Collegiate Handbook. F'n A.
http://www.collegiatehandbook.com
http://www.tchmovie.com
Same site, just 2 different domains.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
Oh Fuck
I'm averaging about 1 or 2 posts a month, how prolific.
So, since I'm pretty tired of being abused at work, and we're all gunna be fired in a few weeks anyway, I'm looking for other jobs.
And I realized I have no freakin clue what I'm looking for. I have a career goal now, to open an indie studio that supports itself with fiction. It's a really high shot, so I feel like everything I do needs to work toward that. Well, that's not really well explored territory. I know I should work in every major field of filmmaking, but I can make more money, and be further up administratively as an editor.
Also, it's not like I can go out and get a paying job as a director. Producer stuff is easy enough to find, but all of the best jobs in any part of the industry are in LA. And I refuse. Maybe I should talk to Robert Rodriguez. See if he has an Editor position open.
So, since I'm pretty tired of being abused at work, and we're all gunna be fired in a few weeks anyway, I'm looking for other jobs.
And I realized I have no freakin clue what I'm looking for. I have a career goal now, to open an indie studio that supports itself with fiction. It's a really high shot, so I feel like everything I do needs to work toward that. Well, that's not really well explored territory. I know I should work in every major field of filmmaking, but I can make more money, and be further up administratively as an editor.
Also, it's not like I can go out and get a paying job as a director. Producer stuff is easy enough to find, but all of the best jobs in any part of the industry are in LA. And I refuse. Maybe I should talk to Robert Rodriguez. See if he has an Editor position open.
Monday, June 30, 2008
The Cinematic Bias Against Comedy
Many times I've heard comedy fans gripe about the industry's reluctance to reward comedic achievement.
It's not surprising really. There is not much variation on what makes a good drama. A good story, compelling characters, and at least one literary reference no one will get. There are so many types of comedy, that if it doesn't fit any given person's sense of humor it simply won't work.
This is why if comedy writers want to be recognized they need to start writing rounder. Unless you're doing sketch comedy, every project is a movie first and a comedy second. There needs to be a real basis for the film. Slapping jokes on the screen for an hour and a half may please the local riffraff, but the big leagues require something that isn't a replacement for stand up comedy.
Comedies that desire industry credibility also need to write smarter. Regardless of how well "Meet the Spartans" does at the box office, it's still fucking stupid.
It's not surprising really. There is not much variation on what makes a good drama. A good story, compelling characters, and at least one literary reference no one will get. There are so many types of comedy, that if it doesn't fit any given person's sense of humor it simply won't work.
This is why if comedy writers want to be recognized they need to start writing rounder. Unless you're doing sketch comedy, every project is a movie first and a comedy second. There needs to be a real basis for the film. Slapping jokes on the screen for an hour and a half may please the local riffraff, but the big leagues require something that isn't a replacement for stand up comedy.
Comedies that desire industry credibility also need to write smarter. Regardless of how well "Meet the Spartans" does at the box office, it's still fucking stupid.
Friday, May 16, 2008
I bet I could be a professional pooper
I have a bit I do in stand up (or I would, if I ever did my act) where I claim to be a professional comedian because one time in high school someone payed me a quarter to do my Bill Cosby impression.
But I know being a professional isn't about getting paid. I genuinely think that being a professional means you do professional quality work. By a crazy series of events I've now edited 4 national spots. I earn my living by editing at an ad agency. I make money hand over fist doing freelance editing. Am I a professional? That's debatable. I still hesitate when people ask me what I do.
But I know being a professional isn't about getting paid. I genuinely think that being a professional means you do professional quality work. By a crazy series of events I've now edited 4 national spots. I earn my living by editing at an ad agency. I make money hand over fist doing freelance editing. Am I a professional? That's debatable. I still hesitate when people ask me what I do.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
The man on the island
Recently the line came to me- The man on the island is happy with his coconuts.
That could be interpreted any number of ways.
-I could be talking about people who are happy in naivety. So, if coconuts is all you've ever known, of course you're happy with it, because you do not know that people eat meats and cakes on the mainland. This concept is similar to my point, but not it.
-I might be talking about a lack of ambition and acceptance of mediocrity. The man is happy enough with his coconuts, so he needs not escape the island to find alternatives. It's not a terrible point, but it's also not the one I was making.
-I was speaking to the behavior of the stupid and the cultureless. They refuse to show a little extra effort to catch fish, even though fish taste so much better. It might be that they lack the ability to catch the fish, or even are so bad at catching fish that they have never even tasted how much better they are. And certainly a fish enthusiast won't have any luck changing the man's opinion of the value of fish over coconuts. Besides, why would he want to? The man just sits there, grinning stupidly and munching on coconut meat.
Bitter? Maybe. But so, so true.
That could be interpreted any number of ways.
-I could be talking about people who are happy in naivety. So, if coconuts is all you've ever known, of course you're happy with it, because you do not know that people eat meats and cakes on the mainland. This concept is similar to my point, but not it.
