float like a social butterfly/sting like a sewing bee

This was originally filled with links to every named person's MySpace page. And I'm assuming that, by the time you are reading this (I flatter myself that anyone is reading this) MySpace will be dead and gone. So I won't bother connecting them here. From Pearl Harbor Day a few years ago. Not what I will call a Post That Will Live In Infamy. Friday, December 07, 2007

Been June since I posted about something that wasn't bragging about how fascinating and successful is my life. I'll see if I can make it through this without tooting my own horn.

I spend a lot of time whining about the local "film community" and how little support you can find among us. But in truth, I do a lot of that whining on my wide ass at home rather than out where it means something. So I've made an effort of late to get out there and support the very people and events I complain that others do not. I'll run a few down for you, brief-like, and in no particular order.

The Exodus Experience -- the Rialto Theater is in my neighborhood, so I felt I'd be an ass if I missed this screening of Ya'ke Smith's collected shorts. But in truth, I was really dreading it -- Ya'ke is, well, earnest. Great smile, but he tends not to use it. And while that's a fine characteristic in, say, a loan officer, it can really be a hindrance in an artist. Think of your favorite movies, even if you love drama -- there's a sense of humor there. A playfulness, even if there are no "jokes," there's a looseness that tempers the seriousness. Art has to be fun, and I'd found precious little of that in what I'd seen of Ya'ke's work. But what I discovered in seeing a bunch of them together was that the looseness I was looking for was in the execution, not in the script or performances. "Hope's War," in particular, had a narrative style that made me not only envious, but larcenous (I'll be stealing a device he used there). Hung out in the lobby before and spent time with Brant, who is just the best guy in the world, and Drew (who's not bad himself).

24 Hour Comics Day -- My main man Fan Fave Freddy organized this thing, and his super-talented-and-totally-too-good-for him girlfriend Alex was going to be there, so I elbowed my way in. Everybody gathers together on the top floor of the downtown library (La Enchilada Grande) and draws a funnybook in the course of the day. No one was there for 24 hours, of course, and I don't believe anyone finished a complete story, although some did multiple pages. I met some really fun people, videotaped a bit, and even drew. I don't know that I'd call it "art," but it might end up as sort of a storyboard for an animated short. Those of you who've been clamoring for a "Frog Police" movie, your wait may soon be over. (And if you don't know what I'm talking about, watch my rad-bad-and-dangerous-to-know award-winning trailer for the 2007 Austin film Festival.) (Damn, didn't take me long to break my "non-tooting" pledge, did it?)

Exquisite Corpse -- I've made a committment to myself to get more involved in the local arts community. Since I've got that exhibition coming up in a month or two (and oh, man, am I ever not ready), I've met a lot of local artists, and they are just so much fun and so supportive, I can't tell you. Filmmakers have a tendency to spend their time talking about either focal lengths and lighting, or Hollywood movies that are art in the same way that the Vienna sausage relates to filet mignon. So I wasn't going to miss Jason Jay's exhibition of the results of his Dada parlor game. Explaining it would take forever, so just Wiki it and trust that the stuff they had at 118 Gallery was hella kicky. I brought the boy along, and he loved it. But he's more Dada than anyone I know. We went next door after and saw Peter Zubiate's studio. He's the husband of my friend Katie whom you should be so groovy as (but are not).

SA48HR -- Or whatever it was called, the latest 48 hour competition put on by Film San Antonio (which is the local film commission, Drew and Janet). Screening was a couple days ago, shooting was last weekend. I promised myself (and Lisa) that I wouldn't do one. I love this stuff, but the truth is, I already know how to make a crappy short in two days. Not that it's not a challenge, getting it right is always tough, but it's just not novel enough to me to make it worth it, and I refuse to make any more of what Erik calls "deliberately bad" movies. And that's pretty much what you have to do with these -- make a movie in 48 hours that conforms to some abstract constraints put on it by a disinterested third party, and the easiest way out is to point out the flaws. And some this year did so elegantly (the Lone Bannana crew get my "best use of required character award"). A few, as ever, had more style than I'd expected, one or two were downright audacious, but one, by a group I'd never heard of, Parker Creek Productions, did it the smart way -- shoot without a script, then do it all in voiceover after the fact. They got a little lucky (film noir was their category) and they didn't have to work too hard on the VO (most of it was cadged from popular songs). But mostly they worked smarter, not harder, and that's why I expect them to win it all. Although they might've been screwed had judging been live at the screening -- never have I seen a production so skewered by audience reaction. The crowd was slapping knees and roaring at every lyric they recognized, you could barely hear what was going on. Come on, people, you need to get over nostalgia! Recognizing a Bee-Gees lyric isn't funny! These lines were supporting the story, and you only wanted to giggle at some half-remembered AM radio nugget. This is why I needlepoint samplers with my favorite quote on it: "Nostalgia is porn for old people." (Mr. Bartlett, I do believe I coined that myself, please attribute properly.)

Amberjack Manor -- But wait, you say, what of the 48hr short to which you contributed, Mistah Pete? Yes, I know I swore I wouldn't do one, but that doesn't mean I couldn't help out a friend. Dar talked me into acting in "Amberjack Manor," a short Andy signed on to direct. I hesitate to say the part was written for me, but I shudder to think how they'd have filled the part had I not agreed to do it. Erik says I took it because I like to play the fop and/or dandy (I prefer the word "toff," but point made), but the fact is, I was born to be Nigel Amberjack; to the manor born, if you will. (He was written as "Lord Amberjack," but I scrapped the accent in rehearsals, so I think he's just Nigel now.) I got to work with Lanni again, and we do get silly together. Everyone else was fun to work with, too, but I've gotten too link-happy with this already.

Film Commission Animation Panel -- okay, so they can't all be great, right? This was a disaster, but not for the reasons uber-hostess Nikki and the Film Commission feared. There were some technical problems, but they were nothing. Seriously, if that had been what was wrong, no one would've even noticed. No, the problem was that the panel was dominated by people who are not animators. At least, not in any sense that is useful for me, or any other local filmmaker that I know of. These were eggheads who had access to (and knew how to use, perhaps at the expense of any artistic ability) mega-computers and programs that are not available to schmoes like us. Konise from NESA and Russ from Harlandale have very talented students (I've seen animated shorts from each school), and the stop-motion work shown by Angela of the Prime Eights was warm and charming, but they were all trampled by the drone of techno-geeks. I left that panel knowing less about animation than when I arrived.

Filmmaker Mixer at Ruta Maya -- Last night. A.J. has taken the bull by the horns and organized a monthly meeting. Pretty paltry turn out, but it's quality, not quantity, that counts, and this was a good bunch to talk with. Laura was there, I met Jose, and Matthew, who is a party where'er he goeth. Music started toward the end, and we all high-tailed it (seriously, shouldn't an accoustic guitar be quiet? Is that just me?), but a few of us stayed in the parking lot and chatted. I pestered A.J. (as I always do) to let me be a fly on the wall of his next shoot. He gets such incredible footage, and performances, I'd really like to see how he does it.

Tonight's Sam's birthday party, I'm going to try and make it there. And the Urban 15 laser show goes on this weekend, I'll take the boy for a gander at the pretty pictures. And the Film Commission mixer Tuesday. So, yeah. You know where to find me. Hope to see you there.