AWAKE: Worth Staying Up For

I found the following post in my "Almost Done" file and although it is from April of 2012, I think that is interesting and important enough to get finished and posted... Here goes!

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April 2012

"Awake" is NBC's latest attempt at a psychological thriller-type one hour drama starring Jason Isaacs as a police detective who lives a double life.

When I first heard the plot explained to me as such all I could think of was a sleazy, mustachioed detective who was working undercover and honestly, it bored me. I thought back to "NYPD Blue" and "The Wire", both good shows in their own right but neither really able to hold my interest ("NYPD Blue" because I was too young when I would watch it with my dad and "The Wire" because I found it predicable and too slow for my liking), and I wondered how NBC would crunch the two together while trying to make it more mainstream and network (read: no swearing, no sex, no violence, no plot twists). I immediately assumed that the show would be a bust and ignored it entirely, instead spending my time catching up on "Doctor Who" and "Misfits". Once I was done being awed by British TV, I made my way back to American television and on one particularly boring afternoon I decided to give "Awake" a try.

After watching a few episodes I realized that the explanation that I was first given did not do the plot justice. Let me rephrase the first sentence of this post for you and add another one for dramatic effect:
"Awake" is NBC's latest attempt at a psychological thriller-type one hour drama starring Jason Isaacs as a police detective who lives alternate, parallel lives after a member of his family is killed in a car accident. In one reality he lives with his wife and in the other his son; the gateway between the two realities is sleep - so is one really a dream?

I clearly have no issue with an odd look at reality; I've already confessed to watching "Doctor Who" and "Misfits" and I will now confess to being an almost avid viewer of "Fringe". It took me mere moments to accept the concept of two realities separated by sleep and to also accept the fact that it would probably not work very well, especially on NBC, who this year has proven that only idiots watch their network (How in the world does "Community" almost get canceled but "Whitney" still exists?). I started the episode and a game of solitaire and settled in for what I thought was going to be a mediocre show about dealing with the death of a loved one masked ever-so-slightly by an air of confusion/sci-fi...

What I encountered was something almost entirely different. I found a well-crafted and thought out scenario that had many possibilities. A Father/Detective, Mother, and Son are in a terrible car accident. One of them dies. Life sucks because of it. Enter two realities where the Son has died in one and the Wife has died in the other. A compelling storyline unfolded which included the terrible reality of suddenly losing a loved one balanced with this underlying psychological/sci-fi multiple-reality scenario. The episode (and subsequent episodes) was sad and poignant when needed and mysterious and intriguing enough to pull me out of that melancholy for future scenes.

In the first few episodes the grieving process is shown quite a bit. In one reality the Mother refuses to open her dead son's mail only to come to the realization later on that it may show her some hidden hopes and dreams that he may have had, a glimmer of hope that she would be able to hold him again, if only in her heart. In the other reality the Son takes up the sport that his deceased mother loved, finding that it both made him feel closer to her and made him miss her more. In both realities the main character, Detective Michael Britten, (I thought it about time to start calling him by name) is trying to connect to his wife or son, and the fact that he lives his life in both realities, and therefore still with both of them, keeps him from truly connecting emotionally to either of the survivors.

I tend to dislike genuine emotions and plausible real-world scenarios in TV, movies, books, etc. so I was pleasantly surprised that this show managed to be funny, interesting, and mysterious enough to make the clearly sad and terrible experiences of the characters less depressing. You see a mother grieving for her son, and it is so sad, but those emotions are balanced out with the sci-fi and psychological conundrum of "Why do I see two realities? Do I have to choose one?"

The first episode also lays out a few more things that are important for the rest of the series. In both realities Detective Britten sees a psychologist and both explain to him that their reality is clearly the real reality; the other reality is merely a dream. Both continue to bring up evidence throughout the season that is supposed to convince him that one or the other reality is the real one and both suggest that the reason he experiences the other dream reality is because his mind cannot cope with the death of his wife/son. These basic ideas are echoed at the beginning of each episode during the opening credits.

Detective Britten also uses a set of colored rubber bands to help him remember which reality he is in. If you are like me and still don't remember, things can get somewhat confusing sometimes. Someone made the great and appreciated decision to differ the warmth and overall tone of the realities (one being amber and the other being blue) which not only subconsciously helps me differentiate but is also a pretty interesting use of editing.

The story continues to add twists and turns (and a penguin!) and for someone like me who always needs to figure out the mystery before it is revealed I was constantly being challenged. It is hard for me to find shows (or books or video games) where I don't figure out the mystery before you are supposed to, so this show was a welcome addition to my TV viewing schedule. At times I wondered if there was even a mystery to be solved, and I liked that.

