Good Morning, Canada!

I had wanted to speak of this earlier, but I had to have a personal conversation with E.B. before I made it public. I obviously wanted him to hear it from me instead of through here, or from another friend. The good news is; he's fully supportive of my decision. The better news is; I'm almost half-way done the first draft of Episode IV.

I've renamed the episode, changing its direction dramatically. It was previously titled "Nostos", which comes from the Greek for a return journey in a story. The episode was meant to be about Derek's return to Toronto to face the consequences of all that had happened and prepare himself for the trials ahead. I've abandoned the need for him to return to Toronto to accomplish those things.

The episode is now titled "Burn the Fleet", which is a song by Thrice, but inspired by the story of Hernan Cortes. Cortes was a Spanish explorer who first travelled to what is now Haiti as a teen and gained favour with the local governors. After amassing a small personal wealth, Cortes sought to travel to Cuba and Mexico, but his personal relationship with the governors was waning. He disobeyed orders to travel Mexico and was labelled a mutineer. Aware of his situation, he ordered the ships his crew had arrived in destroyed to rally his men to arms. What followed was one of the most bloody and well-fought campaigns of the Spanish Inquisition, leading to the acquisition of much land in the Mayan-held Yucatan Peninsula.

While Derek isn't going to burn Riley's van to the ground to motivate his crew, it illustrates the desperation of his cause. With the entire band fugitives labelled from the law, the hopelessness of their situation is what drives them forward. There is no turning back for them. Their return journey can not happen yet. This puts the crew on a roadtrip East to St. John's, Newfoundland, seeking evidence against conspiracy mastermind, Danielle Parsons.

The plot in Toronto hasn't been abandoned. Episode III saw the beginning of the alliance between Derek and Dana Steele, Nathan Davis' former partner. With someone on the inside of the investigation, Derek manages to stay one step ahead. Furthermore, safely inside the city, Steele can attend to the things Derek can not - including warning Eveleigh Dawn to leave town.

With the police closing in on both Derek and Eveleigh, Steele races against the clock to get Eve to safety before she's caught by Parsons' agents.

The episode is flowing wonderfully so far. I've struggled with starting Episode V without a concrete ending to IV. The dialogue is flowing naturally and the situation with the main crew confined to the van for most of the episode provides an excellent opportunity for the viewer to get to know these characters. Episodes III and VI have higher budgets, but this episode requires few sets, and no special effects or fight choreography - thus, its a necessary cheapy.

With the characters firmly established, this is essentially the time to switch gears, allow for some character interaction and let background characters take the reigns for a while. Though never the intention, this is turning out to be Steele's episode - and I think it's absolutely perfect that it merged in this direction. Steele's not necessarily going to make it to the very end of the series, but her contributions to the story are going to be some of the more important ones of any character besides Derek and Danielle Parsons.

There have been lots of jobs popping up on media job search canada so I'm remaining optimistic about finding a full-time position in a reputable production company. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Winter's approaching fast and I'm living in denial. It's hard to face the fact that it's just going to get colder and darker from here on out. Here's looking forward to March. I hope you're all having a great week, and I'll be talking to you all soon!

Ready Three, Take Three

You say the title of this post a lot when you direct a show - which I've been doing a lot of lately. It's pretty fun, though a little overwhelming. It requires a tremendous amount of concentration and the ability to hear selectively. You also have to communicate with a team of about six people. Some of the people at Rogers TV make it look easy, but trust me, it's not. I now have a new found respect for directors.

I've been doing quite a bit of writing on Episodes 4 and 5 but their progress isn't coming along nearly as fast as 1 through 3's. I feel like I have something to explain there. I didn't just sit down one day and write the script for an idea I had. It came from a tremendous amount of scribbles and notes. The first three episodes exist in pencil and paper form dating back to April of 2008. Episode 6 is rather fleshed out as well, but these two bridging episodes were always pretty vague. It's taken me a lot of time to try and formulate something that would be a substantial contribution but also allows for me to connect the first three episodes to the finale. The finale is what conceived the idea of Soundtrack and everything before that is just the path. Episode 5 has its direction, but it doesn't have the substance yet to be anything but a bridge right now. It needs work. Needless to say, there now exists a large pile of paper notes that detail the progression of Episode 5.

