FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
We had brainstormed possible titles for months (Bones of Contention, Dinopalooza, Jurassic Doc, We Dig Dinosaurs), and then one day as we were travelling to an interview, James blurted, "Why Dinosaurs?" And we were like, yeah, that's it: Why do people love dinosaurs? Why do we study them? Why are dinosaurs so ingrained in pop culture? Why do they get more attention than other creatures that came before or after?
Also, www.whydinosaurs.com was available for $10 bucks. We couldn't pass up such a good deal!
That would be James. He has quite the artistic talent (and is even considering a double major in Science and Art). Tony made a valiant attempt at a logo concept, which James constructively criticized as being "childish." So he went into his room and came back 30 minutes later with a draft that looked pretty close to the final design. Our good friend and graphic wizard, David Whittemore, expertly cleaned it up for us. We wanted something simple and easy to read, with a few dino-specific details.
Here are just a few: "Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages" (written by Dr. Thomas Holtz, Jr. and illustrated by Luis V. Rey), "Dinosaur Odyssey" (Dr. Scott Sampson), "How to Build a Dinosaur" (Dr. Jack Horner), "The Children’s Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs" (Clare Hibbert; The first dinosaur book James ever read!), "If Dinosaurs Were Alive Today", and "Planet Dinosaur" (by Cavan Scott; James' inspiration for his Spinosaurus Science Fair project).
Read every science book you can get your hands on. Try to figure out what branch of science most interests you, if not dinosaurs and paleontology, and go as deep as you can. Maybe you're more into birds, or bugs, or fungi! Or like James' brother, maybe you're into Space. Participate in your school's Science Fair. Reach out to scientists via email and social media. They are way more approachable than you might think. Visit museums and attend events and open houses. Talk to everyone with a badge.
Just go out and film something. Then edit it. Master Class (www.masterclass.com - again, not sponsored) is pretty awesome. And you can learn almost anything on YouTube. Look for the folks with a good follower base - Philip Bloom, Ryan Connolly (Film Riot), Tom Antos, Devin Graham / SuperTramp, Parker Walbeck (Full Time Filmmaker). We've learned a ton from those guys. But most importantly, practice, practice, practice...






