tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58232290637204709792024-03-04T21:54:33.425-08:00Splanderson.comWriter/Director/ProducerAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11139465035695979397noreply@blogger.comBlogger273125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823229063720470979.post-32235829899122171482014-05-06T12:00:00.002-07:002014-05-06T12:00:14.114-07:00MUSIC VIDEO: Greenhorse "Don't Leave Me"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last year I had the privilege, nay... the DELIGHT to work with a band called <a href="http://www.greenhorsemusic.com/" target="_blank">Greenhorse</a>. They are local to Los Angeles and have been working pretty hard to develop a unique sound and style.<br />
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From the moment I met with them and listened to their music, I was hooked. They seem to capture the very essence of my preferred music listening needs. I have been obsessed with their new album The Shapes of Dragons which you can get on <a href="http://greenhorse.bandcamp.com/merch/the-shapes-of-dragons-chocolate-bar-limited-edition" target="_blank">BandCamp</a> or <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-shapes-of-dragons-ep/id686191373" target="_blank">iTunes</a>.<br />
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Sometime last year (I don't recall just when) I met with the band and shared some ideas for a new music video. Here are a few screenshots of my concepts based on their ideas:<br />
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We spent a good 12-14 hours filming in the dead of night. Our locations ranged from Downtown LA, to Hollywood Boulevard, to Studio City in the Valley, to all the way out into the Palmdale Desert.<br />
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I shot the entire thing with a Canon 7D with zoom lens and my GoPro Hero 3. A lot of the GoPro footage didn't make the cut, but looked pretty cool anyway. Would love to share a making-of sometime when I get the time.<br />
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The video was edited by my good friend and master editor Aaron White. He turned the concept I had and the notes I gave him into a pretty impressive first cut. I couldn't believe my eyes! He had captured exactly what I was thinking. After a few tweaks he sent a finalized cut and this baby was ready to be released.<br />
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The band released the video on their YouTube page last month and it has already climbed to 1,000 views (which I would love to see doubled, tripled, quadrupled... etc.)<br />
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Take a look and enjoy! As a reward for watching and sharing, I'll post some behind-the-scenes pics tomorrow:<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11139465035695979397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823229063720470979.post-80584631522879423092014-05-05T12:21:00.000-07:002014-05-05T12:21:02.987-07:00FATFIT - A Personal Fitness Journey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hey everyone! It's been a while and lots of things have changed. Mostly I've changed --- Into a fat slob. A big fat, no-good, couch-sitting slob. The only fault lies within me.<br />
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Since the St. George Marathon in October of last year, I've had a lot of stressful things to deal with. Not least of which was moving back to Utah, the land flowing with beef and fry sauce (if you don't know what that is, please look it up, it's disgusting .... and so, so good.)<br />
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A lot of the pride I had in my journey of fitness the last few years was swept away as I found myself eating out every night, especially at terribly wasteful fast food joints. I stopped running (GASP!) and even though the jobs I was working were quite physical (one job left me sore and bruised for weeks), I still wasn't getting the exercise that I needed.<br />
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INTRODUCING: FATFIT on my <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/splanderson" target="_blank">YouTube</a> page!<br />
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This is the first video in a series that will document my change into fitness. I'm putting it all out there - I've started the new P90X3 fitness program from BeachBody. I'm starting back up my run training for a new marathon (haven't picked one yet, but I'm looking!) and I am documenting all the pitfalls, successes, hardships, fun, gear, and wackiness that comes along with changing yourself.<br />
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I'll be posting each workout I do as well as post-run summaries. Each week I'll have personal videos that will discuss anything from Nutrition, to P90X3 (and how hard it is to keep going), to things I like when I workout/run, to ... anything!<br />
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Here is the video for the P90X3 Fitness Test:<br />
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As you can tell from my lame jump, I have a lot of work to do.<br />
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I know this may not be your thing. But if you are at all interested in changing yourself - like I am, then I beg you to consider what types of activities and workouts that you DO like and you share them with me. I want to hear from all of you. I want you to be at the race with me, I want you to message me on Facebook or Twitter and tell me how awesome your workout was today, or how you ate so much nutrition you can't even believe it.<br />
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Mostly I want to share with you how much fun this is. Because it is. And It's also: challenging, tough, excruciating, long, and boring sometimes. But lets do it anyway.<br />
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Final video for today - my first workout with P90X3 "Total Synergistics" and boy is this one tough. Why did they make the hardest workout first?!?<br />
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Thanks for listening and thanks for reading. I hope you are as excited as I am right now.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11139465035695979397noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823229063720470979.post-42592460954629375652014-01-28T21:27:00.001-08:002014-01-28T21:27:59.860-08:00NEW MUSIC VIDEO: Ryan Darton - "Uptight"This post is a bit late. I've been extremely busy working out the post workflow for several projects. At the forefront is my film Express, which we are editing. Super excited to share more about that with you, but first, I am extremely pleased and excited to tell you about the music video I directed for <a href="http://ryandarton.com/" target="_blank">Ryan Darton </a>which was posted a few weeks ago.<br />
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The video is for the song "Uptight" off of Ryan's album <i><a href="http://ryandarton.bandcamp.com/album/i-am-a-moth" target="_blank">I Am A Moth</a></i>.<br />
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This video was shot oh so long ago. We initially filmed it before Ryan's album was released in July of 2012.<br />
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What took so long you ask?<br />
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Well, let me tell you. It was an extremely long and arduous process of trying to find the right editor as well as the right visual effects artist.<br />
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When you are working on something creative but with limited budget, you try and do your best to find those that will help make the project better without having to pay them too much. This means you pull favors from friends and colleagues. Sometimes these friends and colleagues agree to do something. Sometimes when they agree, they are in fact only able to work on it when they are not busy. Sometimes they are never <i>not</i> busy. This is not their fault. Them not working on your project and not finishing anything is not their fault (and to some extent - not their problem.)<br />
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What it came down to in the end, was I did my absolute best to edit the video in my spare time. This meant that I made mistakes (because I don't normally edit, but I'm getting better at it!) and it also meant that it was going to take a long time. Once I finished a cut I would send a quicktime to Ryan who would give brilliant notes and changes, then it would be several days/weeks/months before I was able to make those changes.<br />
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Once we had a really great cut, we wanted to get some really amazing visual effects. I have several brilliant friends who are VFX artists, but because they are so brilliant, they are super crazy busy. Somehow I got it in my brain to try and do it myself. I'm going to share with you the results of my stumbling through After Effects. (Please, don't laugh. The boy can't help that he's an After Effects nincompoop!)<br />
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What was I thinking?!? I'm not a VFX artist, turns out.<br />
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Fortunately for me, Ryan said something that was really important, and something that I have begun to adopt as my directing mantra; he said, "We've spent all this time and money, we might as well spend a bit more to make it perfect."<br />
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Also fortunately for me I have exquisitely talented friends, some of which can refer me to other exquisitely talented people. This is how I came across one <a href="http://vimeo.com/63992222" target="_blank">David Wehle</a>. This guy is L E G I T. He took the raw footage, a few notes on what I was looking for, and gave back some of the most amazing effects I've had done for me. He also did it in wicked-fast time. Seriously - hire this guy!<br />
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Anyway, almost two years later, and several revisions and someself-imposed time pinches later and we got ourselves a fantastic video.<br />
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Please check out <a href="http://youtu.be/l8dXB1hCWpE" target="_blank">the video</a> and give it a share or thumbs up or two. As a reward, some behind the scenes photos of the shoot!:<br />
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Until next time!<br />
-EAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11139465035695979397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823229063720470979.post-90047709433989488072013-11-26T22:58:00.001-08:002013-11-26T22:59:32.213-08:00NEW MUSIC VIDEO: Greenhorse - "Grim City"A while back I was excited to have the chance to film one of my favorite bands: <u><b><a href="http://www.greenhorsemusic.com/" target="_blank">Greenhorse</a></b></u> as they played a show at The Echo in Los Angeles. They were opening for the band AM & Shawn Lee, and the show was completely fantastic.<br />
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Some fun stills from the night:<br />
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Along with the band, we put together a video from the performance to go with one of the songs on their latest album <i>The Shapes of Dragons</i>. The song we used for the video was "Grim City" which is one of my favorites on the album.<br />
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Here's the video:<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/GF6Jtx52-DA" width="640"></iframe><br />
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To make it even cooler, they got a sweet writeup in Indie Rock Review:<br />
<a href="http://www.indierockreviews.com/2013/11/video-premiere-greenhorse-grim-city/">http://www.indierockreviews.com/2013/11/video-premiere-greenhorse-grim-city/</a><br />
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More great stuff coming from the band (as well as myself), just need to get my stuff together in-between prep for my feature.<br />
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Will post more later...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11139465035695979397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823229063720470979.post-43712637881435549142013-11-10T21:21:00.002-08:002013-11-10T21:21:22.261-08:00See You On The Other Side<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rockin the 2013 St. George Marathon</td></tr>
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Howdy folks. Been a while and a lot has changed. Rather than go into big details droning on about everything - I'll give you the penny version:<br />
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Late September my wife and I quit our jobs in Los Angeles. In October we moved to Utah and are now living in my parents basement. This month (November), I will be directing my first feature film. (More on that in a later post.)<br />
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What possessed us to do such an insane and bold thing? I can't really tell you. It's not a secret, it's just really hard to explain. If you see me sometime, I'll try and give you the full story.<br />
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Either way, here we are and this is what we're doing. I might fail. I might succeed. I might go mad. Whatever happens, I think I feel vindicated in my attempt and all the experience that will come with it.<br />
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Another big aspect of my decisions lately have been to improve on my running. I want to be a better runner, but mostly I just want to be the best runner I possibly can. This means training properly and becoming more of a regular season runner. As of now I just hurriedly train the few months before a race and feel really awful when I miss certain workouts or have a lapse in my proper dieting. The 2014 season is going to be different for me I hope. The plan is to train the full year and beat my time by at least a full half-hour.<br />
