Trip Progress, Script Progress (with intro snippet), Thoughts on Presence

Trip Progress

Well, the trip has been a pretty much awsome experience.  Everything has been going just right, and somehow I keep finding little ways to eek just a little more profit out of the job.  Not intentionally either – it just happens to be the customer had no way of describing things properly so it was all in context, so I planned for worst case scenario.  Being here and re-designing it, there’s a lot of parts that are being returned to the supplier, which means more money in my pocket.  Damn that’s nice!

Only a couple o’ days left on this trip – I’m not done with the work yet, but, 90% is completed.  There’s one more Ethernet cable to run (which no one has figured out how to pull off yet – it runs an impossible course to get to where it needs to go) and some strangeness with connecting to part of the devices.  

Script Progress

Ok, now I have a romantic comedy.  I felt the first draft had been lacking on both the comedy and the romantic parts.  Now, I like the introduction a lot better:

Narration part 1

Black background, white typewriter style text provides lead in credits while lead actor narrates introduction.

LEE allison

(Narration)

Ever have an idea that, at the time, seemed genius?  Then later, you look at it, and wonder why the hell did we think this is a good idea?  This is a tale of one of those so-called genius ideas.

I attribute the tale to a failure in two people’s brain filters.  What’s a brain filter?  Well, it’s that little bit of something in your head that sets between wherever we come up with wild ideas in our head, and where we open our mouths.  It looks at an idea and says “hey, stupid – this is NOT a good thing.  Don’t do it.”  

There’s a whole host of people who typically have brain filter failures.  A great example is any gathering of rednecks where one says “Hey, watch this!” and someone ends up missing an eyebrow.

Narration part 2

Scene:  Exterior shot, looking into a small diner through the window.  LEE ALLISON and MATT DAVIES are setting at a table, talking.  At the moment, the actors can’t be heard.

lee allision

(narration)

My wild idea this time was to do a movie.  Which hopefully means I don’t end up with a missing eyebrow again.  I can’t remember what mental process resulted in the idea to do a movie, but I’m sure it probably started out while watching TV and thinking “Hell, I could do that!”  That alone isn’t enough to motivate me though – I’m sure somewhere in the back of my head it also occurred to me it would be great for picking up women too.

As luck would have it, the guy setting across the table from me, MATT DAVIES, has experience in video production.  Not movies exactly.  Well, not movies at all.  But he knows how to use a camera, and directed some commercials.  Plus, he’s got access to professional cameras through another friend.

I explained the idea of doing a movie to Matt, and he brain filter failed too.  Now, one would think we at least had an idea for what the movie should be about.  Um.  No.

Sorry for the odd formatting – bringing it into the MySpace editor from Celtx did some odd things :-)  The script goes on from there of course (though that’s the end of the narration that sets up the premise), but I don’t want to drop too much of the script on here 🙂

I’m really enjoying it, but it’s pretty slow going.  The first couple of attempts I’d write scenes straight through, from begining to end, and move to the next one.  Now, I’m… I’m not sure how I’d refer to it.  Crafting the lines, I guess.  I may write the same sentence 3 or 4 times until I feel it’s “just right”, or back up a ways and reflow the conversation in the scene.  They sound so much better now.

Part of me can’t wait to get the whole thing done, but, I’d rather take my time and “craft” everything just right.  

Davis Improvement

Normally when I have a goal, I’m pretty good at making a plan to achieve it.  This time I’m at a bit of a loss.  I’m feeling better and better about myself, but I have one thing that has GOT to go – I’m tired of the extra weight around my mid-section.  I really want it gone before we start shooting the movie.  And while I look better than I did before, and I’ve lost weight, I need to figure out a plan for removing the remander of this spare tire. 

I’m very active now (because of construction), so that’s not much of a problem.  I don’t take diet pills really (I did for a bit, but, I’m of the belief that if you run the body’s metabolism on High for too long, it breaks, just like reving an engine to 7k rpm and leaving it there.)  I did just start taking Relecore PM (that’s the stuff that is supposed to help remove stress related body fat, which is usually the stuff that’s in the mid section), but beyond that I don’t really have a workout regeme in mind or anything.

I started a workout regeme at the house at one point, but, I just can’t get enough bloody space in my room to do it (and I don’t want to do it in the main room or anything, since it makes a lot of noise and I have to worry about disturbing people (and I’m a little self concious when I’m the only one working out – a health club is different 🙂

I’ve thought about getting a membership to Genesis, but it sure seems like a waste of money (though they did erase one of my complaints, which was a lack of a month to month membership) on something I SHOULD be able to do without a health club membership.  I mean, hell, I only need to drop about 15 pounds!

