There was a boxed set for the previous remasters called, Oh, By the Way, and this time is no different with the Discovery boxed set. Unlike last time, though, I’m fully aware of what’s going on, and with the boxed set coming out a little cheaper that purchasing the albums individually, and knowing that I would want to replace my entire collection, I went with the set. 

I’ve been listening to their earlier albums, and I think I’m going to write up an entry here for each of the albums. I’m hearing some new things due to the remastering, and I’m hearing some new things that I simply didn’t notice or appreciate before. So consider this an introductory post to an upcoming series. Note that this will not be a weekly series. This is partly because I’m erratic in my posting schedule anyway, and partly because the Immersion set for The Wall will not be released until February 2012.

Wait, what’s that? Immersion?

Yes, the Why Pink Floyd? program consists basically of three parts: Discovery, Experience, and Immersion.

The Discovery aspect, which obviously includes the Discovery boxed set, consists primarily of the fourteen studio albums, digitally remastered, with a new booklet that includes full lyrics for all songs, and mini-lp packaging. These are all available individually as well as in the boxed set. There are no other frills here. No bonus tracks or anything like that. The boxed set comes with a book of largely unseen (or effectively unseen) images for advertisements and special editions and such designed by Storm Thorgerson and his teams at Hipgnosis and StormStudios, who have been partners with Pink Floyd pretty much throughout the entirety of the band’s history. That’s the only extra thing in the box. There’s also a new “best of” compilation called A Foot in the Door. Like the rest of the Discovery line, this compilation offers nothing in the way of extras or rare tracks. It’s a single disc set with a pretty predictable selection of songs.

The whole point of the Discovery line is, as the name suggests, to expose Pink Floyd to those who aren’t familiar with their music, and to provide the remastered albums for those more casual fans who just want to pick up a few key albums.

The Experience collection is for those fans who want a little more of the Pink Floyd experience. At this point, there are only three albums getting this treatment: Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, and The Wall. DSOTM was released the same day as all the Discovery albums, WYWH will be released at the end of October, and The Wall will be released in February. Each of these adds another disc to the album, featuring live recordings, alternate recordings, and demos. As far as I know, none of this bonus material has been released previously. We’ll get to the specifics when I talk about these albums individually. Rumors abound that other albums will get an Experience version at some point, but that is so far unconfirmed.

For the true fanatic, there are the Immersion sets. Again, only Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, and The Wall get Immersion versions, and again, there are rumors about other albums in the future, but again, no hard information about that. These are full blown boxed sets. They include the remastered album, the extra disc from the Experience set, and a minimum of three more discs, including a DVD with multiple audio mixes and a Blu-Ray with video features. There is also a bunch of other marketing paraphernalia, including coasters, replica tickets and backstage passes, scarves and even marbles. As far as I’m concerned, these extra baubles help justify the inflated price of the boxes, but I’m strictly buying for the audio and video discs. As with the Experience versions, I’ll cover the Immersion sets when I get to their respective albums.

For the record, in case anyone reading this has any pull, I’d like to see Experience/Immersion releases for Animals, The Final Cut, and A Momentary Lapse of Reason.

I’ll start with the new compilation, A Foot in the Door, and then proceed with all fourteen Pink Floyd albums in chronological order of first release. I’ll try to release a new post on this every one or two weeks until completion.

Please give all of these a listen. You can’t judge any of them by what the others sound like. And don’t judge the videos. Many of them don’t have official videos. Some may be fan made, or not exist at all. And some may just be plain bad. I’m also linking to the artists’ official sites when I can. I was going to only do one song per artist, but I found myself “having” to include two for many of these, so I just decided to increase the default number of songs to include.

AfroCelt Sound System

First up is “Lagan” by the AfroCelt Sound System, from their album Volume 3: Further in Time. ACSS began as a project at a Recording Week at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios. These Recording Weeks took advantage of the large population of musicians from all over the world around the time of the annual WOMAD festival, and led to some very interesting musical pairings. ACSS is a fine example, as Simon Emmerson had the idea of merging traditional music from the British Isles with that of western Africa. This first song is followed by “Riding the Waves,” which is from the same album, but showcases an entirely different feel.

