Pages

Sunday, February 27, 2011

My Thoughts on...

So this was the last week in my Script Analysis and Criticism class, and you know what? I learned so much from it!

I learned that no matter the length of a script, or who wrote it, if there is no clear Act I: inciting incident, that sets off the key incident, that would then move the story to  plot point I, then the rest of the Acts would definitely not work.

Oh the ways of screenwriting.

This of course I was able to see through reading Rob Zombies script, House of 1000 Corpses. Frankly I had a very hard time reading this...

But now I am able to detect the inciting incidents, key incidents, plot point I, mid point (around page 60 or 60 minutes into the movie), plot point II, and finally the ending...

Boy... that was a mouthful.

I realize that what I now know will definitely be an advantage for me when it comes to not only reading other writer scripts, but when I write my own as well.

This new knowledge will also help me when I start writing my comic script...

Now For...


Tomorrow I begin my class on Film Screenwriting and Story Boarding...

YUP! I shall be using Toon Boom... sure I know that some of my classmates will see it as a waste of time and you know what, that's fine...

After all everyone has a right to have their own opinions on the matter...

But I see this with an open mind and also as a way to expand my skills...

Hmm...

I might just be a hungry writer that likes to learn from anything that is giving to me. 

Till Next Time

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Bunny Drop... Say What?!

So a week ago over at Twitter I saw a link for this trailer... now as a fan of Jdrama and Kdrama I figured I should check it out...

Seriously I loved it!





Of course I did some research, and found out that this is a movie (not a drama) based on a manga by the same name, Bunny Drop. Now the manga is available in the U.S through Yen Press, so I had to get it. There is an anime coming out later this year also...

I haven't been able to read it since I'm busy reading Pandora Hearts volume 2.... by the way... v2 was a shocker for me! I wasn't expecting what I read....

Anyhoo!!!


Here is my copy. Cutest thing ever!



























Now the one thing that caught my eyes was this:







Can you see the difference in length! Holy Moly!

I can't wait to read it, but just so you can have a snip as to what this is about, here, have the synopsis:

Going home for his grandfather's funeral, thirty-year-old bachelor Daikichi is floored to discover that the old man had an illegitimate child with a younger lover! The rest of his family is equally shocked and also embarrassed by this surprise development and not one of them wants anything to do with the silent girl, Rin. In a fit of angry spontaneity, Daikichi decides to take her in himself! But will living with this overgrown teenager of a man help Rin come out of her shell? And hang on, won't this turn of events spell doom for Daikichi's love life?!


An interesting synopsis don't you think? I hope the first volume is as good as it sounds . I will definitely  keep you all posted.

Till next time



Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Planning your Trip to Japan?

Lets face it, one of the many dreams an Otaku has is the one of getting on a plane and flying to Japan, at least for a week, and have the opportunity to explore it and see how much of a gap there is between fiction and real life...

Okay, that's not it (or is it?). The real reason is because after reading so much manga and watching so much anime we got brainwashed, and now have this itch (urge) to fly to Japan and experience it ourselves.

I'm not going to deny it, I too want to spend at least a week out there experience Japan first hand. That be cool, but I'm missing the one thing. The most important thing. The one thing that would make this a reality, money.

But for those of you out there who don't mind spending approximately $3,000 for your Japan trip then listen up because I have some great news for you. This of course is something I wanted to share with fellow Otakus 

A while back I stumbled upon popjapantravel.com, a website that coordinates and has the ideal Japanese tour just for you. And what I mean by ideal is that they have different packages to choose from:

Anime Inside Tour

Sakura Spring Tour (Great for spring break!)

Fangirl Paradise (Any Yaoi girls out there?)

Tokyo Wonderland...

Well you get the idea, and these are just a few!

So How Does it Work?


Okay, first of you would have to decide on the type of tour: Group tours, custom tours, student/club tours. Once that is set, then you choose your package.

The reason I mentioned $3,000 earlier was because for most of the packages this will include the trip, taxes, and personal spending(i.e., meals and personal purchases).

But prices do vary depending on the package you choose. The least expensive trip is around $1,950, but if you decide to get the early bird discount, then it would be $1,850; not much of a difference, but it still something to consider. Tuzki Bunny Emoticon

Now each package includes hotel accommodations, round-trip international fare, transportation to and from activities, professional bilingual tours and customized  guidebooks.

Personally

Yeah, it is a little pricey, but I think that in the long-run it would be a good buy. Not only will you be able to share this experience with others (depending on the tour you choose), but you will probably get to experience things you never even though about.

Now if you do decide on taking one of these trips, let me know! Since after all, I too want to go visit and explore Japan.

