(no subject)
Something very weird has happened today. I came home from university feeling better and more alive than I did when I entered the place. This is a bit like going out with a metal detector to your favourite beach and actually finding a sizeable nugget of gold. It happens so rarely that you want to remember it for the rest of your life, however short or long that might happen to be. Part of it has to do with the fact that I turned up to class with a completed draft of my first assessment, the script proposal. The main lecturer took a bit of a look through it and was satisfied that almost all of the elements that are supposed to be there were, in fact, there. The only point where I deviated from the expected template that is set by the Screen Australia wankers is that I set the font to Arial (sans serif) rather than Times New Roman (serif). This was because I find it difficult, if not impossible, to type out anything in a serif font. Something about serifs is fundamentally distracting to me. In the serif title one sees in Flesh + Blood, for example, I find myself admiring the aesthetics of the title rather than reading it (or editing the text in other cases).
I was not expecting said lecturer to read out points of my script proposal as an example to the class, however. He told them the one-sentence story outline and logline that I had written, among other things that I presently forget. This came both before and after a long lecture and tutorial covering the roles of a director, producer, assistant director, and other such crew, as well as the use of the camera that we are expected to shoot the upcoming video on. We did some exercises in setting the focus and white balance, which I have mostly forgotten already. After class, I basically went back to the local shopping mall and bought a couple of CDs. The first one I bought was a compilation, which is another unusual event in itself. It is Let's Make This Precious, The Best Of Dexy's Midnight Runners. I basically bought it because of the presence of one song: Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile). This song was featured on a particularly awesome episode of The Young Ones called Bomb (Kathryn, that capture I sent you once of a bearded man saying "The old trick, eh? EAT the telly before I get a chance to nick ya!" and so on is from this episode).
The other CD I bought was a Tori Amos single, Cornflake Girl. When I heard this song way back in 1993, it just stimulated some kind of response in my brain that I am still unable to adequately explain. Especially since I have learned what the song is really about. I was more interested in the B-sides when I bought this CD, anyway. You see, B-sides are generally off-cuts from the album recording sessions that the producer and artist(s) basically decide are not quite good enough to appear on the album. In the case of pseudo-artists like the people they put on American Asshole, this is usually a justified belief. In fact, American Asshole B-sides generally should not appear anyway. Nobody really wants to listen to them. But in the case of real artists like Amos (or especially Faith No More or David Bowie), some of these B-sides can even be more awesome than the the album tracks! I cannot think of any examples from Amos, but Faith No More's 1993 rerecording of As The Worm Turns was so awesome that I am still fuming that it is not available anywhere anymore. Although to be honest, my opinion of Amos as an artist and person has diminished quite a lot over the past ten years.
Speaking of redheads, one particular woman of great interest to me was at class today, and I had several conversations with her that I found interesting. I also let her read a copy of my script proposal while we were waiting for the bus back to the train station. The first conversation we had was at the train station whilst waiting for the bus to the university. I was dying to know, so I sat near her and just quietly asked if she had her script proposal ready at all. Being that she has four subjects she is doing, I was not surprised at all when she said she had not. She did say she should have one by the due date next week, in not so many words. I did not tell her this, but I would really, really like to read what she comes up with. In the class we were both in last semester, I really felt that she was the only student there whose creativity and intellect was in any way a match for mine. I still feel that in spite of having relaxed a bit more around several of the other students. After class, I made a quick query about what role she would prefer to play in the actual production. She told me that she would like to do the photography, which suits me just fine. The camera that we are expected to use was more than just a little intimidating from my perspective.
So then we wandered out to the bus stop and I talked to her a bit about things like my script proposal idea. I told her that it was sort of an extension of another idea I had for a fan music video. The music video in question is for the My DyING BRIDE song ShadowHaunt, and I gave her a brief synopsis of what that music video would consist of. I then had to explain to her about My DyING BRIDE, the concept of doom metal, and how My DyING BRIDE's style distinguishes itself through the use of a violin in place of guitar wankery. Only I put it a bit differently to that, of course. So then I offered her a copy of my script proposal, which she read through whilst we waited for the bus, and for a brief segment of the bus trip. When she expressed her approval of the idea, I could literally feel the neurons and receptors in my brain just light up with the first genuine, non-machine-induced, joy I have felt in so long. So if she is out there lurking and reading in any shape or form, I want her to just read this part: thank you. She did have one criticism of the script outline, but I was expecting it and feel the same way about said script outline, in that it really probably shifts in time a couple too many times. Which is fair enough, I really knew no other way to get the story working other than to constantly flash back.
