FInal EOC

I will admit, in the beginning this class kind of scared me. From thing I heard from other students and reading the workload, I was slightly intimidated by the idea of this class, especially because it’s my last quarter and I already had so much work I had to do. Between tweaking my demo reels to get to a point to make the school happy, my other 2 hard classes, and this class, I was unsure how I would keep up with the work. Especially when I get really sick in the middle of everything. Getting to a point were I couldn’t even crawl out of bed took a real toll on my standing on how close I was to being done.

Non-the-less I was able to pull through. I was able to pull everything together to get all my work done. Some things may have lacked a little, but I finished it. Granted I still have a few finals to do and get ready for graduation next week, but the class that scared me in the beginning of the quarter, ended up being a class to help spark and form a great idea.

Ideas are a dime a dozen, everyone gets them all the time. But finding an idea that has so much potential, so much to offer not only to the people paying for the serves but also for the people working. That is always the hardest part of learning how to create something. Even better is learning how to create something and understand how to use it.

With a better understanding of business plans, and how business works, I feel the class was effective. Being able to put down in words a great idea is hard, let alone create a full business plan to make it work is harder. I still have some tweaking to do, but now I know where I stand and what I want to create. I also now have a plan that with some fixing could be perfect to help find the funding for the new creation. 

Week 9 Photo Challenge: Producing

For my Producing Photo Challenge I want to stress one main thing about the term producing, producing could be anything from finding the money to finding people or even helping create content when needed. Pretty much your only true job is to make sure the work gets done. Either by phone, in person, or on the computer, you are always doing something; even after the work is done you are still working. It’s a long job that stresses a lot of people out. When everyone else gets to go home for the day, you are sitting there watching dailies until 2 in the morning and waking up at five or six to get back to work.

Now with all that said, I was going to take a new picture for this challenge, but decided to look through some old ones. I choice this picture because it was my first time trying to produce a news style segment. I was completely out of my comfort zone and just focused on trying to find the means to get the segment done. It was a major challenge that I found stressful. The main reason was producing for news is not the same as producing for narrative. Basics of the jobs are the same, but the way of executing is different.

During the time of the picture I was handing out jobs while I was making sure we had enough material to cover our segment. We were actually short by two stories and I had to create them without much time before shooting. I kept giving orders and making sure everyone was doing their jobs while my eyes were fixed on finding the right stories and figuring out where they need to go in our segment. It was a very stressful day, and pointed out to me how hard that specific job can be. Gives me more respect for it.

Week 9 EOC: Tennis Clinic

When following your dreams, it’s very hard to make the right decisions, because it can be very hard to even know what the right choices are. If it’s your dream, then you have a love and passion for it. That same love that drives you to follow your dream can, in some cases, destroy your dream and sometimes love. If you don’t start out on the right foot to begin with, then you’ll find yourself in a little bit of trouble.

            This is what happened to Rob Johnson. It’s unfortunate, but happens, and for Rob it could have been avoided. Rob was a journalist that was always working with deadlines and yelling editors. He was tired of the grind and wants to follow his dream of playing tennis for a living. He thought easiest thing to do would be to quit his job, in early 2000’s people were getting fired like crazy, and he went around to some of the Orlando, Florida resorts around him and offer to teach tennis for their customers.

           

            He hopped in it, offering to teach for fifty dollars and hour and kick back ten percent back to the hotels for working with him. After getting a couple hotels he invested $500 for t-shirts. He quickly had a few clients and thought everything was working out. Rob had a few problems. He was trying to teach to tourist and kids that don’t even really care about tennis. He was also teaching in a place that gets hits by hurricanes and where it rains all the time. Quickly he began to hate what he once love.

            Rob could have avoided this all by thinking things through first. He didn’t have a business plan, and that would have made him realize the actual job he was trying to get into. He also could have volunteered to teach at a boys and girls club to even see if he would like teaching. Or he could have eased into it by teaching one or two days a week and keeping his job. His problem wasn’t that he was following his dream; it was the execution of it.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204369404577208811394364448.html?mod=wsj_share_tweet

Week 8 Photo Challenge: Dressed for an event

This is me at the NAB show. I was only able to make it for one day, but it was an amazing experience that I can’t wait to have again. I went as a student and started off at the Job fair. After hours of talking to employers, I went and walked around the show to check out some of the new gear.

