater. I started going to theater camp when I was four years old. I've been in countless shows, and even took to writing plays, though I never actually produced them. My dad had a little workshop in the basement and I was taught how to use tools from a young age, so when I was old enough in one of my theater troupes to have a shop requirement, I thrived there too. I even student directed my high school's production of RENT. I never cared what I was doing, I just wanted to be a part of the production.
Given my passion for both literature and theater, what could be better than a musical based on a book I love? Now I must contend that AVPM is a parody, not a direct adaption. To be honest, I think it's all the better for it. When it comes to adaptions, I can be a bit of a purist. When Harry Potter moved from page to screen, I was upset about so many missing details. The missing potions task to get to the Sorcerer's Stone. The wrong teacher revealing information about the Chamber of Secrets. Dumbeldor's reaction to Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire. The fact that Peeves was cut entirely. The list goes on and on.
The fact that AVPM is a parody allows it some wiggle room. They keep the heart of the story while simultaneously making fun of it. A sorting hat? That's ridiculous! Is there a scarf of sexual preference too? Well, there is in our version.
I don't know if a musical parody would be quite the right adaption idea for many great stories, but I do wonder if it would be for the fantasy/sci-fi/dystopian fiction types of work that tend to be hot right now for Young Adults. These works require the audience to suspend their disbelief. A good parody just points out where you do, and pushes it.
If you're not familiar with AVPM but you like Harry Potter, I suggest you watch it now. You won't regret it.
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Women of Shakespeare
As you may or may not know, I have a
YouTube channel. I share it with my best friend, Claire, and we post a
video every week. Last summer, Claire and I decided to create the biggest project we had ever done. It was a choose your own adventure video. We created situations and figured out how the Women of Shakespeare would react, giving options. After each question, you find out who would have said the same, and are brought to another situation. The video is below, if you'd like to play.
The women included:
We also each created a character of our own, who were the narrators of this story. Since we were both home for a couple days for Spring Break, we decided to do a Q&A as our characters. We asked our friends to ask us anything, and as a result, it had absolutely nothing to do with Shakespeare or literature. But it sure was fun. You can watch that video here.
The women included:
- Beatrice and Hero from Much Ado About Nothing
- Titania from A Midsummer Night's Dream
- Juliet from Romeo and Juliet
- Katherine from The Taming of the Shrew
- Celia from As You Like It
- The Princess from Love Labour's Lost
- Ophelia from Hamlet
- Desdemona from Othello
- Lady Macbeth from Macbeth
- Viola and Maria from Twelfth Night
We also each created a character of our own, who were the narrators of this story. Since we were both home for a couple days for Spring Break, we decided to do a Q&A as our characters. We asked our friends to ask us anything, and as a result, it had absolutely nothing to do with Shakespeare or literature. But it sure was fun. You can watch that video here.
Thursday, March 10, 2016
LIW Awards: My Final Votes
The nominees for the LIW Awards went up about a week ago, so I thought I’d you a run down of who was nominated along with my thoughts on the subject. Click here for the nomination videos to get a better idea of who/what I’m talking about.
How cool is it that they made videos? It’s like a real awards show.
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Nominated: Holly Truslove as Frankie Price in From Mansfield With Love. She got the nomination, so I will definitely be voting for her.
Other Nominees: Bonnie Simmons as Freddie Kingston in Lovely Little Losers, Laura Eklund Nhaga as Anne Shirley in Project Green Gables, Sophie Giberson as Mary Lennox in The Misselthwaite Archives, and Mandy Harmon as Anne Shirley in Green Gables Fables.
Thoughts: I defy the idea that Freddie was a main character. She was the flatmate with the least screen time, and we didn’t really get to see her development. I think it’s a little early to judge Laura’s Anne, as the show is still relatively new, and while Mandy’s Anne is wonderful, the stand out episodes have been in 2014 and 2016, not 2015. Thus, my second choice is Sophie as Mary, because she was awesome. I heard that a lot of my favorite lines from this show were her improvising.
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated: Jeremy Stewart as Henry Tinley in Northbound, who did not get the nomination. I didn’t really come up with any backups.
Nominees: Jake McGregor as Benedick Hobbes in Lovely Little Losers, Caleb Wells as Peter Donaldson in Lovely Little Losers, Tanner Gillman as Gilbert Blythe in Green Gables Fables, Bryce Earhart as Declan Sowers in The Misselthwaite Archives, Wesley Buckeridge as Edmund Bertrum in From Mansfield With Love.
Thoughts: Again, I defy the idea that Declan was a leading role. He was mostly there as the nature guy. Jake won as Benedick last year for Nothing Much To Do, and I feel like his performance in Lovely Little Losers wasn’t nearly as good. While Caleb had his shining moments, his performance largely circled stereotypes and other characters regarded it with biphobia and slutshaming that were never addressed. I know that’s more of a script problem, but it still makes me not want to vote for any character involved in it. Sorry, I’m biased. That leaves it between Edmund and Gilbert.
My Vote: I’ve got to go with Gilbert, for the amazing performance trying to woo Anne and dealing with Ruby’s death (I know that was 2016 but it was SO GOOD). Edmund was an idiot who just kinda went with things.
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Nominated: Annie Briggs as Lola Perry in Carmilla, but she didn’t get the nomination. My backups were Jessica Stansfield as Margaret Winter in Lovely Little Losers and Elise Cantu as Cara Graves in Classic Alice, both of which were nominated.
Other nominees: Abigail Snarr as Ruby Gilles in Green Gables Fables, Ella de Vito as Callie Craven in The Misselthwaite Archives, and Harriet Marie as Beatrice Duke in Lovely Little Losers.
Thoughts: I didn’t really pay any attention to Ruby until recently. I feel like Callie was a lead role, not supporting. I forgot that Beatrice was a supporting role, because she won best actress in a lead role last year for the same part in Nothing Much To Do. I would actually put Harriet’s performance above Jessica’s.
My vote: I was ready to vote for Harriet until I saw the Cara clip chosen for the awards. I actually forgot how good Elise’s performance was until watching it. Elise gets my vote.
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominated: Kaitlyn Alexander as S. LaFontain in Carmilla, but they didn’t get the nomination. One of my backups, Phosido Dintwe as Kitso Harper in Lovely Little Losers did get the nomination, so I’ll be voting for him.
