My P1 has been approved

Lots of news, so little time to post. 

Quick points:

1. My P1 has been improved and approved.
2. My Fundamentals of Directing project shoots this Friday.
3. Steve is converting our Boston Legal cut into a smaller file so you all can see it.

I'll post more news later when I have more time.

Happy Chinese New Year

I finally did it. I am not allowed to answer questions in my cinematography class anymore.

 

In all honesty, I am not trying to brag.  I am fortunate to have worked with a lot of the equipment on the indie features over the summer.  That combined with my eagerness and enthusiasm of being at the Hogwarts of film making have turned me into Hermione Granger.  I wasn't called out as an "Insufferable Know-It-All" but the above statement is true. I am still learning a lot and it's great! So today in Transfiguration (That means we are studying lighting which tranfigures the scene into something cinematic- I am not letting this metaphor die.) I got to finally understand F stops and how it effects exposure, the one thing that continued to escape my comprehension.  I am very excited.   

In Potions (Editing) my Boston Legal  cut came out pretty good but since it was a first draft they are having us all tweak it for next week. So that will be the one that I post on the private Vimeo page for you to see. It was a great experience. I had edited with a partner before coming here but it was always so frustrating for multiple reasons.  This time was different thought. Steve and I banged it out in just a couple of hours and we agreed on a lot. We seem to have the same vision for the pacing and timing of cuts.  It was also clear from the dailies that William Shatner is so "over the top" ridiculous that, as one fellow student put it, "it's a miracle he has a career". 

Steve and I are working on a project called Lotus.  It is very complex and will take a long time to explain so I won't get into details here but I want to say we are very excited.  Our TA in that class is very hard to impress but over dinner he told us that the idea was golden and not to waste it on a 546 project. 

As far as my P1 film goes I had an idea and pitched it my writing class yesterday.  I discovered that this idea needs some work.  The class was very helpful with the constructive criticism and I have gone back to the drawing board to iron out the details.  One thing is clear, I want to start off in black and white. I know the mood and look I am going for.  Yes, this probably is working backwards but I think I can formulate a story for the elements I have at hand.  I want my film to look something like this:

Oh and it happens to be Chinese New Year.  Like I said before we are a very eclectic class from all over the world so I am off to a party to enjoy some home cooked meal that I probably can't spell right.  Night!

I love film school.

So Sunday morning I woke up and it was cold. I bundled up and at first did not feel like working out.  That plan changed as it started to rain and I booked it over to church.  From there my day just got more exciting. I had to go through security on Jefferson because of the SAG awards were being held right next door to the Zemeckis center where I was working on a 546 graduate film called Volcano Girl.  I helped out in the grip and electric department for a few hours and the headed back through even more security because the event had just started.  Then that night we I went to a little documentary screening party for a great doc called "The Five Obstructions" which was about a film challenge between Jorgen Leth and Lars Von Trier (Dogville, AntiChrist).

Jorgen Leth

Today between my theory and directing classes I edited a scene from an episode of Boston Legal with my friend Steve. Very enjoyable exercise due to the fact that the production value and acting was better than some of the previous exercises (James Spader beats David Caruso any day) I had in my undergraduate years. Later that night, my directing professor Peter Sollet (Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist) offered to set up a workshop next week with some of our actors. I signed up right away.  I hope that I get selected as it would be a great opportunity.

I will post again when I have a link to my Boston Legal cut.  It will be on a private Vimeo account as I can't publicly release it due to copyright but as you are my family and friends you will get the password to the page.

A New Purpose

So this blog is being revamped and has a new purpose- my journey through the USC Master's program for film production. It has already been a crazy journey.  Most of you followed my trek across the country via the Facebook album so I won't re-hash any of that here.  The group that I am part of here, the 2011 SCA Spring Graduate students, is an amzing group of people. We are a very diverse group coming from all over the world and we will all being making very different films, each with a unique perspective.  I can't wait to work with all of them.

I already have several assignements and I will be posting links to them here for you all to see. Over the next couple of weeks I will be editing a scene from Boston Legal, recreating a scene from "All the President's Men" and my P1.  My P1 is a solo project that I must produe, direct, shoot and edit all by myself.  It also must be silent, have no guns or cars and be made for less than $100. Not sure what I am going to do yet for that.

I am enjoying the benefits of being out here. I saw both The Mechanic and Sanctum before their release date for free. I nearly hit Winona Ryder as she booked across the street in her Golden Globes dress as she had illegally parked her Mercedes.  I must admit though, I hate the traffic and parking in this city. and it is always cold.  But these are trifles as this oppurtunity is beyond brilliant.  I feel like I am at Hogwarts. The way the Dean talked about how we were all hand selected and this was beyond a dount the best film school in the world.  She once joked that if all the SCA students didn't go to work one day Hollywood would shut down.  And the she realized that it wasn't a joke, it was true.  To further the Harry Potter analogy I decided that Cinematography is Charms and Transfiguration, Directing is my Defense against the Dark Arts, Editing is Potions and Sound is Herbology. Don't ask me why, it just feels right.

"Your cuts are too arbitrary Mr. Potter!"

I am working at the AMC Del Amo 18 because after a year of 80+ free movies I am not paying for movies anymore.  I am also working in the equipment room at USC. Great job as it is pretty relaxed and I get to be very familiar with all the tools at my disposal.

