Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Wednesday gallery

With zero rhyme or reason:


















And this one is specially dedicated to my friend Matt:


Sunday, December 9, 2007

YouTube Parade

I just wrapped a short called "The Magic Finger," directed by JR Burningham and produced by Tess Ortbals (who apparently doesn't have her own website, and therefore doesn't exist), and it was a blast. There was a live duck, for example, who was very well-behaved. Also, JR and Tess are phenomenally good people, and everybody else involved was extra fab, so it was easily one of the best shoots I've had in a while. Hooray for heartwarming Hollywood experiences! Better than chicken soup for the soul, except for having to wake up at 4:30am on a couple of the shoot days. That part is more like moldy, sour grapes for the soul. Ick.

Anyway, below is an assortment of various YouTubery that I've been enjoying lately, take a gander and see how loopy I am.



Howard Jones, "The Prisoner" This is an extremely rare view of a camera being professionally wielded by a woman -- only imagine! The music video plays with some interesting concepts (photography as a form of 'capturing' somebody, manipulation of a person's image signifying a shift in power between the manipulator and manipulated, blah blah hermeneutic crap blah blah), plus it has Howard Jones being all 80's-style soulful, so I love this thing. I don't get the bride-with-a-syringe imagery in the middle (Bridezilla will sedate you, monkey boy?), plus there are so many ripoffs (er, homages) of classic photos that it really makes one's head spin, so consider yourself warned.



Channel 4 'Get set for digital' MAX HEADROOM LIVES! OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY! I would totally smooch Max Headroom. You think I'm kidding, but I'm not. Granted, I might be reduced to licking a TV monitor, but I still say it would be worth it. Yowza.



Here Comes Another Bubble - The Richter Scales Fun rant in song format about Internet bubbles, sung to the tune of "We Didn't Start the Fire." Surprisingly entertaining, at least for me, and I think we've already established that I am very, very easily entertained; for goodness' sake, I'm now licking TV screens. Sigh.



Dylan Moran - Monster He completely switches gears midway, but all gears are clearly labeled 'Awesome.' I have never seen such a terrifically thorough portrait of a stereotypical French starving artist in my life.



Ze Frank - "Privacy" Ze is not to everybody's taste, but I still think he's neato. He makes going to hell in a handbag sound good, or at least entertaining.



"very creepy, disturbing children's cartoon, banned from TV" This was brought to my attention by my friend Jason, and boy howdy is this video riveting. RIVETING. What can I say? I'm a sucker for brilliant claymation.



100 Movies, 100 Quotes, 100 Numbers

AND the entire film clip list for "100 Movies," above
This is such a great idea, I'm kicking myself for not having thought of it first.



Zero Gravity Water Bubble Hypnotic.



"Man Cold" from Man Stroke Woman Why ARE guys such weenies when they're ill? Most interesting.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

T-shirt designs

Okay, I have four T-shirt designs I just cooked up. They're not officially on Cafe Press yet The I [RO] NY, Sexier In Semaphore, and Kiss Me / I'm Leprous designs are now on sale at Cafe Press! I just wanted to get an overall sense of what people like or don't like first, as well as preferred sizing etc. Let me know if you'd like to purchase Acrimony & Cheez or I'm Leprous as well. Here they are:



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Happy zany holidays! Over and out, ten-four good buddy.

Monday, December 3, 2007

enough with the preening, already

Okay, no more bragging about myself for today. I'm rapidly approaching the point where my apparent excellence is so blinding that I'd like to stab my eyes out with a fork and cement the deal. Yeesh.

Instead, I'd like to brag on somebody else's behalf this afternoon before I finally go and get a belated lunch: Nick Patera. Just watch this.



Nick is a god. A GOD. You go, girl.

I'm the best producer who never was

I hate producing. I hate all the phone calls, and the amassing of resources and personnel, and the keeping track of money, and the constant panicking; it all seems so petty to me. Being a DP is much more relaxing; at the very least, it has a stress that actually energizes me, makes me happy, and keeps me feeling like I'm on the cutting edge of fabulousness. People may be yelling about losing daylight and the actor's threatening to walk and the generator having just died, but I pride myself on my Laser Death Ray Artist Vision, which cuts through irrationality, space, time, and egos, thus enabling me to Make Necessary Shit Happen.

It's not like I leave a wasteland of smoking ruins or anything, although that would be pretty cool. I merely state the obvious (which is usually half the battle -- people seem to like living in denial a lot), and then present what I consider the best strategy, with full explanations and zero smugness or pandering. It's stupidly simple, and feels very raw and immediate, even physical, like I'm bashing people's heads together with basic, implacable words of truth. It's like being able to tame a wild horse, or getting a two-year-old to take a nap. I've always been good at slicing through raging storms on set, and it makes me feel at least ten feet tall every time things are resolved to everybody's grudging satisfaction.

This is part of the reason I love being a DP. Even at its most disorganized, zero-communication, crew-with-no-lunch-after seven-hours, rock-bottom worst, it's still exhilarating when I finally get to move mountains an inch to the left. Yeehay.

Today, though, was a petty producer day, a day devoted to quibbling over minutiae, but I've still managed to emerge triumphant over the irritations, which kind of surprises me; this is not my usual, comfortable domain of logical head-bashing. I just got the rental houses EVS and Pro HD into a bidding war over equipment I'm renting for a no-budget shoot this weekend, and I managed to cut their rental day rates in half. IN HALF. And there was no arm-twisting, no veiled (or overt) threats, no yelling about having to speak to the manager. I just kept calling back and forth, being Li'l Miss Apologetic Cinematographer ("I'd hate to get you embroiled in a bidding war with each other, but..."), schmoozing like a lean, mean (okay, not mean), schmoozing machine, and I turned out to be The Ultimate Ace Producer. Who'd'a thunk?

It's very satisfying, but I still prefer to lurk behind a camera. It's harder to eat donuts on set when you're constantly freaking out at people on the phone and have to keep your mouth clear of donut debris, you know? Donuts first, panicking second. Let it never be said that I am a woman with a screwed up set of priorities.

I'm in the SOC! I think.

Okay, this is weird -- I think I was just made a member of the Society of Camera Operators. But I'm not sure.

See, I'm newly listed as a member on their roster, but have I received an official letter of welcome yet? No. This may be because the stoopid post office is still holding my mail, even though they should have delivered everything by Friday last, and perhaps the letter is sitting there. But I did call the SOC last week and leave a message about this, and I wrote to the SOC webmaster about this, and has anybody gotten back to me with clarification? Sadly, no. I am baffled, which I always pronounce "baff led."

So, if I'm really a member, and they didn't list a different Astrid Phillips who also applied at the same time I did, then HUZZAH I SAY. This means I get to hobnob with camera operators and hifalutin' DPs who are in the American Society of Cinematographers, which is beyond awesome. Many thanks to everybody who offered to be a reference for me, you are absolute dears.

Actually, just saying 'hobnob' and 'hifalutin'' in the same sentence is beyond awesome already.

Back to the point: if, on the other hand, it's really a different Astrid Phillips (not probable, but still possible), then I will be seriously peeved. I will have to hunt down my doppelgänger and, by virtue of merely shaking her hand, we will annihilate the space-time continuum as we know it. That would be intriguing, except for the actual annihilation part.

So, if you're in the SOC, and you can clear this all up, then please do so; that would be most excellently fab. Thanks.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

29 + 1

A certain somebody has said that my blog would gain coolness points if I allowed anonymous comments. So, I am handing over the keys of the asylum to the inmates: you no longer have to be a registered Blogger user to comment on my inanities. Have at it.

Also, for those of you who like snooping into my blog-reading habits, I now keep an automatic, continuously updated list on this site of article links which I recommend. This will hopefully cut into my rather tedious linkyloos, which, let's face it, I only do in order to clear out my brain so that I don't go insane from all the unshared coolness I constantly find in this world. If I'm going to go insane, let's hope it's for a far more entertaining reason. Like, say, demonic possession. I've seen The Exorcist, and you know, I think my life could use a little excitement along those lines. "What's wrong with vomiting a little pea soup here and there?" is what I frequently say to people.

