PoleVault Media – Internship
Yesterday, I started my internship at PoleVault Media, a student-focused, student-run company dedicated to one goal – Getting us the skills to enter into an awesome job. (A goal that I can completely agree with.)
I’m working chiefly as a designer, focusing my time on web site, flyer, poster, business card and other types of graphic and layout design. As well, I’ll be spending a good amount of time putting together code in HTML, CSS, PHP, and other programming languages to make sure that as I go forward, I’ll be useful in multiple capacities.
Not surprisingly, what attracted me to this was it’s similarity to the multi-focused approach of my Master’s Program, though at EAE, I spend much more of my time in more of a project management role. At PoleVault, I’m finding that the team structure is very similar, but here I’m more of just a member of the team so far, which is an interesting change of pace for me, considering the past nine months.
So far, this seems like a great place. Though today was only my second day, I feel like I’ll do well here. Of course, that does mean that I’m back to getting up early in the morning again… Oy, a lot of my friends have been giving me a hard time about that, especially considering that I’m usually such a night owl. Or is that a nitehawk?
Inflation and Deflation
I’d like to say that I’ve finally overcome the biggest hurdles, but my heart tells me otherwise. Instead, I find myself wondering if I’ve only just started the first couple of steps. And then, I go on to worry a little because these first couple of steps have been an absolute and complete pain in the ass. <grin>
About three weeks ago, I left St. George and headed up for Salt Lake City, hoping to get a head-start on looking for housing and work to support myself through grad school. As with any new opportunity, my thoughts were optimistic. I figured, “Hey, I’m a skilled and fairly smart guy. I’ve got a Bachelor’s degree with a 3.6 GPA, and I’ve got a wide range of skills. It shouldn’t be too hard to nail down a part-time job.”
And then I got here.
Apparently, there are no jobs at all in Salt Lake City. Or, (and this is a little more unnerving), maybe I’m just not qualified for them. You know, because I spent four years in school, I’ve become the well-rounded and studious adult that the system wanted me to be, but apparently that’s not enough time and effort to get a part-time job serving tables at Old Spaghetti Factory. I’m just not sure what the deal is. No matter where I look, it seems like the opportunities are just consistently out of reach, and I really am unsure of what’s going to happen over the next few weeks.
Is a Bachelor’s Degree just not enough anymore? Is it now so common that even food service is looking to get all picky about it? Am I going to need a Doctorate’s to work at McDonald’s in the coming years?
I just moved into a new apartment up in Salt Lake, and now I’m out of money and out of time, because school starts on the 22nd. Then I get to juggle a school workload with trying to find some kind of job, when I could have had something in the first place. Things are just looking dark, and it seems no matter where I look, there isn’t much light coming from anywhere.
Throughout my life, I’ve always been one to deny that things happen for a reason. At least in the past, things have always worked out in the end, and I guess I’ve just kind of learned to expect them to. I’m usually not one to panic (too much), because usually I’m able to find a way to make things work. Usually there’s some kind of path that I’m supposed to be on. But right now, it just feels like there’s not much. Frustration is intermingling with desperation, and the world is looking a little too grim for my taste.
The most frustrating part of it all, though, is that opportunities keep coming up yet they’re always just out of reach. I’ll get a call from a company, have a (to me) really good interview, they’re all smiles and assurances, and then I get no call. No job offer. Instead I just get to sit and wait. If these people aren’t going to hire me, then why don’t they just say so? Why don’t they just tell me? I can take rejection, but it’s the anticipation, the build up, the hope, and then the nosedive that really bothers me.
But, I guess I’ve ranted for long enough.
Tomorrow is Grad School Orientation, which means I’ll be spending the day at the U figuring out what this whole program is all about. I’m looking forward to a day of putting my pressing concerns on hold, and just hanging out a little. I hope that all this is worth it in the end, and that all of this will eventually lead me to a future of not chasing job leads every day.
I know that this is a little too much rambling, and a whole lot of “not-really-anything-constructive,” but I just needed a chance to blow out some steam. I left my heavy bag down south, so pounding away at a keyboard is about the only way I’ve got to get some stress out of my system.
Here’s hoping for a brighter tomorrow, and to pushing through your trials in the pursuit of your dreams.
