Tammy has emailed me her answers to my research questions. Rhonda Prast was away, but is back now, and emailed me her answers as well. I spoke with Marcia Prouse on the phone for over an hour about all things Arrow Rock and book related. Dick van Halsema just got back to me and said he’d be willing to do an interview.
I have written the Clay captions, pulling a lot from the excess in my story (it can only be 900 words max, and it was around 1600). Shane has edited the story and sent it to the copyeditors.
I have finished designing everything Shane has dropped on the server.
We have just received our first design review from Rita and Joy, and they seem to generally like what we’re doing (huge sigh of relief). I took the design notes Abby received from Rita and Joy and have attempted to apply them to the spreads I already have designed. There is still some question as to how we will give credit to the photographers and text editors. They said our current idea was too confusing (it used to be under the header) because sometimes it says simply ‘by’ Jane Doe (when she wrote and shot it), sometimes it says ‘text by’ Jane Doe and photographs by ‘Jack Smith’ and sometimes it just says ‘text by’ Jane Doe (when the photographs are taken by no one in particular. Photo credits were under individual photos.) The solution for consistency that Rita and Joy came up with was to put the text credit at the end of the text and the photo credit under the dominant photo. The problem I see with that is that the text credit is much more visible than the photo credit, and it may be easy to mistake the text writer for the photographer. One possible solution I’ve offered to this is to specifically say ‘text by’ instead of just ‘by’ at the end of the body of text. But I still don’t like giving more presence to the text writer than to the photographer – doesn’t seem fair, especially since this is a photo book. Of course, if we can’t come up with a better solution, I’ll be alright with it. After all, the photographers mostly have or ‘should’ have written their own stories.
I began to play with the 10% curve Perry told Abby I should put on my pictures to meet their press standards, since their blacks tend to block up more than an RGB printer. I’ve sent them a set of 9 images to print as proofs with and without Perry’s curve so we can see what it does. I will review them when I’m back in Missouri to defend.
I’ve also been writing up my master’s project. It currently stands at 45 pages. I reflect a lot on what we did right and what we did wrong. I’m hoping to make it as much a learning tool as it is about the process itself. I currently have 36 appendices. I don’t know if that’s a lot or not. I wanted to be as thorough as possible with the appendices for the same reason - I’m trying to make it as much of a guide for the next potential book editor as simply my master’s project. So I’ve included things like the arrow rock history summary that I think Jason Johns wrote up for Rita, that we handed out to the class as a reference. Just thought it was an important point early on in the project that we gave out history notes to the class, even if it wasn’t Abby or I who did that work. Similarly, I’ve included a lot of email communication that we had, that I think shows the process we went through, even if it wasn’t always 100% related to me.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
3/18/08-4/2/08
I’ve contacted Tammy Lechner again, since Rhonda Prast never responded to me. She’s willing to do the interview via email since she doesn’t have skype. I’ve emailed her questions. I've tried contacting Jeff Jasper via email but it got bounced back. I've found Dick Van Halsema through Linkedin, a career network (the job equivalent to facebook or myspace). I've emailed him through that and awaiting a response. I’ll take what I can get at this point. I’ve got Jim Curley and Patricia McDaniel in person, John Hansen via phone, and Tammy Lechner via email. I haven't been able to get in touch with Marcia Prouse yet (time difference makes it hard) but I’m hoping to catch her soon and just chat with her – not go over her pictures individually, since she has so many, but rather get a general sense from her what she thinks. Originally, my committee told me I didn’t need to contact her, but Abby doesn’t have her on the list of people to contact either, and it doesn’t seem right (more to Marcia than anyone) to not have one of us at least call her.
There's been a slight, unexpected copyediting bottleneck. I designed several versions of the one story for me that is ready – Gladys Thomas. Also did the portrait ones that are done. We are over a month behind schedule. Time for copyediting is definitely something to factor in for the next bookmakers.
We had another title discussion (sorta). Now two options are being considered. The second is - Arrow Rock: Where the Past is the Future
I don’t love it, but I like it better than the former, so I’m hoping it wins out. I gave my favorite title one last go and sent an email supporting one that Shaney offered: Arrow Rock: Where History came to Visit and Stay. Or perhaps a version of that: Arrow Rock: Where History comes Home. You still get the history aspect, but it’s a bit warmer. I made a passionate (and diplomatic!) but didn’t get much response from rita. That’s ok, I’ll be happy if we go with the Past/Future one. It sounds like the Beyond History: Arrow Rock’s thriving Village will be the back cover. I do like the play of the ‘History’ being the focus on the front and the ‘Beyond History’ being on the back. Good interaction. (note: the beyond history idea was eventually discarded because we couldn’t find a picture that worked well).
