Thus the night has finally come

This photo is my make-up practice for a friends film I was working on. I'm quite proud of my bruise.
I thought I was in the clear, since the weather here has been quite beautiful lately; I was wrong. It has now come to my attention that it just rains and is super depressing for the next three to four months.

I haven't really had time to think about it though. School has been super busy, with trying to figure out how to do productions in a country in which you don't understand the language and papers. Last weekend, I edited film on the table for the first time. You have to sit in a dark room and cut the film with this little stable looking thing. It was quite an experience, but sadly it will probably be the first and the last time, because we have reached the digital age.

Sometimes, I'm sorry to admit that I just can't watch movies anymore, it becomes such an overload. For example, I went to see the new Harry Potter the other day and instead of it being a just a relaxing experience, I was just thinking the entire time about cinematic imageing, Sometime it's just hard to turn it off. I am contemplating getting my own digital camera so that I can start to film whenever I want instead waiting for it, but I haven't decided what i want to do exactly.

Everybody is in production right now and it has been a lovely experience to watch everyone work. Hopefully, I can stay true to that productiveness. My shooting is two days starting at 5am one day and 6am another. So in other words I don't mind surviving on just coffee for a couple of days.

I watched some great movies the other day. First off if you want to see a really bad it's good horror Austrialian film The Loved Ones is the film to see. The music can be a bit distracting and the film drops a couple of plot points in the middle of the film, but in terms of just being absurd it is something to see.

The Saddest Music on Earth is another great one I watched for the first time. CULT CLASSIC.

Peter Ibbetson was made in 1935 and can you say very along the lines of inception. It wonderfully campy.

Today I went to a Czech place kindof like Office Depot and it was quite an experience. I was buying construction materials for my film. I went with my producer and I don't know about her, but I had a blast, trying to figure out the "look" i'm trying to create for my film. It is going to be a very "sterile" looking set.

Alright. Well.... I guess that's all from me at the moment. Listening to czech tapes, so to better myself... because it's quite embarrassing when I try to speak.

Time is fleeting

So, It's been a million years since I've written on this, but better late than never right? So, here we are in the third month of being in Prague and it never seems to be dull. At first it felt like the semester was going to be pretty slow paced, but after last week it's begun to pick up... ALOT. Between scripts, treatments, papers, czech, and shoots there is always something to be done.

There is too much ground to cover from my time here so here are some top highlights.
1. Perpetually being lost. (sometimes I wonder why I decide to go to East Jesus Prague and believe I can use a map and forget pride... try asking something in English... and you are shunned.)
2. The european culture at picking the person at the tiniest table and sitting with them... it amazes me every time someone, from all the other tables, chooses to just sit with me. without fail, I understand if I was at a larger table and there were no free tables, but no just me with my computer and writing equiptment all around and they choose to make me move everything and be super incovenient.
3. Being an illegal alien for an extended amount of time. I finally got my visa... so now i'm legal.
4. films i've seen. finally saw some goodies... and some werid ones.

Stagecoach
The Passion of Joan of Arc
A Man Escaped
Vampyr
some other classics

back to the Texas Chainsaw

Oh, the littles joys I've continued to encounter in Prague. This week was filled with Zumba class, many misunderstands, finally fair trade coffee, vanilla extract, and many other wonderful adventures.

Classes have been going well, but I try as hard as I can to fit in as many cultural events in as I can. This week included the new town hall tower, in which I was the only person to be in the building at the time other than the clerk. 10 long staircases to the top. the first were marble then it regressed to wooden then to ladders. creepy, but I enjoyed every moment.

I also was able to visit two modern museums the first was on the river and was interesting and had great views of the city and river. plus the famous prague babies are housed there. The second was the creepiest show I've ever seen. It was straight out of the Texas Chainsaw. There were puddy molds of faces hanging from clothes lines... and I stop there. There was another american in the exhibit with me and we just shared a befuddled exchange and left. He was a nice older man and we exchanged a couple of stories about our first month in prague then parted ways.

On that particular day I decided for some reason to wear a super colorful outfit and was then stopped on the street by a guy who asked to take a photo of me. He said I just had so many colors that I didn't look like an American. I must add I probably did look a bit ridiculous.

I went to see the philharmoinc once again and it even more spectacular than the last. I also went to see Scott Pilgram Vs. the world and I'm not going to lie, I geeked out a little.

Today, I went to get a honey massage and ended up staying an extra thirty mintues talking to the woman who massaged me. She was very refreshing and we had a great converstation about life, age, and growing up. I send her warm thoughts and she really put me in a great mood on a subject that's been causing me a lot of stress lately.

Let the games begin

Prague,
It's been a month to the date since I've arrived and with every winding, confusing named road I fall more and more into your love spell. These past two days I've been able to go on my morning runs and with each I find myself going farther and farther down the river discoving these really exquisite views and paths. I had to stop on one of the docks this morning to watch for a moment and appreciate where I am.

This weekend was such a godsend due to the fact that this week was such a nonstop affair. I was literaly in school from 8 in the morning until 9 at night most days. I could barely catch a break most days, but I survived and I'm ready for the start of the beginning of many more rounds of that to come.

