Rehearsal A-Go-Go
Mood:  smelly
Now Playing: Ennio Morricone's "Passeggiata In Paese" from his score for "Malena"

dramatic and gymnastic rehearsal for "Respect" went very well last night. i'm extremely excited about the visuals we'll be pulling off with this film. it will be the most visual project i've ever worked on. most of my scripts rely on the dialouge to tell the story or to reveal the characters. this one is almost entirely non-verbal and has everything to do with what you see. tonight we shoot and tomorrow we shoot, unless we do exceptionally well tonight and get everything done in one night -- which isn't that outlandish of a thought, considering the script is a whopping three pages.

the visuals have presented an interesting challenge to Brian and i, as we are poor film students (or rather, poor film school graduates) and we don't really have any fancy-shmancy equipment. so we're stealing a page out of Robert Rodriguez's book and are using a wheelchair for our dolly shots. for our lower dolly shots, we're using a little something i like to call "the Marty McFly dolly," which really just constitutes of strapping the camera to a skateboard and pulling it. the nicest equipment we have is the Panasonic DVX we're shooting with and the jib we found on e-bay for 10$. when you don't have a studio throwing money at you, you have to get creative, which is half the fun. the other half of the fun, for me, is writing it. and the other half is casting it. and then directing it. and watching it be edited into the film.

i have begun The Poor Man's Diet. i don't usually do diets, especially the fad ones, but this one seems to work. it's been tested throughout the ages, being put to especially good use in Ireland around the turn of the century and there are places in Africa where they are still using it en masse. but basically, the way it works is: no money = no food = no unslightly weight gain. i'll keep you posted on how well it works or doesn't work. i'd hate to be the instigator behind a fad diet that doesn't work out.

and since i know you like them so much, here's some pictures from last night's rehearsal:

Sadtimes in Scott Town
Mood:  celebratory
Now Playing: Bon Jovi's "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead"
okay not really.

i came into work today, made my way to the kitchen, and found not one, but two pots of cold coffee. someone forgot to brew a fresh pot. i swore under my breath "sad times strike Scott Town," but then i remembered . . .

today's our anniversary! four years ago today Kelly and I shared our first kiss. awww . . . and now we're getting married -- December 18th! mark your calender! to commemorate this day, i will share our first picture together. i took it on the porch of my cabin (Cherokee!) at camp:

also, if you have seven minutes free, check out this exclusive Internet teaser-trailer for Cameron Crowe's latest film, "Elizabethtown," starring Kirsten Dunst and Orlando Bloom. i love Cameron Crowe's flicks. his style is one that i connect to and would love to emulate within my own. his connection with human emotion is astounding. be sure to check it out. and if you have no idea who Cameron Crowe is, go watch "Almost Famous."

When the Cake is Stale
Mood:  chatty
Now Playing: Foo Fighter's "Still"

MU-WAH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!! i got the last of the birthday cake! even if it had completely dried out and the only redeeming factor it had was that it took the bite out of the bitterly black coffee i was sipping on, i got the last piece! ENVY ME!!

this ends Scott's power trip of the day. tune in tomorrow when he robs the offering plate, accusing church goers they owe him ten percent of their income.

we're shooting a voice over test today for the IVF DVD. i have to convince the powers that be that i do know what i'm doing and that my casting decisions can be trusted.

pre-production on the first of the short films is nearing completion. we have a dramatic and gymnastic rehearsal on Monday and then we begin shooting on Tuesday! wish us luck!

pray for Ripple Productions. we're going through a defining (or re-defining, depending on who you talk to). the next couple of weeks are going to be very, very big for Ripple as we make decisions about where we're headed.