Moving right along, I am now thirty years old. I had hoped I'd magically wake up feeling like an adult, but that has yet to happen. I've started flossing again, actually, but that's more because I'm back in touch with my zany ol' college pal Jimmy, who has now become Dr. James Boynton, adjunct professor of pediatric dentistry at the University of Michigan, and even if a dentist makes a point of NOT telling me to floss, the unspoken guilt trip is still there and I start flossing again anyway. Regarding Jimmy: we're talking about a dentist who, in our freshman year at Michigan, told me that he wanted a dental drill which would hum the theme to "Love Boat," which would make folks that much happier about visiting their dentist (ideally Jimmy). So, if anybody out there has any leads regarding drills which can play "Love Boat," let me know. There's already a Japanese guy who figured out how to make road bumps play music, which might be a potential avenue (hee!) of inquiry.

Other than the flossing and lack of demonic possession, there's not much else to report on The Astrid Frontier currently. I threw a slow-motion party, which I call 'slow motion' because it was more of an open house stretched across a whole day, which was very chill and very cool. And I've had turkey with my mom's homemade stuffing, along with that excellent cranberry sauce which retains the ridges from the can it came in. And I got to see the inside of the Yale Club in Manhattan for the second time in my life, and you know, I still say they don't have nearly enough mounted elk heads on their walls yet. There are a few, but they still have a ways to go, those Yalies.

OH, WAIT A SEC: I made a new website! I've been stricken with the flu for the past few days, which is why I haven't been up to much, but just before the flu hit, and just before I got to see how few elk heads those silly Yale people have in their silly, not-nearly-elk-headed-enough club, I made a website! This is the website I made:

What the doctor saw

I am very proud of this site, but not because of my own work -- really, it's because I'm proud of my dad's work, since my dad is the doctor in question. The site is a showcase of his photography, and even if he weren't my dad, I'd still have to say: he gives a very convincing impression of knowing what he's doing. Go check it out, then e-mail him and tell him how awesome he is. Don't tell him I sent you, or he'll think I bribed you.

Here are some phrases I've been using entirely too often:
loose cannon
madness & mayhem
29 + 1

Here is a word I haven't used often enough:
blurgh

What I consider an elegant centerpiece idea:
A ring of blue Jell-O, with gummy fish suspended within it

Who else agrees with me about the Jell-O centerpiece idea:
Jimmy

My current favorite literary heroine, second only to Jane Eyre:
Dagny Taggart (from Atlas Shrugged, which I'm currently reading)

Here is what I don't get about Atlas Shrugged:
Why is everybody always kissing each other so violently? Once or twice, okay, but every time? Weirdos.

Something which just popped into my head:
What if you had a wall which was jammed full of mounted elk heads? I mean, to the point where you couldn't even see the wall any more, so it's just a solid mass of elk heads staring at you? And what if each of those heads suddenly burst into song, doing a full choir rendition of "I Feel Pretty" from the film West Side Story?

Welcome to my brain, everyone. The information desk is temporarily closed, the cafeteria downstairs is currently serving an excellent pea soup, and don't forget to visit the gift shop at the main entrance. Tipping the coat check guy is optional, but always appreciated.


Tuesday, November 6, 2007

HD Camera Smackdown!

I e-mailed a friend of mine that I'm going to the HD Expo's Sony F23/Band Pro camera demo tomorrow night, and he snapped. He started ranting and raving about how the F23 is obsolete before it's even been released, that it's a "cheap Genesis knockoff," not even good enough to lick the boots of the Panavision Genesis (or the Arri D-20 for that matter), yadda yadda yadda. I sent back my counter argument, and then figured, hey, somebody else might want to see this, too, in case they're on the fence about the latest HD-shooting fanciness out there. My e-mail to my friend is reproduced below (except for the personal bits); please tell me if I have any of the info wrong/outdated, and I'll adjust things accordingly.

_____


To address your F23 rant, though: I don't think the debate is quite so cut-and-dried. The Genesis actually uses a big chunk of Sony imaging technology, so rather than the F23 being a 'cheap Genesis knockoff,' it's more like a different branch from the same tree. And although the Genesis does have an impressively-sized chip, it still (as far as I know) translates into the same ho-hum 1080 resolution. Mainly, it was developed to be usable with Panavision lenses, which is definitely terrific, but I don't think this makes the Genesis an inherently superior camera to all others. Most others, yes, but not all. Now, if it could use Cooke S4s, I might change my tune....

As for the D-20, it would be mind-bendingly magnificent, outstripping all others (even the Genesis), except for one teensy problem -- all the good stuff is only available in 'data' mode, which is still unavailable! I mean, come ON! Nice idea, but I'll reserve my confetti and party hat for next year, when the data mode will presumably be fully operational and the D-20 can show us its full range. Until then, pbthfthfthft. And that's the technical term, I believe.

For my money, it's the the Dalsa Origin which currently kicks the most ass -- depending on how you capture, it has what I like to call 'hyper HD' resolution, plus it uses 16-bit instead of everybody else's 12-bit approach, so it has a latitude of about 12 stops. W00t!

I suspect the RED camera is a whole lotta hype, but I'll hold my judgment until it's fully rolled out (with all accessories, widely available etc.) tested by lots of people and reviewed accordingly.

As for the F23, it has full 4:4:4, and the highest rez is the blah de blah 1080 (snore), but get this: it has 14-bit capture, which definitely makes me curious about its latitude. I fully intend to badger the Band Pro folks on this, as well as about lenses/depth of field/variable frame rate (I'm not so hopeful about that last one), we'll see what happens.

In case you haven't seen this, I strongly recommend the downloadable chart at http://www.hdcompare.com/Cameras.htm. It doesn't mention the D-20's belated 'upgrade' next year, but it's otherwise pretty impressively comprehensive.

. . . .

Geekily yours,
Astrid

_____


Ladies and gentlemen, the smackdown has commenced. If you'd like the join the fray, e-mail/comment away!

Monday, November 5, 2007

tales from the drafts folder

It's a curious thing, going through my e-mail drafts folder; it's like going through a time capsule of things I meant to act upon, things never finished, or perhaps things finished later and yet the older versions remained undeleted. All very curious. Here are some gems I unearthed today:

Dec 12, 2005, to a gal in Chicago
P.S. I love going to museums by myself! I like to think it makes me seem mysterious. Next time you go, break out some serious eyeliner (artfully smudged), pile your hair up and wear something asymmetrical. As you gaze at various works, strike artful poses and look doleful. This never fails to secretly cheer me up, and it sometimes gets the attention of various indie boys who may be hanging around....

May 18, 2006, from overheardinnewyork.com
How About Gefilte Fish and a Halogen
Guy #1: So what should we get him for his birthday?
Guy #2: I don't know....what about a menorah?
Guy #1: What? But it's not Hannukah.
Guy #2: Yeah, but he's Jewish. And his room is dark.
--Union Square

May 19, 2006, from overheardinnewyork.com
Say Cheese, Chucky
Mom taking photos of son: Smile, sweetie.
[click click]
Mom: Smile from within, honey.
[click click]
Mom: Smiling from within means smile like you're happy on the inside.
[click click]
Mom: Okay, not that much.
--Prospect Park

July 12, 2007
Yung Joc featuring Gorilla Zoe - Coffee Shop
I like hip hop like I like my humans: brash, silly, self-aware, smart, and tons of style to spare.

Sesame Street -- How Crayons Are Made
A commenter on YouTube called the music "synth-baroque," and I agree. Synth-baroque = awesome, and this is one of my all-time favorite Sesame Street shorts.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

a sense of purpose

So, I haven't been updating, because I was too busy having a life. More specifically, my parents were in town, which was a lot of fun, and I just got back from dropping them off at the airport. My parents are always very adamant about taking early flights, much to my great annoyance. But I love my family, so I do it anyway, whining all the way so that they know how much I care and am willing to sacrifice for them.

Also: it's amazing to me that other people are awake at such an ungodly hour on a Saturday. When I pulled into my garage, you know what I saw? A guy sticking mountain bikes into his car! At 6:30 on a Saturday morning! What on earth would possess a person to do such a thing?

And there was another guy, further up the sidewalk, who was walking his dog. This I understand rather better—there's no arguing with your dog at 6:30 in the morning. Still, this is why, when people ask me if I'm a cat person or a dog person, I generally say "Neither, I am a turtle person." And it is the truth. Because, you see, a turtle would never wake you up at 6:30 in the morning, imploring you (using drool if necessary) to take them outside for pooping purposes. Also, turtles have more personality than most people give them credit for, I'm not violently allergic to them, and they don't mind if you paint their shells with nail polish when you're bored.

