An Introduction to Writing Songs for Film and Television
My name is Aaron Davison. I've been writing songs for over fifteen years. I attended Berklee College of Music in the mid 1990's where I majored in Songwriting. It was during my time at Berklee that I was first introduced to the concept of writing songs for film and television as a career. Although at the time I was mildly intrigued by the possibility of this career path, it wasn't until eight years later that I decided to seriously entertain the idea. At this point I had played in a variety of bands and had still yet to achieve my elusive goal of becoming a rock star. One day while surfing the Internet I came across an article about a Berklee Alum who made a living, in part, writing songs for Film and Television. This article inspired me to make a serious effort to pursue the craft of writing music for Film and Television. I realized that during all the time I had spent chasing my dreams of rock and roll stardom I had passed over many more attainable goals that could have helped me make a living doing what I love to do most, playing music. I also realized that accomplishing these goals would probably actually get me closer to where I wanted to be. Within six months of reading the article I had signed my first licensing deal with a publisher.
The first time I heard my music on Television was truly one of the most exciting moments of my life! After years of writing songs, taking guitar lessons and playing in bands, my music had, in an instant, been heard all over the world. It's hard to explain just how thrilling it is to see something you've invested so much hard work and passion in pay off. And beside the emotional high of hearing my music on Television I was also thrilled when a few months later I received a check for over $800.00 - for 55 seconds of airtime! Like I said, I didn't really start out with the goal of writing music for Film and Television, but I've always had the goal of getting my music heard and getting paid for it. Thanks to many different placements over the last few years, I've been able to accomplish both of these goals.
Why Your Music Is Needed If you've never paid attention to the background music used on television shows before, start listening! Music is a huge part of both TV shows and Films. It's used to enhance scenes and story lines. It's easy to ignore if you're not actively listening for it - even as a musician. But it's everywhere. Commercials, TV Shows, Video Games, Films, Websites and other mediums all use music as an important part of their presentation.
Much of the music that is used comes from independent musicians. Songwriters like you. The reason for this is that well known songs come with hefty licensing fees. It can cost tens of thousands of dollars to license a well known song. This is why many music supervisors turn to independent music as a cost effective way to use music in their productions. Depending on the production and budget, independent music is often used in lieu of "hit" songs. This provides a great opportunity for the independent musician looking to get started in the music industry. Think of it as the "minor leagues" of the music industry.
Aaron Davison is a Berklee College of Music Alumnus who has been working in the music licensing business for six years. His songs have been featured on several national television shows.
Laura Mam - ORIGINAL KHMER SONG - Pka Proheam Rik Popreay
The person who makes speeches in the public is called the speaker. From the response given by the public, the person will be characterized as, whether he is a good or bad speaker. A motivational speaker is a professional speaker who makes use of certain techniques to grab the attention of the audience. They are the ones, who inspires and motivates the audience through their speech.
Guidance to emerge as a motivational speaker: Only the persons, who have spoken up in numerous public meetings and who do not have any stage fear could become a motivational speaker. So to become a motivational speaker, you should have spoken a lot in the public. The following are some of the guidelines which guide you to become an inspirational speaker. 1. Share your life experience: First, speak about your own life. List down the goals you have achieved in your life starting from college graduation, job, to come over bad habit or achieving some lifelong dream. Sharing your life experience with others shall be an inspiration for others.
2. Identify what you have to deliver: It’s actually a fact that people listen to the life of only famous personalities. Even a common man can deliver an excellent speech, but the people should be ready to listen to it, for which you have to find out, how far your speech helps people in solving problems, to achieve their goals and to enhance their life condition.
3. Choose a leadership: Using an example to explain things works out in many places. So, while giving speech, try to choose some leadership as example, because people like to hire experts.
4. Get to know about your audience: First get to know about your audience and then you can deliver your speech. The audience can be characterized on the following categories such as age, gender, interests or any other traits that distinguish one group from other. So, once when you go to know about your audience, you shall start to deliver your speech.
5. Before making out speech, it is always good to write down your speech. Confidence, credibility and enthusiasm are the some of the characters which help you to succeed as a powerful speaker. Prepare and publicize materials through which you can promote your speech. You can invite some potential employers to see you speak or you could send them your materials. So, that after listening to your speech, the employers might approach you. When you promote your speech through materials, some companies can seek you to work for them.
