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
Showing posts with label Rogers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rogers. Show all posts
Friday, October 23, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
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;
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!
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!
Friday, October 2, 2009
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
The Table Read
Unfortunately the table read for Episode 3 has been pushed back again. I'd like to take a moment to talk about disappointments and taking them in stride.
I was informed that people were dropping out of the read last minute for reasons here and there. Furthermore, the venue was going to become increasingly difficult to get to - as a result of cottage traffic. I made the executive decision five days before the reading to cancel it. I'm not going to lie, this is one of the first instances of discouragement and disappointment I've had to deal with on this project. For about 24 hours, I didn't take it that well.
I guess the message I'd like to take away from this cancellation is that everything can't go my way. I haven't put a lot on the line for this project. It's been more or less my baby. I feed and nurture it - but I'm afraid to let other people hold it, see it, etc.. The more people who see it increases the chances of being told that my baby isn't special, isn't beautiful, isn't the best baby in the world. The point of this industry isn't to create something that will transcend those comments - it's to take those comments and either pass them off as unwarranted, or learn from them. Either way, I think this was a lesson in taking criticism and disappointment in stride - and I don't feel like I completely failed or went off the deep end. That being said - there's always room for improvement.
Since then I've thought about ways to make the next dinner even more enjoyable and appealable. I think scheduling the dinner close to the end of the summer was difficult for the academics in my social circle to accomodate; furthermore, it can be difficult to get out to Barrie/Oro - especially on the weekends with traffic. I also admit I wasn't as prepared as I'd like to be for the dinner itself. It was going to come together very last minute.
So what have I been up to since the cancellation? Not a lot unfortunately. I've been spending about 3-4 hours a day at Rogers TV working master control for the First Local News. This is a different experience than videography, and something I think I enjoy a little less than camera work. The switchboard is fun - something I think that will hold relevance in my future work. I've also been learning VTR (which is like a fancy 5-deck VCR, with more controls) and audio. I don't take the opportunities I should to learn more about audio (the soundboard, microphones, etc), because its probably the most relevant skill I'd need to work on for the show.
A few weeks ago I'd asked a friend, L.B. to complete a little assignment for me on Ontario/Canada arts and small business grants. She'd sent me the file last week and I'd wanted to thank her in person before I mentioned it here; but thank you very much again, L.B..
Though I feel like there's a lot of work I'd personally like to dedicate to the show, there are obviously things that fall into the specialized fields of other people, and I'll never be able to complete the work as efficiently as they can. As I move closer and closer to production on Episode 1, I begin to realize just how many other people are going to be involved on this project. I talk a lot about starting "my" production company. Though it'll be mine in the sense that I started it, I have to become more comfortable that the production of the pilot won't belong to just me. In keeping with the baby metaphor - it takes a family to raise a baby. So far, I'm just a single parent.
There are some goals this month I'd like to meet and maybe I can start nailing them down post-by-post. I'm still aiming to have eight more posts this month, bringing the total to a record-setting ten. I'd like to have a concrete vision for the rescheduled table read. I'd like to have episode 5 finished and the dilemma on 5 and 6 resolved. I'd like to have begun applying for grants. I'd like to have selected a crew that's available to work. I'd like to track down a cost-friendly solution to studio-space and sets. I'd like to increase my twitter profile and get myself more attention on that venue.
I think what I'd ultimately like to happen this month is to make the ultimate decision of whether SOUNDTRACK will be my full-time job, or my part-time hobby. So far I've been leaning towards the latter, but a project this big deserves more than a recreationalist. It deserves a professional.
I'd like to close off by thanking everyone so much for their continued support, both on the project and on this blog. Thank you everyone who was planning on attending the table read, but had to drop out for various reasons. I'm not so infallible that I'm without emotional reaction - but I truly understand that things can't always come up Dustin.
I hope everyone's enjoying the changes in weather, the rest of their week and the summer that's coming to a close.
I was informed that people were dropping out of the read last minute for reasons here and there. Furthermore, the venue was going to become increasingly difficult to get to - as a result of cottage traffic. I made the executive decision five days before the reading to cancel it. I'm not going to lie, this is one of the first instances of discouragement and disappointment I've had to deal with on this project. For about 24 hours, I didn't take it that well.
I guess the message I'd like to take away from this cancellation is that everything can't go my way. I haven't put a lot on the line for this project. It's been more or less my baby. I feed and nurture it - but I'm afraid to let other people hold it, see it, etc.. The more people who see it increases the chances of being told that my baby isn't special, isn't beautiful, isn't the best baby in the world. The point of this industry isn't to create something that will transcend those comments - it's to take those comments and either pass them off as unwarranted, or learn from them. Either way, I think this was a lesson in taking criticism and disappointment in stride - and I don't feel like I completely failed or went off the deep end. That being said - there's always room for improvement.
Since then I've thought about ways to make the next dinner even more enjoyable and appealable. I think scheduling the dinner close to the end of the summer was difficult for the academics in my social circle to accomodate; furthermore, it can be difficult to get out to Barrie/Oro - especially on the weekends with traffic. I also admit I wasn't as prepared as I'd like to be for the dinner itself. It was going to come together very last minute.
So what have I been up to since the cancellation? Not a lot unfortunately. I've been spending about 3-4 hours a day at Rogers TV working master control for the First Local News. This is a different experience than videography, and something I think I enjoy a little less than camera work. The switchboard is fun - something I think that will hold relevance in my future work. I've also been learning VTR (which is like a fancy 5-deck VCR, with more controls) and audio. I don't take the opportunities I should to learn more about audio (the soundboard, microphones, etc), because its probably the most relevant skill I'd need to work on for the show.
A few weeks ago I'd asked a friend, L.B. to complete a little assignment for me on Ontario/Canada arts and small business grants. She'd sent me the file last week and I'd wanted to thank her in person before I mentioned it here; but thank you very much again, L.B..
Though I feel like there's a lot of work I'd personally like to dedicate to the show, there are obviously things that fall into the specialized fields of other people, and I'll never be able to complete the work as efficiently as they can. As I move closer and closer to production on Episode 1, I begin to realize just how many other people are going to be involved on this project. I talk a lot about starting "my" production company. Though it'll be mine in the sense that I started it, I have to become more comfortable that the production of the pilot won't belong to just me. In keeping with the baby metaphor - it takes a family to raise a baby. So far, I'm just a single parent.
There are some goals this month I'd like to meet and maybe I can start nailing them down post-by-post. I'm still aiming to have eight more posts this month, bringing the total to a record-setting ten. I'd like to have a concrete vision for the rescheduled table read. I'd like to have episode 5 finished and the dilemma on 5 and 6 resolved. I'd like to have begun applying for grants. I'd like to have selected a crew that's available to work. I'd like to track down a cost-friendly solution to studio-space and sets. I'd like to increase my twitter profile and get myself more attention on that venue.
I think what I'd ultimately like to happen this month is to make the ultimate decision of whether SOUNDTRACK will be my full-time job, or my part-time hobby. So far I've been leaning towards the latter, but a project this big deserves more than a recreationalist. It deserves a professional.
I'd like to close off by thanking everyone so much for their continued support, both on the project and on this blog. Thank you everyone who was planning on attending the table read, but had to drop out for various reasons. I'm not so infallible that I'm without emotional reaction - but I truly understand that things can't always come up Dustin.
I hope everyone's enjoying the changes in weather, the rest of their week and the summer that's coming to a close.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
The Watchmaker
It's already August 9th; the table read for Episode 3 is this coming Saturday and this week is all about getting that prepared.