I’ve got quite a few motivations to get this done – I want to look good, I want to make sure that my effort in getting this whole movie thing setup isn’t wasted (by not looking good on screen), and I want to be healthy.

Thoughts on “Presence” #1

“Watch her every move

(Superconductor)

She can manipulate reaction”

– Rush, “Superconductor”

Just about everything relates back to my work on the movie and script at the moment – so bear with me on this seemingly random jump into madness – it loops back eventually 🙂

I’ve been to Walmart with Tammy a while back, and I was both laughing and amazed at the impact she has on males.  They all look, without exception.  (This, btw, is one of the reasons I think I’m a little odd somedays – instead of watching what they are watching, I was more interested in seeing the reactions).  She’s like a magnet – and at first blush, if you know enough about her you’d assume you knew why.

But I remember her from High School, and she could definitely get the full attention of a room full of guys even back then.  And she looked very different back then (don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying she was ugly at all – I thought she was extremely cute.  But nothing like what she looks like these days).

Heather had once attributed such phenomina to a “Fuck Me Vibe” that some females give off.  But I’m not so sure anymore.

Thoughts on Presence #2

“Watch his every move

(Superconductor)”

– Rush, “Superconductor”

Now for the other side of the coin:  me.  I’m not a particularly great looking guy, with a star sort of face or body.  I’m pretty damned run of the mill.  But some days, something happens.  I can almost tell you when it’s gonna happen too, but I don’t know WHY it happens.

Yesterday I stepped into Target during my lunch break.  I was in a perfect mood – the job was going good, just flirted with the gal at the Brat Stop, and well… life was just good.  

When I’m in one of those perfect moods (and it’s rare), I can feel some physical changes, and I’ve seen ’em in my reflection.  My stomache sucks in.  My shoulders pull back.  I stand perfectly upright, but I don’t look like I got a stick up my ass and spine.  My chest puffs out.  My muscles puff up a bit with bloodflow.  And none of it is something I “do”, it just happens.

Anyway, I walk into Target, and litterally every female checked me out.  I was a cow that just walked into a den of hungry wolves.  And I don’t mean they glanced at me either.  I just smiled, nodded, and said Hi as I was walking through the store.  

This is not the typical me – I’m pretty much average looks wise, but damn I love when that happens.  Wish it happened more often (which is no small part of why I’d like to get rid of the extra pounds on the stomach – then at least my stomach always looks flat like it does on those days).

Jessica had one described it as Presence – that I had something about me that filled the room some days (like the first time we met).  I think I like the term better than a “Fuck Me Vibe”, and it’s more fitting.

Thoughts on Presence #3

“Packaged like a rebel or a hero

Target mass appeal

To make an audience feel

He really means it

Package the illusion of persona

Careful to conceal

The fact that she’s only too real

She’s got to screen it

Hit you in a soft place

A melody so sweet

A strong and simple beat

That you can dance to

Watch his every move

(Superconductor)

Orchestrate illusions

(Superconductor)

Watch his every move

(Superconductor)

Hoping you’ll believe

Designing to deceive

That’s entertainment”

– Rush, “Superconductor”

And now to loop back around like I had mentioned.  So what is it that does it?  How is it some people can just catch people’s eyes so easily?  I don’t buy that it’s just looks – I’ve seen some nice lookin’ gals that get overlooked in a crowd, and gals that aren’t nearly as good looking get all the attention.  It’s not things like revealing clothes either – I’ve seen some jaw droppers in loose sweats, and laughed internally at some gals in sluty clothes.

So it’s not just a physical thing – there’s something deeper.  But the effect it’s self isn’t deep – it’s very shallow.  It’s what you’d leverage to get laid, not what you’d leverage to progress into a relationship.  

I’ve been pondering this one for a day now, and still haven’t come to any conclusions yet.  I’d like to figure this one out – because, well, if that sort of presence can be translated to the camera, I think this movie idea might just go somewhere.  And, lets face it, turning that sort of thing on at will could be handy 🙂

There is one thing of interest about when I feel that way:  While I probably could have walked up and struck up a conversation easily, I didn’t.  Because, I was confident and self-fufilled at that point.  I didn’t need acceptance or attention from anyone else to elevate my mood or make me feel whole.  I was already there.  Though, I will admit, I can think of a few females I wouldn’t have minded seeing me when I was like that 🙂