How to Make Hard Choices (and the Inspiration for the Newest Short Film)

My secret sauce for writing has been taking a fear of mine and turning it into a story (I'll leave it up to you viewers to determine if it's working or not). Purgatory Comics is about fear of maturity. Halina is about rejection and individualization. And now we have The Burden of Choice, the short premiering soon that tackles one of my biggest fears yet: decision making.

It's not the first time I've given this subject a go. About 10 years ago I tackled indecisiveness in the 35 minute short film If, a no-budget comedy/drama about a young adult still coming to terms with a choice he'd made back in college (despite living a very happy life). I played the lead (ugh), and of course the story itself was very personal.

In fact, it was a decent way to describe my issues with decision making. It's not that I regret choices... it's that I recognize how each major choice sets off entirely new trajectories in life. This can be a lot of pressure on creative types such as myself; we can get caught up on the stories that take place in each trajectory. Some people live in the past... people like myself live in the past, future, and alternate present timelines. It's sometimes fun, sometimes sad, always exhausting.

While If was about a man who's overly curious about those trajectories, The Burden of Choice is about a woman who's convinced that only one trajectory can be "right". Therefore she sees each decision as a stressful burden, and she would do anything to lose that burden (even if it means surrendering her free will). If you can relate to this, then this is definitely a film for you.

This all brings me to an amazing TED Talks I watched recently on the subject. In the video below, philosopher Ruth Chang explains why choices don't have to be burdens... but rather reminders of the power we possess in our own lives. Choices should make you feel empowered, not lost - and she does an amazing job summing this idea up in a clear and profound way. I highly recommend this video (it's just shy of 15 minutes):

I hope you all check out The Burden of Choice while it makes its rounds, and if you want to check out If in all it's no-budget glory, it's on this blog. But I ain't linking it... because ugh.

I'm a Creep.

Once in a blue moon I use this blog for something a bit more introspective - this is one of those posts so feel free to disregard.

Last week was the 20th anniversary of The Bends, which to me is the greatest complete Radiohead album of all time (you were so close OK Computer, but nobody listens to Fitter Happier). For me, it was a profound moment because this record was a game-changer in my musical taste (which at the time included Def Leppard), and it was the soundtrack of my adolescence. 

Most non-Radiohead fans however will know the band for their first US hit single Creep, which came on the previous album Pablo Honey. And that song is a timeless hit for good reason: aside from harnessing the spirit of 90s alt-grunge angst, it features Jonny Greenwood's now-famous guitar blasts and vocalist Thom Yorke's incredible pitch range. And that's not to mention the profoundly sympathetic message itself: a man with low self-worth wishing he was more in order to impress a woman.

It's no wonder this song has so many wonderful cover versions.

Intentional or not, there's no denying the similarities in the chord progression between Creep and the 1972 song The Air That I Breathe, a ballad by the Hollies. In fact these very similarities led to a plagiarism lawsuit that Radiohead lost (perhaps rightfully so). And that's where we finally come to the point of this article: it is perhaps poetic that these two songs would conflict in a court of law as they also conflict lyrically, while simultaneously completing each other in harmony.

Many mash-ups of these two songs can be find online, but I'm going to highlight an acoustic version I found on YouTube by a band called the Moon Loungers:

What's so special about this particular cover is how it successfully juxtaposes the conflicting ideologies of the two songs. First you have Creep: a heartbreaking tale of insecurity. In one line the man is complimenting an attractive stranger, saying she "floats like a feather" and "she's just like an angel." But while he builds the woman up, he concurrently tears himself down, declaring he's a "weirdo" that has absolutely no business being near her. 

Meanwhile, The Air That I Breathe features a narrator on the other end of the same spectrum: he is completely content with his life and love in every way. This man starts his song saying that if can make just one wish, "I think I'd pass." He has just made love to a woman, and now has lost all human desire to need; he doesn't require sleep, sound, food, or anything else in the world. He declares that "peace came upon me and it leaves me weak."