I'll be reviewing the script tomorrow through Tuesday, getting final numbers for attendance and then getting prepared for the dinner itself later in the week. Believe it or not this is going to be a ... long week.
I've been filming a bit more for Rogers TV recently. Saw the Barrie Baycats beat Kitchener and move on to the Intercounty Baseball Semi-Finals. Also did a Celebrate the County shoot in Heritage Park. Apparently Barrie has a small Carribana festival, and a steele drum band was playing in the park. It's actually quite a nice area and depending on how the footage is edited, you might see one of the better-kept areas of Barrie. I believe it's on Saturdays at 5pm on Rogers TV, which is channels 10 and 53 on cable. Barrie OHL starts up soon too, and I think there would be something challenging about filming hockey, so I'm excited to be signing up for that. Plus, it gets me into every Barrie Colts home game this season.
I've been writing Episode 5 lately, and have been wrestling with the idea of combining Episodes 5 and 6 together. I'm not confidant that I have enough material to actually make a 45 page script for Episode 6, but I'm sure that overlapping the plots of both would come out to longer than 45 minutes. It's actually been quite the dilemma that hasn't exactly been resolved.
Episode 5 is coming along great so far. It's the first opportunity I've had to characterize Danielle 'Lidless' Parsons as a tragic villain. I had always intended to her to be ruthless, yet sympathetic. Furthermore, the 'plot' of the show has always been about her political machinations, which are revealed in Episode 5. Though it's fun to write, there's also some critical thinking that has to go into this script that isn't exactly present in its predecessors.
Been doing some local travelling lately; was up in the Blue Mountains last weekend and managed to catch the sunrise from a particularly nice view. Was also doing some very-local sight-seeing at the Lake Simcoe Regional Airport, located in Oro-Medonte. I mention these because I think there's a lot of potential in showing the natural resources of this area in the show. Though there's plenty of shows filmed in and around this area, very few shows take place here. I think it would be fun to try and incorporate the Blue Mountains into the narrative of the show somehow, maybe further down the line, just to have an excuse to go out and film there.
I had intended to have August be my big month for blogging, but in full compliance with the law of economics, as a recently laid-off individual, I enjoy spending money I don't have on things I don't need. This involves a lot of unproductive days. I'll do my best to get a full eight blogs out over the next 23 days and see if I can't make that goal of having August be the most productive month for the blog.
Think that's gonna wrap things up for tonight. Hope you all had good weekends despite the return of the wet weather.
I'll be reviewing the script tomorrow through Tuesday, getting final numbers for attendance and then getting prepared for the dinner itself later in the week. Believe it or not this is going to be a ... long week.
I've been filming a bit more for Rogers TV recently. Saw the Barrie Baycats beat Kitchener and move on to the Intercounty Baseball Semi-Finals. Also did a Celebrate the County shoot in Heritage Park. Apparently Barrie has a small Carribana festival, and a steele drum band was playing in the park. It's actually quite a nice area and depending on how the footage is edited, you might see one of the better-kept areas of Barrie. I believe it's on Saturdays at 5pm on Rogers TV, which is channels 10 and 53 on cable. Barrie OHL starts up soon too, and I think there would be something challenging about filming hockey, so I'm excited to be signing up for that. Plus, it gets me into every Barrie Colts home game this season.
I've been writing Episode 5 lately, and have been wrestling with the idea of combining Episodes 5 and 6 together. I'm not confidant that I have enough material to actually make a 45 page script for Episode 6, but I'm sure that overlapping the plots of both would come out to longer than 45 minutes. It's actually been quite the dilemma that hasn't exactly been resolved.
Episode 5 is coming along great so far. It's the first opportunity I've had to characterize Danielle 'Lidless' Parsons as a tragic villain. I had always intended to her to be ruthless, yet sympathetic. Furthermore, the 'plot' of the show has always been about her political machinations, which are revealed in Episode 5. Though it's fun to write, there's also some critical thinking that has to go into this script that isn't exactly present in its predecessors.
Been doing some local travelling lately; was up in the Blue Mountains last weekend and managed to catch the sunrise from a particularly nice view. Was also doing some very-local sight-seeing at the Lake Simcoe Regional Airport, located in Oro-Medonte. I mention these because I think there's a lot of potential in showing the natural resources of this area in the show. Though there's plenty of shows filmed in and around this area, very few shows take place here. I think it would be fun to try and incorporate the Blue Mountains into the narrative of the show somehow, maybe further down the line, just to have an excuse to go out and film there.
I had intended to have August be my big month for blogging, but in full compliance with the law of economics, as a recently laid-off individual, I enjoy spending money I don't have on things I don't need. This involves a lot of unproductive days. I'll do my best to get a full eight blogs out over the next 23 days and see if I can't make that goal of having August be the most productive month for the blog.
Think that's gonna wrap things up for tonight. Hope you all had good weekends despite the return of the wet weather.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Underground Local
I recently submitted a proposal to produce a program on Rogers TV titled Underground Talent or Underground Local.
I also happened to drop the address of this website on the proposal, so with that in mind I'm dedicating a post to the Rogers TV program I hope to produce someday.
Underground Local
My name is Dustin Bell and I have lived in the Barrie area for all but four years of my life which were spent at Carleton University in Ottawa. I’ve seen this city’s population quadruple in my lifetime, but haven’t gotten a sense of the city itself becoming bigger. The city has plenty of shopping malls, but few local businesses, less industry and a virtually unheard of arts scene. The local musicians, artists, poets, comedians and creative peoples of all sorts have never had an accessible forum to showcase their talents to the city. I propose that Barrie Rogers TV develop and produce a low-budget once-a-week program that would feature aspiring artistic entrepreneurs.
Underground Local would be a half-hour weekly program that featured local bands doing a one-to-three song set, artists of all types showcasing their work, comedians performing a short routine and theatre troupes enacting short scenes from locally produced plays. The show would also be a forum for local poets, fashion designers and photographers.
It would be produced in-house, running primarily on volunteer efforts. A host would introduce the show, each guest and then close the program. It would require three videographers, a sound technician, a producer and a director. I would happily serve as either of the latter two.
As a volunteer at Barrie Rogers TV, I am familiar with the studio-setting and have always had a passion for television production and local talent. The Barrie Rogers TV studio already has the resources necessary to accomodate the show, including a stage, multi-channel soundboard and dedicated volunteers.
I've often talked on this blog about the potential that Barrie has to become something more than a suburb. There are more than enough people who believe this is possible - but I feel that this is one step that will bring us closer to that dream.
I sincerely hope that we want the same things for Barrie and I can't thank you enough for your consideration.
I also happened to drop the address of this website on the proposal, so with that in mind I'm dedicating a post to the Rogers TV program I hope to produce someday.
Underground Local
My name is Dustin Bell and I have lived in the Barrie area for all but four years of my life which were spent at Carleton University in Ottawa. I’ve seen this city’s population quadruple in my lifetime, but haven’t gotten a sense of the city itself becoming bigger. The city has plenty of shopping malls, but few local businesses, less industry and a virtually unheard of arts scene. The local musicians, artists, poets, comedians and creative peoples of all sorts have never had an accessible forum to showcase their talents to the city. I propose that Barrie Rogers TV develop and produce a low-budget once-a-week program that would feature aspiring artistic entrepreneurs.
Underground Local would be a half-hour weekly program that featured local bands doing a one-to-three song set, artists of all types showcasing their work, comedians performing a short routine and theatre troupes enacting short scenes from locally produced plays. The show would also be a forum for local poets, fashion designers and photographers.
