Indie

I think indie filmmakers are doing a better job of creating movies than most big budget movie corporations. the people who make these movies are putting themselves on the line and are most of the time passionate people who aren't making a lot of money. I feel like these people are closer to the audience than the big movie-makers are. I don't know, it's just my opinion but nowadays a lot of independent movie-makers have the technology to produce a product that almost rivals studios such as Paramount. For instance, my buddy has this camera the Canon 7D. This has an incredible picture that shoots in near perfect picture quality. Take any still from his movie, and it looks better than a regular picture. Let me give you an example:

My friend and I made this movie called "The Trunk "for a film festival. We shot it on the Canon 7D. Take a look-ey

Click here to go to Vimeo

I'm blown away by this camera. Absolutely blown away. Please, anybody comment so I can further elaborate on my thoughts! haa

Busted Stuff

Busted. Stuff. I had to do a scene today in my acting class. I had virtually no rehearsal time and I was setting up a scene for another production I'm involved in and I dunno, just no time. So, I was up all nite last nite writing the scene out and blocking it and everything. I met up early with the girl (whom by the way is gorgeous) and quickly practiced the two scenes we needed to work on. While in rehearsal, we were relatively okay, we had the first scene nailed down, but I sort of left the second scene kind of open, you know give us some wiggle room to figure stuff out. We go to class me and her and at once, I noticed we were VERY over-dressed. I was in a full business suit whilst my partner was in this seductive dress. So we ended up being the last people up and the first scene we did was great! We worked well off of each other and it was generally a lot of fun. However, when we got started on the second scene, we had some trouble blocking. To begin with, it was a seduction scene so nerves were kind of high between us. She first laid across my piano and asked me if I was ready. I gulped and deliver my line. She looked good. Very good. The crowd laughed as my eyes hovered over her. As the scene progressed she made her way onto my lap and I. just. lost. it. I had this beautiful girl on top of me in the middle of acting class and all of these people were looking at me, and I completely lost it. The smooth Jim Sass of today was reduced to a bumbling fool. This girl did a total number on my nerves. You know when you kind of like somebody you act cool, and say the right things and all that stuff, but let me tell you, that was not the case for me earlier today.

So it turns out, everyone ended up really liking the scene and the teacher thought it was ballsy that we attempted something so intimate and intense. I felt like a complete moron and was really embarrassed, but I tried to make light of the situation and played it off the best I could. So all in all, I wouldn't call it a failure but it was definitely a new experience for me. Any thoughts? Helpful things would make me smile. hah :)

A New York State of Mind

hey hey hey, so just got back from NYC, and it was incredible. I legitimately filmed at a studio. hahaha It was crazy! We had models, make-up artists, a sound guy, A STUDIO! It was so much fun! My friend and I had a ton of creative control over the project. It felt... smooth. I was directing the actors, and then cue-ing lights, it was so much fun! I made a lot of great contacts. My favorite part of the entire trip was when we filmed on top of a skyscraper. The sun was setting and we had the entire New York skyline all around us. It was magical in every sense of the word.

One cool aspect of the shoot was the camera I filmed with. The Panasonic HMC-150. This piece of equipment was (for lack of better word) awesome. Another cool thing was the lighting. I have next to no experience in lighting scenes, but the director of this shoot sure did. We had all sorts of different lights on our talent, and I have to say, it makes a huge difference!! I was a fan to say the least.

So all in all, I'm proud to say every single time I've been to New York so far, has been because of movie-making, and this makes me smile. :)

Quizzes and Nappi

These timed quizzes! My lord I am having some trouble with these things. I will read each chapter and memorize all that I can, but as soon a I start the quiz, my mind just draws a huge blank. That countdown, seeing the live-countdown just does a number on my psyche. The quiz for week 5 was to simply match the vocabulary terms with their definition. I however thought there was more to the quiz so I rushed through it. I don't know, maybe I just need to study more efficiently and whatnot, but I'm just having a really tough time with these quizzes. Any suggestions?

In other news, I'm heading to New York this weekend to do a music video shoot for a man by the name of Michael Nappi, a very talented up and coming artist. We've got make-up artists, models, all of these people involved with this thing. I am very excited to say the least! Here is a link to some of his work!

