Better Days

A fitter, happier, more productive week... Here is a print I did while I was at Cal Arts. Printmaking was fun, and I miss it. I still have the screens, but none of the time. Dang!

In other news: I've finished my first pass at the sountrack for my show, so now I wait for more executive feedback. In the meantime, I also wait for my contract for my work on the pilot to be signed, stamped, and etched into marble. And in the meantime of my meantime, I will be roughing out character designs starting... NOW! (imagine you can feel the wind of me running away, into my office)...

I will be at home, building a suit of armor for my sensitive-artist-ego to protect itself from notes in the coming weeks...

More Woo-ing

On the up side of today, I did these drawings to coerce Kevin Smith into doing a voice for my show. We'll see what happens with these, I hope he likes them, even if it doesn't woo him over to my show...

Anger Management

Today is one of the most frustrating days that I've had thus far in planning my production. I've been shot down in a number of areas, and don't really know where to begin to explain. I'll just say that I'm exhausted and it's only 10:30AM.

Here is an interesting dilemma that I could use some advice from others on. If you were potentially going to have someone work for you, and they said this to you , "You need me more than I need you," would you still hire them? In what context could that not be taken in a negative way? This is not a rhetorical question, I'm really wondering...

Woo-ing

For my show, I'm trying to get a couple of cameo voices in my pilot. It's been difficult getting anyone with any kind of name to sign on, so it's a bit of a long shot at this point. A couple of the voices I want to get are famous directors. Yes, Michel Gondry is on my list, obviously... So what I've been doing to try and entice the directors who I've actually heard anything from is to do send something extra. Here are the ones I've done for Michel (I like to imagine they work as a story...):

Yeay for Family!

Here's something fun from yesterday

It was four hours: a lot of work, and very demanding of my confidence, but I think everyone had a pretty good time. On to a lot of editing, and a lot of coffee. Whoopee!!!

Recording Today

Today I will be recording real actors with my family at LA Studios in Universal City. I've found I get nervous right before, but while I'm there it's usually fine. I think anticipation is to blame.

In the meantime, here is how I like to imagine myself:

1. On the way to the session.

2. Hanging out during a break (session still going).

3. And finally, afterwards.

I wish I could take credit for the photos above, but they come from this radical person. Thanks, rti9, for the referral!

Introductions for Idiots (aka, Me)

I've been settling into my office for close to a week now. I've met one or two people who also work here. One was a guy who helped me carry a box to my office the first day I was here. He was pleasant, and stopped by to say hello to me today, which was nice.

Another was a lady who works on the same floor, near some giant pig thing. I met her in the coffee room, and afterwards thought a lot about how to go about telling people what I am doing here without sounding like an egomaniac.

Version 1 (the information, straight): "Hi, my name is Elizabeth. I'm writing, directing, and producing a show based on my original student film from Cal Arts. It's for primetime TV, for ABC Family. Yeah, I graduated about a year ago. Wanna see my office? I have toys!"

Version 2 (what I feel like I'm saying): "Hi, my name is Elizabeth and I'm uber-successful, I'm working on my own show, in my own office with a window, I went to Cal Arts, and graduated not long ago at all, and I... *brag-brag-brag-brag-brag* Yawn! *brag-brag-brag-brag*...

Version 3 (what typically happens):

Someone: "Hi!"
Me:"Hi..."
Someone:"Did ya just start here?"
Me:"Yeah. Do you work on this floor?"
Someone:"Yeah, I work over on (fill in show name). What are you workin' on?"
Me:"Oh, um, I'm working on a pilot..."
Someone:"Oh yeah? Which one? What do you do on it."
Me:"Um, (all the rest of this sentence is said quietly and as fast as possible) I'm the director, I made this student film during my last year at Cal Arts and they really liked it so I'm working on a pilot for ABC Family."
Someone:"Geez, (sometimes this next part is said with a tinge of sarcasm) you must be really talented, you look like you're 16."
Me: "hahaha.. I'm not, I'm 26, but thanks(?), anyway, it was nice meeting you, I'm in office 3229, heh, see you later!

(Someone did actually say that I look like I'm 16, so I must be aiming to conquer the business by 30. --ha---ha---haaaaa----)

So what would you do? (@_@)

When It Rains...

I had a lovely weekend: On Saturday, I went to the Monster Show opening, and look (!), my friends at Vinyl Pulse put up a posting about me and the show! Radical! (Thanks to Ethan for guiding me there this morning). On Sunday, I saw Curse of the Wererabbit, and it rocked. I emerged inspired.



Today was not as nice as the weekend: (Today)+(this week)= crowded and damp.

When I left home, I brought a big box of stuff that I needed for my office. Inevitably, I ended up running 5 miles from the parking structure to the building where my office is, through torrential rain, ducking into a doorway on a fake street set halfway to take a breather, then continuing to my farther-than-I-anticipated destination. Any paper that was in my box was wrinkled from water, and I looked like I had decided to take a shower with all of my clothes on. It's taken me until now to completely dry off, and I don't think my shoes have fully recovered. It was like a scene from a sitcom. Especially because I was running through a set reminiscent of an outdoor scene from Friends

I have a lot of stuff to figure out this week, and a lot of recordings crammed into the next 5 days. One on Wednesday, one on Friday... Write-write-write and edit-edit-edit in the meantime, ... And then a nice, big, cocktail on Saturday night, most likely. A huge amount of props (in the gangsta-sense of the term) have to be given to my family, who are arranging their schedules to be there for what I need them to do.

