I am the National Media I am Nashville
Greetings friends and foes,
Trying to dry out here in Nashville, but wanted to take time to say thank you to all the well wishes that have poured in from around the country. My family and homestead are doing fine, though other friends and loved ones have not been as lucky.
Friday Night i went to see the New Nightmare on Elm Street film, which was nice as I had not spent a evening out with friends in a while. The movie was a mess, but thats a subject for another day. Little did any of us realize that the theater we were sitting would be 10 feet under water 24 hours later.
I had Saturday off to spend with the girls, as jessica had to be at the school. We watched it rain all day, as it had done most of the evening before. I started hearing about the water rising and flipped on the news. As the day progressed the only thing that was pouring faster than the rain was the harrowing stories. I moved to Nashville in the summer of 2001 after spending the majority of my life in tornado country Texas. This is by far the worst devastation i have seen.
Less than a mile from my home Interstate 24 had turned into a river, washing cars and eighteen wheelers away. A mobile school house, even took to the waters and exploded a stones throw away from where we live. Jessica was trapped while trying to get some last minute supplies, as police and fire departments began shutting off roads. The grocery store where we shop was up to the top of the doorways in water. She luckily made it home unscathed and we battened down the hatches and prayed for daylight.
The rain continued through the night, and was off and on until lunch time Sunday. Our yard had taken on about a foot of water, but it never reached the house. I braved the weather to see what destruction has been wrought on my neighbors. It was devastating. I did what seemed natural and began to document it through video. While I commend the local news service for their coverage, they simply could not be everywhere due to roadblocks, and general chaos. I captured the aftermath of the storm at I-24 and Haywood near Antioch Pike and Richards Road. All of the businesses had been up to the rafters in water, and were broken. I came home and edited the footage hastily, and sent it out to the news networks, as well as posting it to youtube. I’m not sure if it aired but it did receive thousands of hits in only a few hours.
I was unable to go to my job as floodwaters had blocked off most of the points in and out. The first person who died during the storm actually drowned at the highway exit that i take every day for work. Our friend Lee Vervoort came over to charge his phone and eat a hot meal, as his power like most of the city was knocked out. Our street had been spared. He ended up staying the night on Sunday.
I spent the entire weekend, and the better part of this week, relaying photos, news stories, safety information, and video via social networks. I was stunned that i wasn’t seeing our city on outlets like CNN, MSNBC, or Fox News. I actually heard one of them aired an hour long special on a new test car, though the horrors in Music City stayed contained to local outlets and video hosting sights. All of the photos and video I had seen looked eerily similar to the photos from post hurricane Katrina New Orleans, still silence on national airwaves. Our President had not said a word, and I began to understand the fury of those hurricane victims who felt isolated and uncared for by the media and their government. It was Monday and the sun was shining before any of the major networks hit the ground in Nashville.
I don’t say any of this to chastise our leaders, or slap the wrists of the likes of Anderson Cooper, Bill O’ Reilly, or Diane Sawyer. To Anderson Coopers credit, he did apologize, but I find it hard to imagine that they weren't aware of our situation. By all means the other major news of the day was of equal importance, as oil fills the gulf, and a would be assassin botched the bombing at Times Square in new York. What I learned quickly is that in this modern day they have become somewhat obsolete. While local anchors at WSMV, WTVF, and WKRN were knee high in water, local people including bloggers, tweeters, and film makers were filling in the gaps. The people at Nashvillest.com were tweeting around the clock with info on how to get in contact with shelters, as well as bringing pictures from local photogs of our city being laid to waste. There was no agenda, or control over what we could see. It was all available live and up to the minute brought to you proudly by the men and women of the Volunteer state.
I have shed tears in the last few days, both for the lives lost and the institutions that have seen damage. Early estimates put the damage at over a billion dollars. Our tourism industry is being shaken to the ground as the Opryland hotel was taken in by the river, and will be closed for repairs for at least six months. The botanical gardens were destroyed. Inside Opry Mills, where I had seen the movie on Friday night, the Aquariums were shattered when the floodwaters floated debris into the glass. Hundreds of saltwater fish were destroyed. A tank of Piranhas was also opened and they are said to be infesting the waters within the mall. It will be interesting to see if enough of them survived to enter the eco system.
Our cultural heritage has been decimated as the Grand Ole Opry, Country Music hall Of Fame, and Schermerhorn Symphony Center. all took on water. The Honky Tonks on Broadway were all filled ( though i hear some cowboys are still playing and drinking even with water in their boots). Our NHL and NFL arenas were both filled with water. It is a nightmare to behold, and needless to say it will be months and years before we recover, but we will recover.
As the rest of the nation now watches, they will see a force mightier than a flood. They will see communities arm and arm rebuilding structures, and restoring lives. We will make good on our namesake as Volunteers from within our city will put things back in order, and the greatest songwriters in the world will pen anthems to a flood. These witnesses will see our might, and hear our songs, and we will never forgotten again.
Cameron McCasland
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Shaking the veil off
Shaking the veil off
Greetings friends and foes. So Sorry for not writing more consistently. I have been burning the candle at both ends, and this is the first weekend I’ve had at home in a while.
A few weeks ago my car finally died. It had been a slow death, but the car was payed for and I rather enjoy not giving up my money. To this point, I had been climbing over the passenger seat for the better part of a year as the driver door was busted and not worth repairing. In a way I count that as a humbling experience, and on the other hand I count it as a true pain in the ass. So when I heard the engine make its death curdle while driving the girls to school I saw it as a bit of a blessing, as well as a curse. I had just spent all the money I had been saving on a Mole Richardson Light Kit, and the cupboard was about as bare as could be.
For those that don’t know, I still hold down a day job at a record store here in Nashville. Its pretty much the only thing I’m qualified for other than film making, that doesn’t make me want to kill myself. My brain has a knack to sponge up information about mundane things, and its allowed me to soak up all kinds of knowledge. It has also provided me a living wage while pursuing different avenues in film making. I really have enjoyed it, as I am able to set my own schedules, their lack of dress code, and not having to work for a group of faceless suits somewhere in Minnesota (I’m looking at you Musicland).
This is only important in the fact that I rarely talk about it, as there hasn’t been much to tell. But upon the car dying I decided the best way to not regain a car payment (and stay on my plan of getting my movie made), would be to just work all the time. I have not taken this approach as my tenure with Musicland kept me far away from my family, and nearly wrecked me as a man. I enjoy being home with my family, but I felt I needed to make a move. I got extremely sick the weekend of Easter while working. I put in 65 hours that week, as well as coming home and doing prep work on some other projects. But it was just nose to the grindstone.
Low and behold a saviour came in the form of my wife's wonderful parents who gifted us the money to buy a 1986 station wagon. Jessicas parents have a knack for helping us find a way in times of crisis. I thank God I’ve never had a cynical relationship with them. So now I have inherited the cruiser, and Jessica is cruising in a Wagon Queen Family Truckster that would make Clark Griswold jealous. We’re on our way again, though we do have a few things to catch up on due to taxes.
But what I realized in all this, is that it hasn’t killed me to put in some super long hours. I’m taking the extra money and putting it into some of the things i need to get my movie made. And while I dont plan to keep up this pace, It should give me the means to take a step forward in the things I want to do, and stories I want to tell. For the next few weeks, I’m putting in long hours, and not hanging out much on the weekend.
Other going ons include...Roxie will celebrate birthday number 2 this week. I hung out with her this weekend as Jessica and Marie were in Louisville with their Rabbits. Times been flying since she got here.
I haven’t been as steadfast with my diet. Not really putting on weight, as much as just not taking more off at this point. I’ve stuck with the Diet Soda for the most part. Pepsi Throwback with real sugar can be hard to resist, and I’ve been breathing Gatorade this past week due to my ills. Just kind of putting this out there, as I don’t want to get my weight back up again, and it helps to just say it.
I have had little time to watch anything. I saw Hot Tub Time Machine and thoroughly enjoyed it. Its very self aware, and I probably won’t see it again for years, but I got some hearty gut laughs from it. I stayed up way late last night and watch John Cassavettes Shadows. I’m a bit torn with the idea of strictly Improvised movies, and even more perplexed with this one, as I know he shot the film two years earlier and was disappointed in the response. How do you re-improvise something? How do you set things in motion as a director, and when do you pull it back? Its a landmark in Independent cinema for sure, I just wish i could see the other version.
I do hope this finds you all well. I hope to have better news next time, and some things to show. Until then...
Cameron McCasland
Greetings friends and foes. So Sorry for not writing more consistently. I have been burning the candle at both ends, and this is the first weekend I’ve had at home in a while.
A few weeks ago my car finally died. It had been a slow death, but the car was payed for and I rather enjoy not giving up my money. To this point, I had been climbing over the passenger seat for the better part of a year as the driver door was busted and not worth repairing. In a way I count that as a humbling experience, and on the other hand I count it as a true pain in the ass. So when I heard the engine make its death curdle while driving the girls to school I saw it as a bit of a blessing, as well as a curse. I had just spent all the money I had been saving on a Mole Richardson Light Kit, and the cupboard was about as bare as could be.
For those that don’t know, I still hold down a day job at a record store here in Nashville. Its pretty much the only thing I’m qualified for other than film making, that doesn’t make me want to kill myself. My brain has a knack to sponge up information about mundane things, and its allowed me to soak up all kinds of knowledge. It has also provided me a living wage while pursuing different avenues in film making. I really have enjoyed it, as I am able to set my own schedules, their lack of dress code, and not having to work for a group of faceless suits somewhere in Minnesota (I’m looking at you Musicland).
This is only important in the fact that I rarely talk about it, as there hasn’t been much to tell. But upon the car dying I decided the best way to not regain a car payment (and stay on my plan of getting my movie made), would be to just work all the time. I have not taken this approach as my tenure with Musicland kept me far away from my family, and nearly wrecked me as a man. I enjoy being home with my family, but I felt I needed to make a move. I got extremely sick the weekend of Easter while working. I put in 65 hours that week, as well as coming home and doing prep work on some other projects. But it was just nose to the grindstone.
