100th Post Fanfiction!

*Please not that this whole story is fictional. I have never met the band FF5 or Isaac Dietz or anyone associated with them, although I would love to someday. I do plan on dying my hair red this summer, though.*

A Summer With The Phamily...

Part One of... Many

I sat nervously at the computer. Should I click send? Would it work? So much thought and work had led up to this point. Finally, after reading over it a fifth time, I sent the e-mail. Now all that was left to do was wait.

April 5, 2013

To: IsaacDietz@...

From: Lizardbreathwalker@...

Hi Isaac!

You don't know me, but my name is Elizabeth. I am an amateur film maker and a senior in high school. I really adore your work with Family Force 5's music videos, Really Real Shows, and documentaries. I know that you and FF5 will be shooting a music video on June 14th and 15th of 2013, and I plan to attend and participate. As a film maker myself, I am always trying to improve upon my work, but I have never gotten the chance to work on a professional set. I am not requesting that you give me a job. Would you possibly allow me to help out as almost an unpaid intern or something of that nature? I just want to get experience in the film industry before I go off to college.

Your Friend,

Elizabeth W.

Youtube: youtube.com/lizardbreathwalker

Facebook: facebook.com/...

Blog: thelife-lizardgirl.blogspot.com

April 6, 2013

To: Lizardbreathwalker@...

From: IsaacDietz@...

Elizabeth,

Its nice to see a young person like you taking the initiative. I'm not sure if unpaid intern is the correct term, but we can certainly find something for you to do. Go ahead and buy your tickets, then meet me at the sign-in desk about two hours before the official sign in time. We're looking forward to working with you!

Your friend,

Isaac

Before I tell you what exactly happened when I read that e-mail, let me inform you that I do not react normally when something exciting happens. I rarely jump up and down and scream, like most other teenage girls. However, that is very close to what happened. Astonished, I stood up ad backed away from the computer, mouth open, in awe. "Mom!" I called into the other room. "What?" she said, coming over to the computer. "Can you read this e-mail," I requested. Unsure, she sat and began reading. By this time, I was smiling uncontrollably. "Well," she said, "we better buy those tickets before they're sold out." As I danced joyfully around the room and updated my Facebook status, my mother purchased the tickets: enough for me, her, and my 6-year-old brother, John, who was also a fan of Family Force 5. James, my other brother, disliked anything that I liked and my dad was a fuddy-duddy. The three fun people of the family were going to have a great time.

Over the weeks before the event, I talked the thing up with John. I do the same with any exciting thing that happens to me. This last year, I kept talking with him about dying my hair red at the beginning of summer. Basically, it keeps him occupied, keeps me excited, and gives me someone to talk with who won't get annoyed with me. My mom is always unsure of things like that. Personally, I couldn't wait to dye my hair red, even though it would take a great leap of faith.

The night before we left, it seemed to take forever to get to sleep. Everything was packed. I made sure that I had enough clothes and then some. I packed all kinds of things to entertain myself and my brother on the four hour trip across the state. Since we would be staying the night at a hotel, I had brought pretty much all of the necessities for my hair and whatnot. I could not wait.

At 6:00 in the morning, our car rolled into the set parking lot. My mother gestured for me to go into the large building to the right as she carefully removed my sleeping brother from the backseat. Not wanting to seem nervous or awkward, despite the fact that no one was watching, I briskly walked to the building. Just as I was reaching for the door handle, the door swung open , knocking me out of the way. A hand reached down to help me up and a familiar voice uttered "Oh, I'm sorry!" Soon, I found myself face-to-face with the golden-haired guitarist, Derek Mount, AKA: Chapstique. "No, its okay," I reassured him, trying not to act like an obsessed fangirl. "The shoot doesn't start for, like, two hours," he said. "Why exactly are you here?" Still in stock at how awesome it was to meet him in person, I managed to stutter, "Umm... I talked with Isaac... I'm, umm... supposed to help with the video." His face lit up in recognition, "Oh! You must be Lizardbreath... err... Elizabeth! Isaac and the rest of the guys are inside. You might want to go find him and let him know you're here." "Thanks," I replied as we parted ways.

