Saturday, October 3, 2015

Creating content vs. consuming content



Mushroom in my front yard after recent rainy days
Ideas pop out of the ground after unpleasant experiences.  After several dreary rainy days this mushroom appeared in the grass by my driveway.  After distributing it's spores it will disappear and the progeny will wait for another opportune time to rise above the surface.  The following ideas on happiness have been popping with great frequency over the past year.

I've been reading a book by Daniel Pink describing what activities give people the most happiness.  Being a passive consumer of entertainment is not high on the list.  Why do I work during the week only to plop down in the chair to watch television when this activity only provides a modicum of happiness and the sitting accelerates my aging process?

People are happiest when they are doing things that are meaningful to them.  Learning something new also produces powerful chemicals in the brain producing positive experiences.

I don't understand the need to short circuit the chemicals our brain produces naturally when we help  learn, create or achieve.

I feel deep sorrow when I see individuals taking a dangerous short cut to pleasure that speeds up the process of dying.  Live is either easy/hard or hard/easy. I'm impressed by people that spend thousands of hours learning how to do something better.  This includes my daughter who plays tennis and enjoys the time she spends practicing to improve her game.

People are also happiest when they are goofy.  I've enjoyed creating goofy videos with my daughter.  She learned how to pet a cat backwards for a special video effect. I learned how to properly toss a cellphone to a witch who dropped it while texting and brooming.

Trilliums in a Minnesota Forest - Spring, 2015
I encourage you to spend time being goofy and enjoying life.  Embrace the moments that pop out and offer an opportunity for adventure. 


Monday, June 8, 2015

David James Sikkink - Actor



David James Sikkink


My cousin, David James Sikkink, lives in Hawaii and does occasional film, television and commercial work.  I've included a demo real below.



David James Sikkink Demo Reel - 2 minutes 20 seconds.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Warner Bros Studio - Big Bang Theory


Shed on Warner Bros. Back lot - Location of the Big Bang Paint Ball episode
 
The interior was shot in the building.  The exterior was shot at a different location - 2min.

We were not allowed to take photos inside the Big Bang Theory sound stage.  Each of the four permanent sets is covered by drop cloths to prevent damage and reduce dust on the material.  A typical Big Bang taping in front of a live audience lasts less than 4 hours as the team has the production down and the writers do not need to do many scene rewrites on the spot.   The free tickets for the show are often sold out a year in advance.

Many new shows take up to 10 hours of taping and a second audience is often brought in to finish out the shoot.   







Warner Bros. Studio tour - Harry Potter exhibit

Dementors and other creatures are featured at the Harry Potter Exhibit
Gryffindor Quidditch Gear
Fireplace mail delivery
Hermione Granger petrified by the Basilisk
The exhibit also includes a sorting hat.

Gryffindor!

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Trip to Warner Brothers Studio - Blazing Saddles

Warner Brothers city street back lot - photo M. Carlson


Warner Brothers Studio was the set for the Mel Brooks movie Blazing Saddles.  The Western back lot has now been replaced.  There are a few location shots left.  The large sound stages of the studio are shown at the beginning of the first scene.   The entry way gate is show in the second clip.




The French Mistake (2 min)

The initial 10 seconds of the video shows the sound stages at Warner Brothers Studio



The Pie fight (1min)

Notice the man in the blue suit jacket on the street corner as the group runs away from the Warner Brothers Studio.  He showed up that day wanting to be in a Mel Brooks Movie.  They told him to stand on the corner and wait.

Trip to Warner Brothers Studio VIP tour - part 2 Batman


Steps leading to Gotham City Headquarters from the original 60's Batman TV show - photo M. Carlson

The Warner Brothers studio has an excellent collection of Batman related memorabilia.  This includes a small museum of Batman costumes and a museum with most of the batmobiles, and bat motorcycles used in the movies.  It also has the front for the Gotham City Police headquarters. Click on an image to enlarge.

Batman and Arch enemy costumes - photo N. Carlson
Batmobile - photo N. Carlson

Flash the Bat Signal - photo N. Carlson

Gotham City Police Headquarters:  http://www.retrorebirth.com/batman/batman-1966-tv-series.php


Sunday, February 8, 2015

Trip to Warner Brothers Studio VIP tour part 1

Warner Bros. Logo on the wall of a Sound Stage facing Universal Studios -  photo M. Carlson

This past week our family took the VIP tour of the Warner Brothers Studio in Burbank, California the morning of Super Bowl Sunday lead capably by Maggie a student in screen writing at nearby Columbia College.

Church used in Pretty Little Liars - photo M. Carlson

 
Rosewood High School - photo M. Carlson

One of my daughter's favorite TV shows, Pretty Little Liars, is filmed at this location.  We were able to walk around the exterior sets and go inside the houses where they film the show.  The exteriors were also used for the TV show Gilmore Girls, The Big Bang Theory, and Friends.  



Central Perk - photo N. Carlson
They have kept the props from the original Friends Central Perk coffee house and set it up for viewing in a small room in one of the sound stages.  There were three couches used for the show.  One of them is at the Smithsonian, the second at this sound stage and I don't recall the location of the third.

Friday, January 30, 2015

High temps on a Weather map.


The temperatures on this weather map are a bit extreme similar to what I would expect from a volcanic eruption.



Weather reports we hope we never see. - 1 min.