HYDRA

Because this entry has many head(er)s, get it? No? Oh.

(That's okay, I don't either).

The Webshow Meet

So that went down on Monday. It had ups and downs and I learned a whole hell of a lot that I'm struggling to retain. That last bit may make me sound a bit dim but hoo dog did I have to eat a lot of alphabet soup (re: acronyms for things I'd never heard of before).

The actual amount of people that showed was pretty disappointing. It's maddening, but there doesn't seem to be any kind of real feeling of community amongst these sorts (in Toronto). I was particularly pissed to see that a person I know who complains regularly about this lack didn't show. Now, the people who did show were quality, but I cannot blame the organizer for getting disillusioned - though it didn't help that he'd had a terrible technical problem arise earlier in the day which looked to cost several hundred dollars to fix.

I gave my presentation, but it was as much for shits as anything else. Still, I enjoyed doing it.

The ups came from the fact that I learned a lot from the other presenter about what is happening regarding the government and it's views on "New Media", that loosey-goosey term for Innernet Stuuuuuf. I'm going to email the presenter soon and ask her if she'd be willing to send me a list of the names she mentioned so that I can then do a little of my own research and then try to spread the good work - for these names were names of people and organizations which are currently flapping their gums in a way which will have a profound effect on the future business viability of Canadian webshow entertainment. Expect more on that if I am able to get this in order.

I also made a pair of very useful contacts and for that, if nothing else, I'm glad I went. Here's hoping that the rough plan of trying again in four months, after more promotion, works out and I get a second chance to present to a bigger audience.

Nostalgia

It's no small coincidence that I've got an episode of the show on this topic coming soon. Lately I have been hip deep in the stuff. It's hard to say why, I'm pretty happy with stuff right now and I'm rather looking forward to what this year seems in order to deliver. I think that perhaps part of it is how quickly last year seems to have passed, but mostly I think it has to do with how cleary demarcated my adult life has been so far. My early twenties were DownTown Ottawa and then a very thick line was drawn between then and now, that line being Fourteen Months In London of course.

I don't know what's up with that, I don't know what's up with that but I reckon it's responsible for this wordy entry.

Cursing

People who know me would never accuse me of being the sort to go around sticking bars of soap in other people's mouths. Outside of certain contexts (i.e. teaching a kindergarten class) I think that words are just words and it's the way they are used that gives them meaning and/or power. Lord knows I certainly don't shy from crude or unusual and crude ways of expressing myself.

But I wonder, am I getting worse?

What stirs up these thoughts is something that happened as I was getting off the subway yesterday. I started to get out of my seat and the train shuddered in a way that led to me mashing my left knee on the handrest of a bench. This was pretty damn hard, hard enough that I had a noticable limp for the next fifteen minutes or so.

"Ow, fuck" I exclaimed as I excited the car. Okay, whatever. But then, blessedly out of earshot of anyone but without having made of point of being in such a space, I took a step that aggravated it and chased the earlier curse with "Fuck, fuck, fucking shit, fuck a child in the eye this shit hurts!".

Uh huh...this is probably nothing to worry about. I'm doing everything in my power to get to earning a living by my writing. I get bored with conventional phrases when I hear them come out of my mouth and so for that, and other writing related reasons, I often try to spin something a different way. Maybe that was a result of this habit? Maybe I just need fiercer cursing to register in my brain as cursing?

Maybe this isn't the thing to think about, but instead I should worry if I start saying that stuff so others can hear - well, others who don't know me well enough. I'm obviously not ashamed of it to the point I won't put this up on the Internet for anyone to read...

Urban Sexploitation

Last night I was taken on my second swing at Urban Exploration, although don't go getting impressed or anything as it was even easier to get into than the Brickworks. Basically I've had more trouble entering and risked greater injury by trying to enter a relaxed state of mind than this place. I'm being vague because I don't want to attract further attention to it, lest this lead to it being properly guarded or even locked. Why mention this shit at all then? Because of two reasons.

1) I was scouting a location to hopefully film in later this year.

2) It afforded me a sight which I found to be so awe inspiring as to be life affirming. That feeling is worth mentioning, if nothing else in this entire entry. There was something about the mixture of height and decayed decadence (anyone who's been there now knows where I mean) that played a tune

I hope things come together that I can then show you guys this place via the medium of fillum.

Beards

After being beardy since about mid-2002...fully bearded since late 2004...I shaved the whole damn thing off and plan to keep it that way for a while. "BIG WHOOP" you say "WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP" you inexplicably follow with...but it is kind of a neat thing, particularly when coupled with a new haircut/style. I'm now seeing a version of my face I haven't seen since before the second Iraq war. Drinking orange juice was livened up this morning when I actually felt it lap against my upper lip - when was the last time drinking orange juice surprised you?

To further hammer the point home, against my already pale skin I noticed that the recently debearded flesh was even paler for having lived in a hairy cave (uhhhh) these past years. Makes sense, but is odd all the same.

Just shut up and get on with it

Okay

1234

Shucks howdy, I sure had me some fun joining my friends Victor, Paul and Ryan in The Board Meeting yesterday. I'll share some of the pictures when I can steal'em off Victor (man I can't wait to finally get a new battery charger for my own little beast in a couple of weeks).

