Woohoo! Funemployment here I come!

Well its our last day here on this film in the Art Dept. and I must say i'm a little relived. It hasn't been nearly as exciting a project as "Alice" was but hey it was a job right? So now I am off to join the millions of other "Fun-employed" people around the country and start working for the govt.... aka:Unemployment... But there are a few projects I'll be working on to keep myself busy, maybe I'll post some pics as I am working things out. Anyone know of any jobs in the entertainment industry for a talented art dept kinda guy? Or better yet, wanna go to the beach? :)

I made my very own...

"Papercraft Ceiling Cat"



He likes to stare at me while I work...

Ever wonder how motion capture works?

Well, I've been working in the motion capture realm for a while now in the art departments of some fun films, and this is a great little video to introduce you to the world of motion capture technology. The films i've worked on over the last few years incorporate a much broader system utilizing facial capture/ green screen and live action elements. This is a quick intro though that gives you the idea.

Quick little updates

So things seem to be going ok..

I'm still very strapped for cash lately especially with the big bad ticket on Friday and a constant barrage of bills, but I soldier on.

Work is fun. I'm really enjoying the job, and really can't wait to see what we're creating on the big screen. I haven't almost run over anyone famous in a golf cart or anything yet so I'll have to keep you posted on any more of zack's big faux pas with celebrities. (Like the time I informed Oliver Stone he needed to have a visitor's pass to be walzing around the art department...and then kindly escorted him to production... he wasn't the director on the movie I was on but still, oops)

Burning Man is coming up fast and I'm a little nervous. Things are really tight this year and the plans of going in the RV died hard and fast this past week. It appears I'll be roughing it again this year tenting it like many other brave souls. I don't mind, its a bit more work, but its going to be a blast. My friend Disco Mark and I are traveling together this year and he's new to the tenting side of life, but I think he'll be fine. It builds character...and dust. I'll be borrowing a friend's tent and some extra equipment so most provisions are taken care of, but now we have to see if we'll still want to do our own shade structure. Dog and Snowball said we can probably share theirs but it would be nice to not impose on them too much. We'll see what we figure out. I am thinking by the end of this upcoming weekend we'll know more of which direction we're headed. It might just be a little too much set up for lil' ole us... we are dainty and all... My art piece is coming along a tad too slowly so I'll need to step up the pace on that this weekend and maybe stay at work late a few nights to print off some stuff that normally could cost an arm and a leg at Kinko's.

As far as the rest of my life... its pretty even keeled... knock on wood.

My 500th post...

No pressure, I've just been avoiding the blogosphere for a while now... I decided to re-up. I've been out of work for a bit and anytime I'm between shows I tend to avoid the world a tad. I have discovered in this absence that I: A. Needed a break B. Can actually accomplish things on my life list while out of work rather than hiding and skulking and C. I kinda miss lil ole blog.

A lot and not much has been going on in my absence. I know I had talked about my uncle visiting at one point and here are some pics of his trip over this way to see his "childless" niece and nephew. Seems our family only comes to visit if ya pop one out so it really meant alot to see him.

My Uncle Ken, Me and my sister Jen at The Getty


We went to the Jazz Bakery and saw the amazing Dr. Lonnie Smith and friends...what a show!


Me and Ken at the beach..


A picture of me I actually kinda dig my sister took..


I have begun to plan my next big trip to Burning Man. I know what you all are thinking, oh great more bullshit we will hear endlessly about in regards to people on stilts, fire dancers, art pieces covered in dust and you know what.... you're right. I can't lie, there will be more of that. Oh the fun to look forward to. I'll try to contain myself. hehehe

I have a new job starting soon, and its a really neat show for me to get on. I'm very excited and as always can't talk specifics, but i'm sure, to allow me to bitch about work, I'll come up with another fake name for it to clue you all in. We'll just say it rhymes with Callous Fin Underhand.

