The big thing you should be aware of by now is also the primary reason for a lack of content on this site. I have been writing, and it’s available for you to see, it’s just not on this site at the moment. That’s because my friend Benn Hadland and I have created a new website, called Lock, Stock, and Two Film Geeks. It’s been going on for a good 3 months now, and we’ve got a ton of content up.  There’s podcasts, reviews, and feature articles.  We’re both really proud of the work we’ve been doing.  I’ve been pushing it pretty hard on my various social profiles, so you’re probably aware of it, but the fact that there was no mention of it here was bugging me.  Please check it out if you haven’t, read some of the reviews, and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.

So now that I’ve graduated there are some changes in what I’ve been doing in terms of work.  I was laid off from Ritz Camera around the week that I graduated.  In June, I started a part time job with a company called Internet Brands, simply to pay the bills.  Basically I research what search engine keywords are valuable to the company and come up with titles for articles based on these keywords.  Other people have to write and edit these articles.  It’s pretty mindless work but it doesn’t exhaust me from doing some writing on the weekends.  I have been writing a bit more, most of it for Two Film Geeks, but also a bit of work on my novel in progress.  I also left my internship so that I could take on more hours at work without sacrificing the opportunity to write.  I’m still looking for film related work but it’s a tough job market right now.

As always, I’m watching a lot of movies.  A lot of these are for our website but I try and catch up on what’s in theaters and knock off some “list of shame” items as well.  My queue of over 200 movies on Blockbuster never seems to get smaller though, as I’m always adding to it.

And that’s really it for now, it wasn’t really my practice to do these sort of “journal posts,” but I figured some explanation was appropriate.

You may have seen my previous post about my new internship, listing five things that I really appreciated about my new internship.  Since that first day, I’ve gone back twice and it’s been going well.  The people there seem to appreciate my script coverage, and say I do a solid job on it as well.  Luckily, the way I’ve learned to do coverage in the past seems to be more thorough and better than what they usually require.  Rather than come down to that level, I’ve decided to stick with my better quality of coverage.  I’ve just realized that I’ve mentioned script coverage twice now, and some people may not actually be aware of what it is.  Since this particular task is what makes up about 99% of my time at any development internship, perhaps I should go into it a bit.

Script coverage is when you read a script and then create a short document in which you completely summarize the plot of the script and then write a commentary section saying what was done right, what was done wrong, and whether or not the script is worth considering for development.  This commentary will usually go over character, dialogue, plot, structure, and anything else that’s relevent to script analysis.  I’ve found that the best lengths for these two sections are to shoot for around a page and a half of summary and about 3/4 of a page of commentary.  This obviously depends greatly on the material you’re working with, especially since you might not be covering a script at all, but rather a comic book, novel, or any other medium that tells stories.  You’ll also give both the writer and the script itself a final judgment: PASS, CONSIDER, or RECOMMEND.

The whole point of this is to save the executives and their assisstants time.  You’re taking the time to read it so that they don’t have to.  Hopefully after reading your coverage, an executive will be able to discuss the project with the writer or someone else involved with the project and be constructive and sound like they know what they’re talking about.  It also helps them know whether or not a script is worth reading at all.  Most companies receive hundreds of submissions in a month, and the people who work their don’t have time to read everything.  It’s a reader’s job to help narrow things down.  If a reader does decide that something is really good, based on the coverage an executive may decide to take the time to read it themselves.  If the reader thinks it’s a load of crap, it probably will get buried or thrown away by the company.  And usually when a script is poor, there is still a follow-up meeting with the writer, the coverage helps whoever is meeting the writer to give constructive advice and still pass on the project in a way that is considerate and understanding.