Inside the dark warehouse, I saw the registration table set up. What seemed like a football field away, there was a setup of various lights and cameras. About ten people were scattered throughout the area, each working to accomplish a different task. Even so far away, I could hear Isaac shouting out orders. Knowing that he probably didn't notice me come in, I made my way across the warehouse to where they were. It didn't take long to be noticed after I got within seeing distance for the band members. Of course, the first one to notice me was Jacob, the one known as Crouton. Of course, how could I not be noticed by the one who pays the most attention to hair and clothing?

"Hey guys, look!" he shouted. "Its Lizardbreath!" Suddenly, I was surrounded by four rambuncious musicians. I heard shouts of "Nice to meet you" mixed with "I love your hair" and "Awesome shoes". Finally, they backed off enough that I could get my bearings on the situation. This was not the reaction I was expecting. I felt an arm around my shoulder. Solomon. Soul Glow Activatur. I was surprised at how short he was. We were pretty much the same height, and the other guys were like giants in comparison. "Well, you probably already know," he said, " but I am Soul Glow Activatur, and this is..." He started to introduce the others, but I cut him off. "Nadaddy, Crouton, Fatty, and outside is Chapstique." Then I gestured to the mob of people over by the cameras. "Over there is Tub-o, Xanadu, and Quaigon. If I see a small child running around, I can assume that is Cash." "Well done," said Nadaddy. I could tell Isaac was still preoccupied with the lights and cameras, things I knew very little about. I figured I might as well get to know the guys while I had the chance.

"First of all," I said, "I have a question for you all. How do you know who I am?" I was honestly curious. They all recognized me immediately. "We looked you up on YouTube," Solomon replied simply. "More like they all looked over my shoulder while I looked at your videos. You sent a link in your e-mail," Isaac said, finally joining us. "Oh, I forgot about that," I said. "I thought they were really great for what you have been working with," Isaac commented, " I said you could come because I saw potential. That,and Crouton wanted to see your red hair in person." "Thanks for keeping my secrets, Tub-o," Crouton exclaimed, obviously embarrassed. "Its okay," I said, "I couldn't figure out what to do with my hair this morning, so I threw it up in a ponytail..." Before I could finish my though, Crouton was practically in my face, shouting," Can I do your hair?" "Sure," I said, a little surprised at how quickly he had volunteered. That was what I had planned on asking, but I was fine with him asking me first.

We met my mom and little brother on the way out of the building. "Where are you going?" She asked. "I'm going to style her hair," Crouton answered for me. My mom just shook her head and kept walking.

The tour bus was pretty much as I had expected it to be. I had seen the videos online, so the setup was familiar, though I never expected to see it in real life. He instructed me to sit at one of the tables in the living area, then ran off toward the bunks. At that moment, Chapstique emerged, his hair freshly styled. He had obviously returned to the bus just to fix his perfect hair. A little confused, he asked, " What are you doing here?" "She is my new hair model," Crouton said, emerging again with various hair styling tools in tow. He immediately plugged in an expensive-looking flat iron. I removed the ponytail holder from my hair and put it on my wrist. "Well, see you later, Lizardbreath," Chapstique said, ruffling my hair before exiting the bus. As he set to work on my hair, Crouton asked, " I've been meaning to ask you, where did you get your shirt?" "I made it," I replied. "I do my own screen printing and modifications." "Oh, so kinda like Crouton's Cuts," he said. "Yeah," I replied, "but more people are fans of Crouton than Lizardbreath, so I just make them for myself and my friends." "Well, I'm your friend. Can you make me a few?" "Absolutely," I replied giggling.

