This (Almost) Ark of Safety or future planning

“this guy built an ark. or at least he started building an ark. he’s building an ark like i’m keeping up with my website. sure, i’ll post-date and make it seem like i did it when i was there but really, im doing it wayyy later. probably because i’m still thinking about this almost ark…”

“one day, when i’m a roadside attraction…” – from ark of safety video deleted scene

great american stylite of the road

xviii.jettison

still in st. louis. in a routine (see an average day)
it’s pretty boring but i’m focusing video aesthetic. my editing and camera work is hitting the marks though i’m struggling when recording and reciting narration and without narration my videos are nothing. it may have something to do with the solitude…

an average day
wakeup
gym (cardio/strength/steam)
yoga
hot yoga
food
video work
restaurant work
ice cream
rinse
sleep
repeat

ice cream is pretty good; should i move back to nyc?
if i did could i maintain my rhythm for a healthy mind?
will i find my voice, literally?
. .   .     .        .              .                     .                                      .

listening to cat stevens’ if you want to sing out, sing out (1971)

the “death of modernism, cont’d

in the 40 years since pruitt-igoe was knocked down, the land has grown into a forest with lush vegetation. the earth is still covered in broken bricks, pavement, and manhole covers. it should be of no surprise that in its present state this land and the land around it was acquired nefariously. just lookup developer paul mckee – actually don’t, why read about crooked developers when one might read of minoru yamaski, who designed the thirty-three, eleven-story buildings (as well as new york’s world trade center), or godfrey reggio, who featured pruitt-igoe’s destruction in 1982’s koyaanisqatsi (life out of balance), or philip glass, who composed the score to the film (and who’s pruit igoe & prophecies was later used in the birth doctor manhattan scene of 2009’s watchmen).

im living blocks away from the site. big machines are grazing what’s left. soon it will become the national geospatial agency-west; a space-spy agency

i take some rubble, a few instant photos, and send it off to an acquaintance in the philip glass ensemble. this is that

listening to phillip glass’ pruit igoe (1983)

Old School / Fishing

mississippi riverfront, st. louis

this champion of ingenuity was pumping royalcash’s radio activity while fishing the mississppi. is there ever a time someone plays old school and it isn’t magical?

hearing royalcash’s radio activity (let’s jam) (1983)

the_remedial re-education

there’s less collaboration in video today and i felt i needed a refresher on the basics so i signed up for classes in graphic design and film photography. sure, you can read a book or watch youtube but you won’t get a critique and sometimes i want to hear what i’m doing wrong, as should we all

listening to robert tepper’s no easy way out (1986)

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HOW TO: MAKE STRING PEE

making pee for the towstory video

there’s a shot in the towstory where i pee. obviously. i could have shot myself peeing real pee but getting the right color of yellow was difficult (i’m a water drinker, sue me) so i found a solution. if real pee is not for you, consider yellow string as a pee alternative. yellow string (use thread for horses) is available in most sewing kits and a lot of stores. the directions are easy if you play along and know what you’re doing.

before we get started you will need the following items:
green screen / matte wall; string/thread, a camera; a non-linear editing suite(nle); the will

  1. pan camera across string in front of chromakey background
  2. remove background of clip in nle so only string remains
  3. mask the legs of who’s peeing in the nle so there’s room for the string pee
  4. move string pee between the legs and under mask
  5. render and wait

would you just look at that pee!
nobody knows it’s string, so it’s our little secret 😉

*string pee is not real pee so don’t forget to go if you have to.