Author: John Page 37 of 121

I’m Not The Only One Who Sees The Paradox Of Its Name, Am I ?

On 08/05/2009

In Personal, Pictures, Uncategorized, Writing

Final Draft, the software much used by writers (and especially screenwriters) has now come out in version 8.

Ignoring the fact that the design of the box makes it look like a washing machine, I’ve found it slightly odd that I haven’t seen many reviews of it – in fact, when I was looking for information on the new features, Amazon’s page for it seemed to have more actual data than FD’s own sales pages, which seemed strange.

I’m vaguely thinking about investing in a copy (I gather v8 is Vista-compatible), but was wondering if any of you lovely people had heard anything (good or bad) about it- or even have first-hand experience of using it – which you could share.

As I say, I’m mulling over the possibility of thinking about considering buying a copy, but if it’s riddled with bugs – oh, I’m sorry, I mean undocumented features – then I’d appreciate being told before I spend any money. Thanks!

Ah, Me. The Sting Of Rejection.

By John

On 07/05/2009

In Books, Personal, Pictures, Uncategorized, Writing

Tch, I’ve just found out that a piece of my writing, despite making it into the finalists’ enclosure, has not romped over the finish line to publication. A pity, as it would have meant inclusion in a proper real book with an ISBN and indicia and everything, on sale in normal bookshops up and down the land, and I’m sure that you can imagine just how giddy that would have made me (mind you, I probably would have been pretty insufferable about it, so you good readers have probably dodged a metaphorical bullet).

Anyway, my immediate reaction was one of slight disappointment, coupled with a suspicion that, like Thomas Chatterton (pictured), I’m destined to die alone in my artist’s garrett, unloved and unrecognised… but then I remembered I live in a flat, with my wife, which pretty much means that suspicion isn’t exactly one which is grounded in reality.

Still, the fact it made it into the final round is pretty cool, and I have to be realistic and conclude that it wasn’t quite good enough, so the solution has to be to make sure that the next thing I write is good enough… in fact, I want it to be far better than ‘good enough’, and there’s really only one way to make sure that’s the case, isn’t there ?

And so: to the keyboard!

(In case you’re wondering why I’m not naming the book in question, there are two reasons:

1 – I’m not really bitter about it, and I wouldn’t want this post to seem like a rant, as it’s more like a declaration of intent to re-double my efforts; and

2 – I know how loyal and sympathetic you good people are, and I don’t want to be seen to be implicitly condoning any kind of boycott of the book in question. I appreciate your loyalty, I really do, but there’s no need for consumer action, I assure you.)

Which Is Worse? The Premise Or The Cover?

By John

On 06/05/2009

In Fish In A Barrel, Link, Music, Pictures, Uncategorized

I’m sure there’s a whole world of funeral (or, indeed, funereal) music which I’m blissfully unaware of, but surely this album is going a bit too far?

A nice touch is the way a lot of the tracks are listed as being ‘made famous by’ one person, but the version on the compilation is performed by someone else (to my mind, the most egregious example being track two).

The non-original artist nature of some of the tracks (quite a few of them, actually) puts me in mind of the old Top Of The Pops LPs that you see in charity shops or at boot sales – you know the ones, they usually featured a smiling woman in a bikini on the cover.

Or is it just me that recalls that aspect of those LPs? Ah well.

Bet He Doesn’t Get Hassled At Traffic Lights By The Windscreen-Washing Folks

By John

On 05/05/2009

In Link, Pictures, Uncategorized

Over at his blog, m’chum Steve recently shared the amusing story of an art student’s work to make a car blend in with its surroundings – if you haven’t already seen the story, I recommend a quick scoot over to look at it. Come back here, though. Please. I get so very lonely.

Back now? Fun story, I think you’d agree. Anyway, within 24 hours of seeing about the vanishing car, I came across a magazine article about Benedict Radcliffe, an artist who, as opposed to making a car disappear, made an illusory Lamborghini, which you can see above. That’s right, the orange ‘drawing’ above isn’t a drawing at all, it’s a to-scale model of the car’s outline which he actually placed on the street.

For more details of how Benedict went about making this eye-startling item, with more pictures, have a look here.

A Worrying Demonstration Of The Power Of Marketing

By John

On 04/05/2009

In Music, Pictures, Uncategorized

Don’t get me wrong, I like Melody Gardot’s work. It reminds me of the music of Madeleine Peyroux, with the vocals of Rachael Yamagata, and that blend is very pleasing to the ear.

However…

Well, the problem is, the style of the promotional material for her releases, as pictured here, makes me hear one thing, and one thing alone, in my head.

“Designer frames now 2 for 1 at Vision Express.”

I’m not proud of it, I’m just being honest.

Next Weekend, I Shall Go Into The Woods With The Men’s Group And Recite Poetry As Another Man Strikes A Drum

By John

On 03/05/2009

In London, Personal, Pictures, Uncategorized

A boyish afternoon yesterday, as Mrs Soanes and I rather belatedly cashed in a wedding pressie from Mr and Mrs Toby; a voyage on a Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) down the Thames.

