glitterfish.com

Often when you’re working a loose connection to some potential industry contact—your step grandfather’s ex-wife’s neighbor who you’ve never met or some such shit—you’re hoping for a job but eager to just let them know that you exist. Calling a stranger can be awkward. What is worse is that you’re calling about an unsolicited job opportunity that probably doesn’t exist. Preface your call with “so and so suggested I contact you…” and then mention who you are, what you want to do, and ask if you could get coffee or come by their office for an information interview. You’ll get some good advice and if they hear about anyone looking for a job you’re going to be the person they think of.

The interesting thing is that once you’ve called your 2 or 3 contacts and then called the 3 of 4 people they referred you to, you start to notice that of the 12-20 people you’ve talked to all are giving you the same advice! Is it because it’s actually good advice or is it because the advice has become some standard piece of cultural information that has been transmitted and repeated so often everybody in Hollywood just assumes it’s true?

Scott Rudin Horror Story – According to just about everybody in the world Scott Rudin is a serious fuck. Any time somebody launches into a warning about egomaniacal foul-mouthed masochistic bosses Scott Rudin comes up. If you work for him the good news is that nobody will care if you’re fired.

Work at an Agency– “It’s like industry boot camp…You’ll learn the players…A lot of only hire assistants with agency experience.” You’ll have to start out in the mailroom, wear a shirt and tie, and work in a seriously unforgiving environment. I told my friend I wanted to see if this one was true and he warned me that everybody he knows who worked at one has left the industry and has since gone back to school to study chemistry. At least I’ll know if I’m cut out for this industry.

UTA Job List – Like an STD this mysterious document circulates through Hollywood infecting the recently graduated and unemployed with false hope. The thing is full of positions a lot of people would kill for and that’s exactly why your chances of getting hired off it are low. Nevertheless, you’re a lot more likely to find something there than Craigslist. If you don’t have it just ask around and I’m sure you’ll find it. I’m applying to everything and hoping to get lucky.

There it is. Now that I’ve spread it make sure to pass it along.

GlitterFish attended the CineVegas film festival last weekend. Celebrities, Playmates, and Hollywood parties…it was almost enough to make me forget I’m unemployed and sleeping on a floor right now.

I’m waiting on some pictures before I give you guys the full report; however, I wanted to point out quickly that I saw exactly half of all the short films playing and only one has a website. If your short film played at CineVegas and I was going to review the shorts program One Rat Short is the only one I would have press materials for.

UPDATE: Bugcrush also has a website.

Spank Rock recently released a video for “Rick Rubin”, which was directed by Jesse Gorham-Engard. The video is serious eye candy for those suffering from ADD. Watch out for the ACT (Air!Cock!Thrust!).

You can upload your own ACT video by going to Air!Cock!Thrust! and check out Spank Rock at Spankrock.net

GlitterFish will be out of town to attending the CineVegas Film Festival for the weekend. Expect a festival recap when we return.

Via Screenhead here an animator defaces Wolfmother’s “White Unicorn” video with a sharpie. It’s a vast improvement over the original.

Here is the official nominee list for the first annual MVPA awards. Director of the Year nominees are:

The Malloys
- The White Stripes “My Doorbell”,
- Jack Johnson “Sitting Waiting Wishing”
- Black Eyed Peas “Don’t Phunk With My Heart”

Chris Milk
- Audioslave “Doesn’t Remind Me”
- Natasha Bedingfield “These Words”

Sophie Muller
- Gwen Stefani “Cool”
- Garbage “Bleed Like Me”
- Faith Hill “Like We Never Loved At All”

Floria Sigismondi
- Fiona Apple “O’ Sailor”
- Living Things “Bom Bom Bom”
- The White Stripes “Blue Orchid”

Marc Webb
- My Chemical Romance “Helena”
- All-American Rejects “Move Along”
- Weezer “Perfect Situation”

What do you think? Its nice to see they have an under $25,000 category.

My ongoing quest for coffee shops featuring free wireless internet has led me to Psychobabble located at 1866 N. Vermont Ave. This one sits in the heart of trendy artist neighborhood, Los Feliz, so consequently I’m holding it up to a hipper standard than Culver City lying Rumor Mill. In fact, just the other day my friend Jonny saw Mandy Moore walk out of restaurant on the same street. Omg..! teh Mandy!!!

The place is arranged loft style with a small upper floor overlooking a lower level. The furniture is pretty shabby but very nicely arranged and color coordinated. With any purchase you get free wireless Internet but it’s tiered in terms of how much you spend. Despite what the menu said, my vanilla latte cost just as much as a regular latte and I was provided with 4 hours of Internet even though 4 hours requires a $5 dollar purchase. Maybe I’m just a very lucky person.

Music is very quiet jazz and the clientele is a nice mix of aging hipsters and more youthful replacements. I dig it.

Google Map.

Internet Explorer can’t handle the Green Marinée wordpress theme. For now we are stuck with the defualt wordpress theme but I’ve contacted my peeps. Expect something fancy coming down the pipe.

This weekend I’ll be heading to Las Vegas for the CineVegas Film Festival. Known as a mini-Sundance, I figured I would get ready by reviewing one of the many Sundance shorts that are temporarily online.

