Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
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.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
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!
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!
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
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!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
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.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Running with Arnold
- Running with Arnold, Documentary, Millsaps College, February 15, 2012
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Sexy and I Know It!
Sexy and I Know It Music Video Project
Huge thank you to:
Joan Quittmeyer
Hannah Enloe
Audrey Sheppard
Andrew Gargiulo
Taylor Coleman
and of course..
The wonderful Jade Hewitt for helping me navigate final cut!
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Quest for the Lost Maya
Last week I had the opportunity to view the National Geographic documentary "Quest for the Lost Maya." This documentary tells the story of the apparent disappearance of the Maya people in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico. What made viewing this program unique was is much of this documentary takes place on Millsaps's biological and cultural reserve on the peninsula. Having studied in the Yucatán, I found this documentary especially interesting.
As a film, I thought "Quest for the Last Maya" was very well made. The director mentioned that the projects needed to fight for funding (being a PBS program), and when they acquired funds, still work on a small budget. The story was not sensationalized, it was very smartly told. It focused more on presenting pieces of a historical story rather than trying to remake "apocalypto." Despite this, they did take some liberties in digitally recreating the Mayan ruins. Again, this was done tastefully and without drama.
The part I was most impressed about was what I have deemed "the cave scene." It consisted of shots down a very dark and narrow cave shaft. If it is difficult for me to maneuver a tripod and camera out in the open, I can only imagine how hard it must have been to navigate the equipment in a small cave.
I'm not really sure I would have changed anything or done anything differently. The story was engaging and had a plot. Though there weren't directly main characters, the modern day Maya became the central players of the film.
As a film, I thought "Quest for the Last Maya" was very well made. The director mentioned that the projects needed to fight for funding (being a PBS program), and when they acquired funds, still work on a small budget. The story was not sensationalized, it was very smartly told. It focused more on presenting pieces of a historical story rather than trying to remake "apocalypto." Despite this, they did take some liberties in digitally recreating the Mayan ruins. Again, this was done tastefully and without drama.
The part I was most impressed about was what I have deemed "the cave scene." It consisted of shots down a very dark and narrow cave shaft. If it is difficult for me to maneuver a tripod and camera out in the open, I can only imagine how hard it must have been to navigate the equipment in a small cave.
I'm not really sure I would have changed anything or done anything differently. The story was engaging and had a plot. Though there weren't directly main characters, the modern day Maya became the central players of the film.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Music Video Project
The word I am going off of for this project is CONFIDENCE.
I often take notice of how harsh people can be on themselves. A problem with bullying may be prevalent in today's society, but I think that self-bullying, thinking you are not good enough, is just as rampant. Your thoughts hold a power over you that those bullies don't, you are around them all the time, they feed self loathing and denial. That is why I am making this video a commentary of sorts on confidence.
My idea is to use the popular and well known song Sexy and I know It by LMFAO to show the evolution of confidence in a character and set of sub characters. This narrative video will show the transformation of one woman (or women) from one of little self confidence, to one who is able to walk down the street saying "I'm sexy and I know it!"
I want to show this transformation by taking the the woman (or women) in from a rejection, having her get a makeover and confidence session by her friends, and finally strutting in public to the catchy beat of this song. I've included videos below that both inspire me, and that I simply like.
I often take notice of how harsh people can be on themselves. A problem with bullying may be prevalent in today's society, but I think that self-bullying, thinking you are not good enough, is just as rampant. Your thoughts hold a power over you that those bullies don't, you are around them all the time, they feed self loathing and denial. That is why I am making this video a commentary of sorts on confidence.
My idea is to use the popular and well known song Sexy and I know It by LMFAO to show the evolution of confidence in a character and set of sub characters. This narrative video will show the transformation of one woman (or women) from one of little self confidence, to one who is able to walk down the street saying "I'm sexy and I know it!"
I want to show this transformation by taking the the woman (or women) in from a rejection, having her get a makeover and confidence session by her friends, and finally strutting in public to the catchy beat of this song. I've included videos below that both inspire me, and that I simply like.
I like this video for the message it gives, and of course for the confidence aspect.
This video I like for its style and different elements.
And this one...well I just think it's cool! Ha!
Jewish Cinema Mississippi
1. The film that I viewed was titled A Matter of Size. I was able to view this film at Malco Theaters in Madison, Mississippi on Saturday January 28th at 7:15pm.
