wants and needs
You know, I remember once hearing my parents tell me that I needed to “go out of my comfort zone.” I needed to meet new people, try new things, and explore. While I’m not denying the wisdom in such a statement, I question the validity of revisiting those activities, those places, those experiences, after I’ve already decided that that’s not what I want to do.
I discovered, many moons ago, that I didn’t want to be a director. I love to write films, I love to work on films, and I’ve truly enjoyed all the opportunities and people that I’ve been able to meet as I’ve explored life making films. However, despite all of the curriculum of UVU trying to convert me, I have no desire to direct films.
Perhaps it’s something about the stigma that directors are where the filmmaking buck stops. If the film is a success, the director is a genius. If the film is a colossal failure, than again, it is the director’s fault. Which, of course, is discounting the hundreds of people who’s names appear on the ending credits, displaying exactly what each was responsible for during the making of the film. Instead, we hear things like “Ah, Spielberg must be losing his touch,” or “Nolan is a genius” or maybe “Bay just makes things blow up.”
And while it is true that directors determine much of the film, any good film will have many, many people working together to create it. It’s a collaborative art, one that requires the skills and talents of several individuals. But unfortunately, a lot of people who are near to the industry but not “in” it don’t seem to understand that.
When I tell people that I work as a grip, they have no idea what I’m talking about, and when I describe the job to them, they don’t seem very interested. (Which may actually bare truth to how boring I describe the career, but I’m willfully ignorant concerning that.) But whenever I would tell someone that I study film, invariably I would be asked if I was “gonna be the next Spielberg” or something like that. While I used to just laugh and shrug, now I find myself a little annoyed.
I don’t want to be the next Spielberg, Bay, Nolan, Columbus, Lucas, or anyone else. That’s not where my talent lies. I love to work with story, my craft is the written word. I enjoy acting, I enjoy getting down and getting my hands dirty in the trenches with the grips. I love to create the art of a scene, such as the real-looking faux press badges for a scene, or the file full of incriminating evidence. I would like to create a camera rig for a car, or figure out how to make a film-able car crash. I like the details that make things up, and I notice when something relatively small is out of place.
But there are no classes for such thing. There is no “Film Art Direction 101″ in my school. Instead, this “film program” is simply the study of writing for several semesters, a little bit of gripping, a little bit of camera work, and then a bunch of directing. I’m forced to direct films over and over, and I’m just so tired of it. I don’t need to do it anymore to realize that that isn’t the place where I need to be. I need to be behind the director, supporting him from out of the spotlight. He can count on me to get it done for him, and I don’t need to worry about the logistics of dealing with talent, acting as a producer, getting catering, and whatever else on top of actually directing the film.
This rant may seem a little nonsensical. After all, what aspiring filmmaker doesn’t want to be in the spotlight? Honestly, not me. For me, I try to pull people around me who can make up for my weaknesses, and I know that actually directing is one of those things. So director, you tell me what you want me to do, and I’ll have it done for you before you’re ready for it. But just don’t make me step out of that “comfort zone.” Because honestly, I’m sick and tired of being there.
- Karratti
Not The Class I Signed Up For
Last semester, I took a class that was supposed to cover an intermediate level of digital media programs and skills, including Photoshop, Powerpoint, Flash, and video editing. I had taken the beginner class already, and sort of breezed through it, mostly because I already knew most of the subjects that were presented.
Anyway, when I went into this new class, from the same teacher as before, it wasn’t anything that I had been told. Instead of actually learning skills, we were instead given a first-class education in stress management. Instead of actually being instructed with skills that we might utilize in the workforce, the class became a stand-off between the students and the teacher. The class was set-up as a “business”, with the teacher as the “client”, and our random groups as companies vying for the contract, which was actually our grade.
The problem I had with that is that it caused competition among a class that could have very well been a united group. We were competing with one another for the grades, so we wouldn’t share information or ideas with one another, because those ideas might be “stolen” from us. Therefore, we weren’t able to utilize the vast amount of fresh and untapped talent within every member of the class, all in an effort to “teach” us about the digital business world.