- K
It’s Good to Have a Little Elbow Room
One of the most difficult things to deal with when trying to get into any field, it seems, is people trying to get you to specialize. I’m not sure why, but most people expect you to be able to describe yourself with a single title. “I’m a doctor,” or “I’m a police officer,” or maybe “I’m a writer.”
But the thing of it is, most of us just aren’t that way, especially in arts and entertainment. Throughout my schooling and career, I was always asked what I wanted to be, or what I was going to school for. Most often, I would have to resort to describing my major, “Digital Media,” or maybe whatever happened to be the focus of my studies that semester, like “Film.”
This can be especially problematic when you start looking for jobs, and people are surprised that you’ve worked a wide swath of jobs. For me, I’ve worked as a film grip, a key grip, and an electritian. I’ve worked as a producer, a production assistant, and an art director. I’ve been a writer, a UPM, a graphic producer, and a retail salesman. I’ve worked in landscaping, food service, and as a roadie. All of these things apply to who I am and what I know how to do, and how I can approach a situation or problem, and it does me a serious discredit for someone to ask me “what I do,” and expect a simple, no-frills answer.
Over the past year, however, I’ve come to better understand what I want to do in my life. Gaming, to me, has always been a great passion of mine. I’ve sunk more time into video games than I have into anything except perhaps my writing, and that drive to experiences these interactive stories and situations finally just clicked for me. Getting accepted to Grad School to start my gaming career finally just solidified my course for me. I knew what I wanted to do.
What’s been more freeing for me, however, is that I finally am able to portray myself the way that I want to. When you’re working in film, people tend to want a certain kind of person for a certain kind of work. They want you to be focused on the job at hand, and your experiences outside of the scope of that job seem to be mostly disregarded, because you’re expected to be compartmentalized.
But now, my hobby and my career are starting to blend. I can be a gamer, and that’s finally a good thing. I can start to portray myself as having this passion, and it’s not only understood, it’s encouraged. Of course, there’s a healthy dose of work to go along with it all, but it’s just good to have a little elbow room. It’s nice to not be stuck in a compartment that wasn’t exactly of my own choosing.
And when people ask me what I want to be, then I can explain that I want to be a producer. But when I go to explain myself, I’m not above telling people that I’m a Gamer, Producer, Writer, Artist, and a Jack-of-All-Trades. I’m finally starting to realize that it’s not a bad thing to just be who I am, and let the chips fall where they may. No need to worry anymore what “the masses” think, because I’m going to find a group that wants me for who I am.
I’m ready to rebrand myself so my brand is more true to me, and I’m ready to show what I can be. Here’s hoping that the hard work is going to pay off.
- K
Indecisive
I look at my clock as it ticks over to 3:11 AM, yet still my mind is racing, unable to rest, unable to stop. The wheels are turning, spinning, twisting, and grinding, unable to complete their rotation without hitting a snag, and shredding my thoughts into pieces. I glare, wander, click and tap, unable to find a suitable direction at which to aim my furious consternation.
It’s as if my purpose refuses to remain steady, with the moorings that once held it in place in sudden disarray. My thoughts taunt me, goading me into action, and yet giving me no path to walk. I am before the Cheshire Cat, with the self-same reasoning as Alice in her Wonderland. I know there is somewhere that I need to go, but I am very unsure of where it is, and how to get there. So, I doom myself to begin walking in some direction, realizing as I take my ninth step that it is, in fact, the wrong direction.
Is this a common occurrence? Does every man sail through the same seas of confusion? Or am I alone on the ocean, adrift with no compass, with no wind and no motor?
If only there was a method of determining my course. Even a path that might eventually detail my desires in such a way as to make them known to me. Such would save me an eternity of grief at having chosen the wrong course. Because to me, there isn’t much worse in my own life than setting down a path toward a goal and realizing five years down the road that that goal was actually not fit for me.
I suppose that each of us is on some path to happiness. We may call it by other names, be it wealth, status, or stability, but in the grand scheme of things each of us is searching for that something that we can be contented by. So many people seem to have a passion for their goals, a fire that burns within them, driving them to achieve the grand heights that they have undertaken to accomplish. Nothing, it seems, can stop them. They are the climbers of their individual Everests, and they refuse to be dissuaded by simple trivialities or obstacles.