I wish for my 500th post that I had some big exploration of a part of my psyche, or some great revelation and that frankly has been holding me back from posting... Let's consider this my breaking the seal, and trudging forward. There's always going to more funny videos for me to share, wierd pictures to post, and odd topics for me to discuss so let's begin. =)

Blather and Bosh

So the one week countdown starts today until Zacki finishes his duty on yet another Feature and begins the fun process of looking for work. (Unless they add a few days on... we'll see) Whenever I get to this point I always start to feel and think the same things "I'm never going to work again..." "I'm going to starve and die a lonely death in a ditch somewhere forgotten and yet another casualty of the LA Movie machine..." "Dear God, why can't I just have the body of a porn star and work 1 day a week." You know, the usual. As always I have put out some feelers and hopefully will hear back from some peeps who might need my help. There is another big movie coming up later this Summer I could work on so really in the meantime its about finding something to bridge the gap, unless of course something better comes along and whisks me in a new and interesting direction for my career. So if anyone out there needs a set designer/ model builder/ painter/ draftsman/ actor-model-dancer-but what I really want to do is direct/ can cry on cue/ and it shoots salad! just 19.99$ order now! Let me know....

You can take that and shove it right up....WHAM!

Its been a week that kind of makes me feel like I've been hit by a bus.... oh you know what, here's a youtube montage of just that from favorites such as Mean Girls and Nip/Tuck:

Now I'll never be a teen model!

So yesterday morning, I got into work and sat at my desk as always. The next ten or so minutes consisted of the usual post vacation chat about turkeys, pies, tiredness, family etc... After recounting to my boss about the wonderful break I had enjoyed, it hit me..... The plastic cover for the fluorescent lights above me smacked me down like a bitch and left three nice gashes in my nose. I know poor me, but it all really did happen so fast. Laugh laugh, loud noise, bang and I'm down. I now fear being cheery in the office. Perhaps that's what they want!? All kidding aside I'm fine and just a little embarrassed at how these weird things happen to me frequently in life, remember my little scrap with an electric door? Anywho, the bandaid is off today, I got a well deserved extra day at home with an ice pack and some movies, and the throbbing sensation has subsided.



To recap turkey day: It was a lovely day with good friends, a wonderfully juicy turkey, and some mellow fun. I even made a tart which turned out pretty well. (A little over cooked in the crust dept. but still good.) All had a good time and I was comatose in bed by 11:30. We all also learned from my roommate's sister that the new term for a Queef (female vaginal fart) is a "Rose Fart." Odd, I know, you kinda had to be there. I hope someday a writer friend will name one of their characters "Rose Varts." I digress.

I got in alot of movie watching time so here's my bit second reviews of all the films I saw:

1. Beowulf. Ok, still look kinda corpse-ish, lotsa ass, very rentable fair but not riveting.

2. Enchanted. Cute, Amy Adams MAKES this movie. Patrick Dempsey is still a block of salt. Worth a rent if you are bored and want to smile, don't bother seeing it in the theatre with all the whiny kids.

3. The TV Set. Weird, too insidery for those who aren't in the biz (aka boring for them) and the only redeeming factor: Sigourney Weaver in a light bitchy role. David Duchovny and beard= bad.

4. Zoo. Disturbing doc on beastiality that is set in my hometown Enumclaw, WA. Worth a watch for its subtle style of telling such a touchy story. Worth a rent for those with a stronger mind than stomach. Also, in one shot you can see the back of my old house up on the hill.

5. Notes on a Scandal. Wonderful, great acting, a must see, creepiest damn Judi Dench character EVER.

6. Year of the Dog. Disappointing, Molly Shannon is boring, weirdly depressing and not as hopeful or funny as it says it is...avoid it.

7. Day Watch. If you liked Night Watch, this is a great continuation of the funky Russian vampire/ matrixy good vs. evil trilogy. They weren't nearly as specific and creative with the subtitles this go round.

A cup of Joe and a mid-morning distraction...

