On October 31st, 2001 there were many feelings going through my body as I boarded the D train at 175th St and the Grand Concourse. My legs were stiff from standing for hours the night before on the uneven floor of the Continental Airlines Arena. Slipknot and System of a Down played to a packed house which caused not only the pain in my legs but the continuous ringing in my ears. Even though the train was relatively empty, I found myself standing in front of the doors. I was excited as two hours earlier I discovered I would be enjoying game 4 of the World Series from behind home plate instead of in my small apartment on Clay Ave. Several years earlier, an aquaintance of mine, was caught spraypainting profanity on the side of Yankees Stadium. When he was questioned about his intentions, he stated it was because he had nothing else to do. Two weeks later, he was contacted by Yankees Stadium and given a job as an usher in the Diamond Level seats. Normally I would watch a game through the first inning before getting a call that a seat was open. Then I would hop down to the stadium, a mere 10 minutes from where I lived, and see the game in seats that would have normally cost several hundred dollars.
Unfortnately we were in a post 9/11 world. Businesses had disappeared freeing up several seats in prime real estate behind home plate. I never wondered whose seat I actually sat in until recently. I figured it was just a comped ticketee that was busy elsewhere. Many of them had been given to police officers and firefighters still on duty. But whether or not someone had purchased that seat before 9/11 never struck my mind. It could very well have been someone lost in the tragedy. Or as I found out recently, when businesses close, their comp tickets open up with them. I hope that this was the case.
Either way, I recieved a call from my friend at 7:30pm on Halloween night. I quickly threw on my World Series Yankees hat, but forgot how cold it would be at the Stadium. I wore only a thin hoodie, paying the price the following week. I was stuck in bed and out of school for three days. I used various excuses as to how I got sick, knowing that admitting I just went to a baseball game in October without a jacket would not have flown over well with anyone.
After arriving at the Stadium, two things were obvious. People wanted something to believe in and people wanted to forget. The Yankees were all that was left to avoid what many of us saw day after day during those months. On this night, both requests would be fulfilled. However, at first, like any great opera, there was nothing to cheer for. The Yankees couldn't score and the Diamondbacks looks like they were toying with baseball's legendary franchise. After 8 innings, Arizona manager Bob Brenly must have thought things were going pretty smoothly. Everyone else in the building thought it was going their way as well. The crowd was silent for most of those 8 innings, with no real reason to get excited. However, in the bottom of the 9th inning, as if by some miracle, everything changed. Yankees first baseman, Tino Martinez, blasted a two run game tying home run off of closer Byun Yun Kim. While most of this is to me is a fuzzy memory of being cold and excited, I can remember with great clarity almost losing my voice after seeing the ball leave the park. That excitement lifted my voice from a dull murmor at the start of the day, another effect of the previous night's concert, to an epic roar.
While normally I hate to admit to being a fanboy of a particular player, that night established one of my all time favorite players with one of my all time favorite baseball memories. Watching Derek Jeter hit the game winning home run at midnight on November 1st was a moment that I sometimes look to immortalize on film. There are moments that even film cannot capture and this is one of them. I've seen the game replayed dozens of times, however it doesn't capture the feeling of being at the stadium on that night. I remember being at the bottom of a dogpile of fans after the ball left the yard, I remember hugging people I didn't even know, and I remember that no one left the ballpark after the game. My ten minute trip home turned into 4 hours. I didn't walk through my door until 4 in the morning. It had nothing to do with traffic. I could have walked home if I felt like it. But the feeling around the stadium and of the fans was intoxicating and nearly impossible to separate from.
It may seem cheesy at this point in time considering how many documentaries and commentaries have been done on that night. Throwing one more on a large pile may be overkill. However, I figured it would be best if I wrote a few words on not just the final game at Yankees Stadium but of the moment that stuck out the most in my mind.
Tuesday, September 30
My Favorite Memory of Yankees Stadium
Monday, September 29
Things will never be the same...
