Who is ready for the collapse of society?

For a brief period, peaking around Christmas, I was a full-blown "prepper." 

"Prepper" is what people preparing for a collapse civilized society following a massive natural or man-made disaster call themselves. In short, you store food, learn to protect it and learn how to get along without electricity. It was the last part that appeals to the Boy Scout in me. It's scary to think about how much we depend on societal systems, electricity, plumbing, water, WiFi, telephone.

I started by watching episode after episode of Doomsday Preppers on National Geographic Channel. That show taught me several things: everyone should have a "bugout bag," a short-notice survival bag; real preppers have enough money to buy and hide a steel "bugout shelter on their property;" wives placate their crazy husbands; and the television experts never think anyone is prepared enough.

To compliment my television tutorials I started reading Emergency by Neil Strauss. Strauss, a hot shot music writer, describes his growing concern about being ill-equip to deal with what may lay around the corner and his efforts rectify that. It's a digestible view into the preppers, survivalists and perpetual traveler movements.

My increasing awareness led my to a Army Surplus store to do a little Christmas shopping. I was also spending spare brainwaves thinking about: Where I'd go if Folsom Dam collapsed? How long would it take for the cavalry to come? Is my home in the flood area?

Katrina was a real scare for many people. Many within the movement point to it as evidence of the government's inability to tackle disasters and evidence of how quickly the looters will come for your food stockpile.

I since finished the book and eased up my on preps. Not because I'm ready, but in part because I have a little more faith in man than most of those people. Super Storm Sandy showed the depth of American's compassion and empathy. If one area of the country is threatened, there are plenty of people in a position to rush in to help... unless its a total economic collapse, then I'll meet you at Black Rock City.

  

Going back to Burning Man, unsure about pen

As spring approaches, I know at least one thing I'll be doing this summer. I'm going back to Burning Man. I'm convinced I can get it right.

I bought a ticket and the majority of the people I camped with last year are coming back, so that is all settled. The open question is whether I go as a journalist or just go as a mission in self discovery. (Truth: It's always a little of both).

Last year, I wrote a piece for The Root magazine on diversity at Burning Man. It's a fine piece and I'm happy I did it, but the technical issues that I had to be overcome to file without leaving the desert were pretty significant.

It basically took big chunks of two days to produce: one day interviewing, writing, shooting and editing pictures and one day trying to get a WiFi signal strong enough to send words and pictures out then having to go back to the WiFi to answer editing questions.

For the most part, Burning Man is a low tech environmental. They don't provide WiFi and phone signals are spotty at best. The WiFi that is there is provided by people just like me who do it to do it. Most take advantage of the lack of connectivity. It's one week where you can tell your boss that "no you won't be checking emails" while your away. It's amazing how much freer one's mind is when our real-world work lives, bills and pressures are told to take a vacation. We - myself included - make fun of people who walk around hoping to get one bar of phone signal so they can get a text message.

But the writer in me enjoyed trying to translate experiences into words. Burning Man is filled with so much going on it a writer's dream and nightmare. Part of me wants to explore other mediums. I'd love to get behind the mic at the Burning Man radio station. I started performing one-man improv shows with a megaphone and I've toyed with video.



Of my videos my 2011 is by far the most popular before the word "chick" is in the title.

If you have Burning Man stories ideas, I'd love to have them. Even better would be ideas for outlets that will pay me for those words.

Blog neglected, but progress significant

Dearest blog,

The "Adventure Patrol" brace for a fight in "Dance Step of Death."

I’m sorry I’ve left you alone for so long. I started you in good faith. I started you as a place to share my thoughts and add my tiny mark on the collective conscious as filtered by the interwebs.

But I while neglected checking in, I’ve been working hard. More than anything you urged me to follow my dreams, scratch itches and try to be the badass motherfucker that started a student store in high school and in college moved his student paper to New Orleans to produce a Bayou Classic edition.

I’m happy to report that my short zombie film “Dance Step of Death” has been submitted to five film festivals and will shortly be available on the amazon marketplace for digital download. As you know that was the first film I produced. I also wrote it, not to be vain. We missed Sundance (we didn’t submit), but by any measure we’ve created a piece of art that will live in our collective universe.