Other Nominees: Steven Christie as George Bates in Call Me Katie, who I’m also totally in love with, Thomas Bjork as Rory Rushworth in From Mansfield With Love, who I would also love to win, Robbie Nichol as Costa McClur in Lovely Little Losers, and Brett Veil as Art Craven in The Misselthwaite Archives.
Best Chemistry on Screen
Nominated: Adam Bowes and Steven Christie as George Gleeson and George Bates in Call Me Katie and they got the nomination. They’re my OTP, so none of the rest of this really matters, does it? But for consistency’s sake…
Other Nominees: Alice Hale and Jeremy Stewart as Catherine Morland and Henry Tinley in Northbound (who I identified as one of my backups), Caleb Wells and Rueben Hudson as Peter Donaldson and Balthazar Jones in Lovely Little Losers, Bryce Earhart and Sophie Gibson as Declan Sowers and Mary Lennox in The Misselthwaite Archives, and Mandy Harmon and Tanner Gillman as Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe in Green Gables Fables.
Thoughts: OK, so I want my vote to win really bad. But It’s pretty much a tie between all of the rest of them for second…
Best Transmedia Experience
Nominated: Green Gables Fables, and it got the nomination, so I’ll be voting for them.
Other Nominees: Northbound, which was one of my backups, Call Me Katie, which I probably should have made a backup because one of the first accounts I followed when I got an Instagram was the George Squared account from this show, despite the having been over for months, Classic Alice, which to be fair did a lot of nontraditional transmedia (diary entries, school paper, etc.) and The Misselthwaite Archives, which also did nontraditional transmedia (emails, college rejection letters, etc.). My second choice is still Northbound, but these all deserve it.
Best Costume and Set Design
Nominated: The Misselthwaite Archives, which got the nomination, and I will be voting for them.
Other Nominees: Green Gables Fables, Carmilla, which was my second choice, The New Adventures of Peter and Wendy, which could have been my second choice if they didn’t have a set dressing sponsor (lootcrate) and a costume sponsor (Modcloth), which I felt gave them an unfair advantage, and Lovely Little Losers.
Best Ensemble Cast
Nominated: The Writing Majors, which did not get the nomination, nor did it get a nomination in any category, which is a shame because it’s wonderful. My second choice was The March Family Letters, which also wasn’t nominated in category. For shame.
Nominees: Call Me Katie, Green Gables Fables, Lovely Little Losers, From Mansfield With Love, and The Misselthwaite Archives.
Thoughts and My Vote: I’m going to be honest, I really struggled with this one. I debated for hours between From Mansfield With Love and The Misselthwaite Archives. Ultimately, I went with From Mansfield With Love because sibling relationships is one of my favorite features of web series, and this show does a good job showing that sibling dynamic between the four Bertram siblings, the two Price siblings, and the two Crawfords. But damn, I also loved that relationship between the Sowers.
Best Script
Nominated: The Misselthwaite Archives, which got the nomination, so I’ll be voting for that. I was disappointed that the clip wasn’t just a bunch of Mary zingers, but it did have the line “I’m going to Beyoncé the hell out of this glade,” so it wasn’t a complete loss.
Other Nominees: Call Me Katie, Green Gables Fables, Lovely Little Losers, and From Mansfield With Love, my second choice.
Best Literary Inspired Webseries
Nominated: From Mansfield With Love, which got the nomination, so I will be voting for it.
Other Nominees: The Misselthwaite Archives, Lovely Little Losers, Green Gables Fables, and Call Me Katie.
Thoughts: My backups were not nominated, but I think you can probably tell that my second choice of these options is The Misselthwaite Archives.
In sum:
The Misselthwaite Archives: Nominated in 10/10 categories
Lovely Little Losers: Nominated in 9/10 categories - with TWO categories dedicating two nominations to them.
Green Gables Fables: Nominated in 9/10 categories
From Mansfield With Love: Nominated in 6/10 categories
Call Me Katie: Nominated in 6/10 categories
Classic Alice: Nominated in 2/10 categories
Northbound: Nominated in 2/10 categories
Carmilla: Nominated in 1/10 categories
The New Adventures of Peter and Wendy: Nominated in 1/10 categories
Project Green Gables: Nominated in 1/10 categories
Three shows have been nominated in all or nearly all categories. Two shows have been nominated in about half. five shows have been nominated for one or two categories. There were over 40 shows eligible, and only ten were nominated into fifty slots.
These are all great shows, and deserve recognition. Here’s to hoping that no one show wins over half the categories again.
How cool is it that they made videos? It’s like a real awards show.
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Nominated: Holly Truslove as Frankie Price in From Mansfield With Love. She got the nomination, so I will definitely be voting for her.
Other Nominees: Bonnie Simmons as Freddie Kingston in Lovely Little Losers, Laura Eklund Nhaga as Anne Shirley in Project Green Gables, Sophie Giberson as Mary Lennox in The Misselthwaite Archives, and Mandy Harmon as Anne Shirley in Green Gables Fables.
Thoughts: I defy the idea that Freddie was a main character. She was the flatmate with the least screen time, and we didn’t really get to see her development. I think it’s a little early to judge Laura’s Anne, as the show is still relatively new, and while Mandy’s Anne is wonderful, the stand out episodes have been in 2014 and 2016, not 2015. Thus, my second choice is Sophie as Mary, because she was awesome. I heard that a lot of my favorite lines from this show were her improvising.
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated: Jeremy Stewart as Henry Tinley in Northbound, who did not get the nomination. I didn’t really come up with any backups.
Nominees: Jake McGregor as Benedick Hobbes in Lovely Little Losers, Caleb Wells as Peter Donaldson in Lovely Little Losers, Tanner Gillman as Gilbert Blythe in Green Gables Fables, Bryce Earhart as Declan Sowers in The Misselthwaite Archives, Wesley Buckeridge as Edmund Bertrum in From Mansfield With Love.