When I hit the streets of Park City back in January, The Pity Card was the one short I really wanted to see. But, unfortunately, my internship with the Sundance Channel didn’t allow me to get to a shorts program.

The Pity Card (2005) - 12:00

Bob Odenkirk (Mr. Show) wrote and directed the comedy, which has one of the more inspired premises I’ve heard of; a young man takes a girl to the Holocaust Museum on their first date. To make matters worse, the girl (Ashley Johnson) is oblivious to the Holocaust.

It’s a rather far-fetched character trait, but the film doesn’t really take place in the real world, but a sketch comedy world. This is good and bad, since it’s very funny but not much of a “film.” But thanks to some good comic actors and original jokes, I enjoyed The Pity Card.

You might recognize some of the faces among the cast, with Simon Helberg (Old School) in the starring role and comedian Zach Galifianakis steals the show in a supporting role.

Odenkirk said he was inspired by Woody Allen and The Celebration, with the latter nod contributing to a jarring visual style that seems out of place.

Check this one out, if only to remember why you miss Mr. Show so much.

Nothing too remarkable about these two videos expect that I can’t stop listening to these songs.

‘Smile’ directed by Sophie Muller…..

‘Smile’ Video - Real Media
‘Smile’ Video - Windows Media

‘LDN’

LDN Video - Windows Media Player
LDN Video - Real Player

Here is Paris Hilton’s horrendously edited new video for her first single Stars are Blind. This motion sickness inducing piece of shit would be exactly what I expect from her if not for the fact that it is an egregious rip off of Chris Isaak’s brilliant–or as VH1 puts it, the sexiest video ever made–Wicked Game. Check it out, hit play on both.

Nod to my hommie Cameron for pointing this one out.

DVGuru points to this amazing Ask MetaFilter discussion on writing and submitting spec scripts for television. Do yourself a favor.

Last summer I lived in Culver City and had no computer or Internet access. My only options were the prehistoric bum ridden machines at the LA Public Library or the far away and over priced computers at Kinko’s.

That is until I stumbled upon an awesome little coffee shop/laundry matte just down the street called “The Rumor Mill.” Not only do they have free wireless Internet, but they also have three different kinds of brewed coffee one of which called Jet Fuel. For the laptopless, they even have four windows computers available totally free of charge.

I can’t vouch of the food—I’ve never bought it—but the clientele, music, and art on the walls will satisfy your pretentious hipster image.

Google Map.

Always wanted to be in a movie? Upload a headshot of yourself acting dead and if you look dead enough maybe your dead head will appear in a low-budget horror movie Shriek.

Here’s the link but this probably isn’t your big break.

Do you remember your first year of high school? Did you have many friends or were you involved in any organizations?

For the past week I have been living on the floor of my friend Cameron and Michelle’s house. I’d prefer to be on their couch but I’m a very tall dude and it’s just too short for me. Other than the couch things are great and my hosts have been very gracious and accommodating. Thanks guys!

I moved out to Los Angeles from Tucson, Arizona with buddy of mine who I went to film school with. He’s crashing at his boss’s house while the company he is interning for is out of town attending the North by North East film festival in Toronto. They have a film screening there called High and Dry.

I’m currently searching for a job—something you can expect a post on very soon. I want to work in development either at a production company or at an agency. I have a few leads and I’m working my network but so far nothing concrete. Soon I’ll start interning (unpaid) at two different companies; however, I’ll have to start making money eventually. I’m dreading blowing through all my savings and don’t know what I’d do if I ran out of money completely.

I could PA but being a PA really leads more to a career as an Assistant Director or Production Manager. Plus film sets are no fun unless you’re directing. I hate the monotony and grunt work of being on set but its a good place to meet people at your level and also invaluabe experience for any filmmaker. Besides, if I can score a free lunch and $100 bucks I’ll take it. Last year I PA’ed on a rap video and it was fun hanging out on set with a bunch of drunk and stoned rappers.

In the midst of this I’m also searching for an apartment because eventually I’m going to wear out my welcome at Cameron’s house. I found a lot of good advice for that in this life hacker post that explains how to set up an RSS feed to automatically alert you when a new craigslist post matches your search string. In my case my search string is a temporary (sublet or month-to-month) 2 bedroom (or even 1 bedroom) apartment that is under $1400 a month. Jonny is uncertain how long he’s going to be in LA and I’d like a few months in something temporary to give me time to find something more permanent. It’s been hard to find a lot of places that match our criteria but I know that if I can hold out long enough something is going to materialize. If you know of a place drop me line.

My first two years of high school were awfully depressing and very lonely. Same thing goes for the first year and half of college. However, once I met some people and got involved in some organizations things got a lot better. Film school was even more amazing. The people I met in film school are the best friends I’ve ever had. Now that I’ve graduated I feel like I’m back to being a little fish a big fucking shark tank. Los Angeles can be tough place. Traffic is demoralizing, the air is bad, and I already have two parking tickets. I’m just glad that I prepared, and that I saved, and that I have friends out here.

Dont forget to add Glitterfish as a friend on myspace!!

We are now the #1 result for the google search “glitterfish.” Rock on.

Moving out the LA or New York? Check out this Lifehacker post on apartment hunting.

Link.