Afterparty

Family and friends at the Chocolate Moose in Farmland, after the premiere of "A Postcard from Farmland," the short I DPd, shown to a packed house (for a town of 1400 people) next door at the community center. Note my daughter's prom date taking our order, proof that he was still alive contrary to rumor. Yes, that chocolate malt was as good as it looks. More at www.reelpie.blogspot.com.

Holla Back

My pal Tom Cherry has a nice write-up of the "Postcard from Farmland" video here.

I haven't done a meme for a while, but I found one I liked at writer Paul Guyot's site. Here it is, with answers off of the top of my head:

1 - Imagine it’s 2015. You are visiting the library at a major research university. You go over to a computer terminal (or whatever it is they use in 2015) that gives you immediate access to any book or journal article on any topic you want. What do you look up? In other words, what do you hope somebody will have written in the meantime?
Hopefully my tell-all biography.

2 - What is the strangest thing you’ve ever heard or seen at a conference? No names, please. Double credit if you were directly affected. Triple if you then said or did something equally weird.
One time I was at a conference at Notre Dame and I tripped on the sidewalk, messing up my dress pants. I let loose a cloud of invective and stood up to find myself face to face with a priest. Triple points, and another lap in the Lake of Fire!

3 - Name a writer, scholar, or otherwise worthy person you admire so much that meeting him or her would probably reduce you to awestruck silence.
I don't get starstruck, but maybe Bill Clinton. If my wife was not with me, that is.

4 - What are two or three blogs or other Web sites you often read that don’t seem to be on many people’s radar?
I don't know what's on people's radar, but a few blogs new to me that I have been reading lately and haven't yet added to my sidebar include:

http://www.unmediated.org/

http://scribblefaster.blog-city.com/

http://www.podcastalley.com/

Give me a yell at johnoakdalton@hotmail.com.

The Other Shoe

I was pretty nervous when I went to the premiere of the short I DP'd, "A Postcard from Farmland," in my small town's community center Friday night. When you write b-movies it's pretty much a given that there is a cadre of foes out there eager to sharpen their knives and turn the spit, no matter how good or bad the project may be. But something like this, which I shot as a love letter to my humble home, is something entirely different. I was a bit shocked to see the room nearly standing room only with more than fifty people on hand (I was expecting a tenth of that), including a few loyal readers of this little blog (thanks Tom and Tim!)! It seemed to be very well received, I thought. You can see photos from the premiere, and a summary, here.
Otherwise, clip-clopping away on a new spec, and fishing around for another project. Until later, I'm at johnoakdalton@hotmail.com.

Rotting Fruit or Roses?

The short I DP'd "A Postcard from Farmland" will be shown at the Community Center in my little town tonight at 7 p.m. We will be retiring for drinks at the soda fountain next door after. There will be a twenty minute "Behind the Scenes" segment and then the ten-minute short shown. Hopefully the editing favors me and I don't look like too much of a jackass. More at www.reelpie.blogspot.com.

Will keep working through the weekend on my annual Summer Spec Script That Nobody Will Ever Want To Read, season three, the one that woke me up at five a.m. yesterday.

Until later, give me a shout at johnoakdalton@hotmail.com.

Live from Flyover Country

Tonight we are putting the final polish on "A Postcard from Farmland," the short I DP'd for the show "Small Town Scenario." It is debuting two weeks from today at the Community Center in beautiful downtown Farmland, Indiana. The short will be accompanied by about a twenty-minute "Behind the Scenes" segment that undoubtedly will show me jumping up from the railroad tracks to get away from an oncoming train (cool shot, though), leaning way out from the roof of a downtown building for another shot, and other dumbassed things. I'm proud of the short, though, and am glad to be able to give something back to my little town. Jesus, though, how did I ever get the nickname "Sparky?" You can read more at the show's web journal, http://reelpie.blogspot.com/.

I'm going to be way, way offline for a week or so. Until then, watch the SEX MACHINE trailer a few more times.

Give me a holler at johnoakdalton@hotmail.com.

Cut N Paste

Last night's editing session for the TV show "Small Town Scenario," with local residents Kevin and me and trained media professional Jeff at the Final Cut station. Note Kevin's enjoyment of my homemade wine as a lubricant to the creative process. Our short movie "A Postcard from Farmland" will be shown in town July 8 at the Community Center. Read more at www.reelpie.com.

Have Gaffer's Tape, Will Travel

This past weekend I volunteered for a new television show called "Small Town Scenario," where a TV crew shows up and helps local residents of small towns make a short subject centered around small-town life. Who would have guessed the big city would ever come to my humble home of Farmland, Indiana? Here I am trying to remember that you point the big end towards the actors and you put your eye to the small end. Read more about "Small Town Scenario" at www.reelpie.com.

The Unblinking Eye

Here I am at the Chocolate Moose in Farmland, Indiana, with fellow crew members and local actors. I can't decide if my past experience in TV production makes me a ringer of sorts, or a terrible impediment to success. Read more about "Small Town Scenario" at www.reelpie.com.