Story Tactics -- what's new...

Masters of Production...opening

2011-07-08T22:46:00.000-07:00

Here's one I've been meaning to post for a while...the opening segments of my PBS doc on Production Design: MASTERS OF PRODUCTION. I think this is the thing I'm most proud of from my years working on arts/cinema docs: wrote, directed and edited this one myself in association with KCET (in the person of the wonderful Joyce Campbell) and with the unflagging support and excellent counsel of Citzie DeMille Presley.

My idea was to use the movies that everyone really had affection for: CHINATOWN, CITIZEN KANE, GONE WITH THE WIND, BLADE RUNNER, THE GODFATHER and so on...and to explore that Hollywood art that's hidden in plain sight.

The interviews were the most enjoyable ever: bar none. Production Designers are, as Jack DeGovia says, "The ultimate dilettantes...." They have to master everything, and they have to make it all fit. They tell the story in amazing and surprising ways.

The film is dedicated to Dick Sylbert...like I used to tell people on the project, "It's Dick Sylbert's Hollywood...we just work there." We spent a whole day with him, shooting all over L.A., and I learned a great lesson from that. The next day he wanted to know if we could get together and just record some audio: he had more stories to tell. I was up to my neck in production, and I begged off. Maybe later?

He was dying of pancreatic cancer, and that shoot was the last chance I had to talk with him. What had I missed by not taking him up on it? By not stopping and taking the time? I'll never know.

Karim's Bug Camera

2011-02-26T11:27:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, we gave Emilien and Lucien (our neighbors) a little Praying Mantis hatchery...and the critters popped out the other day!

Their father Karim, who's done some amazing motion graphics for me, saw it as a golden opportunity to shoot some bugs! We added some crickets to the mix a little later in the evening...

SAME-O ... Extended!

2011-01-02T22:19:00.001-08:00

Great (and wholly expected) News! SAME-O has extended!

For those of you who haven't heard of this phenom, director/writer/choreographer Ken Roht is mounting his SEVENTH "99 Cents Only" show: SAME-O! The sets, props, and costumes are all constructed from items from the 99 Cents Only store...only this year, Ken's shooting for a wholly sustainable/recyclable show.

I'm very pleased to have the chance to join the spectacular creative team Bootleg Theater has assembled...Ken gave me a giant screen upstage to shoot all sorts of interesing stuff at...and I've got video a few other places as well. Here's a little promo I just did...

SAME-O ... Extended!

2011-01-02T22:19:00.000-08:00

99 Cents Only Show research: CicLAvia!

2010-10-18T20:34:00.001-07:00

I'm working on the next edition of Ken Roht's 99 Cents Only show, and (like always) I've gotta do something new. That was always going to happen on a show involving Ken, but now that he's decided it's got to be totally sustainable/recyclable...well, that's really interesting, no? The 99 Cents Only show is the height of plastic and plasticity ...

Video is, of course, an analogue for plastic: it's bright and hard-edged. So how do you create theatrical video that is at once video, but also somehow speaks to the feel the show is now reaching for?

Here's one avenue I went down...I shot a stroll through CicLAvia last week with my wife Risa, our strolling buddy Jeann Young, and a whole mess of Angelenos. It was a spectacularly pastoral event on streets usually ruled by autos, and I wanted to do something with the video to capture that sunny mood.

Here's that video...using CartoonR and Sony Platinum to give it just the right heightened reality. Seems like it might work for some aspects of Ken's new show, SAME-O.

CicLAvia 10-10-10 in Los Angeles... from John Flynn on Vimeo.

John Joseph Flynn ... a short for the Memorial Convocation

2010-08-29T22:45:00.000-07:00

This one pretty much speaks for itself, I think...

John Flynn - April 10, 1936 to Aprl 11, 2010 from John Flynn on Vimeo.

No No Boy Projections

2010-08-13T22:05:00.000-07:00

I was cleaning up some old projects and came across these great photos from NO NO BOY...including the way the prouduction team used my projections.

See the Flickr stream here!

Working on video for NO NO BOY...

2010-03-13T06:05:00.000-08:00

This has got to be my busiest year since creating Story Tactics: half a dozen projects in theater/opera/film, and half a dozen new multimedia commissions for various other clients.

First up is NO NO BOY, a project I have been working on and thinking about for over a year. Ken Narasaki has done a wonderful adapation of John Okada's groundbreaking novel about a Japanese American draft resister from WWII. Everyone knows about the internment of Japanese Americans during the war, many people know about the famed 442nd "Go For Broke" batallion that was covered in honors during WWII, but not so many people know the story of the people who resisted the government's loyalty oath because their freedoms were taken away. The scars within the Nisei-Sansei-Yonsei community are still there: I'm very intrigued to hear how people inside the community react.

So I am creating a lot of video for the piece, mostly video to set scenes and moods, but I'll also be doing a couple of pieces like this one. I'll be updating it when the (inevitable) good reviews come in...it is a first-rate cast and crew, and Ken's script is fantastic.

No No Boy, The Play from John Flynn on Vimeo.

Castro Declassified...the original version

2010-02-16T21:55:00.000-08:00

I stumbled on this special edition of our doc about Castro in the Daedaelus catalogue the other day. I'd previously thought that History was only offering them as part of their special DVD sales site (where they sell DVDs on demand).

This one looks like someone spent a few minutes designing a cover for it (although I'm sure Kosh would have done FAR better in half the time), so I'm plunking down some bucks for a copy or two. It'll be a collectible in at least one sense: History had me re-write the ending about six months after it first aired. Castro was undergoing surgery and the thought was that he might not make it: they wanted to have CASTRO DECLASSIFIED ready to roll if he died, and so they had me re-write the final segment to change a few verb tenses.

So when Fidel does finally shuffle off this mortal coil, turn on History and you'll hear the revised version...until then, you can get the FIDEL LIVES version right here!

Lab Rats and Pit Monkeys

2010-02-13T05:41:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I had a chance to do a sort of sketch for a doc I'd love to do...it's about the "Fishbowl" at the Page Museum where my good friend Catheryn Clarke works as a volunteer. The Page is the museum next to the famed La Brea Tar Pits, and the Fishbowl is where visitors can go to watch the Lab Rats clean up the mastodons, sabre-tooth cats and so on.

I think it's interesting that I just rolled this as one take...there's SO much to look at there. As Catheryn says, "It ought to be considered the Eighth Wonder of the World...there's nothing like it anywhere...."

See for yourself!

In The Fishbowl at the Page Museum, La Brea Tar Pits from John Flynn on Vimeo.

Places to Look for A Mother

2010-01-08T21:20:00.001-08:00

Another audio piece...a section of Nicole Stansbury's award-winning novel PLACE TO LOOK FOR A MOTHER.

I don't think Nickie would mind if I mentioned that there's a lot more reality to this piece than you'd expect...and it is a pretty harrowing story. It reminds me of one of Chris Offutt's definitions..."Short Story: An essay written to conceal the truth and protect the author's family."

I love this book because it's about a place that I know so well, a West that I grew up in. It's a true West (Sam Shepard pun intended): full of dreamy and desperate and tough people. And the girl at the center of the story...well, she's true too.

The music is Ry Cooder, from a couple of different scores...and the recording was done a while ago (almost a year and a half ago).

Listen to PLACES TO LOOK FOR A MOTHER (Streaming MP3)

Nicole's Wikipedia Page...

(picture by Jack Sperry...that's Otis behind Nickie & I)

So wonderful they named it twice...

2009-12-14T22:01:00.000-08:00

Well this one is a little overdue, but I have been up to my ears all during the Fall...and here we are knee deep in the Yule.

Another experiment with shooting on the run...still needing to solve some audio problems. It can't be long before something approaching pro audio gets fitted to something light and rugged enough for my purposes. Next up: I've got an ultra-light Manfrotto I plan to use for shooting some running events.

And about New York: the spectators just made this marathon. California marathons are prettier and (yes) more spectacular, but for sheer energy you cannot beat the New York crowds. Even someone who's relatively slow like me (I run a 12 minute mile) has plenty of spectators cheering in the last 5-6 miles.

The choice of song was really easy....

New York Marathon 2009 from John Flynn on Vimeo.

MINIVAN GALACTICA!

2009-07-19T22:17:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I these two words occurred to me while I was tooling around in my "production vehicle," the beloved Dodge Caravan formerly known as "The Tuna Boat." Lucky for me, I live next door to a design genius (Karim Sahli or logicalnot) and he was able to execute it for me.
He's also a BSG fan and had in fact bought their auction catalogue.

I tinkered with his design to get it to fit the template of makestickers.com, and a couple of days later, the Caravan was rechristened the Minivan Galactica. Spin up the FTL!

Separated at birth?

Downloading YouTube: Video Mashups are Here!

2009-07-12T15:02:00.000-07:00

I haven't had a chance to mess with this yet myself, but by friend Catheryn recently sent me the link to a site that DL's videos from YouTube. You can then use them for your own mashups...

http://youtubedownload.doremixy.com/

Very handy...and a reminder that utilities are becoming something that lives on the web, not on the drive.

Taking in the view with a Lumix ZS3

2009-06-10T06:50:00.000-07:00

Having destroyed a couple (well, three) cameras on various adventures in the last couple of years, I've set out to add a couple that will be versatile and tough. This one's very versatile, not so tough...but that's what my marathon camera's for (see older posts).

In the Lumix ZS3 I found something I can whip out and record HD with...whenever, wherever. I won't be carrying it on any runs, but it does a nice job with portraits and candids: it's small but has a great 12x zoom.

The day after I got it, it rained in L.A., so I knew right where I wanted to go. The new Baldwin Hills Overlook, one of the parks that will eventually create a sort of super-park in western Los Angeles running from Kenny Hahn Park to the east, through Culver City Park, and down along Ballona Creek and out to Playa del Rey.