I've realized lately that you reach a point in life where you look back at the past with vague nostalgia and wonder where the "good old days" went. Common places seem to disappear right before your eyes giving way for what some day will also disappear and become nostalgia for a younger generation. The cycle of what was once new and hip grows dull and boring right before your eyes. You find yourself feeling somewhat old fashioned wishing what happened to the days of real culture. This point in life can be a trap for most people. Bitterness fills them as they lock themselves away from anything new. They become trapped in the cycle they were swept up in at an early age. And as I write this, I think I've seen the trap before my very eyes. The trap between the gaps of being young with a foolish mind and a responsible adult who knows when to make the best of his foolishness.
On Sunday September 21st I experienced what will probably be rememebered as the death toll of old New York. The symbol of not only my childhood but of American sports and entertainment, closed its doors for the last time. The New York Yankees played one final game on 161st St and River Ave. While they're new home is across the street, the nostalgia of the old ballpark will linger amongst every fan that sat in a seat. The obvious complaints will be heard: "It's too corporate. It doesn't feel like the old Yankees Stadium." But in those complaints is the trap.
New York has always been a place where the people make the history and the lasting memories. Yankees Stadium is a building, but the memories housed within it belong to the players and the fans. Babe Ruth, Lou Gerhig, Thurman Munson, Reggie Jackson, and Derek Jeter are a few of the reasons that the Stadium held its meaning. Now, new memories will be made across the street at the new Yankees Stadium. While, I teared up the last time I sat in the stands and while I heard Derek Jeter say his farewell speech, I understood that this wasn't the end of the book. It was just the end of an extraordinarily long chapter in the book of New York baseball. I am hopeful for everyone that steps into the new Stadium to write its memorable moments. Buildings are made to come down, but what you put in them means more than the concrete that surrounds them.
Now that I've gotten that out my system I'll write again later on tonight to detail my greatest Yankees Stadium memory.
On Sunday September 21st I experienced what will probably be rememebered as the death toll of old New York. The symbol of not only my childhood but of American sports and entertainment, closed its doors for the last time. The New York Yankees played one final game on 161st St and River Ave. While they're new home is across the street, the nostalgia of the old ballpark will linger amongst every fan that sat in a seat. The obvious complaints will be heard: "It's too corporate. It doesn't feel like the old Yankees Stadium." But in those complaints is the trap.
New York has always been a place where the people make the history and the lasting memories. Yankees Stadium is a building, but the memories housed within it belong to the players and the fans. Babe Ruth, Lou Gerhig, Thurman Munson, Reggie Jackson, and Derek Jeter are a few of the reasons that the Stadium held its meaning. Now, new memories will be made across the street at the new Yankees Stadium. While, I teared up the last time I sat in the stands and while I heard Derek Jeter say his farewell speech, I understood that this wasn't the end of the book. It was just the end of an extraordinarily long chapter in the book of New York baseball. I am hopeful for everyone that steps into the new Stadium to write its memorable moments. Buildings are made to come down, but what you put in them means more than the concrete that surrounds them.
Now that I've gotten that out my system I'll write again later on tonight to detail my greatest Yankees Stadium memory.
Sunday, April 27
The Terror We Disown
With the recent release of Cloverfield, I felt it was the right time to talk a bit about the horror film and its importance in our society. Many cinema goers would agree that the horror film has lost its way over the past decade. However, there is a more disturbing trend that has become very apparent. It is the idea the we no longer have horror icons in which to attach ourselves too. JJ Abrams made this abundantly clear when he wanted to provide a "Godzilla" for Americans with the Cloverfield monster. While he helped to create a legitimately mean looking creature for the screen, there is a denial of what has already been created before and the lust for something which is not ours.
