Saturday, April 04, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Catching The Big Fish
the title of this post is copped from David Lynch's fairly recent book... which, i guess could be best described as a series of thoughts regarding the creative process.
it's pretty obvious and pretty brilliant at the same time (i guess that's why they call it insight).
now i'm no great originalist or creative mastermind like lynch... but i do have a process that i think works pretty well. we'll use an idea i "came up with" just a few minutes ago as an example (it's unlikely i'll use this for anything significant in the future (at least, it was unlikely until i wrote that sentence. now it's probably exptremely likely (at least it was extremely likely until i wrote that sentence...))).
first off (a generalization): A (always) B (be) W (working). Always Be Working. in my experience, it is so much harder to start working (creatively) than to continue working (creatively). even if you're not focused like a laser on a specific project, just doing a little bit of something on a fairly regular basis keeps the mind open for playing with new ideas.
secondly (some context): i watch/listen to a lot of news. i don't read as much news as i probably should. lately it's been all about politics and economics. not uncoincidentally, the script(s) i'm writing now have political/economic undertones. you write what you eat (or consume, rather).
thirdly (the example): one person that pops up a lot in the various news outlets i consume is economist and nobel laureate, Paul Krugman (the man deserves capitalization (and capitolization)). for some time he has been critical of the obama administration's ecomomic recovery moves. i understand his general point to be that they aren't altogether "bad", just generally insufficient.
Krugman is a pretty smart guy. and for this, he has been booked for loads of television news programs, although his television presence is mediocre at best (last year i heard him repeat the same joke on four different programs over the course of one week - though it was a clever joke, it fell flat every time). he is bookish. and not in a cute, hodgman sort of way.
this morning, i came across this:
that's a pretty evocative cover. Krugman looks extremely serious and looms large over a negative reference to the new, popular president. this representation almost casts Krugman not as a critic urging the administration toward what he feels to be better economic policy, but as an idealogical nemesis.
that was my immediate response to the image. knowing a little bit about the subject, the cover image seems pretty absurd.
this is key: whenever i see or hear something absurd, instead of rejecting it, i try to source it - figure out how that absurdity might become a reality.
taking that absurd image of Krugman and merging it with his awkward television bookishness, i started wondering what it would be like if Krugman really fed off the media attention. what if he bought into his own hype. what if this very smart, albeit awkward, man used the newsmedia attention to feed his ego and, over the course of the next few years, developed into a blofeld-ian, luthor-esque villian for obama. that would be kind of comic-booky, but weird because he's an economist.
since i immediately cast him as a comic book villian, it makes sense to cut out every aspect of the concept that seems too much like a comic book. you want to avoid the easy answers and the obvious stories. eliminate the "obama" character - don't give him direct opposition. flip it just a little so that, out of his nobel prize, this character uses a lot of improbable newsmedia attention to slowly grow a physical empire based entirely on his economic philosophies.
and that's where the lesson ends and we move on to something else.
Krugman as lex luthor (sans superman) is not a great idea. it's weird. and the source was interesting. but i really don't see a story there. so you wrap it up and put it away (i write it down in a little moleskine i carry around in my back pocket). maybe it finds it's way into something else sometime later.
this one didn't work. but sometimes they do. sometimes you can see something absurd, try to imagine a world in which it makes sense, and discover that the imagined world actually says something about the real world. that's where a story begins...
it's pretty obvious and pretty brilliant at the same time (i guess that's why they call it insight).
now i'm no great originalist or creative mastermind like lynch... but i do have a process that i think works pretty well. we'll use an idea i "came up with" just a few minutes ago as an example (it's unlikely i'll use this for anything significant in the future (at least, it was unlikely until i wrote that sentence. now it's probably exptremely likely (at least it was extremely likely until i wrote that sentence...))).
first off (a generalization): A (always) B (be) W (working). Always Be Working. in my experience, it is so much harder to start working (creatively) than to continue working (creatively). even if you're not focused like a laser on a specific project, just doing a little bit of something on a fairly regular basis keeps the mind open for playing with new ideas.
secondly (some context): i watch/listen to a lot of news. i don't read as much news as i probably should. lately it's been all about politics and economics. not uncoincidentally, the script(s) i'm writing now have political/economic undertones. you write what you eat (or consume, rather).
thirdly (the example): one person that pops up a lot in the various news outlets i consume is economist and nobel laureate, Paul Krugman (the man deserves capitalization (and capitolization)). for some time he has been critical of the obama administration's ecomomic recovery moves. i understand his general point to be that they aren't altogether "bad", just generally insufficient.
