Going Corporate

Well, I caved.

Today, I write to you from the cushy confines of my desk on 5th avenue. I've spent the better part of the past decade subconsciously wondering when I'd become another anonymous member of the 9-5 gang. Well, here I am. It's actually not so terrible aside from the fact that I'm losing valuable editing time and, when I get home to sit down and work for real, I'm beat. Fortunately, the pay is wildly disproportionate to the work I'm [not] doing so it essentially qualifies as bank robbery (literally, since I work for Citigroup). However, this is not to say that I intend on living the high life hereafter - quite the opposite. I'm saving up for most, if not all, of the following items:
- New phone (current one is terminally ill)
- New external hard drive (I've got my eye on the 1TB LaCie Big Disk)
- And, depending on how long I end up working here, a G5 tower just for editing.

Those are the essentials that will make working a lot smoother. At the very least, I need to upgrade my Powerbook to 1GB.

Why am I boring you with all this? Take a look at the first article printed in a major publication (or at all for matter) about something we're doing.

Philly Metro Article About PLAY

Knee Deep like Atreyu & Artax

PLAY

Sleepless night scheduled for tonight as I finish up the first version of the 22 minute TV cut of Video Games Live. Thankfully, both the trailer and the first video from last month's Pulsewave are done and online. You can check them out here:

http://www.spinningleaf.net/PLAY/Random.mp4

http://www.spinningleaf.net/PLAY/Final_VGL_Trailer.mp4

The latter isn't all that different from the rough version I posted previously. I added higher quality recordings of the orchestra, switched a few shots, and color corrected...if you're particularly bored, you can watch both of them and compare/contrast...then you can shoot yourself because really, you've kind of hit rock bottom at this point.

eh, what else what else. We've set our sights pretty high for the next person we're attempting to contact for this project. All I will say is that he's a director I've idolized since high school when I used to horribly mispronounce his name. Rather than just blindly contacting his representatives, we managed to find a link. It turns out the still photographer from one movie I worked on (he's not credited for it on imdb so good luck trying to figure it out) was the still photographer for this director's other movie. A tenuous connection, yes, but our most promising lead at the moment. I'll leave it at that for now so I don't get myself worked up.

Other than that, there isn't too much going on with PLAY that's fit for blogging. We're still struggling for a good logo for 2 Player Productions...? I guess that's news.

SHADOWBOXER

Limited Release this Friday...jesus.

Lastly, this doesn't really have much to do with projects but you should really check out Random's site (there's a link at the end of the clip*). His music makes me feel the same way Ratatat's new album makes me feel (really, really good).

* you're so lazy. http://www.randomizer.se

"I Want Chicken!"

Not the title I would have gone with but, ok.

SHADOWBOXER

I know it's been a while since I've brought it up but the film now has an official website. Some of the features include a new cut of the trailer, some cool production stills by the memorable David Lee (Spike's brother), and a very dark and poorly compressed clip from our Behind The Scenes documentary.

http://www.shadowboxerthefilm.com/scenes.html

Still, it's kind of cool.

As for everything else, Time has been weird the last week and a half or so. I was homeless for a couple of days before we could move into our new apartment (which is really nice & really expensive*) and then there was the actual unpacking & settling which I only just finished yesterday.

*I've also had to start looking at actual jobs to pay my absurd rent. I won't say where I've applied until I hear back from them about a second interview but if I get this job, I should be pretty happy for the time being. Rest assured, it's not a desk job.

CBS - B.U.T.S.

Enough initials? Last week, Ben got me a shooting gig for Broadway Under The Stars. We were just shooting audience reaction shots but it's going to be on CBS this Saturday (7/15) at 7pm. If anyone is feeling generous and wants to tape this for me (I don't have tv), I'd appreciate it. There isn't much to say about the experience except that only a very small percentage of the massive audience was sufficiently illuminated (it's an outdoor concert incase you didn't follow the link). As a result, I had to keep shooting some of the same people over and over again, hoping to get better shots of them...this did not sit well with some of the older folks and one man in particular who resembled the lumberjack on Brawny paper towels and was very protective of his incredibly cute and enthusiastic (read: Audience Reaction Shot Gold) little girl.

Also, I guess I should have expected this but really, I seriously underestimated the extent to which geriatric broadway fanatics would freak out when Liza Minelli burst on to the stage for the finale (Ben had been present for the rehearsals earlier in the day and told me she was there)...But seriously, people that you'd think would never walk again were leaping out of their wheelchairs to give what may very well be their final standing ovation.

VIDEO GAMES LIVE

I recently acquired a few different recordings from various VGL shows so I'm getting back into cutting that...eh...not much to say beyond that I guess.

PLAY

The only thing worth mentioning is that there's going to be a Chromelodeon show Aug. 4th that I can't wait for. I haven't seen those guys in well over a year and a half now. Should be sweet. I'm also having trouble finding the time to cut the Pulsewave 4 show...maybe I'll start on that today and work on VGL tonight...? We'll see. I've developed a pretty serious cough which is more annoying than inhibiting.

OH WAIT. What Kind Of A Fool Am I?!?

There's going to be a write-up about PLAY in Metro Philly.

It's the free paper that everyone riding public transportation in Philadelphia reads - a very significant readership. Anyway, Owens and I were supposed to join Paul L. and Anthony for the interview last friday but couldn't make it down from Baltimore/NYC, respectively. I don't even know if this has been printed yet since the guy told us that stories which aren't time sensitive tend to get pushed back until they have a space they need to fill but it's still pretty good news.

I'll be sure to let you know once I find out.

Okay I think that's (actually) everything there is. I'm starved. Time for lunch.