final thoughts from the Karate Kid - abridged

I look at this experience much like I think Daniel Russo did while learning karate from Mr. Miyagi.  Here's a kid who wants nothing more than to learn the mechanics of fighting.  His teacher is more interested in the spiritual approach, knowing that the physical aspects will follow.  I see some real parallels here - though sophomoric.  Nonetheless, I went into this course wanting to learn how to become a better writer.  I needed concrete examples and concise critique of my writing.  I wanted to know how to kick and punch.  To my chagrin, I got flowery exposition wound in circles of enigmatic bluster.  Wash my cars.  Sand my deck.  Paint my fence.  Oblivious to the real lesson.  Process.  This is where I see the similarities end.  I haven't been faced with recalling moves from muscle-memory.  "Wax on!"  "Wax off!"  Has the product developed the process that improves what we produce?  I guess I wanted writing's equivalent of the Crane Technique. 

a name can be a many splintered thing...

new names for the soon to be until recently named The Heard:
 Part 1

music
genre
tunes
concert
gig
wire
blend
mix
stir
plug
hype
tribe
mode
chord
stasis
burst
gig-tribe
tribewire
tribe-wire
gig-wire
gigburst
kind

tribe

Have You HEARD the Marketing Plan?

The Heard application requires social media blitz in advance of distribution.  I'd like to have campaigns on the likes of Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Youtube, etc.  Making connections and friends; getting users excited for the launch.  I want to have a web-site built as an anchor to the social media campaign to answer questions, promote, sign-up and engage.  I would want to initiate an advertisement campaign through Youtube, Facebook, Android, Apple, Grooveshark, Spotify, Last.fm (among others) that make the intended target audience knowledgeable about The Heard and what it will have to offer.  A countdown to release could be used along with a re-direct to the website for more information.  Twitter for instance would be very powerful.  I would make an effort to follow as many artists and their followers as possible to hopefully gain their support and excitement for the app release.  I would carefully craft and push from the anchor website several (about 5 + or -) tweets per day, careful not to over-saturate.  Each would endeavor to encourage the reader to think and then act by clicking a link to the anchor website or to another designated site.  Youtube would be another social site I would try to exploit.  I think I'd spend a lot of time creating a series of videos that highlight the functionality of the app in short, stylish bursts.  Here, in addition to the videos could be placed ads for the app and redirection to the anchor web site.  Sites like Spotify and Grooveshark are going to be key to success.  A partnership with these and other entities would be key also.  Spotify for instance plays audible ads after five or so songs are played.  With it, there is a visual component that could make for some interesting real-estate for driving eyes to the website.  Spotify also offers an "App Finder" which enables users to access apps within the confines of the Spotify dashboard.  These apps can draw information about favorite artists from Spotfiy and populate their environments with user familiar data.  Facebook is an obvious draw.  It is used by billions of users all over the world.  Utilizing this platform is also going to be key.  Scrobbling artists and the tunes users listen to is already in full swing, but figuring out a way to scrobble concerts users are attending might have potential for proof of performance visibility.  Likewise a page would be built to be liked and followed.  The anchor website would then push ads, contests, and other engaging content to Facebook (and other outlets) to draw new users to the fold.  A campaign of advertising would be initiated on satellite radio and at large venue concerts.  At concerts, something as simple as a coupon for a dollar off a drink at the bar could be given to anyone downloading and signing up for the app.  This campaign for pre-launch and release is, without a doubt, huge in scale and scope.  The strategy should be one of partnership with concert promoters and music sites along with a creative team of marketing and media geniuses creating a brand that users should be excited about before release and equally excited about and more than satisfied upon distribution.            

East Meets West - a film script

Ext. Deserted South Texas highway.
Near sunset.

