Someone once said life is what happens when you make other plans. Another reiteration was, God laughs when you chisel something in stone. A week into this KickStarter and I’m on the road for an unplanned driving excursion. Perfect timing, right? We live in this illusion of connectivity—the Internet is everywhere, as is cell coverage. So the advertising would have us believe. But, the fact is, it’s not so bad. I was able to keep on top of most everything and get most of the work done. All from a phone. Calls were dropped, and emails delayed. But, overall, it worked. This was not a vacation, unfortunately. You can usually tell I’m on vacation by the number of wheels between me and the pavement. If it’s two, and I’m hanging onto a pair of handlebars, then it’s a vacation. But the success of the communication when I pull over for a break from dodging semis and navigating construction zones, was actually pretty amazing. I know many of you, perhaps of a younger bent, are like, “Uh, Paul. Cell phones have been around for decades. Data services have been around for a been around for a spell too, dude.” The thing is, I was running theaters long before cell phones were ubiquitous and I think I still haven’t learned to take them for granted. It still amazes me that I can pull off at the Shasta rest stop and talk to Joey about the schedule, check for questions from KickStarter backers, answer a customer’s question about upcoming movies—all in the time it takes me eat some trail mix, stretch out, and beat the three busses of high school kids to the rest room. I’m lucky I know some awesome people in California and they put me up for this unexpected jaunt, and I did sling a camera over my shoulder and take a couple hours to burn pixels of the California coastline—so it wasn’t all driving and swearing. But, this KickStarter we are in the middle of now is to update the technology of the Darkside Cinema. We are moving from 1940 into the 2014s with digital technology. I have embraced the change and have come to the community with a digital hat-in-hand to ask for help. It is the advent of this new technology that allows me to ask for backing through the Internet and allows you to donate with the punching of a few keys and mouse clicks. The irony is not lost on me that it is the same technology that allowed me to take care of business in another state while in the middle of something that demands my full attention. I will miss movie film in my projection booth, clicking away the story at 24 frames a second. I will miss the tactile nature of making it all work. But, I am thankful for my devices that allow a longer leash. And I am grateful for the chance to ask the people of the community to gather together around the digital mantle of the Darkside Cinema KickStarter and be part of the future of independent cinema in Corvallis.
Posted on: Mon, 23 Jun 2014 16:44:28 +0000
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