All posts tagged: Creative Close-Up

Creative Close-Up Courtesy of The Writer

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9.23.19 Hello again…Just one more post to put up. September is about to leave us soon and that means Creative Close-Up is here. For writers, amateurs to professionals we all have made some mistakes in writing an article to writing stories. Long or short. I found an article by Gail Rady for The Writer, which was published in August. I think this could be helpful, don’t you? The do’s and don’ts of dialogue Dialogue is a powerful tool. Do make it sound lifelike, don’t let it drone on forever. Learn the do’s and don’ts of writing in dialogue. Photo by Blan-k/Shutterstock I’m not talking just to hear my own voice,” Grace insisted. “I’ve got a big job here!” Indeed, she does. Or the dialogue does. Only in a raw beginner’s manuscript – or a creative writing student’s desperate attempt to meet a page requirement – does dialogue drone on simply to fill the airways. Dialogue is a powerful tool. Imagine for a moment gazing on a family reunion devoid of speech. Or try your favorite …

Creative Close-Up: Are Movie Trailers Revealing Too Much?

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6.24.19 When we see the latest trailer for a film, we get a bit excited, curious, and somewhat skeptical. For the last several years it seems that movie trailers are giving away a bit too much. That’s what most folks are saying. I don’t complain too much about it.  I haven’t been to too many movies, due to the fact that my other job keeps me exhausted. The last film I did see was Godzilla King of the Monsters. I truly loved it! It was everything I knew it would be. Of course, the storyline could’ve been a little bit better. As of yesterday, the film grossed $102,345,637 domestically, worldwide $349,945,637. Domestically it could’ve done better. When you think about it, the film was not a failure. Warner Bros. worked overtime with marketing, especially the trailers. Some people said that they felt like they have seen the whole movie while watching the trailers. That’s probably the problem.  Less is more right? Well, that depends. To get people to see films, studios big and small need to …

Creative Close-Up: Sharing Some Writing Gems…

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5.29.19 Hello, my creative pretties. It’s that time again for Creative Close-Up. Writers, there are times when we need to keep in touch with our craft. In other words, sharpening our skills. It doesn’t matter if your a biography, fiction, or non-fiction writer, we all need to hone our craft. I found an article from The Writer website titled Setting the tone: How to Handle Voice In Your Fiction by Jack Smith. Give it a good read, you just might learn something! Setting the tone: How to handle voice in your fiction Authors share tips for finding a voice that will suit your work and resonate with readers. BY JACK SMITH PUBLISHED MAY 16, 2019UPDATED MAY 17, 2019 In real life, we often speak of tone of voice: “What’s with that tone of voice?” Perhaps because it sounded impertinent or disrespectful; we picked up on an attitude we didn’t appreciate. At any rate, we know that the way words are said matters just as much – if not more – as the words themselves. In fiction, as in real life, …

Creative Close-Up: For the Artists…

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4.30.19 Hello everyone! I found an article from Art Business News that I wanted to share with you today. It’s by Katey Carey titled, How Artists Can Strong Impressions and Forge Relationships with Galleries. I hope you like and learn a few things from this article for those of you who are approaching and researching galleries to showcase your works. How Artists Can Make Strong Impressions and Forge Relationships with Galleries by KATIE CAREY You probably already know the basics of approaching a gallery. You have a solid portfolio of current work. You researched and targeted galleries that show relevant work. You polished your CV and artist statement. Everything has been prepared with care and you are ready to send it off and finally land representation from your target gallery. But, how can you ensure that you are making a strong impression? And what’s more, make sure you foster these important relationships? Here are just a few tips from gallerists, curators and artists on how to put your best foot forward and increase your opportunities in …

Creative Close-Up: 10 Tips On Writing Better Dialogue

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3.25.19 Good Afternoon! March is already about to leave us, but before that happens, let’s shake up something different with Creative Close-Up. This month I’ve searched what I could do with this post series and I found this… FILM COURAGE: 10 TIPS ON WRITING BETTER DIALOGUE For those wanting to break into the film industry, I hope this video has helped you to put your foot into the door! Enjoy the rest of your Monday, be blessed.    Featured image: Soundcloud

Black History Feature: Gordon Parks

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2.25.19 I wanted to turn Creative Close-Up into something different for February. It’s the last week of February and yes it’s still Black History Month. The late Gordon Parks is our focus for Black History Feature. Photographer, musician, writer, and film director, he was well known for documentary photojournalism.  A few facts on Parks: Was the first African American to produce and direct major motion pictures—developing films relating the experience of slaves and struggling black Americans, and creating the “blaxploitation” genre. Worked on a federal government project which focused on poor Americans during the 1940s, for his photographic essays for Life magazine. Directed the films The Learning Tree (1969) and Shaft (1971), along with The Super Cops (1974), Leadbelly (1976), and several others. When he was a teen, his first job was playing piano at a brothel. His song “No Love“, composed in another brothel, was performed during a national radio broadcast by Larry Funk and his orchestra in the early 1930s. In 1953, Parks composed Concerto for Piano and Orchestra. Parks was not only …

Creative Close-Up: Inside the Contemporary Art World

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1.28.19 Hello everyone! The last few days of January are upon us and it’s time for a creative close-up of a documentary film I just have seen on Netflix. Blurred Lines: Inside the Art World, explores the value of contemporary art. The film was released in September 2017. The docufilm directed by Barry Avrich speaks to gallerists, journalist, collectors, art critics, even the artists such as Marina Abramovic, Rashid Johnson, and Julian Schnabel.  The value of art can be tricky business, how about trying to find your target market…that is tricky too. I found this short review from Shayna Weingast on the Tribeca website.  “As one art scene insider proclaims, the contemporary art world can be summed up as “rich people trying to prove how rich they are,” but is that all there is to this billion dollar industry? Well-researched and expertly constructed, Barry Avrich’s eye-opening documentary peels back the layers of the art world economy- from production to circulation, and delineates every integral player in the game of art-making, including curators, gallerists, collectors, donors, auction …

Creative Close-Up: From ARTnews…

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11.26.18 Hello all…Doing something different for this post. Have found three articles from ARTnews. All three are archives for this month…respective. Hope you enjoy them and the rest of your Monday evening, be blessed.  Credit source: ARTnews   From the Archives: Walter Pach on Eugène Delacroix’s ‘Liberty Leading the People,’ in 1946 BY The Editors of ARTnews POSTED 11/23/18 10:00 AM    From the Archives: Looking at Laurie Simmons’s Work Over the Decades BY Alex Greenberger POSTED 11/16/18 12:29 PM     Then and Now: Warhol’s Back—Again BY The Editors of ARTnews POSTED 11/09/18 9:30 AM       Image source: (featured image: unknown)Eugène Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People, 1830.VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONSLaurie Simmons, Big Camera/Little Camera, 1976, gelatin silver print.COURTESY THE ARTIST AND SALON 94Andy Warhol, Before and After [4], 1962.©THE ANDY WARHOL FOUNDATION FOR THE VISUAL ARTS, INC. AND ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK/WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART, NEW YORK