[Be sure to continue reading after the break below the videos!]

Alabama 3

Known as A3 here in the states, Alabama 3 is best known for their song, “Woke Up This Morning,” which was used as the theme song for the HBO series, The Sopranos. As good as that song is, though, I’d rank it at about middle quality for this band. Seamlessly blending techno, blues, gospel, rock, acid house, country and just about any other genre of music, this group has become one of the top live acts in England. “Up Above My Head” is probably my favorite song by them, though by no means is it typical. I really couldn’t tell you what a typical Alabama 3 song is.

As an example of the multiple personality disorder of this band, here’s another picking. With more hip-hop and techno influence, “Monday Don’t Mean Anything” could be from a totally different band (except for Larry Love’s distinctive voice).

Joseph Arthur

Discovered by Peter Gabriel, Joseph Arthur is one soul-wrenching songwriter. He’s got an amazing knack for melody and harmony, and his songs are always so layered with brilliance. He’s consistently been one of the most critically acclaimed artists of the past 15 years or so since his first album, though he has yet to gain mainstream recognition. He’s also a notable artist of a more visual sort. He’s designed most of the cover art on his albums and his EP Vacancy even won a Grammy for packaging. Here’s his song, “She Paints Me Gold,” set to photos of him doing some of his work.

I don’t want to post multiple videos for every artist I talk about here, but there’s another very notable thing about Joseph Arthur. He plays a number of shows as a solo act. In his case, this literally means he’s on the stage by himself. He’s developed a very interesting way of filling out his sound, though. On stage, in front of the audience, using foot pedals and effects boxes, he’ll record a little bit of the song… a riff here, a drum beat there, then he loops it and records another bit. I can’t find a great example of it, but this recording of “Can’t Let You Stay” will suffice. He’s already recorded himself smacking the strings on his guitar to get a kind of drum beat when this video starts, but you get to see him add the equivalent of a bass drum and then continue to build.

Assemblage 23

I direct people who say they don’t like techno or electronica to Assemblage 23. Any music can be repetitive and overbearing, which are two of the most common complaints about music programmed on synthesizers and computers. All it takes is someone who understands the craft of music to create something that doesn’t fall into those pitfalls. Song craft is the key, not the tools you use. Tom Shear, the guy who is Assemblage 23, gets it. One of his strong suits, like with many of the artists here, is the strong lyrics. Here’s one of my favorites, the first song by A23 I ever heard, “Opened.” And yes, there’s a second one after it. I wanted to show you something fairly typical of him for the first song, but “Lullaby” is such a beautiful song that I couldn’t skip it here.

Stay tuned for part 2!

Unlike many music aficionados, I did not grow up with a strong musical background. My parents listened to music sparingly, and usually only as background noise on the few occasions when it would play. I don’t remember now whether I disliked radio because I didn’t like most of the music, or because of the endless commercials (both are reasons I still despise radio for the most part). My older brother was more into music than I was, but I was still generally unimpressed.

At one point, probably in 2nd or 3rd grade, my mother signed my brother and myself up for the Columbia Record Club. I could pick a few cassettes (remember those?) out of their catalog, and have them delivered by mail. This was an awesome prospect for me! I get to pick my own music, and get mail? What kid doesn’t like getting mail? The problem was apparent as I looked through the pages of album covers. I had no idea what any of these albums were, who the artists were. I remember selecting a Night Ranger album because I liked the band name, and a Billy Joel album because I recognized his name (I don’t think I had any idea of his music beyond the name). I don’t remember if it was in my first order or a subsequent one, but eventually I stumbled on “Weird Al” Yankovic.

Specifically, it was Dare To Be Stupid. I had struck gold. I didn’t get that a lot of the songs were parodies, simply because I wasn’t familiar enough with popular music to have heard the originals. I knew “Like a Surgeon” was a rip on Madonna, but I had no idea that “Yoda” was a parody. All I knew was that I loved the album. Mostly, it was because it was funny. Looking back, I think I actually have to give credit to ol’ Weird Al for exposing me to several genres of music that I probably never would have given any real attention to if it wasn’t for this goofy guy singing silly lyrics.