And I just have to say, for the record, that I am thrilled beyond belief that I could start off my Saturday morning with the phrase "pooping purposes." I feel this has earned me the right to go back to bed for a bit. Good morning.

Saturday, October 13, 2007

happenings

Wow, busy day -- saw several people, the movie "Elizabeth: the Golden Age" (worth seeing, but not worth going to see), the inside of an automatic car wash, and the inside of IKEA for exactly 18 minutes because of some emergency furniture shopping. Phew.

I also had my first-ever root beer float, and (random but true, I swear) I saw some pineapple upside-down cake today at a cafe I hadn't visited in months.

And very shortly, I'll be hanging out with my family, who's coming into town for the week. Should be groovy. Even if it means putting together two red Stefan chairs tomorrow afternoon, sigh.

Also: am I the only one who stupidly got my car washed earlier today, only to have the activity rendered pointless by the rain tonight? Grr, argh, gnashing of teeth, blah blah. Damn, I'm even too tired to properly gnash my teeth. Talk amongst yourselves, 'kay? 'Kay.

Good night. Smooches.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

my short story -- better than Madonna's

I read a couple of Madonna's picture books yesterday, and you know what? I'm not a giant fan, to put it mildly. I find them sentimental, and, worse still, they even leave out crucial plot points here and there. Drives me batty.

The way I figure it, I can write a better story than Madonna, no problem. Here goes my first-ever attempt, which came to me as I was drifting asleep yesterday—let me know what you think:

Once Upon a Time, by Astrid Phillips

Once upon a time, there was a Once upon a Time. Once looked like an orange crow, but he couldn't fly very well; Time looked like a lavender rhinoceros with gold lightning bolts on her sides, and she could fly marvelously. Once sat comfortably upon Time as they traveled, because it would have been ridiculously uncomfortable the other way around. Time's job was simply to keep moving, or else humanity would freeze in place and nothing would ever get done. Once's job was to make Time pause every so often to savor a rare moment of human greatness. They were very good friends, always moving magically and invisibly throughout the world so quickly by human standards that, if we could see them, it would have looked like they were everywhere at the same time, which of course they weren't; time doesn't move the same way for Time and Once the way it seems to move for us.

No one paid them to do their jobs—Once and Time just really enjoyed doing what they did, drinking in the view and helping the world go 'round. They'd had these jobs for as long as they could remember, and neither one could ever imagine doing anything else. This all worked out more or less okay, but after a while Once had to lodge a complaint with Time.

"Hey," Once asked as Time crawled through an accountancy class in Nebraska, "why do you always rush through the good stuff, and dawdle through the boring stuff? Here we are, crawling through an accountancy class in Nebraska, when we could be tearing like the wind through this, and dawdling instead through an exciting birthday party on a yacht off the shores of Costa Rica, with dancing girls and fireworks and pineapple upside-down cake and everything. What's the big idea?"

Time sighed quietly; she didn't want to wake up the accounting students who were napping in the back. "Oh, Once," she said, "you're always about The Big Moment, the pivot of someone's life, the extravaganza which will never be repeated. What's wrong with savoring the dull moments which fill up the the rest of people's lives, making them more human with every second? I don't know about you, but I get tired of being magical, sometimes; it's the ordinary which fascinates me, since I will never be ordinary myself."

Once sighed back. "I'm so bored, I could stab my eyes out with a fork, if only I had opposable thumbs. I don't even know why I bothered coming here with you."

Time giggled. "It's my girlish charm," she said. "That, and I promised you a root beer float later." Which was true; they paused humanity every so often to enjoy root beer floats at their magical neighborhood diner, which was owned and run by magical triplets named Past, Present and Future. Past remembered the best recipes, Present was a speedy cook who had things ready just as you showed up, and Future always knew when you'd show up and warned Present accordingly. Future was also supposed to be in charge of cleaning up the kitchen, which was actually a terrible idea, since Future was always saying he'd do it later. This made Present a little crabby, since he'd end up cleaning the kitchen himself while Future made millions in the human stock market from his laptop. Past was always too distracted with reminiscing about recipes to pay attention to any of this.

Time and Once breezed into the diner after their class and sat at the best booth, which was in the back, in a shaft of golden sunlight no matter what time of day or night it happened to be. Before their bottoms even hit the benches, Present set their root beer floats down on the table. Once's had a sparkler in it.

"Future said you'd want a little cheering up," Present explained. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's just Time. She always lingers with the boring stuff, and rushes me through my once-in-a-lifetime events, so I never really get to enjoy my work," Once groused, taking a spoonful of ice cream from his float. "Hey, this really hits the spot. Thanks for the sparkler."

"Sure thing," said Present. "So, Time, why not cut Once some slack and dawdle at more parties? Hang out longer at amazing concerts. Maybe linger more around people when they're falling in love, give them more time together. Live in the now, y'know?"

Time sipped her root beer delicately through her straw, then paused to answer. "As I told Once, being magical gets predictable after a while, while ordinariness fascinates me since I'll never be ordinary. And besides, it's the long, draggy parts of life which make everyone appreciate the magical moments more when they happen. It's all about contrast, right?" She went back to sipping.

"What a bunch of baloney!" Once retorted.

"Ooh, I like baloney," said Past, sitting behind the counter with a notepad and a pen, looking dreamy. "Grandma made the best casserole with it, back when we were kids—"

"Never mind," said Time. "Look, Once and I could swap places for a day and Learn A Lesson. Or maybe Once could get his day in the sun, so to speak, and I could become more indulgent forevermore. Hey, maybe we could take over the diner, and send Past, Present and Future out to do our former jobs to Reveal Something Deep about the Universe. Point is, all of these things have happened, are happening, and will happen, only in other dimensions. So why bother our heads about the version of the story we're living right now? Our current system seems to work, and carries with it some poetic aspects."

Once gaped at Time.

"Whoa," he said. "Now my brain hurts. How do you know about this other stuff?"

"I accidentally received a letter in the mail for the wrong Time," Time shrugged. "Very odd. I hadn't realized our postal service also serves other dimensions, but so it goes."

"Gosh," said Once, plumping up his feathers and looking pleased. "I didn't know there were other versions of me running around, having crazy adventures. Well, crazier than mine. If only I could meet my other me versions sometime."

Future poked his head out of the kitchen. "Maybe someday all of our dimensional versions will figure out how to get our paths to cross at a big ol' picnic. Wouldn't that be great?"

Past looked up from his notepad, confused. "Don't you already know whether it'll happen or not?"

"I hate ruining surprises," Future winked.

Present perked up. "Hey, let's have a picnic right now!"

And so they all went to a gorgeous park and picnicked, with Once and Time taking the rest of their root beer floats to go. Afterwards, when Past, Present, and Future went home, Time and Once went on the swings—gently, to go easy on their full stomachs—and watched the sun set. Just to be nice, Time lingered.

"Thanks, Time," Once sighed. "You're really the best pal anyone could have."

"Nobody else has ever told me that," Time answered sadly. She looked at Once and smiled. "Thanks."

"Anytime," said Once. "Except I guess not just any Time. Aw, you know what I mean."

Time knew exactly what Once meant. It was moments like this that Once made truly memorable.

The sunset was spectacular.

belated Wednesday linkyloo - 10 Oct 2007



Glad I'm not this kid.


LOLCat Bible Translation Project Should I be ashamed that I love this? Nah.

ThinkGeek: Wi-Fi Detector Shirt You know I love textiles which light up, right? RIGHT? Yeah. And this one is INTERACTIVE, W00T YEAH. Pretty and practical, all sorts of neato.

Violent Acres: I'm Tired of Bulimia Being the New Black I agree completely.

Times Online: The day the music industry died None of this is a big surprise, although I find it interesting that CDs are now considered exclusively for free PR at this point, solely meant to promote a concert. Interesting business approach.

ebay.com: Feedback profile for tryork5ifp Who IS this guy, and why are people writing these sorts of comments? Very intriguing indeed.

Microsoft.com: The ten worst presentation moments Cringingly hilarious.

Fornasetti.com Piero Fornasetti created useful objets of staggering beauty. The guy oozed wit, whimsy, and beauty the way the rest of us breathe.

guy gets arrested for feeding the homeless What a crock. I can't believe Orlando, Florida is this...ecchh.