So yes, I didn't really finish my thoughts in the last post.

The sabbatical was a success in many ways. I distinctly remember setting myself two goals.
1) Get paid for writing.
2) Make something, anything.

I achieved both and so I guess I'm pretty satisfied! I wish I'd been able to find someone else to do the editing on Handful. As much as I enjoyed challenging myself in quite possibly my weakest area, at the end of the day I'm not trying to become an editor/tech support guy...I'm trying to become a successful writer/director! So it is without any great dismay that I've begun looking for someone to take that over and, blessedly, I got a lead yesterday that might pay off.

I can also fairly say I made pretty good use of the summer weather, there was no languishing in a beige bin while gay children busied themselves under a shining sun. I wrote a fair deal while sitting under a tree in either Kensington or Trinity-Bellwood parks and so that was another little personal goal that was met.

But man I could have done without winding up in such dire money trubbles. I guess I could have escaped them if I'd been willing to go back to temporary office work to sustain myself, but I felt that after almost two years of the shit...well it's called temporary for a reason. Even though I've ended up back in retail to rebuild my coffers, it's at least at somewhere I can feel like an adult and maybe even a little classy at times. Plus I saw a rich woman punch her husband in the gut, then face...so I guess some of my friends predictions that this would provide good writing fodder were pretty apt. My coworkers are pretty A+ too, which is always key.

But I think that the next step is to focus more on writing, get the second season of Handful made and ready to upload before the first episode is put up and to start applying for writing grants like crazy. Money from the gubbermint to live on while I scriptwrite? YES PLEASE.

Grants are a side of the industry I haven't thought about since just after I got my degree and I might have gone longer still if my pal Mark hadn't started applying for some himself. Most government grants aren't open to folk who're less than a year out of school, so that mixed with my feelings that I didn't have enough "chops" to have a chance of getting anything and led to my ignoring grants for long enough to plum forget about'em.

But it's been a couple of years and now I've got film and show ideas bursting from a fat binder and several notebooks. I've got a little bit to show, between my trailer and Handful (and that short film I've gotten paid to write, once it's made). I'd also like to think my writing has improved!

You know what, I will.

I will think that.

I've slapped together a three to four month plan and as long as I don't eventually get up to a five-year plan I think life won't feel too fleeting.

I went to a friends film fundraiser last night

and it was a good time, though both my friend and I wished more folk had come out. A lot of folk were busy, though my pal Rob still had me drop some dollars into the donation box on his behalf so hey, and the reasons were generally just.

But I caught through another friend that the reason some weren't coming was because they too led the Poor Artiste Life and that hey why should they come give money to a guy for his project when they need money for theirs?

GEE I DON'T KNOW FELLAS/LADIES, MAYBE BECAUSE ONE DAY YOU MIGHT WANT FOLK TO GIVE MONEY TO YOU?

Plus, Christ, it's not like these sorts of wingdings happen every day of the week or the suggested donation was more than the cost of seeing a movie - hell, it was actually a chunk less than going to see something at the AMC. Oh well!

It certainly got me thinking about what I'll do in months to come. I'm loathe to commit to anything just now, as I'm still wrapping up a couple of things, but I know that I want to push forward the feature length making of Tonight We Fall In Love. It's a fair guess that I'll need to raise "money" in ways other than tugging on the arms of organizations or individuals with large amounts of discretionary income. Heh, it'd be nice to think that Handful might have enough of a following by that point that I could raise some cash via an Obama style micro-payment dealie but that just MIGHT qualify as getting ahead of myself...especially since, though the technical problem has been solved, it was solved at a late enough point to make putting off the proper episode until next Friday a mandatory act (for the sake of quality).

"What Writers Make"

One of the trickiest things in being self-employed, or so I've learned from my parents and their many self-employed friends that I've met over the years, is setting a price for your services. You want to entice someone into hiring you or purchasing your product, but you also don't want to cheat yourself or even drive people away with prices so low they assume what you're offering is crapola.

For this last script I've been paid for, I basically did a calculation based off what I knew the producers budget to be (approx.) and what my own personal monthly expenses are. But according to the GUVVERMINT I should be charging $23.82 an hour. Well, at least until I hit 55 and then I should charge a little less as my doddering old brain won't be able to churn out tales like she used to.

CoS BS

So last night, after I finished putting the final polish on a couple of comedy sketches for my web collaborator, I found myself with a small concern I'd never thought I'd have to wrestle with.

It stemmed from a sketch I had written about a fictional "Church of Scientology Babysitting Service". As most people who know me would be sure to say, I'm usually willing to take the piss out of anyone and everything without fear for consequences. I'd even go so far as to say I can be a bit reckless at times. However, the worst this has ever bitten me in the ass is with the inevitable "Oh dear the person you're making a joke about is standing right behind you" scenario.

