Hey, we played your film. Remember like 6 hours ago when you were
talking to us? Now the screening is over and you totally blew us off,
that ain't exactly polite, not cool. You didn't even have the customary
1 drink at the meet and greet.
Bad form ladies, bad form.
--toby wallwork (from Sidekick)
This industrial container holds the delicious 'buttery' topping that the
Davis uses on it's popcorn. You might notice the small, incredibly
slick puddle just to the top of the frame.
--toby wallwork (from Sidekick)
Second show is Nels' third smoke break.
A light drizzle hasn't stopped the turnout.
A local guy has brought in about 40 friends, all ticket buyers, we love them.
--toby wallwork (from Sidekick)
Dan is a three year veteran of the show.
He should know better.
Me? I'm in it for the chicks.
I should know better.
--toby wallwork (from Sidekick)
The first show has begun.
"Growing Up Sucks" is a show we've done every year.
The fest is officially under way.
I could use a coffee.
--toby wallwork (from Sidekick)
I feel that we may have lost momentum. I thought we were done, but it
looks like we aren't.
The two photos or my watch were taken 24 hours apart. I have made a
bunch of show reels (right now I'm making the 'best of..' reel, the
audience's favorite will be dropped in at the very end).
I'm kinda burned. A lot of the grief I forget about is back with a
vengeance. Nels has stopped answering me when I ask him what it is
Scott actually does. Nels did a lot this year (even more than usual)
but I think he's a bit fried too. He's being a bit snappy and I resist
the urge to tell him that he must have forgotten who he's talking to (it
worked last year).
In 12 hours we'll be at the theater. Nels will be setting up the
projector, we'll all pretend that the hum isn't anywhere near as bad as
it was, Scott will walk around saying what 'we' should have done but did
not (just like last year) and no one will pay the slightest bit of
attention to him (just like last year).
This year we have a sponsor that might actually put butts on seats, the
Chicago Sun-Times has slapped their name upon us. I wonder what that
might mean...
The King Tut hat was just to help me feel good about myself.
--toby wallwork (from Sidekick)
Today we inspected the sound system at the Davis, the theater we are using this year. It is not as old as the 3 Penny Theater (our first home) but still has little in common with the larger chain theaters. Of course we'd never be able to get into one of those places.
It's a nice old theater. The manager is very accommodating, but he got very nervous when we broke out the RadioShack™ bag o'cables to wire us into their audio system. It must've been like when Joe Morton gets that Terminator arm in T2 because our technology was light years beyond the stuff we found in the projection booth. The manager immediately fell to his knees and began chanting. Talk about awkward moments...
Like I said this is a nice old theater, the kind of place that will surely be gone before too long. All the signs were made on the managers Windows95 Paintbox program, there were lots of labels made out of papertape and a general lack of knowledge when it comes to figuring out how this stuff all works together. Guess what? It doesn't.
There is a slight hum, a ground hum. It's not terrible, but if it were gone we'd be really happy. After much speculation (but decidedly little action) I found myself behind the screen tracing the audio cables to the speaker. It is cramped and dark and dusty with cobwebs. When I find a link in the cables I'm surprised that we're getting any sound at all. In my hands I was holding exposed wires and the twist caps holding them together. When I give them a jiggle I am both surprised and disappointed. The audio is not interrupted. So the twist ties work, which is good. But I haven't found the source of the hum, which is bad.
Chalk this up as, To Be Continued...
I have to go and make some more show reels.
--toby wallwork (from Sidekick)
Editors note: Our good friend, Emmy™ nominated, Toby Wallwork (thePrisoner) is in Chicago for a week helping to put on the 3rd annual Chicago International Reel Shorts Festival. This next week of posts will chronicle his adventure.
I'm assembling the 'Demented' show.
The flight was unpleasant. United loses points to American I'm afraid. The movie was 'Nacho Libre' which doesn't hold up when screened on a 12" TV at 39,000 feet. My thoat is all raw from the flight, is there a reason that they can't have a humidifier up in the friendly skies?
--toby wallwork (from Sidekick)
My sinuses started draining about an hour ago.
The 20 minute security screening (no rubber gloves this time!) left me not feeling safer about air travel, but more aware of the inconvenience I was creating by traveling at all. I dressed as simply and non-metallically as possible and it seems to have worked, no belt, slip on (and off) shoes, shorts and a smile is just about all I have on. Mind you my backpack looks like an Apple Store took a dump in there. Everyone has a laptop and they make us get them out. You can't help but check out other people's machines. The two business folks on the flight to Denver both rocked 15" Macbook Pros and one of them gives my Powerbook a look over and nods approval. That's called making friends, the TSA types attempt to sound officious and keep us moving and I can't help but think of all those WWII flicks where the guards are all easily duped Sgt. Schultz types. My Egg McMuffin™ was about half as much again as it would've been if we'd gone through the drive-thru that is less than 500 yards from the airport, but their is no included meal on the flight, so what are you gonna do?
That's how they getcha!
--toby wallwork (from Sidekick)
Jason, Leah and I caught the Shepard Fairey show in LA. If you like
this piece right here that's cool because you'll be able to see it in
person at Jason's apartment. He's gonna miss having that car, but art
without sacrifice is... well it's Thomas Kincaid. There I said it, now I
have to wash my mouth out.
--the prisoner (hearts art too)
Image from TMZ.com
Image from MicroAngela
