Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Video saved the radio star?

For a little while now, I've been trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up. And by "a little while," I mean about 30 years. Last September I went to see a vocational guidance counselor to help, which it did, in a very general way. However, while I wasn't expecting "you should be a professor of astronomy in a mid-sized university just on the northern outskirts of Cairo" kind of specificity, I do need more than "well, something arty and also a bit science-y."

I asked a few friends in Portland about it, and those who've seen my short films said that I should do that. Which, again, is helpful in a general way but there are other factors involved besides doing something creative. I would like said occupation to have the potential to provide me with a living wage. (Filmmaking is almost on a par with commodity trader or music producer as far as likelihood of losing vast sums of money in a hurry.) It also has to be a transferable skill -- Argotnaut and I will likely be leaving Portland in 18 months or so when she goes to graduate school for her linguistics degree, and I'd like to be able to get a job wherever it is we end up.

But a few days ago, I started thinking more seriously about an occupation Argotnaut and I have bandied about before: video production, and in a perfect world, music video production. This would enable me to use my skills as a filmmaker and audio engineer, is creative and science-y, offers the potential to actually earn a modest living and also is highly transferable, even overseas if necessary.

The more I thought about it, the better it sounded. So I have decided to pursue that. Starting this Monday, I am taking a video editing course at Northwest Film Center (the same place I took the Filmmaking class) and this Spring I plan to start work on a Video Production Certificate through Portland Community College. Therefore, in the next few weeks, expect to be tortured by more of my short films, this time shot on video.

For now, enjoy this very cost-effective and creative "OK Go" video if you haven't seen it already:


Or, if you prefer, here are a couple of nice pictures of Pepe with his tongue sticking out: