Fortress Of Freedom Board

Maurice Ali · Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2004 5:43 am Post subject:

One really miserable day yesterday.....More to follow.....

Maurice Ali · Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2004 11:52 pm Post subject:

Yes! The book is finally a reality! I can now concentrate on the TV show exclusively.....but after a little celebration and thanks to all who helped- especially our very own Pet who came up with the very attractive cover! More of the story can be found in the link below:

Click Here For The Story!

I am extremely tired now, so we will leave it at that..... A very memorable day!

Maurice Ali · Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2004 10:50 pm Post subject:

Another tiring day but I have the week off in order to concentrate on the TV show. I have to make the tripod work smoothly or else I have to shell out big bucks to get a professional one..... The antique interview showed me this problem as a viscous mount and adjustment is necessary to capture the action without abrupt movement.

Maurice Ali · Posted: Sat Sep 11, 2004 6:38 pm Post subject:

More Stuff!

You guessed right! It was time to pay the Man for a new tripod.....

In the photo above you can see today's haul as i got the professional tripod and also a memory stick for the camera. This is the last of the equipment purchases! I had to buy professional because we need the control with the heavy cameras. I needed a quality tripod for our camera and shoot and also for the future HD camera (probably mid-sized) that we will most likely get in the next few years - I have to think ahead and make the right choices with the money.

The photo above shows the dolly I bought with the tripod to ensure we have that capability in the studio.

The "head" was the most important thing as I paid extra to get the best head money could buy.....

More photos of the set up.

So I am poor now..... Time to start finalizing the scripts and posting them for a change. I am also going to get into a routine for the next week.....more later.....

Maurice Ali · Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2004 8:34 am Post subject:

Sorry for the delay but I had to get the scripts out and spent the night doing that. I am fine tuning equipment this morning and I can't believe how beautifully engineered this )very expensive professional) tripod is:

I have to go looking for a carry bag for this thing as it is soooo large..... I also have to get back my carrying case from Nikon and hand scripts to other folk..... No time to lose!!!!!

Maurice Ali · Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2004 1:22 am Post subject:

Monday was the day I wanted to get the major scripts for Dan and Punita. The others had minor scripts that really were just questions to be answered.

There are three kinds of scripts:

1. The Full Script This contains all dialogue and camera instructions and all the rest.....

2. The Semiscript This is used when portions of the dialogue are known in advance; really just a simpler version of the full version.

3. The Shot Sheet This is usually the simplest form and typically is just the shooting instruction/descriptions.

We will use a version of the Semiscript for our application. The following pdf files were given out to the participants today:

Punita's Script

Dan's Script

Corra's Script

Dave's Script

Mark's Script

Zahava's Script

Emily's Script

With the release of the scripts; I can now work on my own speech as I made the pledge not to work on my own script before the others received theirs.

Maurice Ali · Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2004 1:52 am Post subject:

As for Monday: I handed Dan his script and informational package and then drove to the Nikon Office to make sure I got a replacement bag for the one I sent in. I had some fun on the highway as smoke started billowing out the back of my Mustang and I figured this was the start of my "payback". This may have just been some overflow on the converters as I had topped up the transmission (it has a tiny leak that has been there for years). I blew almost ten dollars on fluid only to see I had more than enough.....but, it could have been a complete failure - so count those blessing..... Nikon had not sent me the bag yet.....so I waited and got mine there in the lobby.

I took the slow route back home. I also had to get a mid level spreader for my pricy tripod and a carry bag that could handle this large tripod; found at a pro-camera store but very pricy..... I ran the rest of the scripts off and handed them out to the others and returned the tripod bag (another one purchase the day before) that turned out to be too small to the retail camera outfit (looks like I have outgrown these places.....). That was it for that day, only a few more to go.....to filming.

Maurice Ali · Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2004 2:52 pm Post subject:

Taking a walk through our area I noticed that someone sprayed grafiti on the rusty bridge, ruining much of this location as a set. Here are some old shots of the bridge:

There is one place on the bridge that overlooks the stream and could be used for a segment (most likely Mark). I will place a sheet on the bridge as this rusty metal structure would just ruin that shiny new tripod (I would have to use a speader as the floor is perferated metal and just grind up the plastic spreader).

The rest of the location is as before. I must note that at the nine o'clocke mark, there is considerable dew on the grass. The great thing about this location is the circular "pasture" that gives us a constant lighting by moving our location around the perimeter. One minus is the local traffic on the east side, but this may abate on Saturday.

Maurice Ali · Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2004 4:56 am Post subject:

Ramblings.....

As stated before, I have had much success with this organization and feared sooner or later that it would be payback time. Well it looks like that moment has arrived and we shall see how I handle the multitude of arrows being thrust at me.