Meanwhile, I’ve made some revisions on my script for “Pink.” That’s film I’m writing -- and hopefully producing -- about the 1969 strip club trial. No I’m not working on this to get my rocks off. It’s a really interesting piece of Sacramento history. And if I need to use a little tits and ass to get people into a theater to see a story about First Amendment and Freedom of Expression, I’ll do it. Besides its a nice little story that will actually warm you heart.

Yeah well, the next step is to set up a table read. I’m on it.

I’m also happy to report something I mentioned earlier on this blog, my wine case re-gifting www.liquidgift.com site is under construction. Technically, its live on the Internet, but we’re still testing.  The idea - as you recall - is to launch a bunch of decorative wine cases out into the world, ask the recipients to show the case a good time, blog about it on our site, then pass it on to a new recipient/player.

I know, I have a long way to go, but I think its a great idea. The site looks nice so if I can find the right help, it gets a good launch and we properly harness social media, it could generate some real traffic and media attention.

Mainly I want to see what happens and launch something that will continue to evolve as it facilitates sharing and interconnectedness.

Oh and as you remember, I'll still doing improv. Yes, every Wednesday night at the Sacramento Comedy Spot. I'm getting better and, while not always technically perfect, its funny.

Now blog, my personal life is a mess, but it not that kind of blog.

Ever Forward
Ed Fletcher

Video Shares Camp GYST Burning Man experience

Burning Man is a videographer's dream. One could literally spend all day and night behind the camera and never feel like they got enough. That person would also be missing out on experiencing the magic of Burning Man.  I try to strike a balance between documenting the beauty and joy around me and participating in that experience.

This video is my attempt to scrape together a taste of the experience, without letting the effort get in the way of my experience.

Much love to Camp GYST and the beautiful, friendly, curious, doers of Black Rock City.




Photography and video by Ed Fletcher. Additional photography by Angela Gentry. Animation by Epicpranks01. Music Soundcloud creative commons "Welcome to the Video Game" by Vextor Kyoto, "Rigomortis" by Kaiyne, "stabb270" by beatfux, "(#270) The Process by yo.Areou, "Dubstep Dishwasher" by The Living Tombstone, Additional vocals by Capt. Sexy Pants.

Please help identify the band with the green wigged singer. I'd love to credit.

Do it now, do it hard

A few weeks ago a cohort at The Sacramento Press Club sent me a message suggesting we do a silly video to promote a survey the club is doing to consider how it might broaden our appeal to journalists who don't cover the Capitol.
After an evening stirring the idea, this is what we came up with. Sure we were late on the Gangnam Style phenomenon compared to the web-savvy, but we hit it early enough to consider ourselves marginally with it.
Big props to my fellow performers Allen Young and Judy Lin, who committed to the idea in all its silliness. Also thanks to Angela Gentry our camera person and director.
I also have to say that I'm very pleased that we didn't put of doing it with the cast we hard rather than delaying waiting for the perfect date. With everyone's busy lives sometimes you just have to roll with the crew you have and do it the best you can. Keep Burning. Ever Forward.


Here is the survey if you're so inclined:

We Are Burning!

Burning Man isn’t about gifts, but sometimes a gift can make the experience.
Mine came from Yertburbia.
My new toy for my fourth Burn was a megaphone.
Knowing myself, I asked a friend even before it arrived to not let me be the asshole with a megaphone.
As early as Monday, the pronouncements began.
“Good morning Burning Man. How is the state of your burn?” might have been an early offering.
Somewhere along the line, I began to heckle the camp behind us officially named “Flirt,” but I called Yertville, Yertburbia, or Yert’s town.
The camp of fine people had five or so Yerts -- a polagram sherter quickly becoming the IT way to live in the desert -- and a tent or two.
Soon the pronouncements and the heckling became a thing. Eached ended with the words: “We Are Burning,” with an occasional “Continue Burning” or “Resume Burning.”  Encouraged by campmates Lo Cobra and Lovemonkey we sang songs to Yertville. “Yert so Good” may have been the best.
Through it all, I tried to say good-natured, uplifting and inspiring. I didn’t do it late at night or early in the morning.
We even took the show on the road, with my booze and Burning Man-high-on-life persona offering running commentary and live narration to the places we’d never been. Sometimes the neighbor dudes would join as we rode our bikes to do and see what the city had to offer.
It felt great when an occasional person would notice and say “that’s the voice.”
But I still felt a little bad about my heckling of Yertburbia and their alien technology.
It was made all good though when H.B. dropped by to offer a paper and hand-drawn megaphone constructed from a Pabst Blue Ribbon box.
“We Are Burning.”