Have a great weekend!
-Scott "Carb Conquistador" Fogg

Magic Hour
Mood:  cheeky
Now Playing: Chris Gaines' "Right Now"

i can't explain it. it's just a natural occurance. but it doesn't matter how tired i was, how little sleep i received the night before, but when i hit 10am, i wake up and life is good.

i love when we have birthdays in the office. once a month, we celebrate everyone who was born that month. we buy a huge cake and have it at lunch. they always buy a cake that is half chocolate and half . . . white -- vanilla, i guess? sugary frosting, the whole nine yards. the cake is so big that no matter how big they cut it, there's always cake left over. that cake sits in the kitchen, waiting for someont to consume it or at least keep it company. during the "birthday week," as i like to call it, i come into work, pour myself a cup of coffee, and have a slice of cake. there are much worse ways to start a day.

i'm about to buzz outta the office, i have much to do and less time to do it in. i have to sort out costuming for "Respect," i have to make sure the actors can make it to rehearsal, have to coordinate transportation of our lights, have to test the lights and have to go down to Tenessee Temple to inspect their theatre, as we may be moving our venue there -- they at least want us to perform That You May Believe there. we shall see.

The Reports of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated
Mood:  happy
Now Playing: Jan Hammer's "Crockett's Theme" from the "Miami Vice" score

you may caught this, i just wanted to let all my fans (both of you) know that i'm in litigation to clear this misunderstanding up. i'm not dead.

:) isn't that great? if you'd like to see your name in the headlines, click here and then click on "newspaper prank." follow the directions and soon you'll be facing a gristly death!

enjoy!

Red Light, Green Light
Mood:  sharp
Now Playing: Kylie Minogue's "Love At First Sight"

the film industry is a very stop and go process. so much so it can drive ya' nuts. take right now for example. last week, my life was a whirlwind as i raced to finish the script for the IVF video. now that it's finished, i wait. i wait for script approval, i wait for casting decisions to be made, i wait for people to get back in touch with me. there's little to nothing i can do right now. but that could all change in the matter of a moment, when someone walks in and says "we have her, let's do it." and BAM! i'm off. this is why i stagger and layer my projects, so when i'm waiting on something to happen, i still have something i can be doing. there's still scripts that need to be written, costumes that need to be found, and actors that need to be contacted.

which is where i'm at right now. i'm waiting till 10am to call anyone, as it is summer and if these actors i'm wanting to call don't have a job, it's just mean to call them before then.

i watched "A Love Song for Bobby Long" yesterday. if you enjoyed Lost in Translation, you'll dig this flick. i did. it takes place in New Orleans and it has a lethargic melancholy to the whole picture that i really enjoyed. there's also a subtly to it that i appreciated.

anyway, gonna go inject another round of coffee into the veins and make some phone calls, ta-ta!

My Parents' Study Buddy
Mood:  caffeinated
Now Playing: Matchbox 20's "Real World"

as i burn the Batman Begins soundtrack, i thought i'd go ahead and do my daily update dance.

oh, right. you can't see that. well it's a sight to behold, believe you me.

i finished watching "Firefly" last night. i have the box set -- having purchased it after renting the first disc of the set from Netflix. it make me sad that quality programming gets cancelled after a dozen or so episodes when we have long-running crap still filling the airwaves. it was, simply put, a highly imaginitive television show that got cancelled before it could even finish its first season. if you like westerns, sci-fi, or Joss Whedon's work, this has your name written all over it. this September, "Serenity," a movie based on this show, is coming out, so i'll see you at the movies. or you'll see me. either way, i'll be seeing it in the theatre.

it's a very strange time and place to be when you're helping your parents with their homework. my dad is taking a class that has peppered with various computer programs (Word, Power Point, Excel, and now Dreamweaver) and i've been the "go-to" person for help in these. my mom calls me up:

"hey, you know web design."

"barely."

"but you have a website."

"yeah, but it's Angelfire," i say, not bringing the Fertility Center's website into the discussion.

"Angelfire?" she repeats. "Is that like Dreamweaver?"

"Yes," I roll my eyes, "that's exactly where I was going with that statement."

"Well good then, think you can come over and help him after work?"

so i did. i've helped him with his other projects too, and i've realized that i'm just not cut-out to be a computer progamming teacher. sorry. maybe if the subject was screenwriting . . .

oh hey, Batman Begins is done burning. time for me to go label the tracks. tootles!