The most handsome damn man started work today in the office. I turned to the corner to meet the two new guys expecting the same old niceties and intros, but was stopped in my tracks by a smile, gorgeous build, sweet blue eyes and a southern accent to boot. I don't stand a chance at getting any work done if he so much as walks into my room.... oy vey! Is it warm in here?

Halloween 2007!

Happy Halloween! Here's some pics of me and my boss Andrea in costume. (The only ones on the whole show who dressed up as always!) I'm a night time security guard for FAO Schwartz attacked by dolls and toys. Andrea is a haz mat employee for the building we worked in last time that had all sorts of bad chemicals and asbestos!

"Kiss my ass Carol"

Keeping in line with my former made up names of shows I work on, to protect the innocent of course, I bring you "Kiss my ass Carol." Now I know "Have a tard" actually showed my great disdain for that job, don't let this name fool you... I just started and it was the most creative thing I could come up with by slightly altering the show's title. I assure you, this job has slightly better pay, some better hours, and much better health code adherence when it comes to the building we now inhabit. I still don't have my computer at work, hopefully that will happen tomorrow or Wednesday, then you'll see more blogging from me. In the meantime its been a nice two weeks off, I had a great time at Descanso Gardens where my roommate Claude snapped a pic of me I actually like:


Had a pretty great birthday that included a crazy weekend of depravity at the LA decom party... more on that to follow. Hope everyone out in the blogosphere is doing just dandy!

On work and frustration.

Well, my issues with this horrible job on "Have a tard" seem to be dimishing with every passing hour. I live more comfortably knowing that this weekend I will be leaving on my grand excursion and that my days here upon my return are numbered. Thank god that this experience will be over soon, I really hate this place. Yesterday I started to actually get giddy at the idea of having a break from the dank corners of this glorified wharehouse in Playa Vista. Over-all: General career malaise.

It has been 3 years since I moved to LA and started working in "the Biz" and I can't say I've made it all that far. I know, I tend to be an impatiant person and my close friends have heard me bitch about my work issues at length. If that describes any of you, feel free to scroll down further and escape this tirade. I just wish there was a faster way to get to my ultimate goal of working in the industry, in the union, on creative interesting work and making enough money to no longer be up to my ears in debt. I want to be further along than I am. I think this long pause has affected my drive. I used to be so passionate and had so much resolve, but now I feel like a bit of a zombie now when it comes to which direction I am headed. I think that is why I decided of all the years to go to Burning Man, this is the first time I really NEED it. I am going with the hope I will be inspired. I am going to allow myself to decompress, let go of some things, experience new things, test my ability to survive in a harsh climate, and in some ways to wake myself up and prove I'm still alive inside there. This trip is my way of recharging my creative battery. It is time to remember where I was 3 years ago and reclaim some of that.

It's too easy to blame LA and say how hard it is to get ahead in the entertainment industry, but when all is said and done the buck stops with me. I think in some ways my lack of resolve and some whifs of my general malaise have kept me firmly planted right where I am. I am determined to change this. I don't want to think back and see a waste of time and energy filling in my memories.

Another day at Have A Tard...

It's days like this that drag on and on without an end in sight, that make me want to scratch my eyes out. The most exciting moments today included printing a bunch of stuff, researching a scene from a certain movie, hint: goes well with fava beans and a nice chianti.. and then spent half an hour basically choking on the over-syrupy juice from too many skittles in my mouth at once. Wow, I really hit the bigtime huh? I'm livin' the dream and making that amazing grad school degree work for me. I think its time to make some changes...it's time to get that portfolio up and in working order while I have access to all these printers, ink and paper, and then find myself the job I WANT.....you know, the job I spent so much time "mastering."

Last night there was a brief moment where this really hit me hard... I have more clarity now that I'm out of my old digs, and more self worth too. I think this year is gonna keep being one of much change in my life, but at this point, that can only be a good thing.

That's a saturn?

The Saturn commercial I worked on this year....
I know, how exciting....