Weird Al became my obsession. I tracked down as many of his albums as I could, and listened to them non-stop. I really didn’t listen to other music during the remainder of my elementary school days, with rare exception. Recess was usually spent with my friends, on the swings, belting out Weird Al song after Weird Al song until the bell rang. I think some They Might Be Giants slipped in there, but very little of it.

The one other band I remember paying any attention to in that time was introduced to me via my older brother, who was exposed by an even older kid down the street. I don’t know why Andy came down to visit my brother. There was a fairly considerable age difference. Three or four years, which for kids that age, is quite a bit. But I owe so much of my interests to this Andy guy. He encouraged our video game interest, introduced us to roleplaying games, and exposed us to an album that I still rank among my absolute favorites (though I didn’t really get it until a few years later).

The album was The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, the final album Genesis did with Peter Gabriel as front man. I was confused by the double-album format until I was told that the album had a storyline within it. It was my first exposure to both progressive rock and concept albums, both of which would continue to heavily influence me, but not until middle school.

I was in 6th grade, my brother was a freshman in high school, getting home a while before me. I came home one day… well, over the course of several days to find my brother listening to something new while playing video games. I dug it quite a bit. It was an album by a guy named Roger Waters called Radio KAOS. I’d never heard of it (or him) before, but here’s another album with a storyline that I really enjoyed. [As an aside here, I'm listening to my iTunes DJ while I write this, and as I got to this point, "The Tide Is Turning (After Live Aid)" from the Radio KAOS album started playing.] I liked it so much, that I borrowed the newfangled CD so I could record it to tape for myself. It was a 90 minute tape, so 45 minutes per side, but the album was only about 40 minutes long. Never being one to waste space on a cassette (or later, a CD), I started trying to figure out what else I could use to fill out the final minutes on that side. (As a final note on how much I like Radio KAOS, one night I was in my room alone. Music was not playing, but I was reading the album’s lyrics. After reading the lyrics for “Sunset Strip,” I felt homesick. While in my room in my house. That Roger Waters can write some damn good lyrics!)

My brother had been listening to Pink Floyd, but I wasn’t a fan. I thought the whole idea of “we don’t need no education” was stupid. But I did really like the guitar work on it. I decided to use that song to fill out the cassette. I knew that song was on The Wall, but looking at the track listing, I didn’t know which one it was. There was no “We Don’t Need No Education” song. However, there were three songs called “Another Brick in the Wall,” and I knew that line was in the song. I pulled the booklet out to read the lyrics to find out which one I was after, but I couldn’t read them (written, as they were, in Gerald Scarfe’s graffiti-esque writing, and very small at that). I could make out the names of the band members, though. Roger Waters was in Pink Floyd! And he wrote all the lyrics and most of the music for The Wall! Not knowing which song I wanted, and now very interested in this other work by Waters, I borrowed the CD. I may very well be the only person that discovered Pink Floyd by being a fan of Roger Waters, rather than the other way around.

This was really the catalyst that caused it all. The breaking of the dam. The straw that broke the camel’s back (in a good way). I almost hate to say it, but The Wall tore down the wall between me and music. There were so many good songs on that album: “Comfortably Numb,” “Run Like Hell,” “Mother,” “Goodbye Blue Sky,” “Hey You,” “Nobody Home,” etc. But it also worked amazingly well as a complete album. Yet again, a double album with a storyline. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway featured one moment where music from early in the album was reprised later, but The Wall had musical themes that repeated throughout the album, much like a film score. The musical variety was astounding. Gentle acoustic songs (“Goodbye Blue Sky”) segued into atmospherically foreboding pieces (“Empty Spaces”) which then shifted into heavy rock (“Young Lust”). And at the climax of the album you get “The Trial,” an orchestral piece with various characters making an appearance, much like opera.

Music had never moved me like this before. I became hungry for that kind of experience. I revisited The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway and found so much more in it than I had previously. I was finally of the right mindset to appreciate it. I found that I still couldn’t stand commercial radio or popular music in general. Music is capable of so much more than what the average hit pop song does.

