Buses suck. No! They don't get a 'c!' Buses suk.

Yeah, I had to take the bus to Hollywood Blvd today to turn in my application for a permit to film this weekend, and man alive. The bus is the locus for those that swim in the cesspool of humanity, myself and the cute guy in front of me with headphones on excluded, of course. People need to just stay home, and be all creepy and smelly by themselves, and not right next to me. I like personal bubbles. I think they represent a lot of what is good and true about our country. I know they please me, at least.

Had a script conference today, will have to tweak a few things that will end up making my shoot a lot easier, so that's a good thing, even though I had planned a really cool montage with a really elaborate soundtrack, but alas, it just doesn't fit the story. I'm meeting with my actors on Friday, along with my two (2) production assistants. Whee! I have assistants! Assisting me in the production of my film! I feel so empowered now.

Howdy folks... Chris here. I had promised myself that I would never get addicted to another video game after Civilization II back in the day... and I thought I had it beat.. I acquired both Star Wars Jedi Knight 2 and Unreal Tournament earlier this year, played them for maybe a week, and then let them sit. I figured this was extremely good because they are both very addicting when you get on multiplayer games on the Net (my favorite). My, how things have changed... My friend across the hall got a copy of Hitman 2: Silent Assassin.... wow... You pretty much go on missions, do stuff (kill ninjas, plant tracking devices, etc) and you are a complete badass... Well, I'm soooo addicted. I'm posting to message boards to see if anyone has cracked into the game console to install cheats... I'm playing different missions over and over to see how few/many civilians I can avoid killing in the process, experimenting with different weapons (golf clubs, bow and arrow, anasthetics). It's sad.
CENTERED TEXTCENTERED TEXT!!!!1111

Sniff.

Who needs the love the most?

other: View Results

Hmm, I wonder what's down here...

(Psst. Click the link.)

Lookit! A poll! Aaahhh....

A toll is a toll, a roll is a...

roll. spinning object that moves horizontally along some surface. what an actor takes on. purple. View Results

In other news, we did a film test today, and I had to remind Ashley how to turn the camera on. This weekend's shoot is going to be great. But in a related story, I think I've decided my cast. I had a guy, Tom, come in and read today for my lead character, and he was just astounding. Great actor, super nice, really enthusiastic about the film and the character; so now I'm pretty excited about getting started. Also, got my first production assistant today. I put up flyers on campus, saying I needed PAs, so hopefully I'll get a couple people to hang out on the shoot and help out. Good times.

Whee! I spent twelve hours the past two days auditioning actors for my upcoming film: The Old Woman and the Plant 2: Revenge of the Plant. I had a tough time deciding between a few actors, but for the most part the actors were pretty average, and not all that spectacular. Which I guess explains why they're submitting for student films that don't pay. Bully for me, still.

It's always a bit difficult, though, when an actor auditions and they just start crying. One of the roles, I knew the actors would cry, because it's in the script. But with another role, there's nothing textual that says I was looking for crying. In fact, it was written quite low-key and understated. And my actors start bawling. Eee. It's good to know they can do it, but I felt very voyeur-y. There is so a better way to phrase that sentence. Anyways, the best was auditioning the murder victim, because I got to make the people lay on the ground and pretend to be a corpse, and then scream bloody murder several times in a row. Good times.

Angel was good tonight, but I am saddened for my poor, dear Wesley. He actually thought Lilah was falling for him, and wanted to be in a relationship with him despite their differences. Lilah likes the roll in the hay and the chance to play him, if it comes by. Sniff. No one wants Wesley for him. They want him for information, or as a chess piece, or whatever, but not just him. He must feel as though he's done something wrong some point in his life, that he has no friends or loved ones. I cannot imagine how low his self-esteem is right now, and it just makes me inordinately concerned for a fictional television character. I want to give both him and Spike great big hugs, and make them cookies.

Halloween! I love Halloween. It's, like, the coolest, most bestest holiday after Christmas and Thanksgiving ever in the whole world. I really miss trick-or-treating, though. It wasn't even the candy, per se (although candy is the proverbial stuff), it was about the whole ritual of coming home from a school party, and putting on the costume, and taking pictures, and showing it off to the neighbors, and tromping around at night, and coming home and sorting through the loot, and going to bed exhausted from the aforementioned tromping, and dude. It was just cool.

