Writing
Using pressbooks as a source for film research and writing
While publicity materials such as pressbooks (also referred to as presskits) are useful tools in writing about films, finding a digital copy online might be a challenge, depending upon the movie written about and the popularity of press materials for the film in question. Some film archives will have a portion of their collections digitalized and easily accessible online like the William K. Everson Archive at NYU, while others may require an in-person visit, such as the film archives at UCLA. Long regarded as the most important marketing tool for a newly released movie, pressbooks are not only valuable as historical film memorabilia, but can be very useful for a number of research and writing projects. For example, a pressbook can be used as…
Writing a modern retelling of a folk or fairy tale
One unique writing form is the retelling of a folk tale or fairy tale with a modern twist. Stories like “Cinderella”, “Puss in Boots”, “Snow White”, and “Hansel and Gretel” have all undergone the modernization treatment, appearing in both print and film format. The writer who is seeking to retell a folk or fairy tale might be presented with the problem of which story to pick (in this case sometimes a less-popular story is worth selecting), then the modernization part: what elements of the story should be brought up to date? Also, should the story being retold include any additional elements to give it a personal touch?While a certain degree of creativity is welcome in the retelling of a selected folk or fairy…
Writing the Creative Western Story
While the average western story conjures up names like Zane Grey and Louis L’Amour, such works of fiction need not be confined to the realm of traditional westerns. Case in point: “Bonanza” television episodes “Hoss and the Leprechauns” written by Robert Barron, and “Sam Hill”, written by David Dortort. The former title is self-explanatory, but the latter is about a friend of the Cartwrights named Sam Hill who also happens to be a mystic (portrayed by Claude Akins). These stories were not the first of their kind, for the concept of creative westerns existed during the early twentieth century. For an idea of what earlier creative western stories looks like, here are three different ones made into silent films starring our subject…
Writing Fan Fiction: Past and Present
Modern fan fiction has existed since the early twentieth century when the biggest name Hollywood stars figured in stories that appeared in small publications frequently purchased by fans themselves. One popular publishing company, El Gato Negro (Barcelona, Spain), manufactured series of booklets with colorful covers, inside illustrations, and stories about actors. More often than not there would be a whole series of these booklets containing ongoing stories, similar to the film serials of the 1920’s through 1940’s, which were purchased and saved as collectibles. Below is an example of an early work of Hollywood fan fiction:Adventures of Tom Tyler, King of the CowboysThe title reads: “The Adventures of Tom Tyler, The King of the Cowboys” published by El Gato Negro circa…
Identifying film scenes from arcade/exhibit cards and reconstructing film plots and synopses
Arcade and exhibit cards have a fascinating history of their own – they were originally manufactured by Exhibit Supply Company in Chicago and distributed through vending machines for a penny per card. These cards would often be tinted in different colors ranging from red to blue, green, purple, even aqua. Many arcade and exhibit cards dating back to the late 1920’s and 1930’s would depict film scenes in addition to portraits of actors and actresses. Sometimes these film scenes might bear just the star’s name but not the film they were from. For example, here is an arcade card from my personal collection bearing the following print:“Tom Tyler helps Buddy capture the bandit”Tom Tyler in “The Wyoming Wildcat” 1925Buddy here…
Writing Silent Film Summaries and Taglines for IMDB
After spending many hours researching that famous person from stage or film, you finally discover one particular silent film which appeals to you in some manner – perhaps after reading a number of reviews, seeing a lobby card or two, or even a few stills from the movie – but remains largely unviewable. Maybe the movie itself is classified under “lost film” status, or does exist in print form in a film archive somewhere in Europe but for some reason not transferred to DVD. Most importantly, you are an active contributor to IMDB, and would like to write a film summary for the movie that interests you but remains a bit obscure to the general public. You might also have information such as taglines or budget expenses…
Using poetry as a reference in nonfiction
The use of poetry in non-fiction books such as history, biography or religion as a reference was common during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Snippets of poetry verses pertaining to a certain idea presented in the actual text – or even a footnote – was artistic as well as aesthetic. Longer sections of verse might also be used within the too, as in the following example where a poem by Lord Byron is used to describe Rousseau in “The Confessions” (London: Aldus Society, 1903):Lord Byron had a soul near akin to Rousseau’s, whose writings naturally made a deep impression on the poet’s mind, and probably had an influence on his conduct and modes of thought: In some stanzas of ‘Childe Harold…
Researching for a new concept in writing
Approaching research for an article on a specialized subject is as important as writing the article itself.When it comes to research where multiple sources, dates, even identical titles are involved, checking and re-checking the facts must be done while making notes for the article to be written. For example, if research is being conducted on a silent film actor who made a silent film – and later on a talkie – bearing the same title, and a second actor made a silent film of the same title one year later after the first actor (it has actually happened!), confusion can arise. Likewise, knowing where to begin research on the silent film actor is important too. Did the actor in question get his start in live…