This is the type of self-actualization that most of us - consciously or unconsciously - strive for in our lives. It's a feeling of completion and closure that's unfortunately short-lived when it does occur, but remembered for a lifetime. For me personally, I might've felt that moment 4 or 5 times in my entire 35 years, and I can remember each instance in excruciating detail.

In the embedded acoustic cover, the singers jump back and forth between the two sets of lyrics and often overlap them where it suits the harmony. I like to believe the result is a musical struggle within one person between confidence and inadequacy, as this is what my own adult life often feels like. In one moment, I can feel like there's little left to be desired, and in an unexpected shift I can feel I'm not worthy of the things I covet or have.

It's the kind of uncomfortable introspective conversation most people don't want to deal with or explore with you, which is why we as a culture have to hide these heavy themes in songs, movies, and other artistic media. In part it may be because people like myself - who swing like a pendulum between the two songs - lack an understanding of what's making the pendulum swing in the first place. Is it biorhythm? An unstable personality? Other people? Who knows.

What I do know, personally, is that from two songs from two different eras, which resulted in contempt via a lawsuit, came an almost perfect and extraordinarily beautiful representation of the internal struggle I myself feel on a regular basis. 

And for me, it's nice to have that validation through artistry. Even if it's coming from a wedding band.

Older Video Projects Posted Online

This will interest anyone who's known me prior to 2005: some of my very early short films are now available for streaming at Dailymotion. This includes Warm Milk, which is a college short film I made for 3 credits (and also the inspiration for my company name), Warm Milk 2, Fly on the Wall, and If.

All of these are ultra low-budget, one-man crew projects made before the dawn of youtube. And they all play a part in leading up to Purgatory Comics. I have 3 other shorts I'd love to post, but they feature copyrighted music and I fear the wrath of Dailymotion. It's a shame too because 2 of those 3 are amongst my personal favorites. Enjoy!

Everclear @ The Crazy Donkey - 10/15/09

The Crazy Donkey is a Long Island venue that I probably don't check out enough given their history of booking some pretty awesome acts (i.e. Shiny Toy Guns, They Might Be Giants, etc). This month I did go for what would be my second time seeing Everclear in concert (the first being them playing at my college). I do enjoy me some Everclear, but the specific reason I went was to see an old buddy of mine, Jordan Plosky, who is now Everclear's drummer.

The band went through a major lineup change, which Art Alexakis wrote about on their official site. Jordan tells me that he basically went in to audition and got picked. The show was solid; they sounded as good today as they did when I saw them 10 years ago. Afterward I chatted with Art and Jordan for a little and got a CD signed. Below is a snippet of "Father of Mine" I recorded; this has always been one of my favorite alt rock songs from the 90s. Look for Jordan drumming in the back!

everclear - father of mine

Paul McCartney @ CitiField 7/18/09

Last Friday I got back from Europe, and the next day I was off to CitiField to see Paul McCartney with my friend Shane. I saw McCartney at the Garden a few years back, and the bad news is that the CitiField show is almost the exact same set list. Plus, since this was supposedly a "historic" show, there were rumors of special guests joining Paul on stage; but that didn't happen. on Saturday. However, since it's Paul McCartney - ya know, a former friggin BEATLE - I'll give him a free pass. He sounded great, and it was a beautiful night for an outdoor show. Set list? You got it:

1. Drive My Car
2. Jet
3. Only Mama Knows
4. Flaming Pie
5. Got To Get You Into My Life
6. Let Me Roll It / Foxy Lady
7. Highway
8. The Long And Winding Road
9. My Love
10. Blackbird
11. Here Today
12. Dance Tonight
13. Calico Skies
14. Mrs Vanderbilt
15. Eleanor Rigby
16. Sing The Changes
17. Band On The Run
18. Back In The USSR
19. I’m Down
20. Something
21. I’ve Got A Feeling
22. Paperback Writer
23. A Day In The Life/Give Peace A Chance
24. Let It Be
25. Live And Let Die
26. Hey Jude
---
27. Day Tripper
28. Lady Madonna
29. I Saw Her Standing There
---
30. Yesterday
31. Helter Skelter
32. Get Back
33. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band / The End

He did Calico Skies this time, which is one of my favorite McCartney songs ever (I'm pretty sure he didn't do that one last time I saw him). But instead of a slow acoustic, he gave it a little "umph" with a full band including an accordion. The video's a little boring but the audio came out good:

Some cool news around the corner...I've been working with my new pal Jenny, who has been designing a brand new purgatorycomics.com (I've seen what she's got so far, and it's awesome). The DVDs are ready to go out and soon, ordering online will be a piece of cake.

