CRC HAG ON THE 405

Apple Phone Booth Fun.

Check out the new Nokia cell phone, the N93. It films in MPEG4 and has editing software built. It was made with filmmakers in mind. Perhaps I should shoot and edit BBVM with this. NOKIA N93

I find this on-line marketing campaign brilliant. It's fun and extremely effective. Thank you for sending this to me, Mr. Aarne. Mr. Chimp is now an important new character at work for me.
MonkEMail

Let him who seeks continue seeking until he finds. When he finds he will become troubled. When he becomes troubled, he will be astonished, and he will rule over the All.

--Clement of Alexandria

CRC says...

It's been a busy week. Nick and I had several "power lunches"--those are always fun. It's sort of like eating and talking while playing a game of psychic chess. We had an especially long one with David Carradine. The man has a lot to say. We're gearing up for a new cell phone original content download idea called STARSPEAK. This is another form of bringing celebrity down to the people. It's a chance for celebrities to tap into the everybody boat and leave some encouraging words behind. I love the idea of David with all of his sacred and profane wisdom being our first celebrity to partake. I also did an interview for the Hollywood Reporter. Believe it or not, I have a fan there. A very gracious, kind reporter who is excited about what I am trying to pull off at EARSXXI, especially PAH. Apparently, I am supposed to be one of the top ten to watch in the new digital media world. That is very flattering, and I am excited about what my team at EARSXXI has accomplished and is going to accomplish; but, I am just someone who wants to empower others with my energy and ideas so they can find and nurture their unique voices through the Creative Process as well. What better way to celebrate the all inclusive Human Spirit.

I was pretty young when I first went to college, but I was old for my age. In some ways, I'm a lot younger and more playful now. Once when I was coming back from a record store in downtown Redlands, the seniors threw water on me from the top of Melrose Hall, the all boys dormitory I was staying in. The stupid act ruined my records. I immediately took my revenge. I went to the bathroom and filled up a trashcan with water and wadded toilet paper, then proceeded to throw the water on the senior that drenched me. All the seniors where in shock that a freshman would do this to them. I was told I would be punished. I was there to study, not goof off. This was college, not high school which I thoroughly hated. Anyhow, the plan was the seniors, mainly jocks, were going to take me on a chariot ride. What's a chariot ride, you wonder? They strip you naked, tie you to a chair, put shaving cream on your privates and a dunce cap on your head. They run you around the campus, then leave you in the center of Grossmont Hall, the all girls dormitory. If the girls think you're cute, they will throw you a robe and take you out for a steak dinner. if not, they leave you there. This is college, my friends. Anyhow, I remember seeing the jocks coming to my room through my back dormitory window. They had the chair, the rope, and the dunce cap. I was scared and furious. I went to my fencing bag and removed my fighter's knife, the one my dad gave me. Just as the jocks were trying to pry my door open with a credit card, I opened the door a crack and rammed the tip of my knife in a sandy faced, surfer jock's chin and told him that I would have no problem slitting his throat if he or anyone else continued with these shenanigans. I totally meant it. He was terrified. They all were. The cops came and arrested me for having the knife. I started to cry and told them all that I wanted to do was study and learn. My mentor Barney came to my rescue. He got me my knife back and put me in a coed's artist dormitory. Needless to say, no one ever bothered me again. Actually, when they found out I was a member of the Coppola family they started to kiss my ass. Oh, the beauty of celebrity worship!

Thank God for my greatest and kindest mentor, Dr. Barney Childs. I miss him and may he rest in peace.

Mr. Slipery has a cousin. His name is Gary Allegretto and he's quite the harmonica man. He did a little blues performance for my son and his friend Stan. They started to do a jig. The faster the harmonica man played, the faster the jig. They couldn't help themselves. Gary's positive energy was being transfered to them. After talking to Gary, I discovered that he travels where hope seems to have disappeared like New Orleans after Katrina. He gives all the kids a harmonica and gets them to play with him. Something as basic as a harmonica brings a smile to their little faces. But it is more than that, it's the harmonica man's energy reinvigorating the kids, letting them no that hope never really disappears. You can check out Gary's web page Harmonikids on my links list. Why am I talking about Gary and his good work under this weeks DigiVangelist blog? Very simple. This is exactly what I am trying to do with the PAH program. But instead of a harmonica, it's digital technology.

The miracle is not walking on water, but walking on Earth.

