"You shouldn’t change because someone wants you to. You should only change because that person makes you want to."
Friday, June 25, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
From the Camera's Angle: A Man's Apple
A man in a bowler hat and no face stands on a cliff with a green apple in his right hand and a pocket knife in his left. It is a Swiss Army Knife. He stands facing away from the precipice with his head tilted slightly up. He'd be looking up if he had eyes.
We begin to focus on the green apple, taking note of its indentations. Dark spots scatter themselves, most of them near the stem. It looks as if the man may have been pressing his fingers there. The dark spots look soft but we can't really tell. We would continue to characterize this apple more but it's moving now, distracting us. The man is rolling the apple in his hands expertly - as if he's done this many times before. He spins it slowly and drops his hand. The apple falls through the air for a split second. The man grabs the top of the stem and the apple continues spinning, its momentum twisting it. The stem is about to break. And it does. The apple flies through the air again.
And this is where the knife comes in. It punctures the apple from the top. The blade is dull so the apple barely holds on.Our focus remains on the apple and the knife. And the finger of the no-face man creeping down the exposed blade. He presses down on it. It requires a great deal of pressure but he manages to prick himself. The finger winces and retracts out of instinct, but it manages to correct itself in mid-movement. The finger reaches towards the apple. It presses down on the green skin. Lightly. Just enough to leave a crimson fingerprint.
A quick cut occurs now. Like in a movie or TV show. We've switched from being literally inches from the apple, the blade, and the finger to now looking 20 feet away from the man. We are behind him and slightly to his left. His left arm is diagonal, probably from the cutting motion of the pocket knife. We look down and realize we're not standing on anything. The man is facing away from the cliff and we're behind him. This means we're not standing on anything. It's a cartoon: the moment you notice the danger you're in, the moment that danger occurs. We fall and we grasp at nothing. The man waves with his right hand. He never looks back. Our focus moves quickly as we plummet. The precipice grows smaller, the blue ocean more encompassing. That man. Did he really not have a face?
We begin to focus on the green apple, taking note of its indentations. Dark spots scatter themselves, most of them near the stem. It looks as if the man may have been pressing his fingers there. The dark spots look soft but we can't really tell. We would continue to characterize this apple more but it's moving now, distracting us. The man is rolling the apple in his hands expertly - as if he's done this many times before. He spins it slowly and drops his hand. The apple falls through the air for a split second. The man grabs the top of the stem and the apple continues spinning, its momentum twisting it. The stem is about to break. And it does. The apple flies through the air again.
And this is where the knife comes in. It punctures the apple from the top. The blade is dull so the apple barely holds on.Our focus remains on the apple and the knife. And the finger of the no-face man creeping down the exposed blade. He presses down on it. It requires a great deal of pressure but he manages to prick himself. The finger winces and retracts out of instinct, but it manages to correct itself in mid-movement. The finger reaches towards the apple. It presses down on the green skin. Lightly. Just enough to leave a crimson fingerprint.
A quick cut occurs now. Like in a movie or TV show. We've switched from being literally inches from the apple, the blade, and the finger to now looking 20 feet away from the man. We are behind him and slightly to his left. His left arm is diagonal, probably from the cutting motion of the pocket knife. We look down and realize we're not standing on anything. The man is facing away from the cliff and we're behind him. This means we're not standing on anything. It's a cartoon: the moment you notice the danger you're in, the moment that danger occurs. We fall and we grasp at nothing. The man waves with his right hand. He never looks back. Our focus moves quickly as we plummet. The precipice grows smaller, the blue ocean more encompassing. That man. Did he really not have a face?
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Halfway
Original Post: 6/20/08 at 11:41 PM
I met a girl in Japan
Who let me hold her hand
We met every other day
Down by the subway train
One day I could not go
As I looked at my globe of snow
I saw her waiting by the track
Wondering if she should go back
After work, I ran to the station
Having no real destination
Wind whipped through the doors
My brown shoes slapping the floor
I stumbled onto the street
Looking at the lights before me
My hand reached up to the neon blue
I wonder if she saw it too
From the crowd, I stood
As a gentle voice cooed:
"Slipping through the doors of the train
On a one-way ticket going anywhere
I leave a note on your windowpane
Asking you to meet me halfway there"
I met a girl in Japan
Who let me hold her hand
We met every other day
Down by the subway train
One day I could not go
As I looked at my globe of snow
I saw her waiting by the track
Wondering if she should go back
After work, I ran to the station
Having no real destination
Wind whipped through the doors
My brown shoes slapping the floor
I stumbled onto the street
Looking at the lights before me
My hand reached up to the neon blue
I wonder if she saw it too
From the crowd, I stood
As a gentle voice cooed:
"Slipping through the doors of the train
On a one-way ticket going anywhere
I leave a note on your windowpane
Asking you to meet me halfway there"
The Party
Original post: 7/24/08 at 2:13 AM
The moment you step into a room, I know what to do. I smile, look up at the ceiling, and sink back into the couch, my eyes following you from one side to the next. And when you finally decide to sit down - after talking for hours with people - I'll sit next to you and smile while looking up. You ask me why I'm not saying anything. I tell you that I've seen you talking all night. But I guess it wouldn't hurt to share a few more words. So we talk. Until everyone leaves, us sitting on the couch, throwing more wood into the fireplace. I was cold too.
