Tricks of your trade.

[bwind22]

Okay, I think it's pretty much common knowledge that in any given industry or line of work, there are things that the people who work in that industry know, but the common consumer (ie: The rest of us) does not. I am going to post a few that I've picked up over the years at different occupations I've had. Some may be useful, others might just be interesting and still others might just be pointless. Feel free to add yours as well.

- Hotel rates are generally able to be negotiated. This pertains to walkins rather than reservations made months in advance. (Unless a hotel is sold out or close to selling out, you can generally ask for a better rate before checking in and they will generally accomodate you. Reasoning is that they'd rather get something for a room than have it sit empty all night and make no money off it. Don't expect them to give it away for $10 or anything, but a $10-$20 discount would not be out of the question. It is generally up to the dscretion of the person working the desk, so it's beneficial to be courteous and polite to them.)

- When trying to book a hotel room online (Especially if it's only for 1 nite) and the computer informs you that the hotel is sold out, try to make the reservation for 3 or 4 days instead, starting with the day you want to check in. (Alot of times hotels will put a minimum # of nights for a reservation, especially if they are close to being sold out that night. They will think along the lines of "Well, we've only got 3 rooms left this Friday, so let's make sure we sell them to people that will be here for a few days and not just 1".) So you just make the reservations for a few extra days and alot of times, that will open up more rooms to you. Just remember to cancel the extra nights after you've already checked in.

- In kitchens, solid spoons are refered to as 'male', while slotted spoons or spoons with holes in them are refered to as 'female'. Why you ask? The female ones have holes in them. It's crass, but that's legit. I'm not sure who came up with that though.


Hmmmm..... I guess that's all I can come up with right now... I'll try to think of some more, but in the mean time feel free to add your own tricks of your trade....

[stubbornforgey]

I have a masters in teaching..
my job is safe cos nobody else wants it :o

[bwind22]

So are you gonna tell us some tricks of your teaching trade then? For instance, maybe you can tell us the method for cutting class that is least likely to get someone caught or perhaps some excuses that actually work for getting people out of doing their homework or something along those lines?

[crabapple]

Or maybe she call tell us how to effectively discipline some little weasel that acts up!

[stubbornforgey]

So are you gonna tell us some tricks of your teaching trade then? For instance, maybe you can tell us the method for cutting class that is least likely to get someone caught or perhaps some excuses that actually work for getting people out of doing their homework or something along those lines?


LOL.


ok here are some guidelines to help along somebody who is considering this
rewarding trade :rolleyes:

1:the child that leaves an apple on your desk each morning and who is forever trying to impress you is actually a right pain in the ass..your future stalker.
Don't let them blonde pony tails and sparkly blue eyes fool ya.


2:stop the class clown in his/her tracks..cos the minute you don't find his jokes funny ..you become the brunt of thier cartoon characters.

3:always come down to the level of your student ..give them eye contact and let them know your on an equal standing as them..
these days kids are bigger than you so someday you may need a bodyguard.

4:get to learn thier dialect in order to communicate on the playing field..
apparently when they call you 'G'..your classed as a mate 'shrug'

5:don't be shy to offer a shoulder to cry on or a friendly ear every now and then...most of my students come from a poor background and basically have nobody to listen to them..

6:oh and i find asking my students to bring thier fav c.d's to school and allowing them to be played during class...boosts moral while they are studying.
I have a 60% pass ratio with this method
Which is good for this area as they are the students most likely to leave school and become bank robbers (statistically speaking).

7:most importantly..students have feelings too.so don't become too over zealous with one particular child..schoolyard crushes are very hard to overcome..
So accepting a dinner date with one is very inappropriate.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10426928

this is a no no !! :p

[Posher778]

Or maybe she call tell us how to effectively discipline some little weasel that acts up!

You know the answer to that!

Whoo PAH

[Unaboner3000]

I have a masters in teaching..
my job is safe cos nobody else wants it

Yea, no way would I want to teach today's youth. By the way, I have a master's in music. Do you have a couch I can sleep on just for tonight? :p

[stubbornforgey]

Yea, no way would I want to teach today's youth. By the way, I have a master's in music. Do you have a couch I can sleep on just for tonight? :p



argh tell me about it.
How many packs of noodles did you go through and flat, black coffee..?

Of course i have a couch you can sleep on..
'throws you a blankie'

[Unaboner3000]

argh tell me about it.
How many packs of noodles did you go through and flat, black coffee..?

