Well, Sarah got voted off... I mean, “fired” on this week’s Apprentice: Martha Stewart. (I gave it a day or so so that those of you who TiVoed the show would have a chance to watch before I blew the secret.) I suppose I could have checked as to whether she was going to be out of the office yesterday (when she’d have to be doing the post-firing interview circuit), but I’m not quite that obsessive. (For those of you just tuning in, we produced Sarah’s audition video.)
For the most part, I can’t say I’m a big fan of the show. As far as I can tell, it’s a pale shadow of the Donald version (for which we also produced an audition video a while back). Martha’s trying to reconcile her hard-nosed businesswoman persona with her gracious TV face, and it just ain’t working. Donald’s an oversized asshole, and doesn’t try to hide it. Makes for a better “villain.” And let’s be honest — that’s what he and Martha are: the antagonists.
Another shortcoming of Martha’s show is that the goal is so nebulously defined — exactly what job is it they’re applying for again? With Donald’s show, the goal is clear: They’re hiring for a specific position running a specific operation within the Trump empire. With Martha, it’s just some job somewhere at the company. Hard to know what you’re working toward, what characteristics you need to accentuate, and so on. But worse than that, that vagueness completely destroys the illusion that this is any kind of “job interview,” as the contestants are repeatedly admonished to call it. No, it’s not an interview. It’s a television show. That’s it. Decisions are being made for good television, not any sort of good business sense.
Will I keep watching now that Sarah’s off the show? For a while, maybe, but probably only to see what happens to loose-cannon Jim (who, if real business entered into the picture at all, would have been let go long ago). After that? Can’t say I really care what happens.
Did Sarah deserve to get fired after this week’s performance? Judging by the way things looked on television (which is no doubt radically different from the way things actually happened), then probably so. Her team never developed a coherent idea for the task, and as project manager, she was ultimately responsible for the team’s performance (Sarah’s second-in-command Carrie was also fired). But I will say that I was heartened to see that, for probably the first time on the show, a project manager actually stepped up and accepted responsibility for the loss rather than trying to deflect blame onto someone else. Did she say that she deserved to be fired? No. But she made the argument for her continued participation based on her overall performance and potential rather than pretending that this loss was someone else’s fault. Hell, when asked who the hardest worker on the team was, she came right out and said it was Jim — someone whom she certainly had no desire to keep around.
So even in defeat, she handled herself graciously and honorably. A lot more than can be said for most reality-show competitors. And since she now has to keep working out in the real world (in fact, my team is working with her on a company video project this month), it’s nice to see she didn’t do anything to tarnish her reputation... or the reputation of those she represents (I suppose that’s me playing the role of “company man” there).
Friday, November 04, 2005
Monday, October 31, 2005
Oh, Yeah... We Made Another Movie
In the hectic pace of the past couple of weeks, I completely neglected to mention that yes, Tohubohu Productions did in fact complete and submit a film in this year’s National Film Challenge, written by Julia Montgomery, directed by Nello DeBlasio and produced by yours truly.
Our randomly selected film genre? Superhero.
Yeah, try doing that on a nonexistent budget. Oh, sure, it can be done (and I have seen at least one successful effort), but it’s way too easy to fall into the crappy satire category — which may sound good on paper, but almost always comes off as little more than a glorified home movie, in which watching produces more embarrassment than amusement.
But what if...? Yeah, that might actually work... But we’d need... Okay... So let’s try...
Give the resulting film — “Homemade Hero” — a look over at the main site and see how our take on the superhero film came out.
Our randomly selected film genre? Superhero.
Yeah, try doing that on a nonexistent budget. Oh, sure, it can be done (and I have seen at least one successful effort), but it’s way too easy to fall into the crappy satire category — which may sound good on paper, but almost always comes off as little more than a glorified home movie, in which watching produces more embarrassment than amusement.
But what if...? Yeah, that might actually work... But we’d need... Okay... So let’s try...
