The importance of "NO"

This week was so amazing. I think that sounds cliche, but that's really the only way to explain it.
My company, Stargate Studios, was brought on board for the grand opening of the new YouTube studios in La Playa California. We were contracted to use our Previzion System to put on a live show for Lindsey Sterling, the hip hop violinist on YouTube. She's incredibly popular, getting millions of hits on her videos, and was surprisingly down to earth and sweet. As were all of the YoutTubers that I met this week.

So the team at Stargate began building an incredible 3D world based on a final fantasy like request from Lindsey. It took three weeks to build the world, and test it in my previzion system. I learned so much about the system in the process of testing the world. It was a big world, with 8 high definition videos playing, real time green screen keying, and 3D rendering all at once. Too many videos, and the system crashes, wrong settings on my machine and it crashes, so many things could (and did) go wrong.
But we ironed out the bugs and got to where we were comfortable.

Then we moved into the stage at the YouTube studio, called YouTube space LA, and started putting up our tracking markers and green screen. This is where the fun starts, orienting the virtual world, lighting, final testing of videos, and walking through the scene. It really is like magic when you see it all come together and work. It still amazes me.

When Lindsey came in, she was obviously blown away by the world we created, and were able to have her interact with. We practiced a few times, got her marks, and recorded a few takes for use later on. She's quite a talented performer. She hit her marks all the time, played very consistently, and really just trooped her way through the whole thing. I was impressed, I thought she'd be a diva.

The following night, we went live. The top YouTubers were invited to the event, and were outside waiting and watching. We were being broadcast to a jumbo screen outside, and I think being streamed live online. So we couldn't have any mistakes. I wasn't given much info on where it was going to be streamed. And I still haven't seen it. Everything on our end went according to plan, and we wound up being the stars of the show. Every one was excited to see what we could do and play in our world. From 8-11:30 we had a constant flow of intrigued content creators asking us questions and trying to find out how they can get a hold of us for their channels. It was very exhilarating.


Meeting some of my YouTube heros was so cool. Among the impressed crowd was Freddie W and Brandon Laatsch, Joe Penna (Mystery Guitar Man), Corridor Digital, Sam Tsui and Kurt Schneider, and Tony Hawk.
Funny thing about Tony Hawk, that's who he is. It's not just Tony, or Mr. Hawk. It's only ever Tony Hawk. But he's a really nice guy for a super star.

The point of this post is to talk about the event a little, and also it talk about NO.

During the set up process, working with the talent, directors, and our own VFX supervisors, I never heard the word "no." There were definitely requests for things that could be be delivered. But no one ever said no. They gave political answers, like "Hmmm. Let me check on that and get back to you." Or,"The way that we have our system configured right now, that's not possible. But if we break it down, we can reconfigure in two hours. Is that something you want to do?"

Very crafty, and it reminds me of a lesson that I learned in high school, when I was the coach of the school's improv team. never say no, because nothing kills creativity faster. No eliminates options. Just like Sam Jackson's speech in "The Negotiator." He's talking the new negotiator through how to talk down a hostage taker. "Can I see a priest?" Answer: "I'll see what I can do."

Saying no also makes you sound like a dick. Like you don't care enough to even explore their creativity as an option.

I need to work on this. My first thought is to say no, when I know that something can't be done. Or at least can't be done easily. I need to be more open to trying. I don't know why my first reaction is to say no, but it has been lately. I really need to take my own advice, and be more political. 

