The love is gone

There is no more spark. The gas has run out. I've got no drive for it.

Today I was going to work on my second Callaway Golf Ad for Poptent. But I just don't see it happening. I had it in my head and it seemed like a great idea, but I'm just not feeling it anymore. I never want to work on anything I'm not 100 percent into. I've worked on so much crap in the past and projects that didn't stimulate me, that I'm at a point now where if I don't feel it, then I don't do it. Even if it is for paying jobs. If my only motivation is the paycheck then it's really not worth it to me.

Money comes and goes, and yes these are "tough times" apparently, but I'm not so strapped for cash that I'll just do anything creatively despite how I feel about it. I've passed up plenty of projects in the last few years, paying projects, simply because my heart just wasn't into it. A certain monster movie comes to mind. A few years back, very wealthy man who was into this particular monster, wanted to hire me to shoot his script about said monster. Getting paid to direct is always the goal for me, but not when the script is this bad. Try watching Meatballs and Aliens back to back in reverse, while listening to a Toby Keith album and you'll get the basic feel of this script.

It's why I stopped doing weddings and depositions. Weddings are lovely, but to shoot one is such a pain. Dealing with carzy Brides and Moms, haggling with the photographer for the best spot, and then having to relive the entire thing over and over in editing. Depositions are worse, because it's just point and shoot for long drawn out dialogue about mind numbing details. Depositions are almost as bad as shooting a catholic wedding. Long and boring. Very much like watching Titanic, in reverse, with the sound off. (I don't know where I'm going with these "watching in reverse" references, just bare with me.)

So I try to choose to work on things that I am passionate about. I've got a few VLOGS that I'd like to produce. I've got Tadcast, Jim Beam, and Stella Artois submissions to think about, as well as the usual Poptent Assignments. But right now, I just want to work on Monster Cops.

I'm quite happy with the great feedback I've been getting for the vids being posted so far, so I'm anxious to get a ton more shorts/webisodes up. And I'm anxious to get the next 4 10 to 20 minute episodes up and out to venues and fests.

There is one particular webisode I want to do, but it sorta breaks my rules. I'm very big on originality. Meaning everything I make, I make. I shoot it, I cut it, and I compose all the music. Sure we'll pay an homage to something, make references, and borrow classic comedy bits, but for the most part the material is original, especially the music. I always cringe when I watch video contest submissions where the rules strictly prohibit the use of copyrighted material and there's a video using music from The Dark Knight or Pirates Of The Caribbean. I make my own music and I never want to use anyone else music unless I can pay for it.

Now if you're doing a spoof or a vlog where you're not making any money off it, then I think it's perfectly fine and falls under Fair Use. But for shorts trying to compete or make money, it's a big no no. With that said, I have this great idea for a Monster Cops webisode that features a very popular copyrighted song. I want to see it happen so badly I'm considering actually producing it. Sure YouTube may take it down, and we may not be able to sell it on the DVD, but it's just one of those things that's just gotta be done. At least it'll be online for folks to see. It should survive Vimeo, Metacafe, and Myspace and you'll definitely be able to see it at Monstercops.com.

I shall ponder this some more. Gonna go work on a Monster Cops Short and check on my pot roast, then I think I shall get on the recumbent bike. LOL. Recumbent. I dunno why that word makes me laugh.




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Now playing: Craig Armstrong - PM's Love Theme -Craig Armstrong
via FoxyTunes

Monster Cops: Phone Call

Monster Cops Short. 1 min. 47 sec. A conversation about killing monsters is interrupted by a phone call. Patrick A. Prejusa, Brandon White, Chris Plouffe, and Danielle Motley.

nbc

Let the midnight special shine a light on me

The signs are everywhere and I can't ignore them. I've been reminded full force of things from the past and it gives me clarity when working on the future.

Credence Clearwater Revival's classic song "Midnight Special". I listened to it constantly when working on the first Monster Cops script, The Midnight Special.



It was this song and 2 others.

Whodini's Classic of Hip-Hop "The Freaks Come Out at Night"



And the one that really inspired me when working on Monster Cops (and still does to this day): The Hollies classic "Long Cool Woman"





It's these three songs I had put on a repeat over and over the entire time I worked on The Midnight Special. To me these songs captures a strong part of the spirit that is Monster Cops. CCR's Midnight Special had that down home rock and blues tone that you really don't associate too much with horror and monsters. Which is why I found it well suited for Monster Cops. It was the feel of how the Cops operated while under the strain of hunting creatures. Cool and groovy, a tone you wouldn't put with hammering stakes in to Vampire hearts. That's the tone of Monster Cops.

The Freaks Come Out at Night was a song that felt right over images of patrol cars looking for, well, freaks. Cops on patrol, investigating strange situations hunting zombies and ghouls. Like driving through neighborhood streets on Halloween Night, seeing costumed creatures roaming around. Plus it was an old school song that did remind me of that Halloween feel, only because it would always end up on someones Halloween music mixtape along with Thriller, The Halloween Theme, and Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes.

And finally Long Cool Woman was always a favorite of mine. Definitely my fav song from The Hollies and in my top 10 of classic rock songs. This song always felt like great background narration for some undercover cop closing in for the arrest, or DEA agents on a bust. Desipte what it's lyrics may define it as, to me this was the action theme for Monster Cops. The bouncy rock rhythm and feel of CCR's Midnight Special but with a harder edge and faster pace. Rock and Blues for Cops on the move, and that's Monster Cops. Burnt out and blue on the job, cracking jokes about the bust, and all the while the Vampires burn and the Zombie heads explode.

Odd, strange, quirky, funny, and thrilling with monsters and guns thrown in.

All this means that I'm nowhere near done with Monster Cops. There is that specific feel and vision I'm going for and I feel like if I can really nail it, it will really be something great. Not that I wasn't already aiming for that, it's just tonight has been very motivating, and a little inspiring.

Still have many many other videos to work on of course. The video work never goes away, but I do hope to get on the ball with Monster Cops and get as much of my vision out there as possible, more shorts, more episodes, much, much more Monster Cops.

Ryan Started The Fire

I love The Office and Billy Joel. So this fan made video was definitely up my alley.




Thanks to @rainnwilson for the tweet.