The mark f thread

I would have liked that to be in there. It would have added some humor which would have been fitting for the knight because he did look a bit comical.

The reason I asked about Jethro not speaking is that I think it probably put a heavy burden on the guy who played him. I can see the reason for her decision now that you explain it though. He didn't do a bad job. I've seen worse.

I can relax now. House guests are gone and I'm a happy camper again. Thanks!

The French Connection is great so far! When you get there, click on the Popup Webplayer in the Top Right.

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Well I had no idea what her point was and obviously I know that those are my ideas but you asked for a critique, which I view as what could be improved, and naturally, without knowing any opinions/input/criteria other than the actual film, didn't come off correctly, so the changes I discussed were me interpreting the film in one way and running with it. As far as the music thing goes, all the relevant problems I pointed out just bothered me as a viewer not a musician, and I'm not writing her score, I was just pointing things out. I don't know how you would prefer I be specific either, but I can tell you I liked the atmospheric music that was there.

Until I read the later comments, I honestly thought this was a joke/sarcastic post.

Every single person in her film class is outrageously talented but it's safe to say, five years from now, 3/4 of her class will have moved onto other things and will no longer be making films. At this point in time, ambition and drive trumps originality.

This is one of my points actually. There is something about anybody becoming a student at the USC Film School which somehow implies not only being talented but being incredibly lucky and having an angel watching over them. I'm not talking about a "religious" angel but the same kind of angel who finances Broadway plays, films, etc. I've said this before, but it's worth repeating... it's more difficult to get admitted into USC Film School than it is to Harvard Law School. That's based on the actual number of those admitted versus those who apply. I'm not saying that everybody who graduates from Harvard Law becomes a lawyer, but I would bet a lot of them do if only as a kind of stepping stone to something else, such as [cough] politics.

Sarah doesn't care about politics but she does care about lots of other things than just film, but when the bottom line hits, she's most interested in every single kind of "art"/"craft" which film has to offer to a student of such and one who wants to make their living as a filmmaker of some sort. I had an aptitude but it was basically relegated to still photography and a few home movies. She has an aptitude but is much farther advanced in specific skills and comprehension than I ever had a chance to understand. I honestly hope that Sarah falls into what you call the "1/4" who succeed at their love, but it really does have a lot to do with who you know and what you do to get to know them. It seems that Sarah needs another "Angel" to get her foot through the door, whether it's an independent door or a Hollywood door. We just hope that she will be able to convince them that she's worth it because she's creative and not because she'll sell her soul.

The main reason I'm an "underachieving bum" is because I never sold my soul. Maybe we'll all end up at the poor house but maybe we'll be happier there, together.

I guess everyone hopes that for their kid, but you gotta be realistic as well. I know you're a realist when it comes to this, so what I have to say might sound obvious to you.

How many people really get to do their dream job? I'm talking about the kind of job that you have dreamed about having since you've been a kid. There are no exact stats here, but I'm guessing very, very, VERY few people. Fact of the matter is, many people give up on that 'dream' even before they tried to accomplish it. I myself had to make a choice at age 18 between pursuing a career in boxing and getting a university degree. I am happy with the choice I made, because I'm about to sign a contract that'll allow me to earn a living and save up for later. In the end, when I look back at that pivotal moment in my life, I made the safe choice and I don't regret it. It was the responsible and pragmatical thing to do.

I want to talk a little about the notion of 'selling your soul'. Just what does that mean? Sell off your artistic integrity for a cheque? Give up on your basic principles in life? If you are offered funding and a fat cheque for your project, but with the condition that you alter much more than you would like to, does that mean you have to reject the offer? Everyone's gotta pay the bills...

How much satisfaction can you really get out of your job if you aren't paid your just due? It's easier to start loving a job if you make a lot of money off it than it is to keep loving a job if you're barely making enough to make ends meet. You would need an incredible amount of will power and perseverence to keep chasing that dream without guarantee of ever reaching it and while being in financial dire straits.

We most certainly do...

Well, hell, this is the mark f thread so I might as well lay MY cards on the table. This has nothing to do with the other members of my family though. For example, my wife has always worked her butt off and is currently a member of a demonized group (such as I but I don't care and her job is tougher since she teaches 10-year-olds). She's a teacher and is somehow supposed to be responsible for the downfall of the United States because she/we have a decent retirement plan. Go ahead and let those Wall Street thieves swindle us and get off scot free and blame everybody else who invests in what the U.S. stands for as the real problem people.

Back to reality. I graduated with a Bachelor's of Science in Biological Sciences from University of California at Irvine in June, 1977. I immediately went to work at a gas station earning close to minimum wage. I was offered higher-paying jobs but I refused them. I suppose you can say that I went to college when it was cheap and my parents could easily afford to "support" me since I basically took care of them in their old age. When I graduated, my Dad was 67 and my Mom was 64. Maybe this is completely irrational but since I couldn't respect my fellow Pre-Med students (they were almost all back stabbers), I felt disgusted taking almost any kind of biological job.

The main thing which saved me during college was taking 11 different film classes and acing most all of them. The problem was that I was too far ahead of my time since UCI didn't have a filmmaking school at the time, but I was introduced to many films I've actually rarely seen since, and this was way before there were any VCRs. Every film was shown on a projector, so no, they maybe didn't look as pristine as you expect them now, but you could still easily grasp the director's intentions, at least up to a point.

As far as our current financial situation stands, we owe lots of money because of Sarah attending USC Film School, but since she told me that it was really what she wanted, I have no problem with that. However, that's another reason why I hope Sarah gets further in her dreams and working with her angels than many others do.

More later, perhaps, but I need to crash.

