To Live and Try in L.A.

Hey Gang-

Not much happening this time around, so this should be short.

5/22 - Interesting day at The Transcription Company. I got to transcribe an interview about the history of Hawaii. The VR program definitely had a problem with names like Queen Liliuokalani, Princess Kaahumanu, and Kalanemoku. Unfortunately, there was no discussion of the history of Hawaiian shirts, but it was still very entertaining. I learn a lot of interesting things at this job. For example, American missionaries actually created the written Hawaiian language for the Hawaiians so they could translate the Bible. It seems like it would have been easier to just teach them English, but what do I know. Also, when you're watching your Special Edition DVD of Footloose (as I'm sure all of you will whenever it's released), the interview with Kenny Loggins (you know, the guy who just does soundtracks?) is rigged. They told him to do Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon with Laurence Olivier, and then fed him the answers! How cheap! (In case you're interested, it's Olivier to Dustin Hoffman in Marathon Man, Hoffman to Tom Cruise in Rain Man, Cruise to Bacon in A Few Good Men.) I've definitely also learned to keep track of my speech. If ever I'm interviewed, I will be very careful of my "ums" and "uhs," "you knows" and "I means," and sentences that run on for about the length of paragraphs, just for the sake of the transcribers. Lastly, and most importantly, I've learned that the worst possible interview to conduct for transcribers is two college cheerleaders with similar voices, constant giggling, overlapping dialogue, talking about N'Sync. How I made it through that day I'll never know.

Speaking of which, I'm starting to work really hard at getting out of this job. It's interesting, sure, but boring. And hard. I'm not very good at it. Plus, I have to call in every day to see if there's work, and often there's not. So, being flushed with my recent exposure to PA work, I'm pursuing that (more on that in a moment). If I'm going to work as hard as I did those weekends with that small crew, I might as well get paid for it. Wish me luck, I'm sure I'll have much more exciting tales to tell about that.

5/26 - There's a small movie theater here that shows only silent movies. It's really a thrill, as I've always been a big fan of Chaplin, Keaton, and Lloyd. This weekend they were showing Safety Last, the Harold Lloyd comedy that includes the now-famous scene of him hanging off the clock hands at the top of a building. It's a small place, of course, and much more like a big room with seats than an actual theater, but great nonetheless. They had a pianist providing live musical accompaniment, who was just amazing. They opened with three other short films (including a cartoon!) before an intermission and the feature. It was incredible. One of the great things about L.A. is that it is such a movie town. I know that seems rather obvious, but it shows in so many ways. There are about a billion movie theaters; there is always something classic playing somewhere; the theaters brag about their sound systems and digital projection when they can. Best of all, where else can you talk to so many people who are fans and buffs? I was at a party and somehow just randomly got in a conversation about Bergman films. Another guy I know is a big Kurosawa fan. Almost everybody is into the movies, which is just cool I think. Well, everybody except the people who work in Marketing for the studios. There's some law that the people with power over a product can't know or care anything about it I think.

5/29 - Signed up for the Production Assistant's Association to get work. It's probably just a scam, but they did have a lot of good information and contacts. The "training" meeting I went to was very interesting. Of course the second half of it was just promotion for various other classes you can take (for a fee), but the audience is what I was impressed by. I expected it to be almost all college-age kids or recent grads looking jobs, but they made up only about a third. The rest was a group so scattered and varied you wouldn't believe it. There were all ages and all careers, including a registered nurse, civil engineer, and paralegal. All of us with that foolish dream of making it in the movie biz. The instructor even did the old bit about looking at the person left and right of you, and one of them will be gone in two years. Hopefully, that will only be me if I've made it so big I can live in Spain.

Okay, well that's about it for me. Not a very long or entertaining update this time, I'm afraid. I've really been off the ball lately and need to get back on it and work my tail off. There are too many distractions for sure.

Recent good VR mistranslations:

this goes back = discotheque

since he dumped her = simply don't care (spookily relevant)

L.A. Survival Tips: Entertainment

- As I may have mentioned once before, almost everything to do around here involves shopping. I expected that to some extent with Rodeo Drive and the like, but it's everywhere. I have never seen so many malls in my life. Up further north from where I am there's what has to be the world's largest strip center. It stretches for at least a mile. Every store you can think of is located there. I wouldn't be surprised if they have a shuttle within the parking lot. I've also been down to the area with all the resale shops. Vintage clothing is very big right now, with lots and lots of resources. One very weird shop I saw was nothing but old T-shirts. What a scam! They go to any Goodwill or Salvation Army, pick up about a dozen for ten bucks, then sell them there for $10 a piece! Sure, you can get that elusive Barry Manilow concert tee from the 70s, but come on. How many monster truck rally shirts does one person need? I wonder if they'd want any BindView tee's?

- Concerts. Wow. In Houston, you could get pretty excited when a band you wanted to see came to town. Here, every band, comedian, classical musician, you name it, plays here. Everybody. Of course Paul McCartney and The Who, but also Ravi Shankar. And there are always stars on the radio promoting things. Every morning, every radio show has at least one guest that would be considered a big deal in Houston. Not here. They all live here and have nothing better to do on weekday mornings apparently. Memorial Day weekend one station played all 80s music and had musicians from the bands as guest dj's all weekend. Very strange.

Movie Quote Challenge:

Number 1: "I'll be taking these Huggies, and uh, whatever cash you got."

Number 2: "Oh wake up Norma, you'd be killing yourself to an empty house. The audience left twenty years ago."

That's it. Sorry again it wasn't as entertaining as some others, but I'll work on it for next time. Take care.

Greg

Movie Quote Answers:

Congratulations Henry Smith for being the first to correctly identify:

Number 1: Raising Arizona, by Joel and Ethan Coen

Number 2: Sunset Boulevard, by Charles Brackett

Way to go! He's been trying really hard from the beginning and finally got in fast enough!