Video Project

A few weeks ago we got an assignment in my Video Storytelling class to shoot a video about life in San Francisco. Our original concept didn't go over so well when the group presented (I was 34,000 feet above ground on my way home for Scott & Kristen's wedding) so the decision was made to re-concept and re-shoot. While I was away the team did the filming and some editing. To make it up to them for not being around, I put together a reimagination-ing of our vidoes in 90, 60 and 30 second cuts. Although it wasn't presented in class I figured I'd share it here, because I did all of the video and audio editing in and I want someone to "ooh" and "ahh" or tell me why I suck and how to be better. Anyway, without further rambling, here's my 30 second clip.

Concept: Healthy living as a runner passes through some of the unique areas of San Francisco.

Rock Girls Are Hot

First off, you should already know that.

I meant to post this a few weeks ago but got busy with school. Funny thing about the universe though, it's actually because of school that I'm posting it now.

I was working on an assignment - selling the Harley Davidson Sportster 883 to women.
Which got me thinking about Harley Davidson - black leather, bad ass, rock and roll. Which brought me back to this video (Note: the captions are mostly wrong and whoever added them has zero command of the English language, so just ignore them)



Point made.

I Have Never Been Prouder to be a Mets fan

I was in Las Vegas, pre-gaming in my soon to be married friend Scott's suite watching SportsCenter when I saw the single greatest thing ever as a Met fan (or at least until someone throws a no-hitter).

Fernando Tatis hit a HR in the 8th inning of the game and the Home Run Apple didn't rise. Now, it's been a fairly miserable season, - any Mets fan can tell you that, with the team being crippled by injuries and poor defense even that weekend it looked clear that the season would be a disappointment - but for the Apple, our one true signature to not appear, that was just the lowest of the low. And then something beautiful happened.

The fans booed.
Not regular booing either, NY booing. The kind that will make you second guess if you were the spawn of Satan or just killed a puppy in front of people.

And after they booed, 40,000 plus started chanting "Apple, Apple, Apple!" And when that didn't get results they grew louder, chanting "We Want Apple!" *clap*clap*clappity clap*

I sat in the suite, drink in hand, watching the video on ESPN. I'm not sure how much they had to turn up the background sound so that you could hear the crowd, but my guess is not much*. My friends and all I sat back and laughed. When the 8th inning ended, the Apple finally rose - and Citi Field went bazonkers. Again you could hear the crowd and the finely edited video packaged showed a few fans bowing, a la Wayne's World's "we're not worthy" bit.

I told my friends at that moment - I've never been prouder to be a Mets fan.


*I attended opening day at Shea Stadium 3 years ago. The Mets played the Philies. This is the year after almost making the World Series and just after the summer when Philies SS Jimmy Rollins declared them the team to beat. The Mets were down when Rollins made a crucial error and the Mets took the lead. To show our appreciation the 55,000 and more who crammed into Shea on Opening Day chanted "Jimmy Rollins" throughout the rest of the inning. When I got home that night I tuned into the rebroadcast of the game. We (the crowd) was so loud that you could hear the chant loud and clear during points of announcer silience. So that's the basis of my estimation.

How big's your engine?

A friend of mine who is also in advertising and I were talking about this commercial after I commented that there is no substitute for a rock chick. It dates back to a time when anyone who drove a Prius would be called names other than "environmentally conscious". Fast cars and rock n' roll - I miss that.



Suck it Ken, you hybrid driving pansy.

My apology to the Gay Community

I don't like strip clubs. I'm not a fan of strippers. I have my reasons, but I'll just say that it's the lack of commitment to one value set or another - either you are or you aren't - that bothers me about the profession. Anyway, not important.

Many of my friends do not share my view, which is fine, and as most bachelor parties do, my friend's involved a trip to a strip club. Side Note: Even in Vegas, don't go to a strip club on a Sunday night. The B squad is in.

I'm not one to pull a Mike and flake out on my friends, so I planned to just suck it up for the night and go hang out with my friends. We got to the strip club, I don't know, around midnight maybe midnight-30 and it wasn't very full. We sit down not too far from the "stage" and are descended upon by 4 or 5 girls. Fortunately one was taking drink orders and I decided to keep the vodka flowing for the rest of the night. Additionally, I had something else going in my favor - my look. I wasn't the happy to be there guy, Scott had that taken care of - boom, girl goes to him. I wasn't the shy, nervous looking guy, poor Tim never had a minute alone - boom boom boom let me her ya say way oh, girl goes to him. I wasn't the "he's cute and if I wasn't a stripper and he wasn't paying to see me take my clothes off, I think I'd ask for his number" guy, Brandon's your man for that - boom girl goes to him, possibly questioning her career choice as she does.

That gave me a few minutes to hang out and talk to Scott's brother Graig and enjoy my drink. However, I knew that it was only a matter of time before I was no longer safe. Either a new shift would start, or one of the other parties would stop tipping well or I'd accidentally look like I was interested. I needed a long term plan.

Eventually the time came. She asked me to scoot over and I did, because my mommy raised me to be a gentleman, even to strippers and told me that she'd take good care of me tonight. I had this idea in the back of my head and decided to just go with it.

