Producer Productivity

I don't know how many of you guys stopped by because of my film ties, but if any of you haven't been completely run off by all the makeup stuff, this post is for you.

I'm not really sure how detailed I've been about the film stuff, so to recap (or tell you for the first time. I can't remember): My darling Thomas, started an indie film company called Fighting Owl Films. I helped. He handles the writing, directing, and all the technical jazz, and I handle the actors, extras, and organizational stuff. I also act, take care of a lot of the makeup, and we both work on wardrobe and props and whatever else has to get done. That's definitely the Reader's Digest condensed version, but there you go. We've also collected a small group of insanely talented (and probably just plain insane) artists who fill in the gaps with pure awesome. They compose, act, choreograph, write, film, apply false eyelashes, and sometimes just try to keep things calm. They're the folks who have allowed Fighting Owl to grow so that we can accomplish our goals, and we count them among our closest friends.

Of course, with growth comes the need to organize. A lot.

So I got an iPad.

Flip me!

Now, if you have an iPad or an iPhone ('cause this'll work on either) and do any sort of filmmaking, I have to recommend that you download the Pocket Call Sheet app. It's not free. You'll have to shell out $6.99, but it's completely worth it.

This app allows you to cull together a real, honest to goodness call sheet from your contacts list, and then emails it out to everyone involved. Before, I had to go into Google Docs, set up a spreadsheet or table (depending on what I needed at the time), and manually cobble together something that sort of resembled a poor representation of a call sheet's third cousin four times removed. Then, there were the emails. OH! The emails! Call times, locations, instructions, reminders...we're talking tl;dr of epic proportions. With this, I simply input all my information for the entire day of shooting--from pick-up times to wardrobe to set, including props and scenes--and it goes out to everyone on the list. You have no idea how much happy dancing I've been doing over this one little app. It's a fantastic organizational tool, and one that will immediately create at least the illusion that you know what you're doing. Good luck!

Everything Is Beautiful (In Its Own Way)

Sunday was the first day of Advent, otherwise known as the second busiest time of the year for us church musicians.  The busiest is Easter, what with Holy Week (I have another name for it, but I'd like to keep my job, so I'll keep it to myself) and all, but Advent is a close second.  My choir is working hard on some absolutely gorgeous music for the season, and I've already been assigned the first of my Midnight Mass solos.  With that somewhat taken care of, I turned my attention to the music I'm supposed to sing for my little informal charity concert.  In going through the karaoke tracks (eew.  I'm an accompaniment snob, I guess, but seriously...ewww), I learned a few things:

1.  Carols like to repeat themselves.  "White Christmas" is sung through in its entirety twice.  "Christmastime Is Here" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" are almost completely repeated.  "Let It Snow" is the worst of the culprits:  it just repeats random verses at will.  Awesome. 

2.  Over the past ten years, I have performed "O Holy Night" no fewer than nine times.  In all that time, I have never learned the second verse.  Period.  I have absolutely no clue how it goes.  I'll probably have to turn in my chorister's robe for this grievous oversight.

3.  "Santa Baby" latches onto your brain like a howler monkey.  I can not shake it, no matter how hard I try, and after a while, it ceases to be cute.

I will say, though, that all this holiday music has really gotten me into the Christmas spirit.  But I also realize that not everyone observes Christmas.  Some people have Kwanzaa, some have Hanukkah.  Heck, a few of my friends observe Festivus ("for the rest of us!"), and others are excited for the Winter Solstice.  To each their own.  So, in the spirit of wintertime celebration unity, here's the first of a series of posts with treats for holidays other than Christmas.  Today, I have a list of some interesting Menorahs.  Some are stunningly beautiful, and others (like the one below)...well, there's something for everyone.

 

Photo Credit:  NY Daily News

Yep.  Hannukah:  There's an App For That!  Actually, this is kind of a neat little app.  It automatically lights the correct number of candles, and the "wax" melts over time.  You can also light the candles manually by tapping, and bask in the warm glow of the season as beautiful Hebrew blessings play.  Best of all, a portion of proceeds from the app will be donated to the San Francisco Jewish Community Center.