I keep working.

There’s no paycheck at the end of this. I don’t know how I’m going to buy a plane ticket to LA to go to the festival, let alone pay June’s rent. But I am investing in the next uncertain step even if it means obsessive thinking wakes me up at 3am each morning.

I have learned that there is no such thing as luck. There is no such thing as being in the right place at the right time. No one is going to seek you out and tell you they will fund your next project, mentor you, be the parent you never had. And even when they tell you what you want to hear, they have other things to do.

You don’t deserve.

For those of you who struggle with your future as an artist, realize now that it will always be a roller coaster. You have made a decision to take the plunge into a bi-polar career. And in that decision, thankfully, you prove that you are a daydreamer, an optimist, a visionary. You are willing to panic alongside failure and celebrate with success. Somehow, you pull hope out of the depths and spread it out, trying to piece together the next terrifying step.

You are necessary.

But with the decision to create, you have to work hard. You can’t blame the world for not giving you enough attention. You can’t complain about the industry. And please, for my sake, don’t say you are doing anything cutting edge that will change the face of all things art. Don’t say no one has done what you’ve done. Because someone has, they just didn’t talk about it as much.

Your brilliance is not brilliance. It’s simply light.

You are not a genius. You are your imagination.

You are enough.

Maybe no one will notice your work. Maybe the things you need and want in your life will change. Maybe this drudgery will end in nothing but remnants of a memory you can’t quite place.

Either way and whatever you decide to do, you will always be artists. Embrace that, be humble, be honest, be diligent and know that you are not alone even if you prefer it that way.

We’re super excited to announce that “Interchangeable,” featuring Ann Carr, will be shown at the 2013 LA Film Festival in the Shorts Program. We’ll have more information on specific screening times soon, so check back for details.

Congrats to our very own Gaby Hoffmann (Episode 5, “Sure Thing”) – the lead in Sebastian Silva’s CRYSTAL FAIRY, which is screening as part of The Summer Showcase.

And more props go out  to fellow NYU-er Frances Bodomo for her short film, BONESHAKER, Penny Lane for her doc OUR NIXON and Stacie Passon and Rose Troche for their feature, CONCUSSION.

Maya and Leo, art critics and friends of F TO 7TH,  sat down with RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Sharon Needles.  She is currently on tour with her new album, PG-13.

Featuring: Ann Carr, Charles Rogers, Sharon Needles

Camera: Ingrid Jungermann

Sound: Michael Garofalo

Editor: Amanda Hammett

Producer: Jason Klorfein

Thanks: David Charpentier

The complete first season of F TO 7TH will screen in its entirety as part of the Friars Club Comedy Film Festival in NYC this Tuesday, April 2, 7:00pm, at Anthology Film Archives. Tickets are on sale here, and Ingrid will be there so if you’re in town, drop on by!

The first eight-episode season will screen as part of a program on other web series, including episodes of Danny Hastings’ CHEEZTOSOS, FLAT 3, SERIOUS BUSINESS, and THE UNTITLED WEB SERIES THAT MORGAN EVANS IS DOING.

Eleanor Margolis interviewed me this morning for The Most Cake. She’s got a career ahead of her – I told her things I wouldn’t tell my mother, although I don’t tell my mother anything so maybe that’s not saying much.

One topic that came up in our conversation: What percentage gay am I? And at first I said 90%, although I’ve never been good at math. So after I thought about it more, I figured about 99%. I leave 1% because I only watch gay porn and when I meet a cool guy, I sometimes want to be him, so I confuse that for attraction.

But there have been times when I have been attracted to a guy. Does that make me less gay?

If a straight guy says he’s been with a guy, or been attracted to one or two in his life, he’s considered gay. He doesn’t even have the right to be an open-minded straight dude or a bisexual. And if a lesbian says, sure, I’d do a guy, she’s considered straight. I’ve been with men and this doesn’t make me any more or less gay, it just means I fell off the wagon.

Why are so many people offended – gays and straights – by numbers that don’t equal 100 or 0?

I am confused by sexuality not because it’s confusing, but because it’s one of the simplest things on the planet. People make it confusing.

And I’m ashamed to say that I’ve been one of those simpletons. I met a guy at a party and he just seemed gay and no matter what he said, in my head, I sounded like such an asshole: “Oh, you’re in denial, so cute.”

I don’t think we, as people, want to agree. We will always have arguments and judgments because it’s what we do. Sometimes, I don’t believe a thing I say, but I say it because I have to have an opinion about something. I don’t know if that’s right or wrong, but I guess without all this commentary, there would be nothing to talk about.

And then what would I write?

I used to cringe when people put themselves in their own work. Come on folks, can’t you find someone better? Turns out I’ve become that person. Happens a lot with me – I judge everyone in my path until I become them, and then I brag about how awesome I am for having evolved. Such is the theme of my show – it’s about someone who will always be wrong about everything even when they’re right. And they’re wrong about that, too.

I was in Rotterdam recently and I went to a “coffee shop” and got legally high with a couple of Dutch locals. I looked over in the corner and saw a gaggle of large white men, all with the same haircuts and tight black tees. I said, “They look like the Russian mafia.” And one of the Dutchies said, “Americans judge too much.” And he was right, so I judged him for saying it.

I wandered around something-Straat and had a very high, very clear thought –  ”I am constantly learning less than I learned.” It’s stayed with me even though I still have no idea what it means. Maybe it will make sense when I get stoned again.

