#and mic changes because he had 18 mics and that had a huge cast

[s1ck-b1tch-2]

You know you’re a big production when there’s a stage left and stage right crew

#versus back when I was doing Matilda I did all costume and makeup changes #and did many set changes #and mic changes because he had 18 mics and that had a huge cast #when my sister went to fringe there were two crew members total #never worked with them together #but I’ve done several shows with the other guy and one with my sister #the show with my sister sucked #because it was my first time doing professional sound #and I was my sisters assistant #one of the cast members was also a dick #that was the only one I helped with casting for lol #they’d already picked the actors and I had to find characters for them #because it was a weird show #it was a 30 minute adaptation of Romeo and Juliet #and then 30 minutes of various Shakespeare scenes #my favorite show will always be Les Mis #I did a lot of work for it #having done a ton of roles and been assistant costumer #but it was so fun #the younger kids were doing frozen then which was such a pain #some of those kids hated me #and the Elsa dress was a bitch to make and to put on her

[stonerbughead]

Maria watches friday night lights (#36)

5x13, the series finale i have heard nothing but good things about - I made it y’all! *wipes tear* this is a show i will definitely rewatch! It definitely feels like the kind of show that’s so layered that every time you go back you’ll pick up something new. I love shows like that.

i haven’t been on tumblr on my computer in a long time but im gonna go through and add “read more”s to all of these recaps! 

(thanks to anyone who read these nonsense recaps! if you enjoyed these...in addition to my currently-on-hiatus riverdale podcast @bodysuitsforbughead, I have another teen drama-centered podcast in the works, follow @LeftyTeenDrama on Twitter and @leftistteendrama on Instagram to get updates when it launches! I’m taking a break on working on it till i move but it’s gonna be a big part of my 2021 projects. I’ve already recorded one episode with two of my favorite people in the world and it’s gonna be amazing. It will be about a variety of teen dramas, but FNL will definitely be included.)

and without further ado, my final FNL ramblings under the cut:

And we open with one last montage of shots around Dillon from a car, with a “Christmas in Texas” song playing. Amazing. 

Oh wow, I love the “FIVE DAYS TILL THE CHAMPIONSHIP” vibe. The build-up is already here. A shot of Julie in the stands watching practice! 

It’s super uncomfortable that people are talking to Vince about his “future teammates” on the Panthers before the post-season is even over.  “I don’t really wanan talk about that. I want to talk about how the East Dillon Lions are gonna win State.” “Is that a promise?” These Texas sports journalists are WILD. this is a teenage boy whose school’s funding just got cut right before the biggest game of his life! Can we have some sympathy?!

“I hear they’re taking the cream of the crop for the Superteam so I’m gonna be honest with you, what are you gonna do?” EXCUSE ME SIR? I repeat, TEENAGE BOY. Tinker’s response of “you’re an asshole” and storming away was more than appropriate!!!

“No comment”ing his way out of there like a champ.

Ah, the age-old tradition of decorating a Christmas tree while arguing about a five-year football coach contract in Dillon or a dean of admissions job offer at a prestigious Philadelphia college. Julie’s just sitting there with Gracie like ooooh boy 

“Here is where we put our tree, not Philadelphia! It’s a Texas tree.” OMG STOP IT. Lol Julie putting her hands over her ears.

YAY MATT SARACEN IS AT THE DOOOOORRRRR im so excited

Wow I did not expect this proposal to come that quickly into the episode! Like i knew it was coming in this episode but aw. They’re so soft! Just like, oh i’ve been thinking about you nonstop since our perfect Chicago tryst and oh look here’s grandma’s ring let me casually get down on one knee in the town where we fell in love. And after she was just talking about how much she misses Matt to Tyra the episode before? That “yes” she gave feels so certain because of it. Aw.

The grandma’s ring really fucks me up because you know how close Julie and Grandma Saracen have gotten over the years. My heart!

“Oh my God, your dad must’ve flipped.” “...What do you mean?” OH NO Eric Taylor is totally the type to care. “...When you asked him to marry me.” Oh I knew this proposal was too early in the episode, im dying!

“You need to go man to man.” Ugh Julie i liked Matt’s plan of just going and telling them much better. His look of fear when he repeats “man to man.” dead. 

Wow no theme song??? That’s how you know it’s gonna be a long series finale!

Andddd here we are, a bickering Riggins “I may or may not be going to Alaska.” “Is it because you raw dogged Tyra last night?” i literally gasped.

LMAO Mindy trying to say Tim and Tyra are incest now that Mindy and Billy are married and then Tim and Billy immediately being like “nope, no blood lines, that’s not how incest works.” Someone should send that memo to all those anti bughead stans about bughead and falice

“What do you think about me taking Stevie for the day?” “I’m fine with that. There’s no going back, I’m going to get the bag.” LOL Mindy spoken like a true parent also YES to Tim and Stevie spending time together.

Poor Jess not realizing that asking Eric if she can follow him to the Panthers is a much bigger question than she thinks se’s asking.

AWW Tim and Stevie at Grandma Collette’s. How cute. 

“Seven’s back in town?” “Yeah, he and Julie got engaged!” 

Tim/Tyra and Matt/Julie double date?? Aw I love that Tyra knows that Matt and Julie got engaged. I really love Tyra and Julie’s friendship. 

I’m laughing really hard at Matt’s speech to Eric trying to ask permission. This is so funny. 

Eric’s like, “is this kid serious rn?” 

Not to be that northern bitch but don’t kids get married at 18/19 all the fucking time in Texas?? I feel like it’s more common in even more rural parts of like...any state.

“The answer to your question is gonna be no today, it’s gonna be no tomorrow, and it’s gonna be no until the sun burns out.” LMAO wow i didn’t see this coming

“This was really just a courtesy, we were hoping for your blessing.” YES MATT.

OH BOY Eric did not just try to speak FOR his daughter, im not about it. “My daughter’s answer to you is ‘no.’” That’s some patriarchal shit right there.

“We’ll never know if we’re East Coast people if we don’t try it!” “We have a MUCH BIGGER problem.” Dude, it’s Matt Saracen, the softest boy who has loved your daughter for years, i actually think the fundamental decision of where you and Tami continue your future might be slightly more pressing. 

“I don’t know why you’re yelling at me! I think we agree on this!” IM SCREAMINGGGG 

Aw, Tami getting teary-eyed at Grandma Saracen’s ring. “It’s just, y’all are so young.” I know but this is a TV show universe so we let teen marriage slide for the right couples, ok. 

Tami and Eric wanna take Matt and Julie to A CONVERSATION DINNER??? This is gonna be so funny. 

Aw, Vince got his dad a ticket to state? “I want you to be there.” if this fucker doesn’t just come and shut his mouth

Oh wow Becky’s mom is finally coming back? And yay Becky’s finally over her Tim crush. “So friends?” “I say family.” AWWW MY HEART.

“You guys were our age when you got married.” ARE YOU SERIOUS? “It was a different time.” Y’all have no leg to stand on here.

“Marriage requires maturity.” Says the man who won’t let his wife take a huge job offer. What, who said that? (Okay the way Tami’s watching Eric give this speech about compromise, thinking she’s thinking the same thing.)

“You guys got married when you were my age, and how many times did you move? How many different things you’ve gone through and look how you’ve made it work. You guys are my inspiration.” AW. I wish my parents had a stable enough marriage to be able to say that LOL but nope.

OH NO poor Tami getting up from the table because she’s emotional! Because she’s clearly always thought of her marriage that way too but maybe not lately AH

Eric, babe, that’s your cue to follow. 

Oh shit, Jess’s family is moving to Dallas? Well, damn.

Eric saw Vince not take a ticket for his dad and came to his watering hole to hand deliver it? “Young man gets a chance like that maybe once in a lifetime.” and mic drop, walk away.

Luke casuaklly meeting Becky’s mom for the first time while coming by to try to win Becky back. “I love you. I’m so sorry.” AWWW. growth!

YES cheers to Matt and Julie! “Here’s to Mr. and Mrs. Saracen.”

“Always thought you’d be the first person to say that.” AW

Yes halfway through college, go Tyra!

Awwww, Matt being like “let’s dance” and pulling Julie up. So cute. Yes, Tim asking Tyra to dance. 

“I got plans.” “I don’t.” OMG is Tim saying he’ll just follow Tyra? Damn.

Why tf is Buddy calling Eric first thing in the morning to tell him about Buddy Jr.’s cast and “staying here el permanente” and GETTING HIM TO SIGN A CONTRACT BEFORE THE GAME? Y’all are shady as fuck!

I love that seeing the Braemore papers made him stop, tell Buddy off, and not make a decision in that moment. What’s gonna happen???

“I won’t be a part of your Superteam after all.” Hopefully Eric won’t be either! Aw Jess thanking him “for the greatest experience of his life.” “I think it’s been mine too.” AW.

Eric’s gonna give a coach in Dallas a good word for Jess? So beautiful. Yesss!

AW Julie and Matt decorating the Saracen Christmas tree, and Grandma trying to get Julie to wear her old wedding dress!

Emotional at this hug between Julie and Mrs. Saracen. “I love you.” “I love you too.”

Awww Vince finally being glad that Jess is part of the team...at the moment when it’s about to end.

Yess Tyra and Tim picnicking on the land? 

And YES to Tyra going into politics, I could see it! “Along the lines of Mrs. T. Except bigger.” YES GURL.

“I’ve been in love with you since I was five years old.” AWWW that is so precious. 

“I’m gonna build a house exactly where we’re sitting. I’m gonna get a job. And I’m never gonna do anything illegal for the rest of my life.” Oh, Tim. my heart!!!

“Maybe one day, our dreams can merge together.” THAT’S SO BEAUTIFUL. What more does one really want? Oh, these beautiful life-filled shots of them drinking beer on the land where Tim wants to build a house. Art!

Oh shit, Eric’s racing to get to Santa in time to be there with Tami and Gracie?! “You scared me half to death. What’s going on?” 

“I turned the contract down. It’s your turn. I want to go to Philadelphia. Will you take me to Philadelphia with you, please?” YESSSSSSSSSSSSS what they deserve! What Tami deserves!!!! My heart!!!!

Ugh, the imagery as they get to State is amazing. The boys taking in the field, the players suited up praying and getting in the zone beforehand. The screaming in the stands waiting for them.

“You may never know how proud I am of you.” “You changed my life, coach.” AW.

Eric’s pre-game prayer overlaying the image of the Lions bursting out onto the field! Yes yes yes!

The way they slowed everything down with just music, and focused in on the faces of so many characters - Vince’s dad showing up, Eric and Tami saluting one another from stand to sideline, Becky cheering in the stands excitedly for Luke, Matt and Julie holding each other, Buddy on the sidelines screaming, Vince’s mom jumping up and down - just absolute perfection. 

