ECAs

March 3rd, 2010 atwork, screen

How’s your video, texted my aunt yesterday.
In the middle of it. Ssssh, filming now.

My colleague B in the scene was a disgruntled worker and we were filming his victory dance sequence. The practice didn’t go well. He got the moves but didn’t look the part. He read the lines without effort.  I had no idea what to do. I can’t teach him how to do act when I can’t do it myself – I am a terrible mimic.

“Action!”

I’m not certain what happened. When the camera began rolling, the chap in front of it was not B.  He delivered the dance, the lines, the scowls, the  crying, everything and a thousand times more than what I wrote.  He did what was in my head. We just left the camera on and stuffed our mouths with hankies throughout the filming because he was incredibly funny and we were laughing too much. I love watching live acting done well. And to watch it in front of my face, was amazing.  He makes me want to write more lines, better lines for this brilliant actor.

~

Would I do a film again? There were a few seconds of incredible stuff happening on screen. There were also a lot of incredibly tedious stuff happening onscreen. I don’t enjoy filming, the camera angles, visualising the scene in my head. I prefer writing. I like coming up with jokes more than doing the whole directing, producing and editing stuff.  I will try harder if the jokes are not funny but I get easily discouraged when people can’t do the lines properly,  or they start being human.

Hamish and Dougal – Musical Evening

February 12th, 2010 Writing, radio

I’m writing down the script for Hamish and Dougal to learn how to write comedy. I’m writing a skit. So far, it is too risque because of its visual gags which means it could be scrapped and I’ve got a timeline to meet. Hamish & Dougal is a laugh every other second.

[Door Opens]
Hamish!
Dougal!
You’ve had your tea!
No…
As a matter of fact I’ve just finished mine!
Mine too, by the looks of it.
I’ll be looking forward to your company later on.
How will that be Dougal?
Hamish, I’m having a musical evening!
Ah…I’m the same after a baked bean supper
An entertainment! Jinks! What fun we’ll have!
There will be hijinks on the Glen as we speak!
I don’t doubt it!
I’m bursting to know, what on earth have you laid on?
I don’t know but it’s stained the back of my kilt
No….
No no. The entertainment.
Oh, a rare treat Hamish! Did you ever see the Edinburgh tattoo?
Oh, I glimsped it once when you were changing your sporran.
I am talking about the great national spectacle.
So am I!
Oh what am I thinking of.  Come away, man, rest your weary feet, pull up a chair, there is one in the celler.
[Sheep bleats.]
Glory be! What was that!
Oh, I’m in the middle of making a haggis.
That’s handy, I’ve just been to the bakers. Could you fancy a bannercake?
I could, old friend, but would I respect it in the morning?
That’s what you got to ask yourself.

High Table, Lower Orders

February 3rd, 2010 radio

Everything to love about Mark Taverner is in this show – Murder, insect specialists, claret drinkers, food lovers, pompous farts, wheezes, lazy old men, reunions with former girlfriend, pulling pants down to moon at authorities and rudeness. Especially the rudeness.

“Listen to this,”
“On the face of it…”
“Ugh.”
“What?”
“Unnecessary verbiage. What’s wrong with ‘outwardly’, or ’superficially’?”
“‘Superficially, this ancient seat of learning…’”
“No! No! No! What is this? A heroic attempt to win the world cliche record? Just ‘Cambridge’.”
“Superficially, Cambridge looks as it always has…”
[undertone] “…a bastion of privilege.”
“A bastion of privilege. Ugh! Shut up and listen!”
“But as the colleges prepare for their carol services…”
“Oh no! OH NO! Spare us in my mercy! Don’t tell me – ‘truly this is a bleak mid-winter for higher education’.”
“…truly this is a bleak mid-winter for higher education.”
“Tell me, what first attract you to a career in journalism?”
“Alright, so I’ve just got a bit rusty.”
“Rusty?”
“Go on then, you do it.”
“‘Superficially Cambridge looks the same’, colon. You know what one of those are, don’t you?”
“Ha ha.”
“‘Majestic dons make pronouncements of great brilliance and quaff clarets of great vintage.’”
“A bit OTT.”
“SSsssh!”
“‘The picture is forced. As colleges prepare for their carol services, the hymm they intone: Money don’t get everything it’s true; What it don’t get i can’t use; I want money.’ How’s that?”
“Bit flurry. Bit over-written”

Sleeping with John Updike by Julian Barnes

February 2nd, 2010 books, elsewhere

Resentment, jealousy, dishonesty simmers along (for 40 years?). Nothing boils over in this story of two women on a train on the way home. Found here on guardian books.

“They liked that story of yours about Graham Greene.”
“They usually do,” Jane replied with a slight air of complacency.
“I’ve always meant to ask you, is it true?”
“You know, I never worry about that any more. It fills a slot.”

Pleased

January 31st, 2010 Pictures, TreatsTags: Pens

A great article on the 1950s vs 1980s and 1990s Pelikan M400 tortoise. I was looking at this article wondering which year was the pen I bought from the nice uncle in the China Square flea market. The newly bought 1980s version has a cleaner, shinier nib than the 1990s version – I think it’s not often used.

I’m relieved I didn’t blow a lot of money on this pen. I’ve been pen crazy for a week, looking at FS section on PENguin (Rick Propas). I’m now done. The madness will stop.