The view is spectacular....almost a 300 degree panorama from LAX to the SW and then around to downtown in the E-SE. I should have brought sticks, but then again...how cool that this is without sticks!

And the music...by my old UCSC friend, the lovely and talented Eva Weidema who's in Utrecht nowadays. I have begun a campaign to get her back in the concert hall and/or recording studio: click play and you'll hear why!

Baldwin Hills Overlook - L.A. After The Rain from John Flynn on Vimeo.

Through the Labyrinth - a Microdoc

2009-05-30T05:56:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite production phrases is "It just fell off the truck that way." That's the case for this microdoc, but not its subject.

My friend Lorien Eck and her students at West Adams Prep on Vermont in Los Angeles went through a pretty elaborate and interesting process to create their West Adams Prep Labyrinth. You can read all about it here...and you can see some great photos of the thing taking shape.

I am a gardener myself (I do most of my best writing out there), and when I heard there would be a ribbon cutting I jumped at the chance to attend. Just as she was heading to the front of the crowd with the scissors I asked Lorien who was shooting video and she said, "Aren't you?" Which is true--I had said I would, but didn't have a camera aside from my marathon-proof Olympus. I'd brought it to shoot panoramas. I rolled with it and... "that's the way it fell off the truck."

This is a very static film, but I love that it has beginning-middle-end anyways. I walked around the outside and then I followed the crowd into the labyrinth: all the way in and all the way out again. There is a narrative to the order in which the people go through: I love the little kid in red, and then all the students who built it, followed by the guys from Inner Gardens, West Adams staff, friends and family, etc. I love Noh plays, and this reminds me of Noh...there is a theatrical convention in Noh (and also Peking Opera) where a character indicates a journey by walking in a small circle onstage. There are many people on a journey in this one: the little boy in red, the students, younger and older folks, couples, a pregnant woman...seeing them looping back and forth...well, there's a story in there somewhere.

The music is from a site called http://www.inbflat.net/, which must be seen to be understood. It's a mashup I created myself on the fly...loads of fun.

Through the Labyrinth from John Flynn on Vimeo.

Athlete Alert

2009-05-25T08:53:00.001-07:00

John Flynn, 01:20:23 (NET) @ 10K Pace 12:56, Predicted 05:39:05.00. Powered by SAI Timing.

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2009-05-21T14:57:00.000-07:00

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Yeah, but can it survive the L.A. Marathon?

2009-05-14T20:57:00.000-07:00

In this case, maybe.

After destroying three cameras out on the road, I finally bought one of the Olympus Stylus sports cams...it's not as easy to handle as the others, but it should do the trick. We'll see how the video does: I'm going to do a microdoc about the event next week...26.2 on 5/25...here's hoping it's not 85 or 95....

Fish Cam ... testing the Olympus 1050 SW underwater from John Flynn on Vimeo.

Bonus feature: it composes panorama shots in the camera from three frames. Here's Kosh in the 10 Worlds Client Room....

Click on the image to see it full size!

Two for the radio...

2009-05-12T22:56:00.000-07:00

I love radio. My first paid job in show business was a radio commercial (for Dees, if you know what that was), and one of my fondest memories as a teen was my gig as the assistant DJ on a show called I'M SO BORED WITH THE USA (after the Clash song)--a punk and new wave show on KRCL (I think!). Since then, my time in radio has been brief: most recently (10 years ago?) a gig as a correspondent on an old KPFK arts radio show called L.A. X-RAY. Now THAT was a fun show...

Stan Freberg, Bob and Ray, Firesign Theater, Jean Sheppard, Garrison Keillor, Harry Shearer, Ira Glass...so many of my favorite storytellers are those guys on the radio. One of the things I love about Los Angeles is that it is such a great radio town. I'd love to do more of it myself...but in lieu of that: two pieces I've been playing with for a while.

The shorter piece is an essay by my old friend Nicole Stansbury: STATIC. It's a piece about being absolutely, jaw-dropped-and-gaping lovestruck. I love that it is not sentimental or soppy, but it is heartfelt and sinewy. It's from her book THE HUSBAND'S DILEMMA. A great read, that.

The other one is about one marriage through 10 holidays across 10 years: SEASONS GREETINGS. It's a piece I wrote for my lovely wife Risa on the occassion of our 10th anniversary a couple of years back. What can I say about this piece? I like to think it's the right kind of sentimental...maybe A.R. Gurney or Ron Carlson? As to its origins, I have to fall back on one of Chris Offutt's lines in his "Guide to Literary Terms."

"Short Story: An essay written to conceal the truth and protect the writer’s family."

Guilty.

What I'm Doing When I Don't Know What I'm Doing...

2009-05-08T08:02:00.000-07:00

Like a lot of people in production, I have a giant collection of projects and ideas on post-its, in file cabinets...hell, I even have a wiki that's stuffed full of them. And I have the means to start capturing them: as I've been running races over the past couple of years I have been experimenting with all sorts of tools for doing that. Photos and footage shot under all sorts of circumstances for all sorts of reasons...again, no shortage there.

For at least a year I've been thinking about using all this raw material to perform some experiments in narrative...call them Microdocs.

The rules are simple: anything's fair game, always try new things, and be quick about it.

Here's the first one...Mission California. Who knows what the next one will be about....

Mission California - A Microdoc from John Flynn on Vimeo.

Inspire me, now!

2009-04-02T21:46:00.000-07:00

This image, a portrait of Jimi Hendrix in audio tape, is from the Flickr stream of iri5, and as amazing as it (and the rest of iri5's catalogue) is...it's just the tip of the iceberg. I've found a blog of images you can absolutely get lost in: Inspire me, now! by Szymon Błaszczyk.

I should warn you: browsing through his blog is a little bit like opening a giant bag of potato chips. It takes some degree of self-control to just have one or two.

It's really an amazing (and very amusing) collection of notes on design and form by a guy who bills himself as an "information architect." I got up to page 37, and I've got to stop and get something useful done!

I think for many artists (certainly painters and photographers, but also theater and film artists) this sort of smartly curated collection is invaluable. The director/comic/neurologist/aesthetician Jonathan Miller (how's that for a resume?) once wrote about his collection of art books and postcards. He inspired me to start collecting and organizing my own "Necessary Images." You've got to have those referants to make the next leap in your own work, whether it's on screen or stage or wherever.

Szymon's collection is full of leaps...and it's a lot of fun besides!

Rebroadcasts...Men With Beards a leading indicator!

2009-03-27T07:35:00.000-07:00

Over at History they're staying on top of current events with...a rebroadcast of our Declassified episode on The Taliban. This is my favorite of the shows we worked on with NPR's Mike Shuster (who's heading over to Seoul this week to cover N. Korea's latest ballistic misadventure). In hindsight, he called the current situation just right. The show holds up perfectly.

It's interesting to see which shows they have brought back: John Lennon and Castro are both in rotation, as is the Ayathollah Khomeni: Men With Beards. I expect the pilot (about the Berlin Wall) will make an appearance in this 20th anniversary year...but before then we're planning to head back to Berlin to make another doc about the Wall for another network. Details to follow, but can I just say, "Low, Heroes, Lodger."

And we are working on some new stuff for History...this one feels like a goer. It could jump left or right, but either way it looks like it would be part of their "Armageddon Week." And no, Nostradamus is not involved...they have specialists in him!

Watch the Tali-tease!

I've got Jott talking to Twitter talking to Facebook talking to Google Calendar...

2009-02-02T10:49:00.001-08:00

Web 2.0 is a blessing and a curse to anyone who's working as a contractor, an artist, a small business owner, or simply out there as an individual. The curse? Well, you can spend too much time having too much fun playing with social networking...or you can have no fun at all setting up or learning the sites. MySpace is a prime example of that: surfing it's fun, building a page with it is NOT. The blessing? Well, if you choose to take the plunge you can hook in to a community of people who are talking about what you want and need to talk about. There's an investment, but considerable rewards...the choice is yours.

If you work for a large company, the choice has been made for you and that choice is probably, "NO." Employers as a rule fear Facebook, Twitter, and all their cousins (except maybe for LinkedIn). I've even noticed that one of my best clients, the County of Los Angeles, forbids their 120,000+ employees access to BLOGS due to a recent court case involving harassment in the fire department. That is another downside people are barely starting to grapple with: the new meaning of indiscretion.

But this Blog prohibition--what a disaster! Blogs are (aside from being a source of endless, er, self-expression) key sources for breaking news and information. Particularly for people interested in technology, the blog is going to have that little trick or workaround or piece of news you need. It's happening in the arts as well, and also for people involved in crafts (that's crafts in the OLD sense of the word: people who make things of all sorts). And of course Twitter is nothing more than a blog written one thought at a time. Reading them in aggregate can be fascinating: it'll keep you up on everything happening in real time if you're reading the right people. My friend Catheryn Clarke over at TVholic pointed out that Twitter was the best way to track what was going on during the incredible chaos of the Mumbai massacres.

Facebook also has that blogging/info function, but perhaps it's better thought of as a large and unruly party. You'll end up talking about all sorts of stuff with a collection of friends from across your personal landscape/timescape. Many people are using Blackberry or IPhone to stay on top of these sites, and I'd add one more: Jott.com is a superb service that allows you to post emails, blogposts, and so on by calling Jott and dictating. It works best with Twitter (or Google Calendar) since there's a time limit...and there's a limit to the skill with which the Jott voice recognition software can translate your utterings into text.

So what's it all for? I recently saw a web media consultant go on about this at length. For him, it was all about understanding how the components fit together to help you get in touch with people. Now you may be an artist looking for collaborators and audience, or you may be just a person looking to rebuild their far-flung network of friends, or you may be trying to sell something. All three of those describe me.