Also, I found some inspiration in Europe (especially for some new characters I want to write). It was an amazing trip in general; I'll have to go into that another time. I'm still jet lagged apparently, and I think I have a cold. So, bedtime for me!

Coffee House Mix CD

And in the "too much free time" department...yesterday started with me looking online for templates for a new website, and somehow turned into a completely unrelated arts and crafts session. I made a "coffee house" mix CD (acoustic originals and covers), and I thought it would be cool to give it a custom CD case. So, I made one.

Here's the case closed. You wanna know what I did to take this project a little too far? Under that fabric is some real ground coffee bean, to make the CD case smell like coffee. Works well too.

When you open the case, you can see the CD itself is being held in a snap-holder I broke off another case. Course I had to go for a coffee bean label.

It's a trifold! And opening it up reveals the 21-track acoustic style setlist. I admit I kinda rushed through this last part but still, it came out kinda cool. Here's the setlist (links will open itunes):

1. Brand New Day - Joshua Radin
2. Umbrella - Marié Digby
3. When the Stars Go Blue - Ryan Adams
4. Cannonball - Damien Rice
5. These Words - The Walls
6. Down Under - Colin Hay
7. Quiet Town - Josh Rouse
8. Take Five - Dave Brubeck
9. Dancing Queen - Luka Bloom
10. Falling In Love At a Coffee Shop - Landon Pigg

11. The Way I Am - Ingrid Michaelson

12. Good People - Jack Johnson
13. Toxic - Juliet Turner
14. Gagging Order - Radiohead
15. 1, 2, 3, 4 - Plain White T's
16. All the Right Reasons - Jayhawks
17. Put Your Records On (Acoustic) - Corinne Bailey Rae
18. Hey Ya - Matt Weddle
19. Near You Always - Jewel
20. Hold You In My Arms - Ray LaMontagne
21. You're the World to Me - David Gray

My itunes "coffee house" playlist (inspired by the XM station of the same name) has over 400 songs, so it was hard to widdle that down to 21 for a CD. But the whole is greater than the sum of the parts here; that is to say a lot of attention went into the order and how they blend together. Plus I sprinkled in a few tracks of sentimental value to me, making this a strong CD for me personally. Maybe you'd like it too.

The Decemberists @ Radio City Music Hall 6/10/09

Awhile back I gushed about how in love with the new Decemberists album I am. Well the only thing that beat their latest release "The Hazards of Love" is hearing the entire thing live, in order, with no breaks. The Decemberists show came in two parts: part one was the new album all the way through. The audience sat for this part and the music was simply amazing.

After a brief intermission, the band returned and did a mix of greatest hits. For this portion of the show, there was much more interaction with the audience, who stood and danced. Here's the setlist for the second half:

1. Crane Wife 3
2. July! July!
3. Billy Liar
4. Sleepless
5. The Bachelor and the Bride
6. Daughter of Dracula
7. O Valencia!
8. The Chimbley Sweep
9. Crazy on You (Heart cover)
10. Begin the Begin (REM cover)
11. Sons and Daughters

Here's the WORST part...I missed the Heart cover because I had to leave by that point. I can't find video of the Radio City night on youtube, but there are plenty of videos from other nights. As you'll see below, it was a great cover and also a lot of fun for them to perform:

I felt very lucky to see one of my favorite albums of all time done live, because I'm sure that won't happen again. And this being the first time I've ever seen the Decemberists live, I can honestly say they sounded perfect.

