My Mind Plays a Clever Trick on Itself

With the beginning of the new year, there are a few things that I want to accomplish. I realized that it has been over six months since I had an entry in the blog; no particular reason other than not being diligent enough to spend a few minutes once a week putting my thoughts down. So look for a renewed spirit in sharing things "Outside of the Loop".
I find the brain an interesting organ and its capacity to entertain has always amused me. Editing by nature is at best repetitive and over the years I've had "work" dreams where I've been editing, only to wake up and realize I have to go to work and do the same thing I had been doing in my dream. Work dreams are the worst. You feel like you just put in eight hours only to have to do it all over again.
Last night I had a work dream. For some reason I was in California, I know this because the weather was spectacular and we had finished the day and were at an outdoor restaurant. I was with Jeff from Long Island, and as usual, he was hungry and we lost track of each other at the restaurant because it was three levels and of course for some reason had a train track running along side of it.
I was complaining to Jeff that I needed to go so that I could get some sleep before working the next day. This of course is where within my dream, I dream of editing and then get concerned that I'm going to oversleep. I end up waking myself from "both" dreams.
I was curious over the meaning of the train. I never saw the train in the dream but apparently it symbolizes a journey. A new year always means a new journey for me!

For your listening assignment, take in Alan Parsons Project "A Dream Within A Dream" inspired by the writings of Edgar Allen Poe.

You Can Never Go Dome

The Astrodome Control Room 2012

     So a little over a month ago, there was a media tour of the Astrodome. I'm not sure what the purpose of the tour was, but Melissa Phillip from the Houston Chronicle took this photo and it was sent to me via a friend who knew I had worked there.
     I sat in that chair for approximately four years. I saw the Sosa and McGuire home run race from that chair. I got to watch the '97 and '99 Astros teams, which may have been better than the 2005 team, from that chair.
     It was crazy to me that it looked almost exactly the same as when I left at the end of the 1999 season. It also pointed out how far technology has marched onward. I'm amused at the 9" black and white camera monitors we used. Also, the size of switchers has increased proportionately.
     We almost sat in each others' laps in the old days but one of the finest things about directing at the Dome, you always had a great seat. I will always remain fond of the building because it's part of my past.

Directing at Minute Maid 2012

   
     Walking into Enron Field in 2000, there were painters still putting the final touches on the stadium just a few hours before the first game. In 2011, a new control room was built in the converted Star Suite #1. With an HD control room, some of the latest equipment, and a lot of space and leg room, it's become the new home. I just wonder, in 10 or 15 years, will there be as many changes in technology. Scary thoughts!

The Gathering - Austin

It's early in the year so it must be time for the "gathering". Yes, this is a direct reference to the movie "Highlander" but it seems appropriate for this event. Every year at this time, editors from around the country, and a few from beyond our borders, convene at one location to talk and learn about their craft.
The Master Editor's Retreat takes place in Austin this year starting tomorrow.
I have attended three times before and it's certainly one of my favorite things to do. We spend the day considering advancements in technology, software, and compression techniques, and wind the evenings down considering artistic and esoteric considerations in storytelling.
I'm always recharged after the retreat about being an editor and spending time with my fellow artists shows me the possibilities that are out there.
The dual nature of my career, directing/technical directing and editing, is not so strange. I think of directing as live editing and still try to find the right shot, framing, duration, and flow along the way. Plus, there are nearly as many revisions in live television.
As most of my editing is done alone, and all of my live work is with a large group, it's a nice mixture between the roar of the crowd and the quiet solitude and reflective nature of post production.
So stay tuned and wait to hear more on what the future holds courtesy of the 2012 Master Editor's Retreat!

5 Percent Takes 20 Percent of the Time

Greetings friends,
It's been too long since I've posted anything here but with the new year starting, I have dedicated myself to writing on a more regular basis. The world continues to be comical to me most of the time so I hate not getting to share some observations and opinions from time to time. Especially since I can sleep this morning for some reason.
I'm getting ready to attend the Editors Retreat in Austin next month and it has me thinking about the craft of editing and what I do on a regular basis. For those of you who watch television or any kind of media for that matter, have you considered the very painful process of editing? Yes I said painful!
It seems, and it's been true for many years, that as an editor, I spend roughly 20 percent of the time on a project, on 5 percent of actual content. You would think with advances in computers and non-linear editing software, this would have improved over the last twenty years but for some reason, it's a part of the process.
We now do reviews via sites like yousendit where we have less interaction in person with clients. Although I like the fact that I can do the majority of my editing alone, there's a gap sometimes in the communication process that can often lead to multiple revisions.
So I guess we just plug along, try to stay creative, and hopefully bridge that gap in communication a little better when you can.

