This was supposed to be the exciting post in which I re-premiered a revelatory autobiographical documentary I made many decades ago. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be, as thanks to my over-attachment to outdated technology, I have no way of converting my old VHS tape into a digital format at the moment. (Ironically, the software we had for the task no longer runs on our current operating system.)
Despite this technological failure, I will still share with you the title of the video: Kathy P: Listoholic. In the spirit of the piece – which will have to wait for another day – I present to you, a list:
Five Random-But-Slightly Related Things You May Not Know About Me
- Back in the
stone agepre-Internet era, I worked in film and television as a production manager, associate producer, script supervisor, and editor, among other stressful, demanding, and unglamorous positions. If you – or your children – watched TV in the 1990s, you may have seen some of my shows. - I used to be called Kathy. My moniker morphed in 1992 when I assistant directed a kids’ TV show and the floor manager’s name also happened to be Kathy. Two Kathys on one control-room/studio intercom system was not workable, so being the younger Kathy I volunteered to give up my name. Kathryn stuck.
- Before I thought I wanted to work in film and television, I thought I wanted to be a professional actress. I had small parts in movies and acted in plays from about the age of eight to my late teens, when I discovered super-8 filmmaking and decided that being behind the camera was a much better place to be than in front of it. (Later in life I would learn that behind-the-scenes was not all it was cracked up to be, either.)
- I get nauseous and headachy watching movies that are too handheld, fast-cut, or that were shot with a high frame rate. If I take anti-motion-sickness meds beforehand I can usually handle it.
- My favourite genre is the documentary. There is nothing quite like reality to move and inspire.
Kathryn Presner 
10 replies on “List”
That picture is awesome! I have no idea what’s up with it, though. Sci-fi hotel bell-hop? The best I can do.. 🙂
Close… I was a stand-in for Diane Dufresne in this commercial I can’t believe I found on YouTube:
What a ridiculously-awful commercial! Then again, I can’t say tv commercials are any better these days. Question: Why weren’t you wearing any pants?! 😀
Ha! As I recall it was super hot under the lights and wearing the hat, so I was in shorts.
You could try a low-fi digital conversion, like a flat screen showing the video, speakers for the audio, captured on a digital camera, and basic digital editing. If it’s decades older, it might add a neat feel to it. Who knows. Good luck with that.
That’s a very good idea, thanks! We’d need to re-hook up the long-ago-detached VCR to the TV but it might be the easiest route at this point.
Occam’s razor strikes again. 🙂
I have the same issue with old VHS tapes so if you find a better solution, do tell.
Stand-in for Diane Dufresne? Wow ! a different era ! Kathryn I am started to wonder if we did work together ? For 5 years, I worked as either P.A., office P.A. and later location scout on a few TV series roughly 15 years ago.
Nathalie
It’s possible we did, Nathalie! That was around the last time I worked in film & TV.