I once had a driving force within me. I was determined to complete my schooling, and so I pushed myself as hard as I could until that job was complete.
Yet now, as I am in possession of the fruit of my labors, I find myself in an odd predicament. Instead of being ecstatic, I feel lost, unable to determine for myself the course that my life should take. I have been exhorted to chart my own course, to reach out and grasp my future, but despite the bumper sticker catchphrases, I remain unfulfilled.
Could it be that life has simply lost interest in me? Was my purpose simply to come to this point and then fade into obscurity? Or is there something else that I am meant to accomplish?
Answers… I don’t write searching for answers, necessarily, but one or two would be nice. I’m not looking for everything, only a direction. If my destination is not to be determined for quite some time, so be it. But were I to have a path, a sure path that agrees with my personality, then I could begin my journey anew.
Until then, I’m afraid, my wheels are continually turning, spinning, twisting, and griding, unable to complete their rotation. My motor is, in fact, running, it simply is providing no power to move me along.
Instead, I am looking for a destination.
- BK
Pipe Dreams
While I often have my own way of looking at the world, I don’t think that many other people share my vision. You see, I don’t really understand the phrase, “That’s just how it is,” or even it’s cousin, “It’s always been done that way.” For me, the world is a candy store of opportunity, and I have just as much right to the best chocolates as anyone else around.
However, I’ve recently had to start coming to grips with the fact that maybe I’m looking at things from the wrong perspective. Take a look at this comic. While the ending is all about the punchline, it kind of got me thinking about what a dreamer I am. I still believe, in my heart of hearts, that my dreams really can come true. I’m not content to leave myself in the confining realms of possibility, when impossibility seems like it’s so much more fun.
Why can’t I learn something new? Why couldn’t I become an overnight rock star, or a film-directing sensation? Why couldn’t I invent some widget worth a million bazillion dollars? Who’s to say that I won’t someday be famous world-wide? While not every possibility is likely, I personally believe that so many things are within my reach, and there really is nothing to stop me.
But then again, I take a step back, and I realize that there’s only really one thing stopping me. It’s all about hard work. While there are plenty of sources to tell you that the world is your oyster, it fails to mention that you’ve also got to figure out how to fish that thing out of the ocean. It seems like there’s always some star that appears out of nowhere to become an overnight sensation, but it quickly becomes apparent that those people are often a flash-in-the-pan, one time deal, and they quickly fade into oblivion.
I’m no expert, but I believe that hard work is the key to lasting success, and perhaps that’s a bit of advice that I should continually strive to understand. The world isn’t going to just hand you everything on a silver platter, often you’ll be holding up numerous platters to others along the way. But someday, when you’ve earned it, that platter just may be extended to you, and you’ll finally be able to see what was hiding underneath it all that time.
- BK
Perspective
Well, the site may look a little different, but that’s just because it is. I’ve decided that I needed to bring this thing in line with the portfolio idea that I’ve been planning to create for months, and so I just started working on it. The past couple of weeks have let me figure out at least some of what I want to do.
Interestingly enough, I think the most profound thing about looking through some of my previous projects is the strange diversity between them. I’ve done a lot of different things for a lot of different people, and it’s strange the stories that arose from each and every experience. It’s not so much the end result, I guess, but more the ride that sticks with you – Or at least that’s what I’m coming to understand.
I’ve had the privilege to work with a lot of really amazing, wonderful people over the past few years. I’ve met some great friends, had plenty of excellent experiences, both great and not-so-great. I look back through my memories and really just have to smile at all the crazy adventures. Life really tosses some curveballs at you, I guess. It’s just about knowing how to swing. (Man, I’m sounding really metaphorical today.)
I don’t really have anything huge or mind-blowing to share today. I just wanted to note down that the site may look a little different, but that I’m still the same old me, just writing my stuff as I see it. Expect to hear more from me soon.
- BK
back to business
This morning, I woke up to find my neighborhood covered in three inches of snow – in May. I then looked out in the backyard, and found that the big cherry tree behind my garage had mysteriously fallen over. I just stood there thinking… ”What happened last night?”
Looks like I’ve got to go find myself a chainsaw.
