And ACTION... HARDCORE INDIE FILMMAKING

Thoughts and observations on extreme indie film production and the collaboration bridging filmmakers from two continents to create two horror films and the documentary “HARDCORE INDIE”, a project by
Oklahoma Ward, Nikki Alonso (U.S.) and David P Baker (Scotland)

UPDATE: Project  achieved 103% Funding Goal within last 24 hours of deadline!!! CONGRATULATIONS & THANK YOU INDIE FILM FRIENDS 

WHO BACKED AND SUPPORTED HARDCORE INDIE

Over the last few years the nature of the film and entertainment industry has gone from difficult to…well, difficult. For people who truly need to make films and create art, those who are really putting their energy into it, the challenges remain the same…always daunting, but rarely insurmountable to those with the time and perseverance to endure.
While financial constraint and economies have thrown some speed bumps into the process, social media, crowd sourcing and affordable filmmaking technology have thrown out a lifeline. Talk is cheap and money may be hard to find, but what gets films made is ACTION.

Real people, beyond hype and talk, dedicated to learning and executing a craft with the caliber of storytelling and filmmaking that will make their work stand out in the minds of their audience amidst an ocean of filmmakers trying to do the same.
Amidst this ocean Oklahoma Ward, Nikki Alonso and David Paul Baker and their unique project HARDCORE INDIE has leapt out at my consciousness from the Twitterverse and other social media avenues. The Hardcore Indie project is, in its scope, more than simply a campaign to create a film.
HARDCORE INDIE brings Scottish filmmaker David Paul Baker to Tulsa Oklahoma to embark upon a project of collaboration on two independent horror films { CRAWL and SCREEN } in the spirit of the Drive-In Cinema double feature experience AND to make a transparent document of the trials and tribulations of the process.

There is an edge of danger in the mere undertaking, as everything in filmmaking can so often go in unexpected directions and money (or the need for it) is an ever-present spectre looming. I think it was that sheer level of utter transparency that I observed in these filmakers (independently at first) that led me to believe so strongly in this project.
While David was engaged with trying to move his MISSION X project to the next level, we had several brief conversations regarding the movie consistent with everything he says and his video blogs online. The combination of experience and the sheer level of honesty and transparency about his own work was refreshing and is precisely the kind of person you could trust in a filmmaking scenario where there is no room for blowing smoke rings for ego’s sake.

Meanwhile Oklahoma Ward and Nikki Alonso were posting video logs on the making of the film CRAWL which gradually shifted to an actual LIVE FEED. Here is where I was sold on Oklahoma Ward as a filmmaker. The way he dealt with vendors on the phone. As unsexy an aspect of filmmaking as that could possibly be, that was what let me know this guy might really have what it takes to get into this truly challenging industry.


Live Video streaming by Ustream
Because filmmaking is so much more than the artificial and glorified perception most people (who don’t actually work in the biz) have. It can be a horribly soul sucking endeavor for those who don’t have what it takes to tackle the business aspect of creation. It can mean seemingly endless hours of very unsexy thankless chores and months if not years of sacrifice and investment. It’s not about fraternizing with actors and walking red carpets and champagne. It’s not about becoming a star or winning awards, and it is definitely NOT about waiting around for someone from Hollywood to come around and give you permission to make your film.
Filmmaking is about taking ACTION, action that moves you toward achieving the creative and financial goals that will allow one’s art to be manifested in the world on a level that is meaningful to the individual artists involved.

So this month I pay special tribute to HARDCORE INDIE. Please support this project and these filmmakers however you can. If you are tired of waiting and wading through what Hollywood is putting out for some good fun films, then TAKE ACTION and help filmmakers themselves bring it to you directly! Check it out for yourself. If you believe in it too, donate and/or spread the word.
Suffice it to say these filmmakers have been Nightmare Sound Laboratory Approved!



