Dan Merrill's Blogtastic Web Log

Wow I suck at Blogging

2009-01-28T17:23:00.002-05:00

It's amazing. I had like, what, 4-5 posts in 2005 and then one a year, missing 2008 completely. Now I only seem to come back here around major turns of events in my life. Looking back, 2005 was the year I left the business world and started working in TV and film, though it had always been a side interest. Then I worked at Atlantic TV until 2007, then freelancing in various camera department positions until now.

So what brings me back to the long lost blog? I've joined the International Cinematographers Guild Local 600 as a Camera Assistant! That's hopefully a big step forward in my career, allowing me to work on bigger and better productions, as well as cementing my position as a supporter of workers rights. I'll let you know how it goes, probably in 2010.

I do have a plan to fill in the backlog of this blog, using notes and photographs I took on the various shoots I did during all the gaps in this online historical record.

But I guess I have mixed feelings about spilling my guts on the world wide web. I've had a web site since 2000, and now this so-called blog, a myspace, and a facebook page. But deep down I know that somewhere Google or the Government or some University is keeping records of everything ever posted on the web, so we should all do well to remember that anything we write online is part of the historical record-- maybe.

There is such a thing now, and I'm pretty sure I had some harsh words for our outgoing President on my front page back in 2004, so I guess maybe I've become more cautious with age.

But speaking of our former, worst-president-ever, I feel like a dark veil has been lifted from our land, much like the endless winter leaving the land of Narnia and hailing a golden age. So I'll take some inspiration from our new, hopefully-best-president-ever and vow to be more transparent, and dare-I-say, hopeful. I do hope I come back here more often, blogs are cool.

Going Freelance!

2007-05-01T20:35:00.000-04:00

So I've left my job of two years to strike out on my own as a freelancer! Very exciting. Luckily, working the last two years as equipment manager and in-house freelancer for a busy production services company is the best training I could have-- that on top of being a "video guy" since my teenage years. Those are long gone by the way, as I just turned 30 this past April!

Also, Jen and I are probably moving from Astoria to Brooklyn soon, so lots of changes in my life lately, but all positive. Also, a portion of my extra free time will now be devoted to re-blogging the last two years of my life, so I swear this time I really will be blogging regularly ;)

Well that didn't work....

2006-10-31T16:59:00.000-05:00

Soooo.... I guess I didn't make good on this triumphant return to blogging. Note to self-- action first, announcement later. Oh wait, I'm doing it again! Oh well. Stay tuned...

Triumphant Return to Blogging

2005-08-15T23:18:00.000-04:00

As my brother-in-law Pat once told me, you're not really a serious blogger unless you've blogged, left blogging, and then come back to blogging after a long spiritual journey. Well, I guess it hasn't been that long (I haven't posted since February and it is August now, so what, six months?) but I've been busy with my cool new television production job, meeting famous people and working various production roles for various TV shoots.

Stay tuned for cool pictures and cool posts about my cool life. I swear to you it will be cool.

Gastineau Girls Premiere Party

2005-02-15T03:09:00.000-05:00

These are some of my coworkers. Click here for more pics from the party.

So as Lisa Gastineau would say, there was lots of drama at the premiere party. The main fiasco was the audio feed kept popping in and out for a good percentage of the show's airing. Other than that, the only real issue was the free Champagne ran out an hour early.

But everyone seemed to enjoy themselves (I know I had a good time), and despite what Jen will tell you about the party and the show, I know she had a blast that night and she can't get enough of the Gastineau Girls. She watches the episodes over and over and she keeps asking me to bring home raw footage of the girls from work, but I'm too professional for that nonsense.

Spring Break Pics Are Up!

2005-02-14T04:00:00.000-05:00

This picture inspired me to get a haircut. Jen looks great though.

So I'm pretty psyched I took the time to learn how to get my iPhoto to build web pages out of my photo albums. Not like there was that much the learn, but now I have it down so I can put lots of pictures up on the web at once, which is handy because it's just too easy to keep snapping away on that digital camera.

Check out the pics of my fabulous Spring Break 2005!!

Thanks again to my wonderful parents for hosting the trip, and to my good friend Ethan for coming along, and to Jen for supplying the camera and taking many of the pics. Enjoy!

Spring Break 2005!!!

2005-02-05T02:35:00.000-05:00

So I'm off to Steamboat Springs, Colorado to visit my parents (Doc John and Nancy) and their dog Molly at the Yampavian Ranch. A week of skiing, snowboarding, hot-tubbing, and a host of other winter activities will make for good times, great oldies.

I've been going to Steamboat on spring and winter vacations since 1989 or so, skiing for many years and now snowboarding. My family lived in the Chicago area during my sister's and my own formative years, but I couldn't be happier that my folks are living out there full-time now. I mean, with Jen's parents living in Hawaii and mine in Colorado, how could I complain?

I haven't had a real Spring Break since 2000, when Joe, Jen and I drove from Vassar to Chicago, road-trip style. This trip is gonna kick ass, as my good friend and filmmaking cohort Ethan (photo at the bottom) will be coming along with Jen and me for what will surely be a memorable trip.

And if anyone working on Gastineau Girls is reading this, I assure you that I'd really rather be logging footage of Brittny and Lisa shopping than snowboarding and hot-tubbing for a week, but I had this trip booked long before I joined the show. Really, I'd stay here and work another 60 hour week....but, you know, mom and dad would just be so disappointed.

Monkey See, Monkey Do (aka see my friend Erik act like a monkey)

2005-01-29T16:45:00.000-05:00

My good friend Erik Van Gunten (aka Mr. Van Mustache) has a knack for getting himself on TV. This bodes well for me too, since I am the editor he tends to use for all his biggest projects, such as "The Super Detectives in the Case of the Missing Boingo." Right now I'm about 3/4 done with the editing of another Van Mustache brainchild called "The Pact." But I digress.

So, after a hilarious appearance on MTV's hidden camera show "Boiling Points," when Erik set up his girlfriend to be harassed by 'Russian' hot-chicks, he somehow landed in a PBS Nova segment on a new discovery in neuroscience, 'mirror neurons.' He claims to be hamming it up for the camera, but I assure you, he does make these faces while we're working on his movie all the time.

Erik's appearance is right near the beginning, but you should definitely check out the full segment if you have the time. It's actually quite an interesting new discovery on a unique little corner of the brain-- the nuts and bolts behind empathy.

Back to the Future

2005-01-28T02:30:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I got a blog.

And let me be the first to say that it's about time. I mean, usually I like to be the first kid on my block for at least a few things, and I guess I can be happy that I've had my somewhat 90's-looking web site for the past five years or so. I plan to celebrate the wood/silverware anniversary proper by re-launching it with upgraded interactivity, heaps of new content, the whole shabang. So, stay tuned for that action.

But still, I feel a little behind the times. At least I was the first kid on my block to get an iPod. Okay, 2nd. My friend Ron beat me to the punch on that, but mine's still kickin! I just replaced my (ahem, 1st generation) iPod battery with a 20 hour jobber, which I recommend highly for any fellow early adopters out there. It's a piece of cake to perform the upgrade yourself for a mere $40.

Sure, back in 2001 I paid $400 for a mere 5 GBs, but I knew that this thing was gonna be big and thus felt compelled to be in on it from the get-go. Likewise, I have the feeling that blogs are going to be very big this century, so y'all forgive me for being a little late to the party (but not for saying "y'all"). So even though my girlfriend Jen got her blog going just days before I started this one, I'm still cutting edge baby, cuz now I got a blog too, bee-yatch!

Ethan provides expertise and moral support.