I’m taking this as a sign of change. Something needs to happen, and I can’t think of a less subtle way to quickly get my attention.
For the past week or so since graduation, I’ve just been job hunting. Everything’s been about trying to take the next step in life, and though I’ve applied for numerous positions, the prospects aren’t looking too bright. Honestly, for the “accomplishment” of spending four years trying to merit a school’s approval, it doesn’t seem like anyone cares too much.
In any case, things have gotten a little… Shall we say depressing? With not much to do, and not a lot of money, I’ve had some time to think about my life, and what my next steps are going to be. And steps require movement. They require effort. They require… say it with me… change!
I’m tired of sitting still. Nothing is going to come to me, so I’ve got to make myself come to it instead. There’s no easy answers, and there’s no easy favors. Everything’s got a price, and I think it’s about time for me to start paying up.
You can only stay in one place for so long. I mean, seriously, even the tree wanted to get going. And even if it lands me right on my face, at least that first step is going to be epic. Gotta get moving, and I’ve got to get doing.
So it’s back to business, for me.
Oh, and if anyone’s got a job that you’d like to shoot me towards, I’d be more than happy for the help.
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
jury rigging and other grip traditions
While I’ve worked on numerous small films, commercials, as well as too many student films to count, I never really looked to gain any real credit for it. I mean, sure, I wanted a copy of the finished product to see the stuff that I’d worked on, but I was really more interested in just working the next job. You see, I like to work. I like to move, to lift, to tighten, to come up with unique solutions to problems that come up. (Though, I just found out that I’m listed several times on IMDB, which is a definite boost.)
As such, it makes sense that I often get hired as a grip, and several times as the Key Grip, though I actually prefer to be the Best Boy Grip instead. You see, gripping is all about the heavy lifting. It’s about trying to figure out how to get the lighting just right. It’s about figuring out how to rig up a dolly track so that it can be used smoothly. It’s about trying to figure out how to solve weird problems with the tools that you brought with you.
Enter the art of jury rigging. Jury rigging, (sometimes called jerry-rigging), is the art of making something work without having the actual tools for the job. It’s kind of the reason that duct tape was invented, if you know what I mean. It takes its origins from the rigging of a ship, and how sailors had to make do with the tools they had in order to repair their ship while it was on the sea, because there wasn’t exactly a convenience store around to stop by for spare parts.
On a film set, the mindset, especially for the grip and electrical crew, is to “Hurry up and wait”, which is basically that everything we set up needed to be set up yesterday, and as soon as it’s ready, we wait with anticipation for the shot to be finished so that we can tear it down and do another scene, starting the cycle up all over again. It creates a unique atmosphere of hustle in short bursts, so we have to move quickly to get everything ready, and then move just as quickly to get everything moving again.
While most professional shoots will have a production truck for the grip equipment filled with innumerable odds and ends, independent or “guerrilla” filmmakers often don’t have that luxury, instead relying on their own know-how and creativity to see them through. Right now in my filmmaking career, the former is the exception, rather than the rule, so I often find myself having to come up with unique solutions to unique problems, instead of being able to have the right item for the job.
These include using stones and wooden pallets to create a makeshift bridge for the dolly and track in the middle of a river, or creating a makeshift camera mount with some spare plywood and rope for use in a kitchen counter corner shot. I’ve built a dolly screen mount out of an old chair, duct tape, a cardellini clamp and a gobo head. This doesn’t count the numerous weird and “innovative” setups I’ve designed for attaching c-stands on top of combo stands with five-plus lights and diffusion pieces attached that seem to come up regularly on set.
I think that may be why I get hired. I like to work. I like to work solid hours, and I like to use my head. Filmmaking, especially in independent settings, always has some new problem that wasn’t thought all the way through. And here I am, able to put my head to the task with some gaff tape, a few c-47s, and a Gerber Multi-Tool. It’s like fighting an uphill battle every day.
And what a rush it is when you win.
- Karratti
the challenge of stress
This past week has been quite a trip for me – The result of a profound lack of sleep, an inordinate amount of work, and an unsurprising lack of time. Now that I sit here, on the cusp of yet another week of new adventures, I find myself at the low point of this roller coaster that metaphorically represents my life.
