This Sunday Sound is early in honor of the inimitable Leonard Nimoy, who died today at 83. He was born in Boston, making him a perma-townie in my heart (and in the hearts of all townies and honorary townies in the land!). 

I have two favorite Leonard Nimoy moments:

1) Nimoy's "The Legend of Bilbo Baggins" song and music video
2) The recorded opening of the Museum of Science's Omni theater 

Back in March of 2013, I did my shamefully common covert op recording move to capture Nimoy's pre-recorded message for the Omni theater. It is phenomenal. He's an unbelievable voice talent. Listen below.

THE SUNDAY SOUND: March 1, Goodbye, Leonard Nimoy.
PLEASE take the time to enjoy "The Legend of Bilbo Baggins."

   

  
​The author, title, and full transcript of each talk can be found below.

Video under fair use, as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law. 

   

A couple classmates and I set out with cameras and a field recorder to do an interview. The interview subjects we planned on fell through, so I suggested we just wander around the Boston Common and see who we could find. 

The very first person we approached was this fantastic man named Bartolo Carrion from Puerto Rico, currently living in Chelsea, Massachusetts. What a charmer! I edited this vignette together so you can enjoy him, too.

THE SUNDAY SOUND: November 30, Introducing Bartolo.
Of course his favorite movie is Pulp Fiction. Why wouldn't it be?
 

Noah Canavan and I remade the infamous printer scene from Office Space. If you have somehow lived your life without seeing Office Space, YOU NEED TO WATCH IT. NOW. Or just check out the original scene. A word of warning for those with children or childlike sensitivities: there is some serious language in the original soundtrack. 

Huge thanks to our actors Daniel, Heather, and Mauria for braving the horrifyingly cold temperatures.

Of everything I have recorded over the years, this is my favorite. 

And dudes. I have recorded some THINGS.

Picture it: Colleen, on the train. She is finally on time to work, which happens maybe once a week. She is one stop away from her final destination. The doors open to let passengers off and the magical sound of a raspy, gloriously authentic male voice singing "You Are My Sunshine" floats in and reaches her ears. 

Inner dialogue: Holy crap. This is amazing. I would love to record it. I SHOULD record it. But I want to be on time to work since it never happens. BUT since it never happens, it won't matter if I'm late just one more time. Right? No, I'm being crazy. NO. YES! I need it. This is irresponsible. WHATEVER. I AM DOING IT. 

<hops off the train>

"Sir, if I give you this cash, will you start singing from the beginning?"

And then, we performed our duet. And then the next train arrived.

THE SUNDAY SOUND: November 2, You Are My Sunshine.
I would love to record an album with this dude.

   

THE ASSIGNMENT: "Record 10 seconds of image/sound every day for the first 30 days of the semester. Compile these clips into one chronological sequence. Sound should be the sync sound recorded with the image."

The point? Seeing 10 seconds of footage shot each day for a month would illustrate our personal style and what is compelling to us as filmmakers. I have to say, the assignment did its job.

THE SUNDAY SOUND: October 26, Transitions.
Forgive me if you see yourself in these shots. My filmmaking style is: CREEPER.

For the love of all that is good and holy, see The Book of Life on the big screen. 

My production class went to the Institute of Contemporary Art a couple weeks ago to see a video installation called "The Visitors." We entered the room and were immediately confronted with nine huge screens covering the walls, with two screens of the same size positioned in the middle of the room. Each video feed had a dedicated audio channel. Musicians are shown in nine separate rooms of a farmhouse, performing together using headphones as their only connection. 

It is hard to describe, so locals, check it out if you get the chance. The ICA is free on Thursdays! Today's sonic delight was captured as I stood in the room. If you can guess what the noise is at the end, you'll win a Sunday Sound all about YOU.

THE SUNDAY SOUND: October 19, Ragnar Kjartansson's "The Vistors."
After I snapped a few photos and recorded for a while, I was informed both were not allowed. Enjoy the contraband.

Writing narrative fiction is totally new for a documentary person like me, and I'm SHIT at it. I know this. I accept this (for now). I have always been good at the technical aspects of writing, and I recently found out that I'm fairly good at adaptation. But when it comes to pulling a story out of my (bum), I find my ideas completely lackluster. 

Considering my first script is due in less than a week, I was thrilled to stumble upon these...

PIXAR'S 22 RULES OF STORYTELLING

1. You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.
2. You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be very different.
3. Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about until you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite.
4. Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.
5. Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You’ll feel like you’re losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.
6. What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?
7. Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.
8. Finish your story, let go even if it’s not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.
9. When you’re stuck, make a list of what WOULDN’T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.
10. Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you’ve got to recognise it before you can use it.
11. Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you’ll never share it with anyone.
12. Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.
13. Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it’s poison to the audience.
14. Why must you tell THIS story? What’s the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That’s the heart of it.
15. If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.
16. What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don’t succeed? Stack the odds against.
17. No work is ever wasted. If it’s not working, let go and move on – it’ll come back around to be useful later.
18. You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.
19. Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.
20. Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d’you rearrange them into what you DO like?
21. You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can’t just write ‘cool’. What would make YOU act that way?
22. What’s the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.

Source: http://pixar-animation.weebly.com/pixars-rules.html