Duties of a motivational speaker: - Educate the listeners. - Conduct seminars and workshops, encourage people to achieve their goals. - Helps people to surpass their goals. - Create and develop keynote speech to develop in a variety of venues. - They make visit to schools, companies and to many organizations to deliver speech and talk. On the whole, they will motivate and inspire people.
Can the Fundamental Principles of Non-fiction Writing be Applied to Fiction?
I have never written fiction and never intended to. My 40-year career has been in journalism and marketing communication. However, a few months ago someone who had read my book on expository (non-fiction) writing and speaking contacted me to ask if I could help her with some fiction projects. I was inclined to say "no", because I couldn't really see what my kind of writing had to do with hers. By chance, a few weeks earlier I had came across a compilation of comments on writing by noted novelists and was struck by the similarity of what they had to say and what I had say. So I decided to give it a try.
The lady asked me to look at a novel she had written a few years earlier. We will first analyze the prologue of the novel according to some key principles and practices of expository writing, then look at how it was revised.
But first, what are these key principles? There really are only three of them. However, if properly understood and applied, they cover most writing situations, both creative and expository.
A. Clarity Principle
Being clear is not a matter of personal appreciation. According to the clarity principle, to be clear you must do three things: 1. Emphasize what is of key importance. 2. De-emphasize what is of secondary importance. 3. Eliminate what is of no importance.
If you follow the formula, before you start writing you must first determine what is of key importance, i.e. what are the key ideas you want your readers to take away from your text?
This is not always easy. It is far simpler to say that everything is of key importance, so you put in everything you have. However, unless you do the work of defining what you really want your readers to know, they won't do it for you. They will simply get lost in your text and either give up or come out the other end not knowing what they have read.
Next, you must be certain to de-emphasize what is of secondary importance. Why? Because if you want your readers to recognize and retain the key ideas, you don’t want them to get lost in the details. Details (information of secondary importance) explain and support the key ideas. They must never overwhelm them.
Finally, you must eliminate what is of no importance. Why? Because any information that adds nothing to explaining and supporting the key ideas will tend to obscure them. This is exactly the opposite of what you want.
B. Conciseness Principle
According to the conciseness principle, your text should be as:
1. Long as necessary
2. Short as possible
"As long as necessary" means covering all the key ideas you identified under “clarity”, and all the information of secondary importance needed to explain and support them. Note that nothing is said about the number of words, because it is irrelevant. If it takes 500 words to be "as long as necessary", then 500 words must be used. If it takes 1500 words, then this is all right, too.
"As short as possible" means staying as close to the minimum as you can, because all words beyond the minimum tend to damage clarity. Subconsciously, readers will continually be trying to understand why those words are there, and will be continually failing because they serve no purpose.
Anything that doesn't add to the text, subtracts from it.
C. Density Principle
According to the density principle, you text should contain:
1. Precise information
2. Logically linked
Using precise information aids clarity. For example, if you say it is a “hot” day, what do you mean? One reader might interpret hot as 24° C, while another might interpret is as 36° C. However, if you say the temperature is 28° C, there is no room for interpretation - or misinterpretation.
Using precise information also generates confidence, because it assures your readers that you really know what you are talking about. This helps to hold their attention, making it easier to get your points across.
To these three fundamental principles of expository writing, I would like to add a specific technique. Analyze each sentence or passage you write to see what question it may raise in the reader's mind. Then answer it!
Usually these questions will be subconscious; the reader won't even be aware of them. However, a lengthening list of "what is this?" and "why is that?" will inevitably cause the reader's mind to wander away from what you are trying to say. When it has wandered far enough, it is unlikely to come back.
The reader will complain that the text is shallow, boring, insipid or confusing. And he will be right.
Analysis
Below you will find the "Analysis" of the prologue of the novel. For best benefit, you should probable read the text straight through, ignoring the comments in parentheses. Next, re-read with the comments. Finally, compare this original with the "Revision", produced by applying the above principles.
The purpose of the prologue is to: 1) Introduce the principal characters 2) Outline the plot 3) Generate a sense of mystery and expectation These are the key ideas; everything in the text should bend to them
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Aurora searched for his signal as the 737 taxied past her. (Where is she? Could she possibly be on the tarmac?). She saw nothing, but her belief didn’t waver. (Is she expecting some kind of major event?)