I was also asked recently by a friend what the general breakdown of script quality is.  How many are worth filming, how many are torturously bad, etc.  This really depends on the company.  I imagine a more reputable company is also more likely to receive a stream of quality scripts.  One that’s just starting out might receive a range of scripts written by writers who are still unknown.  Different companies also have different policies for accepting submissions.  My last internship, Valhalla Motion Pictures wisely only accepted script submissions through agencies.  They always said it was for legal reasons, and it very likely was, but it also puts up a very important middle man between them and the sea of writers trying to get recognized.  Sadly though, what it comes down to is very few scripts that a given reader is handed are very good.  If something is coming from a fantastic writer, the executives usually jump on it themselves.  It’s our job as readers to find diamonds in the rough.  If I had to make an estimate though, I’d say about 75% of the scripts I read are bad, 24% of the scripts are passably okay, and only 1% of the scripts are truly good to great.  So when you see a script that really is good, it really feels like a fantastic and rare find.  A discerning filmmaker would probably only make films from this small percentile, but because these are so rare (and get snatched up quickly I imagine), most companies (and readers) have to at least consider some of the ones in the passable percentile.  This does seem like a depressing set of statistics, but the fact is there’s a lot of writers out there trying to hone their craft and get known, and therefore there’s a lot to be read that won’t ever be able to be filmed.  Finding those great scripts really feels good after trudging through the mud for so long.

I mention all this because I’m coming off of a work day in which the two scripts I read included one passably okay script, and one good script.  Overall a very good day for reading scripts and I’m quite happy about it.  So on that note, I’d like to add a few “things I like” to my previous list.

1. The chair I’ve been assigned is awesome.  It’s really comfortable, flexable to various needs, and simultaneously supportive.  I have a lot of back and neck problems, so this is a big deal for me.  I wish I could take it home with me sometimes.  It also really helps me understand why all the characters in the book Then We Came to the End always made such a big deal about “inheriting” the good office chairs from their coworkers who left.  A very funny passage from a funny book made all the more relatable by personal experience.

2. Good office spacing.  The office spacing is comfortable and roomy.  The desks and offices are spaced enough to where things are quiet enough to work.  At the same time there’s no stairs to go up and down and things are close enough to communicate easily, you could even talk without leaving your desk if you chose to, it would just be slightly disruptive.  A small thing overall, but it makes working just that much more comfortable.

First: the predictions.  You can always look down below and compare with any results page you may see to see exactly which catagories I got right, I’m not going to go through them all.  Overall I got 14 out of the 23 or 24 catagories right, not a great record considering how many I saw, but pretty serviceable, and at least it’s above 50%.  The good news is that I got all eight of the big eight categories right.  Since these are the really important catagories anyway, and the ones that don’t require a bunch of technical knowledge, I take a lot of pride in this.  Especially because in order to get all eight of these right, I took a big risk and it paid off.

That risk was picking Sean Penn over Mickey Rourke, whom almost everyone was predicting, and had already one most of the lead up awards.  I did this mostly because I thought it was the better performance.  As much as I generally am not a fan of the way Sean Penn presents himself in front of the media in real life, he totally dissapeared in the character of Harvey Milk, and made him incredibly likable as well.  Meanwhile, Mickey Rourke’s performance, while fantastic as well, was essentially him putting himself out there for all to see.  Both good, but I think Sean Penn’s role was more challenging and better executed.  Luckily the acadamy agreed.  I also think Penn gave a really excellent acceptance speech.   I hate when everyone’s speech is just listing a bunch of names, and his had meaning, was well put, and delivered a message I felt needed to be said.

Obviously I agreed at least to some extent with the rest of the big eight picks.  Slumdog was a great, and uplifting movie.  But this year, more than any before, has made me feel the arbitrariness of choosing a “best” of anything when it comes to films.  So many movies were fantastic in their own way this year.  All of the best picture nominations were greatly successful at what they were trying to do, and their aims were all worthwhile.  But even other than those five, Doubt, Dark Knight, The Wrestler, Wall-E, and Iron Man all are equally fantastic in their own ways.  It’s really comparing apples and oranges, only the fruits are some of the best that you’ve ever tasted and they are a thousand times more complex than fruit.

As for the show itself, I enjoyed it for the most part.  Hugh Jackman did a good job in his musical numbers, but I did miss having a good stand-up comedian on hand.  In turn, the highlight of the night for me was the combination of Steve Martin and Tina Fey, both fine comedians who are among my favorite performers to watch.  Ben Stiller’s jab at Joaquin Phoenix and Apatow’s tribute to comedy were also great.  And I did like the new way of presenting the acting nominations, especially since it went along with my desire for all these fantastic performances to be rewarded.  It’s too bad something similar can’t be done for all the nominees.

