You know, it is always nice to see your works in progress and what another can do with your abilities. The fruits of your hard work coming to fulfillment. It also helps lend to enhancing and refining my abilities as I can see how others view my techniques of filming and how I can work in the future with their editing style. It's a fine dance that I love to see what others see that I can not in myself and where I can go as a filmmaker. More posts to come once we get these edits finished this week. I have 2 shoots next week, a second round interview Friday, and a lot of editing in AVID this next week as well. I love the field of production. Though I wear many hats, there are few that I would love to wear the most. Only through these experiences can I come to truly understand what will make me good at what I want to do.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Testament to things that can happen
So yesterday was a full day. I got up at 7am and started getting everything ready for a shoot later that morning, then I started in on more footage in AVID. Oh how I love that program. So much more fun compared to working with FCP or Premiere. There are a couple changes I would love to make to it though. Maybe they are made in 6, IDK since I am working in 5.5. But either way, headed out to the shoot at 10am and got their by 1030. was set for the shoot about 1115am. Had to light 2 rooms for set and eventually use 4 rooms for testimonials and demonstrations. It was a long day. finished shooting about 530pm. and then got back to the producers and was transferring the footage off of my CF card before I had to leave and things began to go wrong. May I suggest to those of you that shoot with your own gear, make sure that you keep part of your income aside to replace and or repair your gear. Since I had to go I have yet to find out if it was my card reader that was faulty or my 64 gig CF card. I hope that it was just my cable or reader since the CF card costs about 600 smackers. that would be a huge dent against me right now that I don't need. So, over all it as a good day. Shot about 119 gigs worth of footage though. I am not looking forward to sorting and importing all of that. It is going to be a pain in my ass. But that is fine. It's the little things like being able to look at my footage and critique my shooting methods and think forward on how to improve my style and methodology that I really like...that is, not to be out done by the process over all of making something that can be held in history as either something small and outdated or something that impacts others. Moral of the story, work hard at being awesome, keep on truckin, and remember, we are all in this together.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Things that are going well
Well, shenanigans. This is why it is good to keep positive, after leaving the interview yesterday, I did not feel like I was going to be one of the few getting a call back for the second round of interviews. But, apparently I was wrong. I went in, was myself, candid, and told him what I do what I have done and some ideas of what I would do in the position. Thank goodness for good mentors over the years. That is one thing I am very glad for. Countless times being told don't always go in for the kill immediately, if you are over bearing, then the other party will be put off and not want to deal with you. Gotta play it cool and reserved, show interest but not zealous intent, that is just creepy. Plus though you might not get the call back you may get a call later on when your assets are needed or forwarded on to someone who does need your abilities. This is one of two positions that I would really enjoy to have. Still waiting on a call from another one that is being set up through the P.A.T.S. program. But that is ok I can wait a while. There is a lot of waiting, but definitely have to keep at it and keep on networking for just in case. The only down side to waiting is the cost of lodging. I can eat cheaply, stretching a buck is easy diet wise, but lodging, great googaly moogaly. I would suggest look at renting a shared room or something the list of craigs is awesome for good stuff.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Friday
Well, today I went in for an interview. I felt good going into it, but we shall see what will come of it. Everyone has a poker face on now a days, but I can accept that. Why allow someone to get their hopes up for a job if you are not sure you want to bring them back in for a second round of interviews. On the bright side, there are always more jobs available to look into, and I got the wonderful chance to listen to The Flaming Lips on the way back up to Burbank, CA. Such good music.
I have been working heavily on updating my Linkedin page as well trying to up my numbers as well as visibility in the community. IF there is one thing that I have learned and had told and retold to me, it is just as much if not more who you know then what you know. I was talking with one of the P.A.T.S. mentors about this not to long ago, but the most important thing above all is getting your foot in that door. Once you are memorable, though you may not be needed this time or the time after that. They may refer you for other work to someone else because you have the tools/personality that is needed for the job. So all of us out there plugging away at the work. Keep on keeping on, that is the only way we can make it and through this we will all be fine. Please feel free to comment here and lets work at networking together!
Oh, one more thing, I got a hair cut so now I look business professional as apposed to that guy with the hippie hair that looked like it needed cut.
I have been working heavily on updating my Linkedin page as well trying to up my numbers as well as visibility in the community. IF there is one thing that I have learned and had told and retold to me, it is just as much if not more who you know then what you know. I was talking with one of the P.A.T.S. mentors about this not to long ago, but the most important thing above all is getting your foot in that door. Once you are memorable, though you may not be needed this time or the time after that. They may refer you for other work to someone else because you have the tools/personality that is needed for the job. So all of us out there plugging away at the work. Keep on keeping on, that is the only way we can make it and through this we will all be fine. Please feel free to comment here and lets work at networking together!
Oh, one more thing, I got a hair cut so now I look business professional as apposed to that guy with the hippie hair that looked like it needed cut.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Long update of the last year of my life
Let us see here, It has been a while since I have posted on here. Time to check in with life and see where things are and have been since I last posted here. So, we shall start from my last post.