Low and behold a saviour came in the form of my wife's wonderful parents who gifted us the money to buy a 1986 station wagon. Jessicas parents have a knack for helping us find a way in times of crisis. I thank God I’ve never had a cynical relationship with them. So now I have inherited the cruiser, and Jessica is cruising in a Wagon Queen Family Truckster that would make Clark Griswold jealous. We’re on our way again, though we do have a few things to catch up on due to taxes.
But what I realized in all this, is that it hasn’t killed me to put in some super long hours. I’m taking the extra money and putting it into some of the things i need to get my movie made. And while I dont plan to keep up this pace, It should give me the means to take a step forward in the things I want to do, and stories I want to tell. For the next few weeks, I’m putting in long hours, and not hanging out much on the weekend.
Other going ons include...Roxie will celebrate birthday number 2 this week. I hung out with her this weekend as Jessica and Marie were in Louisville with their Rabbits. Times been flying since she got here.
I haven’t been as steadfast with my diet. Not really putting on weight, as much as just not taking more off at this point. I’ve stuck with the Diet Soda for the most part. Pepsi Throwback with real sugar can be hard to resist, and I’ve been breathing Gatorade this past week due to my ills. Just kind of putting this out there, as I don’t want to get my weight back up again, and it helps to just say it.
I have had little time to watch anything. I saw Hot Tub Time Machine and thoroughly enjoyed it. Its very self aware, and I probably won’t see it again for years, but I got some hearty gut laughs from it. I stayed up way late last night and watch John Cassavettes Shadows. I’m a bit torn with the idea of strictly Improvised movies, and even more perplexed with this one, as I know he shot the film two years earlier and was disappointed in the response. How do you re-improvise something? How do you set things in motion as a director, and when do you pull it back? Its a landmark in Independent cinema for sure, I just wish i could see the other version.
I do hope this finds you all well. I hope to have better news next time, and some things to show. Until then...
Cameron McCasland
Monday, March 8, 2010
Movie Weekends & Walking Around
Greetings friends and foes,
Spectacular couple of weeks in the McCasland house since last I wrote. The weather is starting to warm in Nashville, and this morning i took a walk without a jacket for the first time in months. There is something about sunshine on your face that lends itself to happy feelings.
This past weekend I was home alone with my 1 year old daughter Roxie while Jessica & Marie were away showing their bunny rabbits in Georgia. I did some early spring cleaning, and we just did baby stuff like rolling around on the bed. Its funny when you tickle a child and you know it makes them happy. Roxie doesn’t speak much yet, but her laughter is nonstop most days.
I watched the Oscars last night, and It seemingly was the most predictable it had been in years. I think everybody who won was derserving, though i was pulling for Tarantino and the Basterds for Director and picture.Kathryn Bigelow has been legitimate for a long time, and I think she was very deserving. It is nice to see that ceiling torn off for the ladies. Nothing really stands out about the show to me, as none of the speeches were terribly prolific. It was nice to see genre guys like Barney Burman win for make up on Star Trek and Bob Murawski pick up and editing Oscar for The Hurt Locker. Bob has been editing for Sam Raimi for some time including the Spider-man pictures and Army of Darkness. I thought it was nice he thanked him in his speech. Bob also has done some amazing restoration work for Grindhouse Releasing on movies that would have never seen the light of day again if not of his painstaking work for little to no pay. Still the biggest thrill for me was seeing Roger Corman in the audience.
Corman of course was given an honorary Oscar for his body of work. Roger has been an inspiration to myself, and several other low budget movie makers for years now. He practically brought in the new crop of Hollywood through the nineteen-sixties and seventies. There has been a lot of naysayers against them pulling the speech of the lifetime achievement award off the telecast, but i feel the opposite. Instead of giving them a 5 minute spot, they get an entire evening dedicated towards them. Also allows the academy to bestow more than one award (the rules max out at four per year). I finished Rogers book again earlier this year, and I hope he updates it with everything that has happened since he wrote it, and last night.
The two weekends before that (which is about the last time I wrote) I spent a lot of time in the cinema catching up. I finally saw Avatar, which I enjoyed. My only complaint came with the projectionist and theater for using an obviously dim bulb which didn’t work well with the 3-D enhancement. I had to remove my glasses several times to read the subtitles.
I saw Universals remake of The Wolf Man, and was left kind of even on it. I think the monster looked great, and the father/son aspect was well crafted. Something about it just didn’t feel right to me though. A lot of the shots, and camera movements were poor in my opinion. I never really felt terrified, and I just didn’t feel fulfilled. I really wanted to love this movie, and its a way better effort than Universals recent Mummy or Van Helsing pictures. I heard rumblings of recuttings, and music cues dropped due to that. More computer animation (though I thought that aspect worked well with the practical make up). Plus the original director bailed. Needless to say if your not a die hard Monster fan I’d skip it, and check out the original.
I watched Kevin Smiths Cop Out, which seemingly has been getting bad reviews. I’m not sure what all the bad blood is about though. The movie is a no brain action comedy movie with some good laughs, albeit a very predictable plot. I’ve always found Tracey Morgan funny, and Sean William Scott has some real stand out stuff in this. I’m a bit biased as I love Bruce Willis, Kevin Smith, and Tracey Morgan.
I saw Shutter Island the following night, and wow Scorsese knows how to make a movie. Again, I’ve heard some people talking about how predictable the twist is, and I would agree. However the movie itself is well played and shot wonderfully. Its no Keyser Soze moment for sure, but I think its a great movie just the same.
Other than that I watched Lars & the Real Girl and just tonight rewatched Star Trek which Jessica had not seen. Lars & the Real Girl is a very interesting movie. Takes the approach of how Mental Illness should be treated with understanding and kindness as opposed to medicine or institution. Worth a look.
I spent an evening in the studio with Numerics shooting some footage as they record some acoustic tracks. Not sure whats going to come of this, as I don’t have the completed track. We are however finishing up a video for a track off of “Proud To Be A Numerican” .
I spent an evening out on Shackle Island as well doing some promos for Dr. Gangrene projects. A scene for a music video, as well as a video for a festival. We also shot a short promo for the Rondo Awards. Larry is up for 3 awards this year. Best Horror Host, Best Fan Event: Horror hoot, and Best Website. I’d be really happy to see him win any and all of these, as I think he truly does deserve it. He won best website a few years back, and of course we shared honors last year for the PSAs.
The Rondos are one of the better awards around in my opinion, as they go straight to the heart of fandom. Even people who don’t live in the genre year round can find things to vote for. You only have to vote in the categories you want. So please do go copy & paste the ballot from rondoaward.com and email it in before the end of the month.
The day after we shot all of that Larry hit me up for an interview for his blog, which was unexpected and very nice. He asked a lot of questions about where I came from, and who I was growing up. It was kind of nice to think about some of that, and put it into perspective. I really like the idea of this, and may hit some people that are close to me up with some questions for publishing here. You can check out my stuff with Dr Gangrene at http://drgangrene.blogspot.com/2010/03/one-on-one-with-red-headed-revolution.html
Baseball spring training started not long ago, and I got a chance to see a bit of the Cubs vs White Sox game on WGN. Baseball brings me a lot of joy, and probably my favorite use of Mathematics. Of course I’m hoping the Rangers will win it all just one time in my life. I have a bad feeling that I’ll go broke driving cross country to see the games if they ever make a run at it. In celebration of our beloved national past time, I made a video about five baseball movies i love. I plan on doing another later down the road, as I’m already catching flak for some of the titles i left off. I also cheesed it up by wearing a hat and jersey. I usually only wear jerseys to games. But I hope you enjoy these just the same.
I also shot a video of me just out and about shopping at a really cool video store in town called McKays. I found some cool stuff including a copy of Mutant League Football for Sega Genesis.
I’ve been looking for this for some time, and just couldn’t justify the price tag they wanted on online auction sites. Got if for around three bucks, and I must have played 20 games since i picked it up last week. Video Games are something I fall in and out of love with about twice a year. They are damning to my productivity as a writer. I’ll go on stints where I love to play and will spend way to much of my free time in the game. Mind you I don’t think their evil, as i quiet enjoy them. However I try to dedicate myself to my work, and the boxes of old cartridges I have laying around don’t help me.
Through all this I’ve been listening to Clem Snide, New Order, Ramones, Radiohead mostly.
Also here are some videos I’ve found enjoyable in the past few weeks.
A couple of Forrest Gump trailer recut as Gangsta & horror films. This craze of recutting trailers came a few years back with recuts of the Shining as a heartwarming father son picture, and Mary Poppins cut as a horror film. You can find either of those easily on the web, but check these out if you have ever seen Forrest Gump.
Goofy Movie shot for shot remake in real life? I’ve never been a big fan of this movie, but this is a pretty great example of what can be done with next to no money and a lot of friends.
Dan Black & Kid Cudi - Symphonies My good friend Jonathan Preston passed this on, and of course it plays to my movie loving side very well with all the throws at cinema opening titles.
Thats it for this time. Working on some more video blogs, and looking into new ideas. Hope your all well.
Cameron
Spectacular couple of weeks in the McCasland house since last I wrote. The weather is starting to warm in Nashville, and this morning i took a walk without a jacket for the first time in months. There is something about sunshine on your face that lends itself to happy feelings.
This past weekend I was home alone with my 1 year old daughter Roxie while Jessica & Marie were away showing their bunny rabbits in Georgia. I did some early spring cleaning, and we just did baby stuff like rolling around on the bed. Its funny when you tickle a child and you know it makes them happy. Roxie doesn’t speak much yet, but her laughter is nonstop most days.
I watched the Oscars last night, and It seemingly was the most predictable it had been in years. I think everybody who won was derserving, though i was pulling for Tarantino and the Basterds for Director and picture.Kathryn Bigelow has been legitimate for a long time, and I think she was very deserving. It is nice to see that ceiling torn off for the ladies. Nothing really stands out about the show to me, as none of the speeches were terribly prolific. It was nice to see genre guys like Barney Burman win for make up on Star Trek and Bob Murawski pick up and editing Oscar for The Hurt Locker. Bob has been editing for Sam Raimi for some time including the Spider-man pictures and Army of Darkness. I thought it was nice he thanked him in his speech. Bob also has done some amazing restoration work for Grindhouse Releasing on movies that would have never seen the light of day again if not of his painstaking work for little to no pay. Still the biggest thrill for me was seeing Roger Corman in the audience.
