Brock Lipton or James Brown?

Check it out, yo.


Kevin Ross 

What the...!?

Throwin' Down

Yeah, my baby throws gang signs. What of it!? 

Rrrrrraaawwwwrrrr.

Gjaaaaaaa!!!



hissssssssss

Mina

Billy Corgan's got a new track on iTunes called Mina Loy. I haven't bought it yet, but from previewing it, it sounds just like something off Machina. That makes me like it better then Zwan already.

Nothing Feels Good Like You...

In honor of Bob Nanna's post on The Promise Ring, my song of the week is from the same band. Great pop emo songs without the pop voice. And Nanna's right, their sound can be heard in bands today, but they're getting it all wrong.

Below are most of the lyrics, which is one line! There's another line I've never been able to make out and can't find anywhere. And no one does "do-do" quite like The Promise Ring.

Red & Blue Jeans
nothing feels good like you in
red & blue jeans and
your white and night things

Hmmm

Think this is any good? I must admit, my curiosity is high.

Working

SW review tomorrow. I'm working on the drama screenplay right now. It's near completion of a 1st draft, which will then be forwarded to Ray for smarmy suggestions and ideas (Don't worry, I'll get you some character info too!). After that, it gets sent to Josh and Gabe for their thoughts and ideas. Its working title is The Price of Constance. If you can think of a better title (after you've read the script), then by all means, let me know.

The Subject Redux

Today my cinematographer from Pantomiming and The Subject, Chad Einwalter, e-mailed me some still photographs from the set of The Subject. These stills were taken with a digital camera (not sure which brand) that had been set to correct for exposure based upon the film speed we were using. It was pretty cool, but I wouldn’t depend on these photos as the ultimate guide for what the movie will look like once it gets back from the lab. Either way, here’s a sneak preview at the film Matter of Chance plans to enter in the Thriller challenge for Screen Wars this fall.

That first screen capture is actually similar to a shot that will appear in the final film. It’s basically a close-up of the subject (played by Johnny Summers) as he looks at all of the psychological tests laid out before him.

This next screen capture is just myself, looking goofy.

This screen capture is of the scientists as they stand behind the glass window inside the “protection booth”. From left to right we have Joshua J. Provost, Mike Moehtar (sitting), Evan Neil and Evangeline Provost. They were kind enough to sit in on the film for the day and provide me some much-needed bizarreness. Mike in particular dove into his role as the Scientist, acting robotic and contorted in his movements and expressions. In between takes he had to get up though and come help us out with the camera, because he was also the 1st AC. Mike even served as DP for a few shots, framing the camera and making exposure suggestions.

This shot is myself with Chad as we look over the remaining shots. Sitting in the chair is our gaffer, James. This may have been earlier in the day when we were still fresh and eager to see the film through. By the end of the day, it wasn’t so much an eager desire to see the film through that propelled us. No, it was more like a hell bent fury to better the film before it bettered us.

This final shot is another mimicked screen capture from the film – a shot of the subject as he slams his violent drawing of a tiger getting its head blown off against the window of the observation room. The Scientist looking on with shock and disgust is Angie Provost. She really got into her character at this part and provided the perfect blend of professionalism, fear and outright disgust.

Starting now

And to answer your question...no, there will not be filler posts like this. I'll try and make it as meaningful as possible. From here on out.

Everyone's Alone

I'm going to try and make this a weekly thing. I'll post my favorite song of the week, plus lyrics, for all to enjoy.

This week's song is Bowl of Oranges by Bright Eyes.

The rain it started tappin'
On the window near my bed
There was a loophole in my dreamin'
So I got out of it
And to my surprise my eyes were wide and already open
Just my nightstand and my dresser
Where those nightmares had just been
So I dressed myself and left then
Out into the gray streets
But everything seemed different
And completely new to me
The sky the trees, houses, buildings, even my own body
And each person I encountered
I couldn't wait to meet
And I came upon a doctor
Who appeared in quite poor health
I said there's nothing I can do for you that you can't do for yourself
He said oh yes you can, just hold my hand, I think that, that would help
so I sat with him awhile
Then I asked him how he felt
He said I think I'm cured
No, in fact, I'm sure of it
Thank you, stranger
For your therapeutic smile
So that's how I learned the lesson
That everyone's alone
And your eyes must do some raining
If you're ever gonna grow
And when crying don't help
You can't compose yourself
It's best to compose a poem
An honest verse of longing
Or a simple song of hope
That's why I'm singing baby don't worry
'Cause now I got your back
And every time you feel like crying
I'm gonna try and make you laugh
And if I can't
If it just hurts too bad
Then we'll wait for it to pass
And I will keep you company for those days so long and black
And we'll keep working on the problem
We know we'll never solve
Of love's un-even remainders
Our lives are fractions of a whole
But if the world could remain within a frame
Like a painting on a wall
Then I think we'd see the beauty then
We'd stand staring in awe
At our still lives posed
Like a bowl of oranges
Like a story told
By the fault-lines in the soil

Only 477 posts or so to go!

Suddenly I feel the urge to push this blog up to its 1000th post. Can I do it before the summer is out? Nay. I say I can do it before the end of next month. This will be my next "write a screenplay in a month", my race around the world in 80 days. Get the blog up to a 1000 posts. Thoughts?

I'm not a hit, I'm a free man!

Yesterday, while we were working on the vocals for Arizona Citizen, Josh, Gabe and I started talking a little bit about the Assassin Movie, staring our friend Marco. This is an idea that sort of arose months ago when we first found out about the Screen Wars challenge. Marco has such an amazing presence and character that he practically begs to be put in a movie. And, for a little while, it looked like we might develop the Marco film as an action piece for the currently running Screen Wars Action Challenge. But as we kicked around the idea more and more and tried to develop some basic thoughts on the character, we decided that Marco’s story seemed to fit more in step with a drama then an action.
So, here we are. Three Western films, each heralded by one of us, have been completed. The Thriller film is in the can. And the action film is currently lined up as a potential competitor in the final round of the Screen Wars action challenge. What’s left but Marco’s film?
As we were talking about the ideas for the film yesterday, Gabe mentioned that he had in fact been working on a screenplay. Josh also added that he had begun a collection of loose ideas about the character, story and structure. Gabe kept fairly quiet on his take of the story, but Josh revealed a great deal about setting, theme and plot development. He could probably sit down and write a solid screenplay in one fell swoop. Gabe even has a page or so done of his screenplay already.
Since the other two guys were shaping up ideas on this story, I thought I might as well give it a try. At the very least, I can throw in something that will give us one more angle to choose from. To be honest though, I don’t think our differing stories will be all that different. In the general sense, they’ll probably be exactly alike. It’s the specifics and cast of characters that may differ dramatically from Josh’s adaptation to Gabe’s and even my own (I know Gabe has a character in his story completely unlike a character in Josh’s or mine, and I have a character that I don’t think either one has considered).
Anyway, I began my pre-writing work today. Since Marco lives just around the corner, I thought I would take advantage of his close proximity and begin writing the story with his input to help shape the character. Although I haven’t gone over to his house to discuss the story yet (I’ll probably do that sometime this week when I have finished a rough draft) I have been e-mailing him about his character. And yes, already he has provided valuable input as to how he’d like to see his character portrayed.
Initially, I thought Marco’s Assassin Extraordinaire might be a very practical and realistic in his attitude towards life. He knows the score and the lowdown on everything he sees or comes into contact with. He analyzes all angles and knows everybody’s strength…because, as an assassin, that’s what he’s been taught to do. I also added a touch of sadness to his character in the form of regret over his current life. Although I’ve kept this attitude, Marco added another side to the coin. He suggested making his character very sarcastic and ironic. And so…with Marco's suggestions added to my initial "character attitude", our Assassin becomes brilliant, cold, calculating, but not without a hint of irony at the expense of less brilliant killers. And yet, this irony remains a shield, a detached, more comfortable way to view the somber world in which he lives.

