Robot Cousin Soundworks

Silver Wave 2009 has come and gone, and it was a crazy time. I was nominated for Best Sound Editing and Excellence in Music Composition, both for the same film, “Manic Chiropractic” by Fetal Films (website pending).

There was another short there, “A Dark Radius“, and I must say, it’s score was really, really good. I want to use a bigger word here, but none are coming to me. It was involving, intense, and very, very fitting. Kudos to Ralf Bindels and his work there. Very well done. I bow down to his incredible talent. Something for me to shoot for, definitely.

Another meeting for Project R is going to take place tomorrow, and we’re all in good spirits about it. If you’ll notice, on the page I just linked to, Chris Fulton won Best Comedy (as well as Gia Milani for Best Drama). He was awarded $1,250 worth of equipment rentals and services from William F. White. I believe we already have plans on what aspect of Project R this will be applied to.

Man, I can’t wait until the lid is blown off of this. And I also can’t wait until we get it all done. I mentioned it to my dad and he wanted to know if he could have a very small part in it. Perhaps!

I would also like to take this moment to recognize two other very talented people. Travis Grant won for Best NB Student Film for Crossing the Great Divide (check it out here), and my future brother-in-law Ryan Barton was nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Comedy for his work on Travis’ other short film, Wise Guys in the Park (currently not online). I really want to share the last one with everyone, and will do so if they upload it online. It was, for me, the highlight of Friday night’s screening, and should’ve been included in Saturday’s screening instead, as it would have been enjoyed by a much larger crowd. Of course, Ryan is also featured as the lead in “Crossing the Great Divide”.

In other news…. there is none. If you aren’t listening to the Curtis and Tara show, then you may be listening to something else. It damn well be better, otherwise you’re just wasting your time. Hopefully Curtis and I will collaborate on another project and submit it to next year’s Silver Wave Film Festival.

That wasn’t really other news. All in all, there were some really stellar films shown, and I’m sorry I couldn’t catch them all, but I’ll sincerely do my best to get a copy to check out from the film co-op sometime in the next few months. Congratulations to everyone involved.

Here’s some weird trivia: Last year, the two films that ended up garnering the most awards were the two I was involved directly with (sound editing for “A Lion’s Tale” and music for “Gamer’s Manifesto“). This year, again, the only two I was involved with in any capacity (Manic and Radius) also ended up getting heavily recognized. I am in no way saying that I’m the reason they cleaned up the way they did, I just seem to end up being a part of really, really excellent projects.

I certainly hope that trend continues. Man, I know some really talented people.

I guess today marks the pseudo-start of weekly meetings I’m having with a friend of mine over an upcoming project which may end up being the biggest thing I’ve worked on so far. I’ve mentioned it a bit in the past, and while I can’t say anything official about it yet, I can certainly be vague and non-descript! I think I’ll call it “Project R”

The project itself wasn’t my idea, but I wish it had been. Still, I’m the primary composer, so it does allow me a great amount of freedom and input. If Project R is my friend’s baby, then that makes me its “involved Godfather”.

We recently decided to hold weekly meetings, every Tuesday, if circumstances allow. Tonight was really productive. We hammered out and seemed to add a bit of ‘creative cement’ to the whole thing. There was one point where we were sort of both hit with the same idea, an idea that hadn’t occurred to either of us while going over this thing on our own. Very helpful to have active and involved feedback. We want to shape this into something good, something memorable. Something fantastic, hopefully.

Who knows how it’ll turn out? Certainly not me, but I do have the power to steer it here and there, and I just hope I make the right choices about it. Either way, it’ll be a HUGE learning experience. I just hope it ends up opening doors for other opportunities. While Project R won’t actually make me any money directly, who’s to say what could branch out from it? Definitely a possibility.

We’ll find out in two weeks if our work ahead will be on a paved or rocky road. It will be then when I’ll be able to take the tarp off of what we’re working on.

In other news, the yearly Silver Wave Film Festival is coming up. November 5-8th, Fredericton New Brunswick. It seems that this year will be attempting to out-do last year, just like last year did the same for 2007. I have to admit, I’m really excited for it. I was hoping that the two short films I scored would have been submitted to the panel (who generally accepts them, unless they involve questionable material, or are too long), but word from one of the directors was that he had been too involved with the organization of the film festival itself that he was unable to submit his film.

I’m not sure if he means it slipped his mind, or his involvement would prohibit it for being considered for any sort of award or recognition. I didn’t bother to clarify. It’ll be there next year. That’s cool.

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I wasn’t going to get into this, originally, but hey, it’s my site.

I hit a bit of a brick wall today, emotionally. It was one that I didn’t see coming, and even looking back, I still can’t really make it out. All of a sudden, I was overcome with a horrible feeling. I felt as though I was just wasting away, not doing what I was supposed to be doing, and others would soon pass me by, instead of walk alongside me. I felt like I was still, briefly, who I was years ago. It’s as if every bad thing I had ever done manifested itself as an emotional ball of hate that just decided to find me today, and mess me up. Well, it didn’t last too long, but it wasn’t good.

What brought me out of it was this: I’d like to think that I’m not only a different, but better person than I was just a few years ago.We all go through stupid periods in our life, times where we are nothing but emotionally and perhaps physically destructive for no good reason. To ourselves, to others, whether they deserved it or not. I made a deal with myself years ago. I said that I’d forgive myself for all of the stupid shit that I’ve done to others as long as I not only promise to change, but actually do it. And for the most part, all of that, to me, is now ancient history. Yet, every once in a while, a few thoughts will catch me, or something will remind me of how everything used to be, and I just get mad at myself all over again.

I have to remember that I’m still keeping good on my own promise.