Thoughts: Again, I defy the idea that Declan was a leading role. He was mostly there as the nature guy. Jake won as Benedick last year for Nothing Much To Do, and I feel like his performance in Lovely Little Losers wasn’t nearly as good. While Caleb had his shining moments, his performance largely circled stereotypes and other characters regarded it with biphobia and slutshaming that were never addressed. I know that’s more of a script problem, but it still makes me not want to vote for any character involved in it. Sorry, I’m biased. That leaves it between Edmund and Gilbert.
My Vote: I’ve got to go with Gilbert, for the amazing performance trying to woo Anne and dealing with Ruby’s death (I know that was 2016 but it was SO GOOD). Edmund was an idiot who just kinda went with things.
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Nominated: Annie Briggs as Lola Perry in Carmilla, but she didn’t get the nomination. My backups were Jessica Stansfield as Margaret Winter in Lovely Little Losers and Elise Cantu as Cara Graves in Classic Alice, both of which were nominated.
Other nominees: Abigail Snarr as Ruby Gilles in Green Gables Fables, Ella de Vito as Callie Craven in The Misselthwaite Archives, and Harriet Marie as Beatrice Duke in Lovely Little Losers.
Thoughts: I didn’t really pay any attention to Ruby until recently. I feel like Callie was a lead role, not supporting. I forgot that Beatrice was a supporting role, because she won best actress in a lead role last year for the same part in Nothing Much To Do. I would actually put Harriet’s performance above Jessica’s.
My vote: I was ready to vote for Harriet until I saw the Cara clip chosen for the awards. I actually forgot how good Elise’s performance was until watching it. Elise gets my vote.
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominated: Kaitlyn Alexander as S. LaFontain in Carmilla, but they didn’t get the nomination. One of my backups, Phosido Dintwe as Kitso Harper in Lovely Little Losers did get the nomination, so I’ll be voting for him.
Other Nominees: Steven Christie as George Bates in Call Me Katie, who I’m also totally in love with, Thomas Bjork as Rory Rushworth in From Mansfield With Love, who I would also love to win, Robbie Nichol as Costa McClur in Lovely Little Losers, and Brett Veil as Art Craven in The Misselthwaite Archives.
Best Chemistry on Screen
Nominated: Adam Bowes and Steven Christie as George Gleeson and George Bates in Call Me Katie and they got the nomination. They’re my OTP, so none of the rest of this really matters, does it? But for consistency’s sake…
Other Nominees: Alice Hale and Jeremy Stewart as Catherine Morland and Henry Tinley in Northbound (who I identified as one of my backups), Caleb Wells and Rueben Hudson as Peter Donaldson and Balthazar Jones in Lovely Little Losers, Bryce Earhart and Sophie Gibson as Declan Sowers and Mary Lennox in The Misselthwaite Archives, and Mandy Harmon and Tanner Gillman as Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe in Green Gables Fables.
Thoughts: OK, so I want my vote to win really bad. But It’s pretty much a tie between all of the rest of them for second…
Best Transmedia Experience
Nominated: Green Gables Fables, and it got the nomination, so I’ll be voting for them.
Other Nominees: Northbound, which was one of my backups, Call Me Katie, which I probably should have made a backup because one of the first accounts I followed when I got an Instagram was the George Squared account from this show, despite the having been over for months, Classic Alice, which to be fair did a lot of nontraditional transmedia (diary entries, school paper, etc.) and The Misselthwaite Archives, which also did nontraditional transmedia (emails, college rejection letters, etc.). My second choice is still Northbound, but these all deserve it.
Best Costume and Set Design
Nominated: The Misselthwaite Archives, which got the nomination, and I will be voting for them.
Other Nominees: Green Gables Fables, Carmilla, which was my second choice, The New Adventures of Peter and Wendy, which could have been my second choice if they didn’t have a set dressing sponsor (lootcrate) and a costume sponsor (Modcloth), which I felt gave them an unfair advantage, and Lovely Little Losers.
Best Ensemble Cast
Nominated: The Writing Majors, which did not get the nomination, nor did it get a nomination in any category, which is a shame because it’s wonderful. My second choice was The March Family Letters, which also wasn’t nominated in category. For shame.
Nominees: Call Me Katie, Green Gables Fables, Lovely Little Losers, From Mansfield With Love, and The Misselthwaite Archives.
Thoughts and My Vote: I’m going to be honest, I really struggled with this one. I debated for hours between From Mansfield With Love and The Misselthwaite Archives. Ultimately, I went with From Mansfield With Love because sibling relationships is one of my favorite features of web series, and this show does a good job showing that sibling dynamic between the four Bertram siblings, the two Price siblings, and the two Crawfords. But damn, I also loved that relationship between the Sowers.
Best Script
Nominated: The Misselthwaite Archives, which got the nomination, so I’ll be voting for that. I was disappointed that the clip wasn’t just a bunch of Mary zingers, but it did have the line “I’m going to Beyoncé the hell out of this glade,” so it wasn’t a complete loss.
Other Nominees: Call Me Katie, Green Gables Fables, Lovely Little Losers, and From Mansfield With Love, my second choice.
Best Literary Inspired Webseries
Nominated: From Mansfield With Love, which got the nomination, so I will be voting for it.
Other Nominees: The Misselthwaite Archives, Lovely Little Losers, Green Gables Fables, and Call Me Katie.
Thoughts: My backups were not nominated, but I think you can probably tell that my second choice of these options is The Misselthwaite Archives.
In sum:
The Misselthwaite Archives: Nominated in 10/10 categories
Lovely Little Losers: Nominated in 9/10 categories - with TWO categories dedicating two nominations to them.
Green Gables Fables: Nominated in 9/10 categories
From Mansfield With Love: Nominated in 6/10 categories
Call Me Katie: Nominated in 6/10 categories
Classic Alice: Nominated in 2/10 categories
Northbound: Nominated in 2/10 categories
Carmilla: Nominated in 1/10 categories
The New Adventures of Peter and Wendy: Nominated in 1/10 categories
Project Green Gables: Nominated in 1/10 categories
Three shows have been nominated in all or nearly all categories. Two shows have been nominated in about half. five shows have been nominated for one or two categories. There were over 40 shows eligible, and only ten were nominated into fifty slots.
These are all great shows, and deserve recognition. Here’s to hoping that no one show wins over half the categories again.
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Applying for the Denver Publishing Institute
I did it! I finished my application for the Denver Publishing Institute.
