Monday, October 15, 2012

Pitch Live!

I'm back from Portugal, and blog updating has taken a backseat to a weird sort of non-jetlag that has me falling asleep consistently 2-3 hours before my regular bedtime, but still waking up just in time to get to work. That means that most of my free time has been spent on my WIP (almost 40 K!! Maybe I"ll finish it in time to start something new for NaNo. Maybe.) But I can't wait to get back to blogging, reading all of your blogs, and talking about some of the books I read over vacation. I have so many pictures and videos to share.

Plus, right after getting off the plane last weekend, we had my nephew's baptism. He was adorable and well behaved. I'm one proud but busy godmomma! :)

Today, though, I'm posting a video for the Pitch Live! blogfest, hosted by the amazing Brenda Drake, Erika Chapman, and Leigh Ann Kopans. Be sure to go HERE for the linky to other participating blogs.

Here's my entry (it MAY be updated due to my shakycam Hunger Games inspired filmmaking):



Title: The Desired
Genre: YA Contemporary Fantasy
Word Count: 72K

Things that I learned while filming this pitch:

1. If you're going to film the weekend before a video is due to go up, don't forget your Bloggie(BEST vlogging cam in the WORLD) because you will then be forced to rely on a finicky cell phone camera.
2. Test the cell camera to see how to avoid horizontal line syndrome (uhm, I should have known, since the bloggie does the exact same thing.)
3. Taking outdoor videos also means that you're bound to deal with sunlight issues (check!), wind issues (check!), and the random airplane (I really should post a blooper video!)
4. I don't have shaky cam action going on. I'm just emulating the artistic style employed by the director of the Hunger Games. *nods* *nods*
5. Holy cow, low sunlight brings out my dark circles. More Benefit Erase Paste, please!
6. The NJ tourism association seriously needs to start paying me, since I'm always going on about how pretty it is here.

And I'll finish this post with more pretty pictures from "the place between the lakes" where I filmed this video:



 

 
 


28 comments:

  1. Great pitch! The only critique I have is for you to look at the camera during the pitch instead of the screen. When you look at the camera, you can engage the viewer more. Good luck!

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    1. Thank you :) I usually try to do better in my vlogs, but that sun was driving me crazy! Note to self: film mid-day. Actually, note to self: film inside!

      I saw on your blog that you made it on to the next round! Congrats!

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  2. I love the pitch and the scenery is gorgeous! :)

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    1. Thanks so much! That is one of my favorite places ever (and some lucky people live around the lake that's on the other side of the camera) in one of my favorite seasons ever :)

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  3. I love the setting for your pitch! You sound really confident & the plot sounds really interesting. Go North-easterners! #26

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    1. Thanks so much. Annnnd.... Yay! We're Team Brenda!!! :) Go North-easterners!

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  4. Hi Isabel,

    I really liked the idea behind this—a space beyond time where historical and mythological characters have gone missing... very cool! Loved the photos that you included above as well, they really help to capture the setting. For someone who just got off a plane, your pitch was very engaging! :)

    Good luck!

    John Krissilas, #40
    http://www.johnkrissilas.com/

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    1. Thanks. I almost kicked myself when I realized that I could have actually filmed this in Portugal, where the bulk of the story takes place, but the barrens works, as well, since a pivotal scene takes place there :)

      And Yay Team Brenda!!! We're totally going to rock the blog!

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  5. I would have liked to hear about the best friend earlier in the pitch, something to give us a heads up that she had friends there. But the setting was beautiful.

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    1. Thank you :) Poor Jer (her bff.) Both Sara and I keep shoving him off to the side, don't we?

      Another fellow Team Brenda-ite! woo-hoo!

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  6. I think I'd *love* to visit the middle of nowhere Portugal!

    I really like books that fiddle with the concept of time, so this seemed really neat to me. The "on location" aspect of the pitch was fun, and you spoke very confidently about your book. Good job!

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    1. I love it there, but it really did stink when I was a teen. "Awww, Mom and Dad, everyone else gets to go to the shore or camp! *whine*whine*whine*" Now, I got to force my characters to go there :)

      Thanks so much. This was fun to film!

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  7. I seriously LOVE this idea. Nice pitch! Sounds like your MC has quite a dilemma on her hands....who, oh who, to trust? Great job and best of luck!

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    1. Thanks so much! Isn't it fun making MC's lives difficult?

      Congrats on being picked by Erica!!

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  8. Oh! I saw this without the beginning explanation on a contest. Love the additional information, really makes it stand out and draws the readers in. Nice.

    #32

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  9. This sounds great, people trapped between time-- locked within the myths. Coool!

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    1. Thanks so much! I always wondered where all of these "missing/disappearing" people hung out, so... I wrote about it :)

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  10. Neat concept. My first thought was Brigadoon! :D Sounds like there's a lot more at stake than a romance here, though. Great job, and a lovely setting. Good luck!

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    1. Ooooooooohhhhhhh, I love the Brigadoon comparison. (Of course, that also means that I'm thinking of the I Love Lucy version of Brigadoon, too...)

      And another Team-Brenda-ite! Yay!!!!!

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  11. This is great premise! I choose you to move to the agent round on my blog. ;)

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    1. Eeeeeekkkk! I'm so glad I didn't see this at work or my coworkers would have thought I was insane.

      Thanks so much! I can't wait to see how round 2 goes :)

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  12. What a beautiful place to record your pitch and an interesting premise. Congrats on making it through to the next round.

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    1. Thank you so much! and Congrats to you, too!

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  13. Great premise, the story sounds super interesting. And I LOVE the Pine Barrens. I used to go down there all the time as a teen. We'd sit around the campfire and tell stories of the jersey devil. I miss it!! I live in GA now.

    Anyway, congrats for getting chosen and I wish you the best of luck!! I'm following on Twitter. :)

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    1. It's so pretty, and it's funny to tell non-Barren familiar people about our Jersey Devil, sugar sand, and cedar water. Ahh! Can't wait to swap memories via twitter (we had our 6th grade camp smack-dab in the middle of nowhere Burlington County and I'm dumping my current WIP characters there, too. Because I can (and it's a great excuse to wax poetic about south Jersey) :)

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  14. Go Team Brenda! I love that her best friend is part of the opposition. :)

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    1. YAY! I love that I <3 all the pitches from all the Team Brenda people! (now I need some time to go around and comment on everyone's blogs!!!)

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