DJ Paine

OK… so i was born in 1972. When Star Wars “A New Hope” hit the Drive In’s here in Australia late in 1977 / early in 1978 i was at the perfect age of 5 1/2 to 6 years old. So when i, dressed in my flannel pajamas with my dressing gown wrapped around me, saw that film sitting in my families Kingswood at the Southport Drive-In, with the old mono speaker hanging in the car window, i was done for. Star Wars captured my imagination like nothing else had and i became one of the millions of the children of the 70′s that got lost in George Lucas’ creation.
With that in mind you will understand when i tell you that i have thought long and hard about the time when my first born son {and further sons} are of the age for THE introduction to Star Wars.
For the uninitiated – There are now 6 full length films {plus clone war cartoons & clone war digitally animated series, etc } – in the order of their release:
episode # – title – year – abbreviation
episode 4 “A New Hope” 1977 {ANH} also known as just “star wars”
episode 5 “The Empire Strikes Back” 1980 {TESB}
episode 6 “Return Of The Jedi” 1983 {ROTJ}
episode 1 “The Phantom Menace” 1999 {TPM}
episode 2 “Attack Of The Clones” 2002 {AOTC}
episode 3 “Revenge Of The Sith” 2005 {ROTS}
so what order do you do them in? The way George made them {as listed above}? or in the chronological time line of the universe: 1 TPM, 2 AOTC, 3 ROTS, 4 ANH, 5 TESB, 6 ROTJ ?? They seem to be the biggest two debates {other than the hard core haters who believe 1, 2 & 3 should not exist}…

But after much thought i knew there must be a better way to incorporate them all, and i have decided to do what i will call “the flash back method“: 4 ANH > 5 TESB – then “flash back” to 1 TPM > 2 AOTC > 3 ROTS and finish with 6 ROTJ! Now i know this is controversial and many will argue against leaving everything hanging at the end of Ep 5 TESB, but i am sure and determined! you leave the story line of Luke Skywalker & Darth Vader hanging there as you go back and tell the back story of Anakin – Darth Vader. it’s inspired i tell you!
** it was also confirmed to be a stroke of genius when i heard one of the biggest Star Wars geeks in the universe {and i say that with respect}: Arnie from SW Action News prepose the exact same order in one of his podcasts….

Now i also want to try and create a little bit of the atmosphere of what the films are going for and stretch out the experience. So i present to you:

The DJ Paine Star Wars Installment Plan.

How i am breaking up the Star Wars films for my sons when they are almost 6 years old.

Night 1 ANH part 1: to Luke’s decision to follow Obi Wan. {0:40:47}

Night 2 ANH part 2: to getting desperate in the trash compactor. {1:21:00}

Night 3 ANH part 3: to the end of the film.

Night 4 TESB part 1: to Luke passing thru Dagobah’s atmosphere. {0:39:40}

Night 5 TESB part 2: to Luke leaving Dagobah. {1:22:07}

Night 6 TESB part 3: to the end of the film.

Night 7 TPM part 1: to Qui-Gon getting blood test results. {0:49:05}

Night 8 TPM part 2: to “Wesa going home!” they leave for Naboo. {1:32:55}

Night 9 TPM part 3: to the end of the film.

Night 10 AOTC part 1: to after they kiss {0:43:56}

Night 11 AOTC part 2: to after the funeral {1:24:32}

Night 12 AOTC part 3: to the end of the film.

Night 13 ROTS part 1: to “is it possible to learn this power? not from a jedi” {0:46:03}

Night 14 ROTS part 2: Anakin leaves Padme {1:26:15}

Night 15 ROTS part 3: to the end of the film.

Night 16 ROTJ part 1: to the death of Yoda {0:43:30}

Night 17 ROTJ part 2: to the fleet hitting hyperdrive {1:24:15}

Night 18 ROTJ part 3: to the end of the film. THE END!!!

What do ya think?

so my eldest son Drummond is now 5 1/2 years old and he is a Transformers freak. This was not by my choice. About a year ago – while he was still 4 years old – he was at “the cousins” place for the day {my brother Jamie’s -5 years & 5 days my junior a- and his wife Kylie’s place} – when he got back that night Drum was telling me all about Michael Bay’s first The Transformers film – now i was abit taken aback about this, that’s not a film i felt he was mature enough to see, and also i wasn’t a fan of that film. Then before you know he was over at my mum’s place and she had just bought the DVD of the movie! {she had seen the movie at the cinema and LOVED it} so of course Drummond and her watched it and once again i was bamboozled with my family, this time that my mum would show that to her little grandchild…
i was also a bit saddened that literally one week my son could not get enough of Pixar’s cars and then he wanted to be Optimus Prime…. sigh… they grow up so fast!
Anyway, i got a copy of the film on the computer and Drummond and i watched it together, and i was amazed by how petrified and INTO IT he was… he was on the edge of his seat and even covering his eyes in some parts of it. i asked him if he was ok and he was, but then over the next week he started having some “scary dreams”, when we talked about it i was expecting him to tell me about Megatron or Starscream freaking him out but no. he was scared by a 5 second scene in the film where a Mountain Dew machine came alive and fired some cans- here is the scene, slowed down from youtube:

