Well, dear readers, Word is being quite inept right now. I tried to open this here document to write these here notes, and it was taking forever. Why? Word was open, I clicked as I always do, and then it just became completely flummoxed and sat there like so much fish, wheel spinning – it finally gave me something resembling the page, but even that took two minutes to load and then when I highlighted yesterday’s ramblings to erase them, that took two minutes, then when I began typing that took two minutes – I’d just type merrily and nothing would show up and then suddenly ten words would magically show up. I find this more than a little lame and would clearly like to bitch-slap Word from here to eternity and hell and back. But, being Word I’m sure Word will have the last Word. Damn them, damn them all to hell.
Now it’s working fine, so that only took seven minutes. Brilliant. I had planned on doing a lot of commentary writing in the script for the LACC show, but in the end I did nothing. I just knew that I needed a day of nothing, a day of ME time and I damn well took it, and wisely, too, I may add. It was just what I needed. I did the four-mile jog, I had some bacon and eggs and toast for my meal o’ the day, and I sat on my couch like so much fish and watched almost two motion pictures. I also had a really frustrating conversation with my non-communicative camera person, who seems to think maybe this is some kind of big-budget film and that all he has to do is show up, when I’ve been very clear from the beginning that the other camera people who’ve done these shoots have come with the equipment. This man apparently does not come with the equipment, nor does he feel compelled to care how the equipment is going to be there. I made it very clear that I certainly wasn’t bringing it, since I don’t own such things and I’m not going to go out and figure out where to rent such things. The gal who did the last shoot simply told me what she was bringing and what the little light package and jib-arm were going to cost (cheap). I’d sent this guy that information so he’d know what we had. He got very uppity with me and said that I wanted him to also produce the show. I told him that I didn’t think that bringing the camera and a couple of lights constituted being a producer and that this is a WEB SERIES. We’re supposed to meet today at four and I guess we’ll see how that goes. He’s supposed to check on rental packages and get me those prices, which I’m not thrilled about. I also have two people looking for other candidates who really understand this kind of gig, and if I find someone else I’ll cut this guy loose pronto. It was entirely frustrating, for him, too, I’m sure. But surely when you accept a job you ask questions or communicate, which this guy has never done. I sent him the scripts six days ago and I still don’t think he’s read them – it probably is a good idea to read them so you at least have an idea exactly what the gig is. If he shows up, I’ll show him the LA episode so he gets the vibe of the show. I’m not going through this ever again – I have three months to find someone who will be a regular and who I can count on and who understands the deal. This guy has no idea who I even am – if I took a job I’d just mosey on over to the imdb to see who I was working with. But, that’s the world in which we live these days.
Last night, I watched one motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. I’m watching the whole damn saga from start to finish. Now, let it be said that I was not a Star Wars fanatic back when I first saw the film. It had opened at the Grauman’s Chinese and had become an instant phenomenon – you could not get into the theater without getting on line three hours early. But I had a friend who worked for Mann Theaters and he just walked me in and we got excellent seats. The reaction to the film was, for me, more interesting than the film itself. Oh, I thought it was fun and very well done and I liked seeing my pal Mark Hamill in a leading role, but I was not prepared for the screaming and whooping and hollering of the audience. It was just amazing. I saw the two sequels and enjoyed them, but again, wasn’t FANatical about them. I watched them again as they’d come out on whatever video format was current and I never got beyond the just enjoying them phase. Then I saw all three prequels. I know people hated the prequels, but I kind of enjoyed them – not quite as much as the original trilogy, but for me because I wasn’t a FANatic, they were all enjoyable on a simplistic level. I didn’t hate Jar Jar Binks and still don’t. In The Phantom Menace some of the acting is very problematic – especially the young boy who plays Anakin Skywalker. I also thought there wasn’t a clear enough and good enough villain in the film (I understand it’s setting all that up), so that the film never really has the dramatic thrust of the originals. But the look of the film was really fun and I just went with it and enjoyed Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor, as well as the John Williams score. I then moved on to Attack Of The Clones – and watched the first ninety minutes. It’s fine, too, but again suffers from some of the acting and again especially from the fellow who plays the older Anakin. The plot begins to get very dense in this film and that gave me a headache. I’ll finish watching, perhaps this evening. Most of the reviews I’ve read of the Blu and Ray of The Phantom Menace could have been written by the same person, since they all say the exact same thing with the exact same wording. They find the transfer terrible, with DNR and waxy faces. Well, no. They admit that while they feel there has been heavy DNR that there is no edge enhancement – but had their really been heavy DNR you would not have the detail in this transfer, and let me tell you there is detail aplenty. In fact, it’s an excellent transfer – as to waxy faces, I don’t think so, not when you can see zits and pores and lines. It doesn’t work like that. Unless they meant that the kid has a waxy face, but of course kids have complexions like that. Sound is terrific, too.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because even though I pretty much rested all day, I still want to get a good night’s beauty sleep, for I have to catch up on things today.
Today, I shall try to catch up on what I didn’t do yesterday, i.e. continuing to build the script for the LACC show. But I also have to do some stuff for the next Gardenia show – charts to be done, and I have to go through a bunch of music here to see what I’ve got, and then I have to finish casting so I can get people their music and mp3s. I have to send out the call sheet for the two days of shooting, too. Arranging this particular shoot has been way too difficult, so when we resume production in January or February, I’m only going to use people who really understand the kind of thing we’re doing so that it will be easier all the way around and that includes both cast and crew. I may meet up with dear reader MBarnum, perhaps an early meal. At four I meet with the camera person and hopefully that will go smoothly and assuage my discomfort – either that or I’ll have found another option.
The rest of the week is nuts – with meetings, meals, the four-mile jog, errands and whatnot, paying an obscene number of bills, and shooting the final three episodes of season one. Even the weekend is crazy, I think, and after an eight hour shoot day on Friday I have to go directly to the opening night of Annie at Cabrillo Music Theater.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do the four-mile jog, maybe have an early meal with MBarnum, write, do some banking and errands and whatnot, have a meeting with the camera person and then probably write some more. Today’s topic of discussion: What do you think of Star Wars – the original trilogy and the prequels. And were you a FANatic when you saw the first film? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland where I shall dream I am castigating Word and a difficult camera person.