You could say I'm living a dream. Just a few years ago. Ahem. I said just a few years ago when I went to grad school. For thirteen days. My goal was to direct music videos. Yes, what she really wanted to do was direct. It could be because one of my professors, pleasant yet troll-like (there's a reason I say that) told me I could only work behind-the-scenes in entertainment because I was too ugly to be in front of the camera. If I could only recall her name instead of her face I would send her a copy of my Wilhelmina modeling contract. Yet, I digress. My Type A personality does love to control. What a surprise. So directing anything is not much of a stretch.
With a new video camera and a willing victim, I have been able to have at it of late. And it is as addictive and creatively satisfying as I thought it would be. For some reason, my good friend (that always sounds so fake, doesn't it? we're just good friends) Brien Travis has let me take his music and make it visual. Maybe he just didn't know enough to just say no. We started out easy. So easy, in fact, my husband won't even label it a video. Hey, it told a story, it had a vibe, and I had software to learn. The song is "This Fairytale" and it's posted under Watch Jane at www.thejaneellen.com. Brien was pleased with the end result. Quirky. Fairytaley. That's what we were going for.
Next video was an actual moving picture. I know. Big step. Also posted under Watch Jane and it's called Coffee Binge. Even though I did all the editing and was technically the director, it was all Brien's idea. His way to celebrate turning 29. Drink a lot of coffee in a short amount of time. We did have a grand time. There was some car dancing, speed talking, straw music-making-- and then the twitches set in. For about half an hour I felt awesome. Oddly enough, it was just today that I read that caffeine, as an addiction, is a drug of reward. Huh.
Then I took all the coffee drinking and hilarious good times we had in those three hours and cut it to four and a half minutes. Aaaahhh, directing. Just feeling that power is almost as awesome is all that caffeine running through my veins. But even I'll admit that Coffee Binge didn't take much directing on my part. Unlike the next project. Well, let me first say, I plan to have many little amusements on my website like Coffee Binge. At the same time, I'm also living the dream, right now, of directing what, when it's all said and done, will be a real music video in my eyes.
OK, it would really be a dream if I was getting some multi-million dollar paycheck and had a crew to do my bidding. And a sweet trailer. That aside, I like the challenge of pulling off something respectable on nothing. And this time I'm approaching it just like a grown-up director would. I've got a shot-by-shot outline of everything I want to get. If anything occurs to me, fine. But there is a list of have-to-haves. And you know I love a good list. If you want a head start on it, go to www.myspace.com/brientravis and listen to "Daylight." I will provide no hints as to how I will treat it visually. No fairy wings for me this time. Unless I'm just wearing them behind the camera. Which I am inclined to do anyway. No matter how it turns out, my week has already been made. Brien has already said, and I have it recorded, "Whatever you want. You're the director."
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