Shadow Stabbing #12: PowerPoint

In this instalment of Shadow Stabbing I introduce my approach to the PowerPoint presentation. Part of my inspiration came from Teppo's post at orgtheory.net. Early on in the process, I try to decide on a key image that I want to leave the audience with. I had had some vague ideas in that direction before seeing Russell Davies on YouTube making the same point (the video seems to have been removed). In this case, the key image is the weekly writing schedule; the presentation is designed to impress that image upon the audience.

In fact, listening to people's comments after the presentation suggests that it worked: the idea of dividing the working week into three-hour blocks stuck. Another thing that worked quite well was to use the opening and closing sequences of this instalment of Shadow Stabbing (with modified titles) as the first and last slide. I also experimented, more or less successfully, with musical elements in the presentation (which can be inserted straight from your music library).

Making this video forced me to finally learn how to interlace still pictures (PowerPoint slides in this case) with my running monologue in front of the camera. I'm now starting to have a broad enough repertoire of effects. Though I intend to learn even more over the summer, I'm already feeling confident about next season (less formal experimentation and more actual content). It will start on Friday, August 26, which is also the end of the first of week of Project Palinurus. More about that on Monday.

Don't let the future distract you from the present. There are still two instalments left in the Spring 2008 season. Until next week, then, keep searching ... and keep writing.