I enjoy consuming a wide variety of viewpoints. I'm like Pac-Man, only with memes instead of pellets.

Anywho, one guy I check in on every now and then is Tim Boucher. He's an eclectic thinker and an honest spiritual seeker. He traverses vast tracts of thought like a Titan strolls across continents. He also has Google AdSense. The combination of interesting conceptual juxtapositions and Google AdSense leads to a webpage that sometimes looks like this:


Slash as Jesus? I think Tim would be proud!

Ever one to shove as many irons in the fire and/or oars in the water as possible, I have taken it upon myself to pursue writing with a bit more vigor. To that end, I am writing a couple of spec scripts to shop around in an attempt to snag myself representation and/or a freelance writing job or two.

I'm also reading Alex Epstein's wonderful Crafty TV Writing. I highly recommend it as well as Mr. Epstein's insightful blog.

So hey: fan wikis kick ass. Seriously. They're like show bibles only better, benefiting from 20/20 hindsight.

Here area few:

Lostpedia
The Office Wiki
Fireflywiki
Heroeswiki

Ah hell, just google "TV Series Wiki." What a great tool!

I would not be surprised if this format eventually replaced the traditional series bible.

DAHT Lessons

For episode one of the new season, I decided to do something very different from season one: I am spending more time and effort on the actual disembodied animal head portions of the show. The truth is that for the first season, I was much more enamored of Tex than I was of the "ensemble." Looking back at the original episodes, I believe this is clear as day.

Well, Tex is a pain in the ass. The rubber is starting to degrade (he is at least four years old, and not made of very high quality rubber to begin with) and the mouth mechanism is unreliable. I need to rebuild him from scratch, but I have yet to find a suitable rubber chicken replacement. (I can't believe that I've become a rubber chicken connoisseur. For some reason, my wife is not surprised.)

I think that focusing on the actual reason for the show is a step in the right direction.

Another lesson: I need to sort out my sound recording issues. Seriously. I had to ADR the "ensemble" bits because my external mic was on the fritz. I wasn't wearing my headphones (I couldn't find them!) so I didn't know the sound was f-ed up until I captured the video. I then used the on-camera mic for Tex's bits, and the sound is just atrocious.

Next, I learned that I need to compose a shot list before doing this thing. I storyboarded this episode, but somehow missed the fact that Cesare Piazza needed to walk from camera right to camera left without a log. Whoops! So I had to do a quick pick-up. (You can tell. The lighting doesn't match!)

Finally, we shot the Lost-esque "The Tempest" title card all wrong. By "we" I mean Pamela and I. She manned the camera (on the tripod) and the manual focus while I tilted and moved the card. It would have been far easier to place the card on a flat surface, light it, and move the camera. This is the most frustrating mistake for me, because I went to the Robert Rodriguez ten-minute film school (i.e. watched the special features on his DVDs) and he covered this very thing on the Spy Kids 2 disc.

So there are my lessons learned.

I want to add an additional note regarding what I call "Thrift Store Aesthetic." Obviously I'm shooting these things with no budget whatsoever. I'm actually trying to play that to my advantage. I could have done the Lost-esque "The Tempest" title card with slick, 3D graphics. It just seemed wrong. Sure, DAHT looks like crap. But I think that's part of the appeal.


Next up for DAHT: Twelfth Night, or What You Will!

Been a Long Time Since I Rock and Rolled ...

Season Two of Disembodied Animal Head Theatre has begun. Check it out.

(Yes, I have been watching too much "Lost.")

The final episode of "season one." Also the longest episode. I got pretty good at improvising (nonlinearly) both ends of a conversation!

Tex does Shylock. Need I say more?

This episode is very uneven, but I learned a whole lot doing it.

PEPPER REBORN

I've had the sad looking stuffed dog to the left since I was four. Maybe even earlier than that.

I've been doing his voice for as long.

I remember naming him Pepper. It was a cold, dark night in the family car, Mom and Dad in the front seat, me in the back with my new toy. The way I recall it, Pepper was a gift from my grandmother. I struggled to read his little tag, to see what his name was. In retrospect, it was probably something like "Patchy," but lit by random streetlights it looked like "Pepper" to me.

Pepper was my 'best friend' in the way that only a stuffed toy can be. We went everywhere together. At age five, I had a habit of falling asleep to music playing on an old 8-track player. "Best of the Beach Boys" and Elvis and Herb Albert's "Rise". That music would serve as my soundtrack as I fell asleep clutching Pepper close, dreaming about the two of us flying around in a biplane and sword fighting with crab monsters.

