false starts are a part of the process

back.
I've been really busy in my IMAX-ing world that I kinda let a little creating fall by the wayside. I also live in doubt when it comes to certain things. those who know about being creative, being a writer, or just living a little closer to the edge than to the center of the norm know that it's not easy on guts, and doubt can arise.
one of the things that I've decide to do and tell myself is to just "know" that this is also part of the process. that doubt is natural. that false starts happen. that fear of failure is logical. you don't want to fall down no matter how much you hear that it's normal, that it won't hurt that bad or that you'll get to the other side, you don't want to fall. period. but fall you will. fall you must. and I guess, in listening, reading, and reflecting (on any past "successes" from myself and others), that you want to get all the falling (failing) done and over and quickly out of the way, so you can get on to the good stuff.
I realize I'm saying this more for me than for anyone else. (I mean, hello? delusions of grandeur. how are you?) but I'm saying it (writing it) to say it. to get it off my chest and out. and then, to move on.

I love the idea of blogging, and read tons of other people's, but for me, I keep feeling like I've gotta get everything just right before I really start blogging. like, the idea, or the purpose, or the project or the WHATEVER needs to be all set and packaged before I start this additional thing. but I've gotta get over myself and just see this as something else. so that's what I'm doing.
I'm getting it done on my new computer, which is great. I'm really learning tons of new stuff on this powerful mac. I can't wait to get to it and show "you" out there. I've also worked up a few ideas to take to IMAX myself and pitch for films that they haven't thought of (which is weird, cause I never thought I'd even come up with something like that).

so that's that. for now.

STAR TREK by Abrams will be even better in IMAX

okay, holy cow. that was pretty cool. of course what I'm talking about here is the first official trailer of the new STAR TREK directed by J.J. Abrams (and written by the guys who did Transformers). (*fyi: the whole lot of 'em created Fox's great series FRINGE which is top notch too!)

okay, so I guess I'm showing my cards early, but who cares? it looks great and looks like it'll be great fun. I'm hearing (reading) online that there are some "fanboys" out there that are hating this movie. well... I mean... what can I say about that. I would really like to rant, really like to rave. really like to cave some heads in frankly. I mean... how can you NOT like that trailer?

the beauty of any trailer is that it whets the appetite. it teases. it gets you excited. and it does so by showing the good parts. (and in many cases, too many of the good parts!)

but this trailer gave all the goods, without giving away too much of anything. it gave us a glance of the vision, allowing us to peer into what this "re-imagining" really looks like, and showed us beats from the movie free of the burden of the logic of plot.

not knowing anything about the new movie's story, the trailer tells us this: that it's a hero's journey. and often, those are the best. that hero we see quickly is Captain Kirk. now, sure, the hardest of hardcore trekkies/trekkers would tell you that story doesn't need telling, but give me a break. often, it's not even considered "true canon" unless it's made committed to film. (and even THAT isn't perfect in the Star Trek Universe - which is rife with contradictions as you can find online in many YouTube compilations.)

what we're really talking about here when you see people not liking something of this nature seems pretty clear to me: lack of vision. now this is not me name-calling the name-callers. but I am trying to make something clear for myself (and the one other person out there who's reading this too). when you hear people (often my fellow nerds & geeks) bashing something new or that's finally getting it's treatment to film, what is really happening is the bashers are unable to see beyond what has already been presented. whether that's what's been shown in the comics, cartoons, previous movies or even the depths of their own imaginations, unfortunately, most who are bashers just aren't able to visualize anything completely -- and won't be able to, until they've seen the completed work.

(*and let's be clear: Fanboys aren't the best judges before the finished work. they were up in arms about Bryan Singer doing the X-MEN when they heard he wasn't that big a fan of the comics growing up. Fanboys have a history of calling major foul on casting choices and director hires only to quietly disappear in the roar of praise heaped on the same works when done. many cringed when Christian Bale was chosen as Batman, or Robert Downey, Jr. as Iron Man -- and now love those choices. and probably their biggest blunder, TONS of Fanboys were ready to commit mass sepuku because of the casting of Heath Ledger - 'the gay cowboy' - as Batman's arch nemesis The Joker. we all know how epic that turned out to be, and you can't find ONE fanboy now who would say they were ever against it. so...)

but see, that's why we need and use VISIONARIES. that's the purpose of some one, a director in this case, who has A VISION. because they CAN SEE something that's not there, and when they're really good, they can get all those on board who can help to execute that vision.

now listen, as huge a fan as I am of Abrams, this movie could end up not so good, but what I'm talking about here is the trailer, and the promise that the trailer lays out. and that promise is GOOD. that promise is hearty. that promise looks like good old fashioned FUN and I personally can't wait.

lastly, and this is the biggie, I heard today, just before watching the trailer in all it's Quicktime-age splendorific glory, that this new STAR TREK movie will be "in theaters and... (wait for it...) in IMAX" next year!!! IMAX. wow. that movie in IMAX will just be... amazing.

I can't wait.