I’m sorry, but that’s just plain shallow teaching. Not just bad teaching, but unbelievable teaching. I’ll say right now that the only thing I actually learned is that there’s no way in hell that I’m ever going to run my business like that. Yes, there are business secrets, and you don’t go blabbing to the world, but you don’t create an atmosphere where you’re afraid to share with your co-workers.
So for all of you teachers out there. Create an atmosphere of cooperation. There’s enough stress and problems in the world that we don’t need teachers breeding discord in a classroom in a useless effort to prove some inane point. We get enough of that out in the workplace.
- Kyle
Burning the Midnight Oil All Day
I remember, seven-plus years ago, when Red Bull and Mountain Dew: Amp were the only two energy drinks, at least to my knowledge. I remember downing them, and realizing that they didn’t really taste all that good, but that I could stay out for hours into the early morning after downing one. I’ve never really enjoyed the taste of coffee, or even the smell, so these seemed like a better alternative that didn’t have that java flavor to them.
Fast-forward to now, and I find myself downing a Rockstar infrequently, about every time that I need an extra boost after a late-night movie session or just messing around with friends. The real kicker, though, is driving on pure caffeine. There are some days when I just feel like this stuff is going to kill me. My preferred drink, the Rockstar Juiced: Guava, has less carbonation than the other drinks, and has the best taste of any of the ones I’ve tasted. But even so, I find myself getting a headache sometimes from drinking too many, or even a small withdrawal headache when I haven’t had one in a couple of weeks.
I need to read up on these things. I mean, I know some people who are literally addicted to these. Just like other people and their morning coffee, they can’t get through the day without caffeine. To me, that’s just plain sad. I guess I kind of flirt with that line, knowing that I only drink these when I actually need to, like, say, when I spent until 4 AM last night watching The Green Mile and I have five classes today. <grin>
I mean, even right now, I feel pretty tired, and I think that it’s compounded by the “crash” after I drink one of these “Nitrous in a can” containers. I’m not really sure what I’m saying here, but I guess I’m just asking you to be careful. I don’t think that these things once in a while are really going to do any damage, except getting your heart rate up, but you’ve got to exercise some control. Don’t live on energy drinks – get some sleep instead. Your body will love you for it, and you’ll feel better, too.
- Kyle
Graphic Design Theory
You know, it’s so interesting to me how many people don’t have aesthetic sense. Now, I don’t like to be immodest, but I’m a pretty good graphic designer. (If you want to take a look at my work, I’ve put up some examples on a page on the right.)
In any case, it’s really surprising to me how many people don’t understand the basic theory of design. As a film student, they introduce a system of balance based on dividing the screen into nine parts, via the use of two horizontal lines and two vertical lines. (Kind of like a tic-tac-toe board.)
Just like a teeter-totter, a screen has to be balanced. If you have something on one side, then you have to have a balanced something on the other side. Otherwise, it creates a vacuum that makes the viewer uncomfortable. (Which actually can be used to great advantage sometimes, especially in thriller or horror films.)
In this same way, any picture, graphic, or illustration follows that same sense of balance. Or, at least they should. There is balance in the subject, in the colors. There has to be a way to make the entire piece “fit” together. If not, then you’ve done it wrong, and need to fix it.
The most interesting thing is, though, that many people don’t have that sense. Sure, they understand that there are things that need to be done, but they don’t seem to get how to make it so. They can look at something that say, “Yeah, that looks good,” but they don’t know how it got that way. And then, when they go to duplicate it themselves, they fail.
Just by example – When I’m driving down the road, I’ll often see the compact cars with custom graphics and stickers, colors and accessories. My own car is white, but I’ve put some simple black stickers on the side, (mostly surf and snowboarding companies), but the entire motif works, because it’s simple and the colors blend very well.
However, I’ve seen a number of cars with large, outlandish graphics that don’t fit at all, yet the driver is immensely proud of his work. Why is that? Do they just glory in mediocrity? Can they not see that that white flame job does not go at all with the ocher color of their little Dodge Neon™?
