I’m far from an expert. Below are impressions for what pops up when I hit the link.
The new page opens smoothly and is appealing. The pictures are wonderful and provocative.
I like the black and white, which feels classy and differentiates this site from others. It also offers the possibility of adding a pop-out color from time to time (say, for a deadline or a sale).
There is a sense of being informed without scrolling.
I wonder about the redundancy in this precious real estate. The site address is on all three pictures, but I am already on the site. Title and Online Master Course is repeated beneath each image. (The page title is barely different, Online Screenwriting Master Courses.)
Additional information includes pricing and navigation. The arrows and dots indicate access to more courses.
Because the page looks professional, I think the de minimus approach works. Credentials are right there, with a scroll, and that seems right. Then benefits, testimonials, and schedule. Nice ordering.
I would find it useful to have the date for the next offering of each course right out front, next to the price. Unless it creates too much clutter, having jump to links to the credentials, benefits, etc. without scrolling might be worthwhile since I might not realize that the page has information further on.
But, all in all, it’s elegant, easily readable, has inviting offerings, and promotes engagement as is.
I revamped the website this weekend and added carousels for video classes and for labs to the main page. My goal here is to have everything listed on the main page and then people can go to break out pages to look at elements alone, but this way no one has to pop around the site to find different class listings.
I also made carousel items smaller so that more items fit on the front page at once without skimming through the carousel, and also changed out text so that dates are listed by classes in the carousel as well as availability.
Still have some work to do on the lab carousel, which only has one lab on repeat right now but it is shaping up.
Whew!
If anyone has time to take a look, would be appreciated: http://theafw.com
I have been sprucing up the blog. The poor blog. Everytime the site moves I leave an awful lot of stuff behind planning to go back for it — and this has been a long time coming but I reformatted it and went and picked up some of the blog posts from the other url and brought then over.
This is more time consuming than it sounds because it all needs new art work and new meta tags and, urk. But it is getting pretty and at least fills out the page now. Whew!
Okay, now the site is spruced. There was a lot of navigation stuff I did not like it got real messy so I went in and moved things around and changed out the way the main page works and updated testimonials and such and NOW I think it is in pretty decent working shape. Plus I really love how the blog turned out in the end. Whew! Still have to move some stuff over but I think it look nice.
If you want to see — and hopefully the new banner will translate here too... [ooh la la it worked].
Looks like IATSE is going to strike. 98% for is a big percentage voting to strike. https://deadline.com/2021/10/hollywood-strike-iatse-members-overwhelmingly-approve-authorization-1234843898/
I just posted a new blog post The Screenwriter's Lookbook on the AFW blob. Anyone working on a lookbook, go read that post. I mean it. Go read it. Right now.
Thanks to @despina for permission to use a mock lookbook example I drew up based on her script The Kiss of the Gorgon.
This is one of my favorite clips from The Art of Story on Youtube. I was just showing it to my Gotham students and thought you guys might like it too:
Shared this clip with my Gotham Screenwriting I students. I think sometimes students want the first draft to be perfect, want that so much they get stuck in the middle. I am trying to impress upon them, it won't be perfect, it's just got to get done:
A lot of people are going the independent route shooting shorts and even full films straight on DSLR cameras and getting great results. This is a solid primer (the voice is a little weird but the info is good) on shooting film quality projects with a DSLR.
Love this: Tressie McMillan Cottom: "Don't be a brand."
https://twitter.com/RapPortraits/status/1487834193631629313?s=20&t=JUsz2FE_6ukBBQQ854S0aA
I love Tressie McMillan Cottom, here is the collection of her interview clips (Youtube):
This cracked me up: How to Hate Screenwriting in 10 Easy Steps (Pipeline Writers)
https://pipelineartists.com/how-to-hate-screenwriting-in-10-easy-steps/