Cut out the TV stations and Hollywood Studios as middlemen. Be a part of a new way of doing things where you can take direct action in bringing the films you want to see to life. Both filmmakers and fans can find a satisfaction from this approach that goes far beyond waiting around to read what’s playing in the newspaper and TV schedules.

You can hear more from these filmmakers in the replay of their 4/8/11 interview on
Rex Sikes Movie Beat
Big Ups to current supporters of HARDCORE INDIE on Kickstarter
who have provided 61% of the budget as of posting of this blog:

04/08/11 - ONLY 5 DAYS left to reach Budget!!!

Please help if you can!
Many Thanks!

T. Reed – Composer/Sound Designer/Music Producer @TAOXproductions www.taoxproductions.com

Nightmare Theater - The Hottest Films in Horror SciFi, & Cult Cinema

I am happy to present a new feature here at Nightmare Sound Laboratory! In case you haven't guessed it by now, I sort of have a thing for Horror movies, as well as Sci-Fi, Cult, Asian Cinema and, well, just movies in general. As such I have a collection of over a thousand films, including many obscure titles. From "so bad it's good" to "so good it's terrifying" and everything in-between, I'd like to present some of my favorite picks in this feature I call "Nightmare Theater". I won't be doing reviews here 'per se', but I will present some recommendations and sufficient description to solve your movie night dilemmas. The hottest picks from my private collection, rated on a scale of 1 to 5 skulls.

Today's picks are from my Asian Cinema collection. Here are a couple of my all time favorites and definitely amongst some of the wildest films out there!

Hellevator

"Hellevator" or ("The Bottled Fools") the 2004 Japanese film written and directed by Hiroki Yamaguchi is definitely NOT for the kiddies:) It is gruesome, freakish, post-Apocalyptic cyber-punk in an elevator. This film makes M. Night Shamylan pee his bed while David Lynch laughs about it. It's weird, it's tense, and it's everything I love in a film. "A Clockwork Orange" get's stood on it's head, crammed through "1984" and dropped in to a brave New Tokyo most of which occurs while a group of strangers are trapped on an elevator with dangerous prisoners. Bored with "regular" old movies? THIS IS A MUST SEE FILM! Five Skulls!

Save the Green Planet

"Save the Green Planet" (2003) is a Korean film from the mind  writer/director Joon Hwang-Jang. This Dark Comedy lives up to both characteristics to the highest degree. Again, this film is NOT for children, nonetheless it can be both heartwarming AND horrifying in the same moment. Byeong-gu (Ha-kyun Shin) suspects his boss is an Alien. With the help of his adorable hapless, naive but loyal girlfriend Kang Man-shik (Yun-shik Baek) they go to extreme measures to save the world from invasion! Madcap creepy fun! 5 Skulls!

Volcano High 

Another splendid Korean film by Director Tae-gyun Kim, "Volcano High" (2001) is a fun high flying fantasy FX film about violence between rivals at WanSanGo (Volcano High). This is silly comic book fun with plenty of martial arts madness, schoolgirls who kick ass and enough mystic Kung Fu to sooth the Taoist in me. Think Battle Royal but WAY cooler! Exciting cinematography and experimental tones give this a super comic book feel! The film centers around Kyeong-su (Hyuk Jang) a transfer student known for disciplinary troubles, who must unite the students to face a greater enemy than rival gangs. The DVD comes with an English version dubbed by famous rappers (Snoop Dog, Method Man, & others); DO NOT WATCH THE ENGLISH VERSION! It ruins the movie, and whether you like those artists or not, the dubbing is sub par and the entire flow and vibe of the film is lost. There is also something about the nature of the Korean language that is so critical to the actors' performances. Definitely watch the Korean version with English subtitles. You won't regret it! You guessed it: 5 Skulls!

These are three of my all time favorites so we got 15 Skulls up on the trophy wall!

Nothing like watching a good film with some great fiends!

