Spooky Empire, Part the First

They say that you should never meet your heroes. After meeting one of mine this weekend, I can tell you that meeting one's heroes doesn't always end in tears of sadness.

This past weekend was Spooky Empire's Ultimate Horror Weekend. When they announced Heather Langenkamp, I kept my eye on their website almost every day to make sure they hadn't already started selling, and thus sold out of, the VIP tickets. I don't think of myself as a VIP and I'm not a partier, but I did want to get into those Q&As faster to get the good seats because my good camera has a nice zoom, but not back-of-the-room nice.

I'm also not an autograph hound, but my mom said I should get something signed and suggested the Just the Ten of Us crew shirt that producer / creator Steve Marshall gave to me years ago. At the last second, I decided to also bring my favourite poster which is an original Fango freebie of Heather Langenkamp and Robert Englund as Nancy and Freddy all dressed up. Judging by the Freddy make-up (yes, I can place a Freddy picture by make-up), I'd say it was taken around the time they made Nightmare 3.

I went up on Thursday, catching the Greyhound at 6:30 in the morning (it was late, though...go figure), and went to Universal to partake of yummy, yummy butterbeer at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and to take photos of some of my favourite things in the park with my good camera.



I went back to my hotel around 6 so I could get my VIP badge and on the way to Walgreens, I saw my first actor: Robert Englund. Well, to be more precise, I heard him before I saw him, mostly because his back was to me. As I was walking past, his handler (Mrs. Englund? I dunno...) gave me the greatest death glare ever! I wasn't going to bother him anyway. At most, I would have nodded and said, "Hello Mr. Englund," but that death glare warned me off ! Woe be to he or she who fucks with Robert Englund while that woman's around!

I saw my second actor when I was heading back across the street after Walgreens: Heather Langenkamp! She was too far away to extend a civilized greeting to and she was in the middle of a conversation with her handler (or patient friend) and I'm not that kind of fan. I kept going, but I'd be lying if I said that I didn't squee a little in excitement and, of course, call my mom and text anyone who would've remotely cared. I didn't fansplode and I didn't, as I became fond of saying over the weekend, get any fan on her.

Later on, I went to the pool-side pre-party and watched Jaws 3D. There were quite a few actors there, people I like and all, but I'm not that kind of fan. It's enough that I got to see them, you know? I didn't even ask Stephen King for his autograph the last time I saw him, I just waved like an idiot and kept walking. Anyway, during the party, I saw Amanda Wyss (she played Tina in A Nightmare on Elm Street.) I kept looking around for John Saxon so I could complete my pre-con ANoES sighting set, but alas, I didn't see him there. The night was still young when Jaws 3D ended, and so am I, but I was tired so I broke rule number 2 of con-going and went back to my room where I watched Wes Craven's New Nightmare on my iPad then went to bed.

Side-note: New Nightmare is my favourite of the sequels. I hate the fifth claw and there are things that don't make much sense, but it's a solid, ahead-of-the-curve film and everyone, Ms. Langenkamp in particular, was so brave to do it. I love it and she's spectacular in it.

By the way...the con-going rules are as follows:
1.) Once you get your badge, you never leave your room without it. Even if you're going to a restaurant at 5 in the morning, you never leave your badge behind. This is a rule I follow at film festivals, too.

2.) Whatever you do...don't fall asleep! I learned this one when I missed the late Kevin Smith (Ares from Xena) being awesome in the hotel bar with all the Xenites when I attended a Xena con back in 1998. However, the idea of staying awake to see if any actors are hanging out at the bar has always seemed creepy to me, not the least of which because I don't drink. Or smoke. Or do drugs.

3.) Attend all of the events you can. You never know when, or if, you'll see anything like this again.

~~~~~

The next day was Friday, the first official day of the convention. The zombie walk they had planned, hosted by the Deadite Empire, wasn't scheduled to start until around 4 or 5 so I got up and decided to get some breakfast and go for a bit of a walk. Who should I see as I headed toward Perkins? Heather Langenkamp! I didn't need to abide by con rule 2! I was lucky enough to see her twice pre-con! She was having breakfast at one of the hotel restaurants; I just giggled to myself as I passed and continued on my way to Perkins.