I've said a lot about what I like and appreciate about this show but surely I can't love everything, right? Well, I don't. A few things hurt this show but I'd like to think that the biggest culprit was the constant fear that it would be canceled, which seems to have led the creators/writers/Producers to abandon some interesting plot devices and push some plot points in a different manner than originally intended. Of course I am only speculating as I like this show enough to assume that the people in charge had something better in mind than what was ultimately produced, but honestly I have no clue.

The two major things that stick in my head as being issues are an addition and a subtraction to the "meat and potatoes" of the show. The first thing that caught my eye was a seemingly uneeded subplot about corruption within the police force. The first scene establishing this subplot was very jarring styalisticly (and totally broke the rhythm of the episode) and felt like it was tacked on to the end of a finished product, and maybe it was. As the show continued the subplot became less confusing but felt very forced within the story, even after it was explained as really being part of the main plot. I like to think that this information was to be slowly incorporated into the fantastic narrative but when the ratings were low the facts were piled on to make sure that the entire story was explained. I appreciate the production team wanting to tell the entire story; there's nothing more annoying to a fan than not getting the official explanation and end of the story. However, the style and not-so-interesting nature of these additional scenes really broke the flow of the show for me.

The subtraction from the show was a fun and intriguing idea using parallel cases and information from each reality to help solve cases in the opposite reality which was used in the first few episodes and then suddenly abandoned. Perhaps this would have made the show too gimmicky, but a little here and there would have really been interesting. Over the remaining episodes I kept on waiting for some clue to be relevant in the other reality and be used to solve the current case like in the beginning, but it never happened besides a few instances when it was really important for the plot. Again, I'd like to think that the threat of cancelation had something to do with the dramatic shift in this device's use.

One thing that I found very intriguing that most likely had a poor influence on ratings was the extreme cerebral-ness of the show, especially as it neared the end of its short run. I loved the ending and was blown away by the technology, time, and effort put into the final episode, but can definitely see why mainstream America didn't like (or couldn't get into) the show. The series expects the viewer to be enthralled by what is happening and want to know more. It prays on the viewer's ability to be taken into both of Detective Britten's realities and to be as confused/sad/distraught as he is while expecting them to tune in the next week to continue on the roller coaster. In a world of reality TV, formulaic crime shows (which I do thoroughly love), and laugh track enabled sitcoms, a show that encourages the viewer to think will standout but still not catch the general public's TV interests. (The entire reason we have so much reality TV is precisely because that's what a lot of people want to watch!)

To conclude (so lame) I hope that you give "Awake" the chance it deserves. We are too late to save the show but I think you'll appreciate the journey it takes you on through its short run. 

P.S. (also a little lame) Man, oh man, did I enjoy the finale! I don't want to give anything away but if you are thinking about bailing after a few episodes, try to stick it out for the rest of the run so that you can experience that finale. It's a trip I won't soon forget.

Robots Do Not Like You

I was inspired. 

Bad Robot Sketch

Yesterday on Twitter Bad Robot (@bad_robot: Founded in 2001. Makers of Film, TV, Apps, T-shirts and Mayhem.) asked people for sketches: 

"@bad_robot: Any doodlers out there? Send us your Bad Robot drawings and we'll retweet our favorites! #BRLobbySketches"

It took me until today to get up the courage to draw one and tweet it, mostly because I haven't drawn anything for several years. Here it is!

For anyone wondering why I drew a robot, it's their "mascot"... If you watch a Bad Robot movie, you'll see an introductory bit with a little red robot running through some grass. This is him! Well, him with some minor modifications to meet my style.

Wander My Friends: A movie I will stand behind

If you've found your way to my blog you probably know me or Google has hilariously suggested my page when you searched for something else very much not related (thanks, Google, but please stop sending these poor people here when all they really want to know about is how to change a gasket or plant a tree).

In either case, I hope that you enjoy my not-so-regularly updated blog. Or, if you don't enjoy it, hopefully you at least tolerate it and move on without your day getting any worse.

Now on to the reason I'm back here typing away on an entry that few may read and even fewer may care about (but you all should because the topic of this post is important!).

In this ever-growing age of technology and independent art, new people are being exposed to the good, the bad, and the ugly of art, theatre, music, comedy, film, and everything else that anyone wants to call art. Sometimes this exposure comes from Youtube, local gigs, indie film fests, word of mouth, and/or Twitter (and I'm sure other ways as well); but there are a few sites out there that allow viewers not only to find and support works through spreading the word but also by giving money.

