Is it over? Am I supposed to work again now?

People were over, painting models for Quest like usual. Very comfortably I was upstairs in the lux red sofa chair, feet up on my cajon drum, watching TED.com and reading. I was absorbing nature energy like Naruto; going into sage mode - I was going to keep working on the new movie idea, read up on how laboratories are run. That led to thoughts of working environment which led to thoughts of work. That's when it hit me.

I'd been on vacation for two weeks.

And there was nothing stopping me from staying on vacation.

Sebastien Grainger - American Names

Behind the scenes movie magic

When I was younger I wanted to be a filmmaker.  I imagined the process being a lot simpler than it is with friendship trumping talent.  I threw money at the hobby and came out of it bitter and sad because I had to face the cold, hard truth - movie making takes serious commitment and tons of planning before a single frame should be shot.

Years later I responded to an ad in Now magazine looking for interested young people who'd like to work behind the scenes and learn the ropes from seasoned pros.  They'd take us to various spots around the Toronto film making scene - the CFC, that studio that was north of Lansdowne Station - and teach us the basics on sound & lighting.  They'd be shooting shorts for the CFC's resident film makers and we'd do the lighting/grip work.  We were a ragtag group and it was amazing fun while it lasted.  I made some friends who I have on my Facebook list and I read up on their exploits sometimes.  Not many of us made it through the program.

I left the program disgruntled.  There are lots of little things about the film industry that irked me; mostly stuff regarding the unions and the number of hours required to join up and get work on a consistent basis.  I still enjoy the process though; having learned about lighting, electrical and grip I realize that I never wanted to be on the scene.  I have story ideas.  Stories that would be great on screen one day.  With the way things are nowadays, it's my lifelong passion for comic books that will pave my way to the big screen anyway.