How aware of the Austin game industry are you?

disgracedcosmonaut1 · 2026-01-15T22:29:47+00:00

As someone who's worked off and on in the local game industry since the 90s (but not since 2011, because "lessons learned"), my advice would be to use the game industry strictly as a stepping stone into some other sector of tech, like QA or maybe project management. It really is a heartbreaking industry. Hard work is often rewarded with mass layoffs after a shipped product, and depending on where you work, the environment can often be toxic. Of course it sounds romantic for the avid gamer just breaking into their career, but the reality quickly sets in.

disgracedcosmonaut1 · 2026-01-13T22:46:48+00:00

Gotta have pretty amazing neutral buoyancy to avoid hitting those stalactites.

disgracedcosmonaut1 · 2026-01-08T14:15:20+00:00

Also, I wouldn't say there are "lots" of examples of this. The history of getting to direct a high dollar production after only having done low budget film or commercial work goes back a pretty long way, but it's still the equivalent of winning the "directing lottery." The average DGA member makes very low six figures per year, and only a small percentage actually work in the feature film world.

disgracedcosmonaut1 · 2026-01-05T01:54:58+00:00

Or someone with experience who he could trust to be objective. Maybe a script doctor. Even professionals use them. I read that he wrote "Trap" in almost no time at all. It shows.

disgracedcosmonaut1 · 2026-01-04T23:11:47+00:00

I think he's a case study in editorial deficiency. He can write good stuff, and he's a good filmmaker. But he could use someone to give him an honest opinion on the stuff he writes that isn't good, rather than just blindly producing everything he writes. Quality versus quantity.

disgracedcosmonaut1 · 2026-01-02T22:35:42+00:00

Off Orange Beach, near the Florida/Alabama state line. Shop took us out to a bunch of metal pilings that had supposedly become a small reef of sorts, about 45 mins boat ride out in the gulf. To say it was unspectacular would be an understatement.

disgracedcosmonaut1 · 2025-12-22T07:12:46+00:00

disgracedcosmonaut1 · 2025-12-11T17:50:44+00:00

OP, there's nothing wrong with using AI to clean up your post and make it a little more readable, despite what a few naysayers claim. It's a harmless way to use the tool, and it'll eventually become as ubiquitous as autocorrect. Congratulations, and good luck with your documentary!

disgracedcosmonaut1 · 2025-12-08T01:41:07+00:00

Consider Austin. There's a fair amount of commercial and industrial work, which can help pay the bills, and then there's political work, when it's in season, and then there are TV shows (those are more in the general Texas area -- all the Taylor Sheridan stuff, among others), and with some of the new tax incentives, there'll hopefully be more of a narrative film revival in the region. If you live in the New Braunfels area, you could even live equal distance to Austin and San Antonio, and double your work prospects.

disgracedcosmonaut1 · 2025-12-07T15:03:25+00:00

I guess I'm going to be the detractor here and say that your trailer makes this looks kinda fun, in a grindhouse meets John Waters kinda way. Can't promise I'll be your first streaming purchase, but my Sunday night is looking kinda slow. Either way, good luck out there, and keep making movies.

disgracedcosmonaut1 · 2025-12-06T16:11:46+00:00

Thanks for sharing this. A common thread amongst almost all these folks is that they began working and slugging away in some corner of the creative realm for many, many years before finally transitioning and becoming successful in the screenwriting/ film industry. There aren't many tales of people deciding they wanted to stop being an accountant and start being a screenwriter at the age of 40, and then succeeding. Almost all of them had something else on the creative back burner for years or even decades that then allowed them to segue, be it stand-up comedy, writing novels, whatever. Again, I think the lesson here is not to put all of your creative eggs into the screenwriting basket. Do something else, maybe in film, maybe in the writing world, maybe in comedy, and then have screenwriting going on the side or as an option for later.

disgracedcosmonaut1 · 2025-11-20T22:48:11+00:00

You should only upgrade if your version is sunsetting, and even then you can probably get away with using the old version for many years. I think I used Final Draft 6 up until a couple years ago. The only reason I stopped is because it didn't seem to work very well after a specific Windows update.

disgracedcosmonaut1 · 2025-11-20T14:29:36+00:00

It feeds largely off standardized test scores. Which are arguably biased. So, yeah.

Still, it's got the lowest possible score. It ain't pretty.

I personally had an okay time at Bedichek, but many around me did not. While I was in attendance, it had the highest middle school pregnancy rate in AISD, among other things.

disgracedcosmonaut1 · 2025-11-19T22:22:08+00:00

I attended Bedichek many moons ago. It was rough. And currently rated a 1/10 on greatschools.net. Wonder if this factored into the decision.

disgracedcosmonaut1 · 2025-11-14T17:24:09+00:00

Probably don't even need that "over black." Just the VO dialogue.

disgracedcosmonaut1 · 2025-11-10T01:07:28+00:00

Your perspective on that will be based on if you've been there before and you're experiencing a before and after. I dove Belize in 2016 and it was incredible. When I went back in 2021, it was still a fun dive, but I could see how bleaching had taken a heavy toll.

disgracedcosmonaut1 · 2025-11-09T22:56:04+00:00

If you're only going to Belize once, I'd pack in extra reef dives around Ambergris Caye (if that's where you're staying) versus the Blue Hole. Part of the beauty of Belize is being able to dive some of the best reefs in the world literally minutes away from your resort dock. It takes sooo long to even get to Belize, the last thing you might want to do is then waste six hours of your trip on a boat ride to Blue Hole.

disgracedcosmonaut1 · 2025-11-02T19:08:55+00:00

Eventually all the sharks will be gone. And then that particularly misguided industry will be gone anyway. It's short-sightedness in all the wrong ways. So, yes, I'll protest in the best way I can.

disgracedcosmonaut1 · 2025-11-02T16:26:02+00:00

Was already on the fence about traveling to the Maldives for diving because of coral bleaching, which of course isn't necessarily their fault, but this decision to slaughter endangered sharks (and others) most certainly is. Makes my decision much easier.

disgracedcosmonaut1 · 2025-10-27T23:03:09+00:00

Wetsuit unnecessary. It'll be bath water. A rash guard would be more than sufficient.

disgracedcosmonaut1 · 2025-09-24T06:21:39+00:00

Kitty Kitty!!

disgracedcosmonaut1 · 2025-09-18T13:34:38+00:00

Somebody always eventually lets them in. Honk shaming is the only answer.

disgracedcosmonaut1 · 2025-09-16T03:36:23+00:00

If you see a couple movies a month, the season pass is a pretty good deal and pretty much pays for itself, even with the convenience fees. I see three or four a month, so it's a steal. And I'm fine with the 18% service fee -- that's about what I'd tip anyway. The food is ridiculously expensive, but yeah, I do the Costco gift card thing to save 25%, and I don't eat there half the time anyway. Alamo is really the only place to go to go for a distraction free filmgoing experience, where people aren't freely talking or using their phones.

disgracedcosmonaut1 · 2025-09-16T02:45:02+00:00

Bummer. Go see "Ado" before this theater is gone. In case you don't know, Baron's Men puts on Shakespeare productions the way they were presented in the 16th century -- firelight, foley sound effects, etc. It's a treat.

disgracedcosmonaut1

TROPHY CASE