Krugman is a pretty smart guy. and for this, he has been booked for loads of television news programs, although his television presence is mediocre at best (last year i heard him repeat the same joke on four different programs over the course of one week - though it was a clever joke, it fell flat every time). he is bookish. and not in a cute, hodgman sort of way.
this morning, i came across this:
that's a pretty evocative cover. Krugman looks extremely serious and looms large over a negative reference to the new, popular president. this representation almost casts Krugman not as a critic urging the administration toward what he feels to be better economic policy, but as an idealogical nemesis.
that was my immediate response to the image. knowing a little bit about the subject, the cover image seems pretty absurd.
this is key: whenever i see or hear something absurd, instead of rejecting it, i try to source it - figure out how that absurdity might become a reality.
taking that absurd image of Krugman and merging it with his awkward television bookishness, i started wondering what it would be like if Krugman really fed off the media attention. what if he bought into his own hype. what if this very smart, albeit awkward, man used the newsmedia attention to feed his ego and, over the course of the next few years, developed into a blofeld-ian, luthor-esque villian for obama. that would be kind of comic-booky, but weird because he's an economist.
since i immediately cast him as a comic book villian, it makes sense to cut out every aspect of the concept that seems too much like a comic book. you want to avoid the easy answers and the obvious stories. eliminate the "obama" character - don't give him direct opposition. flip it just a little so that, out of his nobel prize, this character uses a lot of improbable newsmedia attention to slowly grow a physical empire based entirely on his economic philosophies.
and that's where the lesson ends and we move on to something else.
Krugman as lex luthor (sans superman) is not a great idea. it's weird. and the source was interesting. but i really don't see a story there. so you wrap it up and put it away (i write it down in a little moleskine i carry around in my back pocket). maybe it finds it's way into something else sometime later.
this one didn't work. but sometimes they do. sometimes you can see something absurd, try to imagine a world in which it makes sense, and discover that the imagined world actually says something about the real world. that's where a story begins...
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Pre-Production/Post-Production
Dear Reader,
We thought it might be nice to show you our pre- and post-production documents for the "Elysian Fields" video. The scans below represent our complete dossier of pre-production and post-production notes and documentation for this one. As you will see, it's a grueling, detailed process.
Pre-Production: Storyboards generally begin as hand-drawn sketches on a legal pad.
Pre-Production: They are then refined to slightly neater hand-drawn sketches on printer paper.
Post-Production: Occasionally, editing ideas are formulated away from the desk. In such cases, it is handy to document these ideas on novelty post-it pages.
We hope this has been entertaining and informative. If you have any questions, please feel free to email us: headmaster@grammarschoolpictures.com.
We would love to hear from you.
We thought it might be nice to show you our pre- and post-production documents for the "Elysian Fields" video. The scans below represent our complete dossier of pre-production and post-production notes and documentation for this one. As you will see, it's a grueling, detailed process.
Pre-Production: Storyboards generally begin as hand-drawn sketches on a legal pad.
Pre-Production: They are then refined to slightly neater hand-drawn sketches on printer paper.
Post-Production: Occasionally, editing ideas are formulated away from the desk. In such cases, it is handy to document these ideas on novelty post-it pages.
We hope this has been entertaining and informative. If you have any questions, please feel free to email us: headmaster@grammarschoolpictures.com.
We would love to hear from you.
Monday, March 02, 2009
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
IMDB
this doesn't count as one of the many updates we previously promised, but it's kinda cool nonetheless...
Icebreaker is now listed on the IMDB. I guess that means it's officially a movie (at least according to the internet).
The page is pretty sparse and only seems to want to list a few members of the cast plus crew credits for some guy named Matt Knapp... but hopefully the names of the rest of our hardworking cast and crew will get their links approved soon.
so, yeah... hooray internet!
Icebreaker is now listed on the IMDB. I guess that means it's officially a movie (at least according to the internet).
