Manual for Self

So, here I am. I'm meant to be writing the 'position manual' for my current job to ease the transition for whomever takes my place. But its hard getting the motivation cause I know how long its going to take and how tedious it will be. I'm writing down [and photographing] things that I already know - know because I either devised them or assisted in their design. For me, writing is exploration. Its about probing the depths of my understanding, about structuring my thoughts, about drawing conclusions from the quagmire of my brain. This job manual is like writing a catalogue. Boring. But it must be done, or someone is going to be looking at the mess I've left behind and have no understanding how it works or how it interoperates. Sigh.

OTH, my plans for this year were changing. I was hoping to make a whole bunch (3-4) of music videos, possibly a couple of shorts, and generally be a busy production man. The hope was to get repped by a production company that does TVCs/Music Videos (c.f. the one I'm about to leave). Now that I'm going to be working at [name withheld] on the following movies [names withheld], that plan has to change. I'll be still making the big Gabriel Day's filmclip (if they ever get the money!) and perhaps another clip. But basically, I want to do three things: write more screenplays (including finishing the three I'm working on now); write more music; and finally, make a short. The short I want to be small, intimate, partly improvised. I want to use the same kind of experimental techniques I had when I was writing short stories. But I don't want it to be this mammoth production job either. I'm getting older and I, of all bloody people, am losing energy. I don't have the capacity to bring together heaps of these big umpteen day shots with a billion extras any more. As selfish as it sounds (and is), I need to do stuff for me. I think that'll actually liberate me from being selfish in my normal life and become a more accessible and open person [again].

http://www.apple.com/trailers/universal/serenity/

The Serenity trailer. Go. Watch. Now.

Global Guerrillas: PIERCING THE CORPORATE VEIL:

“Jeffrey Ake, the CEO of Equipment Express, has become a poster-boy for this conflict.  His visit to Iraq -- to manage his company's water and cooking oil bottling operation -- placed him squarely the cross-hairs of his guerrilla competitors. 

The problem is that these new competitors don't play by the Queensbury Rules of American business. 

The CEO as an Objective of War

CEO kidnapping isn't new.  It is common practice in Brazil, Mexico, etc.  The difference in Iraq is the motive.  In Iraq, it isn't purely financial gain.  It is being used as a way to unravel the fledgeling Iraqi government.

Here's why.  America's second largest ally in Iraq isn't the UK.  Not even close.  Corporations like Halliburton provide almost as many trigger pullers and engineers as the US Army.  They are the battalions of foot soldiers in Thomas Barnett's sys-admin force -- connecting Iraq to the US and the world. 

This role converts CEOs into generals/colonels in the US globalization machine (leaders of new entrants in the rapidly expanding long tail of warfare).  They are now legitimate and highly prized targets. ”

-- via Global Guerrillas

When film looks like video

I fear that in five years all we'll have is a "universal" stock -- reasonably fast, not grainy, very low contrast, zero personality -- designed for scanning or telecine, and we'll have no real camera stocks. That will be the death of film as we know it.

-- Jeff Kreines on CML-Pro talking about the new Vision HD system.

[Yes, Kodak are calling a film-based system, which uses LUT to apply looks to film stocks after telecine/scanning, 'Vision HD' in the hopes of confusing... someone... probably executives]

He's right.

AWOL

My laptop was stolen last night. They managed to somehow get it through the grilled bars. Frustrating, but thankfully I haven't lost everything. I've still got hardcopies of scripts etc.... and I'm insured.

But its going to take a while to sort out cause GIO will have to realise that Harris Technology and Harvey Norman are NOT mac-resellers and thus can't simpy replace my goods.

On the upside, this means I won't have to pay for tiger.