Corman of course was given an honorary Oscar for his body of work. Roger has been an inspiration to myself, and several other low budget movie makers for years now. He practically brought in the new crop of Hollywood through the nineteen-sixties and seventies. There has been a lot of naysayers against them pulling the speech of the lifetime achievement award off the telecast, but i feel the opposite. Instead of giving them a 5 minute spot, they get an entire evening dedicated towards them. Also allows the academy to bestow more than one award (the rules max out at four per year). I finished Rogers book again earlier this year, and I hope he updates it with everything that has happened since he wrote it, and last night.
The two weekends before that (which is about the last time I wrote) I spent a lot of time in the cinema catching up. I finally saw Avatar, which I enjoyed. My only complaint came with the projectionist and theater for using an obviously dim bulb which didn’t work well with the 3-D enhancement. I had to remove my glasses several times to read the subtitles.
I saw Universals remake of The Wolf Man, and was left kind of even on it. I think the monster looked great, and the father/son aspect was well crafted. Something about it just didn’t feel right to me though. A lot of the shots, and camera movements were poor in my opinion. I never really felt terrified, and I just didn’t feel fulfilled. I really wanted to love this movie, and its a way better effort than Universals recent Mummy or Van Helsing pictures. I heard rumblings of recuttings, and music cues dropped due to that. More computer animation (though I thought that aspect worked well with the practical make up). Plus the original director bailed. Needless to say if your not a die hard Monster fan I’d skip it, and check out the original.
I watched Kevin Smiths Cop Out, which seemingly has been getting bad reviews. I’m not sure what all the bad blood is about though. The movie is a no brain action comedy movie with some good laughs, albeit a very predictable plot. I’ve always found Tracey Morgan funny, and Sean William Scott has some real stand out stuff in this. I’m a bit biased as I love Bruce Willis, Kevin Smith, and Tracey Morgan.
I saw Shutter Island the following night, and wow Scorsese knows how to make a movie. Again, I’ve heard some people talking about how predictable the twist is, and I would agree. However the movie itself is well played and shot wonderfully. Its no Keyser Soze moment for sure, but I think its a great movie just the same.
Other than that I watched Lars & the Real Girl and just tonight rewatched Star Trek which Jessica had not seen. Lars & the Real Girl is a very interesting movie. Takes the approach of how Mental Illness should be treated with understanding and kindness as opposed to medicine or institution. Worth a look.
I spent an evening in the studio with Numerics shooting some footage as they record some acoustic tracks. Not sure whats going to come of this, as I don’t have the completed track. We are however finishing up a video for a track off of “Proud To Be A Numerican” .
I spent an evening out on Shackle Island as well doing some promos for Dr. Gangrene projects. A scene for a music video, as well as a video for a festival. We also shot a short promo for the Rondo Awards. Larry is up for 3 awards this year. Best Horror Host, Best Fan Event: Horror hoot, and Best Website. I’d be really happy to see him win any and all of these, as I think he truly does deserve it. He won best website a few years back, and of course we shared honors last year for the PSAs.
The Rondos are one of the better awards around in my opinion, as they go straight to the heart of fandom. Even people who don’t live in the genre year round can find things to vote for. You only have to vote in the categories you want. So please do go copy & paste the ballot from rondoaward.com and email it in before the end of the month.
The day after we shot all of that Larry hit me up for an interview for his blog, which was unexpected and very nice. He asked a lot of questions about where I came from, and who I was growing up. It was kind of nice to think about some of that, and put it into perspective. I really like the idea of this, and may hit some people that are close to me up with some questions for publishing here. You can check out my stuff with Dr Gangrene at http://drgangrene.blogspot.com/2010/03/one-on-one-with-red-headed-revolution.html
Baseball spring training started not long ago, and I got a chance to see a bit of the Cubs vs White Sox game on WGN. Baseball brings me a lot of joy, and probably my favorite use of Mathematics. Of course I’m hoping the Rangers will win it all just one time in my life. I have a bad feeling that I’ll go broke driving cross country to see the games if they ever make a run at it. In celebration of our beloved national past time, I made a video about five baseball movies i love. I plan on doing another later down the road, as I’m already catching flak for some of the titles i left off. I also cheesed it up by wearing a hat and jersey. I usually only wear jerseys to games. But I hope you enjoy these just the same.
I also shot a video of me just out and about shopping at a really cool video store in town called McKays. I found some cool stuff including a copy of Mutant League Football for Sega Genesis.
I’ve been looking for this for some time, and just couldn’t justify the price tag they wanted on online auction sites. Got if for around three bucks, and I must have played 20 games since i picked it up last week. Video Games are something I fall in and out of love with about twice a year. They are damning to my productivity as a writer. I’ll go on stints where I love to play and will spend way to much of my free time in the game. Mind you I don’t think their evil, as i quiet enjoy them. However I try to dedicate myself to my work, and the boxes of old cartridges I have laying around don’t help me.
Through all this I’ve been listening to Clem Snide, New Order, Ramones, Radiohead mostly.
Also here are some videos I’ve found enjoyable in the past few weeks.
A couple of Forrest Gump trailer recut as Gangsta & horror films. This craze of recutting trailers came a few years back with recuts of the Shining as a heartwarming father son picture, and Mary Poppins cut as a horror film. You can find either of those easily on the web, but check these out if you have ever seen Forrest Gump.
Goofy Movie shot for shot remake in real life? I’ve never been a big fan of this movie, but this is a pretty great example of what can be done with next to no money and a lot of friends.
Dan Black & Kid Cudi - Symphonies My good friend Jonathan Preston passed this on, and of course it plays to my movie loving side very well with all the throws at cinema opening titles.
Thats it for this time. Working on some more video blogs, and looking into new ideas. Hope your all well.
Cameron
Monday, February 15, 2010
When Last We Saw Are Hero...
Greetings Friends and Foes,
Apologies for being absentee the last few weeks. In all honesty, I blogged more in January than I did for the entirety of 2009, so I don’t feel so bad about it. With that out of the way...
When we last saw our hero, he was in the midst of glamour & intrigue in route to the Emmy awards... My family all made it into town through several inches of snow. It was a quick lovely weekend that ended with yet another year of not bringing home the big prize. No worries, it was all smiles as this was the first time my entire family had vacationed together since my childhood. I don’t have a whole lot to say about it this year, but here is a video with some of my escapades. Hopefully third times a charm on the Emmy Front.
The following Tuesday night I went to see Numerics for their inaugural show. Its been really fun hanging out with these guys over the past year while they prepped and released their record. They killed it at the show, and I recorded it via my Flip Camera for posterity. More collaboration between us is in the pipeline. So stay tuned for that. You can see clips from the show below.
I’ve spent the last two weekends shooting a short film called “Paperclip”. It was a good time, and for me a great relief as its the first project in a while where i didn’t bare the weight of Producing or directing. I also played a bit part in the movie after an actor flaked out. It was a really fun set, and I was amazed as they’re were several young actresses and no one went into diva mode the entire shoot. Everyone was kind and respectful, and it was fun. We shot at Currey Ingram Academy, and I swear it looks like a mix between Xaviers School For Gifted Youngsters, and the school in Fresh Prince Of Bel Air. Classy. My pedometer read over eight miles for the first day, I was hustling. I’m really not sure when/how this is releasing, but I’ll put it out there when it happens.
I have not had a free day now in weeks and I’m getting pretty tired of burning the candle at both ends. Jessica and I missed Valentines day this year, and our home could use some attention. I don’t say this to boast or seem ungrateful, as I am extremely happy with being able to do the things I love. All I want to do is just sit on the couch and watch movies and play Mario Brothers for a day. Hoping that day is soon.
While I didn’t post much on my own site, I was invited by Cinerobot Blog writer Joshua Blevins to talk about some of my favorite films of 2009. While I had not intended to do a year end list, i really liked the way he had put together lists from people and ran them as a series spanning several weeks. My entry was posted over the weekend, and I hope you will give it a look and comment accordingly. Joshua writes some great stuff, and was pretty much my movie watching buddy for my brief stint in Tulsa Oklahoma. He showed me all the great dives, and some movie houses back in the day. Its worth your time revisiting his blog weekly. http://cinerobot.blogspot.com/
Some videos
Dave Conover, who was a founder of Wonderfest made this video years ago in tribute to one of my film making heroes Ray Harryhausen. In my mind this a great love letter to movie making, as it get past the technical savvy and to the heart of how movies make you feel. If you are not familiar with Harryhausen, its time to catch up.
The Superbowl came and went, and while I was pulling for Peyton I really didn’t care as the Cowboys weren’t playing. My vote for best commercial went to Google for”Parisian Love”. I loved the idea of telling a story about a relationship through an everyday tool like a search engine. We build the story in our mind, as we see a familiar screen in front of us play it out.
This is Dolph Lundgren, star of Masters Of The Universe and Rocky IV doing an incredibly ridiculous song & dance number to Elvis Presleys “A Little Less Conversation” During the course of 4 minutes he also does a drum solo and give a karate demonstration. These are the kind of videos the internet was made for.
This past weekend I went to the Belcourt theater in Nashville to see the 1977 Toho horror movie House (aka Hausu) directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi. I had skipped the screeing they had last year, as I was under the impression it was the eighties horror film of the same name. Wow I’m glad to have seen this. It was wild. While the trailer makes it out to be a horror film, I laughed more than anything with all of the campy 70’s Toho acting, and Electric Skittles colors.
I’m sure I have left things out due to my not writing more frequently. I hope to do better with that in the next few weeks. I need to video blog a bit more too. Lots in store for the immediate future. Thanks to everyone who sent well wishes over the past few weeks. Until next time....
Cameron McCasland
Apologies for being absentee the last few weeks. In all honesty, I blogged more in January than I did for the entirety of 2009, so I don’t feel so bad about it. With that out of the way...
When we last saw our hero, he was in the midst of glamour & intrigue in route to the Emmy awards... My family all made it into town through several inches of snow. It was a quick lovely weekend that ended with yet another year of not bringing home the big prize. No worries, it was all smiles as this was the first time my entire family had vacationed together since my childhood. I don’t have a whole lot to say about it this year, but here is a video with some of my escapades. Hopefully third times a charm on the Emmy Front.