It would be produced in-house, running primarily on volunteer efforts. A host would introduce the show, each guest and then close the program. It would require three videographers, a sound technician, a producer and a director. I would happily serve as either of the latter two.
As a volunteer at Barrie Rogers TV, I am familiar with the studio-setting and have always had a passion for television production and local talent. The Barrie Rogers TV studio already has the resources necessary to accomodate the show, including a stage, multi-channel soundboard and dedicated volunteers.
I've often talked on this blog about the potential that Barrie has to become something more than a suburb. There are more than enough people who believe this is possible - but I feel that this is one step that will bring us closer to that dream.
I sincerely hope that we want the same things for Barrie and I can't thank you enough for your consideration.
The Dustin Bell Guide to Productive 4am Web Surfing
hello wonderful people and welcome to what may come off as an oddity amongst the rest of these posts.
it's 4am. u've just come off a three hour binge of the wire and let me be the latest to tell you, that shit is tight.
but i don't come here to talk about other television shows! i come here to talk about me!
building good networks is probably the most crucial step to success. in my books at least. it's also good to stay informed.
i'm going to let you all in on a some of the websites i try to hit up at least once a week to stay in-the-know and to capitalize on any opportunities i know aren't coming my way.
the ontario media development corporation; to think your tax dollars do nothing for you is ignorant. wanting to write and produce television is a very specific goal and the government has done nothing short of hold my hand through the process. the municipal, provincial and federal levels of government provide immeasurable assistance to those trying to do almost anything. this specific website, the OMDC is dedicated towards keeping filmmakers informed on provincial grants, tax incentives, amazing market research and almost most importantly; all programmes currently in production, updated weekly. your tax dollars at work people. i rate this website 4 dustins out of 5.
media job search canada; fuck craigslist, monster, workopolis, etc. and try to picture an employment database filled with jobs that cater towards your specific career. now picture a lot of people knowing about that website and participating in it. this is MJSC. so many gems that would otherwise go unnoticed. anyone in that broad industry i call 'media' should check this website out (that includes you, english and journalism grads). in the words of tracy jordan, i love MJSC so much i'm gonna take it behind the middle-school and get it pregnant.
twitter; i knew it, you think i'm a monster now. ow, i'm not. i'm not a tweeter. it's not really my thang. i find it's a little bit more about celebrity gossip than anything. i mean as much as i love to know the second tina fey has a humorous anecdote about mcdonalds - i thought the whole thing was supposed to be geared towards expanding business networks. instead i just find a bunch of porn. i mean, i'm not complaining, and it's not liked i've stopped going on it... i'm just not enthusastic about it. besides, you have to spend a lot of time developing your networks to get anything worthwhile out of it - so take it with a grain of salt.
linkedin; was referred to this through B.B. thought it was a neat little program to network with people who share my professional interests - but with any social networking site, it takes time to build up any meaningful networks. i'm from the plug-and-play generation, not the plug-and-work.
artistic tendency; this is a great website run by a friend, B.B. these are the kind of websites that i like to read about online. B.'s taken some of the best young artistic expressions from the local area and put them out there for the world to see. i've ranted before about how barrie doesn't seem to have the resources to rise above anything than a bedroom for the nation's largest city, but the only resources it needs are people like B. and the people she's showcasing. i know a lot of you support your local artists and musicians, but if you haven't been, which i'm recently guilty of - at the very least, being aware of them, is enough encouragment to keep these struggling entrepeneurs going.
so 32 minutes later and i'm still not any more tired.
i still haven't decided what's worse; the heat, or the noise my neighbors' air conditioning makes. it's like irony slapping me in the face.
i used to play around with websites a lot when i was younger - like, ten years younger (it scares me to think i've been using the internet for ten years). the point is, i learned a lot about HTML and the basics of web-based programming languages. you may have noticed that there are clickable links in this post and i just wanted to point out that it wasn't any fancy 'link' button - it was good old fashioned '< a href = 'http://www.mymemoryfuckingrocks.com' >, with a little < /a > for good measure. i try, people!
3 minutes later and i think another episode of the wire is gonna serande me to sleep.
sweet dreams and lullabies my faithful readers.
P.S. i'm coming to toronto this weekend - so mothers lock up your daughters.
P.P.S. i'm actually just going to ribfest so maybe you should just tell them to avoid that areA
it's 4am. u've just come off a three hour binge of the wire and let me be the latest to tell you, that shit is tight.
but i don't come here to talk about other television shows! i come here to talk about me!
building good networks is probably the most crucial step to success. in my books at least. it's also good to stay informed.
i'm going to let you all in on a some of the websites i try to hit up at least once a week to stay in-the-know and to capitalize on any opportunities i know aren't coming my way.
the ontario media development corporation; to think your tax dollars do nothing for you is ignorant. wanting to write and produce television is a very specific goal and the government has done nothing short of hold my hand through the process. the municipal, provincial and federal levels of government provide immeasurable assistance to those trying to do almost anything. this specific website, the OMDC is dedicated towards keeping filmmakers informed on provincial grants, tax incentives, amazing market research and almost most importantly; all programmes currently in production, updated weekly. your tax dollars at work people. i rate this website 4 dustins out of 5.
media job search canada; fuck craigslist, monster, workopolis, etc. and try to picture an employment database filled with jobs that cater towards your specific career. now picture a lot of people knowing about that website and participating in it. this is MJSC. so many gems that would otherwise go unnoticed. anyone in that broad industry i call 'media' should check this website out (that includes you, english and journalism grads). in the words of tracy jordan, i love MJSC so much i'm gonna take it behind the middle-school and get it pregnant.
twitter; i knew it, you think i'm a monster now. ow, i'm not. i'm not a tweeter. it's not really my thang. i find it's a little bit more about celebrity gossip than anything. i mean as much as i love to know the second tina fey has a humorous anecdote about mcdonalds - i thought the whole thing was supposed to be geared towards expanding business networks. instead i just find a bunch of porn. i mean, i'm not complaining, and it's not liked i've stopped going on it... i'm just not enthusastic about it. besides, you have to spend a lot of time developing your networks to get anything worthwhile out of it - so take it with a grain of salt.
linkedin; was referred to this through B.B. thought it was a neat little program to network with people who share my professional interests - but with any social networking site, it takes time to build up any meaningful networks. i'm from the plug-and-play generation, not the plug-and-work.
artistic tendency; this is a great website run by a friend, B.B. these are the kind of websites that i like to read about online. B.'s taken some of the best young artistic expressions from the local area and put them out there for the world to see. i've ranted before about how barrie doesn't seem to have the resources to rise above anything than a bedroom for the nation's largest city, but the only resources it needs are people like B. and the people she's showcasing. i know a lot of you support your local artists and musicians, but if you haven't been, which i'm recently guilty of - at the very least, being aware of them, is enough encouragment to keep these struggling entrepeneurs going.
so 32 minutes later and i'm still not any more tired.
i still haven't decided what's worse; the heat, or the noise my neighbors' air conditioning makes. it's like irony slapping me in the face.
i used to play around with websites a lot when i was younger - like, ten years younger (it scares me to think i've been using the internet for ten years). the point is, i learned a lot about HTML and the basics of web-based programming languages. you may have noticed that there are clickable links in this post and i just wanted to point out that it wasn't any fancy 'link' button - it was good old fashioned '< a href = 'http://www.mymemoryfuckingrocks.com' >, with a little < /a > for good measure. i try, people!
3 minutes later and i think another episode of the wire is gonna serande me to sleep.
sweet dreams and lullabies my faithful readers.