Wheeeeee!

Computer Problem Update

Thankfully, I was able to get adequate software as well as a bigger monitor. No scanner, and no Mac, but I am pleased now. Apparently the overriding issues have to do with unions and legal things that, in this specific case, are getting in my way and making me feel like breaking someone's picket sign over my knee.

What a day. Contract still in the air, but oh well. My contract is taking so long to finalize, it better be pounded into gold plates by the time it's finished. Baaaa--h!...Monday will be here soon enough.

My dad wanted to know if this computer was more up to my standards:

Computer Problems

And so it begins...

I.T. set up a computer in my office in the afternoon on Wednesday, but it might as well have been one of these, because it only really functions as a word processor, and an email station. This is confusing to me because as far as my pilot goes, I am wearing so many hats that I can barely walk from my car to my office without dropping a few along the way. I think I need to do more than write memos, and email people.

Mind you, this is my first time for a lot of things: running a show, directing other artists, being agressive with people I barely know... So I mustered up the courage to ask for a different setup. One where the computer will function as a very basic editing tool. My request is basically this: a Mac (ideally a G5), Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere (or Final Cut, or Protools, or anything really that will let me edit stuff at my desk), and a scanner. With the luck I've been having, I'll probably walk in and find one of these on my desk:

So far, I've been shot down on the scanner, which I don't mind because I have one at home, so no biggie. As far as the other stuff goes, I've been told that it is close to the setup that editors have so it might be a hard sell to the I.T. Department... I will find out more today--- sigh...

And my contract is being held up again. TGIF? Not really.

My First (Not So Glamorous) Day At Work

Here's what I did at work for most of yesterday, since I didn't have a computer, or friends.

And here is my new office, which I spent time decorating so I can have people want to be friends with me because I seem "cool".. ha ha.. *sigh*. I am in office 3229 in the Frank G Wells Building, in case you might want to visit.

The Big Record

I am so nervous right now! I go into the recording studio with my family today at 2pm, for the first time, EVER! I have all the questions written, it's just a little nerve wrecking because in the booth, behind the glass, will be a gallery of executives, from both ABC Family, and Disney TV. Since it's the first time, of course everything will go perfectly, right? RIGHT?!?! They won't all be in there the whole time, probably just for the first hour... Sigh...

Time to calm down, and talk about something frivolous: Here are some shots of one of my uniform versions... I have one other type of skirt that I'm alternating between. I included my puppet, Walter, in the BG of the profile shot, because I like that he is peeking out at the camera.

Anyway, I'll let you know how things went in tomorrow's post.

Monster Show Info

Monster show info!

Opening reception: Saturday, October 15, 2005 (7pm-11pm)

Monster Show!

In preparing my piece for the Monster Show, my apartment exploded, and I burnt my hand with a molten-gob from a glue gun... Anyway, with that said, I know it's nice to surprise people and wait until the night-of- the-opening-of-a-show-to...

SURPRISE!

It looks better in person, I think... He's got a tie made out of FELT! So come to the show! It's this week, and I will post the exact date and time forthwith!

Auditions

From 10:30AM-3:00PM, I auditioned 45 or more actors/actresses today. There were signs leading to the recording booth in the lobby of the Frank G. Wells Building at Disney that had arrows and said the name of my show, plus "auditions". I also got a red badge with my picture on it.

I can feel the crazy train is starting to gain speed...

Tuesday I will probably be recording my family.. Whoo boy.. here we go!

Office Space

Today at 4, I get to go see my new office. And I get some sort of badge, I think. And tomorrow I'm auditioning a crap-load of people for voice work on my show... and-and-and... The ball is starting to roll, and growing into a nice, gianormous Katamari.

Narcissism

Here's my new jacket that goes with my uniform. I can perfectly hide my sword along my back while wearing it.

Yes... Behind me is the entire set of the first run of the Gorillaz toys... I'm an introvert, but also a gloater! Haha!

Dress Code

As part of my efforts to streamline my life, I've decided to start wearing a uniform to work. No, no school girl outfit. Sorry guy... Anyway, I figure there are going to be a lot of other things that I have to be doing at work, so figuring out what to wear in the morning won't be one of them anymore. It is my belief that this will help me organize my life in some way... Perhaps I will also instill fear into people like these gals in the photo... Don't worry, I'll still have fashion freedom on the weekends and evenings... Call me crazy, plenty of others have. I'll let you know how it works out after a month.

Sick Day

I am stuck at home today because I don't feel well. But I will be having a phone meeting today to talk about when to get my family into the recording booth. The mad dash to finish my pilot will most likely commence this week. In the meantime, I am taking the time to unwind and reflect... The image above is from one of my favorite children's books, Flora's Magic House. I don't know if the illustrator went on to do anything else after this, but this book is quite lovely.

More to come in the next few days about my adventures with Disney TV...