--Zen master Lin Chi.

CRC says...

Today is Elyse's birthday. Without Elyse a lot of the philanthropic, creative process seeds I've planted would not have been possible.. And, this will be the year that the EARS garden sprouts. Mark my words. The EARSXXI team is focused and ready to rock. So, let's all give Elyse a very hearty happy, thank you birthday!

I've been going out on the Monte Carlo from San Pedro's 22nd Street Landing ever since I was a wee lad. Taking my little family and good pals out on the same high seas brings consistency and comfort to my life. Tony, the boat cook, makes the best damn burger I've ever had. But, you have to eat it on the boat in the salty air and wash it down with a cold beer.

I call this Japanese Bach vision. It can calm anything down. The Sparky scene above is usually an intense who's gonna get the first doggie bisket cluster...barking Cutty, charging squirrel, squealing family members worried that the squirrel might try to get in the house again. Slowed down with Japanese Bach, it's a whole other story.

This is going to be the hardest weekly blog for me. I do like gizmos, but I am not a techie in any way. For me, having a digital camera in my cell phone is like a spatula. It is very convenient. When I do a mini-PAH fest and have "everyday" people use their cell phones to create a visual piece based on a random topic, I do it because I think it is important for everybody to stay engaged with the latest digital gizmos as a creative tool, to be in charge of the technology and not just plugged in. I also like seeing people have fun, combining old school concepts with new school technology. Even though there is editing software you can get for your cell phone that will allow you to cut your mini-cell phone flicks right on your cell phone (which is awesome), I like seeing how creative people can be by trying to tell their story or visual idea all in one shot. Doing Cell Phone Art in one shot is like a Tai Chi game that forces you to stay in the moment and be aware of your surroundings. It is your naked, innocent eye and brain at work. Making a mini-movie on your cell phone (which is also cool) with all the bells and whistles of a regular editing room, basically shows me how clever and fast you are as a micro "filmmaker". I've been thinking about this, because it always comes up at our PAH-FESTS. I think I will have to create two cell phone categories: all in one shot contest and the you have three hours to write, shoot and edit a 1 minute micro flick all on your cell phone contest.

I hold a beast, an angel and a madman in me, and my enquiry is as to their working, and my problem is their subjugation and victory, downthrow and upheaval, and my effort is their self-expression.
--Dylan Thomas

CRC says...

This week was all about prepping for our companies Open House. Nick, Moon, Jason worked their butts off to make sure the stage was ready. They did a great job. I had this idea that we should give a little token out to everybody that came. I came up with a EARSXXI poker chip one can turn in to get 10% off a first rental. POKERCHIP.pdf Given the many sides of my so-called colorful personality, I thought being the cigar chewing used car "Just Tell Me What You Need" salesman of mini-digi stages was apropos. Nick and I also had a positive mini-serials for alternative digital platforms pitch meeting on Wednesday. The best thing about it was the general excitement of all the possibilites...it kind of felt like being back in a Silent Era brainstorming session in which the dissolve, close-up and fade-in/fade-out were just discovered. The possibilities that the digital arena has to offer is limitless and with the selling of YouTube to Google for 1.6 billion, it is obvious that big business believes the great equalizer/all inclusive digital arena is economically viable as well. These are exciting times for the big guy and the little guy. It is a win-win situation.

Monsters & Genies .

Okay, back in the early in 80's when I was a student at the San Francisco Art Institute, I use to teach a workshop called MAT. It was an experimental music and theatre workshop. We would perform pieces like Gamelon 9, Draw A Straight Line, Dueling Monologues On Ladders and then go out for pizza. One gloomy San Francisco night, I was feeling particularly cocky. So, I bet everyone at the workshop that I could run up the wall and touch the ceiling. This was in the world famous George Kuchar Studio 8. Those walls are pretty damn tall. Anyhow, I went for it. To my surprise I actually did run up the wall until I was completely horizontal with the ground. I almost made it to the top. The problem is due to my stupid bravado I neglected to remember that what goes up, must come down. I fell back down and broke my left wrist...the nervicular which takes a long time to heal. I was embarrassed, in pain and depressed. I had to wear a cast for several months. A very nice neighbor would help me cook food and do my dishes. It was kind and I don't know if I said thank you properly. So, I'd like to take the time and do it now. A very hearty thank you to the gentle soul that helped the lanky lad out.