          There was A LOT of really nice, cool, and inspiring gear for filmmakers of all types. New cameras were release, like the Blackmagic Cinema Camera. It’s a camera in the size of consumer DSLR cameras, like the canon 7D or 5D Mark 2. The biggest difference is that the Blackmagic Cinema Camera shoots in raw footage and shoots in 2.5k format (DSLR’s only shoot in 1080 with the exception of the 1D). The only problem with the 1D is price. For the Blackmagic Cinema Camera it’s almost $3,000 and you get free Coloring Software.

            There where a lot of other gadgets and gear I got to test and look at. The one thing I wanted to do I couldn’t. I really wanted to get Avid Certified at NAB. I looked into doing it outside NAB and it cost so much and is just a pain, for students at NAB it was a lower price. Or at least I was told it was.

            I’m wearing a suit I pieced together with the help of my fiancé. I’m a big fan of the vest look. I have a bulkier upper body, I’m not saying fat at all, just thicker chest. Because of that, jackets can be awkward and my sleeves always feel too short. The vest gives me a look that stands out more. It gives me a look people don’t see all the time. My sleeves are up in the picture because this was near the end of the day and I was hot, when I was at the job fair the sleeves were down.

Week 7 Weekly Photo Challenge: Screenplay Cover

Screenplays are interesting monsters.  I say that in the most loving and hateful way I can. Every filmmaker wants or wishes they could write the next biggest screenplay hit. They want to be the next Joss Whedon with an Avengers script, or Shane Black getting paid over a million dollars based off of just the treatment and not even the script.  They can get too flashy, or creative, and loose track of the importance of writing a screenplay. It all comes down to just the story. That is why covers to my screenplays are very basic, and looks like most Hollywood scripts.

The Last Drive was a seven page short screenplay that I wrote in 2011 just for fun. It wasn’t for a class or assignment, just for myself because I had a great idea stuck in my head and I wanted to get it out. The importance of the title page is the same as a book, just not as showy. It’s the first thing people are going to see and read. Of course it’s important to have the writer’s name on it, more then once would be ideal, and it’ll have a way to contact the writer. For contacting it could either be a phone number, e-mail address, or in some case a physical address can be used.

The main thing about the cover page is the title of the screenplay you are showing. Titles alone can make or break your chance of getting it made, or even just looked at. I personally feel that the best titles tell a part of the story, while leaving just a little bit of mystery. Movies like The Sixth Sense, Along Came Polly, The Thing, and Cabin in the Woods, seem straightforward; yet still hold a slight bit of intrigue curiosity to them. That’s what I tried to do with The Last Drive. It’s telling you the part of the story it wants you to know right off the bat, this is the last drive for someone, but it makes you wonder why.

Week 7 EOC: My Resume and Optical Resume

My resume has been worked on over and over, and has had many different forms and images. It has seen so many different designs, I’m sure it’s as tired of being worked on as much as I’m tired of my fingers hitting a keyboard.  Since it is getting closer ad closer to my graduation date, I have found that my main time is spent editing and writing, fixing designs and applying for jobs.

            In the last three months alone my resume has been updated five times. It has had everything moved around and reorganized, and had my new logo fixed and correctly applied to it. Because of the fact that everyone I talk to has a different opinion about how a resume should be set up, the resume keeps forming. I’m not changing it to be in the form of those opinions, what I have been doing is finding way to take what people have felt most important or a must do and apply them all to the resume.

            By doing this I am hoping to create a resume that is not only appealing for most people to look at, eye catching, but also as effective as it can get. When it comes down to it, being effective is the most important part. What’s the point of making something eye catching, if as soon as they tried to read it they were lost or didn’t like the wording? This is why effectiveness is very important.

            My next step for my resume will be using Optical Resume to see how they would set it up. It’s a professional site that helps you create an effective resume the best you can. Once I get everything into Optical Resume I will take what it says is best and apply it to my current resume.

Week 6 Photo Challenge: Special Effects

I talk about my short “The Survivor” a lot, the reason is it has gone further then any other short I have done. I’ve been a part of a television show for VegasTV, but when it comes to creative work, it’s the only short to get “Official Selection” in film festivals, and even got shown all the way in Florida.

