Picture Locked but Far from Done

We finally did it! After several weeks of delays, additional cuts, viewings, notes, and more cuts, my team finally accomplished picture lock. This means that all cuts and edits to the video (sans credits) are completely finished. While my team can take a few short breaths, my job is far from over; I'm only 1/3 of the way done.

Getting to picture lock was the main hurdle of post production. Now, I need to make sure the audio editor accomplishes the sound edit, the head mixer gets a DVD of the show, the show gets to Mix One (the audio post production house), we get the final master on time, DVD graphics are delivered on time, menus are delivered to the DVD production facility, and that the correct amount of DVDs are manufactured--on time.

It's a lot of work being a post production supervisor. My main jobs are scheduling, following up with deadlines, meeting those deadlines, and ensuring that everything is essentially "honkey dorey" among my team members, both video and audio. We hit some snags along the way, and yes, things definitely could've gone better. But for what it's worth, I think we did a great job of learning from our mistakes, moving ahead, and getting the project done well and on time.

This is certainly an experience I will never forget, and I mean that on a very positive level.

My Other Ambition

I still want to be a television executive producer; that would be the most exciting and adventurous career I could ask for. However, I've also harbored a second desire, one that most people don't know about: I want to own my own cable network.

Syndication is something that has always fascinated me--at least the rerun aspect. 95% of the shows I watch are reruns of classic television shows (such as I Love Lucy, The Golden Girls, Roseanne, and Mama's Family, just to name a few). Something has always bothered me about showing reruns on American TV, and that's the annoying chopping of three minutes per episode to make room for additional commercials. The reason this is an issue is because some shows (such as ALF, Mama's Family, and the first seasons of The Cosby Show, Roseanne, and Third Rock from the Son) were released to DVD in their syndicated formats--these masters haven't seen the light of day since these shows' original broadcasts.

If I had my own network, I would show sitcom reruns 24/7 of all the classic shows from the 1950s to the present. Now, "classic" is very subjective, but I'd say that the shows mentioned in the 100 Greatest Sitcoms of All Time would end up on my network. My goal is to scrounge, save, and hire a competent entertainment lawyer to procure the rights to air the original masters. I would even go so far as to purchase some original commercials (a la TV Land's "Retromercials," back when the network was watchable) to throw them into the mix. Further, I would purchase some older TV specials and short-lived sitcoms to air as weekend marathons.

My philosophy is this: If Oprah can do it, so can I.

Garyisms

This is one of my favorite posts. A few years ago, my parents coined the term "Garyism," which refers to when I say something innocently that ends up being funny because I never realized how silly it was at the time. I hope these Garyisms provide you with as much laughter as it does for my friends and family. Enjoy!

“Turn around, and show me the pictures.” Turns all the way around (360°)

“That woman looks just like Mama Cass except for her face.”

Dad: “How tall is she?”

Gary: “She’s my height, give or take a few inches.”

“I don’t have to explain myself to me!”

“There must be a vacancy in my mind.”

“Oh, that’s bridge under the water.”

Mom: “What’s that thing on your mouth?”

Gary: “What mouth?”

"MIMIMIMIMI!"

"My dinner is like a ferry boat going through my stomach."

"So how are you Kelly?" (in a menacing voice)

"Purse, purse, reimburse."

"I'm a flaky barnakle!"

BEST CONVOS EVER!

Gary: I'm a little feather duster.

Justin: Short and stout?

Gary (to Justin): How'd you hurt your ankle?

Kelly: He was playing HAND ball.

(after a failed "thats what she said" from Gary)

Kelly: NO! She didn't! She's mute!

Gary: She's saying it in sign language!

Kelly: You're deaf and blind! You can't hear or see anything she does!

Pre-Madonna vs. prima donna

"They should create feet warmers. Oh wait, those are slippers!"

Time Machine

I wish I could go back in time and undo some of the things I've done in the past. Sometimes, it involves retaking a test and other times, I would use the time machine to go back and react differently or just prevent myself from doing something. Unfortunately, there are no take backs in life. If you mess up, you need to own up to it and prevent that mistake from happening again. Life is one big learning experience; however, not all of these moments are pleasant. At times, people aren't so forgiving if you botch something up, and that's a shame. Yet, you need to focus on the present and future and not on the past. Stay positive and remain solution-oriented. People will appreciate that, and you will, too.

The Weather Outside is Weather

Whatever the weather is, it sucks. I hate the rain because it gives me headaches. Even if there's a slight shift on the weather front, I feel it. I wish Mother Nature would make up her mind and stick to one thing for awhile. I'm a child of spring, and thus, that is my favorite. It should be sunny and in the 70s all the time. Anything that would give me an excuse to relax in the Common or the Fens would work for me!