P.S. i'm coming to toronto this weekend - so mothers lock up your daughters.
P.P.S. i'm actually just going to ribfest so maybe you should just tell them to avoid that areA
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Dustin Versus Episode Three
I return to you with Episode 3 ‘401’ complete!
That’s the big news for today, but since it’s been some time since the last entry I think there are a few things that I should talk about.
I’ve learned a few things this past week. I’ll start with deadlines.
At the end of April, I had initially set a deadline of May 15th for ‘401’ to be completed. That didn’t come anywhere close to happening. It wasn’t due to laziness or a lack of inspiration – I had just found myself committed to too many other things. Volunteering, working, trying to maintain some sense of a social life. I didn’t have a lot of time left to exclusively write.
I believe it’s been eleven days and twenty-two pages since the last entry. Most of the writing was done over three days, today being the most beautiful of them and thus a lot of it got done outside.
The writing process went smoothly for pages 22-36. The words and actions of these characters fell off my hands and onto the page. 36-42 I had a little bit of trouble wrapping up this specific episode as it dealt with a lot of issues.
I had initially decided that Dana Steele was to remain an adversary until the season finale where she assists Derek escaping from the law. The way things worked out, Dana ended up helping Derek remain one step ahead by the end of Episode 3.
One of the other things I learned this past week was about the relationship and communication issues between the director and videographers. I’ve mentioned the ongoing difficulty I’ve had dealing with ‘DAYTIME’ director, D.M. This past week I reached a point where I couldn't feel comfortable with the director any longer and it wasn't worth souring my day every morning to meet the demands of a very difficult woman.
As a communications student, I obviously studied the act of communicating. I could go on for a while about Locke, Payne, Chomsky or whomever but I think the general message I walked out of that area of study with was that a good vocabulary is essential to good communication. An understanding of the terms and cues in the industry that are known by both camera crew and production team is essential to effective communication.
So what did I LEARN? To communicate EFFECTIVELY. To use the best words possible to describe the exact motion, speed and angle of the shot wanted in the calmest and most reasonable voice possible. You may think it’s simple, but believe it or not, some directors think that yelling louder will actually increase your ability to read their mind. I luckily no longer have to deal with any directors of that sort.
I did a casting call this past weekend for the Rogers TV program “IT’S ELEMENTARY” produced by T.L.. T. was great to work with and definitely provided excellent input into the personality and behavior expected to be projected towards the public. Working with T. was a great experience and though the audition was for a younger part, I think it was absolutely worth my time.
So many things I do at Rogers seem so simple, but just being able to do them is a great experience and such an eye-opener. The more I learn there, the more I’m excited about proposing a show to produce while SOUNDTRACK goes through development.
Episode 3 is still tabled for a July 18th or July 24th reading, so I’ll be working on the second draft of that episode (i’m already halfway done the second draft) and preparing a facebook event guestlist. Hopefully everyone can make it out, as the last two have been absolutely great experiences for both the project and just having a great time.
It’s dinner time and I’m still in my pyjammas, so enjoy the rest of your Sunday, wish your fathers a happy father’s day, and have a great afternoon!
That’s the big news for today, but since it’s been some time since the last entry I think there are a few things that I should talk about.
I’ve learned a few things this past week. I’ll start with deadlines.
At the end of April, I had initially set a deadline of May 15th for ‘401’ to be completed. That didn’t come anywhere close to happening. It wasn’t due to laziness or a lack of inspiration – I had just found myself committed to too many other things. Volunteering, working, trying to maintain some sense of a social life. I didn’t have a lot of time left to exclusively write.
I believe it’s been eleven days and twenty-two pages since the last entry. Most of the writing was done over three days, today being the most beautiful of them and thus a lot of it got done outside.
The writing process went smoothly for pages 22-36. The words and actions of these characters fell off my hands and onto the page. 36-42 I had a little bit of trouble wrapping up this specific episode as it dealt with a lot of issues.
I had initially decided that Dana Steele was to remain an adversary until the season finale where she assists Derek escaping from the law. The way things worked out, Dana ended up helping Derek remain one step ahead by the end of Episode 3.
One of the other things I learned this past week was about the relationship and communication issues between the director and videographers. I’ve mentioned the ongoing difficulty I’ve had dealing with ‘DAYTIME’ director, D.M. This past week I reached a point where I couldn't feel comfortable with the director any longer and it wasn't worth souring my day every morning to meet the demands of a very difficult woman.
As a communications student, I obviously studied the act of communicating. I could go on for a while about Locke, Payne, Chomsky or whomever but I think the general message I walked out of that area of study with was that a good vocabulary is essential to good communication. An understanding of the terms and cues in the industry that are known by both camera crew and production team is essential to effective communication.
So what did I LEARN? To communicate EFFECTIVELY. To use the best words possible to describe the exact motion, speed and angle of the shot wanted in the calmest and most reasonable voice possible. You may think it’s simple, but believe it or not, some directors think that yelling louder will actually increase your ability to read their mind. I luckily no longer have to deal with any directors of that sort.
I did a casting call this past weekend for the Rogers TV program “IT’S ELEMENTARY” produced by T.L.. T. was great to work with and definitely provided excellent input into the personality and behavior expected to be projected towards the public. Working with T. was a great experience and though the audition was for a younger part, I think it was absolutely worth my time.
So many things I do at Rogers seem so simple, but just being able to do them is a great experience and such an eye-opener. The more I learn there, the more I’m excited about proposing a show to produce while SOUNDTRACK goes through development.
Episode 3 is still tabled for a July 18th or July 24th reading, so I’ll be working on the second draft of that episode (i’m already halfway done the second draft) and preparing a facebook event guestlist. Hopefully everyone can make it out, as the last two have been absolutely great experiences for both the project and just having a great time.
It’s dinner time and I’m still in my pyjammas, so enjoy the rest of your Sunday, wish your fathers a happy father’s day, and have a great afternoon!
Friday, June 5, 2009
The Beautiful People (that's you!)
you're all such patient, beautiful people and so i've decided to try and win you all over with another blog entry.
the warm weather has arrived and i think it's here to stay. i couldn't be happier. i love the summer and everything associated with it.
been spending a lot of time filming. did celebrate the county today, doing the barrie baycats double header tomorrow.
tuesday or wednesday night i put on a pot of coffee at 10pm and wrote until 2am. took everything i had for episode 3 "401" and turned it into 24 pages of concrete script that i am absolutely thrilled with. i realize i'm almost a month behind on my initial deadline for "401", but I made that list before I had committed myself to work and volunteering, and honestly, I don't think it's been wasted time. I'll wrap up "401" as soon as I can, but "Nostos", "In Media Res" and the season finale will have to wait until I can make more serious advances in production of the pilot.
i've tasked someone with getting all the applications possible for grants, funding, etc.. so it looks like DBell Ink [or Dbell Productions, which is better?] has its first staff member. speaking of the production company, i'm still sticking to my deadline of having the company founded by the end of the summer. rome was not built in a day, and all great things take time. though i don't spend every waking hour working on this project, i think i've set realistic deadlines to accompany the demands of life as well as my passion for the show.
i've been concentrating a lot of effort into developing the character of Riley. She's turning into my favorite character in the show because I know where she ends up in episode 24. we may never get to episode 24, but it feels so natural for her to be at that place at the end of the series. 24 episodes is what most television programs have in one season, but i'd like to tell the entire series in 4-5 arcs spread over 24-26 episodes. i've all but decided the fates of Derek and Eddie, but it's Riley's character arc that i feel deserves the most attention.