I have since found numerous other artists that excite me in similar ways… some in not-so-similar ways. I have spread the word about artists that I like to my friends, and most of them catch on. I take pride in my music collection, both in the eclectic variety of it and in the overall quality of it. There are very few people who I’ve tried to introduce new music to who haven’t enjoyed it and wanted more. I’ve had co-workers remark “you always have such good music playing!”

So, instead of continuing to tell you about the music I enjoy, I’m going to share some with you. But not here. This post has gone on long enough. You’ll want to check my post later this week to be exposed to some of the best music out there.

The movement was originally the idea of Monica Valentinelli, and it quickly grew beyond her original concept. You can read her original post here, but notice how it’s been edited a few times to incorporate the changes. There’s already talk of making this an annual event, and a blog has been set up in anticipation of next week here. There’s already plenty of interesting articles there, helping people to prep for the week. And of course, there’s a Facebook event and a Tumblr dedicated to helping everyone share their thoughts.

You can bet that I’ll be participating! Keep an eye out here and elsewhere for me to be speaking out about RPGs and other topics. I also strongly encourage you (yes, YOU) to participate as well. Light up Twitter, Facebook, Google+, blogs and forums all over the place with the things we love and why we love them. Don’t have a blog? Find someone who does who will host something you write. Don’t tell me you don’t know anyone — you’re reading this, and I’ll happily post anything you write about.

But here’s something that I really want to stress, something that I have not yet seen in reference to this cause. Yes, it’s important to speak out and share your loves. But it’s also important to listen to what all the other geeks are gushing about during this time, as well. No one is served if everyone’s too busy shouting from the mountaintop to hear what’s being yelled from the neighboring mountain. Maybe you’ll learn about something you haven’t heard of that sparks your interest. Maybe there’s something you don’t like, but might give a second chance to when you hear someone elegantly explain why it interests them. Geeks can be awfully condemning of things they don’t like. Use this next week as an opportunity to open your mind, just for a few days, and maybe erase some of those ideas that don’t quite fit the reality. Maybe you’ll change your mind about something. Maybe not.

But give it a chance.

One of the things that I love most about Caustic Soda is that you never really know what you’re going to get. Each episode is about one particular topic, but that can range from Tobacco, Christmas, Funerals, or Rats to Swords, Submarines, Pirates or Ted Bundy. I’m entertained every time, and I learn something new with each episode.

I came across the podcast because of being somewhat aware of Toren Atkinson (artist, lead vocalist for The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets, and co-host of Caustic Soda), and he tends to take the lead in most episodes, keeping everyone on track. I can’t forget to mention the other two co-hosts, Joe Fulgham and Kevin Leeson, both of whom are just as entertaining and interesting as Toren, and I’ve become more and more interested in them as a result.

Each episode begins with a discussion about the topic, including word origins, related phobias, and the like. The hosts then present a surge of information about what the topic is, including any notable cases of it in history. A bit of variety is introduced here, about half-way through the show, with a musical interlude. This is usually a song in the public domain that relates in some way to the topic. Songs from The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets are sometimes featured instead, when they tie in to the subject. They return with their “In the News” segment, featuring stories about how the subject has popped up lately (sometimes too old to really be considered news, but more “recently news” as they sometimes clarify), which is sometimes surprising (in episodes such as Slavery). The show wraps up with a discussion of the topic’s representation in pop culture.

Other segments slip into the show’s otherwise free-form structure. These include public service announcements, where the hosts will tell you what to do should you be caught in a blizzard, for example, as well as Lesser of Two Evils, where the hosts discuss which they’d prefer to have happen to them: the horrible thing they’re discussing this week, or the horrible thing they discussed on some previous episode. This segment can get quite ridiculous at times.

I really don’t know which episode I’d recommend most to a new listener. Probably the Christmas episode. One of my favorites is the very funny one on Alcohol, but I don’t think it’s a good introduction. This is one of the few podcasts that I would truly recommend going back and starting at the beginning. Every episode is worth a listen.

