Heroes doesn't suck

I'll leave the more detailed analysis of the Heroes season 3 premiere to Girl-Morgan, but I wanted to state for the record that it didn't suck. If nothing else they gave her shirtless Mohinder, so she should be happy too.

The Fringe

It's been a little while since there was a show that I was truly excited about seeing the day of. All day today I've been reminding myself that The Fringe is on tonight, and all day it's made me happy.

Today has been offering me a second chance at Monday type experience. That is to say, yesterday was Monday and it was kinda harsh the way Monday's are. Today feels no different even if it has the benefit of not actually being labeled as a "Monday." So on a day such as today (where I'm just now taking my lunch at 3:30 pm) it's important to have something to look forward to.

The show has a bit of mystery, a bit of the sci-fi, and a nifty characters. What's not to like? So far this is my favorite show of the new season. Too bad it's on Fox. With Fox's record of killing off shows that I love I'm a bit weary of actually loving this show. So far I'm only willing to look forward to it being on tonight.

new Jenny Lewis

I'm listening through the new Jenny Lewis album right now on good ol' MySpace. The spiffy trend of bands posting their entire album for preview is a fine trend indeed. I believe the Magnetic Fields did it as well before their last release "Distortion."

Fair enough that it's leaning towards the alt-country side and there's already plenty of that crap out there. But it's really good anyways, so I'm going to be buying this puppy.

I saw in concert last time around, with the Watson Twins, and if the tickets aren't too expensive I'll gladly catch her again (although this album sadly appears to have nothing to do with the Watson Twins).

I'm only part way through the thing, but I can safely say that if you liked her last album, you should own this one as well.

Stump the genius with lyrics

At a party I overheard boasts being thrown about that someone knew the lyrics to any song... really? We're going there?

Look, no matter how many lyrics you think you know in your particular genre, there's always going to be some chump at a party who has friends who were in bands, or a great collection of obscure indie bands, or something. It was clearly my turn to be that chump.

I started with asking if he knew the lyrics to "Catnap" by Kaito the UK band. Then we went to "Why do you let me stay here" by She and Him. I feel strongly that you need at least three to make a pattern so I completed the pattern of failure with "Sometimes" by My Bloody Valentine (does anyone know all the words to that song?).

I've been there too. I thought I was suave until someone started hitting me with modern hip-hop lyric requests one day. Decidedly not my genre of choice you could make me a pattern of failure several city blocks long.

The bottom line is that if your brain is good enough with memorizing to remember every song out there, don't you think your time would be better spent solving world hunger or some other platform that wins beauty pageants in the interview portion? No, really, go save the world now and stop trying to impress people at parties please.

"This looks professional"

Ok, so I made my own little three minute film for the three minute film festival. Some people may be sick of me talking about it already, understood and fair. I might be a little too proud of it or something, but that's the way it goes.

I wanted to share the thing with a few friends and family types, so I made some copies on DVD and packaged the thing up all nice like. It even says "not for sale" cause I used music in it that I don't technically own.

I justify this blatant piracy of music by 1) not making any money on the thing whatsoever, 2) only using songs that I purchased on CD, and 3) only sharing them in the context of this art project of a short film. Neither song used appears in its entirety either. (I work for record labels to it's a touchy subject.)

I bought a pack of DVD cases to put them in. Not the CD jewel cases, but DVD sized cases. It's an important distinction for me for some reason. I'll have to explore that later, when I get a shrink.
I made an insert to go into the DVD case, and hand numbered them for authenticity. I even made up a little logo using the cute face of a kitty I once had. It's a whole package thing, you know.

The hardest part, apparently, is finding print-at-home disc labels that are reliable. No, seriously. I bought the cheap-o ones at Office Depot (may have even been the Office Depot brand) and the damn things cracked and the print rubbed off even as I was trying to apply the label to the disc. It was horrible.
A friend had some Avery brand labels which held the ink much better. Lesson learned. Use the expensive labels.

So once the thing was done I showed the thing to a couple people who had expressed even vague interest in what I'd made. More than one person commented on how it "looks professional."

It's at this time I'd like to explain that I worked for a record label designing packaging and art directing for nine years. I currently manage the brand for an independent university. Dude! It's what I do for a living! How did you think it would end up looking?

I politely reminded people that it's within my professional scope to design packaging and that it's kinda what I do, but in my mind I was wondering what people that I work with thought I might come up with?

Then again, how many people come up with a complete packaging solution for their three minute, one second film?

Getting people interested in working on no-budget films

I'm currently working on an interesting task, but no one has told me I can't do it so I'm doing it anyways. At least no one whose opinion I value in the least.

I'm looking at doing what I'm calling a no-budget film. This means no one is getting paid, and I'm doing pre-production, production, and post-production myself.
I have a very skilled friend who is script savvy, who is working on it. I have a friend who was in my first film attempt who wants to act in it (specifically requesting that she be soaked in blood since it's leaning the way of the horror genre) and is excited to assist with production.
Ok, that's just two so far, but it's not like I've advertised or anything.

I'm actually learning that there are people who are out there willing to do this crap for fun. Not because they'll make any money at it ever, but for fun. I guess it stands to reason that if I'm willing to do it for fun why wouldn't there be other people?

Logistically it may be a bit of a nightmare, but I'm game anyway. That is, if I'm not paying them to act in the thing and they just don't feel like showing up for filming one day there's not much in the way of incentive for them to come. There will be contracts signed (for liability and license for me to own the finished product reasons), but what am I going to do? Withhold their pay of $0.00 if they don't show or perform? Wag my finger at them and give them a stern lecture?

For that reason every actor "hired" is going to be an exercise in trust. They trust that I wont make them look dumb and I trust that they'll show up and let me put fake blood on them. It's a two way street you know.

On the back side I also need to worry about little things like music. Anyone who knows me knows that I have a sometimes odd, sometimes too-easy-to-please, but still somehow picky taste in music. I can't insert music that I have on CDs at home because I want to own the finished product.
This is the part where I'm glad I know a couple/few people in bands. No one has agreed to offer anything up yet, but that's because I haven't asked yet. Maybe I should ask then eh?