Pandemic Film: Black Lives Matter

Posted on by Thor

I am deep into production now, having finished 13 shots yesterday.I had to stop because I was getting blurry eyed and though I might punch a wrong button and experience another Premiere Pro crash. This morning I am starting off with a shot of BLM in Washington D.C. That is the D.C. Mayor  Murial Bowser on the balcony looking down the street at the White House.

I debated weather I needed to actually put a depth map on this shot because this is a fast pan that lasts just a second and 22 frames. I did notice the depth when working on the shot in After Effects, but with the pan added in Premiere Pro that illusion of depth is very subtle. I doubt it will be noticed. All his is part of the learning curve, if time gets tight, I know where corners could be cut, but I always want to go for the best possible solution. Some shots at the end will likely be re-done to improve the production value.

I tried to send musician Andy Matchett the latest edit of the project, but the render froze. The project is huge now and a simple render is another technical hurdle I will need to conquer. I tried just shooting a video of the program and sending that via WeTransfer but that also didn’t go through. We may need to Zoom so I can share the progress.

Posthumous

Posted on by Thor

Phoenix Tears Productions presents, Posthumous an immersive interactive Zoom show where you act as investors or new employees and through your choices take one of five paths and cause one of ten endings. Audience is encouraged to interact, participate, ask questions, talk to Posthumous employees, and directly affect the story.

I sat in and sketched a beta version of the show which I imagine is the equivalent of a dress rehearsal. After a quick introduction to the Zoom interface, I was moved into a zoom meeting room for new employees. There were about 30 people in the zoom meeting to start who were new employees, prospective clients, or potential investors. Having so many people in the meeting set me into panic mode as I scrambled to fit everyone on the page. I probably wasn’t the ideal new hire since I was sketching the entire time.

The general premise is that Posthumous is the the biggest and best afterlife company who supplies an ideal scripted afterlife for people’s souls after they die. As part of the new research team I got to meet one of the recently deceased who was a bit disoriented. We got to experience one of her final waking life memories and began to unravel both the mystery of her death and the darker side of the Posthumous corporate culture. An amazing twist is that we were able to interact with the memory as if we were in the body of the deceased. Any questions asked would alter the memory.

I felt a little disappointed that I had lost so many people as they branched off to their own individual adventures. Slowly however people began to trickle back into our meeting to share their experiences as investors and prospective clients who had been given a tour. Giving a corporation the ability to curate death has menacing consequences and it became our responsibility to get to the bottom of a dark mystery.

Only at the end did we discover who was in the cast and who was in the audience. Those distinctions blurred and didn’t matter as we worked to unravel the corporate mystery. I fully enjoyed the experience. I certainly would have been able to contribute more if I had not been distracted with sketching, but there was a dark delicious humor to the show as a whole.

Show times are,

  • Fri., Sept. 23, 2022 at 8 p.m.,
  • Sat., Sept. 24, 2022 at 3 & 9 p.m.,
  • Sun., Sept. 25, 2022 at 1 & 7 p.m.,
  • Fri., Oct. 7, 2022 at 8 p.m.,
  • Sat., Oct. 8, 2022 at 3 & 9 p.m.
  • Sun., Oct. 9, 1 & 7 p.m.

Tickets are $35 to $45.

#txtshow

Posted on by Thor

As part of Melbourne Fringe, Brian Feldman performed #txtshow (on the internet) via Zoom. He live streamed the event from Washington D.C.

The show was described online as:  “This completely immersive multiscreen performance features a mysterious character called txt (pronounced “text”) who recites a script written anonymously in real-time by a live audience (on the internet).”

“As the content is based entirely upon what audience members write in anonymity, this limited capacity show may contain mature themes, profane language, and explicit sexual content. Happening on Zoom, audience members must keep their camera and microphone on the entire show.”

I have sketched live TXT shows many times in the past when Brian performed in Orlando. It was a nice change to see the audience reactions by seeing them on the computer screen.

It was late here in Orlando when the performance began, so I had the bright idea of enjoying the show from the hot tub. I hadn’t considered the logistics of having to do a watercolor sketch while in the tub. I sank down mid chest and had to raise my elbows to try and keep the sketch pad above the water. Another thing I hadn’t considered was that the lights might not be on while I sketched. I worked with the ambient glow from the computer screen and balanced the sketchbook on the edge of the hot tub. Another thing I hadn’t thought about is that the moderator wanted us to keep our camera on. The problem was be were not wearing bathing suits. Modesty forced us to keep the camera off for part of the performance but then we went ahead and turned it on. Since the lights were off, it didn’t matter.  The flesh tones didn’t appear in the darkness.

Pam started typing a complex text for Brian to perform and in her haste, she dropped her phone in the hot tub. She pulled it out immediately and dried it off with a towel but the damage had been done. She turned it off and ran to the kitchen to put it in a container of rice. She explained that turning it on with water inside might short circuit it. She did sent off some more texts via computer as the show went on. She had Brian do some physical performances like pretending he was stuck to the back wall of his set.