The formula was intersting...in essence: Twitter, Facebook and all the rest are a party, a place where you go to talk about something (anything at all)...people who are interested in what you're about will follow you "home." Blogs (and websites) are your home: invite people in and give them something! Maybe it's a song or a piece of information or a photo or a little piece of what it is that you do and make.

This arrangement of technologies in Web 2.0 is how you get past the circuits and back to that set of interactions that is at the basis of the way people make alliance, do business, and even make friends. For the record, I don't think anybody's doing it better at the moment than the estimable Mr. Stephen Fry.

Check it out! www.stephenfry.com

TV Archives Interviews online

2009-01-05T08:11:00.000-08:00

The Academy of TV Arts & Sciences has an interesting You Tube channel going: TVLEGENDS (it's at http://www.youtube.com/user/TVLEGENDS ... their blog is at http://www.emmytvlegends.blogspot.com/ ).

About a thousand hours of interviews with a mostly first and second generation TV crowd: there is a ton of stuff to plow through, with more to come I'm sure.

X-Shot or Quik Pod, Winter Sports Edition

2009-01-04T11:31:00.000-08:00

Here's a little piece I did to play with the monopod...Jack gave it a try too. I'm also playing around with the new 3-D transitions in Vegas Studio 9. Very nice selection...5 years ago they would have cost 3-5 grand, now they're a bonus feature!

Sledding from John Flynn on Vimeo.

How to win when you fight City Hall...

2008-11-22T05:19:00.000-08:00

Last Chance v1 from ccdna on Vimeo.

Karim Sahli, my neighbor and collaborator, created a great video in support of the Appeal against a huge development that's planned for our neigborhood. It's amazing how much he packed into this...and the motion graphics work is really wonderful!

I didn't have much to do with pictures here: voice over only!

And congrats to the Culver City DNA (Downtown Neighborhood Association)--we won the appeal!

Halloween 2008

2008-11-02T22:58:00.000-08:00

Professionaly speaking, something like this falls under "Basic Research." Or maybe I'm just keeping my theatrical muscles limber.

And I think this also falls under "Story Tactics and Sons"

Good Samhain!

Good Samhain! (Halloween 2008, Culver City) from John Flynn on Vimeo.

Uh-Oh. It's Halloween. And they're back...

2008-10-29T16:20:00.001-07:00

If you are anywhere near Culver City this Friday, Lafayette Place is the place to be: it looks like things are going to be completely out of hand this time around. We banished the boys and their abbatoir to the front yard (see last year's screamfest for an indication as to WHY), but these guys will be with us again...

Happy Hour starts around 6 both at our house and next door...at least five houses on the street are going crazy this year. Worth a trip for the kids alone: we usually give out around 300 pieces candy!

Hey, look at all these videos on YouTube! Or these over here on Vimeo!

LA County Board of Supes

2008-10-27T09:45:00.000-07:00

This is just a little piece I threw together this morning as a salute to some of the people I have been working with at LA County. Kara Taguchi, Debbie Innes-Gomberg and the "Navigators" at LA County DMH won a statewide award for their innovative work in connecting people with services is this all-too-large county. Hats off to them!

LA County DMH wins Challenge Awards 2008 from John Flynn on Vimeo.

There are little pieces of work by two of my collaborators here: Karim Sahli of logicalnot did the opening and closing title animations (but not the lower thirds...his lower thirds are MUCH more interesting), and Gerhard Guter (website here) created the little sntaches of music at the top and bottom of the segment. These two see a lot more daylight in the large series of videos we have created for LA County's client population...I haven't really posted those online for various reasons (mostly having to do with privacy rights), but some of that will eventually show up online.

I think this is also interesting because of the technology the Board of Supervisors have built for themselves in their hearing room. They are ofter called "The Little Kings." There are five of them, they lead a workforce of over 120,000 people, they are both legislative and executive, and they manage a government larger than all but a handful of U.S. states...it's a pretty staggering piece of political and financial real estate. Their hearing room is halfway to a TV studio. I think I counted 8 fixed/robotic cameras when I was there, and of course everything you see here is produced live and aired online and on KLCS.

Party Party ... One of the great Shoulda-Beens...

2008-10-22T21:26:00.001-07:00

This might have been the most fun I ever had ALMOST creating a TV show...

Party Party Demo from John Flynn on Vimeo.

The wonderful and amazing Laurence Whiting and I got together a couple of years back to pitch a TV show we called Party Party!...but alas, I fear we were too naive. There wasn't enough greed, humiliation, and outright suffering in Party Party! for our show to survive the jungle that is Reality Television. As Martin Mull once opined, "I Haven't The Vegas Idea!"

Still, what a weekend: I brought the camera crew and Laurence brought the party crew. We all danced and drank and ate like kings...and of course I managed to slip in a wonderful-but-obscure Elvis Costello theme song, and the always-amazing Kosh gave us some appropriately pulsating titles.

Everybody...SAMBA!

Hey--hire THIS guy...

2008-10-15T09:08:00.001-07:00

John Luker and I have worked together for many years on all sorts of docs: he is a great cameraman and an invaluable traveling companion. There is NO ONE I would rather be out in the middle of nowhere with as we struggle with 2000 pounds of camera and lighting equipment. And he seems to be able to talk himself into and out of all sorts of things.

He's been doing a lot of work related to Rocketdyne's Santa Susanna Field Lab and the mess there, and he's gotten sucked into Reality TV like so many people I know...but he takes pictures of everything.

This one is the late, great Ray Brown: I have a print of it up in my study. John and I shot video and photos at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival for about 5 years...he taught me a hell of a lot about using the camera. His Flickr Photostream is amazing: pictures of music, nature, fire, architecture...you name it.

What are you waiting for? Check it Out!

Keeping it Real in Mayberry, L.A.

2008-10-09T19:01:00.001-07:00

Well, the scale tipped about a year ago, and our lovely little ol' Culver City has now become Hip. God help us all!

With the arrival of Rush Street, an otaku bar (RoyalT), Father's Office, Fraiche, and so on, the hordes of movie-going teens of two years ago have been replaced with hordes of what we used to call Yuppies. I don't know what to call them anymore: I guess the crowd is an amalgam of Foodies, Hipsters, Metrosexuals, and the like. Normally my kind of crowd: but en masse it's a bit much. Walking the dog on Sunday morning means walking around trash...and forget walking the dog downtown in the evening!

And with the incipient (2010) arrival of the Expo Line, we're supposed to go high density. So begins the pushback by those of us who bought here when it was deeply unfashionable, built up the town, and are now in danger of being paved over. In this political season, a little political video for my friends at the Downtown Neighborhood Association.

Scale Back 4043 Irving in Culver City from John Flynn on Vimeo.

The Happiest Race on Earth

2008-09-12T08:05:00.000-07:00

Disneyland Half Marathon 2008 from John Flynn on Vimeo.

...unless you're running in a Snow White costume. Lucky for me, I left that second pair of ears at home. Still, a great race!

The only downside: it was so humid that I was just soaked by the end of it...and managed to fry two camera. Still hoping to get them back online...

What YouTube is good for...

2008-08-20T09:02:00.000-07:00

Way back in the ancient days of Napster, a wonderful thing happened: all these obscure and terrific tracks you never thought you would hear again suddenly appeared. I never downloaded music that I could buy, but I did love the fact that I could find stuff that was rare or would never be re-released for any of a number of financial or legal reasons. I found a Bram Tchaikovsky track I hadn't heard since I was 17 that way!

Seems like YouTube is providing a similar service...Kosh sent this one 'round last week and I have to agree with his assessment: LORDY LORDY! To hell with the Three Tenors...how about these three?!?!

Ray, The Killer, and Fats...wow....

Playing DJ with a new Samson mic...

2008-08-03T12:21:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I happened on this piece on the new Samson USB mic in the NY TIMES...a must-read every Thursday, if you ask me. It looked like just the thing for scratch narration. Turns out it's designed for aspiring podcasters and singer-songwriter types. I plugged it in and away I went. The voice quality is really good, but the ease-of-use factor is the BEST. Laying down some VO is a piece of cake.

I still haven't bothered to learn the software that came with it...I just recorded in to Audacity, cleaned up and exported the audio, and then cut the final piece in Vegas Movie Studio (which is what I use to cut video).

As a test I created a piece to send to Weekend America, a radio show I like to listen to on Saturdays when I am kicking around. They have this great segment called "Weekend Soundtrack" where people talk about what they listen to on the weekends. It always made me think about the Jam song, "Here Comes the Weekend," and that got me thinking about what I love listening to on the weekend.

The answer was obvious...

Listen to the Weekend Soundtrack piece I did: Powerpop

...and watch this space for more pieces in the future....

Julie Jensen's Book ... PLAYWRITING: BRIEF AND BRILLIANT

2008-07-27T14:07:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago I had the pleasure of producing Julie Jensen's TWO-HEADED at the John Anson Ford...what a terrific play that was. And just last month I saw Julie in Salt Lake at my old theatrical home: The Salt Lake Acting Company. My dad and I caught the 30th anniversary edition of SATURDAY'S VOYEUR, a show that my brother and sister and I did a couple hundred performances of.

Anyways, Julie just published a book that lives up to its title: PLAYWRITING BRIEF AND BRILLIANT. It reminds me of the Ars Poetic of Horace...it's to the point, it's funny, and it's full of practical advice. As I told Julie, if I were teaching at the moment I would fill a full shelf at the college bookstore with her book and put the REQUIRED label right in front of the stack. You can read it in an hour, and it is absolutely inspirational...and I think it's got things to say to playwrights and to screenwriters and storytellers of all sorts.