That’s about all I have to say, but I’ve learned to try and be a little more on top of things early on if I’m going to try and watch everything.  Looking forward to blockbuster season now, though.

Nominated movies I saw as of 2/21/2009:

• Changeling
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• The Dark Knight
• Doubt
• Frost/Nixon
• Hellboy II: The Golden Army
• In Bruges
• Iron Man
• Kung Fu Panda
• Milk
• Presto
• Rachel Getting Married
• The Reader
• Slumdog Millionaire
• Tropic Thunder
• Vicky Cristina Barcelona
• The Visitor
• Wall-E
• Wanted
• The Wrestler

Edit: before the ceremony on Sunday, I was able to catch the following:

• Toyland
• Lavatory – Love Story
• Octapodi
• This Way Up
• Manon on the Asphalt
• On the Line

Because of this, I’ve changed my prediction on the animated short catagory.

Okay, now that that’s out of the way, I’m going to lay out my predictions by catagory. I will UNDERLINE for my predicted winner, the one I think will win. And just because there’s a few where I have personal favorites, I will also ITALICZE those. If my favorites and my predictions line up, they will be marked by BOTH. Here we go…

BEST PICTURE
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“Frost/Nixon”
“Milk”
“The Reader”
“Slumdog Millionaire”

BEST ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”
Angelina Jolie, “Changeling”
Melissa Leo, “Frozen River”
Meryl Streep, “Doubt”
Kate Winslet, “The Reader”

BEST ACTOR
Frank Langella, “Frost/Nixon”
Sean Penn, “Milk”
Brad Pitt, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”
Richard Jenkins, “The Visitor”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, “Doubt”
Penelope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Viola Davis, “Doubt”
Taraji P. Henson, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Marisa Tomei, “The Wrestler”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin, “Milk”
Robert Downey Jr., “Tropic Thunder”
Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Doubt”
Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”
Michael Shannon, “Revolutionary Road”

BEST DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”
Stephen Daldry, “The Reader”
David Fincher, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Ron Howard, “Frost/Nixon”
Gus Van Sant, “Milk”

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Dustin Lance Black, “Milk”
Courtney Hunt, “Frozen River”
Mike Leigh, “Happy-Go-Lucky”
Martin McDonagh, “In Bruges”
Andrew Stanton, and Jim Reardon; original story by Stanton and Pete Docter“WALL-E”

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Simon Beaufoy, “Slumdog Millionaire”
David Hare, “The Reader”
Peter Morgan, “Frost/Nixon”
John Patrick Shanley, “Doubt”
Eric Roth, Robin Swicord, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
“The Baader-Meinhof Complex” (Germany)
“The Class” (France)
“Departures” (Japan)
“Revanche” (Austria)
“Waltz with Bashir” (Israel)

BEST ANIMATED FILM
“Bolt”
“Kung Fu Panda”
“WALL-E”

BEST ART DIRECTION
“Changeling”
“The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button”
“The Dark Knight”
“The Duchess”
“Revolutionary Road”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“Changeling” Tom Stern
“Slumdog Millionaire,” Anthony Dod Mantle
“The Reader,” Chris Menges
“The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button,” Claudio Miranda
“The Dark Knight,” Wally Pfister

BEST FILM EDITING
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall
“The Dark Knight,” Lee Smith
“Frost/Nixon,” Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill
“Milk,” Elliot Graham
“Slumdog Millionaire,” Chris Dickens

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
“Australia,” Catherine Martin
“The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button,” Jacqueline West
“The Duchess,” Michael O’Conner
“Milk”, Danny Glicker
“Revolutionary Road,” Albert Wolsky

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)”
“Encounters at the End of the World”
“The Garden”
“Man on Wire”
“Trouble the Water”

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“Slumdog Millionaire,” “Jai Ho”
“Slumdog Millionaire,” “O Saya”
“WALL-E,” “Down To Earth”

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
“The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button,” Alexandre Desplat
“Defiance,” James Newton Howard
“Milk,” Danny Elfman
“Slumdog Millionaire,” A.R. Rahman
“WALL-E,” Thomas Newman

BEST MAKEUP
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,”
“The Dark Knight,”
“Hellboy II: The Golden Army,”

BEST SOUND EDITING
“The Dark Knight”
“Iron Man”
“Slumdog Millionaire”
“WALL-E”
“Wanted”

