Lady Ballers Trailer

[The Folk Prophet]

14 minutes ago, Ironhold said:

Battlestar Galactica was inspired by the journey to Utah. 

An original draft of the concept *literally* referred to the Galactica and the other survivors as "Space Mormons". 

That's what I'm getting at. 

I'm well aware. The idea that success can be derived from a formula isn't a correct though*. It might work, but if it does, it's as much luck of the draw as is writing something entirely original.

*unless that formula is simply quality. Edit: And even then, quality is not a formula for success. So I take it back.

Edited December 8, 2023 by The Folk Prophet

[LDSGator]

Just now, The Folk Prophet said:

I'm well aware. The idea that success can be derived from a formula isn't a correct though*. It might work, but if it does, it's as much luck of the draw as is writing something entirely original.

*unless that formula is simply quality

and you can legit sing, so you have the talent. You’ve also tried to “make it.” @Ironhold and @LDSGator need to stay in our lanes.
 

The only comparison I have (and it’s a lousy comparison) is my martial arts “career”. Which bombed when I realized in two seconds that my best jump turning 45 kicks did nothing against my opponent. Even more sad was this was a B tournament. We’re not talking Olympics here. 

[The Folk Prophet]

Just now, LDSGator said:

You’ve also tried to “make it.”

Sort of.

I'm not the best test case for really having "tried". Like I explained in the PM, I purposefully made other choices based on what was more important to me (family, stability, etc.)

1 minute ago, LDSGator said:

The only comparison I have (and it’s a lousy comparison) is my martial arts “career”. Which bombed when I realized in two seconds that my best jump turning 45 kicks did nothing against my opponent. Even more sad was this was a B tournament. We’re not talking Olympics here. 

And it's entirely possible that I'm delusional and simply can't compete with the big boys. Of course it's a delusion I can more easily maintain because there is no objective standard like in your case. Your jump kick didn't work. That fact doesn't care about your feelings.

But even my current lack of success on YouTube so far....well I can blame YouTube's algorithm, right? It's just not feeding my videos to the right people yet. Right?  Or...who knows? But it isn't concrete evidence that my writing sucks. So I can still happily believe I'm as good as Lin Manuel Miranda or Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. (In point of fact, I'm not a huge fan of the latter (La La Land, Dear Evan Hansen, The Greatest Showman, etc.)).**

There are some objective standards to measure creative art quality, of course. I mean if a million people watch a video and every single one of them clicks thumbsdown.....maybe you should consider your capabilities a bit...

What I find with feedback on stuff I create....one person loves it, it's amazing, how can I not have succeeded yet, etc.,...and then next person points out that it's just not good and I haven't succeeded yet because I suck. It always ends up feeling much more a commentary on the person giving the feedback than on my stuff. Which does make it somewhat difficult to asses things re improvement.

Shrug.

** Even the big boys don't always nail it. Look at the hatred Lin Manuel Miranda's new song for The Little Mermaid received. 

https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/the-little-mermaid-remake-scuttlebutt-worst-disney-songs-lin-manuel-miranda-halle-bailey-alan-menken-soundtrack-1234742473/

And even huge hits like Les Misérables (Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil). You'd think those guys were golden! Their follow up, Miss Saigon, was a hit too, though not as renowned, but then they did Martin Guerre, which kind of flopped, and finally The Pirate Queen, which was an honest-to-goodness FLOP with a capital F. And they disappeared into oblivion, because when push came to shove, apparently, they couldn't actually play with the big boys.

C'est la vie.

[LDSGator]

1 minute ago, The Folk Prophet said:

objective standard like in your case. Your jump kick didn't work. That fact doesn't care about your feelings

100% correct.

[The Folk Prophet]

@LDSGator, here's another example of trying to make it (specifically in the "Mormon" world).

We wrote and produced a musical based on the Children of the Promise books by Dean Hughes. (This is actually my latest completed work, and I'm quite proud of a lot of it). We got permission from Deseret Book to write and perform it. We even got Dean Hughes to attend the performance. And his feedback was quite positive. (Though that could have been mere politeness).

But....we don't own the copyright. And Deseret Book, despite giving us the permission to perform, did not give us perpetual stage or performance rights. That means.... I can't even upload the stuff to youtube or spotify. It's work I did that is dead until Deseret Book says otherwise.

Although we invited the Deseret Book folk to come see it as well, they didn't. And although we submitted it to them afterwards (video, recordings, etc), it seems apparent (from their replies) that they didn't even bother reviewing the materials. They just weren't interested. It didn't fit their current trend-chasing goals. So it's dead for now.

Edited December 8, 2023 by The Folk Prophet

[LDSGator]

5 minutes ago, The Folk Prophet said:

@LDSGator, here's another example of trying to make it (specifically in the "Mormon" world).

We wrote and produced a musical based on the Children of the Promise books by Dean Hughes. (This is actually my latest completed work, and I'm quite proud of a lot of it). We got permission from Deseret Book to write and perform it. We even got Dean Hughes to attend the performance. And his feedback was quite positive. (Though that could have been mere politeness).

But....we don't own the copyright. And Deseret Book, despite giving us the permission to perform, did not give us perpetual stage or performance rights. That means.... I can't even upload the stuff to youtube or spotify. It's work I did that is dead until Deseret Book says otherwise.

Although we invited the Deseret Book folk to come see it as well, they didn't. And although we submitted it to them afterwards (video, recordings, etc), it seems apparent (from their replies) that they didn't even bother reviewing the materials. They just weren't interested. It didn't fit their current trend-chasing goals. So it's dead for now.