Oh well. At least I can still keep going. I know what I like, and I know what others like. And that, my friends, puts me ahead of the pack. I understand that graphic artistry is a commercial art form. And because of that, you have to develop projects with the audience in mind. And the way to figure out how to do it is practice, practice, practice…
- Kyle
Is Football Sportsmanship in Jeopardy?
Okay, here’s a fun little tidbit to worry about: In Montgomery County, Md, police are currently invesigating cuts on several high school football players’ hands, resulting from a razor blade in hand during the post-game handshake. After the Magruder (Rockville) team beat out Blake High School (Silver Spring), 55-7, someone connected to Blake High decided he’d cut up the hands of some of the players. According to witnesses, the attacker sat on the Blake bench, but was not wearing a football uniform.
So what do you think about that? When did sportsmanship get completely thrown out of the window, to the point where we’re going to injure the other team for beating us? How did that conversation go?
“Hey man, you’re gonna be sorry for beating us.”
“What?”
“You score on us, and I’m gonna slice you up.”
What’s next? Are we going to start banning the post-game handshake completely? Perhaps we’re going to get players sharpening the bolts on their facemasks so there’s a nice cutting edge to them. That’ll show ‘em.
To me, not only is that poor sportsmanship, but it’s just plain stupid. What exactly was this guy trying to accomplish? Great, now he’s cut a few players, their hands are sliced up, and an entire town is angry. And when this guy gets caught, (don’t think he won’t), the judge is going to throw the book at him, because this is the kind of thing that needs to be stopped right now.
On that same note, we had the incident with Wyoming college football coach Joe Glenn who gave the one-fingered salute to the Utah Utes after their admittedly unsportsmanlike decision to use an onside kick with a 43-0 lead. Is football just falling apart?
I love this game. I think about it a lot, and I wish that I could play today. But it seems like the standards of the sport on every level are really falling. Right now, I just wish we could play some clean pick-up games and not worry about all the stress of the high-level sport. Just the players, the street, and respect. That’s all you need.
Well, and a field.
- Kyle
In-N-Out Burger
I grew up in Southern California. Because of that, I’ve been eating at In-N-Out pretty much since I was born. I’ll tell you right now, that it’s about the best stuff in the whole world. For those of you who have never eaten there, I don’t think you’ll ever understand, until you finally try it.
There’s just something about the spongedough bun, never-frozen, freshly grilled beef patties, fresh-cut veggies, cheese, and sautéed onions that really makes your mouth water. (Shoot, now I’m craving another one right now.)
I think the best part is that In-N-Out knows exactly what works. They don’t have a huge, complicated menu with fifty-seven different sandwiches. There’s no chicken, no fish. This is just good old burgers that taste absolutely amazing. And because the menus are about the simplest in the world, you usually don’t have to worry about long waits, or even complicated decisions at the counter.
For me, it’s always just “Two Double-Doubles, animal style, with a lemonade.” Ah, I miss that. I miss it right now…
The most interesting thing, though, is the people who have no idea what you’re talking about when you say “In-N-Out.” They just kind of look at you strange, and when you try to explain it, they just can’t understand what’s so amazing about some burger joint. But then you say, “It’s not just a burger joint, this is In-N-Out!” And then you just get stared at.
Oh well. I’m starving now, so I’m going to go get something to munch on. Bring on the vending machine!
- Kyle
Being Painted
Now here’s a unique conversation starter: Paint yourself completely green, and then walk through a grocery store and a restaurant, pretending that nothing’s strange. Field the weird looks that you get, and let me know what happens. This is what happened to me last week, and I’ll tell you that it was one of the most interesting experiences of my life.
Before you start thinking that I just have some strange hobbies, though, let me explain. I was hired to do a commercial for my school, because they needed some extras and I’d worked with them on a few projects before. Little did I know what I was in store for.
I arrived on set at 6:00 AM, which is way earlier than I ever even wake up, parked my car, and made my way into the site we were using. We pretty much took over one whole side of the student center. I had some fun chatting with some of the different actors and actresses that they’d hired, as well as a number of the extras that were on site. And then the call came to get painted.