the show had always started based on Derek's love for a character based on K.M., but the further this show goes the more I'm happy I decided Eveleigh's fate early on. i've had trouble lately finding a girl that i'd like to start a relationship with and thus people ask me what i want in a girl. as i continue to write these episodes, i realize i am shaping Riley out to very much be the kind of girl i'd like to be with. ultimately i identify with all my characters, male and female alike, and generally try to imbue them with some sense of my own moral attributes. where Eveleigh represents the superficial and obvious qualities i look for in a girl, Riley represents that partnering and true personality i'd like to connect with. similarily, i think Eddie will personify some of the qualities i'd find appealing about myself for a woman, but Derek represents the more natural, careless and negative way I carry myself with women.
i always try and make a point to recognzie when i'm too freudy and psychoanalyzing myself. this is it, and thus i'll bring this to a close. i hope you all have wonderful weekends, and i'll be talking with you soon!
the warm weather has arrived and i think it's here to stay. i couldn't be happier. i love the summer and everything associated with it.
been spending a lot of time filming. did celebrate the county today, doing the barrie baycats double header tomorrow.
tuesday or wednesday night i put on a pot of coffee at 10pm and wrote until 2am. took everything i had for episode 3 "401" and turned it into 24 pages of concrete script that i am absolutely thrilled with. i realize i'm almost a month behind on my initial deadline for "401", but I made that list before I had committed myself to work and volunteering, and honestly, I don't think it's been wasted time. I'll wrap up "401" as soon as I can, but "Nostos", "In Media Res" and the season finale will have to wait until I can make more serious advances in production of the pilot.
i've tasked someone with getting all the applications possible for grants, funding, etc.. so it looks like DBell Ink [or Dbell Productions, which is better?] has its first staff member. speaking of the production company, i'm still sticking to my deadline of having the company founded by the end of the summer. rome was not built in a day, and all great things take time. though i don't spend every waking hour working on this project, i think i've set realistic deadlines to accompany the demands of life as well as my passion for the show.
i've been concentrating a lot of effort into developing the character of Riley. She's turning into my favorite character in the show because I know where she ends up in episode 24. we may never get to episode 24, but it feels so natural for her to be at that place at the end of the series. 24 episodes is what most television programs have in one season, but i'd like to tell the entire series in 4-5 arcs spread over 24-26 episodes. i've all but decided the fates of Derek and Eddie, but it's Riley's character arc that i feel deserves the most attention.
the show had always started based on Derek's love for a character based on K.M., but the further this show goes the more I'm happy I decided Eveleigh's fate early on. i've had trouble lately finding a girl that i'd like to start a relationship with and thus people ask me what i want in a girl. as i continue to write these episodes, i realize i am shaping Riley out to very much be the kind of girl i'd like to be with. ultimately i identify with all my characters, male and female alike, and generally try to imbue them with some sense of my own moral attributes. where Eveleigh represents the superficial and obvious qualities i look for in a girl, Riley represents that partnering and true personality i'd like to connect with. similarily, i think Eddie will personify some of the qualities i'd find appealing about myself for a woman, but Derek represents the more natural, careless and negative way I carry myself with women.
i always try and make a point to recognzie when i'm too freudy and psychoanalyzing myself. this is it, and thus i'll bring this to a close. i hope you all have wonderful weekends, and i'll be talking with you soon!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Camera Work
Filmed the Barrie Baycats tonight for Rogers. I'm starting to like doing baseball, not because I enjoy the sport or anything, but because you have to really get a feel for the camera. Daytime is more about your ability to keep a very specific shot on a still or only slowly-moving target. Filming on baseball is a lot about finding your own shots, and keeping generally still on a still or very fast-moving target. I really enjoyed finding those back-from-commercial shots and stuff. Practicing with the zoom and tilt. On that thought, it'd be fun to play around with the studio cameras since they have wheels, then there can be zoom, tilt and push/pull. Anyway, just thought I'd stress that I'm enjoying camera-work and I think I'm steadily improving.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
The Lizife
Been keeping busy. Been writing too! Managed to squeeze out the entire rescue of Detective Nathan Davis from a moving transport truck. The way it's written shouldn't be too expensive. I hope not anyway. I had always envisioned it to be the most expensive scene in the entire series, but as I was writing it I realized there's only.. five expensive/dangerous shots that I think can be accomplsihed using tricks of the eye. The way I look at it is George Lucas made the Death Star blow up in 1977, so the least I can do in 2009 is make two trucks look like they're driving real fast.
Rogers is fun. Developing a patience for D.S., and I'm not exactly patient. I just accept the role between directon and camerawork and try to shrug it off. Live television is a little bit different I suppose, a lot more stressful for the production room. I'd really like to get an opportunity to shadow directing before Daytime is out. I'd really like to get a try at trying to communicate what I want from the camera crew. I'm sure if I ever got to do it I'd have R. on audio, then J., C. and M. on camera so they'd all be pro by now, which means they'd all be good at catching what I say.
Rogers has a section about proposing a show, and although I think it's a little early to be thinking Soundtrack right now, I wouldn't mind proposing a show. I think it'd be interesting to have a show completely about local talent. Local bands, poets, artists, singers, theatre troupes, comedy acts could fill the half-hour segment, and it would contain only the same costs of operating the studio on volunteer work. I should talk to someone about it. I know it seems a little obnoxious, but I do have a Bachelors of Arts in Mass Communication and I'm trying hard to make a good impression on the staff there. I feel like I've come a far way in these past few weeks. If anything I've realized just how much more there is to know. Which is why I think I should start with something small. Get some experience behind me. I'm going to write yup a business model this week, and submit it sometime after.
I feel I must at least make a public statement that Soundtrack is not, I repeat, NOT on hiatus or the backburner in ANY way. Soundtrack is a destination I will arrive at, at exactly when I expect myself too. I told P.L. on March 26th, 2009, I wanted to be casting one year from then. I believe I can still meet that goal. Here is my attempt at an original moment of zen for your pleasure.
The path is long and has many turns, but it is always right in front of you.
I don't know if I'll get a chance to mention this before I go, but I'm attending a seminar at City Hall this week on how to receive arts funding! Barrie's fortunate enough to have a great MPP, Aileen Carroll, who sits as the provincial government's Minister of Culture, so this is a great town to live in to be an aspiring artist. I use the term loosely by the way, that's just the government's definition of me.
So hope you all had a good weekend and enjoyed the weather, and you'll be hearing from me soon!
Rogers is fun. Developing a patience for D.S., and I'm not exactly patient. I just accept the role between directon and camerawork and try to shrug it off. Live television is a little bit different I suppose, a lot more stressful for the production room. I'd really like to get an opportunity to shadow directing before Daytime is out. I'd really like to get a try at trying to communicate what I want from the camera crew. I'm sure if I ever got to do it I'd have R. on audio, then J., C. and M. on camera so they'd all be pro by now, which means they'd all be good at catching what I say.
Rogers has a section about proposing a show, and although I think it's a little early to be thinking Soundtrack right now, I wouldn't mind proposing a show. I think it'd be interesting to have a show completely about local talent. Local bands, poets, artists, singers, theatre troupes, comedy acts could fill the half-hour segment, and it would contain only the same costs of operating the studio on volunteer work. I should talk to someone about it. I know it seems a little obnoxious, but I do have a Bachelors of Arts in Mass Communication and I'm trying hard to make a good impression on the staff there. I feel like I've come a far way in these past few weeks. If anything I've realized just how much more there is to know. Which is why I think I should start with something small. Get some experience behind me. I'm going to write yup a business model this week, and submit it sometime after.