If you know about Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and other sites like this, you'll also know that a lot of things get funded that in your eyes (and probably mine) shouldn't. See Team Coco's list of 20 terrible Kickstarter projects for just a taste of the craziest (or maybe to you the best) Kickstarter projects:  http://teamcoco.com/content/the-terrible-20-kickstarter-projects

I understand and appreciate the "to each his own" concept of art and life. If people think that it is important to fund someone's trip to Olive Garden (see link above) then I'm glad that they are able to support something that they believe in (or to support something that they think is so silly that they can't help but give). I also appreciate that someone can get money to help them create their masterpiece, take a trip, or start a business, no matter what it is.

Sometimes though I can't help but sigh, shake my head, and mumble about the youth of our country being less than stellar when it comes to common sense.

And other times I can't help but yell aloud: YOU HAVE YOUR OWN MONEY. STOP ASKING FOR OURS YOU UN-NAMED FAMOUS PERSON.

I'd love to say that I support all art and will give money to anything and everything as my wallet allows but I can't and won't say that. Instead I will be blunt: I am cheap and will only support things that I actually care about and give to people who I think actually deserve it. Unfortunately for my friends sometimes this means me keeping my mouth shut, not RTing, and not encouraging people on Facebook to go somewhere, give something, or spread the word. This also means that I don't vote for people in contests, I don't join a lot of Facebook groups, and I don't follow new people on Twitter just because someone suggests it, unless it is something that I personally care about.

Don't get me wrong; I love and care about my friends. If you are one of my friends I will fight to the death to protect whatever venture your heart wants to follow. I will smite those who speak against you and push you to follow your dreams. Most importantly, I won't talk poorly about your idea or work, no matter how odd I think it is; but that doesn't mean that I will speak well of it or even speak of it at all. If I don't have anything nice to say I won't say anything at all (some exceptions do apply for crazies who need a good reality check).

Now that you know about my views on giving money for the sake of giving money (I just won't do it) I'd like to tell you about a Kickstarter project that I fully support both in word of mouth and from my wallet (I don't literally fully support them financially, but I did give to the Kickstarter) in the hopes that you will find it worthy of support. Wander My Friends is an indie film that is currently nearing the end of filming. The script is hilarious, the people are friendly and talented, and the subject matter should hit home for any independent artist, author, or small business owner.

From the Kickstarter page:

"Wander My Friends tells the story of Asher Ackerman, Nate Park and Roland Vanver, the creative team behind the fiction indie hit comic "Wanderers." After several years of telling the story of clandestine comic hero Jim Sable and his circle of every day people with strange abilities, the "Wanderers" creators have achieved critical notoriety and success. So successful, in fact, that a larger comic book publisher has made an offer to merge with their small, indie publishing company. Knowing full well that their days of creative control are now numbered, Ash, Roland and Nate make a low key attempt to start their own comic venture before their current contracts trap them in a place where they have little to no control over a story and world they created.

The film follows the trio as they find out just how hard it is and what it takes to launch an independently run creative venture."

And the link to the page to donate: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1184309126/wander-my-friends-a-comedy-about-comic-creators?ref=home_location

I was lucky enough to work on a small part of this movie. I don't expect and have never expected to get paid for my help. I helped for the same reason that I am suggesting that people give to this Kickstarter:  I fell in love with the content and the people and have seen the talent that they have and I BELIEVE IN THIS FILM.

As of this post there are only 9 days left to give to the Kickstarter and help this group of indie filmmakers keep their pockets from collapsing into black holes. If you don't know much about Kickstarter, you should only remember one thing:  If the project is not fully funded before the deadline, no one gets your money; your CC is charged only after the project has been successfully funded or it is never charged if enough money is not pledged.

So, I can only ask, now that you know that I really must care about this project (if I don't have anything nice to say I won't say anything at all and I've been pushing this Kickstarter since I found out it existed), to please give the page a look, see info about the people working on the film, check out the updates tab for some weekly footage, and if you feel like they are worthy, please give. If you can't give, please post the link to Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, etc. and ask people to help out.

-Main page:  http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1184309126/wander-my-friends-a-comedy-about-comic-creators?ref=home_location
-Weekly footage:  http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1184309126/wander-my-friends-a-comedy-about-comic-creators/posts

If you need more reason to give, check out their website and social media outlets:

http://www.wandermyfriends.com/
http://www.facebook.com/WanderMyFriends
https://twitter.com/wandermyfriends

Thanks!

Two-Bit Pictures: Update

The 48 Hour FIlm Project/National Film Challenge season came and went and I made no mention of most of it. If you read a few posts below you'll see that I explained in excruciating detail about my first 48HFP experience and resulting podcastings. Well, since those posts Two-Bit Pictures has won some awards for our 2011 New Haven 48 Hour Film Project short called "Silver Lining", went to a few festivals, started an almost-real website, worked on the National Film Challenge, and started work on some shorts for the WPI Comedy Fest happening in a few weeks.

