Paradise

When God expelled Adam and Eve from paradise, guilt ridden, he hid the confines of Eden within the Mint Milano cookie.

Paradise is semi-sweet, minty fresh, and delightful.

Thank you, for the Milano Cookie.

Definitive: The Departed

I just got back from my trip to New York City, it was a great weekend with some great times with New York's newest resident, Michael Conti. I wanted to take this opportunity to post an essay/journal entry on the last five months. With full intention, I avoided talking about any details regarding my work on The Departed, any day-to-day report would have cheapened such a special experience. I took the time to write essentially a summary of my last five months on the film.

__________________________

There is a time in everyone’s life where a series of events brings them to an epiphany. This realization soon causes an individual to set their life course, to decide on a final goal with no apprehension and move forth, until it is realized.

I spent the last five months on an internship I’d dreamt about for quite some time. I was introduced to Martin Scorsese’s films initially by 1999’s “Bringing Out the Dead” with Nicholas Cage, not the best way to introduce a legend, but a start. The reason I hadn’t seen any other films by Scorsese prior to this first viewing was unlike the other “brand-name” filmmakers such as Steven Spielberg and Alfred Hitchcock, Scorsese was much more real, much more violent, content appropriately censored for my young and impressionable eyes. Arriving at Fitchburg State College, I was urged by Ben Swicker to view more films by Scorsese, and screened “Goodfellas,” this was prior to Scorsese’s 2002 release of “Gangs of New York.” If Marty and his films were a disease, it was the latter that gave it to me.

Within “Gangs,” I found a filmmaker I could relate to on a completely different level. “Gangs of New York” was a labor of love for Martin Scorsese, having first announced the film in 1979, it wasn’t until the late 90s, the film would find its money. I had a few scripts at that point, one of them I knew would be on its way to that similar labor of love, the dream project, “Gangs” despite its alleged flaws (I however do not agree with supposed “flaws”) was a personal achievement for Scorsese, and officially began my obsession. From then on, it was an occasional daydream, to be working for his production company, to meet him, perhaps speak with him.

Fast forward to December 2004, I learn of the announcement that Martin Scorsese will be shooting his next film, “The Departed,” in Boston, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. There was something peculiar at work here. My favorite director was going to be coming to my hometown to shoot his next film, just when I needed to go on my internship to complete my degree requirements.

The next few months were spent pursuing this internship. Beginning with the hire of Boston’s production office coordinator in March, I was emailing Meg Jarrett every two weeks until April. May arrived, and I had run out of non-intrusive opportunities to “touch-base.” With no other options, I flew to Los Angeles to run down a few prospects.

In Los Angeles, if you are nobody, you really are nobody. In fact, an intern is even less then a nobody, you’re not even a stain on a wall. They don’t care about your background, you’re free expendable labor, especially in the positions I was seeking employment. In one last attempt, I gave Meg one last try. I heard back instantly, “Come on in next week.” It was as simple as that. I attended three meetings while out in Los Angeles, and was hired at all three. I was hired right after my interview with Meg, I couldn’t believe it. I called back my sites in California, and told them an opportunity had risen in Boston like no other.

I began the job prepared to never get an inch close to set, to never interact or talk to any of the folks that I’d admired now for so long. This changed quickly.

I became responsible for coordinating all things related to the editing space and screening room. I greeted and introduced Thelma Schoonmaker (Marty’s editor on every film since 1980) to the city surrounding her. I worked over at the editing space assisting Joel and Dan, the assistant editors, from things as trivial as running down to get coffee, to organizing script notes. All the while interacting and learning from Thelma. Thelma introduced me to her late-husbands work, Michael Powell, a tremendous influence to many filmmakers, especially Scorsese.

During all of this, I also became responsible in greeting and escorting Marty as he came to watch his dailies with Thelma. Though I never talked to Marty, I didn’t need to. There is nothing Martin Scorsese could tell me that I didn’t already know, he lays the pieces of the puzzle in his work. Who am I to stop his process so that he can trivially respond to a budding filmmaker like myself? Dan Hoffman, one of the assistant editors gave me one of the best pieces of advice on the job, “You don’t need to meet the man, just look at his work.” He’s absolutely right. From day one, I approached Marty as an equal. I was one less person he needed to take the time to politely listen. My job was to keep him happy and get him from point-a, to point-b.

I helped Joel out in changing the tapes in the projection booth, which also exposed me to what they were shooting on a day to day basis. There were three major things I learned in the screening room. I learned of the type of coverage Marty gets, how precise and technically masterful his cinematography is, and I learned how he covers everything he’s shot with a fine-toothed comb.