“The Survivor” was also the first thing I created were I had to do the Visual Effects myself. I’m use to hiring a visual effects artist. When I know I can’t have one I plan on only Special Effects, effects that are practical and I can hand make. I’m good at things like making mask or squibs, a device that shoots fake blood to make a gunshot look. When it comes to Visual Effects I only knew the basics.

The reason I had to do my own Visual Effects is because my artist I hired had a family emergency and I couldn’t get a second one to commit because they were too busy with classes. This left me with watching a lot of tutorials, and reading lessons on how to get done the task I needed.

For this shot of “The Survivor” I had to use about 6 different layers. The City was broken up into 5 parts. I had to make sure they were all cleaned up and I can fit them together to fake a complete city. Then I had to add the city into my footage. Blending and color correcting too a long time to get as close as I could. Once I had that I had to color correct the scene.

For “The Survivor” all color correction was done in After Effects. It was important to try and get a good contrast with a solid off orange color. Each shot was slightly different, but doing the whole short in After Effects helped keep a close enough continuity of color that it was the best way to do it.

Week 6 BOC: Monty Lapica

Monty Lapica is growing to become a Las Vegas homegrown celebrity.  Born and raised in the Las Vegas area, he had big dreams an wouldn’t stop until he reached all of his goals. He’s a filmmaker that gives back to his beloved hometown of sin city, and he is always moving forward.

            Winning two academic scholarships, Monty graduated Magna Cum Laude from Loyola Marymount University's School of Film and Television. Just graduating wasn’t enough, while in school he began to dream of bigger plans. This is when he started forming his feature movie “Self Medicated”.

            “Self Medicated” is a feature film that Monty produced, at the age of 24. It tells the true-life story of a 17-year-old boy, Andrew, who’s life begins to spiral out of control.  Not being able to move on from his father’s death, Andrew turns to drugs in order to make it to the next day. Andrew’s mother is at a loss on how to help him, and pays a private company to kidnap him and lock him up into a psychiatric institute. There he is subjected to physical and mental abuse and awakens something deep inside himself, and must find a way to get free of the medicated prison he has been forced into.

            Monty’s film premiered in 2005 and quickly took the international film festivals by storm. With over 25 awards won world wide, it became one of the biggest hits and must seen Indy Films of 2006. His movie, “Self Mediated” was such a hit that Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman officially declared August 31^st to be “Monty Lapica and Tommy Bell Day” in honor of the theatrical release. This wasn’t the only thing to push Monty forward however.

            Monty has given back to Las Vegas in many different ways. One of the most noted ways is the creation of the Las Vegas International Film Festival. This festival grew to become the largest independent film festival in Las Vegas. He also served as an advisory board member on the Marty Hennessy Junior Tennis Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization that gives to underprivileged children.

             With a very successful feature film made, a production company built, and charitable events, it would seem like life should slow down. For Monty it is the opposite. Monty told Las Vegas Business Press that they are currently working on a Toyota campaign that will conjunction with AOL and Saatchi & Saatchi. He is proof that as long as you put in the effort, anything can be reached.

Weekly Photo Challenge: In the Director's Chair

For this weeks photo challenge we were told to Photoshop ourselves into the director's chair. It was meant more for us to be able to show our skills in Photoshop more then anything. I used 3 different photos, and used the chair photo twice. I took the photo of the director’s chair and cut the bottom and top apart from each other. I place the picture of me on top of the bottom of the chair, then matched the size of the top of the chair and layered that on top of the picture of me to make it look as if I was actually sitting in the chair.

I chose the image of the desert because it looks like the scene from my short “The Survivor”. The last part of the short was all shot on the dried up lake bed out here in Las Vegas. I felt that even though I was making a fictional picture, it would feel better if it was based on a short I directed.

I feel that society, even my own family has a weird belief of what a director does, or acts like on set. They like to think all Director’s do is sit in a comfy chair, bark tons of orders, and lets everyone else do all the hard work. Today’s modern director tends to get very hands on and involved more. They spend more time next to the camera, but helping moving things around and standing as close to the shot as possible.  Even JJ Abrams got hands on while shooting Star Trek by standing behind the camera every now and then, and would tap the back of the camera to give it a shake effect.