A few minutes later, we returned to the warehouse. A wave of "wow"s and "oooh"s went around the room. I thanked Crouton for his help, then headed to help Isaac. Two small children attacked me before I could reach my destination. I was knocked to the ground immediately, since such an attack was unexpected. Well, at least I knew John and Cash were getting along well. "Sissy, can I have my DS?" John asked several times before quieting. "I want to show Cash my game." I ruffled the hair on their heads and crawled out from underneath the two children. These wild little boys were too much alike. I told him that my mom had it and they ran off once again. The next time  I looked over, my mom was chatting with Solomon's wife and John and Cash were seated on the floor nearby, chattering away as they took turns playing the game.

When I reached the grouping of cameras and lights, Isaac explained to me that one of their really important backers had contacted them just a few minutes earlier to say that they couldn't make it. "Would you take her place?" he asked. "Sure," I said, happy that I would play a significant role in the video, but feeling bad that a person had paid money and then lost the ability to come and participate. "You know the basic video idea, right?" he questioned. I nodded my head. I had read and watched everything available about the making of the "Chainsaw" music video. "Well," he said, "the backer that was supposed to do the chipmunk "Chainsaw" part called a little while ago and won't be able to make it due to a family obligation. Its really simple and we'll tell you what to do. First, though, you need to go to costume and makeup to get your 'lumberjack' gear. After that, we'll shoot the video, since the rest of the backers are starting to arrive."

In the costume/makeup room, I found all 5 band members, finishing up preparations for the video. "Whats up Lizardbreath?" Soul Glow asked. "Nothing much," I answered. "One of the backers cancelled, so I'm filling in." Crouton ran over to a clothing rack and retrieved a red and black plaid button-up shirt, a pair of white skinny jeans, and a tank top bearing the word "Chainsaw" in big red letters, then held them out to me. "Here, you'll need to put these on." I stepped behind the floor-length curtain that I was directed to and found myself in a small room bearing nothing but a mirror on the wall. As I removed the pair of white skinny jeans from the hanger, I noticed the letters "SGA" written on the tag in faded Sharpie marker. Of course. the original backer was probably going to bring their own white skinnies, or else would wear a much different size than me. I didn't have white skinnies, but they were necessary for the video, so Jacob grabbed a pair that would come closest to fitting.

When I emerged from the little room a few minutes later, I was surprised to find Soli was the only one there. Before I could react or say anything, he shoved a hat on my head. "There," he said, obviously satisfied with is costume modification. "Now, its cray." I could imagine that Crouton would have a fit as soon as he saw what Solomon had changed with the costume. I looked over at the full length mirror on the opposite wall and mentally agreed with Solomon. It was a rather awesome hat, and it made the outfit complete. I made a silent wish to be able to keep the costume once the shoot was over with. Then, after three seconds of eye contact agreement, we turned and headed out to film.

The filming was done in just a few hours. By lunch, we were done and all of the other backers had left. My mother, brother, and I, along with the band and crew members, invaded a nearby Subway for lunch. Mom and Soli's wife sat at a table with John and Cash. Apparently they all hit it off pretty well. I was just glad to have them all out of my hair for a little while. Isaac was sitting with the band, so I joined them once I got my food. In between bite, I was forced to explain every detail of my life, including my plans for the future. I had just graduated high school, so I was extremely used to answering these questions.

"You got any plans for the rest of the summer?" Isaac asked. "Not really," I replied. "I don't plan on taking any summer classes, and I have no need to get a summer job. Not yet anyway." Suddenly, Solomon's face lit up. He looked at Isaac, then back at me, then back at Isaac. "Tub-o! She should come on tour with us!" he exclaimed. Isaac started to protest, but was cut off. "You said yourself that Intern won't be able to come with us this summer. Lizardbreath could come and help out with the filming and merch!" I was beginning to think that Lizardbreath would turn out to be my "gangsta name" if I ever got one, since that was what I kept getting called.The other guys chimed in with their statements of agreement. "Guys!" Isaac practically shouted. "We leave for tour as soon as we finish the shoot. I'm all for Elizabeth coming along, but she probably doesn't have everything she needs." "Actually, I probably do," I stated. "I have at least a week's worth of clothing and pretty much all my necessities back at the hotel. I even have my ukulele and laptop." There was a moment of silence as they pondered my statement. Then Nathan (AKA: Nadaddy) broke the silence, "You think you're up for it?" "As long as you can convince my parents to let me go," I said with a chuckle. I could barely believe what was happening to me. Wait until I told Sarah how I would be spending my summer.