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I am also planning to drop 30 pounds in the next three months. It has been going really terribly. Every time I get into the swing of the diet, an event or a restaurant comes around and I engorge myself, enjoying it, but hating myself for it. This needs to STOP. I need to learn to say "NO!"<br />
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This is a life-changing time. It is a scary time. Please help me feel like I'm not insane. Tell me I'm going to be fine, because I am still unsure.<br />
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Thanks for listening. Sorry to be cryptic and for my ramble. I'll be better.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11139465035695979397noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823229063720470979.post-61350523787529892522013-06-26T12:36:00.000-07:002013-06-26T12:36:45.030-07:00Prepping to Direct a Feature FilmLately I have been busy prepping to direct a feature film that will shoot primarily in August. Since a lot of my time has been spent working on getting it ready, I thought I would spend a moment and discuss the different items on my agenda. This isn't a how-to, it's more of the beginning to a production journal.<br />
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<h2>
Script</h2>
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For the last year my co-writer and I have been working on a script. We started writing a completely different story in November of last year, but it proved to be more difficult and more budget-involved than we could really handle. Over the course of the next six months we wrote and rewrote, then completely changed the story again.</div>
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My co-writer (who also happens to be my producer) took it over one week and just completely rewrote everything. He changed the storyline and a ton of characters to what we had discussed in conversations here and there. It came out pretty great. There was something in the script that hadn't been in there before and it was completely filmable on our meager budget.</div>
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We have one more set of revisions to make and then I'm going to call it a lock on the script. That's when we're going to do our budget and breakdowns.</div>
<h2>
Budgets and Breakdowns</h2>
<h3>
Production Breakdown</h3>
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A lot of the time, when you do a production for real, you have a production manager break down the script for every single element. We are hoping to have a PM on board for this production, but since we are running on a no-string budget, we can't really afford anyone.</div>
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Our PM (or one of the producers) is going to break down the script by scene and extract information on what we need to find resources for - things like locations, costume, props, effects, etc.</div>
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Hopefully we can write out any of the higher budget items in the script and just focus on resources we already have.</div>
<h3>
Budget</h3>
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Our budget consists of zero dollars. Seriously, we have no money. But what we do have is a lot of resources. We are hoping to use what we have and borrow/beg/plead to get everything else. From what I can tell without seeing a full breakdown, I would say all that we really need to worry about is props and effects.</div>
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Props can be cheap, especially if we buy them on a credit card and return them when we're done. Effects however, are really difficult. We don't want to leave too much for post-production, but we also don't have the type of budget that most Hollywood films have. We are going to just play it by ear while storyboarding and choreographing our action scenes, maybe we can focus on what we have in those scenes and use tricks of the camera for most other effects we'll need. We may need to bust out our pocketbooks for a few effects, but we're going to have to be really sure those effects are worth it.</div>
<h3>
Director's Breakdown</h3>
<div>
Once we have a locked script, I'm going to do my director's breakdown. This will consist of not only camera angles and a shot list, but also moods, motivations, and notes about how I want something to look or feel. This breakdown will travel with me throughout the production and will serve as my personal <i>journal </i>for the film. It will help me remember what I wanted during the times when making a decision will be very difficult (i.e. when I'm very tired).</div>
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<h2>
Casting</h2>
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One of the most difficult things to do on an independent movie is to cast. It's fairly difficult when you have such a low budget, and damn-near impossible without any money at all. For this movie we are going to go with people we know. When we run out of people we know, we're going to turn to Craigslist.</div>
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We will be pulling in favors from all sorts of friends, neighbors, co-workers and family. With the combined strength of all the producers and myself, we should be able to find enough people to fill all of the roles.</div>
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We have one main character, three supporting characters, a villain and his two supporting, followed by a whole slew of extras and day players.<br />
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When you live in a place like Los Angeles, there is plenty of talent waiting for a chance to be a part of something, so you'll find more resources and more actors willing to work for no money or deferred pay. But it's still really hard.</div>
<h2>
Schedule</h2>
<div>
We are filming in August, but we can only film during nights and weekends because most of the production crew work full-time (including me). This causes some major complications, but needs to be worked around since we are all trying to keep our livelihood until we get paid to do this full-time. (We're not quitting our day jobs... yet.)</div>
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We have a total of eight days for production. Even in a professional environment, when we have everything in place and all cast and crew ready to go - this is a very difficult amount of time. It's just too fast. Once we get going, we're going to have to turn around and wrap it up. How will we keep ourselves on target to get everything we need? Scheduling.</div>
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Scheduling is going to be our biggest asset. With a great breakdown of what needs to be filmed each day and a good First AD, we can get the schedule running like clockwork.<br />
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It will also help to have all of our locations planned out beforehand. If we can stay in one location for the entire weekend, we will be saving ourselves several trips and time-consuming setups. We can just light the one location and get crazy filming.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Set photo from a short film directed by my friend Spencer.</td></tr>
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So that's pretty much everything I'm focusing on right now. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but we are ready and willing. I'll keep you updated on the blog as much as I can, as well as featuring behind-the-scenes on my <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/splanderson">YouTube page</a>.<br />
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If you are interested in helping us with the film, are currently in or can be in Los Angeles, and are available in August - leave a comment below or write us at splanderson (at) hotmail.com.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11139465035695979397noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823229063720470979.post-61089118408434901052013-06-11T17:41:00.001-07:002013-06-11T17:41:08.444-07:00Behind the Scenes: Memorial Day 2013The video for today will be delayed until tonight when I can get home and upload it to YouTube. We had some technical difficulties last night once the video was done (i.e. compressing the video incorrectly), so we have to get it all sorted out before we can post.<br />
<br />
Here's a bit of extra backstory for the video, written by Tiffany:<br />
<h2>
Memorial Day 2013</h2>
We decided on the drive to Utah over the Memorial Day weekend that it would be most appropriate to do a video for Memorial Day. We both come from military families and have seen loved ones go to war. This was a big day for us. What we didn't realize is how big it would be for our family and how we would react to attending such events.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
The first thing we filmed was Eric's brother running, which was a lot to ask since he'd done a 5K that morning with us. But he's a former Marine, and can push through anything. He did great especially since we made him chase his truck up a rocky dirt road. His wife was such a trooper during the shoot, she drove the truck and did behind-the-scenes video on Eric's iPhone.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The next day we filmed at a Marine Corp. cemetery (Camp Williams) for the shots with the tombstones and mini flags. It was beautiful and as I walked through the grounds and saw the flowers, pictures and other decorations I began to tear up. I was so overcome to know that there were people out there that had lost dear loved ones in various wars. My own father served in the conflict with Panama. It was a scary time and there was a time we thought he might be gone. Thankfully he was spared, but I couldn't help but feel their pain of fathers, sons, husbands not returning home. Such a heartbreak.<br />
<br />
<iframe bordercolor="#000000" frameborder="0" height="320" hspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/N7433.148119.BLOGGEREN/B6695511.931;sz=320x320;ord=[timestamp]?;lid=41000613802463973;pid=sku7144494;usg=AFHzDLsJGbY_OYWdIDcl6_e9A_hu39GIDQ;adurl=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.samsclub.com%252Fsams%252Fusa-5-x-8-nylon-flag%252Fprod6620348.ip%253Fpid%253D_DoubleClick_Affiliates%2526ci_src%253D15781033%2526ci_sku%253Dsku7144494;pubid=635170;imgsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fs7d2.scene7.com%2Fis%2Fimage%2Fsamsclub%2Fs7product%2F0084583807582_A.jpg;width=320;height=320" vspace="0" width="320"></iframe><iframe bordercolor="#000000" frameborder="0" height="320" hspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/N7433.148119.BLOGGEREN/B6534880.501;sz=320x320;ord=[timestamp]?;lid=41000613802463511;pid=1279223;usg=AFHzDLvMqKDLG-icAv7zngZJi7sm6Qm34g;adurl=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.kohls.com%252Fproduct%252Fprd-1279223%252F3-x-5-american-flag-outdoor.jsp%253Fpfx%253Dpfx_shopcompare%2526cid%253Dshopping3;pubid=635170;imgsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.kohls.com.edgesuite.net%2Fis%2Fimage%2Fkohls%2F1279223%3Fwid%3D600%26hei%3D600%26op_sharpen%3D1;width=320;height=320" vspace="0" width="320"></iframe><br /></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
That night we searched in two houses for Zach's dress blues and couldn't find them anywhere. It was quite the drama, but expected since a lot of their non-essentials were still in boxes since they'd just moved. Finally they found it, but much too late for us to film anything that day. So bright and early the next morning (6am, I think) we all got up - kids and all, and headed to the grave site of one of the soldiers that died in Afghanistan while Zach was there. It was really emotional for me. I was in charge of watching the kids in the truck during filming so I walked over as they got ready and checked out his headstone. It was beautiful and patriotic. I nearly lost it when I saw a picture of the Marine on his tombstone. I knew by the decoration and attention to detail just how much his family loved him. And losing him must have been the hardest thing in the world. I quickly walked back to the truck and played and talked with the kids so that I could find joy and happiness again.</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
This was one of the first Memorial Days where I really paid attention and offered my respects for lives lost. The video is a bit emotional, but I think it's appropriate. I can only imagine the tears shed and heartache suffered at the loss of loved ones and comrades. It is important we remember them and know that it was for our safety they perished. They served and many died because they believed in the greatness in our country. So no matter how we feel it's a good reminder that it's not all bad. It's a nation worth fighting for.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11139465035695979397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823229063720470979.post-90530390403265636502013-06-06T13:17:00.004-07:002013-06-06T13:19:09.445-07:00Achievement Unlocked (aka Bucket List)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYtlWrhfzy4waJ7KB0-8y0SE0YnS9dOXKYmUFYct8NboHTt4BCGfLo6XtjUcwOm1TYoZjTxi5TxQzWoafswq_RlZQcfdpYfE1GLJwo-nD03jo8bIVFxZSl3hNsF7VmDWJ-RLw3FbH6tMsB/s1600/achievement-unlocked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYtlWrhfzy4waJ7KB0-8y0SE0YnS9dOXKYmUFYct8NboHTt4BCGfLo6XtjUcwOm1TYoZjTxi5TxQzWoafswq_RlZQcfdpYfE1GLJwo-nD03jo8bIVFxZSl3hNsF7VmDWJ-RLw3FbH6tMsB/s1600/achievement-unlocked.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from a very good blog post that kind of deals with the same issues<br />