I'm going to try for realsies to keep up with some blogging or listing or opening up a page and smashing the keyboard for this year's "competition season", but honestly I'm sure that I will be so busy that I'll continue to be delinquent.

If you are interested in hearing more about Two-Bit Pictures, head on over to the site (just click on the link below or on the side of the page to the right) and check out what we've been up to and contact us with questions or comments. Thanks!

Two-Bit Pictures 

I shouldn't ever make promises on here...

Clearly I'm not up to blogging on a weekly basis, at least not when it is 48 Hour Film Project or Nutcracker season... and guess what! That's pretty much all year.

I've had a lot of good ideas float through my noggin and I've written them down but they are from so many months ago that I either can't remember what I meant or I am no longer invested in them.

So, from now on, I make no promises as to what I will or will not post, and especially when I will or will not post it.

Therefore, it isn't a promise when I say that I am working on a post about a current TV show that I am about 97% enjoying. Maybe 95% enjoying. Maybe less. I mean the TV show... not the post...

You'll (hopefully) see (soon).

I'm a Producer Now!

In less than a week I will be producing my first… anything. You are currently skimming over the blog of the Producer for the unwritten, uncast Two-Bit Pictures’ short “Unnamed 2011 Providence 48 Hour Film Project 4-7 Minute Movie”. (I really wish that I could have said that instead of writing it. It sounded so epic in my mind.)

That’s right; we’re at it again. Two-Bit Pictures is taking on another 48 Hour Film Project (48HFP) and this time it’s in Providence. Check out my previous entries about our Boston 48HFP adventure below (or start by clicking here!).

So, yup, less than a week away. By this time, the more experienced teams already have SAG actors ready and waiting (and plotting how they will sabotage each other in order to get the better roles), seasoned crew packing their gear (and then unpacking it and checking that they've got everything... and then repacking it), more than a handful of locations for shooting (w/the paperwork already filled out), a composer waiting (his or her fingers patiently waiting over the keys of their choice), and a full editing suite (the editor is already chained to the table with nothing but energy drinks, hostess cupcakes, and a bucket to pee in). They are also, of course, still turning away potential actors and other crew who then, in utter embarrassment or just depression (because these teams are just so awesome), commit whatever form of suicide best fits their occupation (actors will be dramatic about it and crew’s suicides usually have to do with gaff tape and electrical cords). (But seriously, people put a lot of time, planning, and effort into the 48HFP and in some cases teams really have to turn people away.)

We aren’t too far behind schedule and are much better off than we were the first time, before we really knew what we were getting in to. We have a schedule, set writers, a director, editor, Producer, and have set up Facebook groups for a Brainstorming session as well as working on the movie itself (which we did have for Boston but there is more info this time around). You can check out the links as well as more info about the Boston project here. We are still looking for help with brainstorming, actors, some places to shoot (working on it), and someone to do music, as well as other miscellaneous crew. Any help we can get is appreciated and you don’t necessarily need to be in the Providence/RI area to participate. Leave a comment below or visit our Facebook pages for more info.

How do I know so much, you ask? It's part of my job!... What is my job? Well, you should already know – I say it in the first sentence. Then again, I already accepted the fact that you are probably just skimming the post so you may have missed it. I’m the Producer! So what will I actually be doing? In the traditional sense the Producer is “the man”. He or she puts a lot of money, time, and effort into a project which correlates to them getting a lot of power over everyone. Over time more and more types of Producers started being used so the title of “Producer” can now mean a bunch of different things. Try Googling “Producer” or “What does a Producer do?” and you’ll get a ton of different definitions. Now-a-days one Producer may put in the money and get a studio to buy into the project, another Producer will take control of the creative aspects of the movie, another Producer will lead the day-to-day activities on the set, another may have control over the script, and another may help with disputes between cast, crew, the director, and the studio (and another…, and another…, and another… you get the point, right?).

So with all of these Producer definitions, which one do I fall under? Well, I’m not the team leader and I didn’t pay the entrance fee so I’m not the 1st kind. The creative aspects will be covered by our Director/Team Leader/Editor and Camera Operator/Cinematographer with ideas from others more than welcome so I’m not that kind either. I suppose that I may be a combination of the last two on my list; I’ll be the babysitter, getting everyone in the cast and crew whatever they need while making sure that the schedule is followed and things are getting done well. I’m sure that I’ll also be working crew and acting so maybe I will be more like that all-seeing, all-knowing Producer figure of legend…

Back to Producing I go! I've got a lot of spreadsheets to make and Fruit Roll-Ups to procure.