Godzilla is a Japanese creation. It is inherently Japanese and cannot be removed from that environment with any kind of success. The 1998 film where a gofer looking lizard crawls around New York City subways is a good example of this. Godzilla is the embodiment of atomic war to the Japanese people. By rampaging through the streets, viewers are able to release their pent up fear and anger over a point in time where true terror took place. Godzilla is a product of a post World War Japan and belongs there. We as American film goers can never fully understand the true meaning behind such a character when it is placed in our environment. While we experienced 9/11 as the pinnacle of destruction and terror in our time, and Cloverfield does have very specific references to that event, the monster does not and cannot embody the same fear that was experienced through Godzilla. This is not a bash on the film. I personally did not like Cloverfield but I am not instructing anyone else to like or dislike it. The movie failed to provide substance for a rampaging figure. Instead what it did do was make us see how ridiculous we might look under circumstances outside of our small social sphere. It was more of an embarrassment than and exercise in terror.
Our monster is one that is inherently American. King Kong is the microcosm of American history. It is a representation of slavery, oppression, civil and uncivil disobedience, and the success or failure of the "American Dream." The black ape is taken from his homeland, forcefully chained, presented to white (American) society, and is eventually killed for its continuous disobedience. That is our monster, these are our demons. While it seems that we wish to fully understand destruction from an outside aggressors point of view, it is nearly impossible to do for American audiences without a sense of camp or unbelievability. Foreign tanks have never rolled down the streets of Times Square, bombs have never leveled Harlem, and war has never touched the modern United States. The idea of racism, an uneven class structure, and frustration with capturing what we believe the American Dream might be, is a very understandable situation.
For some reason, leaving business out of this, many horror productions are remakes of foreign films or an American swing on an outside idea. Instead of attempting to recreate new franchises, we should embrace the ideas that we have. Look back to the great works of filmmakers such as Tod Browning for where to go in the future. Leave outside terror to those who can interpret it best. The forced assimilation in films such as, Shutter, The Grudge, and The Ring are not only forced but creating holes in an already insecure genre.
The more I watch current horror films the more I notice the past slink away in a false insecurity. There needs to be more confidence in the future of home grown horror films and less of a dependence on what is being done on the other side of the world. They are great films as they are but not meant for reproduction here.
A small list of classic American made horror films are:
Freaks
Dracula
Dracula's Daughter
Frankenstein
Bride of Frankenstein
The Wolfman
The Thing From Another World
Halloween
The Exorcist
King Kong (except for Peter Jackson's)
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Friday the 13th
Last House on the Left
The Shining
This is just a few and I'm sure others will have a ton more.
Godzilla is a Japanese creation. It is inherently Japanese and cannot be removed from that environment with any kind of success. The 1998 film where a gofer looking lizard crawls around New York City subways is a good example of this. Godzilla is the embodiment of atomic war to the Japanese people. By rampaging through the streets, viewers are able to release their pent up fear and anger over a point in time where true terror took place. Godzilla is a product of a post World War Japan and belongs there. We as American film goers can never fully understand the true meaning behind such a character when it is placed in our environment. While we experienced 9/11 as the pinnacle of destruction and terror in our time, and Cloverfield does have very specific references to that event, the monster does not and cannot embody the same fear that was experienced through Godzilla. This is not a bash on the film. I personally did not like Cloverfield but I am not instructing anyone else to like or dislike it. The movie failed to provide substance for a rampaging figure. Instead what it did do was make us see how ridiculous we might look under circumstances outside of our small social sphere. It was more of an embarrassment than and exercise in terror.
Our monster is one that is inherently American. King Kong is the microcosm of American history. It is a representation of slavery, oppression, civil and uncivil disobedience, and the success or failure of the "American Dream." The black ape is taken from his homeland, forcefully chained, presented to white (American) society, and is eventually killed for its continuous disobedience. That is our monster, these are our demons. While it seems that we wish to fully understand destruction from an outside aggressors point of view, it is nearly impossible to do for American audiences without a sense of camp or unbelievability. Foreign tanks have never rolled down the streets of Times Square, bombs have never leveled Harlem, and war has never touched the modern United States. The idea of racism, an uneven class structure, and frustration with capturing what we believe the American Dream might be, is a very understandable situation.