And we’re back in, with actual in-scene sound at 26-21 with 3 seconds left on the clock??? Jesus!

AH and every single character watching the football fly in the air, WOW the DRAMA.

Holy shit, they fast-forwarded to one of Eric’s players in Philly catching a football eight months later in Philly??? THIS SHOW IS SO GOOD. WOW.

Tami looks like such a badass strutting around campus!

YES Tinker is on the Panthers! Take that, bullying reporter! 

Aw, the East Dillon Lions sign coming down. :( feels.

Nooo Luke don’t go to the military! Noooo I hate that. Poor Becky. They’re the exact type of couple who gets caught up in that really sad cycle - too poor to really have many other options, so the whole “free college when i get out!” thing starts to look really attractive. smh.

But i love how they used the championship ring he gave Becky as a way to signal that the East Dillon Lions did, indeed, win the state championship eight months earlier...and that Jess is wearing the ring on the sidelines of a new field where she’s working with the coaches! amazing!

Yay Matt and Julie live in Matt’s beautiful Chicago apartment? Perfection. They really look so good in that city together. 

New beginnings in a new city together for both Tami and Eric AND Matt and Julie? I’m living! It’s what they deserve!

Tim and Billy building Tim’s house and drinking beers! “Texas forever.” “Texas forever.” MY HEART.

“Clear eyes, full hearts.” SILENCE. “Ah, we’ll deal with that later.” LOL

Yesss Tami coming out to meet Eric on the field!!!

“Ready to go home?” “Yeah, let’s go.”

And the lights go off on the field. End show. AMAZING. Truly, an epic series finale! An epic show! I will definitely rewatch and i am so glad i finally did! Thanks to anyone who gave a shit about my ramblings.

#maria watches friday night lights #friday night lights 5x13 #mine

[ba-mi-soro-orisha]

Tomi Adeyemi wants to wrap her readers in a “dangerous but warm” blanket. Her young adult novels—the hit epic Children of Blood and Bone and its highly anticipated new sequel, Children of Virtue and Vengeance—combine escapist fantasy with clear-eyed confrontations of race and power. “I was thinking: you’re creating a Snuggie,” the Nigerian-American author tells TIME. “It’s a violent Snuggie, but create the Snuggie.”

Adeyemi’s first book, which came out in 2018 and has spent 90 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, transports readers to the kingdom of Orïsha, where teenager Zélie Adebola is determined to bring magic back to her oppressed people. In the novel inspired by West Africa, Adeyemi’s protagonist teams up with a rogue princess to help fight the monarchy, which mercilessly wiped out magic years before in order to gain more power. In the sequel, Zélie discovers that the progress that she made in the first book has complicated ramifications, leading the kingdom toward a brutal civil war. Both novels are bruising accounts of unthinkable violence and persecution, evocative of bigger, real-world conversations about suffering and survival.

Children of Virtue and Vengeance is the second book in Adeyemi’s fantasy trilogy, which was part of a reported seven-figure deal that the Harvard graduate signed in 2017. The film rights for Children of Blood and Bone were acquired by Fox 2000 before the book’s release and over the summer This is Us writer Kay Oyegun signed on to write the script. Adeyemi spoke to TIME about how the past three years have changed her life, her dream cast for the movie and what she hopes her young readers come to understand about the world through her books.

TIME: In your author’s note at the end of Children of Blood and Bone, you explicitly explain how the plot connects to police brutality in America. What do you hope your readers learn about racism and power from your writing?

The whole thing started out as me wanting to explore the emotional PTSD of feeling like maybe I’m not Trayvon Martin, maybe I’m not Sandra Bland, but there’s nothing that separates me from being Sandra Bland. I felt like that wasn’t being talked about, even within black communities. So, I had to write about it as self-therapy. Because I was having anxiety attacks every time I was getting into my car and that’s every day. It was sort of making people realize that this stuff—constantly being exposed to people like me being shot, being assaulted, being harassed, being put at gunpoint—is trauma.

So, that’s book one. I wanted people to empathize. Many of these issues come from dehumanization and a lot of dehumanization is a direct result of no-to-poor representation. If your only exposure to a person of color is as the villain in this or that, then psychologically that is activated when you are doing something with a person of color. I had a friend say, “What if Harry Potter had been black?” If the Boy Who Lived was black, then does Trayvon Martin get shot? Because that’s someone you empathize with. Fought for. Cried for. Someone you feel like you’ve gone into battle with. And that extends to the person you see and say, “Oh, that guy looks like Harry.” Humans are that simple.

For book two, I created my dominoes and I’ve just got to throw them and see where they land. It was more organic to the story, but what I was exploring, again, are things that real people have gone through—that they are going through today, that they will go through all the time. My books are about pain, but hopefully foster empathy.

Children of Virtue and Vengeance begins with an unexpected twist. Though Zélie has restored magic to the oppressed people of Orïsha, the monarchy and military now have magical powers, too. Why was it important to you to show people who abuse their power gaining even more?

It’s in two parts: one is a life lesson and one is a lesson about society. The life lesson is we always have goals—which are important because they add a purpose to our lives—but when you achieve a goal, it’s never quite what you expect. It’s also a commentary on the nature of power in general. The older I get, the more I learn about the world and its institutions. There are entire systems built on oppression and class. There are things you will probably never get enough wealth and power to topple. But what I believe you can do is move the needle. If you look in the book, you can get magic back—but the problem wasn’t really magic. It was the institution. Because even when you had magic, you were oppressed. Now, you have magic again and guess what? You’re still oppressed. It’s about learning that these are institutions that are very hard to completely overthrow—but that doesn’t mean you can’t make great change.

How do you find that fantasy and magic can help us understand our reality?

I wrote stories without magic as a kid, and then I read my first Harry Potter book and I never went back. If you could do anything in a book—and this is not a knock on contemporary writers, it’s just for me, personally—I don’t want to write about that awkward first kiss. Let’s go! Am I shooting lightning out of my forehead when I blink? You can do anything. I just always loved magic, fantasy and adventure. Growing up, I appreciated the psychological power of fantasy, but I didn’t go into it as this powerful tool to effect change and make people think. I’m like, “I like big lions!” Sometimes, it’s deep. Sometimes, it’s “lions are cool.”

Why do you write for young people?

I don’t change my writing style or plot. The only part of my work that I change because I am labeled as a young adult author is making sure that everything in my book is a clear example of something good or something bad. Let me eliminate the gray area. Writing for younger audiences doesn’t mean it has to be all good or all clean. It does a huge disservice to pretend that childhood means that you get a pass on trauma. A lot of trauma, I think, happens in childhood and then gets carried into adulthood. Then, that trauma creates trauma. So, you’ve got to both address it and heal it—early.

But I have to be really clear about what’s good and what’s bad. For a scene where things get romantic, I take alcohol out of the equation because I’m not trying to give an example of a gray zone of consent. This is supposed to be a positive example of two consenting people making a choice. Those are the kinds of decisions that I’ll change because it’s YA, but my readers are 8 to 80. So much YA crosses over; they are really exciting stories on the surface, and then underneath the best ones have such incredible things to say about the world. YA readers are also the most passionate readers. Look, I’ve talked about Harry Potter 18 times today. If you love something when you are young, that’s a part of you forever. Those stories are always in that warm, fuzzy part of your heart that the world tries to freeze over. To get to be that for so many young readers, to get to see their passion and enthusiasm and creativity, it’s the best.

Do you know how the trilogy will end?

I knew the ending before I even hit book one. I’ve been excited to write book three.

Are you in the process of writing it?

Hell no. It’s been three years, back to back. Even before I got my book deal, I wrote the first draft of Children of Blood and Bone in a month, then I wrote the second draft in a month and I did it that fast because I wanted to get into a writing competition. I kept thinking there was going to be a break in the process, but it only accelerated from that impossible speed to publication and book two went even further. So, I’m healing right now. I’m learning to sleep. I’m learning to wake up.

How have the last three years changed you?

I was a baby adult when I got into this. Now, I feel like a 60-year-old woman. I’m less self-conscious. I’m like, this what I need and I’m not asking your permission, I’m just letting you know. It’s a different energy. It’s a different swagger. But I like this version of myself. She wasn’t always there—she was forged through incredible pain and suffering, but she’s here. And she’s ready to go.

In 2017, it was announced that Children of Blood and Bone will be adapted for film. What has that process been like for you?

It’s been really cool because it’s with Disney/Fox and Lucas Films. It’s been three years and even though the team has shifted and grown, just to have so many people at the top of their game so passionate and excited and enthusiastic about bringing my world [to the screen], it’s ridiculous. I made that world up in my head, in my room, super sweaty, my hair looked like crazy, I was in my pajamas. I’m like, this is going to be that? It’s really wild.

Do you have a dream cast in mind?

I used to have a dream cast and then Black Panther came out. I was so in love with Letitia Wright and Winston Duke. How cool is it going to be to put more incredible black actors and actresses on the scene? To make roles this epic, this powerful—like Jennifer Lawrence, obviously she had Winter’s Bone, but we got her from The Hunger Games. It’s very cool that I mic-dropped this as my calling card and now this is going to be so many other people’s calling cards. The only person—and I’m comfortable doing this because he was on my Pinterest Board from the jump and I’ve mentioned this enough that at this point if it doesn’t happen, you do what you can—for King Saran in Book One, I had pictures of Idris Elba. And every time I was writing a scene with him, I pictured Idris Elba to really get my head into how scary it was to be near him.

#tomi adeyemi #cobab #covav #interview #cvv #cbb #children of blood and bone #children of virtue and vengeance #orisha trilogy #police violence #long post

[sambart93]

2018.09.15 KAT-TUN CAST in Yokohama Arena [Report]

SET LIST

01. New Genesis 02. FIRE STORM 03. ONE DROP 04. UNLOCK 05. 喜びの歌 06. 願い 07. READY FOR THIS! 08. DIRTY, SEXY, NIGHT 09. Ask Yourself 10. Don’t wait 11. Sweet Birthday 12. GREATEST JOURNEY MC Segment 13. vivid LOVE 14. UNIVERSE (宇宙Six) 15. Marionation (中丸雄一) 16. World’s End. (上田竜也) 17. One way love (亀梨和也) 18. Real Face #2 19. ツイテオイデ 20. BIRTH 21. Love yourself ～君が嫌いな君が好き～ 22. DON’T U EVER STOP 23  KISS KISS KISS 24. Will Be All Right 25. アイノオカゲ 26. 薫 27. Unstoppable

-アンコール- 28. Peacefuldays 29. ノーマター・マター 30. FUNtastic

*

REPORT UNDER THE CUT

Can we talk about how much I fucking LOVE these boys? I love them with ALL my heart!!! 