This wasn’t a surprise, because they’d told us beforehand, but it was still a strange activity. They had me take my shirt off, and close my eyes as they took some acrylic paint and airbrushed it onto me. At first, I thought that this wasn’t going to take very long. In fact, they had told us that it shouldn’t. But the girl who was working on me… Well, it was her first time, and she was layering the paint on thick. And I mean thick. She went over the same spot multiple times, and my face alone took over an hour. Then she went over my arms, shoulders, and neck, making sure that every part of my skin was covered in a bright, gleaming green.
When I finally got a hold of a mirror two hours after she’d started, I realized that I was the exact same color as the Incredible Hulk™. The other painter had gone through three actors as I’d sat there, and of everyone, I was definitely the most green. I think you could have pinpointed me from the space shuttle, as a moving green speck.
The commercial went pretty well, (I can’t really discuss it until it gets broadcast this next month), but it was what happened on the way home that really made me think.
First, I had a class after my commercial, and since I didn’t have enough time to drive home and shower before it started, I just walked up and went to class green. Some laughed, some didn’t even notice, and most didn’t even ask, until one man finally couldn’t take the curiousity any longer. He asked, and I told. But the looks and the stares were just so funny to me, especially in a class that I’ve been attending for over two months now. You’d think that people would be a little more comfortable just asking, “Um, why are you all green?”
I was hungry afterwards, so I headed over to Taco Bell™ to grab something. In all honesty, I’d been green all day, and so I hadn’t really considered how weird it would be to just go in and order. I got a good number of weird looks as I walked in, stood in line, and then ordered. Though I usually get it to go, I sat down and ate right there, just to see what would happen. There were a couple people close to me who asked me why I was green, and I told them, but what cracked me up most were the workers behind the counter who couldn’t stop staring. It just made me want to laugh.
After I left, I was going to go home and wash it all off, but I was still a little curious. I needed a couple things from the grocery store, so I pulled into a nearby Albertsons™ to see what would happen. The place wasn’t too crowded, but there were still a decent number of people shopping. There was a definite “buzz” in the store, with people talking at normal level, that simply disappeared when I walked into the store. Suddenly there were a ton of whispers.
People began muttering under their breath, and I heard phrases like, “It’s not Halloween yet,” and “Why in the world…?” But no one got up the gumption to just ask me. Anyway, I took my milk, drinks, and cereal to the check-out, and finally the cashier asked me. I told her, and she smirked, but then nodded.
“I figured it was something like that,” she said. “I used to do commercials, too. People would ask me why I was wearing shorts and a tank top in the snow, or would make fun of me as I was walking to my car after the shoot. As if I didn’t know that what I was wearing was a little strange.”
I laughed, paid, and walked out, still pretending that nothing was different. I got fun waves from girls as I drove home, as well as some really weird looks from older people. The whole thing was really an interesting ride. I had a good laugh all the way until I spent two hours scrubbing the stuff off of my face.
But on a slightly more serious note, why don’t people get up the nerve? Why is it that people are so frightened by something out of the ordinary that they can’t get up the courage to ask? When you see a person walk in who’s a little “different”, be it in hairstyle, clothing, or even skin color, do you instantly look away? Or do you seek to understand?
I don’t like to go too deep into it all, but that’s just something that I’ve wondered about. Why do we shun the different? What if someone were to actually be born with skin that was tinted an unnatural color? Would we be afraid? Or would we try to befriend them? I hope that I would be understanding.
College Parking, and the Price of School
Here’s a scenario for you: You’re a school with over 23,000 undergraduates. Your terrain is not quite ideal for parking, and you don’t have the best parking spaces anyway. You’re already charging admission costs, and tuition, and you only provide scholarships to high school students. How can you make more money? Well, you can charge $80 for a yearly parking pass.
To me, it seems kind of ridiculous to have to pay for a parking pass for a college that I’m already paying tuition to attend. While eighty dollars for a year-long pass may not seem like a whole lot, it’s still annoying that you actually have to pay for it. Why can’t we just subsidise it into the tuition payment?
Oi. It’s just something that’s been bothering me. I mean honestly, who else is going to park at a college? Just students, right? Therefore, why do we have to have parking passes? It just doesn’t make any sense to me. Alright, now I’m out of steam. I’m done.
