A reintroduction
Regular readers of Tony’s blog may have noticed that he hasn’t been posting too often these days. This is actually good news for fans of Tony’s work, because it means he’s putting his cute little nose to the editing grindstone and prepping our latest film — Bill and Desiree: Love is Timeless — for release. In the meanwhile, I’m going to be taking over chief blogging duty for Comstock Films.
Who am I and what am I doing here? Well, it’s been a while (over a year and a half, actually) since I’ve written in this blog, so maybe a little reintroduction is in order. I’m Peggy Comstock, and we jokingly call me “the other half” of Comstock Films. I’m Tony’s wife and partner. I operate the second camera on our shoots, design our DVD packaging and marketing materials, run this Web site, and hang over Tony’s shoulder in the later stages of editing to ask him annoying questions like, “are you sure that anecdote adds to the overall narrative picture?”
I’m also a mom. Our older girl is in elementary school, but our youngest is not yet three — which, in case you’ve been wondering, is a large part of why I haven’t kept up with this blog in the past. :g: Yes, Comstock Films is genuinely a ‘mom and pop’ operation, which is one of the reasons Tony and I decided that it was important for me to step in and continue blogging while he pours his mental resources into finishing our next films. We rely so much on word of mouth and “guerilla marketing” to keep awareness of our little shop going, and blogging allows us not only to periodically shout, ‘Hey world, we’re here making these quietly revolutionary films about sex and relationships!’ — but also to engage in a direct dialogue with our viewers, friends, and fellow travelers in a way that means a lot more to us than it possibly can for a larger, more diffuse company.
Which…leads me to shamelessly plea for some of that direct dialogue right now. Tony is a firebrand. Me? Not so much (it’s a ying-yang kinda thing.) Oh, I have opinions, but I have to confess that when it comes to taking over the reins of blogging for Comstock Films, I’m feeling a little trepidation — Tony’s a tough act to follow. (Though don’t worry, when he gets a bee in his bonnet about something, you’ll be sure he’ll come banging out of the editing room to make an appearance!) But right now, I’m inviting any of you out there reading this to help me find my feet here — I feel like there are so many directions I could go. Are you interested in my perspective on the filmmaking process? How I balance motherhood with this work? How I make visual design decisions for Comstock Films’ packaging? Who I want to see win Project Runway? Seriously, after such a long break, it’s hard to know where to start.
Drop a comment, email (peggy at comstockfilms.com) or catch up with me on Twitter (my username is peggycomstock) and let me know!
Thanks, and hi, again!
-Peggy C.
October 14th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
So, who do you want to win Project Runway? Don’t you dare say Kenley.
And…are you watching this real housewives thing? Omg. And that Rachel Zoe! Argh!
October 15th, 2008 at 3:42 am
Aagh! Kenley. The sooner that grating voice is off my screen the better! I used to like Jerrell but he really fell apart at the end there, and the bits of his collection we saw didn’t impress. I wish Leanne weren’t such a droopy person, but I do like the architectural-ness of her designs. And Korto’s stuff can be cool, at least it’s something different. Either of them, I’m fine with.
And nah, I haven’t gone for Housewives or Rachel Zoe, but I do watch Top Chef, Sheer Genius, and sometimes Top Design…and Tim Gunn. Oh, and I loved Tabatha’s Salon Takeover! Bravo is definitely my junkfood TV drug of choice. :g:
October 20th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Hi Peggy,
I’d love to hear more about the film making process. I’ve got some catching up to do on other blog entries, and perhaps you’ve covered a bunch already.
As far as a specific question, how’s this: is it hard to get your work done with little ones demanding your attention? I know it takes me three times as long to do ANYTHING when my kids are trying to “help.” Just curious how easy (or tough) you find it balancing work and home.
Thanks!
October 20th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
Does this mean we get to see/hear you wearing the Ranty Pants?
Project Runway not so much but all the rest you mentioned is of interest, how you respond, impressions when you see the first cut of each film, what you think about the feedback you get on the work, all that stuff - Welcome back Peggy C.
October 21st, 2008 at 6:03 am
Hi Ben,
Thanks so much for your comments! I’m very happy to add all those things into the ol’ “mental hopper” for future blogging.
Quick answer to the last question? Yes. It’s HARD! (So enlightening, I know!)
October 21st, 2008 at 6:08 am
Hey Ell,
My ranty pants are usually hanging up in the closet, nicey creased — unlike Tony’s which are tattered, worn, and lying in a heap in the corner. But yeah, once in a while I’ll try ‘em on to make sure they still fit. Heh.
And thanks! I know it’ll take me a little while to get in the groove of this, so its nice to know you’ve got my back.
October 28th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Peggy.. in those cases where you assist on the 2nd camera do you ever find that the couple may express themselves or expose themselves a bit more because you are a woman and they might not feel as threatened or cautious as they would with an all male crew?
Also, tell us something that you find erotic or stimulating in the films that you produce.
October 31st, 2008 at 5:10 am
Karl — Hi! And good questions, I will definitely add them to my list of future blog topics!