As the aircraft rolled almost out of sight, she noticed two distinct flashes. It was Mitch. As always, he’d remembered. Almost a year ago, they’d devised a system of code to communicate from the terminal to the plane when she’d complained that she couldn’t see in the tiny jet’s windows – a flash of his silver business card case meant that he loved her and he’d be back soon. (Hardly the major event suggested earlier.)
And she knew he would, considering the long-awaited engagement ring he’d just given her before he boarded – a solitary white diamond with heart shaped clusters on both sides and smaller diamonds embedded on the band. (Would a man really give a woman an engagement ring at an airport just before flying off to leave her for a week?)
Over fifteen minutes passed and finally the plane’s engines whined into action. Heaving greatly, the Rolls Royce motors overcame the aircraft’s stagnant weight and the immense mass accelerated down the long tarmac strip. Once having gained speed, it only took a small flick of the wing’s flaps and the steel structure effortlessly rose into the air and was magically in flight. (This seems a rather dramatic description of a plane taking off, particularly for people like Aurora and Mitch, who are used to flying. What is the purpose of this description?)
Aurora breathed a sigh of relief that was echoed by the few relatives that had remained on both sides of her – a petite woman, a young girl, a man. The plane was away safely. (More drama about the airplane taking off. Is this paragraph really necessary?)
She dabbed her forehead with a handkerchief Mitch had given her. GMA it was initialized – Greg Mitchell Adderby – silver-haired, he was her boss, her mentor, her first real love (how old is she?). She breathed in the Antheus scent that still clung to it – his scent. Then she rubbed the sweat of her palm (still concerned about the takeoff?) against the jeans he’d bought for her at Harrods in London on their first excursion together, her first trip out of America. Ruby red denim. They were his favorite color, just like the ties he always wore. That was only a year ago.
She’d become so much a part of Mitch’s life since then, his wisdom and maturity a guide to her (how old is Mitch?). He had promised to protect her (against what?). And she marveled at the company he co-founded (with whom?), Rad Foods International, a distribution company for fresh and irradiated fruits and vegetables, a place where she could work happily, sometimes even excel.
But now he was gone. What would she do for a week? (Doesn't she work in the company?) How she wished she hadn’t had to stay behind for the awards dinner, Young Business Designer of the Year. But she was proud of the achievement and the recognition. In his absence, Mitch had arranged for Gerard Marques, their lead salesman, to accompany her. “There’s no one else I’d rather rely on,” he had told her. (Aurora seems to have won award. For what? What kind of work does she do?)
On the plane, Mitch fumbled nervously with his briefcase (why "nervously"?). Then he stared out the window and caught a glimpse of Aurora in the oversized terminal window. Long, flowing, dark brown hair. Long waist, long, slender limbs. Even from a distance, the brightly dyed jeans and fire-engine angora sweater that clung to her svelte frame were a beacon to him. “My ray of sunshine,” he whispered, and breathed deeply, pensively. (Where is Mitch going? Where is he leaving from?)
As her tall figure dwindled to a mere dot, he took off his seatbelt and turned his neck almost backwards, straining to see her for a few more seconds.
Suddenly, the plane jerked. He was lurched abruptly, and a searing pain bolted from his head down his spine. He faced forward again and rubbed his sore neck. “Oh,” he cried, as the plane wrenched him another excruciating time, on this occurrence with even more force.
“For God sake man, get your head down,” a bearded man next to him yelled. (Why bearded? This seems to be a gratuitous detail, shifting reader attention away from Mitch.)
“What?”
“Get your head down.”
Confused, Mitch obeyed the strict command and plunged his chest to his knees, gripping onto the silver card case through the chest pocket of his black Armani suit (is this dramatic moment an appropriate time to describe what Mitch is wearing?).
“Fire,” someone screamed from the economy section. “It’s the engine.” (Why economy section? Should we assume that Mitch is in business or first class? With the plane in crisis, does it really matter?)
“Place your head between your knees and be calm,” a shrill female voice wailed over the loudspeaker. (Would a trained stewardess "wail" in a "shrill voice"?) Her words were barely audible over the chaos.
As the aircraft reeled again, a luggage rack jarred opened above them, and a vivid fuchsia bag smashed into the aisle, its zipper bursting – bras, socks, and underwear spilling out. So steep was the jet’s angle now that the clothes tumbled down the length of the aisle with the ease of marbles. (Enumerating the contents of the bag shifts reader attention away from Mitch. Is it relevant?).
