Get to know your fellow board members....

[Cheddar's Cousin]

Rick...can I call you Rick?

[Somewhat Damaged]

Rick...can I call you Rick?

You may.

[Mugwog]

SD: Would you ever train as a kickboxer to the degree of JCVD in "Kickboxer"? Specifically, would you be willing to take down a coconut tree at the base by using only your shins?

Also: Puppies, kittens or bunnies - choose one, the rest go in a blender. FOREVER.

[amyzzz]

The other one, which is closer to being realistic, would be held at the Crescent Ballroom and have a capacity of 543 (the capacity of the venue), be invite-only, feature artists like Depeche Mode on Friday, Radiohead on Saturday, and Portishead on Sunday, and not be very long, maybe starting at 5pm and ending at midnight. 7 hours of music is plenty of time for me. This would happen if I were to win the Mega Millions jackpot (one of the big ones, like north of $250m) and I would promise to make a $1m donation to the charity of each artist's choice to get them to sign up.

I think another stipulation you should have is all attendees and bands must be sworn to secrecy about the concert, on penalty of cancelling the entire festival, so that the place doesn't get mobbed by people who aren't invited.

[algunz]

What are your favorite movies? You can only pick 5.

[Somewhat Damaged]

SD: Would you ever train as a kickboxer to the degree of JCVD in "Kickboxer"? Specifically, would you be willing to take down a coconut tree at the base by using only your shins?

No fucking way. I hit this guy's knee with my shin about two months ago and thought I broke something. There was an indentation in my shin up until a week or so ago. It's still really sensitive if I put any pressure on it. At my last doctor's visit, he said I didn't fracture it but just got a bone bruise. So with how painful this experience has been, I have no illusions that I could ever be as big of a bad ass as Van Damme.

Also: Puppies, kittens or bunnies - choose one, the rest go in a blender. FOREVER.

6 years ago, it would've been puppies, but now it would be kittens to save. I would never hear the end of it from Jen, Becca, Cara, or Lilia otherwise. Also, I see a lot of roadkill dogs on my drive to work (at least 1 a week), so the puppies going into a blender would at least spare me having to see that.

I think another stipulation you should have is all attendees and bands must be sworn to secrecy about the concert, on penalty of cancelling the entire festival, so that the place doesn't get mobbed by people who aren't invited.

I would only invite people who would have the sense to keep mum. Although it could be funny to have a smattering of people show up & not be allowed in to give those in attendance the opportunity to feel superior right then and there. Maybe we'd even hand out tomatoes so attendees can throw them at the uninvited.

What are your favorite movies? You can only pick 5.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Pulp Fiction
Jules et Jim
Fight Club
The Talented Mr. Ripley

[algunz]

Tell us about your travels. Where have you been and where would you like to go?

[kitt kat]

If you could have lived through any decade as an adult/young adult, which would you have chosen? (I say that because, you could have experienced the 80s, but were too young to EXPERIENCE it, make sense?)

[amyzzz]

I thought he already answered very similar to that, Kat.

[Mugwog]

What fast food restaurant/dish makes your knees tremble and tastebuds salivate? How often do you breakdown and succumb to it?

I also take it your name is from being a NIN fan? Which NIN song resonates your feeling of despair the most? Which one helps ignite your fury/aggression?

[ENluv12]

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
[I]Pulp Fiction[/I]
Jules et Jim
Fight Club
The Talented Mr. Ripley[/QUOTE]

Those are some of my favorites!

If you could travel by any form of transportation, and money and time were not an issue, what would it be?

What is your favorite candy?

Sweet or Salty?

[TomAz]

Rick, what is the worst insult anyone has ever said to you?

[kitt kat]

I thought he already answered very similar to that, Kat.

Oops. Redacted.

[cutterbutter]

Rick, I have a bottle of unknown narcotics that will go unused because my mouth doesnt hurt that bad from getting my wisdom teeth out.

What would you in the possession of said bottle of unknown narcotics.

[Riggins33]

Rick, I have a bottle of unknown narcotics that will go unused because my mouth doesnt hurt that bad from getting my wisdom teeth out.

What would you in the possession of said bottle of unknown narcotics.

That don't make no sense.

[guedita]

He's right. It's well known that all unused narcotics should be shipped directly to me.

[Somewhat Damaged]

Tell us about your travels. Where have you been and where would you like to go?