My wife and I decided we were going to make a go of things and head out or bust so that we could chase the dream of working in the industry. I did not get accepted into any masters programs, so working in the field was the next best thing. On our drive out in the direction of L.A. and planning on making it all of the way, we stopped in Denver, CO. Now mind you, I went to high school in that area, and my video production mentor, Kevin Campbell, from way back when I was a young Warthog still lives in that area. He suggested as an alternative to moving to L.A. that I could stay local in the area, and he would work with me and try to help me find contracts. That most likely it would be easier for Pam (my wonderful wife) to get jobs in the area as apposed to L.A. to support us through the thin times. So we looked at things and how they would pan out and decided to give it a try. We crashed on a friends couch for a few months while we were sorting out stuff and getting on our feet. Within a few weeks Pam had obtained work, and shortly there after I got some part time work as a Grip/P.A. Following after that shoot, my mentor put me in touch with another small production house that was looking for a part time assistant editor. So I put my hat in and was offered the contract. I learned a lot about editing and doing it fast while working with Y.G.H.D.T.V. They even started bringing me out on shoots to help set up lighting, mic talent, and set up sticks since I had told them that I knew how to do it and was proving trustworthy. This lead to me shooting for them as well as editing their local broadcast content. I absolutely was loving things working with those wonderful gentlemen. Then that sad thing happened, the contract ended when we finished the season.
So I worked on networking in the area, I went and toured a lot of production houses and started finding the time to go to the C.F.V.A. meetings. There are a lot of wonderfully talented people working on getting the ball rolling in Colorado and trying to build a great network. The problem though I had, was I blew my knee out one night. So Finding that I was going to be laid up for quite some time, we decided to pack things up and this trip was a go big or go home type of thing. We journeyed back to Kansas City and Pam got an awesome job working as a receptionist, awesome because of pay/benefits/growth potential. And I started going to the V.A. hospital and working out when I was going to get my leg worked on. This was in January. So over the next few months I had the pleasure of having my leg poked and prodded while being told I needed work and didn't and patiently waiting.
Then one happy day Pam and I were driving around Kansas City having a good morning when I got a phone call to crew for X-Factor in Kansas City when they would be passing through. The P.A.T.S. had sent out a list of all the P.A.'s they had trained in the area, and being that my last name ends in a D, I was one of the first they said they had called. Woot! I said of course I will do it. So, I strapped on my awesome possum knee brace, grabbed my pain med's and worked my catouche off. While working this gig, and knowing from past experiences, that the more I made myself needed on set, the more days I would get asked to work. So I went from being scheduled 3 days out of the 6, to working 5 out of the 6 days. It was a great week, did I mention that? I love the field of T.V. film and media because of that tense situation bubbling with catching the one small moment and all the work paying off and being something more then just the sum of the parts. So while we were wrapping the final day I had already made it clear and not in a pushy way, that when the production came back through that I would love to work on it again. I figured that 4 - 5 months later I would be done with having my leg worked on.
With that in mind, The week before my surgery, yeah, took that long, I get an email asking if I would want to crew up for the return trip to Kansas City. I said yes I would love to, but that I would be a week out of having knee surgery, they said ok, to let them know my limitations once I got out of surgery so that they could find a place for me on the production. I was ecstatic, I also had no real clue as to how bad knee surgery stinks. So, I get done with surgery and they tell me that I can not put weight on my leg at all for 2 months. That is a long time. So, I called and talked with the Production organizer and informed her of this dream dashing news. But she told me no worries, they had a spot that I could fill. So, I said I will be there as long as they needed me there. So I rolled up on set, literally, I was wheel chair bound, and assisted the production. My job entailed passing out credentials to those that needed them for getting on the production location. A great networking/mingling/getting a feel of what I was in for once my leg healed. So at the end of the production, I was making it clear that as soon as my leg was healed I was going to make my way out to L.A. and try to work in the field. They said that was not a bad idea. I also talked with them about if the chance was there for me to work on the airing production of the show. Their was a possibility, so with that in mind, and all the other connections I have made over the years working as a P.A. and the time I had spent in Denver, my wife and I decided that there was a better chance of me taking the jump and trying to find work in L.A. then in finding work in the field full time in Kansas City. So, I made the jump while she staid back in K.C.
Now mind you, I have stayed in constant contact with those that I have worked on past productions with out here in L.A. ( I am currently sitting on a bed in Burbank at one of my awesome possum connections places) and was told just how expensive it is to live out here, and that it is hard getting work. The thing is. It's hard getting work everywhere right now no matter what field, the expensive part, it isn't much different then the cost I feel, then Denver. Plus I had been told countless times, that once I got out here, I would have help and help finding work. My parents live outside of L.A. and let me borrow their car to drive up and do interviews and work small gigs as I aim to get myself established. Within the first two weeks of being here, I worked a music video shoot, that was interesting and eye opening to how each type of productions schedule can vary. I got on that shoot because in my resume I put out, for the P.A. gig, I mentioned that I had done the P.A.T.S. program, and while on set, one of the producers came up to me mentioning it. So, I was glad that I had done that course and it had opened up another door for me.On that production I busted my tail for little pay. But, It's not always about the pay of this gig, always need to be looking forward and trying to work towards getting the next few gigs. Only by proving time and again that I am a valuable asset will I stay working in the field. This has held very true and I stand by it. I worked with a wonderful crew on a very stressful production, and at the end of the 17 hr day, we could all laugh about it and walk away as new friends. I ended up feeling bad though, because after being there that long I had to physically leave, since I was borrowing my family's second car, my mother needed it back by 5am since she had to go to work. Now by living outside of L.A. I mean they live 2 1/2 hrs. away. So, it was 2 o'clock in the morning, I had no idea what the roads would look like at that time. So, as soon as the crew that was left, being one P.A. and one of the producers returned, I had to leave for home.