Tonight, I’m going to write up Marco’s biography and hopefully the biographies of the other two main characters. What am I going to cover in this bio?

1. A day in the character’s life, from waking up to falling asleep.


2. The character’s past, reiterated in his or her words from the ground up


3. Key events in their life.


4. A directorial breakdown (as suggested by the book, Friendly Enemies).


5. And finally…an interview with the character.

After that, I’ll probably e-mail important parts from the bio to Marco and see what he thinks. Maybe he’ll have some more suggestions for me to work with.

Is all this really necessary for a 3-page screenplay? Absolutely not. But I’ve gotten so used to it that I feel weird if I don’t at least do it. I’ll probably discard most of this stuff, but already it’s helping me to shape the way the story will play in my mind (and hopefully, on the page).

Anyway, here are some random notes from my journal on this film:

...he has become more human, warm and even loving. This illustrates his transition out of the mob lifestyle and into the viewpoint of a normal, caring human being. One particular visual we use to capture this is his removal of his sunglasses. He’s revealing himself and letting his guard down.

He’s bringing things back into perspective; to him we aren’t dealing with percentages, we’re dealing with people.

He sees the world as too large, too organized, too conglomerated and far too impersonal. In a war between rival crime organizations, people like sons or daughters are simply collateral in the scheme of things. And this viewpoint sickens the Assassin.

The Assassin’s dramatic need is to (Plot point blanked out. Sorry...) so he can absolve or forgive himself from his life of death and violence and reclaim his lost innocence.

The Assassin’s attitude is realistic…and sardonic. He’s a realist because he’s been trained to be. He has to observe every situation acutely and understand it for what it really is. He’s had to be able to observe other hit men and assess dangerous threats as well as weed out weaklings from trained killers.

The Assassin is also very wry and sarcastic with regard to others. His inner-commentary on life has allowed him to see things for what they really are and take each situation with an ironic, deadpan humor. He’s guarded, cold and detached, but not without a sense of sardonic commentary on the stupidity or flawed thinking of others. In a sense, this is his armor from the gruesomeness of his profession. Instead of falling prey to sorrow, he decides to poke fun.

Now we'll see if I can finish the screenplay before the end of the week.

Late,

-Brock

Star Wars

Only a few days left until Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith hits theaters. Yeah, I'm very excited to see this new film. In fact, I think I'll spend the upcoming days before the new film re-reviewing the previous two Star Wars films, The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. Then, I'll throw out my Episode III review...and heck, if I'm ultra-ambitious, maybe I'll spend the days after Sith re-reviewing the original films, A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi.

In the meantime, here's a short commercial to sate your needs, whatever they may be.

Return of Radiohead

Yippie.

Morphine Dogs

I want to say something really quickly: Josh dropped off a copy of the latest Nowhere Man and Whiskey Girl album today, a series of cover songs spanning some of the duo's favorite music. And I just want to say that this may very well be my favorite album of the year. I've said a lot of nice things about Josh's label in the past, and I think he really is gathering a nice group of artists under the 727 banner. But just take a moment and reflect upon what I just said: This may be my favorite album of the year. I don't hand that statement out lightly...especially to record labels and bands supported by friends. After hearing these cover songs though, I don't personally care to hear the originals. I don't want to even know who wrote the original songs.

35/2005

Apparently, Kodak has chosen Scottsdale Community College as one of six film schools nation wide to participate in a 35mm film project. I don't know the specifics, but I think each school will be given an amount of equipment - cranes, dollies, cameras, lights and 35mm film - to complete a short screenplay chosen from submissions taken straight from the student body. If I can find out the specifics, I will try and submit a revised (and slightly lengthened) version of Wildlifeless. Or something else...who knows?

Death, but Life As Well

Last week my grandfather on my dad's side passed away. This came almost three months after my grandmother passed. He was diagnosed with Alzheimers several years ago. In recent years he got to the point where he didn't know anyone anymore. It wasn't a shock because he was steadily getting worse. Plus, we knew the move out here would take a toll. And even though he couldn't talk much and appeared not to know anybody, not having my grandmother visiting him every single day anymore, must have also had some affect.

On the bright side of all this, there were three births in the month of April on that side of the family. Our daughter Zoe, of course, born April 12th. Chase (don’t have the last name at this time), born April 1st, and Sofia Loyer, born April 21st. All firsts for the parents. It was quite an amazing thing to have three births all in the same month. Chase and Sofia were both due in May but came early. Chase was induced early due to him having complications that required surgery. That went well and he's home now. Sofia is doing well too.

A tone most unusual

Tonight was my last night of the spring semester. Not only that, it marks the beginning of my halfway point at Scottsdale Community College. This time next year I’ll be (hopefully) getting my associate’s degree from the school and moving on to other ventures. I can’t say what those other ventures will be at the moment, but I have been heavily pondering all possibilities.
But, let us not speak of such things tonight; that discussion is meant for another time. At the instant, I’d like to expound upon my final thoughts for this semester and highlight some of the interesting and inspiring things that happened. Tonight, for example, was my final night of screenwriting II.
At this final class, I received the first half of my second act to “The Madcap Armament”, and I’m happy to say that I’m most pleased with the results. The Madcap Armament, you may recall, was the very first screenplay I ever started in screenwriting I.
When this semester began, I was unsure of what I would write in screenwriting II. The teacher offered the class the option to begin a new screenplay if they like, and I was very intrigued by this idea. You see, a mere week before the class, I had finally picked up the first and only act of Madcap (and was heavily disgusted by my fresh reading).
When I wrote Madcap in screenwriting I, the teacher was generally pleased with the writing. But, he criticized the story for being convoluted. Although I did well in the class and the screenplay was generally well received by my classmates, I was bothered by the convoluted viewpoint the teacher presented. I even disagreed with it. But, when I picked up the story at the beginning of Screenwriting II, my former teacher’s criticisms were crystal clear.

The Madcap Armament was a messy script. It was also fairly clichéd. It lacked an interesting group of core characters, and moreover, relied upon thinly veiled displays of morality to propel the story forward. Sadly, it was nothing like the story I saw in my head. The story I saw in my head was very clean, clear, and had a specific mentality. I couldn’t express what that mentality was, or what I even meant by mentality, but I later on learned that I was grasping at the “tone” or “voice” of my story. By extension, I was trying to develop my own “voice” as a screenwriter. No wonder I was having such difficulties. The tone I developed in Madcap wasn’t how I wanted to be defined.
So, I took a hint from my short film work, as well as the works of favorite writers and filmmakers, and tried to develop a tone for Madcap that represented my views on story and character. I’m still an amateur, and it’ll be years before I can confidently express my tone as a storyteller and filmmaker, but for the moment I think I could be defined as: wry, tongue-in-cheek, strange, mocking, self depreciating, and to a degree, deceptive.
With that in mind, I set out to fix the first act of Madcap as well as begin writing the second act. And let me say that if there’s one thing I’m pleased with this semester, it’s that screenplay’s progress. It really has turned out fairly decent. It’s still no masterwork, but it’s something that I can look at and say, “well, you can tell I’m at least trying to be a writer”. Highly satisfactory was my screenwriting II teacher’s comments on the screenplay: A tone most unusual – strong spine – strong core characters. It still has a long way to go, but I seem to have resolved the set of problems that plagued the screenplay when I first conceived of it.
I’m going to continue writing it throughout the summer, and I want people to read up on the progress of the story as I near completion. I’m especially interested in seeing what Gabe thinks of it. Gabe read Madcap when it was just a messy first act. I think, if only for kicks, it’d be fascinating to get his reaction on the current feel and tone of the screenplay – especially since it’s practically a different structure from the old version I wrote while sitting next to him in class.

