Conrad Zero

Archive for the ‘Interview’ Category

Your Favorite Dark Fiction Author, Tagged on Secondact.com

Zero / May 25th, 2011 / No Comments »

Michelle Raftner, whom you may recognize as the brains behind WordCount’s Blogathon 2011, tossed a little light on yours truly in her secondact.com article Blogging Their Way to a Midlife Makeover. I was thrilled to be interviewed by Michelle for her article. Sadly, it wasn’t until after I read the article that I realized my response to her e-mail interview questionnaire was firmly planted in my drafts folder, and did not make it back to her in time for the article. Thankfully, she was able to piece together a reasonable article from our conversation. My sincere apologies to Michelle.

For those who care, here are the more detailed answers to her questions:

Name of blog:

Conrad Zero – Dark Fiction Author

URL:

www.conradzero.com

What is your blog about?

Tips, tricks, inspirations and motivations for all authors and writers, and the occasional day-in-the-life revelations of a dark fiction author.

How long have you been blogging?

I’ve been blogging since 29 Jan, 2004. At first, my blog was more entertainment-based, and I did reviews of movies, music, books, video games and occasionally, self-important bullshit that I mistook for “life.” Over time, I’ve changed to become more of a mix of useful writing information and entertainment (infotainment?) spiced with interesting website links, news and technologies that I hope writers would find interesting or useful.

What have you learned about blogging?

1 – Know the difference between facts and your opinions

I once had a commenter who kept flaming me because I made fun of Naomi Watts performance in Peter Jackson’s remake of King Kong. No, seriously. I tried to get him to understand that we simply had differing opinions on the matter and that was OK. But he valiantly attempted to “prove” me wrong, and made an ass of himself in the process. Luckily for him, comments got reset when I moved from Blogger to WordPress, but it made me realize that some people will read your blog and think you are giving them real, objective facts when you’re just stating your opinion.

If you are clear with your readers about what you feel vs what you know, you can prevent some (but not all) angry responses. For those that manage to be pissed off at you anyway, if you know the difference between subjective and objective you’ll be better equipped to defend yourself against the flamethrowers.

2 – See both the good and bad in your reviews

Cynics can be funny and even entertaining, but if you are one of those snide reviewers who think its fun and funny to be anti-Everything, why do I need to read your blog? I already know what your opinion is going to be, and I’ll never take your reviews seriously, because I wouldn’t trust you to find the good in anything.

Remember that there are real people behind these projects (movies, books, music, whatever) and they worked really hard to create them.

As a member of the Minnesota Speculative Fiction Writer’s Group, one of the things that impresses me about our writing critique workshops is that our members always try to see both the good in writing submissions as well as the bad. Authors who are diligent enough to finish a piece of writing and brave/conscientious enough to share it with a crit group deserve at least a charitable interpretation.That includes both constructive and destructive criticism. Few bloggers do this, because it takes more work and requires thinking. But, if you can do this, you will raise your blog from stand-up comedy to a useful source of info that helps artists make their own works better.

3 – The Very Best PR You Can Get

Lots of bloggers fuss over colors, keywords and SEO, meanwhile they ignore, or even snap back at their audience, missing out on the very best PR they have at their disposal: their attitude towards their audience.

I sent an e-mail to an up-and-coming author telling him I really enjoyed his new book. Six months later I got a confused reply, ‘Did I ever thank you for this?” I was thrilled to get that much, but I decided that I would do better when it came to my own fans. [Editor's Note: Tell that to Michelle Raftner! LOL]

Last week, I received an angry e-mail from a reader about my recent post comparing online file sync systems Sugarsync vs Dropbox. The reader was angry that I didn’t include anything about online security. I replied calmly, presenting the reader with my OPINION (See above) and the research I’d done on the matter that backed up my opinion. The reader responded saying he had never considered the points I presented, and he mentioned how nice it was to receive an intelligent thoughtful reply “for a change”. People may not expect a personal reply, much less a thoughtful one, but they certainly do appreciate it.

4 – No, it really isn’t all about you.

Most bloggers favorite subject is themselves. This is great after you’ve sold a million books, because people might actually care. Till then, the only people who are going to read you going on and on about yourself are your mom and your psycho ex, (neither of which are going to buy your book, btw.)

A tip for the unfamous: if you can become a resource of a specific kind of info (not yourself) you will get all the linkage, comments, and SEO you could want.

5 – You are no expert, but you don’t have to be

Here’s a great bit of blogger humor:

Q: How many bloggers does it take to screw in a light bulb?