Next to Mitch, two women were sobbing hysterically. “This can’t be happening,” one screamed. (Once again, reader attention is shifted away from Mitch. Why?)
Unexpectedly, the doors of another overhead compartment swung open, this time hurling yellow cups onto the already frightened passengers (Is this sentence necessary?).
“Put on your seatbelt…” the bearded man shouted to Mitch from beside him. His hands fumbled to obey.
On the ground, Aurora swore that the plane lurched unevenly. It wasn’t ascending anymore. Suddenly, it made another wrenching motion and then pitched itself downward.
“My God,” she cried, looking fearfully at the dangerous angle. Everyone around her at the Niagara Falls terminal gaped at the scene. (Why this shift of attention away from Aurora just when it has been re-established?) The plane was only a few hundred yards off the ground, with no hope of enough room to level out for a smooth landing.
Suddenly, the aircraft tilted sideways and turned back towards the building. A colossal burst of fire spewed from the engine.
“They’re gonna die!” someone screamed.
“No!” Aurora pleaded as the metallic mass dropped to the asphalt with a force that violently quaked the ground, as if a Goliath was tumbling to earth. (This seems to be a gratuitous, distracting metaphor. Is it necessary?) The plane’s wing scraped along the airstrip with a deafening noise, and thick choking puffs spilled out of the hull.
An explosion blew out the left jet, and flames began raging.
Aurora was sure that Mitch was in one of the windows. She was with him – she envisaged the last time they’d eaten a romantic dinner together, the last time he'd snuck a kiss at work, the last time they’d made love– He was reaching out to her. (This seems a distracting interlude during a crisis. Is it necessary?)
Finally, the lamed giant skidded to a standstill on the tarmac just in front of the window where she stood.
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The scene continues in very much the same manner, i.e. raising questions that aren't being answered, unnecessary shifts of attention, distracting details, etc.
Revision of the Prologue
Here is the revision. See how application of the three expository writing principles (clarity, conciseness, density) and the question & answer technique have altered it.
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Aurora looked out of the terminal window, searching for his signal as the 737 taxied past her. She hadn't yet seen it but she knew she would. As the aircraft rolled almost out of sight, she caught sight of what she had been waiting for, two distinct flashes. It was Mitch.
Almost a year earlier, she had complained that she couldn't see him through the tiny jet's windows, so they had devised their private signally system. A flash of his silver business card case meant that he loved her and would soon return.
And there it was. They had used the system many times over the past year, but this time was special. Just before boarding, he had given her what she had been praying for, an engagement ring. It was in the form of solitary white diamond with heart shaped clusters on both sides and smaller diamonds embedded on the band.
Mitch had planned to give it to her after his return, but as he said, "I just couldn't wait. "That was just like Mitch," Aurora thought. Generally cool, calm and methodical, but capable of occasional flashes of appropriate spontaneity.
The moment he put it on her finger, all of Aurora's girlish dreams about an elegant candle-lit dinner, a romantic moonlight stroll along the river, and maybe even her suitor down on one knee, instantly vanished. Mitch was as eager as she. That was all that mattered.
At the age of 26, she had of course been in love before. But never like this. It couldn't have been like this.
The plane rested on the tarmac a good 15 minutes. Finally, its powerful Rolls Royce engines roared into action. It began taxiing down the runway, gathering the speed necessary to lift its heavy mass into the sky.
Aurora withdrew the handkerchief Mitch had given her from her purse. It bore the initials GMA - Gregory Mitchell Adderby. She briefly pressed it to her nose and breathed in the Antheus scent that still clung to it – his scent. Oh yes, she had been in love before, but never like this.
Just over a year ago, Mitch had been only her boss, but then became her mentor, her lover. And now her soon-to-be husband.
She touched the engagement ring he had put on her slender finger less than 30 minutes ago. Each time Mitch had gone away before, the days had dragged. But how was she going to get through the coming week now.
Mitch was on his way to the Young Business Designer of the Year awards dinner in Chicago, where he was to be honored. At 31, Mitch was still a boyish-looking if silver-haired entrepreneur. Six years ago, he and a university buddy had founded Rad Foods International, a rapidly growing distribution company for fresh and irradiated fruits and vegetables. Still small compared to its competitors, the company was generally recognized a real comer and would soon take its place among the big boys.
