My Little Corner of the World

Please Vote for The Night Shift!

2009-08-19T00:37:34Z

Hi guys,

Our short film The Night Shift is currently in Big Star.tv's short horror film competition. We keep bouncing between first place and eighth (I suspect trolls/spammers are at work). Be sure to take a minute to rate the film over at the Big Star.tv site.

LINK: http://www.bigstar.tv/film-contest/horror-short-2009/the-night-shift/rated/1

Thanks so much for your vote!

Sincerely,

Thomas

Vote for The Night Shift, please!!!

2009-08-17T00:03:10Z

The Night Shift is in BigStar.tv's horror film contest. The contest winner gets $1,000. Right now we're top rated entry. Please visit BigStar.tv and vote for our film!!!

LINK: www.bigstar.tv/film-contest/horror-short-2009/the-night-shift/rated/1

Purefoy Part 3 Now Online

2009-06-08T21:35:19Z

Part 3 of "Purefoy" is now online to watch on our website: http://www.fightingowlfilms.com/purefoydaytwo.html

Watch Now: The Strange Experiment of Doctor Purefoy: Part 1 - PROLOGUE

2009-05-27T02:08:38Z

Our latest short film The Strange Experiment of Doctor Purefoy is finally complete! The film will be released as a six part web series throughout the month of June. Once the series is complete the film will be released online, uncut, in its entirety. Part 1, titled "Prologue", of the series now available to watch online at Fighting Owl Films' official site.

Plot:
Corey is failing Biology. Her only hope of graduating is taking an extra credit job as assistant to the mysterious Professor Purefoy. It's an easy job, but when Corey begins to wonder what's in all those boxes she's picked up for her teacher, what started off innocently soon spirals into a nightmare of physical and psychological manipulation. Forget graduating. Just try to survive.

Link:
http://www.fightingowlfilms.com/purefoyprologue.html

Please check it out if you have a chance. I hope you enjoy it!

Mobicon Reminder - The Night Shift Screening Saturday

2009-05-15T21:26:04Z

The Mobicon screening of The Night Shift is this Saturday in Mobile. The film screens at 6pm and our indie filmmaking panel is from 10am to 10:30am. Come check it out!

Link: http://www.mobicon.org/events.php

countrapula @ 2009-05-09T16:42:00

2009-05-09T21:43:16Z

Star Trek...pretty cool.

New-News

2009-03-21T19:39:23Z

Good news: In addition to The Night Shift screening in Mobile at Mobicon in May it'll also be screening in Pennsylvania at the Lancaster Area Film Festival. I received an email a few weeks ago from the festival director letting me know they received a large donation to the festival by an anonymous donor. The donor also included a list of films he/she recommended for the festival. Basically, because of that, we got in for free. The festival schedule goes up April 1st and the festival is May 2nd.

Also, I've finished the script for The Night Shift feature film. I put the final touches on that last week and I'm going through, breaking it down and making a list of everything we need - cast, crew, props, sets, etc, etc. I think we can make this movie for very little money - under $10k, hopefully around $6k. It means we'll need a good many volunteers because the budget will be going toward production value and equipment.

If anyone would like to contribute and help us raise some money for the budget we have merchandise now available on the Fighting Owl Films website, which has received a complete overhaul. It's pretty now. We have several T-Shirts available as well as a DVD of The Night Shift. Check out the Fighting Owl Films shop here. Also, if anyone has any ideas for fundraisers please share them. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Finally, the production of The Strange Experiment of Doctor Purefoy is finally nearing its finish. Today we filmed half of Dr Purefoy's scenes. We have one day of shooting left - April 4th. Then it'll all be over. This movie has been exceptionally daunting due to the long schedule. We've been working on it since January and we'll be finishing in April. I blame Mardi Gras. It's a very simple, subtle, low-key movie. No monsters, effects or outlandish stuff. Schedule is always difficult.

So, to summarize: Film Festival. Fundraiser. Buy Stuff. Purefoy's almost a wrap.

countrapula @ 2007-04-09T11:51:00

2007-04-09T16:51:19Z

I

Fucking

Hate

My

Job.

countrapula @ 2007-01-28T00:09:00

2007-01-28T06:09:22Z

I really liked Pan's Labyrinth. Depressing as hell, but very very good. Doug Jones is just...awesome.

After minutes that seemed like hours of contemplating what my groom cake would be, I decided on this: a Dr Who TARDIS cake. Just a blue call box. Easy to make, easy to decorate and I'd enjoy the hell out of it. Now if only I could find a sonic screwdriver knife to cut it with I'd be one happy camper.

Probably similar to this, but better...and without the Tom Baker scarf:

"Details", my Mom's reaction and pictures!

2007-01-25T00:33:51Z

After hours of attempting to call my Mom, I finally got her on the phone this afternoon. I really don't know why I talk to her. She can't for the life of her ever say anything good about anything. She's always negative and a downer. I think if she had actually been happy and supportive the universe would have imploded on itself. I told her the news and before she could get to that she had to jump on me for something that happened a full month ago. She scheduled a doctor appointment the morning after I returned from the Disney trip. I got in very late, got a full hour of sleep and had to take her to the doc at 6am and then I had to go to work immediately thereafter. I didn't have any earned time off yet. On the way back from the appointment she wanted to go in McDonalds for breakfast. I told her I couldn't. I only had enough time to take her home and go to work. I was already going to have to make up 2 hours. She kept nagging and I wouldn't do it. So she's been pissed about THAT for a month. She's a "63 year old Senior Citizen and I should think about what I did to her".

