Out of the loop and funny VHS find

[Michele Seidman]

OK, I admit it. I have been remiss in not coming to the boards lately. I have been caught up directing a stage show to prepare myself to direct a short film. I wanted to work with the actors again now that I am lining up my tech people.

In the mean time, if anyone really wants to laugh....I found old VHS footage of me on that soap when I was 20....omg I was sooooo young. Thought I would share in hopes of giving a few giggles...:2vrolijk_08::2vrolijk_08:

http://youtu.be/HsIZzjm9Ssw :2vrolijk_08:

I found old band footage too. Some of this stuff just cracks me up....

What have you all been up too? Tom? Dad? Ted? Doc? etc etc

[Michele Seidman]

ok ya cheeky b*stards....hmmmm......anyone? anyone? have you all been gone too?

scene/action

it's ok...i'll sit here in my corner of the thread all by myself. avoiding that single tear welling up in the corner of my eye... teetering yet not falling. not allowing the hurt to show.... stalwart to the bitter end... in my little corner... on my little chair... with my little pillow... to hide my weeping eyes...

end scene/cut

ok...how am I doing? anything? pang of guilt for not answering? Tom? Dad? Ted? Doc? lol....ha ha ha ha omg if you could see my face as I type this "performance"...ok, guilt ya laterzzzz

[Ted Spencer]

Sending you a tissue to wipe away those :crybaby:

And remember that you are :love4: around here : )

Perhaps a nice warm :bath: would make you feel better too : )

And speaking of suds, I loved your Soaps reel too. Nice to see more of your acting - I thought you were very convincing and natural. Cute as hell too : )

As to your question, I've been doing a bit less acting lately although I'm itching to get back to it. I'm sure I'll be hitting the audition circuit again soon.

What's been taking me away from it recently, in addition to being frustratingly ill for most of the winter (nothing serious - just a cold that *would not* quit - for 3 months), followed by getting crazy busy with shooting/editing and music recording jobs, is my focus (sort of like yours) on writing and directing my first short film. I'm determined to get that done as soon as possible. I'm near the end of the story/treatment stage now, and after just a few more tweaks will be ready to write the script itself, which I find goes relatively quickly if the former is done well. I'll be casting it through Breakdown Express (and probably other sites) here in NYC, and probably not acting in it myself - I want to get the most I can out of my experience on the other side of the camera...

I'm excited about it, and am making every effort to be sure it's the best I can possibly make it, but I realize that it will nonetheless be a in very large part a learning experience. I sort of think of it as an opportunity to "make my beginner-mistakes". Which is fine by me...no matter how well I prepare for it, I expect a substantial amount of discovery of 'what I didn't know I didn't know'...

So it goes, as it always has for me when attempting to master something.

What's the scoop on your short film project?

[Michele Seidman]

Ted

We are kind of mirroring each other with projects to direct and wanting to get the most of of the other side by not acting in said projects! Mine is a short film I wrote inspired by a true experience. It is a drama/thriller which surprises me to no end. I would never have guessed this would be the first thing I would direct on film. I have directed commercial and industrial and even mocumentary as well as stage but never film. Heck...I helped produce several short films but have never directed one. Why I am nervous is beyond me. The stage show has turned out incredible. My cast rocks. I know how to pick them and they do listen to me. I am getting things out of them a few did not know they had to give. They are even thanking me for that...go figure.

What is your project on?

Oh, another DVXuser has just done a film that I was tickled to take part in. Have you heard about White Out? I did not make the trailer but I AM on the credit card at the end! lol

http://youtu.be/RVgRzCZGBDE

[Michele Seidman]

it double posted for some reason so i edited to delete the 2nd one

[Ted Spencer]

I'll take a look at the "White Out" trailer...

My short is a romantic dramedy with a paranormal twist : )

It is also specifically written to be entirely shootable in my apartment/recording studio, with minimal cast, etc., and to be no more than 15 minutes, hopefully closer to 10.

Writing it has been one of the most difficult things I've ever attempted. Far more difficult than any of the features or longer-form shorts I've written. I've also partially or completely written and ultimately shelved about 10 other short scripts (or story sketches for them) in the course of arriving at this one. Whew...

Like I said before, I'm currently in the final stage of the story treatment, which is almost certainly going to be harder than writing the script itself will be. It's a (seemingly) never-ending cycle of: write it/test it for problems/break it/fix it/repeat. It's the most seriously pre-vetted story design I've ever done, by far. It's amazing how many significant story problems (and consequent improvements) you can find when you *keep looking for them*...

And just keeping it short, as I always find, is a huge challenge all by itself...

I hope it doesn't suck when it's done: )

BTW I've been working earlier and earlier on in the process these days with an enormously talented script consultant/neighbor/friend of mine who's been simply invaluable in her ability to sharpen the focus on story issues/refinements. I feel very lucky to have her assistance...

[Michele Seidman]

You are so smart to use one location. I am actually mad at myself because mine has too many. You will be able to better contain things and I bet that bodes well for the project in the long run. Plus...people need to laugh and para-normal is still hot. I can't wait to see it. Do you have a thread started for it here yet? Link me to it so I can follow along if you do!

[Ted Spencer]

You are so smart to use one location. I am actually mad at myself because mine has too many.

It was one of the reasons why I ultimately shelved numerous earlier short scripts I wrote and otherwise liked. For my very first narrative film directorial experience, I've decided to reduce all the variables to a bare minimum, leaving (as much as possible) only the fundamentals - writing, acting, directing, cinematography, editing, sound, music. The other big enemy is simply length - I've found it incredibly challenging to keep it brief - almost every 'great new idea' adds screen time...oy...


Plus...people need to laugh and para-normal is still hot.

I hope it works - it's not a laugh-out-loud comedy, but has some (hopefully) pretty amusing stuff in the setup - before the tragic turn/midpoint. Then the paranormal part kicks in, leading to the (hopefully) uplifting ending. A lot to pack into a short, huh? That's why it's kicking my butt so hard to write it...


I can't wait to see it. Do you have a thread started for it here yet? Link me to it so I can follow along if you do!

No thread yet - still in the story/treatment stage. And I am finding myself suddenly overwhelmed with regular paying work that will go nonstop for several months (no complaints mind you - self-employed types like me must ride these waves all the way down when they come). Sometimes it seems like an unseen force is trying to thwart my efforts to make a film. But that would be a paranoid thought, right? So I shun it. But geez...

As to starting a thread here, I'll see about it once I get closer to production. I'll certainly have the pieces - BTS shots, footage, etc. And I will definitely make sure you have a chance to see it when it's done.

Even if it sucks : )

[Michele Seidman]

Ted...I am kind of glad we got on this track. I may have to rethink which short I am going to get done first. I have another in my back pocket that I was saving for later but maybe I need to flip things.

oi vey hmmm wtfn

head spinning....ha ha ha