T-shirt purchase supports local art

The action comedy "Dance Step of Death" is in production, but we could sure use your help. The film follows the self-described "Adventure Patrol" as they find themselves in a dangerous pinch after investigating a suspected police and media cover up. The film short will debut at the Sacramento Film and Music Festival, Aug. 18 at the Crest Theater and with you're help will be seen around the world.

You're contributions will also be used to pay submission fees for film festivals around the world. But we also have immediate needs, among other things, I've promised the cast and crew steak sandwiches. It's the least we can do since they're working for free.
Buy a "Dance Step of Death" T-shirt for $20 and support a Sacramento-based film production. If you're not interested in the shirt, a cash donation is appreciated.

The ribbed t-shirts features
art by Sam Laughlin. 

Here is the very attractive ladies cut. 

Sizes

Ladies Small Ladies Medium Ladies Large Men's Large Men's XL

Night before the premiere

Months of hard work and the fruit of my artistic vision are unveiled tonight as my short film "Dance Step of Death" is premiered on the big screen as part of the Sacramento Film and Music Festival.
I struggle to articulate the emotion I'm feeling right now.
It's not the butterflies I felt as I stepped on stage to do improv for the first time.
I wouldn't call it fear either.
It's an anxiousness to get it on.
For many months now, this was a dream that guided the majority of my free time. Consequently, been the subject of 30 percent of the words coming out of my month. Consequently, my friends must be eager to see if Ed Fletcher made something good, or whether he's been wasting your time with his crappy movie.  

Dance Step of Death Buzz

Our little zombie project is getting some buzz. Sacramentopress.com, an online only publication, just posted a story about "Dance Step of Death." I'm always afraid I'm going to give too much away or come off looking like an ass, but the writer did a nice job with this story.

 She even mentions the indiegogo campaign, so its a double bonus.

Why the hell not, leads to music promotion

Director AK Long and writer/producer/promoter Ed Fletcher
 on stage at the June 30 "Superheroes vs. Zombies" Party. 

In an impressive string of firsts this year, I notched another biggie Saturday night. I became a live music promoter.
The venue: Marilyn's on K.
The hook a "Superheroes vs. Zombies" costume party with three rock bands.
I'm going to call the night an all around success. The bands delivered. We made some money and most importantly people had fun.
The theme for the year has been "Why the hell not?"
Write a script -- Why the hell not
Take an improv class -- Why the hell not

Angela Gentry as She-Ra

Do standup comedy -- Why the hell not
Produce your movie -- Why the hell not
All the why the hell nots led to, "How the heck do we fund this movie." And with the help of superstar Angela Gentry we hatched this idea of the Superheroes vs. Zombies party. (I have to concede that we brainstorm so well that I forget whether many of my good ideas were hers or mine. That includes major portions of "Dance Step of Death")
Best of all she agreed to take on the title of executive producer for the movie and spear head the party. We found the venue, had a friend make a super rocking poster and we were off. It was her drive to make this party a success that forced me to leave my central air conditioned homes on one of the hottest days of the summer to visit every starbucks and coffee joint in the grid to hang posters.

Afro super chick asks for applause during the costume
contest at the "Superheroes vs. Zombies" party.
Photos by BlackpackerRTW usage creative commons 

It felt great to create again. It's nerve racking to wonder how many people will show up. It's a challenge to deal with talent. And its a hassle making a superhero/zombie clips disk only to forget to bring a DVD player. But oh what a feeling standing on stage and at the end of the night as people thank you for a great event.

With the event behind us, our indiegogo fundraising campaign wraps up in a matter of hours and we start shooting July 3.

For people who say there is nothing to do in their town stop waiting, and start saying "Why he hell not?"

Cast set for first-time producer

"I've cast my movie."

It's an incredible statement to make. Six months ago, I wouldn't have dreamed those words. I hate to break that to the actors I've just cast in my short action comedy "Dance Step of Death," but facts be facts, this is the first movie I've produced.
I've never been the writer of a movie -- long or short -- going into production but who is tracking firsts.

"I worked on my movie last night. What did you do?"

