Thursday, June 30, 2016
Toronto Public Library: "Runnymede" Branch
Until now, I had never been to the Toronto Public Library's "Runnymede" branch. As a matter of fact it had been many years since I last strolled about the area of Bloor Street and Runnymede Road.
What a difference two decades makes. I have a good visual memory and I'm sure that the last time I was there that section of Bloor was not so finger snappin' happenin'.
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
"The Cobbler's Cat" - Poem
The Cobbler's Cat
It's the Cobbler's Cat
for this the
pet's got the
nicest shoes
makin' for the
finest moves
a twist in tail
the 'tude of
a Street Dude
this furry feline
don't get no
boos!
that's what's
a
Cobbler's Cat
It's the Cobbler's Cat
for this the
pet's got the
nicest shoes
makin' for the
finest moves
a twist in tail
the 'tude of
a Street Dude
this furry feline
don't get no
boos!
that's what's
a
Cobbler's Cat
***
2016
Simon St. Laurent
Simon St. Laurent
Sunday, June 19, 2016
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Another Canada Post Star Trek 50th Anniversary Post
Today I went into a Canada Post outlet to buy some stamps and saw that there was another model of Canada Post Star Trek 50th Anniversary display post. The post I blogged about last Friday was also there.
Friday, June 10, 2016
Canada Post's Star Trek 50th Anniversary Post
Canada Post is doing quite the number in celebration of Star Trek's upcoming 50th Anniversary: canadapost.ca/startrek
One of the most famous and most analyzed television series of all time premiered on September 8, 1966 on NBC. Here in Canada CTV premiered the show two days earlier.
When I was in my local post office today I was most impressed by this display post:
One of the most famous and most analyzed television series of all time premiered on September 8, 1966 on NBC. Here in Canada CTV premiered the show two days earlier.
When I was in my local post office today I was most impressed by this display post:
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
And Then For Something Completely Different: A Poem
Time Merchants
This morning I coffeed
on Yonge Street
with an old friend
caught up on
issues since
I last saw him
last week
He and I disbanded:
My friend went back
to his conference and
I decided
to do something I
rarely do
anymore
walk up Yonge
"Look at all the
bloody
Vertical
Cracker
Boxes!
(going up
or already spiking
the cloudy sky)"
This town is out of
control
Zoning going to
The Twilight Zone
Yonge Street has
changed
much these last few years
helped
by Premium stacks
sprouting
from holes
Before I made it
to Bloor Street I
was stopped by
a woman selling
something
in front of a shop
Cosmetics
Me?
Why not?....
No, I
don't use facial moisturizers
but I should
Perhaps
I could
The sales lady was
in top form
having worked a little sales
I know the bad
and
the good
The cosmetic's test was done
on my forearm
but
I can imagine
With every peek into the bathroom
mirror my imagination tweaks
with age
** return **
Bloor Street
away
less
eventful
***
2016
Simon St. Laurent
Simon St. Laurent
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Yes, Russia Did Win the Space Race. And How!
Tonight on Ontario's superlative television network, "TVOntario", plays 'part one' of the fine BBC documentary film Cosmonauts: How Russia Won the Space Race.
That great race to the island in the sky was won clearly by the USA, leaving the USSR in Earth orbit.
But.
The contest itself was not only of note but of one note.
The Soviets were never serious about the affair. I won't go into a political history lesson here, but suffice to say, where the Americans hit the moon several times their opposition stayed in town, so to speak, establishing an outpost around Earth in the form of the Salyut (and later, Mir) space stations. On these platforms they learned about human physiology in weightlessness and conducted numerous scientific experiments.
From the Soviet Union's "feigned" moon attempt sprouted the outstanding Soyuz spacecraft, modified versions of which ferry men/women and supplies to the International Space Station today. (This space cadet considers the Soyuz "system" to be one of the great man-made machines.)
Throughout the 1960s the game became the moon: the ice hockey net; the basketball hoop; the goal line and the uprights. Easy to say in hindsight, yes, but there was a whole field to be played.
There's so much more to the story.
Cosmonauts: How Russia Won the Space Race
Tonight at 10 p.m. on TVOntario
That great race to the island in the sky was won clearly by the USA, leaving the USSR in Earth orbit.
But.
The contest itself was not only of note but of one note.
