Notes

Most notes are for projects, but some or just general thoughts, ideas, or inspirations. Below is a list of the latest notes on my site. To browse through all notes, visit the list in the notes category.

Latest Notes:

  • Eugene O’Neill & Honors Project: 08.23.07
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      Today was the first day of class. It was nice to see Mr. Willis again, my English 1a teacher from the 2006 summer. I also recognized some faces from that 2006 summer class. Today, Mr. Willis made an intriguing presentation on Eugene O’Neill. We are reading his book Long Day’s Journey Into Night. At the end of class I introduced the idea for a short movie based on Mr. Willis’s brothers essay, The Doorway. I will write up …
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  • Reading & Honors Project: 08.29.07
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      The first Act of Long Day’s Journey into Night was very intense (1 hour of reading). It started out with a lite and flirtatious feel and gradually hinted towards a potential array of events to come. I also wrapped up the Honors Project proposal for the Doorway, and I am may create a separate page for it soon. Tomorrow I will run the proposal by Dr. Klaschus and Mr. Willis.
  • Reading Long Day’s Journey: 08.30.07
    • Tags: , ,
      We started reading Long Day’s Journey into Night in class. Mr. Willis played Tyron while the students played the other parts. Some of the reading is very dry and distracting, but Mr. Willis preforms incredibly. Also, Mr. Willis’s explanations through out the reading are invaluable. One particular explanation, breaking down the word “plutocrat,” stood out to me. Mr. Willis linked plutocrat to Roman history, Pluto, then to Greek, Hades. At the end of class I proposed the honors project to …
      read more »
  • Lost Script and Starting Project: 09.05.07
    • Tags: , ,
      To no avail, I tried to locate the script for Freedom. It may have been destroyed when my hard drive crashed two years ago. I have the movie in my head, so I will work from memory. The biggest loss is the music for the movie, I loved the old soundtrack. ¶ Today, the majority of my time was spent formating the log and prepping the general outline for the mash up of the movie and parable. ¶ Also, …
      read more »
  • Hard Day’s Journey Continued: 09.07.07
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      Last night we finished reading Hard Days Journey into Night, and I volunteered to read for Edmund’s part (see Class log 13 for explanation on reason for incorrect title, Hard Day’s Journey). I felt a bit rusty, but all in all, I did OK. It was nice to receive a compliment from Mr. Willis at the end of class. ¶ I forgot to print out the The Doorway Honors Project contract, so I will print it out to be …
      read more »
  • Speech and Flyers: 09.18.07
    • Tags: , ,
      Last week I worked on turning the movie break down into a speech. I decided that some of the events will be worked out during the production, and this allows for discovery during the process. This week, I need to create fliers and have them up by the end of the week. I will also go to the drama classes to announce the production. Most importantly, I need to fine tune the shooting schedule, so the cast and crew know …
      read more »
  • Sophocles Plays: 09.20.07
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      This week we read Antigones, and last we read Oedipus. I really enjoyed both plays, and I found my place reading the parts in the plays. ¶ I will read Lord of the Flies this weekend, preferably Friday, for the essay is due next Thurs. This time I will do my best to be brief and to the point.
  • Meeting With Candy: 09.25.07
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      I had a meeting with Dr. Klaschus today, and I will be extending my project into two parts, i.e., two semesters. This will allow me to maximize the experience in creating the short film. I think I will make the second part associated to my humanities class. So I will make adjustments to the schedule accordingly.
  • Lord of the Flies Discussion: 09.28.07
    • Tags: , ,
      We had an amazing discussion on Lord of the Flies. Mr. Willis confirmed that Golding was a Christian, and this answers a lot of questions on the direction of the book. During the discussion, I noticed a key point I missed about Simon’s death, i.e., the halo of fire flies. In my essay I quoted Mr. Olander, my former high school English teacher, saying the ocean foam created a halo around Simon’s head. My memory lacked the details of Mr. …
      read more »
  • Poster & Auditions: 09.29.07
    • Tags: , ,
      The poster is nearly finished. I would like to spend more time on it, but I must move forward. With a dense schedule, I have decided to make auditions by appointment. ¶ Early this week I spoke with Tom, a strong personality from my speech class, about helping with auditions, and he literally has 45 minutes or so between classes. Tom will be good for improvising with the talent. I will work out a schedule that makes it fun for …
      read more »