To further this feel I’m adding in a picture actually took at the set. The picture was taken by Johnie Wood, and it does show me kind of barking orders, but I’m not sitting in a comfy chair relaxing. 

Week 5 EOC: Midterm Eval.

For this Class, Presentation techniques, I started off really rough. Due to unforeseen sickness, I missed the first week of almost most of my classes. Missing one week in this class put me far behind everything. It’s amazing how much you can miss when not being at a location in just only one day. I missed the Film Festival Assignment and started off on the wrong foot for week two.

For week two I was not one hundred percent positive on what was needed in my use or creation of my blog. This was an important week since our main blog post was to create a video on http://www.xtranormal.com/. We were assigned to create an animated video on the sight and incorporate it into our blog post, while also writing three hundred words on why we did what we did and used what we used.

By not having this it gave me a ton of work to try to get caught up on for week three. This meant more time then usual to get to the same point of everyone else in the class. Not hard to do, just putting in the extra elbow work and time I should have been putting in the week I should have been in class.

After getting caught up on tweets, posting as many a day as I could, and my blogs I found myself back on my feet running. Able to keep up with the rest I was now capable to try to get a head start in thinking about my business plan and what I wanted to do. But, of course, as most great ideas happen, I found the hidden gem in my business product and need to form the plan more to that need.

Week 4 Photo Challenge

“The Survivor” is a three-minute short I made in 2011. It’s a post-apocalyptic short about the after mass after the world changed drastically overnight. The atmosphere had a sudden and unexplained change, 80% of the world population disappeared and strange creatures roam the earth eating anything in their path. Jason Korinth was recon in the military before the sudden change and now serves his new community finding supplies and other Survivors. Don Kaffie follows Jason out sometimes, but is not as brave. The third character is The Survivor, who we never learn her real name, and in the full story I created they end up calling her Su because she refuses to say her name.

I wanted to prove that people could be working, going to school, and create an outside project on their own time.  I spent about one month on pre-production, writing and fixing the script, finding locations, casting actors, getting small crew, and finding all the equipment and money for props and costumes. All of that, and right before shooting I had to create the room and decide of a color feel for the movie. After all that shooting was only two days that took place in a one week span. Shooting went as smooth as it could, with some stunts that included pulling Johnie Wood IV down a hallway by a vest under his jacket.

For the poster I took the design from the titles of the movie. The bright orange light helps set an uneasy mood for the film. The broken text shows that something is off about the world. The main characteristic about the poster I want people to know about is the use of the character Jason as the “I” in survivor. By the fact the movie share its name for a character, most think that that is were the title comes from. In fact the title is about Jason. Jason lives in a world were people have gone missing; even his wife of 3 years, and those left are as quite sane. He faces death almost every time he leaves the small community they made, yet he always finds the will power to keep going and survive. 

"The Survivor" has made "Official Selection" in two film festivals.

Week 4 EOC: Executive Summary Rough

When People think about Las Vegas Motion Pictures and Television, they think cheesy commercials, low budget corporation videos, but almost no one thinks about the serious side of filmmaking and video production. Royal Bear Media is a Motion Picture and Television Production Company dedicated to serving the growing want for serious productions in the Las Vegas area.

            With the rise of Independent Filmmaking not slowing down, it is important to help the people longing to bring an idea or script to life. We provide gear, crews, actors, and means for inspiring creatives to bring their work to an audience. Weather they want to create a short film, feature, a television show pilot, or a web show, we are there to help them grow.  With a database of local actors, crew, and locations, we help take the load off the shoulders of our customers so they can focus on their dream.

            There are a few production companies that attempt to do this. For most production companies in Vegas, they tend to focus on commercials and cooperate videos. Some venture off to make videos of sport events, or music videos, but almost none have focused on the rising need to help create story.

            There are many film festivals, events, and even an Independent Theater that people want to be a part of, or make things for, yet no one is there to give them a chance to find help. We will focus our company on those creative wants and needs. Having one option for an Independent Theater is not enough anymore, our offices will include a theater room for release parties and events. We understand the growing use of media and all the new forms, so we can offer options to our clients weather their video is going to DVD, a webpage, youtube, or even iPhones and iPads.