The following Tuesday night I went to see Numerics for their inaugural show. Its been really fun hanging out with these guys over the past year while they prepped and released their record. They killed it at the show, and I recorded it via my Flip Camera for posterity. More collaboration between us is in the pipeline. So stay tuned for that. You can see clips from the show below.
I’ve spent the last two weekends shooting a short film called “Paperclip”. It was a good time, and for me a great relief as its the first project in a while where i didn’t bare the weight of Producing or directing. I also played a bit part in the movie after an actor flaked out. It was a really fun set, and I was amazed as they’re were several young actresses and no one went into diva mode the entire shoot. Everyone was kind and respectful, and it was fun. We shot at Currey Ingram Academy, and I swear it looks like a mix between Xaviers School For Gifted Youngsters, and the school in Fresh Prince Of Bel Air. Classy. My pedometer read over eight miles for the first day, I was hustling. I’m really not sure when/how this is releasing, but I’ll put it out there when it happens.
I have not had a free day now in weeks and I’m getting pretty tired of burning the candle at both ends. Jessica and I missed Valentines day this year, and our home could use some attention. I don’t say this to boast or seem ungrateful, as I am extremely happy with being able to do the things I love. All I want to do is just sit on the couch and watch movies and play Mario Brothers for a day. Hoping that day is soon.
While I didn’t post much on my own site, I was invited by Cinerobot Blog writer Joshua Blevins to talk about some of my favorite films of 2009. While I had not intended to do a year end list, i really liked the way he had put together lists from people and ran them as a series spanning several weeks. My entry was posted over the weekend, and I hope you will give it a look and comment accordingly. Joshua writes some great stuff, and was pretty much my movie watching buddy for my brief stint in Tulsa Oklahoma. He showed me all the great dives, and some movie houses back in the day. Its worth your time revisiting his blog weekly. http://cinerobot.blogspot.com/
Some videos
Dave Conover, who was a founder of Wonderfest made this video years ago in tribute to one of my film making heroes Ray Harryhausen. In my mind this a great love letter to movie making, as it get past the technical savvy and to the heart of how movies make you feel. If you are not familiar with Harryhausen, its time to catch up.
The Superbowl came and went, and while I was pulling for Peyton I really didn’t care as the Cowboys weren’t playing. My vote for best commercial went to Google for”Parisian Love”. I loved the idea of telling a story about a relationship through an everyday tool like a search engine. We build the story in our mind, as we see a familiar screen in front of us play it out.
This is Dolph Lundgren, star of Masters Of The Universe and Rocky IV doing an incredibly ridiculous song & dance number to Elvis Presleys “A Little Less Conversation” During the course of 4 minutes he also does a drum solo and give a karate demonstration. These are the kind of videos the internet was made for.
This past weekend I went to the Belcourt theater in Nashville to see the 1977 Toho horror movie House (aka Hausu) directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi. I had skipped the screeing they had last year, as I was under the impression it was the eighties horror film of the same name. Wow I’m glad to have seen this. It was wild. While the trailer makes it out to be a horror film, I laughed more than anything with all of the campy 70’s Toho acting, and Electric Skittles colors.
I’m sure I have left things out due to my not writing more frequently. I hope to do better with that in the next few weeks. I need to video blog a bit more too. Lots in store for the immediate future. Thanks to everyone who sent well wishes over the past few weeks. Until next time....
Cameron McCasland
Friday, January 29, 2010
Lost in the Rye
Greetings Friends And Foes,
I join you from a snowstorm in Nashville. At this moment my baby sister Abbie has arrived for this weekends Emmy festivities with my parents and sisters Bethenna, and Jillian. Jill decided to come about 7 hours before they left town and is bring my niece and nephew. Beth has never visited me in Nashville, so while this will be a quick trip it’s a good first experience I hope.
Its been a whirlwind week. I went to see Black Dynamite this weekend, and it was probably the most I have laughed in a theater since I saw Shaun Of The Dead. My jaw dropped and then it fell off. I cannot recommend it enough.
I met with the Numerics on Monday about another music video, and some discussions on how to release the short documentary I directed about the making of their record last year. Some good stuff is in store in that camp. We watched a lot of footage, and set some dates to shoot. They will be playing some shows in the Nashville area over the course of this month, and you should check numericsband.com for details and to listen to their tunes.
Tuesday I shot a party for a Chamber Of Commerce meeting. This is not my forte by any means, but the money was good and I’m doing anything to raise funds for my feature right now. I never wanted to be a videographer, as Its pretty stifling to creativity in my opinion, not to mention incredibly worrying as you only get one shot at it. They did a handful of songs in costumes, as well some parody songs. The people in the room seemed to eat it up. It was a long day and I crashed pretty hard that night.
Wednesday my grandfather called to wish me luck for the weekend. He rarely speaks on the phone as his hearing isn’t great anymore. It was a really good feeling. I also got a little pink card from post office saying that a package would be waiting for me the next morning. It was amazing because the package had been missing and contained a great deal of work. While I had backups this contained a lot of raw footage that might have not been seen again. I picked it up Thursday morning and the world was right again. I also picked up my Tuxedo, which looks good, but they forgot suspenders, so I need to go by and pick some up.
Yesterday I had a great amount of time to myself to collect my thoughts, do some housework, and prepare for the weekend. I had lunch with my friend Preston at the Bar-B-Cutie and discussed all things under the sun. I missed The State Of The Union address, and he filled me in on the highlights. I heard on the radio that JD Salinger died. I have read Catcher In The Rye, and enjoyed it. Mostly when I think of Salinger I think of the parody of him that Shawn Connery did in Finding Forrester. I just hope he has a lost manuscript titled “You’re The Man Now Dawg!” If you aren’t familiar with his work, I’ll give you the short version. Many people feel that Catcher In The Rye is a perfect book, and that Salinger is the most important American author of the twentieth century. He wrote Catcher, and a handful of short stories before becoming a recluse and not publishing for forty years. Rumors abound that he continued writing and that those works would be released after his death. We’ll see what shows up I suppose. Could be a great revelation or the Phantom Menace of literature.
3-D film making has seem to have hit its stride this week. They announced that both of the Harry Potter films, as well as Clash Of The Titans are going to get a 3-d exhibition. And Tinto Brass the director of Caligula has announced that he is making a pornographic movie using the new 3-d technology. I have yet to see Avatar (though I want too). Yet I have never seen a 3-D film that uses the technology for the sake of storytelling. I always use the Yo-Yo sequence in Friday The 13th 3-D as a good example of people just using gimmicks to throw stuff at you. Panasonic also announced a new 3-D camera that is much more affordable. I expect to see them churning stuff out, and with the right idea, we may see a new gold rush.
Apple finally announced the I-Pad this week. I had been eagerly anticipating it, as I don’t want an Iphone due to the service contract, but don’t want an Itouch for lack of camera. I was dismayed to find that the I-Pad won’t have a camera either. I’m sure it will come next generation, but its lame. My soul purpose for needing a camera on a touch or pad is the Hitchcock storyboard application. I want to use it, but won’t sign up for the phone plan. I am surrounded by WI-FI and don’t need it.
I hope you all have your fingers crossed for me this weekend. We’re going to live it up.
From The Ice Planet Hoth
Cameron
I join you from a snowstorm in Nashville. At this moment my baby sister Abbie has arrived for this weekends Emmy festivities with my parents and sisters Bethenna, and Jillian. Jill decided to come about 7 hours before they left town and is bring my niece and nephew. Beth has never visited me in Nashville, so while this will be a quick trip it’s a good first experience I hope.
Its been a whirlwind week. I went to see Black Dynamite this weekend, and it was probably the most I have laughed in a theater since I saw Shaun Of The Dead. My jaw dropped and then it fell off. I cannot recommend it enough.
I met with the Numerics on Monday about another music video, and some discussions on how to release the short documentary I directed about the making of their record last year. Some good stuff is in store in that camp. We watched a lot of footage, and set some dates to shoot. They will be playing some shows in the Nashville area over the course of this month, and you should check numericsband.com for details and to listen to their tunes.
Tuesday I shot a party for a Chamber Of Commerce meeting. This is not my forte by any means, but the money was good and I’m doing anything to raise funds for my feature right now. I never wanted to be a videographer, as Its pretty stifling to creativity in my opinion, not to mention incredibly worrying as you only get one shot at it. They did a handful of songs in costumes, as well some parody songs. The people in the room seemed to eat it up. It was a long day and I crashed pretty hard that night.
Wednesday my grandfather called to wish me luck for the weekend. He rarely speaks on the phone as his hearing isn’t great anymore. It was a really good feeling. I also got a little pink card from post office saying that a package would be waiting for me the next morning. It was amazing because the package had been missing and contained a great deal of work. While I had backups this contained a lot of raw footage that might have not been seen again. I picked it up Thursday morning and the world was right again. I also picked up my Tuxedo, which looks good, but they forgot suspenders, so I need to go by and pick some up.
Yesterday I had a great amount of time to myself to collect my thoughts, do some housework, and prepare for the weekend. I had lunch with my friend Preston at the Bar-B-Cutie and discussed all things under the sun. I missed The State Of The Union address, and he filled me in on the highlights. I heard on the radio that JD Salinger died. I have read Catcher In The Rye, and enjoyed it. Mostly when I think of Salinger I think of the parody of him that Shawn Connery did in Finding Forrester. I just hope he has a lost manuscript titled “You’re The Man Now Dawg!” If you aren’t familiar with his work, I’ll give you the short version. Many people feel that Catcher In The Rye is a perfect book, and that Salinger is the most important American author of the twentieth century. He wrote Catcher, and a handful of short stories before becoming a recluse and not publishing for forty years. Rumors abound that he continued writing and that those works would be released after his death. We’ll see what shows up I suppose. Could be a great revelation or the Phantom Menace of literature.
3-D film making has seem to have hit its stride this week. They announced that both of the Harry Potter films, as well as Clash Of The Titans are going to get a 3-d exhibition. And Tinto Brass the director of Caligula has announced that he is making a pornographic movie using the new 3-d technology. I have yet to see Avatar (though I want too). Yet I have never seen a 3-D film that uses the technology for the sake of storytelling. I always use the Yo-Yo sequence in Friday The 13th 3-D as a good example of people just using gimmicks to throw stuff at you. Panasonic also announced a new 3-D camera that is much more affordable. I expect to see them churning stuff out, and with the right idea, we may see a new gold rush.
