What's Going On, Malachi?

Overseas Collaboration

2012-01-25T22:06:00.001+01:00

I'm currently in Europe, and most of my film contacts are back Stateside in Los Angeles. And we're also wrapping up production on two commercials which were shot here in Europe, and are being edited, scored, and colored Stateside.

And the whole time, as the director, I'm working all but side-by-side with the producer, the talent, the colorist, and the editor, even if they're many time zones away.

Here's an example. Just this evening we had to re-record the voiceover for a spot we shot in Paris. The original VO was lost on a wiped card. If this were footage, it would have been a disaster. And since the talent flew back stateside with the producer and DP late last year, it could easily have been a disaster five years ago.

The Parisian shoot in question

But not today! We set up a miniature recording studio in the actress' kitchen, and over Skype, I coached her as she recorded the lines.

DP (and now sound recordist!) Boa Simon set up a poor man's sound booth:

Not a beat was missed. Once it was recorded, it was sent to me to QC, and then sent straight to the editor. I might as well have been in the same room.

Directors and producers of the new generation would do well to consider the potential of our newfound instant connectivity. It's not as necessary as it once was to actually physically move to LA in order to get projects done. Collaboration can now instantly cover thousands of miles, and the previous hubs of production could well disappear.

The future of production is coming! Or it might be here. Grab it!

"Ink & Water" : finally complete

2011-12-21T21:22:00.000+01:00

After over a year and a half, our sort-of-a-music-video is finally complete! Ink & Water was made with no CG, just water, ink, and some creative lighting. Shot by Boa Simon on 35mm and on the RED, the project was edited by Nate Orloff to music by Brian Andrews, who wrote the score after being inspired by the footage we'd shot.

Turn up that bass and enjoy!

Le Zola and "Contentment"

2011-12-02T12:20:00.001+01:00

Cinema Le Zola in Villeurbanne

Last weekend I had the privilege to join a number of other international filmmakers at the Villeurbanne Short Film Festival, in Lyon, France.

There were long shorts, short shorts, and Contentment played for the first time in front of an audience on the big screen. It looked great, and though it didn't win any prizes, the audience cheered me when I went up afterword for the interview, and told them how we made the film using equipment borrowed from a commercial we were shooting at the time. I have the feeling the audience was made up of mostly the rebel generation of filmmakers.

"Contentment" selected in France

2011-11-12T12:33:00.001+01:00

Contentment has been selected for the 32nd Villeurbanne Short Film Festival! Villeurbanne is a suburb, part of the greater Lyon metropolitan area, so I'm excited to attend and check out the scene. I love film festivals.

The only (hilarious?) caveat is the more I correspond with the festival folk, the more they keep mentioning that I was selected for the "First Short Film" section. I have a sneaking suspicion this means the first short film you ever made. Well, it's not exactly the first I've ever made...more like the 25th. I wonder how that confusion happened. Hopefully I won't be publicly assaulted on the subject.

I also have to do subtitles in French. Now Contentment can be as pretentious as possible! What's more pretentious than French subtitles, amirite?

Huzzah to movies!

Boa and Jenny Do France - and 3 new projects

2011-11-07T23:19:00.000+01:00

Glory upon glories, my great friends and cinema collaborators Boa Simon and Jenny Hou actually flew from LA to Lyon, France, where I'm currently living, to stay with me for two full goddamn weeks.

Well, we didn't waste the opportunity - we made it a working vacation!And out of it we got three pieces. All of these were shot with the three of us as cast and crew, on the Rebel T2i with a set of lenses, a tripod, and a handmade shoulder mount.

The first two are spec ads. One is for Velo'v, a bike service in Lyon where you can pick up a bicycle, ride around, and drop it off in another part of the city. All automated, very convenient. My storyboards looked something like this:

The idea is that it stays at the POV of the biker, changing backgrounds as he travels throughout his day. Boa, genius that he is, built a rig out of a steadicam vest:

The hat is my protection

Using this clever thing, we got exactly the angle I drew in the board. Then we rode all around Lyon, filming in various picturesque locations with Jenny:


In order to get the right angle, one must bike with their ass out and chest up, like a moron

Passers-by were surprisingly unimpressed.