DPI is a graduate certificate program through the University of Denver. It’s for those who are singularly interested in entering publishing, and will cover editing, publicity, marketing, and sales, to give a full understanding of the business. It focuses on textbooks, trade publications, reference books, and children’s books. While I don’t have a particular interest in those areas, this program is unique in that it even focuses on books. The most similar program is at NYU, but it sounds like it focuses on magazine publishing.
I’m kind of worried. I have put so much weight on this opportunity. I heard about if for the first time last summer, and immediately knew I needed to apply. My mom keeps telling me not to put all my eggs in one basket, so I have been applying for publicity and public relations jobs as well, but not nearly as much as I probably should have.
I just don’t know if I’m what they’re looking for. They expect English majors who spent their free time working on publications; the school newspaper or literary magazine. I’m a PR major. Yes, I have an English minor, but it’s not quite the same. I didn’t work on publications. I didn’t want to write for the school paper, and I had a bad experience working on one of my high school’s literary magazines. Long story short, I ended up putting the whole thing together more or less by myself the second year under the instruction of a teacher I didn’t particularly like, and by the time I was done, I no longer wanted anything to do with literary magazines.
I joined National Novel Writing Month club because I want to be a literary agent and thought that I could meet some authors and make connections. When I spoke with the Program Director in August, she informed me that they’re not looking for writers. I worry that, even though I explain that I don’t actually do much writing in the club, I’ve been keeping authors on track, promoting events, editing their work, and running exercises to improve their writing, that they’ll just assume that I’m a writer who wants to get an inside look to the publishing industry. This is not the case.
It’s out of my hands now. Well, except my personal statement. Still editing that.
DPI is a graduate certificate program through the University of Denver. It’s for those who are singularly interested in entering publishing, and will cover editing, publicity, marketing, and sales, to give a full understanding of the business. It focuses on textbooks, trade publications, reference books, and children’s books. While I don’t have a particular interest in those areas, this program is unique in that it even focuses on books. The most similar program is at NYU, but it sounds like it focuses on magazine publishing.
I’m kind of worried. I have put so much weight on this opportunity. I heard about if for the first time last summer, and immediately knew I needed to apply. My mom keeps telling me not to put all my eggs in one basket, so I have been applying for publicity and public relations jobs as well, but not nearly as much as I probably should have.
I just don’t know if I’m what they’re looking for. They expect English majors who spent their free time working on publications; the school newspaper or literary magazine. I’m a PR major. Yes, I have an English minor, but it’s not quite the same. I didn’t work on publications. I didn’t want to write for the school paper, and I had a bad experience working on one of my high school’s literary magazines. Long story short, I ended up putting the whole thing together more or less by myself the second year under the instruction of a teacher I didn’t particularly like, and by the time I was done, I no longer wanted anything to do with literary magazines.
I joined National Novel Writing Month club because I want to be a literary agent and thought that I could meet some authors and make connections. When I spoke with the Program Director in August, she informed me that they’re not looking for writers. I worry that, even though I explain that I don’t actually do much writing in the club, I’ve been keeping authors on track, promoting events, editing their work, and running exercises to improve their writing, that they’ll just assume that I’m a writer who wants to get an inside look to the publishing industry. This is not the case.
It’s out of my hands now. Well, except my personal statement. Still editing that.
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Literary Inspired Webseries Awards: My Issues
As I mentioned in my last post, I have some issues with the LIW Awards. My first issue is that it’s a popularity contest. There are shows with plenty of fans that only watch that one show and will vote for it in every category. This seems to be what happened last year, when Nothing Much To Do swept the awards. Don’t get me wrong, I loved NMTD, and was glad to see it praised, but the amount of awards it won (I think it was 8/10 categories) was a bit ridiculous.
I’m not sure how to adjust for this. My thought is to limit who can vote the second time through. Right now, everyone nominates who they want, and the most common choices get voted between in a second vote. I would say limit nominations from any one show to one per category, but before they can vote, they have to check off all the shows they’ve seen. Seen could be defined as only in it’s entirety or at least in part, I’m not sure which is more fair. From there, you could be ineligible to vote if you haven’t seen over a certain percent of the shows (60% perhaps?). Better yet, you could make it so they can only vote in categories that they’ve seen 3 or more of the shows in (assuming there are 4 or 5 nominees in each category). I think this is fair because it eliminates those who only watch one or two shows, but still takes popularity into consideration. However, this could seem exclusionary.
Secondly, the awards themselves do not reflect the community. It follows the standard awards show format, but our community puts value on nontraditional aspects. Why not have an award for the most organic-feeling show, or the most LGBTQIA+ inclusive show, or the most racially/ethnically diverse show? Why not give an award to the show that used the most creative fundraising techniques? The show that did it best on no budget at all? The possibilities are endless. Last summer, my best friend, Claire, and I made this video, where we discussed these issues in more dept.
Now, I know why it was kept so limited. There is a grand total of ONE PERSON running the LIW Awards. More than 10 categories is too much to ask of one person. So why not ask a friend to help? An unbelievable number of people would be willing to, as evidenced by the outpouring of support and help offered anyone asks for help on a webseries or webseries-related project. Or we could have another set of awards run by someone else that reflects these values. I don't know how well this would go over in the fandom, considering that the Literary Inspired Webseries Care Center (formerly the LBD Care Center) runs the current award and has a huge following. It may feel like infringing on their territory.
Bringing back the topic of fundraising, is it really fair to put shows that can afford to pay their actors up against shows that are just made in the free time of a group of friends? I’m not super sure about this. On one hand, it makes shows with no funding all the more impressive when they’re comparable, but the shows that can afford proper lighting and sound equipment etc. will always have the upper hand.
What do you think? Remember, voting for these awards closes tomorrow, so if you want to vote, do it now. My suggestions are in my last post.
I’m not sure how to adjust for this. My thought is to limit who can vote the second time through. Right now, everyone nominates who they want, and the most common choices get voted between in a second vote. I would say limit nominations from any one show to one per category, but before they can vote, they have to check off all the shows they’ve seen. Seen could be defined as only in it’s entirety or at least in part, I’m not sure which is more fair. From there, you could be ineligible to vote if you haven’t seen over a certain percent of the shows (60% perhaps?). Better yet, you could make it so they can only vote in categories that they’ve seen 3 or more of the shows in (assuming there are 4 or 5 nominees in each category). I think this is fair because it eliminates those who only watch one or two shows, but still takes popularity into consideration. However, this could seem exclusionary.