That's all for now,  till next time at Nightmare Theater,

Beast Wishes,

T.Reed - Composer @TAOXproductions

http://www.taoxproductions.com http://www.imdb.me/treed

2011 : A Space for an Odyssey

This New Year I am probably the last person who should write about “How to keep New Year’s resolutions” (so I won’t). I am as guilty as anyone of what I call the creative “Art of Multi-crastination” and have a task list longer than my arm stretched out before me as we speak!  

For that purpose, Angelo Bell has a wonderful Blog post for Filmmakers that offers up some great tips for setting powerful goals and keeping them here: 11 Ways to Keep Your Indie Film New Years Resolutions

 

I’d like to talk about the “Why” - Why NOW is a particularly important time. And I don’t mean in that nebulous Zen “Now is the only moment of power” kind of way (even though it’s true).

As we approach this New Year - 2011, many of us carry forward resolutions to do more, do it better, and get in great shape while we are doing it.These valiant goals and others come in many forms and just about every artist, writer, musician, filmmaker and entrepreneur have a host of industry specific goals they would like to achieve at the start of each year.

 For Artists of all kinds, the journey from creative inclinations to professional aspirations and achievements is indeed a great odyssey! 

But this year is a particularly interesting and fortuitous year to get on top of that list and really tackle the goals you wish to achieve.“The industry” is in a temporary upheaval and there is a groundswell of independent arts activity and technology that is shifting the balance of power and creating a more Artist friendly environment with more direct connection to audiences. Alternate paradigms are emerging and gaining ground. 

The challenge and core “down in the gut” question for many ambitious creative people has always been “How can I “make it” doing what I love to do?”  For many that means finding a functional “middle class” path that not only provides life’s necessities, but also the means to facilitate the manifestation of more new and unique collaborations and works of art and entertainment.

There are some lovely new “memes” spreading across the internet like “authenticity” and “Becoming one’s own brand”, but … there is still a long way to go! There is always the danger that these ideas with such great potential could simply be assimilated and abused to dysfunction by the pre-existing stagnant industry giants or people that are still so saturated by the previously engrained “competition” and “scarcity” based paradigms that they simply imprint the old memes upon the new ones, effectively canceling their value. (i.e. SPAM and “Push Selling” ain’t “NEW” or “authentic” simply because it’s “tweeted” from a freakin’ Star Trek lookin’ Android or iPhone”).

2011 holds a great deal of potential opportunity precisely because we are in this state of flux. The atmosphere is bristling for change and anyone with the courage and fortitude to play a positive role in that development NOW has a good chance of finding their “wave” in the years to come. Being flexible and open to new ideas, people and processes while maintaining clear focus on our goals may just be the key to riding this wave. I truly hope that there are many of us who can heed this call.

• We need to cautiously but expeditiously find our way through developing better business paradigms SO THAT we can really sit down and focus on developing our craft and our art. That is after all, the heart of what we do and the reason why most of us do it in the first place.

• We need to be able to focus on writing NEW stories and finding amazing new ways to tell them.

• We need to expand our creative and cultural vocabularies by collaborating with artists, friends and partners that enrich and enhance each other

• And we need (and deserve) to be able to survive and thrive while growing and expanding to our full creative potential. “The Arts” play a very important role in culture – too important to be left in the hands of bean counters and corporate executives with no connection to the art itself.

Whatever your role in the world of arts and entertainment, now is the time (while the “system” is broken or at least reasonably off its footing) to rebuild our industry more in the image we’d like to see, rather than simply struggling to get on for the ride and trying like hell not to get bucked off.

Just keeping our ordinary New Year’s resolutions seems hard enough. Getting on point toward building a great career and body of work in the Arts is an added challenge. Doing it during an economy in flux adds even further complication. Attempting to change the industry one artist at a time may seem even more daunting. But determining to do any of those things NOW may just be the single step that launches the rest of your own amazing creative odyssey in the world of Art and Filmmaking in the 21st Century.

Stanley Kubrick's "2001 A Space Odyssey" was a groundbreaking film and represented what great filmmakers could achieve at the time. It spoke to the 21st Century over thirty years before it would actually arrive.  