we want to tackle in our show, check it out: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/jvhmo78">Something Barrett Blog</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We've had our ups and downs as of late, but we're still going strong with our plans to release episodes of our Bucket List show. We've decided to change the name. We're going with something that is more personal and a bit more targeted to what we are trying to accomplish. We've settled on the name:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED</span></blockquote>
The name comes from the gamer industry, specifically from XBox 360 when you accomplish certain tasks of each game. In our context though, we are saying that your life achievements are being unlocked. These achievements are more than just a trophy, or points, they are the very rewards that make life more fulfilling and exciting. We want to encourage others to go out and live their life, to find what it is that will make them happy, to go out and achieve their life goals. Hopefully we can help.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Help Wanted</h3>
With the beginning of the show on the horizon, we are still in need of help on a few aspects of the show:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Graphic Design and Motion Graphics</li>
<ul>
<li>We are just starting to formulate an idea of what we want the show to look like and could use some helping hands to craft a great visual style for the show. If you are proficient at this sort of thing, or know someone who is, please get in <a href="mailto:splanderson@hotmail.com" rel="nofollow">contact with us</a>.</li>
</ul>
<li>Show Ideas</li>
<ul>
<li>Although we have had such a great response to the show and many ideas already given to us, we are still in need of filming more episodes. We would love to experience you fulfilling your life goals and will even do all we can to help you accomplish this. We can contact companies and get to know them so we are able to go and film you while you do what it is that you dream about. We want to focus on the story, and help uplift others as we tell them the story of your life goal.</li>
<li>If you know of anyone that has a great story and would like us to invite them to be on the show, please get in <a href="mailto:splanderson@hotmail.com" rel="nofollow">contact with us</a>.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
<h3>
Future Videos</h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT1Gryxkq9RX7WGfzcwimThsz3aRz4eikmNT_62-6TWfzO7fty-h7FzY4K4aYQTnF9zzVfP5zi961YCKpK_jiy9HfBzcgmzQtXQKVNZJy6BdWVNE0mMInv4rKDdp9pzP7Fs1SOMSNhWVUh/s1600/photo+(1).PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT1Gryxkq9RX7WGfzcwimThsz3aRz4eikmNT_62-6TWfzO7fty-h7FzY4K4aYQTnF9zzVfP5zi961YCKpK_jiy9HfBzcgmzQtXQKVNZJy6BdWVNE0mMInv4rKDdp9pzP7Fs1SOMSNhWVUh/s400/photo+(1).PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On location of our <a href="http://youtu.be/TylqTSo77Y4">Memorial Day 2013</a> video</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Up until now we've been working hard behind the scenes to create various content to show on our YouTube page. We're having fun and seeing so many wonderful things. Even while doing the Achievement Unlocked show we'll still offer other types of content, but of course feedback is always appreciated. Let us know what you like and what you hate, we want to hear your opinions and ideas.</div>
<br />
We're excited to be getting closer to the release of the first episode in the series, no date finalized yet, but it's coming. Until then you'll still get content and it's fun for us, so we hope it's fun for you.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11139465035695979397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823229063720470979.post-39980561287489855002013-06-03T14:43:00.001-07:002013-06-03T14:46:37.661-07:00Falling Backwards and Moving Forward<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://pinoytutorial.com/techtorial/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/macbook_pro_rip_dead.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pinoytutorial.com/techtorial/release-for-macbook-2012-as-thin-as-air-signals-the-death-of-macbook-pro/">http://pinoytutorial.com/techtorial/release-for-macbook-2012-as-thin-as-air-signals-the-death-of-macbook-pro/</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It was just this past weekend that our laptop took the last adventure of its life.<br />
<br />
It's been camping, to the beach and through the woods. However, it was a quick trip to our friends place to finish up an edit of a music video (just you wait to see that) that it decided it was done. So, with much sadness it has died. Resurrections were attempted as you <a href="http://youtu.be/ncYP162PSmA" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">saw last week</a>.<br />
<br />
It was like losing a much prized anything. Or more like losing a job. Your hopes and dreams for the future are destroyed in that moment. We were left without the proper instrument to do what we love and share it with you. We had just returned from our wonderful trip to Utah, been thrown back into work and were exhausted. This was the final blow that decimated our week. We felt deflated and wanted to just throw in the towel. It's so early on, but we knew we had to keep going. We had to find some way with limited resources to obtain something that would let us continue.<br />
Through much prayer and pleading we found an amazing deal with a co-worker. We were able to get a comparable, but upgraded version of what we had for a very reasonable price. So yay! It's good to know people.<br />
<br />
We're back and it took much less time than we thought it might. Life can be really hard sometimes, but then in those moments of frustration we can receive tender mercies that truly remind us we're not alone in the world.<br />
<br />
So, let's keep going. What do you want to see? What bucket list items do you want to do? What can we film? Any cool things you're doing? We want to be there. Let us be a part of your amazing stories!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11139465035695979397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823229063720470979.post-13558123333953546052013-05-23T15:46:00.000-07:002013-05-23T15:46:42.593-07:00Utah and/or Bust<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/garth2-610x457.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/garth2-610x457.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From <i><a href="http://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/archive/2013/02/10/hyland-southern-utah-climbers-clean-up-years-of-trash-accumulation-garth-rocks-moes-valley/">StGeorgeNews.com</a></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3>
We're heading to Utah!</h3>
We'll be traveling Friday up to Provo and will be in Utah until Tuesday morning. Although we have some plans, we would love to see you and film some fun videos for YouTube.<br />
<br />
If you have anything you think we would love to film, or just would like to help out, send me an email or tweet (@splanderson).<br />
<br />
As a result of our trip, the video for tomorrow may not get finished in time, but we will for sure have something up tomorrow morning before we embark on our journey - so stay tuned!<br />
<br />
Until then, here's a fun little behind-the-scenes shot of Eric working with the Flycam:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiATNN4eutisFhhtwIBqXgq0KXn0xpu4uk_MYtvcPKAHtDWm0mXT-EnMCmNx27-hCeywwyoZEqEB-OcbJXDr4L_ZJQSKqprO4y9F9RCT5FAPUI84SChvh5HQYgm6I8bGThvVZ22YtbxNlu8/s1600/photo.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiATNN4eutisFhhtwIBqXgq0KXn0xpu4uk_MYtvcPKAHtDWm0mXT-EnMCmNx27-hCeywwyoZEqEB-OcbJXDr4L_ZJQSKqprO4y9F9RCT5FAPUI84SChvh5HQYgm6I8bGThvVZ22YtbxNlu8/s640/photo.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11139465035695979397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823229063720470979.post-79054216207614810682013-05-20T08:00:00.000-07:002013-05-20T08:00:07.380-07:00Happiness Only Real When Shared<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfH3mBUUNl9yQvH9HgyUgFPrHVGh5s1XnhfY2Hvqgna5ihrVCunRkfyG5c-Hfb40IAhErMX9MN7Ns213Pis_uUiZBHony_jMKhLSakEhNRPWA8ShsqL_o8rVo-orUuvqjKB08DNMrIVxrb/s1600/IntoWild.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfH3mBUUNl9yQvH9HgyUgFPrHVGh5s1XnhfY2Hvqgna5ihrVCunRkfyG5c-Hfb40IAhErMX9MN7Ns213Pis_uUiZBHony_jMKhLSakEhNRPWA8ShsqL_o8rVo-orUuvqjKB08DNMrIVxrb/s1600/IntoWild.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
We have a desire to experience everything in the world. To see what is out there.<br />
<br />
This weekend we were drawn into the movie <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0758758/" target="_blank">Into the Wild</a>. We were fascinated by what it was he experienced and what it was he was exploring in his life. Although he was in search of something that he did not find until the end of the film, his goals and dreams are similar to what we already know we want. Happiness in this life is only really experienced when it is shared.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJOSAu_zfL6B33kLJBUt6YNRxnIZf7vtGh_eCuNfnx1UwRZ8ZEiD3lQK4Gk8RkPdQXyW4qf3fXtNwxe3x5Y8lzeN287iQCJQ-ajiQtTIiCyLof7L6etUfjls3mYV8a20WtuyzjiEPBuL4/s1600/Malibu+Canyon+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJOSAu_zfL6B33kLJBUt6YNRxnIZf7vtGh_eCuNfnx1UwRZ8ZEiD3lQK4Gk8RkPdQXyW4qf3fXtNwxe3x5Y8lzeN287iQCJQ-ajiQtTIiCyLof7L6etUfjls3mYV8a20WtuyzjiEPBuL4/s640/Malibu+Canyon+001.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Malibu Canyon - May 18, 2013</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
There is no time to be wasted on a solitary life. No exploration will be truly satisfying if found alone. We embark on this journey together. Not just the two of us, but with you, our audience in tow. The world offers experiences too big for individuals or even a couple to take in alone. They will be exciting and breathtaking.<br />
<br />
It is our privilege to be able to bring the people and places we explore in this world to you. This is the pursuit of our life. While we didn't wander into the wild as Chris McCandless did; we have gained insight to our goals and purpose. It is to be free to experience what is out there.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjZNQiYCoPZXQIMIVk333UAt1RheU8BPRymoH01iwE9Wy2wvCAi8k9eS0IF_4hLoXEwRbLPoK4TcVsF8BjY2CmC0a-d7GOpfJkLQ4ybX_1a2Ys_KNjaYN_jkEc-4o__ppE-jIJKIy4h7b/s1600/IMG_2603.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjZNQiYCoPZXQIMIVk333UAt1RheU8BPRymoH01iwE9Wy2wvCAi8k9eS0IF_4hLoXEwRbLPoK4TcVsF8BjY2CmC0a-d7GOpfJkLQ4ybX_1a2Ys_KNjaYN_jkEc-4o__ppE-jIJKIy4h7b/s640/IMG_2603.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camp Chula Vista, CA - May 12, 2013</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Below is a clip from the movie - WARNING: if you haven't seen the film, there are slight spoilers in this clip. Please watch the full film before viewing.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/31zleAzh1h4?rel=0" width="640"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11139465035695979397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823229063720470979.post-37690479683175777862013-05-09T15:14:00.000-07:002013-05-09T15:16:07.129-07:00Mormon Helping Hands - North Hollywood, CA<h3>
This Tuesday's video is about wheelbarrows.</h3>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe bordercolor="#000000" frameborder="0" height="320" hspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/N7433.148119.BLOGGEREN/B6675392.949;sz=320x320;ord=[timestamp]?;lid=41000613802463762;pid=JNSN44960;usg=AFHzDLvYeGywtnxKlbpajkQaCD4lnaOLTg;adurl=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.unbeatablesales.com%252Fjnsn44960.html;pubid=635170;imgsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fsite.unbeatablesale.com%2Fimg236%2Fjnsn44960.gif;width=320;height=235" vspace="0" width="320"></iframe><br /></div>
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<h3>
Er... Let me try that again.</h3>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<h3>
This Tuesday's YouTube video is about service:</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicujhm3e6-eOcn_54eKUEWuwTFA3q-G0mfT2TEuzQsAOmmh-SL64HUUIJakw3BJeVNIL4HPx8vcXf7y_YXLK5OJOVm9bOiHfsomf2mhYoE3enO1wk6AwXRnmCXdaEH1eZPfgTPJZ8-eMBF/s1600/MHH_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicujhm3e6-eOcn_54eKUEWuwTFA3q-G0mfT2TEuzQsAOmmh-SL64HUUIJakw3BJeVNIL4HPx8vcXf7y_YXLK5OJOVm9bOiHfsomf2mhYoE3enO1wk6AwXRnmCXdaEH1eZPfgTPJZ8-eMBF/s640/MHH_01.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<h3>
And Wheelbarrows:</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAN4vn74z0tEbQt5ITrdHAiEa6oDsHcbYBCEJpvCAnZF8z1K4FDjpBvsxyEfIRybhvVBdFUJcvyAtQYMd4m55SCiUKrbBXNu93QaDZ30iatuyyevxvKkO3dFp5v7fksUp5PCX8Lq3uSEnZ/s1600/MHH_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAN4vn74z0tEbQt5ITrdHAiEa6oDsHcbYBCEJpvCAnZF8z1K4FDjpBvsxyEfIRybhvVBdFUJcvyAtQYMd4m55SCiUKrbBXNu93QaDZ30iatuyyevxvKkO3dFp5v7fksUp5PCX8Lq3uSEnZ/s640/MHH_02.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<h3>
And using wheelbarrows for service:</h3>
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Every year, a group of people from my church in every part of the globe get together to do some community service. This year the North Hollywood Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints met at the Hansen Dam in Sylmar to help lay down sod for a portion of their park.</div>
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It was tedious, hard, smelly work (of which I contributed but little since I was snapping so many photos and recording video).</div>
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The opportunity seemed like a fun short subject for a new aspect of my YouTube channel which will be called "Mini-Docs" - which are miniature documentaries of almost any subject.</div>
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This particular Mini-Doc features the spirit of teamwork and the joy of putting yourself out there to help out the community.</div>