Two-Bit Pictures is Looking Forward: The Epilogue

I really do apologize for the long timeframe between posts as well as my loss of interest over that time. I planned for some more posts but I've missed some opportunities to write about other things along the way so here's the epilogue to my posts about "Looking Forward" so that we all can move on to bigger, better things.

Boston's winning movie: One Step Forward - It's good. Real good. But I think that once they show the "twist" they should end instead of continuing for a short time. Maybe I just figure out twists before most people so I wasn't supposed to get it until later. Watch and decide for yourself.

Other Boston Winners: Winners! - Everything from "Best Use of Character" to "Best Sex" to "Runner Up".

What's up next for Two-Bit Pictures? Well we're gearing up to work on the Providence 48HFP. The rules are the same, the place is different. And so are we. We've learned a lot and changed around our own format. We're taking cues from WPI's Alpha Psi Omega's 24 Hour Show (theatre) with how we incorporate costumes and props, we've come up with a schedule for shooting, and we've already established the major roles of Producer, Director, etc. We're still looking for all sorts of help so if you would like to participate please visit our Facebook page, our event pages (Providence & Brainstorming), or leave me a comment here and one of us will get back to you. Keep an eye out for a possible Call for Actors to come soon, too!

And what's next for me? Well, more writing, Producing, and blogging. Check back soon (hopefully) for some more posts about Two-Bit Pictures' road to the Providence 48HFP, what it's like to be a 1st time Producer, the magical things you can do with cheese, last season's TV finales, some movie reviews, and other TV, food, and entertainment "info".

(Also, feel free to check out some of my favorite links to the right and follow me on Twitter @Gouv.)

Two-Bit Pictures is Looking Forward: PART 6 - Welcome to the Big Screen

Seeing myself up on the big screen was both amazing and terrible. There was a moment of "ZOMG I'M ON THE BIG SCREEN!!!!!" followed by fear and uncomfortable awkwardness. I found very quickly that I hate watching myself act because I see every small detail, word, and action that I could have done/said better and it eats away at me. What made me feel even worse was the talent in the other movies.

Our film was second during our group showing. The film before ours was fun and a good way to start off the viewing. Ours came next and the three of us that could make it were ecstatic because, well, our first film was being shown on a full size theatre screen to people that chose to come to the show. After our movie there were a smattering of good movies and also some terrible ones. Most movies were funny, some were dramatic (both good and bad), and others were neutral even though they didn't mean to be.

I'm not saying that our movie is a masterpiece. You can check it out for yourself below. In fact, I'll wait until you've seen it to continue...

Now that you've seen it (or skipped ahead) let's continue. As I started to say before, our movie isn't a masterpiece. We had some short comings from the beginning and our skill set is smaller than we'd like but for not having an editing suite, a budget, or people dedicated to only one thing (writers acted, the producer directed and edited, etc.) we did a pretty great job. As I mentioned in previous posts we worked hard, had fun, and learned a lot of important things that we have already put into play in our latest endeavor (which I will mention in a quick post later).

For a first movie "Looking Forward" came out pretty well. Everyone was somewhat out of their comfort zone (for one we all do comedy and we tried to make a heartwarming drama), which is important to do when a group wants to expand their knowledge, but we managed to pull together and create something. Also, you can prepare for anything but you might not be prepared for everything. For instance, you can read up on camera angles, understand the lighting, get the shot you want, but the camera may have a silly setting that ends up ruining everything.

So please sit back, relax, and enjoy our movie (if you haven't already). I was going to dig into it more but sometimes you just have to let things be themselves. Feel free to leave comments on the Two-Bit Pictures Facebook or Youtube pages or right here. We can only get better by hearing what other people have to say (and practicing). Also, make sure to check out our bloopers! Enjoy!

Two-Bit Pictures is Looking Forward: PART 5 - Editing + The D-Pad

I ended up doing a lot for the movie (as most of us did) but editing is not on my list of dedicated functions. I've done only minor editing with iMovie and some sound recording in the past and our movie required real editing. Luckily we had a few people who edit things on a weekly basis. But just because I wasn't in the room with them didn't mean that I wasn't worried about what was happening.

I wasn't worried how the movie was going to come out. I knew that it would be the best it could under the time constraints and that the people editing knew what they were doing; what was getting to me was whether or not my acting was good enough, how the shots came out, if we were going to be able to use the best shots, and whether or not I would have to rush to Boston to re-shoot or rerecord anything. I was checking Twitter and Facebook even more religiously than usual to catch any updates. It almost felt like I was watching a football game on the NFL website; I was getting some soundless play-by-play updates and I wanted my team to win so badly but I had no real control over it.