Xeni Jardin of Boing-Boing was the first to bequeath me with the name several years ago. I've been trying to live up to the name by keeping in the loop on everything that is going on in the digital arena. Not an easy task, when basically it's not the technology that excites me, but the sharing of stories by the people to the people. I am just one of many that sees the digital arena as the great conduit that can make this happen. The more people connect both internally and externally the better off we all are and our World is. My friend and poet Bill Nevins wrote an article on me for a Southwest magazine called FIVE. He entitled it, "The DigiVangelist". I thought I would post it on my first Monday DigiVangelist blog as a sort of unveiling. The main thing about the article that I'd like to stress is that I truly do find the stories of "everyday" people more vibrant and fresh than the cookie cutter stories lately being squeezed out of corporate Hollywood, corporate film schools and corporate film festivals. It is indeed time for some new blood.

The DigiVangelist.pdf

The dead are not alive, and the living will not die.
--Gnostic logia

CRC says...

The EARSXXI team spent most of the week developing serial webisode ideas for a pitch we will be doing in the next week or so. I like what we came up with and am very hopeful that they will come to fruition. All the companies, EARSXXI, PlasterCITY, DFE are working hard to make our Oct. 13 open house a success. I like the group synergy and energy that I am feeling these days. I'm still working on BBVM and am in the process of working a deal out with George Takei. My idea is to shoot this film entirely in the MPEG4 format. I have to make the film for a dime, so I thought it would be invigorating to try something completely different. Nick and I met with Alain SIlver, the producer of four of my movies. He's been actively making feature films in the 10 grand range. The idea is to get rid of all the baggage--lights, reflectors, dollies, etc. You have your script, your actors, prosumer camera and go for it. It's the new no-budget digital dogma. I had him read BBVM. He correctly said that one has to make certain assumptions in order to pull something like this off; i.e. no one gets paid, the community where I want to shoot this film is on board to help me any way they can, and that I will stick to the restrictions and guidelines. I consider BBVM the pilot for a much larger concept--the PAH-FLICKS training program. It might be necessary for me to go the no-budget digital dogma route in order to break ground for the bigger picture. I'm not a real dogma fan. It works for some projects, but not all. That's not to say one cannot follow the guidelines and still create something unique on to itself. Hell, this is a female wrestling movie based on Puccini's Turandot. If the whole piece has the look of a WWE match, I'd be happy. So, I don't have a hundred extras...I shoot a crowd at a local basketball game and intercut it with some well designed shots of my three wrestlers going at it. How will you know? The point is you won't. That's the sort of challenge I have been really missing lately...being forced to think out of the box to be creative. Anyhow, I am putting together a package for this new BBVM PAH-FLICK pilot concept. While I am doing that, I will be sending professional screenwriters to various campuses in NM to work with NM writers in the development process of the next 6 PAH-FLICKS...these will be larger budgets, but not by much. I will use the momentum to raise the money I need to launch the whole training program. That is the goal. Lastly, my internet presence will be changing when the new EARSXXI home page is launched. My blog will be more structured. Something like this: Sunday-SUNDAY WISDOM, Monday-The DigiVangelist, Tuesday-IN MY HANDS, Wednesday-MEMORIES, Thursday-EARSXXI OFFICE BUFFA, Friday-THE STATE OF THINGS, Saturday-SMBB. So, there you have it, the state of things as it stands today.

TWEEKS & TWAHCKS

I just came back from a lunch meeting with the first assistant I ever had, Adam Wolf. He worked with me on Red Dog, Deadfall and on the development process of Lifeshield. He was always an eccentric character and still is...Chairman of the west coast exotic fruit tree society; uses peanut oil instead of gas for his diesel Mercedes; has a room in his house painted like an old-fashioned, red steakhouse and a blow up KISS chair in his office. He's the creative director at a place called the Pig Factory. They represent musicians as well as license music for films, TV and other forms of media. I talked with him about helping out with EYESXXI. He's very keen. Adam, we will take it further next week and you will treat me to lunch.


On the set of RED DOG, back in '92.


Mr. Wolf's Pig Factory office in '06

the sturgeon...

For some reason, I want a Ouija board...bad.

I walk into the clubhouse and it's like walking into the Mayo Clinic. We have four doctors, three therapists and five trainers. Back when I broke in, we had one trainer who carried a bottle of rubbing alcohol and by the seventh inning he had drunk it all.
--Tommy Lasorda