A lot has been going on... a lot of NOTHING!

by Shaggy

Dear internets,

I would have written sooner, but I've been busy.

Actually, i realized something yesterday on the topic of being busy as I was walking through the subway turnstiles (note: I realize that I make most of my realizations while walking through those things, kinda like they are the physical manifestation of the transitions of thoughts).

Yes, we are busy people, yes we want to do SO MUCH in life, and yes we complain about never having enough time to do it all in a day; but what I realized is that when I complain about never having enough time, I feel as if I've accomplished something. As though, in my addressing the dilemma, I have chipped away at it, and have been productive.

This is not so.

This is a false feeling.

This is a problem.

I've had this conversation of projects vs. time & motivation with so many people, in person and via email. But talking about it (though it feels good to know that others share the experience) SOLVES NOTHING!!!

In my youth, I coined a mantra I wanted to live by: "Don't think about starting; start, and think about finishing."

This basically means, get the ball rolling on projects. If you spend so much time thinking about the projects you want to do, but never initiating them, then face it, they will never be done.

Because of this I have started numerous projects, some with numerous people but mostly solo affairs. Youtube shows, podcasts, comics, animations, tv shows, video games.

To this day, a few of these projects are in post production, some of them are still in the pre-production phase, and most are barely even on paper.

I still do believe in my mantra of just starting projects to get things going. Hell, I want to believe in it more than ever.

But then the problems of time return to haunt me. Realistically, there's just not enough time to do everything, ESPECIALLY if you have to collaborate with other people's time.

SO what are the options?

To quit ones job and give the additional 8-12 hours to your passions and risk poverty?

To become a complete recluse and don't spend any additional time with family or friends, just on your projects?

To put all but one of the projects aside, until said one project is complete?

If I had to choose, the 3rd option seems most plausible.

... just... which one project to choose...

...

... well, either way, this is the last time I'll ever talk about projects vs. time. The next time you hear it from me, is when something gets done.

Avatar

So Avatar is getting re-released with an additional few minutes tacked on. Does this make me want to see the movie again? No. Does this mean this is the new definitive edition, apparently not...so then why add the footage? Oh right, I forgot James Cameron's a money whore.

Now I do believe that some movies can add extra scenes like LOTR, but those movies are few and far between. I feel like you have to shoot it along with everything else you shot and not later. And then, if that's the case the reason why it was left out of the original cut must be for a reason as well.

In general like Dark City and Donnie Darko, the former added so little it felt like they just made a couple transitions and cuts a bit longer while the later over explained and took away a bit of the intrigue, adding scenes don't work.

Most of the time, because people don't want to change the tone or the intent of the movie the added scene pretty much can only repeat/reinforce what another scene has already done or be about absolutely nothing.

That said, here are a few scenes James Cameron could add to his other films.

Aliens: Follow an alien as it mingles with other aliens sleeping and eating. Thus adding absolutely nothing to the movie.

Terminator 2: See John order T-800 to do the robot dance. Thus adding absolutely nothing to the movie.

Titanic: When Rose and Jack grab a piece of ice off the deck they realize that the ice is indeed not ice but unobtainium. The most important and unobtainable substance known to man, and with it they realize that Pandora was earth all along.

(Not an Avatar)

Delays

So it has been a long while since I've last posted. I'm not sure why exactly, having nothing to say hasn't stopped me in the past. I guess it could be that we're getting close to our 100th post and reaching that milestone means that we've written a bunch of posts and I'm still not better at writing. I'm in denial, I don't want to grow up I'm a Toys R Us kid. Maybe I'm just tired. The other day I was having trouble sleeping because the sounds from my belly were keeping me up. Is that odd?