Now I am working all week long and shooting 4 out of 5 days this week and I have a first round interview for a possible job lead. I have been talking constantly with friends who are introducing me to their friends and vouching for me so that other contacts can get to know me and share leads on jobs they come across and can not fill. I have also been grinding away t all the production websites as well as Linkedin. There is a lot more to go in talking about all of that, but I shall digress for now. I must rest my fingers and go for a mid morning walk. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free.
My wife and I decided we were going to make a go of things and head out or bust so that we could chase the dream of working in the industry. I did not get accepted into any masters programs, so working in the field was the next best thing. On our drive out in the direction of L.A. and planning on making it all of the way, we stopped in Denver, CO. Now mind you, I went to high school in that area, and my video production mentor, Kevin Campbell, from way back when I was a young Warthog still lives in that area. He suggested as an alternative to moving to L.A. that I could stay local in the area, and he would work with me and try to help me find contracts. That most likely it would be easier for Pam (my wonderful wife) to get jobs in the area as apposed to L.A. to support us through the thin times. So we looked at things and how they would pan out and decided to give it a try. We crashed on a friends couch for a few months while we were sorting out stuff and getting on our feet. Within a few weeks Pam had obtained work, and shortly there after I got some part time work as a Grip/P.A. Following after that shoot, my mentor put me in touch with another small production house that was looking for a part time assistant editor. So I put my hat in and was offered the contract. I learned a lot about editing and doing it fast while working with Y.G.H.D.T.V. They even started bringing me out on shoots to help set up lighting, mic talent, and set up sticks since I had told them that I knew how to do it and was proving trustworthy. This lead to me shooting for them as well as editing their local broadcast content. I absolutely was loving things working with those wonderful gentlemen. Then that sad thing happened, the contract ended when we finished the season.
So I worked on networking in the area, I went and toured a lot of production houses and started finding the time to go to the C.F.V.A. meetings. There are a lot of wonderfully talented people working on getting the ball rolling in Colorado and trying to build a great network. The problem though I had, was I blew my knee out one night. So Finding that I was going to be laid up for quite some time, we decided to pack things up and this trip was a go big or go home type of thing. We journeyed back to Kansas City and Pam got an awesome job working as a receptionist, awesome because of pay/benefits/growth potential. And I started going to the V.A. hospital and working out when I was going to get my leg worked on. This was in January. So over the next few months I had the pleasure of having my leg poked and prodded while being told I needed work and didn't and patiently waiting.
Then one happy day Pam and I were driving around Kansas City having a good morning when I got a phone call to crew for X-Factor in Kansas City when they would be passing through. The P.A.T.S. had sent out a list of all the P.A.'s they had trained in the area, and being that my last name ends in a D, I was one of the first they said they had called. Woot! I said of course I will do it. So, I strapped on my awesome possum knee brace, grabbed my pain med's and worked my catouche off. While working this gig, and knowing from past experiences, that the more I made myself needed on set, the more days I would get asked to work. So I went from being scheduled 3 days out of the 6, to working 5 out of the 6 days. It was a great week, did I mention that? I love the field of T.V. film and media because of that tense situation bubbling with catching the one small moment and all the work paying off and being something more then just the sum of the parts. So while we were wrapping the final day I had already made it clear and not in a pushy way, that when the production came back through that I would love to work on it again. I figured that 4 - 5 months later I would be done with having my leg worked on.
With that in mind, The week before my surgery, yeah, took that long, I get an email asking if I would want to crew up for the return trip to Kansas City. I said yes I would love to, but that I would be a week out of having knee surgery, they said ok, to let them know my limitations once I got out of surgery so that they could find a place for me on the production. I was ecstatic, I also had no real clue as to how bad knee surgery stinks. So, I get done with surgery and they tell me that I can not put weight on my leg at all for 2 months. That is a long time. So, I called and talked with the Production organizer and informed her of this dream dashing news. But she told me no worries, they had a spot that I could fill. So, I said I will be there as long as they needed me there. So I rolled up on set, literally, I was wheel chair bound, and assisted the production. My job entailed passing out credentials to those that needed them for getting on the production location. A great networking/mingling/getting a feel of what I was in for once my leg healed. So at the end of the production, I was making it clear that as soon as my leg was healed I was going to make my way out to L.A. and try to work in the field. They said that was not a bad idea. I also talked with them about if the chance was there for me to work on the airing production of the show. Their was a possibility, so with that in mind, and all the other connections I have made over the years working as a P.A. and the time I had spent in Denver, my wife and I decided that there was a better chance of me taking the jump and trying to find work in L.A. then in finding work in the field full time in Kansas City. So, I made the jump while she staid back in K.C.