Education Notes:

  • Eugene O’Neill & Honors Project: 08.23.07
    • Tags: , ,
      Today was the first day of class. It was nice to see Mr. Willis again, my English 1a teacher from the 2006 summer. I also recognized some faces from that 2006 summer class. Today, Mr. Willis made an intriguing presentation on Eugene O’Neill. We are reading his book Long Day’s Journey Into Night. At the end of class I introduced the idea for a short movie based on Mr. Willis’s brothers essay, The Doorway. I will write up …
      read more »
  • Reading & Honors Project: 08.29.07
    • Tags: , ,
      The first Act of Long Day’s Journey into Night was very intense (1 hour of reading). It started out with a lite and flirtatious feel and gradually hinted towards a potential array of events to come. I also wrapped up the Honors Project proposal for the Doorway, and I am may create a separate page for it soon. Tomorrow I will run the proposal by Dr. Klaschus and Mr. Willis.
  • Reading Long Day’s Journey: 08.30.07
    • Tags: , ,
      We started reading Long Day’s Journey into Night in class. Mr. Willis played Tyron while the students played the other parts. Some of the reading is very dry and distracting, but Mr. Willis preforms incredibly. Also, Mr. Willis’s explanations through out the reading are invaluable. One particular explanation, breaking down the word “plutocrat,” stood out to me. Mr. Willis linked plutocrat to Roman history, Pluto, then to Greek, Hades. At the end of class I proposed the honors project to …
      read more »
  • Hard Day’s Journey Continued: 09.07.07
    • Tags: , ,
      Last night we finished reading Hard Days Journey into Night, and I volunteered to read for Edmund’s part (see Class log 13 for explanation on reason for incorrect title, Hard Day’s Journey). I felt a bit rusty, but all in all, I did OK. It was nice to receive a compliment from Mr. Willis at the end of class. ¶ I forgot to print out the The Doorway Honors Project contract, so I will print it out to be …
      read more »
  • Sophocles Plays: 09.20.07
    • Tags: , ,
      This week we read Antigones, and last we read Oedipus. I really enjoyed both plays, and I found my place reading the parts in the plays. ¶ I will read Lord of the Flies this weekend, preferably Friday, for the essay is due next Thurs. This time I will do my best to be brief and to the point.
  • Lord of the Flies Discussion: 09.28.07
    • Tags: , ,
      We had an amazing discussion on Lord of the Flies. Mr. Willis confirmed that Golding was a Christian, and this answers a lot of questions on the direction of the book. During the discussion, I noticed a key point I missed about Simon’s death, i.e., the halo of fire flies. In my essay I quoted Mr. Olander, my former high school English teacher, saying the ocean foam created a halo around Simon’s head. My memory lacked the details of Mr. …
      read more »
  • A New Genesis of Les Miserables: 10.03.07
    • Tags: , ,
      Yesterday, I fine tuned the Les Miserables Study Guide and posted it in the Study Guides for this class. I hope this will help my colleagues be more efficient in there studies. ¶ Today, I began Les Miserables, the most influential book in my life. ¶ I originally received Les Miserables from my brother, Shane, on my birthday, either my 22nd or 23rd. Shane will also be a prominent character in my short movie, The Doorway, based …
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  • A Street Car Named Desire: 10.05.07
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      We began reading Street Car in class yesterday. Mr. Willis is playing Stanley very well. I am looking forward to the class next week where Mr. Willis shares his perspective on relationships.
  • Finishing Street Car: 10.19.07
    • Tags: , ,
      Yesterday, we finished Street Car, and Mr. Willis continued an excellent perfomance of Stanley. Also, note, I didn’t log on the Mr. Willis’s relationship lecture last week, but it was excellent. I did take written notes, so if time permits, I will make an edit. ¶ This week, I have moved ahead on Les Misérables. I could get ahead on the short stories, but I think I may pace myself and work on some other projects, e.g., making a practice …
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  • Finishing Death of a Salesman: 11.09.07
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      Yesterday, we finished Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller. Mr. Willis played Willy Loman, and I played Willy’s son, Biff. This play was extremely intriguing and fun to preform. Mr. Willis wrapped up the play by sharing his life changing experience, dropping out of his pursuit for priesthood. He also explained how the story represents an American tragedy. In addition, he hinted towards the association to social and moral corruption resulting from capitalism. ¶ A couple of …
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Project Notes:

