I’m contemplating plunking down $2,500 to do a 12 week screenwriting course at the New York Film Academy. One of the goals of the course is to “finish the course with a first draft of an original screenplay.”

Honestly, I could continue developing my screenplay on my own, but I think this would be an excellent exercise in refining my process, and would allow me to apply some more personal pressure to completing this project.

I’m a glutton for punishment I guess - I have plenty to keep my hands full with other personal creative projects and my work at the studio, where my role is expanding rapidly. Despite this, I want to put more on my plate.

For example, earlier this year I did something I’d wanted to do since I was a kid; learn Japanese. It was hell, I was studying the language four to six hours a day, studying all day during the weekends. But I was committed to the process, and came out of a six month period with a good fundamental understanding of the language.

I hope this course will do the same for my screenwriting ability.

-Merrel

Hello. I’m actually very good at keeping up on other blogs I maintain. It’s just this one I can’t seem to update. Oh and pardon the post title - StrangeLove has been running through my head all day.

So what’s going on?

Work:
I’m in the thick of producing a web-tv show - it’s a small operation, but I’m truly enjoying the work right now. We’re getting good bit of traffic on youtube, and the aforementioned blog. It is busy, the studio also has outside clients, so on any given day I’m working on everything from web and video production for nude women to high fashion women’s shoes.

On the art side recently interviewed a fine art photographer friend, Sid Ceaser, for a post and just today I was shooting interviews at a Gallery in SoHo. I still haven’t seen much of the city, but that’s ok right now.

Play:
To address my insatiable need to play something with keys I recently picked up a Yamaha Cs1x synth on the cheap. There are some great sounds in it, but it could be a little bit before I can use them the way I’d like. I’m still learning how to program it. I’m also digging the tactile knobs. It gives the board a great analog feel.

Here’s a quick snapshot - as you can see, I was in a hurry to try it out. [For those wondering, that's an M-audio FastTrack Pro in the background]

With this purchase, I’ve given up on buying a Yamaha DX7. Though the DX7 is a great synth, it is heavy, and notoriously difficult to program. Instead I picked up FM8, a full featured software synthesizer, that supposedly does a good job of emulating the DX7. We’ll see - up until I’ve been mostly using Reason as my primary software synth.

When I do sit down to compose, I find myself creating landscapes that sound like they belong in an episode of The X-Files. Coincidentally, I’ve been watching quite a bit of X-Files lately. Maybe I’ll gush about Mark Snow in a different post…

Somewhere in between:
My screen writing endeavor is ongoing. It is slow, but I hope to have a completed draft before January. I’m encouraged by the responses that I’ve received from people so far. When I described the opening shots of the film, one friend said it was “brilliant.” I believe she was drunk and well meaning! I don’t think this is “brilliant” material - at least not yet. I suppose at some point I should register my work with the Writers Guild.

Other projects are not faring so well. One of the casualties of moving to New York is a podcast I’d been producing since 2006.  It was my first foray into podcasting and focused on Japanese Culture, specifically anime and manga. I’m still very much interested in those things - but I just don’t have the time to work on something I essentially started as a lark. I’ve learned lots of great lessons on producing serial audio though.

Warning! Life Post:

I put my MIDI controllers and my upright piano into storage before heading to New York and I’m hurting now. I’m in a temporary living situation and I wasn’t about to bring the whole calvary.

And in true Merrel fashion, I’m scattered as usual! Entrenched in multiple creative endeavors, but now I feel like I need to write some music. I have the opportunity to do some fun music for a web-tv show I’m working on. I’d like just to fire up Reason and pop-out a couple tracks - but I need a new keyboard. I was looking at the something like the M-Audio Oxygen-49 to hold me over,  but I don’t really like only having 49 keys.  I need those extra octaves when I’m playing. Still, I’m ok with having less keys, after all a while back I said I wanted a Little Phatty, along with some other “toys” - all of which I still can’t afford.

The New York City Craigslist is chock full of good deals on this type of equip, even saw a great deal on a Yamaha DX7 II. But I’ll have to wait. I’ve got to bring some of my current projects to a close before I begin buying equipment for new ones.

I’ve got to stay focused! Does anyone else have this kind-of creative scatter brain?

-M

It really has hit me. I’m working in Manhattan, I’m up to my eyeballs in the Olympics and other projects. A month out, and it feels like I’ve been here forever, and that’s a good thing.

I wanted to share the sheer absurdity and tranquility that is New York through a series of (sometimes blurry) pictorials and stories.

People in New York City do smile

On Saturday night, I was walking down 9th Ave, around 45th or so toward Penn Station. Ahead of me was a huge crowd of people surrounding the opening of about 4 different restaurants/bars. Naturally curious, I went to see what the hell was going on.  As it turns out, each bar had the 4×100 meter medley (otherwise known as the “Phelps 8th gold race”) showing on their televisions. Lucky me, I had walked up with less than a minute left in the race. I stopped, joined the crowd and got swept away. Every time Phelps touched a wall, there were uproarious cheers down 9th Ave.  By this point, some cars had stopped, and were watching from their windows.