Another presenter showed that video a few days ago, which is why this is on my mind. I’ve fallen out of the habit of using Twitter, and I mean to start that up again. I have also since joined LinkedIn, and more recently, Google+.

Most people I know are on Facebook, so that’s mainly a tool I use to check in with them or let people know about what’s going on in my life. Currently, I’m on there very sparingly, but I’m going to try to use it a little more effectively.

There are very few people I know who use Twitter. But there are plenty of people I don’t know who use it and are more interesting than “eating waffles at vi!!” I have found many people in industries/trades that interest me, and most have been very friendly and helpful. Like everything, there’s a lot of crap floating around on Twitter, and the main challenge is finding your way past it to the gold that lurks inside.

LinkedIn is geared primarily towards business networking, as opposed to purely social networking, like Facebook. I have limited need for that at the moment, but I have signed up, and continue to slowly complete my profile. I’m still trying to figure out what exactly it can offer me, but I’m open to find it.

The new kid on the block is Google+, which is still in its beta phase. The best way to describe it that I can think of, is somewhere between Twitter and Facebook. The main draw of it for me so far is the concept of “circles.” Similar to lists or groups in Facebook, Google’s circles win hands down due to them being easy and intuitive to use, integral to the concept of Google+, and therefore obvious and in the forefront of the interface. Similar tools on Facebook are a few clicks away to find, and most users of Facebook (especially those who were around before they introduced these functions) don’t even know they exist. I’m very curious to see if Google+ can gain a foothold.

But what is it all for? That’s the question that returns again and again. People seem to think that any new social media tool needs to fill an obvious gap or it’s useless. The thing is, social media in all its forms is a tool. And you use tools in many and varied ways. A screwdriver can be used to, well, screw things. Just like Twitter is used to tell people that you’re drunk and partying at Matt’s place. Screwdrivers can be used for other things as well, like prying the lid off a paint can. Likewise, Twitter can be used for other things, like marketing or fueling a political revolution (see Egypt). I find, instead of asking what social media is for, I ask how can I use social media for x purpose?

How do I let all my friends know about a party? Facebook. How do I look for a new group of local gamers? Google+, once my circles are built. How do I meet other people interested in game design? Twitter. How do I find use for LinkedIn? Still working on that one. In fact, I can see some definite use for LinkedIn once some of my current projects get closer to completion, but that’s a long way off.

In the meantime, with LinkedIn and all social media, I’m rededicating myself to increasing my presence so that when I need to use the tool, it’s ready to be used. Keep your knives sharp.

I’ve recently discovered OneNote hiding in the Microsoft Office suite. At first glance, it seems to be a tremendously useful tool, and I’m a little upset that I haven’t even heard of it before. It’s great for organization, which is something that I lack when it comes to big projects. Along the left edge of the screen are Notebooks. This is where I set up the different projects I’m working on. For an example, I’ll use the RPG system I’m slowly designing, which is the first project I added. Along the top of the screen, I can designate different sections. In this case, I’ve got one for the Basic System, one for Combat, and one for Social Combat (until I figure out what I want to call it other than Social Combat). Once I’ve clicked on one of those, I can select different pages along the right of the screen. Under the Basic System section I mentioned, I’ve got pages for Traits, Skills, and the Basic Mechanic that I’ll be working with in this game. The bulk of the screen is whatever page of got selected. When I click on Traits, for example, I see my list of the Traits I’ve decided to use, my short descriptions of them, and a brief note detailing how I think they should work mechanically. Even on the page, everything is its own separate item, so I can move them around easily, placing something that I’ve just written right next to something I wrote last week. I can even toss in pictures or captured web sites.

As a basic brainstorming and organization tool, OneNote really seems like the way to go. I look forward to using it quite a bit more. Anyone else have any other programs or tools that help with this kind of thing, or any experience using OneNote?

