Film Shoot Wednesday! or Crisis of Choice

First of all, I invite you all to come down and participate in a film shoot this coming Wednesday (the 2nd) as I will be filming at least 1 short film, although I hope to get more done if possible. I will be getting the equipment at 10 am and want to keep going as long as possible. I think that I'll be able to pick up some pizza or something to feed y'all (assuming I don't get too many folks!) From the looks of it, I MAY have to take the stuff back at 6, but I'm going to try to get it all for an extra day so that we can go long into that good night. The schedule thus far looks like:
1) a 1 minute or so short film for my class entitled "The Fine Art of Seduction" starring Derek Kroeker and an as of yet uncast female.
2) a 3 or so minute short film entitled "The Satyr's Waltz" starring Dave, Jay, and (hopefully) Tyler, but if not him, then whoever is there.
3) the RE-shoot of "Zombies in the Toilet" if there is time.
If I can get the stuff for a second day, then I hope to try to do:
4) a 3 or so minute short film entitled "The Communist in the Cupboard" hopefully starring the master thespian Caley Gibson!
5) something I will write in the next couple of days that will most likely be completely ridiculous and silly.
Shooting 5 films in 2 days might seem ambitious, but based on the length and amount of camera set ups required, I don't think it's impossible or unreasonable. In addition, I have some more experience with the camera now, and should be able to avoid the types of things that plagued the first shoot in the summer... not that that one didn't go fairly well, but still.

Now for something that I would like input on. I am going to write stream of consciousness style, so forgive the rambling nature of the whole thing.
I have been saving up money for the past while in the hopes of purchasing a professional video camera and most likely an editing suite. I was planning on this to become a self sufficient film production studio where I could do everything myself and at whatever whim came to my head. In addition, I would rent out the camera to people who wanted to use it, and perhaps even try to make extra money being an event videographer or something.
The counter thoughts that come into my head are these:
It's a lot of money (like 6 grand) to spend. Another path could be to just rent out the equipment from video pool or the film group and use the money saved for other things (like RRSP's or to pay for more demanding films). The problem with that is that I would be beholden to an organization for access to equipment. I would have to work around the times available and could not just decide to go and do something whenever I felt like it. I would also not be able to do the outside videographing work to make extra money. On the other hand, I would be able to use better equipment that I could never afford to buy right now. (Unless I took out a loan, which I don't want to do).
Do I really NEED to own my own stuff, or is that just a waste of hard earned money. Am I just taking my need for self sufficiency to an illogical extreme. Is it really that bad to have to go and rent things? I mean these organizations like video pool are there to make things easier, so that you don't have to drop all your money on tech. Then again, I want to try to make a longer feature next year, that would take much more work. Renting all the equipment would end up costing quite a bit anyway. It also sucks to find parking down in the exchange, not to mention that it is a bit of a drive to get there. Then again, driving 25 minutes to not drop 6 grand? Maybe it would be better to just buy a MAC for the editing and leave the camera for a little later, I mean the film groups MAC is pretty old now and there have been like 4 versions of final cut released since they last updated. I would want to get one with HD capability, as that is the wave of the future.
One thing that constantly pops into my head during all of this is the fact that this whole filmmaking thing is what I would like to be doing for a career type thing. The best way to do that is to just get a move on. I have so many projects in mind that I want to just DO, but is the best way of doing all of this having my own stuff and give'n'er or to use that money for production values and rent out everything...??? This might sound hokey, but I really feel that the crazy amount of money I got from ebay for my old games was some sort of blessing type thing that I should use for the furtherment of my "dreams." It was a sort of kick in the pants. The only challenge is that I keep doubting myself and my decisions. I don't want to do something that I regret... then again, to do nothing is the ultimate regret. How will I know if I can do this if I don't just go for the gold? But do I really have to go for the gold this way? Could I take a cheaper path that would require me to own less? ARGH. Sometimes I really overthink and get myself stuck in a type of loop. If any of you guys, my valued friends, have thoughts on this please comment, as it always helps to hear the voices of those who aren't in your own head.

Jeff Hardy did an insane dive from the stage to the waiting form of Abyss prone on the table. It was the highlight of the night! 

Jeff Jarrett flies through the air at Rhino, who ended up winning the match and the title! 

PPV or When do I Work Next?

Last night Lee and I went over to my buddy Dan's place to check out the TNA pay per view "Bound for Glory." Having gone a LONG time without paying for a wrestling PPV, this was a different experience. Overall the show was a good one, with the right people winning and a truly surprise ending. If you are into wrestling check it out.
This week is going to be odd, as I currently have no shifts. That could all change at the last minute, but as it stands right now, I have a defacto vacation. Time off is nice, but I need money!

