All posts by Zale

About Zale

Zale has spent many years as a film maker, starting as an assistant editor, editor, and soundman and becoming an award winning director. That was in the factory system of film production. This is different, thank goodness. View all posts by Zale →

QUILTBAGS Episode 10: Proclivities

October 15, 2015Frank and Rod, New Episode, Uncategorized, Walter Frank Rod JakeZale

QUILTBAGS is a web series which explores sexuality through dramatized scenes with a variety of fascinating characters. You never know who might show up, or what they might want.

If you are new to QUILTBAGS, please scroll down and watch Episode 1, “Little Pitchers”, which will properly introduce the series and give you our wonderful theme song. Episodes 1 and 2 are the setup for this one, in which Walter comes to Rod and Frank for advice.

Please don’t forget to register so that you are notified of new episodes. Just scroll down to the “register” link, just below the word “meta”. Actually, here’s a better idea: We are rapidly approaching the number of subscribers before our server suspects us of spamming and limits our notifications. Even if you have already subscribed to this site, to make sure you are notified of new episodes please go to our Youtube channel and subscribe there. Here’s the link.

Please watch the episode BEORE reading the following:

Here’s the TED talk that Walter watched. (Well worth watching, especially if you have a dog in this fight.) Maybe Walter is over-reacting to Jake’s confusion, but his heart is in the right place.

Starring Rick Meyers as Frank
Tim Johnson as Rod
Zale Dalen as Walter
Kyle Hughes as Clark the clerk
Mostly Written by Tim Johnson with ~~interference~~ contributions by Zale Dalen
Camera: Dana Fehr
Sound boom: Ruth Anderson
Script supervision: Theodore Johnson
Direction and Editing by Zale Dalen
Series created by Tim Johnson and Zale Dalen

I really like this episode because it stacks misconceptions on misconceptions. Rod assumes that Walter wants advice about Vivian being gay, i.e. that Walter thinks gay men know all about being a gay woman. Frank assumes that Walter wants to talk about Vivian. Walter assumes that anybody who is a transvestite or cross dresser is automatically transgender, thus Frank must be an expert on trans issues. Rod assumes that anybody who hands out with gay men must have a desire to explore being gay.

I’ve been doing some research for this series, which has led me deep into the gay porn sites. And what I’ve found has me thinking deep thoughts about the meaning of being sex positive.

I’m not putting in the link here to “Jimmie Slater Sucks off Alessio Romero”. You can find it yourself fast enough with a quick Google search. It’s hard core and very explicit. What a world we live in, when this kind of erotic entertainment is constantly available and as close as your smart phone.

I found this clip surprising. First of all because the performers used their names. It seems there is an attitude among porn actors that I can really appreciate. If they feel they are doing nothing wrong, and doing nothing that they should be ashamed of doing, then why not be open and public about it. Of course these guys are professionals. They’re in it for the money, trying to make a name for themselves. So they use their names.

In the clip I watched, Jimmie Slater enters the frame, gives Alessio a few affectionate kisses, and then gets right down to business. And he certainly seems to know what he’s doing. One might even suspect that he’s done this before. The whole performance seems very matter of fact, almost mechanical. The word that leaps to my mind is “mundane”. It all seems so ordinary.

I’ve never been able to figure out the difference between porn and erotica. For me, porn implies lousy production values and a lot of dishonesty in the performance. But there’s little dishonesty about this. There’s no dialogue to give away bad acting. It doesn’t seem exploitive, in that there seems to be no coercion. With heterosexual porn there’s a lot of concern about women being exploited. Do we have a different standard when it is two men performing a sex act for the camera?

On a bus ride in China a few years ago, a middle aged Mormon woman told me the tragic story of a young Mormon man who murdered several women. He confessed to the crime, and blamed his actions on the influence of pornography. The woman telling me this story took this as evidence that addiction to porn is a terrible vice that leads to dire consequences. My personal view is that the repressive Mormon culture was much more likely the cause of the man’s murderous rampage than pornography. Of course I have as much empirical evidence for my opinion as she has for hers. No. My opinion has more backing it up. If pornography was the cause of violent sex crimes, we’d be awash in murders by now. – Zale

QUILTBAGS Episode 9: Clark Meets Colette

October 1, 2015Colette, UncategorizedZale

QUILTBAGS is a web series which explores sexuality through dramatized scenes with a variety of fascinating characters. You never know who might show up, or what they might want.