A: Tell us what YOU think in the comments below.

Many of the more successful bloggers aren’t necessarily the best knowledge sources on a subject – they are enablers. They find, filter and focus content and are able to pull together like-minded people who can help with the answers. Look up crowdsourcing, and then see how it’s done on sites like lifehacker, digg, imdb, problogger, etc. The truth is that anyone with a passion for something can make a website that will draw like-minded people, regardless of their credentials.

The goal is not to be (or pretend to be) an expert on things and to have all the answers. What’s more important is meeting people on the same journey you are on, and to share and grow wisdom along with them.

Yours Darkly,

Conrad Zero

Interview with Nation Undead’s Patrick Pierson

Zero / April 26th, 2009 / 1 Comment »

Disclaimer Addendum (29 Apr 2009) – There’s been a lot of noise about the amazing similarity between the current Swine Flu pandemic and the story behind the Nation Undead website I cover in this blog post. Patient Zero, the rise and spread of “Respiren Flu” and it’s cure “Toxicil” are astonishingly close to the rise and spread of the Swine Flu.

I can assure you that these similarities are coincidental. If anything, the Swine Flu is ripping off the Nation Undead backstory, since Nation Undead has been around since Aug 2008

-Zero

What would happen if there was a concerted effort to organize and direct the mindless slew of independent videos bombarding the internet? What if there was a master plan to give independent filmmakers around the world a united purpose or focus?

What if it involved Zombies?

Patrick Pierson and the team at Nation Undead have taken this idea, put it in the blender with a flu pandemic, questionable pharmaceuticals (See the Toxicil add, right) and military intervention, and hit upon true creative genius. nationundead.com is a collaborative effort for filmmakers, musicians and other creatives to work on small pieces of a larger project.

NationUndead.com is a website dedicated to collecting the stories of all independent filmmakers as they create and film several stories within the larger framework of the Nation Undead universe.
www.nationundead.com

The scope of the project in Nation Undead is a story of a virus that spreads through the United States, culminating in a full-scale zombie infestation.

I got the opportunity to ask Nation Undead’s Patrick Pierson a few questions about the site.

What were the inspirations for Nation Undead?

There are so many inspirations that birthed this project. First of all what I really wanted to do was create a platform for independent filmmakers to collaborate and share their ideas. There are quite a few film related web sites that are out there and available to show your work but the problem is much of your work gets lost in jumbles of content. With Nation Undead I really wanted something more specific, a place where your work is not just viewed its celebrated. I’m a big fan of the horror genre, obviously the zombie genre, but more importantly smart horror. There is so much that can be told with a story like this that can transcend beyond horror and even relate to other genres. With the concept created for Nation Undead I wanted to invite all of film and not just one aspect of it. There are a ton of awful horror films that are out there and I wanted to encourage a more intelligent stage for that creativity.

When did Nation Undead start and how is it doing so far?

Nation Undead started on paper a little over a year ago. It became a fully functional and realized idea in August of 08. The growth has been progressive. We knew that introducing this kind of project would take awhile to fully blossom. Our main focus is the content itself, a website can’t really live and be respected if the content doesn’t come from a place of passion. I hear so much about crowd sourcing lately, in fact many reviews have suggested that we are helping pioneer that process, the problem with that is that everyone is guiding people to content that is a waste of time. Its almost as if telling people about your film is more important then the film itself. I strongly believe that at the end of the day its creative well done work that wins out. I think quite a few people come to the website and think ‘wait a minute, I actually have to put some effort into my submission’. In that respect people are thinking more patiently about their approach which I’m very happy about.

Do videos have to pass any kind of pre-viewing or acceptance test? Are there limits on the quality of the production? Do all videos make it into the project?

The content submitted should be about as liberal as free speech. If we put too many constraints on creativity ideas can’t grow. The acceptance comes from the community through opinion. As I stated before people look at the current submissions and realize this is not a free for all, by that I mean you actually have to care about what you contribute. One thing I believe that’s severely missing with content driven sites is an invitation to be intelligent. Its not that people are not smart its basically the website that does not give them credit for it. If your film looks as if it came from a real place of creativity then it belongs on the site. Of course if a submission uploaded is titled ‘Cum Explosion’ that will probably be taken down, there are certain rules.

Are there ways for people other than filmmakers and musicians to get involved?