- Kyle
Homestar Runner
This has got to be about the most well-known flash animation in the world. In addition, it’s definitely the most clever. To be able to put together a website that is all about a cartoon, and then to make money off of it… How much more clever could you be?
For those of you who’ve been living under a rock, and haven’t seen the t-shirts, stickers, satchel bags or even the website, here’s a quick summary. Homestar Runner was created in 1996 by Mike Chapman and Craig Zobel, two students at the University of Georgia. (On another note, why is it that all the interesting things are created in college? Facebook was created there, too…)
It started out as just a kids’ book, but then through the use of Mario Paint™, was created into its first cartoon incarnation. As they started to learn Adobe Flash™, the brothers found the old book they’d created, and by the beginning of 2000, homestarrunner.com was up and running. They did the voices themselves, with the help of a friend, Missy Palmer, for the voice of Marzipan.
Fast forward to now, and you’ve got a site that averages several million hits a day, has been featured in a whole slew of magazines, and that has its own product line. The songs from the site have even been featured in Guitar Hero™. I mean, this is one freaking awesome pop-culture icon! You’ve got all these original characters, from Homestar himself, to Strong Bad, Strong Sad, Marzipan, The Cheat, Coach Z, Bubs, Pom-Pom, and several more.
I was introduced to the site in 2003, by one of my college instructors. He showed us one of the Strong Bad emails every day, I used to just laugh and laugh. Now, I still check it every once in a while, just to see if there’s something new up. Thing is, I still see people with shirts and hats and bookbags… Someday, I hope I might create something that cool. Something that really hits into the vein of viral advertising. Someday. Someday.
- Kyle
Gatekeepers Theory
Now, I’m a dreamer. I always have been, and I hope I always will be. Part of my career is being able to see things that others don’t. Being able to visualize something that others can’t even fathom, and then wowing even those who may have a scrap of imagination. I understand that sometimes you’ve got to look towards the stars, and leap, simply willing yourself to fly, because there’s no logical reason for you to do so, but your heart tells you that you should.
But I also know that there are times when other things besides just your personal actions keep you from attaining your goals. I’ve known dozens of 4.0 students who didn’t get into the college that they wanted to. I know of a number of people who are working in the restaurant industry, because they couldn’t quite match up to some of the other graduates in their fields, though they are simply amazing individuals. Why does this happen? I mean, besides the standard answer of, “It’s just how life works.” Why does it have to work that way?
I have this thing that I’ve come up with over the years that I finally named the “Gatekeepers Theory.” It has seemed to explain, pretty accurately, the way that life goes for the common man, and I thought I’d put it up here.
When you enter school, even from the youngest age, your opportunities are supposedly wide open. You can “do anything”, or so they say. They give you all those random cliché phrases like, “The world is your oyster,” or “Just believe in yourself.” These kinds of encouraging words, however, usually come from either parents, or those teachers who actually give a flying sack about you.
But it becomes quickly apparent to the students, as blind or observant as the teacher may be, who the “favorites” are. The surest way to get a good grade is to become friends with the instructor. It never matters who the teacher is, if he or she likes you, than things are probably going to be easier on you. From the very beginning of your education, you’re learning that in order to get ahead in life, you’ve got to please your superiors.
This continues on through high school. Scholarships to the best colleges are usually given only to the best students. So, in an essence, the best get better while the average become more average. (However, I have learned that its the average who generally are the easiest to relate to. Especially since I’m one of them.) But if you can’t make the cut, then there’s really no way for you to go forward. Instead of allowing someone to prove their worth in an environment outside of simply a scantron test or an essay, universities block out any but the best.
I’ve included the essay that I wrote about this on a page to the right, so if you’d like to see it, you can take a look. I know that this kind of stuff is boring to some, but I’ve found that even if my thoughts are a little jumbled sometimes, it’s always good to get them down. So enjoy or not, but those are my thoughts.