When Pamela and I were first engaged, and a staph infection sent her to the hospital in Little Rock, I brought her Pepper on my first trip to see her. (This is the only time I've ever given Pepper to another person.)

Our beloved dalmatian Holly got a hold of Pepper once, and chewed one of his ears off. Felicity yanked out his stuffing and bit off his eyes. So naturally, he is not looking so hot these days.

Well, I'm doing a duet with fellow Write Act Rep company member Jenn Scuderi for our upcoming 'Vaudeville' fund raiser, and I need a puppet. I was struggling to come up with an idea when it hit me. I'm going to resurrect my old friend Pepper. You can see the sketch in the pitcure: A simple puppet that matches the original coloring and captures the spirit of who Pepper is. I'm even planning on laundering my old chum and recycling him into the very fabric of the 'new' Pepper!

Disembodied Animal Head Theatre really went off the rails with this episode. But this is one of the very few times you'll ever see a puppet manipulated by Pamela! She's behind Mario de Netta's strings.

Pamela is not really "into" puppets like I am. She's a huge Muppets fan, and she enjoys tagging along to puppety things I occasionally drag her to. But she's not a puppeteer -- she's an actress who pretends to be a puppeteer every now and then.

And you know what? I'm okay with that! In fact, I am very happy that she has her own interests and pursuits.

PROJECT CORNER

Note:  If you enjoy this project, you might also enjoy my Tennis Ball Rod Puppet Project.  A classroom of kids in Belgium sure did!

Not a day goes by that I am not approached by some stranger and asked "hey, how do you make a pair of those 'practice eyes' that I've heard so much about?" It doesn't matter if I am in the grocery store, at my favorite coffee shop, or in a public restroom. The question rings in my ears like a ubiquitous alarm clock, plaguing my waking hours and haunting my dreams.

In the interest of showing that I know how to do stuff, I present ...

ANDREW'S GUIDE TO MAKING THOSE 'PRACTICE EYES' YOU'VE HEARD SO MUCH ABOUT!

[NOTE: Kids, do not try this at home. This project involves deadly, sharp objects and you will poke your eye out and/or cut off something important. Seriously.]

MATERIALS

Ping pong balls
Adhesive back felt pads (round)
1/4 inch stretch elastic
Needle and thread




STEP ONE

Carefully cut two parallel lines approximately 1/2 inch long, and spaced approximately 1/4 of an inch from each other. Do this to two ping pong balls.

(I used the printing on my ping pong balls as a guide.)






STEP TWO

Being careful not to crack open your incisions any further, cram one end of the 1/4 inch elastic into one cut and out the other.

Do the same with the second ping pong ball.




STEP THREE

Measure the elastic around your middle finger, ensuring a snug fit. Cut off the excess elastic, and sew the ends together.






STEP FOUR

Carefully place adhesive back felts on the ping pong balls to simulate pupils. As you do, ponder the words of great and powerful Jim Henson, who once said that the key to a character lay in the placement of its eyes.

Don't screw this up.


VOILA!

You're done!

(Be sure to bring your creation with you on dates. You'll score for sure!)




The thing you just made is the exact same thing you'll use when and if you ever audition for a puppetry gig through Disney (unless something has changed with their process.) It's good for practicing eye focus, movement and lip sync, and it costs a heck of a lot less than a "real" puppet.

Next Time on "Project Corner": How to improvise a bandage when you slip and cut yourself with an Xacto knife!

UPDATE:  Muppet Central forum user Rick has a few refinements to the above tutorial.  I would quote them verbatim here, but I haven't been able to secure Rick's permission to do so (if you are Rick or know him, ask him to drop me a line, would you?)  You can read his forum post here.  Thanks, Rick!

So far I'm really liking Revver. So much better than YouTube.

For starters, I'm not competing with pirated clips of popular shows. Secondly, I've already earned a (very) small amount of money.

I have to give mad props to Felix Pire of Los Titieres for encouraging me to go with Revver. (I did a day of work for Mr. Pire on Saturday. When the stuff I did is put online, I'll be sure to announce it here!)

Yeah, that's right. "Disembodied Animal Head Theatre" is on Revver now!

So maybe I'll make a little moolah on this. Emphasis on the "little."

My computing issues have been handled for the moment, and I will be able to return to regular blogging. Regular for me, which is once or twice a week.

I am working on a few projects, and I can't wait to share!

Well, I've been a little busy.

