As a writer and filmmaker, I can't help but notice folks as they do their wonderful antics. With various cameras, both cheap and costly, I catch a hell of a lot. I also observe and write about characters, popping them into my stories. I sit and drink coffee or tea, smoke a Hookah, and just watch folks, drumming up a story. So, what stories do these people drum up? They are indeed very interesting. Enjoy the video!
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
Sunday, September 5, 2010
OUT IN THE DESERT SHOOTING A DOCUMENTARY
Here I am, finally. I haven't been here blogging much, for I am working on a movie that takes me out into the desert, and I'm putting in 12 hour days a lot. This documentary is a fun one to work on, for I am doing one on the recent quakes in Southern California. Back in April we had a 7.2 grade earthquake just south of Mexicali, Mexico, and not very many people in the US know about the extent of that quake, and what it means.
That quake happened in a rifting valley, an zone where the tectonic plates are pulling apart, and new ground is formed. It is an area of volcanism, and I have already been to one of the volcanos in the area. The area I'm talking about is the Salton Trough and Mexicali Valley. This area is where the Mid-Oceanic Ridge stops, and this ridge is a spreading zone that extends thousands of miles, usually being in the middle of the oceans. But in the Salton Trough, the land comes onto land, and it is one of the rare areas where a rift is actually seen on dry land.
So I am indeed learning a lot about all of this, and making many trips though the desert. It's hot and dusty, and sometimes I go into areas that are bleak, volcanic and even into places where illegal immigrants try and cross the border. It is a dramatic place. Little dusty desert towns dot the landscape, and the locals have lot's to say about the ground lifting up over the past couple of years. One guy showed me a bridge that is being torn apart by the spreading of the ground.
I felt the 7.2 Easter Earthquake, and it went on for about 40 seconds. In San Diego, where I was, the building moved quite a bit. It made all kinds of noises too! I wasn't scared so much, just curious and amazed. I stayed put, and focused on turning on a little portable seismogram I have. I caught the tail end of the quake. I was about a 100 miles or so from the epicenter of the quake, and after the main quake, I felt a lot of aftershocks. In San Diego, it seemed that the ground constantly shook, although faintly, after the big quake. The 7.2 shake inspired me to do a doc on it. So I grabbed one of my big cameras and went to work.
My assistant throw a shit fit over the fact that I work 12 hours days, and he of course has to participate during those long hours if he wants the job. He was scared of the desert, worried about everything. All he wanted to do was pose around, wearing fancy shoes and shirts, trying to be cool. I had to fire him.
A lot people in our more liberal and convenient times do not want to work hard, not like their grandparents. They are now actually encouraged to be wimps, and are soft. New Age encourages this, as well as schools. The guy I fired is a New Ager.
I have got to find a source of more hard working and 'real' people to hire. When I look at that border, into Mexico, I start thinking that the illegal migrants are a matter of supply and demand. Many of those folks crossing over are hard working men and women, and are willing to put in the hours. Here is the US, we have lost faith and work ethic, especially among the young and liberally reared - and perhaps the illegals are filling that gap. That being said, I do not condone entering the US illegally. Hell no!
I firmly think that in order to get our country back, we need to dump all the New Age Godless notions, and kick out the influence of this esoteric approach to leadership. Our educational and media institutions should not be platforms for the New Age agenda. We are not meant to be a nation of softies, wimps and babies. We built this nation out of a wilderness, and the pioneer men and woman were hard working, strong and also faithful. They did not whine and complain about having to do hard work. We need to regain that kind of edge over circumstance again.
That's a part of what my book, The Diablo Diaries, is about. It's about re-gaining nation and a sense of strength and independence. Prince Stephan sees through the bull shit, and how the people are misguided so that they become weak. He sees his fellow aristocrats are a part of the problem. He goes about challenging the whole thing.
And what is the New Age agenda? It's a movement within European and US society toward a soft approach to life, one with less zeal for success and accomplishment, it's an agenda for peace, love and harmony, which sounds to good and dandy on paper- but in the end only hurts civilization. It weakens society, so that the workplace becomes inefficient, government becomes merely people pleasers instead of protectors, and family become lose ended. I'll go into that in more detail some other time. For like I said, that is Prince Stephan's battle! I write from my own observations.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Lately, I have been busy getting Defcon 2012 printed in the right format. I am also having to decide if I go overseas or stick around. It's a time for some change, and I want to do some documentaries.