Now mind you, I have stayed in constant contact with those that I have worked on past productions with out here in L.A. ( I am currently sitting on a bed in Burbank at one of my awesome possum connections places) and was told just how expensive it is to live out here, and that it is hard getting work. The thing is. It's hard getting work everywhere right now no matter what field, the expensive part, it isn't much different then the cost I feel, then Denver. Plus I had been told countless times, that once I got out here, I would have help and help finding work. My parents live outside of L.A. and let me borrow their car to drive up and do interviews and work small gigs as I aim to get myself established. Within the first two weeks of being here, I worked a music video shoot, that was interesting and eye opening to how each type of productions schedule can vary. I got on that shoot because in my resume I put out, for the P.A. gig, I mentioned that I had done the P.A.T.S. program, and while on set, one of the producers came up to me mentioning it. So, I was glad that I had done that course and it had opened up another door for me.On that production I busted my tail for little pay. But, It's not always about the pay of this gig, always need to be looking forward and trying to work towards getting the next few gigs. Only by proving time and again that I am a valuable asset will I stay working in the field. This has held very true and I stand by it. I worked with a wonderful crew on a very stressful production, and at the end of the 17 hr day, we could all laugh about it and walk away as new friends. I ended up feeling bad though, because after being there that long I had to physically leave, since I was borrowing my family's second car, my mother needed it back by 5am since she had to go to work. Now by living outside of L.A. I mean they live 2 1/2 hrs. away. So, it was 2 o'clock in the morning, I had no idea what the roads would look like at that time. So, as soon as the crew that was left, being one P.A. and one of the producers returned, I had to leave for home.
Now I am working all week long and shooting 4 out of 5 days this week and I have a first round interview for a possible job lead. I have been talking constantly with friends who are introducing me to their friends and vouching for me so that other contacts can get to know me and share leads on jobs they come across and can not fill. I have also been grinding away t all the production websites as well as Linkedin. There is a lot more to go in talking about all of that, but I shall digress for now. I must rest my fingers and go for a mid morning walk. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Been a while
So this has been one heck of a year. I finished production on my thesis. Kind of left me with more questions and room for exploration then answers. I now know more of how I work and how to tweak parts to enhance my work. So that is a plus. It was a very expensive process and all consuming. It was fantastic! Now that I have graduated with my B.F.A. I plan on trying to figure out how to get my production company off of the ground. Since there is no "real" track plan on becoming a Director. Why not just start from scratch and create my own identity fully. Can hardly wait to pick my families brains on how they got their private business models started. I already have a short project that I am rewriting into a feature in the hopes of securing funding for a feature. I applied to U.S.C. for their Film and Television production program. Did not get in for the fall. So, I reapplied for the spring. We shall see. I am definitely contemplating applying to CalArts as well as A.F.I. I already am planning on applying to C.U. as well. We shall see where things go from here. Graduate school would be wonderful to more thoroughly identify with the field, but in the same breadth of space, it is exciting in just thinking about self starting. There is so much that I wish to investigate through the lens that it shall be a wonderful experience in identifying where I stand. Here's to standing on your own two feet. Life is beautiful and I will work hard at what ever comes my way.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Save the Cat
So I read Save The Cat! and it was a great insight into how to truly read a film. So that helped immensely with approaching my subject. It was great. So now I am reading from image to screen a book on story boarding and the best techniques for developing these images for production shooting. Great stuff as well. Was working through some perspective research for setting up independent work and it made me happy to see the opertunity that has yet to be tapped. Here is a link to the story. Enjoy.
http://www.denvergov.org/doca/DenverOfficeofCulturalAffairs/Permitting/FilmandTV/GrowingDenversFilmIndustry/tabid/437070/Default.aspx
http://www.denvergov.org/doca/DenverOfficeofCulturalAffairs/Permitting/FilmandTV/GrowingDenversFilmIndustry/tabid/437070/Default.aspx
Monday, December 20, 2010
Working Blues Funding
So I put together an IndieGoGo page in order to try and secure funding for finishing this project (I.e. post work, Crafty, and to pay the few people that will require it on set). Please help spread the word to your friends!
Friday, December 17, 2010
How Not To Make a Short Film.
