Its Friday! Its hot and you probably got another four to six hours before your weekend starts. Why not check out this site to kill time? My friend told me about People of Walmart and I’ve been hooked ever since. The captions they put on the pictures are hilarious, the randomness is amazing, and if only Employee of the Month Jessica Simpson was there too, it would be pure bliss. Be careful the next time you shop at Walmart. Happy Friday!
Today could be the unluckiest day of the year…if you believe in superstitions that is. Friday the 13th aka day of bad luck aka JASON in a hockey mask coming to ruin your slumber party has been known for the day of bad things to happen. I for one believe in bad omens and if you have been doing wrong to people or animals, karma might come bite you in the ass today. So here’s my list of things to do to avoid your unlucky day.
1. At work, keeping the same routine is always the way to stay lucky. For instance, when I was working on set on Fast and Furious I would always start my day finding a new trailer of an actor/producer/director/AD truck whatever to do my morning ritual of “droppin off the kids”.
About a year and a half ago, Arowana Films got our first featured youtube video “Kim Jong Il Eharmony“. Of course we had no idea about utilizing youtube and all its greatness but we knew we made something viral. So our good friend SuChin Pak came into town and we thought, hmmmm why not make a video with her and Kim Jong. That would hit gold! But since the whole North Korean border “confusion” happened, we had to lay low and hold off anything that could be sensitive. But now I think with the awesomeness of President Clinton, we’re ok to start our “People of Perspectives” three part series. Happy Friday!!!
I’ve been working countless hours on a bmx webseries project recently. I know its no excuse for my lack of blogging but my mind gets distracted easily these days when the paycheck is on the line. As I’m creating this from start to finish, I wanted to share my experience with you as this project has made me grow as a filmmaker. I’ve usually taken the role of a writer and/or producer on projects. But after I wrote and pitched the idea to the company, my producer asked me to direct it too. I figure after listening to the interpretation’s panel at the VC film fest and heard what the panel had to say, I stuck to their advice and “dared to fail”. Hopefully sharing some of these experiences of my journey will help any young filmmaker out there, especially any of you preparing to shoot their own interpretations entry.
I’ve learned that in trailers, less is more. Part of the trick, especially something like bikes and bmx, is to evoke emotion. And for a youtube video, you want it quick and fast. I didn’t have to explain the story nor did I have a deep-voiced dude saying some voice over. Instead, I turned something fast pace and high energy into something more epic and surreal. Stay tune as I’ll try to go over my journey with you from storyboarding to shooting four locations a day to the editing process as each episode launches. Here is the trailer to the 3 part webseries.
Enjoy!
The other night…ok 5 minutes ago, I was googling “asian people winning lottery”. Heard about the lady in Vegas winning four times and thought to myself, I’ve never heard of any Asians winning and this was the first search result I got. “How to Draw Common Asian Features” Hmm interesting. I don’t really know how to draw in the first place but I’m curious what could this lead to. Could it be a buck tooth, squinty eye old guy with a rice hat on? Or have I just been brainwashed to think that. The eHow presenter, Jay French is a professional illustrator and graphic artists. So I think I’m in for a treat. Lemme bust out my drawing pad.
As the big fourth of July weekend kicks off, everyone and their moms will be on the road causing massive stop and go’s, rubber necking, and lookie loos. Its only the perfect way to celebrate some independence. The simple solution for killing time would be talking about life. But sometimes the company is just not interesting enough. So while you have time on your hands counting the miles to your final destination, I would like to suggest a few fun games that I always play while driving long distances.
1. Heater Game – This isn’t for everyone but can be very challenging and rewarding at the same time. Simply roll up all your windows and crank the heater on full blast and see who can last the longest in the epic battle of the heater game. My current record is about 25 miles. Stripping off clothes is acceptable and encouraged only if riding in a co-ed car. Its a great way to shed off a few pounds before hitting up the barbeques.
Every song brings you back to a certain memory in your life. New Edition christmas album reminds me of my childhood days. MC Hammer in middle school with my friends. Even Stevie B and the many mix tapes I would make for certain crushes in high school. But a tune or two always reminds me of certain gigs I’ve worked on in my freelancing career. I’ve had this idea brewing in my head for awhile since I love to sing in the car but we found someone who actually had it, karaoke in the car…or CARAOKE!