A Bon Voyage to the Intern

Ah interns, so full of life, happy to have something to do, so idealistic, and at times, some of the most talented people in the room.
Today marks the end of Mallory Roberts' internship with the Houston Astros. I've seen many interns over the course of 16 years with the Astros, some I remember, most who just moved on never to be heard of again.
When I walked into the control room on Monday, I was in a foul mood because of a parking situation. Without getting into the details, let's just say if you are trying to park in Lot C, you better have a current parking pass with the correct date on it. We pick up our parking passes usually at the end of the month for the following month. Since the Astros were on a long road trip, we got our passes on Monday which happened to be the beginning of the month.

This is what my envelope looked liked. Mallory had taken the time to personalize most of the crew's envelopes and was more than clever about it. Consider that Brian Hoisier's (pronounced Hoe-Sure) envelope had a picture of Brian the dog from Family Guy, a garden hoe, and a bottle of Sure antiperspirant.
So Mallory's efforts made me laugh, feel better about the parking jerks, and generally made the show that night better than it would have been had she not been around.
Isn't that one of the best thing an intern can do? Not to say that her work on graphics and other duties she  had while at the Astros weren't just as important!
So we bid farewell to you Mallory, wish you the best in Atlanta at Turner, and know you are embarking on a very successful and long career! Fair winds to you!!

Back to High School

Last week I got the chance to speak to three classes of high school students about production and post-production and the television business in general. What struck me initially was how young these kids were. We never think we are young and goofy once we reach a certain age, but some of us never really grow up and that's probably especially true in the television industry.
The technology continues to race onward and what took an entire facility to produce in the mid '80's is now sitting in one computer, audio processing, editing, special effects. The tools available for these kids is amazing.
Back in the day when I was dreaming of being a Rodriguez, Tarantino, or Wells, it required a lot of other people to complete the dream. Well my dream is re-awakened and I plan to use both the tools I have AND the experience of the last 20 years... that's truly the only advantage I have over the youth of today!

The All Encompassing Aspect of Editing

There are times when editing overtakes my life. I will eat, sleep, and work with the singleminded purpose of making a deadline for a viewing and everything else fades away.
The last ten days have been like that. I've been working to finish a 14-minute show and have done little else other than work. It hurts my head.
I write this as the producer and staff are watching my cut so I have...you guessed it, fourteen minutes to kill. My friends have been hassling me about getting another Stain Boy club CD out, whether or not I'll be attending an editing conference in New Orleans in March, and other non-job related stuff.
If the next twelve minutes go well, I'll take the afternoon off and enjoy myself for just a bit.
I also want to cook more meals at home... three weeks ago I cooked Mexican salmon. Red pepper, jalepenos, onion... the colors of the Mexican flag.

Here's to an evening at home away from After Effects, editing, or thinking in general!

It's Been A Good Year For The Balls

Every year about this time, the Rockets management throws us a party to thank us for working the previous year, and to get us excited about the upcoming year. It's always an enjoyable time to hang out with the crew on a social level and be thankful that we are all still around.
I believe this would be the fifth or sixth year but who is counting.
During the party, there are raffle prizes and the evening culminates with handing out a couple of team signed balls. As with most contests, the best prizes are at the end and in the previous years, if my number was called it was called early. While I never expect anything, it's a nice bonus.
This year my number came up last!

It is nice to know that Jabulani won't be lonely and as homesick for South Africa now!

Now That's A Tomato!!

I think being out of Africa got me away from writing on a regular basis but since there haven't been a lot of comments, you may not have noticed.

This past weekend I worked the 16th Annual SPCA telethon in Houston. I think I've worked the last six or seven years and it's always an enjoyable weekend although the five hours on the air without any commercial breaks is tough.

For some reason this year, I got it in my mind that I wanted to get a photo with one of the sponsors' mascots, so I told folks this and sure enough my dreams came true. It may be a little silly, but it sure was fun. 

I make all the vegetables laugh!!!