The cool part about this spot is it required very little, and I think the effect will be visually very interesting. It looks like we got a bicycle handle rig, when all we needed was me riding like a fool and a 12mm lens.

After Lyon, we took a five-day trip to Paris, up north. There we stayed with a friend of mine, and filmed a spec spot for Coke - a kind of spontaneous travelogue. We tried to capture little moments and hints of narrative as we simultaneously toured the city's sights.

Shooting out the train window

In Versailles

In a Parisian cafe

Getting up at 6am is worth it

We found this one conceptually very difficult to shoot. There are plenty of commercials out there that are abstract and "moody" rather than narrative (see previous post), but to actually execute it, when you're trained to shoot for narrative content, is tricky. We tried to grab small glances, smiles, gestures, and light, and we're hoping the free form can be crafted into something emotional.

The end result is that we have a ton of footage - which I'm handing off to Billy Peake, an editor and Chapman alum, who will make signal of the noise.

Our final project is - yes, you guessed it - the 5th episode of our famous and influential web show, Danger! Relax, Please! : "Baguette Brawl." It's French themed. In a way.

I play the villain. There's a knife in the bread.

That's a real brain. A brain is involved.

This one was actually the most challenging to shoot. It was rainy and cloudy, so we fought that, and also in the winter it doesn't stay light for very long during the day. The final challenge was the brain - it smelled awful. I still can't get brainstink out of my kitchen.

But my philosophy with DRP has always been to try to get the most out of the least - find interesting locations, props, and costumes, and make it just pop like a cartoon.

Watch "Baguette Brawl" right this minute! The other two, the ads, are forthcoming...

Keeping busy in France

2011-10-17T10:29:00.000+02:00

I updated the Drawings page to include storyboards from a few films I've done, animations that I did (stop-motion and hand-drawn, crude but entertaining as hell) when I was 12 or so, and illustrations for an upcoming children's book series.

Next next week, my good friend and talented cinematographer Boa Simon and his producer girlfriend Jenny Hou are flying out to France to visit me. We're going to take the opportunity to film some stuff!

First up we have a commercial spot for Lyon's "Vélo'V" bicycle system, a sort of pick-it-up and drop-it-off-somewhere-else deal. Pretty neat, and I came up with a first-person POV ad we'll do that's simple and effective.

Next we're going to travel to Paris and do something atmospheric, ambient, and freeform, in some sense like the recent Levi's "Go Forth" ad campaign. We'll take advantage of Paris' lesser-known avenues and nooks, and capture something visually exciting and emotional.

And finally, I know nobody asked for it, but you know you want it - another episode of Danger! Relax, Please! will be coming soon. How can I resist?

Working with my hands; getting plagiarized by BBC

2011-09-02T16:59:00.000+02:00

I decided I wanted to build a model. So much of the work I do is on the computer that sometimes I get the need to work with my hands again. It's important.

The picture above is a drawing I did of the good ship the Merry Mariner, an adventuring vessel that I invented for a kid's book I'm writing. A windmill-powered boat? Can't buy that model in the store, gotta do it myself!

So I bought a thousand-pack box of popsicle sticks, a hot glue gun, and set to work.

Beginning stages...shirtless with cardboard

Cutting! Gluing!

Found the material for the windmill's sails in the trash

Painting! Red! White highlights!

So much red!

And she's done!

For scale

There you go, a scale model of the Merry Mariner, done from scratch. I can't tell you how much I'd love to make a stop-motion film with a model like this. But of course, it'd be 100 times bigger, and the sides would come off, and you'd see all the rooms and stuff inside...awesome.

In other news, a friend of mine sent me this link. To the left you'll eventually find a video ... a video which is eerily similar to my spot series for the Albuquerque Film Festival.

Glowing ball of images unraveled at dusk by a gathering crowd? Seems a little familiar, doesn't it?