Along with editing the shots together our editing team, Rick and John, also had to add news graphics and music. There are some very strict rules that accompany the project (mentioned in Part 2) and some of those includes how pictures, graphics, and music are used. You can't use anything that isn't your own work unless you can somehow get the rights to it. For instance if you wanted to use "Rock Your Body" you better know Justin Timberlake and get him to sign the form saying that you can use the song in your movie or you need to have a lot of money and access to buy the rights to it between Friday at 7pm and Sunday at 7:30pm.

A similar rule exists for pictures, graphics, and other special effects. You can't use stock photos but you can use a picture taken by anyone before or during the filming weekend if you get them to sign a form saying so. You can, however, use stock sound and visual effects if they come bundled in with an editing package. There may be other nuances to the rules that I don't quite understand so check out the rules for yourself if you are interested in working on a 48 Hour Film Project film of your own.

Music was written, shots were edited, graphics were 'shopped. All in all it was a long 17.5 hours filled with computers and caffeine which somehow ended in submitting our movie. The final cut wasn't perfect but for a somewhat rag-tag team of first-time movie makers (well, we all had at least a tiny bit of experience making some kind of movie or movie-like thing but none of us were comfortably sitting in a role that we knew all about) our little film came out pretty well and at the end of the day it was a really great learning experience for everyone.

After the movie was submitted most of the group got together to record our very own episode of The D-Pad: Episode 6 - 2 Days a Screenplay. I've never been on anything that real people listen to (or watch) so knowing that people who I didn't know (even if it was just a friend of a friend of someone else in the room) would be hearing me try to communicate intelligently was both exciting and unnerving. I think that I sound silly when recorded and I always tend to stick my foot in my mouth when the opportunity arises for a recorded opinion (or just a phone message). I didn't disappoint the Stupidity Gods during the podcast as I managed to insult the state of CT and possibly all of Asia. When/if you listen, just remember that I tend to make comments for comedic effect even when I know that they will make me look like a terrible person... and that even though I sound like an ass at points I was still rewarded with pastry.

The D-Pad was super fun and I'd love to be on it again. The content tends to focus on video games, which I am terrible at, so maybe I'm not the best guest... but I know things about stuff that other people may also know about... and stuff. I have a unique taste in bad movies and procedurals which I hope to share both here and on the D-Pad in the future so maybe if you stick with both my blog and The D-Pad you'll get to read/hear about those things.

Let's get back to our irregularly scheduled program. So, we made our movie and submitted it. What's next for us? Well, before Two-Bit Pictures moves on to any other projects we first get to show our movie to other people, right? Well, we did and it was awesome. Thanks to the 48 Hour Film Project every submitted film is shown at a local theatre, big screen and all, to paying customers. Did people like our film? Check back in an undetermined amount of time for my next chapter in the saga that needs to end really soon so that I can talk about a HUGE thing happening in TV next week. In the meantime, check out the trailer for Two-Bit Pictures' first film "Looking Forward" (made for the 2011 Boston 48 Hour Film Project).

Two-Bit Pictures is Looking Forward: PART 4 - The Filming

The shoot was to start around noon but really we started around 2. We read through the script, gathered costumes, and set up cameras and lights. Sometime during the writing process it was decided that I would play the main character, Valerie Hart, an unhappy teenage psychic. I can’t say that I’ve never been in a film because my friends and I would make them all the time in high school but this was the first time that people other than my friends (and the kids in my high school English and History classes) would see a film I worked on. This was the first time that there were real cameras and lights and a script. This was my first experience being in a film that was going to be shown on “the big screen”.

I was super nervous and I didn’t know how to deal with it. I’ve been on stages dancing, singing, and acting (where you only get the one chance a night to get it right) and I’ve never been nervous before; but being in front of a camera was rather unsettling. There was a lot of fumbling around trying to get good shots of me saying my lines but once we settled in things got better and we started to have a lot of fun. Most of the fumbling was me trying to remember my lines, not look at the camera, and then not laughing when other people got silly. There was a certain amount of fiddling with cameras, lights, and mics that slowed us down a bit, too, but it was a really good learning experience for everyone. It was the first time any of us used the camera so all the settings were explored to try to get the best cinematography. Some things worked, some things didn’t, and some things worked until we put the footage on the computer and realized that it didn’t.

