I didn’t really do much the past couple days (it’s a vacation! I can sleep any time I want!) but I did see a play at the fabulous BATS Theatre with my cousin Dave, who also works in theater and film. Once a year they do a horror fest called STAB. But the day before or so I visited the Roxy Cinema, which has recently been restored to polished-wood-and-brass glory by Jamie Selkirk and Sir Richard Taylor of Miramar/Weta. That's real light, not digital light! *ding!* The best part, though, … [ read more » ]
It probably all started with Star Wars. That’s the first time I remember, at least — coming home from Star Wars, at the impressionable age of six, with all those images burned into my brain, from that huge starship screaming into view at the beginning onward. I already had the basic idea of how movies worked — I knew what I was seeing wasn’t real, I knew the starships were models, the Death Star was a set, and, as I tried in vain to convince a kid on the playground, … [ read more » ]
They say if you are physically capable of running for at least ten or eleven miles, you’re physically capable of running a marathon. So what stops people from running a marathon? Themselves: their minds, the pain, the boredom. The sheer “what the hell am I doing running all this way for?” feeling. Most of my marathon-running friends say this starts to happen to them around mile nineteen or twenty. They start to drift off mentally, can’t stop thinking about how much their knees hurt, or how hot it suddenly is, … [ read more » ]
As I talked about last week, I have been pretty quiet on Twitter and Facebook. I’ve been working on grant proposals and some writing, but I’m also dealing with the specifics of my father’s estate and, of course, spending time with him and the rest of my family. Yesterday we visited a small local distillery on the way to his house and bought some lovely whiskey to share. Dad’s decided there’s no reason not to drink the expensive stuff now and I agree. (Dad was also super charmed with Causality. … [ read more » ]
www.zoomorphs.com Thursday was a good day. One of the last key roles on the production team that is not yet set is the position of editor/visual effects artist. Thanks to our Director of Photography, I had an exchange with a very talented VFX artist that he recommended. We still have to have another conversation to see if he’ll definitely join up, but so far it looks promising. I’m really looking forward to the follow up conversation for several reasons, not the least of which is to discuss a question that … [ read more » ]
…I totally forgot that it was Wednesday today. I goofed off, Time Travelers. I really did. I’ll post a nice, long, juicy post for you tomorrow, but yesterday I: got up made breakfast did a bunch of research for Causality (t-shirts! podcast! I am prepared!) But from there it all went downhill: I drove the Chef to work drove my best friend to work (PS: I don’t usually drive) picked up a check had a tiny anxiety attack didn’t drive for a minute took some serotonin precursors (I am “burned-out, … [ read more » ]
So, today I was going to post the second in my Seattle series, but then I hit on a better topic, a more timely topic: the past. You guys, we found out this week that my dad is really sick. Like, not-gonna-make-it sick. I know, tough year, huh? Anyway, I think it’s important at times like these to look at what the people in your life who are gone – or shortly will be gone – have given you. Just like my mom indirectly contributed to Causality, if not for … [ read more » ]
It could just be my perspective, but it seems like the concept of a “webseries” went from being something that only the most internet addicted had heard of to being relatively mainstream in record time. I know “serious” filmmakers who used to scoff at the idea of creating something specifically for online distribution who are now acting like they never doubted the eventual rise of online entertainment. The exciting part for me is how the medium allows for a total transmedia experience. Just the fact that I’m writing this blog, … [ read more » ]
In May of 2010, my mother, from whom I had been estranged, was given a terminal diagnosis of cancer. She had lung cancer the previous summer, but apparently it was a simple case: a little radiation and she was done, in remission. She spent the winter doing yoga, getting in touch with her spiritual side, and, surprisingly, becoming a better person. As I said, we hadn’t spoken in four years. Working to become a better person had never previously been my mother’s strong suit. When the terminal diagnosis came, that … [ read more » ]