The page is pretty sparse and only seems to want to list a few members of the cast plus crew credits for some guy named Matt Knapp... but hopefully the names of the rest of our hardworking cast and crew will get their links approved soon.
so, yeah... hooray internet!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
status on lots of stuff unfinished
took a few hours yesterday to convene with the venerable michael johnson and the inimitable joseph ballman to records various noises, sounds, even words, that will hopefully put us on track to finish all those projects still in post-production limbo within the next month. as soon as they are done, we'll update with links and video and assorted awesomeness.
this big push will hopefully clear the slate for new and exciting developments...
keep your eyes open.
m
this big push will hopefully clear the slate for new and exciting developments...
keep your eyes open.
m
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
tease
wow... two posts in one day! aren't you a handfull of lucky readers...
so, in case you haven't noticed, we're lighting up the vimeo like mad lately. it's basically going to serve as our primary video resource until grammarschoolpictures.com finally get's that much needed upgrade.
anyway... re-watching and converting the archives for vimeo has got me thinking about the teasers and trailers. specifically, our own teasers/trailers. you may not know this, but we are not a huge operation. grammar school is basically a two-man operation with a bunch of freelance advisors and an intern who is literally 15-months old.
that means that we post our own blogs, set-up our own equipment, design our own posters/fliers, and, yes, cut our own trailers. (this is the part where we toot our own horn...) one such trailer that i'm especially pleased with is the little piece we put together for Icebreaker.
normally, you wouldn't bother cutting a trailer for a short film. i mean, seriously, why would anyone spend 35 seconds watching a video to help them decide if they want to watch another video that's only 7 minutes long? silly, right? and totally unnecessary.
but, in the case of Icebreaker i had an idea. a concept even. a way to make a funny little pitch for the concept without giving away 20% of the film. nothing is revealed in the teaser that would potentially ruin any of the twists and turns of the short, but the tone is established. the door is opened just a crack and you can kind of see what might be waiting for you inside that room. in any case, it's not perfect from a technical standpoint, but if you haven't seen it, it's good for a quick laugh.
enjoy.
Icebreaker Teaser from grammar school on Vimeo.
so, in case you haven't noticed, we're lighting up the vimeo like mad lately. it's basically going to serve as our primary video resource until grammarschoolpictures.com finally get's that much needed upgrade.
anyway... re-watching and converting the archives for vimeo has got me thinking about the teasers and trailers. specifically, our own teasers/trailers. you may not know this, but we are not a huge operation. grammar school is basically a two-man operation with a bunch of freelance advisors and an intern who is literally 15-months old.
that means that we post our own blogs, set-up our own equipment, design our own posters/fliers, and, yes, cut our own trailers. (this is the part where we toot our own horn...) one such trailer that i'm especially pleased with is the little piece we put together for Icebreaker.
normally, you wouldn't bother cutting a trailer for a short film. i mean, seriously, why would anyone spend 35 seconds watching a video to help them decide if they want to watch another video that's only 7 minutes long? silly, right? and totally unnecessary.
but, in the case of Icebreaker i had an idea. a concept even. a way to make a funny little pitch for the concept without giving away 20% of the film. nothing is revealed in the teaser that would potentially ruin any of the twists and turns of the short, but the tone is established. the door is opened just a crack and you can kind of see what might be waiting for you inside that room. in any case, it's not perfect from a technical standpoint, but if you haven't seen it, it's good for a quick laugh.
enjoy.
Icebreaker Teaser from grammar school on Vimeo.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
vimeo of the week: This Song
This is neither newly produced nor new to the interwebs, but it is technically new to this blog. For your embedding/embedded pleasure, here's the 2006 final cut of our short film, This Song. Enjoy...
This Song from grammar school on Vimeo.
This Song from grammar school on Vimeo.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
2 and 3
so the final, official, definitive version of the aforementioned dimes project consists of 2 parts. here they are, seperated, but in order of appearance. (the previously posted Paul Revere video will, i suppose, be considered an outtake as it did not make the band's final cut).
The Dimes - Catch Me Jumping (Live) from grammar school on Vimeo.
The Dimes - Paul Kern Can't Sleep from grammar school on Vimeo.
now that that's in the can, we're looking to tie up a few loose ends and finally get more stuff, new and old, on-line for your viewing pleasure. keep your eyes to the skies, kids.
The Dimes - Catch Me Jumping (Live) from grammar school on Vimeo.
