for clarity, we are two jessicas. in the interview we will go by L [for leavitt] or H [for hoyt]
1. your favorite of the moment song?
H: song for emma by bon iver
L: pony by wildbirds & peacedrums
2. would you rather be able to breathe underwater or fly?
H&L: fly!
3. If you were a food what food would you be?
H: a CORN DOG because it is long and slender & you get it at a carnival which is goofy just like me. not to mention it has a protective coat to keep the meat safe.
L: [with a bit of help] a STARFRUIT because maybe at first you are intrigued but maybe turned off because of its sharp edges and strange-ness but then despite your apprehensions you take a chance and you are 100% into it.
Hart Johnson, at least as a writer. My full name is Tamera Hart-Johnson, but I publish scientifically, so have dropped my first name, so as not to cast a fictional hue over the real stuff—it is largely out of respect to my co-authors.
how would you describe what you do?
By day I work full time as a researcher in an academic institution. By night, once the family is managed, I become a marginally insane writer, shedding my clothes, hopping in the tub and WRITING. (seriously, 90% of my writing occurs in the bathtub)
what are you currently working on?
It is called CONSPIRACY and is the third in a trilogy about a trio of families connected by an art thief ring. When my Muse gets bogged down, I work on a little fan fiction or my Blog Opera.
what has had the greatest influence on your work?
Honestly? The Potterverse. By that I mean the books brought me to a group of people who encouraged me to return to writing, then supported me enough to convince me I could write more than fan fiction. Fan fiction was an excellent writing school forum, but the personal connections will stay with me forever. My writer’s group was also born out of this, and I’d be nowhere without their help and support.
what is the greatest misconception about you or your work?
Probably the contradictory identity. My personality is playful…erm… and naked. My books are rather more dark…the two don’t go together very well, but I can’t seem to be other than I am.
what do you see as the main strengths and weaknesses of the medium you work in?
Greatest strength? Character. Greatest weakness? Character. I am a social psychologist by training, and a ‘deep reader’ meaning I strongly prefer to really get to know characters—truly understand them. I love character growth, life lessons, grand irony… I think those things give me the drive and skill to write very well, but we are living in short attention span times, and a chapter one that commits pages to getting to know people is not proving to be a great sales gimmick, not to mention that it makes my books long–my first draft of my first book was 800 pages.
how has technology impacted upon the work you do?
The online community has been crucial—I never would have connected with the people who led me, through discussions of the HP series, to the realization of how one FINISHED a book, nor would I have met my support. My Writer’s group is also exclusively online, and their feedback and encouragement are what got me through that first book (not to mention things like Facebook, Blogging, and NaNoWriMo as tools to network, share information and challenge myself.
what’s the greatest piece of advice you would like to pass on?
That the muse only shows up now and again. Really making a go of writing is actually about perseverance.
where can we find you online?
Facebook: Hart Johnson; Blogging: www.waterytart23.blogspot.com and www.ondwayblogopera.blogspot.com; on Twitter: hartjohnson, and in the fan fiction world at HPANA.com, under the screen name Gnargles&Snorkaks.
what are you reading at the moment?
I just finished ‘The Flander’s Panel’ by Arturo Perez-Reverte and am currently reading ‘The Losers’ by David Eddings.
what are you listening to at the moment?
Sweet silence. There are things I can do to music or entertainment, writing isn’t one of them.
anything else we should know?
Just that I love this networking thing. I’ve learned a lot from fellow writers, so definitely invite contact if anyone is interested.
The most-produced contemporary play in the country is being staged by San Diego REPertory Theatre at the Lyceum Space in Horton Plaza through January 31st. “boom” tells the story of marine biologist who is convinced that a comet is due to hit Earth at any minute. He has a plan to repopulate the human race, but as is often the case, things don’t always go according to plan.
I recently hit the set of “boom” to interview actor Steven Lone. But the interview took an unexpected turn, when he began questioning me!
ASMP recently formed a Motion/Video Study Group to explore how members have embraced video. Video has become much more prevalent in visual communications as electronic publishing continues to replace traditional print media. The increased availability and low cost of broadband has enabled and created a huge demand for video. At the same time, there is a convergence of our tools as “hybrid” cameras are capable of shooting both stills and video.
As head of the Motion/Video Study Group, I spoke at length with fourteen ASMP members who have integrated video into their businesses.
Some General Observations:
As expected, there was a wide range in responses as well as in the markets that each participant works in.
