Spring is Pretty Awesome - Past Tense Part 1

August 29, March 12, June 2, and June 18.

I like to make movies, and I also like to show them to people. On August 29, 2000, we first showed Pinch Me to a group of about 20 in Cupertino. On March 12, 2001, we showed Wasteland in the lounge of our dorm to 50 or 60 friends. We watched The Sphinxters for the first time with about 80 people in Social Sciences 1100 on June 2, 2002. And right before graduation, we debuted Kickin’ It! to a group of 60 friends and family members on June 18, 2004.

Yes, it’s been over three years since we’ve made a movie with a running time of over half an hour. One reason is that those kinds of projects are very time-consuming, and another reason is that we don’t all live that close to one another anymore (when I say “we” here, I’m referring to the main Force of July cast members of the first five years—Brian, Dan, Pouya, Shelby, Morgan, Hanni, George, and others).

This is why the debut of Wasteland holds a very special place in my heart. The two limiting factors now—time and proximity—were so incredibly non-factors freshman year. Time? Of course I have time, let’s go play some wiffleball. Proximity? We LIVED WITH EACH OTHER. Almost every character in Wasteland lived on Ryerson 2, so I could see if people wanted to get their scenes in by simply walking down the hall. And the movie took place in a dorm, so it’s not like we had very far to go.

Today, on the sixth anniversary of the Wasteland debut, I would like to make a few “salutations” (that’s rap lingo):

*First off, Spring, you smell fantastic. You are usually warm, beautiful, better lit, you like baseball, and when I'm with you, I feel like everything is right with the world. Some people may like other times of year because they get more presents, but I love you for you. Allergies are a small price to pay.

*My dormmates, you were/are awesome. I want to live on the same street as you when I get older. We will make videos together again.

*Family, thanks for keeping me busy with a safe hobby. Eddie, you got me into the whole video-making thing when I was like 8, and Mom and Dad, you supported the process. Thanks.

The trailer for Wasteland is in the next post. The movie is not particularly well-written, well-acted, or even edited correctly (hey, I was 18). But it reminds me of good friends and good times and when it's all said and done, that's all that really matters.