Mango Beta Learn a new language online! My friend Paul swears by this.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Tuesday linkyloo - 09 October 2007

PhysOrg.com: US Scientist heralds 'artificial life' breakthrough and The Guardian: I am creating artificial life, declares US gene pioneer Potentially great, and potentially horrifying. If only we could better anticipate the pros and cons of technology, sigh. And if only I could read minds and fly and be invisible. Craig Venter fascinates me.

Inventor Spot: The Secret Life of Sunscreens Wait, cosmetics with nanoparticles can potentially be absorbed into our bloodstream and breakdown our (thanks to Venter) Frankenstein DNA? OH MY GOD. We're all going to evolve into something like this:


/Film: Sundance Horror Movie Teeth Finally Unleashed It took us how long as a human race to cook up a film so unabashedly Freudian? I LOVE THIS. I'm not generally a big horror fan, but the irate feminist within me loves this to bits.

Question: Should the protagonist see a gynecologist? Or a dentist?

Speaking of altering reproductive elements, here's a slightly more palatable approach:


Papelera 21: Huevos Tallados Breathtaking.

The existential rollercoaster I'm apparently on makes this Adams article apropos:

The Dilbert Blog: On the Other Hand Okay, if you're not subscribed to Scott Adams's blog by now, you're clearly deranged. Anyway, I agree with absolutely every word in this; I've always been able to see multiple sides to everything without being schizophrenic (as far as I know), so...yeah. Rockin'. Speaking of seeing multiple sides to everything,

/Film: USA Network's "Thank You For Smoking" TV Series Oh, lordy, I just love this movie, I can't wait to see this as a show! Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. Then again, who could top Aaron Eckhart?

Here's a terrific ensemble cast:


the presidents on Mt. Rushmore sing "Teddy Bears' Picnic This is SO ME, I'm going nuts. I especially love when the Death Star, 101 dalmations, an Air France plane and Gandhi make an appearance.

And now for some more silliness, albeit with some dark wit behind it:


From Mitchell and Webb -- had me laughing an unsightly amount. Clothes really can speak volumes about our intentions.

And now onto some pointlessly beautiful art, using WWII-era technology:

The Wall Street Journal: One Man's Bid to Save Morse Code Intriguingly enough, the journalist for this article has the same name as my dad. But back to the point at hand: Morse code is loads of fun, and I use to be a whizbang dittybopper myself back in eighth grade (no lie), but I still don't feel this is really necessary. Then again, since when is true art 'necessary'? Discuss.

Speaking of gloriously unnecessary art which knocks my socks off:


This color palette matches the inside of my brain. Marvelous.

Monday, October 8, 2007

existential Monday linkyloo - 08 Oct 2007


Unabashedly earnest and uplifting. Sometimes it's nice to take a vacation from irony for a moment.

Speaking of being men and not machines:

The New York Sun: Aren't We All Just Replicants on the Inside? I went to see Blade Runner yesterday on the big screen, and...wow. I've always loved the dark majesty of this film and its premise, and it's terrific to see it on the big screen again. Left me all angst-ridden, existential and peevish, but it really made me appreciate sunlight afterwards. The late lunch/early dinner afterwards with my pal Matt helped, too.

Lesson: don't do anything involving retrofuturistic dystopias, unless there will be sunshine and lunch with good people afterwards.

And since we're on the topic of separating mind from body:


Ron Mueck: mask II (2001)
Oh, Mueck. Love him, love him, love him.

But, lest we forget the body entirely:

CNN.com/technology: Microsoft open personal health record site Great idea in theory, rotten idea in practice. Our lives are so easily hackable, it's pretty ridiculous.

While we're at it:

Historical Anatomies on the Web Your one-stop resource for human anatomy, yessir!

Let's fill those picturesque lungs with something fresh for a change:

Inventor Spot: Planning a Visit (to the Forests?!) of Hong Kong Er, "renaturalization"? Despite the Orwellian language, this sounds truly terrific. I love the idea of tree towers eclipsing skyscrapers.

And to decorate the outside of our lung regions:


ThinkGeek: The ThinkGeek 8-bit Tie Nice 'n' geeky, and totally adorable.

Speaking of ironic techy-ness:




That's how I like my software: remixed.

Still sort of on the topic:

Inventor Spot: Japan's InfoBar 2 Outclasses Apple iPhone Wow, this phone really does put the iPhone to shame. Our ignorance is Apple's profit.

Veering from gadgets to other wacky science/tech:

Improbable Research: Winners of the Ig Nobel Prize Ooh, I just love when science and irreverence mix! It's always a good crop each year.

Well, that was a pleasant and mildly whimsical jaunt, indeed. Happy Monday.

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Sunday linkyloo - 07 Oct 2007

Neatorama: Reverse Graffiti Video Clip Everything in me loves this. LOVES. THIS. Environmentally responsible, civically minded, incredibly artistic, and yet still sticking it to The Man! Perfection.

Wired: Peter Thiel Explains How to Invest in the Singularity We're all gonna be stinking rich, or we're all gonna die. Happy Sunday!

Rough Type: Sharecropping the long tail Exploitation of the masses for the profit of the few! Like that's never happened before. Oh, but wait, now it's happening with blogging and videos of crotch injuries. Huh.

New York Magazine: Is It Now Acceptable to Say 'Fuck' in the Office? via Obscure Store and Reading Room Fuck yeah!

the nonist: Earth Noir As a woman obsessed with colors, I found this brief musing most intriguing. Terrific food for thought, although, given the brevity of the entry, more like an excellent canape for thought.

The Dilbert Blog: The Future of Newspapers Scott Adams writes the way I think, and I agree with him on this as well. His Venetian scroll idea is pretty intriguing, too.

Midwest Teen Sex Show: Homosexuality in High School Part 1 There's no part 2 yet, but this should tide you over long enough. "And remember, homosexuality is a choice...like cancer!" I really love the intelligence, candor and wit of this show.

Dark Roasted Blend: US Navy Enters the Music Business I shouldn't be so easily amused by these silly videos, but I am. There are also pics of Cinque Terre villages which are BREATHTAKING, and mostly unrelated to the US Navy.

Look Around You: Brain via Eye of the Goof Morbidly fantastic fun, and terribly Brit.

Human League: Love Action (I Believe In Love) Wow, they really put that make-up on with a spatula, huh? And that's just the guys.

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Saturday linkyloo - 06 Oct 2007


love on the edge Yowza.

MIT - On the Effectiveness of Aluminum Foil Helmets: An Empirical Study Hilarious, and also handy.

placeboKatz: Do not the most moving moments of our lives find us without words? Did you know that Michael Jackson ripped off his moonwalk from Marcel Marceau? Go read this for more such nuggets o' interest about the world's most famous mime.

Equator: The History Tablecloth SO cool! I'd love to have this tablecloth, mainly because I'm a sucker for incorporating beautiful lighting in the most unexpected of places, especially if it's interactive.

Angry Retail: Celebrity Weighing Scales Just hilarious. Apparently, Prince weighs less than Oliver Twist, but more than Gary Coleman.

deputydog: 7 amazing holes Sounds obscene, but it's actually just really jaw-dropping geological formations (with one or two man-made ones in there to throw you off). Their size really scrambles your brains.

Rough Type: Transacting Friendship All about how our friendships have become 'bureaucratized' through Facebook, MySpace, Friendster, etc. I completely agree - but you have to admit, it's handy for making announcements about events and stuff.

TIME: The Disease of the Future Ad-hocracies. Yeatsian gloom. All because technology is accelerating faster than the rate at which we can adjust. Daily culture shock, predicted by an article from 1970, which I find awesome.

Damn Interesting -- Lake Peigneur: The Swirling Vortex of Doom I LOVE stories like this, where giant chunks of our planet get swallowed up without warning, and no lives were lost in the process. Fun for the whole family! Also, you can't really argue with the awesomeness of a title like "Swirling Vortex of Doom". Rock on.

Chicago Sun-Times: Stop me if you've heard this one I love the idea of mixing stop signs with humor, I only wish folks had thought of this earlier.

Friday, October 5, 2007

Friday linkyloo, 05 Oct 2007

Talking Heads: This Must Be The Place I just watched Wall Street, and now I'm in a Talking Heads state of mind. Also, did you know that Stewart Copeland did the score for the film? And did you know that Copeland's dad worked for the CIA, and his mom was an archaeologist? And did you know that Copeland grew up in Egypt and Lebanon, speaking fluent Arabic? Oh, IMDb, I love you.

Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians: What I Am Every girl in my high school looked like Edie Brickell, and this was 1990 through 1995. Interesting. Also, is it just me, or does Edie look a little...under the influence?

Paula Abdul: (It's Just) The Way That You Love Me This represents everything right about the late 90s to me. Which wasn't much, to be honest, but it's all in this video. Whew. Makes me want to wear a bajillion pearls and pointy heels, and candy-apple-red lipstick.

pic via Dark Roasted Blend Why oh WHY can't NASA release more photos like this? I totally want one just like it, only with my own family.

Vertical Soccer Advertising at its finest. But why does Tokyo get all the fun?

The Dilbert Blog: Mild Super Power Scott Adams's writing very nearly appeals to me even more than his Dilbert strip at this point. SO terrific.

chicagotribune.com: Principal defends hugging crackdown Wow, if only this problem had existed in my high school, I think we all would've been a tad less surly.

The Click Five - Jenny Should I be embarrassed that I really like this song? Should I be further embarrassed that I really like this video, with the band members mugging adorably for the camera in the close-ups etc.? Sigh.

Blur - Parklife Damon Albarn, in 1994, was hottt. Good gravy. And why can't my life look like this video? I already have the rainbow umbrella, which I suppose is a decent start. Side note: the production design reminds me of that on "Pushing Daisies." Most excellent.

Christopher Farah - Palestinians on the Brink: Don't Count Out Hamas - Politics on the Huffington Post To quote: "Many modern breeds of nationalism started out, in large part, as responses to enemies or outside forces, but that makes them no less legitimate now. There would have been no American revolution without a repressive Britain to revolt against. Modern Zionism is in large part a European phenomenon, a reaction to European Ant[i]-Semitism . . . . there's no shame that Palestinian nationalism has its roots in opposition to Israel. If anything, it's logical. But like those other nationalisms, Palestinian nationalism does need to evolve beyond a reactionary stage, or it will not be able to thrive, or even survive." Well said, Mr. Farah, well said.

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Wednesday linkyloo

I'll be doing video game testing at USC this afternoon, joining the brave new world blah blah. Should be unboring.

Stencil Revolution: Bleach on fabric tutorial via Boing Boing Just beautiful! And you can truly do it yourself.

Hay Bales by Ryan McGinnis A gorgeously ominous picture of a tornado. And a hay bale. Trust me, it's dramatic and breathtaking and deserves to be a Thomas Hart Benton painting.

untitled photo Sneakers with no wearers, only the reflections have remained intact -- just wonderful. Did I mention I love whimsical-yet-ominous photos? Yeah.

Terrific tire-swing diagram of corporate madness Pretty much says it all. Adorable, sleek, darkly informative, and wickedly funny.

Rough Type: Corpse-generated content Macabre yet practical. The final sentence made me chortle out loud for a good five minutes afterwards.

belated Tuesday linkyloo

Ever spend 15.5 consecutive hours with somebody you just met, simply because they were worth it? I had a terrific Tuesday, thank you for asking.

Onwards and upwards:

BBC News: Big Brother is watching us all It's really, really happening. Urk.

funcollector.com: daredevils doing what they do best Just glorious!

The Postmarks - Goodbye Adorably peppy, for when you need to distract yourself from Big Brother.

Blur: The Universal Takes A Clockwork Orange and makes it, well, pretty. And sweet.

Physorg.com: Printing in 3-D Revolutionary, in a "Today's the day we start living in an episode of Star Trek" kind of way. YES! ::air guitar::

Monday, October 1, 2007

Monday linkyloo

Happy first of October! Back when I lived in Chatham, NJ, I had a math teacher in seventh grade named Mrs. Licato who made a pretty big impression on me. Amongst other pearls of wisdom, she told us that on the morning of every first of the month, we should chant "Bunny bunny, bunny bunny, bunny bunny," and then make a wish, all before getting out of bed or speaking to another person. Then the wish would presumably come true. I did this for years, which just goes to show how desperate I was for the world to be that easily magical. And, by the end of every month, my wish would entirely fail to be realized. Darn that Mrs. Licato!

She was a terrific math teacher, though.


The Daily Journal: Car wreck saves choking driver's life Crazygreat.

The New York Sun: Students Know Less After 4 College Years Sadly, this doesn't surprise me in the least. I think it probably applies to me, too.

Slate.com: Alan Greenspan discovers that human beings are...irrational! To quote Greenspan: "[T]he human race, no matter how one defines it, is not smart enough to do better." Most interesting, and again, hardly surprising.

International Herald Tribune: In the shadow of horror, SS guardians frolic A sizable chunk of my family perished in the camps, and the ability of the SS to compartmentalize their jobs in their lives like this is something I've discussed with my parents quite a bit. Most interesting.

The New Yorker: Cool for School Former members of Blue Man Group have started their own nursery school, and it. totally. rocks.

belated Saturday linkyloo

More weekend fabulosity.

Wikipedia: Dyson sphere So, I'm sure you know what a Dyson sphere/ring/swarm/shell is, but I think it bears a refresher. It's such an elegant idea.

Beyond batteries: Storing power in a sheet of paper I can't wait to have my business card actually display my three-minute reel, on the paper.

Barry Bonds' HR Record Tainted by Elbow 'Armor'? Wow, did you know about this? How did his elbow contraption make it past everyone? The days of non-cyborg sports seem to be numbered. I don't know about you, but I can't wait to see Transformers playing croquet.

NYT: An Opportunity for Wall St. in China's Surveillance Boom Ah, fascism and corporatism meet again.

Morissey Dance by Toothpaste for Dinner Oh, wow, this makes me feel like it's 1995 all over again, what with the bad MIDI and .gifs. Love it!

belated Friday linkyloo

So, I was very busily having an awesome weekend, hence my belated postings. Have fun!

Kodak "Winds of Change" AIO Printers More brilliance. I quote: "SWEET MABEL, I ALMOST LOST CONSCIOUSNESS."

Shrinking kilogram bewilders physicists This bewilders me, too. Wait, does this mean we all weigh less now? [cue rolling of eyes]

The gamma-ray annihilation lasers are coming! via Boing Boing Too nifty. And scary. Did I mention nifty?

Reason Magazine - Will Super Smart Artificial Intelligences Keep Humans Around As Pets? via Disinformation. Let us bow to our demon robot overlords.

Rough Type: A very silly report on "fair use" Nicholas Carr is rapidly becoming one of my favorite skeptics. I'm all for fair use, but not when the hype is inflated to outrageous proportions.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Thursday linkyloo

jwz - I, for one, welcome our new regular hexahedron-headed overlords I love this outfit. Love it. And you know I'd wear it, too.

Museum of Hoaxes: Floating Barn Eerie, and beautiful.

CNNMoney.com: social security short $13 trillion Makes me SO proud to be an American. We're officially going to hell in a handbasket.

unsecureflight.com: Read Your Own DHS Travel Dossier My question is, does requesting to see your file actually flag you as 'un-American, possible terrorist'?

stuff.co.nz: Police wiki lets you write the law Neat idea, allowing citizens to rewrite local laws online! Let's see if it actually works.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Dr. Randy Pausch, Dream Factory on Legs

Neatorama: The Last Lecture This is my gift to you, dear (jaded) reader.

Pausch is a professor at Carnegie Mellon who has changed so many people's lives for the better, it's just staggering. And he's hilarious and ridiculously likable and dealing with pancreatic cancer. Instead of dwelling on the pathos of his situation, though, he gives an hour-and-a-half-long lecture about his childhood dreams, and about the fantastic twists and turns in his life which enabled him to realize those dreams. And then he talks about bringing other people's dreams to life, in terms of virtual reality and gaming and so forth (his areas of expertise). Just a ridiculous amount of incredibleness in one person.

I guess what's really stuck with me since I last watched his lecture a few days ago is his sense of perspective. This guy has clarity like you wouldn't believe, his heart's in the right place, and he makes things happen. He's really become my role model, in addition to my parents.

This isn't my typical linkyloo; this guy's standing alone in his own entry, because he really deserves all your attention. If you don't come away from his lecture a changed human, then...I don't know what. You probably drown kittens for fun, punch little old ladies, and rip out the final pages of murder mysteries in bookstores.

If you want to find out more about him, check out his site. He's all "Pshaw, I'm nuthin' special," but don't let him fool you. He's wily that way.

