Saturday, September 22, 2007

Computers Suck, part 1

Obsviously, for the all of one (1) of you (me) who've been following and anticipating the release of C.A.P.A., there has been a delay. I've run into computer problems, once again.

My macbook started to shut off randomly with absolutely no notice. I did some research and learned that this is a regular problem with first-generation macbooks. Apple released an a firmwire update to solve this problem. The install instructions recommended that you update your OS to the most resent version. At time of release it was 10.4.8. I have 10.4.7. The instructions specifically said that if you install the update on OS 10.4.6 or anything below, you will fuck your computer up. .7 and beyond are fine, although an update is recommended.

I booted the computer up and started a download for 10.4.10, the most recent mac OS. 250mb download. I cancelled the download in fear that my computer would turn off, as at that point it would only stay on for about 1-3 minutes. I started the firmwire update download. On completion, I followed the instructions TO THE T. After the install, I had to reset, as is normal for most software installations. Then, nothing. My computer wouldn't turn on. It would 'warm up' as in I could hear the harddrive and fan spinning, and I could insert and remove CDs. After a variety of attempts to turn my computer under different circumstances (battery in, out, depleted, waiting a long time, plugged in, unplugged, etc) I took it into a very friendly and trusty mac-authorized dealer.

The logic board was fried.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

A little History on The Caped Avengah's Pie Adventures.

In a week from now I'll have a trailer for The Caped Avengah's Pie Adventures online. Either on the offline, or youtube, or whatever.

This was a big project, produced by Brian Morgan and myself. It stars the talents of Corey Stevens (who's been in a slew of Sheridan student films) and Shawn Verge (my oldest video collaborator) and Brian Morgan, as the lead role. A cameo is made by Steven Leck who came by to operate the broom mic, and I'm sure he'll be around to work on more offline projects in the future.

We shot The Caped Avengah's Pie Adventures almost two years ago. Brian and I wrote it back in the summer of 05 when I was working in a greenhouse, furiously making up for my first year school debt. We shot it in November later that year, and I did a rough edit of the first scene, which probably nearly a hundred people have seen. School picked up and I had to put it down.

When the summer of 06 came around, I was fortunate enough to go on tour with the Faun Fables, but unfortunate enough to have my computer stolen on the last gig in Hamilton. Mega-delayed but armed with a new macbook by June, I rushed to get even older work done before working on C.A.P.A. Many Beautiful Nothing and Trevor Dunn and Shelley Burgon concerts were edited that summer.

By August, a full year after completing the script, I sat down and edited the entire film, minus the end. We had shot about 6 different endings, and I couldn't decide which worked best. The movie also suffered from a plauge known as boringness. The rhythm of the cutting was so predictable, yet it had no driving pulse to keep the audience interested. As my last semester of school kicked in, I had to regrettably put down the Avengah.

Funnily enough, in February '07, I went up to Brampton for the indie arts fest, to shoot Trevor Dunn and Shelley Burgon's set. There I met Friendly Rich and got a compilation disc of artists on the bill. The Friendly Rich song on that compilation fit perfectly with the Caped Avengah. It was glorious; the movie was watchable.

Now from February until today, I'm honestly not sure why I never sat down and finished The Caped Avengah. It didn't even occur to me until writing this that it's been six months and I have no valid excuse as to why I didn't buckle down and do the less than a day's work that's left. Every now and again I'd throw myself into a project non-stop for two weeks, (such as editing the Zombie short Bloodshed, producing BDTC's People video, and most recently The Faun Fable's Transit Rider) but frankly, when it came down to my own projects, I've been fucking lazy. I think once The Transit Rider is done, I'm throwing away my producing/editing role the fuck out and replacing it with directing/writing. It's been a while. The Offline is a perfect excuse.

...So what's The Caped Avengah's Pie Adventures all about? Eh... Just check out the trailer next week and you'll get an idea.

Monday, September 3, 2007

A message to whoever makes shoelaces:

YOU FAIL. More on that later. For now, here's my introduction.


I am John Baxter; welcome to my blag. I'm going to call my blag a blag because blogs are lame and I'll have none of it. Actually to be honest, I don't have much against blogs. They can be helpful if you're looking for porn, and you find a blog that writes about updates on porn sites, etc... but I just figured I didn't want to be involved with something that I only find useful on lonely nights.

...But maybe that's it! Nobody reads blogs (unless by chance while looking for porn) but everybody writes them. That's what blogging is all about! Making yourself feel important when nobody else cares! Ah... now I understand.

Well, I still don't want any part of it, so welcome to my blag, motherfuckers.

Mostly [ideally] this blag will contain video content, or posts that link to video content, or updates on future video content. Otherwise, it will most likely be a vehicle for me to complain, lament, and bitch about things that excite me or piss me off: Music, bands, shitty music, shitty bands, food, ceral boxes, shoelaces and anything else that strikes my fancy.

Back onto the subject of shoelaces. I bought a new pair of shoes recently, and when I tied them up, even with huge, gayngly* bows, the laces still hung loose enough to step on. I have big feet, so anybody with a few sizes smaller must even have an additional extra inch or so of lace dangling behind them. Fuck that. Shoe laces are a very simple device. It's not fucking rocket science. Whoever Vans hired to decide the length of the shoelaces that they throw in the box utterly, completely failed. That asshole better not get commission, because he doesn't deserve it.

Nobody comment and say "But lol, you can tuck them in!". No, you can't 'tuck them in'. If you tuck them the laces into your shoes, not only are they uncomfortable, but they will constantly fall out and you'll have to re-tuck them, looking just like some moronic girl who wears a tube top, constantly re-tucking their tits and armpit flab into what can only very loosely be described as a 'shirt'.

So to conclude... Please, anybody who reads this and happens to be a lead designer at a major shoe company, cut the shoelaces shorter, and thanks for reading my blag.

-JDB



*combined: gay + gangly