Filming wrapped up at exactly midnight on Saturday. It was a whirlwind of fun, frustration, cleaning, memorizing, trying not to fall asleep, and getting utensils stuck in appliances. We moved from apartment to apartment in pajamas in the dark, ate leftover pizza, and sent people on adventures to find wife beaters and allergy medicine.

As we gathered our things and filled out our paperwork the only thing on our minds was sleep. However, sleep was not on the docket for some of us because although we had the filming complete there was still the elephant in the room: editing.

Two-Bit Pictures is Looking Forward: PART 3 - The Writing

Once we had our requirements my mind started to race. I quickly found that I was coming up with ideas for every genre except Film de Femme. I didn’t want to make a film about a stereotype (female in the workforce, female killing for revenge, female fighting for her rights in a man’s world, etc.) which meant that I didn’t have any viable ideas for a strong female character. I started to think of quirky female characters that could go on adventures of self discovery in 4-7 minutes but I was getting nowhere fast. Luckily we had a group of people to brainstorm and write.

Groups can get tricky in creative situations when there is little time to brainstorm. Everyone has their own opinions and when brainstorming everyone should be heard. But what happens when there are seven tired people in a room at night with the clock ticking away towards your sun-up deadline for a finished script? You have to shoot down a lot of ideas, possibly hurt feelings, and try your darndest to come up with the best plot you can. We had a lot of ideas thrown out, some lively debate that would have gone better if we weren’t so tired and under the gun, some people stuck on how to include the requirements, and others who were worrying about set, costumes, etc. It got chaotic at times and I’m not sure what the neighbors thought but despite some awkward moments and inadvertent scathing remarks it was very helpful to have seven points of view in one room throwing out ideas. In the end we came up with an idea and we all learned a little something about brainstorming on a time budget.

Originally, all seven of us were going to write. I was worried about the number of people that would be writing and the events of the brainstorming session didn’t help so I will admit that I was relieved when plans changed. I didn’t worry about who was writing; we all have experience writing scripts of one sort or another, but too many cooks in the kitchen, no matter if they are gourmet or food truck, will make for one terrible stew. Our group shrunk from seven people to four for the basic script/plot and then to three brave souls who wrote the full script. (We really weren’t that brave. All three of us have previous experience with brainstorming, writing scripts, and performing live within a 24 hour time frame. It’s never easy but at least we knew what we were up against.) We worked through the dialogue and plot in bits and pieces and by 5:30am we had the script 99% done. I bailed to drive back to my house to sleep and gather supplies for the shoot which would start in only a few short hours. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

Two-Bit Pictures is Looking Forward: PART 2 - The Requirements

Friday May 6th was an agonizingly long day. I came to work for 8am like usual, sat through meetings as usual, and did other project management and engineering things... as usual. Work wasn’t what made that particular Friday so unbearable; knowing that I would be learning about our movie’s genre and the required character, line, and prop at 7pm is what really got under my skin. I was doing my best not to think about it but, of course, that only made me think about it more.

“Requirements?” you ask? Yes, there are requirements for the 48 Hour Film Project. Some of the blanket requirements are that all work, concepts, music, etc. must be done/occur within the 48 hour time frame. This means that no filming, writing, etc. should be done before the weekend of the local contest. (There are some exceptions to every rule and if you’d like to learn them, check out the 48 Hour Film Project website linked in Part 1.) To control the time frame of work as well as to make it more challenging (and a slightly more level playing field) each team has to choose a genre out of a hat. The website lists the genres for the current year’s tour so in theory you could plan out an idea for every genre beforehand (but that’s not very fun, is it?). Also, you get a mulligan and can re-choose if you don’t like your original pick, but you have to pick out of a different set of genres that may be much harder (like a western or a musical).

Each team blindly picks a genre so you can end up with 10 teams working on comedies, 15 working on dramas, and etc. etc. But there are three things that all of the teams have to include in their films: a character, a prop, and a line of dialogue. The character has to be on screen and clearly shown to be the character, the prop has to be incorporated into the story somehow, and the line of dialogue has to be said verbatim (or it doesn’t count). There are judging criteria and prizes for best use of the three as well as best use of genre. This year Boston’s requirements were:

Character: Uncle Hank OR Aunt Henrietta
Prop: a chess piece
Line: “I didn’t see that coming.”

Our fearless leader made his pick shortly before 7pm. “Film de femme” was written on the sheet of paper. What is “film de femme”? It is a genre created by the folks at the 48 Hour Film Project as a way to showcase female talent and strong female characters. He emailed us our requirements and we met at 9pm to craft a plot and write our script.

Check back for Part 3! (I bet it's already written!)

