Director AK Long excited about zombie invasion

Makeup by Alchemy FX 

"The only thing more exciting than the zombie attack in Miami is that Mystery Zone is going to be shooting a zombie film this summer" chuckled AK Long when asked about Mystery Zone Productions' upcoming short film "Dance Step of Death."

Click to read the full release about "Dance Step of Death," which was written by Ed Fletcher and being directed by Long. 

Awe shucks I'm producing a movie

I must confess there is more than a little bit of "awe shucks" in my voice when I tell you that I'm producing a short film in a matter of weeks.

It's my first.

In some respects, producing "Dance Step of Death" is a major stretch. I've never worked in movies. But on the other hand, it's a role I've been unknowingly preparing myself for my entire life.

The movie "Dance Step of Death" is about three everyday white collar workers who, bored with their jobs, moonlight as the superhero team the "Adventure Patrol."  The team find their way into a fix after investigating an unexplained series of dog maulings.

Being a professional writer, it might strike you as odd when I confess I never was a creative writer as a kid. Not one poem, short-story, or play.

But that isn't to say I wasn't a creative thinker. As an adolescent, I was the game master (or story teller) when we played our (nerd alert) role-playing games i.e. Dungeon & Dragons. In high school, I pushed to do video project at every opportunity. And working at a summer camp allowed my to express my inner ham.

Having a better grasp of what I didn't want to do with my life, than what I do want to do; my college aspirations drifted from film, to television broadcasting to print journalism. I'm proud to say I've had a successful dozen year career as a print journalist at a major metropolitan newspaper. But I'm also proud to say I've go other itches to scratch.

I've been edging toward this point for a couple years now: Daring to think I might have something interesting to say or write outside of the newspaper framework. Two years, ago I took an abbreviated screen writing class at Access Sacramento. This spring, I took a class is short film production.

This summer, I produce my film.

It is humbling to have people willing to put their time and/or money into this project based on words I've put to paper. Producing is like pushing a boulder up hill in a rain storm. I'm glad others are joining in.

From what I can tell, so far, producing is about solving the fiscal, logistical and human resource problems to allow the director, actors and technical crew to make the story come alive.

Problem solving is something I've done. I find myself leaning on skills I honed as a young man first in student government in high school, later as editor of my college paper, and also through my years helping to run a Boy Scout camp.

With AK Long, a recent graduate from UC Davis, on board to produce, we've been collecting an impressive roster of crew members willing to work far harder than anyone can expect steak sandwiches.

The exercise, however, was largely theoretical until I saw the first draft of drawings of the Adventure Patrol "Righteous Hoodie," "Friar Chuck" and "Lady Lynx" costume. Oh "that's what they look like," I thought examining the artists work.

That, I expect, will be the first of many "gee wiz" moments I'll have along this magical ride. Next up casting: finding our three heroes that will turn the words on paper to three living breathing people with hopes, dreams and occasional constipation.

Please join us for the ride. Post comments on this blog. Like "Dance Step of Death" on facebook. Check out of www.indiegogo.com fundraising video, which we'll launch in a matter of days and join us for our Superheroes vs. Zombies party June 30 at Marilyn's. And above all see the movie.

My night with the biker gang

Oddly, this is exactly what the modern Boozefighters 

look like. Gotta love their motto, "A drinking club with a 

motorcycle problem."  