Take inspiration from that and speak to your own future as an Artist and your own personal creative odyssey for 2011.

                                                                                                                                           Happy New Year!

T. Reed  - Composer @TAOXproductions                                                                http://www.taoxproductions.com

Thanksgiving Day - Drive By Interview - Tyler Weaver - Whiz! Bam! Pow!

This month Nightmare Sound Laboratory is kicking off a special feature:

‘Drive By Interviews’ with Filmmakers, Writers, Artists, Musicians and other Creatives.

The goal is to shine a quick spotlight on talented creatives working in the super cool land of film, music, storytelling and "comic bookery"

The process is simple. I ask three questions and get a little info I can feature about the latest work of the selected artists. 

 As Thanksgiving approaches I am now (and always) enormously grateful to the artists that inspired my life in storytelling, art, film and music. In honor of that gratitude one question I will ask all 'Drive By Featured Artists" is regarding the first or primary influences that launched them toward a career in their chosen field. So without further adieu let me present:

Thanksgiving Day Writer’s Drive By Featuring:  

Tyler Weaver

Current Project in Development: 

Whiz! Bam! Pow!

"Told through comic books, radio shows, and films, Whiz!Bam!Pow!{ http://whizbampow.com  } 

is a transmedia love letter to comic books, the heroes in them, and the people they inspire. 

 Whiz!Bam!Pow! is currently crowdfunding at http://www.indiegogo.com/whizbampow and needs your help to soar!"

 

Nightmare Sound Lab’s T. Reed asks Tyler Weaver:

T.R. : " What was the first moment, (and if applicable, movie, comic, or other influence that inspired you to KNOW you had to be involved in the creative process/industry?"

T.W.: " It was the first time I saw Tim Burton's BATMAN in 1989. That opening sequence, with the Elfman score propelling us towards a bat symbol made me want to do something creative. I thought film music would be my vocation, but it turned out that I wanted to be a filmmaker."

T. R. : Where do you see the “Transmedia” movement taking entertainment and storytelling over the next five to ten years?

T.W.:  "We're going to see a similar thing that happened from silent film to the "talkies."  After awhile, the "Talkies" were no longer considered separate, and it all became "Film." The same thing's going to happen here - the term "transmedia" will be dropped from "storytelling," and it will just be what it is: storytelling."

T. R. : Where do you want to see yourself in the creative field five years from now and what role do you see Whiz Bam Pow playing in that equation?

T.W.: "I wish I had a more definite answer but here goes: I want to be continuing and growing a sustainable creative career, working with cool people, and getting the chance to tell the stories I want to tell the way I want to tell them. As far as where Whiz!Bam!Pow! fits in to that equation? It's my hope that it continues to be a thriving and developing universe that people enjoy being a part of."

All Whiz!Bam!Pow! Artwork by Blair J. Campbell. Courtesy of Whiz!Bam!Pow!

You can find out more about Tyler Weaver at http://tyler-weaver.com

 

My Race With the Devil

The Story of my Race to the “Mortuary” with Horror Director - Tobe Hooper

First let me clear a couple things up –

This was not a metaphorical race to the grave, nor an actual footrace to the gates of the cemetery.

This was a race to finish a film.

But before I go on…a second point:

Tobe Hooper is NOT the Devil! (I just thought that was a snazzy title;)

   But he might as well have been, to the people who wanted his horror masterpiece banned, often based on the name alone! “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” will go down as one of the most groundbreaking films in the Horror genre. 
The greatest irony is that, for a film with such a gruesome reputation, there was very little gore (at least by today’s standards) and precious little stage blood used, and yet it still resonates as terrifying to this day!  

 

No small part of this was probably due to the unique score created by Tobe Hooper himself, using unconventional instruments to create the discomforting sound that was so important to creating that horrific environment. But as we know - as directors become more “in demand”, having the time to score as well as direct becomes a much less viable option (yes, even if you are John Carpenter;) So this was a rare point in his career where passion and skill had the perfect environment to converge!

