NFC Eve

-----Original Message-----
From: Nguyen, Tony
Sent: Thursday, October 23, 2008 10:55 AM
To: Marquez, Jeremy; Ryan Boyd
Subject: RE: NFC Genres, Submission Formats and SAG Info

Ok Boys,

Send me your cell numbers. I am 95% certain that we will be using you. Jeremy, please don't be sad if we decide to give Ryan the bigger part. His thuggish good looks will win votes from the female judges! I will let you two know by Friday Night at about 10pm-ish what the deal is. I hope this works out!

Tony

Exotic Erotic Ball 1998

I found another journal entry from the unemployment era. This one is dated October 24, 1998. I was going to wait until the 24th to post this blog, but since the National Film Challenge is this weekend, I'll go ahead and share this sulk fest now. I went through rough times 10 years ago, and seeing these old journal entries is bringing back haunting memories that I would rather forget. Nonetheless, I'm actually ok with all this because I've come a long way since 1998. Life is good now, and I like to think that all that unemployment angst actually helped me in the long run.

Exotic-Erotic Ball
October 24, 1998
Saturday Night

I needed to be blasted into the realm of make believe to make all the angst of unemployment disappear. I was tired of sulking at home, so it made perfect sense to attend San Francisco’s Hottest Halloween Bash: The Exotic-Erotic Ball. This event came at the perfect time, because depression had eaten its way through my system. What I really needed was to be immersed in world of multiple personalities, freaky souls with smeared make-up and gelled-up hair, and--of course--the rash of nude crude & lewd dudes & dudettes. Indeed, this is what I got at the Exotic-Erotic Ball.

Marie, Luis, and I attended this event in rather conservative mode. I, for one, donned my traditional Pillsbury DoughBoy Suit--the one that has given me so much attention the previous two years. I realize that guests are expected to dress in an erotic or exotic fashion, but there was no way I was going to peel off the Old-Navy-layer of my body, the one that serves as the extra coating on top of my epidermis. I call it my oldnavermis layer. Given that, I chose to sport the white tyvex suit once again. The irony lies in the fact that this suit, taken from Cell Culture Production--my former employer--served as a constant reminder of my unemployment status. Nonetheless, I extinguished all thoughts of CCP when the white make-up got slapped on my face and the big chef’s hat plunked on my head.

If memory serves me correctly, I believe the three of had just an ok time. I don't think that the Exotic Erotic Ball shocked us at all. I do remember that hanging out with Luis and Marie made me forget about my blues, at least for a couple of hours.

Why is it that I never finished any journal entries ten years ago?

One Decade Ago

I said it before, walking down memory lane can be both fun but yet also painful. Unfortunately, I found something that brings back horrific memories of my unemployment past. Ten years ago today, I was in danger of losing my job. Sensing how depressed I was, my co-workers Luis and Marie invited me to hang out with them at another co-worker's birthday celebration. I was very grateful because this gave me a chance to get my mind off of my troubles. Below is a journal entry (I graduated to a journal in the nineties, long gone was the "diary") that I found from that night.

Tom’s Birthday
October 21, 1998
Wednesday

Tom Skikibu’s Birthday...#28. Big day for the big guy. What do we do about it? We celebrate in the old-fashioned CCP way: BOWLING. The graveyard techs arranged this festive event and invited me, the honorary graveyard guy, to join in on the fun. I happily obliged. The itinerary: dinner, bowling, and possibly Bride Of Chucky. Sounded like it was going to be a great evening...and I needed it, after such a horrible day.