His set was surprisingly stark. I love sketching from Zoom since people don’t usually think of the camera angles and they often have the camera pointing up a the ceiling. This creates some fun sketches of people in their homes from strange angles. Brian must have hung a pure white sheet behind him because his dark black suite stood out from a pure white backdrop.  One woman was laughing with delight the whole show. We scrolled to her several times to watch her laugh. Another woman frowned the entire show, she never seemed amused.  This made for a fun performance. Since I was sketching live, I discovered I couldn’t spend much time sketching each audience member since Pam was enjoying scrolling through the faces to watch reactions a swell. As  in a live performance people on occasion remarked about each other, like when someone complimented one audience members hat.  TXT made such a seamless adaptation to the new technology offered by Zoom. This was a fun night with absolute social distancing.

The next day several buttons stopped working on Pam’s phone, but over time the features returned and her phone made a full recovery from its dunk in the tub.

Pardon

Posted on by Thor

Don’t travel this Thanksgiving. The Omaha World Herald headline read, “See that Thanksgiving celebrations are restricted as much as possible so as to prevent another flare-up.” Health officials in many cities issued the same holiday warning: “Stay home and stay safe.” That headline ran November 28, 1918 during the Spanish Flu epidemic. 102 years later and we find ourselves in the same predicament.

In 1918 the Thorspecken family lived in Omaha and they survived the Spanish Flu. I have to imagine they were as shocked as I am at peoples stupidity and indifference to the public health threat. Despite the warnings in 1918, many churches held services on Thanksgiving. A big party was held for 150 soldiers returning from WWI at the First Methodist Church. After that festival, 500 soldiers were to be entertained in private homes. These were likely super spreader events at the time.  Back then people made the same mistakes being made today by ignoring basic health warnings, masks social distancing and washing hands. My father was born a few years after the flu epidemic subsided, a sign of hope for the future.

In 2020, more than 1 million COVID-19 cases were reported in the United States over the last 7 days.

As cases continue to increase rapidly across the United States, the safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving is to celebrate at home with the people you live with. Gatherings with family and friends who do not live with you can increase the chances of getting or spreading COVID-19 or the flu.

Celebrating virtually or with the people you live with is the safest choice this Thanksgiving. Zoom has cut off the 40 minute free time limit, so you can stay connected virtually with loved ones on Thanksgiving day.

An Iowa turkey will be traveling to the White House for a presidential pardon. Turkeys are not known to catch COVID-19 and the trip will literally save their lives so it is worth the risk. The turkey “pardoning” tradition seen today dates back to 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln reportedly first granted clemency to a turkey. The tradition formally began in 1989, under former President George H.W. Bush, and presidents have spared the lives of Thanksgiving birds since. Donald Trump is not one for honoring traditions, so I fear for the Turkey. Trump has been hunkered down in the white house refusing to accept reality. In the past, the pardon ceremony has been held in front of a crowd of spectators in the Rose Garden at the White House. I am sure Donald will want to make it another super spreader event.

Virtual Courses and Summer Camps

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I had never used Zoom prior to the pandemic. I now use it every week to teach students traditional foundation drawings skills and animation for Elite Animation Academy. I like the platform because students can watch me draw live in an intimate online setting. I can take a drawing done by each student and then quickly add a few strokes to show them how their sketch might be improved. As students sketch away on assignments I like to sketch them from my end of the virtual classroom. I honestly feel that students get more from me than when I taught them in the classroom setting, pre-pandemic.

In a news conference Thursday June 18, 2020 Governor Ron DeSantis and Commissioner Richard Corcoran announced that they plan to reopen schools for in-person learning in the fall of 2020. DeSantis said, “We are not going to be instituting a lot of rules, or really any rules.”

  • Step 1 – June – open up campuses for youth activities and summer camps.
  • Step 2 – July – expand campus capacities further for summer recovery instruction.
  • Step 3 – August – open up campuses at full capacity for traditional start of the academic year.

According Florida Today, Florida’s surgeon general has acknowledged that a syndrome that attacks children and is associated with Covid-19 has surfaced in Florida, adding yet another critical layer to diagnosing and treating the disease. Emergency Medicine Physician Rajiv Bahl, MD, said that it’s too soon for children to begin playing together and having play dates.

Starting tomorrow, June 21, 2020, I will be teaching summer camps and classes 7 days a week until August 7, 2020. Summer camps will begin Monday June 22, 2020 at Elite Animation Academy and I will be instructing 5 days a week. I don’t know how many students are in the summer camps, but maintaining 6 feet of distance between students might be a challenge.

Today Sunday June 21, 2020 I will begin teaching a course at Crealde. Last week was the first class but I did not have the course on my calendar since I wasn’t given the course schedule, so I missed it. Six students showed up. I felt bad when I got the call and I was still in bed.

One Crealde student received notice that someone that they had been exposed to on June 11th, 2020 just received a Positive Covid-19 result.   Out of an abundance of caution, they were tested June 20, 2020, and will self isolate until results come back on Tuesday June 23, 2020 or Wednesday June 24, 2020.  They withdrew from class. I was asked to let the other five students know why the student left.  This student was with all of the other students for the entire 75 minutes that they waited on Sunday June 14, 2020 when I was at home.   Most students were wearing masks.  This student was wearing a mask.