The last 100 meters of the race were intense in their own right. As Phelps fought through and touched his hand on the final wall, the collective crowd -  patrons, pedestrians and drivers all - exploded into raucous cheering and applause. Admittedly, I was caught up in the moment.  I jubilantly cheered, feeling I had just experienced a strange and unique camaraderie that would be difficult to manufacture.  It was over as quickly as it began, as though a work whistle had been blown, the crowd dispersed almost immediately. I walked with a slight spring in my step for the rest of the way to Penn Station.

Slightly aged, non-mutant, certainly not ninja turtles (in Manhattan!)

Later in the week, I was walking around West 50th St and 9th and I was astounded to see a huge freaking turtle walking down the street! The turtle was followed by a meek non-English speaking woman pushing a cart. She smiled, did not respond to any English, and continued walking with the turtle. During this time I also had the following dialog with a passerby “Whoa, it’s a turtle.” “Yeah, It’s Manhattan what do you expect?” “Umm. A turtle apparently?”

New York is beautiful

I may have mentioned I’m staying in Long Island right now. In my (very little) down time, I’ve taken to walking the area. Staying in Long Island has done wonders for establishing an equilibrium between my old life and new. I need trees. I need to see grass, I didn’t grow up in the city, so it’s just one of those strange things that may be slightly comforting on a sub-concious level.

I managed to find a nice park area that opens up to the water. It has a rec center, pools, and various other amenities. I found it to be a great place just to chill out after spending alot of time in the city. As the sun was setting I snapped this on my cell phone. (Translation: “pardon the picture qaulity, but the moment shouldn’t have been lost, so I took the picture with my cell phone.”)

Ugly Betty tows cars, people!

I’ve been working in the Tribeca area the past two weeks.  I pass Robert DeNiro’s Tribeca Grill on a daily basis and I’ve had the opportunity to visit the firehouse used in Ghostbusters. But what really put a smile on my face was this notice posted on Monday morning this week on Franklin St:

That’s right. The third season of the ABC show Ugly Betty has moved production to New York City. Quite amusingly, the note reads “Vehicles will be TOWED to the nearest legal spot..” That’s great, they don’t actually tow you to a yard, just down 4 blocks! How will you ever know? Note the cones along side the street.

Raccoon’s love cat food too

Bless my dear Grandmother. She is something of a good samaritan when it comes to feeding stray cats and catching them to be neutered. As such she feeds a mini-colony of cats who come to her home on a nightly basis. Most of them are adorable, and skittish, some feral, but all definitely CATS. Except on Tuesday night, when her customers were a little less friendly.

Meet “Mr & Mrs. Screaming Hissing Raccoon.” No, that is not a two-headed raccoon. Rather it is two of the five raccoons that were chomping down on some cat food.  They were not happy by my presence and immediately began hissing and showing their teeth. They stood their ground, and ultimately I opted to leave the house from a side door. (I’m cool like that)

On an impromptu trip into the city I’ve found myself working at the studio at 9:15 p.m. on a Saturday night.  The city is currently bustling with activity, great Broadway shows, stand-up comedy, and concerts. Maybe one day, I’ll go check them out. With the Olympics gig - I’ve already worked a painstaking 60 hour night shift work week, so I’m exhausted.

I’m getting some good work done tonight though.

-M

Like many, I’ve always been intrigued by Salvador Dalí’s work. Most people usually don’t think much past his iconic work The Persistence of Memory. His imagination was vast, sweeping all corners of the human psyche and beyond.

So, what an opportunity this past Friday when I visited the Museum of Modern Art and see the Dalí exhibit. For the first time in my life I was able to view his painting and film work in person. It was an enthralling and exiting evening, packed with hundreds of people. [Apparently, Friday night is "free museum night" in NYC. Who knew?]

I began by watching Un Chien Andalou, a 1928 short film by Dali and Spanish director Luis Buñuel. The film depicts surreal moments of death, and in one particularly wince worthy moment, actress Simone Mareuil’s eye lid is held open and a straight razor blade is slit across the pupil. As the eye split down the center, an exhibition hall of probably 50 people winced and groaned audibly, myself included.

For those brave enough to brave the film in the comfort of their own home can do so by downloading it at the Internet Archive, as the film is public domain.

Given the sheer number of people at the exhibit, there were many paintings I wasn’t able to view in prolonged detailed, but I did get to look at the vivid production sketches for Destino. The animated film Destino has a unique production history as it began as a collaboration with Walt Disney in 1945. It was not until 2003 that the project would see completion. It’s a great animated short, that was nominated for an Academy Award, and I’d love to see it again.

There was so much more there, and I’d like to go back to the exhibit when there are not so many people. But alas, it will have to wait until after the Olympics. You can also check out the interactive exhibit or make your way out to the exhibit before it ends on September 15th.

-M

I was going to write a long detailed post about my day, and how I walked 5 miles, biked 10 miles, worked in the city until 8:30, raced 20 blocks to catch a train at Penn Station, came home to find my car had a flat tire and just now finished eating dinner at a quarter to midnight, but I’m far too beat for all that.

So instead, here is a great post for all of you non-native New Yorkers (myself included!) who need some pointers on the city. It is aptly named “How not to be a douchebag tourist in NYC.” I was guilty of some of these earlier in the summer, and I see so many offenders they might as well wear neon shirts that say “tourist.”

-M