Friday, I was able to scout a location for my next film with the always impecciably wonderful Zuzanna. Another slam dunk for her, It works perfectly. Now, all I need is to final my storyboard and script and it's a go. It's about a mortuary make-up artist and it's mostly just circumstance, rather than an actually story, but what are you going to do (time constrant I only have a minute). We are shooting on 16mm and cutting our own film, so I'm pretty much limited. Moreover, there is no sound and no lighting (except for natural).

After scouting my location, I discovered a lovely old church and grounds over by the prauge castle then wandered around on the side of the river opposite from where I live... I haven't really gotten to know that area very well and I thought it would be nice to figure it out a little.


So list of things I need to do:
Stop pretending i'm mute when people try to say something to me in czech.
Learn what the word for water with gas is... sometimes some simplicity would be nice.

I was (21) years young....

What to say so far about my bohemian adventures... this past weekend FAMU took the international students on a 20 km hike around the "bohemian paradise." I still can't believe the beauty of the forest and I look forward to more backpacking adventures. My 21st birthday was this past Tuesday and being able to celebrate it with my new found friends and this new place was something I will always remember. The rest of the week entailed playing hangover catchup so that I wouldn't be dead forever. Thursday, A group of us went to see Don Givonni in the Estates Theatre...(the place where it orginally was played as yes MOZART the conductor.) On Friday, Eliot and I went with the lovely Zuzanna to see a filming of a movie. Though it was a tad chilly it was a lovely experience and look forward to seeing the film come out. And i'm super jealous of their film equiptment.. all I have to say is one day... one day.

So that was just a mash up of a bunch of things.. I'm gonna try to write more often.

I've been lucky this week to make it to the road to run at least three times. I feel its one of the only ways to truly fall in love with a city.

On Sunday I went for a walk around an old Castle that and ended up getting turned around and lost for a couple of hours. All i have to say is when lost in Prague don't go into a park... there is never a way out. I then had some time at the wonderful GLOBE for coffee and work. My project right now is on a mortuary make-up artist.... ask me anything......

Got lost trying to get found

So... I moved out of the student housing into an apartment with Gabe and Eliot. It is a lovely little apartment right next to the national theatre and so close to everything. We are very lucky... but the scene where were signing the contract was quite humorous... there were 11 people present and the three of us were being pulled every which way... it was quite fustrating and confusing, but fortunately we made it through alive.

Classes have been amazing and everyone in the international program is quite wonderful. I've also had time to get lost a little in the city. I think this is the first time i've gone somewhere and truly fell in love with it. I feel at home here and I've only been heree for a little less than two weeks. It is small enough were you can always find your way, yet it is big enough that there is always a new adventure.


We did our first filming... the group was Eliot, Gabe, and I. We had to get on a tram and take it all the way to the end and find a concept and film what we find. We ended up in this high rise suburban area... it was interesting to see the difference from the city to this place. Moreover, Prague is an extremely hillish area and the cliffs were breathtaking. Next project entails cutting our own film...I can't wait. All I need now is a concept... I'm sure it will come.

I HATE CHILDERN..Not really...

So I finally made it to Prague! The city of Kafka, the gohlem of the jewish quarter... and the language that sounds like complete gibberish. My first flight to Washington D.C. was a little shaky I thought I was going to die the entire time... when we finally landed I caught myself saying the Our Father and closing my eyes. The second flight to Copenhagen was 9 hours of complete HELL! Not only was there a baby aboard... it was possed by a demon and wanted everyone to know it.
The Child cried the entire time... It would take little thirty minute breaks just enough to let the public fall asleep then it would scream like it was being murdered.... I even brought earplugs as a TAKE THAT BABY THAT ALWAYS CRIES ON THE AIRPLANE ITEM... but those things did not drown out that sucker...

Thus I arrived in Prague extremely sleep deprived, but I met Zuzanna the woman who is going to help the boys and me get ajusted to our new life here in this lovely city. She is the sweetest person I think I've ever met... she is so full of life... the cab ride to my "dorm" was entertaining between her and the driver... they made fun of the czech words that I thought I knew and taught me the correct ones.
I thought "sbohem" meant goodbye.. it does mean that, but it means "and god be with you" I feel like its me holding out my hand like a trek-y and saying live long and prosper.

I also acidentally stood Zuzanna up twice today... because of lack of knowledge of the city, but it is breathtaking. I can really feel myself becoming comfortable here. It reminded me of my first day in Italy last summer. I was so worried the entire time that I wouldn't be able to find my way back or that people would judge me because I couldn't speak Italian or even the fear of eating in a resturant by myself... but today I felt so confident walking around the city by myself....I even was able to get a cell, put minutes and everything by myself... and I did not feel weird asking for directions ... and when they didn't speak English... I asked French.. if that didn't work then I just pointed and used one of the Czech word that I do know. please.

To prove that czech is a little bit gibberish... guess what this means "zmrzlinu"

ICE CREAM... I have no idea how to pronouce that.


The place i'm staying in is only for a little while... I have to share a room and I'm not too good at that especially if the room is the size of a closet. Zuzanna , Possibly the boys, and I are going to look at some appartments tomorrow... so lets cross our fingers shall we.