That was what gave him nightmares.
A mountain dew machine transformer.

sigh…
i could inject some witty stuff about the evils of product placement etc, but i’ll continue with this history story:

i then knew what i had to do with Drummond, we sat and watched ALL the “making of” pieces on the Transformers DVD special features. i showed him the old cartoons and explained about movies and how they made them, special effects and what movies are. It totally worked. Drum laughed at what the week before had freaked him out, he even told me that one day he’d like to make a movie too.
He then went on to watch that movie two or three times a week for months and months, he got Transformer toys for christmas, birthday, had a transformers cake for his birthday… he played transformers ALL the time. But a part of me was saddened that my son had become “dull” to something that once had him ducking for cover because of the thrills and spills. Did i want him always freaking out? heart pounding? In wonder? or had i done the right thing in giving him the fruit from the tree of knowledge and opening his eyes?
Earlier this year i had to delete the movie off the computer and cut him off from it abit because his obsession was getting a little bit full on. But he was also happy because i showed him the trailers/previews of the upcoming Transformers 2 film that has just released here in Australia. {to some of the worst reviews ever} I never cease to be amazed at my son Drum’s ability to watch something 10 seconds long and he working out names and motivation for everything he has seen, his imagination is brilliant. BUT as the date came closer to the second Michael Bay Transformers film hitting our screens, reviews and critiques starting to pop up as Drum was counting down the days… i became worried that Michael Bay had really kicked me in the pants by upping the violence, language and “adult content”, then as people i trusted saw it all of those concerns were confirmed. i had to break the news to Drummond that we wouldn’t be seeing it at the movies… fathering at it’s best….

what could i do?
i hatched a plan….
{to be continued}

just a little while ago my oldest son Drummond hopped out of his bunk bed and came into my office and i said “yes???” {waiting for some sort of excuse to be out of bed} – Drummond said “i was just thinking…” and as i grabbed him i finished off his sentence with “thinking of how your going to have a sore bottom if you get out of bed again?” he replied “no dad, i was just thinking about Hell, and i don’t want to go there. i’ve been thinking about it…” as he said this with such an ernest look on his face and the trust he had in his eyes i immediately regretted the crack about him getting a smack for getting out of bed. So i asked him more about what he meant, what he was scared of and what he wanted to do… we ended up in me and benita’s bedroom looking at what Jesus says about Himself and what Paul says about being “saved”. Drummond has heard all these stories since he was small, but tonight it began, just a little bit, to fall into place. in his 5 and 1/2 year old heart and mind he knew that he didn’t always do what was right, he knew Father was perfect & Jesus is the way to Him. i did my best as his dad and as a christian to explain that Hell is Hell because you are separated from Jesus & Father and alone, while Heaven is only Heaven because you are with Father & Jesus and you are not alone. i ended up asking Drum if he wanted to talk to Father {pray} and he did, and he thanked Father for Heaven and for Hell. he thanked Father for Jesus and he told Him he believes. He told Father that he hopes that one day he will be in Heaven with Him and with his two brothers Galvin & Judah. Benita cried a little. i asked Drum if there was anyone he wanted to tell about all of this, he said “yes, Galvin” i said “no Galvin is asleep, is there anyone you’d like to call on the phone and tell?” “Papa Will & Mama Dot?” {benita’s parents} – so he called them and there was much christian grandparent joy. i tucked Drum back in his bunk bed and kissed him, told him how proud and thankful i am of him, he told me “i just don’t know what Heaven looks like…” i told him that i didn’t either, but i told him what a few scriptures say… as he was thinking that over he rolled over and fell fast asleep in a couple of minutes. i wonder what he is dreaming about right now?
tonight is a special night… i wish this quite joy and thankfulness i feel as a christian parent could be shared with all others. i am thankful and so grateful for so much more than i deserve…

i’ve been busy. alot of stuff is happening. benita and i have three wonderful boys: drummond who is 4 and 1/2, galvin who is 2 and ??? who will be arriving in mid november…. benita works “night shifts” {4pm to 8pm} weekdays and my time is spent running or trying to run djp photography….
i just need to play catch up in my head and do a quick stock take of the past 44 days of so. bear with me… {all pictures are from my mobile phone}

