What Shirley MacLaine said When I Met Her

In 1996 I worked on the movie, The Evening Star, starring Shirley MacLaine. The Evening Star is the sequel to the Oscar winning film, Terms of Endearment. 

I was Second Assistant Editor and the film's Projectionist. Every day I put together the film dailies which had been shot the day before. At night I ran the two projectors which screened the 35mm film dailies for cast and lead crew.

As projectionist, I was the first to arrive in the screening room and the last to leave locking up the building after me.

One night Shirley MacLaine and her assistant needed to view several days of dailies after hours because they had missed the regularly scheduled viewings. They were rushing through the reels trying to not stay up any later than they needed. So before most film reels had run through all the way through the projector, I stopped the machines and unthreaded the synced picture film and sound film without scratching the film coating or the magnetic coating of the sound film.

In this setting the First Assistant Editor was routinely coming in the projection booth to communicate with me about starting the next reel. It was a hectic and stressful. There was no time to sit on my heels as I was constantly threading, starting, then stopping and unthreading before rethreading the next reel on both projectors! But I did it and quickly!

We went through about 25 rolls of dailies that night. When a daily roll is full the average run time is about 10 minutes. It would have taken us late in into the morning hours had Shirley MacLaine and her assistant watched the reels in their entirety.

After the last daily roll was projected, I was busy rewinding the half-shown reels I had placed on the floor temporarily to keep pace with the stars demands. Each picture reel and each sound reel had to be rewound separately and in proper order so as to be HEADS OUT and ready for the next use.

I was briefly interrupted by Shirley MacLaine herself as she burst open the projection booth door and started to say something. She stopped and caught herself. Her mouth was still open but she said nothing.

I can only imagine what she was thinking. She was seeing her projectionist (me) for the first time, and I wasn't exactly a typical Hollywood union projectionist. Projectionists were typically much older and male.

I was a young blonde woman who looked barely of legal drinking age. And I  had been at the helm of the two monster projectors that night and the recipient of her demands.

She looked surprised, caught off guard, and at a loss for words.

"Yes, Ms. MacLaine may I help you?," I asked, and  looking slightly confused myself.

I had heard Shirley MacLaine was tough and demanding. I no idea why she came into the booth. In my experience movie stars don't go out of their way to talk to you. I was also insecure and my first thought was that she might be about to yell at me.
But instead she said, "Thank you. Thank you for doing such a great job tonight. I appreciate you working late tonight." She smiled and left.

Nerissa Oden
http://nerissaoden.blogspot.com/
http://foodpowers.com/
http://healdysplasia.com/
http://thevideoqueen.com/
http://freevideocoding.com/
http://videocodemaker.com/

All writings here are copyrighted by Nerissa Oden. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.

Wimberley Texas Voting System: Tracking How You Vote?

Voting in Wimberley, Texas uses eSlate electronic machines that can track how you voted. Here's how:

1. Your voter registration card or drivers license is scanned.
2. A unique 4-digit code is created from the same laptop that scanned your ID.
3. Input your unique 4-digit code to activate the machine (you can't vote unless you enter your unique code)

Of course Hays County poll workers say it can't. But obviously it can due to the process we have to go through to vote in Hays County. (outlined above)

In a TRUE democratic republic, no one would be able to know how you voted. And no elected officials would want too, and thus no elected officials would buy such e-voting systems. Here is an alternative that allows transparency and the speed of computer tabulation together--


Nerissa Oden
http://nerissaoden.blogspot.com/
http://foodpowers.com/
http://www.healdysplasia.com/
http://thevideoqueen.com/
http://freevideocoding.com/
http://videocodemaker.com/

All writings here are copyrighted by Nerissa Oden. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.

Why I'm NOT Afraid of Creepy Crawlies Anymore

(emailed October 31, 2010)

Tonight is the PERFECT TIME to release my ebook.

Halloween night is for ghoulies, goblins, and nasty creepy crawlies. But I'm not afraid of creepy crawlies anymore.

I'm not AFRAID anymore.

Spooky spirits that sour our flesh into cancer ARE beatable. They can't hide anymore. I know where they live. And I don't have to see them to beat them.

Cancer. Fear ME.

Vigilante viruses shutter when "hearing" my words. This book is full of tricks and treats for them. Tonight I pass my knowledge and experience to you.

Enjoy the your last thrill of fear tonight, because hope will reign over fear after reading this book.

Download it now!
http://www.healdysplasia.com/


Share it tomorrow with friends.
Share the website http://www.healdysplasia.com/

Enjoy
With Love,
Nerissa Oden
http://www.foodpowers.com/
http://www.healdysplasia.com/
http://nerissaoden.blogspot.com/
http://thevideoqueen.com/
http://freevideocoding.com/
http://videocodemaker.com/

All writings here are copyrighted by Nerissa Oden. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.

Old Sales Motto is Life Lesson Worthy of Applying

"Keep knocking on those doors," a close relative advised me when I entered the film business. She had been a successful sales person making tons of money and breaking glass ceilings during the seventies. "It's only a matter of time and numbers. The more doors you try, the better your chances of success. If you don't knock, you will never know if there was a 'YES' or a 'NO' behind the door."

I was horribly shy as a child and preferred animals to people most of the time way into late 30's. My relative's old sales motto kept me pushing and calling in my career. After all, rejections weren't personal, and a 'YES' was always around the corner.

My career was great! I edited numerous film and TV projects of various types using many different software and hardware. I LOVED the technical challenge and LOVED being on the cutting edge. I was unique and in demand in the Texas film industry.

It wasn't until September 2010 that I applied that old sales motto to my personal life. It seems so obvious now, but I had always thought that friends were just the luck of the draw. People unrelated to my road of success.

But now I know better.

It took one last noggin bop, but here I am.

So please, accept my advice. When friends, mentors, colleagues and neighbors don't nourish your soul, go knock on another door.
I kept people in my life who didn't support me emotionally and spiritually. I had been knocking on the same doors that kept saying 'NO.' And by knocking on the same doors all the time, I had limited time to try new doors.

I deserve better. YOU deserve better. Personal and career are interwined. Now I know exectly how to succeed in both.

Nerissa Oden
http://www.blogger.com/
http://www.blogger.com/
http://www.blogger.com/
http://www.blogger.com/
http://videocodemaker.com/

All writings here are copyrighted by Nerissa Oden. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.