caliban_man

It's 6:23am Sunday morning. I have been here since 10 am Saturday, which was Anzac day. Prior to that, I worked from Wednesday morning,through to Friday night (slept in the office, about 3 hours each night, went home for showers during the day). Prior to that I worked every day for the previous two weeks, many of them 18 hour days. This period included every day of the Easter break (although only like 5-6 hours.)

The job I'm working on doesn't pay enough to warrant this - but it's a pretty cool project, and in this line of work when there is a deadline, there is no such thing as not delivering.

The problem with having high standards, but not yet the very large clients, especially in the current economic climate, is that when someone asks you and your team to do the impossible, you not only set out to do it, but also to one up it.

Also - my girlfriend now understands that I am in fact an insane workaholic at heart, especially when it comes to the cooler film/video type projects, especially the 'Impossible' ones (in terms of time frames, resources, ability of client to deliver scripts BEFORE you've had to budget everything and more or less shoot the thing.). I was hoping this discovery could be put off a little longer.

Thing is, this isn't a winge. I am pretty happy doing this, but I do hope that I manage to swing the times like this into financial reward as well later down the line, because I do recognise it is completely nuts, even if I WAS getting paid well, or even doing something important, you know, like being a doctor or a scientist or something. Helping putting pictures up on really big screens is fun and all, but it's not really morally imperative (at least not when you're shilling for corporates, like I am on this job.)

This is impressive, a fan trailer cut out of tonnes of different movies, using photoshop to frame by frame turn familiar faces into Thundercats.

Doesn't hold up to close scrutiny at all, but it's an impressive workload and uses the huge amount of varied source material to quite good effect.

Sleep is something that I get far too little of - as an example....

I finished the Friday of the week before last leaving work at Midnight, this was followed by being back at work at 6.30am on Saturday to leave for a short film shoot, which went out to a 16 hour day on the Saturday. This was followed by a 19 hour day on the same short film shoot on the Sunday, finishing up around 3.30am by the time I got home. After this I had to be back at work at 9am for what was a reasonably intense days work that had to be done.

The rest of the week followed on with my fairly usual 9-10 hour days (with the exception of Wednesday, which I took 6 hours off to catch up on cleaning and washing) and ended with working until 9.30pm on on Friday (an 11 hour day) and coming back and doing 2 hours work on Saturday to help finish off a music video.

This was followed by the 24 hour movie marathon, and then Monday which, while I didn't get to work until 10.45am, I didn't leave until 12.20am on Tuesday due to a combination of technical glitches, two convergent deadlines, and something that HAD to be up online for a meeting in New York at 10am their time (4am the day before our time.)

Today, I got in at 11.30am or so - it's 5.30pm, I think I will be gone very shortly today at least...

To paraphase Radiohead - I do it to myself, I do.

So just got word that the woman who hit me with her car has had her licence revoked for 6 months, and that I'll be getting $750.00 for my trouble (in weekly increments of $100 for 7.5 weeks).

I didn't write a victim impact statement or anything, and the officer in charge of the case didn't know that due to the accident I was now a cyborg* - so my take on the justice side of things is that the $750 amount is really very arbitrary. In terms of my costs - well pretty much all my costs were covered by ACC and my folks, and in the scheme of things I took 4.5 days off work and then life was annoying, but manageable for a while. I also have a pretty large scar from the surgery. $750 might be too much in terms of the costs I had to get back to it (it being life/work etc) or grossly too little if I took everything I could have possibly been prevented from doing and assigned some value to it.

I did have the option of filling in a victim impact statement - which may have meant more or less restorative stuff I guess - depending if I pulled a European Soccer'esque hollywood and claimed all sorts of bad stuff to try and garner more cash - or maybe less told them the truth, that in the scheme of things I'm a live and let live kinda guy and while I think the woman was clearly a bad driver, who had a bad handle on things in the conditions - I hold no animosity towards but think badly needs some re-teaching (assuming this isn't one in a string of incidents of course!).

So yeah - I guess if you don't say anything you get what you get - which is actually how I wanted it. I'm lucky though - there was a witness and it could have easily been just my word against her in which case I would probably have got no moolah and she might not have been taken off the road to think about her driving.

I can't help but think though that it's coming up to Christmas, and as the accident didn't cost me much maybe I should do something to find out how much that $750.00 I'm owed is going to negatively effect the driver - I mean, she could be a single mother with kids and things for all I know and then they'd effectively be punished as well (obviously the lack of a parent driver would be a negative impact too - but compared to other people's safety I can see her being off the road is probably for the greater good - assuming she becomes a better driver for it - which is a big assumption.)

So yeah - Justice is a tough one - the courts can't possibly get complete information, and the individuals involved are kinda left in the dark if they aren't proactive about it (which, for 'victims' is a hassle on top of existing hassles based on a thing that they'd rather not have happened at all, and I'm pretty sure that in this case the 'offender' is a similar boat).