After breakfast, and my walk down to Wonderworks, I had to leave the zombie walk pre-party to attend to some Hallowscreen business back at the hotel. It was then that I realized that I didn't have any sunblock on. At least my rosacea wouldn't be as pronounced in the photo ops with Ms. Langenkamp! By the time I got back to Uno's Chicago Grill (leave it to a restaurant to be ground zero for the zompocalypse), quite a few really amazing zombies and survivours had shown up and I just started taking pictures of every one! There were TONS of ghouls including Mr. Bill Hinzman, who played the first modern ghoul in cinema for George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead, and Mr. Mike Christopher who played the Hare Krishna ghoul in Dawn of the Dead! They were both in costume and joining in on the festivities! How awesome is that?!



The zombie walk lead everyone who participated to the host hotel where the con was already going. I'd never been to a con like this before so I had no idea what the signing schedule would be like. It turns out that the poor actors are cooped up in a large room signing almost the entire time! Granted, they're making upwards of $200 or $300 an hour signing things over and over, but still...I'd want to get up and check out the rest of the event. I guess that's just not feasible for people like Ms. Langenkamp and definitely not for Mr. Englund.

Anyway, I (again) heard Mr. Englund before I saw him and wandered into the big autograph room and then saw Ms. Langenkamp signing away so I squeaked, went back to my room to get my memorabilia, added a fourth rule to the con-goers list (never leave what you want signed in your room during normal con hours!), and returned and took my place in her line. Then I looked around to see who all was around her: The Return of the Living Dead cast was in the middle of the room. Mr. Saxon and Ms. Wyss were to Ms. Langenkamp's right. In front of Mr. Englund were Kim Myers and Mark Patton from Nightmare 2 and next to them was Ken Sagoes from Nightmares 3 and 4. Beyond that, I honestly couldn't tell you who was where. I was there specifically to meet Heather Langenkamp and was trying to think about what I was going to say when I got to her table.

Apparently, the VIP passes were also supposed to get someone to the front of the autograph line, but I don't remember that as part of the perks for getting the passes. As far as the autograph lines are concerned, I'm glad the Spooky Empire crew didn't honour that if it was a perk because it wouldn't have made that much of a difference: I saw a lot more VIP passes than I saw general admission wristbands.

The thing about the lines at a con is that they're long. That's not the bad part, though. The bad part is the attitude of most of the people in the line especially concerning the length of the line they're in. I was willing to wait for however long I had to in order to meet Ms. Langenkamp. I'd been waiting since I was eight or so, what was another thirty or forty minutes? Besides, it gave me time to calm my nerves. ;D

Finally, I got up to her table and we shook hands and I showed her the memorabilia and started rambling: she loved seeing the original poster because not too many people still have that. The shirt, and the fact that I know Steve Marshall, made her do a double take, and she was gracious when I wanted to give her a copy of my movie. She may not ever watch it, but at least I got the courage up to give it to her! I was also able to tell her nearly everything I wanted to, about her being my hero and how she's the reason why I'm in the business and how much I admire her and everything. I may have sounded a bit weird, but I don't care.

When it came time for her to sign something on the photos and the shirt, though...I was stymied for quotes. My favourite Nancy bits aren't really quotable, they're moments, like when she steps between Rod and Glen when Rod takes out his switchblade or when she confronts her mother after the nightmare at the Katja Institute. I left the decision up her to and on the poster she told me not to fall asleep (hahaha!)

Then we had to think of something for the t-shirt. I haven't seen an episode of Ten of Us in so long because Warner hasn't released it on DVD. I've been watching the Gag Reels (also sent to me by Steve back in the day) and I only really know quotes from that! Thankfully, the guy next to her, one of the people behind the wonderful Elm Street documentary Never Sleep Again (get it...seriously) said that the only Marie quote he knew was the one used in the documentary where she says that it's "like A Nightmare on Elm Street up there!" (He got the quote wrong, it's actually "It's like something out of A Nightmare on Elm Street", but he can't be blamed because hell, I didn't get it right at the time either and she can't be blamed because Ten of Us was, what, 22 years ago?) I thought the quote was hilarious in my weird sense of humour way so she put that on the shirt. I thanked her and floated away so others could have their chance to talk to her, too. I went outside to call my mom and tell her that Heather Langenkamp is a sweetheart, then I posted the same to Facebook and Twitter.