The other interesting development that has dropped around the school for the last few days has been the heated discussion over “The Subject”. Well…not heated. I’d like to think that it was “heated”, but it isn’t. Make no mistake though; some people are talking about it. I think this discussion is mostly due to the fact that I ended up “rearranging” (insert: tore up) the school’s radiobroadcast room while filming the movie. Apparently, I threw the school radio station off the air for an hour.
While I’m always happy with progress and shaking the sheets, I do feel sorry if I caused some grief for members of the faculty. Truly, that wasn’t my intent while making the film. However, most everyone I’ve talked to has expressed a keen desire to see the film – even those upset by my shenanigans. As a result, I don’t feel terrible. I’ll just have to make plenty of copies of The Subject and enter it in as many festivals as possible. That way, everyone, including the fine folks at the SCC radio station, has a chance to see it.

All in all, these are just two of the fine moments that I lived through during this semester. Writing The Madcap Armament and filming The Subject has been a blast. I’d like to think these projects make up for all the nosebleeds, cancellations, deceptions, bitter crewmembers and unfaithful casting directors I had to endure. I can’t say what my remaining time at the school will be like, but if this remains my most difficult semester, I’m glad to pay the price. After all, I got a screenplay and short film out of the whole ordeal.

Bandito’s Way

So, I’ve been itching to direct a movie since I’ve gained much more experience since The Glove Box. Though, I really directed about 25% of that movie, Josh did the rest. He wasn’t properly credited on that one.



Acting in The Glove Box was a big factor in taking away from directorial duties. It’s difficult to concentrate on two jobs. I felt that I could do a better job of both on Bandito’s Way. My preference, however, was not to be in it and concentrate on directing. Fortunately there were enough people on hand to fill the three roles of my story.

The story is of a bank robbing bandit who comes into town, only to find it quiet and deserted. When he enters the bank, he finds a lone teller who informs him that they knew he was coming. Double-crossed! The teller alerts him that a sheriff’s posse is on the way and the money’s been moved from the vault. The bandit thinks the teller may be bluffing about the money and forces him to open the vault. When he does, the bandit is shot by the sheriff, who was waiting in the vault.



Though I really didn’t have the acting power I envisioned for the Bandit and Sheriff, both Joe and Craig did a fine job for first-timers. Both had “the look,” which made up for their acting inexperience alone. In fact, some of the shots of Joe inspired the title itself (a little play off Carlito’s Way).



Josh agreed to fill the part of the Teller, slapping some wardrobe together, including a pair of eyeglasses off the dummy that was sitting in the bank. I don’t know if I would’ve found a better nerdy teller if there had been a casting call! Seriously, Josh did a great job.



So, all in all, I felt I’ve improved, but I still need a ways to go.

And Introducing Zoë Adelina Loyer

Just like I was crediting an actor's first feature length film. I believe she'll follow my footsteps. She's already so expressive.

On Tuesday, April 12, at 6:52PM, my daughter came into the world. The whole experience, from my wife's pregnancy on, is unlike any other. And to think it's just begining with her! Contemplating all the years to come of raising an offspring, is both frightening and wonderful. My life's forever changed, but I view it in the utmost positive way. Sure, it wasn't always completely positive, but now that she's here, I only want to do good for her. Be there for her. Fight the world for her.

She's new inspiration.

The Subject

I think that Josh mentioned a little while ago on his blog that he wanted me to dish out the torrid tale of my latest film, The Subject.
Truly, when I say it’s a tormented tale, believe me. I could wax intellectual by writing several charmingly depressed paragraphs on the utter disappointment of my latest venture, but I won’t. One of my resolutions this semester is to become a more positive person inwardly, as well as outwardly.
It all started with my previous blunder, Wildlifeless. Maybe you recall the screenplay that was posted many months ago on Leonard Hughes? Well, Wildlifeless was going to be my project this semester for Cinematography class, and as I found the project getting out of hand back in February, I decided to place some boundaries upon myself. Namely, I resolved to set forth a date for my filming.
Setting down a date is both good and bad. It’s good because it forces you to start working like mad to get the entire production together. It makes things happen. But, it can be a very bad thing when nothing wants to happen, despite all your efforts. With the date of March 26th in sight, Wildlifeless was starting to prove itself a bear to get moving.
Sure, I had oodles of set-ups, storyboards, character descriptions and screenplay notes at my disposal. And yes, I had contacted numerous plant rental agencies throughout the valley. But no one called me back. My crew, despite my numerous efforts, fell flat at the notion. And I was starting to think that I had gotten myself in over my head.
About three weeks before filming, I decided to pull the plug on Wildlifeless. I can still remember my distaste on the ride home from a particularly fruitless greenhouse visit.
I had produced a nice little booklet for plant farms and greenhouses here in the valley entitled “Brock H. Brown’s Wildlifeless”. Inside the booklet was the full screenplay to Wildlifeless, a list of required plants, a secondary list of acceptable substitutes, and screencaps from my previous films, as well as a short pitch. The last page of the booklet was a list of numbers to contact me at. I wistfully stated, “looking forward to doing business with you” at the close of the proposal. No one took it.
After the whole thing imploded on me I remember walking through a store and seeing a card with a quote by Winston Churchill on it. It said, “If you’re going through hell, keep going”. So I decided to keep going.
However, let it be noted that I decided to keep going with a different battle plan. I decided to set Wildlifeless aside for a better time and instead shoot a story I had recently come up with entitled “The Subject”. I’d drop the outline for The Subject, but if I actually do film it in the coming weeks, I’d rather keep the story under wraps. I hope you understand.
Anyway, The Subject was still an ambitious tale to tell. But it was nowhere near the breadth and scope of Wildlifeless. Moreover, I rather liked the story. I did write another story during this period entitled “Hornsby and the Void Luminous”, but I’ve come to hate it. It’s so smart and intellectually funny it makes me sick. Of course, plenty of students at school thought it was great, but I just hate that screenplay with a passion. It was a cry for help in more ways then one. It said, “help, I’m floundering in cinematography” while at the same time saying “help, I’ll never be loved” and still managed to say “aren’t I terribly witty?” It was puerile crap.
Let me take a moment however to state that I love the title. It’s a great title. For those brief 5 seconds when my writing was on its game, I came up with one heck of a title.
After the festering disappointment that was “Hornsby” I came up with “The Subject”. At last! Here was a story that could stand next to “Wildlifeless”. Here was a story that expanded upon every one of my typical conventions, while at the same time inventing several new ones. This was not only possible, but it was desired.
When I told my classmates about this new story idea, several reacted quite positively. In fact, some people have professed it to be a better story then Wildlifeless. Wildlifeless only gets finer with age and I still desire it now more then ever. But, I’ve come to love The Subject in every way I wanted to love Hornsby.
With March 26th looming in the horizon, I hit the ground running. I had to compile my thoughts on the story, come up with strong cinematography ideas and get together props and actors in a scant few weeks. It was possible though. I felt it all coming together. And then something terrible happened (The first of several terrible things actually, and now that I look back upon it, I realize that it was in fact the most gentle of blows).
My casting director, whom I will not name at this time, decided that he didn’t want to arrange an audition for my film. He didn’t want to even help me cull out actors from an extensive list of possible candidates. In short, he completely bowed out. This was a blow to me for a couple of reasons: A) this guy wasn’t just some nameless student in my mind (although he is now); he was the guy who helped me cast Pantomiming. He did a good job in helping me find what I wanted. To discover him as an incompetent heap on this picture was a blow among blows. I don’t like the guy, but I respect him for doing a fine job for me in the past. B) In performing a king favor among favors, I agreed to act in a film he was shooting for Directing class. I rarely act. In fact, at the moment there are only a handful of people I’d act for. He wasn’t one of them. But I did it anyway, as a gesture of kindness. C) I was filming in one week.
So, as you can imagine, I was in a bind. I quickly set to work looking for actors to play the part.
Let me just step aside a moment here and make light of something positive that did come out of these disquieting events. During this period I had planned to be shopping for costumes and props. I couldn’t very well do it now that I was engrossed in casting the entire film. Then, in the ultimate gesture of kindness, Joshua and Angie Provost stepped in and helped me gather the essential props for the film. And man, they did a fantastic job. Angie made a paper-doll (one of the most essential props in the film) that completely overshot all my finest expectations. And Josh? Well, he picked up some of the coolest looking black goggles I have ever seen. In short, they really came through when no one else would. I was deeply pleased and moved by their help. If the film ever does get made, they and several other people who helped at this time are getting heavily credited. They can request my help any day.
Okay, now it’s time to jump back into the depression. The Subject was falling apart. I was floundering in the acting department when Gabe decided to step in and help. He even auditioned for the part, and played it splendidly. But, one more monkey wrench was thrown into my plans.
Weeks before the shoot I had reserved the studio at the school. In fact, I’m not going to lie; I had written The Subject with the school’s studio in mind for the piece. I had originally planned to film Wildlifeless in the studio by building an entire jungle (yeah, now that I read that sentence, it’s no wonder the film fell apart), but now I could use it as my mental institution.
But, with a little less then a week before the shoot, I lost the location. How? The school had conveniently lost my paper work. Let me say that I don’t hold them responsible. It was a mistake, and if I had been a smarter person, I would have made several copies of the paperwork. I didn’t. But I learned from my error and I’m actually pleased that I pulled something important out from a harrowing process.
With the shoot only a day away, I decided to pull the plug, yet again. It was worthless at this point. And why bother trying? If I cobbled something together in the mere hours before the shoot, it would have been a cobbled mess. It would have gone against all the fine planning I had done weeks before. Instead I spent the weekend alone shooting a hundred feet of random cinematography ideas I wanted to test. I’ve never been so lonely in my entire life.
The Subject wasn’t down for the count however. I decided to take one of my fellow cinematography students up on his offer and borrow some of his shooting time in the studio the following weekend. This student had also reserved the studio for an entire day, but he only needed it for half a day. I could pick up the rest of his time and shoot most, if not all, of my movie. It was yet another gesture of kindness, and I accepted.
That week, things started to swing up. Gabe had to bow out on account of his wife Rebeckah being ready to have her baby, but I managed to pick up another fine young actor who was willing to play the part. I was extremely excited to work with this actor on account of the fact that he could take directions. He knew the actor’s language well. And the more I learn about directing, the more I prefer to work with actors who know the language and who can take directions (the way they’re supposed to be taken).
That’s part of why I wanted to work with Gabe – I had finally learned how to give directions properly, and he had been trained to take them properly all along. But this actor could take directions too!
Anyway, things were working out. My biggest gripe during the time was that I was getting a nasty cold and sneezing rather profusely. But I wasn’t really nervous. Even the night before the shoot, I was ready to get the thing done and over with.