            While we will be serving the needs of our clients, as a production company we can’t limit ourselves either. We will be looking for material to create some of this media ourselves to sale online or into festivals. Our short-term goals is to become established as the top option for creative filmmaking in Las Vegas. We want people to know that if they can dream it, we can help make it. The first year will be finding those clients and bringing in enough money to cover our financial needs, within five years we will be able to be big enough to bring more work and attention to the film community in Las Vegas. Starting we will be small, with only one full time worker and one part time and contracting out positions. People don’t just need us, they crave for us, because “Every video deserves the Royal treatment”.

           

Week 3 Photo Challenge: Storyboards

For my photo challenge I’m sticking to a simple, but effects commercial approach to my storyboards. Sometimes the best commercials are the easier ones. You can have an easy commercial without having a cheesy one. They don’t have to look low budget either.

                In this storyboard challenge I took a slight Pledge and Old Spice style take, but added my own twist. I decided to go for 24 Hour Fitness, because it’s a service that many different people like to use for many different things, which opens me up to even more possibilities. By opening up more ideas it helps the creative process flow without being locked in to it only does this for this person. Many people get stuck into the idea of a service is only good for a particular person, but 24 hour fitness has many things many different people like to use all available at the same time.

                In my commercial it starts out with a guy lifting weights, he stops and looks at the camera to say his lines. The camera is always moving to the right at all times. It moves slow for each person to talk, then speeds up really fast to hide the edit into the next room before slowing down again. By doing it this way we can show eight different people doing completely different things they enjoy. On our ninth move it stops on the titles saying “24 Hour Fitness”. For each person we show they say one line about their activity they are doing.

                A commercial like this can show great diversity. It’s opening up to a wide range of people longing to be or stay in shape, but may have time issues because of work. Plus we will have a style that is slightly different, but has a hint of familiarity.

Week 3 EOC: Where are you now and where are you going?

I'm at a point in my life where choices rule all. It's my last quarter in my journey to get my bachelor's degree in Digital Filmmaking & Video Production. It's been a long and treacherous journey. I've had to take a lot of extra steps to even make it this far in life. After high school I worked two jobs for a year trying to pay rent. After that, to get out of the small town I lived in, I joined the military. I wasn't able to go straight into college. I had a few grade issues, and didn't even know where to start in looking for a chance to get scholarships. Even doing all major plays, being president of Drama Club, Journalism for 3 years, and even was Student Body Secretary. With no other options I knew about, Military was the way to go. After 5 years, a tour in Iraq, and the loss of my brother, it was time to follow my dreams. Now here I am, a couple months until I graduate, and I have many choices to make. Choosing the areas to look into moving to, and jobs to apply for, have been at the top of my list. I've been accepted for the MFA in Motion Picture and Television with a focus in Producing program at The Academy of Art University. They have a great online program that will make it so I'm not limited to moving to the school. With all the choices open to me, it's almost overwhelming. As for where I am going, if everything goes as plan, in three years I will have a feature film completed for my graduate project. My dream is to not only have my Master's, but even my PHD, and be a Film and Television Producer.

Week 2 Photo Challenge: Professional Photo of you working

This photo of me was taking during a three camera shoot for a television reality show pilot. We were shooting the show titled “Sound Check”, it was a reality show about local artist here in the Las Vegas area. We interviewed five bands for the pilot show, and it got cut down to three. One of the bands that we got to interview was Alien Ant Farm. Alien Ant Farm was a big band in the early 2000’s that are making a comeback right now. They started their new tour in Las Vegas, right after being shot for the cover of AMP magazine. 

The interview being shot in the picture is with the local band “Crash Kit” who got to open up for Alien Ant Farm. My main role for the show was producing, but we wanted a three camera shoot for the whole show so I had to step in and help with some camera work. I’m seen here with an HMC150. We had our talent in front of a stage for the interview. 

Overall for this project, I served as Producer, Camera Operator, and editor. We had only a two week deadline to get the complete half hour show shot, edited, and turned into VegasTV for airing. For cameras we used two HMC150, a JVC GYHM700, and at time a Canon 7D. It was shot in over five locations, all of which I got the legal paperwork signed and worked out. 