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Look for the video to be posted on Tuesday!</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11139465035695979397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823229063720470979.post-7156175923195064062013-05-04T19:46:00.002-07:002013-05-08T00:41:13.864-07:00BTS: The Tatooine Lightsaw Massacre<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHwdejkzPMIC8PV7l1X3zuNil9ceg_Q7oJ1YfwagEu97gzg_bSmL7jpe4gL8MAMgknPskq98MFDDdl6ti0QO02ucYnoemPXvD_IRxq-fxJdhchyphenhyphen1q_1yS23vm4E_tyLdsx71qXtOE1uyH/s1600/IMG_2015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHwdejkzPMIC8PV7l1X3zuNil9ceg_Q7oJ1YfwagEu97gzg_bSmL7jpe4gL8MAMgknPskq98MFDDdl6ti0QO02ucYnoemPXvD_IRxq-fxJdhchyphenhyphen1q_1yS23vm4E_tyLdsx71qXtOE1uyH/s640/IMG_2015.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Welcome to the delightful world of Star Wars fan films! Er... Horror film homages! Uh... let's try that again:<br />
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<br />
Welcome to the world of Star Wars horror films. Awful, awful horror films:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/e0QhUVn5Z8g" width="640"></iframe><br />
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<br />
The video today is a fun trip through the past. It marks almost two years since filming.<br />
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In the fancy days of May 2011, a group of friends and I set out to film a scene from a feature film called The Gilliam Effect. It was going to be directed by my co-writer Spencer and I. We both synced in what we wanted and it was a team effort from the beginning.<br />
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The scene was a small cutaway that would serve as a joke to the type of campy films that the filmmakers in the movie would make. It was only intended to be a 15-20 second spot in the whole feature-length film.<br />
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After traveling up to Utah, we gathered a small cast and crew. Spencer's co-worker Eric provided the costumes - and also played the menacing Tusken Raider.<br />
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We drove everyone out to the Little Sahara sand dune national park in Western Utah. After several hours of affixing the complex costumes to our actors, and after losing a lot of light, we were able to get the few shots that were needed to complete the video.<br />
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Because of the difficulty from the loss of light, both Spencer and I had to direct two different actions at the same time to finish up the last few shots. I directed the screams of the hopeless innocents. Spencer directed the terrible wrath of the lightsaw wielding menace.<br />
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We shot a majority of the footage on a Canon T2I that we borrowed from our good friend Anthony Ambriz, but when our battery ran out we had to resort to filming with a crappy Canon PowerShot camera I had brought along to take stills. When placed together, it's obvious which camera was better, but since it was supposed to look crappy (with a VHS filter) anyway, we didn't really care.<br />
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After the sun went down and we couldn't film any longer, we went through the process of taking off the complicated costume and wrapping everything up. We were all starving by this point. The few crackers and veggies we had for craft services didn't cut it. We all headed to a local diner to relax and enjoy the fun day. The owner of the diner was really cool and the food was super fantastic.<br />
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This was seriously the most fun I have had shooting a video since film school and unfortunately it didn't continue on like my initial filmmaking dreams (more of that story to come later). Hopefully this sort of magic can happen again soon, and I have now made a commitment to post at least one video each week on my <a href="http://www.youtube.com/users/splanderson" target="_blank">YouTube</a> page.<br />
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With the development of my YouTube channel, and all the exciting stuff that we've been filming lately, it looks like we'll have a lot more goodies for you in the near future.<br />
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Stay tuned, and hit subscribe on my <a href="http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=splanderson" target="_blank">YouTube</a> channel :)<br />
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<i>(Behind The Scenes photos and video below!)</i><br />
<div><br />
</div><div>BTS Photo Slideshow:</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="450" width="600"> <param name="flashvars" value="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2F16279933%40N00%2Fsets%2F72157633384254639%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2F16279933%40N00%2Fsets%2F72157633384254639%2F&set_id=72157633384254639&jump_to="></param><param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=124984"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=124984" allowFullScreen="true" flashvars="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2F16279933%40N00%2Fsets%2F72157633384254639%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2F16279933%40N00%2Fsets%2F72157633384254639%2F&set_id=72157633384254639&jump_to=" width="600" height="450"></embed></object></div><br />
BTS Video:<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/R-jUVo-FS28" width="640"></iframe><br />
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11139465035695979397noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823229063720470979.post-24240310585996289692013-04-26T14:25:00.001-07:002013-05-01T22:50:07.130-07:00We Need Your Bucket List<h2>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBu0g9NS1uF22xKBKcdzB7qDg77fixjYPh7IEjehkcE255-bSoVmTuDRDh1jxm0C38IyRH0LZt_oQOAh0lrkT4CYMLKAReasBfWIuy0XGfrSlSGfAjdGiBY9EfNIuK7wqYmo0WxRzaQrd/s1600/the_bucket_list_6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBu0g9NS1uF22xKBKcdzB7qDg77fixjYPh7IEjehkcE255-bSoVmTuDRDh1jxm0C38IyRH0LZt_oQOAh0lrkT4CYMLKAReasBfWIuy0XGfrSlSGfAjdGiBY9EfNIuK7wqYmo0WxRzaQrd/s640/the_bucket_list_6.png" width="640" /></a></h2>
Yes. That is a shot from the 2007 Jack Nicholson/Morgan Freeman film <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0825232/">The Bucket List</a>. And no, I am not promoting that film in any way.<br />
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This post is about you. It's about the things you want to do in this life. Your absolutely positively can't-wait to do list. What are your ultimate dreams? Can you share them with me and help us get a new series on YouTube made?<br />
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<h3>
The Show</h3>
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A series of 3-5 minute videos chronicling a new person each week fulfilling the best items on their bucket list. We have already begun filming and are now reaching out to a wider group of people to get them involved. The show will be on my <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/splanderson">YouTube</a> channel, the first episode will premiere on <b>June 10th, 2013</b>.</div>
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Our last shoot went extremely well and we all had a really fun time together. (Here is a totally selfish photo from that day to show you how awesome it was.)</div>
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My Bucket List</h3>
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The idea for this show came about just after I finished the 2013 Los Angeles Marathon. After fulfilling that item on my bucket list, I took an inventory of what was next. My list was so large, that I couldn't even figure out what was next.</div>
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After asking around to several people, I realized that the more they spoke about what was on their list, the more my list grew. I knew right then that there was a chance to be able to fulfill the items on my list through others. I felt the need to document it all.</div>
<h3>
Need You Now</h3>
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We need you now! We need your stories and your ideas. Please get your mind working and help us by letting us come and film you fulfilling your dreams.</div>
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You can comment below with your bucket list ideas, or you can send me a personal <a href="mailto:splanderson@hotmail.com" rel="nofollow">email</a>. I will reach out to you as soon as possible, and we will begin working out logistics for filming you for our show.</div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">(Not every idea can be filmed, even though I would really love the opportunity. There are no guarantees that we will be able to film you, and you should do your best to be patient with us while we figure everything out.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Also need to note that although we will do our best to find sponsors and partners to help finance each activity, a majority of the costs of your activity will need to be coming from you the individual. The crew that will be filming will be paid for by the production company, so you will only need to account for your individual expenses.)</span></div>
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This show will be better with you! So please, don't hesitate to speak up and contact me!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11139465035695979397noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823229063720470979.post-24315656226875645612013-03-20T19:11:00.000-07:002013-03-20T19:11:02.780-07:00LA Marathon 2013 (aka First One Down...)That's right folks. I'm blogging. <i>(I know, I'm scared too.)</i><br />
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This time about something that I have recently accomplished and I'm incredibly proud of. Something that I want all of you to know about, but more than that, something I want to remember.<br />
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A friend of ours sent us her race journal from when she ran the Ogden Marathon a few years back, so I thought I would mimic her style because of the great way it informed and entertained. (Thanks Debbie!)<br />
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The Night Before</h3>
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Although looking back it may not have been such a great idea, I spent the day before the marathon at Disneyland with my wonderful wife, mom and sister. My wife had asked to go for her birthday, and since this was the Saturday closest to her birthday, it seemed like the best time.</div>
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<i>Side Note: Getting wet on Splash Mountain may have contributed to the blisters now on my feet.</i></div>
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Anywho, the constant walking and standing in line may have tuckered me out a bit too much before the race.</div>
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We ate dinner at the Storyteller's Cafe (which is pretty great if you haven't been), I had the spaghetti with meat sauce for the carbs. I also ate the chicken corn chowder, just because - and it was such a good idea. Very delicious meal, ate enough to be full, but not too much to want to puke on the course.<br />
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We stayed until around 10pm, we made it home around 11:20pm, and I was in bed by midnight.</div>
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<h3>
The Morning Of</h3>
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I woke up around 4:00am. Not sure why. Just woke up. I looked around a bit and wondered if my race was starting and if I'd missed it. Saw the time, went back down and snoozed for another two hours. I felt pretty well rested. My wife woke me up around 6:00am to get ready and get going. Most of my stuff was ready and laid out the night before, once I was up I was able to just throw it all on. I scrambled a bit to try and think of anything that I would forget.</div>
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<i>Side Note: It was deodorant. Deodorant is the thing I forgot.</i></div>
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We piled into the car and drove to Dodger Stadium. We took the 5 freeway and it was pretty smooth until our exit when we hit total gridlock. This was the marathon traffic and we kind of expected it, but it was still kind of disheartening to wait in traffic for a half-hour. We got through alright and headed to the dropoff area. Once there, it was "drop-all-and-run" situation as I had to get out of the way of other drivers.</div>
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The first thing I did was walk straight to the port-o-potties. There was a huge line (even though there were dozens of them in the parking lot). I waited for probably 45 minutes to use the bathroom. The people behind me struck up conversation and it was fun and light which made the wait easier. I tried stretching, but I was too nervous to do it well. Seriously, I had to wait for 45 minutes.</div>
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<i>Side Note: I used all of the toilet paper. I feel horrible, but it's just the way it is.</i><br />
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<h3>
Nutrition</h3>
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All I had before the race was a banana and some water. Looking back, I probably should have had more. I tried to get to the stadium in time for some of the bagels, but I was too late.</div>