As this short week comes to a close because of this year’s past Memorial Day weekend, I’d thought I’d share the five most common questions people ask when I tell them about the Navy. I’m not a Rambo, adrenaline, want to pick a fight kinda guy. Nor did I get bad grades or was a hip hop gangster in school. Quite the opposite. I can actually do most of those challenges from Emmie’s post with my naval education. But unfortunately, I quickly became a thirty year old when I turned eighteen and graduated bootcamp.
1. Did you ever kill someone?
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Have you ever been in a public place and let one loose? How about laughing too hard and one slips out? Or my favorite, think its gonna be a quiet airy one and it was actually 3.0 on the Richter scale? Farting is probably one of the grossest things to do or hear (esp for girls) because its airy poo particles but it can also be one of the funniest events to witness too. Its quite natural and EVERYONE does it. We know old people seriously don’t mind farting anywhere. And most of our childhood friends haven’t changed a bit either. You can’t tell me you haven’t ripped several dozen while you’re on the plane. Has your boy/girlfriend farted in front of you yet? If so, I bet a thousand more came right after.
But is it dangerous to hold in a fart?
As I stood in the express line tonight at Von’s picking up some milk and cereal, Bonnie Tyler’s classic song “Total Eclipse of the Heart” came on and it suddenly tickled my lungs enough to instantly belt out a few lines. My fellow shoppers and cash register girl thought it was 420 or I just went coo-coo for coco puffs. But no, Bonnie Tyler as well as other musicians have that power over me. I could be at a church or sitting on a crowded bus and still the lyrics will release from me. Once I got home, I had to youtube the music video of choir boys and glowing eyes for old times sake. But then I stumbled onto a new discovery called “Total Eclipse of the Heart: Literal Video Version”. It suddenly all made perfect sense. Or did it?
In my junior year of high school, I got invited down by some church friends to have a jam session on Monday nights. Being barely five foot tall at the time, I played the stand up bass all of middle school. So they said converting to a bass guitar should be cake. Of course they didn’t warn me that we wouldn’t be playing Mozart or Canon D. But when I started learning Smashing Pumpkins and REM, my taste in music evolved. Of course we’d balance it out with Jars of Clay but STP and Red Hot Chili Peppers replaced my hobby of baseball cards. I learned to read tab music in the Guitar magazines. We’d all try to rotate around instruments to keep things fresh and fun. So I started to teach myself the drums and failed horribly at the guitar. But when it was my turn to sing, it was that moment when I fell in love with Green Day.
After a recent screening of Hot Tub Time Machine and reading Offender Elaine’s post on resurrecting some favorite eatery joints, I’ve come up with my wish list of TV shows to come back to life as well. Of course as a kid whose rabbit ear tv became my after school program, picking from a long list of pure simpleness is really hard. But with the wonders of youtube (my new after school program) I’ll choose five that come right off my childhood mind and give a quick description of what the show would be like now.
5. Head of the Class
Professor Charlie Moore is now teaching for the police academy and all his students are failing. Arvid, is at the top of class and kicks ass in the driving and physical obstacle courses but can’t shoot due to his lack of vision. Alan is being reassigned even though there is a don’t ask don’t tell policy. Darlene accidentally shot Janice for being a winey bitch. And Simone and Jasper have been charged with indecent exposure for having too much sex in their squad car. And Dennis, well you can guess why he’s failing. In a desperate effort Prof. Charlie brings in Billy to go undercover to save the day.
I just have one easy question this Friday to end the week.
Is she hot or not?
Growing up in the streets of Frisco, my childhood dream was to be a hip hop legend (not some new wave crap). I idolized a lot of Bay Area rappers which most people probably haven’t heard of. Artists like Too Short was somewhat mainstream but guys like Ant Banks, Mac Mall, E-40, and Mac Dre aren’t as popular outside of the 4-1-5. If you thought that Snoop Dog invented all that “fo shizzle my nizzle” slang, it was actually E-40. Get that shit right. I didn’t have a choice but to be gangsta cuz being a shortass chinaman with a bowl cut and bmx bike didn’t cut it in the projects. I finally got outta the ghetto but the ghetto never left me. I had a very short but memorable hip hop career. That’s right, I was once a rapper with something to say. I’ve never EVER revealed this publicly but I am A.1. BBQ Sauce, bringin that spice of life. WHAT!