My streak of bad luck continued to hit me down in media prep. I had made another stupid error on my documentation, so the whole day my head was in a dark and toxic cloud. Had Lourdes stuck the environmental monitoring probe on my head, it would have picked up some negative particles. Over the past couple of weeks, a series of careless mistakes have dumped my way, grossly slaughtering my credibility. Here I stand in my blue lab coat, blue head, and shoe covers with a giant blue “L” for loser on my forehead. All morning long, I felt as though I was being drowned in 1500L of phosphate buffered solution. This vision continued to haunt me as the day progressed, and the only way to exorcise it was to think about Tom Shikibu. Ironic, isn’t it? Who would have thought that Tom would have that ability to suck out the demons which lurked within my psyche. Nonetheless, thinking about his birthday bash soothed my shaky nerves somewhat.

The day dragged on and on. When the quitting bell finally rang, I eagerly zoomed out of CCP like Fred Flintstone jumped off that dinasaur to punch out. I wanted out of there so bad. I rushed home to pick up my bowling ball and drove straight back to Genentech to meet Marie, Jonathon, Minh, and Tom. When everyone arrived, we decided as a group to go to dinner. After much debate, they decided on The Hot Pot, a cook-it-yourself kinda place. I car pooled Marie and Kelly through the dense Daly City fog, getting lost a few times. Kelly admitted that he is not much of a navigator, so it somewhat felt like Ray Charles telling Stevie Wonder where to go. Of course, it didn’t help to have Mariah Carey on helium sitting in shotgun position picking at her scabs. We drove around a bit, and finally made it.

The dinner itself was pretty good. We coughed up $12 but ate a lot. There were some really funky things on the table, but I was diplomatic about the buffet of international cuisine. I must admit, though, that I felt a bit out of place. It was my first time at this establishment, so I had expected surprises to come my way: and that, indeed, is what I got. The graveyard guys have obviously been there before, for they displayed such dexterity in their cooking skills. Minh, especially, took over as head chef. He amazed me with his ability not only to prepare the food, but to serve it in exquisite fashion. To Minh, it seemed, presentation counts for 2/3 of the cooking experience. When all the food was on the table, all six of us dined away. After 40 minutes, we all achieved gastronomical satisfaction. Ahhhhhh. We paid the bill, and wandered out to the parking lot.

Once again, I car pooled Kelly and Marie through the cold streets of Daly City--and once again, Ray Charles took the wheel as Stevie Wonder navigated while Mariah sat in shot gun position telling stories about her boyfriend. The dense fog dissipated the familiarity of the city creating difficulty for me to find my way around. Nonetheless, the three of us tried our best. As I moved forward, my car trembled, and the unthinkable happened: I ran out of gas.

I didn't finish that journal entry, but if I recall correctly, Kelly, Marie, Luis, and Tom pushed my Nissan Sentra to the nearest Chevron. We all had a great laugh, and I thanked Luis and Marie for being the Calgon that took me away. Unfortunately, the very next day, I received my pink slip :-(

What The Hell?

I must have been sniffing too much White Out when I posted this in my "diary."

One Year Diary

There's actually room to roam around the garage! We rented a dumpster and pretty much got rid of 70% of the junk in there. The other 20% went to Goodwill. There's still about 10% left, and my mom will have to sort through those boxes.

I managed to find yet another gem from my past. Apparently, I kept a "diary" back in 1985. Notice that I put the word diary in quotes because I really don't like that word. I prefer to call this book yesterday's version of blogging! I had forgotten about this diary, so imagine how shocked I was when I found it. What's more shocking is the pathetic content inside! I opened the book and saw this note:

"Please publish this book and make it into a movie. Get Michael J. Fox to play me.”

The funny thing is that I had originally written Robert Redford, but I crossed it and put in Alex P. Keaton. I guess I had just seen Out Of Africa but didn't like it, so I replaced Mr. Redford with the Family Ties star.



The first entry was posted on the inside cover on December 29, 1985:

"I'm sitting on my bed listening to the year end countdown. It's at #9 right now. We Are The World. Willie Nelson just came on. It's 10:47 right now."

On the opposite page is this message, written with a black Sharpie:

"Who ever opens this book, read it through. You'll find it very [underlined three times] interesting. Someday, this book will be a #1 Best Seller."