But man, if there is one* thing that is objectionable about the CoS it is that they have no sense of humor about being mocked and are a very, very litigious bunch. Not only that, but they have been known to harrass the hell out of any journalist who investigates them, put serious pressure on television shows that dare to satirize them (including getting the South Park episode about the CoS pulled - though it's still pretty easy to find on the internet) and have kidnapped the odd person (Go to page 61 of this pdf for an example). The protestors at the three world wide "Anonymous" protests wore and continue to wear masks for good reason.

I'm not looking out the window every ten minutes to try and figure out which of the strangers on my street might be a private investigator hired by the CoS. But that I've even for a second considered asking not to be credited for the sketch really pisses me off. Even further, inspired by some of the material in that pdf I've linked to, I've written a rough outline for a feature film drawing inspiration from several real life incidents involving the CoS. After a joyful, almost feverish spat of putting thoughts to page I wondered if anybody would be willing to fund such a thing, for fear of the good Church's pressure tactics coming to bear on them. The "Jews control the media and entertainment industry" bullshit is just that, but it's fair to say the CoS has a bit of control with the latter.

Or who knows, maybe the publicity from Anonymous' war on the scientologists has - or will, as they certainly haven't stopped - could lead to enough of a spotlight on these heinous shit merchants, thugs and demagogues to prevent them from being able to flex their muscles. Any thoughts? Should I go through with the feature script and try to get it made?

*There are many, many, many, many things that are objectionable about them.

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Addendum: I've added a couple of slideshows on the right-hand side, a new blogger feature I rather appreciate since this thing is generally pretty picture heavy (though not lately!). Feast your peepers on those, if you like.

THANKS, CHURCHY

As if the film industry isn't difficult enough, some jerk decided to help make it more difficult. The facebook group which stands in opposition to this puts it all together more thoroughly than I would, so I've copied and pasted the relevant info below - along with a recent letter to all the members. One thing I like about the group is that it provides email address for contacting the involved politicians, so that the group might actually affect something.

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Canada's Tory government is using clauses hidden away in Bill C10, an omnibus piece of legislation tweaking the Income Tax Act, to set itself up as the arbiter of which films and TV programs made in Canada are offensive, or not in the public interest. If C10 passes, the Heritage Minister will develop guidelines to deny tax credits (a key part of film and TV financing in Canada) to shows that step over the line--and it's anyone's guess how the Tories will define 'decency', 'obscenity', or 'contrary to public policy'.

Will films subversive of Christianity be funded (Jesus of Montreal)? Films with teen violence (New Waterford Girl)? Films with incest (The Sweet Hereafter)? Films with explicit sex (Crash)? Films with -- gasp -- gay themes (The Hanging Garden, etc., etc.)? Films with necrophilia (Kissed)? Films with threesomes (Where the Truth Lies)? Once the Tories pass this legislation, it'll be their administrative decision.

The Tories' evangelical base is celebrating the new legislation as a victory: the Globe and Mail reports that "Charles McVety, president of the Canada Family Action Coalition, said his lobbying efforts included discussions with Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day and Justice Minister Rob Nicholson, and 'numerous' meetings with officials in the Prime Minister's Office. 'We're thankful that someone's finally listening,' he said yesterday. 'It's fitting with conservative values, and I think that's why Canadians voted for a Conservative government.' 'There are a number of Conservative backbench members that do a lot of this work behind the scenes,' he said."

Right.

What's more, most films and TV programs apply for tax credits late in the game, after scripts have been written and principal photography completed. They use the predictability of tax credits to apply for federal subsidies, loans, and Telefilm Canada grants. With the proposed new guidelines, films and TV programs with even a whiff of controversy will become risky for funders, and artists will be under strong pressure to self-censor.

Please join this group, encourage people you know to join, and WRITE LETTERS to Senators, MPs, party leaders, the Minister of Heritage, and others. You'll find contact info and sample letters below.

It would also be great if you would share your own letters on the Discussion Board, post links to relevant articles under Posted Items, and use the Wall to state your views (no flame wars, please).

Bill C10 is currently in Third Reading, which is to say that there's little time to mobilize on this. Please do what you can.

For more info, see:

Canada tax credits: strings attached (The Hollywood Reporter): http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/international/news/e3i0055cabe5256398a723f2462ae029b3c

Evangelist takes credit for film crackdown (Globe and Mail): http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080229.wculture29/BNStory/National/home

Tories plan to withhold funding for 'offensive' productions (Globe and Mail): http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080228.wheritage28/BNStory/robColumnsBlogs/
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Hi there,

More than 1000 people have joined this Facebook group in opposition to Bill C-10 in its first day! Please check back for news, refer your friends and networks to this Group, and keep the ball rolling.

Most importantly, though, please fire off letters, even very brief ones, expressing your opposition. Addressees could include:

* The Prime Minister: pm@pm.gc.ca

* Leaders of opposition parties:
Stephane Dion: DionS@parl.gc.ca
Jack Layton: Layton.J@parl.gc.ca
Gilles Duceppe: Duceppe.G@parl.gc.ca

* Your local MP: http://canada.gc.ca/directories-repertoires/direct-eng.html

* The Canadian Audio-Visual Certification Office (CAVCO): cavco_bcpac@pch.gc.ca

* Letters to the Editor of national and local newspapers; TV and radio newsrooms; etc.

Thank you.
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