Secondly, the awards themselves do not reflect the community. It follows the standard awards show format, but our community puts value on nontraditional aspects. Why not have an award for the most organic-feeling show, or the most LGBTQIA+ inclusive show, or the most racially/ethnically diverse show? Why not give an award to the show that used the most creative fundraising techniques? The show that did it best on no budget at all? The possibilities are endless. Last summer, my best friend, Claire, and I made this video, where we discussed these issues in more dept.
Now, I know why it was kept so limited. There is a grand total of ONE PERSON running the LIW Awards. More than 10 categories is too much to ask of one person. So why not ask a friend to help? An unbelievable number of people would be willing to, as evidenced by the outpouring of support and help offered anyone asks for help on a webseries or webseries-related project. Or we could have another set of awards run by someone else that reflects these values. I don't know how well this would go over in the fandom, considering that the Literary Inspired Webseries Care Center (formerly the LBD Care Center) runs the current award and has a huge following. It may feel like infringing on their territory.
Bringing back the topic of fundraising, is it really fair to put shows that can afford to pay their actors up against shows that are just made in the free time of a group of friends? I’m not super sure about this. On one hand, it makes shows with no funding all the more impressive when they’re comparable, but the shows that can afford proper lighting and sound equipment etc. will always have the upper hand.
What do you think? Remember, voting for these awards closes tomorrow, so if you want to vote, do it now. My suggestions are in my last post.
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Literary Inspired Webseries Awards: My Picks
So voting for the LIW Awards closes in a little over a week. While I have several issues with this process (to be shared in a later blog post), I thought I'd share who I'm voting for and why.
There are 47 shows eligible for the awards, that is, aired at least one episode in 2015. I have seen 41 of these shows at least in part, most of them in entirety, so I feel I'm likely one of the more informed voters. There are only 10 awards given.
Best Literary Inspired Webseries:
My Vote: From Mansfield With Love. This show felt completely organic and was just unbelievably well done. I loved it so much. I've already rewatched it. It's that good.
Also Deserving: The New Adventures of Peter and Wendy and Carmilla. I didn't vote for them because they feel too professional, and it deviates from the authenticity I love about LIW.
Best Ensemble Cast:
My Vote: The Writing Majors. Every character was endearing and frustrating in their own way and it was beautiful.
Also Deserving: The March Family Letters. The interactions between siblings was wonderful and realistic. Amy was unbelievably annoying, as she should be. Also, LIMES.
Best Transmedia Experience:
My Vote: Green Gables Fables. Mostly for Phillippa's twitter. Because I adore her. Also Anne's Instagram.
Also Deserving: Northbound, because their interactions made me actually follow most character's twitters. And Carmilla, because of the twitter story leading up to season two, which was absolutely hilarious and stressful.
Best Actress in a Leading Role:
My Vote: Holly Truslove as Frankie Price in From Mansfield With Love. Sorry, not sorry for repeatedly choosing this show but she was amazing.
Also Deserving: Nope. No one else even compares.
Best Actor in a Leading Role:
My Vote: To be honest, none of the leading men really blew my mind. I'm going to have to go with Jeremy Stewart as Henry Tinley in Northbound because he was just so friggen cute with Catherine!
Best Chemistry on Screen:
My Vote: Adam Bowes and Steven Christie as George Gleeson and George Bates in Call Me Katie. Just wow. Amazing. I can't express how much love I feel for this relationship. I squeal over them. I didn't even know I knew how to squeal.
Also Deserving: Jessica Alan and Alajandra Simmons as Meg March and Joan Brooke in The March Family Letters. JOAN LITERALLY STOLE MEG'S HEART. Also Jeremy Stewart and Alice Hale as Henry Tinley and Catherine Morland in Northbound, because as previously mentioned, they were so friggen cute.
Best Actor in a Supporting Role:
My Vote: Kaitlyn Alexander as S. LaFontaine in Carmilla. Before you get all "that's a girl's name, this is a boy's category," they're non-binary and prefer to be in the actor column. So there. But seriously, how could you not love the mad scientist best friend?
Also Deserving: Matt O'Connor as Wilson Kirsh in Carmilla. How he made me love the most clueless frat guy, I will never know. Also, Phosido Dintwe was so convincing as Kitso Harper in Lovely Little Losers that I literally forgot he was acting.
Best Actress in a Supporting Role:
My Vote: Annie Briggs as Lola Perry in Carmilla. She (SPOILERS) literally played a possessed person during season two, with both consciousnesses having varying degrees of control depending on the episode. It was subtle enough that you suspected, but still weren't sure.
Also Deserving: Jessica Stansfield as Margaret Winter in Lovely Little Losers. I'm still mad she wasn't a lead role. Why would you let such an opportunity go to waste? I'm also a big fan of Elise Cantu's portrayal of Cara Graves in Classic Alice.
Best Script:
My Vote: The Misselthwaite Archives. Mostly for the Brit Marklan episode. And the Spring Newsletter. I couldn't stop laughing. This show had the best one-liners.
Also Deserving: I'm going to go ahead and say From Mansfield With Love again. This show is one of the stand-outs of the year.
Best Set and Costume Design:
My Vote: The Misselthwaite Archives. Each character had a unique style and it was reflected in their clothes and rooms. Also, their set for the glade was breathtaking. As was the cinematography. There really should be a category for that... Misselthwaite would win hands-down.
Also Deserving: I'm not going to say The New Adventures of Peter and Wendy... mostly because they were sponsored by Modcloth and that gave them their costumes. Carmilla's set was beautiful, and the costumes of Perry and Carmilla really gave insight as to their mental state, so I suppose it'd be my next choice.
I would seriously recommend checking out these shows and the others nominated. A full list can be found here, and feel free to vote here. But remember, voting closes February 26th, so be quick about it.
There are 47 shows eligible for the awards, that is, aired at least one episode in 2015. I have seen 41 of these shows at least in part, most of them in entirety, so I feel I'm likely one of the more informed voters. There are only 10 awards given.
