Museum Beyond

Not much to see here, anymore.

If you’re interested in what I’m doing, see Museum Beyond, which is my mostly professional but slightly personal blog.

What I Made This Week

Not much. It was the holiday, and I was visiting relatives. While I had great intentions, my actual output didn’t amount to much. Basically just a bunch of tiny bits that will hopefully develop into stuff:

“For When Your Soul is Dying” and “For Duke” — these are a pair of song fragments that I’m going to save to work any more on for February and FAWM. What I did on them might technically be cheating, but the earth will continue to spin, I think.

“Esther Jenkins, Senior Ninja” — a silly little comedy song that’s currently in my sights to finish quickly. There’s really nothing too deep about it.

“Whiffenpoofs”, “Hats”, and “Pregnant” — potential bits for season 2 of Three Legged Race‘s Weathered Adolescents. That’s a long way off, though.

“Moose Hunt” — this was originally intended to be a Weathered Adolescent bit, but I’m going to propose it instead as a standalone video. Mainly because I want to play a character different than the one that I would be playing if it is a WA scene.

 

What I Made This Week

An odd little amalgam of stuff happened this week. Not shocking, I suppose, considering the imminent holidayness, but… Here’s what it included:

* The Democracy Burlesque Holiday Radio Show, which I recorded bits for on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

* Wrote what I hope will be the next installment of Sciencey Vids, “A Field Guide to Physical Phenomena.” It will be, as you might gather, a field guide to some of the physics phenomena that you might find in the Western Hemisphere. (And funny, too.)

* Wrote a bunch of bits for possible inclusion in the next season of Three Legged Race‘s Weathered Adolescents web series, the first season of which will be released starting in late February, 2011. Topics include all-male acapella singing, hat sales, and pregnancy (as one of the actors from the first season is pregnant, and that’s just too joyous an experience to not use for our own purposes.)

Fragile Things

I’m spending bits of this weekend recording scenes for the Democracy Burlesque holiday radio show. DB is a political sketch comedy [more or less] group that I performed with regularly for two years, and they’ve invited me back to join them for this performance.

My association with the group ended for a number of reasons, but it also ended amicably, which I think is relatively rare for a theater group. I’ve left groups before angry and burned bridges (none of which I regret, incidentally), and I’ve been in groups that collapsed because we collectively decided we weren’t getting anywhere (not that we had any clue where “anywhere” was). But there have only been a couple of instances where my departure from a group wasn’t because my frustration with the group made not leaving impossible.

Independent theater troupes in Chicago are fragile things. Very rarely do people get involved without passion—which is a good thing, on the whole, but it also means that tensions get high quickly over things that often don’t deserve it. (As well as some things that do, as with my aforementioned burned bridges.) There’s also a really-not-that-compatible problem in Chicago comedy (improv particularly, but comedy generally): People have too many opportunities, so each one means less. One of the worst things to happen to an improv troupe is when a couple of people reach the conclusion that rehearsal is optional.

These issues operate on different scales. On a micro, whatever-you-happen-to-be-looking-at-at-the-time scale, everything means everything, and any point you may lose is a serious threat to your dignity, future, and well-being. On a macro scale, the next thing is right around the corner, and every corner.

I don’t really mean to rant about the state of Chicago comedy; I don’t have any new to add to that discussion, and I’m more interested in practical implications anyhow. So instead I’ll offer advice. Care, appropriately. Find others to work with who also care, so that you can assume that they care.  Accept losing once in a while, especially if you’re wrong. Focus, and demand a base level of focus from your colleagues. Avoid jerks. Don’t try to burn bridges, but don’t be paralyzed by the prospect of burning bridges.

And if you should travel over one of those unburned bridges, enjoy it.

What I Made This Week: Complicated edition

Here’s what I got done did, and the toughest parts of done doing them:

* Produced “This is a Galaxy,” the second of my Sciencey Vids. It’s a rhythmic songy thing about astronomy. With a few additional touches. Among them, Menudo. The most complicated bit: Tracking down photos.

* Wrote “Will Shortz is Slipping,” a video for Three Legged Race. The most complicated bit will be convincing the group to go along with something that’s hard to see. Oh, and timing.

* Planned the video for “Bob,” a song also written for Three Legged Race. The most complicated bit? Will be editing. There are about 40 shots that I’ve called for, which really shouldn’t be that hard to shoot (all are short and will be in only a few locations) but that much cutting will take time.

* Worked on editing Weathered Adolescents, a Three Legged Race web series. This is an odd entry; I did most of the editing quite a while ago, but now I’m going in and finalizing things like titles and scene transitions and sound effects. The most complicated bit: Details, details, details. There are a lot, and they need to be right.