I've always had a somewhat cavalier attitude when it comes to protecting my life, which sometimes results in accepting invitations to places that those concerned with their safety would never go.
Two experiences come to mind. My visit to a biker clubhouse and my more recent visit to a Cinco de Mayo Party in Pollack Pines.
I know what you're thinking, "They celebrate Mexican drunk fest in hill country?" I'll get to that but first, yes I voluntarily went to a biker clubhouse.
It all started with a visit to my local pub the Tallac Lounge. I was there with a platonic female friend and we had made two lady friends. The four of us had also been chatting with three or four biker dudes wearing leather "Boozefighters" jackets. They seemed cool enough. No one seemed to be on meth and no meth was offered for sale. So at 1 a.m. when the bar closed (they have to close early because of the shooting) the Boozefighters invite the girls to come back to their clubhouse. After some considerable contemplation I agree to drive.
I've done stupid things before and how often do you get invited back to a biker clubhouse. We follow the directions to a warehouse off a Power Inn and approach gate with a large tattooed man with a black leather jacket standing at the entrance. This must be that place.
I lower the window and tell him who invited us.
"The Boozefighters are the next gate," says the man in the Hells Angles jacket. Apparently this is the biker gang/club district. You probably could have found it by using the Bee's crime mapper and searched for reported rapes in industrial zones. 
Inside the clubhouse is a long bar with a stripper pole mounted on it, a small office and bathroom and a large open area where they apparently work on bikes or other project like holiday displays. The stereo played much more hip hop and rap than I expected. It operates just like a fraternity, I suppose. New guys ran the bar and did the bitch work. I was on edge the entire night. I didn't want to get with any of these women, but I felt responsible for their safety.
The night ended harmlessly, but there was an "oh shit" moment when one of the men pulled a bully club from behind the bar and walked swiftly to the front door. There was no blood on it when he returned, apparently the neighbors wanted to barrow some sugar.

Sulking over, new script submitted

While other areas of my life either languish (dating) or are a mess (house), my creative side is doing quite well, thank you for asking.
On Friday, I bought the URL for the blog/website I plan to launch in a matter of months and on Monday I turned in my short film script for Access Sacramento's Place Called Sacramento Film Festival.
The film festival, PCS for the short, invites Sacramento County residents to write a 10 minute film script, 10 of those submitted are produced over the summer and then air at Sacramento's Crest Theater.
Dedicated readers, all two of you, remember that I turned in a script last year. It was rejected and I sulked for several months.
While adept at dealing with rejection in my dating life, 98 percent or more of news stories I write for the newspaper are published -- most with only minor revisions. The rejection of my script was much more of a personal blow. With news, I gather the facts and try to stay out of the way of the story. The script, in many ways was a closer reflection of my style, personality and me. It didn't help that some of the scripts selected were err less-than-perfect. I assuaged my ego by deciding that script "Pink" about the real-life events that shaped California decency laws was too sexy for the family-friendly constraints of PCS.
I haven't given up on making that movie -- a ode to strip clubs and the First Amendment, just not for PCS. I've made refinements, lengthened it, and subtracted some of the compromises I made to fit the 10 minute format.
This year, I wrote a new script that will be a hit with audiences. This script is more refined and fits more easily into the parameters of PCS.
 "Dance Step with Death" is about the office workers that moonlight as crime-fighting Superheroes that find themselves dancing with death as the investigate a series of gory dog attacks.
I have a number of people already looking to get involved. Including a young film maker Aaron Long of Mystery Zone Productions, but I'll need more. I need actors, makeup artists, dancers, a choreographer, production assistants, grips, production managers, and help feeding the crew.
If you'd like to help or just want to give it a read here is the script as submitted. I'll write more about the website at some future date.
 I'm excited about making this film happen, whether or not its selected by PCS.

Here is a look inside how sausage is made in California's Capitol. It may never be the most watched of the "Shit people say" videos, but for people who have worked in or around the capitol, many of these statements will sound familiar. I'm just happy to help out on a good way to get the Sacramento Press Club a little light-hearten exposure, while having fun with a very serious world.

Wine forward

When my brother returned from a trip to Europe a couple years ago, he gave me a wooden wine box with a wine from the region he visited. Given my affinity for vino -- and in this age when gift cards are the mindless gift of last resort -- I thought it was a thoughtful gift.

The wine and stately box was a double gift. A double gift that could should be shared again.

I purchased a nice California wine and placed it, along with a small notebook with a note outlining the box's history, in the case and passed it on to a worthy new caretaker. I hope it was passed along.

The thought of the box moving from home to home makes me smile. I wonder if it's been hiking, seen great sights, witnessed an engagement. But I'm left wondering where its been, what happy moments its enjoyed and where it is now.

How would you react if someone gifted you a handsome wooden wine box, but asked you to blog about the awesome wine experience and pass it along?