Most of my travelling is concert-related. My first out-of-state concert trip was in 2001 to see Radiohead at the Shoreline Amphitheatre, which I returned to in 2007 on my first out-of-state concert date with Jennifer (Arcade Fire & LCD Soundsystem). Been up to Seattle (Prodigy), New York (Fever Ray), Dallas (Erasure), and Orlando (Robyn). Also managed to sneak in a Pixies show when we went to London in 2009.

I went down to Puerto Penasco in 2001 for a friend's wedding and that'll probably be my only venture to Mexico. Liked London a lot and we've discussed returning, perhaps even doing a few days there and the surrounding areas (like Bathe) in the days leading up to Bestival next year. For our honeymoon, we did a cruise to the Bahamas and visited a handful of islands. The one that was supposed to be the most relaxing was on an island the cruise line owned but I had this really horrible vision when we were getting on the little boat that took us to shore that ended up putting me in a really foul mood, which was exacerbated by the wind blowing our canopy away, so I didn't feel very relaxed there. Had a decent time snorkeling, though.

My current job has taken me to New Jersey (Roseland), Chicago, and Georgia (Alpharetta, near Atlanta). Previous jobs have gotten me trips to El Paso (which I have zero memory of) and Leadville, CO, which was lovely and is at such a high altitude, snow was on the mountains & a windbreaker was necessary even in the middle of July. (It easily had to be 50 degrees cooler there than Tucson, which is where I lived at the time.) I always marvel at how green all these cities are. We've talked about moving to Portland or Seattle and part of the reason we want to move to one of those places is because they're so gorgeous. A radical depature from what we have in Arizona.

Prior to the recent elections and economic crisis, I wanted to visit Greece. That had been my most desired destination since freshman year of high school (I was obsessed with the Greek god myths) and while I still think it'd be lovely to visit the Parthenon and the like, I want the climate there to settle down before venturing over. I think it'd be pretty unsafe right now. Spain, Portugal, and Germany are the other European nations I'm interested in visiting. Probably Venice. Hawai'i, which is going to happen eventually.

What fast food restaurant/dish makes your knees tremble and tastebuds salivate? How often do you breakdown and succumb to it?

Probably chicken chimichangas. I generally order that at any new Mexican restaurant we go to and there are a couple of fast food places near us that make them well. When I was in Tucson, I would stop at this family owned restaurant that was on my way home probably once a week. Their chimichangas were the best I've ever had but I ended up having to stop going because the drive-thru cashier would scowl at me whenever he'd look in the tip cup and see that I hadn't left anything. The first time it happened, I thought I was just being paranoid, then it happened the second time and I realized the problem wasn't with my perception. The last time, he was blatantly rude so I made the painful decision to stop patronizing them. I mean, shit, I was in Tucson. It's not like there was a shortage of chimichanga vendors. Nowadays, I get one maybe once a month.

I also take it your name is from being a NIN fan? Which NIN song resonates your feeling of despair the most? Which one helps ignite your fury/aggression?

Yes, I'm a NIN fan, though my name is an indirect allusion to the band. I chose this name because I was working on a movie called Somewhat Damaged at the time I registered on this version of the board. Granted, the movie title was inspired by the Fragile track, but I was thinking of my movie, not the song, when I chose this screen name.

"Somewhat Damaged" is probably the song that ignites my anger the most, particularly due to the following: "Just like you would always say we'll make it through, then my head fell apart and where were you? How could I ever think, it's funny how everything you swore would never change is different now. Like you said, you and me, make it through, couldn't quite, fell apart and where the fuck were you?"

"The Becoming" is the song that "resonates [my] feeling of despair" most.

[Somewhat Damaged]

If you could travel by any form of transportation, and money and time were not an issue, what would it be?

What is your favorite candy?

Sweet or Salty?

A teleportation device. I always just want to get where I'm going.

Don't really buy candy. Banana Laffy Taffy is what I tend to opt for if I get anything from a coworker's stash.

Salty. (Almonds, chips, and the like.)

Rick, what is the worst insult anyone has ever said to you?

It wasn't particularly novel but there was one time in '98 when I was attending the U of A that I was walking to a class and this carload of frat boys roared up beside me and one of them shouted out, "Hey, fatboy! Woooo!" I'd been made fun of for being overweight all throughout school (at least until high school, anyway) but for whatever reason, that incident was probably most responsible for me being as self-conscious about going out into public as I am. I started having thoughts that neighbors were watching me take out the garbage from a pretty early age (maybe 12, 13), so I've long had this self-centered sense of being observed, but that was the moment when my paranoia was validated. There are, in fact, people who are paying attention to me and noticing how awful I look. It's why I don't have much of a sense of humor about myself if someone wants to poke fun at how I look when enjoying myself at a concert, for instance. I've gotten a little better about it over the past couple of years but I still give too much weight to what strangers think of my appearance.