* Some further work on the National Library Week videos for my actual job, although most of that was discovering that the free software package that I need to do some of the sound editing will work on none of the computers I have access to, for reasons varied and often silly. Today, hopefully, will solve that, through resourcefulness and plying a friend with beer. (That sounds weird; I just mean that he’s going to let me use his computer for several hours, and I’ll bring him beer for his trouble.) The most complicated bit: Well, it’s something for my job, which means that it’s inherently a minefield of horror, and there are several months left for previously unimagined stuff to crop up.

Sciencey Vids: This is a Galaxy

This is the second installment of my Sciencey Vids, a picture-based music video about astronomy. And a few other things, including Daleks, rubber duckies, Halle Berry, Glenn Beck, port-a-potties, inflatable sheep, and pregnant cakes.

What did I learn from this one? I’ve actually never done a photo-based video like this, and it’s not a strategy I’m going to go out of my way to use again. Finding the images, and making sure they are public domain or Creative Commons-licensed, was awfully time-consuming. I’m not really a fan of the technique overall, although I think it’s effective for this particular video. I certainly have a better sense of what NASA offers and how to find it now!

The music is quite simple, but despite or because of that, I’m pleased with the effect. I got to explore some of the instruments available in my keyboard, in particular a couple of specialized ones that I wouldn’t have thought would have much use.

Hope you’ll watch it and find it infectious.

[Edited to add: The frame that appears as the video tease was automatically generated and unintentional. But utterly delightful.]

Video script: Will Shortz is Slipping

I believe I’m mentioned this before. It’s something of an experiment of a video for 3LR about a man doing a New York Times Sunday crossword. It doesn’t really go well, due to his own incompetence, and his friends’ kibitzing, although he blames it on the erstwhile Mr. Shortz.

Also, his friends have the power to travel through some wormholes through space and… well, not time. Just space. And probably they’re not wormholes, but I’m not sure what the technical term would be. I hope that it will be cool to watch, though.

“Will Shortz is Slipping”

JAKE is sitting on his couch, doing a New York Times Sunday crossword.

JAKE

31 across. Egg dish. 8 letters. So… not souffle.

JAKE ponders, but to no avail.

JAKE

Bugger. 34 across. Cheese that’s made backwards? C’mon, Shortz!

TOM’s scene pops in. Tom is in a kitchen, cooking.

TOM

Jakey!

JAKE

(Distracted) Whatup, Tom?

TOM

Just whippin’ up a frittata.

JAKE

Ooh! Frittata! That’s it!

TOM

Crossword? Lame!

TOM snaps his fingers, and Matt’s scene pops in. Matt is in front of a playground with a tall tornado slide (whose top ends out of frame) and a floppy rider thing near the edge of frame closest to JAKE. You can hear kids playing, but not see them. MATT is disoriented, but he recovers quickly; this kind of thing happens a lot.

MATT

Wha? Oh. Stop saying I’m lame!

TOM

Howdy, Papa.

JAKE

Way to breed, Matthew.

MATT

I’m not lame. You’re just jealous that you don’t have a beautiful wife with whom you could theoretically have constant sexual relations with if you weren’t both so tired.

As he’s talking, MATT walks to the floppy rider and begins riding it; as his head goes out of frame, it appears in JAKE’s.

TOM

Matt, I’m a man-whore.

JAKE

And I’ve got two hands.

JAKE looks up.

JAKE

That’s reasonably distracting.

MATT

It’s not my fault.

TOM

It kind of is.

MATT

No, 51-down. Bacall wasn’t in Porgy and Bess.

JAKE

Then who?

RYAN’s scene pops in. Ryan is doing some doofusy home workout thing, complete with neon sweatbands.

RYAN, TOM, and MATT

Bailey!

RYAN

Pearl Bailey. Emmy and Tony winning actress.

TOM

How can you do the Times crossword but still be so ignorant?

MATT

And just for your edification, Bess is traditionally black.

RYAN

Porgy too.

JAKE

Porgy too?

MATT

It’s not Shortz’s cleverest clue.

JAKE

Well… if you’re so smart, where are your kids?

MATT looks around

MATT

Crap.

MATT begins exploring, looking for his kids. He’ll explore his own area, but he’ll then also move to other zones. Periodically, he can call out his kids’ names, Madison and Brayden. And ultimately, Savannah.

TOM

Hey, Jakey. 54 across.

JAKE

What about it? Hevea product? (he pronounces it “Heavy-ya”

RYAN

Hee-vee-ya.

JAKE

Hee-vee-ya? What is that, like, some kind of Greek goddess?

MATT

I should have used two.

TOM

Three.

MATT

Three?

RYAN

Yeah, three.

MATT has to think about this.

