Blog Meets World
So I had a new experience last night. I was invited to an actual dinner party by my friend Sara, who I happen to have never met before. No, this isn't one of those online dating things, although I have dabbled in that along with a few of my other friends *cough*Joe*cough*Hatkoff*. But the main purpose of talking with Sara was to see if she could get me a job in "the industry", as people not in "the industry" tend to call it. It's actually funny how I got to know Sara. One night back home a few days before coming to L.A, I got a voicemail from a guy named Steve, saying he goes to school with my sister Stacey and he has a cousin in Los Angeles. Anyway, I talked to Steve, I talked to Sara, yadda yadda yadda, two weeks and three thousand miles later I'm eating dinner at her house with four other dudes I don't know.
Plain and simple, I was nervous to go. I'd be going to a place where I didn't know anybody or anything about the social scene. I think I had the vague fear that at some point I would be peer pressured into doing cocaine. I am such a naiive child. But I was also nervous because it was my first time driving alone in Los Angeles, and it was to a place I had never been before. I printed Mapquest directions to get there and to come back, but when it comes to directions, I'm a moron, especially if I don't have anybody there with me to say "No, moron, you go this way." I was trying to get on the freeway and somehow found myself in Universal Studios parking lot. At this point, I didn't want to go, I was gonna be late, and I was about to call Sara and tell her "Sorry but I'm purchasing a ticket to Universal and hitting the Back to the Future ride. Peace." But she's nice and I was hungry and so I decided not to give up.
Unfortunately, just as I was leaving Universal, EVERYBODY who had taken their families for the day Sunday said "Alright kids, you've had enough! Get in the car, we're going home!" and cut me off. Also, pulling out of Universal Studioes, my Mapquest directions were useless to me as I was not fucking near the expected course. And so, it took me 20 minutes to get maybe a mile to the 101 South Freeway.
So I was 45 miuntes late. I was picturing everybody sitting around the table in silence, with fork and knives in hand, waiting for me, while a grandfather clock ticks loudly. Fortunatley, this wasn't the case. When I got there, Sara was still making dinner. Everybody else was standing around drinking white wine and eating brie and strawberries. Yeah, cut to Joe, Pat, and Jorge eating microwaved tortillas with sauce and cheese. I felt like such a child compared to these people. I kept wondering if they were going to make me sit at the kids table when we ate. But it turned out everybody was super-nice and down to earth.
There were four other guys there: Brad (who I think lives with Sara), Mike from Virginia who looks like Ryan Gosling without the beard and long hair, AJ, and Giacun (pronounced Ja-COON) from Switzerland. All of these people were working in "the industry". Mike came this past February and has had steady work as a grip on features, as well as commercials I think. AJ was from Cincinatti and he actually has his own production company, Cobra Productions, in which he has written, directed, produced, and edited an entire feature, as well as a lot of other things. Giacun is a student at UCLA Film school, of which they accept about 8 people every year. By his graduation in 2008 he has to have an entire feature film created. I asked him if the school finances that. He said no. He isn't working since his work load from school is so intense, so I asked him if he was able to take out loans, and he says "The movie will mostly be financed by my private sponsor." I was gonna leave it at that, but then he says "My father." His father is some big real estate guy in Switzerland. Well, what if you go to UCLA Film School and you're father is not a big real estate guy in Switzerland who can finance your final project? Oh that's right, then you don't get in!
Giacun was a cool guy though, don't get me wrong. He said that he's looking for a script to shoot and asked me to send the treatment of the film Jorge and I are writing. That would be an excellent chance to get something we've written made, which would be a tremendous step.
All in all it was a pleasant evening. Sara was awesome and her cooking was phenomenal (we had chicken in this cream sauce wrapped in Filo bread which was just plain flaky goodness), and the people were cool. They said they would try to get me something as far as work goes. The impression I got was that all these people were friends who all support eachother with getting jobs and whatnot. For example, Sara mentioned over dinner how when the movie she is working on wraps, she's doing a three week commercial shoot and mentioned to Mike that so and so was interested in having him on production if he was interested. She also mentioned options for AJ as well. Sara is a good person to know. However, she did say she wouldn't be recommending me for work anywhere if I didn't have a car. It wouldn't be responsible on her part, so I guess that's my next objective. Luckily, Giacun said he has a friend in the Valley who could get me a deal. Networking, people. Networking.