Did the BBC rip me off? Who knows?

New 'do

2011-06-12T23:28:00.000+02:00

The site's got a new color scheme and new layout. Rough edges are still being smoothed - feel free to let me know if something looks crappy, or broken, or doesn't work.

Or just keep it to yourself. No one likes a complainer.

Meanwhile:

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Procrastination

2011-04-11T17:54:00.000+02:00

As is probably most unwise when trying to write, I'm reading a book on writing, called "Rules of Thumb," in which a bunch of writers give writing tips. Most are crap, but there are definite gems every now and again. One of them notes that a graduate research project revealed that 100% of writers of all varieties procrastinate. This must mean that procrastination is part of the writing process.

Which is great news, since that's what I'm doing right now.

I've also discovered a new medium of writing (aside from screenwriting) that is incredibly rewarding: children's fiction. Why that, of all things?

Here are the constant limitations that I find myself consciously or unconsciously imposing on myself during the normal screenwriting process:

Restrict the story and setting to feasibility on a low (or low-ish) budget
Avoid stereotype or cliche characters; make sure each one has a compelling arc and a complex multi-layered personality
Generally follow a three-act structure as a basic skeleton
Remember that adults want to see adult things like violence, sex, and profanity; at the very least explore the depths of emotional turmoil and the human experience
Deliver something new and fresh, but package it in a way that's familiar and accessible

Here are the limitations I'm finding writing prose fiction for children:

None; as long as your inner 8-year-old isn't bored, do whatever the hell you want

My kid's book is about a family that lives in a windmill-powered ship. They travel to strange lands having odd adventures. That's it.

It's incredibly therapeutic. Whenever I'm tired of chiseling away at dark, emotional stories of philosophy, death, redemption, and conflict, which take place in accessible locations, and feature characters with pages of background and soul-searching needs and desires, I write a little light-hearted tale about an awesome ancient city under a desert populated by mummies.

Let me tell you, after over ten years of writing stories which I knew I could go outside with a camera and make the next day, it's lovely to reach way back into my imagination and see what was locked in the "never gonna be possible" box (of course, it would be a dream to one day make these stories as a stop-motion animated film or TV show...).

'Cause I'm feeling charitable, here's a rough cross-section I did of the Merry Mariner, the adventuring ship.

Of Second and Third Drafts

2011-03-23T17:49:00.000+01:00

I'm discovering that I write in two-draft cycles. The first draft is a messy splatter of ideas, roughly kept in line by spotty and sometimes vague ideas of plot and character. Draft two is the clean-up. Characters and dialogue are straightened out and correctly tuned, scenes are combed straight of excessive description and other unnecessary frills, and themes, motifs, and plant / payoff elements are identified and strengthened.

This all sounds very orderly, but draft two is still, generally, a mess. It also at this point has existed entirely inside my own skull, and desperately needs outside opinion. So I send it to my closest and most trusted confidants, for what will hopefully be a vigorous and merciless review.

Then I wait, because they've got more urgent things to do than read my scattered, bloated script. I pace the room purposefully and drink a fair amount of wine (I'm in France, dammit, leave me alone), generally feeling lousy about my abilities.

I've now received their stern but fair input, and am working on draft three, feeling reinvigorated. It can be fixed! It can and must be made better! In order to allow myself to get back into the swing of things, however, I need another messy draft. While this one won't be as messy as draft one, draft three will still require a draft four clean-up. My writing cap and my proofreading cap rest on very different pegs - it's impossible, for me, to do both at the same time.

This "free" draft gives me a lot of room to screw up, which is what writing is all about - screwing up over and over again, less and less as you go on, until at the end there's something that is, ideally, in its Least Screwed Up state. Like radiation, of course, it never goes away completely. You just chip and carve at it until you can say, "well, that'll have to do for now."

Most writers have to leave it at that. Luckily, I'm also a filmmaker, so the tinkering's just begun. The Least Screwed Up script is just the beginning. Then begins the process of Least Screwing Up the casting, design, rehearsals, production, and editing.