An idea I've been struggling with lately is the concept of freedom. What is true freedom? Are we really free to do whatever we want? Though it wasn't my deliberate intention to do so, I feel like this theme is very present in Soundtrack. Riley and Cain both struggle with the notion to be free. Riley eventually has to deal with the fallout of her adventure with Derek in her personal life. Cain, though a powerful man, wasn't free to do whatever he wanted and now has to deal with the consequences of his new found self-liberation. Does freedom always come with a cost? Hunter S. Thompson said that without the freedom to commit suicide at any time, he would always feel trapped. He later committed suicide in his study with his family in the next room.

Danielle Parsons/Lidless represents the other side to this argument. Through clairvoyance, she yields to determinism and makes no attempts to stop things from happening - only turning them to her advantage. Following determinism, Parsons has found herself within reach of becoming Prime Minister, while Rhett, walking the free path, is slipping into the underworld of his city.

To be honest, I think it was great to find this unintentional theme in the subtext of the show. In episodes 4, 5 and 6, the characters are going to have to face the decisions they have made so far. I'm hoping that it will feel like an honest transition when some of these characters resolve to change the way they're living.

Anyway, a friend of mine is leaving for the West coast tonight so we're having a goodbye party for her. I hope you all have great weekends and don't let the bad weather get you down.

Dustin

I have to admit, I’m not proud of the fact that I have not written in some time. My focus has been somewhat shifted as of late, but Soundtrack is still at the forefront of all my efforts.

Though I am Soundtrack’s lead writer, my responsibilities also lie in music supervision, editing and more importantly, directing. I have people I consult for casting, cinematography and production, but since the vision of the show exists solely inside my head, I feel it’s my responsibility to ensure it’s translated onto the screen as fluidly as possible.

I’ve taken film courses, but I was never a film student per se. There are technical skills I never learned in an educational institution that I know I’d be lacking if I were to successfully bring Soundtrack to life. While I’m not exactly prepared to go back to college to learn these things, I’ve been taking it upon myself to acquire the skills through any means necessary. I thus spend a lot of time at Rogers TV – a lot – probably in the neighbourhood of 30-40 hours a week.

I started with the basics of camera work. Cameras aren’t overly complicated. There’s a zoom function and a focus function and everything else is just a variant of those two elements. Anyone and I mean anyone can hold a camera, focused, on a fixed object. The true skill of camera operation is making the camera an extension of your hands and eyes. I’ve constantly found my camera-work to be improving, but I found for possibly the first time last night that I had developed a groove, a fluid connection with the camera. I’m no expert, but I definitely feel that if I were to step behind a camera and begin shooting Soundtrack, an audience would have no indication that I am an amateur.

The monster I’ve been tackling lately is editing. There have been situations where I’ve heard that a good film was lost in the editing process. I don’t think I’d risk leaving that job to someone else – for the pilot at least. So I’ve taken it upon myself to be able to do that job on my own. I’ve only recently started learning the editing programs, but already I’ve edited two pieces that made it to air on First Local news on Rogers TV. It’s not an overly complicated process but it involves some finesse and an attentive ear.

I’ve spent some time expanding the unofficial soundtrack for the show. Keeping with the tradition of all Canadian artists, I’ve found some great musical acts that I know are going to contribute greatly to the show. I’ve found great tracks on all the following albums;

Final Fantasy – He Poos Clouds
Lights – The Listening
Thunderheist – Thunderheist
The Junction – Another Link in the Chain
The Danks – Are You Afraid of the Danks
Two Hours Traffic – Little Jabs
Alexisonfire – Old Crows / Young Cardinals
Arkells – Jackson Square
Handsome Furs – Face Control

I suppose the last thing I'd like to address here is that I'm moving this blog to another location. I've had a developing professional friendship with a young artist here in Barrie who's beginning a blogging network for artistic entrepreneurs in the area and I thought it would be appropriate to migrate in the interest of gaining exposure in the local arts scene. So from now on, The Soundtrack Blog can be found at Artistic-Tendency and I'll be providing you all with a link as soon as one is available.

Thank you all for your continued support and encouragement and I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving weekend with your families!

Obligatory

I feel this obligatory urge to post something.

Yes, there's an elephant in the room. I haven't made a post in over a month. That is not to say I haven't been productive.

There has been significant development on the pilot's script, direction and production status. There will be more on that to report when it becomes concrete and official.

I've been spending a lot of time tackling logistics and developing my technical skills. I can tell you I'm becoming a natural at camera-work and I've even directed a few shows with Rogers. There have also been a lot of bands that I've come across lately that are going to make excellent additions to Soundtrack's already great potential unofficial soundtrack.

