obligatory procrastinatory personal blog

I am so close to being done with this, the most work-intensive semester of my life, and there are only miles and miles of lit crit before I get there. Pulled an all-nighter last night to wrap up my final paper for my "Film and Literature" class. It was only a ten page affair, but it took me so damn long because I was writing about East of Eden. Not only am I a big Steinbeck fan, but there was so much interesting supplementary material that I would get swept up in it for an hour or so and forget to write my paper. Then, at 4am I started my 20 page final paper for my James Joyce class, which is due in just over 12 hours. I'm at page 8, which isn't bad. It's just that I'm writing about Joyce and cinema, and I'm worried that I've written too much contextual information about the infancy of cinema, the tendencies of modernist writers, and Joyce's biographical interest in the medium. It's like, the paper's almost halfway done, and I haven't mentioned a single textual example yet. Oops.

Anyway, things are shaping up for next semester. I'll be taking "Elementary Astronomy," the one science requirement I had yet to fulfill by graduation, "19th Century Russian Novel," and "Religion and Film." The Russian novel class is supposed to be excellent. I've had the prof before, and he was pretty good, but I'm told this class is his specialty. Religion and Film will be an experiment, because I've already taken "Celluloid Bible: Biblical Traces in Hollywood Film," but that was mostly a broad film theory class, so I want to see how this one is different. Then I'll be working an internship in L.A. two full days a week, and I just need to figure out exactly how that's going to gel with my schoolwork and the commute and everything. Some things are still in the air, but I'm moving forward, and that's always good!

gobble

Just wrapping up the last day at school before taking a short Thanksgiving break. I hope you all have an enjoyable few days, and I'll be back this weekend with a review of August Rush and some more thoughts about the strike, of course. For now, I've got to go drive a friend to the airport.

Have a great holiday, and be grateful for everything you have!

as the (real) world turns...

So, I don't often get too personal on this here film blog of mine. I mean, I mention goings-on in my life, and it's all about my opinions, but this isn't really an emotion-based blog like my xanga or MySpace of yore. However, I've been thinking a whole lot lately about my impending career in film and television. Unfortunately, I haven't really got much experience to speak of in the industry. The past two summers, since I realized that I wanted to work in Hollywood, I have had to sacrifice an internship in entertainment in order to take a paid job in a fairly unrelated field (public affairs, communications, and my school's alumni relations - all peripherally related to entertainment). So at this point, I'm looking for entry-level positions to begin in Fall of 2008, which require a B.A. and hopefully not too much experience. Yeesh.

Though my long-term goal is to be able to make a living as a writer for film and television, I am open to most kinds of entry-level positions in production. Though it's a bit early in the year to be actively submitting my resume, really, I have been scrolling through job listings as a new form of "productive procrastination" (cleaning my room, cooking, doing laundry, etc.). Primarily, I've been looking through the major production companies' and networks' job listings, and I did a more general search on Variety, but I still feel a bit lost about how exactly I should be job-searching. My school is primarily a government and economics school (though it is, nominally, a liberal arts college), and the career services center is in no way prepared to guide any student in how to search for jobs that aren't in consulting, accounting, or investment banking.

I am doing my best to take baby steps towards my goal though, including looking at other possible "ins" to The Industry than assistant jobs at studios. I sent my resume to the NBC Page Program in Burbank, but it was probably too early to do so. I've recently begun reading the blogs of Jane Espenson and Lisa Klink, and next semester I really want to start writing as many spec scripts as I can, even if I never send them to anyone, but just so I can get the hang of it. Of course the reason I have to wait until next semester to do this is because this semester I am writing my senior thesis, which is my first ever feature-length screenplay.

Also, there is the alumni connection. I have worked in alumni relations at my school ever since I was a freshman, and have found this to be my best resource that the school can offer. I am currently the student liaison for the fledgling Media Advisory Board, which is a great initiative working to get alumni in the entertainment industry able to enlighten interested students about the industry. Another recent happy accident is that the entertainment alumni from all five colleges in the Claremont University Consortium (Pitzer, Pomona, Scripps, Harvey Mudd, and my dear Claremont McKenna) have independently decided to get together and start creating a stronger network. Luckily, I get to be one of the two current students who will be attending the first mixer of the 5C entertainment alumni, and hopefully I can do a good job of networking there.