FADE UP
The sun hangs low in the western horizon of the Texas oil-fields bathed in hues of copper and multitudes of gold.  A lone miniature oak tree casts a shadow thrice its height over parched pasture grasses, cactus and nettle.  Four weary long-horn stand vigil over their watering hole while chomping lengths of sun baked hay.  The air ripples with heat and bears the rusty groans of the hulking oil wells peppered from horizon to horizon.  One rig nearby, drenched in rust and tar, groans in monotonous exertion.  The sunlight is momentarily blocked by the nodding "donkey well" as it dips doggedly.  Again the sun pierces in shards of blazing light as the horse head ascends, returning to its elevated perspective. 

A flash of pitch coupled with an engine's roar snap the otherwise quiet Texas country side .  The 1966 jet black Lincoln Continental barrels past the four head of long-horn.  The beasts' dark, fly encrusted eyes follow the specter as it screams down the Texas artery never missing a metronome precision chew of their cud.  The sleek "clap-door" is pristine save for the crumpled front fender smeared red with blood, hair and bone fragments.   Also - - the hood is caved in and the passenger side windshield is a spiderweb of cracks splintering the setting sun's rays in a million directions.  A lone figure dressed in an ebony suit, white shirt and black tie faces the setting sun, both hands adhered to the steering wheel.  Disco-ball refractions of sunlight from the mangled windshield glint playfully on the driver's inky sunglasses.  A swatch of red light roams the back rest of the empty passenger seat - the sun light piercing a large but rather neat blood spatter on the windshield.  Silently the crimson patch saunters south to the empty seat where it meets gold and explodes into a shower of orange reflected sparks.  The Samurai sword is sheathed in an unassuming, not so gently used black scabbard.  Not flamboyant like the knock-offs purchased at American flea markets.  This sword has been passed from father to son for generations and looks every bit the relic that it is.

A hand gently moves the sword into the driver's lap and away from the laser red shaft causing the eruption of light to extinguish.  The driver's black coat and white shirt sleeve ride up briefly revealing the Yakuza tattoo cuff around the bronze, hairless wrist.  The hand glides back to the steering wheel.  The driver's square face is unconcerned as the Continental's unmistakable linear speedometer passes 120 and goes out of site behind the reflective aluminum panel.  A piercing screech overtakes the thunder of the motor as the monstrous vehicle fish-tales in response to the break-pedal being driven into the floor board by the size 13 black Brunomaglis.  The Lincoln drifts into a turn north on to a forgettable dirt road.  A gale of stones and choking dust engulf the back-end as it tries to find its footing on new terrain.  The headlights spike the roiling cloud like two white swords hacking this way and that in time with the vehicle's gyrating.  She finds her gripping and rockets forward, still swerving, still in control.
FADE BLACK


Ext. Paso oil rig.
Near sunset.

FADE UP
The Paso oil rig is newer than most.  The horse-head dips and ascends with little more than a well-lubricated hum.  Not completely unravaged by the elements,  patches of rust have infiltrated the worn white paint like a chain of dark islands in an ashen sea.  A bus sized reservoir tank hunkers nearby, sloppily painted like its repetitive mate with the word "PASO" centered and emblazoned with red block letters.  Perched on top of the tank is the figure of a man.  His blue-jean covered legs flop to and fro, boot-scoot'n to a tune he hums under his breath.  His boots, dulled with dirt,  leave wakes of airborne dust as they strut through the air.  He wears a sleeveless white t-shirt complete with the faded cartoon character Calvin smugly urinating on a Chevy logo.  He takes a long gulp from his Shiner beer bottle.  The man has to tip his sweat stained cowboy hat back with his free hand to finish it off.  An air of accomplishment illustrates his tan, stubbled features.  Flipping the dead soldier in the air and catching it by the neck, he throws the bottle.  As the flashing missile flips away into the quickly fading light, a feint whistle signals every rotation.  It collides with the ground at the feet of a second man and explodes into a cloud of glittering shards and granules.  The first man smirks and re-adjusts his hat.

2nd man

 Watch it! You sum-bitch!  Shane, that ain't cool man!

