Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
WAS BETTE DAVIS CRAZY?
The expressions Betty makes in this film are not to be believed. She must have spent a lot of time in front of mirrors at home, figuring it all out. |
You have to admire her for putting so much into a role that made her look evil and crazy. |
Bette was a live action cartoon character. I can't believe that no modern animation studio except Spumco ever attempted to use poses like this. |
Here (above) Bette begs a dying old man to help her get out of a crime she committed. He's only moments away from meeting his maker and can't force himself to pay attention to her. |
She's outraged at his self-absorption (above) and gives him a piece of her mind. The last thing he sees on Earth is Bette screaming at him. What a scene! |
Oooch! Big mistake (above)! Never slap a crazy person, not unless you want to find arsenic in your morning tea. Look at the way Bette reacts to the slap. |
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
MY RANT ABOUT MODERN ARCHITECTURE
Where would you rather live? Here (above)......... |
....or here (above)?
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Which is easier on the eye? This (above).......... |
....or this (above)? |
Listen to my rant against modern architecture on the latest ASIFA Archive podcast, link below:
And on another subject.....
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To everybody else: may you find what you're looking for in San Diego! Good hunting!
This blog will resume after the convention, on Sunday night, July 25th!
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Sunday, July 18, 2010
WHAT KIND OF ADS SUCCEED ON THE NET?
The answer is: Almost none. Almost no ads succeed big on the internet. The truth is, it's a lousy place to advertise. It's kinda sad because advertisers are throwing dollars at the net these days, and they're not going to get most of them back.
Okay: iTunes, ebay, Amazon, porn, airline and hotel booking agents, gambling and dating services are making out like bandits on the net....but, really, who else is? Try to sell detergent or coffee on the net. You can't.
Try asking your friends this question, and see what answers you get: "Can you name an ad for a product you discovered on the net, (but not on Amazon or eBay) that gave you an intense desire to own it?" I bet you'll draw a blank. Nobody takes internet ads seriously. It's odd because we can all name print and TV ads that had that made us salivate. I'd kill to have TV products like AirHog or a Fushigiball or a bladeless fan. I'll bet my daughter is mulling over Boody Pop right now.
Maybe the net's a bad place to advertise because it's a bad place to tell stories. Print and TV excel at stories, and the net doesn't. That's important to know because fiction, or documentary that's structured like fiction, is what drives sales on TV. You buy Donald Duck Orange Juice because you've grown to like and trust Donald Duck on TV, and you secretly believe that Donald will somehow know you've bought his juice.
In my opinion advertisers made a big mistake in not supporting print and broadcast media, even when their audiences declined. The net's not a great place to discover a new product, but it's a killer place to follow up on a desire that's been planted in your head by another medium.
BTW: John K just told me how he would advertise on the net if given the chance, and the ideas were brilliant. That prompts me to amend what I said here to something like, SO FAR advertising hasn't worked well on the net.
Friday, July 16, 2010
BETTE DAVIS ACTING TECHNIQUES
Boy, she really fishes (above) for those those consonants. She inflates her chest and cranks her head up in order to snatch them from the air. |
Davis has great cheeks (above) , that look sunny when she smiles. Sometimes she plays against type and combines happy cheeks with seedy eyes.
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Sometimes she says a whole word or two with her eyes closed. Dark eyelashes and high, clearly defined eyelashes on a smooth face help the effect. |
Davis (above)must have spent a lot of time infront of a mirror, getting the character right.
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She could make faces that were unique and unforgettable, like the one above. Talk about a picture being worth a thousand words.... |
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
I REVIEW THE iPAD
A couple of days ago I visited Steve Worth and he let me play with his new, fully-loaded iPad. To say I was impressed would be an understatement. More than ever I'm convinced that this device is a true game changer, and not just an expensive toy. Buy one and you may never use your laptop again.
To begin with, this thing is FUN to use. Navigating with it is like working a video game controller. You use your thumbs a lot, and you end up moving the machine all over the place, at least I did. I'll come back to this in a minute.
The negatives? Let's see.....it was a little heavier than expected, but you get used to that. A number of important places to tap weren't marked, but you get used to that, too. The scrolling overshot a bit. I forgot to test it on a Flash film, but I watched part of Clampett's "Tortoise Wins by a Hare," and it was gorgeous. I couldn't find a still frame mode, but the paused frames were rock steady. The resolution was superb, far superior to the one on the laptop that was in the room.
The fun aspect of the device is difficult to exaggerate. Using it is an intense experience. You get a lot accomplished in a short amount of time, and have a ton of fun doing it. You have so much fun that it's a bit exhausting, and after a while you're ready to put it down and do things in the real world. Isn't that wonderful!? If you have a computer addiction, this might be the cure.
I wonder what changes this new medium will bring? Every new medium favors a new type of content. What will look horrible on iPad that currently looks good on desktops? My own blog for one thing. I hate to admit it, but this blog sucks on the new machine. It looks fine on my widescreen desktop where there's plenty of room for sidebars, but it gets clobbered on the pad. Good Grief! Am I doomed to end up on the trash heap of history!?
Sunday, July 11, 2010
A SHORT PLAY: "THE FRAME STORE"
Labels:
eddie story,
frame store,
mike,
short story
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