Good News: My team won the trivia night at the UC on Thursday (it was about movies... yeah)
Bad News: My team lost the softball championship on Thursday (by the mercy rule in the 5th inning)
Good News: My documentary filming went really well today.
Bad News: My auteur project did not go well on Wednesday.
Skip this part if you don't like whining, or you just don't like my whining.
(And now I will interrupt the my "good news/bad news formula" for a little bit of rationalization/ranting/explanation {their's probably a better way to describe it but I've only had about 12 hours of sleep in the past two days, which is normal to some people, but I need at least 8 hours per night to function, usually nine though, so anyway, I'm not firing on all cylinders}
The big project for film history class this semester is a short film done in the style of an auteur. I've been looking forward to this project all semester, because my group (heavily influenced by me) picked Edgar Wright. Against my better, but well meaning, judgment I let Robert and Rob have creative control (which basically means, I let them submit ideas to me until they had one I didn't hate, I am such a dick). I let Rob write the script, I let Robert direct (again, here, my language here is demonstrating how much of a dick I am, as if in this group project, where we all have equal parts, I have the power to grant people the privilege {it took me one minute to spell that word correctly} of doing things that they want to do), I just sat back and shot down their ideas until they had one I liked.
My reasoning for letting them have creative control was that I had already the chance to write and direct a short film this semester, I got to write and direct one of the class project films in MC 352. I figured they would want the chance to do it. So anyway, I was just going to be the camera operator for the shoot and help with finding shots and maybe some blocking or something. The script Rob wrote was funny, but it wasn't an Edgar Wright script. I figured that would be ok; if we just focused on Edgar Wright's camera technique, we could still make it in his style. Long story short (and in this case, I'm not just using a cliche', we spent about 3.5 hours of our lives trying to make this movie) we shot the movie on Wednesday, it did not go well, it was by far the worst experience I've had making a movie since I started this major (an incredible 8 months ago).
I said I was going to edit it on Thursday, but I couldn't. I just couldn't make what we filmed into an Edgar Wright movie. I certainly couldn't make it into something I would be proud to show to other people (let along my fellow film majors). So Thursday I wrote a new script, a pretty good script if I do say so myself, and I told my group members that I was going to make a new auteur project movie. They were surprisingly ok with it (we're still on friendly...I think) and I was going to shoot it Friday and Sunday (since I already signed up to have a camera for shooting the documentary this weekend). I didn't get the camera till 5 on Friday (instead of 1, which is a long, obscenity-ridden story), and since my whole movie is shot out side, I had lost a lot of my daylight (also it just started raining when I got my camera).
Fortunately I was able to get some filming done on Friday, but I still have more than have of it to shoot tomorrow. Which leads me to (and you thought I'd forgotten about I)
End of Whining. Just kidding, there's more after this, but it's in small bite-size chunks.
Bad News: It's supposed to rain all afternoon tomorrow
Bad News: Spants (one of the two stars) told me that he was feeling sick tonight, and might be sick tomorrow
Bad News: Most of the people I was counting on as extras can't help tomorrow (which is all my fault, not theirs. For some reason, recently, Sundays have become the worst day for getting people to do stuff. Everyone {but me, apparently} is very busy on Sunday and can't play frisbee, or stickball, or be in my movie)
I can rewrite the scene, and film it so the extras thing isn't as much of a problem. There's nothing I can do about the Spaeth thing. He was going to bed early. A good night sleep always does wonders for me. The rain thing though. That's problematic. I was going to shoot the whole thing outside, at Grandma Essner's. If it's raining, that can't happen. So I need to find somewhere I can shoot inside. There's one place I can think of, but it's a bit of a stretch. First I don't have permission to shoot there, I could get it, but there's no reason to think that I would. Second I would have to do a lot of set dressing. Set dressing that I wouldn't have had to do at all if it didn't rain. Set dressing that I'm not prepared in any way to do. Also there would probably have to be some lighting. I don't have lights. I was supposed to film everything outside, where I don't need lights. I suppose I could get lights... but yeah... permission to film there. That's the thing. This is probably the longest post I've ever written. Even the hardest of the hardcore Matt Essner blog readers (I know you're out there somewhere {It also has the most parantheticals I've ever used too}) will have trouble getting though it all in one sitting, so I guess I should probably end it now befor
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Some more Blagging
I have mixed feelings on whether or not today was a good or bad day. Regardless of its goodness or badness here is some shameless self-promotion (is there any other kind?)
We had a test in MC 352 today. I pretty much kicked it's ass, at least I think I did. Normally that kind of post-test confidence is a sure sign of failure (in my case anyway, mostly because of the "Rule of Irony", which is the most powerful guiding principle in my life), but there were only two or three questions that I wasn't one hundred percent sure about the answer.
