yikes, first update in a while!

Wow, I'm a terrible blogger! It's been quite a while since the last time I've posted anything. I guess its simultaneously a good and bad thing.. Jake and I have kept really busy, but not always with fun stuff to write about. Lots of work mostly, with a few fun bits sprinkled in on the weekends. Sunday we hiked up Griffith Park to the observatory, which left my lower half quite achey, and the weekend before that we drove to the San Bernadino mountains to pick apples and pumpkins (which was incredible).

I have an exciting event coming up - the first public screening of my thesis film AB NEGATIVE. Anyone who's in town on Friday Nov 7th is welcome to come to our little premiere and reception at the AFI campus. We'll have a little food and wine available, and it should be a good way to relax and finally wrap up the whole thesis extravaganza. I also have about a billion DVDs, so for those who donated to the film (or maybe anyone who's just a really big fan..?), I can send out a copy soon.

Back at home, poor Jake is having a hard week.. first the Xbox up and died, now the projector's blown a bulb. But electronic failures aside, I think he's been sort of frustrated recently anway, because he's trying so hard to push his film forward, and of course these things can be slow. I'm confident that eventually things will work out for the movie, but maybe those (two?) of you reading might add a little prayer for Jake this week - that he can be patient and ready for the incredible things God has planned for him.

And lastly, because this week has been pretty dreary so far, I was daydreaming while pretending to work, and I decided I need to make a public record of the things on my Adventure Wish List (which I just now officially named, though I've had one for a while now). So here we go -- and keep in mind this is not an exhaustive list!

1. go to Yellowstone (I researched it for work and I like it)
2. take a helicopter ride
3. go to Vegas (never been!)
4. ski at Mammoth
5. be a racecar driver (ok not so realistic but I think I'd be good at it)
6. see some sort of cool old temple when I go to Mexico

remedial blogging

It's been an uber-long time since the last post, boo on me. It's not that nothing interesting has happened (quite the contrary), but I haven't taken much time to sit down and record any of it.

I had a lovely birthday a couple weekends ago -- then over labor day, Jake and I did some remodeling (more pictures to follow, I promise. We had a new couch delivered, and it looks smashing, but every time I go to take photos, there's people laying all over it). Then Letia and I have been collaborating on a poster for AB NEGATIVE...

Aboard the Queen Mary and in front of the Carnival ship we'll cruise on with Richard and Jada in January.

Mmm, crepes. Aren't I graceful?


The new wall color, "Cranapple."

Our preliminary poster design

Otherwise, all I've been doing during the week is work work work work work. Today during lunch I watched a cut of the second episode.. it was alright, a little dull and a bit too much like CSI. It will likely be improved upon, or at least I hope so. Anyway, official airing of the first episode is October 9th so mark your calendars!

Below are a few photos from a set I worked on pretty heavily recently. Notice the giant JVA graffiti on the wall? Hm, wonder who designed that...

jake is back!!!!

Jake is finally home, whoo hoo! It was getting way too dull around the house. It was actually a pretty sad week in general..  there's some tension at work, bleh. But in happier news, the production designer/boss-man told me I'm doing a great job , whoo hoo again!  

I snuck some photos of the office ** (the production side) and my desk (it looks much cleaner than normal!)

** featuring LUKE and Alysia

On Thursday Jake returned from his trip in Michigan, YAY, then Cameron came back from San Francisco, also YAY!  And we all went to see Tropic Thunder (which I recommend!)

more scouting [so very hot]

Today I was picking up some papers from the legal offices on the Warner Bros. lot, and the art department guys called me to meet them at a scout the were doing of the "Midwest Street" backlot. It was a massive, slow-moving tech scout with a zillion people.  And it was 90 degrees.  I just moved from shady spot to shady spot, taking some secret camera-phone pictures.

The director is in the middle, wearing a lame hat and pointing.

Fellow shade-hunters.

Keith, the production designer, is in the middle in the dark shirt facing the fake church. He's more or less awesome.  Chris, wearing purple to the side, is the art director and fellow AFI design alumni.  He's who hired me, therefore he is awesome too.

PS - and yes, I'm working on my blog during work. It's slow right now. 

more scouting!

Today I was delivering some paperwork to the main Warner Bros lot and then I was called to meet the art department guys over on the 'Midwest Street' backlot.. I got kind of swept up in a giant, inefficient tech scout. It's maybe 90 degrees. I just moved from shady spot to shady spot, but I took some secret photos.

going on a scout

Today I figured out that hottest place in Southern California is the attic of a studio house on the Warner Brother's backlot.  The art director Chris and I went along on a scout of the lot streets with the director, DP, 1st AD and a few others as they tried to decide what they wanted to use to 'fake' South Carolina.  Chris and I stayed back and tried to measure the interior of one house, and even with two of us, it took HOURS and it was SWELTERING.  

Then the final blow came just as we moved in to survey the last room -- the art department for THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES had measured the house just a few weeks before, and they were sending over blueprints of the whole place.  

So lesson of the day:  Always include deodorant in your location scout kit.

first week of shooting! and a major geological event

This week was fairly exciting here - Tuesday was the start of shooting at work, which meant a frenzy of activity. The first day was a day of reshooting scenes for the pilot, and I went over to the set to bring some dressing to the set decorators. They had set up a 'crime scene' tent next to a small lake near Highland Park, and it was cool to see.. but what was much more interesting for a film school graduate like me was the scale of the whole thing. Base camp went on forever and figuring out the logic of the whole thing (the shuttle system, the forest of trailers, the masses of people) was a challenge. BUT the breakfasts are amazing! I'm in love with the biscuits and gravy the food truck has.

The second day was out in Camarillo -- 90 miles to set. I basically deliver the next day's scripts and paperwork to Keith, the production designer, then I'm all the way out there with nothing to do but stand around and watch - which is simultaneously cool and awkward. I like not having to schlep stuff, but it's hard to stay out of the way.

I took a few photos with my phone of the "airplane wreckage set":

All of the equations that end up on boards (which happens frequently on the show, as the main character is a scientist) are never specified in the scripts, so I am the lucky one who gets to write them. All the gibberish up there in the picture took me a few hours to come up with one day. And I thought I'd never need to use algebra again....

Then on top of all the excitement of the show, Jake and I witnessed our first earthquake this week! Jake was at home chatting with his mom via webcam when it happened, so she got to see him wobble about in his underwear.. I was buying office supplies for work at Staples, and I couldn't figure out why everything started wiggling. Cardboard boxes and packing peanuts fell off the shelves, then after it stopped, everything on hooks kept swaying for a few minutes. It didn't seem too disturbing or anything, until I got back in the car and tried to call Jake, only to find out the phone lines were down. I almost had a heart attack by the time I finally reached him. Interesting to know that even though we're available 24/7 with our cell phones, it doesn't actually work during an emergency.