I did have my point and shoot camera with me. No, I didn't ask her for a photo. She'd already given me so much of her time and the people behind me...well...I didn't want to get lynched. Besides, as a filmmaker who does her own cinematography, I wouldn't have been happy with what was taken. ;D I already planned on getting the photo ops so no need!

After I got off the phone, I bought my tickets for the photo ops the next day (one of myself with Ms. Langenkamp and Mr. Englund, then one with just Ms. Langenkamp and myself) roamed the con a bit, then watched the ending of A NIghtmare on Elm Street 3 and stuck around for Ken Sagoes' Q&A. He's so cute and a really funny guy as well! I think he'd make a great Coach if they ever make a Left4Dead movie. Not Louis...Louis is a little whiney.

During the Q&A, Ken (he admonished me later for calling him "Mr. Sagoes") mentioned that he had written a screenovel (that's my term for it, it's a mix of a screenplay and a novel) and hoped that everyone would come back and get it. He said his villain is scarier than Freddy and Jason and Michael so I had to pick it up! Besides, I like to see what some of my favourite people do on the side, you know?

Since I'm not a fan of Repo: The Genetic Opera or Kiss, I went back to my room at the end of the night instead of hanging around for the midnight parties, and went to bed. Saturday was another day, after all!

Time to breathe, time to sleep...

...of this I have none. I'm writing this while I wait for a scene to finish rendering.

Over the past couple of weeks, I've been wonderfully, deliciously, exhaustingly busy editing documentaries to be shown during the Sarasota Fringe Film Festival. I was originally given a piece on Circus Sarasota to edit (one hour from 8) and about halfway through, I was asked to cut together a three minute interview. Four days ago, I was given three books, two scratch tracks (place holders so I could do basic edits until the real sound bed arrived), a DVD, and some raw footage of a historical re-enactor and was asked to start putting together a 10-15 minute documentary on early Sarasota settler Bertha Palmer as well as edit a video set to a song about Ms. Palmer using everything at my disposal and to have them both ready for yesterday's screening. You read that right: yesterday's screening. For those keeping track, that was three days to edit two projects that used techniques and ratios and qualities that I've never used before while also working full time at my day job which is gearing up for the mainstream film festival for which I am head film projectionist. Three days ago, I finished the first cut of Circus Sarasota and it also screened yesterday. I don't know how that went, I was too busy flipping out about Bertha Palmer and going to the screening for Anathema. It must've gone okay, I didn't get any phone calls saying that the DVD screwed up.

Anyway, since I can't just reuse every photo over and over, that would drive me nuts, I scoured the internet looking for photos that would apply to the script. I have to hug the Library of Congress's Flickr stream and Wikimedia Commons for their incredible collections of public domain and Creative Commons photos. Fair Use is a little too gray for me, though, I have to say. I also scanned something like 65 photos for the project at what I thought was the appropriate size.

I finished the first cut of the Palmer project yesterday afternoon at the office (thank you Ampersand, my wonderful, wonderful MacBook Pro, for being AWESOME.) I exported normally and burned a DVD then took the disc downstairs to watch it on their TV and discovered that the render and encode did nothing to alleviate a fantastic moire effect on the photos I scanned, and a couple of the photos I found.

Merde (pardon my French.)

The editor sitting next to me working on another project suggested that I convert and de-interlace. It took something like two hours to encode, but it gave me a useable picture to get us through today's screening and I could go back and fix it for Sunday's. Great. It finishes, it burns, I check, all's well, I start and finish a rough cut of the music video, but it needs way more polishing before I can let it go out so at the Main Man's request, I create a screen wash for while people are seating using the song and the credits and a note that says that the music video will be shown on Sunday. I hand over all of that and, by that time, I have to head to work for my 6 pm shift.