So after getting to the train station and bidding her farewell, I went to the real estate agent, paid the rent for the fortnight, bought yet another drink (it has been a somewhat hot day), and eventually got on a bus to the local shopping centre. That was where I bought the CDs. I also asked a salesman about a specific type of MiniDV cassette because I wanted to see if I could get them any cheaper than at the campus store. The lecturers want us to use a specific type of MiniDV cassette because a) the wear and tear factor on the camera's tape mechanism will be less that way and b) the ability to archive the raw footage and keep it in storage will be better that way. Which is fair enough on both counts. We are not merely shooting holiday footage here, after all. No, the only part I had any objection to was buying them from the campus store, because I figured that if I did some shopping around I might be able to get them a little cheaper than the twenty dollars we were told. But it appears that trying to find competition might erase any savings one might make and then some. So I will just get the tapes I can in the place I can get them and be done with it, I think.
While I am thinking of it, the Dexy's Midnight Runners compilation is actually a lot better than I thought it would be. There are a few tracks I can take or leave, but the way Dexy's Midnight Runners seemed to just fade into oblivion whilst tone-deaf prancers were promoted to hell and back is one of the many injustices of the music industry. Honestly, if Dexy's Midnight Runners had received what they deserved, they would have had a long career with multi-platinum albums and a nice little retirement in the lovely place of their choice. Oh well, that is life. I am sure that they can look themselves in the mirror and say "I was creative", and sometimes that is more than enough reward on its own. That is what I do with the videos I try to put out for the public to look at. If I can look at them and say "I was creative" and "I told the people what they actually needed to know", then I am at peace with myself. Of course, money would be nice, but what differentiates me (and other real artists, I suspect) from the likes of Uwe Boll or Michael Bay is that I give a fukk what happens after I am handed the money. If someone came to me and told me that one of my films upset them and made their lives miserable as shit like Rain Man has demonstrably done to me and my kind, I would not be able to live with myself. I would break my back if necessary to make it up.
One last set of details. I woke up this morning in a state of moderately severe hypoglycaemia. I was not so badly off that I could not stand, but I was incohesive, freezing cold, and sweating in buckets. When you sweat profusely whilst cold, that is usually a good sign that you need medical attention. Although, truthfully, I was perfectly fine after a bowl of mixed cereals and all was well. Now, people have been reading this, no doubt, and wondering what I have to say about the other class I was doing. In fact, I had to inform others in today's class (and I have already told some of you, no doubt). I dropped out of it. I had a set date before which I could withdraw from the subject without academic penalty or something like that, and I grabbed that opportunity with both hands. Yes, as the student I have mentioned above pointed out to me more than once, it is a compulsory subject, but I can just do it later when I feel more prepared. Or when I can actually get the support from social services et al that I need to be able to do such classes and not have a breakdown. However, I felt uplifted when said other student also pointed out that everyone in the class dislikes the subject at least half as much as I do.
So that is basically how I spent this week, or most of it. In conclusion, I will leave the following words of wisdom: Your idea of weird is not even a variation to me.
I was not expecting said lecturer to read out points of my script proposal as an example to the class, however. He told them the one-sentence story outline and logline that I had written, among other things that I presently forget. This came both before and after a long lecture and tutorial covering the roles of a director, producer, assistant director, and other such crew, as well as the use of the camera that we are expected to shoot the upcoming video on. We did some exercises in setting the focus and white balance, which I have mostly forgotten already. After class, I basically went back to the local shopping mall and bought a couple of CDs. The first one I bought was a compilation, which is another unusual event in itself. It is Let's Make This Precious, The Best Of Dexy's Midnight Runners. I basically bought it because of the presence of one song: Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile). This song was featured on a particularly awesome episode of The Young Ones called Bomb (Kathryn, that capture I sent you once of a bearded man saying "The old trick, eh? EAT the telly before I get a chance to nick ya!" and so on is from this episode).
The other CD I bought was a Tori Amos single, Cornflake Girl. When I heard this song way back in 1993, it just stimulated some kind of response in my brain that I am still unable to adequately explain. Especially since I have learned what the song is really about. I was more interested in the B-sides when I bought this CD, anyway. You see, B-sides are generally off-cuts from the album recording sessions that the producer and artist(s) basically decide are not quite good enough to appear on the album. In the case of pseudo-artists like the people they put on American Asshole, this is usually a justified belief. In fact, American Asshole B-sides generally should not appear anyway. Nobody really wants to listen to them. But in the case of real artists like Amos (or especially Faith No More or David Bowie), some of these B-sides can even be more awesome than the the album tracks! I cannot think of any examples from Amos, but Faith No More's 1993 rerecording of As The Worm Turns was so awesome that I am still fuming that it is not available anywhere anymore. Although to be honest, my opinion of Amos as an artist and person has diminished quite a lot over the past ten years.