Saturday, January 18, 1986:

"Hi. Today I woke up early to watch America's Top Ten. That's What Friends Are For is #1. Steimy? Definately! Diane and Nat and Madonna went to see Out Of Africa. Steimy! I took a Boo Boo Bath today. We went to church and after that we went to La Maison Où. After that we went to La Tours de Disc. I saw Gimme A Break, Facts Of Life, and The Golden Girls while Diane and Nat were playing tennis. Lordums! No more room."

Now I'm really confused. According to this entry, my sisters and Madonna (not the Material Girl, my sister Diane had a Persian friend named "Mandanna") went to see Out Of Africa. I guess I didn't see this film so why would I cross Robert Redford's name out? The better question may be why would I have written his name in the first place? Very puzzling. On another note, "La Maison Où" is The Wherehouse and "La Tours de Disc" is Tower Records. I wonder if I bought a 45 that night? Probably Mr. Mister's "Kyrie."



Sunday, January 19, 1986:

"I really detest Sundays. I absolutely hate Sundays. It bugs me. I always get face aches and bored on Sundays. I heard some of the countdown today. I woke up late. At around 9:45 or 10:oo. I didn't go to work today. Today Nathalie made chis (cheese) cake. Except for going for a short ride because of dad's new radio, I stayed home the whole day. Ricky Schroeder got married, for a course. His wife was pregnant. They didn't have my calendar!"

Wow, my life was so exciting back in the day.

Painting 1659

When did Blogged Arteries: The Unrendered Files turn into a home improvement blog? The sale of my mom's house has consumed my life these past few months, so it's only natural that I rant about every waking moment of the process. This is a very stressful time for me, and blogging has been very therapeutic. In any case, after many hours of masking ever corner of this house, we are finally ready to paint! Below are some shots of my family painting away. We even got the kids in on the action!




I do have to say this: as stressful as it is, the best thing about this whole situation is that my family is all pulling together to get the task at hand completed. We actually are having a little bit of fun as well.

LATE

I found another work of art. I believe I wrote this poem in high school. This piece of greatness is called "Late."

LATE
Darkness wandered about the house
Pitch black, nothing could be seen
Except for one small light
Like that of one fire fly in a blackout
I sat, reading, writing, suffering
Trapped in a Turkish P R I S O N
Known as a History book,
I studied, reading writing, dying
shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...
I hear

(nothing)

My eyes shut slowly
And slowly
And then,
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

The Moon

There's so much going on in my life right now: home improvement, National Film Challenge preparations, Vietnamese class, work--when will the madness end? In any case, I'm still plugging along with this garage. I'm still stunned and amazed by the things I've been finding. I managed to come across a box of my college papers and one of the folders in that box was marked "Creative Writing." Well, you all know that I am a prolific blogger, but are you prepared to see some of things that spewed out of my brain pre-Blogged Arteries? Below is a poem that I wrote in the mid-90's. It's called "The Moon."

The Moon

The yellow light lasted a mere 5 seconds,
And then it turned to red.
I slowed my vehicle to a stop, and I stared at the rectangular box.
My engine quietly purred as I patiently waited.

I turned my head 180 degrees due west, and I faintly see the moon.
It is a blur, but I nonetheless revel in its beauty.
I see the round object a distance away.
It is white like snow and it shines.
It is full of life and it glows.
It knows the world is watching.
So it beams a big winning smile, grabbing the attention of its spectators.

I rub my eyes so that I could get a better look...
But now I see a different picture.
I still see the same object, but it is now closer.
It is white like paste and it blanches.
It is full of arrogance, and it sports a cocky attitude.
It knows the world is watching,
So it flaunts a smug little smirk, provoking the disgust of its spectators.

I rub my eyes again...
I realized then that that smirk was not a smile.
It was more like an indentation: a CRACK.
The magestic object I was admiring was not the full moon I thought it to be.
It was more like a distant planet: URANUS.

