I Could Be The Next Britney....Or Spielberg! Somebody please pinch me...am I dreaming?!

Ok, so I don't really want to be the next Britney. I admit to only using her name to draw readership. I've come to learn, through looking at my readers patterns, they often find my blog using the google blog search engine. Some of those searches are surprising, some are humorous, others downright strange.

So ok. I had an unbelievable, magical day yesterday, hence the second part of my subject line, "somebody please pinch me, am i dreaming?!" I blogged about my upcoming work with a local production company weeks ago. Well yesterday was the big day. I was nervous as hell. My allergies had been bothering me terribly the day before. The night before, I hardly slept, but only because my spouse kept me up sneezing off and on until 3am, not including his decision to shut all of the windows, making it very stuffy and me sweaty. I need a cool, dark room to sleep in. And I also need a good night sleep or I'm no good the next day. If this had been any other ordinary night, I would have just let it go and kept quiet, letting him do what he needed to do for himself. However, I was going to be having myself professionally recorded the next day for an up and coming production company, so my needs came first in this instance, period. I don't always assert myself in this manner, but this night I did. I put in ear plugs, opened up the window, ignoring his demands that I shut it, and made it clear if he was to get out of bed one more time he was to do so quietly and not turn on the lights as he went. I told him I needed to sleep, to which he snapped back, "well so do I!" To which I said, "Tomorrow may just be the BIGGEST day of my life, got it? Tonight MY needs come first." That shut him up. And I slept fine the rest of the night. And oddly enough, so did he.

So yesterday morning and afternoon I kept myself busy and occupied so I wouldn't focus on what was about to happen in just hours. A Plumber came to take care of a slow draining tub, which normally I would find a bit annoying, but this time I welcomed the diversion and actually talked the guy's ear off. I even apologized for bothering him saying I was nervous and why, and therefore, needed to keep talking.

Well, that magical hour finally arrived and there I was... Sitting at my piano, two large microphones off to either side, all sorts of cables plugged into the mixer, the computer, and surprisingly, I was not nearly as nervous as I thought I would be. This was likely due to the guy doing the recording, who was so kind and very laid back, which was a good thing. The energy coming from me was enough to fill up that space and then some.

I also knew this was what I was supposed to be doing. And most importantly, I knew I was talented. I knew what I was doing.

But there was still that little twinge of doubt that I was hoping would be erased by this man's comments. Afterall, before coming out, the original plan was for me to lay down a few tracks, pieces that weren't my own. Being he hadn't yet heard me, he wasn't sure if my own original material would be what they were looking for. However, after hearing me play a couple of songs, he realized they could indeed use some of my own material. So at that point, he decided to just record my own songs. That twinge of doubt? Gone.

By the time we were finished, I was flying high, drained at having played the piano for 2 hours, especially knowing I was being recorded, but still energized in a very wonderful way.

Halfway through the recording, the other partner came over, something I was not expecting (of course I was asked if this was ok). I'm glad I didn't know about this beforehand or I would have been even more nervous. Well, he was as equally pleased as his partner was with my playing. He recorded me with a video camera for a little while, then settled into one of the chairs in our living room and listened to me play, making very nice comments after each piece. And what was so wonderful, so fantastic, so cool for me was that he GOT the essence of my songs without me even having to TELL him. That's been a concern of mine, at least with some of my pieces. I want them to convey a certain feeling and they seem to do just that!

When Mr. Nina came home from work, he was immediately told he had a very talented wife. Wow! More magic to my ears! Mr. Nina then said he knew, that's part of the reason he had to marry me. Then he launched into how long I've been playing and composing, the places I've played, the audience reaction, etc. etc. Mr. Video Cameraman laughed and said "hey, you don't need us to manage your talent. You've got your manager right here!" I laughed and said I already knew that. My spouse has never been shy about sharing my talents and such with the world. I've always deeply appreciated that about him.

So we finished recording. We were able to record 8 songs, to which these will be converted to MP3 files, which I will be able to share here on my blog and elsewhere on the internet. Eventually a complete demo will be made. That is exciting in and of itself. However, there's more. These guys are in the building stages of their production company (please see the end of this entry for the name of their company, their website, and their names). That means they are putting together a production video to market to folks with the connections and the cash. Or as they put it, the "cashion"--a combination of passion AND cash. After hearing me record yesterday, they made the decision to include some of my pieces, some of my ORIGINAL pieces, in their production video. !!!!

So this means that MY MUSIC, MY PRECIOUS GEMS, MY SONGS THAT HAVE UP UNTIL NOW BEEN (pretty much) CONTAINED IN THE WALLS OF MY HOUSE, are going to be used in their marketing material to be heard by the big wigs in Hollywood. !!!

PINCH ME AM I DREAMING??!!

I'll be given credit for my material. I will also be included on their website.

Wow.

I'm not done yet, folks.

For upcoming projects, they will give me DVD's with some scenes to which I will then watch and compose material.

Wow. WOW!

For now, it's bartering. But let me get this straight...if their company takes off, which I KNOW it will--these guys are very smart, talented, very passionate and have excellent contacts in Hollywood--I could actually find myself making an income composing songs. A SONGWRITER!! One of those dreams I've had for years.

Wow! Pinch me am I dreaming??!!

I'm still not done.

These guys are into the paranormal. They visit haunted places and record paranormal activity. They're both very science-minded about it. They have the equipment used by paranormal investigators. They shared some stories of local haunts they've been on. I even found out there's a ghost hunting group here in Corvallis! KEWEL!! I LOVE stuff like this! Anyway, I told them about some of my paranormal background, experiences I've had, the metaphysical group I was once a part of, and table tipping.

When I mentioned table tipping, video camera man asked if I could contact the people I once did this with. I said I could probably do that, and he said if you do, let us know and we will videotape it.

WOW!!

I'm almost finished.

I mentioned my non-profit business idea, my thoughts on poverty, etc., calling myself a "closet socialist". I wasn't sure what to expect when I said that, but was pleasantly surprised when my ideas were supported. The guy who recorded me said he too was a social radical.

KEWEL. My kind of people!

Anyway, so I told them I've had yet another idea (i have so flipping many) to create a documentary, following the lives of a few families who live in poverty for a week or two. Included would be my ideas for ending the problem.

They loved it. The video camera guy said if I could find someone to fund it, I could be the executive producer and they would supply the materials.

Executive producer?? I laughed. I don't even know what that means!

Mr. Nina also shared some of his illustrations he's done. He's amazingly gifted with sci-fi illustrations in particular. Very detail-oriented. He also has an acting background, all of which impressed/pleased them. They are still in the stages of gathering "talent".

So anyway, a magical day happened yesterday. I feel as though I've opened up a new door. Started a new chapter. And I feel alive! Alive for the first time in I don't know how long. Mr. Nina was looking at me last night, smiling. "You have that sparkle back in your eyes," he said. "I haven't seen that in so long. It's good to see."

Yes, that made me cry a bit. It felt good to FEEL that spark.

So ok, I am going to do what I can to help promote these guys. And I want you, my readers, to check them out. Spread the word on your own blog if you feel so inclined. Tell your family, your friends about them.

Brian Heater is the Technical Director and Producer and is the one who recorded me yesterday.
Stan Frietag is the other partner, the one who had the video camera (I don't have his card and so I don't know his official titles).

Their business is:

"What If Productions".

"An Infinitely Diverse, Multimedia Production Company"

Their web address is: http://www.whatifproductions.biz/

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL BUSINESS!!

CHECK THEM OUT!!!