Half an hour after I get there, I get a phone call, remarkably calm, from the Main Man saying that the DVD is screwed up. While he's sending someone to get the back-ups, I check my file and, lo! and behold!, there's a sound glitch 8 minutes into the project. The only other useable copy I have is the crappy moire'd version from earlier in the day, but it's on my computer and I don't have time to burn it. I arrange to leave the booth in my co-worker's hands while I take my computer over to the venue and hook it up to the projectors for the 7 pm screening. Thankfully, I have all of the connections we needed to get picture via the mini-display port and sound via the headphone jack. They have me play the screen wash after every one is seated (which I thought was a bit strange, but I'm also exhausted, so what do I know?) and then the movie. While it wasn't as pretty, it looked a heck of a lot better than I thought it would and if the gasps and laughs are anything to go by, the audience (a packed house) loved it! I received a couple of notes from the Main Man and the Main Woman, the producer and director of this project, things I already knew I had to fix (and one thing I had fixed between encodes, actually...) and then headed off to the screening for my film.

Yeah, A Hammer Fell in Jerusalem: Anathema screened yesterday.

I have to say very quickly that while I love this festival, I think it's wonderful and lively, it's also packed with documentaries. Jam packed. I only know of four or five narrative films in the festival, but I haven't had much time to go over the programme as I've been busy. Anathema was surrounded by documentaries and with a name like "A Hammer Fell in Jerusalem", it's easy to confuse it for something of heady enlightenment and social significance. Whatever messages I have in it, and they're there, they're wrapped up in a 30 minute black and white silent Sci-Fi / Dark Fantasy film. That's a lot of strikes against it, not to mention the few little problems in it that endear it to me, but would annoy most people. I can't WAIT to do the feature version! (Yes, it'll be a talkie...though it's debatable about the colour aspect because man, I love the cinematography on that flick...)

The already small audience walked out fifteen minutes into the flick leaving just myself and Brian's friends in the theatre.

I've had people not show up before, and people have left before, but I've not had such a mass exodus in any of my previous screenings. Though it stings on that personal ego level, I'm really okay with it. I know, realistically, that not everyone, especially in the hometown, is going to dig what I put out there. The idea of an Asian descendant of Christ seems to be as strange to people as the thought that Jesus wasn't white, though I have to say that I didn't hire Eon because she's Asian, though that was a factor. She was well-prepared in the interview stage and her background brought something unique to the story. I don't cast for race, I cast for talent and spark. Eon has both.

I got giggles from Brian's friends in all the places that make me giggle, which is nice. Whether theirs were "haha this is crap" giggles or "teehee!" giggles (like mine) who knows, but they provided the reactions I was looking for.

A year on, though, I can see all the little things that I wish I could go back and fix, and will when I do the feature. With all of the crap that happened before the screening, how little sleep I've been getting, the twenty-hours days I've been putting in between the editing and the theatre, the screening itself, and all of the work still ahead of me on so little time, yesterday was just a really crappy day. On the bright side, however, the Fringe festival's projectionists are wonderful. It was, seriously, one of the best screenings visually that I've ever had. The ratio was displayed correctly and it was crisp and clean. That, right there, is HUGE. Also, it's always wonderful to see Brian again and his friends are awesome! Hopefully, we'll all work together! To quote Wil Wheaton, let's get excited and make things!

All in all, yesterday can go take a long walk off a short pier. Today, I'm back at it. The last screening for Bertha Palmer takes place at 1 pm on Sunday and I promised to have it in their hands at around noon that day. The Sarasota Film Festival starts properly tomorrow, but the opening night film is tonight at the Van Wezel. If anyone sees Kevin Kline, wave to him for me. I won't even get to see the back of his head. :(

"I must not fear. Fear is the Mind-Killer..."

Well, as I wait for the export to finish for the second video test of my film, I thought I'd finish the production round-up. When I opened up my mail programme to start the post, I received a note from Schmap: Denver that a photo I took in the Denver Airport on the way to Shockerfest is on the shortlist for inclusion in their travel guide. (Click here to see the photo they want to use.) Neat! Okay...where was I?

SUNDAY, 28 DECEMBER, 2008 -- the Holy Crap day:

We had a lot to do this day to make up for Saturday so we were hustling. Luckily, I have some really kick ass actors on my docket and not only did we get everything done that I had on my list, we even got a few things done that weren't scheduled until the following Sunday.