-I might be talking about a lack of ambition and acceptance of mediocrity. The man is happy enough with his coconuts, so he needs not escape the island to find alternatives. It's not a terrible point, but it's also not the one I was making.
-I was speaking to the behavior of the stupid and the cultureless. They refuse to show a little extra effort to catch fish, even though fish taste so much better. It might be that they lack the ability to catch the fish, or even are so bad at catching fish that they have never even tasted how much better they are. And certainly a fish enthusiast won't have any luck changing the man's opinion of the value of fish over coconuts. Besides, why would he want to? The man just sits there, grinning stupidly and munching on coconut meat.
Bitter? Maybe. But so, so true.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Video game music
I was at work, picking out music for a video that the other editor was cutting when I heard a piece of the music he was sifting through. It was bad electronica. I sighed, nostalgic, as my mind wandered to 80's video games.
I started to think how much I missed early video game music, and how much it had changed. Most notably with the ps1 when developers weren't forced to cram midis on games anymore and could actually use recorded music. Of course the PS2 was out before all that many took advantage of this opportunity. This not only got away from software instrumentation, but also allowed popular music to be put into games. This didn't really affect me, because I like classical music and modern music about equally, but I did hear some new songs from skateboarding and BMX games.
A potentially groundbreaking move was with the xbox allowing you to rip your own CDs into the hard drive and play them during games. Unfortunately very few games offered this option. I actively went to seek out games that had this option available. It's why I played DOA beach volleyball so much. .....
Anyway, the bad electronica made me long for the days of shitty midis. I'm honestly not sure if this is just because of nostalgia or if I like the gritty midi sound as a change of pace from the flawless symphony.
I started to think how much I missed early video game music, and how much it had changed. Most notably with the ps1 when developers weren't forced to cram midis on games anymore and could actually use recorded music. Of course the PS2 was out before all that many took advantage of this opportunity. This not only got away from software instrumentation, but also allowed popular music to be put into games. This didn't really affect me, because I like classical music and modern music about equally, but I did hear some new songs from skateboarding and BMX games.
A potentially groundbreaking move was with the xbox allowing you to rip your own CDs into the hard drive and play them during games. Unfortunately very few games offered this option. I actively went to seek out games that had this option available. It's why I played DOA beach volleyball so much. .....
Anyway, the bad electronica made me long for the days of shitty midis. I'm honestly not sure if this is just because of nostalgia or if I like the gritty midi sound as a change of pace from the flawless symphony.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
News
Since it's April, I'm back. I've decided that since I have no readers to disappoint, I'll only be posting when I feel the urge rather than sticking to a schedule. For today I'll just post my recent news.
I've yet to go to a Mensa meeting, but I've flashed my membership card at several bars to try to get free drinks. And tang.
I finally shat on the pot I've been sitting on for a long time and made a webcomic.
Smash This. I hope the project with reach a few talented artists who would be willing to take on my other 5 webcomic projects I have waiting in the wings.
The feature has unsurprisingly hit more delays. I'm so f'n tired of this movie.
I think I'm dying of some sort of plague and my new doctor can't see me until monday because he wants me to die, apparently.
-D
I've yet to go to a Mensa meeting, but I've flashed my membership card at several bars to try to get free drinks. And tang.
I finally shat on the pot I've been sitting on for a long time and made a webcomic.
Smash This. I hope the project with reach a few talented artists who would be willing to take on my other 5 webcomic projects I have waiting in the wings.
The feature has unsurprisingly hit more delays. I'm so f'n tired of this movie.
I think I'm dying of some sort of plague and my new doctor can't see me until monday because he wants me to die, apparently.
-D
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
I am on being smarterning
I know I'm taking a bit of a break, but I wanted to announce that I got my acceptance letter to Mensa yesterday. I am, of course, going to use this to be even more superior and exclusionist than ever. I am also going to ask my company for a raise using something like the following:
"As you might have heard, I recently joined American Mensa. Since this means that I am in the top 2% in terms of intelligence I submit that I should be in the top 2% in yearly income. According to a 2003 census the top 2% earners in America make over $300,000 a year. Since I am not greedy, I will accept this outdated statistic and not ask for more than the minimum. If possible, I would also like this to occur retroactively to cover the amount of time I worked last year.
I realize this will require a very large amount of money and I will be patient in waiting for it."
Think it will work?
"As you might have heard, I recently joined American Mensa. Since this means that I am in the top 2% in terms of intelligence I submit that I should be in the top 2% in yearly income. According to a 2003 census the top 2% earners in America make over $300,000 a year. Since I am not greedy, I will accept this outdated statistic and not ask for more than the minimum. If possible, I would also like this to occur retroactively to cover the amount of time I worked last year.
I realize this will require a very large amount of money and I will be patient in waiting for it."
Think it will work?
Friday, March 7, 2008
Short Break
I am going to take a break from writing the blog for about 2 weeks to get some screenwriting done. It might be less, it might be more, but I'll certainly be writing in it again by April. I'll also post when the feature comes out regardless. Hopefully by the time I'm doing the blog again I'll have some tips on how to submit a screenplay to a studio.
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