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Thursday, April 25, 2013

Lighting!


Have you ever wondered if you could have a cheat sheet of various lighting setup that shows the subject would show up?
Someone has attempted to do just that here: http://www.wimp.com/facechanges/
Hmmm the only problem seems to be the fact that they have not called out where they had positioned the lights. So here is what photographer Pat David had done using an open source 3D modeling software called Blender 3D: http://blog.patdavid.net/2012/03/visualize-photography-lighting-setups.html
Neat!

How good a photographer are you?

This is really child's play but is good for beginning photographers to understand shutter speed and aperture.
http://www.canonoutsideofauto.ca/play/

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

How to write a story?

I have been quiet for a while now; I am writing down a script for a short...
So here I am back to square one!!

http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Script has some basic info on how to write a story. Writing as story is such an organic act which is an art in itself but this link puts a framework to work off of. Browse through that link for details but here is the gist:
  1. Write a short sentence of the fundamental concept which drives the plot.
  2. Create a basic road-map of what will happen in your story. 
  3. Flesh out your story. Easier said than done!
  4. Write it down in proper format.
  5. Polish your work. 
  6. Get feedback. 
  7. Revise as necessary. 
Here are a few links that I think can help you get off the writer's block and kick start you with some ideas:
Here are few tips from WritingForward that I like - again fundamentals that we all forget when we take a deep dive:
  • Deepen the plot. Most plots are actually pretty simple, but things get really interesting when you introduce subplots or make the plot richer by complicating it: the hero’s goal is to save the girl but what if he will gain something great if he doesn't save her?
  • Add a twist. Some plots plod along pretty predictably. Give your story some zing by tying the plot up in knots. Nothing keeps readers glued to the page like plot twists and cliffhangers.
  • Enhance the dialogue. Are all the characters speaking in the same voice? It’s probably your voice. Give each character distinct expressions. Maybe one character says “dude” a lot while another is constantly assigning pet names to everyone he meets.
  • Push conflict to the brink. There’s a reason the hero never diffuses a bomb until one second to detonation. Get your characters so deep into conflict, readers start to believe there’s no way out. Then, save the day!
  • Strengthen the themes. You can plan which themes will be threaded through your story, but if you don’t, themes will emerge on their own. Identify the themes, then strengthen them. If you notice redemption is a theme, have a character humming “Redemption Song” by Bob Marley.
  • Introduce an archetypal character. These characters stand out and feel familiar. Introduce a mentor or a trickster or give one of your existing characters some archetypal qualities.
  • Give your story greater meaning with symbols and symbolism. A white rabbit marks the beginning of an adventure, water indicates birth and rebirth, winter symbolizes death. Create your own symbols (like the mocking jay in Hunger Games) and look for objects of importance that can become symbols, such as a pen, pendant, or some iconic image.
  • Add tension and intrigue to the plot by making a deal. One character wants something that another character has. To get it, she has to strike a deal. The higher the stakes, the more riveting the read.
  • Use repetition for emphasis. Repetition works especially well with symbols. A boy gives a girl a pen when he goes away to college and says “Don’t forget to write.” She writes, but he never writes back. She holds on to the pen and the hope that he’ll come back for three years. Then, she loses the pen. As soon as she loses it, she meets someone else. The pen makes repeat appearances, emphasizing its relevance to the story.
  • Make the story emotional by killing off a significant character. Some authors have a hard time with this one, but death is part of life. In fact, it’s the one thing we can all count on. Killing a character is almost necessary when your cast is constantly facing danger of a life-threatening variety.
  • Plant a red herring in your story. It confuses readers in a delightful way. It looks like the heroine will fall for the charming doctor but it turns out the man she really loves is a dreamy architect. Red herrings work especially well in mystery stories.
  • Let your characters be affected by the events that unfold. The point of a story is to show characters experiencing something significant or meaningful, something important enough to change them. By the end, the characters should undergo attitude adjustments, adopt new philosophies, or otherwise evolve from who they were when we first met them.
  • Engage readers with irony; it makes people think. The atheist experiences a miracle. A fugitive on the run gets captured because he saves someone’s life. A fire station burns down.