If you go to the YouTube page of Uncanny Entertainment, you’ll find a number of short films and trailers for longer ones. I’ve been involved in many of those projects, both behind and in front of the camera, from producer of Between to leading man of The Goodbye Agenda. The team behind Uncanny are some of my best friends, and I’ve worked with them on numerous projects for film and theatre, not just what’s seen there. That being said, it had been a while since I had worked with them. I was unable to travel to Japan to work on Jigoku (I got married a few weeks before shooting began, if I remember the timing correctly), and I wasn’t asked to join in on the 48-Hour Film Festival project that became Super Pissed until it was too late for me to get off of work. There were a few other projects I missed out on as well.

When I became aware of The Scare Game, I let them know that I was interested in helping out in any way that I could. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend any auditions (though my wife was, and has tentatively been cast for a role in an upcoming episode). It wasn’t until a week before shooting (scheduled for Labor Day weekend), that I got an email asking if I was still interested. I was told that, other than director and cinematographer, I basically could choose whatever I wanted to do. Since I’ve always had an interest in cinematography, I decided to work in that department and became 1st camera assistant. I was told that we’d be shooting Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, late nights, and to show up at 6.

Now I’m excited to be involved here. One of my best friends, Phil, is directing the script that he wrote. My friend, Brian, is producing. I’m friends with 4 out of the 5 cast members (Jason, Scott, Kate, and Jenn). The DP (director of photography, AKA cinematographer — my department head) is another high school friend of mine, Rick. It’s being filmed at the house of my friend, Stephen. Sounds like good times.

Upon arrival on Friday, I was shocked at how many people were there. Everything I’d been involved with to this point (not counting my PA work on the feature film Naked Fear, which was entirely separate from this group) had been fairly guerilla style film-work — just a handful of people, everyone willing to do whatever needed to be done to get the job done. While everyone who worked on The Scare Game was volunteering their time and efforts, it was otherwise like a real film set (just on a smaller scale). There were 30 or more people, broken into various departments. I was thrilled to see such support for the project, but found myself frustrated by the rules inherent in the film business, which I found to be limiting, and in many ways, counter-productive.

I was in the Camera department. So if I’m standing next to a light that needs to be moved six inches so as to better light the actor’s face, I just move the light, right? Not at all. Instead, I yell for a grip. Since this is unpaid work, there’s not many of them, and at this point in time, no one’s near enough to hear. So I just move the light, right? Nope. If I’m available, I go in search of a grip. If I’m not, then we find someone who is. Eventually a grip shows up, and I move out of his way, so he can scoot the light. We’ve just waited five minutes to accomplish something I could’ve done (and was in position to do) in 30 seconds.

I’m also struck by the job mentality of the set. After working on Naked Fear, I only half-heartedly continued to pursue work in the film industry for a few months before giving up entirely, largely because of the atmosphere. Friends making movies was much more fun.  So I was quite disturbed when the mood on the set of The Scare Game was closer to that of Naked Fear than, say, Yellowville. Mix in the fact that I was pretty unsure of what exactly my job on set entailed, plus the inherent limits on people simply helping however they can (which I mentioned above). Yeah, not quite what I thought I was signing up for. It’s no longer hanging out with friends and making a movie. Now it’s making a movie, and some of your friends are co-workers.

Crew meeting at 7:00pm. Jared, the 1st Assistant Director (AD), who I don’t know but seems pretty cool, mentions that we won’t really be able to eat for 6 hours (this was also mentioned in an email sent to the crew earlier in the day). I had just had dinner, so that wasn’t a big deal. It would be a long day for me. I had to be up at 5:00am to get to work on time, then would be shooting until about 1:00am, then rush back home to get to bed so I could be up at 5 again the next (same?) morning. Of course, around 10 or 11pm, I realize that it’s not that we won’t be able to eat because we’ll be shooting until 1:00, but rather, lunch will be around 1:00. I was told it would be a “late night” shoot. Not an “all night” shoot. Could I stay awake from 5:00am Friday morning until 6:00am Monday morning, with maybe a couple hours (2 or 3) of sleep Saturday and Sunday afternoon? That’s what it would take for me to commit to both work and the shoot. Obviously, the answer to that question was a resounding “no.” I immediately informed Jared, Phil, and Rick that I would have to leave at lunch. Everyone was understanding, though there was some obvious disappointment. Since Rick and I were the total of the camera department, someone else would have to step up and take over for me. Luckily, Jen was there (not the same Jenn that appears in the show, but Jen who was there for set design… I think). She took over for me for the rest of the night after I quickly went over what I had been doing for the shoot up to that point.