If you are new to QUILTBAGS, please scroll down and watch Episode 1, “Little Pitchers”, which will properly introduce the series and give you our wonderful theme song. This episode introduces three new characters and a whole new plot line. Meet Frank and Rod, a married couple who care for Colette, a ninety year old lady with dementia.

In this episode, Frank has brought Clark home to meet Colette, who reminds Clark of his recently deceased grandmother. Colette finds this quite confusing, and Rod finds it very suspicious.

This episode really shows off Dorothy Mandy’s acting chops. She has Colette’s character nailed.

Starring Rick Meyers as Frank
Tim Johnson as Rod
Kyle Hughes as Clark the clerk
Dorothy Mandy as Colette
Written by Tim Johnson with an ad lib from Dorothy Mandy.
Camera: Andrew D. Nicholls
Sound boom: Ruth Anderson
Script supervision: Theodore Johnson
Direction and Editing by Zale Dalen
Series created by Tim Johnson and Zale Dalen

In other news: The Nanaimo branch of the Unitarian Church is in the process of being recognized as a welcoming congregation. We were deeply honoured this past week when FUFON, the First Unitarian Fellowship of Nanaimo, included our theme song video in the introduction to their service.
I’ll be posting excerpts from that service soon.

Now for anybody who has read this far, here’s a heart warming little bonus video. Nothing to do with QUILTBAGS, but something I whipped up with the help of Ruth Anderson and Neon Nails of Nanaimo. – Zale

QUILTBAGS Episode 8: How Old’s Your Baby?

September 15, 2015Colette, Frank and Rod, UncategorizedClark, Frank, Kyle Hughes, Rick MyersZale

QUILTBAGS is a web series which explores sexuality through dramatized scenes with a variety of fascinating characters. You never know who might show up, or what they might want.

In this episode, Frank returns the baby monitor that Rod bought and meets Clark the clerk, a young man with a surprisingly sensitive nature.

Staring Rick Myers as Frank,
Kyle Hughes as Clark
Camera by Tim Johnson
Boom handled by Zale Dalen
Edited by Zale Dalen (because Tim is just to damned busy these days)
Script and Direction by Tim Johnson

Though this is a simple scene, it’s been a problem to get it shot. You can’t believe how difficult it is to find a business that will let a video crew invade their premises for a few hours.

Our sincere thanks to the Nanaimo Green Store, 110-256 Wallace Street, Nanaimo, B.C. V9R 5B3 for allowing us to use their store as our location. You should shop there if you can. Great place for very high consciousness food and supplements.

QUILTBAGS Episode 7: Caring for Colette

September 1, 2015Colette, Frank and Rod, New Episode, UncategorizedZale

QUILTBAGS is a web series which explores sexuality through dramatized scenes with a variety of fascinating characters. You never know who might show up, or what they might want.

Please don’t forget to register so that you are notified of new episodes. Just scroll down to the “register” link, just below the word “meta”.

This is art imitating life. Rick, who plays Frank, is married to a nurse who worked at a seniors home. One of the residents was on the verge of eviction for threatening to burn the place down, so he invited her to live with him and his husband. She has enough money to pay for twenty-four hour care. They treat her like their beloved grandmother and the three of them have all kinds of fun together. Stay tuned for a golfing episode. Some day soon.

This episode stars Rick Myers as Frank, Tim Johnson as Rod, and Dorothy Mandy as Colette.
Camera was by Andrew Nichols
Sound boom by Zale Dalen and Ruth Anderson
Written by Zale Dalen and Tim Johnson.
Script supervision by Theodore Johnson
Directed by Zale R. Dalen, DGC

Only the most sophisticated movie buffs will recognize the homage to “Eyes Wide Shut” in this episode. It was too subtle for me. – Zale

QUILTBAGS Episode 6: Mission Accomplished

August 15, 2015New Episode, The Beckers story arcZale

QUILTBAGS is a web series which explores sexuality through dramatized scenes with a variety of fascinating characters. You never know who might show up, or what they might want.

