You may have noticed our lack of productivity as of late. We blame the economy! Ok, it’s not the economy. We blame the Euro! Ok, it’s not the Euro. No wait! It is the Euro! Alright, it’s not. We blame the heat! Actually, that’s part of it. Summer is a crazy time for Mike and I in our pursuit to be responsible grown-ups. However, we can’t help thinking about ideas for the radio show or new movies, even while we’re busy with grown-up stuff. So we’re hoping by fall you’ll have more Vanish nonsense thrown in your face.
So thanks for checking in from time to time. In the meantime, feel free to explore our back catalogue of movies and radio shows.
Everyone’s seen things we wouldn’t believe. Including you. You need to share them through your art. Your moments contain visuals, thoughts, emotions, words and physical feelings. Use all of them or just one of them. Feed your art.
David Lynch is a genius. I love his movies although I don’t fully understand half of them. Comprehension isn’t the point. Pushing the limits of filmmaking and the subsequent viewer reaction – that’s where it’s at. As big a fan as I am, I’ve never seen Twin Peaks. Well, now I’m diving in. I was fascinated to find out that there are several moments in the series that were actually mistakes. A misunderstood line by an actor, a faulty light, a grip in the background – and Lynch loved them so much that he kept them in. I’ve already experienced a couple of them and he was absolutely right. Life is full of mistakes, and they’re usually more interesting than the script.
In Sweet Damnation, Brody is all of a sudden holding a wine glass and a beer bottle after a cut. (Casey was just transporting the wine glass for Trista between shots). Mike and I thought it was funny so we kept it. That is still one of our favorite scenes.
So make some mistakes. And show some cubes….I mean cube.
In the last Vanish Old Time Radio episode we vented our frustration with slow-mo walking scenes with explosions in the background. I believe the following clip says it better than we ever could.
Scene set up: Night time. I’m sitting in an open area near a cliff overlooking a Northern California harbor. The problem is I can’t see a thing. Thick fog surrounds me. It would be a peaceful scene except for one thing – a bell out in the harbor ringing every couple seconds.
This one sound changed the whole setting. With every ring, a sense of dread continued to build. Instead of being happily lost in the fog, I was now a victim of it. I sensed all the elements I couldn’t see with no feeling of control. All because of a ringing bell out in the harbor.
Filmmakers need to make audio a top priority. It’s simple to do and can turn the emotional balance on it’s head. Think of the one piano key in “Eyes Wide Shut” or the serial killer’s whistle in “M.”