"Thanks, I really appreciate the attention...but I'm gay."

She pulled a 3 point turn and tried to pass it off like she was talking about Scott but after I told her he was doing alright for now she was gone.

And not a single stripper came and talked to me for the rest of the night. It was wonderful. I got to keep my eyes wandering when a decent looking girl passed by, and I got to enjoy drinking and talking with my friends.

My cover worked a little too well, in that I had to keep the lie up so during a conversation with some guys nearby I had to decline accepting an offer to get up close and friendly with a girl, due to my faux homosexuality, which resulted in the guy we were talking to commenting that if I "liked white guys" I should email him when I got back to San Francisco because he had some friends.

Needless to say, will not be emailing him.

But my idea worked out better than I had hoped and I actually had an enjoyable night. In typical fashion of course, my friend's presented me with an 'It's Okay to be Gay' card the following night at the Hard Rock Cafe after requesting The Village People's classic "YMCA". Gotta love friend's like that.

Sorry got a little sidetracked. Anyway, to the heart of the matter. I, honestly and do sincerely apologize to the gay and lesbian community for pretending to be such just to avoid prolonged contact with strippers. I mean no harm nor disrespect and it is my hope that you will accept my heartfelt apology... and also allow me to continue to pretend to be gay in these situations. As a token of thanks, I will continue to support musical theater, the right to gay marriage and will not judge the homosexual experimentation of college frat boys.

Thank you.

Bite

My friends and I took in a show while in Vegas - I'd say when in Rome but the show was at the Stratosphere, not Caesar's Palace so when in Seattle would be more like it, except that it would ruin the whole concept of the quote because when in Seattle buy an umbrella ella ella and drink coffee. Anyway, the show we went to see was called "Bite". It was billed as a rock n' roll inspired musical show about Vampires but I'm fairly certain that my friend Scott stopped after reading "Topless Revue" and decided that this is what we should see.

The topless aspect being nothing more than a gimmick, I'm sure many of my friends left the show rather unsatisfied or just flat out disappointed. Note: The usage of the phrase "flat out" was not meant to indicate that the performers were flat chested, it was merely a hilarious coincidence in my writing which I feel is better left and overtly explained rather than changed for clarity.

The show itself had a simple premise - Vampire Lord fell in love with a girl, she died or disappeared (didn't really understand how that worked but whatever) and he can't find her. So every night he parties with his coven of (topless) vampire girls and invites people to come join them, in the hopes that he'll find her some day, convert her (apparently mama vampire lord doesn't approve of shiksas) and make her his queen. Like I said - simple premise. The show was executed like Billy Joel's Broadway musical "Movin' Out", namely, in that there was no spoken dialogue, and the story was told through the music. Also to be interpreted as - at least we can hire good looking performers and not have to worry about whether or not they can actually act.

But the music was where this show shined - a classic rock setlist that included maybe tops 2 songs I didn't recognize. Here are some of the hits:

Welcome to the Jungle - cliched start but whatever
Sympathy for the Devil - the GNR cover
Girl You Really Got Me - Van Halen edition
Hot For Teacher
Cold As Ice
Hot Blooded
Rock and Roll Fantasy
Come Sail Away
Moondance
You Shook Me (All Night Long)
Living After Midnight - outro

And plenty more that I can't remember at this time but distinctly remember getting excited about and quietly singing along to. In addition to the rock awesome soundtrack you had some of the Vegas standards - dancing girls, two rings performers (you know, hang from a ring, sping around the ceiling, grab a partner and spin her too?) and a woman who did similiar tricks from some fabric hanging from the ceiling. I know that there are fancy artist terms for these things, but I have no idea what they are. Additionally, not all of the tracks were just pipped into the theater off of a great mix CD. Several were sung by a member of the cast including a great scene performing "Moondance" as the Vampire Lord tried to court his beloved. Imagine that. Of all the nights for us to show up at the show, he finally finds her when we were there. Amazing, wonder what the odds are on that.

So I enjoyed the show immensely, partially due to a curly haired brunette rock Vampire chick named Pain. What can I say - everyone's got a type.

Viva las wifi

Last weekend I headed out to Vegas for my friends Scott and Kristen's bachelor/bachelorrette party weekend. Obviously I am under strict rules and am unable to discuss much of what happened throughout the trip, however, there are some issues that are fair game.

Namely - how the hell can Las Vegas hotels not offer free wifi? They tried to charge $15 a day, just so I could connect to the internet and get my work done. Are you shitting me? If they are willing to comp food and rooms and other ammenities to people to get them to stay and gamble, who's the genius that thought asking for $15 to get the internet in your room was a solid way to endear yourself to guests?

A jackass, that's who.

I got free wifi in my hotel room at the Red Roof Inn up in Cortlandt, New York when I went for my sister's graduation. I could set my fantasy baseball lineups and even check out porn, all for free in a like $40 a night hotel room (of course for graduation weekend they were charging $100 a night but a pig in a dress is still a pig - or Sarah Palin, I don't remember how that joke goes.)

Can't we all just agree that nowadays wifi is like air - it's all around us and anyone who tries to charge you for it is a Spaceball?