BLACK IN THE BALTICS: THE FILM

This is a film by Team Chestnut.  I can tell you the story behind it right quick:

Ok so the first film I was a part of making in Estonia was not the best, I mean our hearts were in the right place but it just didn't turn out the way it should have.  Needless to say I needed a change of group/scenery and when I changed the scenery to some people that cared a little more about what was going on this was the result.  Ok so I got into this group with a Canadian an Estonian and a Latvian (Latvians are always less deeper than they think) and we are tossing around ideas for a short film, when everybody in the group is an "artist" you might as well make a mockumentary, I was pondering the idea in my head for it to be about a black rapper, but for whatever reason me and the Canadian were on the same page, so he blurts it out and I'm like I was thinking the same shit but if I said it, it might have gotten a WTF from the others -- but thats the point of film school to learn - say things that might be off track or far away from what others are thinking - keep it fresh thats what you are there for everything is not gonna be perfect that store is not gonna have what you want sometimes so move on to something else adjust make a brash decision or you might as well go home and do the same thing you were doing before.

After the Canadian made the suggestion we ran with it and told the class what the plan was with little to no preparation it all just fell into place.  That's how it goes; sometimes it just goes your way and you roll with it, the key is to know when to roll with it and when to bail, so many times we come to points where the we can take a left or take a right but sometimes its just best to go straight until the road runs out.

Enjoy and maybe I can make it over there to finish the trilogy...

Spring Break

Well spring is in the air even if it is 35 degrees. Go figure. I am settling in nicely to this new dorm. Its pretty cool. Theres a couple of other black dudes in the dorm. One of them I know, he is very cool, the other well let's just say he doesn't seem very social. It's cool tho. I finally made it to the Wing Stopp it's right around the corner and it's off the hook. Ironically a black dude seems to run it. It's a cliché but nowadays what the hell isn't right? Classes are going good. I have a newfound respect for editing, it's very time consuming but when you finish you are proud of the work you have done. We started messing with FCPX it's no joke. The whole format changed so at first I was a little overwhelmed, but it's cool because you can always go back and fix the shit you mess up. It's best to play around with it take a few hours see what's what and so forth. It also gives you easier ways to do things, when you get down to the nitty gritty of it, I mean I am by no means an expert but I am starting to get to know my way around it.

Taking a new class called history and theory of communications and culture it's theory based. Mostly dealing with what old white guys labeled this or that and how people change over time their perceptions and so forth. It's pretty insightful if you ask me. But it's really tough to take it too serious. There's always a class debate which is good to hear people express how they feel about the topic. I usually don't say much in that one, maybe it's because I know it's mostly theory and there is really no right or wrong answer. Maybe that's a reason I should engage. But there's waaaaay too many heads up in that piece and sometimes it seems to turn into a bit of a shouting match at least that's the way I see it some of the time. I respect other people's opinion whether I agree or not its their opinion unless it's just totally dumb, there is no defending stupid shit, I don't care how you see it.


I been slacking off on the blog, yeah I know. But it's tuff to keep up with it with school work and this or that going on. Since it's warming up a bit I think I will start going out a little more. I been a bit of a recluse as of late. Just bored, and I gotta still get a flight back home for the summer it's gonna run me about $500 but it will be worth it when I touch down. NCAA basketball tournament kicks off tonight. I am anxious for that. I never missed a tourney but this season it's gonna be tuff to catch as many games as I usually catch. Kinda excited tho because who doesn't like to see an upset or two or three... but without anyone to really watch and enjoy the games with is gonna be hard. I am so used to watchin it with the fellas back home shouting at the tv screen ordering pizza and talking shit. That's really what I miss most about being at home just being able to hang out with people you can seriously relate to. I'm not saying that I can't relate to anyone here but there's some shit I would like to talk about without people getting uptight about it like some people do here. I am in no way stating that people here can't relate they can, but not about certain things. Its just a cultural divide when it comes to some stuff. Like jordans on a saturday or hearing a good rap song or telling a joke no one gets well they get it but you have to explain it down to every last detail. I also wanna talk shit without no one getting offended but this place is not there yet with that.


The other day I was on the bus and the mofos came to check tickets! This time I was ass out with no bus pass on my card no ticket no nothing! I was sitting there waiting for the dude to ask me for my shit but he never did. It was such a relief, needless to say the next day I filled up for the month. I had a discussion with my friend about how they just come on the bus block all exits and check tickets his words were "it's very Soviet" I was like yeah he gave me the scoop on how to bail on them if I should be in that situation next time.... I'm just gonna try to follow the rules. Some people back home have no regard for rules which is why they would fail big time if they came here, always trying to fight for this or that but why even resort to that? Just go with it, people say you should do this or that. My response is there ain't but 10 black people in Estonia and there is no need for me to be on anybody's radar don't put me in the system at all, and don't give them a reason try to fly straight.