Home for a few hours of sleep, then back to work. It’s now Saturday. I work until mid-afternoon, then go home. While I like the project of The Scare Game at this point, I’m dissatisfied with the experience and process of it. I’m debating whether I want to continue working on it at all, or just wait to enjoy the finished product. I get home and think. I end up deciding to at least take the night off. I’m very tired, and I know I can’t do the full night anyway (again having to be at work very early the next day, and already, as I said, very tired). So I call Jared and Rick and let them know not to expect me. I feel really bad about it. I hate not fulfilling my commitments, and in this case, I feel like I’m letting friends down. As I crawl into bed at 7:30, though, ready to zonk for as long as possible, I know it’s the right choice.

After work on Sunday, I go to bed again, to rest up for a couple hours before heading into the final night of principal photography for The Scare Game. I don’t work on Monday (which is a holiday for most people – hence why they planned for shooting that particular weekend), and I really want to commit for the entire night. Maybe the mood on Friday night was caused by everyone being eager and nervous on the first night of shooting for this new venture. Maybe the mood changed between Friday and Sunday for some other reason. Maybe I was just more prepared for what I was getting into on Sunday than I was on Friday. Whatever it was, I enjoyed myself a lot more this time around.

As the night wears on, people slowly filter out, usually due to them not having anything more to do on the shoot. We finish filming our last outdoor scene, which also happens to be the last scene in the script, at about 4 in the morning (that’s a total guess) and we head back inside to get the last few shots. All but two of the actors are done. Only Jenn and Scott remain. The martini shot (industry slang for the last shot of a project) features Jenn as the only actor, and a crew that’s dwindled down to about eight. No dialogue, just Babs (Jenn’s character) trying to escape the house. The shot’s completed, they call “wrap,” and I shuffle home to sleep for most of the day. This time, I’m satisfied and pleased to have been involved. As I leave, people express interest in participating in filming the next episode(s). I find myself among them, still wanting to help out.

That was six weeks ago.

In the time since, I sent the occasional tweet about The Scare Game and occasional news of post-production comes my way. At one point, I realize that the show needs it’s own Twitter account, so I grab @scaregame so I can gift it to whoever will be in charge of it (planning to offer my services in that regard). The next morning, before I can make my offering, the first Tweet from @TheScareGame comes along. I offer my services anyway. Brian tells me I’m the second one to offer.

On September 23, the first teaser trailer is released. When I first watched it, I found it quite creepy. The way the killer’s head tilts, as seen through the frosted glass of the shower door is a compelling image. I love it. I get excited about the project again. It’s a slow day at work, and I find myself tweeting endlessly about it. I might have lost a few followers that day due to my admitted spamming.

As the days went by, and more promo videos appeared on YouTube, I kept spreading the word as best I could, primarily through Twitter. I’m eventually given access to the official @TheScareGame account. My support has not gone unnoticed, it seems. The three weeks since the first teaser see the release of a second teaser, three behind the scenes featurettes, and the characters of the show providing a handy guide to carving a pumpkin for Halloween.

The show is set to debut on October 15. Before that happens, I got an invitation for a cast/crew/press screening on October 10 at a local movie theater. I immediately asked for the day off of work. At the screening, Brian and Phil say a few words before it starts. There are still a few tweaks to be made, and the end title sequence is not finished yet. But what we were about to see was pretty close to the finished product. As the lights dimmed and the first images came on the screen, I found myself watching from a detached place. I noticed things like the absence of the dolly shot that was the first shot on the first night of filming. I found myself trying to figure out where in the house certain shots were filmed (the ones I wasn’t around for), since good film makers (like the folks at Uncanny) know how to cheat the space to get more out of it. Yet somehow, after two minutes in, it was as if I hadn’t worked on it at all. I was drawn in, the way I get drawn in by my favorite movies and shows. No matter how familiar they are, if they’re well done, I’m able to allow myself to be absorbed by what I watch. Now, I knew the plot and the spoilers already, so I knew who was going to live and who was going to die, so there was no tension in that regard, but I knew that 10 minutes was not going to be long enough. I wanted more, and I wasn’t even done with the first episode yet.