Oh and synchronicity…did I mention synchronicity? (I’ll come back to that – so pay attention!) But let's just start with the fact that Tobe Hooper's "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" was inspired by Wisconsin's (and perhaps one of the World's) most notorious serial killers, (and human taxidermists) Ed Gein!

In any event, the art, hunger, dedication (and suffering) which usually only comes from that kind of an independent film making experience, came through in the film in an artful, earnest and terrifying way.                      The New York Museum of Modern Art agrees apparently, and has a copy of the film amongst their permanent collection.

But you didn’t come here to listen to me wax poetic on the virtues of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (even though I gladly could, and would) you came for a race! Ah, but first, Synchronicity! (Told you there’d be a quiz!)

Long after the original TCM struck terror in the hearts of British censorship boards (and others), long after “Poltergeist”, Tobe made a movie adapted from a short story Stephan King called “The Mangler”. The film featured Nightmare on Elm Street’s Robert Englund and Ted Levine as well as, yes, you guessed it, a demon possessed laundry mangling machine.

And here is where strange synchronicities (and your’s truly) come into the story.

Flash forward about 9 more years! (2004) I fly to San Francisco to meet with the Director of a film called Mortuary to sign contracts and have a look at the roughs on an actual telecine machine. In fact, the entire film was being edited on the very machine that was used to edit Terry Zwigoff’s Robert Crumb documentary, {“Crumb” 1994} or so I was told. It was entirely believable.

Just an aside: Terry Zwigoff (by the way) is also a Wisconsin Native and a musician/filmmaker. I hadn’t even considered that coincidence (and that his name is also Terry) until writing this article now! 

10 years later the machine he used to cut “Crumb” wheezed and cranked like it had a devil in it, the kind of thing that could only happen to a machine after having born witness to the surreal expression of countless filmmaker’s projects! As Director Sean Hazelaar showed me reel one, we carried forward with the conversation we started on the phone before I arrived at his studio. He had mentioned one particular scene involving a mortician’s furnace in which all the set sound was destroyed by a bad hum generated by nearby machines. I would be expected to really make something sweet here, because it was a very important SFX scene.

When he asked me about this, I hadn’t seen the film yet. It just so happens that I have an extensive background in horror and a huge collection of horror/scifi and Asian films (on good ol’ hard copy DVD;)

I thought about the furnace scene and off the top of my head I said something to the effect that I could hear music/sound there sort of similar to that in the scenes of the evil machine in Tobe Hooper’s “The Mangler”. The Director’s jaw dropped. He informed me that the guy they hired to do that special FX scene was someone who had worked on “The Mangler”.

 That in itself was wild! But there’s more…

As my team had taken the reigns of much of the post production, music and sound and were well into getting the color corrections, score and sound design under way, we discovered that Tobe Hooper, by some utterly ‘Bizzaro World’ coincidence, was in production on a movie also called “Mortuary”!

Van Hazelaar Productions “Mortuary” was nearer completion at the time, but Hooper’s “Mortuary” had a larger budget and the capacity to roll a little faster. From here the race was on!

Tobe Hooper's "Mortuary" Trailer 2005

  

Now we all know it didn’t really matter, as two movies can have the same title in many cases (There was already a Howard Avedis film called “Mortuary” done in the eighties.) 

Howard Avedis' "Mortuary" Trailer 1983

~

In the end we had to differentiate the name for foreign and US sales anyhow, so the name of Van Hazelaar’s “Mortuary” became “Final Remains” (which, I am proud to say, was one of my suggestions).
It really wouldn’t matter at all, but factually, the statistically unlikely event had occurred. Two movies called “Mortuary” would both appear on IMDB as having been released in 2005. It was just a matter of whose film would get finished first! In truth, Tobe Hooper was probably entirely oblivious to our 85,000 dollar picture, as he was likely quite busy directing, but somewhere an assistant whose job it was to pay attention to just those sort of things must certainly have noticed the site. It would have been hard to miss our use of the Mortuary Movie domain at the time (Now located at VanHazelaar Productions website).

