"For the dead travel fast"

Good night guys and ghouls. I had to open with the infamous line from "Tales from the Crypt." So, I have good news and I have semi-bad news. Let's start with the bad news. As I stated in my post yesterday, I'd been having some trouble transporting the video for the Hip Hop Aids Fashion show from my computer onto a dvd. The footage kept glitching around 8 minutes. Sadly enough, I had to "kill my darlings." Shout out to Berger for blogging about what the line means. I'll give the simplified version. "Cut the fluff." The only sad thing was that the "fluff" that I cut wasn't fluff at all, they were two good bites I used from interviews. The dvd burned successfully after I cut the two bites though. I switched around a couple of the interviews to increase the fluidity. I can honestly say that I'm satisfied with the final product. I sprinkled some tear jerker music throughout the video to increase the level of intimacy with the audience. We'll see what happens on D-Day (aka Friday) though.

The good news is I've FINALLY been able to get back to work on my short film "The Dead Pass Swiftly." After a two week hiatus, I'm back :) I'm super excited about the project. Even though I've been away for two weeks, I'm bringing even more knowledge about film and editing to the table. I'm confident that this will only make the film that much stronger and thus more potent. For the next month or so, I'll be in my lair (aka The Studio) editing. I'm excited to see the finished product. I got a guy named Dave Brown that works here at the college helping me with the audio. He'll be helping me fix some of those annoying hisses that sometimes accomodate video when using an external mic. He'll also be helping me score the film. The film has an urban feel, but I've gotten into jazz as of late, specificall John Coltrane. I'll try to find some way to combine both the urbanity (if that's a word) and a more soulful (jazz) feel for the music. I really want people to fully emerse themselves into the film. After all, that's the hope for all filmmakers. That for a second, maybe a brief moment, that the spectator forgets themselves in the physical only to be reawoken on the screen. Excitement baby!

I've put together two scenes so far. I have to tighten up the scenes that I've edited and link them into the sequence that I've begun to form. It's a really time consuming process, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. It's my passion. Looks like I'll be burning the midnight oil yet again tonight. A small sacrifice in the greater scheme of pushing my art forward, peace.

To be or not to be...

I've been editing a video for the Hip Hop Aids Fashion Show At CofC for the past few days. Just when I thought I was done, the inevitable happens. As the saying goes, one cannot have their cake and eat it too. Oh, the irony!!! The video began glitching as soon as I'd compressed it in Final Cut Pro. Teardrop. Hurt my heart really. It's taken me a couple hours to get the problem straight but I think I've finally mixed the right medicine to cure my little problem. I had to give my boy Jesse Berger a couple calls, which ultimately guided me in the right direction. He advised that I try a combination of things. I was a bit deflated to hear that there were more than one way to fix the problem. Deflated because that meant that there was no right way, so, in turn, I'd have to experiment and wait an hour for the project to compress before I discovered whether or not the problem was actually fixed...ugh! To my relief, it seems that simply opening a new project file and copying and pasting the timeline from the original project onto the new sequence might have done the trick. I'll take the optimistic approach on this one. We shall surely see in another 30 minutes or so though...keep your fingers crossed.

I'll take some time to talk about my long awaited project that I shot over Winter Break. My friend, Braker, gave me the idea that I should shoot a sequel to a short film I shot with some of my friends from home two summers ago entitled: "SLIP." The plot is about two cops that have been chasing a known drug dealer for the past couple of months. Just as they thought they had him cornered, he manages to "slip" out of their grasps. Hints the title "SLIP." Anyway, I was all for the idea until I got a text from my friend Gary telling me that a guy we'd come up knowing was shot to death in a home invasion. The news was both shocking and deflating. To be quite honest, me and the guy weren't the best of friends, but to hear that someone from your community died in such a tragic way is never good news.

My tune soon changed when I discovered that he was not the one being robbed, but...he was the robber. Suddenly, I didn't feel as bad. Call me inhumane if you must but it's hard to feel sympathy towards someone doing something with an inevitable outcome. I mean...what else was to be expected? A couple days later after talking to a couple more of my friends and my cousin, I'd settled on the idea of doing a story based around the event. The plot would entail a home invasion, but I'd add my own backstory. 2-3 weeks later I'd written "The Dead Pass Swiftly." The story follows a young man named Robbie. Robbie's father was killed before Robbie was born (the opening sequence of the film) while attempting a home invasion. Robbie's father, John, is a hustler, but moreso a jack of all trades. Presently, Robbie is stricken by a non-existent mother figure and the want to get out of a situation that only seems to worsen. The story follows Robbie as he makes his way up the food chain (so to speak) only to inherit the sins of his father and because of this is destined to end up like his father.

I took the last week of Winter Break to make the film. Working on a budget of less than $100 the footage came out pretty good. As of now, I've edited six scenes. I hope to have a rough cut by the end of the week so I can get a good idea of what I'll have to tighten up. I'm excited about the project though I've been on a two week hiatus because of other projects. I'll have to kick my gears into overdrive if I hope to show the film in a month or so at an event for Rhapsody in Black. An event that celebrates black art. It's held by our colleges Black Student Union (BSU). I'm confident I'll be able to have a decent version of the film to show. At the very least something that I'll be able to hold my head up on. I'll take the optimistic approach in this as well.

Now I'm still waiting on this HIV/Aids video to compress. My eyes are growing weary so I'll probably come back in the morning to see if switching the sequences worked. This song I'm listening to by Nas "Hero" is kinda giving me an extra boost. I might just have to burn the midnight oil. I'll keep you updated on how both projects turn out, peace.

"A Day in the Life of a Fool"

"I don't wanna live no mo. Sometimes I hear death knocking at my front do."

Words reminiscient of a life unlived. If you've been gracious enough to live long enough on this mediary time capsule called earth, you've felt this way at one point in life. Out of the whole song "Everyday Struggle" those two lines speak volumes of what the everyday struggle truly is. It speaks of how strenuous life has gotten and the semiously uphill battle one has been fighting. We're born to fall victim to the everyday struggle. In a sense we're born into the everyday struggle. No matter how rich one is or how poor one is, we all face our own demons. Sometimes we get so caught up in how glamorous the other half lives that we forget that they are not unlike ourselves. Just like you, they're born to die. The everyday struggle plagues everything under the sun. There's no escape...is there? To deal with the woes, some get hooked on a drug of choice. Others encapsulate themselves as to be locked away from the apocalypse that's taking place on the other side of their walls. Some choose to face the struggle. Muster the courage to look the struggle in the eyes and go toe to toe with what should surely be their downfall. One thing is for sure, whether one chooses to run from it or run at it, there's no escaping the everyday struggle. But, as Frost puts it:

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.”

I ask you now faithful reader. Take my hand. As Frost has promised, "the woods are lovely, dark and deep." We might stumble a bit, but do not worry if we part hands briefly. It is only for me to find my way. We shall assuredly meet again. As two strangers kissing in the dark. Do not fear. Do you trust me? Come now, the train has begun to pick up speed. The conductor has called for the last of the passengers. All aboard THE TRAIN TO MIDNIGHT.