For some reason, leaving business out of this, many horror productions are remakes of foreign films or an American swing on an outside idea. Instead of attempting to recreate new franchises, we should embrace the ideas that we have. Look back to the great works of filmmakers such as Tod Browning for where to go in the future. Leave outside terror to those who can interpret it best. The forced assimilation in films such as, Shutter, The Grudge, and The Ring are not only forced but creating holes in an already insecure genre.
The more I watch current horror films the more I notice the past slink away in a false insecurity. There needs to be more confidence in the future of home grown horror films and less of a dependence on what is being done on the other side of the world. They are great films as they are but not meant for reproduction here.
A small list of classic American made horror films are:
Freaks
Dracula
Dracula's Daughter
Frankenstein
Bride of Frankenstein
The Wolfman
The Thing From Another World
Halloween
The Exorcist
King Kong (except for Peter Jackson's)
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Friday the 13th
Last House on the Left
The Shining
This is just a few and I'm sure others will have a ton more.
Thursday, April 24
New things and consistency
This blog has been relatively useless to me since I created it. That's very unfortunate considering I really should let out all of my thoughts in some form that doesn't consist of ranting about them to Jen for several hours. So I've decided to share many of my philosophies on film and life through this blog, which will hopefully keep me updating it more regularly:
I heard a very interesting fact about Woody Allen today that triggered a whole inner debate within my mind. He was quoted as saying that he doesn't believe in the Special Features on dvds. This is why when you opened your 40 dollar deluxe edition of Manhattan on dvd, all you got was a few trailers and an interview with Diane Keaton a hundred years after the movie was made. I began to think of why he would say such a thing. It didn't dawn on me until I went to one of my usual movie news sites for my usual fill of useless Hollywood information. LORD KNOWS I NEED TO KEEP UPDATED ON THE GI JOE MOVIE! Suddenly it hit me like a bolt of lighting. Literally! My hair stood on end with a realization that of a concept that may transcend and rip the very fabric of the internet. I'll put it in a different context to better explain it.
If you ever get a chance to meet a magician you'll notice two things about them. One is that they all have a different set of traits that they play up before a crowd, and two is that they will never reveal the secrets of their trade. To ask them is itself an insult since you definitely will not get an answer. Filmmakers, at one time, were modern age magicians. They create elaborate pictures that only the imagination could spawn before the invention of celluloid. These days, the wall between the audience and the production has become quite blurry. Because of this, critics have become harsh, fans have become cynical, and the average movie goer now believes they have a firm understanding of everything that goes into making a film. The truth is they don't. At times most filmmakers don't even know what makes a good film or not. It's 99 percent hard work and 10 percent luck that makes even the best script come to life on a screen.
The comparison between the filmmaker and the magician is a powerful one. If you know how the magic trick is done, will you be shocked or surprised the next time you see it? If you knew how much of an asshole Marlon Brando was on the set of the Godfather or Apocalypse Now would you still have appreciated the movies for what they were? These are fundamental questions that film critics and fans have to ask themselves. Access is at an unprecedented high to screener copies or unfinished cuts to films. News sites give access to what is going on behind the scenes that affect the audience perception of not only the production but the actors or director. Stanley Kubrick was well known for pushing actors to their mental limits. He nearly gave Shelly Duvall a heart attack making The Shining. Had we known this while the movie was being made, would we still look at it as the great horror classic that it is or would we have a bitter taste watching it?
I personally feel that there is too much of an emphasis on what's going on behind the camera instead of what we are getting in front of it. I don't want to look at a screen and see Robert DeNiro or Brad Pitt. I want to see Jake Lemotta or Tyler Durden. Characters need to take precedent over reality. Film only exists because of our own suspension of disbelief. I'm not saying we can't hate movies for bad acting or horrible directing. Our basic love for film should be focused on what is in front of us and not what is behind the camera. Trust me, those things are a lot more boring than you may think. The glitz and glamor of film making disappears underneath 5am shoot and endless pre production. The amazement is not in how it is made but in the product you see before you... besides, magicians killed the disappearing birds... I saw The Prestige!