tuesday 29th july – had “envirosaver” come and swap light bulbs. doctor’s appointment for the family. worked on a new wedding business idea with another local photographer: {who will be known as “PG”} registered some domain names and worked on some marketing ideas. also applied for a part time very casual job with World Vision.
wednesday 30th july – had an appointment with a financial advisor in the morning, bumped into a World Vision display at Australia Fair and joked with them to put a good word in for me for the job. spent the afternoon mowing my lawns and my parents lawns. got home and saw an email from World Vision that they received my application late, so too bad, so sad.

thursday 31st july – took the family out to helensvale westfield for some overdue clothes shopping, got a phone call from World Vision that the staff i spoke to Australia Fair did put a good word in for me and can i pop in for an interview? drummond’s tonsils are acting up again, we have him on the public hospital’s waiting list to get them out… spent alot of the afternoon processing images.
friday 1st august – take my mum to Ikea and we shop for shelves, cutlery and lighting for me and storage for her. have World Vision interview. benita has a big work meeting and a long shift.
saturday 2nd august drummond has swimming lesson. do some serious home fix its and stuff with the Ikea stuff. get in contact with old friend Bob Butler from www.publicimagephotography.com
sunday 3rd august – very busy cleaning day. tip runs and picked up bunk beds for the boys.

monday 4th august – benita and i’s anniversary. 7 years of wedded bliss? i meet up with PG and we head up to brissy for my first Brisbane Wedding Photographers Lunch Group meeting. interesting… meet two very cool people: John Reyment & Catherine Lowe. John slips everyone a note saying that they are looking for a new studio manager and photographer… hmmmm…. lot’s of brainstorming with PG about new wedding business ideas… meet benita at westfield for a anniversary milkshake before she starts work.
tuesday 5th august – gardening, major house renovations, and another doctor’s appointment for the boys.
wednesday 6th august – a full long day of training at World Vision HQ in South Brisbane.

thursday 7th august – built the bunk bed. studied up on the job going for Reyment Photographics.
friday 8th august – first day on the job with World Vision, do he morning shift with David at Australia Fair. had my first appointment with my Dietician. got a phone call at 1:30pm to photograph a wedding at 3:30pm at the beach. did the job.
saturday 9th august – World Vision AM shift again. That evening shoot a school formal with PG. The formal was at the same venue as a big Youth Alive event.
sunday 10th august – great day of just house cleaning and family time.
monday 11th august – emails, work on wedding business idea with PG, errands, got new logitech mouse. benita sick.

tuesday 12th august – World Vision AM shift in Nerang. Paint our “feature wall” green.
wednesday 13th august – got a work team in and did “stage one” of our gardens. all day -full on- job.
thursday 14th august – work work work and then do PM shift for World Vision in Nerang.
friday 15th august – had a morning coffee and muffin with fellow Gold Coast photographer Catherine Lowe for the first time. then interview no#1 with John & Karen Reyment of Reyment Photographics. 2 hour interview. went great.
saturday 16th august – catch up on work. benita took boys to two birthday parties.
sunday 17th august – family day. all the family come over to our place.
monday 18th august – do a massive email clean out. realise “professional” bloggers and “professional” blogs are all full of crap. with good intentions i sign up to host a adobe lightroom photo walk on the gold coast.
tuesday 19th august – PG {the dude i’ve been working on some new wedding ideas with} calls me and says he is retiring from photography. ok…. more email work.
wednesday 20th august – World Vision AM shift at Tweed Heads. email John & Karen Reyment thanking them for the interview. put drum to work on fixing my pownce. discover pixelpipe service.
thursday 21st august – work work work, benita flys out to Sydney for the weekend, and the World Vision at Tweed Heads PM shift, start coming down with some weird flu…