I felt like a fool.
How could I have made such a mASSive error in judgment?
That pseudo-lunar thing was xeroxed in my brain.
I could not get that hideous picture out of my head.
The moon cAN ALways count on the creatures of the night to upstage it.

I looked away in disgust.
The light turned green, and I moved onward.
One last time, I looked back, hoping that it was gone,
But, BUT, BUTT...
That full moon was still there.

NFC Actors

The National Film Challenge is right around the corner! I got two guys that I think will be perfect for this project...


-----Original Message-----
From: Nguyen, Tony
Sent: Tuesday, October 14, 2008 9:35 AM
To: 'Ryan Boyd'; Marquez, Jeremy
Subject: FW: NFC Genres, Submission Formats and SAG Info

Ryan, Jeremy,

Are you guys open the weekend of October 24th-27th? The National Film Challenge is that weekend and I'm looking for potential actors. As I noted before, I say "potential" because the 48 Hour Film Project (which is what the National Film Challenge is) is a tricky competition. We don't know what we are going to do until we get the required elements at 7pm that Friday night, (which are the film genre, character, prop, and line of dialogue). We then have 48 hours from that point to make a film. There's no real "planning." Therefore, all talent that we consider will be "on call" until we know exactly what we are going to do, which is usually by 11pm that Friday night. You in? Let me know.

Tony

Another NFC

IDOM Peeps,

The National Film Challenge is right around the corner: October 24th-27th. Genres will be sent next on Friday October 24th at 7pm. Let's meet at Dolby at 7pm on that Friday night. Unfortunately, my house will be unavailable that weekend, but we can figure something out. Dolby is always available. Any questions, just holler.

Tony



-----Original Message-----
From: doug@kdhx.org
Sent: Tuesday, October 07, 2008 12:45 PM
To: Nguyen, Tony
Subject: NFC Genres, Submission Formats and SAG Info

Hello NFC Filmmakers--

Here is updated info about genres, submission formats and SAG for the 2008 NFC:

1. 2008 GENRES

First and foremost, remember the new rule instated last year in regards to genres: As opposed to just getting “assigned� one genre, we are going to give you a choice between 2 genres. (This is for all those folks that seem to pull the same genre year after year.) Just be sure to mark on your paperwork and on your slate which genre you choose.

We've done our customary genre shake up again this year. "Buddy Film" and "Superhero" have been retired for the year. In their place we've added "Thriller/Suspense" and made "Historical Fiction" a regular genre.

The 14 genres for the 2008 National Film Challenge are:

-Comedy
-Detective/Cop
-Drama
-Fantasy
-Film de Femme**
-Historical Fiction/Period Piece
-Holiday Film
-Horror
-Musical or Western
-Road Movie
-Romance
-Sci Fi
-Spy
-Thriller/Suspense

**Film de Femme
Never heard of a Film de Femme? That's because we invented it! This genre is specifically designed by the 48HFP to encourage strong roles for females in 48HFP and NFC films. A Film de Femme is a film featuring one or more strong female characters. Romantic comedies or "chick flicks" are included in this genre, but are only a subset. What's a strong female character? Think Police Chief Marge Gunderson in Fargo, Bette Davis in All About Eve, Reese Witherspoon in Election or Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich. Smart and complicated. Try to avoid having a woman doing a man's job like a man would do his job. And contrary to public opinion, strong women characters are not required to kill someone!

2. SUBMISSION FORMAT UPDATE:
After many discussions with 48HFP and NFC filmmakers and editors of the master screening tapes, we have improved Rule #12 of the Filmmaking Rules to allow for a self-contained Quicktime file on a data DVD or USB Drive. This is NOT just any Quicktime file - it is specifically a "self-contained Quicktime file on a data DVD". "Self-contained" means that the entire movie is within the Quicktime file. Filmmakers should check the Quicktime file to make sure that it is larger than 1GB. If it is not, then it has probably been compressed too much or is not a self-contained file. As usual, filmmakers should try to turn in a back-up copy in a second format.