At YokoAri there really isn’t a bad seat. But I was super happy with me! I got the first row in the stands (2nd floor) and it was amazing!! And we got the best surprise ever when we were allowed and able to stand up! Usually the first row of stands are NOT allowed to stand and must stay sat for the entire performance but not for KAT-TUN because KT were of course like ‘fuck that rule! Our fans won’t stand for that’ <<< AHAHA GET MY JOKE?! So we stood the entire time! I think it was just over 2 and a half hours which is GREAT!!

I’ll try and split up the songs and such into their sections and costume changes -- but I could be VERY wrong:

New Genesis FIRE STORM ONE DROP UNLOCK 喜びの歌

願い READY FOR THIS! DIRTY, SEXY, NIGHT Ask Yourself Don’t wait Sweet Birthday GREATEST JOURNEY

MC vivid LOVE UNIVERSE (宇宙Six)

Marionation (中丸雄一) World’s End. (上田竜也) One way love (亀梨和也)

Real Face #2 ツイテオイデ BIRTH Love yourself ～君が嫌いな君が好き～ DON’T U EVER STOP KISS KISS KISS Will Be All Right アイノオカゲ

薫 Unstoppable

-アンコール- Peacefuldays ノーマター・マター FUNtastic

*

The opening is great! They enter and come down from a massive hanging chandelier thing in the air! It is amazing!! An amazing opening! When I watch it the second time, I’ll keep and eye on that big hanger and try and see them slip into place just before the show starts xD

READY FOR THIS and Dirty, Sexy Night was so great! I loved this coupling of songs! The first one get everyone hyped up and I love the individual dances the boys having during the instrumental/dance part in RFT! And DSN is just a great song all around where Kame can be a little shit xD

Ueda ripped his shirt open and kept it like that after ONE DROP xD everyone went mental and he kept it undone ALL the way until after the MC when he got changed xD

I died laughing when UchuuSix were first introduced because, I had already spoiled myself for the SetList so knew which Juniors were going to be there, but my friend didn’t. So when the boys came on stage and the ‘SIX’ showed first, my friend was like ‘AH HELLA NAH! NOT SIXTONES!!!!!’ but then went to UchuuSix and she was like “OH THANK GODDD’, and I was on the floor laughing because her react was so comical. No offence to SixTones fans >.<

UchuuSix were actually very good! I really enjoyed their song! I was bopping along and it was so interesting to see who stayed standing during their solo song because then you could see who the Junior fans were and their uchiwas, whereas all the KT fans just sat down and took it as a short break xD

*

The MC was THE BEST! So they had their usual talk which was just ridiculous of course because Maru was like ‘so..... what did you do recently?’ and everyone commented that they hate that phrases and question but then Maru paused ‘....so what did you do recently?’ and we all died laughing. And so Kame replied ‘well I went to the beach (Ueda/Maru: and you didn’t get discovered (by fans/press)?!), it was really nice and relaxing’, but then he was like ‘I’m always the one that talks the most and I have NO IDEA what you two do on your days off! WHAT DO YOU DO?! I know you box and you draw but... WHAT DO YOU DO?!’ so Ueda replied that recently he’d been going to smaller shops and there was one specific one in Ginza (Maru and Kame: IN GINZA?!) where an old man gave him some on the house tempura and how delicious it was. Kame asked ‘why didn’t you say no to his offer?’ and Ueda responded something like ‘what am I supposed to say? ‘*in a really rude way* I don’t need it old man! (Iranee yo Jiji!)’’ and everyone was dying. Then Ueda started saying ‘y’know if this audience was all guys--’ and Kame and Maru jumped in like ‘he’s spoken about this several times during this tour!’ and Ueda said ‘but it’s true! If this was all guys, I wouldn’t work as hard as I am! Are you telling me you’d work just as hard if our audience was all guys?!’ and neither of them specifically answered but everyone understood that they agreed with Ueda who’s all like ‘the audience is so full of women and they’re all so beautiful so I must do my best!’ xD whatta idiot. Adorable but oh god he’s funny. Towards the end of the MC, Kame picked up the towel basket and as he was leaving with Ueda he said ‘when we get backstage, tell me the name of that tempura place’ xD and then Maru stayed on stage and did his DJ Maru part on the top stage!

They also talked about the TachiMi/Standing part of the audience and Ueda was saying they should make those tickets cheaper ‘they should sell for 6500 yen!’. And then Maru was telling joking ‘even though it’s the MC... STAND!’ we’re allowed to sit during the MC, except for TachiMi.

They announced during this MC (I’m not sure about previous ones) that their TV show (Tame ni Naru Tabi +) was going to be a weekly show (thanks to hyphens’ support) from October! So naturally we all got super excited!

Just after the MC (which is shorter than we’re used to, but for good reason; coming up now!), Kame and Ueda go backstage while Nakamaru goes to the top stage, and there is his beautiful DJ set. So he does his Nakamaru DJ section with making sounds with his voice, recording them and pressing them in a certain order to make a song. 

At the end of this segment, Nakamaru addresses the boys and gives them a request. At this show we had:

Nakamaru: Could you two do an impersonation from the game, Metal Gear Solid? Ueda: *Comes on stage* Snake! SNAKE!!!! Nakamaru: That was the best! Then Kame came on stage and he was like ‘I don’t know any other lines from the game!’ so then they suggested he do something from ‘King of Fighters’ and Kame replied ‘King of Fighters? ........ KING OF FIGHTERS?!?!?!’ and everyone died laughing. Kame: What’s King of Fighters? Ueda: It was a one-on-one fighting game. Maru: Ahhh so nostalgic... Kame: I dunno. Maybe because we’re from different generations. Ueda: THAT’S IRRELEVANT! Everyone laughed again xD

*

We got our usual Nakamaru TV Shopping skit but we had Ueda’s new character Yankee-kun join in! So we had the three of them being ridiculous about the bath products xD At the end of the Nakamaru TV Shopping skit, Kame walked off screen saying ‘say chuuka.... say renga...’ and I absolutely died. Because (BACKSTORY TIME!) a long time ago when they did their first Yokohama concert as KAT-TUN in 2005, Kame asked the crowd to do a call and response of ‘Say Chuuka! Say Renga!’, but at the time KT fans had no fucking clue what he was doing (Chuuka = Chinese Food and Renga = Red Brick Warehouse which are two super famous things in Yokohama), so he got super embarrassed (he talked about the embarrassment on Cartoon KAT-TUN and another Variety show MANY years ago). I spent most of this show waiting and hoping for him to do this C&R again, so I freaked and got SO HAPPY when it appeared in this segment instead xD I felt like something on my Check List had been ticked off at that moment hehe

*

I love, love, love the screen visuals for Vivid Love and Marionation! They are so gorgeous! And I love the props and the dance for Marionation too! And lets talk about how epic World’s End is! So we have an opening VTR of a snake and I just guessed ‘ooh he’s gunna cut it with a sword’ and there is a slash motion across the snake who dies as he’s cut in half and then Uepi came out on stage with a sword in his hand and I freaked! I was like ‘I WAS RIGHT! I WAS RIGHT!!’. It’s such a good performance and the visuals of the ticking timer on the screen too is great! My friend said she was disappointed in the ‘One Way Love’ performance and concept and to an extent I am BUT I totally understand why he did his performance this way. We had a prerecorded VTR of him singing the song, and then in the white or black parts of that VTR, the camera that’s following Kame on stage is shown in those parts. It is visually pleasing and great concept and looks good but I, like my friend, wanted him to do something really sexy for this song or just him actually singing it -- he did sing it a little but you could tell there was no point of him having a mic during it because he was putting his all into the modern dance he did.

Kame messed up for his line for Kun and said ‘MY DREAM’ instead of ‘My Friend’, and when he realised, he stopped singing and just smiled like a child at the camera and we all squealed obviously. It was the cutest reaction!

For the encore they came around in the trolley stand things and Ueda definitely saw us! We were only a few feet away from him so makes sense xD also the woman behind us was hilarious when Kame came along xD He pretty much pushed her small son out of the way so she could get Kame’s attention instead of her son. Me and my friend were cracking up laughing.

During the final greeting from them, we started getting really loud and clapping and woo-ing when Maru was trying to speak and he was like ‘be quiet! it’s late and other’s will hear you!’, but we did it again and got even louder and he just lipsynced ‘quit it! you’re loud!’, but you could tell him and all 3 of them loved how we just got louder and louder for them! xD During Ueda’s greeting he commented that there are some children in the audience and he was like ‘please don’t copy me! (his bad language and attitude)’.

*

Reports came out later that Massu had gone to watch this show too! My friend who came with me is a huge NEWS fan so was super happy to know Massu went the same time she did ^_^

*

And that’s all! Hopefully my second report will be up pretty quickly after this one!

#kat-tun #report #kamenashi kazuya #Ueda Tatsuya #Nakamaru Yuichi #concert #concert report

[winryofresembool]

Love Can Melt the Ice, ch. 12

Aka ice skating au ch. 12!

A/N: That’s right my peeps, this fic /finally/ has a name. I hope you find it fitting! (Obviously I’m not referring to literal ice this time, but instead a certain character who’s acting a bit cool sometimes :P) I don’t really have much else to say this time, enjoy and review! This chapter continues directly from the events of last chapter :)

Previous chapters:  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5.5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

Companion pieces (note: these are all post Olympics happenings so reading the main fic first is recommended): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Next chapter: [x]

Words: 1940+

Genre: flooof in this chapter, even a tiny bit of humor? (I feel we are back to ch 1 in a way)

Warnings: swearing and some drinking on the background

“So, how’s everything going, brother? How’s your leg?” Al asked when he and Ed made their way into a quieter corner in the room. With the room full of Ed’s teammates and music playing loudly, it was hard to hear your own thoughts, but the brothers decided to at least try since they had a lot of catching up to do.

“I wish I could already get rid of the cast, but other than that, it’s fine. I just want to skate already.”

“I’m sorry, brother,” Al said with genuine sympathy. “Hey, I brought something to cheer you up.”

Al handed Ed a gift bag and he took it curiously. Inside it was a book that Ed recognized as one he had wanted for a long while, Advanced Biochemistry, but much to Ed’s surprise, it wasn’t the only gift. There was something between the book. Two small, thin foliage packages that must have had…

“Al!” Ed yelled with a red face. “How the fuck did you… why… what the hell is this supposed to mean?!”