Well, my back problems came to a head on Friday when I woke up feeling like an arthritic old woman. (I probably wouldn't have had this problem had I owned A PLANT. PLANTS make all the heartaches and turmoil just melt away in the blinding glare of their RIGHTEOUS PLANTNESS. Yes, I'm still bitter, why do you ask?) I went to the student health center, and they gave me muscle relaxants and prescription pain medication. Yeah, baby. Then, I came home and hung up blankets around my bed off the top bunk, so I have this cave-tent thing going on, and I am sleeping like a great big sleeping thing. Muscle relaxant + dark + codeine = sleep good.

I have so much to do in this upcoming week I am sickened by it. Sickened! Scool suk! Bah!

*looks at the current world's population* You must have a lot of frustration then.

What pisses you off?

Created by ptocheia

Speaking of which, we were supposed to do Foley at 10:30 this morning, and Ashley still wasn't ready to do anything by 12:30, so I told her I had things to do (which I did), and left. So I have no idea if the sound turned out okay, or what. I also found out that this whole time she's been blaming the computer for screwing up some sound files, when in fact it's her own fault for saving things wrong. How hard it is to make sure you save something in the right folder? I mean, come on. She's just...really stupid. Thus, she pisses me off.

Auditions this weekend! I feel so powerful, all these actors calling me, clamoring to be in my film. Last semester I was begging people, and half of them shirked out of it. And now, I'm going to have to pick and choose. Life can be sweet, yo.

You are a muse.

What legend are you?. Take the Legendary Being Quiz by Paradox

What Monty Python Holy Grail Quest Character are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

My partner is an asshat.

I asked her today if she wanted me to help her finish editing sound, since she hadn't mentioned it to me at all last week. She said no. I asked her if she wanted me to just do the cue sheets for the mixer (cue sheets tell the guy who's mixing (finessing) our soundtrack where to fade, cut, dissolve, put in echoes and reverbs, etc.). She said no. I asked her what she wanted me to do. She said to let her do the soundtrack by herself.

Whatever.

Frelling movie. Although it hasn't happened every night, for many nights the past week or so, just as I've been drifting off, I have a thought. The girl from The Ring is standing in the center of the room. Her face is tipped forward, so her hair obscures her face. There's a puddle of well water collecting around her feet. I will open my eyes, and see her, and then she'll blipvert towards me and I'll die. That usually wakes me up. The other thought I have is worse. I'm curled up comfortably on my side, facing the wall, when it hits me: the dead girl with the twisted face is leaning over my bed right now. She's going to sit on the edge, and I'll feel the bed move and her weight right next to me. And when I open my eyes, she'll be right there, face inches from mine. Dead.

Frelling movie! I'm almost asleep, and then I have to roll over onto my back and pull the covers up to my chin and glare disapprovingly at my bedroom. The nice thing about my bedroom at home is that it's really, really dark, so I can't see anything. Here, it's just light enough that I can see the outlines of things, and shadows, and it's just way to creepy for my own good. I keep telling myself, "Self, you are 20 years old. The movie is all made up. You are studying movies. You know how they did everything in that movie. You know that a man named Rick Baker made that dead girl look that way with prosthetics and make up, and she's not really dead, she's an actress. There is nothing in your bedroom. Go to sleep." Alas, I do not listen to myself, and end up lying there, looking at my room.

I want to go see The Truth About Charlie just because Thandie Newton has the coolest accent in the world.

I was watching Angel tonight, and it made me think of the Groosalug. I loved the Groosalug. He brought me much joy, and I miss him ever so. Then I was reminded of how much the twins on TAR look like Groo. [Phoebe] Lookit! Aaaaahhhh [/Phoebe]



The beautiful Mark Lutz, also known as The Groosalug.




The twins, and then a single representative of the twins. Pretty. And Groo-esque.

Thinking about the twins from The Amazing Race made me think of Phil, the host. Every week he appears on my TV screen, and says words I do not understand or comprehend, because I am dazzled by his beauty. Phil makes my Wednesdays a better day just by being there for me, explaining what a roadblock is again, standing next to the elaborately dressed local man at the pitstop, trying to smile when the Philiminated team prattles on about "it's just a game" and "we learned so much just being here." Phil is good. I like Phil.



