I tend to do things as quickly as possible. That's not to say that I rush to complete things, but I like to think of myself as efficient. I know that this is not the way that everyone operates and I try to remain focused on my goals, even as I see other things not happening quickly. Right now though, I am in the midst of a waiting game that might just drive me crazy... Some friends and I have entered a contest on POPTENT together and the results are not announced until the 24th of August. So in the meantime, all I can do is fantasize about a much needed Disneyland vacation with no real way of being able to go without the much needed windfall of this prize money (it is a very good chunk of change).
A related personal problem of mine is that I tend to think about all incomplete tasks at once. Shooting weddings, working full time, and doing poptent commercials on the side tends to get my head spinning a little bit at times. Fantasizing about Disneyland is a nice way to calm myself; there have been studies that show that one of the most relaxing things about a vacation is the anticipation of going. However, that only serves to remind me that there are 170 entries and ours is but 1. I think it is pretty good, especially considering some people didn't even use the proper end slate, or the correct font. Which isn't really a big deal, but when its a contest with rules and you are trying to represent a brand these things alone can disqualify your entry. Also, introducing a brand to a group that has absolutely no idea about it is also no easy feat. So here is our ad for netflix. Please take the time to like our video or comment on it. We would really appreciate the attention. Netflix will ultimately pick 5 videos to award 8000 dollars each, which we would split between the people who helped us make the video.
Until I know what the end result is with Netflix, I will just have to fantasize and try to remain focused at the same time. All the while hoping and praying that it will all work out. This is only one of about a million things I am excited for right now so I'm just full to the top with energy right now. A few of my coworkers have informed me that my excess energy can get a little stressful, so this is something I can work on as well :-). Enthusiasm is just pumping through my veins right now and I want all the awesome stuff I'm waiting for (including a few unmentioned things) to be well worth the torturous wait.
How do you keep anticipation from killing you? Any and all suggestions are welcome!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Problems with Female Characters
I recently saw Cowboys and Aliens (midnight showing Bitches!) and I love Jon Favreau's work. But as I get closer to arriving in LA and hitting the streets to find myself a job on set that I can be proud of, I wonder what the place is for women in Hollywood. This interview with Olivia Wilde had me stoked on the film and the idea that they were portraying a woman from the time period as the strong and independent woman she would have had to be in order to survive the cowboy old west days. However (and this is probably because I was unfamiliar with the comic on which the movie is based) I was disappointed in the film when SPOILER ALERT BIG TIME: she was revealed to be an alien. This is probably written into the comic, as I said, but it still made me sad that the strong bad ass woman was literally from another planet. ANOTHER SPOILER ALERT: I was also really peeved that for her to save the day she had to martyr herself. Can a woman save the day? Yes, if she explodes.
Here is the interview that got me so psyched on the film. Watch it. I don't think the SPOILER ALERT: alieness and martyrdom were things she is really thinking about in this interview, but they are still worth noting.
I saw a post by a friend who is always psyched about comicon on facebook and it was a link to a batgirl who apparently faced quite alot of negativity for questions relating to the inequality of female to male main characters in comic books, as well as in the creative aspects of comics. Read it. I was really shocked, as I'm sure "batgirl" herself was, by the clear hostility in the executive's voice when asked about women in DC. Comics have long been associated with lonely male nerds, but that's simply not by a long shot the whole demographic of people who read comics. That in itself is an awful stereotype and I think it is a problem that is compounded (when you read the blog interview you will understand) by hostility from the people who are in control of the brand. Comics can be about women, as well as men. Comics can be MADE by women, as well as men. I used to think that this inequality was probably due to less women wanting to be involved in comic books, but after reading this blog, I feel like even though there are fewer women interested in comics it doesn't justify the 1% female creative staff noted by one male fan of the DC universe.
I guess what it boils down to is that women are still "the weaker sex" in movies and comics. I want to fix this, but it is not something to be done (as some female film theorists would have it) in an alternative art cinema. Women should be superheroes too; women should be movie heroes too. I was so excited to see Kickass because of Hitgirl's insane action sequences and strength. Ultimately though, she was reliant on a male superhero (one less experienced and more beat up throughout the film) to ultimately save her.
Unfortunately, this is how I see things. Do you have any inspiring female characters not reliant on male companionship? Did I majorly miss something in my ideas that I should be aware of? Tell me how you see it because this is one thing I would like to see differently and I know the things I discussed are just the tip of the iceberg.
Here is the interview that got me so psyched on the film. Watch it. I don't think the SPOILER ALERT: alieness and martyrdom were things she is really thinking about in this interview, but they are still worth noting.
I saw a post by a friend who is always psyched about comicon on facebook and it was a link to a batgirl who apparently faced quite alot of negativity for questions relating to the inequality of female to male main characters in comic books, as well as in the creative aspects of comics. Read it. I was really shocked, as I'm sure "batgirl" herself was, by the clear hostility in the executive's voice when asked about women in DC. Comics have long been associated with lonely male nerds, but that's simply not by a long shot the whole demographic of people who read comics. That in itself is an awful stereotype and I think it is a problem that is compounded (when you read the blog interview you will understand) by hostility from the people who are in control of the brand. Comics can be about women, as well as men. Comics can be MADE by women, as well as men. I used to think that this inequality was probably due to less women wanting to be involved in comic books, but after reading this blog, I feel like even though there are fewer women interested in comics it doesn't justify the 1% female creative staff noted by one male fan of the DC universe.
I guess what it boils down to is that women are still "the weaker sex" in movies and comics. I want to fix this, but it is not something to be done (as some female film theorists would have it) in an alternative art cinema. Women should be superheroes too; women should be movie heroes too. I was so excited to see Kickass because of Hitgirl's insane action sequences and strength. Ultimately though, she was reliant on a male superhero (one less experienced and more beat up throughout the film) to ultimately save her.
Unfortunately, this is how I see things. Do you have any inspiring female characters not reliant on male companionship? Did I majorly miss something in my ideas that I should be aware of? Tell me how you see it because this is one thing I would like to see differently and I know the things I discussed are just the tip of the iceberg.
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