Give the resulting film — “Homemade Hero” — a look over at the main site and see how our take on the superhero film came out.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Write This Down
Tohubohu has officially assigned a writer for our National Film Challenge entry, and we couldn’t be happier:
Julia from the award-winning Tequila Mockingbird.
I have been singularly impressed with her writing for the past couple of years (since Fray Day 7), and once we started considering bringing in an experienced outside writer for our team, I thought, “What the hell — doesn’t hurt to ask.” And — to my surprise — despite our providing practically no advance notice, she thought it sounded like fun (and a more thorough examination of both our site and the NFC site did nothing to dissuade her from this impression).
We just had lunch today to go over any last-minute explanations, make sure there weren’t any glaring omissions or deal-breaking issues, and we are a go. As with any creative enterprise, there are no guarantees, but I think we just dramatically increased the odds of putting together our best show to date.
Now I’m off to Indianapolis for a work video shoot, but I’ll be back on Friday. My plans to blog the 48 Hour Film Project last spring went absolutely nowhere (it seemed like I didn’t have a spare moment to sit down and write), and since I don’t think that’s likely to change this time around, I was toying with the idea of recording some real-time comments for a podcast of the event. No promises, but I’ll see what I can do.
Julia from the award-winning Tequila Mockingbird.
I have been singularly impressed with her writing for the past couple of years (since Fray Day 7), and once we started considering bringing in an experienced outside writer for our team, I thought, “What the hell — doesn’t hurt to ask.” And — to my surprise — despite our providing practically no advance notice, she thought it sounded like fun (and a more thorough examination of both our site and the NFC site did nothing to dissuade her from this impression).
We just had lunch today to go over any last-minute explanations, make sure there weren’t any glaring omissions or deal-breaking issues, and we are a go. As with any creative enterprise, there are no guarantees, but I think we just dramatically increased the odds of putting together our best show to date.
Now I’m off to Indianapolis for a work video shoot, but I’ll be back on Friday. My plans to blog the 48 Hour Film Project last spring went absolutely nowhere (it seemed like I didn’t have a spare moment to sit down and write), and since I don’t think that’s likely to change this time around, I was toying with the idea of recording some real-time comments for a podcast of the event. No promises, but I’ll see what I can do.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Go Time!
Following on our award-winning effort in last year’s National Film Challenge, Tohubohu Productions will once again be doing the whole madcap movie-making weekend. And this time, we’re absolutely determined to take it all.
Unlike last year, I won’t be directing this time; while directing is certainly my first love, I am absent an experienced producer for this go-around. So I’ll be stepping into that role, and handing the directorial reins over to Nello DeBlasio, who proved his abilities with the 48 Hour Film Project entry “Quite Contrary.” (In the end, probably the biggest thing this means is that I get to unapologetically play “bad cop.”) We haven’t locked down a writer yet (we’ve decided to get away from the “writers’ bullpen” model we’ve used in the past), but I sent out a letter to an experienced and wonderful local writer yesterday — sort of a last-minute, thinking-outside-the-box choice — and I’m cautiously optimistic that it’ll work out. No details yet (don’t want to jinx it) but if this comes together, I will be seriously psyched about our chances of producing an exceptional film.
We’re also going to be taking a step up on the technical side of things — I just reserved a Canon XL2 for the weekend; we got a fantastic rental rate that we just couldn’t pass up. I don’t know that we’ll be able to master all of the new features of the camera in the brief time we’ll have it, but at the minimum, we’ll be able to shoot in native 16x9 mode, take advantage of the camera’s built-in “cine look” options, and — here’s the real kicker — shoot at 24 frames per second. Not that we’re likely to have an opportunity to transfer to film, but for the first time, we’ll have the option of doing so. And since Final Cut Pro can edit and output in 24fps natively as well, it’ll be a seamless process.