Sorry bro. 😞 

[NeuroTypical]

Is this another "Artists always suffer" moment?

Because artists always suffer.  It's like a universal law of reality.  They suffer in at least one of 3 ways: 

- The have tremendous vision, but their skills at bringing their vision into existence is lacking.
- They are able to bring their wonderful artistic vision into existence, but people don't get it/don't like it/don't buy it.
- They are forced by economic reality or other unrighteous pressure to use their artistic talents to create things they don't want to create.  Like banal plastic toys going into cereal boxes, or stupid ad campaigns so corporate America can sell more bleach, or a wedding cake that violates their own standards of morality to avoid a discrimination lawsuit.

Every artist ever.  At least one of these ways.  Sometimes more than one.

Often, artists end up blaming others for whatever particular way they're suffering.  Like "The church needs to push my movie but won't, so their wrong."

Edited December 8, 2023 by NeuroTypical

[Carborendum]

 

[LDSGator]

2 hours ago, NeuroTypical said:

Often, artists end up blaming others for whatever particular way they're suffering.

Everyone does this, to be fair. 

[The Folk Prophet]

2 hours ago, NeuroTypical said:

Is this another "Artists always suffer" moment?

If you're referring to my post...

I have never said, never would say, or believe it to be morally right in any regard to claim "suffering" because of art. And people who do complain about such.... grow up and get a real job...and a haircut. And get off my lawn.

[The Folk Prophet]

2 hours ago, Carborendum said:

 

I have no idea why this was posted or how it ties into what's being discussed....but... boy howdy was the nostalgia in watching in fun.

[Carborendum]

20 minutes ago, The Folk Prophet said:

I have no idea why this was posted or how it ties into what's being discussed....but... boy howdy was the nostalgia in watching in fun.

This song was written by Michael McLean.

I have no idea what his latest work has been.  And I am unaware of any recent controversy or whatever.  But I really liked that song he wrote.

[JohnsonJones]

On 12/7/2023 at 4:37 PM, The Folk Prophet said:

Argh...just the first 10 seconds and I'm disgusted!

 

Edit: Okay I watched it all. And.... I'm still disgusted. But.... there are some interesting points he made. Particularly, I have never understood the Church's support for LoveLoud. And similar matters. Some of his points are ridiculous though. The church's ads in The Book of Mormon musical wasn't support for or endorsement of the musical.

I don't think the Church should support his movie. He's being a whiney baby man about that. And complaining about the church publicly, particularly from a position like his, is just terrible. But I do understand how he would feel frustrated at the some of the things he points out.

 

It is an interesting thing to consider. I was telling @LDSGator in a pm earlier how I used to write exclusively church related stuff for my musicals. I always struggled a bit with that on the commercial balance side of things. One side of me thinks that profiting off of "spiritual" things in any way feels an awful lot like Priestcraft. But the other side of me thinks what better way to profit than by also sharing spiritual messages that might benefit the world. I'm still torn on the idea. I really dislike a lot of "spiritual" artists like Michael McLean and the like because it feels so much like they're selling spirituality. It bugs me. And yet...I have had some of my greatest spiritual moments in life with music from Kenneth Cope. So I'm so very torn on the matter.

Either way, the "open letter to the church" video is a big thumbs down from me.

I think the problem is actual priestcraft.  There is a difference between priestcraft and other arts.

Priestcraft is the art of being a priest.  You get paid to be the one who has the authority to perform religious ceremony and acts.  In essence, you are being paid to perform ordinances, to tell people they are forgiven, to run the religion or run the church. 

In Priestcraft you are being paid to be the Priest.  You are paid to be the one preaching sermons and telling people what the scriptures say.  You are being paid to tell them when they are forgiven, and to give the ordinances to them (sacraments, etc).  You are being paid to do what the Lord gives away for free.  You are trying to be paid to hand out salvation.

If you are writing uplifting books, music, or other items, IN MY OPINION, that falls under the category of other arts or crafts.  It's the craft of writing or the art of being a musician or painter or other facet.  You are working on something that benefits others.  It is not seeking to be paid to profit off of ordinances or the materials thereof, but to uplift people and inspire with your works of art.  It is a different field entirely (once again, IN MY OPINION).

If no one makes uplifting material, than those of us who try to find uplifting material to read or listen to will not have anything to read or listen or see or watch. 

It's like other artists and such, but you do it in the spirit of making uplifting and righteous material rather than that which pleases the world. 

Edited December 9, 2023 by JohnsonJones

[Ironhold]

22 hours ago, The Folk Prophet said:

It's easy! Just be the Osmonds, right!?

Remember the Conference talk about lifting where you stand? 

That's what I'm getting at: making the most of where you are at any given moment and hoping for the best. 

[Traveler]

On 12/8/2023 at 12:14 PM, The Folk Prophet said:

It's easy! Just be the Osmonds, right!?

For a long time, I did not think highly of the Osmonds.   Then a several years ago I was working in Tiawan and ran into Marie Osmond’s son at church in Tainan where he was serving an LDS mission.  He did not identify himself with his famous mother and was one of the most impressive missionaries I have ever encountered in a foreign land.   He loved that no one identified him through his famous family (His last name was Craig not Osmond).  His work ethic and general kindness (especially for those somewhat economically challenged) was off the charts but even more so for someone with famous parents.

 

The Traveler