I'm feeling a big antsy. Restless really. Right after the premiere and Oscar party, I had a massive falling out with a couple of girlfriends. One friend, I can see why I blew up at her and broke off. That had been brewing for a year, and I was tired of her hounding me on what I should and shouldn't eat or drink. I'm a red meat and beer drinking kind of girl, and she's really into the New Age health movement. We clash on too many levels. I also felt tension while around her, on guard, and my mind filled up too much with her presence. And, everything had to be on her terms, what movies we would see, what restaurants, etc. She always lent her rather blunt and outdated fashion opinions. She lived in a world full of fashion and food rules, and saw herself as an aristocrat, thus somehow better than the rest of humankind.
Sister, I have a bit of news for you. You and I are simply two members of the human race, a small part of six billion people!
My conclusion, is that in order to stay productive and creative, maybe I have to be tougher on toxic people. I think maybe that's what just happened. Maybe I was like a horse kicking, and kicking at toxic people.
I always encourage creative people to be very careful on who and what they spend their time with. The kind of people you hang out with is critical, and the wrong kind can fill up you head too much with trivial things, or distract you. If you have a great idea on a creative level, do what it takes to keep that creative idea, and bring it to realization!
Anyways, just some thoughts.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
I WENT TO THIS EVENT A FEW DAYS AGO - MORE INFO.
On green living: First of all, I live in my version of a reasonably responsible lifestyle, although I don't take it to extremes. I think that the little steps add up a great deal.
For an instance since childhood, I have always turned off any light I am not using. I was taught to do that by my parents. Next, although I drive 10 or 12 cyl. sports cars a lot, and a truck that hauls my horse trailers - I do park in one spot and do a lot of walking while doing chores in town. I don't mind walking a half mile or more, and it's good for your weight. It bugs me when my friends climb back into their cars and drive to a parking lot just across the wide street.
Also, having your own organic garden is a big move toward green. I grow a lot my own veggies, and teach my friends and neighbors how to grow. We make our own soil form composting table scraps. I avoid toxins such as industrial bug sprays. You can buy a bag of lady bugs, and that usually does the trick!
I don't go as far as to go vegan, and I will advocate the right to eat meat. But let's go back to free range organic grass fed meat. I eat meat because I run 3 to 4 miles, swim a quarter mile on certain days, and surf and other sports on the other days. I need to have the right fuels for my body, and will eat like my ancestors. I'm talking about the ones that lived here before Europeans landed on this bit of land.
I'm a big advocate of the slow food movement, and sustainable farming. I love farming, and grew up on one. But I detest the big industrial farms that had replaced family farms back in the 1980's. Industrial farming is suspect to me, and it's a big environmental mistake. Anyone remember FarmAid and how rock stars advocated small family farms?
Around the house and yard, and at work, there are lot's of little steps I do to consider the bigger picture and the world. But I don't like too many new laws. A better answer is education, and lowering of the birth rate via freeing women of the social pressure to have kids.
It's ok to be childless. We already have too many people, almost 7 billion people. In fact, I'd love to show that it's cool to choose not to have kids. We need to be supportive of our friends and family that do choose not to have kids.
And here's my biggest thing to say about going greener. We need to develop technologies that work, and I believe we can. The engineering is out there, and the minds of smart engineers are ready to innovate. What is needed is the incentive to go ahead a design green cars, planes and industrial complexes. We need to find a way to make green profitable so that companies can afford to pay for retooling and R & D. Research and engineering isn't cheap!
We need to give very low interest rates and very low taxes to those companies, farms and affluent individuals that innovate for green.
All that said, here is an interesting video from the event I went to, where I simply had fun. I was more into the rock and roll, but yes, there's some green things we can do. Just thought I'd say something about it, so that it isn't just party animal banter.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjSGKYKzfdg
Thursday, March 4, 2010
This week has been a lot, and very fast paced, and full of Hollywood parties for me. Also full of last ditch effort attempts at repairing a few tracks on a movie. I'm pushy and a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to sound, because of all that rock music I did years ago.
