EVANGELINE THAN

A rough portrait (I sketch when I’m nervous). There was no fat, startled dog-pretending-to-be-a-kangaroo sitting next to Tim. I just like to draw them.

Last weekend was eye-opening, unforgettable, and a little surreal.

I secured a last-minute place (hurrah for cancellations!) at a narrative comedy workshop taught by Tim Ferguson and arranged by the WA branch of the Australian Writers’ Guild. The people attending this course were a mix of early career film makers like myself (“early career” is a nice way of saying, “n00b”), mid-career types with wild eyes and exhausted hair, and relaxed veterans of Perth TV, stage and film.

Tim definitely makes learning fun, and even threw in some interpretative dance for free. I will never forget your parting of the Red Sea, Tim. Where were you when I was trying to get my head around neural computation? (I still don’t know how I passed that exam.)

I’ve always wanted to write for comedy but grasping the “how” of it was always just out of reach. Comedy writing kept slipping through my fingers. It was Frodo Baggins to my Sauron.

Well, I’ve got your ring now, Frodo.

Naturally, this knowledge comes at a price. I watched an episode of “Extras” last night and my brain kept shouting, “Ooh! Look! Distortion! Positive negation! Misinterpretation! I see it all now, Ricky Gervais! You dunnit with mirrors!” and it took several minutes to shush Mr Brain into using his inside voice.

I went to this writing workshop with the intention of adding some je ne sais quoi to a couple of animation scripts I’ve been working on (oh, and by the way, the Japanese have discovered that you CAN polish a you-know-what, so nyah), but now I’ve gotten greedy.

I want more. I want to write for live-action too. I want to write for stand-up. TV! Movies!

Look out, world.

Yesterday evening I attended my first animation writers’ group meeting.

Kate Vyvyan, an animation writer and producer, chaired the meeting and kept the conversation flowing.

Also present were Adam, a physician turned filmmaker with some unusual ideas for a new animated TV series, and Jeff, a cartoonist with a dark sense of humour who wanted to turn his ‘toons into a short film. Adam treated us to a special viewing of the opening credits for his show, and Jeff passed around sheets and sheets of hilarious Gary Larson-esque cartoons.

I seized the moment and showed the others an idea that I had pitched for our Diploma of Animation final project, and received some excellent feedback, filling up a page with notes on increasing my character’s appeal and engaging the audience.

Kate also spoke about what was going on in the animation industry, events that she had attended and would be attending (SPAA! MIPCOM!), and we also had a look at this month’s topic, adapting children’s books for animation.

Many heads are better than one and I found the writer’s group meeting encouraging and invigorating. It looks like I have another event to mark permanently on the calendar!

When: Meetings are usually held on the second Tuesday of every month, but it is best to check with WAnimate beforehand.

If you receive an invitation to the next meeting, RSVP as soon as possible to confirm your attendance. Meetings are cancelled if there aren’t enough attendees.

Where: The Australian Writer’s Guild HQ, 196 Oxford St, Leederville.

And it is a fantastic read. Engaging, intelligent and not at all self-absorbed, Byrne’s writing cares and shares.

I best remember David Byrne as the frontman of Talking Heads, another band I listened to a lot at school (it wasn’t all Depeche Mode and sawing away at wrists, you know). He’s still around, making music, and that makes me very happy.

I plan to bury myself in the archives soon (he’s been blogging since 2004!) and see what he’s been up to all these years.

Byrne is on tour with Brian Eno at the moment, so his blog is in travel journal mode and full of vivid photographs.

Check it out: http://journal.davidbyrne.com/

Mark Waid is a comic book writer. You may have seen his name in the credits for the Flash comic books, and also in Kingdom Come, a mini-series about the current stable of Justice League superheroes, set 20 years in the future.

Waid posts regularly to Kung Fu Monkey, a blog about screenwriting, comic books, and any other geekery that the authors (and I) find amusing. His latest post on Kung Fu Monkey, “Waid Wednesdays #18: Don’t Waste My Time”, gives writers valuable advice on how to handle protagonist conflicts, and explains the difference between false suspense and genuine suspense.

Want to make your story stand out from the rest? Read Waid’s post here.

If you haven’t got time to read the whole post, here’s the bottom line:

Bottom line: don’t waste my time by asking questions with obvious answers or posing “suspenseful” choices with only one real option. That’s just marking time. People (and characters) (and situations) are only interesting when they surprise you.

Source: “Waid Wednesdays #18: Don’t Waste My Time” at the Kung Fu Monkey blog, URL: http://kfmonkey.blogspot.com/2009/04/waid-wednesdays-18-dont-waste-my-time.html (posted April 8th, 2009).

Product review
The RedBubble calendar

by Evangeline Than
November 25, 2007

I’m going to confess three things: I like buffets, I prefer to give useful gifts, and I’m shallow enough to be influenced by first impressions – if there is no ‘wow’ factor I’m going to make my excuses and sidle away stealthily so I can go back to stuffing myself with crab puffs.

I received my RedBubble calendar in the mail yesterday, less than 24 hours after James Pierce (one of RedBubble’s founders) said he would send me one to review. Wow #1.

Now, I’m not saying all RedBubble deliveries get sent by Express Roadrunner, but this confirms my belief that when the Bubble folks say they’re going to do something, it gets done.

I was pleasantly surprised when I removed my calendar from its packaging. It was not rolled up, but thoughtfully packed in a padded bag and kept flat in between two sheets of cardboard. Let’s give the packaging Wow #2.

The calendar’s lovely sheen, silky feel and elegant simplicity (all of which arrived in pristine condition, thanks to the solid packaging) made Wow #3 a no-brainer.

RedBubble have put a lot of thought into this calendar, and it shows. Most impressively, they’ve managed to keep the base price affordable (I can hear all the artists celebrating) while providing a quality product with a sophisticated finish.

Some things you may notice when you start flipping through the calendar (apart from how nice it feels under your fingertips):

• A metal hanger means displaying the calendar is a breeze. It also protects the paper, unlike conventional calendars which have a punched hole at the top of the page.
• The A3 size makes this calendar perfect for doors, offices, hallways, kitchens – it will blend in, but it is certainly not a wallflower.
• Matt-coated 175 gsm (grams per square metre) paper provides a satin finish that shows pictures off to their best advantage.
• RedBubble’s signature font quietly but unmistakeably broadcasts the calendar’s origins.
• The days of the month are softly delineated in dove grey squares – a nice touch – and provide an adequate amount of space for writing down things like birthday reminders.
• The bottom right-hand corner of the page tells you where to go for more image goodness – a great move that acknowledges the artist and subtly markets more RedBubble products at the same time.

Now, before I head for the mini spring rolls, I will make one last confession – I loved this calendar at first sight, and I would be proud to give it to someone special.

Bonus: RedBubble is providing free shipping for the month of November. Just enter “Novembershipping” in the checkout code area when you enter your mailing address.

Some great RedBubble calendars for you to check out:

• Beautiful landscapes by James Pierce
• Life in Motion and Black and White by Paul Louis Villani
• Daydreams by Ljubica Rapaic
• Wilde Women by Lee Wilde

Return to the Writing Folio page.

Disclaimer: All information is true to the best of the writer’s knowledge at the time of writing.