1st run

I got off my team's first film shoot about two hours ago. Overall, I think it was productive, but I'm going to be reading up and studying hard before my shoot next week. You can tell who had experience on the set and who didn't. I just hope it was a good learning experience for those who haven't gotten a chance to work with the equipment before, and I know it solidified a few of the things I had a grasp of. Now I just want to keep increasing and strengthening my knowledge. The more the better.

Something familiar...

Yeah, we'll do something biiiig for the 1000th post. It'll take us a while to get there, but we'll have plenty of time to plan.

I've got nothing important to say, but feast your eyes on this. It's the Episode III teaser poster. After watching the A New Hope DVD, this new poster seems especially potent.

Smile

Oh, man! The 500th post was supposed to have been marked with a special post. Brock, you blew it. Just kidding man! Your "Onward and Upward" post was the 500th. Way to go. We'll do something big on 1000.

Speaking of Pet Sounds, Smile was released last week, almost 40 years later. It’s the album that was supposed to have been the grandiose follow-up to Pet Sounds. Issues came up, Brian Wilson went mental, and the album was shelved. The album became mythical, legendary. Boots started popping up everywhere through the years. What was recorded was released in much later years, but without Brian Wilson’s supervision.

So, recently Brian Wilson decided to revisit Smile. But instead of working with the originally recorded material, he decided to redo the whole thing. Not to change it so much, but to have freshly recorded sounds. One major drawback to this, is his voice. It’s definitely not the same. His backup group “The Wondermints” did do a great job in carrying the high notes and harmonies, but it’s just not the same as when it was Wilson and company in their peak.

I haven’t had the chance to listen to all of it at a decent volume yet, so, once I do, maybe I’ll review it. Already, though, it has its high points.

Tid-bits

Long post 'morrow...

-Blogger says we've got 503 posts. Right on! Congrads Gabe! We've obviously had plenty of success with this blog. Thanks to everyone who reads it and comments on it too.

-So Billy Corgan is done with his new album. I hope, hope, hope it's good. I really like the Pumpkins stuff, but I'm not a huge fan of Zwan. He seems really angry as of late (thanks to his ex-bandmates) so maybe this new album will be a little edgier then Zwan.

-Brian Wilson and Paul McCartney are recording an album together I guess. That's neat. I heard they did a song together, but that it was terrible. Still...I got interested in McCartney's songwriting a few months ago, and I know Gabe's a Pet Sounds nut; hopefully this will live up to our tastes.

-So I hear that Josh saw the Forgotten, and he thought the camerawork was a little shaky. Gabe saw The Bourne Supremacy and he thought the same thing. What is it with shaky camerawork and Hollywood these days? It doesn't work folks. I think they're either (a) Trying to get that "indie" look in their films or (b) like Josh said, using the shots to underscore the confusion felt by the story's characters.

(a) Trying to get the "indie" look is a bad idea. Major motion pictures have resources at their fingertips that I'll probably never be able to touch. They should enjoy them and make the movies look good so I have something to look forward to. (b) You can convey confusion in ways less annoying.

-I'm lovin' the new Star Wars DVDs. They're great. Yeah, they are also lacking in a lot of ways, but it's Star Wars. No, let me rephrase that, it's GOOD Star Wars. The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones are good for fun and all...but the old movies were the best. I'm really glad they're finally on DVD.

-Also, I picked up that Weezer DVD. I hear their new album is "done" as well. Well, done as in the recording is done. Who knows if Rivers will reject this one as well?

-Brock