Not hippy
February 7, 2012 – 2:35 pm | No CommentsI just lost a whole day’s worth of work because Soundtrack Pro doesn’t have a friggin autosave (and yes, because I didn’t save.) So here’s some Douglas Adams. Fuck it, I’m going to go get some sushi.
“Please call,” it said. “Not happy,” and gave a number. The name was Gail Andrews.
Gail Andrews.
It wasn’t a name she was expecting. It caught her unawares. She recognised it, but couldn’t immediately say why. Was she Andy Martin’s secretary? Hilary Bass’s assistant? Martin and Bass were the two major contact calls she had made, or tried to make, at NBS. And what did “Not happy” mean?
“Not happy?”
She was completely bewildered. Was this Woody Allen trying to contact her under an assumed name? It was a 212 area code number. So it was someone in New York. Who was not happy. Well, that narrowed it down a bit, didn’t it?
She went back to the receptionist at the desk.
“I have a problem with this message you just gave me,” she said. “Someone I don’t know has tried to call me and says she’s not happy.”
The receptionist peered at the note with a frown.
“Do you know this person?” he said.
“No,” Tricia said.
“Hmmm,” said the receptionist. “Sounds like she’s not happy about something.”
“Yes,” said Tricia.
“Looks like there’s a name here,” said the receptionist. “Gail Andrews. Do you know anybody of that name?”
“No,” said Tricia.
“Any idea what she’s unhappy about?”
“No,” said Tricia.
“Have you called the number? There’s a number here.”
“No,” said Tricia, “you only just gave me the note. I’m just trying to get some more information before I ring back. Perhaps I could talk to the person who took the call?”
“Hmmm,” said the receptionist, scrutinising the note carefully. “I don’t think we have anybody called Gail Andrews here.”
“No, I realise that,” said Tricia. “I just-”
“I’m Gail Andrews.”
The voice came from behind Tricia. She turned round.
“I’m sorry?”
“I’m Gail Andrews. You interviewed me this morning.”
“Oh. Oh good heavens yes,” said Tricia, slightly flustered.The message light on the phone was flashing though.
She hit the message button and got the hotel operator.
“You have a message from Gary Andress,” said the operator.
“Yes?” said Tricia. An unfamiliar name. “What does it say.”
“Not hippy,” said the operator.
“Not what?” said Tricia.
“Hippy. What it says. Guy says he’s not a hippy. I guess he wanted you to know that. You want the number?”
As she started to dictate the number Tricia suddenly realised that this was just a garbled version of the message she had already had.
“OK, OK,” she said. “Are there any other messages for me?”
“Room number?”
Tricia couldn’t work out why the operator should suddenly ask for her number this late in the conversation, but gave it to her anyway.
“Name?”
“McMillan, Tricia McMillan.” Tricia spelt it, patiently.
“Not Mr. MacManus?”
“No.”
“No more messages for you.” Click.“Is something wrong?” asked Gail.
“No, I… I have to say that you’ve rather astonished me,” said Tricia. She decided to ignore the security camera. It was just her imagination playing tricks with her because she had television so much on her mind today. It wasn’t the first time it had happened. A traffic monitoring camera, she was convinced, had swung round to follow her as she walked past it, and a security camera in Bloomingdales had seemed to make a particular point of watching her trying on hats. She was obviously going dotty. She had even imagined that a bird in Central Park had been peering at her rather intently.
She decided to put it out of her mind and took a sip of her vodka. Someone was walking round the bar asking people if they were Mr. MacManus.
Rouge Royale: “Toward the Sun”
February 6, 2012 – 9:45 pm | No CommentsHey, check out my friend James’ band, The Rouge Royale! I had the chance to film them a few months ago playing at a garden party, and James just threw it up onto YouTube. I’m glad the camerawork turned out well; though I’m used to shooting and then editing away the parts where I’m reframing, it gives it a very honest feeling!
She turned me into a newt!
February 5, 2012 – 4:35 pm | No Comments
I’ll keep practicing!
February 5, 2012 – 1:19 pm | No CommentsAdorable story that happened to me yesterday:
I was sitting on the subway typing on my computer (yes, I’m one of those people. It makes a 45-minute long train ride the perfect email response time.) A little kid walked up to me. I later found out that he was named Dylan. He had big wide eyes, was a little bit chubby, and super talkative.
Dylan: How do you TYPE so fast??!
Me: Well, it takes years of practice. I’ve been practicing for many, many years.
Dylan: How many years? Like, since December?
Me: Since.. wow. Since 1990.
His eyes went wide as saucers as he contemplated such an eternity.
Dylan: Wooooow. That’s a LONG TIME!!
Me: Yeah. How old are you?
