LA Weekend - Timeline, Highlights

LA Weekend - July 19th-23rd

Thursday, July 19th
Washington, DC

Alarm goes off at 5:30 AM East Coast Time, I hit snooze and sleep another half hour

I wake up at 6 AM, pack and eat breakfast, leave house at 6:40 AM

Note: Conventional wisdom (and FAA regulations) suggest arriving at airport at least an hour before your flight - my flight is at 8:20 AM from Dulles, I leave house 1 hr 40 mins before my scheduled departure - this would on all accounts be considered cutting it close, considering parking car, checking in, going through security and getting to gate...this is how I choose to do it, arriving typically a half-hour or forty minutes before flight leaves, thereby minimizing the amount of time I spend loafing around in the airport.

Stop by ATM on M and 21st at 6:55 AM

Head over Key Bridge to 66 for Dulles and arrive at 7:25 AM, park in Economy lot Gold

7:35 arrive at terminal and go through security, check in

7:55 arrive at gate for 8:20 AM dep, delayed until 9:30

12:30 PM Pacific Time Arrive in Long Beach, CA - pick up rental car

Thursday Afternoon

Stop in for Jamba Juice on Fairfax and Beverly

Meet up with Lindsay, newlywed sister, just returned from honeymoon. We head home to the condo that she and her husband Pete had just purchased and moved into 1 month before - she seems great, place is nice, but not a lot of space c/p to what you would get in DC - CA real estate is insane.

Hang out with Lindsay in the afternoon, talk about her wedding and honeymoon, I see photos of the latter.

Thursday Evening

My friend Fred Engelfried (Peace Corps), who is also in for the wedding, picks me up with his new girlfriend, Meghan, a cheery and upbeat lass, and we head to a Mexican restaurant to have dinner with my other friend Brennen (Brown U) and his longtime girlfriend Audra.

Dinner is full of laughs at each other's expense, Brennen keeps bringing conversation around to his newfound faith, it borders on proselytizing, I joke that he and Audra will be hitting us up for a $50 donation at the end of dinner - in all seriousness, it is a good and substantive conversation, we appreciate enthusiasm, but it borders on zealotry.

We leave the Mexican restaurant and continue the conversation at a Coffee Bean down the street where there is an outside fire...

Go home, sleep like a log

Friday Morning

8:30 AM - I go out for breakfast with my friend Justin, another filmmaker who has just moved from DC to LA, happily - he tells me how many people in the "industry" he has already met and how excited he is about the possibilities - it makes me wonder, hmm...maybe LA is the place to be, but then again, maybe you lose your creative identify in the mix - we go to Urth Cafe in Santa Monica.

10 AM - I get dressed in a grey suit for weddding, I rather like it - drive to pick up Fred and Meghan en route, we arrive in time at 11 AM

Ceremony is Russian Orthodox, liturgy is in language of Old Church Slavonic, which I actually studied in Undergrad. Outdoors, sunny, contrast between solemnity of bearded Orthodox Priest muttering phrases in Russian and sunny Southern California patio - the attendees number about 30

Ceremony is followed by reception indoors, lunch - I sit next to the ever witty Sabine, whom I haven't seen since her wedding - we catch up on life and share some laughs,Justin and Fred are also seated at table, Justin has brought his girlfriend, Patria - Sabine and I tell him "she's a keeper" - they make an almost perfect match, much like Kevin and Liuba, the bride and groom.

I go back to Pete and Lindsay's where I am staying, and begin reading a book on the "Beatles" - fascinating read, they hit a tipping point not so much for their performances but rather for their fans' fanatical behaviour, they hit on hype and style, it is only later (after 2 years of touring and Beatlemania) that they begin innovating on substance and start distinguishing themselves as artists

Friday Evening

Dinner at Buddha's Belly with Lindsay,Pete, his sister Katie, and her husband Devin - Liam, my buddy from Monterey, joins us - we talk about Lindsay and Pete's wedding from 3 weeks before, I order peanut noodles, not too good, unfortunately

We then go to bar in Santa Monica where I beat Pete in 2 straight games of Ms. Pac-Man - go home and sleep like log

Saturday Morning

I drive to Burbank to pick up Brennen on way to 11 AM flag football game in Pasadena - he is not ready, so I go get some breakfast and ask him to meet me there, which he does - I don't want to hang out in his house twiddling my thumbs an hour before gametime, nor do I want him to see my impatience, so I remove myself from environment.

I am sore as hell after 4 hours of football, head to Manhattan Beach to catch up with wedding party - don't arrive until 3:30 PM, they are packing up to leave, so I go for a quick swim with Fred, go back to towel and nap while he and Meghan go for walk

We then catch up with Justin and Patria at taco place, then head to Cold Stone and I buy an $8 ice cream cone! Good? Yes, worth it? Maybe...