So, I am reaching out to the internet community at large, which my StatCounter informs me is, um... not yet obsessed en masse with my blog, to ask for advice. I realize that one avenue I should be looking into more actively is jobs at writers' agencies, but I have no idea how to find these agencies. When I did a preliminary Google, I couldn't tell which sites were reputable, and which I should bother sending resumes to. So if someone in the know comes across this appeal of mine, please comment with any thoughts you may have about good paths to take in this job hunt!

THANK YOU!

oh jeez

Okay, so the first week of senior year of college is behind me, and now I need to get used to the actual schedule of having classes and work and still trying to spend some of my free time to blog instead of just watching TV on DVD all day long. So, okay, let me try to jump back in headfirst. As far as school is concerned, I am taking James Joyce, Film and Literature, Media Sketchbook, and writing my thesis! Looking forward to it all!

Now, first I'm going to transcribe the journal I took during COMIC CON all those weeks ago, and then in the next few days I'm going to try to catch up on all of the movies I've recently seen. Now, get ready for day one of the LONG overdue Comic Con 2007 recap...


THURSDAY, JULY 26

"You don't understand, Michael Cera is my soulmate."
"No. Michael Cera is my soulmate."
"... Michael Cera split his soul into horcruxes so that he could be both of our soulmates."

So began our conversation the night before we left for Comic Con. We had a little bit of a late start leaving from Beverly Hills this morning, so we didn't get to San Diego until about 11:30am. We checked into our hotel, took the shuttle to the Convention Center, and cut in line with a friend in order to claim our badges. Then we cut in line to try to get into the Paramount Pictures panel. Though we had another friend saving us seats inside the hall, apparently we haadn't cut far enough ahead in line because we were about 25 people past the point where we couldn't make it in. But now we're waiting in line to get into the same hall for the Lionsgate panel. We won't be able to stay for the duration of that, because we'll have to leave early to get in line for the LOST panel, which is upstairs in Ballroom 20.

*****

So, the Lionsgate panel was okay...we saw Dane Cook and Jessica Alba talking about Good Luck Chuck. But the most important part was Bob Stencil, who asked a really lame question of Jessica Alba, dressed in a 70s outfit complete with airline pilot's wings and a pornstache. As Esther and I were obsessing over him, we left the hall afterwards and saw him on the escalator! We were like totally geeky fangirls and I took a picture of him doing this great pose, then Lizzie, Esther, and I took a great posed photo with him. Now we're sitting in the LOST season 4 room! He said he was staying at the Ramada Inn, room 3312. Also, Optimus Prime in a Su-Fi t-shirt asked Dane Cook a question.

*****

So, the LOST panel was amazing. A few days ago, it was released that Harold Perrineau will be returning to the cast full-time playing Michael. The creators of the show had intended to release that news today at Comic Con, but its early release did not make it an less thrilling when he walked onstage (!) to join Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof. (Lizzie, Esther, and I were the only ones who stood up and screamed our heads off.) They answered audience questions and then showed a great 2-minute clip of "lost" Dharma Initiative training footage where that Asian guy said "Station 6, the Orchid, is not a botanical station. Sorry you've had to lie to your family," and the he was holding a bunny marked with the number 15 which seemed to have a "smart" clone which knocked a light bulb off the ceiling. "They've learned!" shouted that Asian guy. And there were some split-second images of a tall office building and a frame with some unrecognizable words, one being "Jacob"!

Then, we went to dinner at the Corvette Diner. We split a basket of spicy fried pickles, a peanut-butter-bacon-cheeseburger, and all ordered entrees and milkshakes. The '50s style diner was very kitsch (Bazooka gum instead of after-dinner mints), and the waitresses were too much - doing little birthday girls' hair with plastic straws, dancing, making balloon animals, and having alternate personas named Doris, etc. It felt like that time Brenda Walsh worked at the Peach Pit. I'm so full I feel like dying.

