Now that Fox&Bee is up&running, it made the most sense for me to go over there and blog.... so if you visit www.kbannerman.com, it will take you there automatically. BUT, if you use the blogspot address above, you will come here, and find very few new posts.
So do, please, come and visit me at Fox&Bee. I PROMISE (hand on heart) that I will not be moving again. No more nomadic wandering across cyberspace, like some sort of wordy intertoob version of Captain Mal. I shall settle, put down roots, and remain firmly fixed in the cosmos.
And you have a standing invitation to visit my new bloggy home, whenever you wish. :)
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
BOO!
***These were sitting in Rocky Mountain chocolates, taunting me. Don't you just love the disgustingly delicious selection of sweets that appear, this time of year? Mmm!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
The Joy of Zombies, and Another Use for Bears.
We filmed the zombie short for Shawn's 52 Week project last week -- go see it, immediatly, before you read another word here! I'd hate to let slip any spoilers!
~~~
Are you back? Excellent! Holy crow, it was SO MUCH FUN to do, and I hope the fun we had comes across in the film. There was lots of laughs, silliness, groans from Jeff (who makes a most excellent zombie) and sticky fake blood.
A wee little story about the blood...
There are a lot of recipes for fake blood, involving things like corn syrup, food dye, cornstarch, oat powder, and chocolate syrup. We played around with lots of recipes, and Jen measured and mixed like an alchemist, trying to acheive the perfect consistancy.
At last, we had a bottle of sticky, gooey, deep ruby red liquid. Perfect.
The scene where I walk past the car required dramatic smears of handprints on the hood. We parked on the village main street and Jeff poured out a generous pool of blood, then slapped his hands around in it, thereby creating a hint of violence on my Toyota Echo. Then, off we went to film.
Our shooting took us far from the car. I half expected to come back after filming, three hours later, to discover police tape around my vehicle.
Luckily, though, no one noticed or cared, and we drove home, happy with our footage. Cast and crew went out for dinner, there was much toasting and hurrahs, the hour grew late and the sun went down. I figured we'd clean the blood off the car in the morning.
But when Shawn went out with cloth and hot water on Sunday, the front of our car was mysteriously.... very, very clean. Not a spot of blood remained.
Some large claw marks in the dirt at the front of our bumper was the only hint of who, perhaps, enjoyed a midnight dessert of sugary, red-tinted chocolate sauce. If ever I wondered, now I know: bears like chocolate syrup, and don't really care what colour it is. Plus, they're very, very good at cleaning cars.
~~~
Are you back? Excellent! Holy crow, it was SO MUCH FUN to do, and I hope the fun we had comes across in the film. There was lots of laughs, silliness, groans from Jeff (who makes a most excellent zombie) and sticky fake blood.
A wee little story about the blood...
There are a lot of recipes for fake blood, involving things like corn syrup, food dye, cornstarch, oat powder, and chocolate syrup. We played around with lots of recipes, and Jen measured and mixed like an alchemist, trying to acheive the perfect consistancy.
At last, we had a bottle of sticky, gooey, deep ruby red liquid. Perfect.
The scene where I walk past the car required dramatic smears of handprints on the hood. We parked on the village main street and Jeff poured out a generous pool of blood, then slapped his hands around in it, thereby creating a hint of violence on my Toyota Echo. Then, off we went to film.
Our shooting took us far from the car. I half expected to come back after filming, three hours later, to discover police tape around my vehicle.
Luckily, though, no one noticed or cared, and we drove home, happy with our footage. Cast and crew went out for dinner, there was much toasting and hurrahs, the hour grew late and the sun went down. I figured we'd clean the blood off the car in the morning.
But when Shawn went out with cloth and hot water on Sunday, the front of our car was mysteriously.... very, very clean. Not a spot of blood remained.
Some large claw marks in the dirt at the front of our bumper was the only hint of who, perhaps, enjoyed a midnight dessert of sugary, red-tinted chocolate sauce. If ever I wondered, now I know: bears like chocolate syrup, and don't really care what colour it is. Plus, they're very, very good at cleaning cars.
Monday, October 17, 2011
'Tis the Season, right?
We filmed "52 Weeks - Week 5" on Saturday.
It had zombies.
Frankly, it was amazing.
For four hours, we ran willy-nilly around this small town -- I haven't run so far, so fast in many a long year. The event proved to be excellent exercise: for example, multiple takes meant running up the same hill five times in a row, with the director saying things like, "That was good, now faster!"
(Maybe I made that up. By the end, I was pretty light-headed and, until cast and crew sat down to a yummy Chinese buffet at the Panda Restaurant, it was all a blur.)
"52 Weeks - Week 5" will be released on Wednesday at Shawn's blog. I'll talk more about it after its release because I don't want to inadvertently cause any spoilers, but it was one of those sunny afternoons that will long live in my memory as laughter-filled, giddy, gleeful, and soaked in sugary fake blood.
