Keeping busy. Very busy. Like nonstop. It’s been almost 5 years since my last vacation of more than 2-3 days in a row. I love what I do, but sooner or later, one must recharge the batteries. I don’t think that is going to happen to me in the foreseeable future. I keep just adding more work to my life. Paid. Unpaid. Low pay. Doesn’t matter. Work work work.

Finally had a couple days off, then right back to it. This coming week will be the busiest I’ve had in a long while. Nonstop work feels good. I love what I do, so it never feels too much like work. Stress comes from unhappiness so that’s not really the right word. Pressure, sure. Deadlines and the energy from live production feels like a shot of adrenaline in the soul.

Even my weekends are jam packed! I am prepping cameras, 4 new LED light kits, the multicam and streaming package that are going out on a job while I am working a totally different gig on the other side of town. Next week is non-stop action. From early in the AM until late in the PM, just job after job after job. I love my life though and it feels good.

So so busy. Almost non-stop production, post production, client meetings, and teaching. And in my off time, I just either chill out poolside getting much needed sun on my pale white skin or in a near catatonic state devouring Netflix at a voracious pace. On the plus side, I did get my 4h Emmy nomination, so there’s that to placate the exhaustion.

Framelines and Sonnyboo Productions have been nominated for a regional Emmy! This is the 4th nomination for the show and Peter John Ross. The Framelines Interactive Tutorial, specifically the Horror Scene (in 4K) received the nomination today, along with cinematographer and co-producer of that project, Greg Sabo.

Has it really been almost a month since I wrote my last blog? Holy hell, it has. Aside from doing freelance work as a TD (Technical Director), I’ve been directing the live shows for ALMOST ADEQUATE with J.H. Nuber and NOT SO LATE SHOW with Johnny DiLoretto, so my dance card is so full, I cannot get enough sleep. Especially with new episodes of Twin Peaks to catch.

Screened my roommate’s feature film in the home theater last night for some people who worked on it. Scotch whiskey from Ireland was consumed. Grille charred the meats and men were men last night on this perfect Tuesday evening. The notion of making movies again just seems so appealing. I am torn though.

My feelings turn towards a sad reflection. A friend of mine, William T. Miller from Dayton passed away. I did not know him too well, but we were definitely kindred spirits. I did his talk show a couple times (see below embedded video) and we got along so well. He came here to see me a few times. I even saw him a few weeks ago at a film screening. Such a loss to the film community, as Bill was so enthusiastic about making movies.

Took some much needed time away from the world this past weekend. I got lost inside of Marvel’s Iron Fist on Netflix. And I made time to reorganize my storage room for all my newly acquired and old moviemaking gear. Now that my Glidecam Crane 200 has been repaired, I wanted to start to make my stuff ready to work. I got some plans.

I don’t recall the last time I was this busy. Working multiple jobs for several vendors, drone shots, camera operator, editing on someone’s short film, publishing another book, and teaching. Your faithful narrator remains ever so occupied. So why not add to that by re-writing a feature film?

Turns out directing live show has become equal to editing for my paydays. I’m getting booked up months in advance for different live streaming and broadcast. This skillset came from teaching at a broadcast school. I got trained by some local news guys who also taught at the same school. Now it makes me money. Oh how great a thing this can be.

And just like that, I am trying to cast my next short film. Been getting back to the gym (finally), heading there in a few actually. Getting the blood flowing back into my brain has helped motivate me to get off my ass and make this happen. In my head, this is ready to go. There’s no reason for hesitation. Time to just do it.

Got so much work again that time remains working against me. The queue refilled itself with projects for the non-paid as well. After being sick for a few weeks, all I want to do now is just lay around and binge watch documentaries like the one I just saw on Gore Vidal. Getting out of the funk and back into action requires a jumpstart.

I was sick again. That lost a lot of energy into nothingness. Being thrust into a flurry of work for various companies meant no easing back into the groove. Doing live switching events has been my mainstay since winter time is not the best for Drone work. I still have not been able to take on my greatest enemy, the nemesis that has dominated all of my focus.

Here is a Sonnyboo Interactive Filmmaking Project!

You can download and edit this raw footage and practice editing. After you finish, you have permission to upload your edit as long as you use our complete credits below and use the hashtag #Sonnyboo

This footage is full HD (1920x1080) at 23.976 Frames Per Second. The scene is from an action movie where the team decides they are going to do a mission.

If you want to get really fancy, you can go over to my PBS show and edit THIS interactive project (click here) and add that to the middle section of this piece to add a little action to this, also starring Jocelyn Tanis beating up the Sonnyboo Intern Team 2013.

SEE BELOW FOR MORE & CREDITS

Things truck forward. Been busy all week with multicam directing gigs. Got an edit for Bryan’s short film he’s directing tomorrow. Tonight will continue the binge re-watching of GAME OF THRONES. I started this when I was sick the past two weeks, but now that I’m feeling better, I just can’t stop.

Fate sometimes smiles upon me. I got an idea last night, this notion to turn something else I shot into an Interactive Tutorial, as it was fairly obvious. The entire clip on Cutting on Motion was ripe to have the raw footage put online and let people practice match cutting. I searched all three of the 5 Terabyte drives, and the additional 8 terabytes of internal storage and nowhere was the raw footage to be found.

A strange time indeed. The Annual Birthday Bash was a success. I’ve got an iPhone 7 now. I’ve got a 14mm, 50mm, and a 85mm prime lens. Storyboards have started for the next short film. Episodes of FRAMELINES continue to finalize as more segments get cut. Time moves forward and I’m gearing up for the next few steps.

Okay, next short film shoot is scheduled. That might be my last hope in some ways. Lately, it seems that life is robbing me of all the little (and even some big) pleasures. I used to get giddy at the completion of an edit, any edit. Could be for a client, could be a podcast, a FRAMELINES segment, and most especially at the end of an entire episode of FRAMELINES. I completed several segments, podcasts, and even 5 whole episodes and nothing. Nada. Niente. What the hell?

I got sick. Just a head cold, but man did that turn into a productivity motivator. I finalized 5 half hour episodes of FRAMELINES. Most of the segments were already edited, I must admit. Still, not all of them and putting together the shows requires a different mindset and takes some thinking (tinkering?).