Best Literary Inspired Webseries:
My Vote: From Mansfield With Love. This show felt completely organic and was just unbelievably well done. I loved it so much. I've already rewatched it. It's that good.
Also Deserving: The New Adventures of Peter and Wendy and Carmilla. I didn't vote for them because they feel too professional, and it deviates from the authenticity I love about LIW.
Best Ensemble Cast:
My Vote: The Writing Majors. Every character was endearing and frustrating in their own way and it was beautiful.
Also Deserving: The March Family Letters. The interactions between siblings was wonderful and realistic. Amy was unbelievably annoying, as she should be. Also, LIMES.
Best Transmedia Experience:
My Vote: Green Gables Fables. Mostly for Phillippa's twitter. Because I adore her. Also Anne's Instagram.
Also Deserving: Northbound, because their interactions made me actually follow most character's twitters. And Carmilla, because of the twitter story leading up to season two, which was absolutely hilarious and stressful.
Best Actress in a Leading Role:
My Vote: Holly Truslove as Frankie Price in From Mansfield With Love. Sorry, not sorry for repeatedly choosing this show but she was amazing.
Also Deserving: Nope. No one else even compares.
Best Actor in a Leading Role:
My Vote: To be honest, none of the leading men really blew my mind. I'm going to have to go with Jeremy Stewart as Henry Tinley in Northbound because he was just so friggen cute with Catherine!
Best Chemistry on Screen:
My Vote: Adam Bowes and Steven Christie as George Gleeson and George Bates in Call Me Katie. Just wow. Amazing. I can't express how much love I feel for this relationship. I squeal over them. I didn't even know I knew how to squeal.
Also Deserving: Jessica Alan and Alajandra Simmons as Meg March and Joan Brooke in The March Family Letters. JOAN LITERALLY STOLE MEG'S HEART. Also Jeremy Stewart and Alice Hale as Henry Tinley and Catherine Morland in Northbound, because as previously mentioned, they were so friggen cute.
Best Actor in a Supporting Role:
My Vote: Kaitlyn Alexander as S. LaFontaine in Carmilla. Before you get all "that's a girl's name, this is a boy's category," they're non-binary and prefer to be in the actor column. So there. But seriously, how could you not love the mad scientist best friend?
Also Deserving: Matt O'Connor as Wilson Kirsh in Carmilla. How he made me love the most clueless frat guy, I will never know. Also, Phosido Dintwe was so convincing as Kitso Harper in Lovely Little Losers that I literally forgot he was acting.
Best Actress in a Supporting Role:
My Vote: Annie Briggs as Lola Perry in Carmilla. She (SPOILERS) literally played a possessed person during season two, with both consciousnesses having varying degrees of control depending on the episode. It was subtle enough that you suspected, but still weren't sure.
Also Deserving: Jessica Stansfield as Margaret Winter in Lovely Little Losers. I'm still mad she wasn't a lead role. Why would you let such an opportunity go to waste? I'm also a big fan of Elise Cantu's portrayal of Cara Graves in Classic Alice.
Best Script:
My Vote: The Misselthwaite Archives. Mostly for the Brit Marklan episode. And the Spring Newsletter. I couldn't stop laughing. This show had the best one-liners.
Also Deserving: I'm going to go ahead and say From Mansfield With Love again. This show is one of the stand-outs of the year.
Best Set and Costume Design:
My Vote: The Misselthwaite Archives. Each character had a unique style and it was reflected in their clothes and rooms. Also, their set for the glade was breathtaking. As was the cinematography. There really should be a category for that... Misselthwaite would win hands-down.
Also Deserving: I'm not going to say The New Adventures of Peter and Wendy... mostly because they were sponsored by Modcloth and that gave them their costumes. Carmilla's set was beautiful, and the costumes of Perry and Carmilla really gave insight as to their mental state, so I suppose it'd be my next choice.
I would seriously recommend checking out these shows and the others nominated. A full list can be found here, and feel free to vote here. But remember, voting closes February 26th, so be quick about it.
Thursday, February 11, 2016
One Decade Later, I Finally Read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
*SPOILER WARNING*: I will spoil The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo in this post. If you haven’t read it (or seen the movie) and want to, I suggest doing so before reading on.
Last Friday, I had a free night for the first time in about a month. No plans. As a rule, I don’t do homework on Friday nights unless I’m booked solid on Saturday and Sunday. I had plans for the weekend, but nothing during the day other than grocery shopping. I decided to take the opportunity to read. Maybe not my best decision; my resume needs serious work, my DPI application is only halfway done, and I’ve saved nearly 20 jobs I meant to apply to. But, you know, it’s the end of the week, and I wanted to do something enjoyable.
I started The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo on the flight back from London, where I took an interim class this January. I got about halfway in, but with the chaos of unpacking, repacking, unpacking again, and then school, I hadn’t picked it back up.
I had heard a lot about the book before starting. I had heard it featured violence and sexual assault. This is probably why I had avoided reading it for so long- the book is over a decade old, and it’s been on my self for at least 7 years. But I don’t like to think about those sort of things. It’s not a part of my world, and I avoid it.
I’m still trying to figure out how I feel about the book. The end, when Lisbeth sees Mikael on a date and throws away her gift, all but broke my heart. On the other hand, the age gap between the two of them made me highly uncomfortable. I can’t condone relationships with such a power imbalance, as I’ve tried to explain to my 17 year old sister who is dating a 22 year old, but my warnings always seem to fall on deaf ears. It was amazing the way they cracked the case; I’m familiar enough with the genre to expect twists and turns and information to come up at the last minute, but the specifics were a surprise. I expected Harriet to be alive, but I could never have expected that Martin had a torture chamber in his basement!
While the sexual violence (and gratuitous sex scenes, but that’s another story) made me highly uncomfortable, I saw their necessity. However, I almost felt that they were too condensed. While I was relieved for Lisbeth’s repeat assaults to be over so quickly, it almost would have been more satisfying for her to take back control at the end. After saving Mikael from Martin with a golf club, empowered by her own rashness, and then taking Bjurman down, would have been a killer ending. Instead, it was towards the middle, and then Bjurman completely dropped out of the narrative.