On the plane, Mitch was at a window seat, head turned back trying to catch a last glimpse of Aurora through the oversized windows of the Niagara Falls air terminal. Flowing auburn hair, long waist, slender limbs. Even at this distance, he could make out the ruby jeans and fire-engine red angora sweater he had bought her a few weeks ago when they were in London. “My beacon, my ray of sunshine,” he whispered.
As Aurora's svelte figure dwindled to a dot, Mitch took off his seatbelt and started to open his briefcase. Suddenly, the plane lurched and he was thrown forward, hitting his head against the seat in front of him. He straightened up, rubbing his sore neck and just beginning to feel pain radiating down his body. The plane lurched again.
“For God sake man, get your head down!” yelled the man across the aisle.
“What?”
“Get your head down, you idiot! The plane is going to crash!”
There was no doubting the authority in the voice, so Mitch obeyed. He thrust his chest to his knees, gripping the silver card case through the chest pocket of his jacket.
“Fire! It's the engine!” someone screamed.
Then a sturdily dispassionate but slightly wavering female voice came over the loudspeaker: “Ladies and Gentlemen, please place your head between your knees and remain calm.”
As the plane lurched again, an overhead luggage rack jarred opened. A fuchsia lady's traveling case crashed to the floor, spilling out a rainstorm of equally colorful intimate apparel – bras, panties, stockings, nighties.
"Quite a show," Mitch thought, trying to calm is rapidly fraying nerves. But the respite lasted only a moment.
“Put your damn seatbelt on!" thundered the man across the aisle. Mitch fumbled to comply, but never quite made it.
On the ground, Aurora was watching the scene in horror. The plane was no longer rising. Instead, it was wobbling from side to side as if trying to make up its mind which way to go. Abruptly, it pitched downward.
“Oh my God,” Aurora cried, her heart pounding and droplets of sweat pearling on her forehead.
Suddenly, there was a bright flash and a torrent of fire and smoke gushed from the plane's fuselage.
“It's going to crash! They’re all going to die!" someone shouted.
“No!” Aurora pleaded as the stricken aircraft plummeted out of the sky. Just before hitting the ground, the pilot regained some kind of control. He sent it along the runway. It screamed and screeched as its crippled undercarriage gouged huge trenches in the tarmac along its path.
Another explosion, more fire and smoke. Finally, the plane skidded to a stop just in front of the window where Aurora was standing.
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To answer the question at the beginning: Can the principles of non-fiction (clarity, conciseness, density) be applied to fiction? Indeed, they can. And with considerable effect. So if you have always wanted to write fiction but felt it was beyond you, why not give it a try? You may be better than you think.
Philip Yaffe is a former reporter/feature writer with The Wall Street Journal and a marketing communication consultant. He currently teaches a course in good writing and good speaking in Brussels, Belgium. His recently published book In the “I” of the Storm: the Simple Secrets of Writing & Speaking (Almost) like a Professional is available from Story Publishers in Ghent, Belgium (storypublishers.be) and Amazon (amazon.com).
Philip Yaffe is a former writer with The Wall Street Journal and international marketing communication consultant. Now semi-retired, he teaches courses in persuasive communication in Brussels, Belgium. Because his clients use English as a second or third language, his approach to writing and public speaking is somewhat different from other communication coaches. He is the author of In the “I” of the Storm: the Simple Secrets of Writing & Speaking (Almost) like a Professional. Contact: phil.yaffe@yahoo.com.
Would You Like To Write Classified Ads That Make Money Online
Copyright (c) 2009 Bob Tracz
Classified ads are an effective and low cost way to start and grow any business.
These small, relatively inexpensive ads, give the beginner an opportunity to advertise his product or service without losing his shirt if the ad doesn't pull or the people don't break his door down with demands for his product.
Classified ads are written according to all the advertising rules. Classified ads say as much as larger space ads on in fewer words.
To start learning how to write good classified ads, study classified ads from different mail order type publications or online. Follow the Google adword format. That format forces you to write good copy..
Analyze each of these ads: How has the writer attracted your attention - why does the ad hold your interest - does it grab you so you want to learn more - and finally, what action must you take? Are all of these points covered in the ad? How strongly are you "turned on" by each of these ads?
