absolute uncertainty

2008-07-24T15:08:00.001-07:00

The advantage to writing a treatment is so that you can focus on where you want your project to go. After working on my treatment, I think my project will have to go away.

So I'm moving on the next project. Details to follow

SHAPF

2008-07-14T07:52:00.000-07:00

Treatment it taking longer than I thought. It's a documentary that I've started filming - at least one aspect of it. I wanted to add more layers and take it in a specific direction. I thought it was a really great idea and then I started writing the treatment. Things in my head sometimes don't look as good once they make it to the page...or the screen. So I've taken a couple of days to visit a friend in Vancouver and hopefully stepping away from it will give me a fresh perspective.

tv dreams

2008-07-10T07:29:00.000-07:00

I've been watching way too much TV the last two weeks because characters keep popping into my dreams. Last week I was sharing an ice cream with Admiral Adama and last night I was eating lunch at Kirbey Lane Cafe (the original location) with Jack Harkness. Nothing happens in these dreams, we just hang out. And I think Gwen Cooper showed up for a bit.

But to balance things out...I have been reading a book on the Mayflower and dreamed I was on a boat with people from the 17thc.

bits and pieces

2008-07-08T20:34:00.000-07:00

- A word of advice: when you're giving someone a present and you think it would be fun to add some confetti inside the box to explode when they open it, think again. It seems like a great and festive idea at the time. But it's not to the person opening the present.

- I'm attempting a sprint triathlon in mid-September. At least I'm seriously thinking about it.

- It's hot. I'm hot.

- Life seems a little off kilter. Things are jutting off in new and unexpected (and some expected) ways. It's not what I planned but perhaps in the end it will get back on track. I just don't have any answers at the moment.

back in business

2008-07-06T21:39:00.000-07:00

Thursday night I took 2 Advil, drank a beer and massaged this homeopathic ointment into my right hand. Friday morning I woke up and it was healed. This was something I'd been trying to take care of for two weeks with no luck and now one night of advil and beer and it's all gone. Go figure. I'm thrilled because I can get back to work and finally head out to the lake for some much-needed kayaking.

This week I'm writing up a treatment and editing some footage so that I can start applying for grants and such. I've helped others do this but never for my own project. It's hard to get some perspective.

this is the sound of one hand typing

2008-07-02T10:49:00.000-07:00

Still getting settled in Seattle. I bought a new desk, chair and lamp. All very colorful. I was all ready to get back to work but I now have an inflamed tendon in my right hand. It makes typing and editing very difficult. Hopefully I'll be back in business next week - will just type with one hand in the mean time.

Tim Russert

2008-06-15T09:45:00.000-07:00

If I missed "Meet the Press" on Sunday, then I downloaded it to my ipod as soon as I got to my computer. During the move we didn't have access to TV for a couple of weeks and this past Friday morning I was thinking how much I was looking forward to watching Tim this Sunday morning. As soon as I had that thought, I got the news about his death. It took me a while to process, even as I watched MSNBC all day yesterday. And then it hit me this morning after seeing that empty chair. This election just won't be the same without him.

Hard Times

2008-06-09T09:20:00.000-07:00

"NOW, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts." So begins Dickens' novel about Thomas Gradgrind and his children. He believes in nothing more than teaching them facts because other thoughts and ideas are just flights of fancy. I have a feeling Mr. Gradgrind would not appreciate a good science fiction tv show. Never mind the scientific inaccuracies, the stories are beyond our day-to-day life and have no grounding in fact. But that's not the point of a sci-fi tv show - it's about getting us to think beyond the day-to-day and sometimes explore our own world through the eyes of fictional characters. And the lead characters are usually pretty hot, too.

Right now we are without cable so if we want to watch something, it has to be a DVD or something I've got on itunes. There lies the problem. All of my current stuff is somewhat sci-fi related. We don't have the same taste in movies, books, or tv shows. Yeah, there's a reason we have two TVs. Last night wanted to watch something together so we agreed on Flight of the Conchords but that was only 27 minutes long. After that, we went through my entire collection in itunes, the entired DVD collection, and my current Netflix offerings (all Torchwood). Nothing. So I went into the bedroom to catch up on Battlestar Galactica and he watched something in the living room.

When we met up again a couple of hours later, I asked him why he didn't like sci-fi and that's when he threw the Hard Times quote at me. I get it, he'd rather watch History or Discovery or NatGeo and I'd rather get lost in SciFi. But like my friend Laura said yesterday, "sometimes you want to be able to turn to someone when something really amazing happens and have them understand." I guess that's why I have this blog. So...did you see that first season of Torchwood? Wow. Loved the episode "Random Shoes." And that's a fact.

Last project...

2008-06-05T12:43:00.000-07:00

before leaving the museum was to film the installation and edit it. It's the installation of Rachel Whiteread's Untitled (Firescape) for the End Game exhibition at MFAH.

Whiteread installation at MFAH from Anna on Vimeo.

Torchwood

2008-06-05T10:31:00.000-07:00

Since we don't have the TV hooked up yet and the cable won't be installed until next week, I've been catching up with episodes of Torchwood. Wow. Not sure what to say about this show because I'm still processing it. There's sex, aliens, bad guys, good guys, some that appear good but they're bad and some that appear bad but they're good. And they never forget to eat. I like that. Generally when I watch a TV show, I tend to focus on one or two characters but I love all of the characters on Torchwood; much like I'm fascinated by all the characters on Battlestar Galactica.

It's raining today and we can't move our stuff into the apartment so I think I'll have a mini-marathon of Torchwood. Netflix accidentally sent we an additional DVD so I'm set for the day. Will write more when I've had time to process and get to know these characters and the show more.