Last night, I decided to do a quick Facebook check, maybe remind everyone with a status update that The Scare Game was almost there, then head to bed. But I noticed Jenn’s status, which mentioned that it would be up in about an hour. When was that posted? About 53 minutes earlier. I decided to stay up a bit longer. I may have been the first person to view it on the official website. I sat and watched the whole thing before sending a quick couple of tweets and status updates and links, then went to bed.

Today, I’m at work. And it’s not quite a quiet day. I haven’t been able to shamelessly promote this thing as much as I’d like, but I’ve done pretty well. And I’ve managed to write this post which is already over 2000 words.

I saw two flaws in the first episode. One, I can’t really talk about for fear of giving away one of the plot twists. The other one, I can, because it’s less to do with what’s in the episode than what it’s missing. There’s not enough characterization in this first episode. I have little sense of who these characters are. I learned more about them in the pumpkin carving video than I did in the premiere of the show. Knowing that the writer/director agrees with me on this makes me feel better about it, because this is something that I was very surprised he wouldn’t handle. But here’s the thing: this first episode is as much a teaser for the rest of the series as the first trailer was a teaser for this. It’s job is to grab your interest and make you want to see more. In this regard, I think it succeeds handily. The characters will come. All we need to do is get the next episodes out there.

And so we close this chapter of the adventure with a plead for help. Everyone worked on The Scare Game for no pay. But that doesn’t mean that it didn’t cost anything to make. If you liked what you saw here. If you’re intrigued to see more, please donate some money and spread the word. You can donate through PayPal via the link on the official site (or here). But the best thing you can do is spread the word. These things live or die by word of mouth. Send people to the YouTube site first (after they watch that, feel free to send them to thescaregame.com. They are able to track the number of times a video is viewed. The more views we get, the easier it will be to secure more financial backing. That translates directly to more episodes being filmed and released. We don’t need much, so every bit helps.

Now I should go back to work.

So I decided to do the unimaginable today and take on the mall the Saturday before Christmas. As I’m sure everyone reading this knows, the closer it gets to Christmas the harder it is to find a good parking space almost everywhere you go. Well today I discovered how to get the PERFECT spot every time, and I’m here to share it with you! Here’s what you do:

First, as you pull into the parking lot, turn AWAY from the building and do the opposite of what most the other vehicles are doing by heading towards the far away spaces. There’s a decent chance you’ll see some one getting into their car, or even backing out. Unless they are already backing out of the space, DON’T WAIT FOR THEM. That’s right, don’t test your patience and the patiences of those behind you by waiting for God knows how long. Instead, keep heading toward a slightly further away spot. Before too long, you’ll find a spot, probably a decent ways away from the store. Take the first empty space you see.

Now here’s THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP: As you walk all the way across the long parking lot towards the shopping center, think to yourself how grateful you are to have both of your legs and how you’re healthy enough to walk that distance. I understand that it can be very cold this time of year. If that’s the case, take a moment to realize how lucky you are to have a jacket and the clothes on your back. Now that you’re spending your time and energy walking through the lot instead of driving around, tensely looking for the closest spot, you can spend that time thinking about how blessed you are for the people you care enough about to spend part of your hard earned money on to show them that they are important to you.

Try this technique out and let me know how it works out for you. I think you may be surprised what an impart it has on your mood.

From the website where I originally saw this video:

Explanation: What are these humans doing? Dancing. Many humans on Earth exhibit periods of happiness, and one method of displaying happiness is dancing. Happiness and dancing transcend political boundaries and occur in practically every human society. Above, Matt Harding traveled through many nations on Earth, started dancing, and filmed the result. The video is perhaps a dramatic example that humans from all over planet Earth feel a common bond as part of a single species. Happiness is frequently contagious — few people are able to watch the above video without smiling.

For a better quality video, go here.

For more on Matt and his dancing, check out Where the Hell Is Matt?