Shooting movies and class change

Hello. This blog has been a long time coming, but I finally have the time to write it. And I only have the time because I'm writing as I watch the Suns game. My time has been so consumed lately with film after film after film, that I barely have time to sleep. I mean that almost literally. Over this past weekend, I was so busy with shooting not only my own project, but a couple of other people's projects that by Sunday night I was functioning on about 8 hours sleep over three days. And when you need to be at your sharpest so that you get the most creativity out of yourself, that sleep schedule isn't great.

But despite the lack of sleep, it was an amazing weekend. Over the past couple of weeks, I often find myself having to step back and look at the direction my life is going in. Sometimes I get so caught up in schoolwork and having to put effort into advancing my career that I forget how fun and awesome what I am trying to do really is. I mean, I'm trying to make a living out of playing make believe. I'm telling stories and creating worlds out of nothing as a career. It's very surreal whenever I think about what I am doing with my life, especially in comparison to what everybody else is doing and what the world is going through. When you're on set or when you're working on a project, nothing else in the world matters. Everything on the outside ceases to exist and the only world that exists is the one you, your crewmates, and the cast are trying to create. I feel very lucky that this is what I'm going to be doing for the rest of my life.

Surreality aside, I had an exhausting yet entertaining time shooting my movie. There were a couple of moments when I wasn't sure if everything was going to come together. Most of it was due to the fact that I am a horrible organizer and an even worse producer, but every time that some obstacle came up that threatened to ruin the movie, somebody would step up and save my ass. Whether it was friends and family giving generous amounts to fund the film, or if it was other friends stepping up and offering their time, energy, and equipment to make my vision become realized, somebody always found a way to help me. To the many people that are included in the description I just gave, my eternal thanks to you all.

Now, all that's left is for me to edit the film. It's the easiest part in my opinion, but also the most time consuming. It's okay, it's the most rewarding thing to do, especially once you're finished.

Something that's been on my mind for a while but I haven't gotten around to it, is something I've noticed on the way home from school. I live very far away from campus, so every day I make a long trip to and from school. Along the way, I notice such a drastic change in class and wealth, that I think it's what keeps me going back every day. It's not that I'm completely ashamed of where I come from or where I go home to every day. It's just that I get a taste of something so much better every day, that it drives me to not want to stay where I am forever. I think that's a problem that afflicts my community. You become so accustomed and comfortable with where you are, that you don't look for anything better. You become complacent and start to settle for less than you're capable of achieving. I'm not trying to sound stuck up, but it's the truth. And it's not even about money, it's about comfort and quality of life. If you have money, you don't worry about where your next meal is coming from, or if you're lights are going to be cut off in the middle of the night. I guess I've lived in such shitty conditions for so long, I'm ready to move on to better things. I dunno. I'm sleepy. Now I'm just rambling.

I'll leave it at that for the night. Thanks for listening to an old fool go on about life.