And I'll say one more thing about one of my new favorite bands...if folk/acoustic/rock is your thing, for the love of God pick up the Hazards of Love!

Star Trek: The Return of the Theater-Going Experience?

I've seen the new Star Trek twice already: the first was an advanced preview screening with a limited audience (friend in radio hooked me up), and the second was opening weekend with a large crowd. After the end credits began rolling on the second screening, I saw a father and his son - must've been 3 0r 4 years old - walking out of the theater. The father asked what the boy thought, and the boy absolutely loved it; but he was in too much shock and awe over the visuals he'd just witnessed to really elaborate further.

This triggered a flashback for me: I was about that boy's age when I saw Return of the Jedi in the theater, and I remember feeling the exact same way. And scattered memories of watching Jedi on the big screen during its original run still stay with me to this day: Ewoks, Yoda's death, Lando blowing up the Death Star...to my young impressionable mind, it was absolute magic.

I like to think - and I hope - that the new Star Trek may become sort of what the original Star Wars trilogy was to this new generation. I think our culture desperately needs that right now. Sure, Pirates of the Caribbean and Iron Man and even Transformers were imaginative visual romps, but I feel Star Trek is something more (before I go into this, keep in mind I knew NOTHING about Star Trek before seeing it): the film is a near-perfect blend of action, comedy, drama and sci-fi. The pacing is wonderful, the cast is likable, and Michael Giacchino's score is epic. From a marketing perspective, I'm inspired how they were able to package a product for everyone from ages 3-103. From a screenwriting perspective, I'm blown away by how one movie is a sequel, prequel, and reboot all in one.

I don't really do movie reviews on here (maybe I should?), but the whole point of this entry's headline is about the experience of seeing this on the big screen. Yes, theater ticket prices go up while DVD prices go down. The gap between national screenings and home video release is getting smaller and smaller. And we can all agree Hollywood has been putting out a lot of crap lately. The big question has become: what will become of the theater going experience as time marches forward? The threat of losing it all together is depressing for a guy like me. Not only do I love movies, but I dream the big dream that one day I'll see my own flick projected up there.

But Star Trek revived my hope, if only for a couple of hours. Needless to say, I enjoyed my second viewing more: an audience of all ages experienced a full range of emotions together, and applauded in the end not out of courtesy, but because they had experienced a type of movie magic that reminds me why people like me got into film in the first place.

If I can ever capture a fraction of that audience response in a screening, I'll feel accomplished. While I work on that, you see Star Trek. It's not the perfect movie across the board, but it's the exact kind of movie I think we need right now.

Three and a half stars ***1/2

The Wanting Comes in Waves

A few weeks back, my pal Kristin hounded me to download the latest album from the Decemberists, "The Hazards of Love." I did, and . . . oh man. I think I already have my pick for album of the year. Instant love. I'd describe it as a folk/acoustic mix, blending Kings of Leon, early Radiohead or Oasis, Damien Rice, and then a pinch of Jethero Tull.

Before you start sampling 30-second previews from itunes, you have to realize a couple of cool things about this album. First, many songs change drastically, so those previews might be misleading. Second, each song blends harmoniously into the next, thus creating the type of album we haven't seen since the days of classic rock (think Floyd). And the reason is because the entire record tells one story.* It's a fun story too about forbidden love, and like a Broadway show, the characters in the tale sing their emotions complete with duets and reprises. It. Is. Great. I love driving because it's an excuse to listen to this CD, from the start, yet again. I don't know about you but I find a disc like that once maybe every 2 or 3 years. So this is my high recommendation for my readers. I'll be seeing the Decemberists in Radio City this summer and I haven't been this excited about a concert in a long time.

*A woman named Margaret falls in love with a shape-shifting forest dweller. A jealous forest queen and an ensemble of recurring characters bring conflict to the album's story arc.