Apple finally announced the I-Pad this week. I had been eagerly anticipating it, as I don’t want an Iphone due to the service contract, but don’t want an Itouch for lack of camera. I was dismayed to find that the I-Pad won’t have a camera either. I’m sure it will come next generation, but its lame. My soul purpose for needing a camera on a touch or pad is the Hitchcock storyboard application. I want to use it, but won’t sign up for the phone plan. I am surrounded by WI-FI and don’t need it.
I hope you all have your fingers crossed for me this weekend. We’re going to live it up.
From The Ice Planet Hoth
Cameron
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Sniffle Week
Sniffle Week
Been a bit under the weather this weekend, with sniffles and soreness. I haven’t left the house since friday afternoon and have not not been terribly productive this weekend. This week has been full of news story that had me thinking and conversing with friends and foes alike.
Haiti seems like a wasteland, and while my thoughts and hopes are with those people I have tried not to watch much footage. I can’t take the destruction of it.
Mark McGwire finally admitted he cheated on baseball by taking steroids. I always thought he did a better thing by not talking than lying like so many others. Its hard for me really, as I love the game and the summer he and Sosa were chasing Maris is what brought me back after the strike decimated my affection towards the game. I hope he can move past it, and offer his knowledge to a new generation. The tradition of baseball is more important than any hall of fame.
Jay & Conan are shaking thinks up at NBC. I put full blame on the network for this one. You don’t move someone out at the top of their game the way Leno was put out to pasture, furthermore once you do it you don’t take it away from the new kid and give it back to the old man. They have cannibalized their viewers. While Leno once reigned supreme with Conan playing after, I doubt he will pull close to the same numbers in that time slot. Letterman will be the clear winner, and since he was the first one that NBC screwed that seems justified. I still think Jimmy Kimmel is the funniest guy in late night.
Sony split ways with Sam Raimi & crew on Spider-Man 4, or as they were calling it Spider-M4n. I’m really proud of Sam Raimi if what I think happened, happened. I assume that Raimi knew he made a stinker out of part 3, but only because the studio forced him to work the Venom Saga. Rather than back down to the studios again he held his ground at his own peril. So far everyone is playing nice, and since Sony must make another film in the next two years or rights to the franchise revert back to Marvel, we can all expect something. I think it sucks that Spidey has to go back to High School. Peter Parker always worked best for me as a college student trying to balance school, work, and love life, wile keeping New York safe from villainy. At the very least with a reboot, we may get a movie where Spider-Man can keep his damn mask on for a change. Should be something to witness true believers. Excelsior!
My old alma mater East Texas Baptist University tore down the Merle Bruce Dorms recently. Someone sent me a video of the destruction, and I was pretty sad about it. I have kept little contact with most of the students i met during my time there, and ultimately what I learned with that time is who I didn’t want to be. That being said, I shared a few rounds of puppy love in that foyer, and I’m sad to see it go. I’m not sure I’ll ever be invited back to ETBU, and I don’t know if I’m ok with that or not.
The heat in our house is working again. A few people gave it a look, and we may need some electrical work done. Someone tightened a wire, and I changed the fuses myself (as legally they couldn’t) and it all is running fine. We spent last weekend and the first few days of the week in layers and space heaters. All of us have been sick since.
Golden Globes tonight were alright. I think Tarantino got robbed on all fronts. Oddly enough i still haven’t been able to see Avatar. I have every intention and I adore James Cameron, but I think Basterds is a masterpiece. I also thought Mo’Nique gave a very heartfelt speech. I never in a million years would of though the star of “Hair Show” would have a shot at a major film award, but she nailed it. I need to see the Hurt Locker soon to form an opinion, I have a gut feeling she is going to get the directing Oscar, as Its due time a woman gets a turn in that spotlight. However my fanboy heart is still routing for Tarantino and the Basterds.
On other not so movie star heavy awards show fronts, I booked my tickets to the Emmys. It looks like my parents and two of my sisters will be joining me along with Jessica. I’ve been thinking about it a lot more this week. Its weird when you have to think about what you would say when cast in front of a few thousand people in a room who have no clue who you are, as well as a television audience. Sometimes I’d like to say something noble, while other times I think i should do something wild and try to get on The Soup or Best Week Ever. Either way I guess i need to win it first.
I watched Dance Party USA for the first time this week. I’ve made somewhat of a study of the movies dubbed Mumblecore in the last few months. I consider it research on people making low budget films. I really liked Aaron Katz film Quiet City, but Dance Party USA didn’t have the likable characters. Its just hard for me to route for a asshole slacker rapist i guess. I plan on doing a Video Blog about some of the stuff I have watched, but the Narcissism in some of these films is scary really. I hope my generation has better stories to tell, or at least some that have more hope. Honestly though I wouldn’t advise against seeing this movie, its pretty well crafted.
My obsession this week has been the Adidas Originals Star Wars Skywalker shoes. Adidas is doing an entire line of kicks based on the films. You mix bright Sneakers and Star Wars and you really get my attention. These are my favorite of the bunch, and If I can find them when they come out next month I’ll probably buy a pair.
I found a really fun blog in http://geek-orthodox.blogspot.com . It’s pretty much a guy who wears a Mexican wrestling mask talking about action figures and posting photos of retro toys. Its been a while since I really bought action figures, which I attribute to funneling my money to other projects, as well as having a pair of daughters. I do have a box of toys in the attic, and I still but out He-man and Skeletor from time to time and make lazer noises as they clash swords.
I also did a VLOG a few days back, some of which doubles up what I talked about last blog, but for those who love staring into my beard, i present it for your enjoyment.
Been a bit under the weather this weekend, with sniffles and soreness. I haven’t left the house since friday afternoon and have not not been terribly productive this weekend. This week has been full of news story that had me thinking and conversing with friends and foes alike.
Haiti seems like a wasteland, and while my thoughts and hopes are with those people I have tried not to watch much footage. I can’t take the destruction of it.
Mark McGwire finally admitted he cheated on baseball by taking steroids. I always thought he did a better thing by not talking than lying like so many others. Its hard for me really, as I love the game and the summer he and Sosa were chasing Maris is what brought me back after the strike decimated my affection towards the game. I hope he can move past it, and offer his knowledge to a new generation. The tradition of baseball is more important than any hall of fame.
Jay & Conan are shaking thinks up at NBC. I put full blame on the network for this one. You don’t move someone out at the top of their game the way Leno was put out to pasture, furthermore once you do it you don’t take it away from the new kid and give it back to the old man. They have cannibalized their viewers. While Leno once reigned supreme with Conan playing after, I doubt he will pull close to the same numbers in that time slot. Letterman will be the clear winner, and since he was the first one that NBC screwed that seems justified. I still think Jimmy Kimmel is the funniest guy in late night.
Sony split ways with Sam Raimi & crew on Spider-Man 4, or as they were calling it Spider-M4n. I’m really proud of Sam Raimi if what I think happened, happened. I assume that Raimi knew he made a stinker out of part 3, but only because the studio forced him to work the Venom Saga. Rather than back down to the studios again he held his ground at his own peril. So far everyone is playing nice, and since Sony must make another film in the next two years or rights to the franchise revert back to Marvel, we can all expect something. I think it sucks that Spidey has to go back to High School. Peter Parker always worked best for me as a college student trying to balance school, work, and love life, wile keeping New York safe from villainy. At the very least with a reboot, we may get a movie where Spider-Man can keep his damn mask on for a change. Should be something to witness true believers. Excelsior!
My old alma mater East Texas Baptist University tore down the Merle Bruce Dorms recently. Someone sent me a video of the destruction, and I was pretty sad about it. I have kept little contact with most of the students i met during my time there, and ultimately what I learned with that time is who I didn’t want to be. That being said, I shared a few rounds of puppy love in that foyer, and I’m sad to see it go. I’m not sure I’ll ever be invited back to ETBU, and I don’t know if I’m ok with that or not.
The heat in our house is working again. A few people gave it a look, and we may need some electrical work done. Someone tightened a wire, and I changed the fuses myself (as legally they couldn’t) and it all is running fine. We spent last weekend and the first few days of the week in layers and space heaters. All of us have been sick since.
Golden Globes tonight were alright. I think Tarantino got robbed on all fronts. Oddly enough i still haven’t been able to see Avatar. I have every intention and I adore James Cameron, but I think Basterds is a masterpiece. I also thought Mo’Nique gave a very heartfelt speech. I never in a million years would of though the star of “Hair Show” would have a shot at a major film award, but she nailed it. I need to see the Hurt Locker soon to form an opinion, I have a gut feeling she is going to get the directing Oscar, as Its due time a woman gets a turn in that spotlight. However my fanboy heart is still routing for Tarantino and the Basterds.
On other not so movie star heavy awards show fronts, I booked my tickets to the Emmys. It looks like my parents and two of my sisters will be joining me along with Jessica. I’ve been thinking about it a lot more this week. Its weird when you have to think about what you would say when cast in front of a few thousand people in a room who have no clue who you are, as well as a television audience. Sometimes I’d like to say something noble, while other times I think i should do something wild and try to get on The Soup or Best Week Ever. Either way I guess i need to win it first.
I watched Dance Party USA for the first time this week. I’ve made somewhat of a study of the movies dubbed Mumblecore in the last few months. I consider it research on people making low budget films. I really liked Aaron Katz film Quiet City, but Dance Party USA didn’t have the likable characters. Its just hard for me to route for a asshole slacker rapist i guess. I plan on doing a Video Blog about some of the stuff I have watched, but the Narcissism in some of these films is scary really. I hope my generation has better stories to tell, or at least some that have more hope. Honestly though I wouldn’t advise against seeing this movie, its pretty well crafted.
My obsession this week has been the Adidas Originals Star Wars Skywalker shoes. Adidas is doing an entire line of kicks based on the films. You mix bright Sneakers and Star Wars and you really get my attention. These are my favorite of the bunch, and If I can find them when they come out next month I’ll probably buy a pair.