Howzabout THEM apples!

It was yet another early day. I'm a night owl so writing something that took place mainly in the day was really stupid of me, but only in that personal mumbled-grumble sort of way. We saved by not needing a lot of electricity, except for our one night shoot (which went splendedly though I discovered, as I edited the footage, that more light would have been better. The footage still looks great, it just doesn't quite have the kick of the rest of the stuff.)

We reshot the stuff we filmed of Rick on the first day since I wouldn't have his tailor-made costume which then lead to the hours upon hours of rotoscoping work, but I've finished that and it all looks beautiful considering my unskilled hand at this digital effects gig. We also had the first shoot out at the railroad tracks (such a beautiful location), our Payne Park shoot, and the stuff in the house back at Marguerite's wonderful and versatile property where we met Tom Noel Smith, who was playing Abner. I got the same reaction from him that Eon gave me when she realized that the film was silent. That really seems to trip people up that I would want to make a silent film! To be honest, I can't imagine trying to make this a talkie with my miniscule budget. When I have backing then it'll have sound. He was just about word perfect in his performance, too, but I think he got into the spirit of the project. It's not often actors these days get to use their entire body to tell a story or show an emotion and I wanted to experiment a little.

Anyway, we finished three hours ahead of schedule -- you read that right THREE HOURS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE, even with all that we had to do that day -- so I got to go home and relax a little before having to go to bed.

We had one more week off before the final day of the shoot, SUNDAY, 4 JANUARY, 2009. This was the greenscreen and fight scene day with the majority of the day's work shot on Marguerite's property with one teeny tiny shot left to do on the railroad tracks, something I forgot the previous Sunday. I wasn't concerned. If we didn't get it that day, the only people needed for the shot were Chris and myself and we're both local.

Shawn set up the greenscreen frame and I started filming David's parts from the reschedule. Poor Michael was stuck in Orlando and couldn't make it until after David had to be at rehearsals so I went ahead and shot them separately deciding to fix it in post (if I never hear that phrase again, it'll be too soon...I just know I'll end up using it again sooner or later, however...) and then I took photographs of my assembled cast. Alana couldn't make it that day either, but I figured, "Well, if I shoot a little dark it won't matter and since Chris and Rick will be fighting and getting sweaty, there's no way to keep up on that so I'll just shoot anyway."

Worked out for the best since I didn't have to worry about their make-up and we could just plow through the sword fight. Yep, you read that right. Sword fight. I shot it with them going 1/3 speed and then fixed it in post. I think it looks great! I'm EXTREMELY happy with how the fight turned out as choreographed by Rick. And there were no flesh wounds!

Once we were done with the fight scene, we packed up and headed out for the final martini shot, the one by the railroad tracks where I kept thinking of the movie Stand By Me as Chris and I went to get the shot. It took a minute, was one take, no covering angles, and then we were done! Woohoo!

Now, it's time for post...

POST-PRODUCTION

Me, being smart, actually started editing during the first break in the shoot. That's why the rough cut was done pretty quickly. I knew that the special effects were going to be hell for me and I wanted to be done in time for the final deadline of the Sarasota Film Festival, but I don't think I'll make it. It's the 21st now and while I'm done with all of the special effects (I'm still deciding if I want to add sparks to the swordfight), I still have to tighten the cut, adjust timing on the title cards, and edit together the music. Now that the special effects are done, I can focus on communicating with my brother what I'd like to hear for the soundtrack. We're already off to a good start, though, so that's something. Assuming the festival doesn't implode this year, I can always enter it next year! This time, however, I can add that my first short film, which was rejected by my hometown, won an award in California...haha!

The special effects, which are way beyond my ken, took so bloody long because I ended up having to move every control point by hand for each frame. I'm calling this rotoscoping even though that might not be technically accurate, but I don't know what else to call it. There tended to be between 60 and 100 control points and between 40 and 228 frames. It took hours for what amounted to two seconds of screen time. (I shot at 24 frames per second, video is usually 30 frames a second.) I think it looks really pretty, though, so I can't complain too much. ;)

I think that tomorrow or the next day I'll start cutting the teaser and then we'll go from there. I'll post it when I'm done.