Julie hails from little Beaver, Utah...which is also the birthplace of my old pal David Howard (he dreamed up GALAXY QUEST), Butch Cassidy, and Philo T. Farnsworth. I wonder what it is about the water in that town...

Get Julie's book!

Make Julie smile! Make yourself smile!

Influences? Yeah, I'll tell you about influences...

2008-06-23T22:47:00.000-07:00

When I was 13, I could do this whole album from memory...

RIP, George. And Thanks.

The Big Stroll

2008-06-19T07:40:00.000-07:00

The Big Stroll 2008 - Walking Wilshire from John Flynn on Vimeo.

My father-in-law, Norm Palley, used to work for the Rand Corporation. Every spring he and several of his colleagues would take a Saturday to hike Wilshire Blvd. From the One Wilshire Building downtown, through Westlake, Koreatown, the Miracle Mile, Beverly Hills, Westwood, Brentwood and finally to Santa Monica (and yes, there is a Saint Monica waiting for you at the end of the road). We had a spectacular day...I'm sure we will repeat next year.

Life's Little Ironies Department: After all my admonitions from my allegedly knowledgeable position as a marathoner, I was the only one who got a blister. Sheesh! I have to say that it was VERY hard to JUST walk: starting around mile 9 or so I had an almost overwhelming compulsion to RUN. Maybe next year!

Like a lot of the running videos I have done, this was shot with an ordinary digital camera with about 15 minutes of video time available on the card. I used an X-Shot to get the fun stuff (up high, down low and 360), which has turned out to be sturdier than the Quick Pod I started with last year. The street-level stuff was flipped in Sony Vegas Studio. Hmmm...gotta get a bigger card.

There is a spectacular site that the LA Conservancy put together about Wilshire: check it out right here.

Descent - a short film about Joyce Dallal's new installation

2008-06-10T18:57:00.000-07:00

My friend Joyce Dallal is part of the COLA 07-08 show at Barnsdall Art Park, and I decided to make a little film about her spectacular installation DESCENT.

Take a look...even better, go by Barnsdall before July 16 and see it in person!

Joyce Dallal DESCENT from John Flynn on Vimeo.

Free Mickey!

2008-05-26T19:55:00.000-07:00

Click on the comic to see a full-sized image!

I think the irony of this comic strip for me is that Disney has planted its flag on most of the characters in it...watch a parade at Disneyland, and you'll see the Disney versions of the Little Mermaid, Snow White, etc. etc. It's strange to think that for most adults under 40 or so Winnie the Pooh is not the creature of those marvelous little drawings by E.H. Shepard in the A.A. Milne books. Instead he and his friends are all creatures of the Disney empire. They have been captured, branded, and set to work.

The endlessly extending copyrights mean that Mickey and his pals will never get the treatment that Disney and Company are extending to Alice in Wonderland or Sleeping Beauty or Mr. Toad or...you name it!

Even imaginary property is subject to robber barons...

Visit Ruben Bolling's Tom The Dancing Bug Blog

Bob Boyle. Production Designer extraordinaire

2008-05-12T15:05:00.000-07:00

One of the most interesting interviews I ever had a chance to conduct was with Bob Boyle, another one of those genius PD's who appeared in MASTERS OF PRODUCTION.

The Academy gave him an honorary award...good on them! He's one of a kind...and STILL teaching!

Bob Boyle Production Designer from John Flynn on Vimeo.

Everybody into the Pool!

2008-05-09T07:48:00.000-07:00

Best Curtain Call Ever -- Orpheus and Euridice from John Flynn on Vimeo.

Well, this has been a while in coming...I have been cutting a lot of video for the last two months (more on that in a week or so), but I have had this little piece on my desktop since February. It's the amazing finale to Orpheus.

It will explain itself...enjoy!

PS: Go Vimeo! Once again, much better quality than YouTube.

Pitch Me Smart

2008-05-04T11:22:00.000-07:00

This is turning into a semi-annual tradition...a great 600-800 words on a topic of interest to people in production lifted from the local dog trainer. In this case, on-target advice from Turner's Michael Wright...man, I really do try to hit all these points myself...

[THE RULES OF HOLLYWOOD]
Turner Entertainment's Michael Wright tells how to pitch
Trying to sell a project idea to a network or a studio? To be successful, you have to be smart about it.
By MICHAEL WRIGHT

May 4, 2008 - LA TIMES MAGAZINE

One of the weirdest memories from my time at CBS was a meeting I refer to as the guitar-guy pitch. I was a creative executive in the television movie department (remember when networks made TV movies?), and, in that capacity, I took pitch meetings in which producers, writers and so on tried to sell their ideas.

This pitch began normally enough, with the producers telling me about their project. Then one of them opened a case he had brought, pulled out an enormous Martin guitar and proceeded to sing the rest of his story. I have no recollection of what they were pitching. Or singing. I do remember that I passed on the project.

The moral of the story is . . . well, there is no moral; this is Hollywood, after all. Rather, the observation I made was that gimmicks rarely work when pitching. I've had people come in with flowcharts, collages, recorded soundtracks, actors to read parts not yet written and mimes. Yes, mimes. None of it is necessary--or even helpful--because only one thing gets a project set up in this town if everyone is doing his or her job correctly: walking into the room with a pitch that makes sense for that buyer.

That sounds straightforward, yet the sheer number of pitching courses offered seems to belie that simple truth. If you've come with material appropriate to the network or studio you're pitching, and you have the talent to execute it (or have the right talent attached), you're ahead of the crowd. No performance art, special effects or b.s. should persuade an experienced buyer to choose something that is not, at its core, right for his or her audience.

That said, the first rule of successful pitching is to understand the buyer. We live in the era of the brand, when every network and studio has (or believes it has) a specific personality that is understood by its audience. You wouldn't pitch the same project to TNT (my own beloved drama network) that you'd pitch to my other beloved network, TBS (our "very funny" network). Yet I've had comedies pitched for TNT and epic dramas for TBS (granted, some of the epic dramas were unintentionally hilarious).

Similarly, you wouldn't want to take your dark, dystopian, toxic family tragedy to Disney any more than you'd pitch a zany comedy about nuns who enter a baking contest to the folks who produced "Saw." Successfully selling your project starts with knowing which studios and networks do what and why and targeting the appropriate home. Let them know you've done your research. It flatters the hell out of the buyer because they think you actually know their work. Or care enough to pretend. Either way, it's all good.

The second rule of pitching is to be brief and clear. Believe me, if you pitch longer than half an hour without being asked to elaborate, it's a pass. At some point, you should hear a form of "Tell me more" from the buyer. If you don't, and you're continuing on anyway, you are risking death by schedule (by going on so long, you've screwed up the exec's schedule and now he hates you).

The third rule of pitching (and, for the record, there is no rule book--this is Hollywood) is you must be able to back it up. You might walk in with the most center-of-the-target project of all time. But if you can't write, produce or otherwise execute the brilliant project you're pitching, you'd better hope that, right before your meeting, the buyer met with a brilliant writer or director who was looking for a project just like yours.

The truth is that ideas are a dime a dozen, and the real currency in Hollywood is the ability to write, direct, produce and/or create the great idea that 800 other guys already thought of. When your uncle is watching TV and gets mad and shouts, "I had that idea!," remind him, "Yeah, but you can't write." This is why the talent--and, with all due respect to myself and other creative executives, we are not the talent--is the heartbeat of our business. Talent is crucial to your pitch. If you are the talent, refer to rules No. 1 and 2 and proceed. If you are not the talent, find it, attach it to your project and have at it.

There's certainly more to it than this, but if you follow these basic rules, you'll be OK. Start your meeting by making it clear that you understand the buyer. Then set up the basic world of the pitch: the concept, the central character or characters and so on. From there, pitch--briefly--the basic story outline. Then move on to the "Here's why we can pull this off" part of your pitch: "Brad Pitt has decided he wants to star in a TV series, and this is the one!" Or, "Can you believe it? Quentin Tarantino has a series he wants to write and direct, so here you go!" If options like those are not available to you, a simple explanation of how and why the talent involved will be able to execute it will suffice.

One last thing. I once took a pitch that included attending a concert and having the show pitched to me from the stage as part of the performance. Seriously. I was invited to the concert by the performer, who was certain her current hit --a lovely ballad about lost love and misbehaving men--would make a wonderful television movie. I sat in my fantastic seat, enjoying the concert, when she turned to me during the instrumental break in the song and, in front of the whole audience, smiled broadly and said, "See, Michael? Wouldn't this be a terrific movie?" I bought the show.

So, OK, I fell for the gimmick. I broke my own rule.

But guess what: Rules are meant to be broken. In fact, we love people who break the rules. This, after all, is Hollywood.

Michael Wright is senior vice president in charge of Turner Entertainment Networks' Content Creation Group.

Mmmmm...PBWiki 2.0! Tastes Great!

2008-04-10T09:35:00.000-07:00

I love doing video and my clients seem to like what I do for them. It's the most successful part of my work...but right behind it comes Wikis. People just can't get enough of them.

I've been using PBWiki for a couple of years now, and it's really taken off for me. I use it for government clients like LA County, and I use it for my friends like Tai Chi teacher Jennifer Hill and of course for my LA Leggers pals. I also use it for project tracking and project development. It's a great place to organize everything large and small...your most fleeting and tiny ideas all the way up to your next Major Motion Picture. Examples here are Top Secret...but I can say that it works very well for collaborations.

As a long-time user I was given a chance to Beta test 2.0 (now in general release), and it is deluxe. I've just begun to scratch the surface, but I know I'll be building more with PBWiki.

1099's, Unite!

2008-04-10T09:26:00.000-07:00

Hats off to one of my unions (!) -- The Freelancers Union. They are starting a membership drive this month & in support I've added the button at left.

