Build number:	02F-14 (lifetime start #242)
Title:	"Good Enough for Television"
Date:	June 3
Location:	Venice Breakwater, south side littoral
Start:	0900; construction time approx 6 hours
Height:	3.5 feet (Latchform)
Base:	1.75 feet nominal (ellipsoid)
Photo 35mm:	approx 10 exp TMX135 w/Baggiemat
Photo 6X7:	none
Photo volunteer:	Bob Jeffords
Video motion:	Intro, walkaround, detail tracking, Blind Date crew w/XL1
Video still:	verticals of whole sculpture
Video volunteer:	Bob Jeffords, w/XL1
New Equipment:	none

	1. Demonstration (You're Only Giving Me $40; I Expect a Free Plug) For the MTV date I built a demonstration sculpture so they'd have something finished to videotape. This serves two purposes: they know I can do something, and it shows the audience there's more to sand sculpture than castles and mermaids. "Hi, Larry." "Good morning." One of these days I'll have to ask this lifeguard his name. "Is this for another TV show?" "Yes. 'Blind Date' this time. Do you know it?" "Yes. It's funny." I'm always amazed at how many people watch this program. Even more amazed that they admit to watching it. "Are they paying you?" "Yes. A whole $40." We both laugh. "Well, that's better than spending the day at work." He has a point. The sand contains much more debris than it had the last time. This being for television, I stick with my decision not to use the filter. So, what are you turning into, Larry? This is the third time you've had an excuse for not going all out. The trend is disturbing. Are you still a real sand sculptor, or some sort of commercialized has-been? There are good reasons for the decision, but it still feels like a sell-out. Where are my principles? Each sculpture should be the best of which I'm capable at the time. For whom am I doing this sculpture? "Blind Date." Will they know if it's not my best work? No. Will they care? No. But what about me? Here is the reality. Adventurous sculptures have a greater chance of falling over. Filtered piles take twice as long. It's better to have a whole sculpture than to have a stump at the start of the shooting. Delicate work requires filtered sand, more time, more planning. I need some energy left after I make this thing so I can interact with the people. The pile goes up, unfiltered. It's solid when I remove the form. Initial carving reveals lots of bean clams and other detritus. You make choices, and you pay the price. There is no real plan. The sculpture develops some nice parts, but it's nowhere near the best I've done. 2. Arrival (Maybe This Really Will Be Better) "Larry?" "That's me. Are you Ron?" "Yes." We shake hands. Offical Sand Sculpture Time is 1500. Amazing. "Thanks for coming to help. What we'll do is make a pile of sand for the dating couple to carve." "OK." "Do you mind getting wet?" "I can wade, but I need to stay clean for the rest of the date." "OK. I'll go get some water." He shovels native sand and fetches water. I mix and tamp. In half an hour we have a full form. "Great. With two people this is a lot easier." Periodically I pour water on top to keep it wet.
	3. Clean-up I work my way around the sculpture with the brushes and small tools. "Do you have lots of people trying to get on the show?" "Right now, not that many." "How do you choose?" "People come in for an interview. If they do well at that, we send them over to casting for more testing. If they get through that, they might get on a show." "What do they get out of it?" "A free date. $100. Most of them do it for exposure, hoping someone will see them and note their personality." Ron watches me work on the sculpture. "I like the lines." "Those form because of how I pack it. If I filtered it, they'd be more definite." "I think that's about it." I clean up the base, scatter sand, and sign it. "02F-14." "What do you want out of it?" "Experience. I'd like to become an executive producer. This is just a start." "How many are on this crew? Two years ago there were three: camera operator, sound man, location producer." "We have five. Two PAs along with the camera, sound and location producer. They should be along soon; the first part of the date, they're feeding the seals in Marina del Rey." "What is Marla's role in all of this?" "She's the location scout. Lines up all the dating activities, and tries to keep within the budget." "That's difficult." "Yes, it's a tough job. I wouldn't want it." "Nor would I. She does it very well, however. She got me here; nice voice, enthusiasm and honesty." "Yes, she's very nice." I shoot some photographs. Rich isn't here so I have to. Then there's time for video.
	4. Production (Show Time!) "Here they come." The group is obvious. One man carries a camera, another has a bag slung from his neck that holds wireless mic receivers and a mixer. Another has a clipboard. "Hi, Larry. I'm Joel, the location producer." "Hi, Joel." The sound man wires me while the couple walk along the beach. "OK. Introduce yourselves, and then just go to it." Joel steps back. The couple comes forward. Roll the tape. It's becoming familiar. The woman shows some aptitude for sculpture. I introduce her to some of the tools, and then watch. "I don't want any tools. God gave me hands. They're good enough. God bless you." Self-conscious, I pick up my camcorder and shoot the activity. "Would you like me to do that?" Bob Jeffords has just arrived. "Sure, if you want. You'll do better than I." I hand him the camera. "You're doing bas-relief." "What?" "Bas-relief. Like the Egyptians did." "Oh." He has rubbed a face into his side of the pile. The woman has carved a seal, a fish and a bird. Both efforts are way ahead of the MTV people, and the last "Blind Date" couple. "See? It's me!" The woman seems less than thrilled as he poses next to the sculpture. Both of them seem to be finished, or at least to have run out of ideas. "We still have fifteen minutes." "I feel I need to run. The body is a temple, and I need to take care of it. He makes sure we all know about what he's doing, and then runs away southward. 5. Climax (Every Show Needs One, and This Time I Agree) My work is pretty well finished. The major problem is to make sure all of my tools are gathered, with nothing lost. The last thing I pick up is the tool tub. When I walk over to get the tub, I see the woman has picked up my loop tool and is using it on the man's carved face. She's quite aggressive in totally expunging his carving from the pile. She's more upset with this guy than I thought. "Yes, she's a little bothered. It took them half an hour just to get out of the parking lot. He demanded to drive, but no one wanted him behind the wheel. He wouldn't let her drive. Finally the only way we could get things moving was to call a taxi. You're lucky to be on this show. It'll be popular because this guy is such a nut case." The producer walks over. "Umm, Larry, we're a little worried about what he'll think when he comes back here." "I can see your point." "Would you mind if we knocked this over?" "No. I think that's a good idea." No telling what the man would do. I'm standing by what's left of the sculpture, and simply reach over with my right foot and give it a push. It falls over, disintegrating. "Thanks." The man has stayed down the beach, so he never gets the chance to see the remains. Good. The production team wanders off with the girl. I guess we're finished. I pack up and haul my kit off the beach. Do it again? This time was better, but I'm still rather tired of TV and its attitudes. Politics as shady as what's in Washington. I'm glad to depart from it. Written June 6 (abandoned unfinished) Amended August 25 August 25 (HTML conversion) November 16 (title and image size corrected) All contents designed and made by Larry Nelson