The Soviets were never serious about the affair. I won't go into a political history lesson here, but suffice to say, where the Americans hit the moon several times their opposition stayed in town, so to speak, establishing an outpost around Earth in the form of the Salyut (and later, Mir) space stations. On these platforms they learned about human physiology in weightlessness and conducted numerous scientific experiments.
From the Soviet Union's "feigned" moon attempt sprouted the outstanding Soyuz spacecraft, modified versions of which ferry men/women and supplies to the International Space Station today. (This space cadet considers the Soyuz "system" to be one of the great man-made machines.)
Throughout the 1960s the game became the moon: the ice hockey net; the basketball hoop; the goal line and the uprights. Easy to say in hindsight, yes, but there was a whole field to be played.
There's so much more to the story.
Cosmonauts: How Russia Won the Space Race
Tonight at 10 p.m. on TVOntario
Sunday, June 5, 2016
Books - Lots and Lots of Books
Living for many years in Toronto's "Annex" neighbourhood has made me more than a little familiar with Ten Editions Books.
Today this Annex Dweller realized the shop is not as familiar to me as I had led myself to believe. There is a back room with even more wonderful used books -- lots and lots of books.
Books are important to me. I have a few bookcases, holding pulp and paper bound as information and joy. (One case alone is devoted just to film & television subjects.) As a matter of fact, on average, reading is more important to me than watching films or television.
The two times I've admitted to preferring spending time in front of text over moving images the answer I got was the same: "Not me, I'm a visual person."
"Ahh....so am I." (It may appear to be a contradiction, but I've been known to cast surprises.)
I'd rather hang around in a bookstore than panic and salivate over a television remote. An old friend of mine, like me, has worked in film and television for years, and when he comes into town we hit the wonderful local used bookstores. What impresses me most is his enthusiasm for different subjects. (It's so nice to see a filmmaker get his "stuff" from outside of movies and television.)
Ten Editions Books has been at the same address (698 Spadina Avenue) since the epic year 1966.
Today this Annex Dweller realized the shop is not as familiar to me as I had led myself to believe. There is a back room with even more wonderful used books -- lots and lots of books.
Books are important to me. I have a few bookcases, holding pulp and paper bound as information and joy. (One case alone is devoted just to film & television subjects.) As a matter of fact, on average, reading is more important to me than watching films or television.
The two times I've admitted to preferring spending time in front of text over moving images the answer I got was the same: "Not me, I'm a visual person."
"Ahh....so am I." (It may appear to be a contradiction, but I've been known to cast surprises.)
I'd rather hang around in a bookstore than panic and salivate over a television remote. An old friend of mine, like me, has worked in film and television for years, and when he comes into town we hit the wonderful local used bookstores. What impresses me most is his enthusiasm for different subjects. (It's so nice to see a filmmaker get his "stuff" from outside of movies and television.)
Ten Editions Books has been at the same address (698 Spadina Avenue) since the epic year 1966.
Monday, May 30, 2016
Why One Goes to War
Last night I watched a fine feature length documentary on WWII. Produced by the National Geographic Channel, "Inside WWII" overviews, in the hyper-speed mode so typical of info-dump docs made these days, the 20th century's largest conflict.
Some of the interview subjects explain why they joined the war. I remember the day in 1984 when I finally got around to asking my own father why he enlisted and why he chose RAF Bomber Command:
"I was pissed off. I was doing poorly in school and my mind was on the war overseas."
His rationale for joining the bomber force as a gunner was expedient:
"You got overseas quickly that way . . . It was an eight-week air gunners' course in Montreal."
(He knew that flying as "aircrew" in Bomber Command was dangerous work. Many young men, men too young, got "The Chop".)
As was the norm at the time in this neck of the woods my dad was sent to the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) grounds for dispersal. From that famous Canadian site began the process of getting "shipped overseas", but as this was wartime it wasn't quite that easy. German U-boats roamed the North Atlantic in search of prey, and a steamer loaded with fresh faces was a prime and highly-prized target.
I will stop here: The above bits and pieces are stressful enough, never mind the few combat stories my dad did let out over the years. (While on one of my trips to England, as part of my ongoing research on RAF Bomber Command I spoke with historian Martin Middlebrook and he gave me some sage advice which I understood too well: "Don't ask your father. He won't tell you anything.")