MATT

Aw, crap. Madison! Brayden! And Savannah! Shoot!

JAKE

Don’t shoot your kids. (A sudden brainstorm) Magnum!

TOM

(Mock frustration) Not magnum.

JAKE

What, Trojan, then?

RYAN

Trojan?!?

JAKE

It fits!

TOM drops a superball, which falls through his scene and into JAKE’s.

TOM

Oops.

JAKE

Gosh darn it, Tom, why are you dropping your little rubber ball at me.

RYAN

Yeah, Tom, gosh darn it.

RYAN begins shooting rubber bands at TOM, although they too drop down onto JAKE.

Meanwhile, MATT walks from the playground set into JAKE’s. He’s holding an inflated bike inner tube, which he drapes around JAKE’s shoulders.

MATT

Have you seen my kids? I’ll trade you this curiously rubbery tube made of rubber.

JAKE

I’m kind of distracted. (To himself:) Hevea? Darn it, Shortz.

RYAN

You might as well just move on. Unless you’re watching a Davis Cup match.

As he’s talking, RYAN finishes his workout and walks into TOM’s zone to swipe some food.

TOM

Hey!

TOM gives RYAN a good-natured shove. He falls backwards through his own zone, down the slide in MATT’s, and into JAKE’s.

RYAN

It wasn’t that good anyway.

TOM

Shut it!

TOM takes a cupful of water and dumps it; he’s aiming at RYAN, but it douses JAKE instead.

JAKE

Come on! This isn’t You Can’t Do That on Television!

RYAN

75-down.

RYAN exits JAKE’s zone as he says it.

JAKE

You Can’t Do That on Television singer? That clue sucks, Shortz.

MATT, by this point, is in RYAN’s zone.

MATT

Morissette!

JAKE

Smart-ass!

JAKE points at the two zones above him. He shakes them, causing MATT and TOM to shake too and lose their balance, and then switches their position. Upon switching, Matt looks offscreen to the left.

MATT

There you are! Madison! Brayden! And… you! You almost got Daddy in trouble.

MATT runs offscreen to the left.

TOM

Aww.

TOM tries to follow MATT to the left, but when he reaches the edge of his screen, it’s a solid wall. He bumps against it and falls. RYAN climbs up to TOM’s zone to check on him.

JAKE

Man with power over space and time: Jake!

JAKE snaps his fingers up and then to the side. As he does so, the two now empty zones disappear.

RYAN

Actually, I’m pretty sure it’s Thor. 81 across.

JAKE gives him a look of venom, and then, maliciously, snaps his fingers up and diagonally. The zone with TOM and RYAN disappears.

JAKE

Will Shortz is slipping.

What I Made This Week

Last week felt more like a groundwork kind of week than a results one. I did:

* Finish “Bob“, the song that’s been in waiting for a year and a half, and

* Launch Sciencey Vids, my new… thingy… of offbeat but interesting videos on a variety of scientific topics.

* I also started, and possibly finished, the music for “This is a Galaxy”, the second Sciencey Vid.

None of those three things are really major parts of the week, though; “Bob” and Sciencey Vids were both mostly done before this week, and the music for “This is a Galaxy” really won’t be that involved.

My biggest project this week was something for my actual job. I don’t tend to discuss day-job projects here, for a number of reasons, but this one is worthy. I’m going to be making a series of videos promoting National Library Week, and I think that they will be cool.

Fairly time-consuming, too. This week I spent a lot of time pulling some excerpts from our video archives, which will form the basis of the new videos. I also found a number of music selections that may be useful for the project.

“Bob”

This has been a long time coming.

I originally wrote this song for a Three Legged Race show last year. But we didn’t have anyone who could provide instrumentation for it, so it didn’t go anywhere.

A year and a half later, and I’ve done the piano myself.

It’s a sad, mournful song from the point of view of an evil genius, who has just made a wonderful (he thinks) present to his evil companion. But she’s, well, distracted. By Bob. Bob, the evil supergenius down the street.

Poor evil genius.

Anyhow, this will hopefully be something that we film and release early next year. Which means that I should, well, plan the video.

Until then, though, enjoy the song:

“Bob” at the Internet Archive.

Volunteering Video

This is my other big project from last week: A video to promote volunteering at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.

This was a fairly complicated video to make. But that complicated-ness isn’t really a bad thing; it’s a reflection of having plenty of footage, and plenty of decent footage that could have been included in the final product. A lot of the videos that I make have sort of a jigsaw puzzle quality—there are a lot of pieces to assemble into some kind of cohesive storyline.

Of course, this was also difficult because I was trying to figure out some of the settings I needed to edit HD video. That was a surprisingly and embarrassingly difficult process, but it’s sorted now.