Till next time

Sunday, February 13, 2011

A Manga Series by the Name of Death Note v.1


 

 Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects - and he's bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal...or his life?
Light tests the boundaries of the Death Note's powers as L and the police begin to close in. Luckily Light's father is the head of the Japanese National Police Agency and leaves vital information about the case lying around the house. With access to his father's files, Light can keep one step ahead of the authorities. But who is the strange man following him, and how can Light guard against enemies whose names he doesn't know?
A story that involves a shinigami, a smart high school kid that is bored out of his mind, a notebook that can bring death to the names that are written in it, and Sherlock Holmes detective. A pretty interesting synopsis wouldn't you agree?

So lets break it down. 

Character

Light 

First of all he is the protagonist of this manga. Right from page one we get to see who Light is: smart, popular, attractive, do I dare say middle class, but most of all he's bored and believes that the world is corrupt; the last two thing are what drive this series.

Of course him finding the Death Note is what gives him the opportunity to change the world, and gives him the chance to try and create an oasis, HIS oasis. 

Yeah, the way I see it... Light is a Sociopath, and yes, I did some research on it and found out that signs of this particular disorder start showing up around the age of 15.

Gosh... Tsugumi-sensei sure did the research, and this totally shows it.

Ryuk

He is the shinigami that intentionally dropped the Death Note on earth. Just like Light, he was bored and wanted something to do, and as we read volume 1, we come to understand that he sees humans as a form of entertainment. He is also intrigued by Light.


Volume 1 gives us bits and pieces of his personality and right away we realized that he is going to be Light's biggest obstacle.

L is a well-known detective (a Sherlock Holmes) and clever as a mouse. His identity is not known by the reader and by Light during the first volume, so that was disappointing, but its what keeps some of us buying the manga, hoping to see who L really is. 

Story

I like the pace of the story. There is plenty of information giving to us, including what exactly is the Death Note. Although, what did amused me was that the rules on how to use this Death Note was a little to repetitive for me. In fact, I think I can come an use the Death Note if I ever see it on the ground one day. But most importantly this is an attention grabber and makes you want to buy the second volume just to see what happens next. 



Till next time 

  



Saturday, February 12, 2011

From Ramen to Maneki Nekos


So a few weeks ago, The Ramen Girl showed up on my "Top Picks For You" section on Netflix. Well I like Ramen, and not only was Brittany Murphy in it, but also Toshiyuki Nishida, who was in one of my all time favorite jdramas Tiger & Dragon, so of course I watched it.

Now seriously... if you can, go watch it; it was extremely cute, but be careful, because by the end of the movie you might want some ramen.

ANYWAYS!!!

So I've been dying for some ramen since than, but haven't had the time, that is, until today. Two of my siblings and I were going to head to Little Tokyo, but changed our minds and headed to this one ramen shop in Van Nuys named Kyushu Ramen.

The restaurant was of a decent size and rather  comfy, at least for me. Now about their food... their food was delicious! There was so much to pick from the menu, and I just couldn't decide between curry and ramen, I mean they both are yummy!!!!

Well, in the end my sister and I went with Ramen, while my brother decided on fried chicken with noodles and coleslaw. Gosh... it was all  

Here are some pictures, but I warn you, I'm no photographer.

My sister's ramen order. It had veggies, seafood, and of course pork.
          Okay, this is the chicken with the noodles, and coleslaw... believe me, it's good!


         


       As for me, I had ramen and of course some Asahi super dry draft beer,        yeah... this was extremely refreshing and it didn't taste like beer at all!




As for dessert, we shared an order of Banana Fritt. I would go here just for this!

AND then there was....


Well after a delish lunch we headed back to Santa Clarita and decided to go to Tokyo Japanese Lifestyle. Personally I never heard of this store until today, so of course I was curious to know what they carried.

They have a modest collections of items, but my favorite section was the one with the HUGE collection of Kingdom Hearts items; as a big fan I now know where to go.

I didn't get anything in particular, but this here caught my eyes:

So of course I had to get it.

And then, my sister decided to give me this:
A cute Maneki Neko (fortune cat). Now my sister said that this one in particular is to bring fortune so :crosses fingers: let's hope its true.Tuzki Bunny Emoticon




Till Next Time

Friday, February 11, 2011

To Cosplay or Not to Cosplay?

unrealitymag.com


Well that is the question you should be asking yourself  if you are in Los Angeles during the month of March, preferably if you are near the San Fernando Valley. 

On March 6, Fire Rose Production will be having its first ever cosplay contest. Now for  a small fee of $8.00 not only do you get to hear live music and sit down through some great comedy (while wearing your awesome outfit!), but you get to help this nonprofit organization raise funds for a special performance or art program. 

For example, this years proceeds will go to a special performance of Arigato kid... so if you have nothing better to do on Sunday, then put on your coolest cosplaying outfit and go, go, Go!

Now if you are like me, then go out there and have fun. Not only will you be admiring great cosplayers, but some well known voice-over actors will be having a "meet and greet" and will be judging this contest, so in a way, you never know what crazy thing could come out of it.