Here's a brief run-down of what I've got going:

I'm finishing up a treatment for a couple of producers. It's a horror film set in Wisconsin, and I'm having an absolute blast devising horrible ways to kill people off. MWA HA HA! (On a side note, the school psychologist who "examined" me when I was six years-old told my parents that I would someday be either of great benefit or great detriment to society. Guess which direction I'm leaning to with this project! MWA HA HA!)

I am directing a main stage show at my theatre company, Write Act Rep. The play is Juana by renaissance man Paul Casey, the story of "Juana la Loca" the mad queen who ruled half the world. Paul has dedicated a significant portion of his life to telling Juana's story. Was she a schizophrenic who went into violent psychotic episodes, or the victim of a patriarchal conspiracy set on snatching away her power? It's an incredible piece, and I feel very fortunate to have been trusted with such an epic story.

Juana will feature a cast of live actors and 25+ puppets (think "Julie Taymor" with a large dose of "Bread and Puppet Theatre,") multi-media elements, and one crazed director who makes a habit of biting off more than he can comfortably chew. I'm working on a director's analysis at this point, and hope to have a first design meeting in a couple of weeks.

Torrid Affaire will be read at Write Act on the 27th of this month. I'm hoping it can be rushed into production late this summer. It's a simple play, easily mountable given a month of rehearsal time.

In addition to all of the above, I am trying to work on some other writing projects (have to keep putting the future there!) I've been tapped for a couple of readings, and I'm seeking employment alternatives. Preferably industry related because, hey, I didn't move to Los Angeles to become an insurance salesman. (So if anyone of the fourteen people who read this have any juicy leads, call me!)

So there's the summary of what's what at present. I hope it explains why I haven't blogged in a month, and why I've postponed any forward motion on Disembodied Animal Head Theatre and Up To Bat until sometime in April.

("The Felties" is dead in the water at present. To be honest, I'm tempted to put the whole damn thing (rights, puppets, etc.) on eBay. I just don't think anyone would bid on it!)

GREG GRUNBERG

I would be remiss not to make public note of the fine acting Greg Grunberg exhibited in last night's episode of "Heroes."

Greg Grunberg got me to watch "Felicity." I really felt for his character of Sean Blumberg, a guy always trying to come up with that one really good idea.

He has done consistently good work on "Heroes" so far this season, with last night's episode of "Company Man" being the best yet. His scene with Claire (Hayden Panettiere) was by far the most compelling bit of drama in the series thus far.

So here's to Greg Grunberg, a journeyman actor who will no doubt grow and age into a seasoned great!

"Lost" is for Dog Lovers

Another canine on the set of "Lost!"

I'm hoping that Lulu plays one of The Others. Then maybe we can have a whole episode devoted to LuLu and "Vincent" playing sick mind games with each other, culminating in the shocking death of a series regular. Yeah!

You know those highly dramatic promo photos for Lost? Pictures of the cast on the island looking all dramatic?

Here's my favorite one:

Even in front of aircraft wreckage, labradors still look happy!

I love this dog. This is, as you well know, dog-actor Madison, whose character Vincent has been an object of much speculation. Bad things seem to happen to those who care for him, and he seems to have some sort of special connection to the island (by "he" I mean the character of Vincent. As is common with TV dogs, Madison is actually a female playing a male.)

I thought that Vincent left the island at the end of season 2, but apparently he's still with the survivors of Flight 815, as he is featured in next week's episode! Yay! I remember reading somewhere that the producers of Lost were planning on a "Vincent-centric" episode, with a Vincent flashback. I hope they do that.

If you're interested in how a "myth-arc" series like Lost is created and perpetuated, I would recommend listening the the "Official Lost Podcast" with show producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. Interesting stuff!

This is the kind of artist I aspire to be:



John Mayer speaks fluent "music." (The good stuff starts 1:49 in.)

Some goodness from Seth "Mr. Clean" Godin:

The thing most people miss most is that they no longer have an excuse. Without a publisher/editor/boss to blame, your writing is your writing. Your followup is your followup. That means some people become trains without tracks. They just sit there.

He's speaking specifically about blogs, and how bloggers have the opportunity and inclination to cut through the B.S. and just say what they're thinking. Because there is no editor to pass through. As he points out, a lack of structure can then equal a lack of forward momentum.

That's where I am on DAHT, in case anyone was wondering. It is a train without a track.

It's also why I find it easy to commit to a pretty full schedule with Write Act Rep (I'm directing a pretty big play there this year: 20+ puppet characters, very epic) because there is a schedule. And plenty of folks to kick my ass if I miss any deadlines.