I heard a very interesting fact about Woody Allen today that triggered a whole inner debate within my mind. He was quoted as saying that he doesn't believe in the Special Features on dvds. This is why when you opened your 40 dollar deluxe edition of Manhattan on dvd, all you got was a few trailers and an interview with Diane Keaton a hundred years after the movie was made. I began to think of why he would say such a thing. It didn't dawn on me until I went to one of my usual movie news sites for my usual fill of useless Hollywood information. LORD KNOWS I NEED TO KEEP UPDATED ON THE GI JOE MOVIE! Suddenly it hit me like a bolt of lighting. Literally! My hair stood on end with a realization that of a concept that may transcend and rip the very fabric of the internet. I'll put it in a different context to better explain it.
If you ever get a chance to meet a magician you'll notice two things about them. One is that they all have a different set of traits that they play up before a crowd, and two is that they will never reveal the secrets of their trade. To ask them is itself an insult since you definitely will not get an answer. Filmmakers, at one time, were modern age magicians. They create elaborate pictures that only the imagination could spawn before the invention of celluloid. These days, the wall between the audience and the production has become quite blurry. Because of this, critics have become harsh, fans have become cynical, and the average movie goer now believes they have a firm understanding of everything that goes into making a film. The truth is they don't. At times most filmmakers don't even know what makes a good film or not. It's 99 percent hard work and 10 percent luck that makes even the best script come to life on a screen.
The comparison between the filmmaker and the magician is a powerful one. If you know how the magic trick is done, will you be shocked or surprised the next time you see it? If you knew how much of an asshole Marlon Brando was on the set of the Godfather or Apocalypse Now would you still have appreciated the movies for what they were? These are fundamental questions that film critics and fans have to ask themselves. Access is at an unprecedented high to screener copies or unfinished cuts to films. News sites give access to what is going on behind the scenes that affect the audience perception of not only the production but the actors or director. Stanley Kubrick was well known for pushing actors to their mental limits. He nearly gave Shelly Duvall a heart attack making The Shining. Had we known this while the movie was being made, would we still look at it as the great horror classic that it is or would we have a bitter taste watching it?
I personally feel that there is too much of an emphasis on what's going on behind the camera instead of what we are getting in front of it. I don't want to look at a screen and see Robert DeNiro or Brad Pitt. I want to see Jake Lemotta or Tyler Durden. Characters need to take precedent over reality. Film only exists because of our own suspension of disbelief. I'm not saying we can't hate movies for bad acting or horrible directing. Our basic love for film should be focused on what is in front of us and not what is behind the camera. Trust me, those things are a lot more boring than you may think. The glitz and glamor of film making disappears underneath 5am shoot and endless pre production. The amazement is not in how it is made but in the product you see before you... besides, magicians killed the disappearing birds... I saw The Prestige!
Saturday, September 22
Rants about Theatre
So I figured I'd rant a while about the state of theatre. I've worked in theatre for about four years now. My experience has varied in great degrees. I've ushered at the New Vic and Duke Theater, interned in marketing for the New 42, interned on Christine Jorgensen Reveals and worked on countless other shows along the way. Now, working in telesales for the Roundabout Theatre I've been watching the inner workings of the monetary side of theatre. One of my first complaints is one I've had for a very long time. Theatre doesn't market to younger audiences. There are countless teens and adults not over the age of 30 that want to see theatre. Unfortunately the prices for tickets are astronomical. It's very sad when an artform that people want to see is relegated to whether you can afford a two hundred dollar ticket.