Please read these instructions before submitting a QT file:

http://www.48hourfilm.com/filmmakers/quicktime-submissions.php

3. SAG ACTORS
We’re happy to report that once again the NFC is partnering with the Screen Actors Guild to allow SAG members to participate in NFC films. If you are thinking about using a SAG actor, here’s what you should keep in mind:
--You must complete the SAG Short Film Agreement as modified by the NFC Rider (2 copies - both with original signatures) --You must have your SAG actors complete the SAG Employment Agreement as modified by the Rider --You will have more limited distribution options. For any but the most basic uses, you will need to contact SAG to secure additional rights.

The updated SAG paperwork will be found with all of the other forms in your secure team area of the NFC site. We are still waiting on the updated forms from SAG so it may take a week or two to get them up. (You can find the link and your username and password in your registration confirmation email.)

Good luck on all of your preparations.

Doug Whyte
NFC Producer

Where Is All Our Stuff?

Things are slowly disappearing in my mom's house. Gone are the grand piano, dining room set, living room furniture, and big screen TV. We are definitely making progress on this house. Here's a shot of me sitting in our empty family room watching the Colts game on my little TV. So sad. Football should not be viewed on such a small screen, but oh well. The good news is that I inherited my mom's TV, so every Sunday will be NFL Sunday, especially when I get my DirectTV NFL Ticket hooked up. I'll have to devote a separate blog about my trials and tribulations with DirectTV. ARgh!


My Colts beat the Baltimore Ravens today, which is a good thing. We started out the season 2-2, so this victory is vital. I am in a fantasy football league this season, and there's a lot of trash talking going on. What my fantasy opponents don't realize that not only am I a pretty damn good trasher, but I also have a secret weapon that blows everyone out of the water: PHOTOSHOP. Don't be too surprised if you start seeing some projects pop up on Blogged Arteries: The Unrendered Files.

Home Improvement

Here's a before/after shot of my room. I took apart the cabinets and desk myself! What did I learn from experience? It's best to remove screws with an electric power screw driver. Don't do it manually. In any case, the cabinets are down, the desk is gone, and all the stuff in that room are packed up in boxes. The next task is mask up that room and paint. I really should be on a home improvement show!

Masking A Room For Painting

Well, it looks like my brother, sisters, and I will be flipping my mom's house. We want her to get as much as she possibly could, so we're going to clean, paint, and fix everything that is broken. Our country has hit economic hard times, and it's not the most ideal time to sell. For this reason, the four of us will work our butts off to make this house look impeccable.

We've already started with cleaning out garage, so the next step is to paint the interior and exterior of the house. Before painting, though, it is imperative to make every room. That's my job. I've been masking for the past few days now, and I gotta tell you, my neck, knees, shoulders are killing me. I'm getting the job done though, and that's a good thing. Below is the step by step process, in case anyone out there plans to mask sometime in the near future.

1. Apply Masking Tape to Areas That Will Not Be Painted
   Using "blue tape" or another low-stick masking tape, apply short lengths (no more than 24") of tape at a time on the area to be masked.
   
   
2. Press Masking Tape Down--Hard
   Press the masking tape firmly onto the surface with the tips of your fingers. Make certain there are no bubbles or folds in the tape for paint to wick under the tape. This is the advantage of using low-stick tape: you can press it down very hard without worrying about the tape pulling the paint up.
   
   
3. Paint Surface Outside Masking Tape
   Paint the non-masked area. Because you firmly pressed the tape down, you can safely hit the paintable areas without fear of the paint seeping under the tape.
   
   
4. Wait Until Paint is Dry Before Removing Masking Tape
   Wait until the paint is dry. If you need to do a second coat of paint, do that. But I recommend removing and then remasking if you want to do any more than two coats. Any more than two coats of paint and the tape will not be strong enough to cut the dried paint on top of it.
   
