Camping, Cooking, and Communication

I've got the "Three C's" on my mind.

I recently got back from a camping trip. This was good fun, but now I've got a living room full of camping equipment that I'll probably never use more than 3 or 4 times a year. Furthermore, since I borrowed some of the most fundamental camping stuff (a tent, camping stove, and mattress pad), I don't even have a full set of supplies to go on my own impromptu trips with. My suggestion is that it would be nice if there was some kind of "Need/Want" system where people could request/offer what they've got to achieve maximum utilization.

I love cooking. Really, it gives me personal joy to be able to create delicious food. But the thing is... its time consuming and clean-up is a bitch. Any meal where I am doing something experimental requires at least some forethought and planning to figure out (a) what ingredients I already have, and (b) what ingredients I need to go to the store and buy. And for some reason, going to the store with a specific list always throws me off my game and seems like extra work. The average cooking pot or pan sits in my sink piled up with dishes and glassware for 3 or 4 nights before I get enough time and motivation to attend to it. Anyway, the point is I wish that I could join a group with 7 or 8 others who share a passion for cooking, but don't have the time. Each person would do one meal per month so that you generally get 2 meals per week. This way, you get the joy of eating lots of great meals and the pleasure of spending less time actually cooking.

And communication... I want cable, phone, messaging, music, and internet in one package for an affordable monthly price. Is this possible? If the country could get its act together and not let the service providers bully their customers, I think they could run profitably while delivering all these services for a mere $40 per month. Then again, there are a lot of "sit on their hands" staff workers who are employed by Verizon, AT&T, Comcast, Sirius XM, Clearchannel, TimeWarner, Cablevision, and DirectTV who need to collect their weekly paychecks so they can feed their families. It's a shame that there are so many free-loaders in this entertainment cartel to prevent prices from dropping below the $120 per month that people are accustomed to paying for these services. Can't they trim their fat so that they can afford to trim their prices for the benefit of all consumers?

Film/Theatre Pitch: Life's Experiences

During the weeks leading up to my recent trip to the Badlands, Yellowstone, and the Black Hills I was struck with some inspiration and suffered some perspiration in a failed attempt to become a writer/director/producer/actor/editor. It turns out, these are too many roles for a single person to have.

The concept is simple. In the spirit of (a) Rosencrantz & Guildenstern, (b) Vladimir & Estragon, (c) Holden McNeil & Banky Edwards, or (d) Randal Graves & Dante Hicks, I wanted to put together a production which features the idiotic banter of two actors during the course of a short period of time. The central theme of the plot was to be a fairly universal one: life. Precisely, I wanted to espouse about several of the most important choices made by a person through their formative years (i.e. occupations, relations, and passions). These are the choices that mold us... these are the choices that make us who we are... these are the choices which reinforce the old axiom, "You can be anything you want when you grow up".

The script calls for 5 diverse settings. This was to take advantage of the different places I visited on my vacation. The original plan was to film with Meghan and Tom at these locations during the trip, but like I said, that plan was a failure because I didn't feel comfortable going ahead with it (more on that later). Anyway, the first setting was desert. The second setting was the geyser plains and canyons of Yellowstone. The third setting was a beach. The fourth setting was a forest. The final setting was an urban park (such as Central Park in NYC).

The plot follows that the two protagonists awaken each day in a different, random location. They don't know they got there. They just get to enjoy each day for what it is. They explore, debate, and argue about their lives and their own individual experiences. They talk a lot about their past, present, and future. They frustrate with each other and luxuriate in their own uniqueness. But at the heart of it... they are shown to take a step back and reflect positively on everything (even the bad stuff).

To move the plot forward, I had imbued the protagonists with a "magic backpack" out of which they could draw any article of need or want that they can imagine. In this sense, they are put in a position where they can truly enjoy themselves and be comfortable. Also, a magic backpack provides some opportunities for comedy. And at the heart of it... that's what I was going for. A funny story that talks about serious topics in a very nonsensical way. I wanted to present something that will make an audience laugh, but also contemplate their own choices. You know what I mean? Something with layers.

And that's where I failed, because while I was able to put together a plot and (most of) a script that I felt comfortable with... I don't think I did a good job with the humor. When it came time to commence filming during Day 2 of the vacation, spurred by misgivings that Meghan and Tom expressed doubts in their acting abilities, I decided that a great idea would be thoroughly mediocre if not properly executed. And a comedy, without humor is certainly a poor execution.

At that time, I resolved to give myself more time to further development of the script so I can polish it and improve it. Also, I resolved to solicit help from others, because I realize that I am not capable of pulling off the feature length production by myself.

That's what this post is for... who wants to help? Presently I am in the "refining the script and planning" phase of the project. Casting, filming, and editing are to follow. I can't promise anything, but I can say that my ultimate goal is to enter the final production into a number of different film festivals and maybe win a couple of them. Then, after the film is produced I envision granting rights to various theater groups for a live production using the script from the film. After all, live action is better than film anyway. Film is just easier because you get to fix and cover-up mistakes as you go. :)

So, there it is. Who's in?