After recent tragedies in Moscow, Guest Offender Bobby (Justin’s assistant) and I got together for lunch and recalled our fond memories of the Fast & Furious European Red Carpet Premieres.
Anson:
Last year, a movie called Fast and Furious made its world premiere in Los Angeles and I had the privilege of being one of Offender Justin’s assistants during the production. It was my first taste of seeing how a big budget studio movie was being created. From witnessing classic cars being chopped up to stunt men flying off buildings to eating craft service willy wonka style, I quickly realized I was probably the luckiest man alive. Just the chance to meet people who worked in the industry and experiencing the circus tour schedule was an opportunity of a lifetime. But when the world premiere came, I felt a pinch in the arm and woke up from the dream ride. Little did I know, I was leaving on a jet plane for a trip of a lifetime.
Bobby:
One funny thing about working in film production is how you always find yourself in the oddest situations and places that you’d never think you’d get into. Sometimes I’ll just be focused on work, work, work….then I stop and look around (usually happens when I’m on set and sleep deprived at 3AM) and think…”Wow… How the hell did I end up in such a random place and situation?!?” Like standing in a 5 degree desert in Ridgecrest at 4:30am, or sitting in Howard Hughes’s rotting old office (where he used to pee in jars), or randomly driving Megan Fox two hours out to set. But one of the most exhilirating and surreal places that Offenders Anson, Justin, a couple other friends and I ended up in (courtesy of Fast and Furious)….was a little place called….MOSCOW.
All my life, the number one punch line that people still find funny is my last name. True, Asian last names are kinda weird and funny looking like “PHUC” or “KUM” but there’s many famous people with the name “HO” and I take pride in that. Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam’s famous Communist revolutionary aka Uncle Ho) or Cheng Ho (a Chinese explorer decades before Christopher Columbus, real name Ma Ho) or Chan Ho Park (a trailblazer for Asian baseball players into the major league). But with a name that describes a prostitute or a chant while working by the seven dwarfs or what jolly Saint Nick screams happily, a name like “HO” can be both awesome and cruel.
Ever had some balls that needed cleaning? Tried using different methods but was never satisfied? If you’ve tried the rest, now try the best…
The other night I had the most vivid dream about my high school senior year. It was both scary and hilarious because my dream was about this one crush I had with a cheerleader that was in my English class. I would always let her cut in line at lunch, help her with her homework, and give her wake up calls thru pager language every morning. Yea, I basically would do anything to talk to this girl. But I knew the only way to win her over was through song. So this dream I had consist of me making the ultimate 80′s and 90′s mix tape. There is def an art form into creating this perfect blend of seduction and sexual innuendo. And I had all of my older brother’s music at my disposal. The first song would have to start off with a bang. Then the second song had to top the first. The third song would be tricky cuz you’d have to bring it down a notch but still keep the mood right. I wouldn’t say this is my perfect mix but def a great find on youtube.
What would you add to the mix…from that era of course?
The other day my Navy buddy drove through Los Angeles on his way to his new duty station in Washington state. We served together in San Diego a while back and did three tours in the Persian Gulf and one in Central America. We also enlisted in the military almost at the same time and to hear he only has seven more years to retirement was pretty shocking. RETIREMENT! Damn, I wouldn’t even be forty yet had I stuck it out and did my twenty. He was pretty emotional because he was leaving his wife and two kids behind in San Diego. I remembered and experienced that kind of feeling before and I never wish that upon anyone. But we both knew that’s the kind of thing you have to do when you sign your life away.
Youtube Comments Gone Intolerable
Have you ever had one of your youtube video’s completely trashed with filthy or crazy comments? I don’t know why but my fellow Offender Roger’s blog of his doggie (style) experience made me think of these comments of a video from our Arowana Films camp.
I give you example A:
This Kim Jong Il Eharmony video mysteriously became a “featured video” which emerged as an easily accessible thing to the real world. And while reading all the great responses, it also came with intolerant and edgy comments. I then realized that youtube is dangerously one of the last places where you can totally speak freely and get away with it.
Here’s more comments of this video but please be warned!! Read more...
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