BEST SOUND MIXING
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“The Dark Knight”
“Slumdog Millionaire”
“WALL-E”
“Wanted”

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“The Dark Knight”
“Iron Man”

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
“Auf der Strecke (On the Line)”
“Manon on the Asphalt”
“New Boy”
“The Pig”
“Spielzeugland (Toyland)”

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
“La Maison en Petits Cubes”
“Lavatory – Lovestory”
“Oktapodi”
“Presto”
“This Way Up”

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM
“The Conscience of Nhem En”
“The Final Inch”
“Smile Pinki”
“The Witness – From the Balcony of Room 306″

The only adjustment I might make is if I have time to watch a few shorts tomorrow (I might also make an effort for Revolutionary Road). Time will tell if any of these prove correct.

1. I really love listening to Peter and the Wolf.  Part of it is nostalgia from listening to it as a kid.  Part of it is that I just really enjoy the orchestral piece.  It’s beautiful, and it tells a story in a really unique way.  I like that there’s characters that interact and tell their story without words.  And the narration is really fun too.  For some reason Peter’s theme is the thing that most often gets stuck in my head — ever.  I find myself whistling it all the time.  It’s not that I listen to it on a regular basis, but I did just download and have started listening to it again.

2. I’m more comfortable in smaller groups.  It’s easier to have a more meaningful conversation and I like the general dynamic better.  2-4 people is definitely my favorite way of interacting.

3. Similarly, I’ve always been the type to have a few really close friends rather than a lot of friends that are not as close.  It’s nothing personal to the other people, it’s just what seems to work best for me.

4. Unintentionally, I seem to have put myself to the impossible quest of seeing every worthwhile movie ever made, read every worthwhile comic book ever made, and watching as much good television as I can.  It’s an unfortunate decision due to it’s sheer impossibility and the amount of time in my life it seems to take up.  My Blockbuster.com queue always hovers in the range of 160-170 items and never gets any smaller.

5. I get really nervous when I get my hair cut.  It doesn’t make much sense because I trust the people who I let do it, and even if they did mess up my hair grows absurdly fast.

6. I love to write but can never get myself to sit down and do it.  I have a horrible lack of focus.

7. I may be clinically addicted to the internet.  I should get that checked out.

8. While I truly love music, lately I’ve been finding podcasts are taking up more of my listening time.  I think it’s leftover from my last internship when I had a nasty commute to deal with.  Now I’m hooked on a few too many shows and need to figure out a way to narrow it down.

9. I have a really hard time leaving jobs.  I get attached.  Even mediocre ones.  And ones that don’t pay me.

10. I think the two most pivotal moments in my life so far were moving to Thousand Oaks from Sherman Oaks and my parent’s divorce.  I think they’re the only things that really changed me in significant ways.

11. One of my favorite things is watching old movies in the morning on a rainy day, with a blanket and maybe some hot chocolate.

12. I miss the days when I was fit enough so that running was relaxing.  Right now it’s really hard any time I do it.  It used to be my primary form of stress relief.

13. I find I’m much more efficient and productive when I have a busier schedule and I have a job.  I use my spare time better even though I have less of it.

14. My favorite feature in a movie or piece of literature is when it brings something new and fresh to the table.  Whether that’s a fresh way of telling an old story, a character I’ve never seen an analogue of, or an event that really seems new, it doesn’t matter.  What matters is that there’s some sort of novelty.  This is part of the reason Jonathan Safron Foer is my favorite author and Charlie Kaufman is my favorite screenwriter.

15. I’ve learned played three instruments over the years: piano, violin, and guitar.  Violin was the one I committed to the most, I was in a youth symphony and everything.  I still play guitar from time to time, but haven’t had much time for it lately.

16. I’ve always worn Asics for running shoes.

17. If I don’t get some time alone now and then, I start to go a little crazy.

18. I sleep best when it’s cooler and there is absolute silence.  Not even white noise.

19. I think about names for kids now and then and I have a few favorites.  That’s probably more than a little girly, but whatever.

20. I’ve been living with Jonathan long enough that I can understand what he’s trying to tell me before he’s able to get it out.

21. “Well played, sir” might be my favorite phrase of the moment.