Have computer. Will create.

wow. so, two days ago I was given a gift of a MacBook Pro. the short story, my brother had told me that he was inheriting an older MacBook Pro, and so, I could have his black MacBook.

for me, this was great. I've been YEARS without a reliable computer, and suffering daily. I mean, I had access to machines here and there, but nothing that was mine, and nothing that I could reliably write into. (cause, hey, I'm a screenwriter and I've gotta express!) of course that also meant no work of the advanced, graphical or video kind either. face it, PCs don't have what Macs are born with: video, graphics, photos, devices, all with ease and the intuitive ability to work with elegance.

so I was finally gonna get "the Vader-book." (that's what people call the 13 inch black MacBook.) I was excited and planning for the day. as I said, I've been unable to write. unable to work. and as a result, I've been bubbling and boiling with ideas. BRIMMING. it's hard and I've been trying to anything I can to keep myself sane -- I've been writing some stuff down, notes here and there, but it's been more painful than anything else, because I feel I can't really organize them the right way.

well, long story short, (and the day after election of PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA!!!) my brother calls me and says he's on his way over to bring it to me. he said that he's gotten it looked at by Apple and that it should be in great shape. I was thrilled and anxious.

when he arrived and handed me a bag, it contained a box that was gift wrapped in a fine paper. I thought, "this is really nice, he's taking this kind of care to give me this computer... mainly because he knows how special this is to me... I can't wait."

when I opened it... I was SHOCKED. seriously. I honestly couldn't believe what I was seeing.

A brand new, 15 inch, aluminum unibody, 2.53 Intel dual-core, MacBook Pro!!!

for me.

I. was. blown. away.

I still am. but I'm getting over it. (smile.) actually, I'll probably never get over this. but I'll try. I'm gonna work. write. create. and work some more. I can't wait. something for me. something nice. something that I needed and something that EXCEEEDED my expectations. this is lightyears better than the VaderBook (no offense). and like my MacTech friend said, "this was definitely the one worth waiting for."

I'm gonna try to write more here about this -- but for now, let it be known I have it and I am SO SO SOOO GRATEFUL!

now the work begins...

Harry Potter 6 with new IMAX 3D footage

today I saw an announcement that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (HarryPotter6) will be running with 25 minutes of IMAX footage.

http://www.empireonline.com/news/feed.asp?NID=23296

of course, that's really cool and all that good stuff, but a lot of people don't know what that really means and because I got a few emails asking, I'm gonna explain it in the most non-technical way I can.

first of all: yes, movies in theaters are still on film, 35mm film (there are a growing number of digital theaters, but for the most part it's emulsion running through sprockets on reels in the projection booth.

IMAX film is the biggest film format of them all -- the frame size is almost TEN TIMES the size of a 35mm film frame. when people come to visit my booth, I compare the two to show just what I mean. "IMAX" literally stands for "IMAGE MAXIMUM."

when an announcement like today's is made, what they're really saying is the traditional movie is being transfered to IMAX 70mm, and something called a DMR print is being made. "DMR" is IMAX's term for the digital remastering process where a 35mm negative, print, or digital source is essentially "upres'ed" to the IMAX 15/70 film format. (*of course, most digital sources, if they know from the start that it'll end up in IMAX there maybe no upres'ing needed.)

this is different from what Christopher Nolan did for THE DARK KNIGHT -- Nolan had realized or had the foresight that an IMAX print would be made, and so, shot his 35 minutes of footage with IMAX CAMERAS. but the rest of the movie was shot on 35mm and upres'ed.

http://www.wired.com/entertainment/hollywood/magazine/16-07/ff_darknight
http://www.filmwad.com/nolan-to-shoot-i-dark-knight-i-in-imax-format-2642-p.html

anyone who caught The Dark Knight in it's IMAX version knows that there are entire sequences that suddenly and dramatically "GO WIDE" and the image is even more stunning and breathtaking. this is the difference between film that's been converted and footage specifically shot in IMAX.

then of course, there's IMAX 3D, which means, two entire prints of film running with either dual projectors, or with an "over-under" system that ran the right eye and left eye of each print. this is costly, cumbersome and creates twice as many problems when problems arise. most recently BEOWULF was in IMAX 3D and it was stunning.

on the horizon and in the near future comes yet another format: IMAX is stepping into the DIGITAL 3D environment.

just two weeks ago, I attended the Giant Screen Cinema Association convention where I saw, among other things, the demo of the new IMAX DIGITAL system. there were a few issues with this, but on the whole, the system looked FANTASTIC. was it the shape of traditional, "classical" IMAX movies? no. but it was higher res than any HD image available, it could handle HIGH CONTRASTS (which is a huge issue between digital video and film) and the image was sharp (for the most part). where it also excelled was with 3D. it handled the 3D better than any RealD or other digital 3D system out there, and to my eye (and many others in attendance) was better looking than 3D on film.

what does this all mean for the public? hopefully, continued trips to the theater. I can't help but get giddy about the whole thing. I usually get criticized for my enthusiasm (because nobody can believe I like my job this much) but bigger picture, better sound, and continued 'A' level content.

frankly, I think nothing's cooler.