Case in point: Young Frankenstein. I've actually been blessed to have seen a run through of the show when working at the New 42. I won't divulge any information on the show but what I saw was definitely something that I knew many of my friend would like to see. However, premium tickets are priced at over 300 dollars a seat. 300 dollars! That's insanity. Young Frankenstein is running the Hilton Theatre. Which is a building that seats over 1800 people depending on the configuration. The average theatre size is slightly over 500. Now 300 dollar tickets in a theatre double the size of the average theatre equals one bad solution. I wouldn't be surprised if the show closed by April. The notion of selling that theatre out past opening day seems somewhat of an impossibility. This is not because of the product on the stage. It is simply because they are asking for your future children's college fund when purchasing a ticket. I paid less for tickets to Wrestlemania and I had outstanding seats at Madison Square Garden. Spike Lee would probably balk at that price. Anyway, This brings me to the growing problem Theatre has had. They are marketing to a group that will not be here in ten years. LITERALLY! Their audience will probably be dead in the next ten years. The average age is 60! Instead of lowering prices to allow young college kids or high school students to attend shows, and thus filling more houses, the prices remain high keeping houses looking dismal.
We have a show at Roundabout currently that is selling extraordinarily well. I won't say this show because... hey I work there. I know, for a fact, this should would be playing to sell out crowds EVERY DAY if they placed emphasis on marketing towards the young theater views who are desperately trying to get into the empty houses. Don't worry our houses won't be empty, but I'm using it as an example. I feel theatre is heading down a dark path that will lead to a ton of closings and a feeling of theatre as a dead artform. When in fact the only thing that is missing, is the proper people to help sell the shows. I'll end my rant here by saying, I'm extraordinarily dedicated towards theatre, almost as much as I am towards film. I hope that a day will come when younger audience can see great shows (NOT JUST RENT) for a reasonable price.
Case in point: Young Frankenstein. I've actually been blessed to have seen a run through of the show when working at the New 42. I won't divulge any information on the show but what I saw was definitely something that I knew many of my friend would like to see. However, premium tickets are priced at over 300 dollars a seat. 300 dollars! That's insanity. Young Frankenstein is running the Hilton Theatre. Which is a building that seats over 1800 people depending on the configuration. The average theatre size is slightly over 500. Now 300 dollar tickets in a theatre double the size of the average theatre equals one bad solution. I wouldn't be surprised if the show closed by April. The notion of selling that theatre out past opening day seems somewhat of an impossibility. This is not because of the product on the stage. It is simply because they are asking for your future children's college fund when purchasing a ticket. I paid less for tickets to Wrestlemania and I had outstanding seats at Madison Square Garden. Spike Lee would probably balk at that price. Anyway, This brings me to the growing problem Theatre has had. They are marketing to a group that will not be here in ten years. LITERALLY! Their audience will probably be dead in the next ten years. The average age is 60! Instead of lowering prices to allow young college kids or high school students to attend shows, and thus filling more houses, the prices remain high keeping houses looking dismal.
We have a show at Roundabout currently that is selling extraordinarily well. I won't say this show because... hey I work there. I know, for a fact, this should would be playing to sell out crowds EVERY DAY if they placed emphasis on marketing towards the young theater views who are desperately trying to get into the empty houses. Don't worry our houses won't be empty, but I'm using it as an example. I feel theatre is heading down a dark path that will lead to a ton of closings and a feeling of theatre as a dead artform. When in fact the only thing that is missing, is the proper people to help sell the shows. I'll end my rant here by saying, I'm extraordinarily dedicated towards theatre, almost as much as I am towards film. I hope that a day will come when younger audience can see great shows (NOT JUST RENT) for a reasonable price.
