Dohhhh!

Stupid iBook Logic Board - making my laptop all freak-out and things!

No. No! No you! No you didn’t! Ohhh! You DID NOT just freeze my computer! Ahh, You did! You did, you stupid iBook Logic Board!!! Ahh, What! What’s that? Oh! Ahhh! Arrg!!! Oh that’s it, freakn’ freeze, and not..Ah! Now KILL my screen. You did not just KILL MY SCREEN stupid iBook Logic Board!!! Awesome! Fantastic! Great!

Thanks a lot, stupid iBook logic board.

So - Yesterday I post about my lack of pixel involvement; today I prove that I was apparently lying.

New THULE Car Rack Systems spot posted. I directed and edited this :30. The should-be-getting-paid-for-this Eric Holwell (he’s also the star) & I wrote it.

Click to view:
QuickTime Video
iPod Video (you MUST right click and choose SAVE AS)
YouTube Video (cross platform - good for you windows folks who are scared of QT)

Eric also starred in my first music video. Yes, he’s that funny in person (but I like to think I milk it out of him well).

I am working on multiple pixel-required projects right now, but nothing worth sharing.

Well…I guess I shouldn’t say that - I know many Indies are interested in securing funding, script writing, producing, networking, and “guerilla-comp-editing” (that’s my personal technique), but right now I’m seeking more answers than I actually have on everything but the editing part. THIS JOURNEY IS FUN.

DIY never ends. Took some personal time for inspiration this weekend. Looking at stuff beyond pixels is cool.

The ultimate source of inspiration

Is that an old G3 Wallstreet running OS X?

Yup - Sure is. You’re looking at the newest edition to the the Josh Oakhurst production arsenal.

…

…Okay, its not really doing any sort of video production or pre-production - BUT! It is cool. I picked up this classic from a SportsHD alumni before I left Denver. This is a Series II Wallstreet (issued 9/98), running Mac OS X 10.2.4 (yeah, I know Jaguar sucks). This bad boy features an 8GB Hard Drive, 14.1″ screen @ 1024 x 768 rez, 67 MHZ BUS, 192 MB RAM, CD-ROM/ DVD-ROM Drive, and a 56 FREAKN’ k modem. Visit lowerendmac.com for a bunch of good info about, well…older macs.

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Moving on - I’ve finally got my “creative suite” (closet) setup and was compelled to share a little more about the technicalities of MY creative process.

Here’s where I slave to those wee hours of the morning. This is my creative den. It’s cozy - simultaneously respectable and modest at the same time.

1. Reading Materials - could be books, newspapers, magazines, or something I wrote long ago
2. Pens - gotta jot those ideas
3. Sticky Notes - sticky notes control my life
4. Notebooks - good sticky notes migrate here to be expanded upon
5. 900 MHz G3 iBook - good notebook notes are further sifted here in word, text edit, or Celtx
6. Samsung X495 Cellphone - helps get those ideas into action
7. Dual 2.0 (old school!) PowerMac G5 - my first love
8. AG DVX-100 (not A - also old school!) - my second love
9. 17″ Apple Flat Panel - damn those retina burning LCDs
10. 15″ Samsung CRT I Found On the Curb In The Rain Two Years Ago - still has great color
11. Onkyo Amp - It’s seen better days
12. 13″ Sony Reference Monitor - actually a consumer model but its dialed within 98%
13. JBL 2600s - Too big to stand upright - a project for another day
14. Cheap DVD Player - gotta test out those sample DVDs
15. 19″ Orion TV I Won In an Employee Contest 10 Years Ago When I Was Sacking Groceries - I’ve still never paid for a TV
16. Retired Lucid Notion Snowboard - now a great piece of inspiration
17. Retired Directing Hat - withstood the beginning and end of Trucker Hat fad (take that Ashton Kutcher).
18. Cork Board - great for reminders
19. Handmade Broken Skateboard - what do you expect? I made it out of pine in shop class
20. Said G3 Wallstreet From Above - just fun tinkering
21. Texas Instruments TI-85 Graphing Calculator - formerly used to store test answers, now great for figuring quadratic budget variations
22. Business Cards - you can never have enough
23. Repurposed Desk Materials - to call this “custom fab” would be bit too generous

Its starts with an idea - paper and pens and typing first - THEN cameras and computers second. For me, the fun gadgets are simply an extension of that proverbial pen - merely means to facilitate the storytelling.

Does this workspace look familiar to anyone else? I bet it does.

Lets talk about the film/ video scene in Denver for a second.

When I originally moved to Denver in 2002, I saw ample opportunity to connect with a wide number of artists ranging from musicians to print folks and video/ film heads. After a year apiece stints at Missouri State U. and scouring Southern California, I finally felt I would land in Denver with a warm welcome.