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During the race I had a packet of GU chews with me. I had one at mile 3, 5, 7, 10, 13, and 24. During the race there were several water stations, I tried to take advantage of at least every other one, but I missed a few because I felt my stomach was sloshing with too much liquid. At mile 20 they provided Clif shot gel, I made sure to grab a red packet (during my half marathon in Santa Barbara I accidentally grabbed a mocha flavor gel - blech!), it was raspberry flavor so I was pretty relieved. There was Gatorade, orange slices, bananas, and pretzels along the course. I was able to grab a few orange slices and some Gatorade in the later miles. Oh what joy those orange slices were to my mouth!</div>
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After the marathon I grabbed a banana and a bagel in the finisher's area. My family brought me Powerade and chocolate milk (my wife's recipe!). For lunch I had a huge Belgian waffle, ham and eggs, and a giant cinnamon roll.<br />
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<h3>
The Race</h3>
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My initial goal was to finish at or below 4:00.00. That's a pretty fast time for a first marathon, but I felt like my training was leading me to that time. As I'll explain later, I was pretty much on course to complete well under that goal until mile 18.</div>
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I'm more proud of being able to finish, let alone get a good PR time for my first marathon. My goal for the next few years is to accomplish my under 4 hour goal. Maybe I'll be able to do it next year?</div>
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<div>
After I had finished at the bathroom, an announcer got on the P.A. and told everyone to line up. I started to panic - I hadn't lined up with my pace group. How will I be able to get out of the starting line and run with those who will be at my pace?!? I got to the entrance of the starting corral and it was pretty much human cattle. We all just meandered in and lined up were-ever we could. The Star-Spangled Banner was being sung, but I was too focused on my pre-race checks: phone, earbuds, chews, sunglasses, hat - I think I'm ready!<br />
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</div>
<h3>
Miles 1 - 6</h3>
<div>
The huge wave of people launching out of the corral was so slow that it held me back from my goal pace for about a mile. When my RunKeeper app announced the first mile and my pace - about 10:00 min/mile, I felt really upset I didn't get closer to the front of the start line. Thinking back on it now, it was probably appropriate because it gave me a gentle easing into the run without pulling any muscles or wearing myself out.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
These miles were very familiar and fairly easy going. The sheer number of supporters along the course was the most amazing thing to see. It helped boost my confidence and strength throughout the whole race. I don't think I could help but smile through 90% of the race.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
At mile 3 I found a pace buddy who I was keeping up with, I'll call him "pony-tail" for now. We stayed pretty consistent together. There were a few times when he would drop back or I would drop back and we would look for each other to get back in sync.</div>
<h3>
Mile 7 - 11</h3>
<div>
This is when I felt the absolute best in the entire race. I was on pace, I was feeling great, I had my race buddy with me, and there was an incredible view of the city before us.<br />
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<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
At mile 8 my race buddy pony-tail dropped back. He stopped at a water station and I didn't want to lose my pace, so I just kept rolling through. I didn't see him at all after that. I wonder if he was able to finish at a good time...</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Throughout these miles I was looking forward to seeing my family at Hollywood and Highland - where we said they would stop to cheer me on before heading to the finish. I didn't see them so I figured they would head to the next stop which would be the Los Angeles Temple. My twitter noise kept going off on my phone, so I figured it was her telling me she wouldn't be there. Even though I felt a bit down about not seeing them, it was more important for them to be at the finish line than anywhere else on the course.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We had one of the longest downhills during mile 11. It was so long and so far down that I was just dreading the uphill that we would have to run next.</div>
<h3>
Mile 12 - 16</h3>
<div>
This portion of the run is kind of a blur. We were heading through West Hollywood and I remember seeing a few places I recognized. Two people on the sidelines of note were: the cross-dresser in a cheerleader outfit giving us all high-fives, and a guy dressed as the pope blessing us all as we ran.<br />
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I listened to music about half the time during the run. I would go about three miles with and then three miles without. I had a pair of sunglasses on through most of the first half, but as we headed into Santa Monica I took them off because it was getting cloudy (also, I didn't want them on in any of my race photos).</div>
<div>
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</div>
<h3>
Mile 17 - 23</h3>
<div>
Right at the peak of mile 17, I hit what most people refer to as "The Wall." I couldn't run any longer. I absolutely, positively had to walk. After walking a minute or so, I decided I just needed to keep going.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Side Note: We ran down Rodeo drive. Take that rich people!</i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
At mile 18, when things looked like they were about to get better, disaster struck... I felt a pain in my thighs that I had never felt before. It was so extreme and so painful that I had to completely stop. It was right after "Cheer Alley" where they had tons of cheerleaders cheering us on, but it didn't matter. As soon as I got past them all, I had to stop.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The pain pretty much paralyzed my running. I stretched and massaged. I walked. I couldn't believe this was happening. My first thought was '<i>what if I can't finish?</i>' Not a very productive thought, but it was there. A feeling of doom.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I started thinking of my family. I thought of seeing their faces at the finish. I thought of passing the Temple and maybe seeing them there. I decided I needed to finish, even if I was walking.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
These thoughts got me back up and running, but only in spurts. I had a pain threshold meter that would fill up after running about a mile. Once it hit the threshold, I had to stop and walk a few minutes. I figured that this would be the best way to finish the race if needs be. It kept me going.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Side Note: This is also about the time I decided to text my wife and let her know that my goal time had changed. I was now planning to finish around 4:25.00. I did it as fast as I could and tried to get my phone back in my holder before I lost too much time - very hard to do. I came to find out later that the text I sent threw my wife into a panic that I was injured or something and maybe wasn't the best of ideas.</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Passing the Temple was one of the best moments of the race. I prayed throughout the entire stretch of Santa Monica Blvd that I could see the Temple and well after. I prayed for help to keep going, to finish, and to not die.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
Around mile 22, someone kept calling my phone. I thought maybe it was my wife and that she was calling to tell me they weren't going to be at the Temple or that she needed information from me (not very likely, but I was in a weird head space). Finally I answered and some guy got on the phone asked for a "Mr. Eric Anderson" - a telemarketer!!! How dare he!? I hung right up and didn't answer anymore, no matter what.</div>
<h3>
Mile 24 - 26.2</h3>
<div>
This is when things started to get a lot better. I didn't feel like dying, (bonus), and I was actually able to run a bit more than a mile before stopping to walk and stretch.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
All I remember about the road to the finish was thinking about driving down that very road with my wife several months ago looking for yard sales. I thought about how far we've come and how different our lives are now. I was grateful and humbled. I started to feel a calm and determination.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When the finish was in sight, I decided that I wanted to sprint... I just didn't know when I would physically be able. I kept my slower pace up until the very last bit. The bit with all the crowd standing behind the guardrails and where most cameras were on me. I broke out into a full-on sprint that felt like a 5:00 min/mile pace (but was probably closer to 9:00 min/miles or something). I laughed, posed for the cameras and sang along to "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis which was playing as I crossed the finish line.<br />
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<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Side Note: Several of my co-workers - who helped me have the money enough for the entry fee, were on my mind at that moment. We had listened to that song so much in the vault that it was only appropriate it would be playing when I crossed the finish.</i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
<i>Thank you to Sid, Jessica, Brittany, Ben and everyone in the vault who supported me!!!</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As the volunteers were presenting us all with finisher medals, I asked "Am I still running?" which got a bit of a laugh. The long walk to the family reunion area had begun. I grabbed everything I possibly could from the swag tables and as much food as I could carry.<br />
<br />
I had finished!!!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
<h3>
My Times</h3>
<div>
<div class="finishtime-header" style="background-color: #0c438c; color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; text-align: center;">
FINISH TIME</div>
<div class="finishtime-text" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
4:27:32</div>
</div>
<div class="finishtime-bottom" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; text-align: center;">
<table style="border-spacing: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-size: 10px; margin: 0px; min-width: 150px;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="heading" colspan="2" style="background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; padding: 2px; vertical-align: top;">Placings</td></tr>
<tr style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: repeat repeat;"><td class="left" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; float: none; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px; vertical-align: top;">Place (AgeGroup)</td><td class="right" style="border-left-width: 0px; float: none; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px; vertical-align: top;">664</td></tr>
<tr><td class="left" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; float: none; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px; vertical-align: top;">Place (Gender)</td><td class="right" style="border-left-width: 0px; float: none; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px; vertical-align: top;">4184</td></tr>
<tr style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: repeat repeat;"><td class="left" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; float: none; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px; vertical-align: top;">Place (Overall)</td><td class="right" style="border-left-width: 0px; float: none; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px; vertical-align: top;">5601</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<table style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: 1px hidden rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;"><tbody>
<tr style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: repeat repeat;"><th style="background-color: #eeeeee; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: black; padding: 5px;">Location</th><th style="background-color: #eeeeee; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: black; padding: 5px;">Net Time</th><th style="background-color: #eeeeee; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: black; padding: 5px;">Clock Time</th><th style="background-color: #eeeeee; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: black; padding: 5px;">Pace</th><th style="background-color: #eeeeee; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: black; padding: 5px;">Pace Between</th><th style="background-color: #eeeeee; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: black; padding: 5px;">Time of Day</th></tr>
<tr><td class="location" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; padding: 2px;">Start</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px;">00:00</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px;">4:27</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px;"></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px;"></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px;">7:31:05</td></tr>
<tr style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: repeat repeat;"><td class="location" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; padding: 2px;">10K Split</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px;">54:40</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px;">59:07</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px;">8:48</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px;"></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px;">8:25:45</td></tr>