That night, I woke up with a nosebleed. I used to get nosebleeds when I was younger, but I hadn’t gotten one in quite some time. I’m not kidding when I say that I was a little taken back by it. I got it to stop rather easily though, and went back to sleep still anxious for the shoot.
When I arrived on the shoot the next day, I could tell that I was sick. I felt it in my bones. But I also had a maddened desire to get through the day intact. I wanted to help my friend out on his shoot and also pull through a successful turn on my own shoot. I wanted to walk away from the studio that day feeling like a conqueror.
As we wrapped up my friend’s shoot however, I got a second nosebleed. This time around it was much more serious. The blood was quite dark, and after half an hour of pressure, the bleeding wouldn’t stop. Actually, it was getting thicker.
I must confess, I was just going to stuff cotton balls and tissue up my nose and keep going. That would have been capitally stupid however, and Josh convinced me to get to the hospital.
We left immediately and met my parents at the hospital, who waited with me for five hours while I bled out in the waiting room. When we finally went back, the doctor decided to cauterize my nose. Cauterization, you will recall, is when they use a hot soldering iron to wield a blood vein shut. It worked like a charm. Aside from the discomfort of having a hot iron shoved up my nose, there was also the final discomfort of a rather beautiful young nurse (around my age actually) watching the doctor shove packets of gauze and gelled tissue up my bloodied nose. As she turned away in disgust I thought to myself, “Hey, when I loose, I loose hard baby”.

So how did I feel when the whole thing was done? Terrible. Utterly defeated. I had overcome casting issues and location difficulties, only to have my very life thrown on the line. This film was out to kill me. In one final grand swoop to bag my determination and quell my enthusiasm, it decided to resort to petty violence.

All in all, I have no problem looking back on the incident and recalling the tale. Granted, I learned some important lesions from the event.
If I were a smarter man, I would have used the cinematography class for what it was purposed: to shoot a couple hundred feet of tests for grander story ideas. I probably would have shot a hundred feet of film as test shots for The Subject and a hundred feet of test shots for Wildlifeless (in additional to digital video tests). And then, I would have used them as references for when I actually decided to do the films.
Also, I wouldn’t have let myself get so glum. I really loathed myself during the whole fiasco. Maybe that contributed to my downfall, but I don’t think it did. I just think it made the blows all the harsher.

In closing, I’ve learned important lessons that will stick with me for life. 1) Always remain positive. 2) The finest stories lurk just behind the worst. 3) Shoot plenty of film and/or digital tests before committing to big ideas. 4) Never give up.

Those are important lessons to learn…hard ones too. I don’t regret anything though. In fact, I’m rather glad it all came crashing down. It will always be…memorable. And hey, I did end up resorting to writing several “charmingly depressed paragraphs”. But I enjoyed writing them.

Daily

You should check out Bob Nanna's new blog, The City On Film Daily. The name is rather appropriate, as a "daily" is what a filmmaker gets back from the telecine lab showing the footage he shot the day before. Out in the field, directors and cinematographers watch dailys regularly to make sure the film is going along as hoped.

Of course, he could just mean "daily" in the sense that "I'll post here daily". In that case, my ironic little discussion of the blog's fantastic title is meaningless.

You’re Living All Over Me…All Over Again

A couple weeks ago, Merge Records reissued Dinosaur Jr.’s first three albums, all remastered – Dinosaur, You’re Living All Over Me, and Bug. When I had my CDs stolen a while ago, YLAOM and Bug were included in the thieves’ loot. The reissue date had become much more anticipatory from then on.

YLAOM and Bug were theme albums of my teenage life. Each a score to my emotions when they were filled with angst and/or depression. Though the albums originally were released many years before my teens, 1987 and 1988, respectively, I never viewed them as relics. After recently listening to them again, they still hold up. How can you get better than a song about a rabbit, figurative of a girl, and call it Little Fury Things?

The production value on the original recordings were never that good, but it was a personality trait of the albums. They wouldn’t be the same if they were re-recorded. However, there is marked improvement in the sound quality of the remasters. The lows are more noticeable and it’s easier to hear the different guitar tracks. Each disc also comes with some goodies, like videos and live tracks.

Long live the dinosaur.

Beck me

I caved and bought the new Beck album today. I'm listening to it for the first time right now, but so far it's great. Pitchfork was way off in my opinion. This is his best work since Mutations, and possibly my favorite album of 2005 thus far.

Full review later.