After nearly an hour on the phone with my dad and a brief conversation with my mother (my dad has always been the overprotective one), Isaac and the band had managed to get permission to steal me for the summer and drag me across the country at their will. At the hotel that night, my mom asked me if I had planned this whole thing. "No," I replied. "This was totally their idea."

This is the end of part one. Part two will be posted at a later date... Maybe. Thank you for reading and be sure to come back soon.

Storyboards are fun!

338... Yep, you all have overcome the 300 view mark. Now, onward to 500. FOR NARNIA!!! But, seriously, thanks to you all for doing this, I can't say how amazing it is to feel popular for once. Okay, that was kinda cheezy, but thats okay.

This is the last tuesday of 2012 that I have to go to school. I have exams tommorow and the next day, but I only really have one exam to take. AP Government. Gross. Having to take government is hard enough, but makingit AP is like kicking someone while they're down. Shooting a dead horse. Burning a demolished building. Torturing a dead man. Adding insult to injury. I really am not looking foreward to the two AP tests I will take at the end of next semester.

But, because I only have one exam to take, I get to have free time in most of my other classes! Whooooo! And what shall I spend that free time doing?

STORYBOARDING!!!!!!

Storyboarding is something that I love to do. I have never done it for a film, but I have done it for a few (2) music videos. I did it for the Zombie video that I filmed in October. Note, the video did change some in going from storyboard to actual video, but the main concept stayed the same. Some things have to change, thats just the crative process.

Every time I go to storyboard things, I think of two people: Tessa Violet and Isaac Dietz. Tessa because she, nanalew, and some guy from australia or something are making a kind of mini-series and posted a bunch of stuff about it and storyboarding it on youtube. Of course, their storyboarding involves post-it notes on a corkboard. My storyboarding involves drawing four boxes on each page of my notebook and drawing a picture in them, then explaining it with text on the right side of the page. It reminds me of Isaac Dietx because I have watched the video he posted of him explaining the treatment for the official Zombie music video. He has the song playing and he is running around this little room, explaining what should be happening at that point in the song. I found it rather entertaining. In the video, theres a little part in the corner that shows what the actual video looks like at that point in the music, and you can compare it to what he is explaining.

Right now, I am storyboarding a music video for Deathbed by Relient K right now. I have only worked on it today and yesterday and I already have 6 pages with four lyric segments on each page. I storyboard by lyric segments because it helps me set the video in my head with the timing of the music, and I am able to storyboard even when I don't have the music playing. I just know the lyrics and how the song goes. It also allows me to go back to the beginning and play in my mind what the whole thing would look like. The thing is, Deathbed is like a 10 minute song, and I'm only about 1 or 2 minutes into it on the storyboard. This should last me through the holidays.

I like storyboarding because it allows me to get the messages across that might be hard to explain otherwise. I can also jot down my music video ideas and have people look at them even when I have the inability to make the music video or show an already made music video to them. I think the next storyboard I'll do may be a skit or something. I've never storyboarded a skit. I can't wait until I go off to college so that I can actually have a large space to use to storyboard with post-it notes and stuff. I could use an entire wall in my dorm room and storyboard whatever I wanted to. I will have to invest in some sticky notes though. Christmas presents and graduation presents anyone?

