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Mike Rinaldi
Siberian Tiger
Joined: 19 Nov 2007
Posts: 725
Location: California
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 Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 2:17 am Post subject: Suggestions for my website |
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I'll be launching my business website soon and I'm looking for content suggestions. I'd like something that is both professional, maybe a little unique, and has some personality to it. You know... the same thing, only different. For the questions that can't be answered by my lawyer and my accountant, I figure who better to ask than my fellow cats.
The website will have four functions:
1. It will be a simple business tool to make me more accessible to potential business partners (film investors, producers, etc.) and all other networking purposes.
2. It will be used to promote projects, ie: films in production, scripts for sale, music and (God willing) films being released. In this case, the major emphasis of the website for the time being will be my inaugural feature film, FIVE O'CLOCK MUSE.
3. Discussing practical and theoretical approaches to indie filmmaking in a changing industry and guerrilla approaches to breaking into Hollywood.
4. Addressing philosophical aspects of the craft of storytelling as it pertains to a venture I'm developing with a few partners (and thus may or may not ultimately be contained on a separate website). Just to be clear, this will be unrelated to STC and even though it pertains to screenwriting, will probably only be of interest to a niche group of screenwriters and academic folks.
So I'm looking at a lot of the basics-- blog, forum, sections for promoting films and scripts, maybe a resume-- but other than that, I'm feeling somewhat uncreative.
I'll probably create a secure area for investors and partners and distributors and the like. Possibly an online store for anything I have to distribute myself (hoping that doesn't happen!). What else should I have? A guestbook? Interviews with actors, filmmakers, and other writers? Pictures of girls that I'm dating? Stories about my cat? A screenwriters height chart with Blake at one end of the spectrum and me at the other? A countdown to the appocalypse?
It'll be a few weeks at least, so there's time for brainstorming. Ideas are welcome and appreciated. Thanks. And don't be shy-- there are no stupid ideas, only stupid people.
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The Slusho's gone? Why is all the Slusho gone?
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Rachel T.
Ocelot
Joined: 15 Jan 2008
Posts: 183
Location: Michigan
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crazrick
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Joined: 28 Mar 2008
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Brooke
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Joined: 29 Dec 2007
Posts: 226
Location: Los Angeles
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| Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2008 6:30 am Post subject: Re: Suggestions for my website |
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| crazrick wrote: | December 21, 2012, probably at 12:12 or 12:21 (am or pm) or 9:12pm or 9:21pm (2100 hours and 12 or 21 minutes), according to the Mayans, according to some wack-jobs...
  
@#$%!!! less than 4 years to get SOLD! talk about pressure! |
But only if one of your scripts is about that.
I think your website needs to sell you, meaning you have to be hip in order to write screenplays for the rest of the hip world. Make it hip and cool, don't put mayan artifacts in it -- cuz then the exec. won't want your Shakespearean comedy. But if you put a bunch of images that run the spectrum that could work as along as one doesn't overpower the rest.
Definitely pics of you with any directors/actors/notorious criminals, anybody that makes you look interesting, well-balanced, knowledgeable etc.
Not too much white. Websites with too much white space make me yawn. But not too busy with all the colors of the rainbow. Darker neutral tones would work best, I think. Browns, grays, olives, faded blues(no bright blues, please), beiges, earth tones.
Make it simple and straightforward. Make it your website, not your bedroom(unless you have a really nice bedroom, then go for it). Why put in distracting pics of your cat in it when what you really want is for people to click on your screemplay links? But make it interesting, too. The same, only different.
Good luck!
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crazrick
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Mike Rinaldi
Siberian Tiger
Joined: 19 Nov 2007
Posts: 725
Location: California
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| Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2008 6:31 pm Post subject: |
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Okay... cat stories, jokes about pregnant women.... totally kidding. I just put a few ridiculous things in there so people wouldn't be timid about suggestions. I do kind of like the screenwriter height chart though.
The color suggestions were helpful.
Martin Blank confirmed my suspicions when he cautioned me against putting too much on one website. So I'm going to have one for Mike the screenwriter, a separate site for my film. Each will have a link to the other. I won't worry about a site for my production company since I won't be producing other people's projects... just the occasional little indie film. This other project I'm involved in will be a .org or something like that and I'm going to let the other guys deal with the website for that.
I'm undecided about putting a forum on my website and a guestbook on the film's website or vice-versa. Any thoughts?
Also, I'm not sure about putting photos other than a couple headshots. Maybe if I put some photos up on a blog once in a while rather than a photo gallery? I don't know. And putting up a picture with Blake might make sense... but if I'm posting pictures with Jessica Biel or Joe Bigshotproducer, wouldn't that just look desperate?
Crazrick has a good idea. I should post a countdown to 12/21/20012 and label it as "Last day to sell your spec script." Thanks, Rick. You are totally brilliant.
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Mike Rinaldi
Siberian Tiger
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Location: California
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| Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2008 6:42 pm Post subject: |
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| crazrick wrote: | | ... and several links to high-quality porn |
No need for that with the summer olympics coming up. I swear those beach volleyball outfits are shrinking before our very eyes.
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crazrick
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| Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2008 6:42 pm Post subject: |
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I'd wait on the forum or other forms of 'interactivity' on your site, since you don't want to get all bogged down with moderating or whatever, or divide more of your fleeting time juggling so many balls in the air as far as website duties, commitments here and other sites etc etc...
just make it looks sharp and snazzy, lots of sparkly things for folks to clicky-click and be bedazzled by during their visits, but nothing hugely labor-intensive to take you away from other major projects
put the time in once, do the occasional touch-ups as more product becomes available, but nothing so consuming as a message board, I'd say...
then again, what do I know? I got one script and several ideas, all going basically nowhere fast...
good luck with it all tho!!
and write on!
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Rachel T.
Ocelot
Joined: 15 Jan 2008
Posts: 183
Location: Michigan
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| Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2008 1:54 pm Post subject: |
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In all seriousness, Mike, don't do the Apocalypse Countdown. But what would be interesting would be to have a countdown on your film's website, counting off until it starts shooting on location, or final editing gets done, or when it comes out in theaters.
I wouldn't do forums on your website. Tasteful pictures of you with Celebrity Joe Director - who's just signed on to film your great spec script - that would be ok. Your website is, essentially, selling you and your abilities. And your marketability. Chatty websites where the forums are full of people nobody's heard of don't really scream "professional!"
I think, though, that a private guestbook - something maybe only a select few could read, would be a good idea. Celebs who like your work need some way of contacting you, right? And even if they don't want what's there specifically, it's a good way for them to write you a note saying, "Hey, I like what I see, drop me a line if you ever write something about X."
(Of course, maybe that's what e-mail's for. . . )
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Don't be afraid to admit that inside you is a seething, fiery core of ambition and lust for success that would appall Napoleon.
-Russell Galen
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Brooke
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Joined: 29 Dec 2007
Posts: 226
Location: Los Angeles
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| Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2008 5:27 pm Post subject: |
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| Maybe not a forum, but a "Leave a Comment" section?
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