Speaking of redheads, one particular woman of great interest to me was at class today, and I had several conversations with her that I found interesting. I also let her read a copy of my script proposal while we were waiting for the bus back to the train station. The first conversation we had was at the train station whilst waiting for the bus to the university. I was dying to know, so I sat near her and just quietly asked if she had her script proposal ready at all. Being that she has four subjects she is doing, I was not surprised at all when she said she had not. She did say she should have one by the due date next week, in not so many words. I did not tell her this, but I would really, really like to read what she comes up with. In the class we were both in last semester, I really felt that she was the only student there whose creativity and intellect was in any way a match for mine. I still feel that in spite of having relaxed a bit more around several of the other students. After class, I made a quick query about what role she would prefer to play in the actual production. She told me that she would like to do the photography, which suits me just fine. The camera that we are expected to use was more than just a little intimidating from my perspective.
So then we wandered out to the bus stop and I talked to her a bit about things like my script proposal idea. I told her that it was sort of an extension of another idea I had for a fan music video. The music video in question is for the My DyING BRIDE song ShadowHaunt, and I gave her a brief synopsis of what that music video would consist of. I then had to explain to her about My DyING BRIDE, the concept of doom metal, and how My DyING BRIDE's style distinguishes itself through the use of a violin in place of guitar wankery. Only I put it a bit differently to that, of course. So then I offered her a copy of my script proposal, which she read through whilst we waited for the bus, and for a brief segment of the bus trip. When she expressed her approval of the idea, I could literally feel the neurons and receptors in my brain just light up with the first genuine, non-machine-induced, joy I have felt in so long. So if she is out there lurking and reading in any shape or form, I want her to just read this part: thank you. She did have one criticism of the script outline, but I was expecting it and feel the same way about said script outline, in that it really probably shifts in time a couple too many times. Which is fair enough, I really knew no other way to get the story working other than to constantly flash back.
So after getting to the train station and bidding her farewell, I went to the real estate agent, paid the rent for the fortnight, bought yet another drink (it has been a somewhat hot day), and eventually got on a bus to the local shopping centre. That was where I bought the CDs. I also asked a salesman about a specific type of MiniDV cassette because I wanted to see if I could get them any cheaper than at the campus store. The lecturers want us to use a specific type of MiniDV cassette because a) the wear and tear factor on the camera's tape mechanism will be less that way and b) the ability to archive the raw footage and keep it in storage will be better that way. Which is fair enough on both counts. We are not merely shooting holiday footage here, after all. No, the only part I had any objection to was buying them from the campus store, because I figured that if I did some shopping around I might be able to get them a little cheaper than the twenty dollars we were told. But it appears that trying to find competition might erase any savings one might make and then some. So I will just get the tapes I can in the place I can get them and be done with it, I think.
While I am thinking of it, the Dexy's Midnight Runners compilation is actually a lot better than I thought it would be. There are a few tracks I can take or leave, but the way Dexy's Midnight Runners seemed to just fade into oblivion whilst tone-deaf prancers were promoted to hell and back is one of the many injustices of the music industry. Honestly, if Dexy's Midnight Runners had received what they deserved, they would have had a long career with multi-platinum albums and a nice little retirement in the lovely place of their choice. Oh well, that is life. I am sure that they can look themselves in the mirror and say "I was creative", and sometimes that is more than enough reward on its own. That is what I do with the videos I try to put out for the public to look at. If I can look at them and say "I was creative" and "I told the people what they actually needed to know", then I am at peace with myself. Of course, money would be nice, but what differentiates me (and other real artists, I suspect) from the likes of Uwe Boll or Michael Bay is that I give a fukk what happens after I am handed the money. If someone came to me and told me that one of my films upset them and made their lives miserable as shit like Rain Man has demonstrably done to me and my kind, I would not be able to live with myself. I would break my back if necessary to make it up.
One last set of details. I woke up this morning in a state of moderately severe hypoglycaemia. I was not so badly off that I could not stand, but I was incohesive, freezing cold, and sweating in buckets. When you sweat profusely whilst cold, that is usually a good sign that you need medical attention. Although, truthfully, I was perfectly fine after a bowl of mixed cereals and all was well. Now, people have been reading this, no doubt, and wondering what I have to say about the other class I was doing. In fact, I had to inform others in today's class (and I have already told some of you, no doubt). I dropped out of it. I had a set date before which I could withdraw from the subject without academic penalty or something like that, and I grabbed that opportunity with both hands. Yes, as the student I have mentioned above pointed out to me more than once, it is a compulsory subject, but I can just do it later when I feel more prepared. Or when I can actually get the support from social services et al that I need to be able to do such classes and not have a breakdown. However, I felt uplifted when said other student also pointed out that everyone in the class dislikes the subject at least half as much as I do.
So that is basically how I spent this week, or most of it. In conclusion, I will leave the following words of wisdom: Your idea of weird is not even a variation to me.