Here's Robbie now... old and slow, but still the metal god! 

Here's what Robbie looked like before the hardening sands of time had their effect. 

Rob Halford????? 

Judas Priest or Forklift Training

Last night was the long anticipated Judas Priest concert here in the 'Peg. Jay and I, who were both sick, attended the festivities and each walked away with the same impression. Sonically, the show was amazing, with the band and Halford sounding awesome... Visually, the show was lacking. I think that all stemmed from Rob Halford being strangely immobile and feeble. He was having problems walking around the stage, needed a cane type thing to hold him up for some songs, was hunched over most of the time, was constantly going to the back (after each song and during solos) for what I presume was oxygen, and was generally too rickety to be energetic. He seemed to have the old man bent neck thing going on, as when looking up, his entire upper body would lift with his head. We think that he must have hurt himself, because Jay had a friend who saw Priest last year and insists that Halford was running around like crazy then. I doubt his body could deteriorate that much in a year... Could it??? Anyway, the show was pretty good apart from the sad sight that was the former metal god. The opener, Anthrax, was one of the better openers I've seen, in as far as they had the crowd rocking despite their lame ass material. Did I mention that I am not an Anthrax fan? I guess if you like standard thrash metal, you could do worse than them, but if you don't like that sort of thing, I wouldn't see why you would want to bother with that band.
I had forklift certification today. It was a bunch of safety videos, a written test, and a practical obstacle course type thing. While I passed, I have no intention of driving one of those things. They are all weird moving and too "floaty." It definitely made getting back into my car an experience, as I had to re-adjust to the normal way cars handle.

I am Sick or Bombers Lose Again

I am currently sick. I assume it's a cold, as my sinuses are nutso clogged, my nose needs a good blowing, and I am experiencing what is referred to as a sinus headache. This all started yesterday morning upon waking. I have pinpointed a few sources: 1) my dad refusing to put the heat on at night because it is not cold, 2) working 2 10 hour days, staying out till 3 am, and waking up at 8 too often, and 3) the vicious cold that circulated around work... I'm leaning with a combination of the 3 to form an uber sickness! Luckily I have a day off from everything, so I can just stay in and rest. Hopefully I'm back to normal tomorrow night for JUDAS PRIEST!!!!!!!!!
Stupidly, I attended the Bomber game yesterday (which made me sicker) only to see them lose yet again. This time it pretty much all came down to a time count violation that are stupid quarterback made with a minute or so to go. It cost them the winning TD. I also don't really like football all that much, but hey... it's the local team and whatnot, you gotta support 'em!
Someone filed a "item not as described" complaint against me on ebay. Apparently my game did not have enough "sticker luster" to qualify as mint. Every time I think that I am anal, someone out there proves me horribly wrong...

2 Long Days or That was it?

Thursday and Friday are going to suck. I have to work 10 hour days of Express. The long-ness and boringness are going to eclipse any joy at the paycheck. Ah well, ain't no use in complaining if you've got a job to do. Credit for that one goes to Canada's part time shame, Brian Adams.
I just played through Final Fantasy 1 on the GBA "Dawn of souls." Man how times have changed... When I was a wee lad, that game was the shizznit. I must have put in 40 hours trying to figure out what to do, trying to level up, etc. This time, I breezed through the whole thing in 18 (even with not remembering what to do at all times). I was even max leveled, without even trying! Oh yeah, the game is so lame. There is no story to speak of, no characters, no real ending (other than a screen of sky with scrolling text), and no real incentive to do anything. This version had some added dungeons containing bosses from other final fantasy games, which, while neat, were not a selling feature. The only thing that made my trek through this game bearable was a fast forward button that allowed me to speed through all the shitty random encounters.

Here's Dave in his costume, which was the focus of the event. 

Early Halloween or Class Begins!

Last night was the "Satyrycon" or Dave's photo shoot/bar night thingy that he had spent so much time organizing. It seemed to be going off without a hitch as there were plenty of people there and they all seemed to be having a good time. Having been told that it was a costume party where Greek and Roman themes were encouraged, I decided to dress up as Raven, the famous wrestler of ECW, WWF, WCW, and TNA fame. Erin was dressed up in a Cleopatra costume, but had a sudden change of heart and wouldn't go in. Luckily she had a change of clothes to use. There were belly dancers, a transvestite, and 2 gay guy dancers who were all really good and had the crowd going. Did I mention that the event was at a gay bar? Dave was really busy with his photos all night, so I didn't get too much of a chance to see how things were going, although from what I saw, I'd say that it was a success.
Tomorrow I finally start the advanced filmmaking class at the Winnipeg Film Group. I'm pumped!