If you are new to QUILTBAGS, please scroll down and watch Episode 1, “Little Pitchers”, which will properly introduce the series and give you our wonderful theme song. Episodes 1 and 4 are the setup for this episode (episodes 2 and 3 take us on a detour with Walter and Jake). Please don’t forget to register so that you are notified of new episodes.

In this episode, Vivian finally gets to meet a potential sex partner of the feminine gender. This is the first time we see Lily, and I’d really like to know how you feel about her.

This is the end of the Becker’s story arc for a while. If all goes well we’ll introduce a whole new cast of characters for the next episode – Frank, his husband Rod, and their 94 year old adopted grandmother with dementia. Gonna be some fun.
-Zale

This episode was written by Zale Dalen, with contributions from Ruth Anderson and Tim Johnson, none of which matters because most of the dialogue hit the editing room floor, as we used to say when that is actually what happened. Now of course it just sits in a file that doesn’t get seen.

J. Douglas Dodd came over late at night to give me another set of eyeballs on the cut and lay on the tinkly seduction piano music. Thanks Doug.

Camera by Zale Dalen
Sound by Zale Dalen with help from Bill Wolverton
Script assistance by Sharon Fulton
Vivian Becker as usual played by Ruth Anderson
Lily Lederhosen played by Suki Davis

Big thanks to Tim Hortons for letting us shoot in their restaurant.

QUILTBAGS Episode 5: You Will Be Judged

August 1, 2015UncategorizedZale

QUILTBAGS is a web series which explores sexuality through dramatized scenes with a variety of fascinating characters. You never know who might show up, or what they might want.

If you are new to QUILTBAGS, please scroll down and watch Episode 1, “Little Pitchers”, which will properly introduce the series and give you our wonderful theme song. Episode 1 is the setup for this episode (episodes 2 and 3 take us on a detour with Walter and Jake). Please don’t forget to register so that you are notified of new episodes.

This is the second half of “Dating Advice” which started in episode 4. The first half of this episode was tightly scripted and pretty well accomplished in a one take two shot. The second half was entirely extemporaneous. Needless to say we had more fun with the second half.

Again, this episode stars Nicole Busby as Sarah Becker and Ruth Anderson as Vivian Becker, her mother in law, with a vocal guest appearance by GouGou the dog.

Camera was by Tim Johnson, Sound by Dana Fehr, script supervision by Theodore Johnson. Directed and Edited by Zale Dalen

QUILTBAGS Episode 4: Dating Advice

July 15, 2015New Episode, The Beckers story arc, Uncategorizeddating, dating sites, gay dating sites, lesbian, VivianZale

QUILTBAGS is a web series which explores sexuality through dramatized scenes with a variety of fascinating characters. You never know who might show up, or what they might want.

I suppose most viewers of this series will find it hard to believe that anybody still doesn’t know how to find a gay dating site on the Internet. Well, think about it. You probably know somebody like that. If not, I can assure you that they exist. Technophobia is rampant in Vivian’s generation. Which is a pity because they could all find gay dating sites if they just put out a bit of effort and overcame their fears.

This episode was a collaborative writing effort between Tim Johnson, Zale Dalen, and Ruth Anderson. We wanted it to come off like a TV ad for the Internet. Directed and edited by Zale Dalen. Camera and lighting by Tim Johnson. Sound and technical direction by Dana Fehr.

Dating Advice stars Nicole Busby as Sarah Becker and Ruth Anderson as Vivian Becker. The dog was voiced by GouGou. The kettle is very old school, pure cinematic symbolism that harkens back to Hitchcock.

Nicole did the heavy lifting in this episode, having to deal with all those moves and handle the tea service props. Her performance was so consistent that she made this very easy to edit. My feeling is we are tightening up our production and technical chops. Each episode gets easier to shoot and better.

Please leave a comment. Please. We live for your comments.

QUILTBAGS Episode 3: Busted

July 1, 2015New Episode, The Beckers story arcZale

“QUILTBAGS” is a web series which explores sexuality through dramatized scenes with a variety of fascinating characters. You never know who might show up, or what they might want.

