THE PRODIGAL ALTAR BOY BLOG - "Chock Full o'Nuts"

THE PRODIGAL ALTAR BOY BLOG

180-DAY COUNTDOWN

T+1 DAYS AND COUNTING

Documentary Work:

Selected readings:

Shaking the Money Tree – Morrie Warshawski

Directing the Documentary – Michael Rabiger

Started charging batteries for funeral shoot

Preliminary shoot kit assembly:

• XL1s Camera
• 14X Manual lens
• 3X wide angle lens
• LCD monitor kit
• Lithium “AA” batteries X 8 (for Zoom Q3)
• 16GB memory card (for Zoom Q3)

Music Practice:

Stratocaster Warm-Ups

“So What”

Inversion Excursion work

Body Work:

Active Rest

TQ Project Updates

The Inner Circle starts tomorrow and I am excited about that.  I am equally excited about the funeral shoot on Friday.  There is a rumor going around that due to the expected turnout, the funeral may move from Holy Family to the Virginia Beach Convention Center.  I should probably call Monsignor Pitt to check the veracity of that and how that affects our agreement that I can shoot the funeral.  I will weigh that decision over the next 24 hours. 

Jesse Wieman is working on two more paintings from the Virginian-Pilot photos.  He started these before TQ’s passing and I look forward to seeing how they turn out.  Working the paintings into the film will be interesting.  While my original idea of dissolving from photo to painting will still work, I think the paintings can convey their own visual story apart from the photographs they are based on. 

Working in Sony ACID with loop idea for the score.  After the funeral, I want to start working with the BOSS Slicer pedal and eventually put together a “soundtrack” pedal board specifically to be set up to generate and capture soundtrack ideas. 

From TQ"s expanded obituary in the 29 April 2012 Virginian Pilot:

"...according to his wishes, TQ will be cremated, and his ashes poured into a jumbo "Chock-Full-O-Nuts" coffee can, which will be placed in the columbarium of St. Kateri Tekakwitha parish, Poquoson, following an Evening Prayer service, on Wednesday, May 9, at 7 p.m. H.D. Oliver Funeral Apts., Laskin Road Chapel is handling arrangements. Online condolences may be made at www.hdoliver.com."

You can't make this up...stay tuned!

My Top Ten Favorite Things of the Last 100 Days: #4 Chris Schafer

Prodigal Altar Boy Countdown

Last 100 Days of 2011

27 December 2011

T-4 Days and Counting

Goal:  At least one hour per day working on the movie: 

Details:  Read Karen Everett's article, "Reality in Three Acts - What Documentary Storytellers Can Learn From Screenwriters"

• What a Story Is Not
• Act One: Launching the Story
• Portraying the Inciting Incident
• Posing the Central Question
• Act One Climax
• Act Two: The Long and Winding Road
• The Midpoint
• The Problem of Pacing
• Reversal
• Act Three: Answering the Central Question
• Denouement: Giving Good Closure

Traveled to New York for a short getaway and inspiration in the Big Apple

Goal: 30 Minutes per day music practice

Details:  

• Worked with practice stix and a copy of  "Guitar Tricks"
• Watched "Play By Ear, Improvise and Understand Chords"

Total time: 1 hour

Goal: 15 Minutes per day of exercise
Details:

Hey, we're in New York.  I think the hotel has a "fitness center."  If so, I'll make something work there.
Total time:  vacation mode 


Goal: 15 Minutes per day working on the score for the movie:

Details:
Worked on creating loop beds in Sony Acid using Sony Loops and Samples.
Total time: 1.5 hours

  

My Top Ten Favorite Things of the Last 100 Days:

#4 Chris Schafer

Chris Schafer clocks in at Number Four in my Top Ten Favorite Things of the Last 100 Days of 2011.  Full disclosure:  Chris Schafer is in the top ten of my favorite things for all 365 days of 2011 and every year prior since about 2005.  For 2011, though, Chris was friend, guru, motivational coach, inspiration, clothier and just one cool guy to have on your team.  Earlier this year Chris recommended the movie "Exit Through the Gift Shop."
A parallel story of the movie is about a man making a documentary about street art (tagging), and Chris mentioned the film when we were talking about how much footage J had shot for the movie.  He told me about one scene in the movie where the man making the film surveys box after box of unedited tape and realizes he will never be able to make the movie because he doesn't know what he's shot.  Chris said, "Hey, don't be that guy okay?  Start editing."
I watched the movie (it was great and got an Academy Award nomination), saw the scene Chris was talking about, and immediately started a plan to A: catalog/digitize the video I had shot, B: make plans to bring principal photography to an end and C: Make some stab at editing.  My "Last 100 Days of 2011" is the beginning of those plans and I'm happy to say two of those objectives (A and B) are done and while C is also "done," it is only a start down the longer road of editing the film.
Thanks, Chris.  I could not have done it without you.

2011 last 100 days - DAY 4

2011 last 100 days
Day: 4

25 September 2011

TQ on the set at St. Kateri

 

• 1 hour per day doing some editing work on the movie:

Edit details:  90 minutes working on the St. Kateri footage.  Tightened some edits, added music beds and worked on TQ’s audio.

• 30 minutes per day basic music practice:

Details:  20 minutes electric warm ups and Requiem (Dies Irae) work.  Emphasized working.through the whole piece at a reduced speed, then focused on the octave work leading into the lead piece and ending.   

15 minutes working on “So What”  

Book work - Thelonious Monk for Guitar - ‘Round Midnight (the paucity of my talent on this song is only surpassed by the hilarity of the sounds produced.  Needs more work.  This book could be a 100 day countdown project on its own.

Famous Guitar Intros - “Cult of Personality,” “Walk This Way,” “Day Tripper,”

Evening Work

“Talkin’ Loud and Sayin’ Nothing” (Cult of Personality version)

“It’s Your Thing”

More Requiem work

Total time:  50 minutes

• 15 minutes per day (minimum) exercise:

Exercise summary

TRX Workout

TRX Supported Squat (arms up) 5 sets of 12 reps

TRX Contralateral Lungers 5 sets pf 12 reps (per side)

TRX Supprted Squar (arms in) 1 set of 12

Time:  15 minutes

• 15 minutes per day (minimum) scoring work for the movie:

Details:  30 minutes building St. Kateri music bed by looping.

Notes:  I thought I would have a lot more time over the weekend, but tasks expand to fill available time.  I did get a lot accomplished and I’m grateful for that.  Working out Saturday and Sunday meant I worked out seven days this week.  Even the 15 minute TRX work today was hard.  My concern is working out every day will diminish results for Viking Warrior Training (already down).  For next week I will probably make at least one of those workouts a 15 minute stretching/core session  to enhance recovery.

2011 last 100 days
Day 3 - 24 September 2011
o 1 hour per day doing some editing work on the movie:
1 hour watching module four of the New Doc editing course
 
o 30 minutes per day basic music practice:
Details
Warm up on the acoustic
Acoustic work: Open The Eyes of My Heart/Knockin' on Heaven's Door
D-sus riff work

Electric work
Requiem (Dies Irae) on the Roland Strat whole piece and octave parts
Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing
It's Your Thing
So What

Book work: Famous Guitar Intros
Total time: 90 minutes

 
o 15 minutes per day (minimum) exercise:
Exercise summary
100 KB swings 45 lbs
50 KB snatches 45 lbs
25 Double KB Military Presses 2X45 lbs
15 Double KB Rows. 2X45 lbs
Total time: 18:45
 
o 15 minutes per day (minimum) scoring work for the movie:
Details
Downloaded Acid 7
Created two music beds for St. Kateri editing
Total time: 2 hours