- Kyle
[EDITOR'S NOTE - The above mentioned essay is no longer found on this menu, but instead can be found in the "Writing" tab, above. - Karratti]
Facebook: Better than MySpace
While most of the world has latched onto the wild world of MySpace, I’ve found that I actually prefer Facebook instead. MySpace allows you to contact all kinds of people all over the world, creating your own “virtual network” of a whole lot of people that you might not even know. To me, it just seems like a place where you’re bound to find trouble with creeps who try to take advantage of others.
On MySpace, you don’t have to tell anyone who you are, but can pretty much look up all kinds of information on other people. The pages are wide open, and you can change the layouts, pictures, and information to whatever you want. There really aren’t any limits, and therefore some of the pages can get pretty nutso. (I’m talking everything from full-flashing animated GIF backgrounds to uncomfortable pictures.) It seems that the sites aren’t really moderated at all, and that the “community” around it isn’t usually the best crowd.”
Facebook, on the other hand, seems a lot better regulated. Many of the features are disabled, such as backgrounds and CSS formatting, which keep all of the individual user pages fundamentally identical. You’re welcome to add a whole lot of widgets and enhancements, but they’re just enhancements, and allow only a limited amount of customization. This helps to keep down the larger images that might offend someone who accidentally “stumbles” onto a page.
The key difference between the two systems, however, is in the way that you approach each one. While on MySpace you can be pretty much whomever you please, and you never have to reveal yourself in order to connect with whoever you like, the Facebook community is run differently.
It attracts a mostly college crowd, stemming from its original goal as a method for college chums to connect with one another. Originally, you were required to use a college email address in order to log in, but that was changed after a good number of potential members who were no longer in college, or who were already graduated. Now, it’s more of a tool to network with friends, as well as former college and high school friends. As such, the community is generally of a more educated and professional quality than that of MySpace. As a result, most of the society seems to be less “extreme” in their approaches.
In any case, I’m actively on Facebook, but I avoid MySpace completely. Why is that? Well, I prefer the clean-cut, and overall simplicity that Facebook provides, while I’m kind of annoyed by the entire MySpace system in general. Is it fair? Is it right? Eh, I just feel that it’s my not-so-humble opinion.
- Kyle
The Octopus Card
Alright, just about nobody carries cash anymore. It’s way more useful to just carry a debit card, and its certainly a lot safer, considering the safety features available. If you lose your debit card, you can usually call in and cancel it, and often get most if not all of your money back. If cash is gone, it’s gone. There’s no retrieval, and nobody can help you with it. The green has left the scene.
However, the problem with not carrying cash is that, as a college student, I spend a lot of my time in the school. Now, there’s a food court, but that’s a good ten or fifteen minute walk from where most of my classes are, and I usually can’t spare that kind of time just for a Sobe or a candy bar (if I feel so inclined.) So, I go without, the vending machine doesn’t get used, and I go thirsty.
Thing is, while I was in Hong Kong, there were this awesome little cards that you could use like cash just about anywhere. They were called Octopus Cards, and worked pretty simply. You’d slip the card into your wallet, or even in a little card-holder or a backpack, (a friend of mine told me he used his tie sometimes!), and then you’d hand money to the guy at the 7-11 or Circle-K. You put the card on the scanner, and BEEP! The money was transferred onto your card. You were then free to use it on just about anything. You could use it for the train, the bus, a taxi, groceries, or even back at the 7-11. It wasn’t a swipe and back account check like a debit card, instead, the money was on a little chip inside of the Octopus Card itself.
Sure, if you got it stolen, it was the same as cash, you couldn’t get it back, but that didn’t happen hardly ever. I remember one time, I lost my wallet, and had to go backtracking until I found it. When I finally tracked it down at a mall lost-and-found, all the cash I’d had (about $200HK) was gone, but my card was safe behind my ID Card, with a good $350HK still on it.
I know it might be difficult at first, but since no one likes to carry cash anymore, why not implement the same system here in the US? You could just put them on vending machines and buses, or even subways, and could do away with tickets for the most part. While I don’t quite know about the feasability of using such a system nationwide, I certainly believe it would be useful for a city such as New York or Los Angeles to have such a system available.
In any case, it would sure make things a whole lot more convenient.
BEEP! Thanks for the Sobe.
- Kyle