Violation of Terms

It's been a busy couple of weeks since I got back from South Africa. I worked 10 events in the first two weeks back, mostly the 2010 version of Superliga along with a couple of Astros games. What has happened to that team?
One of my rules for the blog was to never talk about the Astros or Rockets, thus the title "Outside of the Loop" since both of those stadiums are inside the Houston 610 Loop.
I worked an event on Monday night at the Toyota Center that has to be mentioned. As is the rule a lot of times in our business, we get offered a corporate event, the pay is good and the work is usually easier than a regular game. I showed up on Monday to do a two camera, screens job, not knowing any details. After I got there, they told me it was a classic rock concert.
Yes I can now say that I've worked the World Classic Rockers show in the summer of 2010. It was an "All-Star" band comprised of former members of Toto, Steppenwolf, Santana, Journey, Boston, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Wow! Of course these were members that replaced original members of the band after they had already made their names.
At best it was comical, at worst it was tragic.
As Toto said, "Love doesn't always come on time!".
www.wcr.com
I saw Foghat in college and loved that show. In the early '90's, they were playing in Houston and I spent $6 or $8 to see them at a club. When I walked in, all the members but the drummer where roughly my age. It was confusing because I'm pretty sure that Foghat didn't form when all the members were 10 years old. Aging rock is tough. All the members of the WCR were at least their well into their 60's!

Home At Last

     In the 70's, Steely Dan wrote a song based on the "Odyssey" called "Home at Last". The lines that came to mind this morning after sleeping seven hours in my own bed without my feet sticking off the edge were...

Well the danger on the rocks is surely past
Still I remain tied to the mast
Could it be that I have found my home at last
Home at last

     I think it's appropriate for the day since I'll be going in a few hours to start my work on Super Liga! Seven more games in seven days between Houston and Chicago. The rolling caravan of sports television production doesn't end just because you finish one job, you get up the next day and start all over again.
     What does change is the addition of experiences, and by far, the World Cup is an experience all of it's own. After unpacking all the trinkets, CDs, vuvuzelas, and gifts I brought back, I realize that the most wonderful gift I have was sharing the time with new friends.
     All of the producers, editors, engineers, and technical staff brought together to accomplish the many hours of programming were excellent in their own right. These new friends are what I'll miss the most, and given the opportunity to do it again, I'll look forward to Brazil if that happens to be in the future in 2014! My congratulations also to Univision for what was truly a heroic effort that produced great successes!
     I didn't predict the winner of the World Cup but I've already made amends to the Spanish supporters before I left South Africa.

     Alba was the loudest of all the fans during the game and I congratulate her and her devotion to what ended up being a very good match to close out the competition.

     Monica was not as loud but was as happy in her Spain hat and scarf after the victory.
     Now let's see if the Dynamo can actually win the Super Liga this year!
     For those of you that have followed the blog, I thank you for reading and giving me an audience to share with. I won't be posting on a daily basis anymore but as always, you are more than welcome to drop by, add your comments, and share whenever you'd like!

6 Minutes to Game Time

     Yep, the last game is here and I forgot to post earlier! Holland wins it's first World Cup tonight I think. We've all be waiting for this day, I cannot believe it's here. The fountain at the IBC which has not been running was finally on yesterday. Today it was off again. I got so excited I took a picture.
     It should be a wonderful ending to a very long trip and there will be some wrap-up posts to follow up. Besides, next week, I'm in Chicago working Super Liga!

     Mandela was here for both opening and closing!

Three To Go

     It's come down to three days, 72 hours, 4320 minutes... not that we are counting. Once again I took two days off of the blog and they were very enjoyable. On Thursday I went with a group to Bruma and finished my shopping for the trip.
     On Friday morning, I got up and went to the Apartheid Museum and spent several hours there. It was very similar to the Houston Holocaust Museum or the D-Day Museum in New Orleans. Visiting the sins of the past are always difficult, but because the time of apartheid was so very near in proximity, the museum was especially interesting.
     There was a wealth of video from the 80's and that particularly was gripping in a way that black and white film footage from World War II doesn't quite portray the immediacy of the time. I bought an interesting book on Steven Biko from his student writings and am looking forward to reading some of it on the flight back.

     It was curious that I was classified as a non-white to enter the museum.
     After resting for a few hours, it was back to the IBC to work on Contacto and a nice meal afterwards.
     I haven't totaled up my win/loss record on picking games but was disappointed that Germany didn't make it to the finals.
     For that reason, I will pick Alemania (Germany in spanish) to win today. I think if I spent another week here, I would probably be talking in Spanish exclusively. Something for Sean to look forward to when I get home.