“Thought you’d need some extra protection with the way your love life has been progressing…” Al chuckled. “I know you well enough to know that you’d never have the guts to get them by yourself.”

“Oh my God. I can’t believe you. We aren’t even dating!”

“It’s funny you say that when you both are practically undressing each other with your eyes every time you look at each other.” Al pointed out, nodding towards Winry significantly.

“I’m not… Fine, she’s hot,” Ed said through his teeth, “but surely I’m not the only the only one who’s noticed that! Just look at Havoc trying to tell her jokes…”

“She doesn’t look too impressed,” Al noted. “Oh, look at that, she’s coming here. Hi there, Winry!”

“Hi guys.” She turned to Ed and noted his mortified expression. “Why are you so red? You sure you don’t have a fever or something?”

Ed didn’t have time to answer when Roy started speaking into the mic and everyone turned their attention to him.

“So, as you all know, we have all gathered here to celebrate the 18th birthday of our very own Fullmetal Forward, Edward Elric. Congrats, kid! Now that you’re officially allowed to buy alcohol, don’t forget the promise you made me!”

“Hah, you haven’t won anything yet!” was Ed’s immediate response, and everyone burst out laughing.

“Anyway, I’d like to suggest we sing for the birthday boy. Everyone, on the count of three. One, two, three.”

Roy gave his sign, and the choir of more and less talented singers started: “Happy biiirthday too you, happy biiirthday too you…”

Ed felt a bit overwhelmed when a room full of people sang for him but waved his thanks when they finished. Soon Roy continued speaking to the crowd:

“Before we let Fullmetal give us, without a doubt, a very amazing speech, there are a couple of other people in this room as well we should congratulate. The little birds have told me that in less than a year this team will have a brand new member. Congrats, Maes and Gracia! Your kid will without a doubt become an amazing skater.”

Nearby, Maes started rambling about the greatness of his future wife to anyone who was willing to listen, but Winry barely noticed because she squealed happily at the news and rushed to hug Gracia who had been approaching the trio.

“A baby! That’s absolutely wonderful! I’m so happy for you guys!”

“Aw, thanks Winry-dear. I got the confirmation from my doctor about an hour after the free skate. I’m gonna have to discuss this with him and Maes, but with this piece of news, I think I might skip the individual competition.”

“But you would have done amazingly…” Winry said, upset for her friend.

“Maybe, but I’ve seen you skating and I dare to say you would beat me 9 times out of 10 these days. And I already won gold 4 years ago, so really, I’m not too upset. How could I be when I look at him?”

She turned to see her fiancé flailing as he told Riza, the only person patient enough to listen to him ramble for ages, how he would decorate the baby’s room and how he secretly (or not so secretly) wished the baby was a girl.

Ed hadn’t had a chance to say anything while the women were chattering, but now he decided it was his turn to get himself heard.

“Congrats, Gracia! I’m sure you’re gonna be a great mother, but I’m a bit worried about your fiancé. I bet he’s that person whose locker will be 100% covered with photos of the kid and he’ll forget how to skate when he keeps staring at them.”

“Don’t worry, I will make sure to kick his butt if he starts slacking because of it,” Gracia smirked.

“That’s good to hear. But seriously, I’m happy for you guys. Babies are amazing!”

“Thank you. I think someone’s gonna be one lucky lady to be a mother to your kids in the future, Edward.” Ed wondered if it was just him or did Gracia look at Winry one second longer than necessary when she said that. And did she emphasize the word someone? He felt himself getting flustered for the second time within minutes and he was about to turn away when Winry asked, pointing to the pack still in Ed’s hand:

“Did you get a present from Al? What did he give you?”

“J-just a biochem book…” he stuttered and left before she could ask more questions. Damn Al. He’d show him. Speaking of the devil, Ed noticed his little brother was snickering almost uncontrollably nearby after seeing the scene between Ed and Winry unfold.

“Are you trying to kill me?” the older brother growled and punched Al on the shoulder when he got close enough.

“Relax, bro, it was just a joke! I won’t change my mind about you two though, I have never seen you this flustered over a girl before. It’s adorable. I didn’t have a chance to ask you earlier, so did you tell her?”

“Yeah, I did. I hate to admit it, but you were right. I do feel better now. And things… are going quite nicely.” He turned his head towards the spot where Winry chatted with her friends (Paninya and Rose had joined her and Gracia now) and Winry gave him a small smile.

“That’s great to hear,” Al interrupted Ed from his thoughts. “Hey, I heard Mustang saying something about a speech, so how about it?”

“Do I have a choice?” Ed sighed and wheeled to where the captain of his team was clearly waiting for him. Taking the mic from his hand, he started:  

“It’s so weird to see so many of you here! To be honest, if it weren’t for a couple of friends, I wouldn’t even have remembered what day it is. And the worst part is that I’m not even allowed to drink because of my condition!”

Many of Ed’s teammates laughed. They knew Ed had never particularly cared about drinking.

“I’m not one for long speeches, so I guess thank you everyone for coming, and special thanks to that one gearhead who made this happen.” His gaze met Winry’s for a moment, and he thought he could see her blushing slightly. “Now, let’s have some fun! But not too fun…” His gaze stopped at Havoc this time. “… because some of you have a big game tomorrow!”

The guests chuckled and continued their partying. Mustang was now dancing with Riza, Havoc was having a drinking contest with Breda despite Ed’s warning, Armstrong was wiping his tears into a huge tissue, Paninya was trying to sneak a small bottle from Roy’s back pocket and Al was probably telling Winry some embarrassing stories about Ed. For some reason, all of that made Ed feel calmer than he had felt in a long while.

Later that evening, Winry was sitting alone on the balcony, enjoying the fresh, cool air when Ed appeared behind her.

“Hi.”

“Hi. Why are you sitting here alone?”

“I guess I just wanted a moment to hear my thoughts. No offense, but you hockey players are loud.”

“You’re not wrong about that.” Ed rubbed the back of his head. “But your friends are kinda interesting bunch as well. You should have seen Havoc’s expression when that Paninya chick made a show of kissing Rose right in front of him. It was almost as if his hopes and dreams had both been shattered into pieces and fulfilled at the same time.”

“Oh, that definitely sounds like a Pan thing to do,” Winry laughed. “They’re great though. After losing my parents they’ve become like a new family to me. I guess you could say the same about your team.”

“I guess…”

“You said you have tried to push people out of your life, but you know, one way or another, you have affected all of them,” she gestured towards the full room. “They all care about you. And for some weird reason, so do I. You don’t have to carry your weight alone.

“Yeah…”

“I guess what I really wanted to tell you after our chat earlier is that if you think you’re the only person in this world who’s feeling guilty about something, I have some news for you. For so many weeks, I kept thinking that things would be so different if I had simply told my parents to not go into that car. Finally, my granny wrenched some sense into me and told me that I can’t change my past, but I can chance how it affects my future. It didn’t sink into me right away, but I understand what she meant now. I’m not saying that I’m never thinking about it anymore, because that’s a lie, but I know my parents would want me to live my life, so that’s what I’m doing. And that’s what you should do as well.”

Ed stared at her with surprise. He realized Winry’s words were very similar to the ones he had used when confronting Rose, but he wasn’t living by his own advice.

“I probably deserved that.”

“Yes, you did.” Her tone got softer when she continued: “By the way, I want you to know that I’m not going anywhere. We are way past that point now.”

For some reason, Winry’s statement made Ed remember the realities of their situation, and he asked: “How are we gonna stay in touch after the Olympics, though? We are both busy with our sports, traveling on different sides of the country and sometimes even out of country.” “Phones exist, Elric. If you know how to use one. And it’s not like I’m always gone, there are off-seasons, breaks, and so on… And to be honest, at the moment I can’t say how long I’m gonna continue my skating career. I’m kinda itching to move onto mechanics soon enough.

“Sounds like you have already given a lot of thought to your future.”

“What about you, though? Do you have any plans?”

“I want to continue playing as long as I can and study as much as I can. Maybe I have some other wishes as well, but… one day you might know.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah.”

Ed leaned his head against hers and wrapped one of his arms around her shoulder. They stayed like that for a good while, until the tender moment was interrupted by a crash inside the restaurant.

“What was that?” Winry asked worriedly.

Ed just sighed. “I think it’s time to take Havoc back to the hotel.”

#edwin #edward elric #winry rockbell #my fics #fullmetal alchemist #ice skating au #that has a name wooo! #i'm so stupid happy about that #ps. sorry for the possible typos

[couldnt-think-of-a-funny-name]

- opening night...........happened

- so when I got there not a single speaker was functioning for some reason

- a solid two hours were spent on that

- since it was the first time with the full cast the kids were wondering how long the show would run and I told them that the last time the company did this show it ran for 4-4 and a half hours and they were HORRIFIED lmao

- so with Tyrone’s mic broken the soundboard guy got two more wireless mics in hopes those would fix everything but then. THEY didn’t work at all so we had to take Iris’s mic away and give it to Tyrone for the whole show and poor Joe was so psyched to learn he had a mic the whole show but tragically he only got that for 20 minutes lol

- AND THEN......Tyrone changed his pants and Ruined His Mic Anyway oh my God it was a bitch all night

- We had to adjust the sound on Serena’s mic like five different times poor girl did not catch a break

- Nick’s mic broke but we just. left it on him lmao

- shoutout to @commando-rogers for literally being the first competent spotlight worker I've ever seen in this company 

- awww omg the little kids that were Scar and Young Simba in the Lion King cast came to see the show and were all ‘MOLLY!!!!! HI!!!!!!!’ and hugged me 😭😭😭😭

- THE DIRECTOR REALLY SEEMS TO THINK SHES DOING CHICAGO FOR THE FALL SHOW.....EXCUSE ME.....