Clip from Mortuary aka final Remains 

In the end I believe we technically finished our film first, but with the clout and machinations already in place for Tobe Hooper’s film to enter a marketing and distribution stream, it would obviously be Hooper’s “Mortuary” that would make it to market first. VanHazelaar’s “Mortuary” aka “Final Remains” did however get distribution a little later,  in 2006,  and is currently available as a rental from: Blockbuster and for sale via Amazon.

"Mortuary" aka "Final Remains" Trailer

In the end, it didn’t matter who won in this race with the Devil. The only thing that mattered, is that for a brief time in 2005 we got to run that race right alongside horror film legend, Tobe Hooper, tiptoeing on the edge of synchronicity with one degree of separation between us and a Master of Horror! Rod Serling could have had a field day introducing this story. It certainly added zest to the project before we got to the truly terrifying (and far less glamorous) part of filmmaking – the hard work;)

Speaking of work I suppose I need to finish mastering the 

Mortuary aka Final Remains - Soundtrack/Score CD 

that has been sitting on my drive for 5 years now! 

Happy Halloween Everyone and to All 

A Dark Night!

"Death of the Dead" at Flyway Film Fest 2010

Halloween is almost at hand and the Flyway Film Festival located in Pepin & Stockholm Wisconsin has already begun! Big ups to my fellow Wisconsinites on their successful Kickstarter campaign which helped fund this years awesome films and events including the Special Kickstarter Backer Screening/Party for Gary King's "Death of the Dead" Friday October 22nd at 10:00 PM at the Lake Pepin Art & Design Center Director Gary King will be in attendance!

I like to help and encourage other Wisconsin film and music makers to step up to the craft however and whenever possible. Unfortunately, I am booked in the studio for the next month and will not be able to attend this years event! I did however do my part by pitching in to the Flyway Film Festival Kickstarter Campaign AND I have been asked to provide a CD of music for the DOTD After Party. And this I have done, (and if snail mail cooperates it will be arriving before Friday Night's Event!;)

In fact, I thought I would volunteer to add a bonus to the rewards offered by the Flyway Film Fest! For anyone who was a Kickstarter Backer for  this years festival, I am going to offer a FREE DOWNLOAD!

Are YOU one of the 65 backers of The Flyway Film Festival Kickstarter Campaign? Would you like to receive a FREE DOWNLOAD of the 'Death of the Dead Party -TAO X MIX'?

All you have to do is comment on this article (in the comments section below) including the phrase:
"I supported the Flyway Film Festival on Kickstarter".


OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS UPDATE - As posted on Flyway Film Festival Kickstarter Backer site:
TAO X Productions is offering a Halloween Bonus Reward for anyone who supported the Flyway Film Festival Kickstarter Campaign:
I gotta make you work for it a little bit, so leave a comment that includes the phrase "I supported the Flyway Film Festival on Kickstarter" under this Blog Post: http://nightmaresoundlab.blogspot.com/2010/10/death-of-dead-at-flyway-filmfest-2010.html
And send me an email to taoxproductions@gmail.com or follow & tweet me @TAOXproductions letting me know, so I can email or DM you a link & code to retrieve a FREE download of the DJ mix I created for The Flyway Film Festival "Death of the Dead" Special Kickstarter Backer Screening After Party!
Scary good music all from my studio for the scary holiday:)
I would also love it if anyone would choose to follow my Nightmare Sound Lab Blog!
Feel free if you like, but I won't make you do that to get your reward.
Thanks,
T. Reed - Composer/Producer
TAOX {The Art of X} Productions
http://www.taoxproductions.com
http://nightmaresoundlab.blogspot.com

P.S. If you are already a blog follower but did not support the Flyway Film Fest campaign and want a copy, please comment on this article with some damn fine fancy talkin' on what you do to help and uplift the state of independent artists, musicians, filmmakers and the craft in general. I can be persuaded to give out a few more codes for a free download:)

Thanks for all of you who are dedicated to the craft and culture!