The one good thing is the comparative speed of resolution to systems which don't have an ACC like no fault system. A workmate from Ireland is still waiting for a court date from an accident that happened YEARS ago where she broke her arm, to cover bills and stuff. She gets letters from lawyers like every 6 months or something with a progress update and that's about it. At least with ACC I didn't have to worry about hospital and surgical bills, which would have been enormous compared to what I earn - so ACC for me continues to be a good thing..

So yeah - resolution yes. Justice I have no idea. The money is going to probably cover third party insurance for my car at the end of the day - so if I have an accident (rather than something negligent) I can at least rest assured that the risk and damage has well and truly been shared around in an attempt to minimize individual impact - which is kinda the whole point of insurance and communities in a way.

No, the title doesn't mean I have been hit by a car again. In fact, this time round if anyone will be doing the hitting, it'll be ME! Errr, wait no - that's not quite the right attitude for this fledgling driver.

You see, I have brought a car. I also only have my learners - as a mixture of apathy, one failed restricted test in my teens, medical conditions (occassional unexplained seizures means no driving for a couple of years if you aren't medicated, and I didn't much like the meds.) and an assorted array of convenient excuses have meant I have never really pursued getting behind the wheel since I was about 17 (when I did learn - in a manual and everything. In fact due to illness of my father on one trip I had to drive him back from Taupo, so driving is something I can in fact do - it's just been a while, and the law requires I have a baby sitter while doing so.)

My car, was a friends car, but she decided to move to Christchurch, and after the exchange of a princely sum (or not that much, or about right for the car, or something) I am now the proud owner of a dark blue 1993 Mazda Astina.

So, after remembering where the accelorometer and decelamatrix where, and finding that it being an auto made it all much more like playing a computer game than ACTUALLY driving in my estimation (compared to a manual) - the lesson with my father went well.

Wasn't much of a lesson in the sense of teaching, as he simply drove me across to the shore, from where I found a place to buy the mighty 'L' plates (L is short for L337 don't you know. ;) ) I took over the driving portion in a suitably quiet spot, then drove around into a less quiet spot to get petrol, then drove around some more. Culminating with my going back to the parents, doing some talking/having some foodage, then backing out of their lengthy driveway (with some assistance from my dad outside pointing and waving) and then driving across the bridge at night to get back to Ponsonby to find some bugger had stolen the spot outside my front door in which I would have preferred to park...

So really indeed I am a motorist, if a fledgling one, with my own set of wheels and all. Will still walk to work, because it's bugger all distance, and won't be able to drive much until the legalities of more additional licencing has been sorted out - but it's nice to be in the pool.

Is the sudden change a reaction to having been hit by a car? Probably, but I had been thinking about it before hand, and decided after getting hit that sorting out the driving thing would be on a list of priorities once my arm got better (which it is doing, thanks to physio and good surgeons.), and when I saw my friends car was for sale and she needed a quick sale due to the move it all seemed like the time.

So wish me luck... Or fear for your lives... Whatever comes naturally. ;)

Ok - so I went to the doctors today and got my first post car accident x-rays.

Here they are in relatively small web friendly sizes:




So yeah - not quite more machine than man (and so far the machine means I CAN'T lift heavy things, less the screws come undone and it all flies apart) - but I'm sure once the bone has healed properly they can strengthen it and add some actuators or something. ;)

No, that title doesn't mean what you think...

I got hit by a car while crossing at a Pedestrian crossing on Great North Road on Wednesday night. Lady apparently turned into Great North Road neglecting to see th Red Traffic light up ahead, and clipped me in the centre lane next to the car that HAD stopped for the lightd.

I now have a fractured humerus, and that is being held together by freshly installed platinum plate - Long live the new Flesh!

So yeah, at my parents for a couple of days (was discharged from the hospital yesterday) but don't see this slowing me down too much. The injury means no cast, just a sling for about 12 weeks, usual risks of infection etc, and probably greatly reduced mobility/increased stiffness in right shoulder for many months. Casualties will likely be my weekly social soccer game, miniature painting, and typing speed. Otherwise I don't predict too much of a negative impact from the whole event. (at least not for me - I imagine the careless driver from Pukekohe who hit me is going to have comparatively much more restricted mobility in the seemingly likely event that they take her license away for a while)

All in all getting hit by cars is no fun, but I do feel pretty fortunate that my injury is pretty mild (considering there was a fresh amputee in the bed next to me in Auckland Hospital who seemed to be taking things pretty well, I feel very fortunate!)

So, my birthday is coming up - so those few who might see this are invited to join myself at 11 Leighton Street, Grey Lynn, on Saturday the 12th of July for One Score and Six - an official Craig's Birthday function.