I think this group is filling a critical void in today's workplace: where else can the 1099er go for insurance, business and tax advice, networking...even advocacy?

Drop by the Freelancers Union Site to see what they are up to.

Inside the LA MARATHON 2008

2008-03-11T08:29:00.000-07:00

NENIKEKAMEN!

OK, I am posting this with YouTube under protest...

...why? Because VIMEO has much better compression. Check out the same video here for a better time!

There's nothing like that feeling...congrats and thanks to all the amazing runners and Angelenos who turned out that day. What a terrific race! I got a little punchy going into Boyle Heights, but then I saw the view of downtown from the 6th Street Bridge...it's like that shot from the Wizard of Oz!

I shot this (and all the video here) using a simple Quickpod and my little Nikon. Next year, I'm going for a little more image stabilization. Or maybe I'll just shoot more stills. Either way, it's like the man said when he arrived in the city of Athens: "Nenikekamen!"

"We are victorious!"

It's Dick Sylbert's Hollywood...

2008-03-07T23:01:00.000-08:00

...we just work in it!

Six years ago this month Richard Sylbert died of pancreatic cancer. He was amazing: one of the few true men of genius I ever had the pleasure to interview. His knowledge of story and of design was profound, and it gave us THE GRADUATE, CHINATOWN, THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, ROSEMARY'S BABY, REDS, THE PAWNBROKER, and on and on and on.

I meant to put this out there before now: attention must be paid to this kind of skill. Here's a little peek into his genius through what is probably his most famous film: CHINATOWN. A short segment from MASTERS OF PRODUCTION, a doc I created for PBS a few years back.

I have two regrets about that doc: it isn't available for the many students out there who are struggling (as so many of us have) to understand the junction of story and design, and it's not out there to illustrate what people inside the movie business know:

It's Dick Sylbert's Hollywood, we just work in it.

LBO Time Lapse: second night

2008-02-21T21:13:00.001-08:00

Well, here's the fantastic ORPHEUS AND EURIDICE that LBO turned out...in time lapse. You can even catch the pre-opera talk with Ricky & Andreas if you don't blink.

I did two others and will post one more in a day or so...after I get the footage of the Best Curtain Call EVER in order.

Wanna guess what we all did after the bows on closing night?

Orpheus and Euridice Tech...with life jackets!

2008-02-13T14:56:00.001-08:00

We're coming down to the wire in Long Beach with one of the more interesting sets of challenges (technical and artistic) that I've seen in recent years: the LBO's production of Ricky Ian Gordon's ORPHEUS AND EURIDICE at the Belmont Shores Olympic Pool Complex.

That's Elizabeth Futral and Todd Palmer in the title roles...and in the water! The sound has turned out amazingly well, and tonight we'll get a look at lights and set. I was able to load in my video projections on Monday and things are looking good. The only problem (aside from the constant fear of water + electricity) is that much of the show has to be set up and struck every day. We've got three performances (Sunday-Monday-Tuesday 2/17-2/19) and three nights of tech and dress.

Elizabeth and Todd are both amazing artists and endlessly kind and pleasant in the face of 10,000 gallons of H2O...and I'm also having a great time working with Maestro Andreas Mtisek and designer Alan Muraoka (who got me into this). Links to press and video will follow in a couple of days, no doubt. Till then...More details here...

Beyond YouTube... Tudou? Or: Notes from a Small Web

2008-02-03T13:53:00.000-08:00

Recently I've been reading and researching Bill Bryson's work, and in my travels I came across some interesting video of him from a most unlikely location: Shanghai.

That is the home of Tudou, China's largest video sharing website. I saw an episode of his BBC series NOTES FROM A SMALL ISLAND (based on his wonderful book and unavailable on this side of the Pond).

My Chinese isn't what it ought to be, but I was able to figure out the design of Tudou well enough to find five more episodes posted by a Chinese fan of Bryson's. They are a little trucated, but well worth watching. Bryson's idiosyncratic tour is entertaining, and he himself is a fascinating product of Iowa roots and British soil. Dry, droll, and yet a man from the heartland.

Best of all for doc makers is the cinematography: the interviews are often shot at a distance with a lot of foreground: there's a fascinating combination of physical distance and conversational initimacy throughout...and some of it's just flat-out beautiful even as it's being streamed from half a world away.

Don't let the Chinese charaters bother you...just wait for a minute and the show will load...

Episodes: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6

INNOCENT at the Smithsonian

2008-01-14T19:51:00.000-08:00

Ken's play is going to DC...and the video's going too.

Just got the press release...looks like INNOCENT will be performed on Feb. 23rd...here are the details...

To mark the 66th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt which led to the incarceration of 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry during World War II, the Smithsonian APA program presents the critically acclaimed new play, Innocent When You Dream, by Ken Narasaki.

Fresh from its Los Angeles world premiere, the cast arrives intact to present a staged reading of their production, which was named a "Critic's Choice" by the Los Angeles Times and a "Pick of the Week" by LA Weekly, and won the 2006 Kumu Kahua Pacific Rim Playwriting Award.

A Nisei father lies in a hospital bed, only partly aware of his two adult children who have arrived at his bedside, unsure their father will survive. While the father returns to his interned past searching for a lost first love, his children bicker and argue, not quite ready to let their last parent go.

Want to buy a ticket?

FFFFound It!

2008-01-13T22:00:00.001-08:00

Thanks to my friend Karim over at Logicalnot for turning me on to FFFFound.com, a really great place to wander around and a great place to get design ideas.

Users can upload their favorite images, but the really interesting thing is that you can "favorite" images which will then lead you to more images along the lines of what you're interested in. For some reason I kept stumbling on young Darth here...interesting image, no? It works on so many levels...

FFFFOUND's in private beta right now, but you can still poke around. BTW: the photo originally came from www.alexbrownphotography.com

Michael Kidd, RIP

2007-12-24T19:50:00.000-08:00

This is a tough one...Oscar Peterson and Michael Kidd, both gone within a day of each other? Sheesh.

I didn't know Mr. Peterson, but I did have the privilege of interviewing Michael Kidd on his work and that of Agnes DeMille for a piece on the DeMille family many years ago. Talking about dance with him was fascinating because he had such a snap and a wit...talking about dance is tough and he was endlessly ifascinating! He's one of the few I could have gone back to gladly for another hour (or ten).

I also loved his humor. At one point, my former partner Keith Lawrence popped off with one of his trademark, tasteless non-sequiturs (driven by only-God-knows-what impulse) when Kidd mentioned his wife.

"Gee, I thought you were gay," the absolutely unaware and uninhibitable Keith mused.

I gagged: not the first or last time that happened with Keith.

Kidd, ever the smart-mouthed Brooklyn lad, whipped out a comeback without even taking a breath.

"I used to be, but that was just to get into show business."

What a guy...read all about his life and times....

John Lennon's FBI File: DECLASSIFIED

2007-12-19T23:58:00.000-08:00

THC continues to run the Declassified series...next up is one I wrote based on the great work of Jon Wiener...JOHN LENNON'S FBI FILE...

"From approximately 1956-1971, thousands of American residents and US citizens, from John Lennon to John Kerry to Martin Luther King Jr., were the subjects of COINTELPRO (Counter Intelligence Program), the FBI's secret operation to target people and organizations viewed as un-American. Decades later, historians and the subjects of the spying themselves have begun to use the Freedom of Information Act to piece together the story of COINTELPRO. In this episode, we focus on the case of John Lennon and uncover the effects of the FBI's domestic spymasters on this pop-culture icon and the myriad of people who loved him."

Check out this page for a sneak peak...it's airing twice on 12/27/07...check your local listings for times. Next up: Godfathers of Havana.

Fun little time lapse, and premiere of new Story Tactics slate

2007-12-18T10:25:00.000-08:00

I did this little piece in part to see what it would look like (I've always loved time lapse...I have a great one of a day in the life of a baby hummingbird around here somewhere), and in part to tip the cap to Ken Wong. He manages the Water Stations for my running club, which is one TOUGH job. He has to get up before the milkman, and carry a ton of water and snacks to the locations, and (worst of all) he has to get us Leggers to help him out. He also takes some great pictures. Bravo Ken...you do a hell of a job!

Also...more importantly for Story Tactics...I built a new slate for the end: a little Story Tactics animation. I remixed an old Devo tune (Timing X) which has haunted me ever since I first heard it. I remember picking it out on the piano years ago...I should see if I could do it today. Still working on the other Legger video (City of Angels Half)...but more importantly I've just started digitizing my first major project of 2008: the first two of what will eventually be six (and then as many as 20) videos for Los Angeles County. More on those soon.

Orpheus and Euridice at LBO

2007-12-04T09:18:00.000-08:00

Ricky Ian Gordon, an Olympic swimming pool, and the Long Beach Opera...what's missing?

Video, of course!

I'm working with Maestro Andreas Mitisek and Designer Alan Muraoka to create a series of video elements for their upcoming production of Ricky Ian Gordon's Orpheus and Euridice at the Belmont complex. Elizabeth Furtal and Todd Palmer will be revisiting the roles they created in 2002. The infamous Halloween Eyes will be transformed into Furies for starters, and somehow I'm going to get some fog projection in there...and maybe some live video mixed in with stills...hmm....

Best of all, water and light. This should be a VERY interesting project....

Congrats, Mr. Flynn: it's a Producer!

2007-11-02T09:32:00.000-07:00

A new thespian threw on the Producer's cloak and hat this week: not content with the Halloween Eyes (see this space, this time, last year), Jack Flynn took over the back yard. Along with a dozen of his friends, he had the innocent and the doomed screaming for about three hours on Wednesday night. Herewith: the video

Good Samhain!

