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Writing and Creative Challenge 1: De/Reconstructing the “Literal Video” Concept

My students and I have been enjoying the recent “Literal Video” trend.

Basically this involves taking a well known video to a pop song (typically) and rewriting the lyrics to comment on, or just state, what is going on in the video; this new lyric is then recorded with the song’s instrumentals and the new construct is posted for giggles.

In fact, though, these are not actually “literal videos” of the songs’ lyrics; instead, they are existing videos with new lyrics that describe them literally. To put it plainly, the efforts that are so amusing are misnamed: they are more literally “Literal Lyrics to Famous Videos,” though that, of course, is not a tripping sort of name.

But we could, in fact, fashion more literal literal videos. How about this: working in teams or in relay, people can work on a series of steps towards creating these. Kind of a chain:

1. A new, original song should be written that consists of descriptions of what can conceivably appear in a video–either stock footage, new footage, or a real challenge to video makers. The song can be in any style. The song should be recorded as desired. NOTE: This set of lyrics can serve as a verbal ‘storyboard’ for the ensuing video.
2. A video maker, possibly the same people or maybe another set of people, creates a video that embodies the lyrics’ descriptions…but which somehow make a reasonably smooth and cogent video in its own right.
3. A third (or second) party, viewing the video and listening to the song and lyrics, now creates a new lyric that can reasonably harmonize the video plus the musical style and cues, and that sounds cogent enough to be a song, again in its own right.
4. This sequence might continue in waves for quite a while–for example, taking these new lyrics and writing new music to go with it; creating a new video to go with the new song; rewriting these lyrics to match the video; etc. etc. etc.

Sounds like fun to me!

I’d love to see someone tackle this at any level. For a bonus, you might just emulate the many new “Literal Videos” that are on YouTube and such, writing new lyrics to songs with existing videos. Or, you could try the steps (or some of them) as I propose above. You should share these with me and with Yuntech students (or allow me to share them with my students, at least…).

So, have at thee! I will try this new idea if I have the time.

Side projects suggest themselves, too, such as comparing the step 3 lyrics with the original step 1 songwriters’ original concepts for what sort of song they were imagining.

Any ricochets or tangents come to mind? Please comment! If you would like to collaborate with me on such a project, I’m quite willing to talk about it! We can collaborate at Google Wave or Google Docs, or in some other fashion.

Now let’s get creative, people!

ADDENDUM:

(12/12/09)

I want to suggest a sort of shortcut–or possibly, for some, an inspiring alternative to writing a brand new song. What about if you pick some instrumental piece which you like and write new “literal” lyrics for it? I know that Midnight Oil, for instance, has some great instrumentals such as “Gravelrash” that might work great. The audio then would be already available; only lyrics would be needed. . . Whatcha think?

 

Are You a Writer or A Person Who Writes?

This is a great post from one of my favorite blogs/mailing lists, Daily Writing Tips.The guest post was written by Maeve Maddox. You should check out the link above, but her are a couple of highlights.

When I read a blog filled with incomplete sentences, trendy slang, misspellings and grammatical atrocities, I feel at one with the professor at Ohio University who returned a student’s paper with this comment:

I am returning this otherwise good typing paper to you because someone has printed gibberish all over it and put your name at the top.

To me a writer has certain characteristics, among which are:

a compulsion to write
a love of language
a grasp of grammar and idiom
a wide acquaintance with writing in different genres and from different historical periods
an enormous vocabulary, together with an instinct for choosing words appropriate to context and audience
the ability to write despite discouragement and distractions

…

Here are some quotations that go along with my understanding of what a “real” writer is.

It is impossible to discourage the real writers – they don’t give a damn what you say, they’re going to write.  ~Sinclair Lewis

I can write with a crying child on my lap. I have. Often. ~ David Baldacci

We write because something inside says we must and we can no longer ignore that voice. ~ Sheila Bender

One must be drenched in words, literally soaked in them, to have the right ones form themselves into the proper pattern at the right moment.  ~Hart Crane

The more you read, the more you will write. The better the stuff you read, the better the stuff you will write. ~ Annie Dillard

The writer writes in order to teach himself, to understand himself, to satisfy himself; the publishing of his ideas, though it brings gratification, is a curious anticlimax.  ~Alfred Kazin

If I don’t write to empty my mind, I go mad.  ~Lord Byron

“Daily Writing Tips” is always a highlight of my email checking day. It should be one of yours, too!

 

The Illegal Introduction?

