The Machinated Lady

2011-03-20T17:55:00.000-07:00

I suck. A lot.

Not expecting anyone to still click here, so I'm going to be using this as a wordcount update/kick in the pants.

Being trapped in the vicious cycle of feeling guilty about not writing and then not writing because I'm feeling guilty/lack the motivation is ridiculous. It feels slightly idiotic to be trapped in this place, especially considering I have so much time to write.

So, today's wordcount: 59 measly words.

Anything I write beyond this post out of shame can be added tomorrow. Until then, shame on.

The Weatherman

2010-06-27T18:01:00.001-07:00

Dramatic skys when the weather changed, originally uploaded by Magnera.

The Weatherman was under the weather. It sounds cliche, to be true, but this as honest as I can be.
As a result, the Weather was not given out that day. The citizens lamented, unsure of what to wear or where to go. What to do, they cried. Oh to know whether to go to the beach or to the library. Chaos erupted for a day. The rail stopped, unsure of whether there would be falling snow. The cars stopped, unsure of whether they should get their snow tires out. Thousands of people ran out to the stores to stock up on sunscreen, umbrellas and snow boots. Utter pandemonium reigned.

And yet, the weatherman knew none of this occurred. He, and his dog Percy, slept in his bed until the morrow.

born into luxury, he put down the hammer and picked up the cell

2010-05-21T18:37:00.000-07:00

People are just plain lazy.

I use "people" as a term referring to the main body of the globe as a whole as there are those who are clearly an exception. This has stemmed mostly from my experiences at my local grocery store where I work as a cashier. It's not a bad job, aside from the back and arm ache, as there are some interesting characters that come through the store and most of the people I work with are very nice. However, there are many people who appear to believe that I am there as their general dogsbody.

For example, I've had people ask me to "speed up" because they had somewhere else to be despite the fact that I'm still dealing with another customer. I've had people complain about the prices in the store expecting me to do something about it, complain about having to pay for plastic bags and again expecting me to do something about it, take them to the tea aisle even though it is clearly marked with TEA in capital letters and help them on my break even though I'm holding my debit card in one hand and a drink in the other.

I've also had some frankly rude customers, but that's another story.

When did we start treating one another like machinery? We all breathe, shit, cry, laugh and eventually die, so why do we have to place so much pressure on the smaller things? Even my colleagues have a hard time seeing that they are there to do a job and are getting paid for it; there seems to be a lack of thankfulness for the ability to work and earn money, especially when many in this city are unable to find a job. One commented that they'd really rather be anywhere but in the store because they simply do not want to work. I asked them whether or not they needed the money and they commented that they did. My logic is that if you need money then you should be happy enough to work. It would be wonderful to live in a world that does not revolve around money but we do not and to do so would take a great rehash of our systems.

I think my overall fascination is our assumption that we deserve certain things without working hard for them. I, for one, am proud of something because of the hard work I or the team I am part of put into it. For me pride and satisfaction go hand in hand.

In somewhat related news I will be competing with my friend Dan to see who can get the highest word count per week so watch this space for a count next week.

Until next time,

EF/EJC.

A Life Transparent: Trailer

2010-05-05T17:49:00.000-07:00

Well folks the trailer for Todd Keisling's A Life Transparent is finally up and live. You can see it embedded below. I can't say enough how proud I am of this and of everyone involved in the shoot. I try to be modest, but I think it's absolutely beautiful.

With that said, thank you to the following people for all their help in making this project a reality:

Cast:
Sean Michael Errey (as Donovan Candle)
Brittney K. Robbins
Randy Nanjad
Emily Fister
Jillian Clair
Daniel Goldberg
Raúl José

Composer:
Travis Conrad Reichstein

Crew:
Dan Goldberg

And a special thank you to Todd Keisling himself for giving me the opportunity to do this. <3

A Life Transparent Trailer from Donovan Candle on Vimeo.

Until next time,

EF/EJC

A Life Transparent (and Delayed)

2010-05-02T18:49:00.000-07:00

A year ago Todd Keisling and I discussed the possibility of me shooting a trailer for his book A Life Transparent. Cut to a year later and I finally found the time to do so (yes, I AM crazy). This time last week I was driving back and forth around London picking cast members up, driving to locations and generally having fun. The good thing about these sorts of projects is the level of planning I put in always pays off. I like to have numerous plans and back up plans (thankfully not the kind that Lopez is involved in) just in case something crazy happens. Usually it doesn't, and this time it didn't either.

In fact, the shoot went so smoothly that the only really crazed moment came on the Tuesday when I had to be in three different places at exactly the same time and they were all 10-20 minutes apart. This particular part of the shooting schedule I knew would be crazed because of the number of extras needing transportation but I didn't foresee just how crazed I would be in the moment. Nonetheless, I'm finding that the more I work on shoots--whether it be my own or other peoples'--I am calmer and the shoots are calmer. I try things out. I am patient. If something does not work one way then we try it another. I am spontaneous but in a practical and structured way. And you know what? It works.
So, A Life Transparent provided a unique opportunity--not only for Todd but for those who worked on it. The nice thing I've found about guerrilla film making is how much the people you work with want to be there for the sake of being there. Yes, there are things that they will get out of the shoot--networking, experience, etc--but the act of making art is paramount. I love it. I love the trailer. I love how easy it was but how fantastic it looks. Watch this space for the trailer!

In the meantime, however, here are a few stills to whet the appetite, so to speak:

Until next time,

EF/EJC

New Leaves Beckon

2010-05-02T16:41:00.000-07:00

And this time I won't be able to ignore them.

My name is Emma, and I've been a writer since I can remember. Why does this read so much like a Writers Anonymous meeting? I've often heard other writer friends discuss the addiction they have to words, and I really wouldn't want my life to be any other way. I'm doubly excited for the future because not only will I have more time to write for non academic purposes I'll be attending York University studying Screenwriting! Pretty much all I've ever wanted at this point in my life. Fantastic stuff.

This is a promise to myself more than anything because I've started so many blogs and let them fall by the wayside for various reasons. With my undergraduate just finished up I'm foreseeing a lot more time to think about things not to do with school, at least until my Masters in September.

I've a personal blog, so I'll try my best to keep that sort of stuff out of here, although you may hear from time to time about my stress over shoots I've been on or am planning. All in all though this will be a place to hone my motivation to write about film, for film and purely for the sake of playing around with these things called words.