Jesus, that is just so strange to hear for me. I know that getting a higher education is incredibly expensive in the US and also UK. I don't get why your government doesn't invest in its young people. Those are the future of your country and you shouldn't burden them or their parents with debts in order for Uncle Sam to **** them again by taxing them through the roof when they finally get to earning a living.

At risk of sounding like a broken record, my university education (5 years) cost my parents about € 5000 (~ $6900), excluding my 6 month Erasmus stay in Sheffield. The universities get allowances from the government for every student that subscribed. The flipside is that Belgian citizens are taxed for this. But isn't it much more logical for a country's citizens to collectively pay for their childrens' future? It's an individualist vs collectivist thing I guess.

When Sarah started at USC in August 2009, it was $53,000 a year to go there (at least for Film School). Now, it's $57,000. That includes living on campus. I have to admit though that USC grants pay for about half of that amount every year, so we do have angels splitting the costs with us. These grants aren't guaranteed, but we've received them each year so I have no reason to expect them not to come through again next year. If it wasn't for the grants, we most likely wouldn't be sending Sarah to USC. Even so, when all is said and done after four years, we will have paid and/or borrowed over $100,000 for Sarah's education. None of these costs actually include things like most food, gasoline, textbooks, special added-on fees for use of Film School equipment and labs, clothes and basic daily living expenses. Those all are getting paid by us and aren't included in the $100,000. I'm not ready to get into the breakdown of how this $100,000 is being paid. The majority of it so far has already been paid, but between Sarah's student loans and our parent loans to pay student tuition, we have a rather huge student loan debt which will take 10 years to pay off. We're currently paying off our own loans, but Sarah's don't start getting paid back until she graduates. OK, that's enough for now; way more than enough.

That number beggars belief, Mark. By your age, you should be carefree of any debt and living the good life. You know, pay a life insurance fee on a 3 monthly basis to cash that monster cheque when you turn 60 (or 65) and just treat yourself to nice things, because you've earned it.

I can't understand it for Americans' children either. They already have a debt to pay off before they even get to work. That's not a healthy basis for a starter in the job market. When I compare that to my situation, I can save up a big, big amount of money in the next 3 years now that I'm still living at home with my girlfriend still in uni. I don't have any debts, so even if I save up that 80 % of my monthly paycheck, I can still spend a good amount of money on buying clothes, going out to dinner, to the movies,... That's how life ought to be for someone who is just starting out as a professional. It shouldn't have to be: I MUST find a job to pay off my huge debt. That's all kinds of wrong to me.

One of the reasons we don't have enough savings to pay for all the college costs up front is because we both started our teaching jobs in our mid-30s. Our "retirement" money is mostly tied up in things we can only access after we retire, unless we want to take a beating on income tax. Our money from when we were air traffic controllers is either in an IRA or some of it was actually used up years ago during an emergency. We aren't really planning on retiring anytime soon although we do have a strong pension fund from being teachers. It just makes no sense to take a monster check up front though because that reduces the overall amount of money you ultimately receive if you live long enough to enjoy it. However, it's quite shocking how little some of the other plans have grown over the course of about 20 years. We have "earned" some good money but lost a huge percentage in the last five years. The overall growth for the last 20 years is far less than any other 20-year time frame one can compare it to, at least during our lifetimes. We are, of course, not the only ones in that boat. Plus, I made my bed based on the stubborn way I've lived my life, so I have myself to blame for not selling my soul to work for the Man much earlier and therefore have more financial freedom.

Last Friday, Brenda and Sarah went to USC for "An Evening with Pedro Almodovar". He was interviewed and also asked questions from the audience. Sarah had a guaranteed ticket but Brenda was on standby although she got in easily despite having to wait for almost an hour.



Brenda found Almodovar very funny and charming, but she likes his movies too, especially the comedies, so that wasn't very surprising. He spoke mostly in English but he did have a translator who was used occasionally. For example, Almodovar told a joke and Brenda said she laughed before it was translated. One thing which Almodovar said was that he had to try to rein in Antonio Banderas' emotions in his new The Skin I Live In. He said that in most of his movies that Antonio is very much his naturally-emotive self but this time he wanted something different from him.

It was a fun evening for mother and daughter to share as they went for a quick bite to eat at the Lab Gastropub after the event.

Lucky Brenda and Sarah. I'm a huge fan of his. I gotta say, I don't get jealous often but I am a little bit right now.

A couple of songs from Sarah's French Connection radio show yesterday.

"Wowie Zowie" by the Mothers of Invention


"Crosstown Traffic" by the Jimi Hendrix Experience

Since no one has actually acknowledged that they listen to Sarah's French Connection radio broadcast Tuesdays at 5-7 PM Pacific Time (a little over an hour from now), I'm going to post another link to the show one final time. Her show has evolved to something quite wonderful. Her track sequencing and segueing between songs has become very sophisticated, and she always has a few songs you won't hear anywhere else.

The show streams on the internet at kxsc.org. Here is a link to the Bandwidth page. In the right corner, click on Popup Webplayer. Eventually the webplayer will show and if it doesn't start playing after the play button appears, you can click on it. Before Sarah's show, "The Robot" plays randomly selected music. When she arrives in studio, she removes the Robot and plays one song before she comes on the air to briefly discuss today's show. That's how you know that she's there since she doesn't always start the show at exactly 5PM. One other fun thing is that while she's talking about the songs which she has played, you can hear a movie soundtrack on in the background.

Sadly, I rarely listen to music I like anymore, let alone anything new.

Hope you're well.

Hey Mark, sorry I haven't checked in sooner. I did finally catch her film and thought it was pretty damn good. I have yet to make it through this whole thread though, so I don't even know if she's done another since then or not. But I'll try to get to them eventually. Hopefully you're feeling a little better big fella. I love ya, and I'm very happy your daughter is doing so well.

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