Shane

Crack baby!!  Cody - (pointing) why don't you peddle your dumb ass 

over to that cooler and get me another beer before he shows up.

Cody

Alright.

Cody sheepishly does as commanded and wanders to the blue and white cooler stashed next to a stack of steel pipe.  Tall and skinny, Cody sports a layer of stubble that covers his unexceptional features shadowed by the brim of his green John Deere trucker's hat.  His button-up, electric orange shirt stained with oil and wear looks one size too big for his thin frame.  His faded jeans droop off of his hip bones revealing a pocket of emptiness where is hind-end should reside.  His jean cuffs are split at the seam and torn from being continuously stepped on by his well past their prime Redwings.  Cody kneels to open the soiled lid and searches through the ice and bobbing empties.  A sliver of light cuts the nearby darkness with a train of hurtled sand in tight trail.  Shane snaps out of his planted dance, his penetrating gaze affixed to the veering intruder.

Shane

Cody!  Forget it.  Get over here...he's coming!

Cody ceases rooting in the ice and looks over his shoulder, letting go of the cooler lid.  Anxiety and purpose shade Cody's features as he sprints to the tank.  Shane slides effortlessly to ground from his roost atop the tank.  The single light becomes two on the golden horizon.  The dull murmur of a pushed to the limit motor increases in volume over the motions of the oil well.  Shane reaches into the waistband of his pants and retrieves a Smith & Wesson .38 special.  Shane instinctively clicks open the barrel to check his ammunition, flicks his wrist sending the barrel back to the firing position and cocks his weapon.  Cody's eyes widen in distress when seeing the gun.  Shane slips the gun back into his waistband.

Shane

Never bring a knife to knife fight...right little brother?

Cody nods in coerced agreement.  The headlights of the black Lincoln smear the darkness nearby, kicking up a spray of gravel.  The vehicle fishtails to a stop some 20 yards from the two men.  A fog of sterile dust envelops the black beauty in seconds.  Shane and Cody soon succumb to the haze too, waving their hands in front of their faces as if such action might actually work.  The high-beams cut off diminishing the unnatural electric glow of the smog.  The motor of the Lincoln Continental shuts down followed by stillness.  Cody and Shane steal a glance at each other, questioning with their eyes the inaction from their guest.  The pendulum movements of the droning well are deafening in the tension laced, swirling grit.  The clicks of a door handle and squeal of dirt-caked hinges startle the well's frictionless chorus.  The droughty soot begins to find it's way back to earth revealing the Lincoln and a hulking figure standing next to her silhouetted in the dissipating cloud.   

Yakuza

あなたは、それを持ってしましたか ?

(Japanese: Did you bring it?)

Shane

Now...you know we don't speak Chink.  If you're asking

about the case...it's safe.

Yakuza

それはどこですか ?

(Japanese: Where is it?)

Shane

I told you...We don' - -

A flash of light and a deafening explosion gash the still.  The gun shot's echo reverberates inside the oil tank like the clang of a church bell.  Shane's head recoils from being hit.  His body flops to the ground in a mangled pile like an unmanned puppet.  Cody's eyes pop with terror while falling to the ground to aid his brother.  Shane's eyes gaze upward, lifeless.  Cody twists his head in the direction of the shooter - his face a haunting mix of horror and rage.
(PICTURE FREEZES)

Voice of Cody

I guess he didn't bring a knife to a knife fight either.

(PICTURES UNFREEZES)
Cody picks himself up and bolts into the darkness.  The Yakuza holsters his weapon in his coat, strolls in front of the Lincoln, now a viscous gray from the Texas dust. 

Voice of Cody

My day started out pretty shitty.  But...I suspect it's about...

The passenger side door screams opens and the Yakuza reaches for his sword.
(PICTURES FREEZES)

Voice of Cody

...to get a whole lot worse.  Looks like the knife fight is with me. 