In other news, Leah booked her ticket and is coming November 21st to the 27th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We also have another mouse.
Plain and simple, I was nervous to go. I'd be going to a place where I didn't know anybody or anything about the social scene. I think I had the vague fear that at some point I would be peer pressured into doing cocaine. I am such a naiive child. But I was also nervous because it was my first time driving alone in Los Angeles, and it was to a place I had never been before. I printed Mapquest directions to get there and to come back, but when it comes to directions, I'm a moron, especially if I don't have anybody there with me to say "No, moron, you go this way." I was trying to get on the freeway and somehow found myself in Universal Studios parking lot. At this point, I didn't want to go, I was gonna be late, and I was about to call Sara and tell her "Sorry but I'm purchasing a ticket to Universal and hitting the Back to the Future ride. Peace." But she's nice and I was hungry and so I decided not to give up.
Unfortunately, just as I was leaving Universal, EVERYBODY who had taken their families for the day Sunday said "Alright kids, you've had enough! Get in the car, we're going home!" and cut me off. Also, pulling out of Universal Studioes, my Mapquest directions were useless to me as I was not fucking near the expected course. And so, it took me 20 minutes to get maybe a mile to the 101 South Freeway.
So I was 45 miuntes late. I was picturing everybody sitting around the table in silence, with fork and knives in hand, waiting for me, while a grandfather clock ticks loudly. Fortunatley, this wasn't the case. When I got there, Sara was still making dinner. Everybody else was standing around drinking white wine and eating brie and strawberries. Yeah, cut to Joe, Pat, and Jorge eating microwaved tortillas with sauce and cheese. I felt like such a child compared to these people. I kept wondering if they were going to make me sit at the kids table when we ate. But it turned out everybody was super-nice and down to earth.
There were four other guys there: Brad (who I think lives with Sara), Mike from Virginia who looks like Ryan Gosling without the beard and long hair, AJ, and Giacun (pronounced Ja-COON) from Switzerland. All of these people were working in "the industry". Mike came this past February and has had steady work as a grip on features, as well as commercials I think. AJ was from Cincinatti and he actually has his own production company, Cobra Productions, in which he has written, directed, produced, and edited an entire feature, as well as a lot of other things. Giacun is a student at UCLA Film school, of which they accept about 8 people every year. By his graduation in 2008 he has to have an entire feature film created. I asked him if the school finances that. He said no. He isn't working since his work load from school is so intense, so I asked him if he was able to take out loans, and he says "The movie will mostly be financed by my private sponsor." I was gonna leave it at that, but then he says "My father." His father is some big real estate guy in Switzerland. Well, what if you go to UCLA Film School and you're father is not a big real estate guy in Switzerland who can finance your final project? Oh that's right, then you don't get in!
Giacun was a cool guy though, don't get me wrong. He said that he's looking for a script to shoot and asked me to send the treatment of the film Jorge and I are writing. That would be an excellent chance to get something we've written made, which would be a tremendous step.
All in all it was a pleasant evening. Sara was awesome and her cooking was phenomenal (we had chicken in this cream sauce wrapped in Filo bread which was just plain flaky goodness), and the people were cool. They said they would try to get me something as far as work goes. The impression I got was that all these people were friends who all support eachother with getting jobs and whatnot. For example, Sara mentioned over dinner how when the movie she is working on wraps, she's doing a three week commercial shoot and mentioned to Mike that so and so was interested in having him on production if he was interested. She also mentioned options for AJ as well. Sara is a good person to know. However, she did say she wouldn't be recommending me for work anywhere if I didn't have a car. It wouldn't be responsible on her part, so I guess that's my next objective. Luckily, Giacun said he has a friend in the Valley who could get me a deal. Networking, people. Networking.
In other news, Leah booked her ticket and is coming November 21st to the 27th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We also have another mouse.
posted by PJG at 10/09/2006 11:52:00 AM
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