One More Today, Two More and We're Outta Here

     We got in at noon today and several of us went and got egg, bacon, and cheese sandwiches and enjoyed the sunshine out in the courtyard. It's now five hours later and the clouds have returned but it is still not as cold as it has been.
     I was surprised that most folks like myself are pretty much down to one meal on these work days. We get into the office, check and make sure things are working, and then walk over to the cafeteria and have a meal.
     Once the day get's later, things get busier and you may have a bag of chips or as I've been doing just a few times, a dessert. So while sitting around the table today, I found out pretty much everyone's clothes are a lot more loose.
     Fernando has walked in while I was composing today's blog so I asked him if he had any insights on Africa. He says the most interesting aspect is the honesty and friendly nature of the people even though some of them live in extreme poverty. He mentioned a story from one of the very first days when he was videotaping one of the hotel workers, and the gentlemen started dancing and explaining a wedding custom we did not know. He says the people are very open and not afraid to share their emotions.

Here's a shot of Fernando and Michelle on the bus ride to the IBC just this morning.

Everyone is starting to smile more knowing that the days here are coming to an end.
Bob and Erick are excited to not be crammed into one of the vans in the morning.

So the last bit of news we need to discuss is whether or not the German machine keeps rolling against Spain tonight.
I've explained that I have several German friends and just a few Spanish (from Spain) friends although I love Cervantes.
German makes it to the finals I'm convinced!

And Then There Were Four, And Seven Makes One Week!

     I'm sure that those of you following the blog have noticed my absence the last two days. Rest days are not just for the teams! We actually had a nice Sunday at the African Arts markets and I recorded a little bit of two groups that were entertaining the shoppers.
     The fourth of July came and went without much fanfare as a BBQ (braii) that was scheduled got canceled due to lack of interest.
     Yesterday was another short day with a leisurely lunch up the hill from the hotel where I had a ham and cheese sandwich! Yummy!
     I've spent a little portion of the afternoon today watching the Tour de France over the cobblestones and will look forward to keeping track of that during the rest of the month. Old habits are hard to break!

     I thought I'd talk today a little about the less positive things we've seen while in the country. It's been my rule to highlight the positive aspects, but now that my departure is nearing, I don't want to forget some of the things I've seen.

     April Strong had warned me that I'd see barbwire around every house and for the most part, that is the rule. The first couple of days we were here, there was a tent encampment on the way to Soccer City. A few days before the opening match, it seemed to have disappeared. The BBC had reported about similar things happening in Cape Town.                                                               

     On the way to the national park and Sun City, we passed a platinum mine, the new gold for South Africa.
We were told that the miners make about 2500 rand a month which is roughly $380. The photo is of a village very near the mine.This is still a third world country with third world problems.
     On the other hand, the ordinary people - drivers, maids, food service workers - have been genuinely wonderful, cheerful, and a delight to be around.
It is truly a land of contrasts...
     There are four teams left and seven days to go. I am going to cheer for the Netherlands tonight because in Spanish they are known as Hollandia. I still can't figure out why the nation of Holland isn't around and why in this language it's sometimes called Paises Bajo, lower lands. So Go Holland, Netherlands,  or even better yet - The Mechanical Orange!

The Brazillians And April Are Not Happy!

Rather than dwell on the fact the Brazil exited the 2010 World Cup earlier than expected, we will move forward and talk about happier things today. For some reason, I kept thinking of April Strong in her Brazil jacket yesterday. Join me now April and get on the German bandwagon!
Everyday, at least three or four times a day, Frank the camera operator, makes Cuban coffee. There is an old Turkish proverb that states, "Coffee should be dark as night and sweet as love,". This would describe Frank's special mixture to a tee.

It may be the one thing I miss most about being here. Like most of the best things in life, it is prepared with care and a passion and will certainly kick-start your day or make the 11:00 PM show recordings much more civilized.
Tomorrow marks another day of shopping so if you have any requests, get them in soon. There is limited space unfortunately for vuvuzelas!!!
I'm going against reason and picking Spain in support of Alba, and in the other match, due to knowing more Germans than Argentinians, I pick Germany.
The things I do for Ramona and Falk! I do actually believe that Germany may win it all.
One last shot of coffee, it's off to work, and have a great weekend.

Welcome to the Quarters

Hello again, oddly enough I don't have a lot to say today. I had a nice blue cheese steak last night and it came with fries and a kind of sweet potato that looks like an avocado.
I figure that when I don't have any news, I can always talk about food. Today marks the next to last Friday in South Africa. The days are getting shorter!