TO VIEW MY VIDEO DIARY OF COMIC CON 2007 PLEASE VISIT http://www.youtube.com/katexmachina

a little journalism

Last week I posted a review of the documentary The Believers which I saw at its Los Angeles premiere at Outfest. I found out about the film because I work for my school's Office of Alumni Relations, and the co-producer Beth Burkhart is an alumna of my school, Claremont McKenna College. I was able to ask her a few more detailed questions than the ones I had time to get answers to at the screening and the Q&A that followed.


How did you get involved in the making of the film?
The director, Todd Holland, and I met in Los Angeles in 1996, shortly after I graduated from CMC, and then were roommates for awhile in San Francisco in 1999. He studied film in undergrad and I dabbled in a few independent/student productions when I lived in LA. He always talked about making a film and I always said I wanted to help. One day early in 2002, I was sitting at my desk at work and he called to say that he had found his subject and I asked if I would produce. I had no idea what I was getting myself into!

What was the most meaningful impression that it made on you?
How the Transcendence Gospel Choir and the members' personal stories can really open hearts and minds, generating empathy for and acceptance of difference. Good stories can really change how people think. My 76-year-old, conservative father cried throughout the film and then at the post-party, hugged Prado, one of the main characters, to tell him how much he identified with and appreciated his story.

What message do you hope the film sends in the end?
I hope the film demonstrates the power of inclusion and acceptance. Bobbie, one of the main characters, has turned her own life around, primarily because she found a community of transgender people when she came to San Francisco, and a supportive, community-based network in the City of Refuge Church and the Transgender Gospel Choir. Similarly, we believe the film will help save lives.

What would you like to see happen in the future with the film?
Frameline picked the film up for distribution last summer. The Believers will begin airing on LOGO cable station on Saturday, 8/11/2007, in the evening. We have just started receiving reviews from the educational market. Fortunately, they are really good, so we hope to have a large outreach push through the course of the next two years, promoting the film at churches, universities, and community venues. In addition, we are applying to international film festivals.

Do you have any other plans to continue producing?

Yes. I would love to continue producing. In reality, this project still needs a fair amount of attention, so for the time being I am not working on anything else as I do have a "day job" as a Marketing Manager at the Clorox Company. I have an idea for another documentary and can trace the roots to my CMC Economics education and Professor Roth's "Perspectives on the American Dream" (that's all I will say for now!).

Please read my review of The Believers here, and tune in to watch it on LOGO starting August 11th!

mea culpa

I can hardly believe that I haven't posted since Monday! Unfortunately this week before finals has been terribly busy and hectic, but I apologize for my lapse in writing. On the plus side of schoolwork, I did get to screen my final video project on Thursday night! Though I am well aware of the faults in my piece, it was very exciting to see my very first short film on a big screen in front of an audience after at least 48 solid hours of shooting, re-shooting, recording sound, re-recording sound, and oh! the editing. Before this semester I had never held a camera or looked at Final Cut Pro, so it feels very nice to know that I actually made something! Also, I've come to the conclusion that I ought to take an intermediate level video production class next semester, despite the fact that it meets on a Friday afternoon (!). I'm hoping to change my schedule to drop L.A. Stories, add Media Sketchbook (the intermediate video class), drop Women and Comedy (wish it didn't conflict with this next class!), and add James Joyce. We'll see how much the registrar wants to help me out or not...

Yesterday morning I watched this week's two-hour episode of "Grey's Anatomy" online, and got my first glimpse of what may well become the Addison spinoff, "Private Practice." First things first - I really would have hoped that the team behind the catchy name of the original TV show, making a new show about an OBGYN named Dr. Montgomery, would have had the chutzpah to name it "Montgomery's Ward." But oh well...