  • Lost Script and Starting Project: 09.05.07
    • Tags: , ,
      To no avail, I tried to locate the script for Freedom. It may have been destroyed when my hard drive crashed two years ago. I have the movie in my head, so I will work from memory. The biggest loss is the music for the movie, I loved the old soundtrack. ¶ Today, the majority of my time was spent formating the log and prepping the general outline for the mash up of the movie and parable. ¶ Also, …
      read more »
  • Speech and Flyers: 09.18.07
    • Tags: , ,
      Last week I worked on turning the movie break down into a speech. I decided that some of the events will be worked out during the production, and this allows for discovery during the process. This week, I need to create fliers and have them up by the end of the week. I will also go to the drama classes to announce the production. Most importantly, I need to fine tune the shooting schedule, so the cast and crew know …
      read more »
  • Meeting With Candy: 09.25.07
    • Tags: , ,
      I had a meeting with Dr. Klaschus today, and I will be extending my project into two parts, i.e., two semesters. This will allow me to maximize the experience in creating the short film. I think I will make the second part associated to my humanities class. So I will make adjustments to the schedule accordingly.
  • Poster & Auditions: 09.29.07
    • Tags: , ,
      The poster is nearly finished. I would like to spend more time on it, but I must move forward. With a dense schedule, I have decided to make auditions by appointment. ¶ Early this week I spoke with Tom, a strong personality from my speech class, about helping with auditions, and he literally has 45 minutes or so between classes. Tom will be good for improvising with the talent. I will work out a schedule that makes it fun for …
      read more »
  • Audition Poster Posted: 10.06.07
    • Tags: , ,
      I just returned from the Mill Valley Festival premier of Rob Nilsson’s movie Presque Isle. I called Nero Nava on the way home. We discussed the music for The Doorway, and he is interested in providing sound design. I am very excited about this! ¶ Yesterday, I posted the audition posters all over campus, below is a cell phone picture of a poster posted. This weekend, I will also post a Craigs list ad. ¶ I …
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  • Craig’s List Ad: 10.08.07
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      I posted the Craigslist.com ad for the open part. The ad can be viewed here: The Doorway’s Craig’s List Ad. The published ad has expired (checked 11.25.07), but here’s a link to the archived ad: Doorway Archived Craig’s List Ad.
  • Mr. Ross’s Wed Class: 10.10.07
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      Today, I announced the casting call to Mr. Ross’s class. Mr. Ross had a great question regarding commitment. I realized, I should put some more details on the level of commitment needed, which isn’t much, for most of the project is improvised. In general were looking at some back-story rehearsal and development (3-6 hours), the actual production (another 10-12 hours), and then pick-up shots (3-6 hours), but these will be spread out over days, weeks, or even months, and we …
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  • Casting Finished: 10.22.07
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      We cast for the movie, and all parts are filled. ¶ I edited the characters names in the project description to reflect the new names, i.e., Jordan to Joseph and Michael to Jordan ¶ Yesterday, I confirmed Jay Hitchings for the part of Jordan. Jennifer Trujillo is confirmed for the part of Clare. I also confirmed Shane Simone for the part of Joseph. Shane and I had a great discussion over tacos and beer at Chipotle. I mentioned to Shane, …
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  • Rehearsal Room Obtained: 10.31.07
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      Today, in search of a rehearsal room, I went to the Dublin Library, and I found a nice presentation room. I scheduled the rehearsals for Saturday 11/10 and Saturday 11/17, both from 2:30-4:30pm. I would also like to schedule additional rehearsals through the week, but I need the talents’ schedules. In addition, I’m considering a team meeting this Sunday, maybe lunch. ¶ This Saturday, I will also make a trip to scout locations. I am leaning towards Antioch for …
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  • Location Pics: 11.03.07
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      I drove to Antioch’s downtown. The purpose was to scout locations for the morning of Joseph’s challenges, i.e., where he gets his coffee and runs into his first series of issues with his car. Downtown Antioch is low on foot traffic and has a unique feel. It will be easy to shoot there, and the desolate, more so abandoned, feel will compliment the project. Below is a photo from the shoot. Additional photos are located on Flickr, …
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