Here's my Raven costume. I know that I should have gotten a wig, but hey... 

Audioslave Concert or Wrestling DVD's on Sale

Tonight was the Audioslave concert, attended by myself, Erin and the Stobart brothers. The show was not too shabby! The openers, 30 seconds to Mars fronted by Jared Leto were already into their set when we arrived, but we saw enough to know that they were forgettable. The frontman really thought he was the shit, as he demanded that everyone stand for him and sing along to songs they'd never heard of. I'd go so far as to call him an egocentric lunatic. The next band "Seether" was in desperate need of a reminder that the year is no longer 1993, and that grunge is dead. If I wasn't looking at them straight, I'd swear that they were Silverchair back to annoy me. When the dude dedicated songs to Kurt Cobain and Laine Stayley, I knew that things we going downhill. Every songs was similar to the previous one and tended to blur their whole set together. Funny thing is, at one point myself and the Stobart's were all asleep! I'd say that sums up the status of Seether.
Audioslave was great, keeping the crowd going crazy through the whole set. They played a few Soundgarden songs (Rusty Cage, Spoonman, and Black Hole Sun), a few Rage songs (Bulls on Parade, Killing in the Name, and the one about setting things on fire whose name escapes me now), and a great deal of their two albums. All in all they played (including 7 song encore!) for about 1 hour 45 minutes, which is pretty good for a 3 band concert. During the really fast songs, the mosh pit was nuts with people flying everywhere. Had I been 16, I might have wanted to join in, but as I am not, I did not. While on the subject of 16 year olds, I would have to put their percentage of the crowd at somewhere in the 80's. It was a high schoolers convention! When the encore came up, I called that they would play Cochise, Killing in the Name, and Black Hole Sun, which they did (making me correct as usual) but I wasn't expecting them to play 4 more songs! (You win some, you lose some). Anyway, I was very impressed and was glad that I went to the show.
Last night I scored some cheap wrestling DVD's at Wal-Mart (boo) and Music World. They include: The Eddie Guerrero Story, Hall of Fame induction 2004, and Hardcore Homecoming. The hardcore one was a surprise as it was the ECW reunion put on by Shane Douglas the day before the official one that the WWE did. Due to legal issues, they had to bleep out all the ECW chants, the entrance music, and the references to ECW which made the sound mixing really off. The crowd seemed dead the whole night, but they were in fact, red hot the whole time. It was weird to see Sandman come out to techno music and see the whole crowd singing soundlessly to "Enter Sandman." The show itself was cool, for a nostalgia effect, featuring a 3 way barbed wire match that had suitable gore and craziness. At this point, ECW is gone and should stay that way, as you will never be able to duplicate what that company was about. TNA is the future and should be the focus of all the wrestling fans who long for something good again.

It's 2 am or Bob Dylan

It's 2 am and I'm sitting here without any onus to do anything. I'm currently listening to some Bob Dylan, which I've been into more and more recently after seeing the great documentary "No Direction Home" that was on PBS last week. Bob Dylan is really cool, as he does his own thing, cares not for the desires of others, and totally rejects interpretations of his lyrics. You gotta respect a guy who shoots down a pressman who says "the song A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall deals with nuclear war" with the response "no it's not, it's about a hard rain." I dig.

Ashleigh's Wedding or TNA iMPACT!

Erin, Lee, and I went to Ashleigh and Brad's little wedding fiesta last night in the humble little town of Ste. Adolphe. It was a fairly standard wedding with the ceremony and reception all in the same hall. I was happy to hear that there was no God-stuff thrown in there, nor were there any really excessive speeches (with the possible exception of the MC). Overall, a good time was had by all, with yours truly eating 3 pieces of cake and generally making good use of the buffet dinner and open bar.
After the show, Erin and I watched the Spike TV debut of TNA iMPACT (that's how they spell it) and were both entertained. It looks like they have a good idea of what they are trying to accomplish with the different stars and I hope they do really well. Kevin Nash and the Dudley Boyz both (re)debuted and the whole show looked slick and well produced. I'm thinking about ordering "Bound For Glory," the next PPV, so if anyone is interested in having a party type thing for it, let me know.
I got a stack of papers to read from the Business service centre about starting my own little business, so I'm going to be doing a lot of perusing over the next week or so. Hopefully I'll be good to go soon, so that I'll be able to buy that camera I've been eyeing.