- The show was supposed to start at 7:30 but the doors opened.....after that lol

- Literally did not get out of there until like after 11 please help me I'm so tired and in so much pain asdfgh

- GOD she added these fucking cardboard windows up over the scaffolding and they’re dumb and don’t need to be there and right when they started up the big ‘FAME’ number the middle one just.....fell off it was almost perfectly timed I was dying

- lmao so obviously set changes happen during a blackout but you could still pretty much see everything and Steven was carrying out the Styrofoam piano and the audience started laughing because he had to put part of it back together and then when he finished, still with the lights down he turned around and waved his arms like ‘ta-da!!!’ everyone was cracking up 

- at intermission I bought a bottle of water and a bag of chips, two dollars total, and then the directors husband was horrified they Took My Money and tried to go get it back from the concessions stand and I was like no please don’t it’s not a big deal, so then he made a big show of taking out his wallet and just Giving Me Money and I'm still yelling about it 

- @iwasapruneratfaverolles is my witness on that like it was so Extra. Jimmy it was two bucks why

- Really tho I'm trying to think. I don’t think a single mic worked right tonight lmao kill me 

- the set change for one scene took like five whole minutes cause they fucked up and I Know the directors gonna yell about it tomorrow lmao

- some of these kids.....are pushing 18 years old.....and they really......deadass......just take off their mics by themselves and then LEAVE THEM ON ANY RANDOM CHAIR BACKSTAGE.....instead of giving it to me.....the mic handler.....who has asked them repeatedly to be careful.......okay

- lmao a testament to how small the audience was tonight: I left my bag, wallet, and jacket in an audience chair by accident and didn’t realize it until halfway through act 1, went to go make sure I wasn’t being robbed....there was literally no one near my stuff lol

- you could tell there were a lot of moms who were young in the 80′s because when they did the ‘FAME’ reprise after bows they were singing along and throwing their hands up dramatically lol it was cute

- there’s more but I have a huge headache and I'm dead tired so just....listen. at least we finally got through the show. let’s see if I survive tomorrow and Saturday?

- in case I don’t- remember my name(tm) 

#lol #fame vagueblogging 2k18 #musicals #molly mumbles

[raywritesthings]

18.

Prompt is from this list. Hope this was something like what you wanted, anon! Sorry for the wait!

A Little Ditty

My WritingFandom: Doctor WhoCharacters: Donna Noble, Tenth DoctorPairing: Doctor/DonnaSummary:The Doctor finds out about one of Donna's hidden talents.AO3 link  

“But Donna, why not?”

“Because I said no, that’s why.”

She was marching away from him, but around the console in circles rather than up one of the corridors, so he felt safe in pressing a little more. “Okay, but why are you saying no?”

They’d stopped in for a visit to her family, their second since making this relationship of theirs official. And he’d thought everything had been going fine. Wilfred had broken out the photo albums since Sylvia hadn’t been about to, and they’d sat there flipping through while Donna grumbled a bit and threatened to go digging through the TARDIS. But she hadn’t been upset. Not till Wilfred had flipped another page.

“Is that you on the stage?” The Doctor had asked, pointing out a photo of a little red-haired girl who was partially obscured behind a mic on a stand. Her arms were thrown out wide and there was a huge smile on her face.

“Oh, that must’ve been that talent show,” Wilf had said. “You were in primary school, weren’t you?”

“Yeah, suppose,” Donna had muttered.

It had been very hard to keep from bouncing on the edge of his seat on the couch. “What was your act?”

“Singing,” Wilf had answered when it was clear Donna hadn’t been planning to. “Donna was always doing those little competitions and such at school.”

“Really?” The Doctor had turned to look at her. “I’ve never heard you sing.”

“Yeah, because it comes up so often when you’re trying to fight off alien invasions,” she’d replied, rather snappish. That should have been the first clue.

“She did it more as a kid,” Wilf had continued. “They don’t hold talent shows much for adults. Or at least they didn’t before. Suppose there’s all that television stuff now. That’d be something, eh?”

The Doctor had shared a grin with the man. Donna on X Factor. Well, she’d certainly stand out amongst the contestants with all her brilliance. Would cut a bit into traveling, though.

“Okay, think that’s enough of memory lane,” Donna had said abruptly. She’d lifted the book out of Wilfred’s lap and snapped it shut. “Mum’s probably about done with dinner anyway.”

She’d seemed to calm over the course of the meal, and he’d seen no problem in bringing the topic back up as they were walking back to the TARDIS. “So what were you singing in the photo?”

“You think I remember?”

“Well, what have you sung before?”

She’d cast a suspicious look up at him. “Why are you so keen on this?”

“Because I haven’t gotten to hear you sing yet. So what did you used to sing? Or what would you sing now?”

Donna had gaped at him for a moment. Then her mouth had snapped shut and she’d pushed her way past him into the TARDIS. “Absolutely not.”

And now here they were, with Donna mad and him confused as to why she was mad.

“I don’t want to sing. I haven’t wanted to sing in years, so just drop it, alright?”

“But you looked so happy.”

“Yeah, cause I was a little kid who didn’t know any better.”

He frowned. “What happened?”

Donna froze. “Who said anything happened?”

“Something changed your mind — and I refuse to believe it was that you realized you were horrible,” he added just before she could open her mouth.

Donna stood there a moment, then sighed and dropped into the jump seat. “I always wanted to be on the West End. That’s what I’d say every time they asked ‘oh, what do you want to be when you grow up?’ ‘I want to be Nancy’.”

“Nancy?”

“From Oliver!,” she explained, a wistful smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

“Oh, right.” He nodded. “You’d make a brilliant Nancy.”

She shook her head. “No, I wouldn’t. Don’t exactly look like the type of people they want up on stage, do I?”

“Donna, if I have to keep saying this for the next nine-hundred years I will, but you are beautiful. And even if you weren’t, that shouldn’t matter.”

“Well, that’s the thing about normal life, isn’t it?” She shrugged. “It does matter. Look, it was just some childhood rubbish. Who’d even want to hear me sing?”

“I do! I want to hear you sing,” he insisted. The Doctor sat down next to her and took up her hands. “Maybe you’ve stopped doing it, but it was something you loved to do. And there’s nothing that makes me happier than seeing you do what you love.”

A real smile rose to her lips at last, then she ducked her head into her shoulder. “Anybody ever told you you’re too much sometimes?”

“Maybe.” He tucked a bit of hair behind her ear. “Donna, you don’t have to if you don’t want, but...would you sing?”

She was quiet for a long moment, thinking it over. “I’m so out of practice. And I don’t know what I’d sing.”

“Well, you wanted to be Nancy, right?”

She looked up at him, a clear question in her eyes.

The Doctor grinned. “Let’s make you Nancy. Still got that wench dress?”

—-

“You’re terrible!” Donna declared later, skipping round tables in a pub somewhere in Southeast London on a warm night in the 19th century. He’d remember the exact coordinates a bit better if they hadn’t both had more than a little to drink in preparation and, in Donna’s case, to combat nerves.

“Right, and you’re brilliant! Okay, one more round! Oom-pah-pah, oom-pah-pah!”

She’d had the versus memorized and sounded absolutely lovely on them. Even on the choruses through gasps of laughter, she carried the tune far better than he.

They’d even got some of the other patrons to join in, most of them looking rather bemused by the whole spectacle. But they seemed to like Donna perfectly fine. Even a man on the severely out-of-tune piano in the back seemed to have caught the basic melody.

Though that rather beefy bloke who was possibly what passed for security looked like he was coming over to put an end to his caterwauling. The Doctor rounded a table into the next aisle.

“They all suppose — oh!”

He’d gone crashing straight into Donna. She stopped singing as well. Her eyes were sparkling and her cheeks were flushed red. His hands were on her waist and somehow she hadn’t even warned him about that, but that probably had to do with the fact that her had gone up into his hair, and then they were kissing and he couldn’t really think about anything else.

It didn’t take long for them to get thrown out after that, toppling over into a cobblestone alleyway. Donna giggled into his chest while he laughed and failed to regain his breath.

“How about that?” He wheezed. “Donna Noble’s opening debut.”

She raised her head. “I bloody love you.”

Donna kissed him before he could reply. But he thought she got the gist.

#doctor x donna #ten x donna #tenth doctor #donna noble #doctor who #the doctor #my writing #Anonymous

[catherinehathart-blog]

20 Artists Who Failed Miserably Before They Succeeded Big

As Winston Churchill once wisely said, “Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.”

Anyone who has achieved anything great or has changed the world in some way has made a choice to embrace failure as a stepping - stone to accomplish his or her goals. Successful artists understand that every failure brings them one step closer to achieving their goals. Here is a list of 21 performing and visual artists who failed miserably before they succeeded big.

Charles Schultz

Before he created the beloved series, Peanuts (featuring Snoopy and Charlie Brown), cartoon artist, Charles Schultz was rejected by his high school yearbook. Rather than wallowing in self-pity, Schultz used that failure as motivation to create the comic series he became famous for. Today, the revenue from Peanuts has generated over $1 billion a year. Schultz’s high school actually went on to put a statue of Snoopy in the main office.

Walt Disney

The man who gave us Mickey Mouse and Disney World started his career as the artist nobody wanted to hire. His first animation company went bankrupt. A news editor fired him because he believed he lacked imagination. After this setback, Walt Disney decided to form Disney Brothers Studio with his brother Roy. Disney Brothers Studio later became called the Walt Disney Company. In 1928, five years after creating the Walt Disney Company, Disney created Mickey Mouse. The rest is history.

Jim Carrey

Jim Carrey made his standup debut at a comedy club called Yuk Yuk’s, which he completely bombed. After 11 years of trying to become an actor Carrey finally got his break in 1990 when he was cast on the show, In Living Color. In 1994, he got his biggest break yet to star in Ace Ventura. It was that role that helped to catapult him into stardom.

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga is one of the best-selling artists of all time. She has 6 Grammy awards under her belt and 13 MTV Video Music Awards. Before accomplishing all of that, Lady Gaga was dropped by Def Jam records after only 3 months of signing on with them. Def Jam Records believed that her over the top style of dress and music would not appeal to the masses. Lady Gaga stuck to her guns and it clearly worked in her favor.

Fred Astaire

Born in 1899, in Omaha, Nebraska, Fred Astaire is another famous failure. Astaire was supposedly rejected during a Hollywood screen test. He was told that he “Can’t act. Slighty bald. Dances a little.” He kept working at his dancing and acting and was finally able to create a successful career from it.

Beyoncé

You know you’re big when you are known as the queen. But even Queen Bey experienced her fair share of initial failures before she hit it big. Before she was Queen Bey, 12-year-old Beyoncé was a member of the group Girls Tyme. The group appeared on a 1993 episode of the talent show, Star Search, and lost. A group called Skeleton Crew beat out girls Tyme and clearly Beyoncé never forgot the loss. You can actually see a snippet of that loss in her music video for “Flawless.”

In a 2013 interview, Beyoncé called the loss “a really defining moment in my life as a child.” She went on to say, “At that time, you don’t realize that you could work super hard and give everything you have—and lose.” She added: “You’re never too good to lose; you’re never too big to lose.” She didn’t allow that setback to define her and today Beyoncé has 22 Grammys to her name and is worth $355 million.

Shawn Carter aka Jay-Z

It would be a disservice to talk about Queen Bey, without also mentioning the Jigga Man himself. Although Jay-Z is considered to be one of the most successful rappers of all time, his early life was characterized by an unstable family life and a string of failures that led to him dealing drugs. Because no record label wanted to sign him, Jay-Z started selling CDs out of the trunk of his car. After every major label had turned him down, he decided to found his own label called Roc-A-Fella Records.