The Magdalene Sisters visit Philadelphia
Mood:  happy
Now Playing: James Horner's "The Fencing Lesson" from his score for "The Mask of Zorro"

wow. two incredibly sobering movies in one weekend. i need to learn to pace myself better. the first was an Irish film called "The Magdalene Sisters." it's the true story about the laundries that were run by the Catholic church in Ireland that "fallen women" were sent to that they might atone for their "sins." the other film i took in might as well have been a true story, it played like one. it was Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington's "Philadelphia." i had never seen it and it was way beyond time for me to watch it. amazing performances all 'round. my only wish is i wish they had ended the courtroom part of it more conclusively. with the evidence provided both in and out of court, i'm not convinced the men who fired him fired him out of their bigotry. yes, they were bigots. bigots enough to fire him? i dunno.

spent last night watching "The Blue Collar Comedy Tour" with Marshall (my little brother) and doing some photoshop work for Alyssa Bonagura. she recently had a photo shoot and she wasn't pleased with her pictures and asked me to touch up a couple of them:

i know, i know. you see one of Scott's collages, you've seen them all. well, to the two of you who are reading this, GET. OVER. IT.

have a meeting with David Rodney this afternoon. he's a local talent agent -- have i told you this before? we're gonna get together and discuss how we might be mutually beneficial for one another.

i have two (count 'em, two!) softball games tonight. better go hit the batting cages.

Paying Bills Sucks
Mood:  spacey
Now Playing: Flogging Molly's "Drunken Lullabies"
i got paid yesterday and already 75% of check is gone and on nothing fun, mind you (well, except Jaws and Hitch). bills and groceries. seriously friggin' sucks. i remind myself it won't be this bad next month because several of the bills i had to pay were one-time things, like down payments and safety deposits. like today, for example. opened my electicity bill, because, you know, i had to pay it. i was expecting something in 30-40$ range, but oh no, it was 200$ due a 150$ security deposit i had to make (for electricity?!), a start-up fee and then all the electricity i used this month. i get the 150$ back when i close the account, but daaaaaaamnn that sucks.

about to nod off at the keyboard, and it's only 10:34am. this has been the week that won't quit. yesterday morning i finished the script for a video i'm shooting for the center, an introduction to IVF and yesterday afternoon i began shooting it. i had to interview one of the doctors as he's leaving for a three-week vacation on Wednesday and there's no other time between now and then we'll be able to sit down. i'm trying to cast the roles of "concerned IVF patients" and i think i've found the right woman for it, but she's uncomfortable with the instructional half of the project, where we show people how to inject themselves with the medication. so now i'm looking for a body double who's okay with us injecting their stomach and right bum cheek.

Brian and i did some light tests last night and we're going to shoot 10:1 - Respect at night . . . or we're going to hang mad, thick curtains up over the doors to keep any natural light out.

okay. the boss isn't looking. i'm going to curl up under my new desk and take a nap.

keep it down, okay?

"It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me."
Mood:  loud
Now Playing: U2's "All Because of You"

that quote, the title of this entry, is a direct quote from Batman Begins, which i took in last night. great movie. amazing movie. the best "origin tale" to date. Kelly (my fiance) thinks its the best superhero movie to date, though Spider-Man 2 still holds that position in my opinion, just because i like it better. but that line, that quote up there, is something Bats says near the end of the flick and it's stuck with me ever since, because it's so true.

people are always complaining "people don't see me for who i am, who i am underneath all this, who i am down here," but you are what you do. maybe that sounds too much like defining yourself by your job, but that's not what i'm talking about. if you mistreat people, or if you're a jerk or if you're the quitest, meekest person on earth, that is YOU. if you're not happy with the way people perceive you, then be the person you want to be! embrace who you are and be the person you were born to be!

it just had a profound effect on me, i guess because it was coming from a guy in black rubber. who knows.

if you haven't seen BB (not Black Beauty), see it. see it now. turn off your computer, get up, grab your keys and wallet, get to the theatre, and go see it. now.