Roseanne

Last night, I had another weird dream--and I should clarify that I tend to have a lot of bizarre dreams. This one placed me in the heart of the Conner household. The Roseanne Conner that began to talk to me looked like the Mrs. Conner from the Roseanne pilot: blue sweatshirt and frizzy brown hair. Surprisingly, she wasn't sarcastic and didn't make jokes at anyone's expense. Dan Conner was unusually quiet, though Darlene and DJ were definitely in character. Where Becky Conner was, I had no idea. I remember interacting with DJ quite a bit, and he was a real brat. Darlene was, well, Darlene. The part that got really strange was when Roseanne took me upstairs and told me to stay in Darlene's room. Somehow, that bedroom was huge--I could've sworn it was the master bedroom. There were wooden floors, wooden dressers, and Darlene evidently had a Queen bed. All I remember was standing speechless and momentarily wishing I was related to Roseanne Conner.

Well, that was just a dream. As bizarre as it was, the dream does reflect my interest in Roseanne. When TV Land reran the show incessantly last summer, I thought to myself, "Oh God, it's that crazy fat woman." But I began to watch the show, and I started to enjoy the zany one-liners and controversial plots. Seasons 1-5 are definitely the show's best with the peak occurring during the third and fourth seasons. The plots and rhetoric were convincing because they reflect real people and real lives. I could barely put the remote down after each episode and was really intrigued by the nuances of each character. Once I started watching season 6, however, I began to lose interest; Roseanne Conner became a selfish diva, and the characters started to morph in different directions. Jackie in particular became more bizarre (though I later found out Roseanne wanted the character to be a reflection of Barnie Fife). Don't even get me started on season 9: the premise was interesting (the Conners win the lottery), but the writing was awful. The show stopped being funny because Roseanne turned into a man-hating feminist, Becky turned into a Barbie doll, Mark became dumber than President Bush, and even Dan started to become unlikeable.

Overall, the show is really good, and despite my not liking the later seasons as much, there are some token gems from all seasons (especially "Girl Talk" from season 7 and "Heart and Soul" and "Fights and Stuff" from season 8). If you have the opportunity, definitely watch Roseanne; if anything, you'll at least be presented with a realistic and truthful point of view.

A Night to Remember

Last night, I had the amazing opportunity to attend the dedication of the Kevin Bright Screening Room at the newly renovated Paramount Theatre in downtown Boston (which Emerson College proudly owns). Being at that ceremony made me feel even more honored to be taking this sitcom class. I've always admired and respected Kevin, but after seeing the documentary on Jackie Bright and talking to Kevin after the screening, I knew more than ever that I belonged in that class and that it was my destiny to make sitcoms. The event made me realize how important comedy is and how the genre can do so much good in enabling people to laugh at life's fodders. We need to laugh more often and at the right things.

Be Solution Oriented!

There are so many things I'm going to take away from being a part of the Kevin Bright Workshop, such as effectively producing, casting actors, paying attention to wardrobe, loading an audience, and supervising post-production. However, one of them will always stand out: be solution-oriented.

I've learned through experience that when a problem happens, you deal with it right away. If it involves someone else, you should tell them ASAP. Well, that's not always the case--especially when you work for a big macher EP like Kevin Bright. Sometimes, it's not a good idea to inform an executive producer of an issue if you don't know too much about it. If you don't have a solution to present, you're only creating more stress for everyone involved. An upset EP could torpedo a production.

Finding a solution means tackling the problem at hand right away. Make calls, write e-mails, grab anyone who has knowledge of the issue you're dealing with. Most importantly, remain calm. Freaking out at a time like this is like fighting fire with fire; more stress means the problem increases tenfold. If you have a game plan and know how to execute it, then you can inform the EP of the problem AND the solution. Save yourself some trouble and a sleepless night. You'll thank yourself later.

Dealing With Stress

I'll be the first to admit that I stress myself out. Usually, it's because I take on too many things each semester. Every year, I promise myself that I would cut back on something, but I always renege on that one. This semester alone, I'm doing the following: President of Hillel, Director of Scheduling Operations at The Emerson Channel, Executive Producer of "Speechless," Associate Producer of the Kevin Bright sitcom "The Record Cellar," two other classes (one of which is at the 500 level), member of the Academic Policy Committee, and member of the Faculty of the Future Committee. On top of that, I live off campus.

Other times, I cause myself undue stress because I think things are worse than they really are and start to freak out. That's never a good idea; I think I have a stress line on my forehead because of that. Based on my experience, I've come up with the following ways to effectively manage stress:

1) Don't have a meltdown. It's embarrassing, and it doesn't solve anything.

2) However, it's OK to vent every now and then.

3) BREATHE, and have a moment to yourself. I usually devote an hour of "me time" everyday.

4) Always live by: "Everything will be alright in the end." Be an optimist!

5) Surround yourself with nice, productive people. They're out there!

6) Take each day one at a time. If you think about too many things at once, you'll burn yourself out even more.

7) Treat yourself every now and then. There's nothing worse than having a low self-esteem, because that ultimately affects your work and your attitude.

8) When the weather is nice, take advantage of it! Fresh walks are great for clearing your mind.

9) Be solution-oriented!!!

10) Be in control of the situation; only you can set yourself back.