Phil, being pretty. In a blue shirt. Mmmm....Phil.



Hee! Phil joyously holding an umbrella in Scotland. Could there be more love?

Brilliant. Just brilliant.

Well, the past few days have been fairly uneventful. I decided to let Ashley do the sound this week, since it's her job, and I'm going in tomorrow to see what she's done. If anything. My luck, everything will be out of sync, and she'll have added half the sounds, and will have no backgrounds, and I'll get the lovely opportunity of trying to put together some semblance of a soundtrack by Wednesday.

Ashley suks.

But, my film is appearing over the horizon. I got headshots today, which was unbearably cool. Actual acting type people want to be in my movie. They wrote me little notes. They said, "please consider me." I have all the power, and it's intoxicating. In a related, funny, story, this one guy has on his resume a listing of special skills that includes "makes cotton candy." Which is something that amuses me to no end. So, I'll probably be casting next weekend, and it should be neat. Eee!

In TV thoughts, I'm pretty disappointed so far in the contestants on Survivor this year. Aside from Brian, who's just okay, Shii Ann, who's not evil, and Kevin, who's quiet and doesn't do much and thus does not attract my attention in any degree, I don't like anyone. They're all meh-inducing. Robbbb is a blot upon my sight that needs to be removed. He is getting close to being more annoying than Sean from the last Survivor, which is a feat I didn't think was possible. On the other hand, The Amazing Race finally delivered on Wednesday. Scotland rulz! I so want to go to Scotland. It's very prettyful. I love the twins right now. For some odd, inexplicable reason, the annoying boy/girl teams are gunning for them, and rather than freak out about it, or get distracted over it, they just take it as healthy competition. And take first place home. I think they've gotten the hang of this game, and if they do as well next week, I'd bet that the other teams are going to have to hope for a huge mistake to beat them. I also am rather fond of Gerard and...his brother whose name I can never remember. Ken? They're fun. Physical comedy (falling out of the boat, like, seven times), snarking, and playing the game well, they're just the epitome of a good team. I'm not minding John Vito (hee) and Jill, either. They're like the Blake and Paige from last year. Competent, not annoying or abrasive, just enjoyable.

I'm rapidly hating the boy/girl teams. They suk. I want Teri and Ian gone next. He's a belligerent, abusive, unfunny man, and she's not much better. Everytime they're on the screen, they're just sniping at one another. Next, Aaron and Arianne. They think they're sooooo cool, and they're not. I want the twins to blind them with the brilliance of their glory.

That's all. I'm going to go watch "The Nightmare Before Christmas," now.

Well, I really don't want to work on my paper tonight. So I'm making a new list. It's called: When They Were Younger...



He's just ridiculously, ridiculously good looking. Yowza.



I love James Stewart. He's so sweet, and cute, and he's got a great voice. His character in "The Philadelphia Story" is one of my favorite film characters of all time.



I remember watching "A Clockwork Orange" thinking, "Wow. That guy's really pretty." And he is.



I love Dustin Hoffman. He's just so cool. And, although rather short, very cute.



Yes! I admit it! I love William Shatner! I love him all young and pretty and thin, and I love him now!

What Is Your True Aura Colour?
brought to you by Quizilla


Who's your male Buffy soul mate?
brought to you by Quizilla

(Gee, do you think I rigged that one?)




Which Random Object Are You?

I don't want to write a paper. Paper's suk.

Today is a day filled with happiness and joy! I am halfway through the semester. Seven and a half weeks down, seven and a half to go. Halfway! Also, I got a feel-the-lovin' 96% on my camera midterm today, which is most triumphant. Aside from having to write a Hitchcock paper tonight, which shouldn't be too bad, this day has been one of the best in a while. Yay!

I'm in piano class today, being all bored, and the teacher tells us to turn to page 81. So I flip the page, and some random piece of music looks back at me. My book goes from 80 to 113. Then pages 113 to 128. Then pages 96 on. So I have pages 113 to 128 twice, and am completely missing 81-95. You would think the amount of money I spend on these flipping books, they could at least have all the pages in them. So I got to sit around the whole last ten minutes of class, swinging my feet and hanging out. It was cool, yo.

