I Love Action Movies

What better to do on a hot, humid, Friday evening than head to an over-crowded mall, and catch the latest summer blockbuster to hit the big screens.

Along with some fellow Wahoos, and former Filmmakers Society president, we headed into a sold-out screening of Wanted.  My movie-snobness never stops me from just going to a movie for the sheer entertainment of it, violence; action, movie stars, a perfect formula for raking in the dough and over an hour of excitement.  

I have to admit, I am an Angelina fan (post-Billy Bob).  Her ability to be a mom, kick-butt, and look incredibly hot not only gains respect from the ladies, but has it's affect on the gentlemen as well :)  

In Wanted, Ms. Jolie is part of an ensemble cast that features James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, and Common, just to name a few.  Mr. McAvoy redeemed himself to me after Atonement, that if you ask, I have no problem exclaiming how much I hated the movie, and thought McAvoy much better as the fawn in The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe.  

His take on the everyman, the plain, I have no life sitting here in this cubicle who choses to follow a fraternity of assassins, was convincing.  Angelina and Morgan Freeman's place in the film could not overshadow the action sequences which featured flying cars, hurling guns, looms, and falling trains, all cleverly weaved (no pun intended) together to portray suspenseful action that is worthy of summer hype, in fact it surpassed my expectations by actually including a plot that was both interesting and featured enough twists to keep you on your toes.  

This summer's attempt to bring back the blockbusters of yesteryear, where Will Smith was an invincible alien-fighter and Bruce Willis could save the world over and over again, has a promising line-up.  Having already indulged in Iron Man (still drooling over the technology that creates armored suites and robots in a matter of minutes) and looking forward to The Dark Knight, the follow up to Batman Begins (Christian Bale!), the movies are back, ticket prizes are rising ($11.00- a movie or a gallon of gas, you pick), and I couldn't be more excited to be entering the business that cashes in on all the action fun!

Check out the review by a film fanatic that went with me to enjoy the movie: Skew Reviews. 

 

I'm having another premiere

I'm finally settling into Arlington. 

I've attended two pitch meetings  for the pilot Your Week and have learned a lot about the decision making process and probably from some of the best in the area (producers who have produced show for NBC, MSNBC, Sundance Channel, PBS, just to name a few...).

So with the family on it's way in, I figure it's time to screen the film that I shot in Arlington only a few months ago and have since successfully premiered it at the Salmagundi Film Festival in Charlottesville, and turned it in to my advisors in order to graduate.

The Write Note stars Tim Ouyang and April Archer as high schoolers who find common ground in music as they deal with issues at home and at school.  You can view the trailer here. 

Even now as I look back on the film, the amount of things I've learned both technically and creatively since my experience working on it has greatly expanded. This is the first time I've written, directed, and edited a film with such length and narrative dialog.  It proved quite a challenge to conquer the logistics of such without a producer and planning most of it off site while I was in Charlottesville.  Yet the will of some Filmmakers Society newbies, talent who allowed me to trust them to do what's best, and local courtesy, everything got completed.  It's been a true blessing to see the support and excitement behind the film, yet I definitely cannot take all the credit, as a huge team of people came together both in Charlottesville and Arlington to make it all happen.  

So July 2nd, if anyone is in the Washington, DC/Arlington area stop by Busboys and Poets at 8:30 for some fun, film, and live music by Tim and Andrew of Tim be Told!

And maybe stay for the 4th... it's kinda a big deal around here :)

I finished a music video

Somewhere between finishing finals, graduating, and starting a job, I managed to shoot and edit a music video.  If it wasn't for my college apartment-mate Amanda bringing the sweet sounds of the musically inclined at UVA into my life, I wouldn't have to gotten the opportunity to get to know Tim Ouyang who starred in my thesis film The Write Note, and is the lead singer of the band Tim Be Told.  Their musical ability and chemistry has grown and blossomed in the year I've known them and I am extremely excited to see them go on the road this fall as well as record new songs.  

So inspired, and ready to make use of the little time I had access to some High-Def cameras, I felt inclined to shoot this video.  It's original concept being that Tim would start off in his home state NJ, and then travel to Charlottesville where he would join the band as a metaphor of all the forces and talent coming together to produce the music you hear.  Scheduling and budgets (ok, what budget?) didn't work out so I went with a way to display movement, travel, and a creative spirit by using a projection system and some footage I had shot and color corrected in order to produce something more studio, more live.  

I only hope that what is presented captures part of the essence that is Tim Be Told, both fun-loving rock prodigies as well as sophisticated musicians that take risks that have mass appeal and stellar sound.  I know that this is only the beginning for them and look forward to the day I can say, I knew them when....

I work in TV

Being the first job out of college, it's hard to comprehend being in a studio, working with well known producers, and getting coffee amongst other things.  

I'm sitting in the edit room right now deciphering what to make of what we did in re-shoots yesterday.  Who is to decide the look and the feel of the show or what to make of the hosts after research came in that there were just some unappealing aspects to the show.  

As I'm learning in the biz that if you show your face, a little bit of talent and competency, there's a good chance that you'll get work.  So there I was back in the studio on Saturday running rundowns, talking to the prompter, and ushering talent as a new script went to work.  

In describing the show, especially to anyone under the age of 30, I talk about a "Best Week Ever" PBS style, and now with a touch of Washington as partisan politics comes into play as the hosts discuss the issues.  It's interesting to be in the edit room where decisions are made and where executives milk out the details of everything from wording to graphics.  

You can view clips now online at www.yourweek.org  

* The above picture is from the shoot on Saturday, with Michelle and Rich at the table, with the Linn the stage manager in the shadows, and of course large green screens!

Amongst the craziness at WETA, I'm in the middle of unpacking boxes (or in denial of moving to Arlington) and working on a Tim Be Told music video.  Stay tuned, for an update on that!

I have a blog

Never did I ever think about hosting a blog, and until recent did I even venture to read them.

But after a conversation with my best Warrior Wahoo, Becca, checking out friends' blogs, and coming to grips that my friends and colleagues I've worked with over the last four years will no longer be near, and lastly, I seem to repeat myself without end every time someone wants to "catch up" with life I thought it was time to start.

I love to be creative and while I no longer have a school with materials at my disposal I thought this would be a great place to speak my mind. I currently write from the offices of WETA where I have been working over the course of that last month as a production assistant on a pilot titled, Your Week. http://www.yourweek.org/

The show is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and hosted by Michelle Cottle and Rich Lowry of the New Republic and National Review, powered by Reddit. Clips are now up online. I started work the day after, or should I say exactly 24 hours I walked the lawn for graduation at UVa and it's been an exciting and fast-paced ride for a first job, but more importantly, an opportunity to learn the process of main-stream media creation.

So here it is my blog, where I hope to feature updates and thoughts on projects I'm working on, events of my unpredictable life, or commentary on what's going on in both the real and digital world.

BIG love to the Hoos of 2008!