That's all I can think of for now but this blog will finally be updated on a regular basis because there is always so much going on I want to tell of you.  Also these posts will be prettier in the future with pictures and video but I am on the computer at work right now so I am limited.

(500) Days, (0) Nominations, (1) Angry Blogger

So the first couple of thoughts after glancing over the nominations at 8:30 this morning:

1."Apparently I am not allowed to sleep in." I am a late night projectionist at AMC but despite that there is ALWAYS something happening really early. This just may be the factor behind my insanity.

2. "The Blind Side is nominated for best picture, so is UP" The Blind Side I have not seen but that was unexpected on my part. Now on the matter of deserving it, I'll have to see it first. Now on the other hand Pixar has deserved this spot at least 3 or 4 times now and it finally has it thanks to the 10 nominee slots. It still doesn't stand a chance for the award thanks to the unfortunate attitude against animated films winning the coveted award but it's nice to see the recognition of a nomination. Plus it also is nominated for Best Animated Feature.

3. "Jeremy Renner for Best Actor" Look, I thought Hurt Locker was a very good film. Very intense, pretty original for a war film, as far as I could tell accurate as well. Renner was also very good. It's just, in comparison to many other winners, for example Daniel Day Lewis in "There Will Be Blood", there's a big difference. Watch Jeff Bridges or George Clooney run away with this one.

4. "Thomas Newman isn't nominated for Best Original Score. Neither is Clint Mansell for Moon. Randy Newman's got 2." ...
...
...
Are you telling me that there is a possibility of Randy going up two wins to nothing over his more talented cousin? This is a travesty. And "Moon" was the Best Score of the year- just saying.

5. "2012 is NOT nominated for Best Visual Effects" Hey, I agree with this!

6. "(500) Days of Summer is NOT nominated for Best Picture or Best Screenplay" Oh come on. Really? Look I could understand the Picture snub, if not condone it. But Original Screenplay? REALLY? It's only the most original "Rom-com" in decades!

7. "Avatar is NOT nominated for Best Original Screenplay" GOOD! Now all you wanna-be film snobs can SHUT UP. It's about how you present an idea and Cameron did that masterfully, that's why he is nominated for directing and the movie is up for Best Picture- where I will be rooting for it. Because it is "Best Picture"- that means everything wrapped up as a whole.

The Academy's Top 10:(not in order)
Avatar (2009)
The Blind Side (2009)
District 9 (2009)
An Education (2009)
The Hurt Locker (2008)
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)
A Serious Man (2009)
Up (2009)
Up in the Air (2009/I)

My Top 10 (and why I am angry):
1. Avatar
2. Moon
3. (500) Days of Summer
4. Up in the Air
5. District 9
6. Up
7. Away We Go
8. The Hurt Locker
9. Watchmen
10. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince


Next year's best picture:

Just kidding.

(500), Precious lead 2010 Spirit Award Nominees

2010 Spirit Award Nominees

Best Feature
500 Days of Summer
Amreeka
Precious
Sin Nombre
The Last Station

Best Director
The Coen Brothers, A Serious Man
Lee Daniels, Precious
Cary Fukanaga, Sin Nombre
James Grey, Two Lovers
Michael Hoffman, The Last Station

Best First Feature (Award given to the director and producer)
A Single Man
Crazy Heart
Easier With Practice
The Messenger
Paranormal Activity

John Cassavetes Award (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000)
Big Fan
Humpday
The New Year Parade
Treeless Mountain
Zero Bridge

Best Screenplay
The Messenger
The Last Station
500 Days of Summer
The Vicious Kind
Adventureland

Best First Screenplay
Cold Souls
Crazy Heart
Amreeka
Precious
A Single Man

Best Female Lead
Maria Bello, Downloading Nancy
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Gwentyth Paltrow, Two Lovers
Gabby Sidibe, Precious
Nisreen Faour, Amreeka

Best Male Lead
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Joseph Gordon Levitt, 500 Days of Summer
Souleymane Sy Savane, Goodbye Solo
Adam Scott, The Vicious Kind

Best Supporting Female
Monique, Precious
Samantha Morton, The Messenger
Natahlie Press, Fifty Dead Men Walking
Mia Wasikowska, That Evening Sun
Dina Korzun, Cold Souls

Best Supporting Male
Jemaine Clements, Gentlemen Broncos
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Cristian McKay, Me and Orson Welles
Ramon McKinnon, That Evening Sun
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station

Best Cinematography
A Serious Man
Sin Nombre
Treeless Mountain
Cold Souls
Bad Lieutenant

Best Documentary
Anvil!
Food Inc
More Than a Game
October Country
Which Way Home

Best Foreign Film
A Prophet
An Education
Everlasting Moments
Mother
The Maid

Robert Altman Award
Joel and Ethan Coen for A Serious Man

This blogger is pulling for (500) Days of Summer in all categories it is nominated. My sources also have told me that Two Lovers, A Single Man, and Food Inc. are all formidable films.

Pre- Oscar Race lineup

My list of predictions for the 10 Best Picture nominees before the "Road to the Oscars" begins.

The Lovely Bones
Avatar
Moon
District 9
500 Days of Summer
Inglorious Basterds
Star Trek
Bright Star
The Hurt Locker
Away We Go ( or Up if they allow an animated film)