I think I actually have a picture of the Zombie storyboard on my instagram. Feel free to stalk me on instagram, because I probably won't get a twitter anytime soon. You can watch the pictures I post and figure out what my day-to-day life is like. And I won't spam your feed. @lizardbreathwalker

Well, I want to go back to storyboarding, because I find it rather entertaining and fun.

Love,
Elizabeth W.

The Boredom Sets In... And The Thinking Begins!

Well, I am very much bored out of my mind today. At least right now. I have nothing to do this period as far as school work. By the way, we have a total of 210 views this month so far. That means there are only 90 more views to get by next week if you want the fanfic to be posted. Honestly, that is not very much. I think I might change the total to 500 or something like that. I am averaging about 20 views a day at the moment. I looked and as a running total from the beginning to this exact moment, my blog has 2012 views. I thought it was cool because it was the year. I guess I'm better at entertaining people through blogging than I thought.

As far as YouTube videos, I need to stop making promises that I can't keep. I did not get to make any videos yesterday because I spend that time helping my grandma pack presents for kids in New Mexico and painting Christmas pictures with my mom. My grandparents left for New Mexico today. I'm praying that they make it there and back safely and get the chance to minister to many people along the way. I wish I could go out and minister to people that I don't know. I stink at people in my area because I'm so afraid that they will judge me more harshly. But people in my area need Jesus too.

Yesterday I watched a music video for Britt Nicole's "The Lost Get Found". The whole concept was that she went on this roadtrip, basically heading out into the great unknown, driving in no particular direction. She prayed that God would put people in her path that needed to hear about Jesus. The video showed some of the people that she ministered to, and you could tell that lives were touched.

I thought it was a really cool idea. I just don't know that I have the guts to do something like that. I am a very shy person. Some people I try really hard to be an example for and minister to, but they just see me as a quiet girl who decided to stick her nose in their business. They won't really listen. And I'm always afraid that I'll say the wrong thing. This, coming from the girl who speaks her mind about everything, regardless of who it offends. I need to just get out of my comfort zone and start reaching people. I said it myself this summer at youth camp, I feel like this is the point in my life where I am ready to go out and start reaching people for Christ. I don't want to just sit around and do nothing when I have been called by God.

A very similar thing that I saw on the internet that has inspired me is Isaac Dietz's "Search For Joy". Basically, he went to places like Africa and searched out real joy that existed and thrived even though people were in poverty, the joy of knowing Jesus Christ. I can only imagine how many people were reached for Christ through these two projects.

I feel like I have the ability to minister to people, just the inability to find the people that need to be ministered to. I have thought about using my YouTube channel to help spread the good news of Jesus Christ, but I am not sure exactly how to do it. I feel like I have done it some through this blog, but I want to use all of the resources I have. Video making is one of my strong points. I have that talent. I guess I could start making Christian music videos. It couldn't hurt.

I feel like I should plan my own project like this, I just don't want to copy anyone. I like the "Search For Joy" idea a lot though. I might take it and put my own spin on it. I will do it in my area, of course. Right now would be the perfect time to start it, because everyone is focused on Christmas and how presents will make them happy. I could interview people at different events that I go to. Church. Plays. Stores. Neighbors. I really wish that I had a better camera to do this with. One that I could adjust the focus on, because my camera doesn't always focus right. Maybe I could film it with my cell phone. That way, I could kinda adjust the focus. It would still be decent quality video. Charity Functions. Parties. Band Concerts. Family Gatherings. I could just interview them and ask them a few questions.

What do you think the real reason for Christmas is?
What part of Christmas is most important?
Why do you, personally, celebrate Christmas?
Does Christmas time make you feel happy or stressed?
What do you wish Christmas time was more like?
What is your favorite part of Christmas?

I think this could really work. If you have a question that you think I should ask, please leave it in the comment area. Don't forget to comment and say which fanfic you want posted next friday also.