Rate these ads on a scale of one to ten, with ten being the best according to the formula I've given you. In fact, every ad you see from now on, quickly analyze it, and rate it somewhere on your scale. If you'll practice this exercise on a regular basis, you'll soon be able to quickly recognize the "Power Points" of any ad you see, and know within your own mind whether an ad is good, bad or otherwise, and what makes it so.
Rewrite the best ads for an hour a day so get the flow. Get the "feel" for writing classified ads.
Pick ads you consider bad and break out those pencils, erasers and scratch paper - and start rewriting these ads to include the missing elements.
For a month practise writing these ten ads.
Once you're satisfied that the ads you've rewritten are perfect, go back into each ad and cross out the words that can be eliminated without detracting from the ad.
EXAMPLE CLASSIFIED AD: Save on your food bills! Reduced prices on every shelf in the store! Stock up now while supplies are complete! Come on in today, to Jerry's Family Supermarkets!
EDITED FOR PUBLICATION: Save on Food! Everything bargain priced! Limited Supplies! Hurry! Jerry's Markets!
It takes dedicated and regular practice, but you can do it. Understand the formula - practice reading and writing the good ones - and rewriting the bad ones to make them better. Practice, and keep at it, over and over, every day - until this style of writing becomes ingrained into you. This is the ONLY WAY to gain expertise in writing good classified ads.
Discover to create music Rap - tips for writing rap lyrics
If you want to learn to write rap music, then check this out. You are some ideas to write rap songs.
Do you know tips on how to produce a title for the rap song? We'll give some suggestions Tips on how to get a title to the song. One of the things about the title is that when you arrive with a title, it will give an idea what to write on the inside of your song. Note that the title is usually the most memorable part of the song. History is defined on the song.
Tip 1 - Make the title something that is pleasing to the ear
You want to ensure that the title is an initiative for the rest of the song. You want people to like the title so much they want to hear the rest of the song. The title is the signature of the song. It describes not only the song but also you, as a composer.
Tip 2 - Read newspapers and magazines
Study newspapers and magazines. Study titles and headlines. Read or watch what you liked? What did you like? What attracted you to a specific title? What in the title grabbed your attention? Notice or pay compensation for the action words, descriptive terms and short terms in the title. It is possible to maintain a page in his diary that similar phrases or words that you might want to use at another time or in their own titles. Write down the sentences in your journal.
Tip 3 - Watch TV or read a book
The next time you sit down and watch TV, watch it from a different angle. Look for phrases or titles that will catch your account and create such that magazine. Study the words and discover what was so attractive about them. Was the statement or the way the sentences were put together? Was the rhythm and rhyme of words? You can use these phrases as a model for their own degrees.
Use these ideas to help generate a title for the rap song. As the function in the title, do not forget the importance of the title to the success of his song. Remember to take time to work on the development of you title of the song.
Are you interested in getting your movie ideas discovered not only by producers of films, but also by the movie going public? Then you have to stop thinking about creating movies and start writing your movie ideas on paper. The only way they are going to get your movie ideas from your head to the screen is if you really put a bit of work to the ideas of the film.
When was the last time you went to the movies and think to yourself "I can do better than that!" If you have been going recently, you probably said to himself very often. And you can probably do better than what's in theaters now. It seems that Hollywood has run out of ideas and just have to hash up plots ever. If you have something better, you owe it to the public to put it on paper and have discovered so that they can do in a movie. Who knows - may be to accept the Oscar at the next Academy Awards presentation.
So how do you get your ideas from your head and the head of any producer to be built in a movie? Here are some tried and true methods:
Contact a producer or his representative
Pick up the phone and find an agent or producer who is agreed to meet with you. You may have to blow your own horn a bit to try to get this to happen, but once you establish a meeting of producers all the time, one step ahead, your idea to the producer. If he likes, he might want to know more. If not, you do not hear from him again, despite his promises tone.
The drawback of this method is that it costs money to producers to take lunch and can also be very frustrating trying to get a producer agree to have a meeting with a stranger. Be very persistent and not let rejection bother.
Write your own script
You know how to write a script? You can do this by getting a book on how to write a script and following the examples in the book. A script is about 120 pages and tells the story mostly in the dialogue. The script is basically an idea for a movie, but not the movie script itself. The film are exposed for director and screenwriter for them to add more dialogue. You must be familiar with film and terminology in order to write an effective script. Then you have to treat either for yourself or field to get an agent to launch it for you. The problem of getting an agent is that you can not get one if you have nothing sold and will struggle to get anything sold without an agent.