Wednesday linkyloo

Bob Dylan, Times Magazine Interview Pretentious douchebaggery is timeless.

Foreign Policy: End of the Line This is an incredible magazine, and this particular photo essay about shipyard salvage is fascinating.

The Sundays - Here's Where The Story Ends SUCH a great, lilting little ditty, perfect for driving through the countryside on a dreamy...Sunday.

Museum of Hoaxes: The Top 20 Most Bizarre Experiments of All Time Humans are weird, and not always in a good way. Definitely a fun read.

International Herald Tribune -- Next step in pirating: Faking a company Horrifying. Is nothing sacred?

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Sea of Dreams

My favorite cinematography instructor from USC, Chris Chomyn, shot a film for a great guy and fellow alumnus of mine, Pepe Ochoa, and it's showing in quite a few theaters, perhaps in one near you (especially if you're in LA). It's called "Sea of Dreams," and I do recommend you see it -- it's magical realism with lots of sultry pizzazz, stars ridiculously gorgeous people with terrific screen presence, manages to make the ocean as palpable a character as the humans (which is pretty dang awesome), and both Pepe and Chris should be proud of themselves to the point of bursting.

I saw it at CineGear a few months ago, and found it beautiful, definitely go see it and support this teensy indie movie with hefty atmosphere and big passions! And, of course, it has lots of shots of beautiful people gazing at the horizon wistfully as the wind tousles their hair in various inviting ways...which is surprisingly not as cheesy as it sounds. Like I said, Chris and Pepe are talented that way.

My only caveat: the central female character isn't so much a three-dimensional human being as a symbol of Femininity (yes, with a capital F), or so it seems to me. This peeved me initially, since it seems like such a flat, inconsiderate, male perspective, but since the story overall is clearly a parable and has lots of other, similarly iconic figures in it, I've decided to let this sticky point slide. Aside from my righteous feminist indignation, this film is actually a wonderfully haunting view of Love (captial L, of course), and I'd happily go see it again with anyone who hasn't had the pleasure yet.

Go! See it! Do it now!
The Astrid has spoken.

Tuesday linkyloo

KT Tunstall: Suddenly I See I love when people mix with models and puppetry. Big surprise, huh? This song makes me want to jump on my bed as I'm belting out the words, or at least perch in a tree with a giant guitar and frighten passersby.

Tom Petty: I Won't Back Down One of the best anthems ever. I consider Tom Petty's work timeless, and on a human scale. I'm not sure what that means, but it feels right.

kollaboration.org: robot dance I wish, I wish, I WISH I could dance robotically. This will most likely never happen, but I can sure admire this from afar.

Kodak - Winds of Change HOW THE HELL DID I MISS THIS? THIS IS AWESOME. "They're turning the schmaltz back up to 11!" BOO YA.

Zazoo Condoms Best 'please use prophylactics' campaign I've ever seen in my life. Granted, I haven't seen many others, but...you know.... This rocks.

Monday, September 24, 2007

my Sunday shoot

So, yesterday I had a shoot at the home of the very good-natured John Faratzis, which was essentially a scene for the actors' reels, and was only supposed to be good for a little experience and some pocket change on my end. That, plus it was fun to play with John's nine Emmys sitting on his mantelpiece from his producing work on the Super Bowl and the Olympics ("I'd like to thank my aromatherapist for making this possible", cue air kiss). To be honest, I wasn't really expecting much from this shoot. At least there was a fun fight scene, complete with breakaway vases, fake blood, and catty woman-on-woman combat, and that was all before lunch. Did I ever mention how much I enjoy my job? Yeehay.

Still, things took a turn for the unexpected in the afternoon, and in the best possible way. There was a scene between two characters who were estranged lovers still madly in love with each other, but also very bitter about each other, and one of them was dying from a bullet wound in her gut. Since it all promised to be wistful and arty, I decided (along with the director) to block (meaning 'to physically set up') the scene with a window glowing behind the two people, and let them be almost silhouetted against the sunlight flooding in. All very nicely atmospheric and anime-ish, but again, I wasn't expecting much.

This was just the full rehearsal -- blood was oozing, sunlight was glowing, the guy looked very dapper in his suit, they each had a gun, people were gabbing in the living room, the roar of airplanes wafted through the open windows, and the camera wasn't rolling yet. I'd seen this all before, blah de blah blah. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Until the actors looked each other in the eye and started the scene.

Have you ever been transfixed by magic? Like, to the point where you couldn't breathe, and you just couldn't believe what was unfolding before your eyes, and you were terrified something would shatter the spell, and you wouldn't trade the experience for all the world?

It was a little like that, only a thousand times more so. It was Romeo and Juliet on steroids. It was so wickedly beautiful, I thought we were all going to spontaneously combust from the cold heat in that room. It was like the whole universe had contracted to only include these two people, and somehow I was both of them at the same time, and it was gorgeously dangerous. And then, when he gave this dying, loving, gloriously hateful woman the most tender kiss I've ever witnessed in my thirty years of existence, she shot him.

The shock in his eyes was mesmerizing. His eyes never left hers as his life drained away, her arms quietly enfolding his dying flesh which settled into her body, her life slowly dripping away as well, satisfaction and regret flickering through her eyes before they closed forever.

None of this was real, of course -- after all, this IS the movies. Duh. But I almost hiccuped my heart from out of my throat, it was that powerful. And, even more amazingly, they were able to do this scene with the same intensity again and again from different camera angles, nailing it every time. When we wrapped (packed up) the set afterwards, I didn't know what to do with myself. I wanted to run screaming through the streets. I wanted to hug lampposts. I wanted to kick things and blow stuff up and cackle maniacally and explode into a million pieces and then do it all over again.

This is why I wouldn't trade being a filmmaker for anything. For ANYTHING.

These moments are so rare, but when they come, they sear your brain and mark you for life. It's a good kind of pain.

And FYI, the actors were Chad Duell and Semele...something. I don't know how to spell her last name, but I'll try to find out this week. They truly are something to behold. They almost scorched my camera lens, but it was well worth the trouble.

Monday linkyloo

sleepinginmyhead: tobler-oh-yeah! via Boing Boing Toblerone has a hidden bear in its logo? Rockin'!

Inventor Spot: 15 Absolutely Brilliant Billboad Ads...Really They're definitely not kidding, some of these are eye-poppingly wonderful.

Varieties of unreligious Experience: Humanism and the virtue of anxiety via the nonist Very thought-provoking essay on justifying your career in the humanities -- and the comments are just as intriguing/erudite.

Mother Jones -- Black Ops Jungle: The Academy of Military-Industrial-Complex Studies via Boing Boing Ender's Game is alive and well, they just need to throw in some video game sims and it'll be complete! ::shiver::

The Trade Card Place (Victorian trading cards) via Boing Boing via Little Hokum Rag I love these. Why can't we see such illustration gorgeosity in advertising today?

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Astrid in crisis, or: now is the autumn of my discontent

Q: I have a shoot in 6 hours, why am I not in bed?

A: Because I am a tortured soul who is addicted to the Internet. TENNIS BALLS OH DANG.

Also, it occurred to me today that I love all the various elements of my life -- particularly friends and career -- it's just that I just wish I had more of each. As in, more time spent with friends, rather than pining for all the awesome people who are out of state or just too busy. As for shooting, I love it, I just wish more worthwhile projects came my way. I'd also love to teach more, but I'm stuck in the part-time ghetto; I worry that committing to a whole semester at a time would get in the way of accepting more shooting gigs.

Should I be marketing myself differently? Should I just be patient and shut up? Or should I switch out of the wild world o' film entirely, and go into something that's still creative, yet slightly less competitive? Should I go into academe full-time? I would consider absolutely ANY field which would draw upon my talents/experience in film, graphic design, web 2.0 savvy, and phenomenal people skills. To clarify that B.S.-sounding last part: I'm outrageously talented at bringing out the best in people, helping them create things they didn't even realize they could do, refining their work, and pushing them to the next level. If you don't believe me, watch my former students' projects, and ask them how they went from clunky to festival-worthy in four weeks. I get very Dead Poet's Society when I'm in front of a room, complete with Robin Williams-grade arm-flailing, irreverence, and hammy overacting, and it actually seems to work on occasion.