I found a really fun blog in http://geek-orthodox.blogspot.com . It’s pretty much a guy who wears a Mexican wrestling mask talking about action figures and posting photos of retro toys. Its been a while since I really bought action figures, which I attribute to funneling my money to other projects, as well as having a pair of daughters. I do have a box of toys in the attic, and I still but out He-man and Skeletor from time to time and make lazer noises as they clash swords.
I also did a VLOG a few days back, some of which doubles up what I talked about last blog, but for those who love staring into my beard, i present it for your enjoyment.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
An Act Of Kindness Is A Blown Fuse
Writing from the Frozen confinement of my home. Its 9 degrees outside at the moment and last night are heater went out. Our house uses the old shotgun shell type fuses, and this has happened every winter since we have lived here. Hoping to get an HVAC guy out in a few days. We have been confining ourselves to certain areas of the house and using space heaters. Its really not so bad, but you can’t walk around the house as much as I’d like.
On Friday night i went out to dinner with Eric Conard and Kyle Kellerman. We went to see Terry Gilliams new film “The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus”. We had planned to meet at the cinema, and then head to dinner first. I got a call from Eric saying he was having car trouble right around the corner. It seems the transmission had failed either from regular use, or just not agreeing with the cold weather. It was not going to work that night, so we left it at the gas station and went to dinner and the movies.
“The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus” of course is the final film of Heath Ledger, and was reworked after his passing to get the movie finished. In this regard it works incredibly well. Ledger has much more screen time than I expected, while Johnny Depp, Jude Law, And Colin Farrell double for him at times when inside the Imaginarium. The art direction is wonderful, and there are some real world examples of the art he made famous in the Monty Python series.
I am a Gilliam fan, (though not a huge fan of the Pythons) his work in “12 Monkeys” and “Brazil” are probably my favorites. This movie defiantly leans more towards Brazil. Losing Ledger is especially heartbreaking for Gilliam as he has had problems in the past getting movies finished. Watch “Lost in La Mancha” to see his failed attempt at “The Man Who Killed Don Quicote”.
After the movie I took Eric and Kyle home and found my way back to the Interstate down a country road in the snow. I got in about 2 a.m. and the heat was out. I swapped fuses, and within a half hour they were out again.
This morning I went to purchase new fuses and try and find a space heater. Roxie had been sick on Friday, but I figured she was better off in a warm car/store than in a cold house. I got the fuses (Home Depot had for four dollars the same product Lowes was charging twelve for), and found out that both places were sold out of space heaters. It seems that the one inch of snow Nashville received this week put people in a panic. I stopped by Sam’s club (which i rarely do), and found that they had sold out, but had a display model. I talked the manager into selling it to me, and giving me a discount on it. I get to the register with both Roxie and Marie in tow, and discover that are membership is expired, and they won’t sell it to me without renewing. Rather than give them 50 bucks, I walked around the store conceiving a plan.
I struck up a conversation with a middle aged Hispanic woman, who didn’t understand me very well. I explained our heater was out, and I could not afford a membership and asked if i could stand in line with her and pay for the heater. I don’t think she ever exactly understood what i was asking, but could see that my children were weary, and I was worried. I offered to pay for the bag of bread rolls (which is the only thing she had). She smiled graciously and wished me well. I was sad that I didn’t catch her name, but later realized it was on the receipt. Sara Laratrejo showed me a great kindness today.
So now my children sleep in a warm room. Jessica and Marie both had school canceled the later half of the week, and we have been getting things in order around the house. I finally watched “The Hangover” and thought it was funny. I did think the ending *SPOILER ALERT* where he takes the wedding ring back was a bit strange. They never get anything annulled and though he splits from his girlfriend and plans on coming back i kind of expected them to live happily ever after.
I slept through most of the Dallas Cowboys game tonight, but it is nice seeing them win, especially after Texas and TCU football was heartbreaking this week. I’ve always like the Cowboys, but never been really into college football. I had stopped watching most sports (other than baseball) until i bought an HD television a few years ago. I do have a long standing relationship with the Cowboys though, and I’m hoping for the best.
I got my hands on a FLIP Mino camera which should do well for Video Blogging. Its a cool little device, and is great for the pocket. Been making some checklists on things i need to get my movies done, and talked my stories up to a few people this week (as well as getting Final Cut in order). It’s kind of scary putting that kind of info out to the masses as it increases fear of failure ten fold. I think its that exact reason I am putting the experience in front of others, as I have to answer to more than just myself.
Been a bit nostalgic this week listening to Jimmy Eat World Bleed American, Surfjan Stevens Illinoise, Franz Ferdinand self titled record, and Foo Fighters In Your Honor. I also did a run through this Space Ghost album that was kooky.
Anyways, off to find fame and fortune via the interwebs. I found this cool series of videos that shows you modern day shooting locations of films. Its very creative and worth checking out.
On Friday night i went out to dinner with Eric Conard and Kyle Kellerman. We went to see Terry Gilliams new film “The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus”. We had planned to meet at the cinema, and then head to dinner first. I got a call from Eric saying he was having car trouble right around the corner. It seems the transmission had failed either from regular use, or just not agreeing with the cold weather. It was not going to work that night, so we left it at the gas station and went to dinner and the movies.
“The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus” of course is the final film of Heath Ledger, and was reworked after his passing to get the movie finished. In this regard it works incredibly well. Ledger has much more screen time than I expected, while Johnny Depp, Jude Law, And Colin Farrell double for him at times when inside the Imaginarium. The art direction is wonderful, and there are some real world examples of the art he made famous in the Monty Python series.
I am a Gilliam fan, (though not a huge fan of the Pythons) his work in “12 Monkeys” and “Brazil” are probably my favorites. This movie defiantly leans more towards Brazil. Losing Ledger is especially heartbreaking for Gilliam as he has had problems in the past getting movies finished. Watch “Lost in La Mancha” to see his failed attempt at “The Man Who Killed Don Quicote”.
After the movie I took Eric and Kyle home and found my way back to the Interstate down a country road in the snow. I got in about 2 a.m. and the heat was out. I swapped fuses, and within a half hour they were out again.
This morning I went to purchase new fuses and try and find a space heater. Roxie had been sick on Friday, but I figured she was better off in a warm car/store than in a cold house. I got the fuses (Home Depot had for four dollars the same product Lowes was charging twelve for), and found out that both places were sold out of space heaters. It seems that the one inch of snow Nashville received this week put people in a panic. I stopped by Sam’s club (which i rarely do), and found that they had sold out, but had a display model. I talked the manager into selling it to me, and giving me a discount on it. I get to the register with both Roxie and Marie in tow, and discover that are membership is expired, and they won’t sell it to me without renewing. Rather than give them 50 bucks, I walked around the store conceiving a plan.
I struck up a conversation with a middle aged Hispanic woman, who didn’t understand me very well. I explained our heater was out, and I could not afford a membership and asked if i could stand in line with her and pay for the heater. I don’t think she ever exactly understood what i was asking, but could see that my children were weary, and I was worried. I offered to pay for the bag of bread rolls (which is the only thing she had). She smiled graciously and wished me well. I was sad that I didn’t catch her name, but later realized it was on the receipt. Sara Laratrejo showed me a great kindness today.
So now my children sleep in a warm room. Jessica and Marie both had school canceled the later half of the week, and we have been getting things in order around the house. I finally watched “The Hangover” and thought it was funny. I did think the ending *SPOILER ALERT* where he takes the wedding ring back was a bit strange. They never get anything annulled and though he splits from his girlfriend and plans on coming back i kind of expected them to live happily ever after.
I slept through most of the Dallas Cowboys game tonight, but it is nice seeing them win, especially after Texas and TCU football was heartbreaking this week. I’ve always like the Cowboys, but never been really into college football. I had stopped watching most sports (other than baseball) until i bought an HD television a few years ago. I do have a long standing relationship with the Cowboys though, and I’m hoping for the best.
I got my hands on a FLIP Mino camera which should do well for Video Blogging. Its a cool little device, and is great for the pocket. Been making some checklists on things i need to get my movies done, and talked my stories up to a few people this week (as well as getting Final Cut in order). It’s kind of scary putting that kind of info out to the masses as it increases fear of failure ten fold. I think its that exact reason I am putting the experience in front of others, as I have to answer to more than just myself.
Been a bit nostalgic this week listening to Jimmy Eat World Bleed American, Surfjan Stevens Illinoise, Franz Ferdinand self titled record, and Foo Fighters In Your Honor. I also did a run through this Space Ghost album that was kooky.
Anyways, off to find fame and fortune via the interwebs. I found this cool series of videos that shows you modern day shooting locations of films. Its very creative and worth checking out.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Get out of bed sleepyhead, It's Cold and there isn't school today.
Today started with me getting Marie out of bed for school. Jessica was up with us at 7:00 am to get her dressed and bundled. The snow was coming in steady this morning and though I started the car twenty minutes before we left the windows were all a smear with snow and ice. (Later in the day i found my scraper). I knew something was amiss as I was driving. No kids at bus stops, and no crossing guard. Seems today was Teacher in service day and she doesn’t start back until tomorrow. Up an hour early and out in the cold for no good reason. Marie thought I was crazy. She was out an extra week since she had her tonsils out, so I have a feeling it may be a chore to find a routine again. On the upside she crashed right at 9:00 pm due to being up so early.
I got fitted for my Emmy tuxedo today. Going black again. I used the same place as last year, and consequently for my sisters wedding back in October. The guy said my measurements were way off what they had on file. Since October I dropped 7 pants sizes, 2 coat sizes, and lost two inches off my collar. Jessica said just this morning i had lost a lot of weight in my face. That made me feel pretty good, as I don’t have a huge cheering team, or trainer keeping track. I just knew i had dropped some pounds and had to cinch my belt a bit more. Smaller waist and bigger beards are what I’m pulling for.
I talked to Larry Underwood last night about some proposed Dr. Gangrene projects that sound great. Its a good exercise in writing, as we need a bulk of content before jumping in. Looking forward to that.
My journal (that i started just a few days back) has been misplaced. I have a feeling Marie has procured it, and is hiding it away. I hope to have it when the sun comes up.
I keep meaning to watch The Hangover, but have been waiting for jessica. I was a little bummed she took a four hour trip tonight for a rabbit cage, and came home without a rabbit cage. Oh well. Spent the evening going through toy boxes and doing laundry.