Two-Bit Pictures is Looking Forward: PART 1 - The Beginning

Two-Bit Pictures (Facebook, @2bitPX) is a small indie film-making group created by the guys over at The D-Pad (dpadup.com, @downrightdpad, Facebook). Their first short was produced recently and I had the privilege of being brought into the fold to work on it. It wasn’t your ordinary film making experience because the entire 6 minute short was conceptualized, written, produced, shot, and edited within 48 hours. That’s right, we are insane.

How and why did Two-Bit Pictures come up with this crazy idea to make an entire short in a 48-hour time frame? Luckily, we had help from the super awesome people at the 48 Hour Film Project (48hourfilm.com). For 10 years people from all over the world have been participating in festivals in several cities (and this year they are expanding quite a bit). Some seek glory, some seek redemption, and others seek the chance to have their ugly mugs seen on the big screen. Some teams have years of experience while others, like Two-Bit Pictures, have team members with a wide range of experiences (from zero to hero). One thing that you will be sure to find is people passionate about film and film-making and a lot of support and encouragement. You’ll also be sure to find some mind-blowingly great shorts and some huge duds, too.

My experience with the 48 Hour Film Project started a month of so ago (probably farther back now that I think about it) when a friend threw up a status on Facebook asking if anyone was interested in working on a short for 48 hours. Because I have little social life and the challenge sounded amazing, I offered up myself as a sacrifice to the film gods. I didn’t hear anything for a while so I was actually getting quite nervous. The weekend was coming up fast and I wasn’t sure if my sacrifice was accepted or not. I was somewhat afraid to ask because there have been two instances within the last 2 years where I offered to help out on something, got really really excited for the chance, was told “Great! Can’t wait to work with you! We need to make this happen! I’ll get back to you with more details when I get them.”, heard nothing for a while, asked for more info, was ignored, and then found out after-the-fact that I was ignored on purpose because almost everyone else in the group voted me out without my knowledge. Let me tell you, finding that out kind of sucks.

So what was I to do? I sat back, tried not to get psyched, and just waited. Luckily work and a sick kitty took up a lot of my time (and they still do) so I was never bored enough to wonder much about the 48 Hour Film Project. Then one day... *POOF!* The info started to roll in, this thing we call Two-Bit Pictures started to grow, and plans were solidified for our first foray into 48-hour film-making.

Check back "next time" for Part 2!

New Post, New Design, New Plan, New Fun

With this post comes a new blog design and purpose. I've been struggling with ideas and motivation for my webcomic and have been wanting to write reviews on TV shows that I watch ('cause I watch a lot of 'em) as well as update my tiny world on other things that are going on in my tiny world. So, in a moment of "Well, whatever." I decided to change the design and tagline of this blog and expand its content in hopes that I will do more and do it frequently.

So what's this all about now? Well, I'm not ruling out webcomics or other silly nonsense. In fact, I'm going to embrace anything and everything that spills out of my brain. I've got a lot of fun things coming up in the next few months and you'll be hearing about it all. There'll be links, pictures, videos, recipes, bento fun, reviews, tips, tricks, shoutouts... and whatever else I can think of (or whatever is easiest at the time).

Any feedback about the design is appreciated. Is it too silly, too hard to read, too weird, just right? Leave a comment and let me know.

Have a PURRR-fect Day!

I am confused by her sentiments but my boyfriend says that she loves me.

Now with more Frenchmen!

Looky at what I can do with my drawing tablet and a *good* drawing/editing program. It took me about a half an hour to draw, edit, and upload this post. Sweet. Thank you Pixelmator! (Click on the picture to see a larger version...if you dare! Muahahahahahahaaa.....)

EJ Massa's Blog: Joe and the Button Factory

EJ Massa's Blog: Joe and the Button Factory: "Joe and the Button Factory from Edmund Massa on Vimeo. I made this for my introduction to image and sound production class as my final proj..."


Although I haven't been updating this (at all) lately (within the past year, at least) I've still been working on some creative ventures. But EJ is clearly a god and I only helped a little on this one. Love him and his work! Now! Click the link already! If you are still reading this then you haven't clicked the link and you should! (yadda yadda yadda)

Pineapple Pal

Although pineapples are generally considered welcoming fruit, this one disapproves of you...for some reason.

EDIT: Apparently the linked site with the Psych "Make Your Own Pineapple Pal" widget is gone, so use your imagination.

TABLET!

Got my new tablet today and it works great! It isn't a brand name but it works great for what I want to use it for. Check out this drawing that I made using my tablet and Pixen. If I can figure out Pixen then maybe I will put up some animations!

EDIT: 12.31.10 Sorry Pixen, but you suck. Now that I have Pixelmator, I won't be using you anymore. But for the time, you were more than acceptable.