I drive back to Santa Monica, shower, change, chat with Linds and Pete and then head back to Manhattan Beach, catch up with crew at tail end of dinner - 8:30ish - Liuba and I have a good talk about her career aspirations, she wants to work in consulting, she is thinking of going to B-school for MBA - I try to think of contacts in consulting - resolve to introduce her to my friend JC, who lives in SF and recently adopted a Russian boy - he has a good network and can maybe set her up with some informational interviews...she is young and smart, pretty ambitious, but I can infer that her confidence is low, understandably, she is a foreigner (Russian), only been in states for several months, is a bit of an introvert - just needs a start.

Go home at 11:30 PM and am in bed and asleep before midnight

Sunday

Brennen and Audra come over at 9:30 AM and we head for San Diego - on the way down the conversation again comes round to Faith and their spiritual and relationship journey - I dig it, but am a bit suppressed by what I feel is a one-sided outpouring in the conversation, reminds me a bit of cousin Sean's long-windedness and insensitivity to the back-and-forth of a conversation - some people do love to hear themselves talk...I am a listener by nature, destined to endure the soliloquies of enlightened companions...though an enlightened soliloquy is better than meaningless drivel, I suppose - is silence an option?

We listen to Beatles songs - I finally understand "Yesterday" it speaks to the common predicament of a guy breaking up with a girl and then realizing how much he really liked her only after she is gone, a very common predicament.

We arrive at my friend Meghan's place in SD, beautiful home - she lightens the mood with her warm welcome, we get the $.50 tour and then depart for Jimbo's, a local market, and then head to the beach, where we meet with Cousin Kate and hike for 30 minutes along a coastal trail that is on a par with Big Sur in terms of its panoramic vistas of the Pacific Ocean and its vast tranquility...


We arrive at bottom of trail and have a picnic on beach, then go for a swim in water that is cold enough to be invigorating, but warm enough that you can adjust to it after a few minutes of immersion, waves roll gently in, Kate, Meghan and I take the waves one by one, either under or over - submerge into or jump with - depending on the size

Kate tells Brennen and me about her experiences in professional sailing and all the different types of boats and races there are - intense and fascinating! She is a well-rounded individual who has built a great life around her two passions - sailing and graphic design

We lose the game, Tommy is not in the zone that he was in the day before, misses some open receivers in final minutes of game - Tommy takes the blame, there is nothing else to say...the game rides on the QB, the game is over, I suggest we have dinner with Tommy before heading back to LA - we do.

On way back, Brennen, Audra and I listen to Beatles, I ask Brennen to drive and doze off - they are marvelling at musical brilliance of what we are listening to - and I agree, but am not a musician like them, and thus am a bit behind in some of the technical speak...

I get home, am sore and dead-tired, hit the sack like a load of bricks, sleep soundly.

Monday

Go out to breakfast with Lindsay, at Urth Cafe, once again - we run into Meaghan Townsend and one of her fellow yoga instructors - we all sit together and enjoy a breakfast

The muscles around my spine are as tight as violin strings, I am am incredibly sore from the football, so I set up an appt for a a massage, $44 for the hour, not a bad deal, $60 with tip in the end - I feel better, but am still sore...

2 PM - meet up with Richard Propper of Solid Entertainment, a documentary distribution company - Liam Lynch joins us - we talk about potential on-line video production and distribution ventures, whether to build the "Day in the Life" brand or to revive 'Walkumentary.com" - comedy seems to have a bigger upside if you can get it right - I share with him some of my "comedy" ideas, he loves them, is surprised that I have a comic mind - as my last productions have been so serious (Swing State Ohio, Recyclers) I describe the walkumentary brand as "high brow Jackass"

4 PM I go to Michelle Paster's home studio, watch some of her footage from documentary - some footage (hidden camera) is unwatchable, other interviews are polished and interesting - it's about people establishing their careers in their twenties...I encourage her to produce stand-alone short episodes to build some confidence and buzz about her project - propose some "walkumentary" concepts, like going to a studio uninvited and asking for a job...

6 PM I pack my stuff drive to Chin Chin to mee with Pete and Lindsay for final dinner before I head back East - I pick up the check on credit card - spend now and pay later

9:30 PM Depart on redeye from Long Beach for Dulles

5:30 AM Arrive IAD,

7 AM arrive home, take a bath and shave. Back to reality.

End of Post

Tennis, Indie Film, and Todd Martin's Words of Wisdom

Last Sunday I drove from our family home in Cape Cod
to Portsmouth, RI, where I caught up with my cousin
Ryan and the 11 young people from Las Vegas who are
participating in a program where tennis is used to
teach life skills and help young people get into the
college of their choice.

