Tomorrow morning I start shooting my new commercial for The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation for their new campaign “Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer”. Here is the treatment:
A picture of a woman on the bedside table
An alarm clock
A close up of a man lying down. His eyelids bounce open
Covers come off to reveal he has been sleeping in his hockey shirt
Feet hit the floor
Sitting up he grabs the picture frame and smiles and puts it back
Feet run down the stairs
He studies himself in the mirror (is there a button that says “I’m in”)
Rack focus to his son at the door, wearing the same jersey, two hockey sticks in his hand
He hands one to his father
Pulling the net out of the garage
Shot of the back of his jersey that says “For my wife”
He turns to see
Standing there, to great them is a team of men and women in their shirts with sticks
Wide angle behind the father and son facing the mob reveals
His son’s jersey says “For my mom”
They size eachother up.
Smile on their faces
The group is playing hockey on the street
People are coming out of their doors to join the game
Super: “are you in?”
Logo and call to action.
The Tag line is “Are You In?” and its supposed to generate interest in the campaign.
As I served a great deal of time in the trenches of film production, learning how to boss people around as a 1st AD, I like to go into shoots with a clear plan of what we will be shooting and when. Everytime you need to do a new shot you have to move the camera, the lights, the set dressing etc and so its best to plan your shots around the room and the angle as opposed to shooting the story shot by shot. Here is the map of the room I will be shooting in with a diagram of what camera angle we will use as well as what lense. everything is planned out before hand to save time and money.
The map above has letters and numbers in them. You can corelate (if you really wanted to and cared about this shit) on where the following images on the storyboard are in relation to where the camera is in the map above.
I am pretty excited to execute this plan. The more organized the crew is the better we can focus on performance and get the emotion that we hope will inspire people to pick up their sticks and play for this great event.
I hope people will like it.
Once when I visited England and Ireland, I had the bright idea of going on a chipper pilgrimage where I would try every fish and chip place on both islands. was a stupid idea because after about 6 of them I got fat and had to throw up. Have you ever barfed hot fish and chips on a diet that only consisted of fish and chips? I did. it turned me off fish and chips for a while.
I have decided to try and reinstate my love for chippers again. I started with this place.
Its at Lawrence East of the DVP. Next to my accupuncturist. That might be dangerous especially when I start finding reasons to see her because I’m looking for a grease fix.
This really is the best fish and chips I have ever had. It didnt even need malt vinegar. Most things that take malt vinegar are really just carrier systems for the vinegar. Not these.
I noticed there were lots of old people in here. I think the grease preseves them. or maybe they just look a lot older than they are.
I wonder what’s the best Chipper in Toronto is and how much grease I have to garble until I find out?
It always starts the same. me at my computer saying “holy shit I have 10 minutes to get there!” I spend the next 15 minutes stressed out to the max, sitting in traffic thinking why can’t I find a good doctor from china who only charges me 40 bucks per visit, closer to my place?
Times To Visit an Accupuncturist Chinese Medicine Doctor
I only go see her when I need to. apparantly everytime I shoot I need to go see her because my arm hurts so much after holding the camera. the life of a filmmaker is tough. The truth is I threw my shoulder out 6 months ago because I was showing off doing some lifts off some railings that were too far apart and have not been able to work out since and I am getting fat so really I am going to see her for pure vanity purposes. she doesnt care why, she just wants me to feel better.
Dr. Sarah is Chinese. Which means she knows better than my white middle aged jewish doctor. Dont ask me why, Chibnese doctors know more than western doctors. there are better blogs about that.
Which Alternative Medicine Practice is Best for You?
I have been seeing many massage therapists as well but they cost 5 times as much and I have to go 5 times more. Dr. Sara fixed me up in two visits. She puts pins in me and hooks me up to electric current and my body twitches for an hour while she leaves me lying there going through all sorts of neurotic thoughts that what is happening to my muscles involuntarily cannot be good for me, but I relent and try to control my mind from telling my body to get up and run with pins and wires attached to me.
then when I am done and think its over she comes back in and administers more punishment.
Chinese Medicine Practice and Procedures
Like the medieval times, the cups are suctioned to my bare skin (kinda like leeches) but these hurt even more and she leaves you crying and doesnt come back until you stop.
But man does it work.
I’m gonna start working out
tomorrow….
Now Magazine Article
read this article in Now Magazine about a cool retro barber who opened his barbershop for men. the article talked about it being a guy’s guys kinda place where guys can hang out and be guys. I didnt really know what that meant and was more curious if I was “guy enough” to hang out there. i forgot where it was in Kensington so after two failed attempts to find it I finally found it.
First appearance at Crow’s Nest Barber Shop
I went inside to find a pretty busy little makeshift barber joint in the bottom of a clothing store in Kensington. The bench was full of guys and the barber chair had a guy in it. I nodded to all of them trying to be as guy as I could be. I dont know why I had to try but it was coming very unnatural to me at the time. I learned that I had to either stay 2 hours to wait for my haircut or I could come back tomorrow. I opted for the return. i wasn’t feeling like I was guy enough at the time to just hang out and shoot the shit with these other much more convincing guys.
that night I could hardly sleep. I was excited to return the next day and get my haircut.
Getting my haircut
I biked to the shop the next day. i arrived and no one was there. The guys I was hoping to mingle with were nowhere to be found.
John the cool moutstached barber greeted me and started to cut my hair. it was just him and me and he was all guy. he offered me a beer and I thought that was pretty cool. two guys in a barber shop, one guy cutting my hair the other guy (me) drinkin a beer. I wasn’t sure if i had to pay for the beer or not but I didnt want to decline the offer as I thought that would be very un guy like of me. I figured I’d just find out later. I only had 30 bucks in my pockets though. I drank my beer with my thumb covering up the hole just incase some unwanted bits of my jewfro ended up in the beer. that would be gross and kinda turned me off drinking the beer but I drank it all anyway. it was 1:30pm and i was getting a buz. Learned that John’s dream was to have his own shop and I kinda felt like I was a part of history.
the cut turned out pretty well too. and i didnt have to pay for the beer.
http://www.crowsnestbarbershop.com/