So I read this wonderful book in one sitting. Not a bad read at all. I got a lot of useful information out of it that I was not getting out of my other research. Thank you Kevin Campbell for suggesting it. So now after lots more research and meditation, my Thesis is getting revised again. This time in a more beneficial way. I think instead of taking baby steps, I am starting to take strides. The preproduction end of my Thesis is moving sluggishly, but that is good, because I am taking my time now to make sure that every single last detail is in line before I shoot again on my project. Thank you Cyan for your words about making sure everything is lined out. Now that I have had some time to actually sleep and take a step back and assess my project, I can see the faults in the way I had the short film structured. So now the story focuses on the tension that builds between two friends who are laid off from the same mechanic shop and are struggling to find work. That is the focus, and the end is more intense, and at the same time I fear the ending. I will have to shoot it a couple different ways to see which ending is going to read properly and not end up as a shortcoming of the script, will it trend to read as predictable? Maybe, but that is the test of the acting performance I can wrangle out of my actors. I also talked to some people in the area and now have a sound engineer on board for shooting and post, as well as an editor, working now on a script supervisor and A.D. for this beast. I think with the crew that is assembling, this piece has a lot of room to thrive. BTW, I got my 5D IN YESTERDAY! So I have to make some time tonight to read its manuals and do some test shots so I can understand its strengths and limitations for my shoot. well, back to my studies. Going to read Save The Cat(!) now. I will post on that later. Until next time.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Working Blues
So I have spent the last week working diligently on my thesis project. Saturday night we all went out to shoot a sequence. We got everything set up and started filming, and then the porta pack died. So, we got lucky and Cameron has a friend that let us borrow his generator. We went out Sunday night after filming part of Joe's thesis during the day, and hooked it up. Thank goodness for lots of extension chords. Ended up putting the generator on the next block so that the sound of it would be minuscule. I didn't wrap production myself until 530 am morning. It was amazing to do. I am learning how to communicate my ideas clearly, and I am starting to be able to coax more of the performance out of my actors that I want. So I am happy for that. Frank and I are going to have a meeting later this week to work on our communication and how we need to work together. I fear that his plate is too full and I wish to address some issues and to clarify a final expectation that I have of him as the cinematographer. So I spent the afternoon of Tuesday through the night editing a ruff cut of the scene. The only problem I have with what we shot is that we ran out of room on our audio set up while we were out in the field shooting. So there is a take and a half of missing audio. I fear that that could have been prevented if when I ask my crew if they are ready and they say yes and I tell them to roll and then after I say action past when they are rolling, they let me know wait wait wait that in fact they are not ready. lots of time waisted in room on the audio file. So I have to fix that. There is also the fact that I didn't slate any of my shots, so THAT made the editing interesting. Going to have to have someone setup to do clapboard and log the takes chronologically to help with the editing process. These are things that are just stepping stones. I am finding the pace to be moving along smoothly otherwise, and I feel that I am growing as a Director. I really am able to communicate clearly and I just need to be a litle more firm in a few palces, but I am going to have to be cautious not to push to hard to get people to do what I am asking of them. Luckily, from this last shoot, I was able to fudge an aspect in post work, but there are some things I wish to point out to crew to help prevent some aspects of being...in clear words...fucked. but that's ok, we are all learning and will grow together.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
V.A.
So I went to the V.A. today and spoke at length with my rep. about my thesis project and the possibility of me being able to shoot there and what channels I would need to go through for that as well as what they do offer for veterans. So I will be going in at 8am tomorrow to sit in on a class for vets on preparing them for the workforce and all the assistance that they lend us. Plus she gave me all the contact info for the people that I need to get a hold of for clearance. She read the script and likes it so much that she asked if she could send it on to D.C. for the higher ups to look over it. She says there may or may not be money in it, but it's worth a shot and is a large avenue of exposure. Plus I paint the aspect of post military as truthful and not biased in any way sort or form. Then I did some research on set functions and communication. Good stuff. So much that I need to digest. I am a little worried about getting my shooting schedule broken down. Everything that i have read up on suggests that you really need to hire someone to do it for the first time since there are so many aspects that can get hosed. But eh, gotta learn and move forward.
Monday, October 18, 2010
On a lighter note
Here is something that was snet to me that is absolutely beautiful.
http://www.vimeo.com/9078364
It's called Nuit Blanche
http://www.vimeo.com/9078364
It's called Nuit Blanche
Trends in America, working class poor.
So I have been doing some research for my thesis, ok, well, a lot of research. A good deal of it has been through looking through blogs, on-line journals, media coverage like N.P.R., documentaries, and old fashioned talking to people. The most concise and clearly stated info that I have gotten is from listening/reading N.P.R. casts and talking with people. People feel that they can open up and talk to you when you just ask them how they feel and what they have faced. Some of the info becomes downright personal. For instance, one man was telling me that he had gotten divorced from his wife and had to move out while having to pay child support for two kids as he worked as a mechanic during the last recession. I can only imagine how hard that must have been. He was telling me about how hard it was just make ends meet for himself let alone cover everyone else who was dependent on him. This same individual was telling me about how he worked in one mechanic shop that told him to take the next day off because the owner had to close shop for the day for business purposes. Then he came in the following day only to find that the shop had been cleaned out. All his tools and equipment was gone. Which is difficult for mechanics. Especially since to get the job in the first place you have to have all your own tools. Sure he was able to buy more, but that meant that he was only getting a fraction of his normal wages since a large amount of his pay had to go to tool purchases. I have also talked with another mechanic that got so low on his luck that he was sleeping in his vehicle with his tools. Can you imagine what that's like? You need your tools to work, yet if you can get rid of them, then you have money to survive but no tools for your trade to get pay. The only work he was able to find for the longest time was "day jobs", where he would work on a single project as hired out temp labor and then be let go. That's how he survived just enough to get bye for the longest time. Thank goodness he finally obtained a full time job recently, so now he should no longer be struggling. But 2 1/2 years of that is a lot of stress on the value of self worth.
