My new blog -- Welcome!

To anyone stumbling upon my blog, now or in the future, welcome. My name is Michael Scott, otherwise known as Dorkman, and I pre-date the Steve Carrell character on the American version of "The Office" by a good twenty years.

"Nice to meet you," you say, "but who the hell ARE you, and why should I care about this blog?"

You're forward. I like that.

The honest answer is, if you have to ask that question, you probably don't have a very good reason to care about this blog. As of this writing, I have acheived a very limited kind of notoriety based on a couple of films I've made with my best friend and business partner, Ryan Wieber. You may have seen them, and in fact if you found this blog and have any interest in what I have to say, it's probably because you've seen the films. If not, you can check them out on the films' website:

http://www.ryanvsdorkman.com

I hope you enjoy them.

Anyway, I don't want to get this blog, or our relationship as blogger and reader (blogee?), off on the wrong foot, or under false pretenses. Anyone who blogs inherently has a rather high opinion of themselves, and in particular, of their opinions. The very notion of writing down your thoughts or anything you "have to say", and making it accessible to the entire civilized world, implies that someone else will care to read it.

I am no exception. I have aired my opinions on other sites, blogs, message boards, etc., on various and sundry subjects (see below), and it occurs to me that, if I'm going to blather my opinion into the ether, I can at least do the rest of the ether the courtesy of containing it to my own personal sphere of egotism. I will do my best to contain my thoughts and opinions here, on this blog, and comments elsewhere, if any, will be hopefully kept brief. The posts here, on the other hand, might be on the long side.

Going back to that egotism thing for a second, as my link above might imply, I'm a filmmaker. Perhaps not as accomplished as others who have made films with plots and characters (I have made one, but it was a couple years ago and there's a lot I would do differently); nor, indeed, even as accomplished as Ryan, who as of a month or so ago became a bona-fide Emmy winner. As of this writing, I am someone who talks the talk, but has yet to fully walk the walk.

But hopefully that will change. I am confident in my talent (though my skill could use some work; I'll probably get into that in a later entry), and confident that my future is going to be big and bright. So with any luck, you're reading this blog from five years in the future, and you came here because I'm a force to be reckoned with in the industry, and what I have to say not only interests you, but the "proof is in the pudding" and I have accomplished much in the intervening years. Those of you starting with me now, or near to it, will be able to follow me on that journey, and watch it happen as it happens.

How much would you have loved to read a blog Spielberg started writing before he got big, and continued writing after? Not that I think I'll be Spielberg (nor will I deny it's a reach-for-the-stars goal), but you get my point. In case I ever become worth something, hopefully my thoughts and opinions will too.

I hope that this blog, wherever it may go, will be entertaining at a bare minimum.

And where, intrepid reader, might this blog be leading? Another fantastic question. The most straightforward answer, dear friend, is anywhere I damn well please. I have eclectic (and occasionally esoteric) interests, and the blog will explore whatever strikes my fancy at the time. My intention is to attempt to write at least a brief entry every other day, if not daily, so some straw-grasping may take place.

The more astute of you will notice that I haven't really answered the question. So, some of the subjects you will find covered here (and there):

Filmmaking

Of course. Both my own experiences and what trickles down to me from others, projects of the past, present, and speculative future. I will also be so bold as to offer my reviews of films as I see them, also past and present. It is my intention to express clearly what I like and do not like about a film, what could have potentially improved it and where it needed no improvement. This is as much for myself as anyone else, since as a filmmaker it's important to be able to articulate these things.

Technology

There are plenty of gizmo and gadget blogs out there, and I will probably rarely get into it. Most of the tech, indeed, will probably be a sub-heading of filmmaking, regarding a new camera, software package, or other innovation that might change the playing field. Although sometimes I might just come across a doohickey I think is really neat. Or funny.

Web entertainment

AKA "Stuff I Found on YouTube." The good, the bad, and the hilarious. The RvD films got their kicks in the pants by all the blogs that showed us love, I hope I can help some entertainers reach their audience as well.

Writing

If there's one thing I actually know, it's writing. In practice I do a LOT of writing (as this post alone shows), and in theory I have a degree in English from UCLA and have read more books on the subject than most. If there's anything I can actually say "I know my shit" about, it's writing.

Writing is where the telling of any story starts. So this will probably a frequent focus of my posts, and warrant at least a mention in others.

Video games

Likewise, I'm no gamer by any stretch. But I USED to be, by God, and I can still put in my two cents when a game really catches my fancy. If you see a post about a video game, I probably really liked it, so there goes that mystery.

Politics

Probably not so much of this. But sometimes I've really gotta say something. So it'll come up. If you like to avoid that kind of stuff, keep your eyes on the tags and if you see "politics", avoid that post.

Gay Rights

Subset of politics. I'm a gay man and even though it's screaming against the wind sometimes, everyone has to make their voices heard if we're going to get anywhere.

Religion

I used to be a Christian. Now I'm an Atheist. Believe it or not, it had nothing to do with my sexuality (see the previous item). I don't expect to get up on a soapbox about this with much frequency, if at all, but sometimes something's got to be said. Subset of politics, mostly.

More importantly, it will apply significantly to my discussions of writing and storytelling. In discussing storytelling and themes and such, I won't be according Christianity any more -- or less -- credence than any other mythology. (It's precisely because I realized that no mythology seems to deserve more or less credence than any other that I became an Atheist.)

Also, it's important that to realize that I will still occasionally use deity-affirming language ("God willing" above, "God's-honest truth" below). It's part of the English idiom, and just the way I talk naturally, perhaps vestigial from my former life as a believer. It should not be construed as me retaining any particular belief of that kind.

Visual Effects

Subset of filmmaking. I do a lot of visual effects stuff and I remain fascinated by it. I will try to make it as plain-English accessible as possible, but a lot of it is really technical (but still damn interesting).

Other stuff

Who knows. We'll take it as it comes.

The one thing I know is that whatever I post will be the God's-honest truth as I see it. That, at least, is a promise I make as the writer. If I can't tell the truth about something, I'm not going to write about it at all.

Also, a couple things this blog will NOT be:

A Shoulder to Cry On

This will not be where I come to talk about how much life sucks and how I'm going to cut myself. I'm not gonna get all emo here.

A Kiss-And-Tell

As of this writing, I'm single; but you might be reading this blog when I'm dating someone hot and famous. Or just someone hot. If you're looking for dirt about our pillow-talk, or mushy talk of how we met or whatever, you're not likely to find it here. But who knows. I might go all Tom Cruise on your ass.

Anyway, by now you're regretting your decision to start reading, or to find out how this blog began. I hope that the future of this blog continues to warrant your interest.