(PICTURE UNFREEZES)
He grabs his blade and slams the passenger side door.  Cody runs without thinking or breathing.  He's in flight mode, swinging his head left and right when possible, looking over his shoulder for signs of his pursuer.  Panic driven inhaling and exhaling reverberate the barren pastures as the last traces of gold drain from the Texas night sky.

FADE BLACK

dissolve title:  24 hours earlier...

The Heard - Presentation

Slide 1

Digital Sanctuary, a global media design company presents…

Slide 2

A leap forward in the way we enjoy, share and experience music.

Slide 3

The Heard.  The title implies two things.  The first and most obvious is that conveys listening to various things.  2^nd, it implies that it is a collection of things – and that is what I find most exciting about this project.

Slide 4

This application is going to be released on Apple and Android operating systems simultaneously.  Too often there is a disconnect between what is offered in the Apple App store and what is offered on the Android market. 

Slide 5

We want the Heard to be a music information destination for mobile users.  What that means is we want the Heard to do what 4 or 5 separate and unrelated applications will do and more.  Let’s look at some the functions we’re talking about…

Slide 6.5

The Heard will provide what others cannot.  The features include:

A Live Calendar - which I’m going to discuss in more detail in a minute. 

The News tab – which will troll the web for news on specific artists or genres user defines.

Discographies – giving the user the ability to see what artists have produced in terms of records or appearances. 

The Box Office – giving the user the ability to buy tickets.  I’m going to come back to this one in a minute also.  It has some exciting possibilities.

Radio – we’re in negotiations with Spotify to partner with them to allow users to experience genre/artist defined music.

The Media section will allow users to be exposed to images and video of their favorite bands. 

Slide 6.7

What makes this application different and ground breaking is how it can be modified to the user’s tastes using three distinct components.  The user can employ their location and designate a defined mile radius to keep them informed as to performances they may like to see in their area.  Second, the app can be further refined by choosing a genre or genres the user is interested in.  And third, users can keep a list of favorite artists that will populate each of the tabs.

Slide 6.8

This brings me to some of the exciting features The Heard has.  Let’s take a closer look at the Live Calendar.  It gives the user the ability follow their favorite artist or genre simply.

Slide 7

The calendar will populate itself with artists based on the user defined mile radius of a location, genres they have chosen as well as specific artists.  The user can click the day they are interested in and will find…

Slide 8

Access to maps and directions to the venue, the venue’s phone number, reviews of the venue by other Heard users and links to performer’s web site, venue’s web site, etc.

Slide 11

Another exciting element of The Heard is the Box Office tab.  Here users can buy and reserve tickets to their shows in a snap.  What makes this function unique is the…

Slide 12

Digital ticket feature.  Users have the option to download a digital ticket to their device which will be honored at the venue. 

Slide 13

The revenue stream for the Heard has three distinct parts.  The application will be available in 2 formats.  The first being a free version with some limited usability and opportunities for advertisements.

Slide 14

The Paid version will be advertisement free and has a purchase price of $2.99.

Slide 15

Third, a onetime service charge will added to any ticket purchase when users opt for the digital ticket.  This option is especially relevant to the environmentally conscious.

Slide 16

The Heard - Funneling multiple resources into a music rich experience and one mobile application. 

Executive Summary

With the explosion of mobile applications, plans are in the works to launch a new cross platform application called "The Heard".  This app is being designed and produced by Digital Sanctuary with worldwide offices located in Seattle, Berlin, Rio, Osaka and Johannesburg.  As the application's title suggests, this will be a music information destination application like no other on any mobile or web based platform.  Users will be provided with a GPS sensitive Live Calender, Discographies, News, Box Office, Media, Radio Station and more.  The idea being to funnel everything a music lover may want into one stylistic, modifiable application.  Revenue streams will be threefold.  Two versions of the app will be delivered to market.  The first will be free with advertisement placement opportunities.  The second version will be advertisement free but will cost an initial purchase price of $2.99.  Third, for users purchasing tickets through the Box Office portion of the app - a one time service charge will be added to the total purchase price.  The purchaser will have a paperless, digital version of their ticket sent to their mobile device which will be honored at the venue.  We are looking for financial backing in this endeavor and would like to invite you to participate.  In addition to the cost of creating the app, we plan to advertise heavily on the web, on mobile and satellite radio for maximum reach on release.  For this reason we are asking you for a one time investment of $50,000 which will afford you 10% stake in the app and its dividends.  Thank you for your interest and we look forward to taking the music and app world by storm with you as a valued partner.        

