The Walkley Foundation, which is an initiative of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) in Australia, is running a four day conference called Storyology in August.
Storyology is a summit of media and creativity for journalists, screenwriters, authors. satirists, entrepreneurs, multimedia specialists, documentary makers, photographers, producers and bloggers. It's about sharing the secrets of making stories sing and inspiring and creating the unexpected. Storyology is for those who write the words to create compelling narrative; whose imagery and sound conveys a world beyond language; whose technological brilliance allows well-told stories to cross the globe and traverse borders. This year's theme "Ideas write now!" is all about rethinking the story paradigm and exploring the rapidly expanding platforms on which great stories are being told.
And why are we telling you this? Well... amongst the outstanding lineup of speakers is BMP friend and comics compatriot W Chew "Chewie" Chan who will be doing a session on graphic novels on Day 2 of the program. This means that the comics medium is getting traction in the greater Australian media and cultural scene. Great stuff!
The entire program looks AMAZING! Day 1 focuses on the "Asian Century". Days 2 and 3 is the main program, and Day 4 gives a "Freelance Focus". There are also masterclasses and social events.
Dates: Tuesday 6 to Friday 9 August 2013
Times: Various from day to day with multiple sessions on some days.
Venue: NSW Teachers' Federation Conference Centre, 37 Reservoir St, Surry Hills NSW 2010.
Cost: There are separate rates for Alliance and non-Alliance members, and there are half day, full day and full program plus workshop rates so please refer to the Ticket information page on the website.
For more information: http://www.storyology.org.au/
We've had our heads down for the last few weeks so need to give you a quick update on what we've been up to. So here goes:
- Looks like we'll be doing a comics exhibition with several other Aussie comikers at Liverpool City Library on Halloween – Thursday 31 October 2013 from 4pm to 8pm. We'll post more info when it's available.
- The first print run of Elf~Fin: Hyfus and Tilaweed #1 is 60% sold out and the feedback we're getting from readers is fantastic. We attracted many new readers at Supanova Sydney last month so we're thrilled about that. Just click on this Elf~Fin link if you want to order a copy for yourself. In the interim, Jozef is busy working on the second issue artwork. We found that we needed some additional designs for new cast members so he revealed those yesterday – pretty astounding. Now he just has to finish the costuming... Some reveals coming soon!
- We're busy working on a bold new initiative which will be launched next month–the BMP professional development arm known as Comics Masterclass. More info to come as we finalise the details and the talent, activate the logo officially and launch the website.
- We also recently relaunched the Black Mermaid Productions website with a fantastic new art gallery, which features portfolios of our current comics work, our videos and the entire catalogue of Black Mermaid® images. We've got a bit more tinkering to do but you should get the full grand effect right now.
- The pics you see are (1) Julie, Matt White (our designer) an Jozef at Comic Gong on 19 May 2013 at Corrimal Library. Photo credit: Vanessa Ford, and (2) Jozef doing a portfolio review and pop up art lessons for our new friend Fee at the BMP stand at Supanova Sydney on Sunday 23 June 2013. Photo credit: Julie Ditrich. Thanks to all our fans who stopped by to say hi, and to the many new friends we made on the weekend!
The Sunday Style magazine, which is an insert into the Sunday Telegraph, ran a story a few weeks ago on 16 June 2013 on a mermaid inspired fashion trend called sea punk, which was so hot that it was number 1 on the list. It's a fusion of futuristic fashion with ocean inspired colours and textures – sort of satin meets sequins judging from some of the fashion shots. One of the defining elements is pastel blue or pink hair, usually blunt cut rather than curled. The photo is sourced from the Sunday Style Tumbler page, as well as FashionCow where you'll find more information and more pics. The model was styled by Meg Gray and the photographer is Pierre Toussaint.
Wolfgang Bylsma, Skye Ogden and the Gestalt Publishing crew have been busy of late. They are the subject of an upcoming documentary screening on the ABC on Tuesday 13 and Tuesday 20 August 2013 at 10pm. Filmed over two years in Tokyo, Perth and San Diego, Comic Book Heroes tells the inside story of some of Australia's most ambitious comic book creators and their struggle to conquer the US market. The film is produced by Little Star Productions. Check out the Comic Book Heroes Movie Facebook page or Little Star Productions for up to date information.