Been listening to Price Hits Volume 1, Led Zeppelin Early Days, Wilco Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane.
I got fitted for my Emmy tuxedo today. Going black again. I used the same place as last year, and consequently for my sisters wedding back in October. The guy said my measurements were way off what they had on file. Since October I dropped 7 pants sizes, 2 coat sizes, and lost two inches off my collar. Jessica said just this morning i had lost a lot of weight in my face. That made me feel pretty good, as I don’t have a huge cheering team, or trainer keeping track. I just knew i had dropped some pounds and had to cinch my belt a bit more. Smaller waist and bigger beards are what I’m pulling for.
I talked to Larry Underwood last night about some proposed Dr. Gangrene projects that sound great. Its a good exercise in writing, as we need a bulk of content before jumping in. Looking forward to that.
My journal (that i started just a few days back) has been misplaced. I have a feeling Marie has procured it, and is hiding it away. I hope to have it when the sun comes up.
I keep meaning to watch The Hangover, but have been waiting for jessica. I was a little bummed she took a four hour trip tonight for a rabbit cage, and came home without a rabbit cage. Oh well. Spent the evening going through toy boxes and doing laundry.
Been listening to Price Hits Volume 1, Led Zeppelin Early Days, Wilco Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Staying On Target & On To The Next One
In an effort to stay on my task I wanted to offer some quick anecdotes to my last few days. I spent the evening of New Years Day watching Something Something Something Dark Side With Jessica. I really liked what Family Guy did with Blue Harvest, and this is probably equally as funny. My favorite gag was probably the Don Don as one of my all time favorite jokes on Family Guy is the “Why are their so many ostriches” gag. Marie watches way to much Family Guy for her own good, and I’m glad she was sleeping when we watched it. I hope she is able to enjoy The Empire Strikes Back on its own merits instead of it just being reasons to get the jokes from that episode of Family Guy.
The only thing i listened to that day was Black Eyes Peas, as i thought it was funny to do so on New Years Day. I like their album, and think Will.I.AM has done a great job in the past year growing his audience. In my opinion is the entertainer who benefited the most from the election of President Obama. His campaign video was a great concept, and his election day video was very heartwarming. He seems to have a good idea about doing things lo-fi, but on the flip of a coin he can shut down Chicago and have Oprah fans dancing in unison.
Today I woke to find that my Lloyd from the band Numerics was hit by a drunk driver while taking members of his family back to the airport after a holiday visit. I talked with him this afternoon and he was seemingly doing alright. Luckily no one was killed, though he is a bit banged up. Of course his car was smashed to bits, but these things are easily fixed.
I also stopped by an Office Supply store and grabbed a fresh journal to log short thoughts and make lists today. Taylor Muse (who keeps a great blog at http://mrrosewaterpresents.blogspot.com ) taught me a great lesson in making checklist for the day years ago when we were room mates. Listing all the mundane things you do like eating breakfast, brushing your teeth, visiting grocery stores, alongside things you want to accomplish like writing or reading. My hopes is to keep this daily as well as be able to jot down what i listened to, and the things i ate that day for later consumption and to pass on to you readers as merited.
I listened to Marvin Gayes Whats Going On Deluxe Edition, Diana Ross & The Supremes 2oth Century Masters, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes Greatest Hits, and Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. I started Roger Corman’s Biography “How I Made A Hundred Movies In Hollywood And Never Lost A Dime” which i have read in bits over the years. Its the first thing on my reading list for the year, and I suggest it to any adventurous film makers on a budget.
I also just say the brand new Jay-Z video for "On To The Next One". It is a masterwork in simplicity, with few camera movements and striking black and white imagery. Check It Out!
Jessica has been sleeping since i got back home. I may watch a movie now.
I’ll leave you with a quick video I did on youtube that rehashes a lot of the things i said in my last blog. I’ll probably repaste most of my videos in my blog, as I’m a whore to shameless self promotion.
The only thing i listened to that day was Black Eyes Peas, as i thought it was funny to do so on New Years Day. I like their album, and think Will.I.AM has done a great job in the past year growing his audience. In my opinion is the entertainer who benefited the most from the election of President Obama. His campaign video was a great concept, and his election day video was very heartwarming. He seems to have a good idea about doing things lo-fi, but on the flip of a coin he can shut down Chicago and have Oprah fans dancing in unison.
Today I woke to find that my Lloyd from the band Numerics was hit by a drunk driver while taking members of his family back to the airport after a holiday visit. I talked with him this afternoon and he was seemingly doing alright. Luckily no one was killed, though he is a bit banged up. Of course his car was smashed to bits, but these things are easily fixed.
I also stopped by an Office Supply store and grabbed a fresh journal to log short thoughts and make lists today. Taylor Muse (who keeps a great blog at http://mrrosewaterpresents.blogspot.com ) taught me a great lesson in making checklist for the day years ago when we were room mates. Listing all the mundane things you do like eating breakfast, brushing your teeth, visiting grocery stores, alongside things you want to accomplish like writing or reading. My hopes is to keep this daily as well as be able to jot down what i listened to, and the things i ate that day for later consumption and to pass on to you readers as merited.
I listened to Marvin Gayes Whats Going On Deluxe Edition, Diana Ross & The Supremes 2oth Century Masters, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes Greatest Hits, and Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. I started Roger Corman’s Biography “How I Made A Hundred Movies In Hollywood And Never Lost A Dime” which i have read in bits over the years. Its the first thing on my reading list for the year, and I suggest it to any adventurous film makers on a budget.
I also just say the brand new Jay-Z video for "On To The Next One". It is a masterwork in simplicity, with few camera movements and striking black and white imagery. Check It Out!
Jessica has been sleeping since i got back home. I may watch a movie now.
I’ll leave you with a quick video I did on youtube that rehashes a lot of the things i said in my last blog. I’ll probably repaste most of my videos in my blog, as I’m a whore to shameless self promotion.
Friday, January 1, 2010
There It Goes... Here It Comes... Revolutions through Resolution
Greetings Friends and Foes,
I hope everyone is safe and sound and basking in the glory of a new year. I rang in 2010 at home doing some reading, and playing with my new Rode NTG-3 Microphone, which i had been scrimping and saving for. I was actually microwaving leftover Chinese food rice and realized it was midnight. Darted across the house to kiss Jessica who was lounging in the bedroom. Jessica and I started dating 9 years ago on New Years Eve. Strange how the years have flown by, she is my heart.
We spent the holidays in Texas with my family, and it’s the longest stint we have been able to stay in a few years. Everything was wonderful, as all of my sisters were home. We watched movies, drank Dublin Dr. Pepper, and saw a lot of extended family for the first time in years. Jessica interviewed my Grandfather for a World War 2 project, and I filmed it. I also did a radio interview at KRDH in Canton, talking about Go Green With Dr. Gangrene and the Emmy nomination with an old friend whom i went to school with. Its a bit strange being from a small town sometimes, because most people know who you are anyways, and when something like this happens its big news. I feel very blessed to have all the support from the people in the community.
2009 was another banner year for me. I feel like I continued my stride in life. Of my resolutions from last year I did pretty well. Before making my resolutions for 2010, I wanted to evaluate how I did with last years resolutions. I probably kept up with these better than any years past.
My Resolutions for 2009 and how I did
1. Get My House Organized
While still a work in progress, we did better this year keeping things up, and we got the roof and siding on, as well as some lawn care that makes the house look much better.
2. Take A True Family Vacation
We did a trip to Alabama in early December that was just the four of us. We visited the rabbit show where Marie won her first trophy. It was a nice trip. We also spent a lot of time in Texas this year.
3. Try to be more thankful and say my prayers
I feel like I was appreciative of many things this year.
4. Spend My wedding Anniversary with my wife.
Accomplished. We pretty much just lazed around the house that day, but we were together, it had been a while.
5. More reading (a novel & a technical book a month to start)
I did a lot of reading this year. Some of it I recall some I don’t. Not sure if I hit two books a month, but I’m guess I read at least 15. Some of the standouts were Michel Gondrys You’ll Like This Film Because You’re In It, Chris Gores Film Fest book, and re-reading H.G. Wells Time Machine.
6. More Writing (a daily journal and hash out some of these stories better)
I did a lot of writing, but laxed up on a daily journal. I really would like to get back into this habit, as in years past it was a life saver.
7. Get through some of those dvds i haven't watched
I honestly feel like I watched less movies this year than I ever have. Between other hobbies and being flat out busy the stacks just keep piling up. I did however dig a nice hole into the unwatched pile.
8. Get this feature film off the ground, and off my back
I did a lot of mapping on my plan, other projects kept me from shooting my own feature in 2009, but it wasn’t for laziness. I feel like I have layed a good groundwork at this point. I did direct two shorts, two psas, two music videos, and half a dozen or so television episodes of Stuff with Dr. Gangrene (not including the ton of other stuff we shot for the web). I also did some producing on a few features.
9. Exercise and assess my health a bit closer
I did very well, though I got a late start. I lost 30 pounds during the last 4 months of the year. Cut out a lot of junk food and soda, and used the Nintendo Wii Fit to get up and move almost daily. I’m licking my wounds from the Holiday season, but I think I did great with this. I have been on a pretty strict calorie count diet, and rarely have i deviated. I really don’t want to lose limbs to diabetes (which runs in my genes) and i don’t want to be the fat guy who can’t keep up with his kids.
10. Be more independent, bold, and braver with all things under the sun.
This I also did well with. I feel like I have found a voice.
So, in my mind thats a pretty good run . Some quick highlights of my year went down with...
January - Taking my wife and parents with me to the Emmy awards and getting to see real Astronauts. No trophy, but lots of good times.
February - Getting a commendation from the Mayor and City Council of Nashville for Go Green With Dr. Gangrene
March - Running around Memphis with Numerics eating Bar-B-Q, and then sneaking onto private property to finish the video for Precious Time. Then Heading to Austin to see the Quiet Company Album Release and hang with Taylor & Leah as well as playing Laser Tag with my newest friend Paul. Getting News that I won a Rondo Award
April - Roxies first birthday , and shooting EZ-CHEWIE.
