Like most people I know these days, I met Carolyn on Twitter and we soon started sending ideas back and forth for little webisodes. We’ve only filmed a few but have many MANY more ideas lined up. To celebrate the launch of The Carolyn Show, there will be a little bash in Portland on Friday (May 18th) at 8pm at Cosmic Monkey Comics. You should totally go. Here’s a little idea of what you can expect from The Carolyn Show……

Introducing… The Carolyn Show!

A Leprechaun Tries to Get Lucky on St. Patrick’s Day

Right Hook

I decided to do my routine based on the fact that Jon is a teacher (we filmed The Waiting List in his first grade classroom) and that he tells a lot of terrible jokes in class. What if those jokes were like Grimm’s fairy tales, where there’s a dark, sinister original version and then a cleaned up version to tell kids. I told the same jokes he tells students, but with darker punchlines.

I chickened out on the punchline to the banana joke. It involved guns and a mistakenly shot orange. Also, I should have just used the punchline “Orange you glad it’s Jon’s birthday.” I was nervous.

Cranking out 92 pages in four weeks resulted in something I’m excited to see come to life. And if you’ve seen both The Waiting List and Did You Kiss Anyone, let me tell you that this one is going to be… different.

Before you congratulate me, let me be a prick and remind you I wrote the entire thing on an iPad.

A few months ago, I was playing with the Action Movie FX app on my iPhone and thought it would make a fun Filmed By Bike movie with my daughters. I had an idea that would’ve involved both of them, but one actress backed out due to creative differences. So we made an End of the World themed movie in honor of 12/20/2012.

I was excited the movie made it into Filmed By Bike and was even one of the five movies nominated for a Golden Helment Award. I was nominated last year too for Right Hook. I have lost twice, which I think is the most anyone has ever lost that award. My goal is to be the Susan Lucci of the Golden Helment.

Here are some photos from the Opening Night Street Party…

LED Hula Hoopers

Hammercize! (If you don’t remember, I made a little video of Hammercize performing last year.)

This is Ayleen Crotty, who started Filmed By Bike 10 years ago!

This is the legendary speed raffle. I did not win this bag.

We went back on Saturday and watched it on the big screen!

But some of you might be thinking, “I don’t know how to ride a bike, but I want to see movies you’ve made on a big screen and also drink beer in the street.” You are in luck! On Friday the 13th, you can attend the Opening Night Street Party. It’s a fun event and you should just go and see what it’s all about.

If you can’t make it Friday night, there are still plenty of chances to see a movie I’ve made while drinking beer in a theater. This year’s movie (Invincible, starring my daughter in her big screen debut!) plays on all three showings on Friday, Saturday at 5pm, and Sunday at 9pm. What? Not enough for you? Then show up on Wednesday at 7pm or 9pm and see two of my previous Filmed By Bike movies: Claire Rides a Bike and Right Hook.

Here’s the full list of all the movies being shown: Filmed By Bike Program

Did I mention the opening night screenings have an awesome raffle? And insanely fun street entertainment? And beer on tap? Also, movies?

Finally, here’s a little movie I made from the festival three years ago…

Filmed By Bike (Filmed by Mike) from Mike Vogel on Vimeo.

The reason I quit Facebook has more to do with the general vibe of the place. Everything seems to be spun from the land of hopes and dreams and year round New Year’s resolutions. People are upbeat, inoffensive, and overly supportive. It’s a place without nuance, humor, or challenging ideas. It’s important that my inner Holden Caufield still be against the phonies. And, to paraphrase Hemingway, Facebook is a Mecca for bluffers and fakers.

Twitter… we’re cool, I still love you.

The other thing that happened after my technology cleanse is that I got an iPad. (Isn’t it ironic?) What my iPad changed for me is that I’m getting back into reading longer blog posts instead of just status updates. I’m using Flipboard to keep track of my favorite Portland bloggers like Dave Knows, Robert Wagner, Betsy Whim, Mile73, Attorney At Large, The RRS and others. It’s inspired me to post a blogroll again. I tried following blogs mostly through Twitter but I realized reading blogs is more of a focused night time activity for me. Twitter is is sort of a day time background process.

I’m also using my iPad to write. I wasn’t sure if the keyboard would be too small, but my fingers love tapping silently on glass way more than pressing clunky buttons on a keyboard.

If I had to make a Sophie’s choice between my iPhone and iPad, I’d ditch the phone in a second.

I’ve got a screenplay to write this month. I’m going to try writing the whole thing with Celtx on my iPad. We’ll see what happens….