*blogging blogging blogging* insert Mario theme

Oh What a week! So today I met my main little kid actor for Campus Movie Fest. My old elementary school teacher and I met up at the library and waited for the kid's family to meet us. It was very exciting and a lot of fun. Robert, (the name of the kid) looked perfect for the part. He had long hair that hung just over the better part of his forehead and had these big expressive eyes. The best part though was that he "got" it. He understood the role and actually brought a lot of ideas to the table. I showed him a few scenes from some of my other movies and I noticed a subtle shape take place in his eyes. There was intelligence and passion there and this got me excited. I love talking to people who have a love for something and I could tell this kid was going to give one hell of a performance.

Hawaii

So it has come to my attention, that I want to go to Hawaii. It's warm there. And it's beautiful. So thus, I want to go. I've been sending emails to different summer camps and seasonal employment offices there but my question is, how can BSC help me achieve my dream? Anyone?


I want to look outside and see this.

Scary Scene!

So, I'm working on a new movie for Campus Movie Fest and I've found the perfect music to use! The only problem is that it's from a particularly famous movie. Have any of you ever heard of 2001: A Space Odyssey? Yes... you in that back have heard of it... well thank you.
*ahem* anyways, it's this very chilling scene when the astronauts find the second monolith on the moon. I LOVE the chanting tune they decided to use, here is a preview:


Watch it here!!!

(the link is to youtube)

So, any suggestions as to where I could find similarly inspired music?

The Walls are Closing In.

So as of now, I'm here in my house, sitting on my laptop, feeling the walls close in around me. I feel like I'm trapped in some bad John Mayer song to be honest. I know it sounds redundant, but I want out. I can't wait to finish this whole college ordeal and really start living. My family is obsessed with the idea of me settling down and finding a job and making a steady income but to be honest, I want the complete and utter opposite. I want to live out of a suitcase and see the world. I don't want any obligations or responsibilities really. The only thing I want to be accountable for is where and when I will be having fun next. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I've spent nearly my entire life sitting in a classroom abosrbing information. I need to get out and do. I don't know how I'm going to do it, I just need to leave here for a really long time.

In other news, I really don't like this cold weather. In fact, I don't think I'm going to be doing another New England winter. I can't. My face is frozen, my fingers are numb and icy air is in my lung. Just the fact that if I went outside in a t shirt right now I would probably die is just depressing. I think I might have Seasonal Affective Disorder. Scratch that. I am certainly positive that I suffer from this.

Sorry for all the negative, here is a happy image:





Cheers!

Casual Comprehension

People-Watching.



I'm pretty sure every single human being on the face of the planet engages in this. Now for no particular reason today my attention was drawn to a girl in one of my classes. Perhaps initially it was because she was strikingly beautiful, but as I gazed I noticed her lips were curled into an uneven frown. What could she possibly be so sad about? It was then I realized that clearly I wasn't paying attention to the lecture, so I abandoned all hope of learning anything and started to speculate about her dilemma. Maybe she didn't have a lot of gas in her car and couldn't drive home? If that was the case should I offer her money? Actually. No. I'm pretty sure she would take it the wrong way. *ahem* Maybe she had a fight with her boyfriend? But then why would she be sad? She could have any guy she wanted. It was then I started thinking about how Joseph Campbell could remedy the situation.

At this point I tried to tell my brain to shut up but it wouldn't listen.

Maybe she was a heroine in the midst of a journey and needed to seek advice by a wise old sage. Who could she go to? Perhaps I could send her to Dr. Ingvoldstad. ;)

But I digress. Before I knew it, the class was over. As I picked up my stuff, I noticed my iPod was dead, my wallet was empty, and I had NO gas in my car. :)

Movie-Making

So as of now, the movie-making is going well. There are a couple of events that are starting up that I would love to get involved in for the coming year. One of them is a film festival being held on the website "Vimeo" It is called "The Story Behind the Still".

Here is a link:

http://www.vimeo.com/groups/beyondthestill/

Another is the Campus Movie Fest, a nationwide campus movie festival my friends and I did quite well with the year before.

http://campusmoviefest.com/

So far, my good friend and I have been feverishly working on this "Story Behind the Still" project, we have a completed story and we are looking to film this Saturday hopefully. We have amassed all of our stage props and are now currently looking at a cool location to film at. Keep you posted! !