Use a movie site
Get your movie ideas really out there in a movie idea website. You can find a website with the idea of film that will allow you to publish your ideas and even get feedback movie of other writers. Some sites will actually work with producers to reach an agreement if their ideas are intriguing enough film to be converted into a movie. The best aspect of using a movie site to post their ideas movie is that you can get instant feedback as to how the film is received and a chance to get discovered by a producer.
About the Author
Ray Subs is a freelance writer and consultant who is working with Ashley Conway with Make'N Movies. He can be reached at http://www.makenmovies.com
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How Writing Radio Can Help You Become a Better Writer
Knowing how to write, and write well, is a skill that will come in handy in all sorts of situations. And if you combine good writing skills with the persuasive selling tactics found in, say, copywriting, you'll be that much more ahead of your competition.
Of all the different types of writing I've done in my life (and believe me, I've tried practically all of them), writing radio has made one of the bigger impacts on my writing style.
Below are three ways writing radio can help strengthen your writing style. (Oh, and these tips will also help you write better radio copy too.)
1. Follow the rules. Sometimes rules are good, especially rules that force you to write a certain way. (Think poetry -- mastering those rules can have an amazing effect on your writing style.) Rules require you to slow down and think, to analyze your word, sentence, grammar, punctuation, etc., choices. And that can be very beneficial to your development as a writer.
Radio is short. You have to write something that fits into a 30- or 60-second slot. Not a lot of time or a lot of words. In that 30 or 60 seconds, you need to capture the listener's attention, explain why they should be interested in buying what you're selling, then let them know what you'd like their next step to be. Oh, and did I mention you need to have the business name in there at least twice and probably a tag line as well? And don't forget about music. Or sound effects.
Now the beauty of this is once you've mastered radio rules, you can apply it to all sorts of things. A 30-second pitch for your business you can tell people at networking events. A 15-second introduction before a speech. A quick product spiel for your voice mail. A 15-second pitch for your novel to spit out at agents and editors at writers' conferences. The possibilities are endless.
2. Forces you to write tight. Remember, radio is short. Yet, there's still a lot you have to shove into it. So what's the solution? Absolutely no extra words allowed.
Be brutal. Cut out anything you don't need. In fact, radio is where I first learned to start cutting "that" out. Most "thats" you don't need, and nothing shows you this like radio.
Here's how I write radio. I start with a first draft. I read it over. I think it's pretty good -- I have all the salient points in there. I read it out loud.
Now the fun begins.
Usually it's too long. You see, I time myself reading. So I have to start chopping words.
When you have to make a script fit into a certain time frame, it's amazing how many words you suddenly discover can be deleted. Or replaced with simpler, shorter words. Or how many sentences can be trimmed. Or phrases made more concise.
As you can imagine, writing radio has really honed my editing skills.
3. Writing for the ear. Writing for the ear is different than writing for the eye. The eye is far more forgiving. Oh that sentence is a bit too long, but it's okay. Hmm, yes I do see that awkward phrase, but I'm fine with it.
Not the ear. The ear is brutal. It's like one of those headmasters from a Dickens' novel, standing in front of the classroom with a stick and banging it every time a student stutters on an answer.
The ear catches everything -- sentences that are too long and don't allow you to take a breath; sentences that don't flow properly; long, complicated five-dollar words that twist the tongue in a knot and much, much more.
Focus on writing shorter sentences. Simpler sentences. Vary your sentences. Use simple words.
And that's just plain good old writing advice no matter what you happen to be writing.
Creativity Exercises -- Write a Radio Ad
Now it's your turn. Time to sit down and write a radio ad.
First, choose something you want the ad to be about. Maybe one of your products or services. But choose only one. More than one and you're just asking for trouble. (Rule of thumb -- one message per ad. No more. Otherwise you run the risk of losing your target market. Pick one message and make it very simple and very clear.)
Now do what I do. Write the ad. Start by keeping it under a general word count -- 100 words for a 30-second ad and 190 words for a 60-second spot.
Finished your first draft? Great. Now read it. And time yourself. (Those clocks on the computer desktop are great for this.)
What, you went over your limit? Better start cutting. See how many words you can take out and sentences you can tighten. Or replace words and phrases with something shorter.
