Today I filmed some footage for an illustrative segment. Moviemaking is an intellectual endeavor, but it's also just a ton of manual labor. So, here's two ratios.
% time spent doing grunt work / % time spent on project
# of people who consume the product / % time spent on project
For moviemaking, the first is really, really high. Especially when you are making the movie yourself with little money.
For writing, the second one is really, really low. There is tons of great reading material out there about congestion pricing, but it has no effect as long as people won't invest their valuable time reading it. Likewise, there is lots of really good stuff written about the financial crisis, but people really like listening to that This American Life episode more than they like reading through books or articles.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
Down to the wire
It's getting down to the wire now. Just 18 days left until the b. phil. defense. Can I pull it off?
So far this week, I have made a pretty good run into the "considering the possibilities" animation. It's the third animation, and the most elaborate because it has a bunch of video in it.
The goal is to have four and-a-half animations. The next one explains what C.P. is, and the next one is called "at the margin," and it's about how it's hard to imagine the people at the margin of driving, but that they're still there.
So far this week, I have made a pretty good run into the "considering the possibilities" animation. It's the third animation, and the most elaborate because it has a bunch of video in it.
The goal is to have four and-a-half animations. The next one explains what C.P. is, and the next one is called "at the margin," and it's about how it's hard to imagine the people at the margin of driving, but that they're still there.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Monday
Today I've been prepping for my trip to DC tomorrow. I have to get a lighting kit together. Parking will be a strain. Good news: I got connected last minute to the head of the Office of Transportation Management at the Department of Transportation. We will be doing an interview about HOT lanes on Wednesday, after my interview with Adie Tomer.
Things are going pretty well. I'm checking equipment out of filmmakers for the first time...getting a tripod and an HVX.
Things are going pretty well. I'm checking equipment out of filmmakers for the first time...getting a tripod and an HVX.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Back again
I was on hiatus. Now I am back in action.
Working a lot on the paper for the B. Phil. A lot of ideas are coming together very quickly.
It's weird how, as the deadline approaches, certain parts of writing a paper become obvious. Not in the funny way. Not in the way that you realize you can't be lazy anymore. More like, a strong sense of reality kicks in...intuitions about what is manageable and what isn't.
It's not that before you were deluding yourself at some deeper level. It's more like how you believe a good luck charm works. You will go through a lot to hold on to your good luck charm. You really think it works. But if you have to make a choice that wagers a lot on your good luck charm pulling through, then suddenly it becomes obvious that your good luck charm isn't reliable.
When I'm writing my paper, I'll wonder if going down certain alleys are feasible. Should I look into this point? Should I look for more sources on this topic? Should I email so-and-so with a question? Should I put these points in this order to make the point better, even if that order was not my first impulse?
At the beginning of the paper-writing, these questions can be paralyzing, because in actuality they are legit and their are lots of avenues to explore. And it is hard to know where the margin of exploring/experimenting/investigating is. Because realistically--unless you do the same thing often enough to have rules-of-thumb--, you rely on a feeling of where that margin is.
For me, that margin sense is very weak and confusing at the beginning. That feeling of where the margin is becomes stronger as the deadline approaches, though. The best outcome would be if I truly believed that the paper were due one week before it is due.
Working a lot on the paper for the B. Phil. A lot of ideas are coming together very quickly.
It's weird how, as the deadline approaches, certain parts of writing a paper become obvious. Not in the funny way. Not in the way that you realize you can't be lazy anymore. More like, a strong sense of reality kicks in...intuitions about what is manageable and what isn't.
It's not that before you were deluding yourself at some deeper level. It's more like how you believe a good luck charm works. You will go through a lot to hold on to your good luck charm. You really think it works. But if you have to make a choice that wagers a lot on your good luck charm pulling through, then suddenly it becomes obvious that your good luck charm isn't reliable.
When I'm writing my paper, I'll wonder if going down certain alleys are feasible. Should I look into this point? Should I look for more sources on this topic? Should I email so-and-so with a question? Should I put these points in this order to make the point better, even if that order was not my first impulse?
At the beginning of the paper-writing, these questions can be paralyzing, because in actuality they are legit and their are lots of avenues to explore. And it is hard to know where the margin of exploring/experimenting/investigating is. Because realistically--unless you do the same thing often enough to have rules-of-thumb--, you rely on a feeling of where that margin is.
For me, that margin sense is very weak and confusing at the beginning. That feeling of where the margin is becomes stronger as the deadline approaches, though. The best outcome would be if I truly believed that the paper were due one week before it is due.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Wednesday
Today I had a meeting with my adviser Will Z. He gave a bunch of good hints. I'm about to enter a little break session, since my girlfriend and I are headed to Alabama for spring break on Friday, by way of friends in Charleston and Atlanta. I am getting cracking on the paper that I have to write for my B. Phil. degree along with the movie.
In other news, I got an interview with someone at the Brookings Institute. Pretty excited about that. Now, if I could just get one more D.C. interview, I won't feel weird driving down there.
In other news, I got an interview with someone at the Brookings Institute. Pretty excited about that. Now, if I could just get one more D.C. interview, I won't feel weird driving down there.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Friday
I bought a bunch of after effects scripts yesterday. They are awesome. I paid $70, but that's not that bad considering how much I get out of them. I bought them at aescripts.com.
The most recent sequence is coming along well. I'm trying to incorporate more 3d elements, since everyone seems to like it a lot when the camera moves around. I'll have it posted on Monday.
My computer programmer roommate Victor was like, "Why didn't you just ask me to script these things for you?" But certainty and time are important. If I'd used him, I would have had to describe in detail what I wanted, and maybe I don't really know what I want in advance. I would have had to wait until his schedule permitted. And then there would be uncertainty about whether they worked and how well. Inevitably something goes wrong.
The most recent sequence is coming along well. I'm trying to incorporate more 3d elements, since everyone seems to like it a lot when the camera moves around. I'll have it posted on Monday.
My computer programmer roommate Victor was like, "Why didn't you just ask me to script these things for you?" But certainty and time are important. If I'd used him, I would have had to describe in detail what I wanted, and maybe I don't really know what I want in advance. I would have had to wait until his schedule permitted. And then there would be uncertainty about whether they worked and how well. Inevitably something goes wrong.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
D.C. phone home
The people in Washington, DC are not getting back to me. It's pretty depressing. I feel like I am stalking the entire transport expertise community of our nation's capitol. There's always tomorrow.
Reasons people are not getting back to me:
D.C. supplies of Five Hour Energy Drink are critically low.
Revenge for the Pens kicking The Caps out of the playoffs.
Everyone in D.C. afraid to admit they live in D.C., for fear of being labeled a "beltway insider."
Lewis Lehe's Place is also the name of an infamous D.C. leather bar.
President Obama planning his own documentary about congestion pricing and has issued a gag order on the subject.
In other news, I wrote a bunch of narration today and started planning the next segment, which includes video skits. It will be finished by next Sunday.
Reasons people are not getting back to me:
D.C. supplies of Five Hour Energy Drink are critically low.
Revenge for the Pens kicking The Caps out of the playoffs.
Everyone in D.C. afraid to admit they live in D.C., for fear of being labeled a "beltway insider."
Lewis Lehe's Place is also the name of an infamous D.C. leather bar.
President Obama planning his own documentary about congestion pricing and has issued a gag order on the subject.
In other news, I wrote a bunch of narration today and started planning the next segment, which includes video skits. It will be finished by next Sunday.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