Thank y'all for your well-wishes! They have not gone unheard or without my gratitude!

Location scouting...

I went on walkabout yesterday for a couple of hours and discovered some things about the city in which I live. Firstly, Payne Park. I'd been to the auditorium there for voting purposes, but I never knew that the actual park part was HUGE! And it's in the middle of the city! Also, if you've ever played Infected on the PSP, it reminds me of that park, just minus all of the sewer accesses. Secondly, the gentrification of downtown hasn't reached ALL of downtown, and isn't likely to any time soon because of the economy. Good news for me as I want to use it for filming purposes.

Overall, it was a great days exploring! And here are the photos I took! I wasn't going for anything artistic, I just took some shots that I liked. The Exilim is a wonderful little camera, very handy.

www.flickr.com

This is a Flickr badge showing items in a set called Anathema location scouting.... Make your own badge here.

In case the Flickr badge doesn't work or you can't see it, just go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/kimyoo_films/sets/72157604903848313/. :D

Confidence boosters.

Anyone who reads my blog may remember that I've been receiving rejection after rejection for my short film, Without / Within, as well as for my short stories. I just keep submitting (there will be a new round of submissions for Without / Within once I figure out what's wrong with my DVD burner...) and trying because, well, it'd be silly not to. In fact, today I submitted a spec script for CSI (don't judge me) to the WILDsound spec script competition and tomorrow I'll be mailing off a feature film script called Chancetown to the New York City Horror Film Festival.

 

Yesterday, I received a letter from my good friend and mentor, Steve Marshall, who had only just gotten a chance to watch Without / Within. I've known Steve since I was 13. The way I remember it, Rich Reinhardt gave me his Prodigy email (it was fifteen years ago, for Pete's sakes) and we've kept in touch ever since. Of course, I didn't know who Rich Reinhardt was then or else I would have bugged him, too. Anyway, Steve's advice and support have been invaluable to me so when I got his letter, wherein he told me that he loved my movie and was very proud of me, I felt like I was soaring.

 

Tonight, I received a phone call from another friend, one with whom I don't speak nearly enough and see even less, and she kept complimenting me, my creativity, and bullheadedness...just because. She put it much more politely than that because she's nicer than I am, but that's what it boils down to and I was soaring again.

 

Right now, after submitting two projects to contests and festivals, finishing another short story, and receiving such support and encouragement from those two and the rest of my friends and family, I think I could take on another year's worth of rejections. Maybe even two!

Life has been fabulously busy since getting Honourable Mention for Without/Within...

...okay, no it hasn't. Not really. Well, at least, not in the part of my
life I want to do for the rest of it, which is write and direct, but if
we're talking about my jorb at the theatre, then yes, it's been busy. But not fabulously so. To be perfectly honest, other than some stops in the land of Creativity, my life has been taken over by Gil Grissom and company. Watching CSI after work, however, does remind me of at least one reason why I don't want to kill my co-workers: I'd get caught.

Anyway, I do owe reviews and updates. Even my mom, who lives in this house with me, is chomping at the bit for my reviews. That's awfully nice of her, innit? But, before I launch into my reviews (if I can even remember what the heck I've seen), I'd like to say two things:

First of all, The X-Files: I Want to Believe comes out July 25. If you're as excited as I am for this flick, just know that there should be a special midnight showing at your local theatre. Presale tickets went live a couple of days ago at my theatre so I'd check with yours to make sure.

Secondly, I'm not a particularly social person so I don't find myself searching through the local paper websites for events I want to attend. That changed a few years ago when I managed to miss the touring production of The Producers and it was within walking distance from my house (a 45-minute walking distance, but still) and was strengthened this year when I saw Eddie Izzard live. That...was awesome...

Tonight, I learned that Carrie Fisher is on a five-city tour with her "fun woman show," Wishful Drinking. Of course, she's not listed to come to a theatre anywhere near me. In case any of you are, here's the list with dates:

Santa Fe, NM-Lensic Theatre, Jun 16-22, 2008
San Jose, CA-San Jose Repertory Theatre, Jul 23-Aug 2, 2008
Hartford, CT-Hartford Stage Company, Aug 5-17, 2008
Washington, D.C.-Arena Stage, Sep 1-28, 2008
Boston, MA-Huntington Theatre Company, Oct 10-26, 2008 (Her birthday's on
the 21st so wish her a good one!)