And I did.

I really like Denver. There are very nice people there, but as in any city, you have to dig for them. I knew the scene I was coveting - the art scene - and I hooked right in. Concerts, snowboarding, art openings, the skate park - all places I made friends. For the last three + years, I’ve been part of “the scene”; that is, making things happening in the local environment I chose.

If you’re currently living in Denver, or are planning a move, let me offer my endorsement and hand in finding a few gigs. Through my work there, I’ve made many contacts, specifically in the film and video business. If you’re looking for work, please hit me up with your resume’/ reel and if I dig your stuff, I can certainly point you in the right direction. Frankly, I know good people in Denver looking for good people to work for them. You might be needed.

As far as second tier cities go, Denver is unique in that there are fair amounts of large AND small film/ video companies operating in the area. You can get mixed in with giants such as Comcast, The Hallmark Channel, Starz, and HDNet among smaller shops like Post Modern, SportsHD, High Noon, Citizen Pictures, and Montano Solaria.

Of course, that’s just a small list of the film/ video shops in Denver - but you get the idea.

Thing is, there’s also a lot I’ve learned to dislike about Denver which I believe can be attributed more to society’s ills (on a whole) as opposed to my innate desire to exhibit nomadic behavior.

Sprawl is a huge problem in Denver. Sprawl is TERRIBLE there. Outside of the city’s walkable core, condensed municipal planning is decades behind growth and the current highway system is even further behind than that. One of my passions, snowboarding, has taken a huge backseat over the last year simply because I’ve developed a great disdain for driving. Unless you LIVE in the mountains of Colorado, they are virtually impossible to enjoy as a hassle free experience.

As progressive as one may perceive “the Colorado Lifestyle”, the particulars of living in Denver have actually driven me to loose faith in Denver’s city model and look elsewhere for the green fueled, global citizen conscious, publicly transportated environment.

Portland, Oregon seemed like the obvious choice.

What follows is a pictorial post of snaps from my move 1250 miles to the West. For the record, Oregon is now the fourth (and will probably NOT be the last) state I’ve lived in.

Add some graphics to YELLOW, and it’d look like we were starting a race team.

Governor of Penske Truck: 90 mph (+)
Dirty, Smelly Cab: (-)
AM-FM Stereo: (-)

Penske: 2 / You: 1

Mandatory sunflower seeds needed to get through the doldrums of Wyoming.

Mere seconds before shutter snap, LeeLoo had decided she needed to go number two facing (butt first) a rather busy intersection in Provo, Utah. insert your own punch line, here _______

Best gas station logo, ever.

Boise, man.

Leaving the spud state. I’ve missed the rain (haven’t seen a good storm in over five years since I left Missouri).

Just across the Idaho/ Oregon state line. Had I spotted a Peter Jackson look-a-like, I’d have sworn we were in New Zealand.

You can’t pump your own gas in Oregon. Its state law. Chevron’s Chris in Baker, OR learned me. When I asked his opinion on why he thought this was, he said, “More jobs I guess.”

A case against BioDiesel can certainly be made, but progressive vibes abound nonetheless.

Notes for this post.

Yellow Snow Maker.

Exhibit: A - Beautiful

Exhibit: B - Desolate

Of Exhibit A & B, one of these two photographs represents an Indian reservation. Can you guess which of these two pieces of land the US Government gave to the Native Americans?

This is a freaking TREE FARM. It’s an awesome sight to behold, acres and acres/ rows and rows of trees and growing saplings used for harvesting timber. Talk about self sustaining - SO COOL.

The florescent green type really pulls the whole color scheme of the bathroom apart.

Holy Crapnetto Batman! Superman’s last changing room!

Oregon’s Columbia River.

More Happy Trees.

My first in-person view of the Portland Skyline.

And after a week of unpacking….

…Home Sweet Home (this is Blanket the cat).

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So -

All that has me landing in Portland with a big smile on my face. After unpacking and bumping around the city for a week, I must say - I REALLY LIKE IT HERE.

Professionally, yeah, there’s opportunity here. I can smell it. I really want Portland to be the place where my Indie aspirations begin to shine through in a big way. Thus far, I believe I’ve only tickled the market for my stories. Denver helped me create art on a local level, and I think Portland is the place where I’ll figure out how to reach a larger audience.

An on that note, I’ve already come upon a swell opportunity to help further those dreams. In the upcoming weeks and months, I plan on talking about that (/ those) paths as they come to fruition. But before I say too much, I simply encourage everyone out there to view THE END OF SUBURBIA written and directed by Toronto’s Gregory Greene. As I stated on my Ten Great Documentaries post - THE END OF SUBURBIA champions a cause that we all can get behind. Watch it.

More to come. Ciao Boogie.