I've been listening to the "OM,WF" soundtrack the past couple of days. I want Anthony Stewart Head to sing me to sleep every night. Well, him and Thom Yorke can switch off. That sounds like a good compromise.

Foley went well, aside from the fact that Ashley found it impossible to walk in sync. It's not that hard. When the people on the screen take a step, you take a step. Then, the step we record will be in sync with the footstep in the movie. It's not rocket science, people. But, we had a fun time. I ran the computer, and when Ashley displayed remarkable incompetence in the studio, the other partnership and I made fun of her. She's miked, so we can hear everything she says, but she can't hear us. All in all, good times.

Except for the fact that we locked picture on Friday at nine am, and she's still asking me why I made the decisions I did. Well, first of all, picture is locked. Nothing can be changed. So what's the point of bringing it up? Secondly, I edited by myself. If you didn't want my editorial decisions to be the last word, then you could have come down any time that day and edited with me. And by you, I mean Ashley. Sorry about that. Pesky second person pronouns. Anyways, she really needs to shut up about the two stupid shots I cut, or the "too long" fade to black that she flipping asked for so she could do sound design over it, or the last shot which is all of a half a stop underexposed. Shut up! I didn't aks you!

My back still hurts. I bought some Advil, because ibuprofin is supposed to relax muscle tension, but it hasn't kicked in yet. I roped Carissa (from my film class) into giving me a wee shoulder rub today in class, though, and that helped considerably. Stupid back. It's not like I do a lot of heavy lifting. It's not like I participated in a World's Strongest Man competition recently. It's not like I spent last week hunched over a table cutting film toge...well, there you go.

The weather is lovely out. It's all overcast and crisp and cool. I could eat this weather. Mmm....autumn. Also, I had to edit this post three times, because I'm cute. Not too bright, though.

My brother got me a pocket watch. It's silver and gold, with a little bas relief train on the front, and it makes a nice clicking noise when I open and close it. It has a fob and everything. Now I own two (2) cool things. Yesterday I had them lined up in a neat row on my kitchen counter, so that I could gaze upon them in admiration at both their inherent coolness and the reflected coolness I now possess by possessing them.

I have to go do Foley today. I was excited about it earlier this week, but I'm just really tired right now, and my shoulder muscles hurt, and I just want to stay home and watch Angel and make some tea or something. And I know that Ashley is going to freak me out. She'll forget a prop, or suck like a big sucking thing, or order the three of us around for four hours, or just generally be incompetent. Sigh.

I got Ben Folds Live yesterday when we were at the mall, and it is most grand. I especially liked the cover of "Tiny Dancer," and I thought the "acoustic" all-piano version of "Narcolepsy" was just as good as the original. But, my heart belongs to the minor key version of "Song for the Dumped," which unfortunately isn't on the CD proper but is instead on the extra 7-song DVD. I wish I had ripping software so I could get an mp3 of that song, although I guess I could just wait a bit and see if it surfaces anytime soon on Bearshare. Anyways, though, BF = goodness.

Aaaaah! Aaaaaah! Gaaaaa! The Ring is scary! Aaaaah!

Aaaaaah!

Also, when Caroline and I went to the mall to see it, we went to make dinner reservations, and we saw Ray Romano. He looked nice, very normal in normal clothes, just talking to some people. Then he walked by us while we stood mute with awe and wonder. Caroline was adament about saying something, but we froze up like big scared frozen things.

Aaaaaah! I was just remembering the dead girl's misshapen, scary face!

I really need to go see a happy movie. One Hour Photo, Red Dragon, and now The Ring. I need a Muppets movie or something. Something sweet, where no one dies horrible, water-logged deaths. Or chokes up old mental institution electrode cords. You know. Something family.

Well. It's been an interesting couple of days. Yesterday I edited, and I was wounded. The picture splicer kept attacking me. Granted, sometimes I wasn't paying attention and got my hand in the way, but it was totally the splicer's fault. The first injury wasn't too traumatic, just a little paper-cut-esque slice on my ring finger. Then, a gash right across my thumb's knuckle. That hurt more, and I had to get a band-aid to put on it so I wouldn't keep bending it. Then, the pièce de resistance: I cut half my middle finger nail off. Then, continuing straight downward, through my cuticle and then right down the side. It didn't hurt at all at first. I only knew I did it when I looked down to see all the blood. And there was lots. And it got on the film. Which to me is a very ominous sign, don't you think? So after I whined about my tiny superficial injuries as if they were massive, gaping wounds, I got back to cutting.

