Thursday, February 26, 2004
Loony TV Commercial
Okay, and excuse me if I’m blunt, but what the hell is up with those freaky animated rodents on Quiznos commercials? It looks like something out of a poorly implemented underground flash animation webring. Okay, there, I’ve said it. I’ve gotten it off my chest and I feel better now. Your thoughts on these freaky rodent things?
Monday, February 23, 2004
Hundreds of the Greatest Hits!
My server’s front web page is getting hundreds upon hundreds of hits. My counter says I’m racking ‘em up. So why does it feel like my server is in a little corner of the internet? Actually, I like it that way. Unfortunately, Google found my site so it may not stay that way for long. Heck, people, it’s only on a cable modem right now! Upstream rates are mediocre at best. Okay, I admit, I submitted my site to Google. Shame on me.
In other news, I bought Avenue Q at the iTunes music store today. Talk about instant gratification! It was both instant and gratifying. I don’t mind having instant downloads even though it may stand against some part of my philosophy; I can justify it by saying I didn’t buy a CD so no plastic wasted, I didn’t drive to a store so no petroleum products wasted. I delayed entropy by saving energy. But most importantly of all, it’s funny and I enjoy the music. So beat that with a stick. Ha.
Tomorrow I have a Complete Day Off™ and I worry it will merely serve to enhance my procrastination factor. I really need to get stuff done but all I end up doing is writing in this stupid weblog not saying anything anyway. Okay. That does it. I’m out.
Friday, February 20, 2004
The Moth Attack
So dB’s 473 class and I are watching the complete Empire Strikes Back last night and right when the mynoks start flying around the Millenium Falcon in the asteriod this huge ol’ moth starts dive-bombing us. Now I usually don’t mind most insects, but moths just creep me out. They’re stupid, ugly, clumsy, and this one was biiiig. It settled down after the action sequence, though, possibly having been riled up out of support for its larger space based brethren.
Monday, February 16, 2004
Screech, Turn, Crash
So I’m walking home EB on Adams from Hoover after dropping off some Netflix films in the corner mail box when I hear a “screeech”—I turn around quickly to witness a crash with a satisfying and disturbing crunching & squealing noise; a dk red Nissan sedan hits the RR fender of a white Geo Tracker as it makes a lt turn onto NB Hover from Adams as the light turns red. Someone else calls 911 and LAFD arrives code 3 a few minutes later. Both drivers are okay and I stick around to be a witness for LAPD after LAFD leaves, but the drivers work it out amongst themselves so no report taken. Turns out the driver of the white vehicle is a teacher who went to USC film school many years ago and has lived in the neighborhood ever since—and says he’s never had any problems in 16 years living in the area (inferring that this is because of the top-rated police force in the area), whereas compared to when he lived in Silverlake his house was broken into three times. At any rate, I do get a couple stills of the aftermath on 5274 for cinematography class. I wonder how they’ll turn out.
Monday, January 05, 2004
Does this make sense?
As I near the tuition deadline for the Spring 2004 semester, I find myself saying, “I have to register and pay for a class that I’m not going to take because I can’t register and pay for a class that I am going to take.” Anyone who knows the hassles of USC’s D-clearance and registration system knows what I’m talking about.
Sunday, December 07, 2003
Only in my part of town…
...can you hear a tire screech, metal/glass cunching/shattering, and then more squealing as an engine revs and fades away, only to rush outside to find no sign of an accident besides the sound of debris on the road as passing cars drive over it.
Friday, November 28, 2003
Dumb One-Liner
Second-rate toilet paper: something about it just rubs me the wrong way.
Saturday, November 08, 2003
Fires, School
It’s been a while since I’ve posted an update. The Southern California October 2003 Wildfires have come and gone, the weather has turned colder, and Streakers has gone from production into post-production. I will most likely not have time to post another update for quite a while, and I apologize if this one isn’t quite really up to snuff. I’m doing my best, but this blog thing is really last on my priority list.
And that’s pretty much it. Sorry to disappoint. I’ll see you in December, perhaps?
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
A Visit from the Masters: Patrice Leconte & Steven Poster
Jeremy Kagan arranged for French director Patrice Leconte to talk to us about some of his filmmaking experiences. He was joined later by American cinematographer Steven Poster and the two of them related their experiences working together as it pertains to a learning experience for the student directors. It was very interesting. These two film giants have worked so much in the industry and have so much experience; it was inspiring, a little humbling, exciting, and very informative.
Steven Poster, Patrice Leconte (this was not a “posed” picture) in the Ron Howard Screening Room, Zemeckis Center, USC:
Friday, October 10, 2003
Indochine and The Last Weekend
Last night in directing class, French director Régis Wargnier visited and talked about Indochine and some of what he went through to make it. It was most informative. He also helped a few of us with our scenes for class.
Tonight I have the shoot from hell. We start at 21:00 and go until 09:00 Saturday morning. Then Sunday 06:00 to 18:00. Who comes up with these murderous shoot times? Ah well, last weekend of principal photography. Then I get at least one weekend back…. :(
Thursday, September 25, 2003
Apple Rips a Big One
After downloading and installing the Mac OS 10.2.8 update Monday afternoon, my ethernet connection drops. Initially I thought it was USC because this happened several times last year, but after four days of downtime I checked Apple’s website and it appears it was Apple’s fault. So I bought a hub as a temporary workaround until they can fix their own mess. I just hope they get a patch out within 14 days, as I can’t return the hub after that.
Meanwhile, USC doesn’t let us use hubs on the network so I can’t connect my other computer to it. It would be nice if they included more than one ethernet port in my whole apartment. I’m not about to buy a router.
Monday, September 15, 2003
Phil’s Philosophy of Filmmaking
(As if looking back on film school) I didn’t go to USC to make good films. I went to USC to make bad films. I wanted to make good films. Anyone who went to film school and thinks he made only good films wasted his money.
Film School Funniness or When I Stopped Caring About Reality
It’s funny, but whenever my classmates and I get together before a class we never really talk about current events. A category 5 hurricane is about to slam into the East coast, the October 7 gubernatorial recall election has been put on hold, and all we talk about is filmmaking. This seems to be a recurring issue with me—how focused we are in our own little worlds and really how insignificant all those petty little things seem when compared to the larger picture. Then again, it’s always nice to have a passion.
Sunday, September 14, 2003
Effect and Cause
I think my computer is psychic. The second I decide to get out of bed this morning, the monitor turns on. The only way to do that is by pressing a key or moving the mouse, both of which are on the other side of the room.
Saturday, September 13, 2003
California Water Gone South
What is this greenish-brownish crap in the bottom of my Brita® filter? (On the plus side, I get 100% Vitamin C from my juice drink!)