Oops. Redacted.

Pretty sure you were going for "retracted."

Rick, I have a bottle of unknown narcotics that will go unused because my mouth doesnt hurt that bad from getting my wisdom teeth out.

What would you in the possession of said bottle of unknown narcotics.

Wanna try that question again?

[SoulDischarge]

Filmmaking is a very stressful endeavor. What do you feel are the greatest obstacles for you in that regard, and what about it makes those obstacles worth enduring?

[captncrzy]

Wait, Devin is being a piece of shit? No way.

[Somewhat Damaged]

Filmmaking is a very stressful endeavor. What do you feel are the greatest obstacles for you in that regard, and what about it makes those obstacles worth enduring?

Networking and having the attention span to stick to a single idea are probably my greatest problems. After seeing the types of films that get made while other projects that I would deem more deserving remain unproduced, or seeing what gets accepted into certain festivals, I realize now just how true the adage "it's not what you know but who you know" is. I can be affable when intoxicated, in relatively small groups, or when I've talked with people a couple of times (be it in person or online) prior to that interaction. Outside of that, I'm just not very outgoing despite my best attempts to try to be. I've gone to numerous local film mixers and maybe I'll find one other awkward person to talk to, but mostly I just wander around eavesdropping on conversations hoping to hear something that will inspire me to introduce myself and never having that happen. And those other people I talk to can't really do anything for me in regards to getting involved with other, more outgoing people because they're in the same boat I am and I'm the one other awkward person they find to talk to at the events.

On this same issue, if I really hate somebody's work or find them annoying to be around, I can't suppress those feelings enough to socialize with them even if doing so would be beneficial for me career-wise. For instance, there was an actress who did a bit part in Method who's well known in the local film community, made a number of shorts, and even got financing for a feature. We got along pretty well on her day of shooting but I didn't pursue an opportunity to work on her feature (even if it would've been for free (because that's the deal with every fucking production in this state), it would've been a good networking opportunity & production experience) because all of her shorts were horrible and the teaser she put together to get financing for the feature gave me no hope that she would be making anything worthwhile. I did my time with working on shitty movies; that's what college was for. If I'm going to work for free, I want the finished product to be something I would be proud to show to people and say "I helped make this." If it's a piece of shit, it's a waste of time. (I'd be less immediate in my rejection of an offer to work on a shitty movie if I were to be paid, but the payment would have to be substantial, especially if it would cause me to lose time at my day job.) Then there was this conversation I had last October with a guy who runs a filmmaking group in Phoenix after Method screened at a festival they run. He was very complimentary & encouraged me to get more involved in local productions by becoming a member of his film group (like $200/year) or taking classes that they offer (like $50-100/class). I see how productive they're being, and one of their members did get a film into the Phoenix Film Festival, but I just felt like I was dealing with a used car salesman. He also seemed to be on coke, and not in an endearing way. So I would be doing myself a favor by chatting him up more or trying to go to one of those classes or even any of the free meetings that they hold, but I just don't care to be around him.

Filmmaking people can be really shitty. This is true in all walks of life, of course, but the arts are generally going to attract more histrionic personalties, people who hate themselves and gossip about others relentlessly so as to make themselves feel a little bit better. There were some genuinely good people I worked with in Tucson but by and large, there wasn't much of a community down there as much as there were 50 factions of filmmaking friends, some of whom could mingle in a number of groups but mostly it was all competitive and back-biting. That experience jaded me on what to expect in Phoenix, which seems to be more communal, but then the people who are celebrated the most put out terrible movies. I don't know, maybe I'm being a hypocrite. I don't go around slagging those people off to others, though, just keep to myself & don't bother trying to work with them.

As for the attention span, especially when I'm unmedicated, I'm a wellspring of ideas. Unfortunately, I can only stay focused on one for a few days before the next idea comes along and draws all my focus. And I'm not able to write a full script or treatment in those few days that my focus is kept -- rather, I should say that I'm not disciplined enough to write at least a treatment. Maybe discipline is the biggest obstacle. I fuck around a lot and do silly shit when I can be reading someone else's script or trying to develop my own. Maybe I'm just discouraged about my prospects for success at this point, which is diminishing my drive.