This morning we show the cut to the professor. And it was slammed! We were in the zone! Hitting suck inside the paint, outside the paint! So Ashley and I walk back to the post-production building, and I start talking about what we needed to get done today. See, we have to turn in our final cut of the picture tomorrow morning at nine am, so that it can become...a telecine. The wonderous VHS rendition of our film, so we can do sound with it. When you hold the precious telecine in your hands, you know the end is in sight. So anyways, the following conversation commenced:

Me: So, I'll start editing at one, probably will go to eight or so, since if we both work together it won't take as long.
Ashley: Oh, I won't be here today.
Me: Can I take a moment of stunned silence? Okay. You do realize we have picture lock tomorrow morning, right?
Ashley: Yes.
Me: So why won't you be here?
Ashley: I have a midterm to study for.
Me: Dude, this is your priority.
Ashley: Yes, of course it is my priority. This film means so much to me that I treat you like crap all the time. So, you'll get the cut all done today, right?
Me: Ashley...listen...
Ashley: So, just give me a call when you're getting close to being done, so I can drive back to campus and look at your cut and tell you what you did wrong. Then I'll drive back home and you can make changes.
Me: Well, being as how I'll be really busy cutting the damn film by myself, I won't have time to make progress report calls. You're more than welcome to come anytime today and take a look at the cut, and any changes you want made? Post is open until 2:30 in the morning.

All day today I've been thinking up ways to kill her. I'm not trying to think of things that will escape detection; the fun of doing it in a gruesome way far outweighs me going to jail or something. I was the only editor today working alone. Every other director was there, editing themselves or working with the editor. Because it's deity damned picture lock, and if you're the director, you're there.

So, I get a phone call from Ashley tonight, after I'm done. She's managed to make it to campus and has looked at my cut. She says, "Shannon! You have made changes! Why did you cut out this shot? And this one? And this one?"

Because they SUCKED. Half of them were things that our professor told us this morning to get rid of. And we were over time, so some stuff had to go. I don't get how she can decide she just doesn't want to be there the last day of editing, and then ask me to account for every cut I made. She's just...unbelievable. And I know it'll get worse, when it's my film, and she somehow finds a way to give less of a damn.

This is the nice thing about blogs. They're very big with the letting it all out. There were some cool things that happened the past few days. Jason Schwartzman and Selma Blair were at my Hitchcock class last night. There they were, sitting a few rows ahead of us, just hanging out. They were very low key, and I probably would never have noticed them if Jenni "the" Lewis hadn't pointed them out. They just sat and listened to the lecture, and watched the first film. But then when they realized that my professor is insane, and has us watch two movies in a row, they left. Again, to no fanfare. It was most strange.

Also? Ghandia got voted out! Yay! I could not stand seeing her face on my television anymore. What a horrible person. Meh.

I wish I could write poetry. Sometimes a bit of something will come to me, but it just seems like if I were to write it down, or even just say it, it would sound so horribly pretentious. Maybe if I just were to think of it as writing song lyrics, with a melody in my head, it would work better. Except that in a lot of songs I like, if you were to just write the lyrics out and read them, they wouldn't be the same.

I don't know. Random thoughts I have at one in the morning.

Okay, posting only to add this pic:



Dear God in Heaven. That man is hot. I'm getting that feeling, the feeling I had with James two years ago...a crush is beginning. Soon there will be collages made. Then, merchandise. Next thing you know, I'll be buying magazines for a two inch by two inch picture, and getting on message boards to hear what shirt he's wearing today, and purchasing ridiculously expensive audio books...Sigh. So. Unbelievably. Pretty.

Angel kicks my ass.