My car has to have emmissions testing today and must pass or I will be busing it to work next week. I can only pray the transmission lasts long enough for the test..... I overfilled it a few days ago with resulted in an overflow and a very dramatic plum of smoke coming from the rear on a highway no less..... I pulled out one litre yesterday and we will see how it drives today. For the emissions test I am running Sunoco Gold at 94 percent octane (finally no more pinging) and just changed the oil. The oil was another pain in the ass as I stripped the second drain bolt and will have to replace before the next oil change if the bugger starts to leak.

My much lauded decision to purchase the PD170 still stands as that is the only camera we could afford to get on TV. However, the release of the new HD cameras has been moved up to late November and already they are saying everything will soon be obsolete. I know this is hogwash but still disconcerting..... The pro version is still a work in progress but will still feature DVCAM and the only good thing about the new generation of High Definition Cams is that they are still using mini-DV tapes such as what we are using..... I know that the first efforts from a new product are prone with failirues and recalls and Sony is only producing 5,000 units a month on their consumer HDV cam coming up (so it there is a recall the number is not great). The heads will be burned of our camera before we have to worry about obselecence, but still, it is a downer to know that such a new purchase is already being left in the shadows. My Nikon D70 was state of the art last spring but is now just another camera with the new Canon taking the spotlight with almost double the number of pixtels (like 11,000,000). You can't play the latest technology game and stay there, it is constantly changing.

At any rate, our equipment will do for us what we want and that is to get on TV and shoot the events we need with a legendary documentary camera. My time line for the larger studio camera will be HDV as the price should come down from the present 60,000 for the large ones and fall somewhere above the 5,000 for the consumer ones. We should purchase it in two years just in time for another quantum lep to new technology.....hehehehe..... Once again the up side is all the buggs are worked out and the price is right..... Now you know why I only buy the best professional equipment and why I bought that huge and expensive tripod with dolly.....we need it for the larger studio camera.....

I just have to tune up my speech and start to practice. We also have to card up Dan's questions and will probably do this in another day as the others chime in with their own input toward our intital list of questions. I will finally start to check the weather today and I know it is going to rain like the bugger on Saturday.....probably the tail end of the hurricane that is set to hit Florida again.....

When the going gets tough.....

Maurice Ali · Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2004 12:37 pm Post subject:

Well.....if anyone is interested..... I passed my emissions test, but it was not the blow-out it was in previous years, but it was not a close call either. Anyway, this is less presure on me now , but I found a nail in my driver's side front tire - so the fates are still at me as we speak.

I spent the morning fliming around "area three" and the sets we will do the most time in. I will have to view the film later and listen for ambient noise that comes from the train tracks and streets that pass along the east end off the park.

One more thing - the copyright for the book came in the mail this afternoon:

Maurice Ali · Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2004 10:11 am Post subject:

Just an update.....

North York Central Library

The remainder of yesterday was spent handing out some of our books to the local libraries. I placed no conditions on the ultimate destination of the books (either on the shelves or for sale), personally I think I am the only one really concentrating on this so if may have value to some; anyway, I have always had a soft spot for our libraries so the disposition is up to them.

Fairview Library

Maurice Ali · Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2004 7:43 pm Post subject:

One more day till the day.....

The pressure is beginning to show on people as the moment approaches. I handle things by shooting some snooker (a form of pool) and may actually take a walk in the neighborhood tonight.

The Fortress TV Show is a show about the organization, but it is also a show about my philosophy regarding the masses really wanting access to the mass media. Some of the answers will be played out on Saturday. I should say that I love all the people that got involved with this project and I wish that all of them get what they wanted to achieve by signing up for this very unusual event.

This is "real" reality TV. The network shows are run by professionals at all levels and only the the people in front of the camera are amateurs.....and even that is open to question..... We here are more honest; this is the real deal. I am profoundly interested in what happens in the next few hours. Time is short though and I have not even begun to practice my speech - I suppose it will be one of these "read" speeches.....

Maurice Ali · Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2004 10:36 pm Post subject:

Here is a copy of the speech I am going to make at the end of the show on Saturday:

Maurice Ali · Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 5:30 am Post subject:

The night was spent carding questions for Dan:

The Logos on the right were some large ones Pet made for me with the book cover. I am going to try to use these as a "front" for the TV stand when I "read" my speech. It will not exactly be the Presidential seal.....but I am proud to have the images under my face!

Maurice Ali · Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 4:29 pm Post subject:

The day approaches.....

Too much going on here to list. But I have prepared as best I could; and now I can only react to the project I created. It is easier on me now as I do not have to make decisions that may be right or wrong; those have already been made, all I can do is react.....it is easier.....

Each project gets harder and harder but the rewards are there. The Fortress TV Show is no exception. By design the show can't fail as it is reality TV. Only my theories of the nature of Man and free speech and thought hang in the balance of this experiment of ours.

I have gone very grey over the last week and I am sure it is from the "show". Nothing comes without it's price and you only live once.....