Some Updates

Hi folks, I'm writing this from a spa in Connecticut where I'm totally spoiling myself with a gift package I won. But it's hard to relax with so much going on so I thought I'd drop a few updates:

• Some of you regular readers have followed my work from my college days, so there's no doubt you'd recognize the man in the picture with me. That's Steve Amico, star of almost all of my college short films including Warm Milk, Warm Milk 2, The Great Inner Solitude and Scratching the Surface. I saw Steve last week for the first time in at least 5 years, and it was incredible. We had some mind-blowingly deep, reflective conversations that really inspired me. And we also made a pact to work together again one day soon. What a great day that was.
  
• You might have noticed that this blog has officially become WarmMilkProductions.com. When you type to the old homepage, it will forward you here. I think it makes things a lot neater and easier and I'm actually excited about that change.
• You might have also noticed some google ads on the page. I joined the AdSense program to allow adverts on my site. I'm hoping it might help generate some revenue, even if it's loose change. Every bit counts. Sorry if the ads are bothersome but you understand.
• Don't forget to buy your tickets for our screening in Pennsylvania! We're headlining the 2009 Lancaster Area Film Festival!
• Okay, I know everyone wants to know when we'll have DVDs. I'm working with someone this month to make it happen, so just hold a little longer.
• Check out the new Digitcut.com, where our film is highlighted on the main page.
  

There's your dose of updates. Between seeing Steve and taking these days to reflect, I really feel a shift in my mindset. What it means for the film is a return of some motivation. Ooh, and here's something fun: there will be a new skit online this week, so check back soon!

Online Training

I'm known to be a "Jack of all trades, master of none." I know the basics of video editing, graphic design, web design, and related things ... but I really never knew more than enough to get by. The exception is writing; I am a writer. That's my thing. But I would like to be more knowledgeable in the other stuff.

Up until now whenever I needed to learn something, I'd scour youtube for tutorials, or web forums for answers. I decided now to take a web course instead, and I found a really good one at lynda.com. It's not free but I'm trying out a month and today alone I've watched and taken notes on dozens of videos. They have in-depth courses for Photoshop, After Effects, Final Cut, and a LOT more. Right now I'm focused on becoming really kickass at Dreamweaver because all my sites could use much better web pages. The video tutorials are awesome so I recommend this to anyone like me who wants to go beyond knowing the basic stuff for creative programs.

Plus, this: there are a lot of writers who don't know much video/graphical work. There are a lot of graphic people who don't know writing. The people who truly know both are a dime a dozen. In fact I'm not sure I've ever met one person who exels at both. If I could be that person, it would be very good for me.

The Killers @ Madison Square Garden 1/25/09

I went to the Killers concert at the Garden Sunday night and it was insanely good. Brandon Flowers has such a great voice and they're just so much fun to see live. Here's the setlist:

1. Spaceman
2. Losing Touch
3. Somebody Told Me
4. Smile Like You Mean It
5. This Is Your Life
6. Joy Ride
7. I Can't Stay
8. Shadowplay
9. Bling (Confessions of a King)
10. Bones
11. Neon Tiger
12. Human
13. Sam's Town
14. Read My Mind
15. Mr. Brightside
16. All These Things That I've Done

17. On Top
18. For Reasons Unknown
19. Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine
20. When You Were Young

My personal favorite Killers song, and one of my favorite songs ever right now is Read My Mind. During the last verse of this song the other night, I felt butterflies in my stomach. It was amazing. Thank God for youtube:

Facebook, etc.

Item one: Be a fan of Purgatory Comics on facebook by going here and clicking "become a fan!" Do it!!!

Item two: My run in the NYC Midnight Screenwriting competition has sadly ended, as they whittled all of the contestants down to just a few. I did a good showing, although I don't think it's a contest I'd do again personally. My favorite script scored low points, and my least favorite did awesome.

Item three: Self-induced sensory deprivation. Try it out. You cut a ping pong ball in half and tape each part over each eye. Then put a radio onto a static station. Lay out in dim lighting and enjoy the hallucinations. It's called the Ganzfeld Procedure and it's the result of your mind being addicted to sensations.