IMAX @ natural history

right now I'm sitting in the IMAX projection booth at AMNH.

(that'd be the America Museum of Natural History.)

I love it here.

currently we're running the same slate of films that I run during the week at my other place The Maritime Aquarium: SEA MONSTERS & WILD OCEAN.

here in New York, they're only running 'OCEAN because it was recently nominated for some kind of Academy award. I say "some kind" because it was always my understanding that the Oscars were announced in like, february for a mid-march show. but I guess that since it's a documentary, they do that sort of business earlier.

anyway, the movie certainly deserves it. congrats to those who worked on it -- it's pretty good. the images are stunning, and the music is dramatic and robust. (right now I'm looking at a swirl of fish that form a massive sphere -- it's pretty cool to see).

what's also pretty cool (*you call that writing? "pretty cool", jeeze dave... I'm just not feeling like adjective-guy right now) is how it's shot half IMAX cameras, and half underwater-HD. the transfer and color correct is pretty strong and you can only tell if you're a video pro and know where to look.

that's about it for now, gotta get back to it.

holy smokes, it's been a while!

I'm trying to get myself in order... and in so doing, thought "yeah, I should see what shape my 'blog is in."

bad idea. or good.

cause the shape it was in is NO SHAPE. I hadn't written or posted anything to it in years.

how embarrassing. I know I've written, and I know I've been writing... and thinking. and doing the whole self-referential thing that 'blogs are good for too. yet, something was preventing me from posting any of it here.

there's that feeling that in pouring your heart out (or even just your thoughts) to a 'blog that could be read by random people is... well, unsettling. that doesn't bother me.

it's the people WHO KNOW ME reading those random thoughts and then not copping to the fact that they've read them... and know them. THAT'S what bugs me.

nothing's weirder than people knowing things about you that you don't know they know.

y'know?

anyway, though I've said it, I'm gonna break myself of it. who the hell is reading this? no one. (hell not even my mom.) but there's value in doing this. and as long as this doesn't become another crazed thing I have to do, I think it'll be just fine.

also, I think for now, I'll be linking my twitter  account here, just to expand a thought or whatever that I might start out over there.

so that's that, good to see ya (to anyone reading).

been a while... and still nothing to say

okay.

the title is a bit misleading. I mean, yes, it's been a while. I've been busy, leaving my insecurites behind me and just moving forward and doing. it's weird to see that the last post was something like november. cause a TON of stuff happened since then...

first and foremost, I moved. we moved. into the ARTSPACE in good ole Bridgeport, and it's nothing short of a complete blessing from God. it's the best and we love it. but of course, the move has meant that rent has to happen. and that's been tough. so I essentially went from being freelance and working when I wanted to, to having two dedicated jobs. it's nuts to think about it that way, but it's true.

working at both FedEx on a split shift - mornings and nights - and working at the Maritime Aquarium here in Norwalk, as an IMAX projectionist. I'm here now, just finished the projection stuff and just winding down and preparing myself for that last part of my day -- the 2nd half of the FedEx sort. it's all good, but it takes alot out of you (meaning me) sometimes and I... well I'm not gonna complain.

I came here to just write. I'm not on my computer - I'm on the one here at work - and I just wanted to write. get some typing in. get some words out. just to do it. I like doing it. I love writing.

I guess that's where I was thinking, "nothing to say" but that's not true cause all I would have to do is focus for a second on a topic and I've got tons to say about it. and I think that's because I've got tons to say.

there are these screenplays that I'm working on. a ton of ideas -- which I'm not complaining about. I'm only slightly conflicted on which ones to write first. I've picked this one that's essentially a remake of a movie that I don't own (to remake) but I'm doing anyway.

I just im-chatted with Roland (one of my artspace neighbors and filmmaker friend) and he asked about the movies I'm writing. I'm almost embarrassed to tell him some of what I'm working on, cause maybe it's just to straight forward for him.

but I got to chattin' and I was reminded of another project that I'd like to do, and it's really cool and I think people like Roland and (well me for that matter) and everyone, would think that this is pretty cool. and then I wanted to write and work on it. and that's what's gotten me here.

see, I guess the dilemma is that I want to talk about it. I want to write about it. but... I don't want to while I'm at it.

shit, gotta go.

everyday is a struggle

don't mean to come off as depressed or depressing, but it's true, each day is like a struggle just to get going. and it's not because of age, and it's not because of health, it's all the other stuff. the dealing with what you want, what you can't seem to get, and what you've got -- which often feels more like, "what you're stuck with."

but, to avoid launching into a whole diatribe about the thing, or even to re-motivate myself, there-by exhausting my energy for the issue, I'll just say that you (meaning "me"... as well as you...) have to embrace the struggle. you have to find a way to rest in the struggle. to almost find comfort in the struggle.

that's what the zen guys in those movies mean when they say that life is suffering. I get it now (I'd gotten it for a long time, but now I understand it). but... that's life. and I guess I have to remind myself that to struggle against something, is a sign of life. of living.

so...

so, I don't know. I guess I'm saying that I'm gonna keep going, and gonna keep "struggling" for as long as I'm able.