We have arrived

2008-06-03T05:08:00.000-07:00

We are finally in Seattle and I'm still on Houston time which means I'm going to bed at 9am and getting up at 5. The sun was still going down when I went to bed and it's already coming up this early am. It's a little weird and freaking me out a little. But then I haven't had much sleep this past week so most things are freaking me out. I'll get excited when I get some sleep.

And this concludes this episode of Anna's Adventures in the Pacific Northwest. In her next adventure, Anna gets some sleep and attempts to find the store.

Letting the camera out of your hands

2008-05-07T14:27:00.000-07:00

Because of the nature of my current documentary endeavor, I sometimes have to rely on others for the camera-work. In others, I mean people who have no experience with a video camera and how to frame a shot. In one situation, I flipped the viewer to my side so I could watch the framing but couldn't speak into the video because I was too busy looking at the screen. So I let go and trusted that the person working the camera would get it right. And they did! When I looked at the footage Sunday night, I was so amazed how well they captured me and what I wanted to say. The thing is, he even got shots while I was away that only added to what I was trying to achieve. I love it when things just fall into place.

WGBH: Filmmakers in Residence

2008-05-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

WGBH in Boston is now accepting applications and submissions for their Filmmakers in Residence program. Click here to find out more.

As I am still building a body of work, I probably won't apply. I am currently filming a documentary but it's a subject that is ongoing and too dependent on other things to set a date to begin post-production.

Still, wouldn't it be cool to just work on films all the time? Sigh. I'm getting there.

Speaking of day jobs. The one I have at the museum is great and I'm sad to leave it for the great Pacific Northwest. I was able to learn more about Premiere, do some editing, learn about sound recording, and interview students. Some skills I can take with me, for sure. But I look forward to my next adventure in the overcast, coffee obsessed city of Seattle.

POV submission

2008-04-29T13:55:00.000-07:00

Well, I did it. I submitted a pitch for the POV Election 2008 call for entries. I put together a VERY ROUGH VIDEO DRAFT since it was required but want to stress (remember the all caps that said VERY ROUGH DRAFT?) that it is exactly that. But now I'm spending too much time talking about the VERY ROUGH DRAFT and need to tell you all to go vote for me because I have such a wonderful idea!

CLICK HERE and then follow the directions. Yes, you will have to register at the site but what site doesn't require that these days. Many thanks for taking the time to vote for me (and not Pedro).

And one more note - they put Clinton's picture up as the place-holder. That does not reflect my poitical leanings in any way. Thank you.

still here

2008-04-28T13:39:00.001-07:00

I've been working on a video for a call for entries. Also, moving to Seattle in a month so life is crazy...but in a good way.

POV Open Call: Election 2008

2008-04-16T09:16:00.000-07:00

If you have a great idea for a short film about the election and the issues at hand , then you may want to check out the POV Open Call: Election 2008.

austin film festival call for entries

2008-04-10T14:21:00.000-07:00

Austin Film Festival Call for Entries:

FILM

SCREENPLAY

Ipod for TV junkies

2008-04-08T15:22:00.000-07:00

Having an Ipod with most of my favorite TV shows loaded up has only increased my TV addiction. At first I thought this was cool. I mean, how awesome is it to watch TV while waiting in line at the grocery store? But the novelty wore off a little and maybe I don't watch in line anymore. Still, there are times when I will think about an episode of Babylon 5 or Stargate or maybe an old episode of Remington Steele and bam, it's right there at my fingertips. That can't be good. Right? I'll let you know when I crawl out of my basement.

MS150 - the movie

2008-04-06T18:48:00.000-07:00

Next weekend I'm riding in the MS150 - a 180-mile bike ride from Houston to Austin. Yeah, my butt's sore just thinking about it. This year I've decided to document the ride on video - a little documentary about my attempt at this ride and those I meet along the way. Just me and my mini-DV camera. I'm expecting there to be lots of cleavage shots and perhaps even one of me falling off the bike while I try to adjust the camera. Good fun, people! Let's ride!

BSG Primer

2008-04-05T11:37:00.000-07:00

I didn't get to see the season premiere of BSG season 4 until the second airing on SciFi and by that late hour I was cat-napping during the commercial breaks. I wish I could give a review today but so much of it seems like a sleepy haze.

Salon.com has a great BSG primer if you need a refresher. I've been reading it today to fill in some of the gaps. Salon also has a great review of the season 4 opener.

Script Frenzy

2008-03-30T16:14:00.000-07:00

Just found out about this.

Script Frenzy - 100 script pages in the month of April.

Programming Note

2008-03-30T15:50:00.003-07:00

Just a reminder that the season premiere of Battlestar Galactica is this Friday, April 4. It's about time! I'm looking forward to this final season and seeing how the Earth story arc plays out. This week the SciFi channel will be airing every episode of BSG - it will be a week-long marathon. Hmm...I love BSG but even that's too much of good thing all at once.

Call for Something Funny. Or not.

2008-03-29T12:44:00.006-07:00

Got some words floatin' around that need a place to go and tell a story? Will it be in script form, preferably under 20 pages? I'm looking for a short script to make my first short film. Now don't let that word first scare you off. I've been working in many different aspects of film for quite a few years and now I'm planning my first project. But before those cameras can roll, I need a good script. Oh, and it has to be funny. Or not.

If you're interested, send me an email at absolutefilm [at] gmail [dot] com.

The Office...

2007-02-22T17:46:00.003-08:00

Dwight: Do you watch Battlestar Galactica?

Man at party: No.

Dwight: Then you're an idiot