Picking up speed

Well, at a whopping 20 (average) views a day for the last week, I feel pretty accomplished.
Some days, I feel like I have nothing to write, but I still put my thoughts down, then I erase them and either start over and think of something new, or don't write anything. I don't want this blog to become a bitch fest. Believe me, I have plenty of things to bitch about. Like the woman behind me in traffic last week. She was tail gating me, with both iPhone ear buds in. The problem that I saw, was not that she was talking on the phone while using a hands free device, BUT STILL HOLDING THE PHONE IN HER HAND! It's not hands free if you use a hand to operate it! Same with speaker phone, you don't use speaker phone and hold it! It defeats the purpose of hands free. LA drivers...
That's not what I want this blog to be about, though it's tempting some times. I can rant! The upcoming internet radio show that I'll be hosting will probably have a lot more ranting than I want, but that's just how I host shows. When I get to talking, I can go and go and go. A two hour radio show? Sweet. Maybe I'll get more than 20 listeners.
The show had to be put on hold, because we needed more time to get our ducks in a row. January should be our first show. The school that is sponsoring the show had an event that needed attention. And I must say that the Los Angeles Film School's Annual Salute was a blast! I met some fun people, got some swag, and heard some very inspiring presentations.
Which is what I want to talk about today, motivation and inspiration. I've been pretty lazy lately. Not going to the gym, crashing on my couch instead of writing, sleeping in to the last minute instead of reading the news in the morning. But today I think I reached that breaking point, where I just got so fed up with myself, I got off my ass and did something. I started cleaning my apartment, started writing the script that I've had in my head, and I went for a jog. I haven't been to the gym for months, and when I went today, it was closed. So I opted for a short run and an apartment work out instead.

They say that you should do at least one hour of work for your career every day. I say this in response: There are people out there spending two hours on theirs, so how are you going to keep up?

As a wrestler in high school, I learned that every minute you spend not training, there's a guy out there who IS training. And when you meet him, you'll know it.

So what ever it takes, find your motivation. It might take a while, but don't get down on yourself because of that. It just takes time. But don't waste that time. 

Changes Changes Changes

So, to my loyal reader, I'm sorry it's been so long since I posted. I played with the idea of quitting the blog all together, but my strange need for the approval of others won out. I just like the world to know what I'm doing. I think I have a pretty interesting life, and maybe somewhere out there, people are interested.
I don't remember exactly where I left off with the blog (ya, I know I could load a new window and read my last post. Don't be such a smart ass), so I'll recap the last few months. After graduating from the LA Film School, I went on a 10 day trip to Israel, and had a blast. It wasn't life changing or anything, but it was fun and eye opening. I still don't believe in god, but it was good to see that part of the world. Especially after having seen parts of the Muslim region, to see the Jewish part was...educational.
Just before I started the trip, I got a call from my father, who told me to call his friend about a job at a visual effects company. I called and left a message saying that I was very excited for the opportunity, and I'd love to come in for an interview. That was all, then I went on my trip. When I got home, I found that I had got the job, and was going to start in three days. My parents took the liberty of changing my flight from New York to LA from Monday to Friday. Very smart, because I started work on Sunday.
Long story short, I now am employed full time by Stargate Studios in Pasadena CA. I am the Previzion operator. Previzion is a technology that attaches to a movie camera and records it's movement in a 3D space AND replaces green screen in real time. It's an incredibly powerful tool for directors and producers on set. The director and cinematographer can line up shots and see what the composed image will look like. We can also finish the shot in camera and give that to the producers, to put straight into the editor's sweet, then right onto television.
There are so few people that can operate this system, you could probably count them on your fingers and toes. So this really is ground breaking stuff. I can't believe how fortunate I am to have this job. A month out of film school, and I have a full time job that can take me all the way to the top. Incredible!
So no more stunts for me.

I need to be very careful what I put on this blog, I have signed several NDAs (Non Disclosure Agreements). I could get fired or sued if I say the wrong thing. So if I seem vague in the future, I'm sorry. I'll tell you what I can, when I can.

I'll be keeping the "stuntdan" title. I still love that.
Since I have a real job now, I have my VA disability money coming in, and I have my car paid off now. So I can afford to go out and have a good time. So I signed up with the USPSA, the United States Practical Shooting Association. I have two pistol competitions under my belt, I took 2nd and 1st place! Of course I was shooting against only three people. If I change classes, I can shoot against more people, but this is nice to not have pressure, I can continue to learn and get better. Which I will. I'll link some videos as I get some that make me look cool.

So like always, continue to stay sharp, and stay tuned.