I feel I must at least make a public statement that Soundtrack is not, I repeat, NOT on hiatus or the backburner in ANY way. Soundtrack is a destination I will arrive at, at exactly when I expect myself too. I told P.L. on March 26th, 2009, I wanted to be casting one year from then. I believe I can still meet that goal. Here is my attempt at an original moment of zen for your pleasure.
The path is long and has many turns, but it is always right in front of you.
I don't know if I'll get a chance to mention this before I go, but I'm attending a seminar at City Hall this week on how to receive arts funding! Barrie's fortunate enough to have a great MPP, Aileen Carroll, who sits as the provincial government's Minister of Culture, so this is a great town to live in to be an aspiring artist. I use the term loosely by the way, that's just the government's definition of me.
So hope you all had a good weekend and enjoyed the weather, and you'll be hearing from me soon!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Collingwood
May 17 2009
So I'm currently in Collingwood at my friend E.B.'s chalet. The group of them had wanted to see Star Trek again, but I've already seen it twice and that's enough. So I'm staying here, taking some time off drinking for the weekend and blogging some thoughts about television and life.
I started spreading the word about the third dinner. Camp-out at Dustin's, tents, fire, smores the whole shabang. But unfortunately I haven't been making the progress I'd like to on Episode 3. What I should try and remember is that I had this problem with Episode 2, and I was honestly happier and more satisfied with Episode 2 than 1. I'll make an effort on Tuesday to put some solid ideas on paper and finish the skeleton and first draft of Episode 3 before moving on to a more refined version.
In the news; Barrie Mediagate 2009 seems to be winding down. I've read most of the responses to my editorial, and I have one only rebuttal; learn the difference between internships and volunteering before you make it the cornerstone of your argument. I haven't been compelled to write any counter-arguments to the Examiner because I simply feel like no one has given me something worth responding to outside debating semantics. The blog is certainly a better place to hold these debates.
The Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission released a notice this past week that it would not seek to implement whats being called the "1-for-1" rule. This rule essentially seeks to correct the bidding wars for foreign programmes by Canadian stations. The CRTC claims that over three quarters of a billion dollars is spent each year by Canadian networks on purchasing foreign shows. What the 1-for-1 rule would essentially impose is for every dollar Canadian networks spend on purchasing American productions, they spend a dollar on purchasing Canadian productions. This is excellent news for me and it comes at a perfect time.
Next week American networks begin screening the slate of Fall television pilots for purchase by domestic and foreign networks. I'm sure this means there's some very lucky people watching some very rudimentary television pilots very soon, but it also means it's too soon for the CRTC to be implementing a new rule such as this. It would give Canadian networks a little over a week to reconsider their scheduling, production and budgets - which I'm sure isn't enough time. The CRTC in their infinite wisdom have decided to instead reschedule the 1-for-1 rule to be implemented in 2010 rather than the coming 2009 season. This gives me both time and hope to continue working on the series for a Fall 2010 debut. That also means this time next year I should be coming off the tail end of putting in a hell of a lot of work into the pilot - which makes me think I should get on to some of the more important aspects of pre-production. All in good time.
Rogers is going fine. Nothing really new to report there. Getting the hang of camera operation; starting to feel a little bit more comfortable behind the camera and being at the studio in general. R.M., the Director of Volunteer Services for Rogers Barrie couldn't have been more sincere when saying how respectful employees of the studio would be towards us volunteers. With competence comes confidence, but I couldn't have done either without the instruction and support of the Rogers program.
Not sure what else there is to say lately. Been having a good weekend, still one more night of fun drinking times to go! Then back to the 9-5 life. Hope everyone is well and having a great weekend. Thanks for reading and I'll talk to you all again soon.
So I'm currently in Collingwood at my friend E.B.'s chalet. The group of them had wanted to see Star Trek again, but I've already seen it twice and that's enough. So I'm staying here, taking some time off drinking for the weekend and blogging some thoughts about television and life.
I started spreading the word about the third dinner. Camp-out at Dustin's, tents, fire, smores the whole shabang. But unfortunately I haven't been making the progress I'd like to on Episode 3. What I should try and remember is that I had this problem with Episode 2, and I was honestly happier and more satisfied with Episode 2 than 1. I'll make an effort on Tuesday to put some solid ideas on paper and finish the skeleton and first draft of Episode 3 before moving on to a more refined version.
In the news; Barrie Mediagate 2009 seems to be winding down. I've read most of the responses to my editorial, and I have one only rebuttal; learn the difference between internships and volunteering before you make it the cornerstone of your argument. I haven't been compelled to write any counter-arguments to the Examiner because I simply feel like no one has given me something worth responding to outside debating semantics. The blog is certainly a better place to hold these debates.
The Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission released a notice this past week that it would not seek to implement whats being called the "1-for-1" rule. This rule essentially seeks to correct the bidding wars for foreign programmes by Canadian stations. The CRTC claims that over three quarters of a billion dollars is spent each year by Canadian networks on purchasing foreign shows. What the 1-for-1 rule would essentially impose is for every dollar Canadian networks spend on purchasing American productions, they spend a dollar on purchasing Canadian productions. This is excellent news for me and it comes at a perfect time.
Next week American networks begin screening the slate of Fall television pilots for purchase by domestic and foreign networks. I'm sure this means there's some very lucky people watching some very rudimentary television pilots very soon, but it also means it's too soon for the CRTC to be implementing a new rule such as this. It would give Canadian networks a little over a week to reconsider their scheduling, production and budgets - which I'm sure isn't enough time. The CRTC in their infinite wisdom have decided to instead reschedule the 1-for-1 rule to be implemented in 2010 rather than the coming 2009 season. This gives me both time and hope to continue working on the series for a Fall 2010 debut. That also means this time next year I should be coming off the tail end of putting in a hell of a lot of work into the pilot - which makes me think I should get on to some of the more important aspects of pre-production. All in good time.
Rogers is going fine. Nothing really new to report there. Getting the hang of camera operation; starting to feel a little bit more comfortable behind the camera and being at the studio in general. R.M., the Director of Volunteer Services for Rogers Barrie couldn't have been more sincere when saying how respectful employees of the studio would be towards us volunteers. With competence comes confidence, but I couldn't have done either without the instruction and support of the Rogers program.
Not sure what else there is to say lately. Been having a good weekend, still one more night of fun drinking times to go! Then back to the 9-5 life. Hope everyone is well and having a great weekend. Thanks for reading and I'll talk to you all again soon.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
A-Channel, Rogers and Community Media
Stardate, May 14th, 10:24pm:
Captain's log. I've been involved in volunteer efforts with Rogers Television for the past week or so. It's a terrific program. Really, I can't say enough about how great this experience is. One week ago I'd never stepped behind a camera, now I can somewhat operate one. That's a good skill to have when you're trying to get in to television production.
I was published by the Barrie Examiner in a Letter to the Editor in response to a similar letter first published by Peggy Hebden, Station Manager of A-Channel. You can find the link to that here; http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1564892 ; but since this was an edited copy, I'd like to attach a copy of the full version I had e-mailed to editor Bob Burton, but was told it would only fit if it was half its size(that's what she said).
The economic crisis has taken its toll on many industries, media included. The most recent Letter to the Editor from A-Channel Station Chief, Peggy Hebden, although informed, reeks of bias from a network that has failed to meet the needs of its community.
Local media serves one of two purposes. It either acts as a companion to mainstream media, or as an alternative. The simple question in determining A-Channel's worth to the community comes in identifying which of these two services the network is providing to Barrie and its surrounding area.