As Ron (Ronnie D as I like to call him, but only in texts) and I have edited, there are two things I have to constantly ask myself – 1) Is this honest even if it hurts? and 2) Do I look like the dumbest person on the show? The answer to both questions always has to be yes. I find that comedy where the writer/director/creator makes fun of people without making fun of themselves always falls short for me. It’s immature and boring. We’re all a little dumb and it’s better if we just admit it.

Which brings me to this. Am I narcissistic? Yes. But it’s 2013. There’s a new, fresh, innovative version of narcissistic parading around the pool. But neo-narcissists aren’t bent at the elbow, staring deeply into their own eyes because they’re in love; they’re doing it because they’re trying to make it better. I suppose in the end we all fall in and die, I’d just rather drown in a lifetime of work then a fleeting moment of pride.

If you’ve found yourself watching F TO 7TH and paying less attention to the episode and more attention to the cool music, that’s understandable. Kelly Crisp and Ivan Howard, old friends of Ingrid’s from her North Carolina days, are the brains behind The Rosebuds, a band on the Merge label who have continued to provide their fans with music both palatable and poignant. Here’s round two of “Next Stop” – a quickie with musician/writer/performer/funny lady Kelly Crisp.

A fun fact about you.
I live in New York and sometimes go to Times Square for fun. Unironically!

I go to JFK for fun sometimes. Buffalo Wild Wings. It’s a nice crowd there. Have you been?
Had a breakfast beer at a Chili’s there once.

I find Chili’s salty. Speaking of salty, how did the Rosebuds start out?
Our friend had a show and the opening band cancelled so we offered to fill in. We wrote five songs that afternoon and performed them that night. Not very self-conscious or thought-out at all. Everybody liked it and wanted to help. We put those and a couple other songs on a demo we sent to our dream label, Merge Records, and they signed us.

Did a lot of people get jealous? I’m a little jealous even though I’m not a musician. Like I’m jealous right now.Yes, actually. I didn’t know about that before, but people can misbehave.

You are recording a new album. Can you talk about that experience and also when you expect it to be released?
Ivan and I are meeting in North Carolina this week to work on our demos and rehearse, then we’ll go into a studio in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, as soon as the snow melts up there.

Can you sing a little from one of the songs?
Dee dee… Where’s my key…  Deeeeeeeeeeee. Ahem. [transcribed from surprisingly accurate singing].

I felt that. In my heart a little. Where do you see The Rosebuds in 5 years?
Famous, but not dicks.

I’m a dick but not famous. Have you ever tried being like that? 
Hahahahahaha. Yes, of course.

Has the band ever been involved with film, TV or commercials before? What has that experience been like?
Film and TV a little. We’ve been lucky to have our songs be a part of things we like, or respect, or that make us happy. One of our songs was used in a Spanish commercial advertising dental implants for old people. It ruled.

I’d love a copy of that. If I make a film, will you guys score it?
Yes! I will give it a score of A+ !!!

Score. 

#1306_ Ingrid Jungermann & Ann Carr

LISTEN: The Rosebuds’ “Hello Darlin’” from their album LIFE LIKE
Buy on iTunes

Welcome to the first installment of “Next Stop,” a superfast Q & A with a superfly member of team F TO 7TH. It’s so fast and so fly, you can read it between the 7th Avenue and Carroll Street stops.

Superfast Fact about Ron:
I’ve worked as a cab driver, and for a private detective, and in a sex toy warehouse.

Did you ever drive the private detective to the sex toy warehouse?
No.

Oh, that’s unfortunate. How is a web series a different animal from your other projects?
The primary difference is that I’m not thinking about longer story and character arcs when making decisions. That may just be a fancy way of saying it’s shorter.

Or a shorter way of saying it fancier. What was your favorite episode to cut and why?
Is this a trick question?

Yes.
Will the other episodes feel insulted if I choose only one?

Yes.
I really enjoyed watching the footage for “Family” because Amy Sedaris is so hilarious.

Never heard of her. If you had to give a director notes (not me of course), what advice would you give before they shoot?
If you are planning something stylistic (such as having a major event happen off-screen, or even a scene that takes place all in one shot), get some standard/typical coverage as well. If your stylistic idea doesn’t work when seen in the context of the whole film, you don’t have any options if you don’t have any options. Secondly, it’s important to pay attention to continuity. It’s an obvious thing to say, but I think it bears repeating. When it comes to the edit, having options is really your best tool, and bad continuity can be really limiting.

What can’t you fix with editing that most people think you can? What can you fix that most people don’t think you can’t?
In my experience, what you can and can’t fix has been pretty project-specific. It all depends on how the project was shot. In general, I think the answer to both parts is the same: technical issues. There are some technical problems you can fix in the editing room, and some you really can’t. Focus problems, for instance, are almost always in the latter category. But some accidental camera moves and some continuity errors can be fixed. Again, it really depends on how the project was shot. You can fix a surprising number of things very easily in a locked-off shot. This is a boring answer to a very good question. My apologies.

What’s your ideal (dreamy) editing job?
I’d love to cut a horror film, just because I think it would require some very different decision making to create the atmosphere.

What’s a question you always want to be asked as an editor and no one asks it?
The question I’d like to hear more, honestly, is “will you cut my feature?” For projects I am actually involved in, it would be great to be asked to be involved in the project from a much earlier stage. On lower-budget indies, editors are usually brought on shortly before production starts (or even during, or after production). It would be great to be involved earlier, because an editor might be able to point out potential problems or issues before the project is shot, which could save headaches in the editing room. On lower-budget projects, editors often aren’t involved until after shooting has wrapped, and having an editor watching dailies during production can be very helpful – they can suggest pick-ups and inserts, and even alert a director to technical issues. Reshoots aren’t fun for anyone.