1990s Pelikan M400 (top) and 1980s Pelikan M400 (bottom)

Pen Clinic by Mr Nagahara Yukio

January 23rd, 2010 Pictures, TreatsTags: Pens, Project 365

I waited for more than an hour for my turn in Aesthetic Bay before Mr Nagahara, the Pen Whisperer, saw my pens. He said to the Sailor music I gave him, “Smooth! More smooth!” and then it was glass smooth.

He said that to the OBB that was absolute rubbish, “More smooth!” and OMG it was. He’s so cute. I was trying out the new nib and I whispered to myself in wonder, “How did he do it?”. Mr Nagahara heard and said “Magic!” and “Genius!”. I giggled like a school girl.

I had been so excited Friday morning I forgot to pack the camera but I found a picture of him at work.

I wanted to have the ink flow fixed on the Sailor music. He looked at it through the loupe, hummed at the pen, looked at it and hestitated. I think lots of pen folks brought their music nib and asked for a stub. He said he would regrind the nib and it became a really sexy stub. The line variation is really distinct now (HOT!). Still, this morning I woke up missing the fat nib. If I hadn’t already bought the Binder music nib, I would have bought another 1911 music nib.

I am glad I turned up to the cocktail and wine reception. It was then when someone told me about available slots in his schedule for today. I put my name down to see the Pen Whisperer again. I brought an ATX Cross to him. He opened the pen up and showed me what a slob I had been. (I might have, once or twice, let ink dry out in the pen. But I hate the Cross! It was rubbish!) He had to scrap out bits from the pen feed. He smoothened the nib to a better than Pelikan standard factory fine. I don’t think it had enough tipping to be as smooth as a Sailor but it’s so good I’m going to use it as a work pen with the P51. The two tone Pelikan fine is now as smooth as a Pelikan gold factory medium. Lovely.

Now that I don’t have nibs that I hate, I am going to have trouble trying to use all these pens I have. How do other people do it?

Pen Lust

January 17th, 2010 TreatsTags: Pens

At one time I wanted to sell off the Sailor music nib but I couldn’t find buyers. I’m glad I didn’t get it sold now that I’ve moved into my fat nib phase. Lately I’ve been wanting another fat nib. I love the Sailor music nib that I have but the ink flow is funny. It takes a stroke or two for the pen to ’start-up’ and the ink capacity is low.

I tried a Nakaya music nib last evening, in addition to Pilot music pen and a Custom 742 music nib. Now that I’ve been completely spoilt by the Sailors and Pelikans that I own, I find the Pilots rough. The Nakaya is extremely lovely and I’ve been told that the two tines on the Nakaya equals better ink flow. The price of a Nakaya is out of my budget. Even if I were to win 1st prize in 4D, I still wouldn’t buy it – it is so expensive that I would have to leave it in a case untouched so I won’t scratch the lacquer while writing.

A Sailor 1911 Realo (music nib) could work an alternative but I can’t justify having one. It’s the same as the 1911 (same complaints) except that the Realo has a slightly larger ink capacity (1.5ml) vs the convertor (0.9ml) and the price is 50% higher than the standard 1911. It probably makes better sense to buy a music nib from Richard Binder to fit into the old Pelikan. Or Greg Minuskin (mmmmm…oh but I don’t want to part with the P51!).

Pen folks online

January 15th, 2010 TreatsTags: Pens

I was looking for pen stuff when I found Leon’s blog online – he arranges all the pen meets – and Ruby who loves paper and takes beautiful pictures.

Supernatural + Plotting

January 14th, 2010 Writing, screen

I am so hooked on Supernatural I’m reading fandom essays on the show. This meta about the brothers and the plotline of Supernatural has very useful writing advice.

A character’s motivation is rooted in plot and plot spins directly out of a character’s needs and desires. So plot and characterization are like a snake swallowing its tail, where one ends the other begins. And Sam and Dean’s relationship with the story and their conflict tiger roles illustrate the circular-nature of this debate perfectly. More than anything, this story is about two brothers who are fundamentally different but work together all the same. And I think the same is true for how Sam and Dean are tied to the plot and how their characterization is dealt with. Each are accomplished in different ways and delivered through different means, but somehow they compliment each other and are used in tandem to forward the story.

More on Supernatural

January 11th, 2010 elsewhere, screen

I love this long post about Sam Winchester (the character).

“When The Levee Breaks” is another example — we had Sam’s version of events, for about twenty minutes. However, it wasn’t so much Sam as Sam’s sub-conscious (Sam’s brain and body were going through detox) experiencing wild withdrawal symptoms. Sam wasn’t himself; he was too busy conjuring his biggest fears to both absolve and accuse himself before taking on the role of judge, jury and executioner, again for himself. We learned about what Sam feared the most; but little was uttered about exactly WHY Sam was convinced drinking demon blood to go after Lillith (to save the world) was not only an option, but the only option.

It is why I fear showing “The End” while leaving Sam’s motivations –and entire experience– for later will only set up a disappointing and/or anti-climatic explanation that will not satisfy or even explain Sam’s troubled thinking to us or to Dean. It could be a gross disservice to a complex character. I’m not spoiled, and I absolutely don’t wish to be; but future titles give me hope we will see more of Sam from the inside when season 5 resumes.

Convention videos! Woohoo! Big plus: Misha Collins is extremely entertaining – hilarious!