For editing I used Avid Media Composer. It’s the editing software I am most comfortable with when being rushed. I used Final Cut constantly, but Avid Media Composer is the fastest for me to hit the ground running and get it done. In the two weeks the shoot was done I had put in almost 90 hours of work. It’s an experience I wouldn’t trade.

BOC - Film Festival

This is my movie for the Film Contest assignment. It has two characters who are aliens in the sewers talking about their experiments with humans. One of the aliens takes it too far and talks about earning his street credit by “putting a cap in a homeless man”. This freaks the other alien out, but the one admits it was a joke and he got it from watching too much Law and Order.

I chose this setting and characters from the idea of where would aliens hid in such a populated area such as Compton. In a town of that size they would be forced to hide in a remote area such as a sewer. I felt like it was the most appropriate out of all the settings offered.

They choices in voices were one of the easiest. Bald little aliens, in my opinion, would have higher pitch voices. So the commanding alien I went with a little boy’s voice. For the “Street” alien I went with the hip-hop voice to add to his confusion.

I decided to pick out some of my own movements for the characters. A lot of them were in reaction of the “Street” alien and preformed by the commanding alien. I chose camera shots in such a way to highlight close ups when saying certain lines.

The basis of the story started out as an idea of how media today would make an alien react if it watched it. We always talk about how it corrupts or shapes our children, so I wondered what it would do to a species that doesn’t belong on earth. Would they believe it and do things, dumb thing, like some humans do? Or would they see it as one big joke?

Oh and to put in a current topic I added in the bit about Tupac for fun. Getting the voices to get close to saying Tupac was the hardest part.

Week 2 EOC: Get Some Copyright Law Under Your Belt

There is a lot of information out there about copyright law and intellectual property. It is important to know where to go for help though if you do have questions or run into a problem you don't know how to solve on your own. Here is a list of places with links that can help.

Intellectual Property Office : http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/copy/c-applies/c-tvfilm.htm
Intellectual Property Office is a site that will help anyone with any Copyright, trademark, Patents or any other services. They have pages to help answer questions, assist a new or existing business, or even just help educate about Copyrights and similar services and why they are important.

Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants For The Arts: http://www.vlaa.org/?view=Film-Intellectual-Property
This is exactly how it sounds. They are a group of Accountants and Lawyers who are based in St. Louis and volunteer their services to help others.

United States Patent and Trademark Office: http://www.uspto.gov/inventors/assessment/
Not only do they actually do the work they help answer questions and willing to help. They even have an assessment test to help you understand what you need and what you need to do about it.

Briffa: http://www.briffa.com/
Award winning firm of lawyers who specialize in intellectual propert. The firm is based out of London.
They are experts in things like Brand Strategy and trademark portfolio management.

The Law Offices of Sayson & Associates: http://www.saysonlaw.com/howWeCanHelp.php
The Law Offices of Sayson & Associates help with many different categories, including consumer products licensing and Evolving New Media Production. New Media Production is producing things in means other then television, films, magazines, or books.

Week 1 EOC: What sacrifices are you willing to make for your Career?

In the field I’m trying to join, Motion Pictures and Television, sacrifice in inevitable. It’s a hard field to get into to start with, but once in there are still as many sacrifices and problems and trying to even get started. Some people sacrifice their want for family, time with loved ones, or even their own beliefs and creative control. So it makes it one of the biggest and hardest questions to ask yourself.

I’m willing to sacrifice my time. I know by doing this it will take away from time with the ones I love or family I may have in the future, but a choice has to be made in order to even attempt a life in their field. I am like most people. I love my free time. I love being able to sit around the house, do nothing, and sleep over ten hours a night. If I could do it for a living, I would probably be so bored it would drive me crazy. So is the answer to that going into a career that is known for working people over twelve hours a day?

Not only that but the times of days change constantly. Nothing is set when working in Motion Pictures and Television. One week you’ll work five in the morning to eight at night, and the next week you’ll work five days of six at night to seven in the morning. It’s unpredictable, long, and tedious. If you don’t love the work, then it will wear you down and eat you for a snack.

So then why would I choose to do it? Why would I knowingly sign up or pursue a job that I know, if I ever have a child I might not see them for a couple months? It’s because I do LOVE this job. It means more to me then my own health. (Last years 48 hour film festival I was still going even after becoming severely ill.) It’s a part of who I am.