Looking at the N.P.R. casts, it was interesting to see just how far on the opposite ends of the self worth people can hold themselves. Some people wallow in their self petty. Others will pull themselves up by their boot straps and do whatever it takes to get work done to survive. In the end that's what it comes down to, survival. Looking at what people do in self defeatism mode was really interesting and sad. People just give up, they no longer can handle functioning because they become so stressed and buried under the weight of living to work and not even being able to fulfill that need. A large part of their anxiety is in being able to create or even see a positive future for themselves or even for their children. Questions like, can I make it through this, what will I do if there is no work, how will I pay my bills, what will I do once the creditors start calling, how am I going to feed my kids, how are my kids going to view me, how are other people going to view me, how will I give my children better opportunities then what I have, how will I be able to cover hospital expenses? These questions and many more are common for people. But think about it, what would it be like to be in someones shoes that doesn't even know if they will have enough money to eat the following day? That's where the weight truly sinks in. Sure there is always a sense of economic growth, but from what I have read, the trend is that there is a slow squeeze on the working class. There is a marginal gap that is ever growing between the haves and the have not's. What I mean is in regards to the cost of health care, retirement, Housing costs, mortgage loans, or credit in general, and the dreaded college debt. These items are what some would say define middle class living as seen as part's to it. The other for the trend is that the middle class of the middle class (if that makes sense to you, if not just follow me here)make just under $50,000.00 a year. Upper middle class makes above that and lower middle class makes around $32,000.00 annually. That may seem like a descent amount to live on or not depending on your individual view point. I can see either as a comfortable income. My wife and I live on $10,800.00 things are tight for us sure, but we live within our means and can afford some of the comforts that label us as blue collard even though we sit in the poor classification. And we do it without any subsidization like food stamps or any of that. The problem it seems starts for the middle class where they fall into the consumer culture and what it is that is socially deemed necessary. Like having a large house 3+ bedroom for a couple and multiple vehicles, buying the best and latest tech gadgets to show off status. trying to live outside of the means. People like to establish a set of guidelines where they feel is necessary for them to survive. Then they have to take out loans or credit cards or over extend their banking to obtain these goals, and are blind to the facts and the realities that face them. The economic trend that I have seen through my research is that the economic system functions in bubbles, by bubbles I mean that there is a market established, then there is a boom of growth for a period of time, the most recent one was the housing market. So post WWII there was an establishment to jump start the growth and development of a post war America, there was large loans and economic stimulus offered to vets. This system has been on a steady growth since and was fostered with growth once the baby boomers came to age, now they have all moved to retirement, and there was still growth in development, but the growth to people and job percentage became unstable. Then the proverbial bubble burst and prices fell through the floor, the growth died, and now the repercussions are maddening in looking at their long term effects. People had forgotten the old adage, "What goes up, must come down". So now people around the country are struggling with this reality, and everyone is saying to themselves, I should have seen this coming. It is amazing what people will do when they feel desperate to get the status of living that they want. People take out the balloon rates on houses thinking that they will be able to get their houses refinanced in the next 5 years of purchase, then when they are not able to, they end up crying wondering how this has happened to them. The thirst of pushing beyond our current status and trying to be more then what we are is the American Dream though. To move ever higher in the wealth ladder and be able to give to your children what you were not able to have yourself is the embodiment of this dream. But the price that has to be paid at times for this dream are sometimes over looked. It is a gamble for sure, and each individual has to weigh the value of that gamble for themselves. The fact tat I have read about people killing themselves over this gamble saddens me tremendously. I remember in high school being taught about balancing my checkbook and how to keep my living balanced, I wonder how so many people can quickly forget these ideas and work to live. I would think that the greater amount of the populous would not wish to classify themselves as the working poor. yet there is a sense of belonging that people have of being labeled as Blue Collard. It gives so much to the majority in terms of shared experience that creates a comfort that is good and bad all in the same breadth of time. From stories that I have that have a positive view on things. One of the most rewarding to see if people taking all these factors is of the Donnell family. They have a story on N.P.R. where they chose not only to live within their means but live within their needs(http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130403866). That is a brilliant way of putting it I think. There does seem to be a large resurgence of the low wage work force. It can be seen as a bad thing, or it can be viewed as a good thing. We have moved away as a society from the traditional 1950's nuclear family where the mom stays home to take care of the families domicile needs, and the father works tirelessly and firmly for the family. Now it seems that more and more people are working part-time equally so that they can spend more time together and with their families. Jokingly this could be why the divorce rates are up, since you actually have to see your spouse more often then dinner time and sleep. But that aside it also develops a healthy communicative lifestyle. The downside is that most employers don't offer benefits to part-time employees, and a lot of employers like this idea since it limits their out of pocket spending on hiring packages. To boot, a lot of these part time jobs are low wage. So these low wage workforces it turns out have a 90% denial rate for workman's compensation (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130644732), denied overtime, and don't even make minimum wage. To think those that don't get the comp. are threatened with being fired if they try to get health assistance for work related injury. That is painful for someone that is struggling. Can't give up the job because you need it to survive, and you have to go to the doctor so you can physically survive. The violations of minimum wage comes from the aspect of flat rate pay jobs. So say you work as a salary manager for $30,000.00 annually, that's about $16 an hour at 40 hrs a week. Now I know people that make salary. I can tell you for a fact that every single one of those people that I know do not work only 40 hrs a week. Most of them can end up working double that time. When that happens they end up under the minimum wage. When you take into account the fact that they are salary and are not making overtime on those over hours, that's a loss of wages that is twice as much as they are making salary wise. Yet still people do it because they are hoping that they will move up the proverbial ladder. What a painstaking thought. I am just glad that in my industry even though there is a flat rate fee of pay for 12 hrs. if you go over those 12 hrs, no matter what, you are getting overtime. I like to feel safe in that notion. Yet I can see where people can like the flat rate of pay for salary for if they don't work the 40 hrs they still get pad as if they did. But the fact is companies don't like that idea. They want to get the most of their moneys worth out of every employee in an effort to squeeze every pennies worth of growth for stocks out of you. I guess though that if people wanted to really protest the system and change it they would, but people are to worried about loosing their jobs to act on their complaints about the working system here. They would rather put up with it then change and upset the status quo.