This past week I worked almost fifty hours at my job, all of it while I was at home, performing a one-minute menial task repeatedly 2,954 times. At the same time, I’ve got a script deadline for the pilot that I’m working on, (self-inflicted), that is coming up faster than I can anticipate. And in the middle of that, I produced my first college volleyball game broadcast, which was an unbelievable rush as soon as things got started, but which took up most of my daylight hours that weren’t already being filled with classes.
As I look back, happy that things are out of the way, but still a little annoyed that they took so long, I have a chance to appreciate what happened. Yes, I was on edge for most of my waking and non-waking hours for the better part of the week, but I made it through alright. The stress was good, and it forced me to do work that I’ve never done before, forced me to think on my feet, and gave me some definite new perspectives.
Succeeding has also given me a powerful rush of confidence that I don’t think I had in me the week before. I feel almost like I can conquer the world, that I can climb any mountain thrown in front of me. And perhaps that’s been a lot of my problem.
For so long, I’ve been allowing myself to just float, to take life a little at a time, and not worry about what time I should be getting up in the morning. But as I think about it, I really need to start moving. I need to force myself into the stress of a schedule so that I can get things done, not whenever I get to them, but on the deadlines that I set. I need to set goals for myself, and I need to start accomplishing them.
I believe that the challenge that stress can bring, or perhaps it’s the stress that challenge can bring, I believe that it is good for you. Sure, there are plenty of times when you believe that you just don’t have what it takes to finish it, but a way will come. Maybe it’s a friend that knows you could use the help. Maybe it’s an unexpected break that comes your way. But then again, maybe it’s just the willpower and vitality inside of you that finally screams “You can do this!” that forces you to push harder than you thought you could, and come out better than you ever knew you would.
And when you do, pat yourself on the back, smile and sigh with satisfaction. Then, get right back up and do it again.
- Karratti
moving on to reality
Reality is so much tougher than the world of imagination. In reality, there’s real consequences for the things that you do. You can’t just do whatever you like, and expect the world to just hand you everything you want on a silver platter. Or even on a wooden plate. In fact, you’d be lucky if, when you asked nicely, they actually were to give you a nice paper bag. Instead, reality is a tough, uncompromising world where you must struggle for what you get, and it can be taken away from you in an instant, and the bad guys that you face aren’t as easily taken down like in the movies.
For the past eight years, I’ve written in an online forum with a number of excellent writers who I’ve seen some amazing things from. They’ve written characters with heart, plots with intrigue and power, and situations that, no matter how fantastic they were, had a core of truth to them so bright that they refused to be overshadowed by all the mixes of personalities that we threw at them. They became friends of mine, and through their written word, we were able to see portions of each others’ personas that otherwise might never had seen the light of day.
But now, after all this, it appears that reality is pulling us away. This world that we have created, unfortunately, is still just fiction. It’s an illusion. In the end, it is just a body of work representing countless hours and thousands upon thousands of words, composing a mystical symphony that echoes through the halls of the soul with an undeniable power.
As such, it’s understandable why I’m having a hard time moving on. After placing my heart and soul, my thoughts and feelings into something like this, it’s not an easy task to simply move on and walk away from it all. I’m having a hard time leaving it be, consistently looking over my shoulder, hoping that someone will stop me and pull me back. But instead, all I seem to hear is deafening silence.
But that time does not have to be lost. I have learned lessons all throughout the years, and it would be a waste to let them all go. Instead, I will take what I have learned and apply it to my new ambitions. I can continue to write, and continue to create. That’s why I started working in film in the first place. So, it’s time to move on to reality. But now that the world that I’m creating is going to be visited by more than just a few of us writers, reality better be ready.
Because I’m coming, baby.
- Karratti
busy work
I really like to be excited about working. When I have some passion behind a project, it helps me to focus, my thoughts seem to all fall in line effortlessly, and creativity starts flowing like the Nile. Good, worthwhile, hard work is such a powerful high that it makes most other things pale in comparison, at least to me. Even when I’m competing, I love to have work involved. Perhaps that’s why I enjoy sports like football and hockey, where you really have a chance to throw your weight around, but you still have to think.