I hope that's enough to tide you over for now, and I promise more lengthy and substantial updates in the future. Hope everyone's doing well and keeping warm in this awful weather.

Inglourious Basterds...

... is a fantastic movie, go see it.

I hate to preach any sort of advertising, or supporting "the man", but really, pay the cash to see this in theatres. Not for the theatre experience or anything (which it does deserve), but to support the film's producer, The Weinstein Company. Bob and Harvey Weinstein have put their money on the table for films that no one else would touch and in the process have brought us some of the greatest movies of our time. Their long tenure at Miramax was brought to an end when they parted ways and begin their own venture. They haven't had a lot of commercial success since then, so it's important for this film to do well in order for the brothers to continue bringing us great films such as this.

My favourite aspect of Tarantino's film making is his ability to create flawless dialogue. He has a way of making over-the-top characters say very real things. Mr. Pink and Mr. White's initial fight about the presence of an insider; Vincent explaining fast food in Europe; Bill and Beatrix's final encounter - we all have our favourite exchanges. I would love to be able to write dialogue that flows as naturally as his own.

Any article you read about the man, he almost always references his inspirations. As a former video-rental store employee, he's got a ton of movies under his belt and he loves the medium tremendously. It's easy for me to identify Tarantino as an inspiration, not in the sense I'll ever try to imitate his style - but that a simple love of what you do can get you anywhere.

I saw a motivational speaker once while working with Service Canada and amongst all his useless banter he had one strong piece of advice that works for almost any situation or life experience.


Do what you love.


I hope everyone had a good weekend. Glad that week is behind me - looking forward to the next.

All Quiet On the Western Job Front

Greetings All!

Follow me today on a trip to the exotic nation of Canada, on the resource rich continent of North America, as we prepare to study the hunting rituals of the white, anglo-saxon male in search of sustenance.

Though when out of his own environment, the white male can be hostile towards others of his own kind, when in his native land, we typically see a much more docile and carefree version of the species. It is normal for the parents of these creatures to support them well into the second quarter of their lives. Though a large percentage of these animals leave home for a number of years to discover the world on their own, it is not unusual for them to return home, exhausted of the weariness of the outside world. At this time, returning to the care of the parents can be difficult for the subject to adjust to and it is here that we see the first sparks of independence develop.

The diet of the white-male is a complete imbalance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates gathered from available foods around him. Though the creature is capable of finding food for himself, it is customary for his kind to perform services in exchange for the resources he needs to survive. The search for a mutual agreement in which resources will be exchanged for labour is the most extreme and cut-throat hunt the white-male will ever find himself in - and it's what we find ourselves observing today.

Our primary subject is physically smaller than most, but is educated and has had previously successful experiences in exchanging his labour for resources. Typically sticking close to home, as the thrill of returning home with a bounty each night excites him, the stomping grounds of the subject are comparatively smaller to those with a more severe hunger for the hunt.

Observing the subject for the past four months, I've found that he has at least twice been able to find a suitable partner to exchange services with, while still allowing him to accommodate his other leisure activities. In recent weeks however, he has retreated to a state of hibernation, relying on the goods he has gathered in the past to support him - this behavior was at first perceived as odd, until we began to look at the subject's leisure activities to provide an answer. And provide it did.

For several months, the subject has been learning the skills to hunt the elusive "career job". Thought to be an urban legend by both subjects and observers alike, the career is a relationship where the subject both exchanges labour for resources but ALSO practices his leisure activities. A mix of both work and play long thought unobtainable for most of the subject's life.

At the ripe age of 23, the subject is combining the relevant experiences of his last four years in the nation's capital urban centre with his passion for communication. Finding his way to a local trading post of both resources and communication, the subject began to offer his labour for free - instead asking only for experience and advice in hunting larger prey.

Coming across individuals who had been successful in finding suitable prey, the subject gained both confidence and excitement for the coming hunt. Using the tools at his disposal, as all intelligent, white males do, the subject was observed going after several career-jobs - but failed in most of his attempts to gain even an audience with his prey.

It is this environment of learning that the smaller stature of the subject becomes irrelevant and his curious nature becomes the trump card in the deadly game.

On August 22nd, 2009, the subject was observed conversing with another white male, somewhat older, who had grown tired with his current prey and was moving on towards another hunt. Though the prey the older hunter was leaving behind was enticing to our subject, the older hunter offered up rumours of another, bigger hunt farther down the road.