Charlie Chaplin

Born into poverty in 1889, Charlie Chaplin’s father abandoned the family, leaving his mother to care for the family alone. Throughout his childhood, Chaplin was forced to go to a workhouse, an institution in the UK where the indigent worked in exchange for room and board. During this time, Chaplin participated in stage plays. Eventually, Chaplin made his way to Hollywood, California where he was continuously turned away and snubbed, only later to become the greatest silent-film actor to have ever lived.

Sylvester Stallone

After moving to New York City in the 1970’s to pursue an acting career, Sylvester Stallone seemed to experience nothing but rejection and failure. People would tell him that he couldn’t act, that he talked funny, and even that he walked strangely.

Stallone was rejected at least 1,500 times by everyone that he met in the film industry. He would sit for hours on end in offices just to wait to the see the person who would ultimately reject him again. Stallone ended up homeless. He lived and slept in the bus station for three weeks while trying to save money for an apartment.

After writing the script for Rocky, he was offered more than $300,000 if he agreed not to star in the film. He refused time and again. Rocky Balboa is now the pride and joy of Philadelphia and even has a famous statue that is a major tourist attraction. You know you’ve hit it big when a major U.S. city wants to build a commemorative statue of a fictional character you created and starred as!

Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley has sold over 1 billion records worldwide; however, his rise to the top was rife with failures. When Elvis was 18-years old, he recorded a demo with Sun Records, but nothing came of it. A year later, in 1954, he recorded another demo, which also floundered. That same year, Presley auditioned for the Songfellows quartet, but was rejected. When his father asked him what had happened, Presley stated, “They told me I couldn’t sing.”

Through a friend, Elvis eventually met Eddie Bond who helped him to find a gig as a vocalist in a professional band. They arranged some recordings, but nothing came of it until months later when Presley performed Arthur Crudup’s blues number, “That’s All Right.” That performance got the attention of a professional DJ, which jumpstarted the career of the “King Of Rock And Roll.”

George Lucas

George Lucas is the creative genius behind the Star Wars franchise and the Raiders Of The Lost Ark. But his feature film directorial debut in 1971, THX 1138, lost more money than it cost to make. Undeterred, Lucas’ next film, American Graffiti, was a huge success. Even still, his newly gained clout wasn’t enough to persuade two different studios of the viability of his next project, Star Wars. Eventually, 20th Century Fox approved the script. When it was released, Star Wars went on to become the highest grossing film of all time.

Jerry Seinfeld

After graduating from Queens College in 1976, Jerry Seinfeld tried his hand at standup during an open-mic night in New York City where he froze on stage and forgot his jokes. He was then booed off the stage but he didn’t let that stop him.

Over the next three years Seinfeld honed his standup skills. This eventually led to an appearance on an HBO Special for Rodney Dangerfield, and afterwards, to a role on the sitcom, Benson. In 1988, Seinfeld created the semi-fictional series about his life with co-creator Larry David called Seinfeld. By 2002, TV Guide ranked it as the greatest show of all time.

Harrison Ford

When Harrison Ford headed to Los Angeles to establish a career in voice-overs, he failed to secure any jobs, but he stayed in the area. After two years of working odd jobs and small-time gigs, Ford landed his first role as a bellhop in the 1964 movie, Dead Heat on a Merry-Go Round. However, studio executives were rough on Ford, telling him that “he would never make it in this business.”

But Harrison Ford refused to give up. 9 years later in 1973, Ford landed his breakthrough role in George Lucas’s film, American Graffiti. Because of that role, and his relationship with Lucas, Harrison Ford was able to build a highly successful acting career. George Lucas later cast Ford in Star Wars and the Indiana Jones series.

Kerry Washington

Before being catapulted to stardom with her lead role on hit drama, Scandal, Kerry Washington was fired from a pilot she filmed after it was picked up. In an interview, Kerry mentioned that, “Before Scandal, the only other two pilots I’d ever done were shows that got picked up, but I got fired,” Washington said at the Hollywood Reporter‘s Emmy Roundtable, “They recast my character on both shows.” That would certainly be a tough pill to swallow once, let alone twice. But Washington proved that tenacity and perseverance can help you to overcome any failure.

Madonna

After dropping out of the University Michigan School of Music in order to pursue a career as an artist, Madonna started working at Dunkin’ Donuts in Times Square. That job was hilariously short-lived because she was fired on her first day after squirting jelly on a customer.

With only $35 in her pocket when arriving in New York City, Madonna searched for other work. She took random jobs, primarily as a backup dancer for modern dance troupes. One night, when she was returning home after a rehearsal, she was even robbed by two men at knifepoint. Needless to say this discouraged Madonna, but it did not deter her.

She landed small singing parts and performed with bands such as the Breakfast Club. Eventually she caught the eye of Sire Records founder, Seymour Stein. In 1982, at the age of 24-years old, she debuted her single, “Everybody,” followed by, “Burning Up,” both which became huge club hits. Since then Madonna has become one of the world’s wealthiest music artists with a net worth of $800 million.

Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg is, without a doubt, one of the most successful American filmmakers in history. Nonetheless, he was rejected from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinema Arts, not once, but twice. He finally went on to graduate from Cal State University in Long Beach. Spielberg eventually received an honorary degree from the film school that rejected him and is now worth $2.7 billion.

The Beatles

The Beatles were rejected by numerous record labels including Decca Records, which said, “guitar groups are on the way out” and “the Beatles have no future in show business.” Five months after that rejection, The Beatles signed with George Martin from Parlophone and released their first in a string of hits later that year entitled, “Love Me Do.” Since then, The Beatles have sold more singles in the UK than anyone else, and have moved more units in the US (more than 177 million) than any other group.

Jon Hamm

Following his move to Los Angeles, Jon Hamm couldn’t land a single gig. He was so unsuccessful in finding acting work that his talent agency fired him. Hamm began working as a waiter and had contemplated giving up entirely on the acting business, considering himself to be a major failure at the time.

During the time he had been considering quitting acting for a more stable career, Jon found work on Mel Gibson’s movie, We Were Soldiers. It was after getting this role that he decided to stick it out in show business.

Good thing he did because he eventually landed the role of a lifetime with 2007’s Mad Men, turning him, not only into a famous actor, but a cultural icon. When he was cast as Don Draper, Hamm stated that he was at “the bottom of everyone’s list.” Hamm’s story shows that keeping hope alive can lead to amazing results.

Katy Perry

In 1999, at the age of 15, Katy Perry dropped out of high school after completing her GED in order to pursue a music career full time. She signed with Red Hill Records and debuted a gospel album called, Katy Hudson in 2001. After the album only sold 200 copies, Red Hill Records closed its doors just a few months later.

When she was 20-years old, Perry signed with another label called Java to work on a solo record, but her record was shelved. Afterwards, Perry signed with Columbia Records, and recorded new music over the next two years. But before the record was completed, she was dropped from that label as well.

Katy Perry’s big break finally came in 2007 when she signed with Capitol Records. In 2008, she released the would-be-hit song, “I Kissed a Girl.” What seemed like an overnight success at the time actually took nine years to accomplish.

Vincent Van Gogh

For most of his life, Vincent Van Gogh believed himself to be a failure. Van Gogh only sold one painting in his lifetime. Despite that, he kept painting and finished over 800 pieces. Now everyone wants to buy them and his most expensive painting is valued at $142.7 million.

Luckily for the artists of today, you probably wouldn’t need to die before becoming recognized for your work.

#art #artists who failed #artists who succeeded #successful artists

[robertrluc85]

Ad-mageddon! Ad blocking, its impact, and what comes next

Since the mid ’90s, the internet has been filled with examples of something tiny becoming something big — and changing everything. Ad blocking is another of those stories that will be told, in years to come, around smoldering tweet-fires by grumpy old digital marketers like me.

Ad blockers have already had a huge impact on the digital landscape. This impact could only grow larger if the popularity of blocking ads reaches a critical mass on mobile as well as desktop. For this article, I talked with numerous publishers, users, the Interactive Advertising Bureau, media agencies and Adblock Plus itself to get a complete view of the varying perspectives on ad blocking, and most importantly, to try to tackle where it will all wind up.

Ad-blocking background

Skip ahead to the next heading if you already know the ad-blocking basics. If not, ad blockers are desktop/mobile browser add-ons or standalone browsers that cause most paid advertising to completely vanish from your surfing experience.

Tired of ads intermingling with your search results? Install an ad blocker and enjoy ZERO sponsored ads. Weary of watching a 30-second Facebook video with a 15-second mid-stack ad shoved dead in the center? Simple fix: Download an ad blocker, and voila, video only — c’est la vie, Zuckerberg.

The same applies to most every site, from YouTube video ads to click-bait style (“see what happens next”) modules at the bottom or right rail of most popular content.

There are other reasons to download ad blockers as well — security reasons, like: stop the bad people from accessing my webcam. Did you know that even innocuous sites can open your mic or access your cam? Did you ever get a bizarre feeling that somehow all sorts of different places know you were looking at that “Nicolas Cage rainbow pillowcase?” HOW?

Well, a little plug-and-play add-on or mobile browser can help stop all of that dead in its tracks.

There are many instances (some intentional and some not so intentional) of ads creating malware issues. “Malvertising” has been found not just on seedy sites you would expect to have privacy or security issues with. Even The New York Times and the BBC last year had an issue when they inadvertently ran ads that attempted to hijack the computers of visitors.

Many well-recognized sites have had similar issues to varying degrees. Using ad blockers eliminates most of these issues from ever being a concern.

The user perspective

While there are many different reasons given for using an ad blocker, the bottom-line motivation is pretty simple. Either users are sick of being bombarded by ads and experiencing their effects on the user experience, or they have security or privacy concerns.

If I were writing a confession, I would tell a tale about how I nearly lost my sanity as my mobile phone choked on a 20-slide, “click-bait”-style gallery. It was ever resizing, lagging, and ads kept “enlarging” where the “next” button was located, causing me to click an ad instead of the next button. Yes, this was even on WiFi.

That was when I began using ad blockers on my desktop and phone. Maybe it was one of the first cases of PTAD (Post Traumatic Ad Disorder) ever recorded. I’m getting long in the tooth and don’t appreciate having my precious remaining moments sucked up by ads.

The publishers’ perspective

I’ve worked with some of the biggest names in media over the last 18 years and might be a little more empathetic to their plight than a typical consumer. Publishers seem to be getting it from all sides. The way people consume news has vastly changed and impacted many publications.