There are times, though, when work doesn’t feel that way. Busy work is one of those things. When I feel I have the talents to do something great, were I given the chance, it’s a little discouraging when people don’t feel like giving me that chance. Instead of offering me an assignment where I can flex my creative muscles, I’m handed a series of five-pound hand-weights one by one. Is it any wonder that there’s no increase in growth or skill?
I guess I’ve just determined that it’s better for me just to do the meaningless with quality and quickness, so that I can make time for my own projects, which seem to require more than what some newbie pencil jockey could accomplish. If I want my work to shine, then it’s going to have to be my work, and I don’t have the time to wait for someone else to give me a chance at it.
- Karratti
relaxation and other whimsical dreams
I’m half Hawaiian, on my Dad’s side. Yeah, it might not show on my impressively dark skin tone, but a good number of other features remain. The impressively massive build, the serious, no-nonsense personality, and the surfing skills… All the things that I don’t got. But there are some basic Polynesian traits that I think I’m stuck with no matter what. I like to have a good time. I like to laugh – a lot. I really like food. And I like taking some time to relax, especially when I don’t have anything to worry about.
And so, with that end goal in mind, I chose to pursue a career in filmmaking.
Now, for those of you not “in-the-know” when it comes to this kind of career, let me just explain that film, depending on how involved you are, can be one of the most time-consuming, energy-consuming, mind-consuming, and soul-consuming industries on the planet. If you don’t eat, sleep, breathe and sweat film, then this isn’t your industry, and people are going to know it really quick.
The past couple of weeks have been pretty busy for me, with holding auditions, a 48-Hour film festival, a sports team commercial, prepping for a commercial next week, and constantly thinking about this new series that I’m hoping is going to be a smash hit. When I finally get a few moments to sit and think, I often find myself wondering about what happened to make things so busy for me.
I often sit back and wish for my lazy days where I could leave on a trip at a moment’s notice to anywhere, or have days where nothing would happen. I’m sure that time will come again, but right now my life is a little hectic. I’m looking for some time to crash, and I’m afraid it’s going to be into a wall.
But, I won’t worry. I’ll keep getting up every day, and I’ll keep pushing myself harder. You know, until I have a heart-attack and die.
But if I die with a smile on my face, is that still a happy ending?
- Karratti
Well-Deserved Praise for HP
I know that just under a week ago I put up a post praising HP for their amazing customer service, but I thought that I’d say one more thing – These guys are totally deserving of my business, and I’ll definitely recommend them over any other PC retailer.
I’m sitting here on my compy, after getting it back on Saturday. Now, I received the box from HP on Tuesday of last week, mailed it through FedEx on Wednesday afternoon, and on Friday got a note on my door that it was at FedEx, ready for pick-up. My first thought was that there must have been some kind of mistake, and that they’d returned my compy because of some mailing error. Imagine my surprise when I found my computer completely fixed, along with a new keyboard and touchpad strip, all with a three-day turnaround time!
They had originally told me that they were going to have it back to me in a week, and I was okay with that, but with this, HP’s got my loyalty. Here’s a company that still knows the true power of business, that of treating the customer like a real person, and not just another stat on the financial statement.
HP, you guys rock!
- Kyle
Losing Compy
My computer broke down on me last week, so my posting has become a little slower over the past few days. (For those of you who depend on your computer for everything, you understand how it can take you out of your rhythm.) So, I’ve been using a lot of public computers to keep my blog up to date, but you probably won’t see a ton of pictures for a little while.
I really like the fact that HP’s service plan covers whatever happened, though. It was really weird, because I had been working on it just fine the night before, and then all of a sudden the next morning it just decided it didn’t want to boot up at all. It would turn on, but when I pressed a button to get it working, it started beeping erratically right in the middle of class. So, I just turned it off and worked on it later.
It was a “fun” little adventure as I talked with the boys over at Best Buy’s Geek Squad, and they told me that it was probably a motherboard failure. So, I called up HP, and the guy that I talked to was extremely helpful, but it was really a lost cause. So, they sent me out a box for free, paid for the shipping, and I’m supposed to get it back next week.