Welcome to 13.1 ... next stop, 26.2

2007-10-21T22:24:00.000-07:00

You've gotta have a hobby...and you're probably going to make art about it too. Nine of the folks in my LA LEGGERS pace group ran the Long Beach Half Marathon last weekend & I made this little video in tribute to them and our amazing mentor Rosa.

Bravo to all the Leggers there last Sunday: you're an inspiration. I had a rough time at the end due to a pair of cramping legs (no pain quite like that), but I crossed that line and I'll be back for the City of Angels Half, and then (of course) the main event in March.

For now, in the immortal words of Pheiddipedes, "Nenikekamen!"

"We are Victorious!"

Pick of the Week! Critic's Choice!

2007-10-13T21:03:00.001-07:00

The reviews on Ken's play are out, and they're excellent...so it's time to do a new version of the trailer! Check it out!

Darlene Miyakawa, our stage manager, mentioned that a couple of people had asked about the creation of the video. Much of the imagery came from either a collection of home videos shot by internees, clips from Lane Nishikawa's film ONLY THE BRAVE, or stills from the Library of Congress. I also shot some footage of Sharon in costume in her backyard and used some video effects to step all over it and make it look like the old camp footage. The sound I grabbed from a couple of different PD sources (like blowing on the mic to make wind-blown desert).

The whole magilla was edited on the home version of Sony's Vegas Studio, a $79 piece of software which (installed on my Dell dual core XPS) does everything my old $100,000 AVID used to do and more. Sony's DVD Architect stinks, so I authored the DVD with Nero.

So what are you waiting for? Get your tickets now!

INNOCENT Opening...and an online trailer!

2007-10-08T08:40:00.000-07:00

I've done a bunch of little videos for the world premiere of Ken Narasaki's new play INNOCENT WHEN YOU DREAM now playing at the ultra-cool Electric Lodge in Venice. What a great cast! I've always loved Sab Shimono (the lead), but the rest of the cast is also first rate. The first cue is very interesting: about two minutes in, Sab's character has a stroke which we're trying to show with the video...flashbacks to past trauma that prefigures the action in the play.

After doing the second or third revision I started to think that it's too bad I can't share this more widely...out of context it makes little sense. But then it occurred to me that I had more than 50% of a theatrical trailer on my hands...add some titles and voila. And so I did. The company was thrilled...I have the feeling I'll be doing more of these....

Kosh-san, Yoku Dekimashita

2007-09-28T14:48:00.001-07:00

Well, this is wild!

A little Japanese documentary about the art of my brilliant friend Kosh. He is, along with Susan Shearer, owner of 10 Worlds...but back in the day he designed for the Beatles, Stones, The Who, Marc Bolan, Linda Rondstat, ELO, James Taykor, and on and on and on...

Even if you're a henna-gaijin, this is a very watchable little doc. It has commentary by a faux-Kosh (wearing a jeans jacket, but lacking an English accent) in a language you'll understand...and the pictures are really all you need, anyways!

Innocent When You Dream

2007-09-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

Yikes! And that's just the draft of the first cue!

I'm working on a new Timescape production that's going up at the Electric Lodge: INNOCENT WHEN YOU DREAM by Ken Narasaki. Sab Shimono is starring...Saturday's run was really terrific.

There are only a few video elements, but as you can see they're pretty dense. Should be cool! Drop by the INNOCENT page on MySpace for details.

Declassified on Demand

2007-09-25T09:39:00.001-07:00

THC has added a bunch of Declassified Webisodes to their site...check here to view them!

Also, despite weekly rumors to the contrary, Fidel seems to still be among the living. HOWEVER, when he does shuffle off this mortal coil, tune in to History for a special episode of DECLASSIFIED.

C20 on OvationTV

2007-07-24T11:32:00.000-07:00

OvationTV is an interesting channel/service that's now hosting a ton of arts videos. It's fun to browse through and see what's there.

Recently, they added the Cornerstone video to their Arts in Action listing...you can see their stream of it here, or just head over to OvationTV and start browsing yourself.

Speaking of Cornerstone, it looks like we're off to Holtville (current temp = 102) to check out A HOLTVILLE NIGHT'S DREAM in a couple of weeks.

Now on Amazon!

2007-06-01T15:29:00.000-07:00

I don't know how long they've been doing this, but apparently DECLASSIFIED is over on Amazon nowadays. You can get The Taliban and also Castro.

I suppose the Amazon model was just too powerful to ignore: THC was selling pretty much all of its titles through a separate fulfillment house.

They've also put a bunch of the show online...I will add some links to that when I have a chance.

Cornerstone Video released! Woo hoo!

2007-05-16T20:12:00.000-07:00

At long last I can release this piece...man, it was fun to make! Hats off to the wonderful team that made it all happen...John Luker on camera, Kosh on graphics, Josh on Final Cut, and of course Gerhard providing that sweet score. Check out his stuff at www.gutermusic.com, and tell him that his cousin John sent you.

We're shooting some stand-ups to go with this: my idea is to have this piece run automatically when you pop the video in, and then when it's done you're dropped into a menu that includes 3-5 minute chats with various staff about the Institute, Education, etc.

The Year End Blur...

2006-12-23T20:03:00.000-08:00

Lewis Black and five different government projects really kept me moving as 2006 comes to a close. Just when you think it's getting easier, the phone rings again!

Not that I'm complaining...the chance to work on a new series with History has really been beyond what I thought I could ever do in production. Working with a live audience is like going home for me, only now I get to add in all the stuff I learned from DECLASSIFIED.

And speaking of DECLASSIFIED, I've added an RSS feed to the blog since the show has been back in rotation on THC...and has been on History International as well. In fact, we were asked to do a little re-writing on one of the shows due to changes regarding one of our subjects. I'm not at liberty to reveal what the alterations were at the moment, but when the time is ripe...

And then there's all that other stuff I've been playing with: cutting half a dozen projects for various clients on Sony's Vegas platform has been great. I only regret that I didn't have enough time to finish a special holiday collaboration with my old pal Bill Rue of Vinylhaven. Next year look for the return of the Yule Log with amazing tunes by Bill...and this time let's make it Hi-Def!

I've done an awful lot of work in wikis in the last couple of months, too. The Cornerstone and DMHOMA sites are coming together well, I'm working on the launch of a massive new IT system called IBHIS for LA County, and we FINALLY got the Integrated System off the ground (IS = LA's 2 million+ record database for mental health providers). My end of that was a lot of writing, a lot of Captivate, and more than a little webmastering.

I guess I could do a little more work on the wiki this weekend...but perhaps it's time for a long winter's nap....

The Eyes Have it!

2006-11-06T23:19:00.000-08:00

Too much work going on this month! Here's something fun in the midst of four contracts and planning for several seasons of TLLB!

I Stole This Article...

2006-10-01T12:58:00.000-07:00

...I'd just publish the link, but the Los Angeles Times has the worst website of any major newspaper in the entire world. It's downright embarassing when you stack it up against the amazing NY Times site. Whoever you are, I like you too much to send you to latimes.com

This is a brief piece about theft and Hollywood...I have long espoused what I call the theory of Plus One. It's not enough to have a good idea...you have to have financing, or a star, or the connection, or...some "Plus One" advantage. I think Gurvitz is one the same trail...

THE RULES OF HOLLYWOOD

If You Think Your Idea Was Stolen, Think Again
By Ian Gurvitz

Ian Gurvitz is the author of "'Hello,' Lied the Agent: And Other Bullshit You Hear as a Hollywood TV Writer," which was published last month and from which his essay is adapted.

October 1, 2006

About 15 years ago I wrote a pilot for Fox, based on thoughts rattling around in my head at the time. I spent months on the script, hacking my way through the gauntlet of studio and network notes hellbent on improving the script to death.

The show eventually made it onto the schedule, but I was later sued by a total stranger who claimed I'd stolen his idea. I forget whether he alleged to have pitched something similar, or was driving past the Fox lot as its giant idea-stealing antennae picked up his brain waves. Either way, the suit never amounted to anything. Nor did the show, which was canceled after seven episodes.

There have been many similar cases over the years—Art Buchwald's "Coming to America" suit being among the most memorable—but they all underscore one of the most prevalent myths about show business: Hollywood steals your ideas.

This is nonsense. Hollywood does not steal. Hollywood copies, imitates, panders and plagiarizes, rips off and robs, but Hollywood does not steal ideas for one reason and one reason only—it's not ethical. (Sorry, couldn't resist that.) Unless someone rips the title page off your script and puts his name on it (which has happened), Hollywood usually does not steal ideas because, in Hollywood, ideas are worthless. Even if someone snapped a cellphone picture of your computer screen at Starbucks, they couldn't steal your idea because ideas, by themselves, mean nothing.

Execution is everything—how a TV show or movie is written, cast, directed, edited, scored, even marketed. It's not the idea; it's how you do it. Or when you do it. Or when it's pitched. Or who's pitching it. Every year there are thousands of ideas developed and scripts written. There is bound to be some concept overlap.

A couple of years ago, I worked with friends on a pilot. We pitched to four networks. Four passes. Then one of those networks did the identical show, with the star we'd suggested but with another writer.

After that, I pitched another show I was passionate about. Passes all around. So I wrote it on spec and pitched it with a script attached. Pass. Soon after that, I read that the same network was developing the identical show. With another writer.

Last year, while writing two more pilots and a book about TV development, I went online to get a sense of what shows were in the works. Including my two little scripts, there were 352 projects among 34 networks—138 comedies and 148 dramas—including 37 cop/PI shows, four doctor shows, eight lawyer shows, several "X-Files" "Alias" or "24"-style shows, a reality show with the son of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, a motivational show starring Mr. T and one called "America's Cutest Puppies." Did someone rip off someone else's idea? Doubtful.

