Thursday, May 26, 2011

Take a Deep Breath and Look Around

I don't like it when software I depend on to produce product for my livelihood decides not to work.  Fortunately, while Adobe Acrobat Pro is deciding to be a whiny bitch, there is a plethora of tasks I can get done.  Like write a blog post while my CS4 installer copies from my work box to the external hard drive.

Had a splendid meeting with Landon yesterday, chatting about upcoming projects in addition to OA.  We've revised the pitch to be much more salable and dynamic, more capable of creating the kind of excitement we need cable network people to feel. 

The brain trust of Landon, Dan, Trish and myself is also generating a slate of new projects to work on, to keep us practiced in our craft and relevant in the Seattle indie film community, and to serve as a creative distraction while awaiting responses to the new OA pitch.

Also, we have raccoons in West Seattle, as you know.  But it's not an everyday occurrence to see a big adult moseying through our side and back yards in broad daylight.  It actually came down from the giant tree in the neighbors' yard, down our side of the fence, up onto our back porch (where we stage the scooped cat litter for transfer to the alley cans), then ambled nonchalantly around to the back, and finally disappeared into the bushes.  The cats lost their little cat minds, freaking out in the kitchen window while I took some snapshots.


Monday, May 16, 2011

Checklist.

Arrowflight - Northern Empires sourcebook: done.  As soon as Gavin gives the pdf a pass, I'll be putting it up for sale online, and arranging the POD run through dtrpg.com and Amazon.  Next up, Shriek X, Star Legion XPG and The Mystic East supplement for Arrowflight.  I also have gear splatbooks for Arrowflight and RADZ started, but they're victims of work-on-'em-when-I-can syndrome.

Airship Daedalus: is it in you?  Are you following it?  Are you decoding the ciphers?  For a secondary learn-as-we-go webcomic project, this thing is proving to be a blast and a half, and has led to a few expansions of the property.  Firstly, we've been given ten pages in the next edition of Mash Tun.  So that's cool.  Then I have the script for a ten-page one-shot story in the following issue.  We also are happy to count actress/singer/producer Wonder Russell (Rogue in the "On and On" film I directed for Kirby Krackle), who has put in a bid to play the character of Doc in any screen venture we attempt with Daedalus.  Although I'm a bit gun shy to go all out on a Daedalus film just yet, Ms. Russell did indeed encourage a teaser/trailer/proof-of-concept project which we could showcase at ECCC next year, as well as using as the basis for a Kickstarter campaign to fund a web serial.  In the meantime, I've already translated Chapter 1 of the webcomic into an old-time radio drama.  We'll set that up this summer and post it to the website.  There's also an RPG of the property in the works (with plenty of legwork already done from the first time I tinkered with the setting back in the late '80s).

Ordinary Angels: We got some incredibly helpful feedback from an old high school filmmaker buddy who now works at Disney.  I'm adjusting the pitch this week.

Spent Raechelle's birthday being sick.  Possible ulcer and a sinus infection.  Recovered enough to co-host our combined birthday bash at the Mop & Bucket, and promptly relapsed.  Spent my own birthday in the doctor's office, but bucked up enough to go see opening night of Thor with the fam and some friends.  Finally went on antibiotics and both issues seem to be clearing up just fine.  But now Raechelle and Kayleigh are both sick with what I've termed The Snot Monster - so much so that we had to skip the trip to Bellingham for May Birthdays.  We're rescheduling for June.

Tyler turns 17 tomorrow.  I don't feel old enough to have a 17 year-old son.  Hopefully I never will feel old enough. I will say that Tyler has undergone an evolution, emotionally as well as physically.  It's such a far cry from where we were just last year (and especially 2008-2009).  We're all breathing a huge sigh off relief and are very hopeful about his future.

It's amazing that I found the time to put up this post, but now I need to get back to the checklist...