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.