Payoff Begins...

Today we started filming our movie... all my hard work has apparently payed off... or has it?

Granted it's only a five minute short, non-dialogue movie, but the paperwork that has been required is tremendous. I can't even imagine what kind of worlds real producers have to move to make big-budget, feature films happen. But I can say that this has been an incredible learning experience. I have made a lot of mistakes, that's for sure, but at least I'm making them in school where it's okay. The shoot today has gone so incredibly smoothly. Since I'm producer and all, I'm not even really needed on the set, and for much of the shots I would be in the way anyway, so the director and actors are in the other room right now shooting one of the scenes.

Tomorrow, however, will not be so smooth... at least at the beginning of the shoot. I'm playing a little practical joke on the director involving two of the main cast members. Basically, these two people have never met, and they won't meet each other until tomorrow on the set, yet they've both filmed scenes for us today, so if something goes wrong with the actors, we can't replace them because we've already filmed scenes with them. So, I've arranged that when the two actors meet, they will pretend like they already know each other somehow, and have restraining orders against each other and can't work with each other. It's going to be a very tense and dramatic moment, and hopefully the girl will start fake crying. I can't wait to see how Matt reacts... Muah ha ha!

I am so thankful that everything has come together like it did. It was Hell, don't get me wrong, but it has all been worth it... I think. The movie should look good, and I'll post it online for you all to view once it's finished, granted I'm allowed to by USC. They have some anal copyright issue with that... but I think they're only upset about online posting of USC films when they person posting it is making some kind of profit. In my case, however, it would just be good, old-fashioned free viewing fun.

So anyway, yesterday I ran amuck between USC, Torrance, and Los Angeles trying to pick up the permits I needed for the shoot this weekend. Technically, we don't have the permit to shoot tomorrow, but that's just because the people at the Los Angeles Film Office were stupid and only gave me the permit for two of the three locations, and by the time I had realized that they had forgotten to give me the other, they were closed. So, shit... that's my basic reaction. But I'm not really worried. We're filming on private property owned by one of our crew member's father, so we shouldn't have any problems at all.

Well that's about all I have time to type for now, folks. We're almost rapped up here, anyway. I can't believe how busy I have been... it's completely insane. INSANE! Anywho, time to go... lates!

Producing Hell

So I'm producing a short film for one of my class... and I want to kill someone.

It's been a while since I've written anything. I've been incredibly and exceedingly busy with my classes. In particular, for one of my production classes, I've been assigned as the producer of the film. Since there are only four people in our group, being the producer means I have to do scheduling, secure the locations, apply and pick up city permits, secure all the actors, and basically make sure everything is taken care of myself, not having anyone to delegate to. Everything is fine, except for the locations. Everyone in this forsaken town wants money, even if it's a student film. One place wanted me to pay them $4,000 to use their ABANDONED SHED for six hours, plus $85/hour for someone to supervise from their company, plus $500 for parking. And that was one of the cheapest places.

So, after trying for about two weeks to get locations, I now have four days until shooting begins, and only one of three locations secured. Shit, is all I have to say about that. I'm freaking out, no joke. Time to go strangle someone... lates!

Popcorn kernels up in this!

True or False: Do I have a popcorn kernel stuck in my teeth?

TRUE! This entry is just to inform you all that I have a rather bothersome and annoying popcorn kernel stuck in my teeth right now. This is not a friendly situation, guys... I hope you all realize the risk we all take when we eat popcorn, because there's a demonstration of the repercussions going on right now in my mouth. That's all I have to say... have a great day everyone and chew carefully. Lates!

+1 to my shit list

someonelikesyou.com can burn in Hell...

About a year ago I got a stupid email from someonelikesyou.com telling me I had a secret crush!! Ooh! Boy was I excited! No. So I decided, why not, and clicked on the link... which, as you may know, then instructs you to enter all the people you have a crush on so they can spam all of them with email telling them they have a crush and only if you mention the right email of the person who has a crush on you will they tell you who it is... basically creating a huge chain of emails that will eventually drive everyone to suicide and kill off the human race because no one can figure out who their crush is. So after realizing this I clicked "unsubscribe" and was "removed" from the list.

Or so I thought... then later I got another email from someonelikesyou.com telling me that I needed to go on the site within the next few days because they were shutting down and I hadn't figured out who my crush was! Unsubscribe...