Being in London away from the group is hard. I have to struggle through my problems via email. I don’t recommend it if at all possible in a group setting – hard to feel as part of the project from 4500 miles away. Alas, life can only wait so long I suppose. But I do miss everyone at Missouri!
Abby came to visit for a week. We had one day of fun and then several days of serious Arrow Rock design work. We ironed out some technical details (such as: is the caption to picture distance from ascender to descender or from main letter body to picture; how far is the byline from the title, all that kind of fun stuff) . I showed Abby how to make an object style for the photo-border (very helpful, in case we ever decide to change it). We’ve de-spaced the captions a little, since they seemed a bit airy (leading, ledding? I can’t remember the official terminology – the spacing between lines, not letters). Mostly, we tried to establish some consistent design strategies. This is difficult, because every story seems to be different. We ended up designing about fourteen spreads each, (around 7 stories) and hope that at least some of these pass by Rita and Joy when they review them. I have found that design in this capacity is not so much creative as it is problem solving - trying to fit puzzle pieces together (even if they don’t always fit). Cropping pictures, which Angus McDougall says is a no-no, has become inevitable, just as chopping captions and once in a while text has as well. The biggest struggle for us has became the dreaded gutter. When a picture has to break a certain way across the gutter so as not to have important details lost in the crack, it really limits the design. This is much more an issue in a book than a newspaper or even a magazine, where the gutter absorbs very little (if any) of the picture. The sequencing is also important, and when it’s the middle picture we’ve chosen to be big, that’s a real doozy to design, because one can’t stack the smaller two. Abby was working on her Kathy story and said something to the effect of – this one is a problem child, because of this factor and that factor - once I get past this story it will be easier. But as we both agreed later, every spread has its own idiosyncrasies, and every one is a problem child! I will say that when we didn’t have text to work with, at least placing the pictures on the page in general sequence and size order helped later when we added text (though by no means meant we didn’t have to eventually redesign). Still, having the pictures already there, ready and waiting, was very helpful, so if future book makers ever have to wait for text, I recommend doing this.
There's been a slight, unexpected copyediting bottleneck. I designed several versions of the one story for me that is ready – Gladys Thomas. Also did the portrait ones that are done. We are over a month behind schedule. Time for copyediting is definitely something to factor in for the next bookmakers.
We had another title discussion (sorta). Now two options are being considered. The second is - Arrow Rock: Where the Past is the Future
I don’t love it, but I like it better than the former, so I’m hoping it wins out. I gave my favorite title one last go and sent an email supporting one that Shaney offered: Arrow Rock: Where History came to Visit and Stay. Or perhaps a version of that: Arrow Rock: Where History comes Home. You still get the history aspect, but it’s a bit warmer. I made a passionate (and diplomatic!) but didn’t get much response from rita. That’s ok, I’ll be happy if we go with the Past/Future one. It sounds like the Beyond History: Arrow Rock’s thriving Village will be the back cover. I do like the play of the ‘History’ being the focus on the front and the ‘Beyond History’ being on the back. Good interaction. (note: the beyond history idea was eventually discarded because we couldn’t find a picture that worked well).
Being in London away from the group is hard. I have to struggle through my problems via email. I don’t recommend it if at all possible in a group setting – hard to feel as part of the project from 4500 miles away. Alas, life can only wait so long I suppose. But I do miss everyone at Missouri!
Abby came to visit for a week. We had one day of fun and then several days of serious Arrow Rock design work. We ironed out some technical details (such as: is the caption to picture distance from ascender to descender or from main letter body to picture; how far is the byline from the title, all that kind of fun stuff) . I showed Abby how to make an object style for the photo-border (very helpful, in case we ever decide to change it). We’ve de-spaced the captions a little, since they seemed a bit airy (leading, ledding? I can’t remember the official terminology – the spacing between lines, not letters). Mostly, we tried to establish some consistent design strategies. This is difficult, because every story seems to be different. We ended up designing about fourteen spreads each, (around 7 stories) and hope that at least some of these pass by Rita and Joy when they review them. I have found that design in this capacity is not so much creative as it is problem solving - trying to fit puzzle pieces together (even if they don’t always fit). Cropping pictures, which Angus McDougall says is a no-no, has become inevitable, just as chopping captions and once in a while text has as well. The biggest struggle for us has became the dreaded gutter. When a picture has to break a certain way across the gutter so as not to have important details lost in the crack, it really limits the design. This is much more an issue in a book than a newspaper or even a magazine, where the gutter absorbs very little (if any) of the picture. The sequencing is also important, and when it’s the middle picture we’ve chosen to be big, that’s a real doozy to design, because one can’t stack the smaller two. Abby was working on her Kathy story and said something to the effect of – this one is a problem child, because of this factor and that factor - once I get past this story it will be easier. But as we both agreed later, every spread has its own idiosyncrasies, and every one is a problem child! I will say that when we didn’t have text to work with, at least placing the pictures on the page in general sequence and size order helped later when we added text (though by no means meant we didn’t have to eventually redesign). Still, having the pictures already there, ready and waiting, was very helpful, so if future book makers ever have to wait for text, I recommend doing this.