Wow. That was quite possibly the best season premiere of any show ever. Seriously. I can't praise what I just watched on television enough. First of all, Wesley. Have I mentioned before how much I love Wesley? Because I do. Tonight, he was perfection. He was naked! He had Justine in a cage! He's making Lilah, cold, evil Lilah, completely in love with him. (The goodbye kiss? That's what clinched it for me. That was not a "you're just really hot and that's why I'm doing you" kiss, that was a sweet kiss. Crap, I'm becoming a Lilah/Wesley shipper. No! Choose Wesdelia!) He has a blow-torch! He cuts his own arm and lets Angel suck his blood! If they had a Spike and Wesley show, I think I would die. Just absolutely die. God, and Alexis Denisof was just amazing tonight. Yay! for his credits promotion. He totally deserves it. Sigh.

Other good stuff: Angel throwing Connor out, which rang very true to me. I love the Angel and Connor relationship. I like how they've drawn Connor's character thus far; it makes a lot of sense to me and it's not the easy way out. It's such an interesting dynamic. Caroline mentioned Arthur and Mordred tonight, and that's really the archetype that fits the best, I think. I can't wait to see where they're going with this. Best line of the night? My sister and I are in agreement: "He needs blood, and I'm fresh out." Yeah, baby.

Stuff that's not so good: Fred. And Gunn. Eh. They're so fluffy, and hypocritical, and boring. I don't even care. Just, go away and die. Give Wesley more screen time.

The point? If you're not watching Angel, well, you should be.

Over on Haven we're doing one of my favorite things: intentionally misspelled stupid person threads. A parody of all the dumbasses who populate the internet, especially message boards. Oh, good times. Best thing so far tonight? "Canaduh."

Caroline and I went to see Red Dragon last night at Mann's Chinese. First of all, that's the last time we see a movie there. It's pretty and all, but it was ten dollars for a 3:45 showing, which is just ridiculous as far as I'm concerned. Secondly, it was a good movie nonetheless. I enjoyed watching it more than Hannibal, although I think the latter will probably end up being better liked by me. Hannibal had a theme of actual cannibalism versus "social" cannibalism that I found intriguing, and I thought the exploration of Lector was creepily interesting. Red Dragon was a very good film, but I'm afraid that if you took Lector out of it, it would be a regular serial killer movie, albeit one with a truly remarkable cast.

Speaking of which, I want to take a moment to talk about how fantastic Ralph Finnes was. He had an unenviable task as an actor: to portray a character so repulsive, so horrific in his actions, and yet sympathetic. There were many scenes where I was torn; he deserved whatever karmic retribution he got, and yet...I wanted to see him escape from himself. I wanted him to be able to get out of that house, and away from that painting, and get the girl. As sick as that may sound, considering the murders he committed, I wanted him to get away with it and away from it all. And I think it's really the same reason that the character of Spike resonates so deeply with me. In real life, if someone were to kill another in cold blood, I would be without mercy. Lock 'em up and throw away the key. Yet, in fiction, I just can't want this. A Francis Dolarhyde or a Spike or even, to some extent, a Hannibal Lector, is a fascinating archetype to me: the struggling anti-hero. Really, really anti. In film or television, I'm just not terribly interested in a story about someone being righteously brought to justice. What is far more interesting to me is to take that character and use him or her to illuminate simple truths about the human condition. I think we all hope, deep inside, that if we were to commit a horrific and seemingly unforgiveable act, we would be able to find some way to continue on. To redeem ourselves and become better people as a result of it. That's what I wanted in Red Dragon, and what I want for Spike, and it's tough in that I think that because it's such a messy, complicated, and ultimately difficult story to try and tell, it just won't get told. Anyway, kudos to Finnes for making me care about his character so much, I don't know if it would have happened in the hands of a lesser actor. (It certainly didn't in the original Manhunter. That guy was creepy.)

We are completely done with shooting. Whee! And, as just one more bright spot this weekend, I purchased a Zippo. It is beautiful, and from now on, I shall carry it with me always. You can never have too many cool things on your person. And, with the acquisition of the Zippo, I now have 1 (one) cool thing. Go me!

Today sucked less hard. Which is good. Go less hard! Choose less hard! In a related story, we finished filming today. I would say "whee!" but I'm too tired to. "Red Dragon" tomorrow, which should be most triumphant. Okay, tired of typing now. Going to stop. Sleeeeeeepy.

Today sucked.