Wednesday, November 12, 2003

Plugging on, building websites hoping that will draw some attention. Will it is the question. Just about ready to send the latest version of the movie offering out the lawyers. This time it better be okay. Tired of typing away doing legal revisions day in and day out. Too bad lawyers are so expensive or I'd have hired it done right from the outset.

Went off to the War museum yesterday, it was Rememberance Day here in Canada and Veterans Day in the US. I'd never been there before, turns out there is a lot more there than I'd expected. They could certainly have used a better batch of multi-media designers though. The support AV work was very lacking in what it could have been.

This week a very good friend of mine informed me over lunch that he has been diagnosed with sinus cancer. We've been friends since the tenth grade and he has been more like a brother than a friend. It hit me pretty hard since in the last two years I've had my mother-in-law develop colon cancer, she has survived. My wife also a few months after, also colon cancer, she too has survived and will be a long term survivor based on her fistiness and attitude. While she was in for her surgery, my first wife's mother was rushed into the same hospital with complications from ovarian cancer. She recovered for a few months then died last fall. That was about the same time that my father was coming in to Calgary to go through three months of radiation treatment for his lip cancer that had spread to the neck lymphnodes. He too has survived so far. Now my friend... not sure what it all means cosmically speaking... I guess we've all just got to keep getting tests done every two years or so if we want to stay ahead of a disease that has many forms. Of course both my sets of grandparents lived into their nineties for whatever that's worth... Oh well... Enough reflection on that!!

I've been following the international viewpoint on Canada's immigration policy. Here's what a British consultant has to say on the matter: http://www.ds-osac.org/view.cfm?key=7E45514A4652&type=2B170C1E0A3A0F162820

Saturday, November 01, 2003

Hmmm.... just got back from Los Angeles. A rather posh event at the Canadian Consulate crafted and designed by the Alberta Government department of Economic Development. There were a number of studio and production company reps there that seemed to truly enjoy the fare which was, hey what else could it be but a roast of Alberta Prime rib!!! Gotta say that it was a great feed! I came home with a fistful of business cards so I think I made some good connections but only time will tell.

The others in the Alberta contingent seemed to be cornering various production folk, with hopefully some degree of success. We definitely need much more activity here to make things happen. Right now we are in danger of sliding back to a "one crew" jurisdiction like we were fifteen years ago. As I have frequently argued, we need more than just the big movies here. It might feed a segement of the crew quite adequately, but it doesn't grow new crew members. Only TV does that, and lots of TV in particular. I believe that it would be better to have half a dozen MOW's than one large movie although it would be great to have both. The MOW's give the production side a chance to stay busy. There is only room for one PM on any show regardless of size. Granted it may take a second crew and an additional PM but that is usualy limited and in my experience very limited since most second units exist without and added PM or extra Line Producer.

Oh well, here's hoping. I'm about to launch a public offering for several small movies. Wish me luck!