Most recent letters
020 / You're Weird
Exceed algorithmic description - make art the computer cannot categorise!
• 4 minute read
019 / Five Miscellaneous Things
There’s a lot in this one! Poetry, filmmaking, graphic novels and visual storytelling - take your pick!
• 6 minute read
018 / Planned Improv
Notes on the balance between preparation and improv in the creative process, while shooting a film for The New York Times.
• 4 minute read
017 / Practicing Scales
Some practical advice on how filmmakers can build a daily practice habit that improves their craft.
• 6 minute read
016 / Keep Hanging On, Kid
Remembering Lyra McKee, a fellow journeyman who lost her life too soon in Northern Ireland.
• 2 minute read
015 / The Gift
A quick note on Patreon and the power of generosity in the Creator Economy.
• 4 minute read
014 / Outsider's Luck
Do people who aren’t trying so hard have some kind of outsider’s advantage?
• 2 minute read
013 / Three Thoughts on Visual Storytelling
On Spiderman Into The Spider-Verse, the nature of juxtaposition and writing screenplay dialogue.
• 4 minute read
012 / Musical Interval
Playing around with loops and ossilations, I discover whale music inside a 95-year-old song.
• 3 minute read
011 / Five Days
A day-by-day account of writing and designing a film for The New York Times.
• 5 minute read
010 / Building A Body Of Work
You’re not just publishing into a never ending stream, you’re building a library of work
• 3 minute read
009 / Barbecues On The Titanic
On climate change and how stories create aesthetic emotion to comprehend what’s happening.
• 3 minute read
008 / On Being Busy
Is busyness really a trap? Or is a sign of a life well-lived? Is creative energy a finite resource or something abundant?
• 4 minute read
007 / Haiku
A great example of The Third Something at work — in words, not pictures!
• 4 minute read