Then, you have instances of Google depriving the publications of more and more clicks over time from direct results (“answers”) to the “view original image” additions into Chrome. Now, many sites who actually do get a visit from a human fail to monetize the pageview because that person has ad blocking enabled.

I’ve reached out to numerous publications about the issue, and many of them either declined to comment or stopped responding when they heard about the topic of the article. Like saying “Candyman” three times in a mirror, it’s almost as if they don’t want to even utter the name, for fear it will have bad consequences.

Some publishers, such as Forbes and Business Insider, have taken fairly aggressive action by blocking those with ad blockers. Others, such as The Guardian, take a more subtle approach and attempt to appeal to a reader’s logic.

To be fair, many may have gone a bit too far with jamming ads into content or trying to inflate page views artificially using tactics like multi-page slideshows. Unfortunately, whether or not they were part of the inception or rise in popularity of ad blockers, all publishers are now dealing with the effects.

Something I’ve seen lately are publications that attempt to trick ad blockers using various techniques. One maddening method I ran into involved about 20 to 30 separate scripts running that would auto-load and insert ads if one happened to get blocked. This was set up on a news site. When I attempted to block the actual ad object, another script and ad would be loaded in its place. I’ve dubbed this the “whack-a-mole” strategy. To me, it appeared to be an indicator of desperation.

Another interesting method publishers have been using is to use their own server as an ad server. This tricks the blockers into thinking the ad is not really an ad. While this method may trick casual users, advanced users can easily block those ad sections with a right click setting in their ad blocker.

Publications such as Wired and City A.M. at one time reportedly blocked ad-blocking readers, but have since stopped doing so. Other publications like Forbes and Business Insider have stayed the course, apparently still blocking all users with blockers, asking them to whitelist them or disable the blocker. While I understand the thinking, this approach seems to anger quite a few users, and there are many message boards and social chatter with derogatory posts raging about this practice.

As an aside, I think companies that employ this technique should be advised that using Google’s “cached” version of the page gets around the ad-block wall. Tighten that loophole up, and cast a scowl at your consultants.

I do occasionally see other approaches, like an “article limit,” which allows you to read a couple of articles free a month or other set period of time.

I contacted Alon Zieve, COO of Seeking Alpha, who appears to be navigating the ad-blocking issue in a logical way. Zieve reports that blockers have definitely had an impact on SA revenue. They’ve taken efforts to block certain ad-block users and offer them an option to whitelist or subscribe to the ad-free version. “Fortunately, because our users love our content, we have a relatively good take-up rate on these options.”

Interestingly, he finds that users actually have a hard time trying to figure out how to whitelist the site when they decide to do so. Seeking Alpha also has their own version of Google’s Contributor Service, a great email strategy, and other marketing strategies in place.

When asked about what publishers need to do to survive, Zieve responded, “At Seeking Alpha, our approach to survival is simple. Produce great, valuable content that our users love, and there will always be a way to monetize it.” Their multi-pronged approach appears to have been successful for them in mitigating the ad-block issue.

Adblock Plus’s perspective

I conducted a Skype interview with Ben Williams, director of communications at Adblock Plus. He had some interesting things to say about the history of Adblock Plus, the challenges, and where he thinks it will be going.

I happen to agree with Williams’s view that Adblock Plus was just answering the call for what was desperately wanted out there. The big bad wolves tried first to sue small companies into submission (some are still at it) and then, when that failed, some decided they would work with them.

Adblock Plus doesn’t appear to have any axes to grind. Williams was surprisingly zen about the lawsuits and negative press. In fact, the media outcry was met with Adblock Plus lightening up a bit and not blocking all ads, but setting the sensitivity setting (if you will) a little lower.

It’s also important to note that Adblock Plus can be paid to default whitelist your ads as long as they adhere to their quality guidelines, and many large players have done so.

Adblock Plus supports the new models of how publishers will get funded, and they don’t think the ad-blocking genie will ever get put back into the bottle. When asked for his thoughts on the “tug-of-war” that has happened in the past with publishers trying to get around ad blockers, Williams replied, “It doesn’t really serve the consumer very well.”

He added that instead of “jumping into a tech arms race, (publishers) should consider the fact that so many people are blocking ads and should make better ads.” He believes, for the most part, that’s what has been happening. There are some publishers out there that believe fighting the tide of ad blockers is their best option, but Williams thinks that might be a pretty bad way to treat their users.

When asked about the problem with apps and how they prevent ad blocking, he stated that there really isn’t anything that can be done about that yet. Adblock Plus used to have an app that allowed users to block those ads, but it was kicked out of the Play Store in 2011.

Williams does believe that many people are still using browsers to access sites and that the future of ad blocking on mobile is with the blocking browsers. When Twitter announced it will be using Safari for anyone following a link from iOS versions of its app, it was a huge lift to any one of Twitter’s 328 million users that may have ad blockers installed.

I asked Williams what he thought about Google announcing its own “ad-blocking” features on Chrome and what that would look like. He replied, “What Google has announced so far sounds more to me to be a pop-up blocker.” He believes the ad-blocking community is going to still want to block things like YouTube video ads.

Williams guesses but doesn’t know if those features will be included in the Chrome update. “It all depends on the implementation,” he said. My personal guess is that YouTube video ads won’t be defaulting to the off position — does anyone think they would?

Williams’s view on the future of ad blocking is that it isn’t going anywhere anytime time soon. He believes that recent moves from Apple and Twitter using Safari will only make blocking ads easier. Interestingly, when wondering where things will go on mobile devices, Williams tells us to “look to the East,” saying that people in China, Indonesia and India are blocking ads on their mobile devices at higher rates than we’ve ever seen on desktop.

A survey Adblock Plus recently conducted discovered why US users aren’t using mobile ad blockers the way they are in the East. Williams said the overwhelming response was that they “just didn’t know it exists.” If that survey is correct, I think a safe bet is that we’ll see a surge of mobile ad blocking in the US sometime in the near future.

Looking down the road, Williams feels the best way for publishers to approach their ad-blocking audience is to “reach them with a specialized experience that can also be profitable.” He feels that a “frictionless payment system” for publishers might work out well for those who understand they need to support content that they consume.

Media and agency perspectives

It’s no secret just how much companies like Google, Facebook and other big media players depend on ad revenues. In 2015, advertising generated close to to 90 percent of Google’s total revenue. Facebook makes 84 percent of its ad revenue from mobile. When you’re talking billions, even a small dent can make giants sit up and take notice.

One doesn’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to see a definitive pattern in all the recent moves from the big players. We’ve seen the IAB putting out its acronym-rich strategy in an attempt to slow an outbreak of mobile ad blocking by decreasing the demand for it. Google has been pushing the “contributor” service along with other moves that seem to telegraph a reaction to ad blocking such as:

I could talk about each one of these, but this article is already starting to get longer than “Les Misérables.” Each one of these moves appears to have some component that’s meant to deal with ad blocking in some fashion.

I corresponded with Dennis Buchheim, SVP and general manager of the IAB Tech Lab, about the Coalition for Better Ads (CBA). Buchheim reports that their global effort is focused on providing education and guidance on the user experience, along with guidelines for “better ads” — the goal of which is to slow the motivation to block ads.

Buchheim believes the “installation of ad-blocking technology is often motivated by consumers dealing with ad experiences from other parties who aren’t interested in adopting these guidelines.”

But what is a publisher to do? “IAB created the IAB Ad Blocking Primer to help guide their efforts. The primer describes the risks and benefits of a wide range of tactics, including subscription models and micropayment models, that can be employed,” he said.

The impact on other marketing channels is unclear. Does the more difficult ad landscape increase the spend for SEO, email, social and so on? While he is unclear if there has been a real impact to date, “presumably other channels that can demonstrate their effectiveness would secure increased spend, if digital ad inventory decreased dramatically because of blocking.”

“Before that happened, it’s likely that the price of digital ads would increase as volume decreased,” he added.

What about agencies?

If blocking ads reaches the same fever pitch here in North America and Europe as it has in the East, I can see many paid media reps stating, “Brother, can you spare a dime?” It’s quite difficult to know how successful all of the moves by Google and the IAB will be in slowing the adoption of mobile ad blocking. I, for one, believe it will eventually be on the majority of mobile devices.

I reached out to Andrew Goodman, founder of Page Zero Media, for an agency take on what comes next. His thoughts: “As device-specific computing gives way to futuristic home and mobile concepts, the Internet of Things, voice search, facial recognition, AI and machine learning, etc., the whole concept of interrupting people with advertising may be undermined.”

In the future, Goodman sees companies like Apple and Microsoft potentially in an advantageous position since they “can lean heavily on business models that provide function to consumers, rather than relying heavily on advertising to supplement whatever consumers might pay for function.”

Goodman sees “many current ad models and agencies as doomed within five years, unless they find new stuff to do.”

Closing thoughts

I don’t think ad blocking is going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, I’m predicting that in spite of all the measures the IAB and its members have taken to slow down the demand for ad blockers, mobile blocking will eventually be as common in the United States as it is in the East.

Efforts to slow the outbreak will delay the rate at which it’s adopted. However, as more and more US sites attempt to monetize their mobile content, mobile blocking will inevitably lose the war. For many users, this is a win-win scenario. They’ll see better and less annoying ads overall thanks to the CBA efforts — with or without a blocker in play.

Not to sound too unsympathetic, but I’m not breaking out a violin to play “My heart bleeds for Google and Facebook.” Even though it might put a dent in their pocketbooks, I’m predicting they’ll still come out of it just fine. I’ll play that violin for the many publishers who are deserving and in need of those ad dollars.

As for the Google “ad blocker,” I don’t think even Vegas would carry odds on whether or not that will block video ads from YouTube. Once upon a time, pop-ups were a big problem, and you could download a pop-up blocker plugin to prevent them — until most of the browsers included it by default. In this example, you solved the problem and eliminated a step for the end user.

I get the feeling that the announcement to incorporate the blocker into Chrome is a play to keep the unenlightened in the dark a bit longer. This way they can say, “Hey, yeah, I block ads” when in actuality, they don’t even know what a real blocker does. I don’t think this will have the prescribed effect they believe it will for very long.

I would love it if people began to embrace ad blockers as an effective protest tool. Hate fake news? Completely block the ads on that publication! You don’t have to cause a stink and hope advertisers pull their ads; you have the power with the click of a button to create the same effect.

Just remember to make sure you whitelist those publications you believe are deserving; many desperately need it.

As for the pubs that put up walls for ad blockers, I only see that as a Band-Aid that is easily peeled off. I can see an interesting future if, in fact, many large news sources go subscription only. I can almost see a Napster or BitTorrent for news emerging so that people can consume news without paying for it. Walls generally keep people out, though, not encourage them to walk a few miles to find another entrance.