There is so much that we are afraid of and that we are faced with, it is beyond my ability to put it all in my thesis. But it is nice to see what is there in front of me as a reality so that I have a thorough understanding of what is there for a relation that is actual for my characters as apposed to plowing through a falsity that is unrelatable for the audience and the characters situations. I do not wish to make this a piece about pointing out each flaw that is in the system. I merely wish to show how the different sides of the most common shared experiences can and probably have been lived through. To shoot this in almost a documentary style to lend credibility to the false reality I am presenting is integral in conveying the stories and situations. If I can succeed in giving this info through the story and situations. Then I feel that the piece is successful. Already in what I have written I feel that the situations have succeeded.
Looking at the N.P.R. casts, it was interesting to see just how far on the opposite ends of the self worth people can hold themselves. Some people wallow in their self petty. Others will pull themselves up by their boot straps and do whatever it takes to get work done to survive. In the end that's what it comes down to, survival. Looking at what people do in self defeatism mode was really interesting and sad. People just give up, they no longer can handle functioning because they become so stressed and buried under the weight of living to work and not even being able to fulfill that need. A large part of their anxiety is in being able to create or even see a positive future for themselves or even for their children. Questions like, can I make it through this, what will I do if there is no work, how will I pay my bills, what will I do once the creditors start calling, how am I going to feed my kids, how are my kids going to view me, how are other people going to view me, how will I give my children better opportunities then what I have, how will I be able to cover hospital expenses? These questions and many more are common for people. But think about it, what would it be like to be in someones shoes that doesn't even know if they will have enough money to eat the following day? That's where the weight truly sinks in. Sure there is always a sense of economic growth, but from what I have read, the trend is that there is a slow squeeze on the working class. There is a marginal gap that is ever growing between the haves and the have not's. What I mean is in regards to the cost of health care, retirement, Housing costs, mortgage loans, or credit in general, and the dreaded college debt. These items are what some would say define middle class living as seen as part's to it. The other for the trend is that the middle class of the middle class (if that makes sense to you, if not just follow me here)make just under $50,000.00 a year. Upper middle class makes above that and lower middle class makes around $32,000.00 annually. That may seem like a descent amount to live on or not depending on your individual view point. I can see either as a comfortable income. My wife and I live on $10,800.00 things are tight for us sure, but we live within our means and can afford some of the comforts that label us as blue collard even though we sit in the poor classification. And we do it without any subsidization like food stamps or any of that. The problem it seems starts for the middle class where they fall into the consumer culture and what it is that is socially deemed necessary. Like having a large house 3+ bedroom for a couple and multiple vehicles, buying the best and latest tech gadgets to show off status. trying to live outside of the means. People like to establish a set of guidelines where they feel is necessary for them to survive. Then they have to take out loans or credit cards or over extend their banking to obtain these goals, and are blind to the facts and the realities that face them. The economic trend that I have seen through my research is that the economic system functions in bubbles, by bubbles I mean that there is a market established, then there is a boom of growth for a period of time, the most recent one was the housing market. So post WWII there was an establishment to jump start the growth and development of a post war America, there was large loans and economic stimulus offered to vets. This system has been on a steady growth since and was fostered with growth once the baby boomers came to age, now they have all moved to retirement, and there was still growth in development, but the growth to people and job percentage became unstable. Then the proverbial bubble burst and prices fell through the floor, the growth died, and now the repercussions are maddening in looking at their long term effects. People had forgotten the old adage, "What goes up, must come down". So now people around the country are struggling with this reality, and everyone is saying to themselves, I should have seen this coming. It is amazing what people will do when they feel desperate to get the status of living that they want. People take out the balloon rates on houses thinking that they will be able to get their houses refinanced in the next 5 years of purchase, then when they are not able to, they end up crying wondering how this has happened to them. The thirst of pushing beyond our current status and trying to be more then what we are is the American Dream though. To move ever higher in the wealth ladder and be able to give to your children what you were not able to have yourself is the embodiment of this dream. But the price that has to be paid at times for this dream are sometimes over looked. It is a gamble for sure, and each individual has to weigh the value of that gamble for themselves. The fact tat I have read about people killing themselves over this gamble saddens me tremendously. I remember in high school being taught about balancing my checkbook and how to keep my living balanced, I wonder how so many people can quickly forget these ideas and work to live. I would think that the greater amount of the populous would not wish to classify themselves as the working poor. yet there is a sense of belonging that people have of being labeled as Blue Collard. It gives so much to the majority in terms of shared experience that creates a comfort that is good and bad all in the same breadth of time. From stories that I have that have a positive view on things. One of the most rewarding to see if people taking all these factors is of the Donnell family. They have a story on N.P.R. where they chose not only to live within their means but live within their needs(http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130403866). That is a brilliant way of putting it I think. There does seem to be a large resurgence of the low wage work force. It can