3/3/08-3/17/08
I’ve finished uploading abby’s toned images to the server. We’ve done several re-edits at the request of shane and rita. I’ve added those pics to the server as well. I have started designing the portrait sections that we have and the one story that we’ve gotten back from the copy-editor. We are all tired and ready for this to be done. We are constantly sending a flurry of emails back and forth, which I’ll probably attach. Anything I can find arrow rock related is going to be crammed into whatever monstrosity of a binder I turn in.
We had a skype test phone call, followed by an actual two hour conversation, me on the London end, abby, rita and shane on the other end. We discussed title, back of book, various re-edits, and other points of clarification. We have chosen a title, that at least Rita and David like. Arrow Rock: Living the pioneer life. Rita likes the double entendre of the title. I don’t think people will think hard enough to see it though – I think they’ll be stuck on the idea of covered wagons and coonskin caps. Maybe I’m wrong though, and that’s exactly what tourists are looking for. I just thought the whole point of the book was to go deeper than the surface, but that title certainly does not reflect that. I know the title is supposed to sell the book though, so it’s not necessarily reflective of content. I don’t really like it, but I didn’t have support for the one I preferred, and so there it is. I understand why rita likes it, but I still think it sounds too much like a textbook. Such is life when your master’s project involves finances and other people. After all, I’m not providing the financial backing. It’s hard for me to let go, I realize what a control freak I am. Abby is a saint to put up with me for so long. I try hard to play nicely, but sometimes my passion for a project overrides diplomacy, or, as Rita pointed out, professionalism. For me, with all the time we’ve invested in this, especially between Shane, Abby and I, I feel it’s kinda past the professionalism point, though I understand the reasons for maintaining that. But, you get so deep into something, pour in so much, and that line just blurs until it’s erased. I try to tell myself I don’t care, but I DO care. And then I tell myself for the greater good of the team to take being outvoted gracefully, but I sometimes lack that perspective or ability to bend. I am aware of my sometimes difficult nature. Rita put Abby and I together because she knows how patient Abby is, and can tolerate my more stormy approach to things. I am including this in the journal because I think it’s an important thing to think about for future bookmakers: if you’re going to work with a bunch of people on a long, involved project like this where people become deeply invested at every level, then it is imperative that it be people who can work and communicate well with each other. This is no small thing – there have been times where I’ve been so tired of the project and seeming circles we occasionally go in (completely re-editing stories at this late hour) that I feel like the project will never end, that it’s hopeless, that I’m banging my head against a wall. But those are only the darker moments – there is a light at the end of the tunnel, there will be a great project to show for it, and it is thanks to my team that we all keep going during the rougher times– that when one of us gets overwhelmed or depressed, the others cheer that individual up, and we all keep going.