Brightness

Hey Gabe, check it out: Bright Eyes is coming back for the second leg of their tour...

06-08 Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre
06-09 Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre

A Perfect Day for Salinger

This is a very cool website.

We'll be appearing on Inside the Actor's Studio next week

This morning Josh, Angie, Gabe and myself went to shoot our interview for the Phoenix Film Project’s Screen Wars.

I’m not sure if I can even say anything about it. They made us sign this whole disclaimer and asked us not to talk to the press. I didn’t ask if I could blog about it. Whatever. I’ll just give you the low-down on our interview: It was weird. Very weird. I’m not sure if we were any good, (and I darkly suspect that I was very bad) but I’ll have to wait and find out. The whole thing is just a blur now that I’m home.
I’m sure the show is going to be great however. I’m very excited to see the films and interviews involved. Everyone at the interview kept telling us how much he or she liked Intense Math, but we just kind of shrugged it off. I hope they didn’t think we came off as too aloof. I’m sure they understood we were more bowled over by the whole experience then anything.

-Brock

Worries, Pt. 2

My woes aren't so bad regarding my film anymore. Matter of Chance came to the rescue in the form of Josh and Angie. They helped me gather props, costumes, materials and other items for the film. In fact, I think we've got a surplus on props...some of this stuff...actually, a lot of this stuff can be used again in future films. A nice big credit is in store for Angie's family, who donated some outstanding items. They've taken this thing to a whole other level.
Also, I've managed to get a fog machine for this venture. I think it'll add a nice layer to my cinematography. Thanks to Chad for that contribution.

The acting side of the piece will have to work itself out. I've found that one thing generally has to work itself out before the shooting date of a film. Last semester, it was locations. This semester seems to be actors. It's like a running theme chosen at random; maybe next semester I'll have a drought in costumes and props.

I've got a lot of friends though, at the school and everywhere else, who can fill in roles. I'm not worried.

Friday night Josh showed me George Lucas' first film, THX 1138. I'm ashamed to say that I hadn't seen it until now. But, let me just comment that I was completely astounded by it, all in terms of story, directing and cinematography. As you probably know, THX was a take on Lucas' student film (of the same name I believe) that took place in the grim, yet sterile future. Consumerism reigns, humanity is quaffed. Finally, one man decides to break out of the constrictive system and attempt to regain what humanity lost.

Some of the shots in this film were incredible. And I mean, just outright picturesque. Lucas really had some dynamic imagery in his youth. That's not to say that he hasn't remained powerful in his use of images, but I think he was easily at his strongest with this film. The story, like most Lucas stories, borrows from popular myth and fiction, but is so nicely executed, that it replaces those myths and fictions. It's a warning against consumerism for the sake of consuming. And I think it holds special weight in this time.

I went online to the Internet Movie Data Base and checked out the trivia for THX, and I found some interesting things:

The underground chase near the end was shot in a not-yet-completed segment of the BART subway system in San Francisco.

I commented during this part of the film that the location Lucas found was really unbelievable. Josh mentioned that he believed it to be the incomplete bay area transport. He was right.

George Lucas claims that the scene where technicians mess with THX's nervous system, sending him into comical spasms, was drawn from his antipathy towards the doctors who treated him after his near-fatal car crash as a youth.

Probably one of the most bizarre scenes in the movie and one of the most disturbing was this scene. It was almost comical. These two attendants were watching THX and playing around with his nervous system, switching around controls and twisting dials, all without scant a clue as to what effect it might have on his body.

To provide the large number of extras required, George Lucas contacted the Synanon drug rehabilitation facility. He found many recovering drug users who were quite happy to be shaved bald for the movie.

Is that all I have to do to get extras?! Sign me up.

To provide the voices of the unseen overseers and announcers, George Lucas contacted San Francisco-based theater group The Corporation. He gave them brief character outlines, and allowed the actors to improvise all the "overheard" dialogue in the movie.

That last bit is of special interest, because Josh is currently working on announcer voices for our film AGTC. I find it ironic that the group who did Lucas' voices was "The Corporation", a name that we used in early story outlines to reference the umbrella organization that would later become AGTC.

-Brock

Coming Soon

From the man who brought you the truth.

Worries

I’m incredibly worried at the moment.

Yeah, it’s the usual production woes – but the thing is, this time around my big gripe lies in casting. Oh yes, casting. I received e-mail today from a student at the college who is serving as my casting director, and he’s told me that he hasn’t really gotten the word out yet about my film. Yes, the film that’s shooting in a week and a half. Yes, The Subject.
I was worried that I might be rushing into this thing, and it would appear that I might have been right. Casting takes time: time to get the word out, time to set up an interview, and time to review the applicants. I can still do it, but now I’ve got the pressure of doing it myself. (Yeah, I had the entire job shoved off on my shoulders.) By the time I’m done filming, I’ll also be the cinematographer, editor, and who knows what else. It’s a film that demands a 5 to 10 man crew and I’m working most, if not all of it.
And it’s annoying. I don’t expect people to come running at my beacon call whenever I have a film, but I also don’t like doing ten jobs at once. It doesn’t help when I’m trying to smooth over my cinematography/directing skills. Dealing with every task in-between can be a real burden.

I think I just need to keep my cool. If it gets too stressful I’ll just take a moment for myself, let the situation glaze over, and then jump back into the fray once I’m straight. I have links to a couple of talent agencies in the valley. Now, all I have to do is peruse the talent and pick out a few key faces to feature in my film. I like how I said “all I have to do” in that last sentence. It underplays the value of what I had hoped to mine out of the casting experience.
I had hoped to spend some time shuffling through talent and finding an actor who could serve as a crazy person. A person who could take the role with all seriousness and tonality, yet, all humor as well. I wanted an actor who could link up with me on my thought process and story nuance (I think that generally, the actors I've gotten out of casting haven't been able to do that. They don't get the "punchlines" so to speak, or they just don't like them). But, it just isn’t going to happen.
I have faith. I still believe that things could turn out all right as long as I spend some time working over these selections. But I’m not going to hope for anything special.
Thankfully, I think Josh and Angie might be able to help out with two of the roles. Soooo...that's two down, and four to go.

And here’s the big kicker about the whole thing; I was going to spend the day working on shot sheets, production schedules, ordering film and catering arrangements. I guess those things will have to wait.

Matter of Chance to the 10th Power

I'm sure you've heard the news by now. I gotta say, it's very cool. First of all...kudos to Gabe for writing the great script, and kudos to all the performers for making it a very enjoyable film. And thanks to Josh for taking the helm on this one. I'm pleased with the fruits of our hard work.

The Observed

I acted for Josh, now Josh has to act for me. And he's gonna be wearing these:



Screenplay for my new film "The Subject" will be on Leonard Hughes later today.

Float On, Kids

This is sick, and quite hilarious.