The moment you step into a room, I know what to do. I smile, look up at the ceiling, and sink back into the couch, my eyes following you from one side to the next. And when you finally decide to sit down - after talking for hours with people - I'll sit next to you and smile while looking up. You ask me why I'm not saying anything. I tell you that I've seen you talking all night. But I guess it wouldn't hurt to share a few more words. So we talk. Until everyone leaves, us sitting on the couch, throwing more wood into the fireplace. I was cold too.
A Dull Throb
If I were to see you on the street, would it come back?
Would I remember everything?
Would it just be a dull throbbing against the wall of my head?
I wander around and I listen to the music
Only to see the shadows of time, of you
Slip through the cracks of the wall
Disappearing in the midst of painted concrete
So I keep moving, losing myself...
In you but without you.
Would I remember everything?
Would it just be a dull throbbing against the wall of my head?
I wander around and I listen to the music
Only to see the shadows of time, of you
Slip through the cracks of the wall
Disappearing in the midst of painted concrete
So I keep moving, losing myself...
In you but without you.
Friday, June 11, 2010
And There It Was
Yeah, I know other directors got their cast actual edible gifts and cards (edible cards?). But screw that. This is cheaper and faster. So I started writing this on the Moleskine (so friggin' awesome) that you guys got me:
6/10/10
My first post goes out to the cast of Blueprints for buying me something my frugal self (aka cheap ass) would never buy. I thank you for the hard work you've put into this scene, especially given it was my last quarter. I thank you for doing things that are now probably extremely idiotic in retrospect. Like making Dominic propose to Carrie. Or letting people touch Ronnie. Ew.
I know I'm seen as someone people respect, but truthfully, it's only reciprocal. I respect all ofyou so much because you were so open and trusting - that was what really allowed me to direct freely. I had an amazing time directing you all because I never felt like I was the director; you guys made me part of the scene as well, absorbing me with your words, actions, expressions. It occurred on so many occasions that I often struggled to give you notes. Remember the times when I sat silently after a run-through? Yeah, I had no idea what the hell I was gonna say. You were as much of a director as me - helping me with blocking, giving me insight, and putting up with sitting in a stupid circle at the beginning of each rehearsal to discuss our feelings.
This was an extremely difficult quarter for me in many different ways and it was occasionally difficult to get through a script as complex and close to my heart as this one. I suppose that is a testament to the writer's talent. =). Anyhoo, you guys made it so easy for me and I thank you. Here are my personal shout-outs:
Nam Giao/Alyssa: Thank you never learning what self-induced analgesia was.
Patrick/Pete: Thank you for playing computer games whenever you weren't performing.
Angela/Carrie: Thank you for learning "No Scrubs" by about 9th week.
Apollo/Dominic: Thank you for the great accent in this role.
Tobit/Justin: Thank you for not infecting us with your ADD...wait. What were we talking about again? What the hell was that stain on your shirt, btw?
Alice/Ronnie: Thank you for never growing up. =)
6/10/10
My first post goes out to the cast of Blueprints for buying me something my frugal self (aka cheap ass) would never buy. I thank you for the hard work you've put into this scene, especially given it was my last quarter. I thank you for doing things that are now probably extremely idiotic in retrospect. Like making Dominic propose to Carrie. Or letting people touch Ronnie. Ew.
I know I'm seen as someone people respect, but truthfully, it's only reciprocal. I respect all ofyou so much because you were so open and trusting - that was what really allowed me to direct freely. I had an amazing time directing you all because I never felt like I was the director; you guys made me part of the scene as well, absorbing me with your words, actions, expressions. It occurred on so many occasions that I often struggled to give you notes. Remember the times when I sat silently after a run-through? Yeah, I had no idea what the hell I was gonna say. You were as much of a director as me - helping me with blocking, giving me insight, and putting up with sitting in a stupid circle at the beginning of each rehearsal to discuss our feelings.
This was an extremely difficult quarter for me in many different ways and it was occasionally difficult to get through a script as complex and close to my heart as this one. I suppose that is a testament to the writer's talent. =). Anyhoo, you guys made it so easy for me and I thank you. Here are my personal shout-outs:
Nam Giao/Alyssa: Thank you never learning what self-induced analgesia was.
Patrick/Pete: Thank you for playing computer games whenever you weren't performing.
Angela/Carrie: Thank you for learning "No Scrubs" by about 9th week.
Apollo/Dominic: Thank you for the great accent in this role.
Tobit/Justin: Thank you for not infecting us with your ADD...wait. What were we talking about again? What the hell was that stain on your shirt, btw?
Alice/Ronnie: Thank you for never growing up. =)
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