Posts made in May, 2012
Day 132: An Irish Blessing
Day 132. I did it. I completed my fast motion crusade with three days to spare. In the words of Bluto from Animal House, “Holy Shit!” Yes, I’m weeping. I’m not sure it will really dawn on me until I wake up tomorrow and I don’t have to go sit in front of the Avid all day and night. Wow. I’m in shock. I truly didn’t know I had it in me. I started the original crusade to finish my editing work back on Day 86 with the goal of 30 scenes in 10 weeks—three scenes a week. I was not confident I would be able to finish even in that time frame. Then I kicked the crusade into fast motion on Day 119 when a surprise trip came up and lit a motivational fire under my ass....
Read MoreDay 131: Love What You Hate
Day 131. As I polish off scene number 41—my second for the day—this pops into my head: Love what you hate. I pause and think, “Where did I read that?” As I copy and transfer all of the raw footage and my string outs into Dan the Amazing Editor Man’s scene bin, I remember. The book’s title is Change Anything—The New Science of Personal Success. How could I not buy a title like that? Before you call for another intervention, stand down. Although this book was indeed purchased from Amazon, it was bought back in 2011 pre-book buying ban. I bring it up now because—even though I don’t really remember that much from the book—the concept of loving what you hate...
Read MoreDay 130: Lady Directors and Turning Tides
Day 130. I just got back from a night of watching film shorts at the AFI Directors Workshop for Women Showcase. I was there to see a friend’s film short, Black Irish. It did not disappoint. What I particularly loved about the film was how cinematic it was—the story was told in deep, rich and stunning visuals. She certainly had a directorial vision and she certainly has talent. I look forward to seeing what she does next. I originally thought it was just a screening of the one film but it was a screening of all of the films in the program, eight in total. I snuck out after six of them. It wasn’t because they were bad—although, the one with the guy in the raccoon...
Read MoreDay 129: Mentor me, please!
Day 129. I heard from my Women in Film mentor this morning! I had emailed her back on March 28th per the program organizer’s suggestion but hadn’t heard anything. I was starting to worry that my email to her had gone to spam or was lost in cyberspace. Or worse, her response to me had been lost in cyberspace so I was the one who hadn’t responded to her! So, I sent her a follow up. Turns out, as I suspected, she’s just a super busy woman. She’s in the middle of a big event that goes down this week and she can’t meet until next week. I had that moment of, “oh Kel, you moron, why did you follow up when you’re about to go out of town?!?” In my defense, I had no idea...
Read MoreDay 128: Critical Failure
Day 128. In the organization that my documentary is on, Darien EMS Post 53, they go through rigid and intense training programs on a regular basis. In the practical testing process—practical meaning “hands on” in a simulated situation—the student can do 99% perfect but if they miss just one key step they don’t just get a lower grade, they receive what’s called a “critical failure”—the worst kind you can have in EMS training. In other words, they didn’t do something that was critical to the patient’s safety and wellbeing. This concept has me thinking about failure in general. Times when you mess up a little versus fuck up majorly and there’s no going back. Why is...
Read MoreDay 127: Double Good News
Day 127. First of all, I am thrilled that the mutual friend that Joie de vivre suggested I consider for one of the experiments does not suck, nor does her film. In fact, her film is really great! It is dark yet hilarious. It made me laugh and it made me think and it looked awesome—and I did not imbibe last night when I saw it so this isn’t margarita goggles talking. She is seriously talented and you’ll know her name soon enough but you heard it from me first: Denise Plumb! You can check out more info on her, her film and her company here: www.pastduethemovie.com www.seedlesspictures.com But enough about her, back to me—the really good news is I believe she might...
Read MoreDay 126: Potential Director Alert!
Day 126. I’m going to a screening of a friend’s film short tonight. This is the friend Joie de vivre suggested I should consider as a director for one of the projects. I think I mentioned this somewhere in my post on Day 87? If anyone has forgotten my ridiculously high expectations around the directors I bring onto this yearlong experiment in prolific creativity, you can review them by reading Day 54: But what I really want to do is direct! I’m really looking forward to seeing her film. But there’s much to do before I can leave the house. I finished scene 34 yesterday so scene 35 is up next. It should be super simple because it’s really just a transition bridge...
Read MoreDay 125: Homecoming Trailer!
Day 125. I’m excited to share the trailer for the film short I acted in, Homecoming. I filmed it back in March. I wrote about my experience on the film while I was in transit and on location filming in Utica, OH on Days 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, and Day 79. I’m really proud to be a part of such a wonderful and worthwhile project. I wrote in a little more detail about the subject on Day 73: Our Aging Population, but in a nutshell, caring for the elderly is such an important subject and one that becomes more and more of a reality and an issue as we age. The filmmaker, John David Hartfield, is planning to have a screening in June in Ohio and then begin submitting to...
Read MoreDay 124: Crashing
Day 124. I decided to skip the green tea today. Now I can’t keep my eyes open. Is it wrong to go to sleep at 6pm? I just finished scene 33’s script and interview string out but that’s all I’ve managed to do all day so far. Technically, I’m still on schedule but compared to yesterday, where I finished scene 31, 32 and the reality string out for 33, today is pathetically limping along. I can’t snap out of this sluggish state! I think I’m crashing. To even get me to fire up the Avid, Uh-mazing Romantic Partner had to bribe me with a Double Double, fries and a chocolate shake. Yes. Sugar and gluten filled but totally glorious and the only reason scene 33’s bin is...
Read MoreDay 123: Rolling along
Day 123. I’m on schedule! I just finished scene 32. It’s only a little after five and I’ve had like two cups of green tea (not decaffeinated) so I’m amped to keep moving forward. I’m going to start scene 33 and see how far I can get before my caffeine high wears off. Sidebar: I don’t normally drink caffeine, like ever. I don’t drink coffee or sodas or caffeinated teas. My only caffeine source is usually chocolate. I’ve taken to green tea with caffeine because it’s supposed to be good for you and I need the extra energy juice in order to have even the remotest chance of pulling off my fast motion plan. But here’s the deal, the last couple of days I’ve noticed...
Read More
Recent Comments