Thursday's Seattle-based segments of "Grey's" packed quite a few standout moments. The slow decline of Cristina into an obsequious wife is dreadful to watch, because - ever since the end of season 2 - I've been waiting for her to sacrifice her whole self for Burke, only for him to decide that he doesn't want her anyway. Even more dreadful was the elevator kiss between George and Izzie. The adultery subplot would be painful enough to watch if it weren't for the complete lack of foreshadowing to there ever being an attraction between these two. But the scene in which Meredith gives the bad news to her father...I can't have been the only one who burst out in tears. That was one of the most powerful moments of the entire series, and I thought it was spectacularly framed and even better acted. I'm sad to see Mare Winningham off the show, but it was certainly a shot in the arm (hurr hurr) for the Seattle drama while the Santa Monica doctors were getting introduced.

In regards to the "possible" back-door pilot, I think it is understandable why many or most Grey's devotees would be unlikely to give it as much attention or praise as the original. Of course the cast is older, and their problems are finely tuned to an older audience, as well. Divorces are one thing in the background of Seattle Grace, but fertility issues, single parenting, and middle age will be differently ensconced in the L.A. atmosphere. That said, the mood of the new show is certainly more lighthearted, which I think will appeal to the Sex and the City demographic. It will be interesting to see, if Grey's fans and focus groups shy away from the spinoff, how the show's creators will react.

I read an interview in Entertainment Weekly a few weeks ago with an ABC executive who explained that a new pilot has a much harder time gaining viewers than a spinoff does. If this is the case, then I would imagine ABC will want the spinoff to go ahead no matter what Grey's fans say. Grey's viewers aren't going to abandon the established show if PP is a bomb, and it has a better chance of getting new viewers than a show with less buzz surrounding it.

For my part, I am a big fan of Kate Walsh, and if she gets her own show, I will certainly tune in for the first few weeks to see if I like it. But this latest episode did not have the pacing and character depth that sucked me right in for Grey's Anatomy. Also, was it just me, or did they portray Los Angeles in a very early-'90s sort of way? Hot blondes in sundresses, shaggy-haired surfer dudes, rollerbladers? I mean, I suppose it was meant to contrast with Seattle as much as possible, but I had a hard time watching such an unrealistic environment. I mean, trust me - I looooove L.A., but there was so much emphasis on the outside surroundings and I couldn't really figure out why.

Anyway, I'll be posting more, I promise!

the final countdown

I just came from registering for next semester's classes. Look at me, all grown up and a senior in college! I will be taking "Film and Literature," which is looking like an overview of most of what I've been studying these past few years, but I'm sure will be a good class to take concurrently while I write my thesis because a) it's exactly the subject I'll be writing about, and b) it's taught by my advisor and thesis reader! Wrapping up my last course requirement for my lit major I've signed up for "Women and Comedy," which is taught by my current (amazing) Jane Austen prof, and focuses on 18th and 19th Century lit.

The honor of fun elective will go to "L.A. Stories," a Pomona class which could be very helpful to me in the future. L.A. is a great setting and a better character, and we may indeed learn some history about my beautiful home as well. According to an email from the professor, "How is Los Angeles made and remade in the products of its culture? An exploration of that question in the overlapping fictive forms of noir, social realism, postmodern fantasy, and neo-noir. Writers to be considered include Nathanael West, Raymond Chandler, Christopher Isherwood, Chester Himes, Oscar Zeta Acosta, Joan Didion, Karen Tei Yamashita, Luis Valdez, and James Ellroy. Some attention, as well, to the more theoretical work of Theodor Adorno, Mike Davis, Norman Klein, and D.J. Waldie, as well as to the relationship between L.A. and our own Inland Empire. Films, roughly, from The Big Sleep to The Big Lebowski." If we don't watch Chinatown I'm going to have a fit.

Somehow I, a former dedicated athlete, managed to get this far in college without having completed her final P.E. requirement. To compensate, I'm taking two next semester. I'll be taking ballet again, which will be good for my state of mind, and I'm paying $50 to spend one weekend kicking some guy in the nuts and learning how to defend myself against attackers. Too cool.