2. A Matter of Size focuses on the main character Herzl, a plus size chef. Not very far into the film, it becomes clear that Herzl is self conscious about his weight, and has a hard time accepting or having confidence in himself. This situation is exacerbated when he is essentially fired for being overweight. After this incident, he begins to work as a dishwasher at a local Japanese restaurant, where he discovers the sport of Sumo. Herzl is surprised that people of such size can be looked upon with respect in a culture. As a result, Herzl bravely quits his dieting class, convincing a few friends to do so along the way, to start a Sumo club. He and his friends are taught by his boss, Kutano, with one exception. Herzl's love interest Zehava is not allowed to continue with the club because she is a woman. Herzl continues the club without her knowledge. The friends continue to practice, all while continuing to through subplots of love, coming out, and infidelity. Eventually the club battles against one another in the regional Sumo championship to determine who will continue to the national championship. Herzl wins, but does not accept the trophy because he deems it more important to reconcile his relationship with Zehava, wich falls apart during the movie.
If I had to offer a very brief summary of the film is would be as follows: Herzl looses his job, Herzl starts a Sumo club as a result, and finally Herzl finds himself, and can be happy with his weight because of Sumo.
3. As far as quality and style, I was not expecting the film to be up to the caliber that it was. I assumed that the film would appear low budget, homemade, or even documentary like. Though the budget may have indeed been low, the editing and style was great. It had the makings of a film that could very well be hugely popular. With a little "gloss", and perhaps a bit more editing, I could even see it in a box office. Another thing that stood out to me in this film was the music. It may not have always been the main focus, but it was there in the background. The music was in a decidedly Jewish style, which I think did a great job of representing its culture while combining with that of Japan's.
4. I like that these characters were very real and heartfelt. The situations presented were all ones that I'm sure most people in the audience could relate to. Whether it be love and loss, coming out, finding oneself, or simply being over weight, it was all there. This gave the film a very real and visceral quality.
5. For me, the film lost pace in some parts. The characters kept running into problems, and oftentimes they were the same problems over and over again. If I had been making the film, I would have tried to make the storyline flow, connect, and pick up more than it did. As for resolution, I would have liked to see a little more of it. We really only see the a resolution for Herzl. What about all of his other friends? Perhaps I would have done simple pictures along with the credits that highlight how his other friend's relationships were resolved.
A Matter of Size, Synopsis and Trailer
2. A Matter of Size focuses on the main character Herzl, a plus size chef. Not very far into the film, it becomes clear that Herzl is self conscious about his weight, and has a hard time accepting or having confidence in himself. This situation is exacerbated when he is essentially fired for being overweight. After this incident, he begins to work as a dishwasher at a local Japanese restaurant, where he discovers the sport of Sumo. Herzl is surprised that people of such size can be looked upon with respect in a culture. As a result, Herzl bravely quits his dieting class, convincing a few friends to do so along the way, to start a Sumo club. He and his friends are taught by his boss, Kutano, with one exception. Herzl's love interest Zehava is not allowed to continue with the club because she is a woman. Herzl continues the club without her knowledge. The friends continue to practice, all while continuing to through subplots of love, coming out, and infidelity. Eventually the club battles against one another in the regional Sumo championship to determine who will continue to the national championship. Herzl wins, but does not accept the trophy because he deems it more important to reconcile his relationship with Zehava, wich falls apart during the movie.
If I had to offer a very brief summary of the film is would be as follows: Herzl looses his job, Herzl starts a Sumo club as a result, and finally Herzl finds himself, and can be happy with his weight because of Sumo.
3. As far as quality and style, I was not expecting the film to be up to the caliber that it was. I assumed that the film would appear low budget, homemade, or even documentary like. Though the budget may have indeed been low, the editing and style was great. It had the makings of a film that could very well be hugely popular. With a little "gloss", and perhaps a bit more editing, I could even see it in a box office. Another thing that stood out to me in this film was the music. It may not have always been the main focus, but it was there in the background. The music was in a decidedly Jewish style, which I think did a great job of representing its culture while combining with that of Japan's.
4. I like that these characters were very real and heartfelt. The situations presented were all ones that I'm sure most people in the audience could relate to. Whether it be love and loss, coming out, finding oneself, or simply being over weight, it was all there. This gave the film a very real and visceral quality.
5. For me, the film lost pace in some parts. The characters kept running into problems, and oftentimes they were the same problems over and over again. If I had been making the film, I would have tried to make the storyline flow, connect, and pick up more than it did. As for resolution, I would have liked to see a little more of it. We really only see the a resolution for Herzl. What about all of his other friends? Perhaps I would have done simple pictures along with the credits that highlight how his other friend's relationships were resolved.
A Matter of Size, Synopsis and Trailer
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