Well, here's the deal. I raised hell to get that set of tracks right on the movie, had top dog Hollywood editors nearly in tears, ready to give up - and my pal Mike and I put on the heat. Finish the damned tracks, so we can deliver the damned movie!
Guess what? On the day before the premiere of Defcon 2012, the print was delivered to the theater. The day BEFORE. Not the WEEK before.
Geeeeeze.
I had butterflies in my stomach right up and until that movie was on the big screen and well past the credits. I sighed a good loud one, once I heard some improved sound. Not perfect, but you can get the story.
The premiere went well, and the after party was a blast. And then Josie, a real sweetheart from Spain, invited us to the Global Green pre-party for the Oscars. Just a matter of hours ago, I was there, on the VIP floor, having yet another great time.
I met some cool people, and flirted with some rock names we oldies remember on KLOS. That's right, hard rock. I'm a rocker, so I alway love a rocker. I stood right there, stage edge, inches from those legends that I air guitared to for ages. Those I had followed over the fret board hearing KLOS on the radio at 14 years old ...
I even had my epic prat fall - sober - at the roped off entrance to the VIP area. I'm good at that kind of thing! Totally am, and I admit it. It's life.
Here are some links to the nature of the Events. I'll post more as they come along. Enjoy these red carpet vids and have a great day!
Oscar Pre-Party, Global Green:
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/entertainment&id=7310080
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3WbIdR1ttM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8DLRHBSzlQ
My big night, the premiere of Defcon 2012. Also the after party at the Green Door in Hollywood:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSGP5B3kex8
There are more links and vids to come!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
HERE ARE SOME PHOTOS OF THE PREMIERE OF DEFCON 2012
Defcon 2012 had it's premiere last night, and it was a total blast. I live two hours south of LA, and so I rented a limo and brought my San Diego friends up to the screening. It was a kind of reunion too. Some people I hadn't seen for some time. We drank bubbly and chatted as we rode to the Culver Plaza Theater, across the street from the Fox and Sony lot.
We used a Starbucks as a staging area, and met up with my crew and cast. We shuttled them in bunches to the theater. Brian, my co-producer didn't listen to me and hopped in the limo with his pals and took off. He never listens.
The sound on the movie I had to fix at the very last minute. It was a very close call too, having the film delivered to the theater only a day before the screening. That's why I have been so nervous and kinda' spaced out - all that stress and deadlines!
I was nervous until the movie was on the screen and sounding good. Whew!
It was great. And then we all gathered at an after party at the Green Door in Hollywood. My pals, crew, cast and random people got out of our limos and got right in without standing in line! VIP all the way. Feels pretty good too.
In the club, we had a great time! Danced, talked and I actually wheeled and dealed, and made two project deals.
Well, here's some pictures of one interesting night:
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Much the inspiration I get is from the trips I've taken, and the interesting people and settings I am exposed to. I am lucky to have had a great career flying, and another teaching ESL English. These two jobs have allowed me to work and live a various countries. I am very interested in other cultures and languages, and always have been. That interest goes into what I write and into the documentaries I shoot.
Here's a map of most of the places I have flown into, or have lived. I didn't list everything, for reasons of my own, but here is the list. One way to explore these places is to look at people's photos on Goggle Earth.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
INDUSTRIAL FARMING AND REAL NUTRITION IN A POWER STRUGGLE
It has been raining off and on today, and sometimes hard. Before the rains hit, I did some garden work for a friend of mine. I had planted that garden months ago, so that she and I can eat our own homegrown produce. I'm leery of industrial farming, and the toxic sprays, and genetically modified seed, that are used. More on that issue later.
One can daydream book and movie characters, scenes and even the visuals while doing things such gardening, jogging and surfing. It's a form of passive writing. Actually, you are writing, for real, when you do something other than manning a keyboard - while still dreaming up the story. So if you are a writer, give yourself credit for those hours spent doing an activity and daydreaming.
The produce I grow, which does not come from an industrial corporate run farm, gives me much thought on Prince Stephan and his environment.
Prince Stephan grew up on a vast estate, with it's forests and farmland. He faces a land grab by a centralized global regime, one that only allows for collective and industrial farming.