As this is an editorial, I'm going to save myself a lot of words and jump straight to the conclusion that A-Channel is a companion to mainstream media. The stories A-Channel has been reporting on are nothing short of the same headlines reported on national and local broadcasts coming out of most major cities. The bulk of its non-news programming is imported from larger networks unable to accommodate them in their scheduling. Its efforts to reach out to the community are becoming substantially insignificant.
A-Channel stands alone in the Barrie area as one of the only media outlets which does not co-ordinate a volunteer program to educate local youth in media production. It stands alone as one of the hardest networks to reach for comment, as evidenced by several personal attempts to receive network feedback for a paper based on the value of local media. Throughout the years, its programming has become more and more distant from the community it serves.
So what alternative is A-Channel providing the residents of Simcoe County? Its news programming mirrors that of national networks. It's non-news programming mirrors that of national networks. Though A-Channel, formerly The NewVR has provided an alternative in the past, its growing reach into York Region and national headlines have left us with nothing more than an expensive sister-station to national networks.
Hebden pleads in her final paragraph for the support of its audience during these tough economic times. I have only one response; No Peggy, we need YOUR support. A shift to more community-based broadcasting and providing an alternative to the mainstream networks we can find anywhere else is what we both need - or A-Channel will simply become increasingly unnecessary, and obsolete.
There have been rebuttals by A-Channel high-ups, including evening news anchor Lance Chilton and while I'm going to avoid an all-out Barrie Examiner editorial war, I'd like to defend my position here.
When I first started watching A-Channel it was known as CKVR and provided local news to Barrie and the surrounding area. Somewhere between CKVR and A-Channel, we lost that same local station. For one, the news isn't about Barrie and surrounding area anymore. It's occasionally about Barrie, and more often about the '905 Belt' and the municipalities south of Simcoe. I can't remember the last time I saw a locally-produced program on their primetime lineup.
As the former employee of what I'll leave to be an unnamed public-service, I'll tell you personally that A-Channel is one of the most difficult media outlets to get in contact with regarding issues important to Barrie's citizens. Furthermore, as a communications student at Carleton this past year, the cutbacks to A-Channel earlier this year inspired me to write a paper about the importance of community media and the need for networks like the former New VR to exist. After several attempts to reach the network for comment, I received no word back. The conclusion I reached at the end of the paper is A-Channel no longer fit the criteria for community media. If A-Channel is unwilling to help itself, why should we pay the bill via bailout funds to assist it?
I opened this entry with a paragraph on my experiences with Rogers for a reason; that is that there is a difference between an intern and a volunteer. This is for you, Mr. Lance Chilton; A volunteer comes in whenever he or she wants to, and participates only as much or as little as they wish. They decide their own level of involvement, commitment and create their own schedule that works around them. An intern is the equivilant of an unpaid employment position, with set hours and menial duties.
I'm going to at least send a link to the Barrie Examiner, Bob Burton, to this blog, as I feel that in this digital age we don't need to continue this bickering through a newspaper. For those who've come here through the Examiner, thank you for taking an interest in community media, and I hope you realize how little A-Channel fits that profile. Thank you so much for reading and stay tuned for updates on
Soundtrack.
Captain's log. I've been involved in volunteer efforts with Rogers Television for the past week or so. It's a terrific program. Really, I can't say enough about how great this experience is. One week ago I'd never stepped behind a camera, now I can somewhat operate one. That's a good skill to have when you're trying to get in to television production.
I was published by the Barrie Examiner in a Letter to the Editor in response to a similar letter first published by Peggy Hebden, Station Manager of A-Channel. You can find the link to that here; http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1564892 ; but since this was an edited copy, I'd like to attach a copy of the full version I had e-mailed to editor Bob Burton, but was told it would only fit if it was half its size(that's what she said).
The economic crisis has taken its toll on many industries, media included. The most recent Letter to the Editor from A-Channel Station Chief, Peggy Hebden, although informed, reeks of bias from a network that has failed to meet the needs of its community.
Local media serves one of two purposes. It either acts as a companion to mainstream media, or as an alternative. The simple question in determining A-Channel's worth to the community comes in identifying which of these two services the network is providing to Barrie and its surrounding area.
As this is an editorial, I'm going to save myself a lot of words and jump straight to the conclusion that A-Channel is a companion to mainstream media. The stories A-Channel has been reporting on are nothing short of the same headlines reported on national and local broadcasts coming out of most major cities. The bulk of its non-news programming is imported from larger networks unable to accommodate them in their scheduling. Its efforts to reach out to the community are becoming substantially insignificant.
A-Channel stands alone in the Barrie area as one of the only media outlets which does not co-ordinate a volunteer program to educate local youth in media production. It stands alone as one of the hardest networks to reach for comment, as evidenced by several personal attempts to receive network feedback for a paper based on the value of local media. Throughout the years, its programming has become more and more distant from the community it serves.
So what alternative is A-Channel providing the residents of Simcoe County? Its news programming mirrors that of national networks. It's non-news programming mirrors that of national networks. Though A-Channel, formerly The NewVR has provided an alternative in the past, its growing reach into York Region and national headlines have left us with nothing more than an expensive sister-station to national networks.
Hebden pleads in her final paragraph for the support of its audience during these tough economic times. I have only one response; No Peggy, we need YOUR support. A shift to more community-based broadcasting and providing an alternative to the mainstream networks we can find anywhere else is what we both need - or A-Channel will simply become increasingly unnecessary, and obsolete.
There have been rebuttals by A-Channel high-ups, including evening news anchor Lance Chilton and while I'm going to avoid an all-out Barrie Examiner editorial war, I'd like to defend my position here.
When I first started watching A-Channel it was known as CKVR and provided local news to Barrie and the surrounding area. Somewhere between CKVR and A-Channel, we lost that same local station. For one, the news isn't about Barrie and surrounding area anymore. It's occasionally about Barrie, and more often about the '905 Belt' and the municipalities south of Simcoe. I can't remember the last time I saw a locally-produced program on their primetime lineup.
As the former employee of what I'll leave to be an unnamed public-service, I'll tell you personally that A-Channel is one of the most difficult media outlets to get in contact with regarding issues important to Barrie's citizens. Furthermore, as a communications student at Carleton this past year, the cutbacks to A-Channel earlier this year inspired me to write a paper about the importance of community media and the need for networks like the former New VR to exist. After several attempts to reach the network for comment, I received no word back. The conclusion I reached at the end of the paper is A-Channel no longer fit the criteria for community media. If A-Channel is unwilling to help itself, why should we pay the bill via bailout funds to assist it?
I opened this entry with a paragraph on my experiences with Rogers for a reason; that is that there is a difference between an intern and a volunteer. This is for you, Mr. Lance Chilton; A volunteer comes in whenever he or she wants to, and participates only as much or as little as they wish. They decide their own level of involvement, commitment and create their own schedule that works around them. An intern is the equivilant of an unpaid employment position, with set hours and menial duties.
I'm going to at least send a link to the Barrie Examiner, Bob Burton, to this blog, as I feel that in this digital age we don't need to continue this bickering through a newspaper. For those who've come here through the Examiner, thank you for taking an interest in community media, and I hope you realize how little A-Channel fits that profile. Thank you so much for reading and stay tuned for updates on
Soundtrack.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Blog!
May 10, 2009
So why has it been over a week since the last blog update? Because I’ve been busy! Television production requires money and skill – and I’m trying to get as much as both of those as I possibly can.