The person this student was exposed to had no symptoms. People who are asymptomatic can expose others to the virus. They were both wearing masks, exposure was less than a minute together, the doctor says there is a very slim chance the student contracted Covid-19.  I feel like I dodged a bullet for now.
Tomorrow Sunday June 21, 2020 when I go to teach at Crealde I will of course wear a mask, but if any students decide to show up despite the possible Covid-19 exposure, then I will feel the need to get tested as well. I have been locked down for the past 3 months doing a pandemic themed painting every day. It will be a shock to try and return to “life as normal.”
At President Donald Trump‘s poorly attended Tulsa Rally, he said he had told officials in his administration to slow down coronavirus testing because of the rising number of cases in America. He said that the US has now tested some 25 million people. “Here’s the bad part… when you do testing to that extent, you’re going to find more people; you’re going to find more cases. So I said to my people, slow the testing down please.”
Florida reported another 4,049 coronavirus cases Saturday June 20, 2020, yet another record-shattering increase as the number of infections statewide approaches 94,000. Every day this week has show exponential growth in the spread through the state with a new record set each day. Florida has “all the markings of the next large epicenter of coronavirus transmission,” and risks being the “worst it has ever been,” according to projections from a model by scientists at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania.
Working 7 days a week, I will not be able to produce a pandemic themed painting each day. I will have to limp by, doing one or two a week. I am about the enter the Wild West of teaching summer camps and courses in the midst of a pandemic.

A Doctor’s Visit During a Pandemic

Posted on by Thor

My doctor’s appointment was set up months ago. On the day of the appointment I managed to let it completely slip my mind since I was juggling Zoom conference calls in an attempt to work remotely. I cursed myself for forgetting as it takes months to get in. Rescheduling however was relatively easy. When Pam and I arrived at the doctor’s office the reason it was easy to reschedule was obvious. There were only a few cars in the parking lot. The lot is usually packed to overflowing.

The waiting room was also not very crowded making social distancing a breeze. The nurses wore face masks, but otherwise it was business as usual. After filling out mynew insurance forms, I took a heaping squirt of hand sanitizer from the dispenser on the counter. I didn’t have much time to sketch the waiting room. My name was called before I could refine this sketch.

The closest I got to any other patient was in the narrow hallways. My appointment was a standard follow up visit to be sure I was still functioning like normal. I honestly expected more of a war zone atmosphere, but I suppose the small general practitioners are not yet feeling the brunt of the virus outbreak yet. They did insist I fill out a form that verified that I had not visited a foreign country and no one in my family had the virus. I am wondering if I would have been turned away if indeed I had recently traveled abroad.

Creative Isolations Rehearsal

Posted on by Thor

I sat in and sketched the first Creative Isolations rehearsal on Zoom. This is a fascinating show put on by a group of graduate students from the University of Central Florida, who partnered with Orlando Story Club and the Downtown Arts District. The show was only staged on the video conferencing platform Zoom and YouTube. All the various slam poetry pieces and monologues are organized around the premise that a Shakespearean  acting troupe is looking for a way to have their voices heard over a digital platform. The performance was on Monday April 6, 2020 at 8pm.

Of course with the tech lags of video streaming and audio the first read through was a bit rough but it was possible to see the diamond in the rough. My series of pandemic illustrations will appear during one of the readings. And of course the illustration I did based o a written monologue about a sand sculptor will appear during that reading.

This is an amazing combination of tech and art and it should be truly unique to watch. Actually by the time this sketch goes live the performance will have already happened. I hope you got the word with my previous posts and had a chance to tune in.

Creative Isolations Team Meeting

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I have been contributing to Creative Isolations: The American Artists Project Performance.

On April 1, 2020 there was a zoom meeting for all 20 artists who are contributing to the project. Each artist in turn discussed their contribution to the project. I quickly sketched the Zoom meeting with the added challenge that people kept moving to new positions on the Brady Bunch screen.

I had done an illustration based on a short story about a sand sculptor. Because of the pandemic the sculptor was forced to work in his home sandbox. At first I thought the sandbox would be in the back yard, but then I took inspiration from Close Encounters of the Third Kind and I had the sculptor working in his living room.

Creative Isolations is a group of graduate students from the University of Central Florida, have partnered with Orlando Story Club and the Downtown Arts District for a celebration of artists in America. We have gathered stories about how artists’ lives have been altered by COVID-19 and selected artists to create original works based on those stories. Now, the artists are ready to share their creations with you!

The live, online performance will be on on Monday, April 6 (Tonight!) at 8pm Eastern Time (US and Canada).

Artist contributors include painters, actors, designers, singers, sand sculptors, composers, leather artists, and more.

The performance is free of charge. However, since social distancing has made it difficult for artists to make money, any funds raised will go straight back to the participating artists.

The Downtown Arts District and Orlando Story Club are proud partners of this project (6% of your donation will be used for an administrative fee).

LINK TO YOUTUBE CHANNEL:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1swgTahl0or-KNaCYFCjZg?view_as=subscriber

LINK TO DONATE:
https://downtownartsdistrict.com/product/make-a-donation/