I need your feedback and advice. Is this a worthy project? Would anyone read such a blog? Is it a project for fun or profit?

Life coach by committee

In recent months, I've had two people I count as friends offer me their services as a life coach.
I've politely declined.
While the cost is the dominate issue, I must admit that part of me also feels I should be smart enough to life coach my own damn self.
It's a beautiful thought. But seldom practical for many of us. For whatever reason -- time, self-doubt, lack of tools -- we slip back into our bad habits or left life get in the way.
Life coaches are supposed to be for people who are falling apart.
Seldom sufficient, but most of us lean on one good friend or go life coach by committee.

Hands down, my college buddy Rufus has been my best unknowing life coach.
Rufus's brilliance is obscured by factors not entirely within his control, but he never stopped dreaming. The question with him is whether those factors would allow the great art within him to shine. I've tried to help him past those factors.

Meanwhile, he's pushed me to push past the factors that hold me back (apathy, complacency, self doubt). He knew me when I was the big fish and taking names.
During college I was the fearless editor of the student paper destined to be running shit. Feared and respected, if a tad pompous.
While he was never a scout, at my suggestion he also spent a summer working for me at a Boy Scout summer camp. As the program director, I was the No. 2 in command and chief entertainer for the camp which weekly hosted 200 middle school-aged kids.

Rufus pressed me to remember when we ruled shit. I'm active in the community and at work, but I'm not ashamed to say my star is not shining as bright. Professionally, I'm a small cog in the sick machine that is the newspaper business.

Personally, it's a long way back.
I'm taking baby steps.
For me success is capable, determined and focused enough to take the good ideas and turn them into action. It's often a long way from the good idea to execution. On my journey back to running shit sometime you have to celebrate the small victories like creating and handing out awards to random people, but worthy winners at the New Year I attended as a plus one. Or participating in the office holiday "canstruction" contest.

Thinking about when I was at my best, I realized I was always surrounded by capable, winning officers that made our collective vision come true.
In student government at Casa Roble, things got done because there was a team of people working together to plan a dance, build a float or throw a rally. At The Southern Digest the newspaper came together because Mike Wilson, Shamika Britt and Andre Jackson had my back.
I wish I had a firmer plan as I write this. But none-the-less I'm putting it out there: I'm looking for a team. Maybe two teams.
One I envision as a group of people who meet around a meal to discuss what they'd live to improve about their lives and then holding each other accountable.
Thousands of people -- mostly women gather to discuss other people's literary works. Why don't people gather to discuss your ideas, dreams, aspirations?
The idea is simple. On a regular basis, a group of people get together to bypass the bull shit and talk the dream they've held in the closet and the plot a path toward making it reality.

Beandeer can inspire holiday spirit

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Beandeer is the newsroom offering in the Sacramento Bee's inter-office canstruction contest.

With some reluctance, I'll admit that as a high school student leader I actually enjoyed decorating for school dances. I've always felt the urge to be involved, but my real run as a student leader began after my Freshman year in response to my good friend Kim Cantrell's urging.

Over the years, we also organized and decorated school floats, campus rallies and hallways. I was never much into the color scheme. For the most part, I let the ladies make all the subjective decisions. However, I did feel a sense of pride when we successfully turned an idea into reality. I felt really good when the dance was filled, people liked the decorations and we made a profit.

It was with some curiousness among work colleagues that I agreed to spearhead the newsroom's holiday canstruction effort. The publisher asked various departments within the paper to create can-based holiday displays. In my book, its the same deal, bringing the right people together to execute a vision.

The judging has not happened yet, but I feel good about our effort. I feel even better about this time-lapse video by Hector Amezcua of us putting him together.

Video captures whimsical fun of Burning Man 2011

After much delay, I've finished and uploaded my Burning Man video. With so much to see and do everyone's experience is undoubtedly different. This is a small slice of the sights and sounds of Burning Man 2011 Rites of Passage. With enough distance, I can hardly remember my listless dehydration at the tail end of the week. Burning Man is not for everyone, but clearly its for plenty. Enjoy.

And while you're here, I've also embedded my 2010 slide show.