It had zombies.
Frankly, it was amazing.
For four hours, we ran willy-nilly around this small town -- I haven't run so far, so fast in many a long year. The event proved to be excellent exercise: for example, multiple takes meant running up the same hill five times in a row, with the director saying things like, "That was good, now faster!"
(Maybe I made that up. By the end, I was pretty light-headed and, until cast and crew sat down to a yummy Chinese buffet at the Panda Restaurant, it was all a blur.)
"52 Weeks - Week 5" will be released on Wednesday at Shawn's blog. I'll talk more about it after its release because I don't want to inadvertently cause any spoilers, but it was one of those sunny afternoons that will long live in my memory as laughter-filled, giddy, gleeful, and soaked in sugary fake blood.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Always Be Prepared!
Ripped business suit - check
Tattered shoes - check
Purple eyeshadow (for under eyes and cheekbones) - check
Corn syrup tinted with red food colouring - check
Battered briefcase - check
I'm either ready to play a zombie in tomorrow's film, or ready to march with the Occupy protesters as a corporate zombie. It's good to be prepared for all outcomes that may come to pass on a Saturday.
Tattered shoes - check
Purple eyeshadow (for under eyes and cheekbones) - check
Corn syrup tinted with red food colouring - check
Battered briefcase - check
I'm either ready to play a zombie in tomorrow's film, or ready to march with the Occupy protesters as a corporate zombie. It's good to be prepared for all outcomes that may come to pass on a Saturday.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Zombies Needed
On Saturday, October 15, we're filming the next instalment of the 52 Weeks projects, and we need ZOMBIE EXTRAS! Want to come and help?
Filming will start around 1pm in Cumberland, BC. We'll film for the afternoon, and possibly into the evening, if we need more footage and some moody, spooky lighting. If you want to participate, send me an email at kim@kbannerman.com, and I can tell you where we'll be meeting.
Please come in costume -- gory is good, bloody is better, filthy is fantastic. There will be snacks (brains?) to keep up your undead energy. :)
*Photo is borrowed from the Sydney Zombie Lurch, which looks like a most lively group of undead!
Filming will start around 1pm in Cumberland, BC. We'll film for the afternoon, and possibly into the evening, if we need more footage and some moody, spooky lighting. If you want to participate, send me an email at kim@kbannerman.com, and I can tell you where we'll be meeting.
Please come in costume -- gory is good, bloody is better, filthy is fantastic. There will be snacks (brains?) to keep up your undead energy. :)
*Photo is borrowed from the Sydney Zombie Lurch, which looks like a most lively group of undead!
Wanted to share this with you.
Practical Tips on Writing Books from 23 Brilliant Authors
Good article, full of helpful hints and good reasons to keep writing. :)
Good article, full of helpful hints and good reasons to keep writing. :)
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
The Face of Your Muse
I've been asked to write a 500-word essay about something -- a film, a book, a play, a person -- that inspired me when I was younger, and I'm struggling with the assignment. Not because I can't think of anything. Quite the opposite. I keep remembering awesome, awesome things that I loved as a child, and I want to share so many of them... how do I cram it all into 500 measly words?!?!?
(Don't worry, beloved editor, I won't be sending you a tome. I promise to rein it in and be good and keep to our agreed word count!)
But there's so many wonderful books and stories that I loved when I was little, and in the darkest hours of night, I've been waking up with technicolor memories flashing through my brain. Littlest Hobo! Dune! The Dukes of Hazzard! ElfQuest! Isn't it weird, what inspires us? Isn't it wonderful when you find other people who were similarly inspired? I mentioned to a friend of mine that I read ElfQuest as a kid, and she literally leapt up and said, "Me too!!!!"
Zap! A connection, cast years ago, unknown to both of us. No wonder we get along so well... it's kinda cool.
Writing this blog post has given me some ideas, and helped me hone my topic down to one book; thanks for listening to me ramble. I'm off to go write my assignment and turn it in, but while I'm gone, please share: what books, television shows or films inspired you?
(Don't worry, beloved editor, I won't be sending you a tome. I promise to rein it in and be good and keep to our agreed word count!)
But there's so many wonderful books and stories that I loved when I was little, and in the darkest hours of night, I've been waking up with technicolor memories flashing through my brain. Littlest Hobo! Dune! The Dukes of Hazzard! ElfQuest! Isn't it weird, what inspires us? Isn't it wonderful when you find other people who were similarly inspired? I mentioned to a friend of mine that I read ElfQuest as a kid, and she literally leapt up and said, "Me too!!!!"
Zap! A connection, cast years ago, unknown to both of us. No wonder we get along so well... it's kinda cool.
Writing this blog post has given me some ideas, and helped me hone my topic down to one book; thanks for listening to me ramble. I'm off to go write my assignment and turn it in, but while I'm gone, please share: what books, television shows or films inspired you?