I've been working in TV for about 20 years. I've had some good runs on successful shows, had three of my own shows crash and burn, written some scripts for love and others for money, usually while dealing with a never-ending series of infuriating network notes. But in all that time I've never seen an idea actually get stolen. I've seen them killed. Just not stolen.

So to anyone who feels like their idea has been ripped off, chances are it hasn't. If you think Hollywood stole your idea, maybe what you need to think about is having another idea. And if you just came to town with the one, then maybe your next idea should involve changing occupations until you come up with another one.

Hollywood cannot steal your idea. It can only steal your soul.

Tales from the Public Domain

2006-09-01T17:56:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to add this little treatise to the blog ever since Michael Grossman sent it my way months ago...Duke University has a site about Public Domain wherein they've published this superb little graphic novel.

Give it a read: Bound By Law!

My Face Still Hurts

2006-08-17T21:41:00.000-07:00

Last night's taping of the pilot episode of TRUTH, LIES AND LEWIS BLACK was an absolute barn burner. I've got to admit that my experience with live-to-tape is pretty limited, and this is the first time I've ever written and produced anything in that mode. I started out in the theater, and so last night's taping was a little like going home...and completely out of control at the same time.

Lucky for us we were in the care of Dennis Rosenblatt and an excellent team. It was funny to have done a show that has Mission Control as its centerpiece, and then to spend some time watching the amped-out controled chaos of the control room on TLLB. Truly, Dennis Rosenblatt is now "Flight" in my book.

And then there was Lewis Black. I've written for a lot of people, and it's always fun to see it come to life. This was different: he has such a great way of owning the material that it just made me proud to have written it. It's a little like dancing: when you write something for someone and they're so smart and so good that they hit all the corners inside of it and a few more...that's really something.

And of course he had the audience with him: he was just having such a good time. One thing that's not an expected part of the Lewis Black profile is charm, but he is an immensely charming man. We shot two interview segments in front of the audience last night, and he was terrifically engaging and gracious.

And (starting with John Bowman's great opening)...we laughed like hell. Man, I can't wait to see the final on this one.

Looks like we'll be delivering in a couple of weeks, but no air date yet. You'll see it here when we've got it.

Rolling x 3

2006-08-14T20:31:00.000-07:00

I'm rolling on three projects this week...I'm just not getting a vacation this year. Too busy making hay because man, the sun is shining.

The main shoot is Wednesday's with Ten Worlds and Lewis Black! Woo hoo! If you're one of Lew's Legionnaires and you've got your reservations...see you there! It's going to be an awesome evening...John Bowman's going to say a few words before we roll, so you get two amazingly funny guys for the price of one.

And just this past week I've secured two more contracts with the wonderful folks at LA County...not only am I shooting a couple of pieces for them this Thursday with a couple of different crews, but I'm building Wikis for them. Now that is some fun stuff. Speaking of which, my really great tech finds of the past couple of weeks...

Sony's Vegas 6
PBWiki
and
Flickr as augmented by FlickrStorm

Vegas 6 is a stunning reminder of the veractiy of Moore's Law. Having bought an AVID 8 or so years back for almost $100k, it's amazing to see all that power packed onto my $1k homebrew machine by $70 worth of software.

GAK!

Now out on DVD...

2006-08-08T14:14:00.000-07:00

The entire DECLASSIFIED collection is now available on DVD...for example, check out

John Lennon: DECLASSIFIED

...and many more!
Just search for DECLASSIFED in the THC Shop.

Truth, Lies and Lewis Black

2006-07-28T07:41:00.000-07:00

Well, we have a title!

TRUTH, LIES AND LEWIS BLACK is shooting in Burbank on August 15-16 ... woo hoo!

We've got our first cut coming out today, and we're looking to have this puppy ready for a screening sometime in the fall. Meantime, Lew has movies and a tour and all sorts of madness coming up...and I'm working on two new projects for History with the amazing folks at Ten Worlds.

I'll be posting info about the shoot when we're ready to invite folks...or you can go to Lewis' site and sign up to get his emails.

July Reruns Continue

2006-07-19T22:59:00.000-07:00

THC is re-running three of our shows now...just got the new schedule...

7/24 AYATOLLAH

7/30 VIET CONG

7/31 JOHN LENNON

...and since the Apollo script has gone to the editors, I am finally getting some work done on the Cornerstone 20th Anniversary video.

Scripted...and back in reruns!

2006-07-18T22:53:00.000-07:00

DECLASSIFIED is back in reruns...Monday will see the return of THE AYATOLLAH. It's fun to see them pop up on TiVo when you least expect it.

I've finished revisions on the script for our Apollo show, and it's also been handed to the very funny and very talented John Bowman for some juice. It was tough because I had to work hard to get that DECLASSIFIED guy out of my head. I had to make way for the guy who's going to be laying down our Deathless Prose for the ages...In a little less than a month we'll be taping with the amazing LEWIS BLACK. Again, lucky for us we've got the help of John Bowman.

I'm working on the live segments again this week...it's going to be a blast. The only problem now is that we've got way too much stuff coming in...there's all sorts of other pots bubbling, and not enough hours in the day.

We're wrapped on the interviews!

2006-06-23T23:08:00.000-07:00

Here's the view from the back row at Johnson Space Center last Wednesday. This is one of two Flight Control rooms...the one accross the hall is running the International Space Station, this one is for the Shuttle. In fact, the staff on duty here is debriefing after a simulation for the upcoming July 1 launch.

And now, we are WRAPPED on the interviews for our next program...the title of which is still under debate. The subject is the Apollo project, and the contention by some conspiracy theorists that they were faked. More than that I can't say, but this one will be a real barn-burner...in part because of our host. He will remain anonymous for a bit longer, but I can say that I've had a great time talking to "Hoaxists," scientists, engineers, Flight Directors, and even an astronaut.

The final transcripts landed in my box this week...no more excuses! First draft is due in a couple of days! Woo hoo!

On the road for our new pilot...

2006-05-30T23:08:00.000-07:00

We're back out on the road again...feels like it has been ages, and it has been almost a year since we shot the last DECLASSIFIED interview.

Here's Kosh and Mike Balog on the streets of Portland for our latest excursion. We're still messing about with the title...all I can say at this point is that it's about the moon landings. We've also lined up an amazing on-camera host...more on him soon. In this shot, Kosh and Mike are getting ready to shoot exteriors for a place called Dante's.

I also had a chance to see my old friend Dr. Mead Hunter, who is now Literary Manager up at Portland Center Stage ... he showed me the new space they're building at the amazing old Portland Armory. I can't wait to go back.

All in all...what a great town! I didn't have a bad meal outside of the airport, and the hotel that our genius Line Producer Jennifer Knott lined up for us... Fifth Avenue Suites ... absolutely spectacular.

Next stop: Louisville...

May Day in Mid-Wilshire

2006-05-01T23:57:00.000-07:00

I had a ringside seat at the enormous rally today...it was quite an amazing site. I was working in Koreatown that day and I know I only saw a fraction of the march. By the time I left I doubt more than a quarter of the half million had passed my corner.

From Wilshire & Vermont...I call this photo "Hollywood Gets it Wrong...Again," since the date should have been 5/1/06. Still, for those who paid attenion, The Signs Were All Around...

Of all the signs I saw, I think this was the most...er...endearing? Touching? In Pico Union and Koreatown...in fact, in a lot of downtown and east L.A. you'll see these vendors selling hot dogs wrapped in a strip of bacon and fried on little pushcart griddles: it's the L.A. rejoinder to the great street junk food of the east.

Well, they had a banner...the Organization of Hot Dog Vendors in Solidarity. Right on!

The office building I was in was pretty much empty by 4:00PM...the guard was a little tired of having to get up to let me in and out of the lobby...by 5, we were all gone, but the march was still going.

Back in Rotation...

2006-04-29T15:48:00.000-07:00

I've just gotten my hand on a series of re-broadcasts for DECLASSIFIED...and our last premiere!

Here's what's coming up...all these times are Eastern. Check your local listings: different cable and satellite providers run shows at different times...

Declassified: Godfathers of Havana. Monday, May 01 @ 10am ET
Declassified: Godfathers of Havana. Monday, May 01 @ 4pm ET

(And this is the Premiere...)
Declassified: Secrets of World War I. Thursday, May 04 @ 10pm ET
Declassified: Secrets of World War I. Friday, May 05 @ 2am ET

Declassified: The Taliban. Thursday, May 11 @ 10pm ET
Declassified: The Taliban. Friday, May 12 @ 2am ET

Premiere #12, Show #1

2006-04-17T15:08:00.000-07:00

This Thursday will see the premiere of the first regular episode of DECLASSIFIED that we created: THE TET OFFENSIVE. It's an important show because it was the one on which we created the template for everything that came afterwards.

We were very lucky in terms of our interview subjects: it was really pretty stunning (as it always it) to hear from the troops who took the time to talk with us. It was a frightening story to work on because those guys really give you a sense of how bloody and desperate Hue and Khe Sanh were. We also had the luck to talk to Allan Wendt, who was actually in the US Embassy when the attack began: now that is a story. Two journalists, Jack Languuth and Don Oberdorfer, were tremendously helpful on this episode and our program about the Viet Cong.

Perhaps the most dizzying interview I got to do all year is the one that closes out this show: Daniel Ellsberg. My one regret about the series is that I never found the answer to his challenge: find out who leaked LBJ's troop increases to the NY Times.

This one was our first baby: I'm looking forward to sitting down and watching it with fresh eyes this Thursday, April 20.

Change is in the air...

2006-04-14T21:10:00.000-07:00

In recent weeks I've been shooting more material for the new Cornerstone video, working on a few other proposals, and prepping the next "DE-" series while the lawyers work out the details. It's been quite a whirl.