Thursday, September 20
A Walk in Knockoff Converse
Yes that's right! I bought a pair of knockoff Converse. To tell you the truth I'm starting to wish I never bought them, actually. Its not that I don't think that they look awesome. It is really because they are a bitch to get on. I've never owned a pair of converse, real or fake. So this is quite an interesting predicament I've found myself in. I'm normally a last minute kind of guy. Which means that I usually leave for work at the last minute. Which also means I put on my clothes right before I leave to go to work. Which also means that I need sneakers that can easily be slide on and off at my fast paced leisure. Unfortunately these Airwalk Converse ripoffs don't seem to be cooperating. Not only can I not slip them on and off a will, but I have to untie and loosen them before the endless struggle of getting them on my feet. I know what you're thinking. I did not buy them too small. My foot is a natural size 9 in men. However, I purposefully bought these at a size 9 and a half to make my life somewhat easier. Or at least I thought that was what I was doing. As it turns out, I've been struggling to make it out of the house at my usual top speed of 1:30 before I should normally leave the house. It has literally brought me to a max time of 4 minutes. 4 MINUTES! What kind of crap is that?!
On good news, I've been working for Roundabout Theatre for about two months now. I'm about to start taking advantage of some of my privileges. Those being that I can get free tickets to some of the hotter shows on Broadway. As of now I'm seeing the Claire Danes show "Pygmalion" on the 28th. If that doesn't sound cool enough, I am getting free tickets to the play "39 Steps." This play is a farce on my favorite Alfred Hitchcock film of the same name. I'm so excited to see how this will turn out. Hitchcock was a master filmmaker but I can see how easily one could mock him. I can't wait.
Unfortunately I haven't been able to see any newer films lately. I'm still desperate to see "Across the Universe" despite the subpar reviews its gotten. Its a musical and audiences seem to shit all over that. Granted, Jen went to see it last week and said it was nothing special. I've trained her to be a pretty good film critic. Or at least a good critic based on my own tastes. I am still desperate to see it. I was building for it all year and good or bad I will endure it. On a good movie note, I saw the Rob Zombie remake of "Halloween." I must admit that I enjoyed it greatly. I've also grown an affinity to Rob's insane filmmaking style. It's a lot of fun and really not to be taken too seriously. However, he added several layers to the Michael character that really was never there. That being his childhood. No more weird cults guiding Michael. The gore was reasonable compared to "House of 1000 Corpses" or "Devil's Rejects." Its definitely worth a watch. I say if you've got time to kill, check it out.
I've recently finished my first feature length script. I'm super proud of it but can't say too much about it yet. I'm looking to film it in December so lets see how that turns out. Until then I will keep everyone updated. See I'm slowly getting better about this blog thing.
On good news, I've been working for Roundabout Theatre for about two months now. I'm about to start taking advantage of some of my privileges. Those being that I can get free tickets to some of the hotter shows on Broadway. As of now I'm seeing the Claire Danes show "Pygmalion" on the 28th. If that doesn't sound cool enough, I am getting free tickets to the play "39 Steps." This play is a farce on my favorite Alfred Hitchcock film of the same name. I'm so excited to see how this will turn out. Hitchcock was a master filmmaker but I can see how easily one could mock him. I can't wait.
Unfortunately I haven't been able to see any newer films lately. I'm still desperate to see "Across the Universe" despite the subpar reviews its gotten. Its a musical and audiences seem to shit all over that. Granted, Jen went to see it last week and said it was nothing special. I've trained her to be a pretty good film critic. Or at least a good critic based on my own tastes. I am still desperate to see it. I was building for it all year and good or bad I will endure it. On a good movie note, I saw the Rob Zombie remake of "Halloween." I must admit that I enjoyed it greatly. I've also grown an affinity to Rob's insane filmmaking style. It's a lot of fun and really not to be taken too seriously. However, he added several layers to the Michael character that really was never there. That being his childhood. No more weird cults guiding Michael. The gore was reasonable compared to "House of 1000 Corpses" or "Devil's Rejects." Its definitely worth a watch. I say if you've got time to kill, check it out.
I've recently finished my first feature length script. I'm super proud of it but can't say too much about it yet. I'm looking to film it in December so lets see how that turns out. Until then I will keep everyone updated. See I'm slowly getting better about this blog thing.
