Tuesday, October 30, 2007

"It's not nihilistic, it's realistic"

Advice I just had to give someone about a professional situation. Actually, that wasn't the advice, it was a defense of the advice, which was "Just keep telling yourself it doesn't matter," to which the reply was "That's so nihilsitic."

What does have to do with 13BIT Productions LLC?

Well, nothing and everything. But that doesn't matter right now.

Saturday, October 27, 2007

"I don't see letters, I see patterns..."

We are writing. It's good. It's going well. It is a back and forth process. We like it a lot. It involves spelling. I have a particular, almost pathological problem with people spelling "paid" as "payed." Everybody does it, including highly intelligent people. Including one of the most intelligent people I know. Anyway, one of us just spelled it that way and we had our recurring, endless 30 second loop of a discussion about how nobody can spell anymore, always with me concluding that we are all doomed because nobody can spell anymore.

This time, I added "But there is no excuse for you, Meredith (whose name means 'High Lord of the Seas,' by the way) because you read so much.

She responded "When I read, I don't see letters, I see patterns."

I lose this round.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

The Elevator of Doom

"My ego is being permanently damaged."

"Oh my God..."

"I want to kill this girl."

"I hate it here."

Okay, faithful readers. Guess what these quotes refer to. No hints, either, except to say that they have nothing to do with 13Bit, Project Quesadilla, or Lumia.

And The Elevator of Doom doesn't figure into it, either; it's where Meredith just was on her way from Mandarin lesson.

This is just an aside. We are taking the night off. I have work to do. She has to recover from her day, and 13Bit reconvenes on Friday evening, then all day and night, all weekend.

Can you say "burnt like a potato chip?"

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

"The last thing I would spend money on is wallpaper."

Or, more correctly, "Let me tell you, the last thing I would spend money on is wallpaper."

So, how did this emphatic statement end up on the Mighty House of Bit Blog? Well, we are waiting for the next person to come by, the first person of the night, actually. We are down to about 20 more people to audition. The casting is going well; the writing is going well; the editing workflow prep is going well. We have a lot of work ahead of us in shooting and setting up locations, but we don't anticipate too many problems with that. So I'll be optimistic and say that's all going well, too.

We have been setting up the character grid the past couple of hours, deciding who is going to be whom. And we are now in a lull before the first audition of the night. So what happens in a 13bit lull?

Well, those of us who are sick to our stomachs take stomach palliatives. Those of us who are sick of our jobs go job hunting. Some of us head into the next room to trip fronds off the aloe plant that is threatening to engulf the bedroom. Others of us sit around purposfully chewing on our rawhide rings.

Well, one of us was looking at work while the other one was walking off to trim aloe leaves. The one perusing the job listings had finished looking at video and editing listings (we nixed them all today) and had somehow not gotten to her chosen field yet, when she somehow found a job for designing wallpaper. The soon-to-be aloe trimmer stopped dead in his tracks and we discussed the benefits and negatives of designing wallpaper, then of wallpaper in general. This prompted the statement that titles this post.

Back to the hard work that earns us the big bucks.

PS: We just found an ad that says "Artists and Spiritual Thinkers Wanted" Can you spell "13 Bits?" We think it's for a cult.

Monday, October 22, 2007

When Is Tomorrow?

No, it's not some long-lost Sun Ra album. Nor is it a deep philosophical essay - although it *could* be, now, couldn't it? It's actually what one burnt out person says to another even-more-burnt-out person after a long evening of auditions. I had wanted to know when the first person was coming tomorrow and that's what I actually meant to say. Actually, I was looking at Meredith's Magic Spreadsheet and trying to find tomorrow, but the words came out of my mouth as "when is tomorrow," not "where is tomorrow?"

Actually, "where is tomorrow" may be even better as a philosophical question.

Some people did not show today, nor did they contact us. For them, there is no tomorrow. There is only yesterday and the howling, endless wind off the steppes of eternity. We wish them well, but not in this production which, by the way, is going well.

Until tomorrow, which never comes.