One rather interesting island was the Wende Museum, which I've visited the last couple of Fridays. I wish I'd known about this collection when we started DECLASSIFIED. It's a private archive/museum consisting of about 50,000 items from the USSR and GDR: socialist realist art, Checkpoint Charlie artifacts, uniforms, books, medals, photos, banners, plates, and on and on.

What's wild is that it's all in an office park in Culver City, just around the hill from my house. A recreation of a section of Eric Hoenneker's office right here in Mayberry, L.A.

I've had a chance to talk to the Wende's curator Kelly Ann Kolar a couple of times, and I'm hoping we can work with her on our next couple of programs. What she and her colleagues have put together is really a treasure.

What's really new this weekend is...

2006-03-17T19:54:00.000-08:00

...the stuff I'm working on in my other blog! I'm traveling to a few spots in the storied past of Cornerstone Theater company, creating a new film about them. Here's the scoop...

New Premiere Schedule

2006-03-15T11:05:00.000-08:00

OK...another change from scheduling...here is the current list of premieres...

3/23: Godfathers of Havana
3/30: Chairman Mao
4/20: Tet Offensive
5/4: Secrets of WWI

There are obviously going to be repeats on the schedule, starting with John Lennon this week.

New Listing of Premieres!

2006-03-08T13:43:00.000-08:00

Good news from scheduling...although you're going to have to wait for it. We're now going into a cycle of repeats punctuated by premieres. We're still on THC on Thursdays...this week is the re-scheduled AYATOLLAH, but after that comes a repeat of John Lennon. Here's the list of premieres...

3/9: Ayatollah
3/23: Godfathers of Havana
4/20: Tet Offensive
5/4: WWI
6/1: Chairman Mao

...and in between, we'll have repeats and the occasional pre-emption for a THC special event. I'll post more when I get them!

Schedule Changes: More Rebroadcasts!

2006-03-03T10:31:00.000-08:00

Last night our show about the Ayatollah was pre-empted for a special, and THC has used that as an excuse to rebroadcast some of our more popular episodes and stretch out our schedule! Yay! Here's a look at the next couple of weeks...check you local listings for correct times!

Declassified: Tiananmen Square. Saturday, March 11 @ 1pm ET
Declassified: Ayatollah Khomeini. Thursday, March 09 @ 10pm ET
Declassified: Ayatollah Khomeini. Friday, March 10 @ 2am ET
Declassified: Ayatollah Khomeini. Saturday, March 11 @ 2pm ET
Declassified: Joseph Stalin. Saturday, March 11 @ 3pm ET
Declassified: Viet Cong. Monday, March 13 @ 12pm ET
Declassified: Viet Cong.Monday, March 13 @ 6pm ET
Declassified: John Lennon. Thursday, March 16 @ 10pm ET
Declassified: John Lennon. Friday, March 17 @ 2am ET

DAM (fine) TV (satire)

2006-02-27T17:46:00.000-08:00

Jeff Strong over at Discovery sent me an email to let me know that he was one of the three guys behind Ms. I Don’t Know How to View a Roughcut Lady, the very funny little Real Marketing Genius MP3 I posted a couple of days ago.

Jeff, along with his fellow artistes J.R. Soldano and Tyler Korba, produced that for an internal presentation for something called DAM TV -- which stands for Discovery Advertising and Marketing TV. " We can’t believe that they’ve found their way on the net...totally hilarious," Jeff wrote, "There are 6 of them in total..." And then he sent them to me...they're great!

Half of them apply to pretty much any corporate setting...and half are cable-specific...Enjoy! And again--thanks Jeff & JR & Tyler!

Regular bureaucracy according to DAM TV...
Mr. Waiting For the Conference Room Guy
Miss Small Talk in the Elevator Lady
Mr. Asking Us To Think Outside the Box Guy

Life in TV, according to DAM TV...
Ms. I Don’t Know How to View a Roughcut Lady
Mr. Cutting a Promo for a Lame Show Guy
Mr. Impossible Approval Man

Wrap Party & What's Next...

2006-02-26T13:44:00.000-08:00

Yay! DECLASSIFIED Season 1 is history (although there are still 6 episodes coming, and then reruns) Wrap Party photos below...what a great time. 10 Worlds knows how to throw a hell of a party. Two bands, fire dancing by Jennifer, belly dancing, electric ukes, an Endless Margarita Fountain, all at the foot of the revolving Crossroads of the World. A fabulous end to a fabulous year: here's hoping S2 is on its way (gotta wait for those numbers, of course....)

Susan, Kosh & Me

That's Jennifer doing her Fire Dance magic...

Michael and Susie D

Next up? Another DE- project, and it's a pilot, and it's still CLASSIFIED although it's not DECLASSIFIED. More soon! Woo hoo!

And that's Hilary, Jeanna and Jon (researchers extraordinaire), Koshmeister, and Oz (editor extraordinaire).

Rough Cut Lady...

2006-02-20T14:23:00.000-08:00

This one's for all you who've worked in television...Miss I Don't Know How to View A Rough Cut Lady -- the MP3.

I want to say that NONE of the broadcasters I have ever worked with fit this profile...NONE! Still, I wish I knew who created this first...I'd gladly give them credit. Thanks to Carl for this one...it had us all in stiches for quite some time!

Sing along! Woo Hoo!

We've been Wiki-ed

2006-02-20T08:34:00.000-08:00

Hey! We've been Wiki-ed!

There's a Declassified post on Wikipedia now...check it out...

I also hear that the numbers were great for our program on the Viet Cong. Looks like we're picking up some steam!

Premiere Party Animals

2006-02-18T08:40:00.000-08:00

We're right around the halfway mark, and the reviews have been terrific so far. Some great numbers, particularly in terms of the age of the audience: it's gratifying to know that we are getting to a younger segement than THC usually does.

I've forgotten to post these for the longest time...here are a few snaps from the Premiere Party...gotta get them up because the Wrap Party's just around the corner.

There's Shirley Jahad (of KPCC, author of CASTRO), Kosh, Me, Jennifer, Oz, Kareema and Tom

And this other one is Susan and I ... I expect we'll have more soon, including Jennifer doing amazing things with fire...

LAC DMH renews Story Tactics contract...again!

2006-02-14T14:08:00.000-08:00

I was very pleased to find a renewed contract from LA County in the mail this week...I've had the best time working with these folks. For the past couple of years I've been helping them implement a complex project created by Sierra Systems: the Integrated System, the Department of Mental Health's HIPAA-compliant MIS system.

I first worked with DMH in the early 90's on LA's disasters: I was one of the people who helped create Project REBOUND, the nation's first large-scale crisis counseling project funded by FEMA (back when they were run by people who knew what they were doing, like James Lee Witt).

This current project has let me play around with all sorts of design stuff, starting with Dreamweaver and leading to Macromedia's Captivate. In between I've done tons of content, loads of training, and all sorts of interesting stuff (like managing online listservs, etc.).

I know it sounds a little crazy, but somehow between this and DECLASSIFIED I feel a little more balanced. Yin = insanity of TV production, Yang = insanity of massive bureaucracy.

Funny how these things even out...thanks again, DMH! Looks like I will be around (at least part time) through July.

Thank you, LA TIMES

2006-02-12T11:24:00.000-08:00

I think this makes six in a row--we're a highlight again in the LA Times.

Even more remarkable is the spot THC has been running for us this week...it's THE VIET CONG this Thursday, and the ad they have up makes the comparison between the "insurgency then, and the insurgency now."

I've said it all along: each and every episode of this season is absolutely about today. Thanks to THC for highlighting it in this important instance.

Looks like the Wrap Party is FINALLY in sight! Woo hoo!

Real Screen sees a DECLASSIFIED Screening

2006-02-06T17:25:00.000-08:00

Damn! I knew I should have gone to Real Screen this year!

One of our field producers was in a session featuring Carl Lindhal, our most excellent exec. producer from The History Channel...he reports that Carl showed a segment of the pilot (THE RISE AND FALL OF THE BERLIN WALL), and then said nice things about the show. Thanks for the props, Carl!

Can we do it again next year? I promise, I'll be there! :)

I understand that one audience member said she thought her 70-year old dad would be a bit flummoxed by our style...but my unofficial motto for DECLASSIFIED has always been...

IT'S NOT YOUR FATHER'S HISTORY CHANNEL!!!

DECLASSIFIED goes International...

2006-02-06T12:21:00.000-08:00

Woo hoo! We've landed in the UK!

Declassified is set to start showing in Great Britain...you can check the UK History Website...

Also, Uncle Joe did great for us this past week. Another banner night for the numbers. This week: Fidel!

On the Boards at history.com

2006-01-28T15:57:00.000-08:00

Not only are the numbers good, but DECLASSIFIED's generating some discussion about style and content. Nice to be working on a show that's got some depth.

Check out the chatter at THC's Declassified Discussion Thread

"The only thing worse than being talked about, is NOT being talked about."

Oscar Wilde, right?

Even Better Graphics..

2006-01-27T12:22:00.000-08:00

I like this one better...a little higher res than the one I published earlier...

New graphics...

2006-01-27T12:16:00.000-08:00

Koshmeister-san came up with a cool new graphic for the season...another piece of design genius from the 10 Worlds studios...

See below for the schedule!

DECLASSIFIED Rebroadcasts this Weekend!

2006-01-27T12:15:00.000-08:00

Hey...Did you miss the premieres of the first few Declassified episodes on The History Channel? Don't miss your chance to see them as they air again this Saturday, January 28, 2006.

Please check your local listings!

1:00pm ET/PT CHARLES LINDBERGH DECLASSIFIED
2:00pm ET/PT JOHN LENNON DECLASSIFIED
3:00pm ET/PT THE TALIBAN DECLASSIFIED