Matter of Chance

2nd Place - Best Cinematography

AGTC

Best Story

AGTC


Huzzah

Post Mortem

I think it’s time for a recap on my feelings regarding the Oscars. Speaking of which, did anyone watch them? I was over at Gabe’s house briefly on Sunday night with Josh, Gabe, Micah and Alex, but we just watched some of our Matter of Chance films. (We also watched the new 48-Hour flick and some basketball.)
Hence, I didn’t get to see any of the Oscars until I got home around 8:00 or 8:30…which is fine with me. The award ceremony itself bores me. I’m merely interested in the ramifications of who wins.
It was a no-thrills bunch however. In fact, I’m not shocked that Scorsese was duped again, or that Eastwood pigeonholed the top awards. And yet, I can’t say that I’ve seen all of the movies and performances entered in this year’s races. But the choices seemed logical enough, if uninspired.
In face-offs like Best Supporting Actor, the only thing I can really offer is my support of Alan Alda. And the only reason I’m offering such support is because I haven’t seen Morgan Freeman’s performance in Million Dollar Baby. But hey, it’s Morgan Freeman. He’s earned that Oscar and I’m greatly interested in seeing the film that earned it for him.
Cate Blanchett’s Supporting Actress Oscar was noteworthy to me however, simply because her performance was unbelievable. I really enjoyed her lucid tenaciousness in portraying Katherine Hepburn.
And then we had Jamie Foxx’s unrelenting portrayal of Ray Charles, earning him his first Best Lead Oscar. Was it deserved? I think so. His ability to mimic Ray Charles, right down to the nuance unseen by his peers and contemporaries, is uncanny. Leonardo DiCaprio also deserved, but he can’t compete with a performance like Foxx’s. Interestingly enough, I was relieved that Depp didn’t win. I mean, come on, he deserves to win, but not for one of his most understated, autopilot performances. No, an actor like him who crafted a career out of performances the Academy shied away from should win on the basis of such bizarreness. Depp deserves recognition for one of his future freak performances, like Willy Wonka or Edgar Allen Poe.

Finally, we had the best director and the best picture, neither of which I can comment upon. I would have chosen The Aviator, but I haven’t seen Million Dollar Baby yet. I’m unsure of what I would think after such a screening, but I’m betting that I’d be satisfied with Eastwood’s sweep. As for Scorsese? Well, he never needed an Oscar to vindicate himself anyway.

You think about yourself too much

Gabe is right, Digital Ash in a Digital urn is great.

We just may have a new champion.

Oh, and check this out, a possible prop from what could be my next movie. Yes, there was a safari club. No more. But hey, this will be a subtle wink to that era.

Mission: AGTC - Timeline: 48hours

Pre-production at the Matter of Chance offices

I was going to update the blog over the weekend, but I got caught up in the aggressive shooting schedule for Matter of Chance’s new film, AGTC. Josh however, managed to blog an extensive post, after the shooting had commenced, with screencaps and a bit of commentary behind the narrative.
Even though the workload was difficult, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
One of my teachers said that filming a movie is much like going into battle with your own personal army. You have your equipment and weaponry (camera) and you have your soldiers (the director of photography, director, actors, gaffer and so on). To further the analogy, another teacher of mine said that whenever you shoot outside a controlled setting like a studio, you are shooting inside a hostile environment. This means that the elements within the location may not provide amiable backdrop or conditions for your composed image.
Since I have exclusively filmed projects outside a studio environment, I can well attest to this statement. In fact, this weekend seemed to confirm that analogy all the more in my mind. Yes, we were a small task force that moved in to secure the required footage. Our base of operations was Josh’s computer room and our map to victory was a screenplay that he, myself, Micah and Angie brainstormed over late Friday night. With our soldiers in check and Josh at the helm, we combed over a hostile location for the larger part of our Saturday afternoon.
I think what made the location so hostile was the vast number of people swarming in and out of the public library. That made it difficult to film and I think personally, difficult to concentrate.
Yes, this time I filled in as an actor. I have to say, I was reluctant to do it, but Josh had told me that it was his preference for me to play an acting role. In retrospect, I’m glad I acted in the film. It helped me to see how difficult it is for actors to establish an interesting character for the duration of a film. And I was only playing a role for a short 7-minute movie!
At any rate, it is difficult to develop a character within a 48-hour period. Much less, develop a character when you aren’t an actor, but merely an aspiring director with more technical knowledge then acting knowledge. But, I tried.
I think that overall, the movie works very well as a group piece. Yet, the film does have great photography, score and CGI post-production graphics. The story is also interesting. However, in my opinion, I am not sure if the audience is going to appreciate the overflowing detail we loaded into the film. We’ll see…

I think that the two most awkward moments during the filming for me was having to shoot in a bathroom stall (as other people were coming in to use the facilities) and having to run up a flight of stairs right in front of library personnel.
While running, I had to stop for a moment and catch my breath. When I stopped I apologized to Josh and prepped myself to tackle the steps once again, but Josh told me to wait up. In fact, he said: “I think we’re freaking the library people out”. Sure enough, I looked over to find one of the librarians and a couple attendants looking in our direction with a hint of malice and discomfort.
I can’t blame them – we were running full-tilt up the center staircase in a library for crying out loud.
When the day had come to an end, we all regrouped at Manuel’s for some Mexican food and a well-earned break. After that, Josh and Micah flew headfirst into an ambitious editing block, with Josh at the computer keyboard editing footage and Micah at the piano keyboard composing music to the film.
I will always remember our work on “I’m Not Crazy” fondly, but I think it is safe to say that we stepped it up several notches with this year’s 48-Hour Challenge.

Between the hectic shooting schedule over the weekend, Josh and I briefly discussed plans to launch a new website devoted to Matter of Chance Productions. This website was brought into consideration for a number of reasons, one being that we’ve finally begun to amass a number of nicely constructed projects for ourselves. Moreover, we have had several people approach us with ideas for music videos and other projects. So, this website is a natural step.
We didn’t talk a whole lot about content, but Josh tossed around a few ideas that ought to make the website worth visiting. I think it’s safe to say that we’re getting a nice beginning for ourselves.

Sick of Being Deep

Well, The Casket Lottery has, pretty much, finally made it official.

its been awhile. while some say, no news is good news, this might be quite the contrary. its been said, and pretty much determined that the casket lottery has "broken up". it may be true. we never really talked about it, but it seems like that is the current status. we all still get along swimmingly, but got sort of tired of the routine i guess. maybe we'll play again sometime, but that doesn't look like anything that will happen in the near future. we are still playing music in one form or the other. junior has been playing drums and rehearsing for a new appleseed cast recording. he's also teaching quite a few young drummers how to fall in love with music and not go to college. stacy is living the married life and currently making a video game with some friends. he's also playing music with me on some of my own songs that i'll be recording this summer. as well as said tracks, i'm also playing in a very loud band with sean ingram, of coalesce, sam hoskins, of the elevator division, and quite possibly another handsome dude, from another cool band, playing bass. more news on all of those projects as it comes.

I'm glad Nathan will be working on his own music. I'm going to go sulk now...and listen to some Casket Lottery.

Details

I gotta say that the amount of details we've put into this 48-hour film challenge is scary. Matching costumes, ID badges, a secret pen to hold microchips...it's gonna be crazy. If Josh doesn't at least get a 2nd or 3rd for Best Cinematography, I'll be peeved.

Geek Love

You must check out Try Avoidance to see stills from our upcoming movie Intense Math! Peruse the screenplay at http://members.cox.net/gbloyer/IntenseMath.doc if you like.

Productions of Grandeur

Tonight I had a quick little meeting with my art director for my up-coming school film project. It went pretty well and I think she’s starting to feel the vibe of the piece.
Last week when I began discussing the scope and enormity of this new film with her, she practically had a complete shutdown. She was interested in the project, but was unable to fathom the number of people we’d need to recruit from among the school ranks to make it work. It didn’t help that she wanted two people to help oversee the art direction.
I think her biggest worry was trying to match the continuity of the environment shot to shot. Shooting on location is always easy in that regard because the environment is self-preserving; you always have to work around it, but you never get the feeling that elements have changed as the story has progressed. But, since I’ll probably be working in the studio and creating an environment from scratch, she feared matching the continuity of each shot into the entire mosaic the environment represented.
Soooooo, I basically just took a few hours every day this week to sit down and plot out the entire environment for her. I did it from how I saw it in my head. However, I didn’t take into account camera movement while doing this; instead I envisioned the environment as a complete entity that actually existed in the real world.
Then, I went in and broke this environment down into sections. Each section referenced a point in the script where the character was. These sections represented the vast whole of the environment that I had created.
After that, I plotted out overheads of each section and how they could be created in the studio environment. I listed camera and light positions, character movements, f-stops, and what not. By knowing where everything was, I was able to block it out to show her how much we had to show on the camera, what had to remain continuous throughout the film, and what we could leave out. Some parts of the environment that I created in my initial projection didn’t end up being shown on the camera.
Once I showed all this to her she began to realize how easily and economically we could create it. She knew the grand environment, what was involved in it, and how she could break it down into manageable chunks for the various takes.