Also, I'd just like to thank those of you who have read my blog so far. In the future I don't intend to continue with this many posts a day, but I'm just trying to bulk it up while it's getting started. If you like what you read here, I encourage you to sign up for blogspot so that there can be some discussion about what's posted, suggestions for what should be discussed, and communication among interested people about the cultural zeitgeist!

~Kat

P.S. Zeitgeist. What a word, huh? It's one of those terms that I hate myself for using, but I can't get enough of. Like...Schadenfreude, mise-en-scène, and even "deus ex machina." What are your favorite guilty pleasure words/phrases? I'd like my snobcabulary to expand as much as possible, please.
P.P.S. Yes, I just conflated two normal words to make a weird one that would never fit into its own description. I rock. If this is how I am after three hours of sleep, I'm doing alright!

digital digital get down

Why am I a film studies major? Well, I suppose any college student questions why they chose their course of study, but with this one I can't quite explain it away by saying that I'm going to make a ton of money in I-Banking after I graduate. I came to a college with a gov/econ focus because I was intending to go into foreign service. One year and a dropped intro to economics class later, and I found myself declaring as a literature major.

Oh, the life of a lit major is as glamorous as you'd imagine, I promise. I think I read more when I was in elementary school. Oh well, I'd rather write essays than take exams any day. Also, it's a nice thing to have on my diploma as someone who takes great pleasure from the smell of old pages in stacks and stacks of library books.

So then as a sophomore I met Professor M. Oooh, Professor M. What a man... I was taking his journalism class in order to explore some career options, and I just became totally smitten. I signed up for his screenwriting class the next semester just so I could be close to him, but instead I found myself on a new career path with a second major.

I'm not the biggest fan of film majors, usually. Sometimes class discussions about Baudrillard and postmodernism feel like one big circle jerk of affected quasi-intellectualism, but then I find myself telling uninterested friends about the simulacrum or mise-en-scène, and I have to check myself (before I wreck myself). But I do so love cinema. And I like having the excuse as to why I watch so many movies and TV shows that it's research for my intended career as a screenwriter.

********************************************

In my Intro to Video Production class we've been talking a lot about the implications of the transition from film to digital. At first I didn't think the change was very meaningful past economics, but I've come to change my mind. As far as visual quality - sure, that's a given. But now with the cost-effective practice of filming digitally and editing to give "the film look," that's not even the most important part of the discussion. Ownership and distribution are obviously a big deal in the equation, too. With cheap cameras and YouTube, anyone can be a celebrity, and any material can be seen worldwide. I maintain that this is both a good thing and a bad thing, and refuse to come down strongly on either side.

But it was something I heard Quentin Tarantino say in a radio interview the other day that really struck me. "When you talk about the magic of cinema," he said (don't worry, I'm totally paraphrasing), you're referring to the illusion of movement. A film strip is just a row of static images which, when applied to the proper equipment and amount of light, trick us into believing that we are watching a moving image. With digital video, we are denied this magic. Not to say that beautiful, meaningful things can't be created digitally, but there is a lot to be said for celluloid moments like when Kate Hudson wipes away a tear from her right cheekbone with her left hand in Almost Famous, smiles, and asks, "What kind of beer?" Totally magical.

~Kat

cheap champagne, scrap paper, and mini-dv's

Well hello, readers.

I've never created a public blog before, but as I was walking around campus this morning it struck me as something useful to do. For the past couple of months I have been blundering about trying to use a video camera for the first time. It is an unfortunate consequence of being a film studies major at a school with very little to offer in the way of film studies that halfway through my junior year of college I am forced to face my inadequacies as a director, d.p., key grip, foley artist, and boom operator. To be frank, I am pretty much incapable of creating anything substantial when I am behind the camera - yet.

But for the past few years I have gotten mired in the depths of film theory, and I figured that has to be good for something. So check in, if you will, to hear what I have to say about cinema. None of it is professional, I assure you, but this will be a way for me to discuss movies I see without feeling completely foolish. Please recommend films for me to see, as I am always looking to procrastinate.

~Kat