May - Getting in a major car accident and dangling off the side of a bridge on the interstate, and then hours later being presented with the Rondo Hatton Vasarian Public Service Award, and feeling very loved by all the new friends I met at Wonderfest.(Highlight of the year for me)
June - Recieving a portrait from Michel Gondry. Shooting new Go Green With Dr. Gangrene shorts. The shock i felt when Michael Jackson Passed. Doing a bit part in Thong Girl 4
August - Marie starts school. EZ-Chewie makes its premiere at Fright Night Film Fest where I meet a lot of new friends. I direct my first heavy metal video for Stigmatic (which hopefully you will see soon). Pudge becomes a Texas Ranger again.
September - Tracing my family tree and finding out i have relatives who lived and died near Nashville in the 1800s. Getting a new roof on the house. Derek Jeter ties Lou Gehrig Yankees hits record, and the team is wearing red hats. Doing The Fan Film Podcast. Roger Corman receives lifetime achievement Oscar.
October - My Leg exploding with nastiness during Game 1 of the World Series, and realizing i am still a fragile person. Seeing my youngest sister find love and marrying as well as Josiah one of my dearest friends also finding the love of his life and taking the plunge.
November - Emmy nomination #2 and The New York Yankees win their 27th World Series Championship.
December - Marie walks the floor with her rabbit trophy screaming I win, and Home for the holidays for the first time in years.
All of this brings me to my Resolution for 2010, and my hopes and dreams of the future. So In hopes of making a better Cameron here are some things I would like to achieve in 2010.
1. Its time to shoot a movie. Something all my own, at least as much in the way that film is always a collaboration. I have aspirations for actually shooting two movies this year. One a comedy about relationships, and the other a straight forward horror movie. I’m not sure which to do first, as it will likely come down to budget. I have outlines for both, and plan to start writing drafts next week. It has taken me some time to gather some equipment, and resources needed but i think i have most of the things i need. Some income i made last year from filming music videos and other projects along with my tax return should give me the few thousand dollars i feel I need to make what I want. I in no way am guaranteeing two movies, but I have high hopes.
2. Be more vocal on the web. I want to do more writing and video blogs on the internet. Just discussing day to life, the above mentioned adventure in film making as well as sharing things i like. I don’t want to build an obstacle by saying i’ll do it daily, but i want to be more frequent than i have in the past year. I also want to be more conscience of my presence on the internet by leaving comments, and reaching out to new people. We have been given a great gift with this communication, and i don’t want to waste it.
3. I want to stay on course with my health. I have lost thirty pounds in 4 months, and while weight loss really wasn’t my main concern when starting this, i Realize that a thinner Cameron is a longer living Cameron. The Wii Fit Taunts me on the weigh in, and I hope to get more lean this year.
4. I’d like to find a way to move to Texas. I love Nashville, but at this point in life am ready to get closer to friends and would like to find a way to get to Austin. I don’t truly think I’ll be transplanted by years end, but I want to seek it out. Nashville has a few unfinished things for me, but my time here is coming to a close.
5. Watch more movies, Read more books, Write more. And keep a log of all of this for posterity.
Kind wishes to you all. I hope you will show me support in these things in the coming days.
Cameron McCasland
I hope everyone is safe and sound and basking in the glory of a new year. I rang in 2010 at home doing some reading, and playing with my new Rode NTG-3 Microphone, which i had been scrimping and saving for. I was actually microwaving leftover Chinese food rice and realized it was midnight. Darted across the house to kiss Jessica who was lounging in the bedroom. Jessica and I started dating 9 years ago on New Years Eve. Strange how the years have flown by, she is my heart.
We spent the holidays in Texas with my family, and it’s the longest stint we have been able to stay in a few years. Everything was wonderful, as all of my sisters were home. We watched movies, drank Dublin Dr. Pepper, and saw a lot of extended family for the first time in years. Jessica interviewed my Grandfather for a World War 2 project, and I filmed it. I also did a radio interview at KRDH in Canton, talking about Go Green With Dr. Gangrene and the Emmy nomination with an old friend whom i went to school with. Its a bit strange being from a small town sometimes, because most people know who you are anyways, and when something like this happens its big news. I feel very blessed to have all the support from the people in the community.
2009 was another banner year for me. I feel like I continued my stride in life. Of my resolutions from last year I did pretty well. Before making my resolutions for 2010, I wanted to evaluate how I did with last years resolutions. I probably kept up with these better than any years past.
My Resolutions for 2009 and how I did
1. Get My House Organized
While still a work in progress, we did better this year keeping things up, and we got the roof and siding on, as well as some lawn care that makes the house look much better.
2. Take A True Family Vacation
We did a trip to Alabama in early December that was just the four of us. We visited the rabbit show where Marie won her first trophy. It was a nice trip. We also spent a lot of time in Texas this year.
3. Try to be more thankful and say my prayers
I feel like I was appreciative of many things this year.
4. Spend My wedding Anniversary with my wife.
Accomplished. We pretty much just lazed around the house that day, but we were together, it had been a while.
5. More reading (a novel & a technical book a month to start)
I did a lot of reading this year. Some of it I recall some I don’t. Not sure if I hit two books a month, but I’m guess I read at least 15. Some of the standouts were Michel Gondrys You’ll Like This Film Because You’re In It, Chris Gores Film Fest book, and re-reading H.G. Wells Time Machine.
6. More Writing (a daily journal and hash out some of these stories better)
I did a lot of writing, but laxed up on a daily journal. I really would like to get back into this habit, as in years past it was a life saver.
7. Get through some of those dvds i haven't watched
I honestly feel like I watched less movies this year than I ever have. Between other hobbies and being flat out busy the stacks just keep piling up. I did however dig a nice hole into the unwatched pile.
8. Get this feature film off the ground, and off my back
I did a lot of mapping on my plan, other projects kept me from shooting my own feature in 2009, but it wasn’t for laziness. I feel like I have layed a good groundwork at this point. I did direct two shorts, two psas, two music videos, and half a dozen or so television episodes of Stuff with Dr. Gangrene (not including the ton of other stuff we shot for the web). I also did some producing on a few features.
9. Exercise and assess my health a bit closer
I did very well, though I got a late start. I lost 30 pounds during the last 4 months of the year. Cut out a lot of junk food and soda, and used the Nintendo Wii Fit to get up and move almost daily. I’m licking my wounds from the Holiday season, but I think I did great with this. I have been on a pretty strict calorie count diet, and rarely have i deviated. I really don’t want to lose limbs to diabetes (which runs in my genes) and i don’t want to be the fat guy who can’t keep up with his kids.
10. Be more independent, bold, and braver with all things under the sun.
This I also did well with. I feel like I have found a voice.
So, in my mind thats a pretty good run . Some quick highlights of my year went down with...
January - Taking my wife and parents with me to the Emmy awards and getting to see real Astronauts. No trophy, but lots of good times.
February - Getting a commendation from the Mayor and City Council of Nashville for Go Green With Dr. Gangrene
March - Running around Memphis with Numerics eating Bar-B-Q, and then sneaking onto private property to finish the video for Precious Time. Then Heading to Austin to see the Quiet Company Album Release and hang with Taylor & Leah as well as playing Laser Tag with my newest friend Paul. Getting News that I won a Rondo Award
April - Roxies first birthday , and shooting EZ-CHEWIE.
May - Getting in a major car accident and dangling off the side of a bridge on the interstate, and then hours later being presented with the Rondo Hatton Vasarian Public Service Award, and feeling very loved by all the new friends I met at Wonderfest.(Highlight of the year for me)
June - Recieving a portrait from Michel Gondry. Shooting new Go Green With Dr. Gangrene shorts. The shock i felt when Michael Jackson Passed. Doing a bit part in Thong Girl 4
August - Marie starts school. EZ-Chewie makes its premiere at Fright Night Film Fest where I meet a lot of new friends. I direct my first heavy metal video for Stigmatic (which hopefully you will see soon). Pudge becomes a Texas Ranger again.
September - Tracing my family tree and finding out i have relatives who lived and died near Nashville in the 1800s. Getting a new roof on the house. Derek Jeter ties Lou Gehrig Yankees hits record, and the team is wearing red hats. Doing The Fan Film Podcast. Roger Corman receives lifetime achievement Oscar.
October - My Leg exploding with nastiness during Game 1 of the World Series, and realizing i am still a fragile person. Seeing my youngest sister find love and marrying as well as Josiah one of my dearest friends also finding the love of his life and taking the plunge.
November - Emmy nomination #2 and The New York Yankees win their 27th World Series Championship.
December - Marie walks the floor with her rabbit trophy screaming I win, and Home for the holidays for the first time in years.
All of this brings me to my Resolution for 2010, and my hopes and dreams of the future. So In hopes of making a better Cameron here are some things I would like to achieve in 2010.
1. Its time to shoot a movie. Something all my own, at least as much in the way that film is always a collaboration. I have aspirations for actually shooting two movies this year. One a comedy about relationships, and the other a straight forward horror movie. I’m not sure which to do first, as it will likely come down to budget. I have outlines for both, and plan to start writing drafts next week. It has taken me some time to gather some equipment, and resources needed but i think i have most of the things i need. Some income i made last year from filming music videos and other projects along with my tax return should give me the few thousand dollars i feel I need to make what I want. I in no way am guaranteeing two movies, but I have high hopes.
2. Be more vocal on the web. I want to do more writing and video blogs on the internet. Just discussing day to life, the above mentioned adventure in film making as well as sharing things i like. I don’t want to build an obstacle by saying i’ll do it daily, but i want to be more frequent than i have in the past year. I also want to be more conscience of my presence on the internet by leaving comments, and reaching out to new people. We have been given a great gift with this communication, and i don’t want to waste it.
3. I want to stay on course with my health. I have lost thirty pounds in 4 months, and while weight loss really wasn’t my main concern when starting this, i Realize that a thinner Cameron is a longer living Cameron. The Wii Fit Taunts me on the weigh in, and I hope to get more lean this year.
4. I’d like to find a way to move to Texas. I love Nashville, but at this point in life am ready to get closer to friends and would like to find a way to get to Austin. I don’t truly think I’ll be transplanted by years end, but I want to seek it out. Nashville has a few unfinished things for me, but my time here is coming to a close.
5. Watch more movies, Read more books, Write more. And keep a log of all of this for posterity.
Kind wishes to you all. I hope you will show me support in these things in the coming days.
Cameron McCasland
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