Then she finally moves to the engagement and she says that I "have to make my own mistakes", that Erin seems like a nice girl but I'm going to have to learn to share and that others have to come first if it's going to work (WTF???), that I shouldn't get married just to have sex, if I can financially support the two of us (we both work), that those "catholic girls know how to get a man to the altar", etc etc etc. She just kept on. I just asked her why she always has to be so negative, why she has to be such a downer on everything all the time. She kept on and on and on until I finally said "I don't understand why you can't be a little supportive. Everyone else is happy for us and I don't understand why you have to be such a fucking downer". Then she said she had enough and hung up.

I swear to God she's bipolar. A few minutes later she called back as if nothing had happened. She wanted to get Erin's last name so she could tell everyone at work and blah blah blah. I'm to the point where I'm just going to have to cut her off.

Enough of that...
-------------------------------------------------------------
Here are the details of what happened last night:

I've had to tell this story a hundred times today so I've gotten a little lazy with the details but I'll try to make it interesting.

I did a lot of prior preperations as you'll see. We got to La Pizzeria in the garden district of downtown at 7. We walked in, told them we had a reservation of 7pm. They led us through the resturant, through the kitchen and out the back door which took us out to a nice courtyard. We walked down the cobblestone path to this little cottage. Erin didn't pay any attention to this. She just thought there was additional seating out back. We entered the main room of the cottage where the lights were dim candles were lit and placed all around with a special mix CD playing. She noticed there was just one dining table in there and she was confused. Then she noticed another table was set up with bouquets of flowers on it and a cute teddy bear in front with rose pedals scattered around its feet. Erin likes the Build a Bear bears, so I made a Build a Bear in a white tux and he was down on one knee. Then she turned around and I was on one knee. And she cried a little and that was that. The food there was soooooo good!!!!

We're thining of getting hitched between Christmas and New Years--possible Dec 29th.

I took some pictures. They're a little dark but you'll get the idea. I've also thrown in some pics from the Disney World trip.

Disney Pics:

It says "Trust Jesus". That was followed by "Trust God", "Love Jesus", "Love God". Ahh, skywriters over Epcot!

You get the idea. Lights. Pretty. Shiny.

we're engaged!

2007-01-24T06:03:35Z

No, this isn't an early April Fool's joke. Erin and I got engaged tonight at La Pizzeria. It's official. I'll provide details as soon as I get some sleep because I'm very tired.

I guess I should tell my Mom at some point. Kind of hard to do when we aren't really speaking. Oh well.

We're going to have an engagement party in the next month or so, as soon as Mardi Gras craziness is finished and we get some stuff figured out.

And the above picture is pretty close to what the ring looks like.

I'm tired...'night.

countrapula @ 2007-01-22T14:37:00

2007-01-22T20:35:36Z

Well, the wedding magazine was looking for someone with more experience but it turns out the publisher was one of the Jag TV founders. He encouraged me to start my own wedding videography company because the Mobile and Baldwin County areas are starved for good videographers--the company he recommends/uses is based out of Biloxi. He said planners constantly contact him looking for new videographers and he told me that if he needs any help with it to let him know or once I get things goi

countrapula @ 2007-01-17T12:00:00

2007-01-17T17:58:45Z

I have a job interview Monday afternoon for an account executive position at Gulf Coast Brides magazine in Fairhope. Must get new job!

countrapula @ 2006-12-26T20:43:00

2006-12-27T02:44:28Z

The Doctor Who Christmas special was a little underwhelming. Catherine Tate is shrill and annoying. It all just felt like a rerun.

countrapula @ 2006-12-23T22:18:00

2006-12-24T04:19:12Z

Rocky Balboa is awesome!

countrapula @ 2006-11-03T11:48:00

2006-11-03T17:48:28Z

You can find some weird shit on CafePress:

From the Designer
“A digital painting of our righteous and benevolent King George II proudly fighting his Crusade and bringing Freedom to the four corners of the globe! Heil Bush!”

countrapula @ 2006-11-02T17:32:00

2006-11-02T23:32:01Z

Man, the Casino Royale theme song blows.

"Willy Wonka, more like Johnny Wanker"

2006-09-16T16:09:47Z

Extras season 2...great!

countrapula @ 2006-08-19T14:47:00

2006-08-19T19:47:49Z

snakes on a plane is the best movie ever!

countrapula @ 2006-08-16T16:49:00

2006-08-16T21:49:56Z

back now. will update later. tired.

countrapula @ 2006-08-12T11:25:00

2006-08-12T16:26:46Z

Lee, fuckin' A to the Snakes on a Plane phone call. Fuckin A!

countrapula @ 2006-08-03T22:20:00

2006-08-04T03:18:57Z

can't fucking sleep

countrapula @ 2006-08-01T06:41:00

2006-08-01T11:45:13Z

my grandmother died at 4:30 this morning. I don't know what to do.

countrapula @ 2006-07-31T19:51:00

2006-08-01T00:54:34Z

My friends page hasn't updated since last Sunday. I thought it was oddly quiet around here. For some reason all the updates from the past week just appeared out of the blue. Sorry for missing stuff, I'm trying to catch up!

Thomas Smith: Ilustrator for hire

2006-07-27T17:38:52Z

For many months I had been working on a company training video/cartoon for this Saturday's corporate picnic. Basically a don't be an asshole video. I did all of the drawings, coloring and even hand animated some character movements which was a pain. They finally emailed the video out to everyone today.

I got a side job out of it. One of the women in customer service has written two children's books and is working on a third but she needs an illustrator. Enter Me, stage right. She emailed me the two finished books and they're simple young children type stories--the easy read type that have a sentence or two on a page with an image. "See Jane Run..." She's self publishing the first two and then she's going to take them around to publishers. So that's what I'll be working on this weekend, illustrations. Nice.

I'm still working out some of the kinks in the website. The glaringly obvious once I've taken care of. Now it's basically just design issues I'm playing with. We'll see.