The subject, satisfied with his hunting for the day returned home to ponder the turn of events. Though his hoard of resources resources are quickly depleting, he knows he has only two options; to move on to smaller prey, which would guarantee a return of resources - or to stay with the hunt.

The subject has been previously observed as carefree, docile and these qualities were attributed to most of his behavior. But recently, we see these characteristics providing him avenues that would be unavailable, had he begun to pursue smaller, more easily hunted prey - a scavenger. Instead, we see the subject biding his time, learning his prey and waiting for the moment to strike.

It is evident that we are not observing a jackal or vulture in this hunt for employment - but the king of the concrete jungle himself - slow to anger, slow to act - but ferocious when he does - the lion.

Thank you for tuning into another edition - and good luck on all your own hunts!

The Action Scene

Lights, Camera... Action?

I've been taking some time to script out some of the more intricate action scenes from the miniseries finale, Episode 6.

Episode 6 has always been a series of action scenes linked together by the narrative established by the previous 5 episodes. The first 5 episodes are meant to explain Rhett's evolution from Derek to Soundtrack and the motivations of his band for staying with him. While Derek Rhett is the main character for episodes 1-5, Soundtrack is the main character of Episode 6.

Most action scenes are typically written and choreographed by, well, a stunt/fight choreographer. Here in Dustin Bell land, I try to do things as cheaply and cut-cornerly as possible.

I've had the songs for the final episode picked out for some time. I've even had action scenes that synched up to those songs envisioned in my head for some time. But I have been finding it extremely difficult to put pen-to-paper and make these scenes more than just a vision. I've been encountering problems in making these scenes seem fluid, essential and entertaining.

I've gotten about ten pages of action scenes worked out for the final episode. Though the vision for the final fight had always been on top of two city sky-scrappers - the realities of shooting a scene like that began to sink in and I had to think of possible alternatives. The only alternative that I really liked was a showdown at a small airport (which just happens to exist in Oro-Medonte!), but I couldn't find a way to incorporate the shot that sets off the epilogue of the series. What I'm left with is two good ideas for the final fight, one with creative flaws and one with production flaws. There's a solution somewhere in the middle of this problem.

I've been running through episode titles for Episode 6. There's a few I really liked;

i. We Stand On Guard (For Thee); This is the main one I liked. One, it's the last phrase in "O' Canada" which I think would make an awesome title. Two, it describes the destination Derek's arrived at in his rivalry with Danielle Parsons. Three, the first episode title is "For Whom the Bell Tolls", which was taken from both an Ernest Hemmingway novel and a 17th century poem by John Donne, which ends in "For Thee". Finally, the pronoun in the title is "We", which doesn't just refer to Derek, but to Riley, Cain, Eddie and Steele who have taken on Derek's cause and given him the encouragement he needs to succeed.

ii. We Stand On Guard; For all the same reasons I liked number one, except that it's shorter and carries the more connotative and ambiguous meaning that Derek has merely become a super hero who will protect... all things that need protecting. It's the less political title of the two.

iii. For Thee; Again, the last words of "O' Canada", the last words of John Donne's "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and a reference to why Derek fights. This episode finds Derek in the center of a hornet's test to rescue Eve. Though Derek will eventually fight for preservation of what is Canada, it is Eve who sets him down this path and thus the entire series has been from Derek to Eve, "For Thee".

Send me your input on which one you like the most, or any other title suggestions you may have!

I mentioned above that I've already picked out the songs I'd like to use for Episode 6, regardless of its title, and just to satisfy your curiosity, I'd like to list them;

Tegan and Sara - The Con (The Con, 2007)
Moneen - Don't Ever Tell Locke What He Can't Do (The Red Tree, 2006)
Metric - Gold, Guns, Girls (Fantasies, 2009)
Matthew Good Band - Indestructible (Underdogs, 1997)
The Constantines - On to You (Shines a Light, 2003)
Wintersleep - The Archeologist (Welcome to the Night Sky, 2007)

and maybe
Joel Plaskett - Extraordinary (Truthfully, Truthfully, 2003)

Hope that's enough to interest you in what Episode 6, and in a sense, the whole miniseries will shape out to be. I can't express enough how excited I am to tackle Episode 6 in its entirety, but for now, I'll continue with Episode 5 and give you updates whenever I can.

I had a pretty lousy day today, but it was Monday, so what can you expect? Here's a link to a cheesey band who doesn't realize it's not 1980 anymore - but that doesn't mean the song isn't awesome and relevant to my optimism. Except its a crappy live version - so DEAL WITH IT.

Peace and love ya'll.