I would LOVE to see this. Postcards from the Edge is one of my favourite books. Ah well. At least the book version of the show apparently comes out in November.

Catastrophic Computer Failure; or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Restore.

It had to happen eventually... This computer is seven years old and other than a couple of Blue Screens of Death and a spate of restart problems a few years ago, it was doing well. Sure, it had slowed down considerably, but with seven years worth of crap on the hard drive, it was inevitable.

 

Then, I come home from a day shift on Wednesday to find that my system file had corrupted.

 

All (that was not on my recently purchased external hard drive) was lost.

 

Kinda sucks.

 

Luckily, I did purchase the aforementioned external hard drive not too long ago for just such an occassion and did manage to put the important things on there such as my stories and photos and stuff. And I did backup my iTunes purchases onto disc a couple of years ago. I hadn't purchased much since then so I wasn't too freaked out, but I did buy three audiobooks (Red Dragon read by Chris Sarandon -- abridged, Carrie read by Sissy Spacek -- unabridged, and The Dune Audio Collection where excerpts of Dune were read by Frank Herbert.) However, the backup disc doesn't work and I don't have all of my purchases on my iPod as it's only 4 GB. The audiobooks aren't on there because there's not enough room for them and all the music I like to have on hand.

 

I've emailed Apple hoping they can help me out. I thought they had a one-time only type dealie where if you had something happen, as I did, they'll give you back your entire library. If it happens again and you didn't back up, then you're pretty much SOL. I haven't heard back yet, but I really hope they'll help me out...at the very least with the audiobooks. Those three audiobooks were awesome, especially the Dune one because I'm a big Dune geek and hearing the author read it, even if he was a little dry, was amazing. Chris Sarandon's reading of Red Dragon, the phenomenal book that introduces Dr. Hannibal Lector (or Lecktor if you want to be picky), is unforgettable and Sissy Spacek's Carrie was so much fun to listen to not because I think it's a happy go lucky story (which it's not, of course), but because it's her reading it. I'd gotten them for the late nights cleaning and building before and during the film festival.

 

What's really going to suck is the time that will be dedicated to re-ripping CDs to iTunes. Thankfully, I haven't thrown any of them out, but I love music. I have lots of CDs. I have just about every Stevie Nicks era Fleetwood Mac CD AND her solo work. This is going to be fun...

 

As for everything else, I'm really not that concerned. It sucks that I had to pretty much start over with my computer -- seven years of accumulation is a lot of stuff -- but if I don't know it's missing, I guess I won't miss it since it's gone. And, on the bright side, my computer does seem to be happier...if not substantially lighter, but oh well.

 

I have movies I should review, but I think I want to start loading my CDs into iTunes first...

A Hammer Fell in Jerusalem (Blog Like It's the End of the World 2008)

This is the first opportunity I've had to breathe all day, much less think about what is going on.

 

I'm not even at home...I'm writing this on my cell. The phone lines are swamped. Yay internet.

 

Even through the thick concrete walls of the booth, I can hear the newly-religious chanting and praising a God they didn't believe in twelve hours ago, hoping for an eleventh hour reprieve from the chair. I hate to tell ya this, but this is the thirteenth hour and we're all fucked. This is the Apocalypse and no amount of praying will stave off that which will be revealed.

We were sitting at home, I had a few hours before work and mom and I were watching teevee, when the announcement broke that a big earthquake had rocked Jerusalem. I remember thinking that was strange because I didn't know that there were many, if any, fault lines there, but was obviously wrong. I'm no scientist or geologist, y'know? But that's when the reports started getting weird...

 

For an hour, anchors in the Middle East had no words for what was happening so they let the video do the talking: shapeless forms and shadows were moving through the nighttime streets, there were explosions and screams, and panicked prayers sent up to an apparently deaf God.

 

After that first hour, I guess the producers at the news channels were worried that their viewers would start tuning out and they switched their coverage to something far more important and exciting, like an update on Brangelina's twins.