I'm still geeking out over being able to legitimately write those words.

It's an incredible place to be in, but I'm lying if I don't admit its a grind. The movie -- consumes the majority of the free thoughts left after a day at the gig.

But I love it.


It's been a long time since I've been consumed. I was consumed in high school by student government. I did my class work, but campus government affairs consumed my free brain waves. How do we make more money from the high school dance? How do I get the votes needed to overrule the Senior class? What sort of skit can I do at the pep rally?
Running the student paper consumed me in college.
Not to brag but my super-talented managing editor and I uprooted out newsroom to run a  special edition from New Orleans for the Bayou Classic.
I've been a reporter for a major daily newspaper for a decade and I'm sad to report I've never been consumed for a story like I am for this movie. There have been plenty of stories where I don't mind not putting in overtime in for, but there have been no "the Pulizer is close I'll work all night" nights like at the all nighters we pulled at the Digest (my college paper).
I'm grinding harder than is sustainable full time, but it feels good, like I found a few extra cylinders I used to waste watching the Mentalist. (I don't even watch that show all the time, why did I write that.)
We are basically one month away from rolling video on the movie. This is crazy. That song "Call me maybe" just ran through my head and I just threw up a little bit. Breath. It is crazy. But my director AK Long and I are attacking each day, while trying to manage personal lives. (He is. I don't have one.)
Oh I'm going away to Arkansas for a family reunion right in the middle of this. I hope it's  one of those, I said I'm going, so I'm going, but you get there and everything it right kind of experiences. I'm supposed to shoot and edit a video for that.
Did I mention that fact that I'm an event promoter too? With the help of Executive Producer Angela Gentry, as a movie fundraiser we're promoting a "Superheroes vs. Zombies Party June 30 at Marilyn's on K.
The biggest hang up right now the lack of clarity in the budget. We're have our indiegogo campaign going. It has 23 days left to reach our goal of $2,156.
While I'm speaking out loud I might as well mention the things we're looking for: a sound guy/equipment, dancers, costume designers, makeup artists, visual effects people.
Other than that everything is peachy. Did I mention I cast my first movie?

The improv stage is terror, magic

Ed Fletcher at Camp Winton with Ray Ray,
the Allen brothers and Eric Chew.

On Sunday, I stepped on stage for my first improv performance.

It was like standing on the edge of a cliff, not knowing whether you'd made a smart move or stepped foolishly. Making it down from the cliff successfully means seeing something you've never experienced, with the full knowledge that next time -- no matter how thrilling it may be -- it will never offer the fear and associated reward.

It was, in my opinion, an unmitigated success. Sure, our elderly hippy cast member had a brain fart or drug-induced neural dump, but we covered it like pros and made people laugh.

There was no clear path to my decision to take a long-form improv class, which concluded with the performance. In addition to playing with words more often lately, I've been trying to say 'yes' in the real world more often. (As opposed to at Burning Man where yes is always the right answer).

It began lightly with Thursday nights at the "Playground" at Blacktop Comedy in Roseville. I had never done improv before. I'd been in a couple school plays, was a rally commissioner in high school and did some class videos, but the majority of my comedic performances came at Camp Winton, where twice a week we entertained kids at our "award-winning" camp fires. It was something between sketch and improv. We set high marks for the production and we're known as one of the best in the state.

The Playground, run by the owner Paul Burke, provided a safe fun environment for people of all levels. Finding success for this short-form games, a long-form class was the next logical step. I chose the Sacramento Comedy Spot primarily because it was closer to home. I was pleased with my chose owner/teacher Brian Crall pushed and pulled us into performers.

 It's hard to put to words the pace at which the mind has to work as the session starts. You searching for a scene to snag from a monologue as the crowd laughs blissfully unaware of the terror in your head. Sticking the landing is something magical though.

Not everyone will have financial success from living their ideal life. No matter how many kids dream of being an actor, not everyone gets to get make millions in Hollywood. But that doesn't mean you can't step onto a smaller stage, produce your own show on access television or write a film short.

 As I news writer, I'm not the star and definitely not a performer. The idea is to ask the right questions, but otherwise stay out of the way of the news. I guess that is way I liked doing Edventures so much. It was a small taste of Ed the performer. I'm happy to say I'm back on stage and I don't anticipate another decade plus performance break. There are more cliffs to stand on.