Here is a shot of the safari buffet. There's some califlower, a creamed spinach serving, some fries, a little cheese and bread, and in the upper left some octopus. Yummy!
So it's time to pick today's winners... getting tougher now that it's down to eight but I'm going with Brazil and my upset Ghana.
You know if they lose, they'll be Gone-A.
As long as I'm using bad puns, do you know which teams' uniforms cost the most in the World Cup?
The answer is Italy... all the players were wearing Italian shoes!
Go Go Ghana!

I Did Play Sun City!

After almost thirty days of 12 plus hours a day, we sort of had a day off. Univision arranged a trip to Pilanesberg National Park (and game reserve), a fantastic lunch, and a few hours at Sun City.
It was a struggle to get up at 7:30 AM to make the bus but all of us on the late shift did and were really treated to an unbelievable experience.
The scenery driving to the park is not unlike a lot of West Texas in the mountainous region.
Once there we board 12 or 20 person vehicles with guides that took us through the park to see the animals.
Fifteen minutes in this is what we saw!

It's incredible to see these animals in their natural habitat. I was also very happy with my Cannon Sure Shoot, although not an expensive camera, it captured the scenes very well.
In all we saw monkeys, giraffes, hippos (though not very well), a herd of elephants from a distance, a pair of lions, and various caribou and wildebeasts.
Afterwards, we drove and had a really nice lunch buffet at the edge of the park in a hotel/resort place.
Another 30 minute drive dropped us off at Sun City and we saw the "palace" an wandered around for an hour or so.
This was a shot of a fountain at Sun City.

After that the Contacto crew headed back to the IBC to record last nights' show and we were back to the hotel by 1:00 AM.
Today is a short day but the games begin tomorrow so it's back into the old routine.
I'm very glad I had this opportunity to get out of the city and see a little more that is the splendor of South Africa.
Now if Capetown were just a little more accessible!

The Round of 16 Ends Today

Well after today, it's down to the final 8 teams competing for the World Cup. There has been a ton of controversy during the matches and here at Univision, to keep the fans up on all the news, a special graphic was created to demonstrate the goal line during the England-Germany game.

It clearly shows that England did not score as has been widely reported in replays.
Also, I saw this morning in the paper that the stadium showed the replay and got the fans in the stadium upset.
Looks like Mark and I might have a future in the 2014 games in Brazil.
Instant replay in the future... I'll leave that up to you.
To make matters worse, apparently the hotel staff where the English players were staying stole money, jerseys and underwear. It was reported that the hotel workers homes were searched and all the items were recovered.
The guilty received 3 years in prison and an $800 fine. Welcome to the mean streets of Pretoria.
Most of the crew is looking forward to either a day off or a short day tomorrow. The studio crew has to come in to work Contacto Deportivo so no safaris for us but we won't have to be in until 5PM so my hope is a trip to Mandela Square or somewhere interesting tomorrow.
I mentioned the spontaneous photo taking yesterday in the studio. Here's a few of the snapshots that were taken. Art demonstrates Hollands' offense against Stig's Slovakian defense.

There's always a bit of time for clowning about! Today my picks include Paraquay over Japan and in the evening match, I've got 10 rand riding on the fact that Ronaldo will lead Portugal over Spain. Viva Ronaldo!!
If that does indeed happen, tomorrow I will post the picture that I took with Ronaldo!

Round of Sixteen, Repeat Again

Repetition, recurrence, reiteration, and reproduction. Let's do it again today.  There's nothing new about today, it's a return to yesterday and the day before, and the day before.
The round of sixteen gets cut to eight after tomorrow night, and although each match is do or die for the teams, for us, it's another two games, one in the afternoon and one in the evening.
The repetition has become routine. 
The weather has changed into a cloudy, brisk morning and I'm sure it will be very cold this evening. One morning before the warm days were upon us, there was ice in the fountain in front of the IBC.
Main decisions are do we have the stir fry beef or stay with the chicken today. I've taken to drinking hot tea in the morning instead of coffee.
There was an outbreak of photo taking in the studio today and everyone seems a little more relaxed since a short day is just one more day away. More on that in the next few posts. 
A personal note of thanks to Kevin for providing me with his "Crosscut" CD which I got to listen to in it's entirety this morning.

Here's a random shot of the satellite farm on the edge of the compound. I guess it could be worse spending six or more weeks out by your satellite dish.
Today's picks have the Netherlands beating Slovakia just because I like that all of their fans wear orange and that reminds me of the Dynamo.
The evening game pits Brazil against Chile. Unfortunately Brazil will win this game but because the Chile flag looks almost identical to the Texas flag, I'm rooting for Chile. Let me be clear, Brazil wins. Dang!