What makes the whole endeavor worth enduring is the exhilaration that comes when all your planning and preparation comes to fruition and a scene is really clicking. The process of collaboration is actually really fun, or at least I've found it to be with the people I've chosen to collaborate with (may have a different opinion if I was forced to work with someone I didn't like/respect), and working out the kinks of a script and figuring out how you're going to make it come to life is very rewarding. Showing it to people isn't fun because I'm always racked with anxiety about how it'll be received, and in the past, even if it was received well, I'd still be neurotic and not accept a person's compliments graciously because I'd think they were just saying it to be nice. I'm much better at just saying "thank you" and shutting up now.

[Miroir Noir]

Rick, Jules and Jim is in my personal top ten, too. I adore that film.

What movie, if any, have you thought less of upon repeated viewings, and what movie, if any, has grown most in your esteem upon repeated viewings?

[unit300021]

SD: What is the worst insult/thing you have ever said to someone else? After you said it how did it make you feel?

[algunz]

What is your dream car?

[Somewhat Damaged]

Rick, Jules and Jim is in my personal top ten, too. I adore that film.

What movie, if any, have you thought less of upon repeated viewings, and what movie, if any, has grown most in your esteem upon repeated viewings?

I generally don't watch movies repeatedly, but the film whose esteem has waned a bit, sadly, is A Clockwork Orange. Last time I saw it, I was kind of bothered by the campiness of some of the acting, especially the wheelchair-bound man when Alex is in his house after getting beaten up and he starts whistling "Singin' in the Rain." Seems sacrilegious to me for that to be the only film to pop into mind; maybe I should watch it again to reassess. The film that gets better is Boogie Nights. It came up on TV a couple weekends ago and I was totally engrossed despite not really wanting to sit down and spend a few hours watching a movie. The cross-cutting between Dirk getting beaten up when he's prostituting himself and Jack Horner & Rollergirl picking up that high school classmate of hers to fuck in the back of the limousine is a really bravura sequence. So impressive that PTA pulled that off when he was so young.

[Mugwog]

Networking and having the attention span to stick to a single idea are probably my greatest problems. After seeing the types of films that get made while other projects that I would deem more deserving remain unproduced, or seeing what gets accepted into certain festivals, I realize now just how true the adage "it's not what you know but who you know" is. I can be affable when intoxicated, in relatively small groups, or when I've talked with people a couple of times (be it in person or online) prior to that interaction. Outside of that, I'm just not very outgoing despite my best attempts to try to be. I've gone to numerous local film mixers and maybe I'll find one other awkward person to talk to, but mostly I just wander around eavesdropping on conversations hoping to hear something that will inspire me to introduce myself and never having that happen. And those other people I talk to can't really do anything for me in regards to getting involved with other, more outgoing people because they're in the same boat I am and I'm the one other awkward person they find to talk to at the events.

On this same issue, if I really hate somebody's work or find them annoying to be around, I can't suppress those feelings enough to socialize with them even if doing so would be beneficial for me career-wise. For instance, there was an actress who did a bit part in Method who's well known in the local film community, made a number of shorts, and even got financing for a feature. We got along pretty well on her day of shooting but I didn't pursue an opportunity to work on her feature (even if it would've been for free (because that's the deal with every fucking production in this state), it would've been a good networking opportunity & production experience) because all of her shorts were horrible and the teaser she put together to get financing for the feature gave me no hope that she would be making anything worthwhile. I did my time with working on shitty movies; that's what college was for. If I'm going to work for free, I want the finished product to be something I would be proud to show to people and say "I helped make this." If it's a piece of shit, it's a waste of time. (I'd be less immediate in my rejection of an offer to work on a shitty movie if I were to be paid, but the payment would have to be substantial, especially if it would cause me to lose time at my day job.) Then there was this conversation I had last October with a guy who runs a filmmaking group in Phoenix after Method screened at a festival they run. He was very complimentary & encouraged me to get more involved in local productions by becoming a member of his film group (like $200/year) or taking classes that they offer (like $50-100/class). I see how productive they're being, and one of their members did get a film into the Phoenix Film Festival, but I just felt like I was dealing with a used car salesman. He also seemed to be on coke, and not in an endearing way. So I would be doing myself a favor by chatting him up more or trying to go to one of those classes or even any of the free meetings that they hold, but I just don't care to be around him.

Filmmaking people can be really shitty. This is true in all walks of life, of course, but the arts are generally going to attract more histrionic personalties, people who hate themselves and gossip about others relentlessly so as to make themselves feel a little bit better. There were some genuinely good people I worked with in Tucson but by and large, there wasn't much of a community down there as much as there were 50 factions of filmmaking friends, some of whom could mingle in a number of groups but mostly it was all competitive and back-biting. That experience jaded me on what to expect in Phoenix, which seems to be more communal, but then the people who are celebrated the most put out terrible movies. I don't know, maybe I'm being a hypocrite. I don't go around slagging those people off to others, though, just keep to myself & don't bother trying to work with them.