After going over-budget, and ten days past its finishing schedule, the wrap party took place in New York, a fancy Italian restaurant in SoHo. It had been at times a hellish shoot and the general consensus at this party was anywhere between happy and very happy (Marty looking the latter, I’d never seen him so calm). I looked around the room trying to think back and what and who I had learned from: Thelma, Joel, and Dan, Patty Willett the Boston production manager, and Martin Scorsese.

The night following the wrap party was the premiere of Martin Scorsese’s documentary on Bob Dylan, “No Direction Home.” I attended the premiere with Joel and Dan, and found myself again, looking around the room at the after-party. I saw Jim Jarmusch, standing by the bar. I worked my way over, not entirely sure what I was going to say to him, knowing it would have to do with another inspiration of mine, Samuel Fuller. I gathered the courage, and introduced myself, I shall now attempt to recreate our conversation.

“Hello there, my name is Vatche Arabian, I just wanted to introduce myself”
“Hello!”
“I wanted to thank you for all the work you did with Samuel Fuller, the man is tremendous inspiration to me.”
“He was a wonderful man.”
“I just finished school in Massachusetts.”
“A new filmmaker?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Good man, we need new blood.”
“Everyone moves to New York or Los Angeles, I don’t think that’s right for me though, I’m going to stay in Boston.”
“Remember in the film? Everyone was asking Dylan what and why, none of that shit matters, just make sure you do it for you. Fuck everyone else, and just do it.”
“Thank you. It was nice to meet you Jim.”
“What was your name again?”
“Vatche Arabian.”
“Good luck Vatche.”

The conversation with Jim Jarmusch essentially was a fitting end to a summer that had given me so much, his statement, affirmed a mantra I’d been using for years. To hear it from him though, strengthened it that much more.

With this momentum I’ve earned, I now move forward, to the next chapter of my life, I’ve got a scary few months ahead of me, but a pocketful of advice and inspiration to fuel me.

The Big 2-2

I'm sitting here listening to Jimmy Eat World's CD "Clarity," a CD I've probably mentioned prior as being my all-time favorite album ever. I am ashamed to admit that I actually never owned the CD, and of course, Chrissy being the all-time best girlfriend, purchased it for my birthday.

It was a good birthday party, it turned into a mini-reunion among my friends, old and new! Nayad and Jeff came, and friends from school, Ben, Jason, Bri, Andy, Gregg, and Regina. We met at my house, then walked over to Not Your Average Joe's (which turned out to be much better then I thought it would be).

We hung out at my place for a bit, and then we called it a night. Thank you for everyone who came, and thank you Chrissy for being the best and coming up with the idea of getting everyone together.

Age is but a number?

Random food for though, the oldest woman to have ever lived was Jean Calment, who died at the young age of 122.5, meaning she was born in 1875. Now follow me here in a brief list of things she witnessed:

-The creation and evolution of a new art form - film from no sound, to sound, to color.
-Horse and buggy to motor carriage to cars with air condition and cruise control.
-An idea that flying like a bird would be cool, crude WWI air planes, WWII fighter planes, jet engine, rocket engine, nuclear bomb - landing on the moon. Just think about how fast we were in space, FIFTY years, that in itself is mindboggling.

Imagine what we'll see in our lifetime, the only lame thing I can think of is Pong to Doom to Halo. Let's make this a discussion, what have YOU seen in our lifetime that you think people will look back and go, wow. I think a cure for AIDS/Cancer will be amazing.

John C. Devorack

So within one week from listening to "This Week in Tech" Episode 20, I became victim of Blog Spam! I don't know why a robot would bother wasting their time on my Blog, only my Mom and girlfriend read it.

But Devorack (from TWiT) said to put in the whole "identify" you're a human security protection think where you've got to type in a series of random letters in order to post. I one upped him, no more anonymous posts either!

"I get no Spam!"
-John C. Devorack.

I love TWiT.

Furthermore...I believe Jeff Gonzalez should write about this phenomenon in his own blog, "Jeffrey's Tech Blog," since this is not really my chosen domain.

Meet Groucho and Harpo, my Zebra Finches! 

The Return!

I have been vindicated from Best Buy, after all the troubles, which I failed to summarize in this blog (and don't care to talk about in detail), my computer was fixed, and I got a complimentary DVD and store credit, as well as an apology from the store and the corporate office.

So the lesson here, be careful, and don't take anything Best Buy says to heart, they don't always know what their talking about, and some even lie.

I hate liars. Especially ones that like about where your computer is at that very moment...in my case, when it was said to be at the service center, when actually, it was still in the backroom (for almost three weeks.)