Oh noodles! LOL! Yea....I have eaten my share of Ramen noodles. You can eat them for every meal if you just alternate the flavors....chicken in the morning, beef flavored for lunch, and the shrimp flavored for dinner. When I am really broke, I just cook some rice. :eek:

[stubbornforgey]

Oh noodles! LOL! Yea....I have eaten my share of Ramen noodles. You can eat them for every meal if you just alternate the flavors....chicken in the morning, beef flavored for lunch, and the shrimp flavored for dinner. When I am really broke, I just cook some rice. :eek:

ahhhhhhhhhh the good ole rice..
yups ..i have 1000 different ways of cooking rice NOW :eek:

[Papillon Noir]

Since I've been doing accounting the past few years, I have learned:
Debits on the left, Credits on the right. :D

But, seriously, since this is tax season, here's some advice:

Don't go to H&R Block or any of those tax service places to do your taxes, they cost you $50-$100 and sometimes more for something that you can do yourself for free. Turbo Tax (even worse) you are paying $50 for a program to do your taxes and you still have to do them yourself.

Here are your two FREE options:
1. Go to your library or post office and pick up your tax forms and instructions. The instructions are very detailed and there is a help number that you can call (again for free) and the IRS will walk you through all your forms and answer any question you may have. All you need is a pen and a calculator.

2. Do your taxes online at www.irs.gov. It's even easier than the paper forms and you can still call the IRS if you need help.

Remember, your tax refund is your money. This is money that you earned and that the federal government is borrowing from you. Yes, they take a portion that you don't get back, but the rest they return to you (though without interest).

This is why on your W-2 you should claim a number that will give you the most out of your paycheck, but without having to owe them. A lot of people claim zero (this will have to maximum amount taken out of your paycheck for taxes) so that they get a bigger "refund" at the end of the year. It is better that you have that money and put it in a savings account to earn interest than letting the government have it where you earn nothing.

[Unaboner3000]

Don't go to H&R Block or any of those tax service places to do your taxes....

Wish you would have told me this about a week ago. Too late, the H&R guys got my money. But at least I can tell my friends, when they ask about doing taxes, that "I got people." :D

[Papillon Noir]

Wish you would have told me this about a week ago. Too late, the H&R guys got my money. But at least I can tell my friends, when they ask about doing taxes, that "I got people." :D

See, you should have waited until April 15th. ;)

[Roderick Usher]

Hollywood...it an't a business, it's a club.

Studio Execs, Producers, Agent and Managers in Hollywood are in collusion and have created a closed system in order to control the "talent" i.e. writers, actors, directors. There is a belief that artists can't be businessmen, so they need someone to hold their hand through the legal crap.

You cannot submit material (or your reel) to the Producers and Studio Execs without a representative and you can't get a rep unless you have a credit. It is this closed system that justifies the otherwise useless position of Manger/Agent.



another one

If you have an idea for a movie and then the movie gets made, you have not been ripped off. I hear this over and over from "writers" who only come up with ideas but never commit anything to the page. Creative synchonicity is real and happens all the time. If you have an idea, chancers are there are at least a dozen others who have had the same idea. That's how you get two Asteriod films ion one year or two volcano films etc.

[bwind22]

Hollywood...it an't a business, it's a club.

Studio Execs, Producers, Agent and Managers in Hollywood are in collusion and have created a closed system in order to control the "talent" i.e. writers, actors, directors. There is a belief that artists can't be businessmen, so they need someone to hold their hand through the legal crap.

You cannot submit material (or your reel) to the Producers and Studio Execs without a representative and you can't get a rep unless you have a credit. It is this closed system that justifies the otherwise useless position of Manger/Agent.



So how does a rookie with no credits, get credits? I know it's extremely difficult to accomplish, but there MUST be some ways to get 'in the club' for someone with no credentials or else there'd never be a new writer. If you don't mind me asking, how did you get people to start looking at your scripts? (Or if that's too personal, how have you seen other fresh faces actually break through the barrier and sell a few scripts or land a big role? ) I know Josh Hartnett didn't really know anyone when he went out there (My mom & his grandma were co-workers). He went into a cattle call audition for H2O and after a couple readthroughs, he was calling home telling people he was pretty sure he had the part. I don't even know if he had an agent at that point or not, but if he DID have one, how would he have gotten one without prior credits to his name?


another one

If you have an idea for a movie and then the movie gets made, you have not been ripped off. I hear this over and over from "writers" who only come up with ideas but never commit anything to the page. Creative synchonicity is real and happens all the time. If you have an idea, chancers are there are at least a dozen others who have had the same idea. That's how you get two Asteriod films ion one year or two volcano films etc.

