Seems I will not be joining the ranks of Dolby Labs. A call from HR late today confirmed that the honor would go to another applicant. Seems I can’t get ahead no matta what I do.
As a result my spirits are down today, so until tomorrow…
As many of you know I have been pursuing with limited success a career in film and video. My friend/partner Mark and I, and a talented crew of friends and coworkers, won the Best Video Award for Razzle Dazzle, the most recent video we produced for Bank of the West. We also recently finished a special edition DVD of Razzle Dazzle that many of you will soon have in hand. While it is well known that I am rarely pleased with my own work, (a constant struggle against my inner critic), I am relatively pleased with how everything turned out and feel comfortable sharing it with the world.
Now with the bulk of this project behind us, we are eager to start our next venture: a short horror film we hope to enter into film festivals later this year. Today we took a giant and exciting step forward in that direction as we scouted the probable location of the film: a vacant shopping mall slated for demolition later this year. We are hopeful that this mall will serve as the backdrop for our own Halloween or Friday the 13th (when shooting for the moon, always plan to leave a huge gaping hole). The short visit inspired us, and gelled a number of the ideas we had talked about.
I am determined not to let our “film” equipment rust in the garage another year, waiting for the next Bank of the West video. This will be our first completely independent project, and produced under the banner Elma Films (derived from the first two letters of each of our names, Elvis and Mark). But many details remain, including the writing and polishing of a script, casting, crewing the shoot, securing the location and all the preproduction that goes into putting it all on screen.
I hope to document much of it here, giving you some taste of how it all comes together. And if any of you are interested in participating, please let me know. It will be a bumpy but amazing ride.
Well the interview was a 4 hour affair, but I believe I did well… even on the test. I also discovered I was the number one candidate.. but there are still 2-3 other applicants in the hunt. Apparently there was another applicant, already interviewed, who was the leading candidate, but with a poor attitude. I am supposed to hear back late Friday or early Monday. It seems like a great place to work.. and the benifits are endless.
I am hopeful. More later.
It’s the night before the big interview. Hopefully the 9-month hiatus will not adversely affect my test performance. Seems testing is a big deal now days; a lot of employers have been burned by taking candidates at their word. While certainly not my first love, web development does pay the bills, and an opportunity at Dolby is certainly worth pursuing. Who knows whom I’ll run into there? Perhaps I’ll see George Lucas walking down the hallway. Will I launch into a tirade, giving him a piece of my mind? Or will lose all composure and grovel at his feet. Those of you who know me best know the answer.
Speaking of George, and yes we are on a first name basis… appears to have mucked up the next Indiana Jones film, not that the idea of Harrison Ford chasing Nazis with a walker appealed to me. Seems the script by Frank Darabont ("The Green Mile" and "Shawshank Redemption") didn’t meet George’s expectations; perhaps the dialogue wasn’t flat enough. On the other hand Stephen (Spielberg that is, also on a first name basis) liked the script but is deferring to George. When did Spielberg become such a "p*ssy"? I guess too much water under the bridge. Anyways thanks a lot George, one less thing to look forward too. After the end of the Lord of the Rings and Sex in the City, what else is there? Oh yeah. Kill Bill, Volume 2. And what’s that other film… that’s it… The Incredibles.
It’s going to be a long summer I’m afraid…