Final Cut for "Say Goodbye"

Say Goodbye: The 1000 Balloons Project

Everyone has something that they need to let go of, a memory, a story, a fear, a wish, a hope, a dream. This is the central concept for my latest filmmaking endeavor, "Say Goodbye-The 1000 Balloons Project."The idea is simple, write down whatever it is that is holding you back, put it in a balloon, fill it up, and watch it float away. My hope is that this project will serve as a cathartic experience, and one that shows that "the very personal is always universal." What are you waiting for! Try it! Perhaps the idea surrounding the project to spread, allowing people to let go of their fear, anger, or rejection in a creative way.

Crossroads Film Festival

This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend the 13th annual Crossroads Film Festival held in Jackson, Mississippi. The experience was really an exciting one that put visitors in close touch with filmmakers, actors, directors, and producers prominent in the filmmaking business. This was my first film festival to attend, and I was certainly not disappointed.

While there, I had the opportunity to attend a workshop entitled "Film/TV Acting: How to Book the Job," both a short and feature length documentary on wine ("No Wine Left Behind" and "Boom Varietal"), and a feature film by Patrik-Ian Polk "The Skinny." Of all of these, I was most excited to see "The Skinny", an LGBTQ themed film following the story of several friends over one weekend. The film was excellent, and brought attention to the inherent "whiteness" that surounds not only gay films but films in general. Surprisingly, however, this did not end up being the favorite film I viewed at the festival.

The short documentary "No Wine Left Behind" really stood out to me. The film highlighted the story of ex-Marine Sergeant Josh Laine as he tries to find his place in civilian life. Sergeant Laine found that readjusting to a "normal" life was a more difficult process than he was led to believe. The life he knew was taken away from him abruptly as he was injured, and consequently placed on retirement from the military. The documentary highlights this struggle, along with the surprising catharsis he finds in winemaking. The story of recovery is heartwarming and left me wanting more. I consider this to be a sign of a great documentary, and was perhaps the only thing I would have done differently with the film. Keep it going! I really wanted to follow the whole story. I realize, however, that this is not always realistic due to budget and time constraints. As for cinematography and editing, this documentary made great use of B-roll footage. It really highlighted the activity of winemaking, as well as the everyday lives of the characters in an interesting way.

As a whole, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of Crossroads. It presented me which surprises, new ideas, and a truly unique Mississippi experience. I will most definitely make an effort to annually attend this event!

The Artists of Millsaps: Featuring Sue Carrie Drummond and Suzanne Glemot

A huge thank you goes out to Sue Carrie Drummond and Suzanne Glemot for there participation in this documentary!

Rough Cut of "What Drives Millsaps Art Majors" Featuring Sue Carrie Drummond

A huge thank you to Sue Carrie Drummond and Suzanne Glemot for giving up their time to be part of this documentary! A big thank you also to Sandra Murchison for letting me disturb her art classes in order to get my footage! 

The final version will also feature Suzanne Glemot, this is simply the rough cut.

How To Dress For Success

Running with Arnold

1. Running with Arnold, Documentary, Millsaps College, February 15, 2012
2. This film was essentially a breakdown of the political life of Arnold Schwarzenegger. It began with his youth in Austria, moved to his success as a bodybuilder, and finally focused on his rise in the political arena. Once the film arrived at this point, the mood shifted to picking apart why/how he makes a poor politician. This continued for the duration of the documentary. 
3. I feel like the music and the editing style (in regards to cinematography) was the strength behind this piece. The music that was picked went very well with the theme, and served to reiterate or drive home points that the filmmaker was trying to make. Furthermore, the way the film was edited allowed for lots of different voices to be heard, e.g. numerous people featured throughout the piece.  
4. I very much liked that there was a clear chronological line of reasoning taking us from Arnold as a boy, to Arnold as a governor. This method allowed for us to get the whole picture. 
5. Though this was a documentary that was designed to get an opinion across, and convince an audience, I thought the director could have done a better job of conveying "the other side" to the audience. It was obviously important for him to share his thoughts, but in order to sound like a legitimate source, one needs to recognize the other side. This is something that I think this director could work on. Also, I think it would be good for the director to make a short followup film to his documentary. Several important events have happened in the former California governor's life since the making of this documentary that I think have the potential to strengthen the existing documentary.