Now read it again. Still too long? Or maybe now it's too awkward. See previous paragraph. Keep repeating until you end up with something that sounds smooth and fits in the allotted time.
About the Author
Michele PW (Michele Pariza Wacek) is your Ka-Ching! marketing strategist and owns Creative Concepts and Copywriting LLC, a copywriting and marketing agency. She helps entrepreneurs become more successful at attracting more clients, selling more products and services and boosting their business. To find out how she can help you take your business to the next level, visit her site at http://www.MichelePW.com. Copyright 2008 Michele Pariza Wacek.
Writing Narrative Essays Should be a Relaxing Task
in writing narrative essays, the writer usually makes a point. But the exciting part of it is that the writer can loosen up. He/she can relax from thinking if the essay would be effective to persuade or present argument. Experiences of the writer is taken account in this kind of essay. It can be considered as reflection or exploration of the writer's beliefs and principles.
The most important element in writing narrative essays is the story it should contain. This kind of essay is similar to storytelling, except that it is written. When the writer have already decided what topic would be narrated, the introduction should follow. It must be an interesting introductory paragraph that will excite the readers and, at the same time, would determine what kind of narrative essay it is. Inclusion of anecdotes is strongly recommended since the essay is a story. It is alright to add dialogues as long as the punctuations are correct and is not used excessively.
The topic chosen should be suggestive for the reader to reflect on the essay's point. Words used in writing the essay should indicate a lively and new style of writing. It means that cliches should be avoided. The writer must find an interesting and new way of writing the chosen issue. Always remember the basic part of a story because it will be applied in creating the essay. After the introduction, there would be the body of the essay equivalent to the body of the story.
Similar with stories, essays in this format also have the climax and denouement. Climax in the essay is where everything is revealed and the reader's excitement is awaken. The denouement, on the other hand, is the conclusion of the essay. It is where reasons why such thing had happened will be located. It is a wrap-up for the story. This part also have the point of the essay which the reader must know and understand. It is where the message of the essay is stated for the reader to think of.
Unlike in other essays, writing narrative essays allow the writer to use a first person point of view since it is based on personal experiences. It allows the writer and the reader to have an intimate conversation. Aside from it, it also makes the reader to be an active agent. Creativity also captures the reader's attention. It is not only the first and last paragraph that should be developed to become interesting.
Every paragraph that composes the essay should retain an interesting status in order for the reader to finish it and will not be bored of the stories included in the essay. Since it is similar with a story, the essay should be written in an organize manner. After creating the concluding paragraph, review the finished article and look for uncertain descriptions and think of other words that is more suitable to use.
Remember that choosing the right words make the essay more credible and easier to understand since the writer and the reader share the common meaning of words. This is done to make sure that the story has a good concluding paragraph that contains the true message of the story.
HOW TO MAKE ESSAY WRITING AN INTERESTING WRITING EXERCISE?
Writing is a comprehensive exercise that is intended to enhance writing skills in students of every level. This is because; every student has to be judged for his/ her skills on the basis of writing academic papers. Essay writing has been the oldest trend to check students’ abilities and to measure the improvement in them. Many tutors considers essay writing a standard exercise to check what their students have learned throughout the year? Since, essay writing assignments has always sounds boring to students, we have helped the tutors to implement a few interesting methods in class rooms as a writing activity. To make essay writing an interesting exercise, a few methods are jotted down for your ease. • To make students write, a tutor has to understand that mostly students’ fears of writing on academic writings so, try to make them write a few paragraphs on their favourite activities or interests. Their favourite T.V show, or any cartoon character will help them to write on it interestingly. • Make some small colourful cards and allow them to write any interesting topic on it, twist and shuffle the cards and allow them to take out any one of their choice. Ask them to write a few sentences on it first to let them brainstorm different ideas • For homework, ask them to bring newspaper cutting on any news story of their interest, and then make them write on it in the class the very next day, make them explain their viewpoints to other fellows as well. • Students are mostly interested in competitions; organise one such activity for your class work and arrange some small prizes for your students to create interest. • Another interesting way is to make them read or watch their favourite book or movie, and ask them to write about their favourite character or the moral of the story significantly. Ensure your students that essay writing is not that boring; it is an effective way to communicate your thoughts and enhance your abilities of reading, researching, observing and writing.
About the Author
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