Wednesday, August 22
New website, new job, new scripts, new movie!!!
Its funny looking back at previous posts and seeing how things have changed. A Rod only had 27 homers last time I posted. Now he's at 41! How crazy! As you can tell, the website is brand new, the blog looks brand new, and my two new entries into the film section are... brand new. My entire summer can be wrapped into those two films. The Charetta video was a lot of fun to edit and even more fun to see finished. The band is awesome and will be playing a show this Saturday night. If I knew the place I'd list it here. Unfortunately I don't. But you can easily find them on Myspace if you're interested.
My new short film, "The Days Before...", was proof to me that my filming methods do work and that all that really matters is the script. The story of the shoot day isn't quite as impressive as the day before the shoot. As it turns out, I was left with no PA's, no sound person, and no camera man. To top it all off, I had to rush and find a microphone that would substitute for the microphone that I would have rented from Hunter. You see, Hunter has this funny policy about how rental is at reduced price for students at their leisure. Which means you can show up and they can make up a funny excuse as to not rent you equipment. This time around it was because Renato, the head film guy, was not around... Yet the office was still open for what reason, I am still trying to figure out. With the help of Jen I was able to find a decent microphone that I could use in the shoot. The funniest part is the plans I drew for me actually not getting a microphone. These are pretty impressive:
1. I'd record all the sound in close ups, have the actors say their lines exactly from take to take, and sync the best take, hiding the non sync with cutaways and extreme closeups.
2. Shooting the film and then recording the sound completely separately in a bathroom. Then in editing, I'd sync it and hide the faults with cutaways and closeups.
3. Roll into a ditch and die!
3 seemed like the answer for me. However I was able to get the microphone at a decent price. The shoot went as well as it could with a one man crew. I shot 40 minutes in 5 hours and fed the actors myself. That's what's called P.I.M.P. I'm sure I'll have ore stories from that shoot as it comes to me. Currently I'm going forward with shooting the script "The Way Out." I'll go into that script some more when its done. Which will hopefully be tomorrow.
And last, but most important, I've got a new job! I'm the office coordinator at Roundabout Theatre. Its a great gig to get me through the rest of college. I'm going to be seeing a lot more theatre. And because I'll have money, some of you will be seeing a lot more of me.
My new short film, "The Days Before...", was proof to me that my filming methods do work and that all that really matters is the script. The story of the shoot day isn't quite as impressive as the day before the shoot. As it turns out, I was left with no PA's, no sound person, and no camera man. To top it all off, I had to rush and find a microphone that would substitute for the microphone that I would have rented from Hunter. You see, Hunter has this funny policy about how rental is at reduced price for students at their leisure. Which means you can show up and they can make up a funny excuse as to not rent you equipment. This time around it was because Renato, the head film guy, was not around... Yet the office was still open for what reason, I am still trying to figure out. With the help of Jen I was able to find a decent microphone that I could use in the shoot. The funniest part is the plans I drew for me actually not getting a microphone. These are pretty impressive:
1. I'd record all the sound in close ups, have the actors say their lines exactly from take to take, and sync the best take, hiding the non sync with cutaways and extreme closeups.
2. Shooting the film and then recording the sound completely separately in a bathroom. Then in editing, I'd sync it and hide the faults with cutaways and closeups.
3. Roll into a ditch and die!
3 seemed like the answer for me. However I was able to get the microphone at a decent price. The shoot went as well as it could with a one man crew. I shot 40 minutes in 5 hours and fed the actors myself. That's what's called P.I.M.P. I'm sure I'll have ore stories from that shoot as it comes to me. Currently I'm going forward with shooting the script "The Way Out." I'll go into that script some more when its done. Which will hopefully be tomorrow.
And last, but most important, I've got a new job! I'm the office coordinator at Roundabout Theatre. Its a great gig to get me through the rest of college. I'm going to be seeing a lot more theatre. And because I'll have money, some of you will be seeing a lot more of me.