Also I played on Brian's intermural softball team again tonight (I played once before, mediocrely). I played third base, which is fortunately the easiest position in the infield (at least in slow pitch softball, as most of these guys don't pull the ball much; Shortstop on the other hand is the danger zone), the ball was hit to me twice, one time I threw the guy out at second, the second time it just sort of rolled past me into left field. So defensively, not a great night, but not bad. On offense though, I was 6 for 6. Maybe 7 for 7. I don't even remember. Either way, my batting average for tonight was 1.00. I saw 7 (or 8) pitches and I sent 6(or 7) of them right up the gap in center field. Unfortunately every one of those hits was a single, and most of the time it was with no one on.
Actually, I think I only got one RBI, but it was a pretty important one: bottom of the seventh, two men on, tie ballgame, 2 outs. I belt one right over the shortstop into center and score the man on second, we win the game. It was pretty spectacular if I say so myself. I'm supposed to play in the championship game tomorrow night (this was the semi-final game) at 10:15. I have work the next day at 6am. Yikes.
Anyway, sorry for being so self indulgent, I'm sure the next post will be more self deprecating and misanthropic.
We had a test in MC 352 today. I pretty much kicked it's ass, at least I think I did. Normally that kind of post-test confidence is a sure sign of failure (in my case anyway, mostly because of the "Rule of Irony", which is the most powerful guiding principle in my life), but there were only two or three questions that I wasn't one hundred percent sure about the answer.
Also I played on Brian's intermural softball team again tonight (I played once before, mediocrely). I played third base, which is fortunately the easiest position in the infield (at least in slow pitch softball, as most of these guys don't pull the ball much; Shortstop on the other hand is the danger zone), the ball was hit to me twice, one time I threw the guy out at second, the second time it just sort of rolled past me into left field. So defensively, not a great night, but not bad. On offense though, I was 6 for 6. Maybe 7 for 7. I don't even remember. Either way, my batting average for tonight was 1.00. I saw 7 (or 8) pitches and I sent 6(or 7) of them right up the gap in center field. Unfortunately every one of those hits was a single, and most of the time it was with no one on.
Actually, I think I only got one RBI, but it was a pretty important one: bottom of the seventh, two men on, tie ballgame, 2 outs. I belt one right over the shortstop into center and score the man on second, we win the game. It was pretty spectacular if I say so myself. I'm supposed to play in the championship game tomorrow night (this was the semi-final game) at 10:15. I have work the next day at 6am. Yikes.
Anyway, sorry for being so self indulgent, I'm sure the next post will be more self deprecating and misanthropic.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
The title of this post is a tautology.
It really isn't though.
Walmart Bread is Delicious (not only was that the original title to this post, but it is an entirely true statement).
I'm getting tired of work. I don't like these long gaps between days that I work. For one thing, it means I get paid less because I work fewer days, but the lack of consistency is kind of annoying. Plus I don't really like working so late. I don't like work being the last thing I do on a day.
I read the first Hellboy trade. It's pretty super. Hellboy is a good comicbook.
Sorry this post is so boring, gang. I guess I could talk about sleep...
Here's an interesting fact. Sunday Night I was asleep by 10pm. I woke up on Monday at 8am. That's 10 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Way to go Matt.
Essner's Blog: Sleeping :: Matthew's Blog: KoL
(although I sleep more than I write about sleeping, I think Matthew writes about KoL more than he plays it. So it's not a perfect analogy)
Ok I'm going to eat some Mac and Cheese and read crappy poetry, then go to class then go to work!
Walmart Bread is Delicious (not only was that the original title to this post, but it is an entirely true statement).
I'm getting tired of work. I don't like these long gaps between days that I work. For one thing, it means I get paid less because I work fewer days, but the lack of consistency is kind of annoying. Plus I don't really like working so late. I don't like work being the last thing I do on a day.
I read the first Hellboy trade. It's pretty super. Hellboy is a good comicbook.
Sorry this post is so boring, gang. I guess I could talk about sleep...
Here's an interesting fact. Sunday Night I was asleep by 10pm. I woke up on Monday at 8am. That's 10 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Way to go Matt.
Essner's Blog: Sleeping :: Matthew's Blog: KoL
(although I sleep more than I write about sleeping, I think Matthew writes about KoL more than he plays it. So it's not a perfect analogy)
Ok I'm going to eat some Mac and Cheese and read crappy poetry, then go to class then go to work!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Rudy's funeral
My great great uncle Rudy's funeral was yesterday. As far as funerals go, it was pretty good. I sang in the choir with some of my aunts and uncles and their cousins. Rudy and his wife, Bernice, never had any children, but they had a lot of nieces and nephews, and were very much a part of their lives.