New Year's Resolutions

Um, I felt the blog needed a pic. So there's me. So now 2008 is archived and this is the first entry of 2009. I thought I'd share what I plan to get done this year:

1. I'm going to finish these final film touch-ups and get a screening somewhere, somehow. I only get one shot at a "premiere" so I'd like very much to have it somewhere somewhat reputable. So, forgive me for taking my time but it will be in the near future and mark my words you'll read about it in this blog.
2. Get a DVD to the people, and one that's good enough quality to satisfy me and my DP.
3. The monologue project I mentioned last blog. That one's quick and easy.
4. I've been writing a web series based on recent events in my life and I'd like to film it early this year (I've been thinking 5 or 6 10-min episodes). I just need a cast. It's sort of a cross between Flight of the Conchords and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia in style. I hope.
5. Rock my job. Maybe it's because I've fallen in love with Mad Men, but I really want to kick some advertising ass this year.
6. Travel to either Iceland or specific spots in Europe. I haven't decided which yet, but I think I'm ripe for a spiritual journey.
7. Start working out again. Again.
8. Pay of the film debt (almost there), take a chunk out of my car loan.
9. Get wisdom teeth removed (the one resolution I've broken the last 2 years).
   

I tried to force one more to make a nice round 10 but I got nothing else. And thanks for all the positive feedback I got for Cookies for Santa! Glad so many people seemed to dig it.

Edit: Ooh! Resolution #10, new web site for warmmilkproductions.com. There ya go!

Merry Christmas from Warm Milk Productions!!!

Here's a little video Christmas card I whipped up over the weekend to wish everyone a good holiday season. It's in the style of the old skits we used to do . . . cheap, minidv, and no crew. I hope you like it.

Some other news bits:

• I'm brainstorming a project where myself and some other writers I know will write a series of monologues, and then I'll have actors I know perform them. Not for distribution or anything, but just for all-around practice, minor 'net exposure, and fun. I don't plan to spend a dime on this project, which right now I'm just calling "Monologues."
  
• I got the results of the second round of the NYC Midnight Screenwriting competition. I didn't do nearly as well as round one, where I did awesome. But since I still have a lot of points, I progressed to the third round which I wrote tonight. I had to write a fantasy that took place in an opera house and involved a bathtub.
  
• Right after the holidays I'm really going to dive into making a decent Purgatory Comics DVD. The DVD case work is almost done and it looks great. At the same time I'm trying to secure a screening.

Also, yesterday was this blog's two year anniversary! I just realized that this moment. That's really cool. Happy holidays, everybody.

Facebook Fan Page, Surgery

Okay bear with me, I'm very groggy right now. If you have a Facebook account, you can now become a fan of Purgatory Comics! It's got all the videos and pics, and will have some exclusive stuff in the near future. I'm not really sure how to direct link the page itself, but if you go to the fanpage section and search out "Purgatory Comics," you'll find it.

So yesterday I had a little surgery done. They worked on my nasal passage and also took out my tonsils. Even though the two surgeries were done together, they were unrelated. My tonsils used to get infected, and my nasal passage didn't allow much room for air. Anyways, today I'm trying to recover but between the pains and the drug side-effects, I'm a little out of it (definitely not good on the phone yet). I'll be back to 100% in no time; just wanted to give a heads up!

Screenwriting Championships

I mentioned a few blogs back that I'm in a screenwriting contest. They give you a genre, location, and item, and you have a very short amount of time to write a 5-page script that works in all of those elements. You then win anywhere between 0-25 points, and you progress to the next round. For the first go, I had to write a political satire that took place in a tattoo parlor, and incorporated and construction hat. Yikes. That was a month ago, but Friday the scores came in and I got 22 points. Woohoo!

I had a week to write that first script, but on Friday they gave us the second assignment, and only two days to do it. So today I wrote some historical fiction that took place at a waterfall, and incorporated a tablecloth. I have to say I wasn't thrilled with my script for the first round, but I'm excited about the one I wrote today. Maybe I'll post it in the future. We'll see what the judges think about it . . . if they like it and I get enough points, I progress again in December. If not, I'm out.

I bought some materials this weekend to make "press kits" for the movie, which I'm halfway through with my "final viewing." So expect the next blog to be titled, "Finished!"