Well that's it til next time. As my cousin in Cali says "be good if you can't be safe" true words to live by in many cases, maybe I will update this thing when I go on vacation next week ...then again maybe I won't(Judy Blume) have a good spring break wherever your headed even if it's just the couch to watch some NCAA tourney action. Go Cuse.

Going to the Movies

Well since I got one of the lower grades in my English Composition class and my native language is English, I guess its time to take more than 20 minutes writing a paper and actually give the professor what he asks for, who wudda thought 5 points would make so much of a difference.

This post is about going to the movies in Tallinn and I guess anywhere else in Europe that I've been.  Because I am a student at BFM (Baltic Film and Media School)  we get to go to a movie theater for free, the theater is called Artis.  Apparently according to some it is one of the better theaters in Tallinn you can get wine, beer, snacks and candy.  But wait a minute there is something missing, oh yeah POPCORN where the hell is the popcorn, maybe it's the American in me well it is the American in me but popcorn is a staple at any movie theater back home even the shittier ones.  I know I am complaining but its kind of a let down to not have popcorn.  I need that butter and that crunch sound that makes me feel like I am watching a movie.  Maybe they don't feel like cleaning up all the remnants left behind but eff that they need popcorn up in that piece, and I wont truly be satisfied until they get it.


On another note the seats are assigned at the theater when you buy your ticket so you can choose where you want to sit.  I have and pretty much always will sit in the back it makes me feel like I am not only watching the film but also I can see the audience and some of their reactions, which to me makes the back of the theater a good vantage point, that and the fact that I really can't stand someone talking behind me and me hearing what they are saying really sucks.  The theaters always seemed pretty packed on the weekends mostly Friday or Saturday.  I went on Sunday and it was a pretty empty theater, I also think that because it was a movie that came out last year in the States most people either saw it or downloaded it by now which may have had a hand in the attendance rate.  If you do go to the movies alone like I do for the most part you probably want to get a seat on the end that way you don't end up sitting next to a family who is probably going to be more uncomfortable sitting next to the only black dude in the theater...  But that's  another story for some other time.


I like the assigned seat that way there is no complaining involved when you get to the theater just get your seat where you want to sit.  I once went with a few people to the movies back home in Columbia, Maryland and because there were not 4 seats all together  one person insisted we leave and get our money back.  We did but I really didn't give a shit where we sat I just wanted to see the movie.  This eliminates that.  But I will say the earlier you show up the better your seats will be.


The audience seems a bit more quiet than the theaters back home.  There is no one talking really and when something is funny its laughed at during the appropriate time and bam the movie goes on, a lot less cell phone interference and the audience is a bit more reserved in their feelings towards the film.  Granted I have seen 3 movies at this theater hopefully at some point the audience will open up.  Maybe it's because English is my first language and I don't fumble with the subtitles on the screen, which for some people is a big deal.  I have friends back home who cannot stand to see any subtitles even when the movie is in a different language a lot of the time their response goes something like this: ''Damn we gotta read this shit'', or ''Why we gotta read and watch a movie''  c'mon guys at some point you gotta watch something other than somebody blowing up buildings and killing people for an hour and a half and just watch something that makes you think, broaden your horizons, go out see something you wouldn't normally watch and talk about it with the TV off. 


Overall  I love the movie experience here, the movie starts on time no 10 previews for movies that probably won't be out for more than a week, and no commercials before telling you to donate here or donate there.  I went to a theater in London and let me tell you it was like 50USD(24 lbs) and they played about 30 minutes worth of commercials and previews.  Add to that the fact that when I returned home there the same movie was on the Blockbuster wall waiting for me to be pissed off that I shelled out all this cash for a movie I could have watched at home for 4 bucks.  Yeah never again London movie theaters, never again.  There are some things about the theaters that I miss at home the fact that I can got to about 3 major movieplexes in case one is sold out or maybe they are not playing a movie at my theater that they are playing at another.  Midnight shows on a Thursday night so you can brag to your co-workers how you saw the hot new pick of the week at midnight, don't forget about movie hopping, oh yeah and of course fresh popcorn.  I know I can go to other theaters and get popcorn or what have you but the fact is that this theater is FREE for me so it will become my movie theater, they will prolly get tired of seeing me there after awhile but what do you expect its a film school we are going to go where the deal is.  Although I think this weekend I might go and splurge at Coca-Cola Plaza pay for the movie and popcorn...


Until next time safe travels no matter where your headed.