If you are new to QUILTBAGS, please scroll down and watch Episode 1, “Little Pitchers”, which will properly introduce the series and give you our wonderful theme song, then Episode 2, “Meddling” which is the setup for this one. And please don’t forget to register so that you are notified of new episodes.

This episode is short, but you do get to meet the amazing Nicole Busby, who plays Sarah, wife of Jonathan, mother of Jake, daughter in law to Walter and Vivian. I love what she did with this scene. What a punim the woman has. So expressive.

We’ve been shooting episodes out of order, as actors and circumstances become available. I wish I could show you what we have waiting for release, but you’ll just have to wait.

Every time we get our act together sufficiently to film an episode, we get a bit tighter and learn a bit more. With this one we had Dana doing his magic with the sound directly into a laptop, so our sound problems have been solved. I learned not to say a line until I’m settled in position, so as to not lock in the cutting point.

And here’s a perfect example of how a very small thing can ruin a wide shot. I’ve known actors do do this kind of thing intentionally, to force the editor to use the close up. But that’s not the kind of actor I want to work with again, and not what I was doing. I was simply unconscious.

Note to self: Don’t twiddle thumbs in a wide shot, especially when holding hands above genitalia.

This Sunday we’ll be marching in the Victoria Pride Parade, waving a banner for the series and handing out cards with the URL. If you are going to be there, say hi.

Please stay tuned. Register so you are notified of new episodes, and please please please leave a comment. We live for your comments. -Zale

QUILTBAGS Episode 2: Meddling

June 15, 2015UncategorizedZale

“QUILTBAGS” is a web series which explores sexuality through dramatized scenes with a variety of fascinating characters. You never know who might show up, or what they might want.

If you are new to QUILTBAGS, please go back and watch Episode 1, “Little Pitchers”, which is the setup for this one and which will give you the theme song. And please don’t forget to register so that you are notified of new episodes.

This shoot was fraught with production difficulties. We shot with two cameras, which turned out to have different settings. Sound was also a huge problem. As a result, the post production took far longer than it should have taken.

As we get back into the swing o’ things, and iron out the bugs in our use of the technology, this is getting easier. The most recent episode we shot, which you won’t see until we shoot at least three more that must proceed it, was pretty much a cake walk with only a few technical problems that will show up when it posts.

We’d like to express a warm welcome to the latest member of our production team, Dana Fehr. Dana seems to be taking over responsibility for our sound recording, which will be a huge relief to me.

Feedback from viewers has so far been overwhelmingly positive. Ruth and I have been asked to give a talk at the First Unitarian Fellowship of Nanaimo on July 19. Our subject will be the changing public attitudes towards what used to be called sexual deviance, as indicated by the recent vote in Ireland in favour of marriage equality, and how we hope our web series will help accelerate the change.

Now please don’t go away without leaving a comment. We live for your feedback.
-Zale

Quiltbags Episode 1: Little Pitchers

June 1, 2015New Episode, The Beckers story arcZale

“Quiltbags” is a web series which explores sexuality through dramatized scenes with a variety of fascinating characters. You never know who might show up, or what they might want.

This is epic, historic, hopefully not anti-climactic. Here’s “Little Pitchers”, the first episode of Quiltbags the Web Series:

This episode stars Ruth Anderson as Vivian Becker and Dave Peniuk as Johnathan Becker, her son.

Written and directed by Tim Johnson
Camera: Tim Johnson
Second Camera: Zale Dalen
Set dec: Nicole Busby
Editor: Tim Johnson

When I was a child, “Little pitchers have big ears.” was parental code for “Don’t talk about that. The kids are listening.” The phrase is in a John Prine song (“Sam Stone”), but I’m not sure it’s common usage anymore. Haven’t heard it for years.

There’s been a huge amount of inertia to overcome to get to this point. I suppose the difference between working inside the film and television industry and the way we work is that the industry worker is being paid to spend eight or ten hours a day on the job. We work for the love of it, for the fun of it, for the fame and glory to come. There’s no money to motivate people to show up. We all have lives. Hence the inertia.

Of course, an “industry” production has its own source of inertia. Usually this results from trying to find the money, which can take months or years. We don’t have to deal with that, so maybe it all balances out. We certainly enjoy being free of the micromanagement that industrial production entails. And if there’s one thing I hate it’s a pitch session.
– Zale

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