In my younger days, I was very willing to throw off the constraints of form and structure and just forge my own path. When you're a naive pipsqueak with more balls than brains, it's easy to hack your way through the self-imposed jungle you create for yourself. As I gather more life experience, I find that the truly remarkable artists, such as Mozart and Da Vinci, continue to study form and structure even as they are creating masterpieces. Mozart studied orchestral scores in his "spare time." Da Vinci's anatomical studies are very famous.

Even a guy like John Mayer, who could probably do nothing more than "Your Body is a Wonderland" for the rest of his life is a scholar of rock and blues, absorbing the strengths of great guitar players like Clapton and Jeff Beck.

A week and a half ago, I finally got around to watching An Inconvenient Truth. I expected Al Gore's little global warming movie to be, at best, an entertaining piece of propaganda. At worst, I thought, it will be the "PBS" version of "The Day After Tomorrow."

It was neither. I am struck by two things: 1) How passionate Al Gore is about this (and further, how humanizing it is to see him animated and interested in something) and 2) how compelling Gore's argument is.

If this movie had come out before the election, he would've won by a considerable majority. No doubt about it. Presidential politics has a way of washing out a candidate's personality and making them almost dead-stump-like. This is why it's easy for a charismatic guy like Reagan or Clinton to ride in and win two terms like there's nothing to it. Remember Bob Dole? Mr. Wet Paint. As soon as he lost his bid, and the pressure was off, he grew a personality. Same with Kerry. Same with Gore. In the arena of Global Warming, dealing with environmental issues, Gore has charisma.

And he doesn't just show slides, he builds a narrative.

I've stumbled upon a few "PowerPoint" "experts" on the web. Seth Godin has some good things to say. (And here's his free eBook.)

What's most interesting to me is the concept of PowerPoint as a form of theatre. Not doing a PowerPoint presentation on theatre, mind you, but presenting PowerPoint as theatre. It would be fun to create a PowerPoint play, complete with the PowerPoint slides and everything.

One correlation I can think of is this guy who does traditional slide shows as theatre. He uses found slides, and spins a narrative.

Another correlation is planetarium shows. Pamela took me to Griffith Observatory for my birthday, and the show under the big dome was certainly theatrical, complete with a storyteller who cooed her lines and wandered around with a glowing orb as her light source.

Anyone aware of PowerPoint Theatre? Or theatrically presented slide shows? Anything similar?

Irony:

IDEA GRAVEYARD

The Pirate Parrots Project.

My notes are scanty, but here's the idea:

A direct to video movie featuring a cast of bird puppets cavorting around like pirates. Specifically, we follow a band of lousy pirates out to make a name for themselves. The captain, an inept fop named "Roginal LeCoeur" fantasizes about being a true and proper scoundrel, the type of pirate he reads about in such books as "The Nasty Corsair." So he styles himself as "Blackbeard the Parrot," wearing an incredibly stupid looking black beard.

He heads up a pirate ship (I don't remember what I wanted to call it ... "The Sea Monkey" or something stupid like that) with a wacky, zany crew of misfits and n'er-do-wells. [I may update this later, when I have the chance to review other notes I have stuffed around the home office.]

Blackbeard the Parrot is tired of being a laughing stock, and decides to put his name on the map by rescuing the truly great pirate Captain Hookbeak, who was recently captured, tried, and sentenced to death.

What follows is a series of episodes culminating in the rescue of the merciless Captain Hookbeak. One episode involves our motley band running across a pirate ship full of "girl pirates" and the resulting bird orgy ("If this boat's a-rockin', don't come a-knockin'!") Another episode has the crew liberating a slave ship. The big, climactic sea battle has canons blazing and feathers flying!

In the end, Hookbeak is made captain of "The Sea Monkey" and he places Blackbeard as his first mate.

This idea is not for kids, but not for the "usual" reasons (i.e. gratuitous puppet nudity and profanity.) The idea is to have a jolly tale of adventure on the high seas, and at the same time depict what murderous, cut-throat savages pirates could really be at times. Seriously, some of those guys were outright sociopaths. But just like an old-school slasher film, it's all in fun.

It would be shot entirely in-studio (reference Steve Oedekerk's "Thumb" movies for an idea of how closely controlled the sets would be) with liberal use of models and compositing.

All of the bird puppets would be based upon real species. Hookbeak, for instance, is based on the thick billed parrot. The pirates would represent a wide variety of birds (albatross, magpie, cockatoo, etc.) but the birds representing the Crown -- the killjoys, the government navy types -- would be fairly uniform pheasants. Maybe pigeons. Something very "English."

It really pains me to realize how unlikely it is that this particular project will ever be produced, if only because I would love to see it.

How about you?