Creating a book marketing JPEG using PhotoShop, Word and Paint

Here is the basic cover design for my forthcoming Vietnam War memoir, "Dark Signals." (I'm still tweaking it.)

I used PhotoShop and Word to create the cover, and I pasted the elements into Paint to generate a JPEG for publicity and marketing purposes.

Select All and Paste did not work well from Word to Paint. First I had to copy and paste the frame. Then I copied and pasted the photo and resized it slightly to fit inside the frame that simulates the book's shape. Finally, I copied and pasted the text and moved it into place.

The frame around the cover is not quite proportioned correctly in this example. There will be less white space beneath my name when I rework the JPEG.

The book size will be 6" by 9".

Comments and suggestions are welcome. Thanks!

Book review blog: http://sagecreek.wordpress.com/
Website: http://www.sagecreekproductions.com/

Playing the Middle Against Both Sides - #politics

No one is giving Barack Obama much credit for continuing to try to be President of the United States at a time when the nation, politically and ideologically, is split in half.

Despite repeated setbacks and rebuffs, he is still trying to do what he was elected to do: Be President to the people on both sides of the big divide.

So he is not likely to veer sharply left and become President of the Progressives. And those on the right long ago decided to treat him like the Antichrist or, on a day when they are feeling magnanimous, merely as Public Enemy #1.

Personally, I wish the President now would side strongly, firmly and loudly with the Progressives, the liberals and moderates who still believe it is possible to take care of the least among us while also creating jobs, restoring education, encouraging science and fighting our way out of the Great George W. Bush Recession.

But then, President Obama would not be doing the job he was elected to do, which is to serve all of the people, even the ones who have tried long and hard to wreck his Administration at every turn and thus prolong the nation's economic woes for their own political gain.

In any case, a presidential move to the left would only raise the outrage and partisan resistance of the right, widening the great gap even more and further deepening it.

If Barack Obama is not re-elected, the next President -- Perry, Romney, Bachmann or ? -- likely will not try to represent anyone to the left of deep right field, except with sneering lip service.

In that case, the political gridlock will worsen and the right-left divide simply will expand as battered Democrats pull out their now-long list of grievances and seek revenge and full payback for all that the Republicans have done to them during the Obama Administration.

Electing a President in 2012 who is to the right of center will just give us four more years of stalemate and empty, futile political posturing.

Like it or not, America's economic recovery and psychic recovery will have to happen somewhere in the murky center.

It will never happen in the now sharply defined right or left.

-- Si Dunn

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Should Texans Bill Gov. Rick Perry for Running for President?

According to the Associated Press, Texas Gov. Rick Perry recently billed the federal goverment nearly $350 million "to cover the costs he says Texas has incurred incarcerating illegal immigrants in state prisons and county jails."

His invoicing letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano "was dated Aug. 10, three days before the Republican governor formally announced he is running for president," the AP noted.

Meanwhile, Texas is in the midst of an economic and public school crisis, unemployment is up and the state is being hammered by extreme drought and growing water shortages.

Instead of staying in the state and providing serious, hands-on leadership in these matters, Gov. Perry recently announced that he is running for President of the United States. Now he is traveling to other states, at some expense to Texas, so he can extol his "Texas miracle" (which lately has taken on many aspects of "mirage," some critics say). He has moved coast to coast raising campaign funds, shaking hands and making shoot-from-the-hip statements and charges that quickly have had to be "walked back" by his handlers.

So, the question now is, should Texans bill their governor for the state money he is spending outside the state and insist that he come back home, deal with the current emergencies and prove he can resurrect his alleged "miracle" right here where he was elected to serve?

For now, Gov. Rick Perry is the GOP front runner du jour. However, many Texans expect his campaign to implode quickly once the novelty of his running wears off and the realities of his state political record are seen in the glare of the national spotlights.

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C-130 Pilot vs. Commander in Chief

I'm not buying Texas Gov. Rick Perry's contention that he is more "military" than President Obama. Yes, Mr. Obama was a community organizer, and he did not serve a tour of duty in any of the U.S. armed forces. And yes, Capt. Perry flew Air Force C-130 transport planes. By the way, thank you for your service, Governor.

Still, there's nothing more "military" than being the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Marines, and the U.S. Coast Guard. You head all five branches at once, and you deal daily with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Pentagon and assorted military advisors.

You make decisions that send thousands of men and women into harm's way. You also make other life-and-death decisions that far exceed a pilot's responsibilities to a C-130 flight crew or squadron. For example, you give the final go/no-go decision on whether or not to invade a supposed ally's airspace and territory to kill or capture a major leader of international terrorism. You try to convince allies to stay the course as you wind down two unpopular wars you inherited mid-battle. You make repeated trips to Dover Air Force Base  to witness and salute the flag-covered coffins coming home from combat operations and overseas accidents. You try to comfort the families of those who lost sons, daughters, husbands, wives, brothers or sisters in operations that you okayed. And you try to decide which defense programs or military operations should continue and which can be curtained to meet both dwindling economic resources and dwindling political and popular support. Oh, and you stay prepared to launch nuclear-tippped missiles in response to an attack on the United States or key allies.

In my view, President Barack Obama has now garnered one hell of a lot more overall military experience than any ex-C-130 pilot currently seeking the Republican nomination.

-- Si Dunn

Is SXSW America’s Best Film Festival?

I may catch some flak for posing that question. So I'll just stand back now and let the true film-festival junkies fight over which festival, in their opinion, really is number one. (Does it really matter?)

Last year, Indie Slate Magazine sent me to cover some of the moviemaking aspects of the prestigious South by Southwest (SXSW) film, interactive and music festival in Austin, Texas.