T. Reed - TAO X Productions - Nightmare Sound Laboratory

"Multi-Crastination" The Dark Side of a Busy Creative Mind!

Let me preface this article with a little background. I am a 'Type A', multi-media multi-taskin' creative madman who is entirely unsatisfied sticking to one discipline. I do believe I could be very happy with a set of octopus arms to achieve all that I would like to. So far, knowing of no living mad doctors who can achieve this operation successfully, I have had to settle for less sleep to create more time.

I started as a graphic artist only to become a musician. I employed all of my artistic and sculptural skills for supporting my musical projects including creating posters, promo art, packaging, props, and set/stage design. For two decades I have been pouring creativity out of one vessel or another. I became involved in video production in the late 80;s and since that time have added several other skills and projects to my already full schedule of mad scientist, rock and roll
'comic bookery'                 (To use a term Tyler Weaver, (creator of "Whiz Bam Pow") likes to say.)
The other day I visited Tyler Weaver's Blog News at: The Tyler Weaver Daily and there was a mysterious audio file the emerged from out of nowhere! I couldn't even be sure that is where it came from! I was frantically closing windows to see if some strange pop up had hit me...nothing; Maybe it was only my subconscious speaking to me? In any event, I am not normally keen on auto-play files on websites wherever they come from, but this one was tastefully mixed, haunting, humorous, and the source of an epiphany in my life as a crazy multi-media artist!
It was a lecture from a soft compelling voice with gentle British accent describing the nature of procrastination.

"Procrastination is..." - It listed through a number of obvious definitions. We've all been there and can relate. But then...it got a little deeper.

Now, I know I procrastinate, but I'm also so busy most of the time that it is hard to picture myself as a "procrastinator" per se'. I mean, how can one be procrastinating if they are always busy, right?
And that is where the revelation kicked in...
I laughed when the voice said "Doing the dishes is procrastination." Because yes, I had coincidentally stepped into the kitchen to do a few dishes when I heard it;)
"Making lists is procrastinating" ...
BUT WAIT! I have to make lists to keep all these projects and their (ever-extending) schedules in order!...And on and on the list went...etc., etc.

And then it said something I can only paraphrase (as the ghostly voice has since vanished from whence it came.) It regarded starting new projects to ensure you could never finish any of the old ones still lost in the loop. FLASH! A light went on in my head. I know I DO THAT! It's not on purpose, and I definitely DO finish lots of things, but still, there is an element of truth inside the statement uttered by that disembodied voice!

There is a certain thrill to the chase when it comes to ideas. The pragmatics and logistics of starting a marketing campaign for an idea in motion, is generally not as alluring as the next "BIG THING" idea that pops into one's head. Carried to it's logical conclusion, without discipline, this can lead to creative projects left on the back burners (of a stove stored in the garage.)

Keep loving what you do and doing what you love!

What do you love to do creatively? Have you fallen into the trap of 'multi-crastinating'? When you've finished adding your comments, you can always procrastinate some more by visiting fellow 'multi-crastinator' Tyler Weaver's latest project at: http://tyler-weaver.com/WhizBamPow!.html
Let me know what you think in the comments!

And don't forget to TWEET if you are a #multicrastinator as well!
~

Born Free...Lance -The Thrill & the Peril

FREELANCE! 

Lets take a little closer look at that word, comprised of two words. FREE : as defined in the dictionary as independent and unrestricted. LANCE: defined as a long spear, or to pierce with a lance.

For those of us who actually live the life of a freelancer, it certainly does (at times) seem like a poke in the eye (or elsewhere) with a sharp stick. It can be a very "feast or famine" affair and your work never ends even though you aren't always pulling a check from the intensive efforts required to keep the gears turning. But despite all the battle scars and tribulations, the FREE part still holds enough compelling appeal to keep us coming back for more. I think a lot of people who might enjoy the "romantic" notion of what a "freelancer" might be, would not fare so well when their lips get dry and full of the taste of dirt and blood from hitting the ground a few times. And that's why it takes a special breed to hang in there and roll with the punches. 