In other words, I'm not much as a content provider, but I'm a helluva terrific catalyst. Which, not coincidentally, is also why I'm a terrific cinematographer, humility be damned; it's my job to take somebody's vision and refine it, make it shootable, use lighting and camera composition to turn it into something bigger and better than it was in everyone's heads originally, all while staying true to the story and the director's vision, highlighting the nuances in the actors' performances, and having my crew still like me after grueling 12- to 14-hour shoot days. The past couple of years, I've actually figured out more or less how to nail all of this, and if all the directors I've worked with in that time ever get around to giving me the footage I shot, not that I'm getting peeved about this, I can properly re-edit my reel and show the world. W00t.

Here's the question that's been keeping me up at night lately: How do you get the world to beat a path to your door and say "You're fabulous, and we want you right now to catalyze all sorts of exciting projects, for which you will be remunerated admirably! Also, we will fund travel to exciting climes, and you will get to meet all sorts of lovely, innovative people who won't keep moving away from you or get too busy every time you decide you need them in your life forever"?

I need more exciting projects, a better paycheck, and a sizable group of people who (time and geography willing) can hang out at least once a week. Starting a production company with my friend Dave is great, but it's moving at a glacial pace, alas. I DEMAND ACTION, THRILLS, VERVE, OOMPH, NOVELTY, STABILITY, and EXCELLENT CATERING. AND I DEMAND IT NOW.

Any ideas how? I'm opening the floor to any and all suggestions. Seriously.

In the meantime, enjoy the following musical diversions:

Boards of Canada: ROYGBIV A fan-made video, with "footage from 1980's uk tv adverts." The synergy truly knocks my socks off, although they keep cutting to a blond kid who definitely annoys me after a while.

Kate Bush: Cloudbusting Kate Bush can always be counted on for jolly weirdness -- and is that Donald Sutherland? A heapin' helpin' of awesome.

Goldfrapp: pilots [on a star] If Kate Bush fused with the film Gattaca, the result would be this video. Or something very much like it.

Goldfrapp: Strict Machine This is what the inside of my brain looks like, no joke. It gets even weirder when I fall asleep.

Emiliana Torrini: Easy Pure seduction. Even better than the album version -- this is lightly remixed, gives me chills and makes me want to kiss the whole world in one go. Perfection.

Okay, I'm off to bed. If you're still looking for more, try reading my friend Bekka's blog entry I feel a little invisible sometimes, and you'll get a similar version of what I've just written here. O, restlessness; we hear the mermaids singing, each to each, but they do not sing to us. Arrogant trollops.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

linkyloo

I just had sushi with Matt and Isa -- good people, good food, good times. And now I get to go to Long Beach and celebrate my brother's birthday! It's an excellent Saturday, yessiree -- and I'm wearing my Calgon plum/raspberry to boot, which is an excellent comfort scent for a such a grey day.


Because he is wickedly ingenious: Chris Leavins, Cute With Chris -- episode wherein he recites Britney lyrics By the way, that's not a photo of him, it's actually a viewer photo from Chris's website. You just need to go visit and see what I mean. Go. Go now.

Will It Blend?: the iPhone via Papelera 21 I swear, people will do anything for yuks. Like, tossing an iPhone into a blender. Awesome.

CollegeHumor: Darth Vader Blues via Papelera 21 Betcha didn't know Vader's helmet had a built-in HARMONICA! YES! This totally made my day.

Fantoche (2 times) by Blu via Neatorama This is nothing short of incredible. And it loops so well, too!

The Wind MOST AMAZING PUNCHLINE EVER. It will make you go back and watch this all over again with fresh eyes. Oh, and phenomenal casting, score, directing, everything. My gift to you, because I love you. I really do.

Friday, September 21, 2007

linkyloo

I've developed a terrible habit of putting together unwieldy lists of links in the past, so from now on I'll dole them out in bite-sized parcels. Enjoy!

a fresh perspective on cats via Unscathed Corpse via placeboKatz

The Boat Lullabies: The Way of All Flesh via Boing Boing. A poignant look at the progression of a woman through a lifetime of her photographs. Beautifully eerie.

web gobbledegook what is this? Is this spy code? Web search terms being catalogued by Homeland Security? Now that I've found this page, am I now going to be whisked away to a colorful island, renamed as a number, and held prisoner by a giant Latex bubble?

Groovy dancing girl via zefrank.com Dang, this gal can MOVE. I want to memorize this routine, along with the dance routine from Napoleon Dynamite, so that I can win my next dance-off. It's good to be prepared for these things.

Kate Bush - Running up that Hill I heart Kate Bush and overly fogged-up music videos. Also: love the pants. Even though they look like skirts. But are still pants. Yeah.

talking dirty: the Italianate segment of Victorian architecture

The quotes (in bold) and pictures below are from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italianate_architecture, unless otherwise stated.


The Breakers designed by Richard Morris Hunt, completed 1895 (Newport, Rhode Island)

The Italianate style consisted of taking Italian 16th-century style and slapping it onto 19th-century structures. O pastiche, how very Victorian! Anyone who says that post-modernism is a strictly 20th-century phenomenon is full of it.

Sir Charles Barry, most notable for his works on the Tudor and Gothic styles at the Houses of Parliament in London, was a great promoter of the style.

What a fickle guy! First he does pointy, medieval-looking things, then he does zany, pseudo-16th-century Italian things? Good gravy, mister, make up your mind!

Italianate [in America] was reinterpreted again and became an indigenous style. It is distinctive by its pronounced exaggeration of many Italian Renaissance characteristics: emphatic eaves supported by corbels, low-pitched roofs barely discernible from the ground, or even flat roofs with a wide projection. A tower is often incorporated hinting at the Italian belvedere or even campanile tower.

Er, 'corbel'?

(http://www.louisvillehomezone.com/page_images/korbel%20bottle.jpg)

A projection jutting out from a wall to support a structure above it. (Oxford American Dictionary)

Okay. Um, 'belvedere'?

(http://www.tv-intros.com/m/mr%20belvedere.jpg)

A summerhouse or open-sided gallery, usually at rooftop level, commanding a fine view. (Thanks again, OAD)

Oh, and a 'campanile' is a bell tower, so the phrase 'campanile tower' is redundant. Nyeah nyeah, Wikipedia!

The Breakers [shown at the top], located on Ochre Point Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island, is a 70-room mansion designed by the architect Richard Morris Hunt for Cornelius Vanderbilt II.

SEVENTY ROOMS?! Why on earth would anyone need seventy rooms?

Constructed between 1893 and 1895, it is the epitome of the Italianate style in the United States. While to all outward appearances it is a complete Renaissance palazzo, its construction with steel trusses and no wooden parts made use of the most modern building techniques the late 19th century had to offer.

It only took two years to build a seventy-room mansion, all without 21st-century construction equipment?! This just keeps getting more and more amazing.

Key visual components of this style include:

* Low-pitched or flat roofs
* Projecting eaves supported by corbels.
* Imposing cornice structures


'Cornice'? An ornamental molding around the wall of a room just below the ceiling or a horizontal molded projection crowning a building or structure, esp. the uppermost member of the entablature of an order, surmounting the frieze. (OAD)

'Entablature'? A horizontal, continuous lintel on a classical building supported by columns or a wall, comprising the architrave, frieze, and cornice. (OAD)

I swear, I just keep feeling dumber and dumber.

'Architrave'?
A main beam resting across the tops of columns. (OAD)

'Frieze'?
A broad horizontal band of sculpted or painted decoration, esp. on a wall near the ceiling. (OAD)

Gotcha. Carry on.

* Pedimented windows and doors

'Pediment'?
The triangular upper part of the front of a building in classical style, typically surmounting a portico of columns. (OAD)

'Portico'?
A structure consisting of a roof supported by columns at regular intervals, typically attached as a porch to a building. (OAD)

* Arch-headed, pedimented or Serlian windows with pronounced architraves and archivolts

Jesus H Christ on a Popsicle stick! 'Serlian'?
I couldn't find a proper definition for this in the OAD, but various websites describe this as an arched window with columns on either side, more or less.

And then, of course, there are 'archivolts' to contend with:
A band of molding, resembling an architrave, around the lower curve of an arch.

Is it just me, or is this getting exhausting?

* Tall first floor windows suggesting a piano nobile

OKAY, FINE, I'LL BITE: 'piano nobile'?
The main story of a large house (usually the first floor), containing the principal rooms. (OAD)

Wow, good to know. I could actually see slipping that into casual conversation: "Hey, nice piano nobile." Or: "Let me go freshen up, I'll meet you down in the piano nobile." Neato.