Jimmy Buffet - Savior of Our World

I'm back.  A bit defeated but never fully.  I spent most of last week working on graphics for the PSA I did for Media Production.  Something that I really enjoy doing and admittedly avoiding the things I did not.  I had an idea for a series of graphics for the project that were difficult to pull off.  I love a challenge - in the graphics world that is.  Obviously I didn't write much.  That doesn't mean it wasn't out of mind.  Quite the contrary.  We were spending the week on the Texas coast.  My wife would catch me in a stare while at the beach or pool and ask, " Are you thinking about writing again?"  She knows me well.  I was experiencing writer's remorse, or grief or whatever they call it.  I spent my time pondering - what can I write about?  No rush of ideas would come.  I sat at my laptop late at night and would try letting words pour out free association style.  Didn't happen.  So let it be known that I wasn't not doing the work - I was experiencing brain lock.  Not a broken spirit.  A neurological short circuit if you will.

I started to write about an experience I had while taking a sunset tour of Aransas Bay.  I have four barren attempts saved in the depths of this blog.  It is here that I want attempt again.  My family joined 30 people on a dinky two-level boat traveling to the outer banks in search of dolphins and a stunning sunset.  Captain Jake - a professional fisherman and part time tour guide piloted the vessel from the top of the boat.  A rather plain fellow and not at all salty like you might imagine.  Salt and pepper hair, clean shaven, electric pink t-shirt, khaki shorts and flip-flops.  He had the air of construction foreman about him - a problem solver yet unassuming.  As we pulled away from the dock - a very familiar sound reached my ears via the set of radio-shack speakers bolted to the four corners of the below deck ceiling.  "Margaritaville" by Jimmy Buffet.  The sound was scratchy and over-modulated as if cloaked by a layer of salt, sand and rust.  It was, sadly, still recognizable.  It occurred to me that I've heard this song in similar situations.  Bars in Orlando and Miami.  A catamaran cruise my wife and I took while honeymooning in Barbados.  Numerous snorkeling expeditions in the Bahamas and Caymans.  Even a bus tour in Hawaii.  This song is everywhere and tightly wound in beach tourism culture.  I just sniffed at the song and went above to get away from the annoying noise.

Now, with my feet firmly on terra firma I began to think why is this song so prevalent.  Is it because the tour guides really like the song?  Or, more likely, that the tour guides have a certain rotation of music that they think the tourists want or expect to hear?  I wonder if Jimmy knew what he was about to unleash on countless tourist destinations.  I'm sure he didn't.  He was writing a song that spoke to him at that moment in his life.  I haven't researched where he was mentally when he wrote this song.  Perhaps I need to.  He probably wasn't in a funk though.  I wonder what he would have produced if he were going through a nasty divorce, the death of a child or taking a writing course at that point in his career.  Certainly not Margaritaville.  And what song would be in its stead had that song never been written?  We'll probably never know unless time and multidimensional travel are discovered.  And even then - would scientists want to discover something as mundane as what the world would have been like without Margaritaville?  Doubtful.  But it's the miniscule details around us that shape our world.  Perhaps without Jimmy's songs - the world might have been plunged in to a thousand years of darkness.  Who knows.  The next time I hear his music - I'm not going to grimace.  I'm simply going to say, "Thanks Jimmy."  Thanks for saving the world as we know it.