What I learned, though, is that HP customer service is awesome. I don’t know how many times I’ve been talking to “customer service” people who were only interested in fulfilling quota, and didn’t acknowledge that this was a person they were talking to. I don’t really know who this guy was, but he won me over. He was cordial, a little joking, and kept me in a good mood even when I couldn’t get anything to work. He read the little things that he was “supposed” to read, but made sure to let me know that he was only doing it because he was required to, but that he didn’t get it, either. In short, he was a human being, not just a question answer machine.
I know that I have a penchant for tirades and rants, but I won’t go any further listing customer service faults. All I’ll say is that if you want to keep customers, you need to treat them like people, not just another stat tick. Otherwise, you’re going to watch them disappear.
- Kyle
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
Why Critics Don't Make Movies
“In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that, in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new.
Last night, I experienced something new, an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau’s famous motto: Anyone can cook. But I realize that only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere. It is difficult to imagine more humble origins than those of the genius now cooking at Gusteau’s, who is, in this critic’s opinion, nothing less than the finest chef in France. I will be returning to Gusteau’s soon, hungry for more.”
- Anton Ego, Ratatouille
I tried and tried to come up with exactly what I wanted to say here, but I think that this quote from Brad Bird’s masterpiece more than tells the tale.
Critics are often able to be harsh on their judgements. They don’t have to risk hardly anything, because they can say their piece, and are lauded as brilliant, when in fact they usually don’t have to do much. Now, even in saying this, I know I’m largely being hypocritical, because I review and critique things all the time.
But I feel that, especially when it comes to film critics, they largely base their own critiques on just their own opinions, as opposed to the quality of a film. A critique should be based on fact, not opinion.
“Now wait a minute, Kyle,” you say. “Critiques are opinions.” That’s not entirely true, or at least, it shouldn’t be.
Any film can be analyzed through the use of techniques that aren’t necessarily based on opinions. Every story, be it about a single mother, the rogue hero, or two young lovers, or an older man finding his way home – they all have certain things that qualify them as full, complete, and usable stories.
I once took a class on text analysis, with this specific goal mind – the analyzation of scripts and text. This class helped me immensely, because instead of simply saying that “I didn’t like” a movie, I could finally tell you why the movie didn’t “work” or even why it did.
My personal belief is that critics don’t make movies because they wouldn’t know how if they tried. There may be exceptions, but I would bet money that the average critic couldn’t tell you anything about story analysis. But you don’t need to take my word for it. Read a gamut of reviews of a certain movie, and take note of how many things are all about opinions.
“The acting was dull,” they say, or “I just wasn’t convinced.” It’s always about opinion.
From now on, I’m going to do my best to avoid, or at least, identify the opinions in my reviews and critiques. Please, help me out. I’ll still provide my opinions on movies and ideas, but I’ll also try to support it with actual analysis. If it all works out, then the critiques will be more informative.
But then again, I guess that’s just my opinion.
- 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
Working On-Call
Working on-call is really interesting. Basically, you aren’t really an employee of the company, but instead you get paid for whatever time that you apply to a certain project. For example, if I spend two hours on DVD authoring, but then a half-hour on a bit of research, and then an hour on a transcription job… That’s three different projects. I get paid the same per hour to work on each, but they all require different skillsets. In addition, each requires a different project tracking number, so I have to get a signature from a different person for each one before I can turn it in to the finance department and get paid.
The good side to this is that I don’t have any set schedule. I’m welcome to take time off whenever I like, because I’m not exactly an employee. Unfortunately, this also means that I have to go looking for “projects” every day, because I only rarely have a steady stream of things to do. This becomes a little annoying, because if no one has a job for me to do, then I came all the way to work for nothing. This wouldn’t be such a big deal, but I work about an hour’s commute from my home, so I usually bus in. That means I can’t just pick up and leave when things get slow, but I just have to hang around work for the however-many-hours until the bus comes.
I’ll say right now that this is one of the best, but worse ways of working a job. There are definite benefits in not having to worry about “being on-time”, and this would be an amazing work system if I always had a steady stream of projects, but you have no idea how many days I’ve gone in thinking I’d be getting a full day of work, only to find no projects available, and therefore, wasting an entire day, and getting no money for anything.
I know that this was just something of a complaint, but I need to tell somebody. Maybe I’ll have to talk with my job, too. We’ll see.
- 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.