The Dimes - Paul Kern Can't Sleep from grammar school on Vimeo.
now that that's in the can, we're looking to tie up a few loose ends and finally get more stuff, new and old, on-line for your viewing pleasure. keep your eyes to the skies, kids.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
finally: new video!
UPDATE: the band has requested some time to tweak the audio on Paul Revere. we'll put it back up when it's ready.
we've recently compeleted a big promotional project for our friends and frequent clients, the dimes. the final product is a three-song live dvd that they'll be handing out and playing on a loop at NACA next month. we might put the whole thing on-line at some point, but for now here's my favorite of the three songs, Paul Revere.
The Dimes - Paul Revere from grammar school on Vimeo.
also: how cool is vimeo? it pretty much kicks youtube's ass as far as we're concerned.
we've recently compeleted a big promotional project for our friends and frequent clients, the dimes. the final product is a three-song live dvd that they'll be handing out and playing on a loop at NACA next month. we might put the whole thing on-line at some point, but for now here's my favorite of the three songs, Paul Revere.
The Dimes - Paul Revere from grammar school on Vimeo.
also: how cool is vimeo? it pretty much kicks youtube's ass as far as we're concerned.
Friday, August 08, 2008
pictures
last night i was personally criticized for posting two (2!) blog entries that were essentially wordless. while i certainly wouldn't want to innundate any of you with too many pictures, i thought those two (2!) entries would serve as nice little teases of our recent activities.
in fact, we've had a very busy month or so...
7/11/08 - we did a live recording of the dimes at doug fir as part of a larger, promotional project we're working on for pet marmoset.
7/27/08 - we shot a short with the lovely michael johnson. it's still in post-production and we haven't yet worked out the details on releasing it for public consumption.
8/2/08 - we taped another show, this time catching the dimes, derby, and dcrs at the someday lounge.
?/?/08 - as far as anyone knows, joe ballman has been working tirelessLY, day and night, on polishing up the audio on his directorial debut (1.5 years in the works!), YOU ARE STANDING IN FRONT OF A CAVE.
plus, you know, other stuff that's going on like freelance work and pre-production/development of other projects, etc.
so, yeah... we should have something to show for it all by the end of the summer. even if it's just a few live clips to tide you over until the next film.
buy for now,
mTk
in fact, we've had a very busy month or so...
7/11/08 - we did a live recording of the dimes at doug fir as part of a larger, promotional project we're working on for pet marmoset.
7/27/08 - we shot a short with the lovely michael johnson. it's still in post-production and we haven't yet worked out the details on releasing it for public consumption.
8/2/08 - we taped another show, this time catching the dimes, derby, and dcrs at the someday lounge.
?/?/08 - as far as anyone knows, joe ballman has been working tirelessLY, day and night, on polishing up the audio on his directorial debut (1.5 years in the works!), YOU ARE STANDING IN FRONT OF A CAVE.
plus, you know, other stuff that's going on like freelance work and pre-production/development of other projects, etc.
so, yeah... we should have something to show for it all by the end of the summer. even if it's just a few live clips to tide you over until the next film.
buy for now,
mTk
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
what you might possibly expect from us this year
another short or two (potential titles: The End and 2F)
the long-awaited release of YOU ARE STANDING IN FRONT OF A CAVE
possibly a new dvd to add to your collection
some public screenings
no dates (or promises) for any of that stuff, but it's all on the docket. just so you know, you know.
the long-awaited release of YOU ARE STANDING IN FRONT OF A CAVE
possibly a new dvd to add to your collection
some public screenings
no dates (or promises) for any of that stuff, but it's all on the docket. just so you know, you know.
Monday, January 28, 2008
what?
yeah... we've been a little absent as of late. sorry about that...
rest assured, the gsp is still alive and well. we're just kind of in hibernation mode for the winter - storing up the creative energies, brainstorming new ideas, finishing up some smaller projects, playing with babies, doing homework, watching basketball, enjoying the glut of awards season films, etc.
that said: our little Icebreaker has gone missing. actually, it's just taking a break from the www as we try to find it a more commercially viable outlet. stay tuned for possible festival screenings or dvd releases.
also, we've still got plenty of dvds of almost everything. available in the our shop (see the sidebar). they make terrific valentine's day gifts for that special lady friend or special gentleman caller in your life. think about it.
rest assured, the gsp is still alive and well. we're just kind of in hibernation mode for the winter - storing up the creative energies, brainstorming new ideas, finishing up some smaller projects, playing with babies, doing homework, watching basketball, enjoying the glut of awards season films, etc.
that said: our little Icebreaker has gone missing. actually, it's just taking a break from the www as we try to find it a more commercially viable outlet. stay tuned for possible festival screenings or dvd releases.
also, we've still got plenty of dvds of almost everything. available in the our shop (see the sidebar). they make terrific valentine's day gifts for that special lady friend or special gentleman caller in your life. think about it.