Sometimes, convincing people is tough, especially these days. Last semester no one knew me. But after shooting a few films and becoming familiar with my fellow student body, I’ve earned the reputation of being a “challenging” director who comes up with ideas that are “difficult to execute”.
My Director of Photography for Pantomiming, Chad Einwalter offered me some support over this issue. He sympathized that it’s terrible when no one wants to take on a tremendous challenge, yet urged me to continue creating challenges, if only to test my own boundaries. That was encouraging for me to hear.
My upcoming shoot is very difficult however. If I cannot get required elements and contributors aligned up in the next few days, I’ll probably trash it and move on to my secondary idea. That’s a tough call to make, but I feel that my secondary idea is very strong. It would also be easier to execute. In that sense, it wouldn’t be like I’d be giving up anything.

I think its of interest to note how I’ve become accustomed to night blogging. Could this become the normal routine? Possibly. For some reason I’ve just grown distasteful of blogging during the day. I have absolutely no problem reading other people’s posts and commenting on them, but I just don’t feel like writing my own posts. I think it’s more of an unloading process at night. During the day I often feel like I need to come up with topics and various subjects to discuss.
In the here and now, my ideas are free flowing. I just write and fill up the blank.

Now, I don’t want to present some overkill on the much analyzed Super bowl game of last weekend, but I do want to offer some thoughts about the various trailers shown during the game’s commercial break.
Two in particular caught my interest, War of the Worlds and Batman Begins:

Batman begins is going to be a very motivating film. It has a great look, yet at the same time it has managed to leave out the stylized edginess that Burton used to characterize his take on the series.

Yet, I worry that the character of Bruce Wayne is going to loose something in this new translation. Wayne is supposed to be brooding, dark, intense. Yet, in this trailer he’s making wise cracks about the Batmobile color. That may only be a comic relief moment, and one of few that actually make it into the final cut, but I felt that it was a tad inappropriate for a character of Wayne’s concentration.

I’d like to finally note that the cinematography for the Bat-Cave is breathtaking, absolutely stunning.

And then we had the trailer for War of the Worlds, which was very unimpressive and rather meandering. I know that Spielberg was trying to capture the feeling of the moment, which was obviously a feeling of terror, but I under whelmed. He could have said so much more in the limited space he was given, yet he didn’t. Don’t get me wrong however; I respect the director’s decision to keep so much unsaid. I can admire his choice to keep his best stuff under wraps until the film actually comes out. But, I just felt like Spielberg showed way too little.

Even some rapid, quick cuts of tantalizing images would have been neat because it would have had the net buzzing for days with screen caps and dissections. Oh well.

This weekend is the Intense Math shoot. We’re shooting in the Phoenix Library. Josh has been stocking up on lights, gels and a dolly. We ought to have plenty to work with. Hopefully, Gabe will be satisfied. I’m especially excited for this shoot because it will be the first time we’ll all be working together. Gabe and Josh have done some great things while working together, so I can only hope to add something to the team and learn to work from their creative process.

Lately

Ohhhh man, tough night at the races.

I can’t believe how tired, and yet at the same time, how energetic I am. I think all these late nights have conditioned me into sleeping later and later. Before you know it, I’ll be one of those people who wake up and do everything at night and then sleep during the day. That must be terrible for your skin. But it wouldn’t really matter; I have pale skin already.
I have been making some progress during these late nights however…writing.
Writing, thinking, blocking out angles, all kinds of things I might normally be adverse to doing during the day. Actually, I have been working hard during the day as well. Either way, it’s all coming around to my benefit. I feel like I’m really learning a lot. I’ve been reading tons of books, plotting out numerous short films, writing screenplays, developing new ideas and honing my abilities. And yet, it’s been very pleasant as well. It’s almost like a solitary existence.

Anyway, I’ve been trying to get into contact with some plant rental houses in the valley. Yes, you heard me, plant rental houses. Never mind what for, what matters is if they can help a student trapped within his own destitution. I think they can, but we’ll see.
I also feel ashamed that I haven’t blogged in a while. Truth be told, I haven’t had much to blog about. I could write out posts to numerous different things I’m working on, but that would merely be histrionic. And you’re sick of histrionic Brock, I’m sure.
I am gearing up for some shooting this weekend with Josh and possibly Gabe. We’re planning to work on this short screenplay that Gabe wrote a few weeks back. It’s really a nice little story with plenty of good lines and interaction between the characters. I think it’ll be fun to block out, shoot and edit.
And then next weekend of course is the 48 Hour Film Challenge. Gabe will be gone, but Josh and I will take care of that one. I may even call up a few schoolmates (if Josh thinks we’ll need more people) and try to get them involved.
Ah, see? I went and became histrionic.

That’s that: I don’t know when I’ll blog again, so don’t expect anything.

Ghost of Jimmy

My silly little story on Mr. Stewart is up at The Study of Leonard Hughes. It was inspired by a conversation in Hollywood with my wife and Brock. It originally was to be longer, but I got stuck where I left off. It's probably better that way.

Inspired by True Events

It’s been a while since I last posted. I feel like I’ve been gone for a long time. I feel like a recluse. I haven’t even shaved in over a week. I’m grizzly.

I’ve been super busy since my Grandmother passed away. I’ve been working on the baby’s room and then flew to Mississippi for the funeral the last weekend of January. Despite the air of sadness, we came back to the house after the funeral and had a good time. I hadn’t seen my cousins in over a decade. We released tension through knife and flame throwing. No exaggeration. The flame throwing involved some Bacardi 151. That should give you an idea of the atmosphere.

A few days after returning, it was back in the air for me to Salt Lake City. Rebekah, Sara, Joel and I went up for the weekend. Joel and I did some snowboarding at Brighton. It was the best snowboarding I’ve ever done. The trip was much needed for me.

Not this coming weekend, but next, I’ll be going back to Mississippi to drive back a U-Haul of stuff. Marco has generously offered to come along. We’ve both done it before. When I bought my Eclipse on eBay, it was located in Mississippi. Marco and I flew over and drove it back. I can tell you right now, it’s not that exciting of a drive.

I’m depressed I have to miss some filmmaking because of everything going on. But, with everything I’ve been experiencing, there may be some life-inspired scripts in the future.

Love You Gone

Sadly, you have probably heard by now about the disbanding of Hey Mercedes. It is an unfortunate event to witness when a favorite band breaks up. Gabe and I have had to experience it several times over the last few years. The Great Casket Lottery scare back in the day nearly tipped the scales, but I think the harshest we have had to cope with recently has been Small Brown Bike’s dismantling. But this…this is a blow without recourse.
Hey Mercedes was a band like no other. They did not boast the popularity of The Get Up Kids, or the fame of Saves the Day, and they most certainly did not rake in the money like numerous other Vagrant bands. But, if I have noticed one singular assessment among their loyal fan base over the course of their breakup, it has been the respectful
acknowledgement that they had class. Hey Mercedes belonged in the pages of The New Yorker. Their dialogue seemed to fit right in step with the picturesque pentameter of famous authors such as Schickler and Salinger. Groups like Saves the Day waxed pre-pubescent anguish over girls they had met in High School. Hey Mercedes was the band that spent its evenings in the smoky parlor over a few lamented tales of bitterness and revenge. They were easily one of the best groups of musicians to grace my collection from the moment of their conception, and they will be missed.