  Speaking of  "punches", I recently read another great article on freelancing by a very funny and talented freelance writer, Chuck Wendig, on his website 'Terrible Minds' entitled: 'Want to be a Freelancer? Just Punch Yourself in the Face, Instead'
In it he brings up one of the more unsung perils of freelancing: Most people who have never freelanced will probably never understand what exactly it is that you do, and you are going to have to be okay with that fact.

   Besides that, you will need to conceal that incredulous look that creeps onto your face when your friends and family start making embarrassingly retarded and backwards statements about your work, of which they clearly know nothing. Chuck's brilliant quote (from the article mentioned above) really captures the heart of the matter with grace and humor! 

   "Nobody seems to believe that freelancing is real. It’s as if you’re playing pretend. “That’s not a real job, is it?” “No, I just made it up. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go hang out with my pet dragon and have a tea party in Narnia." - (Chuck Wendig)

  There is plenty more that can be said on the subject of freelancing (I'll save that for another article) and I could go on and on with a list of stupid crap people have 'unwittingly' said surrounding  the subject, but I think I will leave that for you, dear readers. Any of you freelancers got any stories or examples of the stupid things people have said to you regarding your work? Add your comments here so we can all have a good cathartic laugh,...and then get back to work (or tea time in Narnia, if you prefer;)

Yes I know this isn't Narnia! 
But it's not freelancing either...or is it?
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Drew Daywalt - Master of Horror - Brings you "Doppelganger"

I recently discovered one of the finest horror filmmakers ever! Yeah, that's right, I said EVER! Drew Daywalt is the master of the horror short. There are many well known horror creators for whom I have great admiration, but none of them have had the consistent ability to make the hair stand up on the back of my neck (and include a clever twist) all in under 5 minutes! His latest effort, "Doppelganger", lives up to that benchmark handily. There is little point in giving an actual review of the piece itself, as any spoilers would probably ruin the 'creepalicious' effect. Yeah, I made that word up!

JUST WATCH IT!

Drew Daywalt and his team at Daywalt Fear Factory consistently deliver stellar examples of what can be done with short form low or controlled budget filmmaking. You can see more of his hair raising storytelling at:

Daywalt Fear Factory

And if you liked "Doppelganger", make a point to also watch "Bedfellows". Am I exaggerating by calling Drew Daywalt a Master of Horror? Judge for yourself and let me know your opinion. And for God's sake...

"DON"T GO HOME!"

TAO X Productions Online! 11/29/09

Official TAO X Productions Website now online!

After much tribulation, procrastination, and frequent 'conflustrication' (nope, not a word, ...yet;), I finally retooled the TAO X Productions website.
New easy to access flash audio and video samples, project links, and a sleek new design are finally available.
The Shopping and Newsletter features are not fully functional just yet. At the moment they are still a world of code I have to finish grappling with, but I'm well on the way and should have those aspects ironed out before long.
As a long time practitioner of DIY philosophy, it can be both frustrating and rewarding to pick up new software from scratch and tickle the edge of code, while trying to get regular projects done. Web work can be so time consuming and meticulous!
All that said, I hope I've managed to create an enjoyable and useful space for clients, fans, and new viewers to experience a piece of my world as a composer/artist/musician/producer. As time permits I will upgrade and improve the site to better serve the developing needs of my clients and the general needs of the multimedia, post production, music and entertainment industry.
I want to thank everyone who shows interest and visits my sites/blogs etc.
For clients I hope to bring a unique flavor that really helps lift their projects/campaigns to their highest potential. For listeners and fans, I hope you all enjoy my eclectic collection of odd bits, albums, and video work from throughout my career/life as an Artist/Musician/Composer.
I thank you for your ears and your support!
Best Wishes,



T. Reed - Composer/Music Producer
TAO X Productions
Nightmare Sound Lab
TAO X on Twitter