   
5. Remove Masking Tape
   Take a deep breath and pull the tape off in a slow, continuous motion at a ninety-degree angle to the painted surface. The tape will "cut" the paint in a clean line.

Phở Ngon Lắm

I sat behind this kid in Vietnamese class tonight. I was so fixated with his shirt. I think I have one just like it. I remember buying it at Hot Topic in Hollywood a few years ago. I think I wore a few times and then it just hung in the back of my closet for the rest of its life. I believe I donated that shirt to Goodwill. Rest in peace Hot Topic shirt.


I'm having a great time with this Vietnamese class. I'm slowly but surely building my confidence in not only speaking, but reading and writing as well. It amazed me when the instructor made me get up in front of the board and take down dictation, and I was able to do it! Granted, the kinds of sentences that I'm coming up with is elementary, but at least I'm getting it. It made me proud when I sat down and was able to read what my classmates had written on the board:

Tại sao chị thích ăn phở? Tại vì phở ngon lắm!

Translation:
Why does she like phở (Vietnamese noodle soup)? Because phở tastes good!

Pretty good, eh?

Eyes On Dolby Award

Lookie Here! Yours Truly was awarded the Eyes On Dolby Award for "outstanding work that brings honor to Dolby." I guess I am a model employee!

Dog Stress

Moving is stressful, even for dogs! Luckily, Chewbacca's favorite aunt was able to give her a bath and massage. Seriously though, my dog is really stressing out. I've been so busy helping my mom with this move that I have, unfortunately, been neglecting my little dog. I keep telling Chewbacca that the madness will be over soon. Dogs know when you don't pay attention to them, and I admit that I've been guilty. Sorry Chew!

My New Home

Every day I've been packing up the Mini with boxes of my stuff and slowly moving into my new digs. They call my car a Mini Cooper for a reason. MINI. It is a very small vehicle. I will have to make about 30 trips. Once I get my bed in the new place, I will officially move in. Below is pic of my new home, courtesy of Google Maps.

Cleaning Out The Garage

Cleaning out this garage is actually pretty fun, at least for me. I'm uncovering the oddest things, from old stuffed animals that I used to sleep with to old college papers that I stayed up through the wee hours of the night writing. I know that I told my mother to just close her eyes and throw everything out, so when she wasn't looking, I stashed some of these things in my backpack. We're going to rent a dumpster pretty soon, so all these things will have to go.

Walking down memory lane is quite an experience. It's like I'm seeing my life flash before my eyes. I guess I shouldn't look too deep into this. I should just take my own advice and close my eyes and throw everything away. Easier said and done. Below are some more pics that I found while cleaning out the garage.

8x10 Glossy

Complete with the TwirlyBoy 'do!

Cinemasports

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Evan Donn
To: Dinah deSpenza
Cc: Joanne Donn; Kirk Moore; Joe Kirsch; Rob Carey; Tom Flowers; Sig Thorsen; Rick Kemp; Michael Evyzov
Sent: Friday, October 3, 2008 8:33:00 AM
Subject: Cinemasports

48 hours to make a film? What-ever. That's for dabblers and dilettantes. Real filmmakers only need 10 hours....

Cinemasports is happening again at the Mill Valley Film Festival which kicks off this weekend. Competition starts at 9am on Sunday (Oct. 5th, day after tomorrow), completed films (3.5 minutes or less) are due by 7pm, and the screening starts at 8:15pm.

I'd be all over this... if I weren't flying to Germany tomorrow. Anyone else want to give it a shot?

Evan

Passport Pic For Germany

Another Vintage Photo Found

Mom and I are still plugging along in the garage. I found this picture in a random box. I'm the leaning against the wall in the back. I look stoned. I don't recall taking this photo, but I do remember having a hamster as a pet. On another note, what's up with my sister's pajamas?