<tr><td class="location" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; padding: 2px;">20K Split</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px;">1:50:07</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px;">1:54:33</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px;">8:51</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px;">8:55</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px;">9:21:11</td></tr>
<tr style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: repeat repeat;"><td class="location" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; padding: 2px;">30K Split</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px;">2:57:35</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px;">3:02:02</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px;">9:32</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px;">10:52</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px;">10:28:40</td></tr>
<tr><td class="location" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; padding: 2px;">40K Split</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px;">4:13:34</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px;">4:18:00</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px;">10:12</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px;">12:14</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px;">11:44:39</td></tr>
<tr style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: repeat repeat;"><td class="location" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; padding: 2px;">Finish</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px;">4:27:32</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px;">4:31:59</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px;">10:12</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px;">10:15</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #333333; font-size: 1em; padding: 2px;">11:58:37</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11139465035695979397noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823229063720470979.post-48997073946597012212012-04-18T22:37:00.000-07:002012-04-18T22:37:00.345-07:00Are you in earnest?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's been a long time for this blog. It's been a long time for anything, really...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I thought I could direct this blog in a strictly Sci-fi and writing direction but I found very quickly that I didn't have the dedication or the concentration towards just that one discipline.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Do I still love writing - yes. Do I still love Sci-fi - heck yes I do.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So what am I doing?! What's my emphasis? What am I doing in Los Angeles and what are my goals?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There have been only two constants in my life: I want to work in the entertainment industry to create, and nothing in my life has ever been constant.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I have been at any one time concentrating on these three careers and I don't know which one is for me:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
WRITER</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYrflIwdgKb1vkY4gsp4qK3S4v7GCQUWI7ruKPTrc5hdV0krXZ9wXflIc1lDTc21G-Ff7OlbDaZjLOHV7XcpXTZfeOLae1UNuNq0Hk06kStj-cAtYrXboHFehLiSZ05kQDzOaXuAbIt9Fk/s1600/IMG_9774.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYrflIwdgKb1vkY4gsp4qK3S4v7GCQUWI7ruKPTrc5hdV0krXZ9wXflIc1lDTc21G-Ff7OlbDaZjLOHV7XcpXTZfeOLae1UNuNq0Hk06kStj-cAtYrXboHFehLiSZ05kQDzOaXuAbIt9Fk/s320/IMG_9774.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
DIRECTOR</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY-jRmGiaeLDDQ25Bu27jeeZ-f6cxSEgZmTtV6l0WmFX605eDbawkb_fhCdSdVkGPe5L-O0L0B1uvVT7pACU1aWs35-la2rU04tsBukcrp7QTVk1thl6StQLLa6z0xBGSH-CFcOZjKKf6e/s1600/Cool+Eric.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY-jRmGiaeLDDQ25Bu27jeeZ-f6cxSEgZmTtV6l0WmFX605eDbawkb_fhCdSdVkGPe5L-O0L0B1uvVT7pACU1aWs35-la2rU04tsBukcrp7QTVk1thl6StQLLa6z0xBGSH-CFcOZjKKf6e/s320/Cool+Eric.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
PRODUCER</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FYuVTxnUOkBeXu5lPAvX6_9iYucqp58vr16ZIHXIpnVw858Upam1C2wpAiUl7K57bVfGrlI2uqLql_M9vzO_2j9x2C43kB6j0gpW2CQEi4oC7L9lchyphenhyphenm51XXzfpWU_79QOu5VUfKf2Uh/s1600/IMG_1625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FYuVTxnUOkBeXu5lPAvX6_9iYucqp58vr16ZIHXIpnVw858Upam1C2wpAiUl7K57bVfGrlI2uqLql_M9vzO_2j9x2C43kB6j0gpW2CQEi4oC7L9lchyphenhyphenm51XXzfpWU_79QOu5VUfKf2Uh/s320/IMG_1625.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div>
I have an extreme passion and affiliation to all three of these paths, but I've never been able to pick. I love them all. I work hard at perfecting them all and I pour my life into them.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This isn't a blog post to ask anyone what I should concentrate on, or to announce that I've made a decision (I have <i>not</i>). This is a blog post to share with you my feelings as of late and my current predicament and situation. I'd love to hear your thoughts though, feel free to comment, text or discuss with me these very things next time you get the chance. We need to have more conversations anyway.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Love and or financial support is appreciated (expected). Thanks for listening.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
~ Eric</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11139465035695979397noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823229063720470979.post-81840593684867608052011-09-27T23:15:00.000-07:002011-09-27T23:19:17.756-07:00UnsureJust now as I sat watching a show, my consciousness was attacked with desires to write something. It took me a few minutes, but I finally sat down and opened up a document to start documenting my ideas and vision.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately I couldn't figure out what to write. I know <i>what </i>I want to write, I just don't know what to write.<br />
<br />
This isn't the first time I've ever had writer's block and it certainly won't be the last. This time I thought it would be fun to write a blog post (because I haven't blogged in a few weeks because of a new job) and use it to have a bit of fun.<br />
<br />
Below is an image that I found on Google image search:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmPev6CXbAZ3CjTElPEA0Kx1lTh3nZTS8VRfUbt7cTFzOytoxywtCcVCBzZU4i0XlkvIALOSh2x4TtMkxA6hAi6bi8eGhkvDqg9gnxb9-af91OtkBrLedtacmShmlcdwobXNuQddn9yuBv/s1600/Scene+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmPev6CXbAZ3CjTElPEA0Kx1lTh3nZTS8VRfUbt7cTFzOytoxywtCcVCBzZU4i0XlkvIALOSh2x4TtMkxA6hAi6bi8eGhkvDqg9gnxb9-af91OtkBrLedtacmShmlcdwobXNuQddn9yuBv/s400/Scene+001.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Now I'm going to write a scene using this image and post it below. (I'm going to try and use <a href="http://scrippets.org/">Scrippets</a> so it will look official). My parameters are:<br />
<ol>
<li>No longer than a written script page.</li>
<li>Image must be new to me and I can't read anything about the image.</li>
<li>Must be sci-fi related or have some element of sci-fi within.</li>
</ol>
<div>
Hopefully this will be a fun tool to get me inspired to write again and bring back the flow of inspiration that I once had.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">[scrippet]</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">EXT. STREET – DAY</span></span></div>
<div>
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> </span></code><br />
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">ANGELA picks up a steady pace as she crosses the last street. Her breath has become erratic and her head swivels back and forth, waiting for an attack at any moment. She protects a small black backpack on her right shoulder, not letting it out of her clutches for a second.</span></code></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></code></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">She approaches the corner when a large black sedan SCREECHES to a halt, blocking her path.</span></code></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></code></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">A tall and slender MAN in a black suit swiftly exits the back of the car and puts on a large black surgical mask. Angela has no time to run, she stares the man down.</span></code></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></code></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">ANGELA</span></code></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Move.</span></code></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></code></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">MAN</span></code></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">It would be in the best interest of the collective if you would get in the car.</span></code></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></code></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">ANGELA</span></code></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Move now.</span></code></div>
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></code></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">The man stands firm. He takes out a small </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">cigarette</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">-sized metallic pen. He points it at her.</span></span></code></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></code></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 16px;">ANGELA</span></code></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 16px;">That's not funny. Put that away.</span></code></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></code></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 16px;">MAN</span></code></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 16px;">I've tried to be reasonable with you Angela. You've left us no choice.</span></code></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></code></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 16px;">ANGELA</span></code></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 16px;">You've been given nothing but choices. You had a choice to stop the game when we arrived on this planet. You had a choice to bring the others back.</span></code></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 16px;">(closer to the man)</span></code></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 16px;">You had the choice to get me out, and you didn't.</span></code></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></code></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 16px;">The Man stares Angela down for an intense moment. Her icy-glare is unrelenting in its accusation.</span></code></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></code></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 16px;">He breaks. Takes off the mask. Puts the pen in his coat pocket.</span></code></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></code></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 16px;">ANGELA</span></code></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 16px;">Good. Now let me through.</span></code></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></code></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 16px;">MAN</span></code></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 16px;">I'm afraid that won't work Angela.</span></code></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></code></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 16px;">Instantly Angela lurches forward in pain. She grabs her stomach, it is beginning to bleed through her grey-hooded sweatshirt. She crumples to the floor.</span></code></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></code></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 16px;">ANGELA</span></code></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 16px;">...How could you?!...</span></code></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></code></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 0.6em; max-width: 510px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 16px;">Angela closes her eyes, for what seems like the final time.</span></code><br />
<code style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 16px;">[/scrippet]</span></code></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11139465035695979397noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823229063720470979.post-69438939418026615002011-08-25T16:13:00.000-07:002011-08-25T16:16:23.119-07:00Fall Movie Preview - SeptemberIt's time for school!! Well, not for me, but I am excited about the upcoming releases this fall. Each year around this time you get a funny mix of both critically acclaimed movies (Oscar-bait movies), movies that the distributors were unsure of so they didn't release them during the higher grossing summer months, and the blockbuster Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday films.<br />
<br />