Overall, the book is worth a read; it wasn’t a bestseller for nothing. It’s compelling and fast-paced, has an unlikely heroine, filled with twists, and good triumphs over evil at the end, though it’s close. But if, like me, you’re a bit squeamish about sexual violence, then definitely go in prepared.
Last Friday, I had a free night for the first time in about a month. No plans. As a rule, I don’t do homework on Friday nights unless I’m booked solid on Saturday and Sunday. I had plans for the weekend, but nothing during the day other than grocery shopping. I decided to take the opportunity to read. Maybe not my best decision; my resume needs serious work, my DPI application is only halfway done, and I’ve saved nearly 20 jobs I meant to apply to. But, you know, it’s the end of the week, and I wanted to do something enjoyable.
I started The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo on the flight back from London, where I took an interim class this January. I got about halfway in, but with the chaos of unpacking, repacking, unpacking again, and then school, I hadn’t picked it back up.
I had heard a lot about the book before starting. I had heard it featured violence and sexual assault. This is probably why I had avoided reading it for so long- the book is over a decade old, and it’s been on my self for at least 7 years. But I don’t like to think about those sort of things. It’s not a part of my world, and I avoid it.
I’m still trying to figure out how I feel about the book. The end, when Lisbeth sees Mikael on a date and throws away her gift, all but broke my heart. On the other hand, the age gap between the two of them made me highly uncomfortable. I can’t condone relationships with such a power imbalance, as I’ve tried to explain to my 17 year old sister who is dating a 22 year old, but my warnings always seem to fall on deaf ears. It was amazing the way they cracked the case; I’m familiar enough with the genre to expect twists and turns and information to come up at the last minute, but the specifics were a surprise. I expected Harriet to be alive, but I could never have expected that Martin had a torture chamber in his basement!
While the sexual violence (and gratuitous sex scenes, but that’s another story) made me highly uncomfortable, I saw their necessity. However, I almost felt that they were too condensed. While I was relieved for Lisbeth’s repeat assaults to be over so quickly, it almost would have been more satisfying for her to take back control at the end. After saving Mikael from Martin with a golf club, empowered by her own rashness, and then taking Bjurman down, would have been a killer ending. Instead, it was towards the middle, and then Bjurman completely dropped out of the narrative.
Overall, the book is worth a read; it wasn’t a bestseller for nothing. It’s compelling and fast-paced, has an unlikely heroine, filled with twists, and good triumphs over evil at the end, though it’s close. But if, like me, you’re a bit squeamish about sexual violence, then definitely go in prepared.
Thursday, February 4, 2016
What the Frilly Hell Are You On About?
Alright, it is apparent that the only people looking at this blog are those is my Social Media Marketing class (mostly since I haven't really told anyone else about it). My guess is that none of you are in the Literary Inspired Webseries community, and have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about. So let's just take it from the beginning, shall we?
Once upon a time, Hank Green and Bernie Su created the masterpiece that is The Lizzie Bennett Diaries. It was an adaption of Pride and Prejudice, where Elizabeth Bennett, the headstrong girl with four sisters, became Lizzie, the sarcastic Mass Communications grad student living at home with her parents and two sisters. She and her best friend, Charlotte Lu (adapted from Charlotte Lucas), start a vlog.
Lizzie took the internet by storm. The first episode has over 2.3 million views. Fans were truly invested in the lives of the characters. The wait for Darcy Day (the day where William Darcy- adapted from Fitzwilliam Darcy- would finally show his face on camera) was agonizing.
Just a month before The Lizzie Bennett Diaries aired it's last episode, The Autobiography of Jane Eyre released it's first. Jane became a recently graduated nursing student who decided she would rather be a live-in tutor. Fans had a collective realization. We could do this too. Fans became the creators. Since then, dozens of adaptions have sprung up. Most follow the vlog-style format, but some deviate. Some imagine authors, rather than characters, into the modern world.
I have followed the vast majority of these shows. 10 months ago, I started making monthly calendars of what is being uploaded when. Here's the February calendar, for example:
All but two of these shows adapt literature in some way. There are also another three adaptions that don't upload regularly. As you can see, there's quite a saturated market for such a niche target.
I believe that this platform has unbelievable potential. Right now, the only stories that are getting adapted are those in the public domain. That way, no one gets sued.
Can you imagine if publishing houses did a later push of some of their more classic stories before they became public domain, using this tactic? They would have exclusive rights to the story, which means that no one else could adapt it. If it was done well, fans would not only eat up the show, but they'd want to go back and read the book that inspired it too. This platform breathes new life into works that many in our generation see as old and inaccessible.
That's why this is so important to me. This phenomena has made the old new again, and I can't wait to see where it takes us.
Once upon a time, Hank Green and Bernie Su created the masterpiece that is The Lizzie Bennett Diaries. It was an adaption of Pride and Prejudice, where Elizabeth Bennett, the headstrong girl with four sisters, became Lizzie, the sarcastic Mass Communications grad student living at home with her parents and two sisters. She and her best friend, Charlotte Lu (adapted from Charlotte Lucas), start a vlog.
Lizzie took the internet by storm. The first episode has over 2.3 million views. Fans were truly invested in the lives of the characters. The wait for Darcy Day (the day where William Darcy- adapted from Fitzwilliam Darcy- would finally show his face on camera) was agonizing.
Just a month before The Lizzie Bennett Diaries aired it's last episode, The Autobiography of Jane Eyre released it's first. Jane became a recently graduated nursing student who decided she would rather be a live-in tutor. Fans had a collective realization. We could do this too. Fans became the creators. Since then, dozens of adaptions have sprung up. Most follow the vlog-style format, but some deviate. Some imagine authors, rather than characters, into the modern world.
I have followed the vast majority of these shows. 10 months ago, I started making monthly calendars of what is being uploaded when. Here's the February calendar, for example:
All but two of these shows adapt literature in some way. There are also another three adaptions that don't upload regularly. As you can see, there's quite a saturated market for such a niche target.
I believe that this platform has unbelievable potential. Right now, the only stories that are getting adapted are those in the public domain. That way, no one gets sued.