Monday, December 03, 2007
sorta sordid (but not really)
just a quick update re: Icebreaker. as the myspace contest came to a close there were accusations of tampering and fraud and on-line conspiracies spreading like wildfire. mostly, a bunch of the filmmakers appeared to be getting bombarded with negative votes by supporters of this or that other film, empty myspace accounts were being created for the sole purpose of inflating/deflating voting percentages, people were turning off their voting functions so as to preserve their high scores, etc. basically, it was kind of a mess and a lot of people got all twisted around about it.
so, the good people at fox and the pga opted to dismiss the voting process entirely and make an independent assessment of which 12 entries should proceed to round 2. this is currently in process and the expected due date for the result is still TBD. in fact, almost everything (which, btw, you can purchase from our sidebar!) about this contest is still TBD - including the revised rules and regulations!
so, basically, thank you to everyone who watched the film and gave us a positive vote and passed the link along to their friends. we do appreciate it. and, even though none of this counts toward whether or not we'll make it into the next round, please do continue to share the film with anyone who might enjoy it.
best,
mtk
so, the good people at fox and the pga opted to dismiss the voting process entirely and make an independent assessment of which 12 entries should proceed to round 2. this is currently in process and the expected due date for the result is still TBD. in fact, almost everything (which, btw, you can purchase from our sidebar!) about this contest is still TBD - including the revised rules and regulations!
so, basically, thank you to everyone who watched the film and gave us a positive vote and passed the link along to their friends. we do appreciate it. and, even though none of this counts toward whether or not we'll make it into the next round, please do continue to share the film with anyone who might enjoy it.
best,
mtk
Friday, November 16, 2007
"Pretty Good" Raves USAToday!
Whitney Matheson of USAToday's pop culture blog, Pop Candy, had some kind words for our short film, Icebreaker , as voting for the Storyteller Challenge was coming to a close...
check out her post here.
check out her post here.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
i told you so.
UPDATE:
Icebreaker is offline for now while we send it out to festivals. it will reappear in some form again. we promise.
ORIGINAL POST:
friends,
below is our new film, JEFFERSON - ICEBREAKER.
we've submitted it for a contest on myspace (www.myspace.com/storytellerchallenge). and, since it's a contest, obviously the more people that watch the film, the better our chances of rolling into the semi-finals and getting some nice exposure.
for those of you who have myspace accounts, if you enjoy the film, we would definitely appreciate a nice comment and a positive ranking. and if you really enjoy the film, we would love for you to pass the link along to anyone else you think might like it or maybe even post/mention it on your blog or website, if you're feeling generous.
thanks, and enjoy!
Storyteller
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Icebreaker is offline for now while we send it out to festivals. it will reappear in some form again. we promise.
ORIGINAL POST:
friends,
below is our new film, JEFFERSON - ICEBREAKER.
we've submitted it for a contest on myspace (www.myspace.com/storytellerchallenge). and, since it's a contest, obviously the more people that watch the film, the better our chances of rolling into the semi-finals and getting some nice exposure.
for those of you who have myspace accounts, if you enjoy the film, we would definitely appreciate a nice comment and a positive ranking. and if you really enjoy the film, we would love for you to pass the link along to anyone else you think might like it or maybe even post/mention it on your blog or website, if you're feeling generous.
thanks, and enjoy!
Storyteller
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in case you didn't know...
"Icebreaker" Teaser
Add to My Profile | More Videos
coming soon... and we do mean soon.
also: DVDs of our charming debut feature, almost everything., are still available and reasonably priced! please support our promising young group of filmmakers with a modest purchase today. thanks!
Add to My Profile | More Videos
coming soon... and we do mean soon.
also: DVDs of our charming debut feature, almost everything., are still available and reasonably priced! please support our promising young group of filmmakers with a modest purchase today. thanks!
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