The Amphitrite Project: The latest idea from The Charted Life ruffles a few feathers in the name of Good TV
When I was kid my mother used to yell at me everyday to "turn off the God damn television". Oh sure I used to play outside and run with the boys while we terrorized the old ladies in their back yards. I also used to play a mean wiffle ball and could pop a wheelie on my bike all while laying down black skid marks on Mr. Twiss's freshly poured white cement sidewalk. Not that any of these skills would play into any part into my future except for the one thing my mother harped on me for the most- "the god damn television".
Well fast forward 35 years and I am now delving into a world I used to enjoy for hours daily that I never thought I would even attempt to make a living out of except for a few delirious hours in grad school- watching TV.
And I think back at those hours of TV watching and realize I learned a few things that I carry with me into this new adventure. TV watching taught me about stories and narratives. It taught me to frame a shot and tell a joke. It taught me to keep them begging for more but to never leave them wanting. It taught me a lot and while I miss her daily, I can't help but feel a bit vindicated about my TV watching and am kind of glad she's not here to see how much TV I watch now.
But to make TV, you gotta watch it. Whether its on YouTube or Roku, Network or Cable, a good show does its job when its entertaining, informing, instructing or exploring and a great show does all four things at the same time. And that's what we are aiming for with our growing family of shows.
The Great Loop 2020, The Amphitrite Project and H2Overland are all shows I think that will make great TV. Now that's not to say that will be all, there are more ideas kicking around this head of mine and new ideas presenting themselves every day. Its funny when I was a full time captain, it worked for my tan, but wasn't terribly creative. Putting this creative cap on feels a bit frivolous but now that the flood gates have been opened I find myself in a rising tide of ideas and I only worry is there enough time to tell all the stories that need to be told.
Well if the Lord wants me to tell stories, then stories it shall be. And its good stories I aim to make. And that is why I was forced to say good bye to a friend this week. I didn't like the idea of angering someone, but thinking back to those skills I picked as a youth about "good TV", I couldn't in good conscience hoist a bad show on the world when a good show like The Amphitirite Project landed in my brain and I only had one SV Lost Boys to give away. Hell even the name is appropriate to the show.
So to the want-to-be YouTube star I disappointed so grievously, I am sorry. I did not want to hurt you, but that is what I had to do to sleep well and run a business. Its about Good TV. Maybe not even Great TV, but I am aiming high. And how could I aim for greatness, when settling for mediocrity at best with your show? If you want to be a YouTube sailing star like Delos, You should have started when they did in 2007 or you should have a good talent to show audiences while sailing your boat. Maybe you should work on your singing voice or maybe share a musical talent? But wanting to be the next SV Delos with no discernable skills for videography or story telling does not make Great TV and I don't want to watch you sail a boat so I can only guess that's how the audience would feel too.
Maybe when they develop the paint drying channel or the grass growing network, you might have something. But for now I gotta try to make good TV and knowingly throwing my most valuable asset at dog of show is not aiming high enough for me.
So please don't hate me for trying to be good at my new career. And I wish you the best of luck. But good TV is no accident and bad TV is all too easy to make.
The Amphitrite Project:
A show to tell the story of what its like to be a woman in the maritime industry.
Well fast forward 35 years and I am now delving into a world I used to enjoy for hours daily that I never thought I would even attempt to make a living out of except for a few delirious hours in grad school- watching TV.
And I think back at those hours of TV watching and realize I learned a few things that I carry with me into this new adventure. TV watching taught me about stories and narratives. It taught me to frame a shot and tell a joke. It taught me to keep them begging for more but to never leave them wanting. It taught me a lot and while I miss her daily, I can't help but feel a bit vindicated about my TV watching and am kind of glad she's not here to see how much TV I watch now.
But to make TV, you gotta watch it. Whether its on YouTube or Roku, Network or Cable, a good show does its job when its entertaining, informing, instructing or exploring and a great show does all four things at the same time. And that's what we are aiming for with our growing family of shows.
The Great Loop 2020, The Amphitrite Project and H2Overland are all shows I think that will make great TV. Now that's not to say that will be all, there are more ideas kicking around this head of mine and new ideas presenting themselves every day. Its funny when I was a full time captain, it worked for my tan, but wasn't terribly creative. Putting this creative cap on feels a bit frivolous but now that the flood gates have been opened I find myself in a rising tide of ideas and I only worry is there enough time to tell all the stories that need to be told.
Well if the Lord wants me to tell stories, then stories it shall be. And its good stories I aim to make. And that is why I was forced to say good bye to a friend this week. I didn't like the idea of angering someone, but thinking back to those skills I picked as a youth about "good TV", I couldn't in good conscience hoist a bad show on the world when a good show like The Amphitirite Project landed in my brain and I only had one SV Lost Boys to give away. Hell even the name is appropriate to the show.
So to the want-to-be YouTube star I disappointed so grievously, I am sorry. I did not want to hurt you, but that is what I had to do to sleep well and run a business. Its about Good TV. Maybe not even Great TV, but I am aiming high. And how could I aim for greatness, when settling for mediocrity at best with your show? If you want to be a YouTube sailing star like Delos, You should have started when they did in 2007 or you should have a good talent to show audiences while sailing your boat. Maybe you should work on your singing voice or maybe share a musical talent? But wanting to be the next SV Delos with no discernable skills for videography or story telling does not make Great TV and I don't want to watch you sail a boat so I can only guess that's how the audience would feel too.
Maybe when they develop the paint drying channel or the grass growing network, you might have something. But for now I gotta try to make good TV and knowingly throwing my most valuable asset at dog of show is not aiming high enough for me.
So please don't hate me for trying to be good at my new career. And I wish you the best of luck. But good TV is no accident and bad TV is all too easy to make.
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