Friday, December 26, 2008

January 26, 1925 - September 26, 2008

I want to be a pilot in the military but will be failed and told I am color blind.
I want to study Drama at Yale University, then move to Los Angeles.
I want to be an actor.
I want my career to span 5 decades.
I want to be nominated for six Academy Awards for Actor in a Leading Role, before I win my first award on my seventh nomination.
I want to be an Academy Award nominated Producer.
I want to start a line of food products that will begin with salad dressing but expand to include pasta sause, lemonade, popcorn, salsa, wine, and much more and donate all proceeds from these products to charity.
I want to be the co-founder of a summer camp for sick children.
I want to be a political activist.
I want to be a race car driver and own my own racing team.
I want to be married and have six children.

Wait...someone already did all of these things. His name was Paul Newman.

"Study your craft and know who you are and what's special about you...ask questions and listen. Make sure you live life, which means don't do things where you court celebrity, and give something positive back to our society." - Paul Newman (1925 - 2008)

Saturday, December 20, 2008

writing for the sake of writing

I don't really have that much to say right now but let's see where this goes.

Here is what I came up with...

Writer's block is either fictional or the worst thing ever.

Conclusion: Since I already wrote 90% of a short film today I'd say I accomplished enough for right now. So I am going to go read The Last Lecture, think about life, start a new day, and come back to this tomorrow when the tipping point is one day closer.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

the (revised) plan

Alright awhile back I wrote a plan down to follow. It was really more of a scatter-brained attempt of what I wanted to do in the upcoming months. Well I've been doing a lot of thinking between that post and this and I have changed...no. Revised my plan. So here it is:

Watch every film I can get my hands on. All of them: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Read everything I can about the entertainment industry, business, screenwriting, upcoming movies, and who's signing on for what. Just read more in general.

Remain at Cal Poly to receive my business degree with a concentration in marketing; while I write some shorts that can hopefully be made and produce them, while still working on writing / finishing Good Will Hunting 2. (I'm just kidding, but something cut from the same cloth. i.e. an unknown writing one of the greatest scripts of all time. Hey a guy can dream can't he?) During the next 4 years it would be great to actually work during the summer in a field that is related to my future. First summer: sales job at SEARS? Second Summer: internship for ad agency in LA? Third Summer: intership in New York.

Following graduation continue writing and move to Los Angeles and work for an Advertising Agency.

Finish the script.

Sell the script and get on the film as a producer with my marketing and advertising background I should be ready by then.

The rest:

Continue to write and produce my movies and move on to produce others' films.

Open my own production company.

Have a career and not just a job.

Be happy and enjoy life.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Judgment Day

beep, beep, beep, beep, beep

7:10 am: Wake up and finish studying for STATS.

8:05 am: Shower

8:25 am: Check psych grade; still not posted. Check book of the face; bored. Finished packing to leave.

9:10 am: Breakfast / Extra study sess

9:50 am: Enter classroom for STATS final.

10:07:31 am: Handed the final by my professor.

11:17:51 am: F***************S*******G*******S*******F****

12:15:27 pm: Done. Lay the final and note sheet on the desk, look my teacher in the eye, and walk out with my head high. Cause I did my best and that is all anyone can do or ask for.

Whatever happens happens. Whatever will be will be.

Monday, December 8, 2008

2 dead weeks

Last week was "dead week" (yes, I just used air quotes).

Supposedly, but it's as if I have 2 deads weeks because I don't have a true final until Friday. So what I'm going to be doing until then is studying. Studying what I should have been studying during the first "dead week" (yes I just used them again).

The way I figure it there are two kinds of tests/exams/finals. There is the one based on recall, and there is the one based on recognition. My psych final is going to be based on recognition, meaning that I can study one night (one hour) and do fine on it. My stats final on the other hand is based on recall, meaning I have to truly understand the material. Whatever that means.

The way I figure it is if I cannot remember it for the test, then it is not important enough to be tested on and therefore not having to be remembered.

But what happens happens.

All I can do is study until my brain forms so many new wrinkles until it collapses upon itself and causes a miniaturized black hole that will swallow up this entire campus and everything else; causing no finals for anyone. Now there’s a visual for you.

Friday, December 5, 2008

i'm not anywhere

I just finished watching the film I'm Not There, and that is exactly what it is. It is not simply a movie, but a film. And yes, there is a difference.

One word can be used to describe it: interesting.

I haven't decided yet if it was good or bad, or if I liked it or didn't. But it was interesting.

I just think that the characters played by Christian Bale and Heath Ledger deserved there own film because they both had so many layers to be explored that I felt were left undiscovered. In fact this gives me an idea... (but not to be finished here).

There should have been more Ben Whishaw on screen because he did such a tremendous job, and I feel if they chose to make a true bio-pic then he would simply be great as just Bob Dylan.

For this film by Tod Haynes, I feel it should have just been devoted to Cate Blanchett. Maybe they were hesitant to only cast one person as Bob Dylan, and even more hesitant to only cast a women for the role. I can't even begin to describe the phenomenal job she did. At first I didn't see it in the beginning of the film but by the end I was completely turned around and could not see the line where Blanchett ended and Dylan began.

Good film... but great?

I'm not so sure, because I only really cared about 4 of the 6 characters used to portray Dylan. The other two seemed unnecessary until the final scene.

Still a pretty good film though.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

short break = oxymoron

Just took a break from studying psych that I wanted to only last 30 minutes but ended up lasting 2 hours.

Oops...So much to do so little time.

Actually I have all the time in world (not really). But the exam is still 14 hours away, so plenty of time remains.

Can't wait until Christmas break because Christmas break = no homework, no studying, no stress (unlikely), more good food, good people, down time, thinking time, relative reading time, writing time = accomplishment = success = happYness = doing what I really want = LIFE.

The end... for now...

The tipping point is coming... I can feel it closing in

(I didn't put a period for a reason)

10 people I want to be when I grow up

I stole this idea from my sister, so don't sue me sis.

1) Jerry Maguire

2) Eric "E" Murphy

3) Will Hunting/Matt Damon

4) Christian Bale

5) Christopher Nolan

6) Jerry Bruckheimer

7) Ari Gold

8) Don Draper

9) Ray Bradbury

10) Eric Cutruzzula