It was the fourth or maybe fifth time I had attended and reported on the film and interactive portions of SXSW for various print-media publications.

The world, of course, has changed a lot in the past year. Print-media gigs -- especially paying ones -- are disappearing faster than globally warmed Arctic ice. And this time, I really don’t feel like spending a thousand bucks or so of my own money just so I can blog about SXSW 2011 to maybe 38 distracted readers momentarily squinting at their iPhones.

Therefore, in case you missed last year's article, I am presenting below a modified and somewhat updated version of what I previously wrote about SXSW.

The general advice for attending SXSW this year is very simple: Bring lots of money to Austin and be early, sometimes very early, for every panel and movie you hope to see.

Everything will be expensive – and crowded.

-- Si Dunn

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SXSW: Is It America’s Best Film Festival?

By Si Dunn

By all standard measures, South by Southwest 2010 was a box-office smash.

SXSW’s three festivals—film, music and interactive – all saw attendances rise sharply over 2009. SXSW Film 2010 scored a 33% increase, with more than 9,500 people and organizations buying badges. The music festival, which typically draws the biggest crowds, scored an 11% increase, with more than 13,000 badge holders. And the high-tech interactive festival soared to more than 14,200 badge buyers, also a 33% gain over 2009.

Meanwhile, SXSW-related sales surged in bars, restaurants, hotels and other businesses clustered along Austin’s famed 6th Street and nearby thoroughfares. Popular attractions in South, Central and North Austin also benefitted, as people came to SXSW from across the United States and world.

By some estimates, SXSW 2010 gave Austin an economic bump of more than $100 million.

SXSW has bragged that at its Film Conference panels “world-class speakers, creative minds, and notable mentors tackle the latest filmmaking trends amidst the unmatched social atmosphere of the SXSW experience.”

Many SXSW 2010 film panels were, in fact, well-attended, and not simply because the panelists were well-known. There was a visible hunger for information, and most panel moderators had done their homework. They posed thoughtful questions and made sure each panelist got turns in the spotlight.

Danny Costa, an independent film distribution consultant and principal at San Francisco-based DeLarge, said that he considered SXSW simply “the best film festival.” While having some “misgivings” about SXSW 2010, he still viewed it as “a success. The programming was strong--though distinct from past years--and there were some really great panels, particularly the crossover panels that included panelists and topics from both interactive and film,” he said.

Victim of Its Own Success?

Of course, whether it’s Sundance, Cannes or Tribeca, every successful film event draws critics and criticisms, as well. SXSW Film 2010 proved it is no exception.

Logistical problems ranged from not enough available movie seats to inadequate access for handicapped festival goers. Some badge holders and ticket-buyers complained, after long waits and being turned away, that the media and filmmakers’ friends were getting almost all of the screening seats in the smaller venues.

According to Eric Kohn in the Wall Street Journal, some film fans blamed the extra-long lines on people from SXSW Interactive trying to check out movies, too.

Karina Longworth, writing in the Village Voice, predicted an ominous future for SXSW Film: “As the once-boutique festival attains a higher profile, the community of idiosyncratic filmmakers it fosters could be at risk of getting glossed over by hype,” she stated.

But she also noted that it has “taken a long time for the masses to care about stuff that SXSW audiences eat up,” such as mumblecore movies starring Greta Gerwig, “…if they ever come to care at all.” Indeed, some movies wildly popular at SXSW never get distribution or bomb at the box office, she pointed out.

Yet, distribution deals have never been the point at SXSW’s film festival, Jay A. Fernandez argued in The Hollywood Reporter. In his view, the “laid-back Lone Star love-in” atmosphere just helps film fans and industry people enjoy “a new crop of films without the pressure of marketing concerns.”

Simon Rumley, writer-producer-director of Red White & Blue, could have had the feature’s North American premiere at a festival other than SXSW. But, after shooting in Austin, he decided it made “100 percent sense for us to come back and help celebrate and promote the film with the people who supported it and helped make it.”

The Sweet Side of Success

Still, SXSW Film has had several noteworthy sales successes during its 17-year run. The Hurt Locker, for example, debuted at SXSW 2009 and later won six Oscars and numerous other awards.

Austin producer-director-writer Reagan Peterson expressed disappointment with some SXSW 2010 panels. “I learned some stuff, but I think the Austin Film Festival has better information,” he said. “A lot of it [SXSW panels] feels like a rehash of what they heard at Sundance.”

But did he agree that SXSW may now be America’s best film festival? “In terms of film, yeah,” Peterson said. “The best way to get the bang for your buck [at SXSW] is to get a film pass and go to every movie you can.”

Film-Interactive Trade Show

Several moviemakers and movie fans expressed dismay that display spaces at SXSW’s Film-Interactive trade show were now become almost completely dominated by high-tech companies pushing hardware, software, networking services and “solutions.”

The Louisiana and Texas film commissions both had high-profile booths highlighting state production incentives. Montana and Nevada also had displays. Kodak had one of the few other movie-related booths.

DeLarge’s Costa, however, saw this as a natural outgrowth of social media tools such as Twitter. The growing ability for “filmmakers and other creatives” to share information online “takes some of the necessity away from having a physical presence at the fest,” he said.

The Future?

Costa in 2010 predicted continued success for SXSW.

“SXSW has shown itself…to be an ideal mix of productivity and pleasure with a healthy dose of genius--from the minds of creatives, innovators and businesspeople alike--thrown in for good measures,” he said.

Many other festival goers echoed his sentiment, even as they grumbled about the bigger crowds and higher prices.

As for SXSW 2011, some of the 2010 attendees offered straightforward advice: Bring lots of money and show up early--for everything.

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Si Dunn is a screenwriter in Austin, Texas, and owner of Sagecreek Productions LLC.

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