Posts Tagged ‘featured’

Fire Flower

// June 5th, 2010 // Comments Off // Art, Design, Independent Creative Work, News

There are few things nicer than sitting around a campfire, watching the sparks rise into the sky and staring into the incandescent red and yellow heart of the fire.

There are two things that can take away from it – a breeze, and the fact that while your front may be toasty warm, your back gets cold.

The Fire Flower is a proposed installation with sheets of curving reflective metal installed around a campfire. The sheets curve over towards a point to create a parabolic reflector that, like a lens, would reflect heat and light back towards the centre of the fire. The vanes would be staggered and overlap in order to provide shelter from the wind while still allowing for easy entrance to and from the campfire area.

The fire grate would be surrounded by a round stone bench.

The Fire Flower could be installed either in public parks or on private property, creating a sheltered space that appeals to the primal satisfaction derived from gathering together for warmth and light in a natural setting. Made from durable materials, it is beautiful both day and night.

If you are interested in such an installation, e-mail us at jetpackmedia@me.com

This is an idea I’ve had for a while to create a space around a campfire. The “petals” would be sheets of a reflective metal.

Pop Diva – A Movie Musical

// June 5th, 2010 // Comments Off // Film, Independent Creative Work, Music, News, Writing

Pop Diva is a movie musical I have written. Lots of people I know hate musicals.This isn’t High School Musical or Hannah Montana. It’s not Les Miz or Broadway. People don’t bust out singing and dancing in the street. It’s more like Purple Rain: the music is there because the story is about people in the music business.

It’s about a groupie’s daughter turned pop star who struggles her way to the top, only to have her career nearly flame out under the pressure of tabloid fame and excess. She is redeemed by … well, you have to read it to find out.

You can download and read Pop Diva – the first Ten Pages HERE.

If you want to read the whole thing, e-mail me at jetpackmedia@me.com

I also wrote and recorded demos for the Pop Diva soundtrack.

The songs are in different styles – pop rock, dance, ballads, hip-hop and rock – to be performed by different characters and bands throughout the story.

Each song was written so its lyrics and music serve the story, while also sounding like a pop-rock single. The result is a soundtrack that is (I hope) more like a mix-tape, providing a lot of musical variety, rather than a bunch of songs that sound the same.

1. Could Have Beens

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This song opens the story. It is played by a pop-rock band in a bar, about 20 years ago.

2. Who You Gonna Be?

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This is the song the main character plays with her indie band in the present day.

3. Don’t Keep Me Hanging On

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This is a song sung by an ensemble during an audition scene.

4. I Don’t Need Nobody to Save Me

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This is the “Seduction Song” sung by the lead character, Lily, in the studio, when her manager and producer convince her to accept their advice and go pop.

5. That’ll Teach You to Love Me

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This song is sung as a duet between Lily and her arch-rival, Jade. Lily’s record company takes the song and hands it to Jade, thinking she’ll do better with it.

6. Tru 2 Urself

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This is a song sung by a hip-hop group at a big awards show.

7. Speed My Love

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This is a song sung by a pop-punk group at the same big awards show. During the guitar break, the lead singer jumps off stage, surfs the crowd and kisses Lily, the main character, on the mouth, before getting back on stage.

8. Who You Gonna Be? (Reprise)

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Lily performs this reprise of her earlier song as a ballad at the awards show, just minutes after she learns of her mother’s death.

9. The Earthly Ones

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This song, and the next, play in the aftermath of a funeral.

10. Never Been so Cold

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This song plays accompanied by hallucinatory images during an overdose.

11. I Can’t Believe How Much I Love You

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Played by Lily when she is reunited with her father.