The money pit

Any moment now, what began as a videoblogging (aka avocation, aka “for fun”) experiment will have become a five-light studio with steadicam, dolly and chromakey capabilities. Mission creep, I think they call it. And make no mistake, the same voodoo math that applies to foreign despot removal applies to video studio outfitting. It’s basically this: Draw up a detailed budget based on careful analysis of immediate and long-term needs, check the budget against current prices and likely revenue, then ignite the budget (best to do this outside) and watch as its sooty remains float skyward with any and all notions of life’s predictability. Then smoke a big fatty.

Because what the hell, you know? If the Muse tells you to stand on your head and whistle Dixie, you don’t say, “Excuse me, Muse, but why am I doing this?” You ask her if she’d like you to do it wearing footie pajamas or a clown suit. I prefer a clown suit myself, but as I think I’ve made clear, it isn’t my choice.

Case in point … Jay Spivey called tonight to talk about a promo we’re going to shoot next week for fête. I like his style. His life style, I mean. His philosophy of living. Be creative, have fun, make money, fuck convention. In no particular order.

A few weeks ago, I blogged and then deleted (because it was a tad too pedantic, even for me) an entry about annoying linguistic trends. One I’ve noticed upticking lately is use of the superfluous introductory element “So.” A February 27 article in the New York Times suggested that teenage girls are the driving force behind these things … upspeak, the vocal fry and whatnot. Which makes Justin Bieber fans the unlikely “linguistic trendsetters” in our society. So like, maybe we have them to thank for this one, too?

Raw TV casting producer Cheyanne Dillenberger called a few days ago to tell me that I would not be cast in the UFO investigation show they’re producing. (See March 19 & March 22 entries.) I thanked her sincerely. For one thing, it was a total kick to get the first call, and a totally unexpected courtesy to get the second one. Usually, when the answer is no, it’s conveyed as a failure to communicate in any way whatsoever.

“It’s just that you put so much work into it,” she said, by which she meant the audition video I’d posted, and she’s right. I did. But all to the good.

Embedded here: Applied Theatre Conference promo video drawn from six of the seven interviews shot in March.