As for the attention span, especially when I'm unmedicated, I'm a wellspring of ideas. Unfortunately, I can only stay focused on one for a few days before the next idea comes along and draws all my focus. And I'm not able to write a full script or treatment in those few days that my focus is kept -- rather, I should say that I'm not disciplined enough to write at least a treatment. Maybe discipline is the biggest obstacle. I fuck around a lot and do silly shit when I can be reading someone else's script or trying to develop my own. Maybe I'm just discouraged about my prospects for success at this point, which is diminishing my drive.

What makes the whole endeavor worth enduring is the exhilaration that comes when all your planning and preparation comes to fruition and a scene is really clicking. The process of collaboration is actually really fun, or at least I've found it to be with the people I've chosen to collaborate with (may have a different opinion if I was forced to work with someone I didn't like/respect), and working out the kinks of a script and figuring out how you're going to make it come to life is very rewarding. Showing it to people isn't fun because I'm always racked with anxiety about how it'll be received, and in the past, even if it was received well, I'd still be neurotic and not accept a person's compliments graciously because I'd think they were just saying it to be nice. I'm much better at just saying "thank you" and shutting up now.

If you glazed over this once, read it again if you are interested in film. This is not only present in his local area , but everywhere unless you're financed (and production is pretty much owned) by a studio. It can be hell. Especially all the free/deferred work people have to "offer"...

I feel like we could have some interesting conversations regarding the various jobs involved in film making...

Have you experienced any backstabbing/theft from a close colleague and if so what happened?
With everyone you work with, have you found permanent members of your film crew dream team? Do you spend time with these people outside of work?
What part of the process (other than presenting the work) tears your brain out?
How is your relationship with your blood family regarding your career choice when you first started? How do they feel about it now?
Union(s)?

[lt.roast.a.botch]

Yes, I'm a NIN fan, though my name is an indirect allusion to the band. I chose this name because I was working on a movie called Somewhat Damaged at the time I registered on this version of the board. Granted, the movie title was inspired by the Fragile track, but I was thinking of my movie, not the song, when I chose this screen name.

"Somewhat Damaged" is probably the song that ignites my anger the most, particularly due to the following: "Just like you would always say we'll make it through, then my head fell apart and where were you? How could I ever think, it's funny how everything you swore would never change is different now. Like you said, you and me, make it through, couldn't quite, fell apart and where the fuck were you?"

"The Becoming" is the song that "resonates [my] feeling of despair" most.

Is there an album that you would like to adapt into a screenplay?

[Somewhat Damaged]

SD: What is the worst insult/thing you have ever said to someone else? After you said it how did it make you feel?

I'm 7 years older than my sister, and when she came along, all of my parents' attention was diverted to her. Made me pretty jealous when I got to be a pre-teen/teenager. I went to a college preparatory high school and was kind of pompous as a result. One time when my sister was in, like, 5th or 6th grade, she failed a class and I told her not to tell anybody at her middle school that she was related to me. (I'd gone to the same middle school and had a strong reputation with the teachers, having been the only person from there to be admitted to my high school.) I didn't feel bad about it at the time but regretted it severely a couple years later. That's one of the things that clued me in to the fact that I'd be a horrible father. Just have such high expectations of how people should perform and can't really be satisfied by subpar results. (This comes up occasionally with Jennifer's daughter, though since I'm not her dad, I don't voice too much of an opinion.)

What is your dream car?

One of the actresses in Method works at a Mercedes dealership and I got a major erection when she showed me this new car they had just gotten in -- leather seats that could warm you up/cool you down, it could park itself, you could sync your email to it, etc. It was something ridiculous like $50k so I didn't even bother committing the model name/number to memory but if fate were to smile upon me, that would be the car I'd seek out.

[Miroir Noir]

Boogie Nights is on my "if I see this on I will stop whatever I am doing and watch it all the way to the end, again" list with Goodfellas and Apocalypse Now. And probably Groundhog Day. Boogie Nights is just unbelievably great scene after unbelievably great scene. It's so ambitious and ridiculous that it should fall apart, but it never does.

Here's one: worst Coachella set time conflict of all time? Also: best Coachella experience not directly involving music?

[algunz]

What did you want to be as a child?