I really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really wish I'd gotten my liberal arts requirements out of the way before this semester.
Let me explain further. I spent about 18 hours this week editing my senior thesis film (and this is still only a rough cut; we haven't even done proper sound editing yet), and I'm okay with that. I'm going to be spending a good chunk of the next week writing my script. I'm okay with that.
However, the fact that I have to spend a bit of the next 24 hours researching and writing a paper on fucking political philosophy bugs the hell out of me. What's the point? I'm graduating in two weeks, and I'm going to forget most of this stuff before then.
Fuck it.
Dear morons,
If you feel the need to send me an angry e-mail about a post I wrote three years ago, then I can only come to the conclusion that SOMETHING IS SERIOUSLY WRONG WITH YOU.
Thanks for your time, and please, get help.
- CD
AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!! FUCK YOU, HISTORY PAPER! FUCK YOOOOOOOOOUUUUUU!!!!!!! THREE HOURS OF WORK AND I STILL HAVE ANOTHER 2-4 PAGES TO WRITE! WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK?!
...Yeah. I should get back to work.
UPDATE (5:40 AM)
Done. Fuck.
Right now, I'm extremely thankful for the fact that professors can't tell the difference between Times New Roman size 12 and 13 (i.e. the difference between an 8 page paper and a 10 page paper). Heh heh.
Seriously, I just don't care about any class that's not for my major. I'm having too much fun with this thesis film project to give a shit about anything else.
Well, time for my less than three hours of sleep now. Later.
Spoilers...
Ladies and gentlemen, for your entertainment, my impersonation of the Fayed death scene:
"Hi! I'm an extremely obvious tribute to Die Hard! In case the 'terrorist being strangled by a chain' thing doesn't make this clear enough, here's a reference to the terrorist's brother, who was also killed by the protagonist!"
Seriously. I half expected Fayed to come running back out at the last minute and get gunned down by Doyle.
Other than that, this episode kind of made up for last week's barely substandard performance, although the number of commercial breaks was fucking infuriating.
The fake car crash was...interesting. I'm not sure how they would plan for the possibility of, uh...DEATH with that strategy, but hey, that's fiction for you.
When they mentioned calling General Habib, my first thought was "how do you say 'flank two position' in Arabic?" I guess I was right about that one.
I'm really, really not sure about this stuff with Audrey and the Chinese. Three seasons with some element of those is a bit much.
Has anyone noticed that we never even find out where in the Middle East "Fayed's country" is, but it's apparently all right to portray China as unhealthily bent on vengeance? It all just seems a little forced.
But we shall see. Oh, yes. We shall see...
Want to know how long I spent doing work for my film class today?
Take a guess. I'll give you a few seconds.
Okay, ready?
15 HOURS.
We got to the hotel and started setting up at 2:30 PM, and then we shot until 3:30 AM (I also did some editing on my laptop in between scenes). I then came home and worked for another 2 hours to finish editing the 21 minute rough cut that we're showing in class in...4 hours! Fun!
Sometimes, I really hate to love filmmaking. But at the same time, I'm on such a ridiculous natural high right now from the combination of last-minute editing and the fact that I'm still getting along with my group (including the previously mentioned female co-star, although I'm probably blowing that out of proportion simply because I'm not used to girls even acknowledging my existence, let alone sitting an inch away from me on a hotel couch and watching me edit...oh, hi, don't mind me; I'm just CD's old friend, False Hope) that I don't think I'll even be able to sleep.
In any case, one thing is certain:
This is the best film I have ever worked on. EVER.
UPDATE (1:00 PM)
Sweet, sweet validation. Out of the four projects being made in this class, my group's looks the best by a huge margin (it was especially great because ours was screened right after a horrible, horrible film that's essentially a dude walking down the street for 15 minutes). Acting, shooting, lighting, sound, writing...everything is better than the others. I even got some compliments specifically on my editing. Hooray for me.
Now, if only the awesomeness of this wasn't being ruined by the fact that I have a history paper to write today...fuck liberal arts.