• Participants are working all across the spectrum in the video/motion sector – from simple multimedia projects (still images with sound/music) to big budget broadcast spots for ad agencies.
• Most people have either been asked by their clients if they also shoot video or they have presented video as an up sell to their existing clients.
• Participants are positioning themselves as producers, directors, camera operators or all of the above. Many have set up production companies.
• Almost all participants have created partnerships or work in collaboration with others – sound people, editors and camera operators to name a few. Video production is based on collaboration because of it’s many facets.
• The learning curve can be steep – especially for editing and motion graphics applications.
• There is a lot of confusion and chaos in terms of file and codec standardization.
• Ownership and copyright are handled in a variety of ways depending on the production, the market and how one has positioned themselves. Traditionally in video, the camera operator is a hired gun and does not maintain ownership of the content. Depending on the market – the ownership and copyright is maintained by the end client or the production company.
• Most shooters invoice their still images and video as separate line items when shooting both mediums on a job.
• All see opportunities in the video medium in almost all markets.
To see the full report please go to http://asmp.org/tutorials/getting-started.html
I would love to hear from others who have added video to their businesses.
what is your name?
Ilmari Haapanen
how would you describe what you do?
I’m all about sound. When I’m not busy being an industrial musician, I study sound designing for movies & television at the School of Art and Media of Tampere University of Applied Sciences, and in the spare time I craft sound art for radio and do some freelance composing for games and what not. I’m also co-founder of Älymystö with Mr. Vuorensola and the main driving force behind the band.
what are you currently working on?
Skithund Records releases the 12″ vinyl version of the 19:38:00 split album on April the 1st 2010, but my work there is pretty much done now. At the moment I’m involved in three different short movies which all are in post-production. This week I’ll be doing foleys for “Pieniä Ihmeitä”, next week it’ll be dialogue edit for “Esso” and so forth. Although the rest of the band is eager to work on the next full-length album, I think that’ll be on slow motion until I get these babies out for the film festivals of the spring.
what has had the greatest influence on your work?
Amiga 500 & OctaMED and all those great trackers like Jesper Kyd and Carebear.
what is the greatest misconception about you or your work?
That I hate Star Wreck / Iron Sky / what ever Mr. Vuorensola & co. are up to. No I don’t, I have huge respect for them for what they’ve done and hopefully someday I’ll be able to work with them.
what do you see as the main strengths and weaknesses of the medium you work in?
My main strength is my ability to create strong visual soundscapes that deliver different moods efficiently. Sound is all about the feeling. My main weakness is definitely my lack of skill in playing different instruments, I’m all too focused on electronic sounds.
how has technology impacted upon the work you do?
Without electricity I would be just a shaman with a drum.
what’s the greatest piece of advice you would like to pass on?
There’s nothing against you out there. Except the reptilians, of course.
where can we find you online?
I’m a bit against living online, so you can’t really find me on FB/Twitter or any of that shit.
But feel free to listen our music online:
http://www.alymysto.com/
http://www.last.fm/music/Älymystö
what are you reading at the moment?
Nothing, I find it difficult to find time for reading books.
what are you listening to at the moment?
Sounds of a decades old wooden house in a Finnish winter weather combined to sounds of a new ventilation system. It’s a strange mix, I tell you. Musicwise I’ve been into dubstep lately.
anything else we should know?
The inner space is boundless.
Ain’t Baroque has been in existence for a good few months now, and while I’d hardly classify it as World’s Most Popular Lunchtime Reading, I think it’s starting to hit its stride. As such, I’m looking into some possibilities for expansion, both in terms of readership and what the blog covers.
One of the new features I’m working on is regular interviews with BSO musicians and guest soloists. Benevolent Dictator Jamie is sending out feelers regarding who might be available/willing. In the meantime, I’d like to take a moment to solicit some questions you might like to ask. Once I know who I’m interviewing I can post that for more specific queries, but is there anything overarching you would want to ask every musician ever? Maybe something about favorite composers, touring as a classical musician (as opposed to a rock star, I suppose), hopes, dreams, fears, nightmares, what they would want you to buy them at the bar, etc.?
Also, would you be more interested in a video or written format?
The most-produced contemporary play in the country is being staged by San Diego REPertory Theatre at the Lyceum Space in Horton Plaza through January 31st. “boom” tells the story of marine biologist who is convinced that a comet is due to hit Earth at any minute. He has a plan to repopulate the human race, but as is often the case, things don’t always go according to plan.