I believe that the decrease of paid ads puts an increased importance on areas such as social, search, email and so on. Getting your content in front of a user will take more skills than bid, tools or resources to keep auctioning. I don’t know of many that consider an organic Google result for a term to be an ad — and that, in my opinion, is how the future of paid media, on the whole, should look: as innocuous as an answer that Alexa would give to the asker. Having a true, number one position for an important phrase really can’t be more valuable in a future without easily acquired sponsored ads, can it?

I would love to hear your thoughts on where you think this will all end up. Be sure to check out my video breakdown of the article as well:

Some opinions expressed in this article may be those of a guest author and not necessarily Marketing Land. Staff authors are listed here.

About The Author

Anthony Muller is one of the best-kept secrets in the SEO industry at the enterprise level. He is the founder of ZenSEM and, for over 17 years, the Zen Search Engine Marketer has gained clients through C-level referrals for the most part. He has worked with and coordinated the search strategies for many of the largest names in media, retail, and politics. 

Go to Source Author: Anthony Muller

For more SEO, PPC & online marketing news visit https://news.scott.services

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BTS / / CREATED FOR WORSHIP - SHORT FILM / / March 23, 2017

BTS / / CREATED FOR WORSHIP - SHORT FILM / / March 23, 2017 

In spring of 2017, I got to produce my first ever Short Film, Created for Worship. This would be my first legitimate solo film, as all my previous projects were interviews, recaps, promos, etc. This is my first film as the lead Director, Producer, and Writer, and I built up a great sense of professionalism over the years which culminated with this film.

Heading into this film, it was serious business. I was confident, dialed in, and ready to take this film on like a pro. I was creating this film to enter into a competition – the Easter North Carolina Church of God Teen Talent Competition, Multi-Media Division, Presentation Video – so I carried myself with professionalism. I could confidently say I knew what I was doing, as all my previous experience was mainly educational. I put everything I knew into this film, and I’m blown away at the results. Let’s dive in.

 CONCEPT //

“The concept of this film is inspired by Psalms 150, which is a culmination of why everything exists: to praise (or worship) the Lord. The beauty in creation - in all its senses - is just a reflection of its purpose. We're beautiful because God created us, and He created us to worship Him. My desire was to tell that message through the art of film, and create a cinematic worship experience.”

That’s the short version I included with my films presentation package. Now that you get the idea, let me dive a little deeper.

 In the late summer of 2016, God lead me on a journey through the book of Psalms. I read 5 Psalms a day, every day until I finished. Throughout this journey, the Lord really impressed this theme of Worship on me. Throughout Psalms, you read about David’s heart for worship, and you can feel everything he writes. The literature alone is amazing. But throughout the book, I really began to grasp what God was showing me. One, that everything exists to worship Him. And two, that the reason we sense beauty in creation, it’s because what we’re sensing reflects its created purpose. Flowers are created to worship God, and their visual beauty reflects that. Flowers, aren’t Gods pinnacle of creation – WE are. So, if the soulless, created earth can bring forth its own praise/worship, then our worship as humans – Gods pinnacle of creation – is the natural desire of our souls. Our worship is that much more beautiful, because He wants to hear our worship more so than any other aspect of creation. Flowers use everything about them to worship God. Humans can do so much more than look beautiful, or smell beautiful. We have intellect, and a soul, which makes our worship intentional, and means so much more to God.

 That changed my outlook on life, but God didn’t want me to just read it for myself. He wanted me to share it through exercising it. Specifically, He wanted me to share it through one of the greatest things He’s put in me; filmmaking. He confirmed it to me when I learned about this competition, and that it was my last eligible year to enter. I was mind-blown, and immediately got to work on pre-production. I was on a very tight schedule, as I started pre-production just 2-3 weeks before the competition.

 LOCATIONS //

The first step was mapping out locations. I knew I wanted to be very nature-heavy, which made Lake Benson Park a perfect location. I had been on 3 film outings to Lake Benson before, so I knew it’d be perfect.

The next location was tricky. I wanted a large body of tall brush, that didn’t look completely dead. The solution I chose was perfect. A few years earlier, I was out driving around taking pictures of anything. I saw a large body of brush right outside a subdivision, and loved it. I snapped some images and used them for many different reasons, and I said to myself “this would be a cool location to film”. Needless to say, I remembered the place, but forgot its location. Thanks to Google Maps, tracking down the spot was easy.

 CASTING //

Next, I needed a subject. What I had in mind was a seasoned worship leader with a genuine hear who could talk endlessly talk about worship and fully grasp/add-lib to the script, and was nice to look at. Luckily, I have a sister who fits this criterion perfectly.

 GEAR //

Here’s all the gear I used (film and audio)

1X Canon Rebel T1i

1X Canon 18-55mm Stock Portrait Lens

1X Canon 55-250mm Stock Zoom Lens

1X Manfrotto MVH500A Fluid Drag Video Head

1X Manfrotto MVT502AM Tripod

1X Behringer XENYX 1202FX

1X Shure SM58

 First, I’ll tackle video.

I shot the film using my Rebel T1i, and both of its stock lenses. I know it’s not the best quality, but I was also on a tiny budget. I had used it for all my projects at the time, and it’s served me well and got the job done.

I did budget towards a tripod – something I needed for years – specifically Manfrotto’s 502 Film Tripod. It was hands-down the best $300 I ever spent. It’s rock solid, and incredibly durable. Plus, the 500A Video head is flawless. I highly recommend this tripod for any filmmaker, especially DSLR Filmmakers.

Next, I’ll tackle audio.

My favorite audio solution in a corporate video setting is hands-down the Zoom H4N. It’s very common amongst most filmmakers, and a great device every filmmaker should have with them. I unfortunately didn’t own one at the time, nor did purchasing one fit my budget. My solution ended being crazy overkill, but worked perfectly.

I own a small Behringer mixer, which was my only option for good audio. This was a huge hassle, because I also had to tote a large power supply and interface (which meant another computer to record into) for it as well. However, being able to precisely control my levels was a huge plus.

For the mic, I just used a standard Shure SM58 Dynamic Mic placed beneath the subject out of frame. Not at all the best nor proper way to mic your subject, but certainly not the worst.

If you’re filming a corporate/interview style of film, I highly recommend purchasing the H4N and either a great quality lav mic or shotgun mic. It’s a much easier setup with similar, or even better results.

 PRODUCTION //

Okay, now let’s get into production.

As I said before, I walked into this film pursuing excellence, as if it were a major motion picture, regardless of the gear I was using. Having the right mindset is both healthy and crucial for any project you take on. I wanted to do the best job possible.

We shot the film over 2 days - each being 2-3 hours.

Day 1 we shot all the A-Roll at Lake Benson. Again, I had plenty of experience in corporate video, and was all too familiar with Lake Benson. At the time, I never used lighting nor was I a lighting artist, so we were dependent on the sun. Setting up was a breeze, and after 2 great takes we called it a day. All I did was frame a widescreen portrait, with marginal headroom, shooting straight on to the talent. For audio, I simply placed the mic at knee level directed to the talents face, just outside of frame. If you’ve ever used dynamic mics, you’ll know they pick up every bit of sound, so next time I’ll take a more targeted approach for audio to avoid capturing so much background and ambient noise, and also having a solution for wind.

Day 2 we shot all the B-Roll and fills. Many of these were handheld shots, from a variety of angles. I wanted to get plenty of close-ups of the talents face, and her hands. The concept was capturing not only her beauty, but the beauty she was exploring and observing with nature and creation. I also captured many broad shots, giving the audience full contextual awareness of each scene, and creating an atmosphere that stimulates the audience, immersing them into an atmosphere of cinematic worship. As we were driving between locations, I filmed plenty of shots out the window I used later as fills.

One set of shots I fell in love with in particular are the lake shots, and the Manfrotto tripod played a huge roll in them. The flawless panorama shots were thanks to the fluid drag video head, along with the bird shots as well. These shots were amazing to film, and even more astonishing to view on screen.

Another aspect of production was the music. I’m a musician – playing drums, guitar, and piano – so I produced the music for this film in-house. This was the most tedious part of making the film, as I was taking it solo. I drew inspiration from a variety of sources, a major one being a piece of music used by Kari Jobe – my favorite artist in music. Once I had my melody, I began exploring patches and sounds to create my melody with. I wanted something soft, warm, and light, to match the visual atmosphere of the film. I narrowed it down to 9 sounds, and tracked each one individually in my studio. This process took a few hours, keeping me awake until 4:00am just 2 days before the competition. The following morning, I tracked the drums and percussion, and was ready for post.

POST PRODUCTION //

Going into edit, I knew I wanted to be very intentional with both the visuals and the music. The script was perfect, and the visual and musical elements had to reflect and compliment the script, without taking away the focus. Everything had to work in harmony, with perfect balance – something you’d assume to be tedious.

The first thing I did was mix the tracks for the music to create a final piece. I did this solely in Adobe Audition CC, and the hardest part was timing. I couldn’t track the sounds to a metronome, I had to track them to the pre-existing piece of music. And of course, the timing never perfectly lined up. Slightly noticeable, but not at all horrible by any stretch.

Once I had my music, I wrapped my content around it in Adobe Premiere Pro, and adjusted the audio accordingly. Next, I color graded the film using a complex combination of HSL levels, Exposure, RGB Curves, and more. I wanted a very warm tone to the film, which aside from concept, compensated for the film being shot in early spring and lacking the extent of natural warmth on set I was hoping for.

As far as visual effects go, there was one shot in particular that stands out – the reflected pano of the lake. I’ve seen this effect in so many films, and was eager to try it myself. It’s a simple effect to achieve. I took my pano shot of the lake, and cropped out the top half of the footage. I then took that footage and pinned it to the top of the frame, duplicated it, vertically flipped the duplicated footage, then aligned each half in the middle to complete the effect. Outside of that, I just used a variety of dips, fades, and speed adjustments of several shot. The scripture overlays and credits were crafted in Photoshop before being placed in the film using Premiere.

 FINAL //

This film is a milestone accomplishment, and means the world to me. I loved making it and would definitely do it all again. The film won 1st place in its division at the State Competition, and is headed to Lee University for the International Church of God Teen Talent Competition on July 31st – August 5th. By the end of the competition, I had been awake for 39= hours straight (never even touched my bed), but it was so worth it on every level. God gets all the credit, and I’m so thankful for the gifts He’s given me. If you’re still here, thanks for reading! Hope this helps you out in anyway. Checkout the film on YouTube, and follow my social channels for more updates on films and videos to come. Thanks for watching, and hope you enjoy the film!

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