Then later... "We'll just tell you who your crush is!" Hmmmm, okay, I decide. So I go to the site to have them "tell" me who it is... and then I'm instructed to sign up with jackpot.com, then find the word that finishes the sentence and enter it in the blank and then, and only then, will I be one step closer to them telling me who my crush is. I of course need to sign up with getamilliondollarsbecauseimafuckingidiot.com first and fill in the blank to yet another mysterious phrase. So I unsubscribe again, because it's obvious they're not going to tell me.

Later... I get another email. Deleted! So I didn't hear from them from a while, until last night. I got an email that said:

"Last week's "Find your crush's age and initials!" offer (of which I took no part, mind you) had a glitch that prevented most people from finishing the process. In response, we've fixed all the technical problems and made it much easier to find out!
We're sorry, but...

Now this is your best chance to find out your crush's age and initials!"

GOD DAMN IT! So I went to the stupid website, with the bleak hope that they MIGHT tell me the stupid information. But once again, I need to start up accounts with iwanttobeasrichasdonaldtrump.com and ihaveshitforbrainsbutgivememoney.com... so I "unsubscribed" again and then proceeded to write them an email that said:

"I've unsubscribed numerous times and I still get your emails. Either tell me who my stupid "secret crush" is or stop sending me the god damn emails."

I'm starting to believe that "unsubcribe me from your email list" to them means "Hi! I'm a sap that desperately needs emails from your site to feel satisfied in life and I don't think I can go on living if you stop sending me emails pleading me to go to your site and want to kill myself from the torture of not knowing who my crush is because they're obviously my soul mate and I must know who they are this instant!"

Thus, someonelikesyou.com is on my shit list, and they should be on yours too. Lates!

And... cue sickness!

*Cough* *Sniffle* *Cough*... Someone kill me.

Well hello everyone, guess who's sick? I'm not sure with what but I have a headache and the sniffles and I keep sneezing and coughing and I asked Yas to cut off my head earlier so I could be alleviated from this misery but she wouldn't do it… what a whore. Yes and don't worry, I'm just as sarcastic and bitter as always when I'm sick, nothing has changed. And for those of you too stupid to understand that the question was rhetorical, it's me... I'm the one who's sick. God I'm an asshole. I'm sitting here reading this blog, and I'm a jerk, no question about it.

I think if I don't change my ways, I'm going to be that old scary man that all the neighborhood kids talk about and throw sticks at to see if he's napping or dead or awake, because his eyes are still open but he doesn't look like he's breathing so they can't tell, and there's buzzards sitting above his porch just waiting for him to die because they know it's coming soon and they think he's an asshole too and don't want to miss a spare moment to peck his eyes out. Well I don't want that... but I think it's kind of inevitable. It's okay though, there'll be that one kid who gives me a chance and becomes friends with me and learns some valuable lesson about life from me, just like in those movies... you know, the ones about the boy and the old man... yeah.

So I think I started getting sick yesterday, but it just felt like I was tired so I didn't really mind it too much, but now that my head feels like there's a hippo bouncing around in there... I mind. I could really go for some Vitamin C right now, which Jamba Juice could certainly provide, were they open at 3:30AM. But alas, no such Jamba Juice exists. So I'm here awake, with no Vitamin C and a hippo in my head. Hey remember that game Hungy Hungy Hippos? Yeah that was fun... I never played it... but it always looked like fun times from the commercials. My problem is, of course, that I'm too lazy to get in the shower... it's too much work! I'm pathetic, yes... and I won't go to bed without a shower. So being lazy and procrastinative (which isn't even a word, I don't believe, but that's my gift in life... making up words) and all, I sit here not taking a shower and writing in my Blog.

I'm listening to "Baby Mine" by Allison Krause... it's basically her re-doing the song from Disney's ever-popular "Dumbo" (which when I first typed came out 'Dumby'). So I'm sick and dyslexic, apparantly. This is such a sad song... and I want to cry. Does that make me a sap? Probably. But I'm sick so that's my excuse... because everyone gets sappy when they're sick, right? Tonight I stumbled upon a tape that I had, which is a recording of the time my friend Katie accidentally stabbed me in the elbow with a butcher knife. It's true, and I have the scar to prove it. For all of you sickos interested in witnessing the event (which is not graphic or anything, don't worry) I'll be posting it in my "The Joy" section when it's fully functional and online.

Speaking of the "The Joy" section, I feel I should introduce it. It's basically going to be... yeah I don't know how to explain it. Well that was easy. Okay I'm going to go to bed... I'm now listening to Tatu's "Malchek Gei"... which I think means "go to bed you ignorant, dyslexic, sick asshole"... roughly. Lates!