A few years after the war ended he joined the RCAF and enjoyed a long career with Canada's finest service.
I left the best for last; the big "and" part of my dad's explanation for wanting to see action overseas:
"... And I wanted to get the Germans."
(A childhood friend did not come home; he died when his bomber was shot down over France. Kinda sobering, ain't it?)
Passions of the time, those were.
My father loved Germany and the Germans. We moved to West Germany in October of 1966, just twenty-one years after he flew in a Lancaster bomber doing a job he felt he must do.
(I had not realized until reading my Washington Post this morning that today is "Memorial Day" in the States.)
Some of the interview subjects explain why they joined the war. I remember the day in 1984 when I finally got around to asking my own father why he enlisted and why he chose RAF Bomber Command:
"I was pissed off. I was doing poorly in school and my mind was on the war overseas."
His rationale for joining the bomber force as a gunner was expedient:
"You got overseas quickly that way . . . It was an eight-week air gunners' course in Montreal."
(He knew that flying as "aircrew" in Bomber Command was dangerous work. Many young men, men too young, got "The Chop".)
As was the norm at the time in this neck of the woods my dad was sent to the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) grounds for dispersal. From that famous Canadian site began the process of getting "shipped overseas", but as this was wartime it wasn't quite that easy. German U-boats roamed the North Atlantic in search of prey, and a steamer loaded with fresh faces was a prime and highly-prized target.
I will stop here: The above bits and pieces are stressful enough, never mind the few combat stories my dad did let out over the years. (While on one of my trips to England, as part of my ongoing research on RAF Bomber Command I spoke with historian Martin Middlebrook and he gave me some sage advice which I understood too well: "Don't ask your father. He won't tell you anything.")
A few years after the war ended he joined the RCAF and enjoyed a long career with Canada's finest service.
I left the best for last; the big "and" part of my dad's explanation for wanting to see action overseas:
"... And I wanted to get the Germans."
(A childhood friend did not come home; he died when his bomber was shot down over France. Kinda sobering, ain't it?)
Passions of the time, those were.
My father loved Germany and the Germans. We moved to West Germany in October of 1966, just twenty-one years after he flew in a Lancaster bomber doing a job he felt he must do.
Royal Air Force No. 626 Squadron - May 1945
(I had not realized until reading my Washington Post this morning that today is "Memorial Day" in the States.)
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
The Bomber Story
As I've noted a few times on this blog my late father was a gunner on Lancaster bombers during WWII. What experiences he related while I was growing up got me interested in the subject of aerial bombing (and warfare in general).
For a few years I toyed with the idea of writing a screenplay about a Lancaster bomber crew.
Through my twenties I researched the subject in a serious way. This entailed not only plowing through more than a few books, but speaking with Bomber Command veterans, many of whom were still around.
One vet in particular was a member of the Royal Canadian Military Institute (located on University Avenue here in Toronto) and he gave me "guest" status which allowed me access to the organization's substantial library. The only demand was that I snap into sartorial mode.
Yes, out came the shoe polish and the nice suit and the briefcase. Not only did I feel like a million bucks, and no doubt looked even better, I felt as though I was doing important work. For a while I would make a quick trip down to the RCMI, which was just a few subway stops from my residence, where a pleasant chap by the name of Patrick would sign me in for the day.
Eventually I produced what I thought was a solid script, at least from a historical and technical perspective: "Bomber."
Even then my consulting Bomber Command veteran used a good portion of his pencil in order to set me in the right direction. Some pages were covered with his notes.
I made some adjustments and submitted a copy to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's "Movies and Miniseries" department for consideration.
They rejected it, through a nice letter. Fine. That's part of the game: Rejection.
The wonderful explosion (pardon the pun) in film technologies would allow a project like "Bomber" to be done at a much lower cost than if it had been made in the 1990s.
The big questions are often asked:
What is Canadian Culture?
What are Canadian stories?
Well, going to battle in a cramped Lancaster bomber loaded with high-explosives and being shot at by German night fighters and 88mm flak guns, when you're in your late teens or early twenties, could certainly qualify as one. And if my father were still around, I'm sure he would agree.
Saturday, May 21, 2016
Toronto Building Recladding Job
I could have been an architect or engineer!
Well, if I had have done better in school, and had a much greater penchant for math, or a basic grasp of arithmetic, I may very well have been an architect or engineer.