Till Next Time

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

With a Little Perseverance


As I have mentioned previously, my Character Development course was extremely hard, and no matter what I did, somehow it wasn't good enough, or at least, that's how I interpreted my professor's feedback. Now I am well aware that a character's backstory is very important. It's what makes him or her a real person. See, I knew that, but it just wasn't being reflected on my work.


I was getting frustrated and there were times when I thought I would have to retake the course. No joke! But today, after many days of obsessing over my school email, I received an email with my professor's notes on my characters portfolio.

Yes, my heart was thumping and I was thinking the end of the world was approaching, but one thing is certain, I didn't expect what I read.

My professor loved it!

He loved my protagonist backstory and history as well as my antagonist backstory and history. In fact, he felt my antagonist bio was touching.

Gosh, I felt accomplished after reading that.

I guess it's true what they say about not giving up and giving it your all.

Little by little, I feel I'm getting there, wherever there is.

Till Next Time

Sunday, February 6, 2011

The Week in a Post and Something Else

So this week I started my Script Analysis and Criticism class; I had to read three scripts: The Princess Bride, Taxi Driver, and The Sweet Hereafter.

The Sweet Hereafter was for this week's class discussion, which was something else. I haven't seen the movie, so it was an interesting read since it jumps from one event to another. I will not lie to you, there were times when I was reading that I would get SO confused. 

I did do some research on the movie though, and it was well received actually, so that was a surprised for me. Am I going to watch the movie?

Well, no. It wasn't one of those, "OMG! I have to see it" type of script. Then again, we all have different tastes Tuzki Bunny Emoticon.

Now the reason for the three scripts was because I then had to choose between Taxi Driver and The Princess Bride for this week's analyzing assignment.


And I chose........

 Yeah, I went with The Princess Bride and loved it! In fact, I rented the movie through Amazon.com, which is a great resource when I can't wait for Netflix, plus the price was decent.

The funny thing is that I just recently stumbled upon Amazon's Video on Demand!

Since when has it been there?

Anyways, the assignment was fun to do and I was exposed to a different way of looking at a script. Actually, I don't think I would mind analyzing scripts as a freelancer later on!





Now for the Something Else


So I finally had time to read Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman (I'm halfway through the book!!!!!!) while I was working earlier today, and as I was reading... I don't think I would've been able to deal with Spider the way Fat Charlie did! and then there was Spider just came and turned Fat Charlie's life upside down. Gosh... what a drag! came to mind.


I'm a Neil Gaiman fan, it can't be helped!Tuzki Bunny Emoticon

Have a wonderful week.





Till Next Time

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Sometimes You Need a Second Take...


During the month of December I pitched my story to the Creative Writing Masters of Fine Arts (CWMFA) Thesis Committee. They are the ones that say whether your story is a go, or if you need to tweak it, or if you just need to come up with something entirely different.

In other words they were the ones who said if the story was good enough or not.

Unfortunately during the beginning of January I was told my pitch wasn't approved, that it was missing something, but I sort of knew that too.... 

Flashback

After I finally got my bachelor's degree I didn't know what I wanted to do next. Like many other recent graduates I was at a lost, especially in this economy, so I started to focus a lot more on my writing... and the words of of my 5th grade teacher and from one of my English professors came to mind, "You should consider English or writing for a Masters..." and "Eva should just become a writer, she has the potential to do it."

I was hesitant at first. Am I good enough? I asked myself quite often, even though I knew that there were readers out there who liked my storytelling. But like all writers, I wasn't confident...

But when I found out that my sister was getting her Masters in Architecture... well that  made me want to go after one as well. Only that this time it was going to be something I wanted (not like my bachelors), so writing was the first thing that came to mind.

I wanted a Masters in Creative Writing. I wanted to write.

Now I should know that things never go as planned, and that's what happened. I stumbled upon the school I am in right now, but when I asked for information I was informed that this school was for the entertainment business. Sure I was hesitant at first, but I went for it in the end. After all, I wanted to write my own comics someday.

So here was another dilemma, I didn't have an idea for a script in mind... In fact writing for movies, television, games, and even animation had never crossed my mind!

I had entered the UNKNOWN.


But the unknown might be what I'm good at. Well that's what I've noticed recently....

Present

So after finding out my pitch was rejected I started to question myself. I wanted to know what I did wrong. What I didn't understand.

With the help of my instructor I was able to see my mistake(s). You can say I had an AHA moment (one of many actually) and I rewrote my entire story paradigm; I changed my entire idea and created something a bit different. Something I was confident in...
So earlier today I was informed that my pitch was approved. The best news EVER!


This is when I realized that it's not that it's not good enough, it's just that it CAN be better...

So no matter how crazy it is.

 Or how many times you might be rejected. 

Don't give up but find out how it can become what it HAS to be...

Because in the end,  there are times in life when you need a second take.

Till Next Time
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...