The group was being hosted by Carnegie Abbey, an
exclusive resort that was founded by another cousin of
mine, Brian O'Neill. The organizers of the tour had
arranged for Todd Martin, a former pro player who was
staying at the Abbey with his wife and children, to
hit with the kids on the tennis courts and give them a
bit of a talk.

Before and after Todd hit with the kids, and boy can
they hit, he delivered a couple messages of advice and
wisdom. I don't know how the kids ingested Todd's
words of wisdom, but what he talked about came at a
perfect time for me and I have been digesting and
applying these principles in my own life and
profession as an independent film producer.

He told them that tennis, or any other sport for that
matter, is not necessarily an end unto itself (aside
perhaps, from the benefit of exercise), but rather a
crucible wherein one could test and learn about life
and how to deal with loss, victory, disappointment and
discipline. Now keep in mind that for him tennis is
his vocation, it is both his daily bread and his
calling. Anyone who had played competitive sports has
at some point identified themselves very deeply with
who they were and how they fared on the playing field.
If you lost, you probably felt like a loser, and if
you won, you probably felt like you were "the man" or
"woman" for that matter. And though Todd was no
Sampras or Agassi, he was most certainly a winner,
someone who had been to 3 Grand Slam finals, though
maybe his humility came from the stark reality that he
did not ever win any of those Grand Slams (he lost to
Sampras in one final and Agassi in the other). But the
point stands - you can lose in a match (or the
workplace) and still be a winner in life, or be a
winner on the court (or in your profession) and still
be a loser off the court. We all know people,
including ourselves, who fall into either category.

On the following day a friend of mine called me to
tell me he had a fairly disappointing day - he had
been passed over for two prospective job
opportunities, and was feeling pretty low. Hmm, I
thought to myself - this is exactly what Todd was
talking about yesterday. I gave my friend the
background on my visit to the Abbey and shared with
him Martin's words of wisdom, comparing it to my own
travails of entering my film into festivals, sending
it to distributors and broadcasters and having it
rejected time and time again. When you're an artist,
and you submit something that you've poured your
blood, sweat and tears into - you can't help but take
it personally when your work is rejected (in that
respect it is a lot like tennis). These are the times
when the phrase "believe in yourself" takes on a real
meaning. If you really belive, you can't give up, you
have to keep on trying. Fortunately for me, I found a
good home for my film on PBS, and though the financial
compensation isn't what I had hoped it would be - I am
one step closer to achieving my goal of having my work
broadcast to potentially hundreds of thousands of
viewers throughout the country.

He commended them for being high achievers and for
working hard, but warned them against the pitfalls of
frustration. "When you make a mistake on the court or
you lose a match, you have to realize that there will
be another opportunity to make it right. "Moreover",
he continued, "as your skills improve on the court,
the guy or gal across the net will probably have
skills equal to yours." What will distinguish between
the two players will be the head and the heart, mental
toughness and emotional commitment. He added that this
explained why Nadal and Federer are above and beyond
their peers, because spiritually and mentally they
have it together. There are many players who can hit
the ball harder and may even be faster - but in match
play, you just can't hang with Roger or Rafa.

I also shared this principle with my friend - and by
the end of the conversation I really got the sense
that Todd's words of wisdom had served both of us in
putting things into perspective. A couple weeks
earlier this very same friend of mine had sent me a
paragraph about how we really need to accept the fact
that God is in control of our lives - this is easy to
say and espouse when we're kind of in a status quo,
everything is cool and copasetic - but when you get
smacked on the head by rejection, it is a bit more
difficult to apply as a principle in terms of how we
deal with this loss or disappointment.

So Todd, wherever you are, thanks for sharing, and
kids, keep on playing.


Jonathan "Jed" Wolfington
Filmmaker/Media Consultant
www.swingstateohio.com
www.walkumentary.com

The Making of : A Day in the Life of An Interpreter

Sometime in early 2007, while brainstorming on new ideas, it occurred to me that it would be fun, interesting, and perhaps even profitable to produce short documentaries that profiled a given profession. We spend most of our waking lives at work, yet most of us has hardly any idea of what our friends, family, and fellow citizens actually do every day to earn their proverbial "daily bread". That is when I decided to pursue this idea of "A Day in the Life..."