Okay, so the XL2 is no XL H1, but it’s still a big step up for us (not to mention the fact that we’re not geared up to edit in high-def just yet, which is kind of a critical step in the production process).
Things are really starting to come together. Which is a good thing, since there’s just one week to go before production time. So if anyone out there wants in, speak now. Or find yourself waiting for a screening after the fact, saying to yourself, “Man, if only I’d spoken up sooner...”
Unlike last year, I won’t be directing this time; while directing is certainly my first love, I am absent an experienced producer for this go-around. So I’ll be stepping into that role, and handing the directorial reins over to Nello DeBlasio, who proved his abilities with the 48 Hour Film Project entry “Quite Contrary.” (In the end, probably the biggest thing this means is that I get to unapologetically play “bad cop.”) We haven’t locked down a writer yet (we’ve decided to get away from the “writers’ bullpen” model we’ve used in the past), but I sent out a letter to an experienced and wonderful local writer yesterday — sort of a last-minute, thinking-outside-the-box choice — and I’m cautiously optimistic that it’ll work out. No details yet (don’t want to jinx it) but if this comes together, I will be seriously psyched about our chances of producing an exceptional film.
We’re also going to be taking a step up on the technical side of things — I just reserved a Canon XL2 for the weekend; we got a fantastic rental rate that we just couldn’t pass up. I don’t know that we’ll be able to master all of the new features of the camera in the brief time we’ll have it, but at the minimum, we’ll be able to shoot in native 16x9 mode, take advantage of the camera’s built-in “cine look” options, and — here’s the real kicker — shoot at 24 frames per second. Not that we’re likely to have an opportunity to transfer to film, but for the first time, we’ll have the option of doing so. And since Final Cut Pro can edit and output in 24fps natively as well, it’ll be a seamless process.
Okay, so the XL2 is no XL H1, but it’s still a big step up for us (not to mention the fact that we’re not geared up to edit in high-def just yet, which is kind of a critical step in the production process).
Things are really starting to come together. Which is a good thing, since there’s just one week to go before production time. So if anyone out there wants in, speak now. Or find yourself waiting for a screening after the fact, saying to yourself, “Man, if only I’d spoken up sooner...”
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Breaking Silence
Ahhh, finally! Anybody who knows me well knows I don’t do well with secrets. But back in February, Tohubohu Productions made a little video, about which I had to keep my big yap shut. And somehow, I managed to do so. Until today, that is.
NBC just announced the cast for the upcoming show The Apprentice: Martha Stewart. And one of the contestants (Sarah, the 25-year-old event planner) is a coworker of mine. But back in February, of course, she was just another hopeful.
So in a bizarre revisiting of past events — we had previously made an (ultimately unsuccessful) audition video for a prospective contestant on the Donald Trump edition of the show — we got behind the camera for yet another Apprentice audition.
Only this time, the contestant made it.
Don’t get me wrong — our part in this accomplishment is exceedingly minor; we could have made the greatest video in the world, and it wouldn’t have gotten an unexceptional candidate in the door. But still, it’s nice to feel like we’re progressing just a bit, from merely garnering a follow-up interview before to getting a competition slot.
And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited at the prospect of potentially seeing even a few frames of our work show up on NBC (or conceivably on the eventual DVD edition of the show).
(Oh, and before anyone asks, I have no idea what happened on the set, or what Martha’s much-debated “catch phrase” will be. Beyond what I’ve just revealed above, I’m as much in the dark as anyone else.)
NBC just announced the cast for the upcoming show The Apprentice: Martha Stewart. And one of the contestants (Sarah, the 25-year-old event planner) is a coworker of mine. But back in February, of course, she was just another hopeful.
So in a bizarre revisiting of past events — we had previously made an (ultimately unsuccessful) audition video for a prospective contestant on the Donald Trump edition of the show — we got behind the camera for yet another Apprentice audition.
Only this time, the contestant made it.