* Angled bay windows
* Attics with a row of awning windows between the eave brackets
* Glazed doors
* Belvedere or machiolated signorial towers


I can't find a definition of 'machiolated signorial tower.' I'm getting peeved.

* Cupolas
* Quoins


'qoin': an external angle of a wall or building. (Also quoin stone) any of the stones or bricks forming such an angle; a cornerstone. (OAD)

WELL, WHY ON EARTH COULDN'T YOU SAY SO?

* Loggias

'Loggia': A gallery or room with one or more open sides, esp. one that forms part of a house and has one side open to the garden. (OAD)

* Balconies with wrought-iron railings, or Renaissance balustrading
* Balustrades concealing the roof-scpapes
[sic]

Okay, this is it, and then no more: what, precisely, is a balustrade?
A railing supported by balusters-- (OAD)

WHAT'S A BALUSTER, YOU FAT-HEADED NINCOMPOOP OF A DICTIONARY?

A short pillar or column, typically decorative in design, in a series supporting a rail or coping. (OAD)

Coping--

The top, typically sloping, course of a brick or stone wall. (OAD)

Thanks, but I wasn't asking; I've officially given up coping with all this jargon. I'm going to go lie down now, and let us never speak of this filthy Italianate business ever again. Thank you.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Chatting with (and summarizing) Wikipedia about Gothic Revival

All of the following -- quotes and pictures -- are from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_Revival.

Cast-iron gothic tracery supports a bridge by Calvert Vaux, Central Park, New York City


The upper chapel of the Sainte Chapelle, restored by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc in the 19th century -- the colors are just delicious.


Victoria Tower at the Palace of Westminster, London: Gothic details provided by A.W.N. Pugin


Sir Christopher Wren's Tom Tower, at Christ Church, Oxford. The frosty blues in this image are so moody and evocative. Love it.


Apparently, all this mid-18th-century Gothic Revival goodness started in England. Medieval-looking stuff was all the rage, "and perhaps more Gothic architecture was built in nineteenth and twentieth centuries than had originally ever been built," which amuses me immensely. Will nostalgia ever become old hat?

"Gothic architecture is generally considered to have begun at the Abbey of Saint-Denis, Paris, in 1140 and ended with a last great flourish at Henry VII[']s Chapel at Westminster in the early 16th century."

It didn't really die, though, because people who wanted churchy things and university things kept demanding the Gothic look. It's admittedly a pretty imposing look, suitable for inspiring fear of God and so forth.

Restoration became a big thing, and this included a surge in nationalism; every country claimed that it had invented the Gothic look first.

"A few Britons, and soon some Germans, began to appreciate the picturesque character of ruins — 'picturesque' becoming a new aesthetic quality".

In other words, why restore things when you can just build some fresh ruins which look all sorts of moody and evocative? Those wacky Romantics!

"In Contrasts (1836), Pugin . . . [claimed] that Gothic architecture was the product of a purer society. . . . Pugin believed Gothic was true Christian architecture, and even claimed 'The pointed arch was produced by the Catholic faith'. Pugin's most famous building is The Houses of Parliament in London, which he designed in two campaigns, 1836–1837 and again in 1844 and 1852".

Is it just me, or does this sound suspiciously Hitlerian, as in 'Gothic architecture is Aryan architecture'? Boo hiss, Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin! Just as an aside, the guy died when he was only forty, possibly from mercury poisoning (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus_Pugin).

Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, unlike many popular Gothic-lovin' folks, felt that Gothic-y stuff should be restored with modern-day materials, including cast iron, rather than trying to imitate what had already been done. This inspired new designers to create Gothic-y-looking structures which could never have been made just out of stone, and hinted at the beginnings of my all-time-favorite art movement, Art Nouveau.

"Carpenter gothic houses and small churches became common in North America in the late nineteenth century. These structures adapted Gothic elements such as pointed arches, steep gables, and towers to traditional American light-frame construction. . . . But in most cases, Carpenter Gothic buildings were relatively unadorned, retaining only the basic elements of pointed-arch windows and steep gables. Arguably, the most famous example of carpenter gothic is not even a real building. It appears in the background of the painting American Gothic by Grant Wood."

I don't have a smart-alecky comment to that one, I just think it's cool. And Grant Wood was simply brilliant. Such liquid colors! Such eye-popping clarity! Such vibrant compositions! Ooh, I just love him. In fact, look at this:


"The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere," by Grant Wood

This image doesn't do the original painting any justice; go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and see this sometime. It looks eerie, and almost like it's underwater. I first saw this painting in person several years ago, and it haunts me still. Now that's what I call art.

"At the turn of the 20th Century, technological developments such as the light bulb, the elevator, and steel framing caused many to see architecture that used load-bearing masonry as obsolete. Steel framing supplanted the non-ornamental functions of rib vaults and flying buttresses. Some architects used Neo-Gothic tracery as applied ornament to an iron skeleton underneath".

In other words, we still like the look, but wouldn't ever dream of using such archaic building techniques, so we slap the look onto inherently modern structures. Personally, I'm cool with that -- Gothic (and Gothic Revival) buildings from the inside tend to be dark, dreary, and rather pinched, with teensy windows and drafty everything.

Still, I do kinda miss flying buttresses.


Monday, September 17, 2007

a few words about Drina, with a brief mention of goats

Before we discuss anything about Victorian architecture, we need to review Queen Victoria herself. According to Wikipedia:

Full name: Alexandrina Victoria
Nickname within the family: Drina
Nickname outside the family: the grandmother of Europe
Which is: not as catchy
Born: May 24, 1819
Died: January 22, 1901
Of a: cerebral hemorrhage
She disliked: black funerals
So for her funeral, London was draped in: purple and white

Lost her father to pneumonia: eight months after she was born
Lost her grandfather (George III): six days later
Crown went to: her uncle George, then (when Drina was 11) her uncle William
William's number of kids: 10
All: illegitimate
Because: he got them by messing around with the actress Dorothy Jordan

Drina's heritage: almost entirely German
Husband: Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
His relationship to Drina: first cousin
This: freaks me out a fair amount
They got hitched: February, 10 1840
Number of kids: 9
Named: Victoria, Edward, Alice, Alfred, Helena, Louise, Arthur, Leopold, Beatrice
Drina outlived: 3 of them
As of September 2007, surviving great-grandchildren of Drina: 2
Names: Carl (a count in Sweden), Katherine

Queen of: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Became queen: a month after she turned 18
First ever: Empress of India
Which made her equal to: the Russian Tsar
Reign over British Empire lasted: 63 years and seven months
Which is: "longer than that of any other British monarch"
And included: the Industrial Revolution
With emphases on: morality, family values, giving more power to the House of Commons, and making the monarch more of a symbolic figure

Carrier of haemophilia in the royal line: first
May have been a result of: a sperm mutation
Age of her dad at her conception: 52
Drina and all female-line descendants are members of: mitochondrial haplogroup H.s

Attempted physical attacks on Drina: 6
Assassins/pranksters who committed/attempted the above: Edward Oxford (18 yrs. old), John Francis, John William Bean, William Hamilton, Robert Pate, anonymous folks who cooked up the Jubilee Plot

When you've been queen for 50 years, your celebration is called: Golden Jubilee
When you've been queen for 60 years, your celebration is called: Diamond Jubilee

Style
Introduction of Christmas trees to the Drina's court by: Prince Albert
After Albert died, Drina "ordered that his clothes be laid afresh on his bed in his suite at Windsor Castle": every day
For: 40 years
Drina had a parasol which was: armored
Which weighed more than: 3 pounds
And probably: was never used

Random bits o' knowledge
"[T]hree of the main monarchs with countries involved in the First World War on the opposing side were themselves either grandchildren of Victoria's or married to a grandchild of hers. Eight of Victoria's nine children married members of European royal families, and the other, Princess Louise, was married to the Marquis of Lorne, a future Governor-General of Canada."

"As of 2007, the European monarchs and former monarchs descended from Victoria are: the Queen of the United Kingdom (as well as her husband), the King of Norway, the King of Sweden, the Queen of Denmark, the King of Spain, the former King of the Hellenes and the former King of Romania (deposed)."

"[I]n the town of Cape Coast, Ghana, a bust of the Queen presides, rather forlornly, over a small park where goats graze around her."