Absolutely. One of the features on the site is to upload scripts on the ‘In Production’ feature. One of the users on the site is blowing us all away with what he is producing. Its like he has a new script everyday and his ideas know no end. The funny thing is his day job is working at Walmart, he just so happens to be a talented writer. Those are the things that make the biggest impression on me, creating a concept that people really take a hold of and creatively grow. There are also places for concept art, image uploads and you can also blog on your own personal profiles.

I notice the music is released under Creative Commons licensing, did you consider other options and why did you decide to go with the CC licensing?

That would be our programmers decision. In terms of any future funding we need to be as legal as it gets. The internet is loaded with such disregard to legalities these days that product has no worth. The copyright infringement is astoundingly audacious.

Could you elaborate on the “Backstage Pass” idea, and how that originated?

One of the most interesting aspects of film is the process. I almost just buy films these days based on their special features. I often find that the process of putting together a film can be just as interesting as the finished piece. The backstage pass feature allows filmmakers to upload their entire journey with their film, everyone gets to see how you made it if you wish. The media that can be attached is limitless, you can upload your script, storyboard, any kind of ‘making of’ videos and you can even upload the entire film again with commentary. Another reason for this is just simply a reinforcement of the submissions that go on the site. There is nothing worse then letting your baby go to just float around in cyber space, here you can nurture your film and constantly add to its value.

How long will the Nation Undead project continue? Are there any deadlines? Is there an end date when Nation Undead is “Finished”?

At first there was the idea of having more of a fixed deadline. That idea is still in the process. Were finding that the project is in fact bigger then expected. A project that takes on the whole country can be a mighty big task indeed. The great thing is that there is also a massive interest over seas, of which I’m sure its appropriate to say ‘Nations Undead’ has already been written. Once the interest level is high enough with enough filmmakers savvy to the project we will be able to address deadlines.

Are there larger plans for a finished work? Perhaps a full-length movie of the compiled videos?

Absolutely. The whole back story has gotten really intriguing. We had users write in bios for particular characters that are involved in the Nation Undead universe and it was incredible. We are in the process of writing the pilot for studio shopping because that story will obviously need a budget. The backstory kind of operates like the fall of AIG for instance, Everything that corporation did effected people on many levels. The corporation has its own story where as the personal foreclosure stories are the films submitted to the site. The films submitted by filmmakers will be put together in a collaboration of the very best, those filmmakers will be contacted and be negotiated with.

Are there plans to use this collaborative effort for other genres or story ideas?

We have a few but to be honest you can make a submission out of practically any genre. A local director is actually shooting a motorcycle western in the badlands based on Zone 8: Migration. The zombie genre was specifically used because of its flexibility and continuity. It would be a great deal harder to do say ‘aliens’ because everyone would have different interpretations. Zombies are easy, look pale, dark eyes and a ton of blood looks pretty consistent.

Any plans for Nation Undead to include real-world interaction, meetups, or Alternate Reality Gaming?

There are plenty tricks up our sleeve. Using this kind of application opens up a new level of digital guerrilla theater. We are working on an iPhone application that’s pretty mind blowing, of which I cant say

. Eventually we would like to set up a sort of moving set such as a military base. All of the filmmakers with their crews and cast from those areas would meet up and help make several films in the same location. Each filmmaker would get a set time where everyone focuses on their film and becomes the extras on the military base. Pretty exciting stuff.

My Experience on Nation Undead

Nation Undead’s clever use of crowd sourcing is setting the standard for an entirely new genre of collaborative entertainment.

I joined the madness on nationundead.com and set up a profile. It’s the standard-issue username/password/e-mail/avatar. Reading through the overarching story doesn’t take long, but there’s more backstory on the site’s wiki and a useful forum and faq for questions.

Uploading music was quick and easy. (Just make sure you own the rights to the music!) The upload process lets you give a description of the music and pick the type of creative commons license you want, which is very slick. I posted the instrumental versions of all songs on Jagged Spiral’s “Days From Evil” album. Now all Nation Undead contributors can use our songs to score their films.

Filmmakers can upload their movies, (movie time limit is 7 minutes) Musicians can upload their songs, graphic artists can upload their pix, screenwriters can upload scripts, and people can ask questions and contribute through the forums. Forum responses are mostly same-day.

The Official Resources page has video clips and graphics you can use in your movie. This adds a greater level of consistency to the overall project.

Nation Undead is a fabulous idea. The resources to make simple indie movies are widely available, but no one knows what to DO with them. With nationundead.com, budding filmmakers around the world who have a video camera, a couple friends and a couple gallons of fake blood can take part in a fun project. (Hint: Don’t have fake blood? Shoot your video in black and white and use chocolate syrup.)