I applied to volunteer at Rogers Television in Barrie at the suggestion of a former coworker, E.S. The next day, I got a call from their volunteer program about an orientation being held that night and I was welcome to attend. Not even 14 hours later I was operating a camera for the live-television program, DAYTIME.
During the final weeks of university I was trying to complete a paper on the value that local media provides in community, especially considering these troubling economic times. I had attempted to reach A-Channel for contact through several different venues, trying to reach a producer for comment on the story. I received absolutely no feedback, and when I was trying to find volunteer programs for media outlets in Barrie, I couldn’t quite decide if I was surprised or not that A-Channel didn’t offer one. In the days following my positive experiences at Rogers, I’ve come to understand a major difference between the two if both are to be considered local media. A news article in the Barrie Examiner motivated me to write a letter to the editor about A-Channel’ s value to the community is diminishing, and labeling itself community media is an outright lie to justify its budgetary expenditures. I was contacted by the editor to be assured the article would be published in Mondays edition, and so I’ll link to that as soon as it becomes available.
Volunteering at Rogers Television has been a tremendous experience. I never thought that on day one I would be operating a camera for a live television show. On a side note, it didn’t go very well, and I was kicked off after failing to deliver a shot that the director wanted, but that’s how this business goes. The director isn’t as mean as she sounds, I just think she was uninformed to my lack of experience on the camera.
Apparently everyone starts out on camera operating – but there are several things I’ll be learning. Directing, producing, sound and visual editing. It truly sounds like a wonderful experience that will be absolutely invaluable by the time I’ve committed a few months to the program. On top of the education, it’s got an accommodating schedule. I’m able to go in at 10am, prepare for DAYTIME and then assist with its filming and production and be out by noon. There are also so programs that film at 6:30. In short, it’s a perfect opportunity for me to learn the hands-on things that University just can’t provide. On top of that, it’s free! So in advance, thank you, Rogers Television!
I made some changes to Episodes 2 and 3. Eddie and Cain are now headed for a storage facility located near Toronto’s lakefront. I figured cops would be sitting on Davis’ house, or at least have investigated it. The point is, the Superhero Closet would be either too hard or too easy to find and thus an alternative needed to be presented. Cain and Eddie are still going to stumble upon the same wealth of information and equipment – just in a different spot.
I’m a little nervous to continue writing episode 3. It’s quite important in the scheme of the whole series, and needs to be treated with that in mind. In a nutshell the whole episode is about Derek and Riley rescuing Davis, and Eddie and Cain finding the info and equipment. Those are literally the only two important events in the episode – but they’ll shape everything to come.
Davis is on the verge of discovering what happened in 1986, Derek’s year of birth. While he’s aware of the precognitive born around the time of 1970, he hasn’t made the connection between the precognitive’s self-awakening and Derek’s birth. Derek is the result of a timeline being disturbed and a physical manifestation of its intent to protect itself. While all this information is going to be in the files that Eddie and Cain have by episodes’ end, no one’s going to make the connection for some time.
One of the most difficult exchanges I’m trying to write is Cain’s reaction to the information. He’s unaware that Derek is a superhero, he has his suspicions but they’re nowhere near the true explanation. Stumbling into Davis’ secret hideout is going to leave him with some questions about the detective, as well as Derek. Eddie, armed only with a single handgun, is either going to have to do his best to explain things to him. It’s quite the difficult exchange to write, because I mean, how would anyone react to it? I think I need to spend a little time getting to know Eddie and Cain a little bit more before I can know how this conversation is actually going to happen. Unfortunately it happens at the end of the first quarter of the episode, so it’s putting a damper on the rest of the episode coming out.
Not sure if there’s anything else to report on really. Today is Mother’s Day, so make her breakfast and clean the house!
So why has it been over a week since the last blog update? Because I’ve been busy! Television production requires money and skill – and I’m trying to get as much as both of those as I possibly can.
I applied to volunteer at Rogers Television in Barrie at the suggestion of a former coworker, E.S. The next day, I got a call from their volunteer program about an orientation being held that night and I was welcome to attend. Not even 14 hours later I was operating a camera for the live-television program, DAYTIME.
During the final weeks of university I was trying to complete a paper on the value that local media provides in community, especially considering these troubling economic times. I had attempted to reach A-Channel for contact through several different venues, trying to reach a producer for comment on the story. I received absolutely no feedback, and when I was trying to find volunteer programs for media outlets in Barrie, I couldn’t quite decide if I was surprised or not that A-Channel didn’t offer one. In the days following my positive experiences at Rogers, I’ve come to understand a major difference between the two if both are to be considered local media. A news article in the Barrie Examiner motivated me to write a letter to the editor about A-Channel’ s value to the community is diminishing, and labeling itself community media is an outright lie to justify its budgetary expenditures. I was contacted by the editor to be assured the article would be published in Mondays edition, and so I’ll link to that as soon as it becomes available.
Volunteering at Rogers Television has been a tremendous experience. I never thought that on day one I would be operating a camera for a live television show. On a side note, it didn’t go very well, and I was kicked off after failing to deliver a shot that the director wanted, but that’s how this business goes. The director isn’t as mean as she sounds, I just think she was uninformed to my lack of experience on the camera.
Apparently everyone starts out on camera operating – but there are several things I’ll be learning. Directing, producing, sound and visual editing. It truly sounds like a wonderful experience that will be absolutely invaluable by the time I’ve committed a few months to the program. On top of the education, it’s got an accommodating schedule. I’m able to go in at 10am, prepare for DAYTIME and then assist with its filming and production and be out by noon. There are also so programs that film at 6:30. In short, it’s a perfect opportunity for me to learn the hands-on things that University just can’t provide. On top of that, it’s free! So in advance, thank you, Rogers Television!
I made some changes to Episodes 2 and 3. Eddie and Cain are now headed for a storage facility located near Toronto’s lakefront. I figured cops would be sitting on Davis’ house, or at least have investigated it. The point is, the Superhero Closet would be either too hard or too easy to find and thus an alternative needed to be presented. Cain and Eddie are still going to stumble upon the same wealth of information and equipment – just in a different spot.
I’m a little nervous to continue writing episode 3. It’s quite important in the scheme of the whole series, and needs to be treated with that in mind. In a nutshell the whole episode is about Derek and Riley rescuing Davis, and Eddie and Cain finding the info and equipment. Those are literally the only two important events in the episode – but they’ll shape everything to come.
Davis is on the verge of discovering what happened in 1986, Derek’s year of birth. While he’s aware of the precognitive born around the time of 1970, he hasn’t made the connection between the precognitive’s self-awakening and Derek’s birth. Derek is the result of a timeline being disturbed and a physical manifestation of its intent to protect itself. While all this information is going to be in the files that Eddie and Cain have by episodes’ end, no one’s going to make the connection for some time.
One of the most difficult exchanges I’m trying to write is Cain’s reaction to the information. He’s unaware that Derek is a superhero, he has his suspicions but they’re nowhere near the true explanation. Stumbling into Davis’ secret hideout is going to leave him with some questions about the detective, as well as Derek. Eddie, armed only with a single handgun, is either going to have to do his best to explain things to him. It’s quite the difficult exchange to write, because I mean, how would anyone react to it? I think I need to spend a little time getting to know Eddie and Cain a little bit more before I can know how this conversation is actually going to happen. Unfortunately it happens at the end of the first quarter of the episode, so it’s putting a damper on the rest of the episode coming out.
Not sure if there’s anything else to report on really. Today is Mother’s Day, so make her breakfast and clean the house!
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