Can you imagine if publishing houses did a later push of some of their more classic stories before they became public domain, using this tactic? They would have exclusive rights to the story, which means that no one else could adapt it. If it was done well, fans would not only eat up the show, but they'd want to go back and read the book that inspired it too. This platform breathes new life into works that many in our generation see as old and inaccessible.
That's why this is so important to me. This phenomena has made the old new again, and I can't wait to see where it takes us.
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Some Thoughts On REX (No, Not Oedipus)
This week, I finally caught up on REX, a webseries based on the story of King Aurthur. And I have some thoughts.
1. What's with the title? REX? Am I missing something? Most lit-adaption shows have titles that are a play on the title of the work, or include the name of a main character, or something that indicates what story it's from. The Lizzie Bennett Diaries was Pride and Prejudice, with the main character Elizabeth Bennett. The Autobiography of Jane Eyre was Jane Eyre. From Mansfield With Love was Mansfield Park. This breaks the code. To me, REX is short for Oedipus Rex. I keep forgetting that no one is about to kill their father and marry their mother.
2. I'm not feeling drawn in. The thing about webseries is that the best ones feel authentic, like these are real people who genuinely have a reason to turn on a camera and talk to it. This does not have that feeling. It feels inauthentic. Aurthur, for one, seems completely uninterested in the camera he turns towards himself. As for Lance and Merlin-- I know they're supposed to be brothers, but their chemistry feels like lovers. That is not brotherly teasing, that is flat out flirting.
3. I feel like the company behind Rex doesn't quite understand the appeal of the platform. I avoided watching their first show, In Earnest, because it seemed somehow wrong. One of the thing I love about this platform is it gives voice to the voiceless. I love how people who are underrepresented in Hollywood can be main characters here. Women, people of color, LGBTQIA+ people, disabled people, etc., can take center stage and we will eat it up. Severe Chill Studios has yet to make a show that doesn't surround a presumably straight white cis male. This is too reminiscent of popular media for me. I came here to hear different voices.
Despite all this, I will probably begrudgingly keep watching. Give it a look and tell me what you think. Am I spot on? Am I being overly critical? Drop a comment.
1. What's with the title? REX? Am I missing something? Most lit-adaption shows have titles that are a play on the title of the work, or include the name of a main character, or something that indicates what story it's from. The Lizzie Bennett Diaries was Pride and Prejudice, with the main character Elizabeth Bennett. The Autobiography of Jane Eyre was Jane Eyre. From Mansfield With Love was Mansfield Park. This breaks the code. To me, REX is short for Oedipus Rex. I keep forgetting that no one is about to kill their father and marry their mother.
2. I'm not feeling drawn in. The thing about webseries is that the best ones feel authentic, like these are real people who genuinely have a reason to turn on a camera and talk to it. This does not have that feeling. It feels inauthentic. Aurthur, for one, seems completely uninterested in the camera he turns towards himself. As for Lance and Merlin-- I know they're supposed to be brothers, but their chemistry feels like lovers. That is not brotherly teasing, that is flat out flirting.
3. I feel like the company behind Rex doesn't quite understand the appeal of the platform. I avoided watching their first show, In Earnest, because it seemed somehow wrong. One of the thing I love about this platform is it gives voice to the voiceless. I love how people who are underrepresented in Hollywood can be main characters here. Women, people of color, LGBTQIA+ people, disabled people, etc., can take center stage and we will eat it up. Severe Chill Studios has yet to make a show that doesn't surround a presumably straight white cis male. This is too reminiscent of popular media for me. I came here to hear different voices.
Despite all this, I will probably begrudgingly keep watching. Give it a look and tell me what you think. Am I spot on? Am I being overly critical? Drop a comment.
Thursday, January 21, 2016
Hello Lit Lovers!
Well, hello everyone. Welcome to my blog.
My Social Media Marketing class this semester is having us each keep a blog, to be updated once a week, on any topic we choose. As I'm dreaming of working in publishing after graduation (maybe even being a literary agent 20 years down the road), it only seemed natural that I would write about books.
Here's the catch; school takes up most of my time. I'm also on the executive boards of National Novel Writing Month club and the Bradley University Swing Dance Society, plus I tutor at the Center for Learning Assistance. I've got a full plate, so reading tends to take a backseat to my other priorities. I'm not going to be reading a full book every week.
Thus, I won't just be writing about books. I'll be writing about anything literature-related, which may often include adaptions. Over the last year (or four), I've become deeply entrenched in the Literary Inspired Webseries community on YouTube and Tumblr, and I fully expect to write about topics that come up through these shows. Fair warning: topics touched upon can be controversial. In the past, topics brought up have included racial/sexual orientation representation and stereotypes, defining sexual assault, and how to adapt text where people disguise themselves as another gender without being transphobic.
I know, it's heavy stuff, but it's important to talk about. So let's just have a little fun, shall we? Here's a creeper shot I took in London of a guy who looked like he walked out of a Dickens novel... eating Doritos.
Lots of Love,
Sam
Other places you can find me:
Twitter Primary Youtube Secondary Youtube Tumblr Instagram
My Social Media Marketing class this semester is having us each keep a blog, to be updated once a week, on any topic we choose. As I'm dreaming of working in publishing after graduation (maybe even being a literary agent 20 years down the road), it only seemed natural that I would write about books.
Here's the catch; school takes up most of my time. I'm also on the executive boards of National Novel Writing Month club and the Bradley University Swing Dance Society, plus I tutor at the Center for Learning Assistance. I've got a full plate, so reading tends to take a backseat to my other priorities. I'm not going to be reading a full book every week.
Thus, I won't just be writing about books. I'll be writing about anything literature-related, which may often include adaptions. Over the last year (or four), I've become deeply entrenched in the Literary Inspired Webseries community on YouTube and Tumblr, and I fully expect to write about topics that come up through these shows. Fair warning: topics touched upon can be controversial. In the past, topics brought up have included racial/sexual orientation representation and stereotypes, defining sexual assault, and how to adapt text where people disguise themselves as another gender without being transphobic.I know, it's heavy stuff, but it's important to talk about. So let's just have a little fun, shall we? Here's a creeper shot I took in London of a guy who looked like he walked out of a Dickens novel... eating Doritos.
Lots of Love,
Sam
Other places you can find me:
Twitter Primary Youtube Secondary Youtube Tumblr Instagram
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