We had a skype test phone call, followed by an actual two hour conversation, me on the London end, abby, rita and shane on the other end. We discussed title, back of book, various re-edits, and other points of clarification. We have chosen a title, that at least Rita and David like. Arrow Rock: Living the pioneer life. Rita likes the double entendre of the title. I don’t think people will think hard enough to see it though – I think they’ll be stuck on the idea of covered wagons and coonskin caps. Maybe I’m wrong though, and that’s exactly what tourists are looking for. I just thought the whole point of the book was to go deeper than the surface, but that title certainly does not reflect that. I know the title is supposed to sell the book though, so it’s not necessarily reflective of content. I don’t really like it, but I didn’t have support for the one I preferred, and so there it is. I understand why rita likes it, but I still think it sounds too much like a textbook. Such is life when your master’s project involves finances and other people. After all, I’m not providing the financial backing. It’s hard for me to let go, I realize what a control freak I am. Abby is a saint to put up with me for so long. I try hard to play nicely, but sometimes my passion for a project overrides diplomacy, or, as Rita pointed out, professionalism. For me, with all the time we’ve invested in this, especially between Shane, Abby and I, I feel it’s kinda past the professionalism point, though I understand the reasons for maintaining that. But, you get so deep into something, pour in so much, and that line just blurs until it’s erased. I try to tell myself I don’t care, but I DO care. And then I tell myself for the greater good of the team to take being outvoted gracefully, but I sometimes lack that perspective or ability to bend. I am aware of my sometimes difficult nature. Rita put Abby and I together because she knows how patient Abby is, and can tolerate my more stormy approach to things. I am including this in the journal because I think it’s an important thing to think about for future bookmakers: if you’re going to work with a bunch of people on a long, involved project like this where people become deeply invested at every level, then it is imperative that it be people who can work and communicate well with each other. This is no small thing – there have been times where I’ve been so tired of the project and seeming circles we occasionally go in (completely re-editing stories at this late hour) that I feel like the project will never end, that it’s hopeless, that I’m banging my head against a wall. But those are only the darker moments – there is a light at the end of the tunnel, there will be a great project to show for it, and it is thanks to my team that we all keep going during the rougher times– that when one of us gets overwhelmed or depressed, the others cheer that individual up, and we all keep going.
2/18/07-3/2/07
Cheers, Mate! While I’m gutted I can’t spend this next month in Missouri, I am trying hard to pick up all the English lingo. There is some ‘discussion’ over the title. I just hope it’s not 21st century frontier town. It is uninspiring, and does no justice to the town. In other news, I’m working out how to give Abby the images that are toned. I think I’m going to go with my original idea to have an 8th folder called 8_images_toned broken down into: portraits, abby_stories, and leah_stories (abby and leah denoting which stories we’re assigned to).
Abby set up the sections in indesign for the book, and I’ve set up the folder system that we’ll use to store the images.
Now I just must continue to tone and design.
Abby set up the sections in indesign for the book, and I’ve set up the folder system that we’ll use to store the images.
Now I just must continue to tone and design.
2/11/08-2/17/08
My eyes are 20/20! Or close enough. Better to see the computer screen with, my dear. I have spotted all of Alex’s forty something portraits. Hair by dust by spot by scratch by hair. I’ve also toned all of them. I have tested the server from PA and it seems to work. I’ve tried contacting Perry from Watkins and sending him images, but he’s ignored me thus far. We’re working on the PR stuff right now – how much control AR will have. My input on this is mostly via email. Abby and Rita are dealing with the brunt of it. They’re also working out Shane’s copyediting deal. This will put us behind on our design schedule. We’ve already got about 6 a week to design, so this should be interesting trying to do 8 or 10 in a week to catch up…but I can’t really complain because it’s given me time to pack for my move to Lon-don!
1/27/08-2/10/08
Returned to Missouri to work directly with Abby on final reedits of certain spreads, and the necessary renumbering associated therewith; figuring out a picture cover; meeting with David, Rita and Abby over finances; developing and toning a slideshow to show to Arrow Rock; deciding the title of the book and the book sections; creating a schedule of design (that’s insane) so that we can have this thing published by the summer; working out the final grouping of portraits to help accommodate Shane’s text as well as the visual variety; developing and creating a master template of paragraph and character styles. I’m tired of picas, my mind is blown. Sometimes I wonder why we don’t have a designer on this project too, if we’re going to have copyeditors and whatnot. Would be a better product for it…another very important thought for future bookmakers. I wanted to do everything when it started off, but I didn’t realize how big this book would be or how the time put in would spiral out of control – 224 pages is a beast! At least at the end of it, there will be a decent product, even if it’s not the best it could be (since we’re using standard heads instead of art heads, and neither Abby and I is the best or swiftest designer).
We’ve also hashed out the final details of the master template, and I created the portrait one, down to the picas and points. Abby will be creating the story one.
I’ve interviewed John Hansen and Patricia McDaniel for the other half of my master’s project. Previously, though I may not have mentioned it in this journal, I interviewed Jim Curley. I have sent out requests to Rhonda Prast and Tammy Lechner as well. I’m trying to get a hold of Marcia Prouse’s contact info.
We’ve also hashed out the final details of the master template, and I created the portrait one, down to the picas and points. Abby will be creating the story one.
I’ve interviewed John Hansen and Patricia McDaniel for the other half of my master’s project. Previously, though I may not have mentioned it in this journal, I interviewed Jim Curley. I have sent out requests to Rhonda Prast and Tammy Lechner as well. I’m trying to get a hold of Marcia Prouse’s contact info.
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