Tahir Jetter
Diary Entries. …
Diary Entries. Why Not. Everyone’s all about maintaining some sort of social media presence, these days.
“Fuck it. Got a budget for the lawyer, do’.” (I wish).
Anyway, today is July 17th, 2012. I’m working as a Driving PA on ________, a reality/man-on-the-street show and I love it. ”What does that entail, you ask?” Well, I sit in a van and I drive on-camera talent from a production office in Midtown to a location, several blocks away. Then, I sit in said van, leave my walkie-talkie on and am left to my own devices. I’m scheduled to work through October, and it’s been such a blessing. This year has been a STRUGGLE.
It’s Been Real.
I have a week off this week and I intend to accomplish quite a lot of shit.
I have several freelance gigs that I’ve stacked up all at once. Why? Because I need cot damn money.
Things I Currently Do For Money:
1. Lead a Fitness Bootcamp in Brooklyn – Mornings – 6:30-7:30AM – M-F – holler at me, if you want to get in shape, you know the summer ain’t over!
2. Write for __________ – Fitness Articles – Freelance
3. __________ – Driving PA – 12 Days/Month
4. __________ – Producing News Stories – Freelance
5. …might pick up some personal training clients, along the way, we’ll see. (Something else I do).
Anything else?
Still debating becoming a stripper. Didn’t see “Magic Mike,” but the trailer looks inspiring.
Anyway, I still have a bunch of things on my plate and it’s probably more useful to go ahead and do them than to proceed to continue to write this entry. I’ve attempted this at several points in the past, but it just really tends to fall flat given that I a) either don’t want to divulge too much about my private life or b) am too lazy, busy, something else that can be rationalized by excuses.
But we shall see.
I just got into __________ Film Festival with my newest, latest short, “Frisk,” which I’m eagerly looking to finish post on and finish once and for all.
Alex Mulzac and Hisham Tawfiq in “Frisk”
I’m very pleased with it (at even having attempted this 12-minute behemoth), but who knows what people will think. I might get a lot of “what the fucks,” at the end of this premiere screening, but…we shall see. (Apologies to any crew/donors who have come across this post, I plan on shooting out an e-mail just as soon as this press release is out).
This film, however, “Frisk,” was, by far, was the hardest production of my short, young life. But boy oh boy, am I glad I did it. 3 Nights of Exterior Shooting, Rain, An Asshole Cop, my own, boundless anxiety…whew.
Anyway, I’m finishing post on that. Myself. So there.
Also in the middle of trying to finish a polish on this feature, _________, which I hope to have finished by the end of this month (no later than the end of August, for the love of all my Catholic school education) and writing another feature, “_____________,” which I hope to have finished before the end of October.
I’ll send both of these to the Sundance Writers’ Labs Tribeca All-Access, Nicholls, Cinefondation (why the hell not) just to see if I can get some support. We’ll see if it happens. I definitely could use the industry connections, the money, and those names on my resume.
I got goals, man. I’m turning 25 in less than 2 months, off my mom’s insurance in 14 (WHOO!!!!! OBAMA!!!!), and I’m starting to feel the unyielding pressure of my mid-20s bearing down on me. To be honest, I’ve felt it ever since having graduated college in 2009, but now, getting closer to 30 than I’ve been to 20, let’s just say that shit is getting real.
Anyway, I’ve got goals, man.
1 Feature Film Before ….
3 Feature Films within (I won’t say)…
Maybe a TV Show? (I’ve had a few ideas, but who has the time to develop?)
Maybe a Webseries (at least one) that we have written. (This idea for a Webseries is AWESOME, by the way. I don’t like to hype things, too often, especially not stuff that I’ve done personally, as I’m still learning, after all, but whoo-whee! Developed it with some buddies of mine from CINEMA STEREO, my NYC-based cinema-creator collective because collectives are awesome]. And the joint has POTENTIAL). Like, if we got the gumption to pitch to a few more places, we’re all pretty confident that this idea would be the SHIT. We actually pitched this thing two years ago to a certain group of people that were endowed with a certain amount of money to develop a certain kind of product for a certain demographic of people, but you know, they didn’t pick us. And that’s cool, ’cause the thing they picked instead, well, no one’s really watching that. We’re not bitter, though. :-D.)
Maybe in the next few years, but Issa Rae’s success aside, I think that many of us are still skeptical about the potential (money, press, etc) involved in the production of webseries. They’re kind of like doing a series of very small shorts, all wrapped up in one and it’s just like…I don’t know if any of us actually desire to make short-format stuff, anymore. It’s not that we think we’re better than webseries, but hell. Look at how many webseries there are. Someone tell me how to map out a viable business plan for one of these joints. I mean, I know Feature Films aren’t exactly super-viable, these days, but explicamelo.
Still, who knows. Spaghetti approach.
What else? In a nutshell, I’m 24, and I want to get the house/wife/kid thing poppin’ in a reasonable amount of time. I’m trying to get these debts paid the fuck off, and I want Sallie Mae to get the hell up out of my business. And off of my phone. I’m tired of that bitch calling me. So yeah. Follow along.
Shit I’ve Watched/Read This Week:
Last Wednesday – Beasts of a Southern Wild (GREAT)
Friday – Amores Perros (one of the best films of all bloody time)
Sunday – Breaking Bad (uh, hell yeah)
Tuesday – The Dark Knight (I mean…I really really wanted to think that this movie wasn’t going to be better than the previous installment, “Begins,” but damn if it isn’t good).
Still fighting my way through Toni Morrison’s “Song of Solomon,” Mad Men Season 3 and…a bunch of scripts. Can never read enough scripts.