Dylan: I’m… (he holds up five, and then switches to six, fingers)
Me: Wow, six years old? Cool! You look a lot older!
Dylan’s mom, proudly: Everyone thinks he’s a lot older. He’s the biggest kid in the grade.
Me: Cool! Everyone must look up to you, huh?
Dylan: Yeah they do!
Me: That means you were born in…
It’s at this point that I realize I am having a reasonably intelligent conversation with someone who was born in 2006. I was in college then. I remember (not so long ago) when it was strange to think that there were people alive who don’t remember 9/11.
Me: …2006.
Dylan’s mom: Yep, you got it right!
Me: Cool man! What’s your name?
Dylan: Dylan.
Me: I’m Michael.
Dylan: (looks excitedly at mom) his name is Michael!! Now I know three…five Michaels! My cousin Michael, Michael Jackson…
Me: Hey man, this is my stop. Nice meeting you. Take care!
Dylan’s mom: Dylan, let the man off, he’s got to go.
Dylan: Byeeeee! Nice meeting you!
As I walked to the subway door about 10 feet away, I turned back and waved. Dylan, a wide grin on his face, threw his hands up and waved at me. He yelled across the train:
Dylan: I’ll keep practicing!!
Kids. So fucking cute.
Dead serious
February 3, 2012 – 10:29 pm | No Comments
Webcomic: Lemonade Stand
February 3, 2012 – 10:00 am | No Comments
SHABBAT DINNER Release Party February 23!
January 31, 2012 – 8:45 pm | No CommentsWe’d really like to see you at our release party. Bring friends!!
(Also..Shabbat Dinner now has a fancy new website. I left out the Under Construction GIF, but you get the idea..)
a short film by Michael Morgenstern
at the Hong Kong International Film Festival
(even if you have already bought a ticket, an RSVP is appreciated)
Thursday, February 23 | 8:00 PM
White Rabbit NYC (145 East Houston St)
PRODUCED BY AIDAN LEVY | CINEMATOGRAPHY BY KRIS LAYNG
CHRIS LONDON
DAN SHAKED
EVA KAMINSKY
MICHAEL WIKES
PETER TEDESCHI
DAWN YANEK
Shabbat Dinner is a short film about two kids coming to terms with being gay over a Friday night dinner. It tells a story of family pressures, social norms, and a universal experience rarely touched upon in mainstream media.
For those without tickets, a suggested donation of $10 will go to charity.
Image by Mark Grabiner.
Presenting at Columbia panel on human rights and film
January 27, 2012 – 1:56 pm | No CommentsI’d like to invite everyone to a panel at Columbia University Law School. I will be talking about the creative approaches that FilmAid has taken to human rights advocacy and showing some clips of our work. Film has had such a powerful impact on the refugees that I’ve worked with, and I’m excited to share those stories and hear from others. I’ll be with representatives from the Human Rights International Film Festival, Video Volunteers, and two independent filmmakers.
The event is open to the public, details below. I hope you can make it!
Monday, January 30 | 5:30 – 7:00 PM
Jerome Greene Hall, Room 101
435 West 116th Street
New York CityPlease join HRI & Rightslink for a panel discussion on the role of film and filmmakers in human rights advocacy. Panelists from the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, Video Volunteers and FilmAid International will discuss the creative approaches these organizations have taken to human rights advocacy and present clips from their films. We hope that this panel will be the first of a series about innovative approaches to human rights advocacy.
Panelists:
Jennifer Nedbalsky, Human Rights Watch International Film Festival
Dina Madhani, Video Volunteers, India Unheard
Michael Morgenstern, FilmAid International
April Hayes & Katia Maguire, Independent FilmmakersRefreshments will be served. Contact hri@law.columbia.edu with questions.
Webcomic: Secure Passwords
January 27, 2012 – 10:00 am | No Comments
The Blank Page
January 23, 2012 – 10:10 pm | No CommentsI try to spend at least a half hour a day banging my head against a wall. Some may call it writing, and yes, at times words appear on a page, only to be backspaced into oblivion. But more often than not, the dominant behavior during these sessions is my metaphorical forehead slamming against metaphorical brick.
It’s been getting much easier though, because I’ve felt the feeling of reward. Three times over the past few months, I’ve had many-day periods of painful writers block, each time when trying to express something complicated, which ended in several-hour bursts of MiraLax’ed expression, writing that was somehow cogent and fully formed.
Now that I blissfully expect to be sitting in one of those periods, have I thwarted this unconscious process? I’m sure that in theory, expressing complex ideas in narrative form can happen without a feeling of pain. I’m just not sure if I’m there yet.
I’ll keep writing this screenplay, starting over again each day with a blank page and a new plan of attack, and see where it goes. And I’ll let ya know.