Family fun beach camping

After much delay I finally got to work and finished my video of the summer Fletcher Camping trip to Harris Beach State Park on the Oregon coast. I hope you enjoy.



I originally cut a video using Avid's Studio 11. Frustrated is video format issues I turned again to Windows Live Movie Maker.

Two music idiots ask: "What the hell is dubstep anyway?"

"Dubtep is robot dinosaurs fighting with lasers," random guy at Burning Man.

Music is a big part of Burning Man. For reasons unknown to me, the vast majority of the offerings are various sorts of electronica. The meager live music offerings are dwarfed by large theme camps offering dj music. It's important to note that the Burning Man organization does not bring, host or promote any of the artists. It's all done by theme camps interesting in hosting a huge free dance party in the dessert.
For the first time, I was camped with a electronic music expert who alerted us electronic idiots on when the world famous artists will be spinning the latest dubstep.

Dubstep expert

As we came to learn, dubstep is all the rage. (If you aren't already, you should be playing the clip above). Following our music expert's instructions I listened to several artists people pay good money to hear including bassnector and Opiuo. That often meant lasting until 3 a.m. But while I knew they were spinning dubstep, I didn't have the foggiest idea what defined dubstep.
As we sat in the queue to leave Black Rock City after a week of excess, (exodus the bane of Burning Man) Princess Fussy Pants asked me, "What is dubstep anyway?"
"A series of beep and twerps," I replied, to a laugh. But what is dubstep really?
Given the fact that we had hours of mind sapping traffic to clear, we decided to ask our fellow automotiveinmates. Below is a list of responses from other waiting to leave the incredibility enjoyable and exhausting festival. Some went for humor, some aficionados gave us a clear thoughtful response.

• "Dubstep is robot dinosaurs fighting with lasers." 
• "You know when your in the jacuzzi and you put your head under water by the jet? That is dubstep."
• "Pitch driven base line -- kind of a wobble. Beeps and twerps are more electro house."
• "It's all about the whoop. Baseline of whoop, more dynamic that house or techno. Wah, wah, wah, wah."
• "drug music."
• "Don't know -- I'm not a fan."
• This one super knowledgeable, not so articulate fan said it has something to do with a "double oscillating base" related to reggae and two step -- hence the name. 
• "It's doing a hit of nitrous by the speakers."
• "70 beats per minute sounds like doom ... do dat -- doom doom do dat."

If that doesn't want to make you run out to shill out $100 to see bassnector spin I don't know what will. Please share your impressions of Dubstep or call me a idiot below.

Burning Man is for Doers

Burning Man participants bike near "The Man"

Amateurs try their hand at basic trapeze maneuvers 

A shot ski goes down in the middle of the desert.

Why I go to Burning Man

It's cliché to say Burning Man has to be experienced to be understood, but in many ways its true. (If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many words is experiencing it firsthand worth?)  That said, I will attempt to explain why I attend Burning Man.
People fit into one of two groups: watchers and doers.
Watchers will critique a flash mob, but won't organize one, show up to the costume party, but don't take risks and are the last ones to go skinny dipping.
I choose to be a doer.
I guess I've been a doer most of my life. I was more or less involved in student government since grade school, was a union official at work and have served on various boards throughout my adult life. I love that Burning Man celebrates doing. 
Burning Man is not a city. City's can sustain themselves for more than a week. But Burning Man is a community. A community of people that say yes, that take risks, that participate.
For those who know little of the annual week-long experiment in the Nevada desert, Burning Man invites attendee to shed their normal governors on what to wear and how to act. It turns the show or the festival inside out and asks the guests to be the show. Some invite world class disk jockeys to perform, some create a (free) full-functional bar (minus the bathroom), some teach acrobatics, others offer massages classes, other erect beautiful works of art.
Just about the only thing the event offers beyond structure, gatekeepers, port-a-potties, ice and a few classes is a large wood "Man" that of course burns.
One could run themselves ragged, trying to do a quarter of the pre-planned event. Conversely, one could stumble on the perfect day by setting out on your bike and exploring the a dozen or so of the unmapped, unscheduled events planned and executed by people just like me -- doers.