Action

Last night was my first night of Motion Picture Directing. I can’t say that anything terribly life changing happened during the class, but I think it is going to be fun. It is a very different atmosphere from my last semester. So far, I’ve only got one of my former crewmembers in this class, Brandon Steed, the 1st AC for Pantomiming. I’m also supposed to have Pantomiming’s casting director, but he was absent the first night (doh!).
The really interesting thing is that our teacher is actually a member of the Directors Guild of America. His professional name is Johnny Dust. I looked him up on the DGA website after class and found out that he directed commercials for Intel, Pepsi and McDonalds. In fact, one of the things he commented on during the class was his ability to get students freelance jobs with commercial agencies. Who knows?
Anyway, he started the night off with a little anecdote for the class. He once saw this documentary in which the director interviewed a serial killer who was on death row. He was a decidedly bad fellow – a rapist, a murderer, a sadist, sick and brutal in every way imaginable. In his lifetime he had done unspeakable things, and here he was, locked away because of the crimes he committed. The filmmaker rolled the camera and asked him point blank: “If you could do it all again, would you do it differently?”
The criminal sat there for a while, thinking to himself. Then, he looked up at the camera, and said: “If I could do it all again, I would like to direct”.
Some people in the class laughed, but a couple took on disgusted expressions. The teacher said that it was a nice illustration to introduce the world of motion picture directing and what kind of a mentality people believe directors as a whole have.
Regarding our curriculum, he said that he would teach us how to improve our skills in handling actors, but that he wasn’t an actor’s director. In fact, he said that the most indispensable tool a director has is cinematography (and he expects us to be proficient in it).
Overall, it will be an interesting class. Brandon and myself are the two youngest students in the class. Everyone else seems to be in their mid to late 20’s. And since we’re fresh out of production, I think most of the class sees us as snotty upstarts. I’m sure I’ll get to know them in time though.

On a different note, I rented the Village today and watched it for the first time since I saw it in the theater. I think I appreciated it a little more, but I’m still not a fan. However, I did pick out one element of the film that I think was the best in comparison all other films released this year. You’ll know what it is when I give my “best of 2004”…

…Whenever that is.

Game, set, match

Interesting night...interesting night indeed. More tomorrow.

I see skies of blue...

So, let’s talk about this new Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy movie. As you may or may not know, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was a popular book series written and developed by Douglas Adams. Adams, who frequently dabbled in both television and video games as mediums to explore the story, was adamant before his death about getting the stories translated into film. He had even penned a screenplay for such a movie. Now, here we are, sadly without Adams, yet with the presence of the first Hitchhiker movie looming upon us.
Without a doubt, considerable attention has gone into the creation of this film. Months, nay, years of preparation have preceded its conception. Endless debates and ponderings over the need for such a film have perpetrated even Adams’ most loyal of fans. And yet, here it is.
After watching the teaser trailer and reading extensively on the film, I have a number of positive expectations for the movie, but a couple of concerns as well.
First and foremost, the best thing that can be said about this movie is the extraordinary casting. Martin Freeman as Arthur Dent seems to be coolly calculated, Zooey Deschanel as Trillian is nicely played, and Sam Rockwell is always a welcome presence. Throwing in a few seasoned professionals like John Malkovich and Alan Rickman is smart. Overall, they seem to be playing their cards right in this area. The names are recognizable, but thankfully not overtly so.
The second best thing the movie has going for it is the director, Garth Jennings, who is a virtual unknown to mainstream film. Gabe pointed him out to me as the director of Blur’s ridiculously hilarious Coffee and TV music video. Aside from that, he hasn’t really had much experience in the industry. The most notable thing that could be said about the last few years of his work has been his job designing title sequences. However, if the sense of humor and style present in Coffee and TV is any indication, he just may be the right man for the job. It’s also nice to know that the film will not emerge from Jay Roach’s questionable talents (who is now only a producer). Roach, who directed Austin Powers and Meet the Parents, was formerly a concern I nurtured over this film. He is a funny enough director, but in a purely mainstream sense. The Hitchhiker brand of humor tended to stray away from that realm and into the bizarre.

Those being the good things, it’s time to move into the bad.
The first bad thing is the occasional change having taken place, differing the film (rather annoyingly in my opinion) from the book. Most notable among these changes is the alteration of Sam Rockwell’s character, Zaphod Beeblebrox. Formerly, he had two heads, which was quite amusingly played out by Adams numerous times in the prose. Yet the producers and director have thought it apt to change his dual head into a much smaller head that comes out of his nose. I’m sorry, what? Adams’ concept of the character was absurd, but this interpretation is so far, unfavorable. If they are so willing to completely and utterly slaughter one concept, who is to say that they haven’t already abolished others?
The second thing that bothers me is the mindset behind the creation of this film; basically it stands like this: Since Men In Black worked, this will work. Which is an unfortunate way to approach the film. If they’re trying to mold the humor around the style of the Men In Black films, then it’s safe to say that they’ve completely missed the comedic styling of the book, and to a greater extent, Adams. Adams was self-depreciating, mocking, off-color and politically correct to the point of being incorrect. Men In Black was simply concentrated buzz, absurdity for the blind. Very little of the humor was rooted in cultural implications, which the Hitchhiker humor seemed to thrive upon.

Of course, the teaser trailer and poster have raised my anticipation. And there is a singular beacon of hope that might very well propel this film into being a very successful endeavor: Douglas Adams’ guidance. The fact that he begun working on the film, laying the groundwork, before his death is a very comforting thought indeed.

Back to the grind

Tonight is my first night back in school. I’m elated to be back, but I’m also unsure of what might lie in store for me. Whatever the case, I doubt that it will be as harrowing as last semester was. The first class tonight is Motion Picture Directing. There is no actual filming that goes on in this class. Rather, we are given actors and an outline and spend the rest of the semester overseeing various responsibilities, building up to the creation of a film. I imagine that once the class ends and we don’t have any footage to detail all of our hard work, the experience will feel very anti-climatic. Yet, it’s nice to know that I won’t be producing two films at once…again.

Tomorrow night is Cinematography. I suspect that it might be the most difficult class of the semester. However, the arguing principle behind this logic goes like this: Cinematography could be boiled down to a science, but Motion Picture Directing lies in what can’t be measured and tested. I guess it’s more of a touch and go thing with Motion Picture Directing, which might make it an exceedingly difficult class that could very well dwarf Cinematography.
And then, next Monday I have Screenwriting II. I expect this to be the easiest class of the semester, since all we have to do is write.

Good enough

Over the weekend I saw In Good Company, staring Topher Grace and Dennis Quaid. Now, I’ve recently stopped reviewing movies and stuff here on the blog, but I felt like I had to mention this one in passing, only because it came very close to being very good. Yes, it was actually a very ambitious film. The themes explored in the story are thematic narratives that Gabe and myself have attempted to explore in our own stories and screenplays. Yet, while he and I made noble attempts, this film comes very close to nailing the subject of corporatism and cutthroat business practices to the wall. The subject is very darkly explored in the first half of the film, which takes delicate time to lie out the difficulties corporate politics and over-ambition have on marriage and family life. It also sketches out the current climate of lay-offs and empty kindness in the workplace. I think what really sold me on the theme of the film was the direct reference to major companies and firms taking on the visage of self-propelled, self-governed countries. That fear has been predicted for a long time, and now that it seems to be coming to a full-realization, the filmmakers have decided to waste no time in pointing it out.
In Good Company isn’t a great film, but it has a respectable amount of substance and it comes dangerously close to the mark of being memorable.