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Hunter S Creek
ParticipantGreat work! Looking forward to more!
Thank you for sharing!
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HunterParticipantWell done, A_D!
Thank you for sharing!
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HunterParticipantVery nice work! I especially like the shot blocker.
Thank you for sharing!
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HunterParticipantThank you for compiling and sharing all of those great works!
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HunterParticipantVery nice!
Thank you for sharing!
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HunterParticipantThe motivation, context, and degree of use make the difference between acceptable and annoying product placement.
One key point about product placement, whether it is a fan-fic or a soft drink, is that product placement depends on familiarity.
However, relying on character/product familiarity is a two-edged sword.
The first edge:
A certain amount of familiarity with characters or products can make writing more succinct and reading more effortless.
One does not have to explain as much about a given, familiar character or product or how a familiar object works.That is one of the problems that I have with some "other world" stories. In some of those the writer gets bogged-down in explaining what a frazzlestuck is and what it does and how it works in order to show how creative he/she is instead of just calling the thing a toaster. Like AlexG, I try to use plausible-sounding products in an attempt at humor and as a tangibility link for the reader.
Does it matter which brand-named soda pop a character drinks in a scene? Probably not.
Does it matter what kind of car he drives? Possibly; because for many of us that bit of information lends insight into the character's personality and socio-economic status. The reader imagines a much different character if they are told that the character owns/drives a 1985 Yugo GV versus a 2008 BMW Z4 Roadster.
To quote Dr. Emmett Brown in "Back To The Future" — "If you're gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?". Quick show of hands — if it were not for the movie, how many here would know what a DeLorean is?That question is my segue to —
The second edge:
The problem with the assumption of familiarity is that what many of us think is familiar is not universally familiar.
I did not know why a character was eating something called "Vegamite" until I looked it up. (I can imagine my Australian friends cringing at my just-demonstrated naïveté).
And, how about the generation gap when it comes to familiarity with characters — How many of us are facile with the seemingly endless list of sound-alike/look-alike Anime'/Japanimation characters? A quick count showed that there are about one-and-a-half bazillion fan-fics about such characters. However, no matter how well they are written, I won't be able to slog through a single one without my eyes immediately glazing over. Yet, most of the folks I know who are still in college can recite encyclopedic details about most of them.Great topic, AlexG!
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HunterJune 14, 2008 at 2:01 pm in reply to: 100 deviations and New Olga pictures at my deviantART site #71809ParticipantCongratulations on and thank you for sharing your hundredth post!
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HunterParticipantGreetings, Martin!
Thank you for sharing with us!
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HunterParticipantVery cool story!
Thank you for sharing it!
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HunterParticipantVery cool!
Thank you for sharing!
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Hunter -
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