NOBODY GIVES A SHIT HOW FUCKING LOUD THE BASS ON YOUR FUCKING STEREO IS, YOU FUCKING INCONSIDERATE DIPSHITS. PLEASE GO STEP IN FRONT OF A MOVING BUS AND SPARE THE REST OF US FROM YOUR USELESS EXISTENCE.
P.S.: I HATE YOU.
- CD
During my most recent procrastination tangent, I stumbled upon a goldmine of insane hilarity. Too much introduction would ruin it, so here's a brief excerpt to get you started:
Now, how many of you ones have asked yourselves, what is the common denominator in 911? Do any amongst you yet see AND understand this part, for indeed this was the crucial part of the plan. The citizens of this world were indeed becoming restless for major change in many countries. Many of the people actually began listening to the ancient voices among you, those that did not foretell of doom and gloom, rather those that foretold of a better life, more equitable societies. They spoke out of a need for better governmental non-control; of the rights of the parents as well as the rights of the children. They spoke of real religious and Spiritual freedoms, of the tyranny of the wealthy, of their unease at the constant violation of other countries "civil rights." Millions were beginning to take baby steps to change the futures of their countries and themselves. This had been foreseen by the dark forces, they were well aware that only a plan so gruesome, so utterly terrible, could quell the voices. They sought not to placate the people but to punish them for their unruliness. So it was that the 911 was conceived so long ago.
More here, if you BLIND, IGNORANT SHEEP CAN HANDLE THE MOTHERFUCKING TRUTH!!!!!
After a long, cold winter, it's finally time to...
Wait, something's not right here...
WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT?!
I mean, I like snow and everything, but in April? Come on. This is pathetic even for Central New York.
UPDATE
There was a picture here before. Then there wasn't. Now it's back, and it should stay there this time.
Okay, then.
I just got back from another 7 hour TRF shooting session at the Holiday Inn. My eyes hurt. Not to mention my arms (holding a boom mic is hard).
In that entire time, we only shot two scenes. Setting up lights takes a while (an hour and a half, in one case).
Luckily, what we did get worked pretty well. If nothing else, this is the best looking film I've ever been part of. The acting is pretty good, too.
Also, on the social front, I've managed to make it this far without saying anything incredibly stupid that will make the rest of the group hate me, as I have a tendency to do. I even managed to have a decent on-and-off conversation with the (female) co-star of the film for almost an hour. That's practically fucking unprecedented.
I'm going to edit and then sleep for as long as possible before going to the 9:30 AM class this is due in now.
So, how is this weekend treating you, SIT readers? I spent 7 hours of my Saturday in a hotel room and came home at 3 AM.
You're probably wondering why.
As I may have mentioned, I'm taking a production class this semester called Advanced Practice: Filmmaking (better known as "Senior Thesis"). My group is making a 20 minute fiction piece tentatively entitled "Stale Muffins," and it's set mostly in a motel.
However, we couldn't actually get a motel to shoot in, so we got permission to use parts of a Holiday Inn and reserved rooms for this weekend and next weekend so we can shoot. Due to the lack of time, we have to do as much as possible, so we tried to cram in a lot of stuff on the first day, although what we shot only amounts to about 3 minutes of screen time. That is the magic of film.
Of course, we spent a lot more time setting up lights and props than actually shooting. We learned that several very bright lights can make a hotel room very, very, very hot in a very short amount of time.
I'm the editor for this project, so I get to decide which shots make the cut. Of course, I got to experience the most fun part of editing when I went through and noticed some continuity issues and a couple shots that are going to have to be redone because the boom mic was in the frame.
We're shooting again on Sunday (which is...today now, I guess), and it's probably going to take even longer, especially since the scenes we're doing are in the lobby and we'll have to work around people coming in.
I should get some sleep now, because I probably won't get the chance again until Monday night. In the meantime, here's an exclusive sneak peek at a shot from Stale Muffins:
(Click for full size; It's hosted offsite because the MT image uploader isn't working)
That's the main character (played by the director of the film, incidentally) jumping on a bed.
The full movie, when completed sometime in May, will probably be posted on YouTube, so I'll keep you updated. It's going to be awesome.