Here are a number of my personal picks and suggestions, I'll be rolling them out each week with trailers and thoughts for each one. Starting tomorrow I'll have a fall TV preview as well. Hope you get excited to see some cool movies!<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">I didn't include anything that wasn't related to Sci-Fi, but I know there are a number of great films coming out this Fall. What are you excited to see?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;"><u>SEPTEMBER</u></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>Apollo 18</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="324" src="http://d.yimg.com/nl/movies/site/player.html#shareUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fmovies.yahoo.com%2Fmovie%2F1810195527%2Fvideo%2F25731507&vid=25731507" width="576"></iframe></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">PREMISE: The premise behind this film is that there was a final mission to the moon that was not divulged. The astronauts were to go up and discover what had happened to a fallen cosmonaut from the USSR, but what they discover is a more sinister and lethal entity.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">THOUGHTS: This one looks like a fun horror film, and there might be some great mock-vintage footage, but from the trailer it does seem a bit claustrophobic. Also, I'm getting sick of the "found footage" style of horror films. Watch your back for this one on <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">September 2nd</span>.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>Contagion</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4sYSyuuLk5g" width="640"></iframe></i></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">PREMISE: The synopsis for <i>Contagion</i> is not very clear, but what we do know is that it is about a deadly disease that breaks out and threatens to take out the entire world.</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">THOUGHTS: I love a good virus outbreak movie. The 1995 film <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114069/">Outbreak</a></i> is one of my all-time favorites. This film has a lot of star power which excites me to see it. I'm just scared for the moment when one of the doctors in an HVAC suit punctures themselves with a needle - it happens in every virus movie and it freaks me out! Get infected on <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">September 9th</span>.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>Dream House</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><object height="250" width="600"><param name="movie" value="http://ictv-bd-ec.indieclicktv.com/player/embed/b51134344b4b64572c52606f9e8f148c/4e271bddbb15d/10/0/defaultPlayer^player.swf"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://ictv-bd-ec.indieclicktv.com/player/embed/b51134344b4b64572c52606f9e8f148c/4e271bddbb15d/10/0/defaultPlayer^player.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="600" height="250"></embed></object></i></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">PREMISE: Daniel Craig stars as a husband and father who moves his family into a nice big dream house only to find out that the house has a terrible history that has him strangely linked.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">THOUGHTS: This one looks pretty good. It looks like a perfect psychological horror film. It is directed by one of my favorites - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006487/">Jim Sheridan</a>. The trailer might be giving away too much, and the title is very generic, but I'm sure there's so much more to it that will make it a great scare. This one comes out <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">September 30th</span>.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11139465035695979397noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823229063720470979.post-90405773693183813212011-08-24T10:07:00.000-07:002011-08-24T10:07:33.000-07:00Movie Review: COWBOYS AND ALIENS (2011)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ8unvUGJ-lhWR1qF7_be0PkGITKKg7n7x7bAwj6uleKGpXZTgNQbHQqSW59UWR2ZSu6GhMs8U7bfYmt32tLDE7NAkWEeTeZVxg05tb802VcBXMqz2PSKmWrjpctPzJqKJY1jVpHWByFEc/s1600/Movie-Reviews.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ8unvUGJ-lhWR1qF7_be0PkGITKKg7n7x7bAwj6uleKGpXZTgNQbHQqSW59UWR2ZSu6GhMs8U7bfYmt32tLDE7NAkWEeTeZVxg05tb802VcBXMqz2PSKmWrjpctPzJqKJY1jVpHWByFEc/s1600/Movie-Reviews.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">COWBOYS AND ALIENS (2011)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFbVK_tUaIh7Bw5xgv6LaJcpL2wgd2CJru8wy-FcRa4N2zLdP24N6jmWrBNg5pMORzoqT2eCbS4QL8id2TojosaPXwefcEQ50ehkPrJfBk7x5By5aA6laX0dVCa9mQTEM_4trebu0sq4xc/s1600/Cowboys1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFbVK_tUaIh7Bw5xgv6LaJcpL2wgd2CJru8wy-FcRa4N2zLdP24N6jmWrBNg5pMORzoqT2eCbS4QL8id2TojosaPXwefcEQ50ehkPrJfBk7x5By5aA6laX0dVCa9mQTEM_4trebu0sq4xc/s640/Cowboys1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
For some reason, I had heard a lot of bad stuff about this film. A good many of the people that I follow on Twitter said they didn't <i>love</i> it. It didn't do as well as expected at the box office (just barely beating out <i>The Smurfs</i> that weekend) and it didn't do well on <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cowboys_and_aliens/">RottenTomatoes.com</a> (a whopping 45%).<br />
<br />
All the same, I found it to be quite fun and exciting. It had a few missteps and a bit of wonkyness because of the genre blending, but overall a good enough story to warrant a view.<br />
<br />
SPOILERS AHEAD!<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>You know what? I really did like this movie. You know why? Because Westerns are cool.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0qjIIVSJuxjajID9vgUMhIF-t3ylWOthZQXyd1gdaAx3qM_E-SVFP5dPF3BDFg5p-2bbYJSXIRvgp1bgf6DVyW1GYZHNXQqLgF9-OZdihSugmSnklGmLFli6GvlcOs4igDI33_dA2BXrY/s1600/Cowboys2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0qjIIVSJuxjajID9vgUMhIF-t3ylWOthZQXyd1gdaAx3qM_E-SVFP5dPF3BDFg5p-2bbYJSXIRvgp1bgf6DVyW1GYZHNXQqLgF9-OZdihSugmSnklGmLFli6GvlcOs4igDI33_dA2BXrY/s640/Cowboys2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isn't this cool?!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>They really are. And I'm not the only one who thinks so. It's why the entire genre went crazy in the 40's and 50's. And it's why there have been countless Westerns made since the beginning of cinema. (Maybe it's our struggle to connect with our past in America?)<br />
<br />
Anyway, the film takes the inherent coolness of the Western and adds a fantastical element - aliens. This is what was so mind-blowing from the original <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowboys_%26_Aliens_(comics)">graphic novel</a>, the fact that they blended the Western and Sci-Fi genre. This had been thought of, but never done in such a large scale.<br />
<blockquote><a href="http://www.drunkduck.com/CowboysAndAliens/4823277/">Read the Prologue to the Graphic Novel of <i>Cowboys and Aliens</i> here.</a></blockquote>That being said, it may have been the reason for such confusion in the audience. The goals of a Western are far different from the goals of Sci-Fi. They have the same technicality and the same story-telling techniques, but they share differing trains of thought and different perspectives. I will admit though, the reaction from the characters to the alien technology was amazing. That was what I was hoping for throughout the whole film - 19th Century rubes reacting to electricity and technology.<br />
<br />
Now here is where the film suffered - too many characters and not enough sympathy for the characters. Every time a new character was brought in I though "Oh great, now they're going to waste time explaining this guy." Even though Daniel Craig played the mysterious man who wakes in the desert with temporary amnesia, they thought it a good idea to start focusing on people like Harrison Ford's Colonel Dolarhyde (appropriate name, no?) or his son, or the mysterious alien woman, or the barkeep and his wife, or the sheriff and his grandson, or the Native American worker, or the... you get the idea.<br />
<br />
The problem with not generating sympathy stems from the fact that none of these characters warrant that sympathy. In most gritty Western dramas you can have a group of despicable characters that choose to do no good, and the unsympathetic becomes sympathetic because there is one guy who excels beyond it and turns over a leaf of good. We usually find out who it is right at the beginning of the film. Other Westerns have despicable characters throughout, but they are all taught a lesson (check out <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040897/">The Treasure of the Sierra Madre</a></i>, you will be glad you did.) But in a blockbuster Sci-Fi/Western you will need to generate some heart right away or the audience is going to distrust the entire film.<br />
<br />
Our hero Jake Lonergan (I presume he's the hero) is nothing but a dirty lowdown thief. Ya he may not remember that, and he does receive redemption in the end, but right off the bat we want to love him and we don't. He kills three men brutally right away for no reason! They didn't deserve that! Sure they had scalps on their horses and they were acting a bit rough with him, and maybe they did deserve it because of what they had done up to that point, but we don't see that in the film and we need a better reason for him to murder them and steal their clothes.<br />
<br />
Colonel Dolarhyde isn't any better. We hate him immediately because of his son Percy (played by the amazing Paul Dano). We are supposed to hate Percy because he's a whiny piece of work, but because of the way the town fears Dolarhyde we automatically believe him to be the villain.<br />
<br />
The Native Americans are the closest to gathering my sympathy as well as the young boy. The problem is - we don't get to know them at all. The Native Americans speak through an interpreter and act out of fear, the young boy doesn't say anything the whole movie and shows nothing but fear. We don't know them!<br />
<br />
And of course - the aliens. They are completely out of the question. We hate them. Why? Because they came here to take over and steal our gold (Gold? Seriously? They want gold?!) They maliciously kidnapped our kin and forced weird experiments on them. Also they are ugly and slimy.<br />
<blockquote><i>On a side note - why do all the aliens look the same nowadays? Can't we come up with any better looking or different styled alien creatures? I swear the only difference between them are where the arms and eyes are placed. Everything else is the same - a computer generated baddie with claws and weird bug eyes. Where are my giant ants?! Where are my humanoids? Where are my Predators with dreadlocks or my Aliens with crazy heads and mouths within mouths? Why are they all looking the same now?</i></blockquote>Anyway, as much as I'm slamming the characters and other aspects of this film, I was truly engaged throughout and loved the production design and cool vibe. I hope they don't stop making original stories like this and I really hope they don't stop genre-blending because frankly, it's neat.<br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">Did you see the movie?:</span></b><br />
What are your thoughts? What did you think? Is there anything you hated/loved about the film?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11139465035695979397noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823229063720470979.post-24439798732348642402011-08-23T17:02:00.000-07:002011-08-23T17:02:26.593-07:00Portal GunI'm not really a huge video game person. I was growing up, but since graduating high school it's been hard for me to get into any new games. I love playing new stuff suggested by friends, but other than that I can't really find the time to play in-between watching movies and TV and writing movies and TV.<br />
<br />
I am however, extremely intrigued by the game <i>Portal</i>, as well as it's sequel. The thing that amazes me most is the idea of having a gun that can transport someone. It's taking a great idea and making it better by adding mobility and puzzles.<br />
<br />
An impressive short film directed by Dan Trachtenberg just surfaced on YouTube today. Something that I think you should see. This definitely opens up questions of a full feature soon. Right?<br />
<br />
Watch the film here:<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4drucg1A6Xk" width="640"></iframe><br />
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What did you think? Look good?<br />
<br />
Here's my one concern: Why was she given access to the gun? How did she find it? Why would they let that happen?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11139465035695979397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823229063720470979.post-33349321633156795362011-08-22T14:10:00.000-07:002011-08-22T14:10:45.546-07:00Grammar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpkbSMXNSDJpZ9NSkaozQh8xzczEOJs8F97-2QueuYbGwR-PlpTzG5C2fjfpLfVebbe6BhCGrqmFxxsZiUhIca3F0QMuya_YFY2RWbh0UcxHVraYiMRUs-xzElX0uDwcUjsXEGItTCmdGW/s1600/For-the-record.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpkbSMXNSDJpZ9NSkaozQh8xzczEOJs8F97-2QueuYbGwR-PlpTzG5C2fjfpLfVebbe6BhCGrqmFxxsZiUhIca3F0QMuya_YFY2RWbh0UcxHVraYiMRUs-xzElX0uDwcUjsXEGItTCmdGW/s1600/For-the-record.png" /></a></div><br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11139465035695979397noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823229063720470979.post-20101158825903733572011-08-18T14:00:00.000-07:002011-08-23T17:04:58.746-07:00Netflix Gems: MILLENIUM (1989)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl6hd4e3u-Doo7AmaV_wPI2Vj7oxOGMmuOZ3A5pZL0iC_YkUNegeTV_UNioKQA2is0nQ0G-UcOFewgvUTHLhoqvPM2o2in6GRXK0AD-kkhllejJxDzFfATyhMjZjeE4RQ5Cg98Vlxd3wBT/s1600/Netflix-Gems-Banner.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl6hd4e3u-Doo7AmaV_wPI2Vj7oxOGMmuOZ3A5pZL0iC_YkUNegeTV_UNioKQA2is0nQ0G-UcOFewgvUTHLhoqvPM2o2in6GRXK0AD-kkhllejJxDzFfATyhMjZjeE4RQ5Cg98Vlxd3wBT/s1600/Netflix-Gems-Banner.png" /></a></div>A newer feature on the blog that I will have be posting in conjunction with my <b>Movie Review</b> feature is the <b>Netflix Gems</b>. These are films that are streaming on Netflix right now (as of the date of the posting) and are fun little movies that you may not have heard of or even thought about watching.<br />
