Failing upward
No. Just no. I can’t keep watching people make inane connections to justify their decisions. It’s absurd that after years of trying not to be a joke, we do the one thing that people can point at and go, at least we didn’t do that.
I have a sorted history with web video, I started by being a shmuck who helped made comedy for the sake of grabbing a still with boobs in it to rake in some cash, not even really enough to cover the cost of shooting most days, but I did it because it was a job and also because I’m a shmuck who loves boobs.
I did other things, less silly things, but things that took more of my soul, and ended up crushing me down more and more because as much as I believe in myself, there’s someone who can top me. But between all of that I wrote some jokes.
I haven’t done much in the way of a career so far, but I can at least say I’ve been paid to write. Granted, I begged for the job, didn’t expect to get paid, and then tried to turn it down because I felt bad since they were shitty jokes. However, they got used in the monologue of a awards show that was supposed to celebrate a community, but as awards shows go, we needed to entertain. So we did, by poking fun at the presenters, the nominees, and ourselves. I don’t even remember which jokes got used, I have the list of ones I sent to the host, (Paul, god bless you, you magnificent bastard), but everyone enjoyed them until the show went sideways.
I don’t know if anyone even knew I wrote the jokes, I know it came up a few times for weeks afterwards, but I stand by them, because fuck you, they’re funny.
What does Vanilla Ice have to do with web video? I believe that’s the question of the week for which I have no answer.
A long day
Drinking and sunlight are never a good combination. Especially with fair skin. Having had lunch on NBC today, I ended up sitting in the sun for an hour, burning my head and arms in such a fashion that allows me to be a heat source for a small room.
Luckily, making the correct choices tonight led me to meeting some really great writers and actors that I admire greatly. What makes people who have succeeded tick is an interesting thing to study, especially when everyone’s drunk.
It’s a short one tonight, gotta catch some sleep before I run the LA TV Writer’s Meetup tomorrow. If you’re interested, follow my twitter. @DerekHousman.
28
I just turned 28. I live in Los Angeles, i’ve worked on feature films, television shows, and a bunch of other small projects. I still haven’t accomplished much, but i’m working at it. Birthday’s are a great time to take stock of your life, to see what you’ve done on your time on this planet, and to set some goals for yourself for the future. I have a simple goal. WRITE MORE. If i’m to call myself a writer, i’ve really got to step up my game. The best way to do this is to blog, every day, for as long as I can. So i’ll start today, my birthday. From the start, the day has been off. Working at 5am on your birthday, at a job that pays the bills, just so you can write, even when you don’t, is just that more depressing. Luckily it was followed by a three hour drive with someone I didn’t expect to have as interesting a conversation with. Followed up by an inpromptu birthday party/dinner, and then a movie by myself (something that I really do enjoy). It’s a good birthday, filled with enough birthday messages to drain my phone battery and leave me in a bar bathroom trying to coax it to give up the address of my hotel. I’ll finish up here, it’s a good start. P.S. Mojito’s + 5 hour energy drink = A great time
A Letter to the Web TV Community
Dear Web TV Community,
Growing pains, that’s what the Streamys and the community experienced last night as they attempted to put on a show to rival its big sister awards, the Oscars. With coverage in Time and Vanity Fair, we felt as if our moment had arrived. However, due to a number of problems including poor content choices, we are reduced to remembering a show filled with crass humor and seemingly unplanned interruptions. Live television is tough, and it’s compounded by the basic principal of Murphy’s Law, anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Thankfully our host, Paul Scheer, stuck with us through the night and shepherded the crowd to the end.
There were some great moments to take away from last night. Before we hit that curve in the road we had a great monologue, some impressive entertainment pieces, and most importantly, we recognized some truly wonderful talent in the digital space. Acceptance speeches ranged from the thoughtful to heartfelt, and for a time you could feel the energy in the room grow. The technical issues would have been forgiven had the show not derailed as far as it did.
The problems that arose came from inexperience, poor planning, and a general disregard for the audience. I saw parents walk out, leading their children to the exits as fast as they could, members of the academy shifting in their seats as the tone shifted from light and cheerful to dark and somber. We knew that the night was a loss, even as some presenters and winners tried to salvage the night with impassioned speeches to rally the crowd, but it was too late, the damage was done.
I sat there, sharing glances with my fellow academy members, we were ashamed. This was our night and it had derailed into farce. And it was put on for the whole world to see. That was yesterday.
Today is a new day, we’ll pick up the pieces and start anew. It’s up to us as members of the community to rebuild from here. We’ll move forward and continue to put out good work, work that will be the lasting impression we leave on our community, instead of one awards show. We’ll continue to seek out major brands and companies to partner with to build this growing medium, one that cannot be shut down by a single event. In a year’s time, we won’t have forgotten what happened last night, but we’ll have learned our lesson.
I humbly ask the viewers, the community, the sponsors, and the rest of the academy to forgive. We are young and inexperienced, perhaps naive that we could pull off something of the magnitude that was planned. Let’s look forward to the future of the industry together, help us grow and learn from our mistakes and make the next year a better and brighter year.
We’ve only just begun our work.
Sincerely,
Derek Housman
IAWTV Academy Member
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Why District 9 is Amazing
I rarely write movie reviews because most movies don’t stick with me past a day or so, but I want to remember this film, and remember what it showed me and hopefully everyone else who sees it. The following contains spoilers, click through to read.
1. The Movie – District 9
The last time I was this interested in seeing a movie was the Dark Knight, a movie in which I knew the story would be good, the actors great, and the tone and feel of the movie was just right. Going into District 9 was a whole different experience, while it’s marketing campaign was creative and quite expansive, you still weren’t sure what you were going to see. The teaser trailer kept you guessing while blurring the view of the aliens, until the full trailer came out and you realized this was something different, something amazing.
2. The Producer – Peter Jackson
Taking a relatively unknown South African commercial director, giving him 30 million dollars, and then telling him to go off and make a movie is madness in a town where the studio likes to keep a close eye on the project and a tight fist on the money. Jackson allowed for the director’s vision to be seen and more importantly, to be noticed. I expect to see more from Jackson as a producer going forward.
3. The Director – Neill Blomkamp (Who?)
That would be the South African commercial director who was given the opportunity to direct a Halo feature film after making his impressive short film Alive in Joberg and three other short films set in the Halo universe. After that fell through, Jackson decided to give him another chance, which led to District 9 itself.
4. The Star – Sharlto Copley
This guy is going to be everywhere, fast. It’s like Tom Cruise and Christian Bale had a child 35 years ago and didn’t tell anybody. He’s an amazing actor that seems destined for stardom. Through the course of this movie, the changes his character goes through are so natural that you don’t even realize how much the character has evolved until the end.
5. The Story – The Fly meets Aliens
Take one ordinary geeky guy, and then throw him in an extraordinary situation. Then douse the whole thing in jet fule and you have District 9. There are several story-lines running through the film, the main one dealing with Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley) who’s only goal is to save himself, and ends up saving an entire alien race. Then there’s the story behind MNU and their exploitation of the aliens and their technology, and finally the story of Christopher, an alien who has spent 20 years perfecting a plan to save his people. All three weave together to create a reality that you can believe in.
Of course on the surface, this movie is also about cool looking aliens, bad-ass fight sequences, and seeing shit blow up. Who doesn’t love that?
6 – The End
The story itself sets up a nice ending, with Wikus having fully transformed and making a flower for his wife. And with Christopher off traveling back home, it allows for an interesting sequel that could really spin the story in a whole new direction. Overall, this is an amazing movie that will capture people’s imaginations and propel it’s director and star to new heights.