One Score and Six will start at about 7pm, and continue until lateish, where my nearish proximity to town/Ponsonby might mean festivities move city bound, or end up in a drunken puddle on my flat floor.

As a hobby, I paint and play with toy miniatures. Well I used to, but both had fallen off recently due to other commitments/laziness whatever. This leaves me unsurprisingly with many many miniatures I have brought, but not painted - a common problem amongst gamers.

Anyway I recently issued a challenge to megalumpy that each week we would both have to post some sort of progress on the painting miniatures front, or make a phone call (not text or email, honest to god voice communication) to explain the tardiness and general uselessness of not having made ANY progress.

It's a combination challenge/way to keep up with my mate in wellington/way to get the army I have sitting around painted.

Here are the first few pics. THEY ARE TINY, as I was saving them with my camera phone, and I didn't realise it was on the phones small settings, so no, these aren't the thumbnails, it's all i've got. For now.

Current project is painting up Tomb King Chariots - current progress is the chariot portions themselves have been basecoated. More progress next week.

A new music video for the band Slipping Tongue, produced by myself, directed by the amazing _poe_, art direction by _tinuviel_, costume work by Sara and Chantelle, and also some awesome lighting assist/dolly grip work by jsr. Makeup team led by Sam, whose always awesome. Kindly help in packing up provided by a_thaliana and cavaliermalfet. Our awesome DOP was one Marc Mateo, who also did the fantastic work on Big Bad Wolves
Sufficive to say it was a group effort, and a huge thank you to all that helped.

So, I'm one of these rarely update sort of people, but here I am having a wonderful time in Wellington and thought I would tell you all about it. Getting out of Auckland has been very good for the soul. Been staying with megalumpy and 8_ball_gag who have been most awesome hosts.

Weather has been very nice, two BBQ's in two days is nice, and Wellington once again has proven itself as quite an awesome city and I could forsee a potential long term relocation if suitable situation arose at some point.

In general the year that was proved to be hard, but beneficial. It's one that I am very happy to have my back to, but thankful for having had happen. 2008 will hopefully be the year that bares the harvest of plans and activities over more or less the last decade that will see me a bit more organized, more focussed and juggling less balls and spinning less plates.

Getting away has allowed to take a breath and realize that I may have been about to shoot myself in the foot at a juncture of my life which is BOTH a finish and starting line - a handy bit of self sabotage based on the inability to see that life didn't have to be nuts busy on some fronts to be moving forward, that I don't have to be doing so many things on those fronts, and that by stepping away from those fronts I will hopefully be able to put time in important other areas of my life which have been neglected to the point of being non existant.

2008 I hope won't be a year of massive change for me - I'd more than settle for slow, steady improvement in a number of areas.

I no longer have any questions about what I can and can't do when pushed in the film/work arena, at least for the short term - my only question now is how do I clean up the rest of my life to the point where it can fit in relatively tidily amongst the other aspects I have spent the last decade unleashing.

SO yeah, over 15 hours at the office on Friday, 20 hours at the office yesterday. Even when I'm doing boring corporate schmoe stuff most of the time the mere fact that my workplace also allows me to make music vids, virals and hopefully soon some proper TVC's is totally making up for the sometimes ridiculous hours and the pretty woeful monetary compensation (getting paid half what I used to, assuming I was only doing a 40 hour week, which as evidenced from above is clearly not the case.)

Wonder how long till I am cynical and jaded... Hopefully a while.

Before I was posting on the internet, and damned close to before there was an internet in any recognizable sense in New Zealand to post to anyway, I was posting on bulletin boards.

To join bulletin boards you plugged in your modem, it dialed a number, and you left messages on other peoples computers and other people would do the same.

Which meant that someone had to dedicate a full time computer and a private phone line to this activity, which was fairly inexplicable to most people.

These people were called Sysops, and in many ways they were Gods, especially to a young teen like I was at the time. They had their own domains, their own refuge for like minded souls, and they could let you in or bar the gate, ban you because of your age or your views or whatever. And your only choice if that happened was to dial another number on a list you got from somewhere and hope that you might find something interesting or accepting there.

One day in my early teens I dialed a number, and logged onto Nexus, and it changed my life.

Nexus was about was conversation. Conversation that was intellectual, irreverent, comical, daft and sublime. Conversation I couldn't find in my peers or at school or have with teacher. Conversation that meant nothing but also meant everything. Conversation that had no purpose - Nexus never had a purpose, was never for an audience, and if the sys-op who ran it ever for a moment thought it did I am sure he would have shut it down - but existed just to fuel more conversation.

Conversation that contributed a lot to who I am as a person, and for which I am very lucky to have experienced.