It was, for the record, fab, and if you get the chance to clamber into one of these boats and go wheeeeeeee down the Thames (or any other river, for that matter), I recommend it. Anyway, here are some pictures…

Passing the Houses of Parliament. Look at the spray there! Why, it’s almost like the start of The World Is Not Enough).

It may look as if I’m emulating The Shadow, but in fact the lifejacket they gave me was being blown back by the sheer force of the wind as we sped along. That explains the swept-back hair, too. Well, that and my insistence on styling myself like some kind of fop-about-town, but that’s a topic for another time.

Mrs Soanes, scooting along at my side in the RIB. How does she keep smiling, when she’s married to me? I really don’t know, but I’m not going to question it out loud, in case she starts to question it as well, and at the moment I seem to be getting away with it. Shh, don’t spoil it.

On getting out of the RIB and once again onto dry land, we wandered along London’s South Bank, where, as part of the BFI’s James Bond Weekender, they’re exhibiting a number of cars from the Bond films.

Here, you can see me pointing at an Aston Martin from Goldeneye, as if mocking its blatancy as an *ahem* extension for the insecure male. Meanwhile, a passer-by points at a part of me as if to suggest that perhaps I’m in need of just such an extension. Tch, everyone’s a critic. Still, he could have been pointing about a foot higher at my gut (something which I could actually do something to correct, though in my defence I’d just had a splendid lunch).

So, a positively manly afternoon – racing along the river at a rate of knots, followed by looking at cars from Bond films. Grr, frankly. I can almost feel a hair sprouting on my chest. Which is a first.

And He Looked From Musician, To Music Journalist, And Back Again; But Already It Was Impossible To Say Which Was Which*

By John

On 02/05/2009

In Link, Music, Pictures, Twins, Uncategorized

Whilst Neil Tennant is the most obvious example of someone crossing over from writing about music to performing it (from Smash Hits to being in the Pet Shop Boys), it looks as if he may not be the only one.

Presented for your comparison: Roger Daltrey of The Who, and David Hepworth of The Word magazine (a very good magazine – even if it does go on about The Wire to the extent that I sometimes wonder why they don’t just change two letters of the mag’s title and be done with it).

*Apologies to Eric Arthur Blair.

Yes, I Know The Subject Of MPs’ Expenses Has Been Well-Covered Elsewhere, But….

By John

On 01/05/2009

In Personal, Stray Thoughts, Uncategorized

… two thoughts:

1. Isn’t allowing MPs to decide the nature and scope of their own expenses a little like letting kleptomaniacs vote on revisions to the 1968 Theft Act?

2. How does the fact that Gordon Brown’s attempts to reform the expenses procedure have been kicked out by MPs become something which is interpreted as a dent in his credibity as PM? Surely, by MPs voting to reject the reforms, and therefore voting in favour of maintaining a system which is clearly open to (and indeed subject to) abuse, that reflects far more damningly on MPs generally?

Granted, I’m rather inclined not to trust MPs as an instinctive reaction, but still…

BBC Writersroom At Hightide Festival In Suffolk

By John

On 30/04/2009

In BBC, Link, Uncategorized, Writing

It’s pretty short notice (mainly because I’ve only just spotted it’s happening), but I thought I’d just mention that the BBC Writersroom are holding a session at the Hightide Festival in Suffolk.

The session is at 3.30pm on Saturday 9 May – full details are here.

In this sort of post, this is usually the point where I’d say that you have to e-mail to get your name added to the mailing list, but it seems to be impossible to book online for the event at the moment. If you want to go, it might be worth giving them a call, or perhaps seeing if the Reserve tickets>> button starts working again at some point in the future.

Of course, you could turn up and hope for the best, though I’d only really recommend that if you live close by or are attending Hightide anyway.

He’s Talking To Him, But His Career’s In Pretty Good Shape, To Put It Mildly

By John

On 29/04/2009

In Books, Film, Link, Uncategorized, Writing

I’ve long been a fan of the writing of Joe Queenan. The best of his work, to my mind, is the stuff on film and general pop culture, but his autobiographical writing isn’t so shabby either.

So I was quite interested to see that there was an interview by Queenan with William Goldman, a screenwriter whose CV isn’t what anyone could call shabby – All The President’s Men, Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, Misery, and The Princess Bride – in one of the newspapers last weekend. Not interested enough to actually pay for it, mind.

But, through the wonders of the internet, the interview’s now available online (where it’s free to read), and it’s located here.

It’s rather lighter than I’d expected – oh, all right, I admit it, I was kind of hoping for a clash between two fairly-strongly-opinioned men – and not as scabrous as Queenan’s usual style; then again, Goldman knows more about screenwriting and working in Hollywood than many people will learn in a dozen lifetimes, so it’s certainly worth a look.