Oh! I almost forgot! Today is the day that our play is performed. I am the director for tonight's show. The show starts at 6 I think. I have to be there at 5, which makes me unhappy, and I will probably have to stay until 8 or 9. The cost of admission is $3 per person, if you plan on coming. There will also be a silent auction during intermission. The first play (mine) is Amber Waves, then there will be an intermission, then the plays The Quiet Place and Do Not Go Gentle will perform. The performances will take place in the middle school auditorium. If you live in the area, feel free to come.

Well, that is enough talking for today. Woah, there is still 20 minutes left of class. Wierd.

Love,
Elizabeth W.

Senior Year

So, this year is my senior year in highschool,if you haven't already figured it out. Its wierd to be doing some of these things for the very last time. Today, I am feeling extra nostalgic because of the fact that I will attend my last peprally today. They will play a special song for the seniors and we'll all run down to the middle of the gym and I'll probably cry. I always get emotional over things like this. I keep thinking of how I will soon be moving on. Some of these people I will never see again (PRAISE THE LORD!) and some of them I will really miss. I start thinking about college and what type of things I want to have in my dorm and what kind of new people I will meet. Then I take a big jump ahead to the future where all of us will be married and some of us will have kids of our own. I have friends who have been in relationships for a year or more and I sit and think, will they be married the next time we meet after high school? It seems that these years go by so fast.

Personally, I am in no hurry to leave my hometown. I don't hate my family or the tiny community that I live in. I wouldn't mind staying here all of my life. But I know I am destined for bigger things. I want to be a movie director. I know that directing is something that I am really good at and enjoy and I also know that there is very little chance of me staying where I currently am and making my dream a reality. I know I will probably have to move to a big city or possibly California (Eeeeeewwww! Liberals! No Offense...) in order to find a job. I would love to work kind of free-lance like Issaac Dietz and Tessa Violet do. Those two filmmakers are my heroes at the moment. I don't know if I'll ever become as famous as Steven Spielberg or Charlie Chaplin, but I know I will become a director somehow.

On a completely unrelated note, I really don't know why I have begun blogging again. I know that I want to keep track of the fun I am having during my senior year, so that is part of it. I also know that many famous people who I am a fan of blog when they have nothing else better to do. Currently, I have very little else to do. I could write essays for scholarships but I am way too distracted today. I have no real work to do in my online college class at the moment. I just felt thinky and needed to get it out.

On the subject of YouTube, by the way (Wow, I am being really random today (Hey! That rhymed!)) I am working on getting some neew editing software. I shot a music video on like October 27th but I haven't edited it yet because of the fact that Windows Movie Maker is a really crappy video editing tool. I want to be able to use Sony Vegas someday, but it is way out of my price range at the moment. My current budget is $0 to whatever my parents will buy me. I think I might just download a free trial of PowerDirector and make the music video from there. I have worked with PowerDirector before and it seemed decent. The music video is to the song "Zombie" by Family Force 5, and it has actual people in it besides myself and my brother. So, be on the lookout for that sometime around Thanksgiving or Christmas. I will probably do some how-to/blog videos and covers before then, so don't worry. And if you get to bored with my videos, feel free to watch the many videos of Isaac Dietz, Meekakitty, and Nanalew. They are all pretty amusing. And amazing.

Wow, I have taken up a whole 20 minutes just typing this. Dual Credit class really is useful for something after all. I really should do this more often. I keep having these random ideas of things that I want to do. Today, blogging was one. I also came up with a senior year music video idea today. I have my camera in my backpack, so I should be able to start it today also. I want to start my own charity/mission type of thing. I want to help people while having fun and have a way that others can help them also. It still in the developmental processes of my brain. I have been meditating on it for several days. I kinda want to make it into a movie project also. Isaac Dietz did a thing called "Search For Joy" that was really interesting in my opinion. I want to do something similar.

And now, because I have run out of ideas for what to type and because I just want to be EVEN MORE RANDOM...

Question of the day... errr, blog... or week or something like that:

If you could replace a single hour long segment of your day with an activity that you enjoy, what segment would you replace, why, and what activity would you replace it with?