Bernice is my grandma's aunt (although she's only about 7 year older than my grandma), she's the youngest daughter or my great great grandma and grandpa Burger, her brother was my great grandfather.
Bernice was married to Rudy for almost 66 years, which is approximately three times as many
years as I've been born. That's pretty amazing to me.
Anyway, when I was young enough to go trick or treating on Halloween, Bob and I would go trick or treating in the Woodland Hills neighborhood, where Rudy and Bernice live. So when we finished trick or treating, that's where we would end up. Rudy would always give me a lot more candy than I needed, especially since at that point in the evening I already had a pretty full bag of the stuff. While we waited for my mom to pick us up I would talk to Rudy and Bernice, pretty much nonstop (I was much more talkative as a youngster than I am now). I would babble on incessantly, not really saying anything and Rudy and Bernice would just listen and give me more candy. They seemed to genuinely interested in what I was saying (which was odd, because few other adults did, or should've from what I remember). When I got older I stopped trick or treating, but I'd try to go visit Rudy and Bernice on Halloween. Those Halloween nights still stick out in my mind as some of the best times I've ever had, and Rudy and Bernice had a lot to do with that. I think that probably has something to do with why Halloween is my favorite holiday. Halloween pretty much represents the best things about my childhood, maybe childhood in general, which I guess why I always try to make Halloween a big deal now.
Just in case you were wondering, Catholic funerals are about a quadrillion times better than Protestant funerals.
Also, I wasn't joking when I said Carolina Drama by the Raconteurs is the best track I've heard in the past two years.
Bernice is my grandma's aunt (although she's only about 7 year older than my grandma), she's the youngest daughter or my great great grandma and grandpa Burger, her brother was my great grandfather.
Bernice was married to Rudy for almost 66 years, which is approximately three times as many
years as I've been born. That's pretty amazing to me.
Anyway, when I was young enough to go trick or treating on Halloween, Bob and I would go trick or treating in the Woodland Hills neighborhood, where Rudy and Bernice live. So when we finished trick or treating, that's where we would end up. Rudy would always give me a lot more candy than I needed, especially since at that point in the evening I already had a pretty full bag of the stuff. While we waited for my mom to pick us up I would talk to Rudy and Bernice, pretty much nonstop (I was much more talkative as a youngster than I am now). I would babble on incessantly, not really saying anything and Rudy and Bernice would just listen and give me more candy. They seemed to genuinely interested in what I was saying (which was odd, because few other adults did, or should've from what I remember). When I got older I stopped trick or treating, but I'd try to go visit Rudy and Bernice on Halloween. Those Halloween nights still stick out in my mind as some of the best times I've ever had, and Rudy and Bernice had a lot to do with that. I think that probably has something to do with why Halloween is my favorite holiday. Halloween pretty much represents the best things about my childhood, maybe childhood in general, which I guess why I always try to make Halloween a big deal now.
Just in case you were wondering, Catholic funerals are about a quadrillion times better than Protestant funerals.
Also, I wasn't joking when I said Carolina Drama by the Raconteurs is the best track I've heard in the past two years.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
My First Untitled Post
Have you heard the new Raconteurs album? It's pretty f*ing amazing. The last track is pretty much the best thing I've heard in the last year or so. They're coming to the Pageant sometime in June. June is also when the 48 hour film festival is. There is some talk of doing that. I would like to participate in both of those activities, but they both require money. I don't have money. I need another job. The Raconteurs tickets are $40. It's a bit more than most concerts I go to, but it's Jack White for Christ sake. The Wilco tickets were thirtyish. They're playing three shows in St. Louis May 15, 16 and 17. They are all sold out. Curse my slow metal body (that's supposed to be a Star Wars quote, but I don't really remember exactly what 3Po says. It's something like that, though, I assure you).
I have to go to bed now, because I need to wake up in 6 hours or so.
Night!
I have to go to bed now, because I need to wake up in 6 hours or so.
Night!
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Posting twice in one week? What is this 2006?
Thing 1:
Monk is a terrible, terrible show. I borrowed the third season of it from Jonathon (I know he legally changed his name to Jonathan, but I think he should have kept it the other way) and have watched two episodes. They were both atrocious. The writing was sub Diagnosis Murder. The acting is questionable (other than Tony Shaloub and Ted Levine, although they are beleaguered by terrible plot/dialogue) and Monk is a really inconsistent character. Monk is a man with a crippling mental illness, he has difficulty doing things for himself. He has OCD and a bunch of phobias, but these really only manifest themselves when it's comedically expedient (although occasionally amusing, but frequently not, these bits don't really play with me because of their inconsistency with the rest of the character). Also the fact that Monk has pretty much any phobia the writers care to write about is a bit too convenient. I'm going to continue to watch it because it gives me something to hate and also it apparently gets better after the annoying sidekick girl leaves.