friday 22nd august – gardening, cleaning, painting final coat of green on the wall. meet with Adam the photographer, have first adult portrait session at our place. invite my parents for dinner, get the phone call that i have a second interview with John & Karen Reyment. Glavin sleeps out of the cot & drummond in the top bunk for the first time. totally cancel all my misguided involvement in the photo walk.
saturday 23rd august – me and the boys pick up my brother in law Shane and my nephew Wesly – work and look after boys. big family dinner at my parents.
sunday 24th august – work, boys, big clean out, and a second big family dinner at my folks.
monday 25th august – benita flys home from her sydney girls weekend. i start to prep for the Big 2nd interview.
tuesday 26th august – a lot of prep for the Big 2nd Interview.
wednesday 27th august – 9am is the 2nd Big Interview. i prepared everything on my iMac, so i took that and after a shaky start of me forgetting the iMac’s power cord, the 4 hour interview went awesome. as soon as i leave i feel like i am really coming down with something serious. i have a meeting with the owners of our house/property and a photo shoot of a naming ceremony down at the beach and by that night i am a feverish painful mess.
thursday 28th august – doctors quote “your head is FULL of infection”, get on some serious medication. start packing and preparing… and start the transfer over of my internet provider.
friday 29th august – very sick – prepare and pack the family up and we all fly out to Melbourne that evening. we will be staying with benita’s parents in Geelong for our time down south. eat a lot of Garlic.
saturday 30th august – galvin’s 2nd birthday party with lots of visitors at my in-laws. meet with wedding clients. drive to werribee and catch up with corey “corex” sleap one on one.
sunday 31st august – shoot Alanna & Nathan’s wedding and reception. over extend myself because the drugs are working. benita and i stay/ house sit at our land lord’s place in Ocean Grove.
monday 1st september – benita have a beautiful breakfast in Barwon Heads. chilled out day. faulmann family dinner at Ben & Becs. good talks.
*note* the entire time in Geelong people want to talk about our coming third boy’s name {we have no idea} and the job i interviewed for with Reyment Photographics.
tuesday 2nd september – sleep in and have a great time “talking shop” with my old cronies Vincenzo from Ggingi Photography & Chris Fawkes from Chris Fawkes photography. Afternoon tea with Kin & Glenn Thomas, dinner at Corex and Mels in werribee.
wednesday 3rd september – great day with my sister Megan & family at scienceworks – tim miller & fiance coffee & wedding chat – dinner at matt & kate jacoby’s – late nite chat with kirby.

thursday 4th september – try the Chrome browser, nice. me, b & boys take “the Ma’s” out to the new westfield in geelong. drive out to Anglesea to hang with Johnny ‘witness” Rama and family and then drive to Maude and have dinner with Rene & Corrie Inei at their amazing property… then Pizza Land dinner with Scotty Baker, Paulo & Stephen Carter and his new lady Rose.

friday 5th september – Breakfast with Rod Gear, have a couple of hours to myself, get THE PHONE CALL: i didn’t get the job with John & Karen Reyment: “this is not “No”, this is just “not yet” John Reyment. i feel totally peaceful and at ease about it. Lunch with Kirby at BurgerInc. Arvo coffee with David & Claire at GJ’s westsyde – Dinner with the beloved Kulic’s in Lara.
saturday 6th september – up early for a great Faulmann Family Breakfast at Cafe Go. awesome. Eastern Beach and look at the major wall work going on. Lunch and arvo with the beloved Bateys. Dinner up in werribee with Simon & Michelle {at the funklab}, Jolane & Laura, wedding client chat with Dave Tibben.
sunday 7th september – Father’s Day breakfast at Becka James & Jarrah Loe’s – wedding talk with them, take the boys to the morning service at South Valley Baptist church {which is always a trip} – quick lunch and then up to werribee where Jolane & Mistery and i did some work on Krosswerdz. had a good dinner with my man Mistery. can feel the tonsillitis rearing his ugly head again. get home to geelong late and pack.

monday 8th september – get up 4:30am to get to the plane in time. back on the Gold Coast by 10am. unpack. coming down sick again for sure.
tuesday 9th september – spent the day waiting for the doctor, i am sick again. car troubles, rejoin RACQ. we finally get our own World Vision sponsored child in the mail…
wednesday 10th september – try to catch up on work and rest at the same time… hard. call clients and explain sickness. come up with a new file back up system for my images etc…

thursday 11th september – today. paid for a boxed version of Apple’s Aperture at last. have my first lunch meeting with the Gold Coast World Vision team in Robina. answer emails, look after boys. feel sick. write this and clear my head.

taken with my sony ericsson mobile phone while walking home from pre-prep. a contrast boost in iPhoto and there ya go.
there is something about this picture i really love.

i just came across this and thought, here is some stuff that i know will be happening in my life in the future… and probably anyone els who has kids…

WALT DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS/ PIXAR ANIMATION STUDIOS RELEASE SCHEDULE
2008 — 2012:

2008:

WALL*E
(US Release Date: June 27th, 2008)
Pixar Animation Studios
Director/Screenwriter: Andrew Stanton

BOLT (US Release Date: November 26th, 2008, Disney Digital 3-D(TM))
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Directors: Chris Williams, Byron Howard

TINKER BELL (Disney DVD and Blu-ray Release Date: October 28th, 2008)
DisneyToon Studios
Director: Bradley Raymond