I always thought that was 1 company trying to rush out a sub-par movie that is similar to an upcoming blockbuster from another company in hopes of tricking moviegoers (or renters) in to mistakenly grabbing or seeing the wrong films. I've even noticed several instances that the packaging looks really similar. But you're saying it's far less sinister than that and it's really nothing more than 2 writers and 2 different companies that all have the same idea at one time? I wish I could think of some examples, but I usually don't bother with the ones that look like a cheap imitation. Oh, oh, oh... I got one... Right after Swingers came out on video, some obscure Emilio Estevez flick went straight to video with a nearly identical package with a red & yellowish background and a sharp dressed guy holding up a martini glass. It seemed like their only purpose was to try to trick people into thinking they were renting Swingers.

[bwind22]

http://media.movieweb.com/galleries/747/posters/poster1_full.jpg

http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/coverv/54/147954.jpg


See what I mean? That looks like deceptive packaging/advertising to me.

[Roderick Usher]

So how does a rookie with no credits, get credits? I know it's extremely difficult to accomplish, but there MUST be some ways to get 'in the club' for someone with no credentials or else there'd never be a new writer. If you don't mind me asking, how did you get people to start looking at your scripts? [QUOTE]

As an actor you might be able to get into a cattle call, or hack into "breakdown services" the company that lists all the casting calls for each week. But even then you usually have to pretend to be your own agent on the phone to book the gig. I got an acting agent after auditioning for (and landing the role in) RENT

As a writer, you need to send query letter after query letter to low level agencies and managers. If someone actually reads you, they might take you on. After you have one, you can get the attention of a better one. But I got my manager through a screenplay competition.





[QUOTE] I always thought that was 1 company trying to rush out a sub-par movie that is similar to an upcoming blockbuster from another company in hopes of tricking moviegoers (or renters) in to mistakenly grabbing or seeing the wrong films.

Tha marketing department will absolutely try to trick viewers, and some movie companies out there rush crappy version of mainstream movies (Snakes on a Train, anyone) but there is a tremendous amount of creative synchonicity. There can be a half-dozen scripts about the same subject floating around at any given time.

Coincidentally this is why most producers won't accept unsolicited scripts. Say some writer sends in a script about...oh I don't know... "A prison Island where inmates must battle to the death" to a production company that is already developing the same or similar concept. Even if they never read the other script, there is a writer out there who thinks he's been ripped off and will try to file a lawsuit.

It is this kind of action that keeps the circle closed. I just sent a Bigfoot script to my buddy at Disney, who told me they have a Yeti script in development. He even gave me a few set pieces (which were rather similar to mine) to let me know that he has no intention of ripping me off and that any similarities would be purely coincidental. It happens all the time.

[Horror_Writer]

As it has been said with books--there really are no new ideas out there--just new ways of telling the same stories.

[bwind22]

As it has been said with books--there really are no new ideas out there--just new ways of telling the same stories.


Whoever said that lacked an imagination, in my opinion. There's plenty of new ideas out there, they just need to be thought of.

Jeepers Creepers, Idiocracy, Crank, Saw... They are starting to be copied already, but those were all pretty fresh ideas when they came out and those were all in the last few years.

[Papillon Noir]

Jeepers Creepers, Idiocracy, Crank, Saw... They are starting to be copied already, but those were all pretty fresh ideas when they came out and those were all in the last few years.

Incidentally, Idiocracy has got to be one of the funniest and most clever movies I have ever seen. It was really creative. My friends and I joke about Starbucks and Fuddrucker's all the time. Unfortunately, no one seems to have heard of this movie.

[Horror_Writer]

Whoever said that lacked an imagination, in my opinion. There's plenty of new ideas out there, they just need to be thought of.

Jeepers Creepers, Idiocracy, Crank, Saw... They are starting to be copied already, but those were all pretty fresh ideas when they came out and those were all in the last few years.

Not sure who originally said that, but it is oft-quoted in writing circles.

Also, they say that all stories can be categorized as one of the following:

(1) Man against himself
(2) Man against man
(3) Man against nature

In this broad sense of course, you could say there have only been three stories and everything else are variations on one of these three themes. For whatever that's worth--probably not much.

The only one of the four you list that I have seen is "Saw" and I did not think it very original at all. Mostly because I wrote a novel in 1998 that is somewhat similar--a serial killer who captures people, usually using drugs, and then keeps them in his basement. He then plays games with them until he gets to the point where he has two people chained up and he makes them play against each other where the winner will be supposedly allowed to go free. In one game, each person is only allowed to eat body parts of the other. They take turns in choosing parts of the other person to eat.

And if I came up with something that similar, then I'm sure many others have too--they just never reached the exposure that the "Saw" movies have.

[bwind22]

Not sure who originally said that, but it is oft-quoted in writing circles.