Monday, October 3, 2011
With Stars In My Eyes
I walked into London Drugs to pick up cough medicine. I walked out with a telescope. Yep, it was one of those days.
We had decided to wander through the camera section, and when the salesman asked if we needed any help, I asked out of curiosity if they carried any telescopes. I've been watching BBC's 'Wonders of the Solar System' and was suitably inspired to price out the equipment, but as I currently have a telescope in two pieces under my bed, I wasn't looking to buy anything. Ideally I just wanted to know if this place had options -- there aren't a lot of specialty science-themed stores in this area.
The salesman looked sad, almost rueful. "No," he confided with a shake of the head, "We don't. Maybe closer to Christmas we might get something in but.... No." Then, with an apologetic shrug, he added, "We do have one, but it's really a children's toy, really...."
I followed, but I was being a bit snobby and inwardly scoffing that he'd show me a TOY when I'd asked for a telescope! By the final frontier, man, this is SCIENCE!
He led me to a shelf (not a glass cabinet, but a shelf!) and a small, watermelon-sized cardboard box (a box!) and said, "This is it. Last one left." The price was $25. I thanked him (because even though I was internally scoffing, I try to be externally polite) and he returned to the front of the store.
A measly 25 buck kid's toy, probably made of plastic, too weak to view the moon, too wimpy to -- wait a second.
Under the price tag was a second price tag, for $89.99.
I picked up the box, looked it over, then opened it up and glanced at the telescope inside. It's a Celestron FirstScope, designed to be portable and durable, and charged with the noble goal of introducing children to astronomy.
By the rings of Saturn, this is one amazing little telescope! We brought it home, set it up in seconds (it comes assembled, bonus!) and spent the evening admiring the moons of Jupiter. It came with two lenses: 15x and 75x, which offered a perfect introduction to the universe for Little Z, and it also took the lenses of our other telescope, giving us a little flexibility. All in all, the FirstScope is just as crisp, clear and powerful as my larger telescope, but it has the distinct advantage of being a snap to use, carry and store. We've already decided to take this telescope with us on our next holiday -- that's how amazingly portable it is. In fact, it's lighter than my purse.
Ignore the people in the promo pictures; I wouldn't trust a group who looks so deliriously happy about peering through a telescope when it is so obviously daytime. However, with clear midnight skies above us, we were all thrilled by the FirstScope. It was a spectacular purchase, and if you live near a London Drugs that happens to have one on sale, I would highly, highly recommend you rush out and snap it up before it's gone.
We had decided to wander through the camera section, and when the salesman asked if we needed any help, I asked out of curiosity if they carried any telescopes. I've been watching BBC's 'Wonders of the Solar System' and was suitably inspired to price out the equipment, but as I currently have a telescope in two pieces under my bed, I wasn't looking to buy anything. Ideally I just wanted to know if this place had options -- there aren't a lot of specialty science-themed stores in this area.
The salesman looked sad, almost rueful. "No," he confided with a shake of the head, "We don't. Maybe closer to Christmas we might get something in but.... No." Then, with an apologetic shrug, he added, "We do have one, but it's really a children's toy, really...."
I followed, but I was being a bit snobby and inwardly scoffing that he'd show me a TOY when I'd asked for a telescope! By the final frontier, man, this is SCIENCE!
He led me to a shelf (not a glass cabinet, but a shelf!) and a small, watermelon-sized cardboard box (a box!) and said, "This is it. Last one left." The price was $25. I thanked him (because even though I was internally scoffing, I try to be externally polite) and he returned to the front of the store.
A measly 25 buck kid's toy, probably made of plastic, too weak to view the moon, too wimpy to -- wait a second.
Under the price tag was a second price tag, for $89.99.
I picked up the box, looked it over, then opened it up and glanced at the telescope inside. It's a Celestron FirstScope, designed to be portable and durable, and charged with the noble goal of introducing children to astronomy.
By the rings of Saturn, this is one amazing little telescope! We brought it home, set it up in seconds (it comes assembled, bonus!) and spent the evening admiring the moons of Jupiter. It came with two lenses: 15x and 75x, which offered a perfect introduction to the universe for Little Z, and it also took the lenses of our other telescope, giving us a little flexibility. All in all, the FirstScope is just as crisp, clear and powerful as my larger telescope, but it has the distinct advantage of being a snap to use, carry and store. We've already decided to take this telescope with us on our next holiday -- that's how amazingly portable it is. In fact, it's lighter than my purse.
Ignore the people in the promo pictures; I wouldn't trust a group who looks so deliriously happy about peering through a telescope when it is so obviously daytime. However, with clear midnight skies above us, we were all thrilled by the FirstScope. It was a spectacular purchase, and if you live near a London Drugs that happens to have one on sale, I would highly, highly recommend you rush out and snap it up before it's gone.
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