22. I’m an avid audio/videophile.  I’m on a quest for the perfect entertainment system and I can sense imperfection a mile away.

23. Talking during movies/tv shows is probably my greatest pet peeve.  There are situations when it’s okay, particularly when it’s related to the show or it’s something I’ve seen once or twice before.  But in depth conversations that don’t relate to what we’re watching are pretty much unacceptable.  My mind is too susceptable to stimulus, and will be pulled away by pretty much anything.

24. I really admire  many Nike commercials.  They’re very often a work of art in themselves.

25. I have a love/hate relationship with movie trailers.  99% of them give away too much of the movie, even if it’s not a spoiler, it still makes it feel like so that moments in the movie aren’t fresh.  As soon as I’m decided that I’m going to see the movie, I’d rather all temptation of seeing anything more be removed.  On the other hand, I love the way that a trailer can tell a story in the short amount of time it has.  The editing can be really awesome, and so can the music and the combination thereof.  It’s an art in itself.

1. It’s in Santa Monica.  Santa Monica is simply a really nice place to be.  You’ve got the ocean air, there’s actually parking structures, and it’s not as crowded as L.A.  Plus getting into L.A. can be kind of a pain, not that Santa Monica doesn’t have it’s share of traffic, but it avoids the whole central L.A. thing.  Santa Monica just feels better.

2. Lunch.  They pay for lunch, and they do it from nice places that are also healthy.  Also, everyone in the company eats lunch together, which makes for fun discussion, an easy way to get to know everyone, and an oppurtunity to learn from everyone.

3. They keep a copy of the trades in the bathroom.  This one will sound really weird.  I’ll admit that I like to read on the toilet, and the fact that they keep copies in there makes me feel that that’s not a completely strange thing to do.  I like reading the trades, but usually feel like I have to be doing something more productive for the company while I’m at my desk.  This gives me a good oppurtunity to skim through.

4. Friendly co-workers.  Everyone at the compnay seems to be really friendly and laid back.  Additionally, their younger than most people in the film industry, which makes it a bit easier to relate.

5. Perks.  I had to copy some DVDs today, and not only did they suggest making some for myself, they almost made it seem like it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t.

1. This is my webpage, so it’s a central location for all things… me.  It may seem pretty basic, but I really wanted a central place to have links to everywhere on the internet that has any connection to me (that I can think of).  Mostly this means linking to my social networking profiles, which you will see in the right hand column of the page.  At some point I plan to add a more extensive list of links that will include explanations of what all these websites are, for the uninitiated.  This will eventually appear on the about page, but for now, if you see something and are confused, check out the “ClaimID” link on the right for a similar list.
2. I want to make myself accountable for putting out some creative writing every week.  I often find that pressure to write something really good keeps me from starting at all, so I’ve created a place where I can just throw work out into the world and forget about it, and this is it.  Additionally, because other people are looking, hopefully I will feel some sort of obligation to get work out on a regular basis.  Inspired by Paul Dini’s “200 Words” column on iFanboy.com, I’ve tentatively decided that writing 200 words once a week is a good starting point, so expect to see pieces around that size soon.
3. I’m a film student, so in turn, I have made films.  A lot of people ask me to post them on YouTube, but I’m just not a fan of it’s cluttered format and low quality.  I would like to share my films with those who can’t go to a screening, so soon I will have my reel posted on this site.  Similarly, I’d like to get some of my art photography up here as well.
4. This site should serve as a marketing tool both for myself as someone who works in the film inustry, but also as a freelance photographer/videographer.  This is why my resume appears in the links above, and if a business for photography/videography ever begins to build up, you’ll probably start to see more information on that somewhere on this website as well.
5. It’s been a while since I had a blog, and it would be nice to have someplace to go when I feel a rant coming on, or if I have something to say that doesn’t fit in a twitter post. (By the way, if you don’t follow me on Twitter, you should note that I’m extremely active on it, and it’s one of the better ways to get to know things about me.  The link to my account is on the right).

There’s more details to be worked out of course, I’d like to come up with some sort of schedule for posts.  Perhaps 200 words on Mondays and blog posts on Thursdays?  Don’t hold me to that quite yet.  And obviously nothing real has really been posted quite yet.  Hopefully that will change soon.  Until then, “Good night, and good luck”.