Also, they say that all stories can be categorized as one of the following:

(1) Man against himself
(2) Man against man
(3) Man against nature

In this broad sense of course, you could say there have only been three stories and everything else are variations on one of these three themes. For whatever that's worth--probably not much.


Hahaha. Yeah, all stories have words and characters too. I guess when people think in terms that vague and general, then yeah, it's probably all been done already.


The only one of the four you list that I have seen is "Saw" and I did not think it very original at all. Mostly because I wrote a novel in 1998 that is somewhat similar--a serial killer who captures people, usually using drugs, and then keeps them in his basement. He then plays games with them until he gets to the point where he has two people chained up and he makes them play against each other where the winner will be supposedly allowed to go free. In one game, each person is only allowed to eat body parts of the other. They take turns in choosing parts of the other person to eat.

And if I came up with something that similar, then I'm sure many others have too--they just never reached the exposure that the "Saw" movies have.

Is your book published? I'd probably check that out (after I finish The Rising & City of the Dead).

Anyways, I'm sure the concept has been thought up before, but it was never committed to film (to my knowledge) prior to Saw. While that would not make Saw a completely original story, it would still make it an original film. That's sorta what I was saying, but I guess I coulda phrased it better... There's plenty of good ideas and original concepts that have yet to see the big screen. Someone just needs to get those good, fresh ideas to put them on film instead of more remakes, sequels and/or hackjobs.

[Horror_Writer]

Anyways, I'm sure the concept has been thought up before, but it was never committed to film (to my knowledge) prior to Saw. While that would not make Saw a completely original story, it would still make it an original film. That's sorta what I was saying, but I guess I coulda phrased it better... There's plenty of good ideas and original concepts that have yet to see the big screen. Someone just needs to get those good, fresh ideas to put them on film instead of more remakes, sequels and/or hackjobs.

Agree completely.

No, the book I was talking about has not been published. It is so disturbing to me that I have only let two other people read it. I do not expect to ever try and publish it, at least not at this stage of my career.

[bwind22]

You could publish it yourself online or something & just put a discalimer at the start letting the reader know it's graphic & distubring.

[Horror_Writer]

Maybe someday. And/or publish it under a pen name.

It is quite graphic as you no doubt guessed. About a serial killer, written in first-person that details how he has so far killed 72 people and not yet been caught. I did the whole thing as if this guy had come to me to write his story and so I wrote it. There is a big note at the beginning about how I turned all this information over to the police and how they continue to investigate, etc. I also made up news articles at the beginning of some chapters that depict "real" events which appear to give credence to the killer's story. Some pretty good writing I think, just a little too past the line for me at this point. Plus I have two more novels written also that I want to publish first once my first book gets some decent sales numbers behind it. Speaking of which, I'm doing a 3-day book signing this weekend. Anyone in Michigan that will be near the Midland area can come see me at the Midland Mall March 9-11. :)

[bwind22]

Maybe someday. And/or publish it under a pen name.

It is quite graphic as you no doubt guessed. About a serial killer, written in first-person that details how he has so far killed 72 people and not yet been caught. I did the whole thing as if this guy had come to me to write his story and so I wrote it. There is a big note at the beginning about how I turned all this information over to the police and how they continue to investigate, etc. I also made up news articles at the beginning of some chapters that depict "real" events which appear to give credence to the killer's story. Some pretty good writing I think, just a little too past the line for me at this point. Plus I have two more novels written also that I want to publish first once my first book gets some decent sales numbers behind it. Speaking of which, I'm doing a 3-day book signing this weekend. Anyone in Michigan that will be near the Midland area can come see me at the Midland Mall March 9-11. :)

I'm sure you've probably already mentioned it on this forum somewhere, but I either missed the post or forgot about it (See the marijuana legalization thread for possible reasons I may have forgotten.)... What's your current, published book called/about?

[missmacabre]

I apprentice at a salon to be a hairdresser and I thought of a few tricks of the trade.

First is that a good hairwash is essential. Washing hair right is no easy task, but clients wash their hair all the time so they think that if you can't do that right, you shouldn't be trusted to cut hair. Also, if done right, it relaxes a client so they don't get on your case about little things and bulids a good rapport.

Second is to let new clients have "free" products. If they come in for their first time to get their hair coloured and that costs $50, charge them $70 and give them $20 of "free" stuff. That way if they like the product they will come in again thinking they're getting a cheaper haircolour service and also buy shampoo etc.

Lastly, everyone can need to buy shampoo. There is shampoo for dry, oliy, colour treated, damaged, thick or thin hair... so telling a client they could use that shampoo to make their hair healthy will more than likely make them buy it. The money you make from selling products goes right back to the salon to buy haircolour, scissors etc.

I hope that's helpful to someone.