Yesterday Draggie, (aka DragonLady or DL), the sysop of Nexus, passed away. I was lucky to have met him in person as well as online, to have his great humour, warmth, wit and hospitality extended to me and to feel a part of community that he'd never take credit or responsibility for even though without his work and effort would have never existed, and still exists to this day.

Celebrations of his life are on Saturday - he was a man of many talents so there is a lot to celebrate. He wouldn't want people to mourn him, regret and sadness wasn't part of his philosophy, but it is clear that he will be missed. He is already.

Ok, since getting back from Queenstown I have actually been quite ill with a really bad flu, then somewhat frazzled due to wintery blues. On top of things now again and am posting a snippet of what I was down in Queenstown for - check out these really awesome fireworks from the Queenstown Winterfestival (I was doing some filming on behalf of Base Backpacker group (http://www.stayatbase.com if you ever need backpackerish accomodation.) in a bit of an experiment on Youtube related media I am doing.

You can see a bit more of the reason I was down there at http://www.youtube.com/basebackpacknz

Now - on with the fireworks:

Hey everyone there are a couple of upcoming short film evenings in Auckland at Sky City's Bar 3, in conjunction with the Air NZ Screen Awards.

It's an R18 gig (sorry kiddies) but there are some great shorts lined up - including Auckland's first public screening of the multi award winning Big Bad Wolves (Best Director - Ohakune Big Mountain Film Festival, Best Emerging Filmmakers - Magma Rotorua Short Film Festival) - Ok, that's enough of a gratuitous plug for the one I produced...

Anyway - come along to both nights (it's free, and you can buy alcohol, so there aren't many reasons NOT to come. ) and check out some more of NZ's film making talent.

Check out the press release below:

Fans of New Zealand short film have two free nights of entertainment to look forward to thanks to Rialto Channel!

As part of the country’s premier film and television awards - The Air New Zealand Screen Awards 2007 - Rialto Channel is hosting two nights of exceptional New Zealand Short Film screenings at:
Bar3, SkyCity, Auckland.

Air New Zealand Short Film Screenings brought to you by Rialto Channel:

Location: Bar3, SKYCITY
Level 3, Atrium End
Cnr Victoria & Federal St’s, City Central

TWO dates only –
Tuesday 17 & 24 July, 7.00 – 9.00pm
(both sessions)

FREE entry
(R18 restricted entry due to Bar3 licensing)

Tuesday 17th July- Humorous/Animation
Films screening include:

USO Brother, Big Bad Wolves, The Hit, Pearl, Florrie & The Bull, The Paselode Story and A Very Nice Honeymoon

Tuesday 24 July - Drama
Films screening include:

The Memory Booth, The King Boys, Shadow Over The Sun, Hawaiiki and Fish n Chip Shop

For more information please contact:

Katharine Broughton, Beat Communications, Katharine.broughton@beat.net.nz
ph: 09 361 2326
mb: 0275 495 277

Was scheduled to be back in Auckland about now - but low cloud has conspire against me to keep me in Queenstown another day, and also deny me the goodness of a direct flight (meaning I am going via ChCh, which adds a lot of time to the journey as I wait for a connecting flight.).

Going to crash on a guys couch, could be worse, just hope that I get back in time tomorrow to see the world premiere of the slipping tongue music video I co-produced.

I'm at a kiosk at the airport while waiting for my flight to Queenstown. Have exactly 56 seconds left before my 12 minutes for $2.00 internet runs out.

Music vid stuff went well, looking forward to the cold,brought new clothes for it and stuff.

Hope everyone stays well, I'll be back on the 2nd of July

Just about to head off for the Slipping Tongue music video shoot, thought I'd drop a quick post before I do.

Been a while since I posted on here - in that time I've helped edit a music video for a German Hip Hop artist, become unemployed, scored a non-paying but flights and accomodation covered trip down to Queenstown for the winter fest, applied for uni next semester (not sure if I'm going yet), edited on the 48 Hours, attended a couple of milestone birthdays and had quite a few reasons to re-assess where I am going/what I am doing in life.

This week will be filled up editing the music video and prepping for the secret Queenstown project.

Yeah, so that's about it for now.

So last night I watched The Abyss directors cut. One of my favourite movies just for the fact it's like three movies in one, and has phenomenal special effects for a movie that is over 20 years old (It totally still holds up - no George Lucas like revisionism wanted or needed here!)

Anyway the reason I am posting this is that there is a news article today that brought to light how freaking alien the deep deep sea is - really there COULD be an entire civilisation of NTE's (non terrestial entities) down there that we don't know about considering there are things like this sucker a mere 600m down:


Prehistoric sharks! Freaky huh.

Check the whole thing, including video of it out, here:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10420791

Check it out ONFILM has our little flick on the cover.
(for the too lazy to click).

It's on newstands so I've got a copy in my hands right now

The article on the interior of said magazine came out alright too - even if I did write it myself.