PHONOGRAPHY: Writing In Sound

As a special Thanksgiving episode, this is a story about fathers, sons, the woods, and the never-ending quest to figure out what it means to be a man. (Non-fiction)

One of a series of short-short pieces about things lost and things found. A couple receives a letter from a friend who has been dead for almost a year. (Fiction)

We like to believe that we have control on our lives. That we can sculpt perfect moments around us. That if we put ourselves in the right setting with the right people everything can be everything we want it to be. A few weeks ago, two of my best friends, Nell and Pete, came in from out of town for what started as a perfect weekend. But as the weekend got closer to the end, and as we tried to hold on to that perfect moment, things spun out of our control when the forces of nature and of life changed everything. (Non-fiction)

Or: How not to commune with foreign cultures. -- I lived in Australia for seven months in 2003 and 2004, almost half of which I spent travelling in a car with my friend Dave and a german girl named Susanne. This is a story about an experience I had at a beautiful place in Litchfield National Park called The Buley Rock Pools. That's actually a picture of Dave at the Buley Rock Pools to the right. This piece was originally published in a literary journal called Storyscape at www.storyscapejournal.com. (Non-fiction)

What it means to be 20 years old. (Non-fiction)

This is not a radio piece. It's actually the last film that I made. (Which means if you don't have a video ipod you may want to watch this online at ryanscammell.com) For the last two years, it's been sitting in a drawer being watched only by dust-bunnies. For some reason, though I spent about half a year working on it, I showed to almost no one after I completed it. I watched it again last night and was surprised by how much I liked it. For all the time I spent in college exploring these themes in my films, I never really quite got out whatever it was that I was trying to reach. I don't know if this film succeeded in doing that or not, but ever since I made this film, I've felt this kind of catharsis with certain issues in my life. Watching it again last night reminded me how much it said about who I am and how I think. So I figured I'd share it with you all now. The piece talks about the space between people and how so often we are incredibly close to people who in time will be incredibly important to us, and yet we never know. I should also say, I made the film with the intention of it being slightly interactive. There is a lot written on the images of the film that is too much to take in while listening to the narration. If you feel so inclined, go ahead and rewind to the sections that have writing that you might have missed. -- Ryan Scammell (About 50% Fiction)

There's a million ways to fall in love, and a million ways to fall apart. Sometimes all it takes is an email. (Non-fiction)

Liza Minnelli is downing red wine in her tour bus. The stagehands all together look like a Judas Priest cover band. Coney Island is a Ferris Wheel slowing to a stop. Andy Warhol! Incubated babies! Lawsuits! Lions in flames! It all comes together at a Liza concert in 2005. (Non-fiction)