Thing 2:
I don't know why, but I have been reading a crazy amount of webcomics lately. Currently I'm reading one called Questionable Content. It's pretty darn (and by darn I mean damn) good, especially for being updated almost daily. I'm on strip 240 something of 1100 something, so it'll probably be a while before I'm caught up. But just to clue you in to how awesome the strip is, the main character has a poster of the cover of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot on his bedroom wall.
Thing 3:
I have done nothing this week. I have a lot of stuff I need to do, but I haven't done any of it. Here are some things I need to do in the three (Three? Really?) weeks before school ends.
1. Read the 10 articles for my literature review, which hopefully won't be as boring as I thought it was going to be, and of course, write said review. (End of April sometime)
2. Film/edit my SE TV student profile (Tomorrow)
3. Figure out what I'm going to do my documentary about, film and edit my documentary (Finals Week)
4. Write, shoot and edit my Edgar Write Auteur project (End of April sometime)
5. Write research paper for Jone's class (Sunday?)
6. Write/shoot/edit/ intro video for film festival that I'm trying to start at SEMO (Two weeks from now?)
7. Script stuff for class project/edit class project (Monday)
I could keep going, but this is a pretty daunting list already.
I was going to write a thing 4, but that list took a lot out of me. Time to read some more QC.
Monk is a terrible, terrible show. I borrowed the third season of it from Jonathon (I know he legally changed his name to Jonathan, but I think he should have kept it the other way) and have watched two episodes. They were both atrocious. The writing was sub Diagnosis Murder. The acting is questionable (other than Tony Shaloub and Ted Levine, although they are beleaguered by terrible plot/dialogue) and Monk is a really inconsistent character. Monk is a man with a crippling mental illness, he has difficulty doing things for himself. He has OCD and a bunch of phobias, but these really only manifest themselves when it's comedically expedient (although occasionally amusing, but frequently not, these bits don't really play with me because of their inconsistency with the rest of the character). Also the fact that Monk has pretty much any phobia the writers care to write about is a bit too convenient. I'm going to continue to watch it because it gives me something to hate and also it apparently gets better after the annoying sidekick girl leaves.
Thing 2:
I don't know why, but I have been reading a crazy amount of webcomics lately. Currently I'm reading one called Questionable Content. It's pretty darn (and by darn I mean damn) good, especially for being updated almost daily. I'm on strip 240 something of 1100 something, so it'll probably be a while before I'm caught up. But just to clue you in to how awesome the strip is, the main character has a poster of the cover of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot on his bedroom wall.
Thing 3:
I have done nothing this week. I have a lot of stuff I need to do, but I haven't done any of it. Here are some things I need to do in the three (Three? Really?) weeks before school ends.
1. Read the 10 articles for my literature review, which hopefully won't be as boring as I thought it was going to be, and of course, write said review. (End of April sometime)
2. Film/edit my SE TV student profile (Tomorrow)
3. Figure out what I'm going to do my documentary about, film and edit my documentary (Finals Week)
4. Write, shoot and edit my Edgar Write Auteur project (End of April sometime)
5. Write research paper for Jone's class (Sunday?)
6. Write/shoot/edit/ intro video for film festival that I'm trying to start at SEMO (Two weeks from now?)
7. Script stuff for class project/edit class project (Monday)
I could keep going, but this is a pretty daunting list already.
I was going to write a thing 4, but that list took a lot out of me. Time to read some more QC.
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Arkham Horror and other stuff
We played Arkham Horror on Friday. The game lasted over four hours and we ended up losing because we couldn't kill the elder god. It was all kinds of suck (the elder god, not the game. The game was pretty awesome despite the 4 hours of play time). So I've been trying to come up with ways to speed Arkham Horror up. I ran a few past Matthew and the one that he thinks would be the easiest to implement is being able to move if a monster attacks you. Usually if you start your turn with a monster on you, then you can't move for that turn. I think we could do away with that nonsense.
In other more interesting news, I had a dream in which Dennis Hopper was an unstoppable, deadly vampire/zombie and he was trying to kill me.
Brazil is not a fun movie to watch, but Michael Palin is amazing in it. I love Michael Palin. I think it goes without saying that he, and every non-Terry member of Monty Python, are superheroes. Terrys Gilliam and Jones are ok too.
shower.
In other more interesting news, I had a dream in which Dennis Hopper was an unstoppable, deadly vampire/zombie and he was trying to kill me.
Brazil is not a fun movie to watch, but Michael Palin is amazing in it. I love Michael Palin. I think it goes without saying that he, and every non-Terry member of Monty Python, are superheroes. Terrys Gilliam and Jones are ok too.
shower.
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