As it is I dig engineering projects like the one in the photos I took today: This building is at the north west corner of Dundas and University Avenue in Toronto. No need to explain that it's an older structure getting a new face.
Maybe it's not too late to go back to school....
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Toronto Writers' Centre Walk About
Earlier today, on this lovely sunny day here in Toronto, I took a mid-sized stroll eastbound along Bloor Street near Bathurst. As I approached the KFC that I last ate at in the summer of 1993 -- and somehow survived -- I happened to look over at the south side of Bloor:
"What's the Toronto Writers' Centre?", I thought. (To suggest I have a habit of talking to myself on a busy sidewalk is absurd.) "I could cross the street at the next light and have a look-see", I cogitated.
There was an intercom outside the door; two ladies came down to greet me. After filling me in on what the centre is all about, my hosts gave me a tour of the facility. And what a facility it is. I was impressed.
While I maintain a comfortable writing space, which could include a space picked at random in just about any coffee shop, Toronto Writers' Centre is a place for a slice of my writing future, I think.
Toronto Writers' Centre website
"What's the Toronto Writers' Centre?", I thought. (To suggest I have a habit of talking to myself on a busy sidewalk is absurd.) "I could cross the street at the next light and have a look-see", I cogitated.
There was an intercom outside the door; two ladies came down to greet me. After filling me in on what the centre is all about, my hosts gave me a tour of the facility. And what a facility it is. I was impressed.
While I maintain a comfortable writing space, which could include a space picked at random in just about any coffee shop, Toronto Writers' Centre is a place for a slice of my writing future, I think.
Toronto Writers' Centre website
Monday, May 16, 2016
Costume Design: Alien Battledress Design Concepts
There are a few "Alien" characters in the (as of yet) uncompleted 35mm short film, Hyper-Reality.
Above are two pages of colour concept drawings I did when I was beginning to think about the look of the Aliens' "battledress". The flowing robe idea had already been established with the metallic gowns the characters wear in the first part of the film, but these sketches illustrate my roughing out the colour patterns for the battle version.
I based the idea on that of "Heraldry". Early on I had decided on blue and red, but it took many thumbnails -- which I will post later on -- to nail down exactly what "cut" I wanted. The final result was one of the simplest ideas; which is often the case with this sort of thing.
Sunday, May 15, 2016
A Hyper-Reality Cheque?
Back in February I posted a few times on my "Unfinished Symphony in 35mm", Hyper-Reality. Actually it's more a "commercial break stinger" since the planned running time is about 22 minutes.
In the first post in my volley of notes I ruminated about looking for crowdfunding to complete the project. The response I received was supportive, to say the least, and I got to work researching crowdfunding.
The reality was I had a couple too many balls in the air to take any further action at the time, but, during this coming summer I plan to pursue the idea.
Check back here in the coming weeks for some "making of" material; I don't exactly want to give away the joke, as it were, but I would like to offer the reader some glimpses into Hyper-Reality.
Saturday, May 14, 2016
Visual Effects Design: Storyboards
Yesterday I wrote about designing film and television projects that do not go into production. Above are three "thumbnail" storyboard panels I did years ago for a film that did not get much past the script page.
As you can tell from looking at the panels, this sequence has to do with "creation".
The project was fun, the director passionate.
Friday, May 13, 2016
Set Design: A Bank Vault of Some Tech
Most proposed film and television projects do not get past the writing and development stage, which is okay. It's a big leap to go from that to a "green-light".
In 1987 I sketched the above set design concept for an episode of a proposed television anthology series. The idea was this would not be any ordinary and contemporary bank vault but something more 'hi-tech". One sliding panel is opened to reveal safety deposit boxes.
Even though this particular project was unable to get interest from a broadcaster, my involvement was hardly a waste of time. They rarely are; it's all in the name of improving and flexing one's craft.
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Film Design: The Atmosphere of Johnny Shortwave
Johnny Shortwave is a black-and-white feature length film that was shot in late 1988 and early 1989.
Early in the design phase I grabbed a stick of charcoal and quickly whipped up what I called an "Atmosphere Sketch". As depicted in the screenplay, the future is not rosy in more ways than one, which is what I tried to convey in the drawing.
I'll have more material from Johnny Shortwave very soon....
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