Don’t get me wrong — our part in this accomplishment is exceedingly minor; we could have made the greatest video in the world, and it wouldn’t have gotten an unexceptional candidate in the door. But still, it’s nice to feel like we’re progressing just a bit, from merely garnering a follow-up interview before to getting a competition slot.
And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited at the prospect of potentially seeing even a few frames of our work show up on NBC (or conceivably on the eventual DVD edition of the show).
(Oh, and before anyone asks, I have no idea what happened on the set, or what Martha’s much-debated “catch phrase” will be. Beyond what I’ve just revealed above, I’m as much in the dark as anyone else.)
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Tohubohu on the Big Screen
You’ve waited, you’ve wondered... and now here’s your chance to catch not one but all five Tohubohu short films on the big screen.
And as if that’s not enough, you’ll also see award-winning shorts from Gann Films (“Signs,” the Best-of-DC entry in last year’s 48 Hour Film Project) and WIT Films (“Occupational Hazard,” the Best-of-DC entry in this year’s 48HFP), a new short from Burning Toast Productions (“The Real Life: Garden of Eden”), as well as the long-awaited public premiere of the Red Baron/Team Jabberwocky production “Bystander.” Not to mention a stand-up performance by comedian Rory Scovel. And a filmmakers’s Q&A afterward.
It’s all happening as part of the Local Filmmaker and Community Night at the Avalon Theatre on Connecticut Avenue on Wednesday, August 24th. Tickets are just $8.50 apiece — and we’d really like to sell out the house. So if you’re in the area, please come out and see us. Hell, I’ll autograph your... whatever.
And as if that’s not enough, you’ll also see award-winning shorts from Gann Films (“Signs,” the Best-of-DC entry in last year’s 48 Hour Film Project) and WIT Films (“Occupational Hazard,” the Best-of-DC entry in this year’s 48HFP), a new short from Burning Toast Productions (“The Real Life: Garden of Eden”), as well as the long-awaited public premiere of the Red Baron/Team Jabberwocky production “Bystander.” Not to mention a stand-up performance by comedian Rory Scovel. And a filmmakers’s Q&A afterward.
It’s all happening as part of the Local Filmmaker and Community Night at the Avalon Theatre on Connecticut Avenue on Wednesday, August 24th. Tickets are just $8.50 apiece — and we’d really like to sell out the house. So if you’re in the area, please come out and see us. Hell, I’ll autograph your... whatever.
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Ernest Lehman, 1915–2005
Just heard that screenwriter Ernest Lehman has passed away at the age of 89.
Lehman was, of course, the writer of one of my all-time favorite films — and inspiration for the Tohubohu team names “Kaplan” and “Thornhill” — North by Northwest (I still remember his insightful commentary on the DVD edition of the movie). Sure, the movie’s more often remembered as a Hitchcock picture, or maybe a Cary Grant vehicle, but next time you see it, pay careful attention to the dialogue — this is some of the wittiest stuff Hollywood ever produced. I actually used a scene from the picture in an acting class back in college. Never honored with an Oscar win, Lehman was nominated six times (four times as a writer, twice as a producer), and in 2001 was awarded an honorary statue.
Good-bye, Professor. Thanks for helping us make sense of this whole alphabet soup.
Lehman was, of course, the writer of one of my all-time favorite films — and inspiration for the Tohubohu team names “Kaplan” and “Thornhill” — North by Northwest (I still remember his insightful commentary on the DVD edition of the movie). Sure, the movie’s more often remembered as a Hitchcock picture, or maybe a Cary Grant vehicle, but next time you see it, pay careful attention to the dialogue — this is some of the wittiest stuff Hollywood ever produced. I actually used a scene from the picture in an acting class back in college. Never honored with an Oscar win, Lehman was nominated six times (four times as a writer, twice as a producer), and in 2001 was awarded an honorary statue.
Good-bye, Professor. Thanks for helping us make sense of this whole alphabet soup.
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