be seen as a bad thing, or it can be viewed as a good thing. We have moved away as a society from the traditional 1950's nuclear family where the mom stays home to take care of the families domicile needs, and the father works tirelessly and firmly for the family. Now it seems that more and more people are working part-time equally so that they can spend more time together and with their families. Jokingly this could be why the divorce rates are up, since you actually have to see your spouse more often then dinner time and sleep. But that aside it also develops a healthy communicative lifestyle. The downside is that most employers don't offer benefits to part-time employees, and a lot of employers like this idea since it limits their out of pocket spending on hiring packages. To boot, a lot of these part time jobs are low wage. So these low wage workforces it turns out have a 90% denial rate for workman's compensation (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130644732), denied overtime, and don't even make minimum wage. To think those that don't get the comp. are threatened with being fired if they try to get health assistance for work related injury. That is painful for someone that is struggling. Can't give up the job because you need it to survive, and you have to go to the doctor so you can physically survive. The violations of minimum wage comes from the aspect of flat rate pay jobs. So say you work as a salary manager for $30,000.00 annually, that's about $16 an hour at 40 hrs a week. Now I know people that make salary. I can tell you for a fact that every single one of those people that I know do not work only 40 hrs a week. Most of them can end up working double that time. When that happens they end up under the minimum wage. When you take into account the fact that they are salary and are not making overtime on those over hours, that's a loss of wages that is twice as much as they are making salary wise. Yet still people do it because they are hoping that they will move up the proverbial ladder. What a painstaking thought. I am just glad that in my industry even though there is a flat rate fee of pay for 12 hrs. if you go over those 12 hrs, no matter what, you are getting overtime. I like to feel safe in that notion. Yet I can see where people can like the flat rate of pay for salary for if they don't work the 40 hrs they still get pad as if they did. But the fact is companies don't like that idea. They want to get the most of their moneys worth out of every employee in an effort to squeeze every pennies worth of growth for stocks out of you. I guess though that if people wanted to really protest the system and change it they would, but people are to worried about loosing their jobs to act on their complaints about the working system here. They would rather put up with it then change and upset the status quo.
There is so much that we are afraid of and that we are faced with, it is beyond my ability to put it all in my thesis. But it is nice to see what is there in front of me as a reality so that I have a thorough understanding of what is there for a relation that is actual for my characters as apposed to plowing through a falsity that is unrelatable for the audience and the characters situations. I do not wish to make this a piece about pointing out each flaw that is in the system. I merely wish to show how the different sides of the most common shared experiences can and probably have been lived through. To shoot this in almost a documentary style to lend credibility to the false reality I am presenting is integral in conveying the stories and situations. If I can succeed in giving this info through the story and situations. Then I feel that the piece is successful. Already in what I have written I feel that the situations have succeeded.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Shine
So this evening after spending some time writing I watched Shine. What a wonderfully put together movie. The acting was by far top notch and the story of David Helfgott is very touching. Great time by wide and far.
Casting call
So we had a set up for doing a huge casting call. One of my friends that was setting it up got a phone call about a week ago from a talent agency that told him that we were going to have over a hundred people from his company alone. So we were supper excited. Then yesterday happened. We only had 13 people show up to the readings. At least half of those people were not from the agency and the half that was did not have their portfolio, reel, or head shots with them. Joy. So I also watched 71 fragments of a chronology of events. My God that movie fucking sucked. So damn boring. Just a bunch of useless shots that were not even that visually intriguing for the situations that were even lack luster then the angles. At least I have another source of what not to do. I also got some proof reading done on my script. I now only have about 3 major scenes to write and the ruff should be complete.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
That's Life IV
So Today I got another 21 pages written of my screenplay. probably got another 10 to 15 to write over the weekend and I have to wait to talk to the VA before I can finish one last scene. So in total the script should be about 55-65 pages long. Not to shabby I don't think. Not working to force any of it. Just letting it come out as it seems natural. It seems to be working well, but since I gotta be up at a decent hour today, I think I am going to call it quits for tonight. Been at it for...16 hrs. now. Definitely time for a well deserved brake. I just hope that i can tamper down all these thoughts. I just can't bring myself to write anymore hardship tonight. Too much as it stands.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Everything is illuminated
Studies
So I watched The Last Farm this afternoon. I love the feel and color treatment in most of it. There are some things I would have done differently in post regarding some of the subtle differences in color palette. The script was very predictable, but I didn't mind it for the simple fact that it was well done. Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oh7sQ4hPnyk&feature=featured
That's Life III
So I have been writing furiously today. I just had to take a break for a minute to get it all off of my chest. It seems like it's killing a part of me to write this script. I am so attached to these guys. I have already cried once today thinking about what I am putting them through. I hate this part of writing, but it's what gives the characters their life. At least I know that they are not two dimensional characters. These families are living and breathing to me. I hope that I can get my actors to portray clearly what it is that these people are going through.
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