I had gone to graduate school to study International Environmental Policy at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in 2003, and that is where I met Iciar Gomez and Andrea Verdasco, who were training to be conference interpreters at the famed School of Translation and Interpretation at MIIS. At the time, I had recently produced a short documentary called "Recyclers", which had won an award at a film festival, so they invited me into their classroom as a guest speaker. I would speak about my film in English and they would then offer a consecutive interpretation into Spanish. Whew! I was blown away by the precision of their interpretation, and the little symbols they were scribbling down on their notepads whilst I spoke - so I came to appreciate their craft and their process, just as I was sharing with them the inner workings of my craft as a filmmaker, which is in a sense a craft that entails interpreting, or translating an experience or story to an audience.

So I asked them if they might be interested in being featured in a profile about the profession, in essence, being the guinea pigs for the pilot episode of what I hoped, and still hope, could be a longer series. They responded enthusiastically and together we came up with a game plan and then executed our plan: I interviewed both of them down on the Mall in DC, and then spent a day with them at a conference on affordable housing where they had been hired to interpret.

The piece came together in the edit suite quite nicely, and we immediately generated interest on behalf of Current TV, who made an offer to broadcast it (another story unto itself), and the American Translator's Association, who loved the piece and expressed in interest in using it for their PR efforts.

I was particularly impressed by the strong character presence of Andrea and Iciar on camera, as they had never worked in that capacity before - they were both very natural and engaging, each in their own way. The music in the piece was played by my good friend Fred Engelfried, whom I knew from my Peace Corps days. I knew that he was a talented flamenco guitar player, but he had never recorded anything. I called him up, sent him a rough cut of the piece, and asked him if the thought he could put something together. He blew me away with two beautiful tracks that fit perfectly in the piece. I also received camera assistance from Brian Wright and Teddy Symes, both of whom are talented filmmakers in their own right.

Broadcast Distribution of Documentaries - What's a Producer to Do?

There has much talk both within the internet and filmmaking community about the emerging platforms for distirbution of content, and more importantly, how to capture revenue within those platforms of distribution.

As an independent producer of both short-format (3-10 mins) and longer format documentaries, I have recently encountered the age-old quandary of balancing the tradeoff between exposure and monetization. On the one hand, you want as many people as possible to see your work, while on the other hand, you need your work to be valued monetarily, and thus, need to control the distribution of your work and optimize whatever revenue you can generate from licensing fees, dvd sales, and the promise of future opportunities to ply your trade.

I recently decided to license my documentary "Swing State Ohio" to PBS through NETA beginning Fall of 2007 - which basically means that it gets uploaded to a satellite and is made available to local PBS affiliates for broadcast at no charge, in fact, it costs me $100 to process the upload through NETA. This is after I had shopped the piece to HBO and Sundance Channel, both of whom passed on it, and to be honest, it is probably better-suited for PBS, given that it is for the most part a middle-of-the-road angle, taking into account viewpoints from all shades of the political spectrum. So why would I essentially give away a one-hour long program that I put a year-and-a-half of my life into? Well, it's all about exposure.

Keep in mind that I do own the DVD distribution rights for the program, the idea is that a broadcast on PBS can afford me a substantial platform of engaging potential customers who might want to purchase the program for their personal enjoyment, their local school, community group, etc on the web-site. On a graph, my optimistic side envisions an upward spike in DVD sales, will keep you up-to-date on that as it progresses.

In addition, it is very good exposure for me as a filmmaker, and a solid addition to my portfolio to have something broadcast on PBS. The next time I look for backing on a project, I can point to it as a credential.

Thus, it is important to view domestic broadcast not necessarily as the end-all and be-all of a program's lifetime, but rather as a launching platform for what could potentially lead to increased DVD sales and perhaps even a pickup by an international broadcast distributor, business attracts business, and in the early stages of one's career, you gotta take what you can get.

Introduction

Dear Friends, Family, Colleagues, and Strangers,

This be a blog from me to you, a place to comment and share insights, experiences, and points of view.

Thematically, I intend to cover the creative and business aspects of my professional experiences as a filmmaker and content creator, as well as the occasional personal narrative or insight related to life experiences.

Ciao, and thanks for tuning in...

Jonathan "Jed" Wolfington is the founder of Walkumentary Productions, a film and video production company that specializes in documentary and short-format digital content. His previous documentaries include "Swing State Ohio" (2006) and the award-winning "Recyclers" (2003). Mr. Wolfington studied filmmaking at the Los Angeles Film School, is a former Peace Corps Volunteer, received a B.A. from Brown University and is a recent graduate of the Monterey Institute of International Studies, where he studied International Environmental Policy. A native and resident of Washington, D.C., he is the 4th of 5 children and proud uncle to 10 nieces and nephews.