2009:

UP (US Release Date: May 29th, 2009, Disney Digital 3-D(TM))
Pixar Animation Studios
Director: Pete Docter

TOY STORY in 3-D (US Release Date: October 2nd, 2009)
Pixar Animation Studios
Director: John Lasseter

THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG (US Release Date: Christmas 2009)
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Directors: John Musker, Ron Clements

TINKER BELL NORTH OF NEVER LAND – working title (Disney DVD and Blu-ray Release Date: 2009)
DisneyToon Studios
Director: Klay Hall

2010:

TOY STORY 2 in 3-D (US Release Date: February 12th, 2010)
Pixar Animation Studios
Director: John Lasseter

TOY STORY 3 (US Release Date: June 18th, 2010, Disney Digital 3-D(TM))
Pixar Animation Studios
Director: Lee Unkrich
Writer: Michael Arnd, the Academy Award(R)-winning screenwriter of “Little Miss Sunshine”

RAPUNZEL (US Release Date: Christmas 2010, Disney Digital 3-D(TM))
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Directors: Glen Keane, Dean Wellins

TINKER BELL A MIDSUMMER STORM – working title (Disney DVD and Blu-ray Release Date: 2010)
DisneyToon Studios
Director: Carolyn Gair

2011:

NEWT (US Release Date: Summer 2011, Disney Digital 3-D(TM))
Pixar Animation Studios
Director: Gary Rydstrom

THE BEAR AND THE BOW (US Release Date: Christmas 2011, Disney Digital 3-D(TM))
Pixar Animation Studios
Director: Brenda Chapman

TINKER BELL A WINTER STORY – working title (Disney DVD and Blu-rayRelease Date: 2011)
DisneyToon Studios

2012:

CARS 2 (US Release Date: Summer 2012, Disney Digital 3-D(TM))
Pixar Animation Studios
Director: Brad Lewis

KING OF THE ELVES (Domestic Release Date: Christmas 2012, Disney Digital 3-D(TM))
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Directors: Aaron Blaise, Robert Walker
from a Phillip K. Dick’s short story

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

it’s friday morning, i’m at wizdm’s pad and i’ve got a few minutes so i thought i’d give a brief rundown of yesterday:
up early {5am} with the family at home on the gold coast- enjoying the antics of my boys {drummond eating yogurt and deliberately smearing it around his face}. we leave the house at 7:15am to the airport….

get the Virgin flight DJ504 at 8:55am to sydney, where my main man Mistery picks me up, we check out some new krosswerdz banners he has had made and then have lunch at his parents place in Petersham. He drops me at wizdm’s place around 1pm.

had a great time catching up with wiz, even better was the fact hoodsta kidd came on down and hung out listening/buying some new wizdm beats… good times…

at the end of a busy day we watch Spiderman 3 – wiz had just bought it on DVD and i haven’t seen it yet – let me just say that it was not great. the best review of spider man 3 is this awesome video on youtube.

it’s the last week of september – first few days of october….
that time of year again.
this time of year always seem to fly by, stumble over, collapse like a row of dominoes. and it’s mostly due to the blackstump music festival.
here’s the festival’s website.
here’s the festival’s wikipedia entry.
i love this festival. it’s like a family reunion every year. and it’s become one of the most important dates on the “aussie christian hip-hoppers” calendar. we’ve had some fun times with them. and by fun times i mean, real fun times and real not fun times. but all in all, it’s a great weekend.
it just takes up so much of my late september, and early october.
so tomorrow i fly out in the morning – thursday 27th september- to Sydney and i get back on the Gold Coast late tuesday 2nd october. and here are some of the things on the agenda:
- catch up with Wizdm and talk about releasing his second solo album on mustard.
- catch up with the hoodsta kidd, see where his solo album is at.
- organize blackstump acts for friday night, sunday morning & sunday night.
- help out with all things from krosswerdz and the service in sydney on saturday night.
- meet with the NSW bible society about the australian hip-hop bible.
- try and meet with the team behind thirdmile.com.au
- take some family pictures/ do some sittings.
- maybe do a story for a music magazine on the krosswerdz scene.
- plus oodles of catching up.

i’ll try and blog some pictures and stuff.

and it’s that weird djp condition of simultaneously looking forward to something and looking forward to it being finished.

it’s gonna be fun, i’ll just miss b & the boys too much.
{drummond told me today “when i’m a bigger boy i’ll come with you and help you daddy, i’ll come with you on the plane and go to blackstump.” he had such a perfect earnestness combined with a matter of factness that almost made me cry…}