 

A couple of hours later, just as I was getting ready for work, the emergency broadcasting system was activated, but no further information was given. We went outside and saw that our neighbours were packing up their things and getting the hell out of Dodge. I tried to get someone to tell us what was going on, but no one would. Two gringas aren't worth the loss of time.

 

Inside, I could hear mom talking to Shawn over the phone. I walked back in and started to pack up bottles of water and food, whatever supplies we could carry. I heard mom close her phone then she came into the kitchen, her face pale, almost ashen, and asked her what was going on.

Shawn had told her what a couple of friends of his, who were vacationing in Jerusalem, saw. They weren't far from ground zero of the earthquake, staying at a hotel maybe five miles away. The quake woke them up, he said, and they went to their balcony and felt some kind of a shockwave. They said it was like a huge hammer had fallen.

 

After the shockwave passed, the air felt very weird. Heavy, they said, and foreign, like air that's been sealed up in a tomb for thousands and thousands of years.

 

Then they heard shrieks.

 

They told my brother that they'd never heard anything like it before, that the very sound chilled them to the bone.

 

They didn't have much more information than that. They slammed the doors of their balcony shut and ran into the bathroom to hide. He said that they said that whatever made that sound wasn't human.

 

At that point, they got cut off and Shawn made the decision to call us and tell us to get ready to go and that he'd be there to get us in half an hour.

 

When Shawn finally arrived and we were all packed up, we tried to think of someplace to go. But where do you go to outrun the Apocalypse? I thought the theatre might be a good place...or more specifically, the Projection Booth because of the concrete and the fact that you need a key to get up there. It's been about six hours since I showed up for my shift during the Apocalypse, but not to run shows. It's comfortable up here, but we can't stay here forever, not with the way the Zealots are calling for expiation. By the sounds of it, they're finding plenty of blood to spill in the name of their new Gods.

 

None of the reports I'm getting from various friends are any better. They've seen what's been Revealed, the Worlds Between Worlds. It's the Devil's playground for the next thousand years and we're His toys to do with as He sees fit...

 

© 2008 Kimyoo Films

*** This was written (on my cell phone!) for the second annual Blog Like It's the End of the World Day Friday the 13 of June, 2008. I had problems sending it from my phone to my site which is why it's WAY late in stead of just late. I did zombies last year and wanted to do something I find just as compelling and interesting: the End of Days (especially when there's religion involved, but plain ol' armageddon is good, too. By the way, if you follow that link to my LiveJournal, make sure you start from the bottom -- that would be the first Blog Like It's the End of the World post.) ***

An hour to spend.

you'll have to pardon any typos, I'm writing this on my cell phone.

I'm sitting outside the pizza parlour next to the theatre where the film festival is into it's third day a cold styrofoam cup of root beer and a warm cheese pizza as my company. i'm sitting next to a couple, a mother and son I assume, and the son is a filmmaker whose work just screened. I don't wish to intrude on their conversation, but sitting alone under an umbrella on such a beautiful day as this, it's hard to not overhear.

I don't do this very often, if at all; sit outside to eat lunch while the world whizzes past on various errands. I'm usually whizzing with them, concerned only with what I have to do that day or the next moment as if all life would end if I didn't get to work on time. truth is, we might actually be happier if we did this more often...sit alone with our thoughts, outside, eating pizza, in the hour before work.

I'm up and about so early and outside of my usual pattern because I wanted to participate in a workshop sponsored by Kodak, and free to the public, that taught about film...and let you shoot a scene using film. my group got to shoot on an Arriflex SR1, a camera that's only four years older than I am (that's 29 for those of you keeping track at home. I'm 29, not the camera.)



though it wasn't quite long enough, it was an amazing experience to use and run the Arri. A lot of what I learned today can be put to use with my digital video camera because of the features it has (Panasonic AVX100B - I love this camera.)

my boss was just outside, yelling in his half-joking snide way, that I should be upstairs. I think I'll sit out here a little longer, enjoying the time outside away from the dungeon of the booth. I have no where to be for the hour I have left to spend...