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The first film in this series is the 1989 futuristic thriller <b>MILLENIUM</b>:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7yxYTb7m79NxNGVa_xFx3lrfP5D1EMJ7SgwKlXAQcCX5EGKbZy-7Ri_pc-YM_EC5W5IZyo3Z9HmIAMOZ0FnIIDhHq6mpdt6zGWiwy895Pro1RxT99UfVbHw68_HbgMdLBGr1jNpAyPZ4t/s1600/Millenium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7yxYTb7m79NxNGVa_xFx3lrfP5D1EMJ7SgwKlXAQcCX5EGKbZy-7Ri_pc-YM_EC5W5IZyo3Z9HmIAMOZ0FnIIDhHq6mpdt6zGWiwy895Pro1RxT99UfVbHw68_HbgMdLBGr1jNpAyPZ4t/s400/Millenium.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><i>An airline crash investigator finds a strange device in the wreckage of a double plane disaster. The device comes from the future and the discovery of it could end the world in about a thousand of years. A mysterious woman visits the investigator and attempts to get the device back before all hope is lost. </i>Directed by Michael Anderson. Written by John Varley (based on his short story). Starring Kris Kristofferson and Cheryl Ladd.</blockquote><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><b>Subgenres: Time Travel/Romance/Futuristic</b></blockquote>This film has a lot going for it and only a few things bringing it down. What it has going for itself is an amazing plot and an intriguing idea. What brings it down is a few cheesy elements and a seriously outdated style.<br />
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SPOILERS AHEAD!<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>This film has an amazing opener - two airplanes colliding in midair! They do a great job of creating confusion and doom. Although it might have been shocking in 1989, this sort of plane disaster seems a bit less extreme (post 9/11), but it did have a great effect in seeing the reaction of the characters to the crash site.<br />
<br />
The brilliance of this movie is in playing with time paradoxes. The futuristic team have come up with a great way to avoid destruction by only taking people from planes that are about to crash and replace them with dummies. Another really thrilling moment is when the futuristic devices they accidentally left behind become the very destruction of the world. Time paradox! The plot was really well thought out and made for an intriguing look at the dangers of time travel as well as the problems with overusing our Earth's natural resources.<br />
<br />
Although they are very fun - the film is plagued with some very corny dialogue and some even cornier costumes. I'm sure in the late Eighties these wouldn't have been too cheesy, but whenever you make a futuristic film you run the risk of having the costumes and production design look very archaic to a future audience. The romance portion of the film comes off as hokey and a bit forced, making it difficult to take the characters seriously. Another issue was the way in which the captured/rescued people from the past seemed so docile about what was happening. They just filed out of the time warp with such calm demeanor and placating attitudes that it seemed a bit inauthentic that they would just be willing to cooperate. Oh ya, and the robot helper in the future is super funny but totally ridiculous-looking.<br />
<br />
Despite the cheese, the film is a really fun and delightful gem. A high recommend for anyone looking for an intriguing futuristic/time travel thriller.<br />
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<b>Please enjoy the trailer!:</b><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yMgmlhAKhV8" width="640"></iframe><br />
<br />
Has anyone seen this little gem? What did you think?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11139465035695979397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823229063720470979.post-45771796070821884452011-08-18T11:50:00.000-07:002011-08-18T11:55:43.424-07:00BLADE RUNNER AgainAs one comment read on <a href="http://www.deadline.com/2011/08/ridley-scott-ready-to-direct-new-version-of-seminal-sci-fi-film-blade-runner/">Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood</a> news post: "And thus, the internet breaks in two." (posted by 'Mike').<br />
<br />
It was announced today and later <a href="http://www.deadline.com/2011/08/toldja-ridley-scott-will-direct-follow-up-to-blade-runner-for-alcon-entertainment/">confirmed</a> on Finke's blog that Alcon Entertainment has acquired the rights and Ridley Scott is attached to produce and direct a follow up of his groundbreaking sci-fi film <i>Blade Runner</i>.<br />
<br />
Every movie and sci-fi geek knows that Ridley Scott directed two of the most influential sci-fi movies of all time - <i>Alien</i> and <i>Blade Runner</i>. In the last year or so, Scott has been working on a new version of <i>Alien</i> with a project written by Damon Lindelof (<i>Lost</i>) called <i>Prometheus</i>. From what I understand, this will not be a reboot, but more of a prequel or what-happened-up-to type film (a lot like the new <i>The Thing</i>).<br />
<br />
As the commenter said above, this just may split all geeks into two factions. Those that love the new direction and enjoy the fun of a new version of their favorites, and the other group - the ones that feel the Hollywood studios are treading on sacred ground and should begin coming up with more original ideas rather than trying to reboot and change every known movie franchise out there.<br />
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Personally, I'm in the second camp. I wish they would try and make the NEXT <i>Blade Runner</i> -esque film rather than just rehashing the same thing over and over again. I get that there are 'only twelve stories to tell' or whatever, and I don't mind if a story is "like <i>Blade Runner </i>meets ..." but to make an exact copy or just updated style is a bit ridiculous. I know it's been done well in the past, and that every 30 years or so we see a lot of copies and remakes, but for crying out loud - it has gone on to epidemic proportions!<br />
<br />
Some other funny comments on Twitter:<br />
<blockquote>"Announced: August 2017 Ridley Scott to reimagine GI Jane." @wilzmak<br />
"Announced: June 2015, Thelma and Louise Survived" @writerspry<br />
"Announced: Aliener" @ScreenWritten</blockquote><br />
Here is the epic trailer for the epic film <i>Blade Runner</i> (1982):<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/KPcZHjKJBnE" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
What do you think? Are you sick of all these reboots and rehashes?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11139465035695979397noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823229063720470979.post-78306652352566372142011-08-17T16:59:00.000-07:002011-08-17T17:01:00.852-07:00Student Film: CITY IN THE SKYItalian filmmaker and recent London Film School student Giacomo Cimini has had some early buzz for his short film <i>City in the Sky</i>. It premiered at the 66th Annual Venice Film Festival and is available on iTunes.<br />
<br />
What I find interesting about this film is that it has been widely distributed by the film school which is something that is rarely, if ever done. The ability to self-publish through iTunes and other electronic mediums makes it a much easier task nowadays, but it's even harder now to find good quality. Another interesting thing is that it looks far better than most film school films usually do. It has it's problems from what I can tell in the trailer, but I think it deserves special note and it would be very interesting to see the film. What do you think? Better than most student films?<br />
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Here's the trailer:<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="272" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/26758481?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="640"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/26758481">City in the Sky Trailer</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/giacomocimini">Giacomo Cimini</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11139465035695979397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823229063720470979.post-81042700293675866582011-08-16T14:57:00.000-07:002011-08-16T15:06:00.021-07:00Issues<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEHD9yPXqJpYcNPtrKz8cHEjt3LQIJN1RGH1ajp-_bNwYH2rFonP1evivNAojU213ExRByyGK7dxs9zXkG3HSam65P1XuXRutFrGVBzqzJbqUoJHWakRym4YnkygACuXiHPq-dLeAEZuqd/s1600/Astounding+Science+Fiction.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEHD9yPXqJpYcNPtrKz8cHEjt3LQIJN1RGH1ajp-_bNwYH2rFonP1evivNAojU213ExRByyGK7dxs9zXkG3HSam65P1XuXRutFrGVBzqzJbqUoJHWakRym4YnkygACuXiHPq-dLeAEZuqd/s400/Astounding+Science+Fiction.png" width="288" /></a></div>I've realized since the start of the new direction that I haven't really expressed what it is that I am going to focus on exactly. Broadly I am going to write about and report on things of Science Fiction nature, but more purposefully I will be discussing issues of writing Science Fiction.<br />
<br />
During the course of my transformation I hope to share some interesting news in television, film and books to which I will have posted under the label "Sci-news" on the <i>Irregular Features</i> list to the right. Also under that list I hope to have a bunch of short stories, links to great articles and websites, and the occasional interview with an author or screenwriter about the subject. Keep your eyes peeled for such awesomeness!<br />
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I also hope to do some wicked awesome reviews of television shows, feature films, and sci-fi novels under the respective labels to the right under <i>Regular Features</i>. To explain to you exactly what I hope to accomplish with those reviews, I want you to firstly know that I am not a scholar and I am not a critic. Sure I've taken classes on film theory and history, and sure those classes have influenced me along with the reading I have done on the subjects, but in no way am I any good at keeping all that stuff in my head. I'm terrible at it if you must ask, so I don't think I will discuss those things to great lengths unless the right mood hits me (or if I remember something valid in a moment of brain clarity).<br />
<br />
A few subjects that I <i>am</i> interested in learning about, and hope to explore in my reviews are the following:<br />
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<ul><li style="text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">God:</span></b> The treatment of god in science fiction. The development of the idea of god and the destruction of that idea. The concern for or lack of concern for as well as the prevailing theory that god is destroyed by science (which I do not believe).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">Cheesiness:</span></b> We all know that most sci-fi movies and books have an element of cheesiness to them. This fascinates me and I'm intrigued to find out why that is and how to avoid it. Or if it's possible at all to avoid it.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">Randomness and Irony:</span></b> A lot of things going wrong, or a lot of things going right. I want to explore how these random actions or events influence the characters and plots. It might also be fun to find some outlandish examples of these things effecting the outcome of the plot.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Sexuality:</b> </span> This doesn't interest me as much. I get it, we're sexual beings, we have desires. I also get that nerd generally like sci-fi and nerds have a lot of pent-up sexuality. What I'm interested is in how sexuality effects the characters and plot. Also how it is misappropriated or thrown into a story for titillating purposes rather than genuine ones.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">Violence:</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"> </span></b> This is another topic that doesn't interest me as much, but it is fairly prevalent in sci-fi, so I think it's a valid concern. What I want to figure out is how violence can influence the characters as motivation or how violence is an instigator for change. I don't really care how it is misused or overdone, although I know it is, I just want to focus on what useful purpose it has in story (if any).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><b>The Technical:</b> </span> This is something I am fascinated with because of my production background. I want to exalt those that have done a good job and discuss the effectiveness of great technical work. I also want to discuss how bad or outdated technicality can bring you out of the story and disrupt the experience. Some technical aspects to look at are - Sound, Cinematography, Directing, Music, Acting, Editing, etc. (In books, we can look at the technical aspects of writing - grammar, format, etc.)</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">Effects:</span> </b> I am also fascinated by visual effects (VFX) and special effects (SFX). There is a distinction between the two - visual effects are generally a trick of the camera or added computer effects within the frame. Special effects involve more practical use of robotics, animatronics, prosthetics, plastics, explosions or other things to create an effect. I believe science fiction has driven this industry for several years and it is a great thing to comment on and discover.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Themes & Cliches:</b> </span> Finally, I want to keep in mind recurring themes, cliches, plots, and characters from science fiction. We can talk and discuss about these things at great length in the comments section and hopefully we can all get really good at spotting these things throughout the litany of recurring elements in this wonderful genre.</li>
</ul><div><br />
</div><div>So now that you know a little bit more about what we're going to focus on in this blog, what do are you interested in exploring? Maybe there is something I need to learn more about and add to the list. Comment below!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11139465035695979397noreply@blogger.com0