P&M

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Talent

What is talent? My friend Alyssa says talent is a hot guy at a bar. "How is the talent there?" She asks. But we at 13Bit are interested in a different kind of talent. The creative kind and or the acting kind.

It is amazing how easy it is to spot acting talent when people read lines. But it not just about talent, but how they will mesh with the rest of the cast, what part will they play. Needless to say, we have been floored by how many talented people we have been able to audition.

Another reason why its good to be in NYC - lots of actors.

I need to stop posting now, we have another actor coming in to audition now.

Friday, October 19, 2007

Quantitative Bitch

Our newest T-Shirt design, coming soon to a store near you.

We Live to Bit and Bit to Live

"I'm a wreck," Meredith is saying. "I've got issues."

She keeps repeating "I'm a wreck." It must have been a hard day, week and month in field where she works while we're waiting for 13bit to go triple platinum.

Life goes on, though, and Meredith is young enough, resilient enough, and hungry enough to pull through. I know that, by Sunday, the day we continue auditioning people, she'll be in top form. Unfortunately, it will also be time for a case of the Sundays, as the work week is about to dawn, and her mood will evaporate as the day progresses.

As will mine. As will mine.

That's okay, the more we bit, the more immune we become to things like work weeks, the Sundays, the Mondays, and even the concept of working for other people, in general.

It's all just temporary. The mantra of the aspiring artist. We are just passing time here while we work, keep faith, and pursue our dreams. Just for today. Tomorrow the big ship comes in. Or does it?

No matter, we here at 13Bit can swim.

And we are too far from shore to turn back.

Onward.

To the tops!

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Casting Continues

The question of the day - is Anne Coulter just a PR whore?

Actually, that's not the question of the day, that's what's coming from Meredith as she free-associates and pulls up the 13Bit master database, reads the news, checks her email, and reinvents the wheel via spreadsheet - all at the same time.

We are in the middle of casting and it's going well. "Such talent," as my non-existent Aunt Minnie might have said in some alternate universe.

It is tiring, but exciting, this casting business. We are grizzled, seasoned, well-traveled documentarians, so we have never had to cast. The closest we have come to that is ordering takeout food. Well, actually, we did audition people for the voiceover parts in Lumia, but this is different.

We are still writing. We are still figuring out our HDV workflow. We are still scouting locations and planning the other billion and one details that go into a feature film shoot. So, I'm not really saying much here except that we are insanely busy. And that doesn't even include the new super secret project, which we are calling Project Hans Ringo. More will be revealed later.

Monday, October 8, 2007

"Do you know how easy it is to not look like a Schmuck?"

Meredith just gave me the okay to quote exactly what she said "because I truly believe that."

We are going through email for auditions. Most of the actors and actresses are very diligent, decent people who are trying to make it. We appreciate that so many talented people are trying out for us, that they are willing to work for free, and that they are taking the many risks that go with being an aspiring artist. We know how hard it is. We are right there with them.

That being said, every basket contains a few shmoes. In this case, it's someone who responded to us saying "please refresh my memory as to what your project is about?"

That sounds reasonable, doesn't it? Actually, it's not. How hard is it to go through your email and see when someone last emailed you, then to read the original email? How difficult is it to keep track of what you are applying to so that you don't come off as an arrogant, absent-minded yoyo? The answer in both cases is "not very."

We are dedicated filmmakers. We don't make any money. One day, we hope to, but all of our money, hopes, dreams and sweat goes into our work. We love what we do. We try our best to do right by people and all we ask is that people do their best with us. Most people do. We have been lucky so far in our career. We have worked with some great people. We hope to work with many more.

If you don't remember what the project was about when we call you in for an audition, please don't respond.

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Casting for Quesadilla

13Bit has not been posting recently. Paul was hot springing in the west, and I - well I have been licking the man's boots. In between, we have been going through head shots and resumes for "The System" code name Quesadilla. Tomorrow we start auditions, and refining the screen play. I am tasked with becoming a master sound recordist. So I am going to engage in some boom exercises ... I am really looking forward to building some dollies.

Now I 13bit is separating I am going sailing and paul is going to practice with his band.
We will rejoin later or tomorrow