Strictly Personal

Banana Bus won the Best NC short film at the recently concluded All American Film Festival. This might sound silly but the award means a lot. Not sure if the next award will but I feel so encouraged about my work, energized to finish incomplete projects. I also feel much more positive about festivals in general, partially because of the award, largely because I had a great time at the festival.

Undoubtedly, it was a great festival for filmmakers as we got plenty of time to mingle with each other and the audience. But I also think the reason that I enjoyed this festival experience more than previous ones is because I actually spent time there. It felt like an event versus just a blip on my calendar.

P.S. The trailer for Hello. Sorry. Whatever. is available on Squigglebooth.

I have been so tired of working as a freelancer for so long. It seems that I have spent too much time and energy in finding work. My work had no resemblance of structure and I was generally stressed out. However, my patience has been rewarded. On Wednesday, Oct 17th, I start on a full-time position with a company that couldn’t have better fitted my ideal work environment. Small to medium sized company that produces a lot of content. Very edgy content. It is going to be an education. Woohoo!

We finished principal photography for “Hello. Sorry. Whatever.” Kinda depressing in that it is over, a little relief, regrets on how some things went down and excited about what is to be found in editing.

The first day of shooting for my short film “Hello. Sorry. Whatever” begins tomorrow. As I sit here writing this at 11:46pm, I am pretty friggin’ scared. Hoping the extras show up, all the locations that committed remain so, that we are patient to get what we need, that we remain in the moment and so on.

But it is all terribly exciting, how will the process play out, how much did the process bring to the moment. What finds we will make. What works better than we originally planned. Looking for magic.

After almost 3 months of pre-production, it is time to shoot.

- Taking too long editing on Walkthru, a Kathleen Connally documentary that will be on Squigglebooth shortly.
- Finishing up my main site. Sometimes, with things that there is no pressure to finish, I will carry on and on with something. Currently, the only thing left is the “Hype” page but I keep procrastinating. It is simple enough but I am simply not interested. So…
- Checking out locations, finding actors for Hello, Sorry, Whatever — a short to be shot in August. Jim who is producing the short has been wonderful. Different mindset from me but it works.
- Writing for Ticklebooth and Scene Interactive blog. Takes most of my mornings.
- Thinking about starting to write a feature screenplay.
- Thinking about recording my thoughts on audio. Like an audio journal. We’ll see.
- Thinking about what to make for Kelly for anniversary. I usually make a video of some kind.

Got back from Alabama where Kelly’s maternal grandparents live. Apu got some kind of rash around his neck, took him to the vet. Man, is it expensive.

I’ve recently posted Banana Bus on Squiggle. Also, I edited a short doc on Luam, a dance choreographer, for Scene Interactive.

Something that I have been doing a lot of thinking about since I moved from New York city to a small town outside of Raleigh. I have gotten fatter. I socialize less. The restaurants around here are all fast food, unless I go into Cary. Random adventures pop up in less frequency.

However, I get more done because I spend more time at home/ office. There is a space that you call your own. To enjoy your dog, to work on projects. There is room for all of this. Traveling in cars is less stressful than say the subways. But it is clearly less fun.

I think people’s expressions vary from suburbia to urban. Suburban’s smile fully. The city dwellers, however, are more expressive from moment to moment.

I wish there was more of a community feel in the suburbs. I don’t mean the neighborhood community association. I mean like artists coming together. There is not too many of them and they usually work in an insular environment.

Inspired to write this today because of this article.

My next short will have a financial backer. There is not a better affirmation of my work when someone decides to spend their own money only because they like my work and would like to see my idea come to life.

This is one of few smooth projects. The hardest part was coming up with the title. The best part was the collaboration with Carmela. It is getting easy to understand each other.

Watch and Read all about it

I was at the Annapolis film festival this weekend as my short Dear Stranger was playing there in a shorts program. Where do I start?

Like expected, people generally liked the film. They liked the shooting style, the editing, the eye. But they also liked the story and the actors. But there is something holding it back from a great movie. As I have thought before, there is a general problem with pacing. Not in terms of cutting as much. Which I think I fixed but in terms of story. There wasn’t a surprise till the end. The key moment is the entrance of the new guy. He doesn’t invade her life. The first time is too normal. That little moment has a huge impact on the second part of the story. It is cohesive but not dramatic. This is what I felt when I watched it. When that scene came, I just looked down, unable to watch it.

I was very proud of Dear Stranger. I would not have traded that film with any other at the festival. But that depresses me. I am not a crowd pleaser. I may not even be the award winner. I am not the buzz creator. I sadly like small moments. I don’t think this is a good thing.

I also can see how festivals could be better. I think proximity is important. Feeling like you are part of something is important. A tradition. A family. I think festivals miss the boat on this.

I enjoyed being around the filmmakers. But everyone is there for one reason, to promote their projects. It is hard to exchange ideas. Do people do that anymore? Do people only spark ideas within themselves?

I liked being the mini-celebrity (very very mini). I had something to say and have done something of significance. That was nice.

The best parts of the trip was when Kelly and I were lost. Bored in a hotel room. Excited that there was a restaurant at the hotel. Kelly being more nervous than me. Hanging out with people I know afterwards. Talking. Driving late at night, silently challenging myself to do better.

I did see some good work there. Documentaries continue to be more interesting than fiction for the most part. I was looking all around the frame and not the subject. That is fun to do in docs.

I can’t wait to do all this again.