The much-admired writer “Lemony Snicket,” really the author Daniel Handler, is represented by his first novel in the Series of Unfortunate Events, offered below in its complete form with pictures and even an image of the endpaper. Since his publishers make it possible for me to do this, I’m a-gonna do it.

It is a wonderful series which was introduced to me by my parents; I believe my Dad has read the entire series (not the only one, mind you) aloud. Though at first it appears to simply be a series of harrowing episodes that might have randomly continued into perpetuity with no real development, the codes, clues, wordplay, and intrigue was built up as the series’ 13 books continued until there was a superb fascination in a hushed-up conspiracy, a secret society of venomously fierce dastards, and a network of images and cross references that is more compelling than the action of the story.

Please enjoy. I should use this for a future literature class!

Browse Inside this book Get this for your site

 

OK, Bill, I’ve had it with you. Enough!

Man, I am SICK and tired of Microsoft’s sneakiness and threats. I should take out a court order…
For a few weeks, following a stealthy installation of MSN that also added a mean spirited “trojan” program, Microsoft’s “Genuine Advantage” software has been threatening to block my access to any and all MS Office documents unless I purchase their crapware. Well, I refuse!

Friends in the USA and elsewhere, I’ve been meaning to ask–is Microsoft acting like a real wiener these days? Boy! MAJOR poopypants behavior here in Taiwan, at least. I resent their immature behavior–and here’s why.

In the name of a “Genuine Advantage,” Bill (my metonym for all Microsoft cruddiness) has been warning he will cut off our Word and Excel privileges if we don’t purchase a new version of MS Office from him.

Tush in his teeth! I don’t use MS Office any more, save for rare cases when I need one of the few remaining features that the alternatives don’t yet have–nor MS Internet Exploder NOR YET MS Windows. However, try telling Taiwan to switch to OpenOffice.org–or to Linux, Mac, or any other option that does not the smarmy gits’ mark of approval. There’s but one brand in favor here: the worst!

Personally, I prefer [it's my blog and I WILL play with language here!] improprietary software. When I have my way, I’m for Open Software all the way!

Now, I realize that many people do have illegally-installed copies of MS products loaded onto their computers. Many people, indeed, likely did this on purpose. However, I have to point out that many selfish computer salescretins and businessmisers did this to trusting customers in order to save money, charge less for the computers, and make the sale. I don’t endorse stealing intellectual property from anybody, please note. This barging-in of the MS software at least woke me up to the fact that the computer dealers did NOT give us a legitimate copy of the software–so I am dropping it and feel guilty (even if it was their misdeed) about using the software. That should not have happened, and I regret the trespass.

However, there is NOT a need to steal MS software! Anything you need to work with is available free from the true princes and princesses of humanity, the selfless makers and coders who give us open software for free. Why won’t people use this marvelous stuff? What has Bill done to mesmerize the public? Get over MS, people!

I predict that this will be the lead pipe that breaks the camels’ backs. Some people will, with me, say, “Enough! I’m through with Microsoft’s tyranny!” and move to Linux systems and OOo–and never really have a reason to look back. Or as an alternative to Linux (I’m on Ubuntu as we speak, but have a notebook with XP and MacOSX right there) consider MacOSX, which I prize for similar, but at times differing, reasons.

With my wife, we’ve moved all our financial records over to OpenOffice–with NO loss of functionality, even on very rococo, byzantine spreadsheets that I was guessing would not be useful there. And my own records are always there, backed up and useful at any of my machines through Dropbox. J’adore!!

The threats from “Genuine Disadvantage” (MS seems to think that without their love, we’ll break our poor little customer hearts) are getting more and more dire. They can take a flying leap into Al’sswimming pool filled with double-edged razor blades. You can take your ring back, Microsoft. We’re through. I hope that for us men at least, we can enjoy a new kind of PMS–Post-Microsoft Satisfaction!

(Sorry sorry sorry, ladies and fairminded others!)

 

What makes great writing different from ‘meh’ writing?

This blog is about wonderful writing and reading, and what can either enhance or mar them. Here I will share great examples, start discussions, and noodle about. Please contribute your ideas for the embiggence of this effort. Thanks for your cromulancy.

To enjoy–a helpful, but saucy, message found all over Taiwan on its fire extinguishers. I tried it once but got reprimanded. I got a medal, though, for extinguished service.

Is this a hydrant or an extinguisher? Ask the Exhausted Ruler!

Beep!

Thanks to Lulu Lu for the picture–which is, however, easy to replicate in almost any public building in Taiwan.

Check out:

Mighty Red PenDaily Writing TipsWordsmith–Home also of the Internet Anagram Server!