The reason for this is because the world regime seeks to control it's people. One good way, is through the control of food. If you manage to take away the true nutrition of food, you can weaken a people. Weak and passive people are less apt to rebel and are easier to control.
And so Prince Stephan faces this controlling regime, for he owns land that produces food, and it had not yet fallen under industrial farming. There are no genetically altered crops, or toxic sprays on his estate. His crops produce real nutrition, that which can strengthen a population.
So crops and land are big elements is my story, The Diablo Diaries.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Prince Stephan shoots for the stars. He's a lost man, that is why. A state of being lost will give a human being ambition. In order to feel my Prince Stephan, my daydream, hear the song by VNV Nation, The Furthest Star.
Prince Stephan is a man so unsuited for the role he had been given, simply from the assignment of his birth. He's broken, traumatized, used and knows he's pawn in the bigger picture.
No wonder he wants to shoot out in a vehicle for the Furthest stars. No damned wonder ...
Isn't American history full off lost personalties seeking the wilderness of newness?
I think so.
Friday, January 29, 2010
HAD BEEN WORKING ON DEFCON 2012 - A MOVIE
I have been so busy working on a feature sci-fi, Defcon, 2012, that I have not blogged here at all. Well, that you can see. We just completed the movie, and Defcon 2012 has just been picked up by an international distributor. It has been a long and hard year and a half, and I'm thrilled to see our film go off the the film festivals.
I'm both one of the Executive Producers and Second Unit Director on this film. In the trailer, you can see in the first shots some of my work, I like to work with interesting angles, extreme close ups, natural light and dutch tilts when it's time to unsettle the audience slightly. The close ups in the elevator are mine too, as well as shots of a lone man in a suit.
Here is our movie's website: http://defcon2012.com
Here is the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh5DjSmhYvY
My influences are John Ford, for his composition and natural light, Kubrick, for his composition and use of
angles. And recently, after having wrapped Defcon 2012, I went to see Tom Ford's new movie, A Single
Man. I really like this movie, and see a similarity with my style. Is that because we're both new directors?
It could be, but the style is refreshing in Tom Ford's film, and the artistic touch takes me back to the film
style of the 50's and 60's. Somehow we have lost a lot of that, for today, we as an audience demand more
explosions or dumb female roles in romantic comedy.
Along with this load of work, I have put together a social network for fighter pilots, those aspiring to become a pilot, supporters of these brave pilots and just people. It's called the
Armchair Fighter Pilot's Association. It's a social network that features an occasional live broadcast of Falcon 4.0, an active runway or life in general among fighter pilots. I also post
lot's of my video work there, and instructional things for those learning or improving their
flying. Lot's of F-16, Fouga, L-29 and L-39 jet footage too!
Here is the Armchair Fighter Pilot's Association. http://www.afpaonline.ning.com
In my book series, The Diablo Diaries, there is an female ex-fighter pilot, who is a Queen of a nation later in life. Prince Stephan models some of his warrior-like rebellion on her behavior, although she is older and more subtle. She completely backs Prince Stephan in his bid for national sovereignty of his country. He is a freedom fighter, and she is an inspiration. There are elements of myself in this ex-fighter pilot.
In real life, my own, here in reality - I am in the midst of a big schism within the aristocracy, and I had never seen it before personally until this summer. I had only heard about it from my father years ago. My book addresses this gap. I am experiencing this gap between the "enlightened" liberally leaning nobles and the more traditional faith based and officer class nobles. The experience is feeding my writing and Prince Stephan's world on my pages.
The split is clear as glass. There is heavy pressure within the elites today, and that pressure is for the traditional faith based aristocrats and elites to join the esoteric, New Age, enlightened camp. That enlightened camp is actually sugar coated. Under all that sugar of peace, love and harmony, is conformity to esoteric values, lack of emotion, lack of ambition and pressure to not express anything with much weight. The esoteric camp is anti-military. Underlying all that is a globalist agenda, one of weakening the common man, dis-arming him, and finally, controlling him.
As a person with a kick ass fighter pilot attitude, I run up against this, and scare certain nobles. I express the whole thing via Prince Stephan and his actions. I hope to not be one sided in all this, for I do see merit in international bodies. But only those that help the common working person, not one that is like a curb bit in a horses mouth.
Let's see where Prince Stephan and my pen will take us.
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