Film Status Updates.

I just watched another disc of the film dropped off by Digital Cuts. I'm amazed at the color correction job John did on one particular scene. I used to cringe when that scene came on, but now I can actually watch it. I'm hoping to meet with him soon and get the film back in my hands so I can do just a slight more tweaking on my own. Then it'll be done. Done! Such a weird concept. I feel like I was just watching my first rough cut. It's come so far since then ... so many little fixes here and there have really shaped this into a good little movie.

Unfortunately the movie being finished won't get it into your hands right away. The next challenge is finding a third party who will get an HD movie onto standard DVD without too much quality loss. I'm at a complete loss in that field. I'm a writer. How I even managed to get this much done, just being a writer, is beyond me. I think I'm pretty awesome for it. Shut up, I can flatter myself in my own blog.

I'm very anxious to get writing again. I've been inspired to write what I think is a fun dark comedy with a science fiction edge. It also probably rips from my personal life much more than Purgatory Comics, with the main two characters in this each being a representation of two conflicting aspects of my own personality. It's too much to get into here but I've already outlined most of it and when things calm down, I'll crank out the first draft.

I've also entered the NYC Midnight Movie Madness Competition again. It's the only writing contest I enter, and I've been doing it for about four years now. It's a great exercise for me: they give you a genre and subject, and you have a set amount of time to write a script. Usually I enter their summer contest but I missed it this year, so I'm doing their fall contest instead (but the scripts can only be 5 pages or less). That should be a fun challenge and I'll keep you guys posted.

Weezer @ Madison Square Garden 9/24/08

I went to see Weezer at the garden with my brothers last night. We got floor tickets and this show is absolutely in my top five favorite concerts now. It blew away the first time I saw Weezer live about six years ago too. Check out this perfect setlist:

1. My Name Is Jonas
2. Pink Triangle
3. Perfect Situation
4. Say It Ain't So
5. Susanne
6. Keep Fishin?
7. King
8. Undone (with Tom DeLonge)
9. Pork & Beans
10. Dreamin'
11. Dope Nose
12. Troublemaker
13. Automatic
14. Hash Pipe
15. El Scorcho
16. What's the Story, Morning Glory? (Oasis cover)
17. The Greatest Man That Ever Lived

Encore:
18. Island in the Sun
19. Beverly Hills

Encore:
20. Sliver (Nirvana cover)
21. Buddy Holly

So basically they did EVERY hit. They did an Oasis and Nirvana cover. And they actually did Susanne, my favorite B-side of theirs! What an excellent show...I didn't have a voice for the first half of today. Opening acts were Angels & Airwaves and Tokyo Police Club. There are a ton of youtube videos from the show but of course quality is not great. Here's Perfect Situation:

You'll notice that Scott's on lead here, except for Rivers who does the chorus. Weezer's big thing right now seems to be swapping around vocals and instruments. I don't really have a major beef with that...it worked for this show at least.

Some Updates.

Last Thursday I had a meeting with John at Digital Cut. I brought the film over on the hard drive and he loaded it up on his awesome editing suite. It was output to a hi-res TV and this is actually the first time I've seen the film on a monitor completely uncompressed. It looked...awesome. John's going to master the sound for the whole film, and do some color correction as well. So right now...it's completely out of my hands.

I find myself bored lately. Not used to the free time.

I re-submitted the film's screenplay to the Library of Congress to update my registration. The older version registered was under the old title, and the main character was a boy. You can update registrations online now so that was easy.

Here's another view of Jonathan "Berner" Zungre on another project. I think I'll keep posting these randomly until he notices. This is a Meth PSA directed by Darren "Requiem for a Dream" Aronofsky. I actually saw this video for the first time right AFTER I cast Jonathan:

Yeah. Freaky. It's also worth mentioning that Angela "Cola" Benedict found some more work through my film and will be in North Carolina next month shooting for the comedy Neato Mosquito.

There won't be direct film updates for awhile, but I'll update the blog with anecdotes and film lessons in the meantime.