Anyway, enough procrastinating. Back to ~~screwing up~~ writing.

Of Features and Web Comics

2011-02-21T10:15:00.000+01:00

Ten (10) days after landing in Lyon, France, I have conceived of, outlined, plotted, written, deconstructed, re-outlined, rebuilt, and re-written a feature film script. It's on draft 2 and going out for external review (aka, my friends will tell me what sucks). After that and a third draft, it'll be out to ex-professors and other more practiced eyes.

This wouldn't be notable (I've got a shelf of failed first runs at feature scripts) except for a few things. First, I'm excited about it from beginning to end. Most script ideas rely on a single spark of inspiration which guides you through the tedious (to me) process of writing a 90+ page screenplay. With this one, I want to dive right in to doing more and more drafts as often as possible. It's almost obsession - and I think that's a good thing. I haven't felt the same tug since La Nina del Desierto.

Second, it's designed to be made on a shoestring if necessary. All the parts were written specifically thinking about actors I know that I've already worked with before. Most of the locations are places I already have access to or feel confident stealing (shooting at without a permit). Assuming all the ducks lined up, I could get this baby started in less than a month, if that's what it came down to.

And that leads directly to the third reason why it's notable, which is that because I potentially have nothing to risk, I've written it for no one else except myself. I never allowed the external world to sit on my shoulder and say, "does this have enough drama? Is it funny enough? Is it interesting enough?" If something wasn't funny or interesting to me, it was taken out of the script early on. As such, it's a pretty niche film, but god damn if it won't be fun to make.

In other news, I'm still updating my weekly web comic about living in Lyon, Le Spleen en France. It's silly.

Finally, I'm working on redesigning my website. While I like the current style, I feel that it doesn't properly organize my work in an accessible way. It also fails to showcase other things I do, such as cartoons and web design, which are worth putting up (gotta make money somehow).

I've come up with this, and I'm pretty happy with it.

Now to actually make it functional...

And you thought you'd had enough

2011-01-30T23:12:00.000+01:00

Well, more absurdity is here. Episode 4 of Danger! Relax, Please! has arrived. Dare I say, this is the best one yet.

Fortunately for you and the rest of the internet, this will be the last episode for some time to come...I'm leaving on February 1st to France for six months. There I will be writing, reading, and also drawing a weekly comic for a web publication of which I am a part - Public Organ.

Au revoir!

You're in Danger of not Relaxing again

2011-01-20T01:30:00.000+01:00

It's a big, angry family! Episode 3 of Danger! Relax, Please!, my so-called "web series" (called so by me, reluctantly, at a loss for an appropriate term for web shorts celebrating narrative anarchy) is now online! This one features Cornelius the muppet, Angry J's twin brother. WARNING: not for anyone who hates or likes postal humor.

Episode 4 is forthcoming, much sooner than you might think...

In other news, I'm going to be moving to France for six months, starting in February. While this will put a halt to any actual productions I'm currently working on, it will allow me to set aside distractions (see above) and begin writing in earnest. This page will become more about the process of writing for the duration of the spring, until I'm back Stateside, at which time I will begin work on my first feature film.

Happy 2011!

"Contentment" Titling

2010-12-17T21:31:00.000+01:00

Contentment was recently invited by the Dallas International Film Festival, and it got me thinking - I should probably finish it. It currently has no credits, and that's kind of important.

I had an idea to do the credits handwritten, since the shooting and editing style was so loose and fluid. It would match better than some computer font. After searching around among my friends and colleagues, testing their handwriting, I discovered my good friend Candace Lewis' handwriting, which is quite nice.

So Candace helped me write out the credits, and now I'm working on photoshopping it into workable titles.

It'll be done soon!

[EDIT] It's done! Check it out.

Relax Again

2010-12-15T20:08:00.000+01:00

Shooting Episode 3 of Danger! Relax, Please! now. Yes, that's Dan McLellan in a sharp tie and 'stache, and yes, that's a "tripod" behind him.

Unfortunately, Boa Simon and Jenny Hou, the DP and star of our show, are leaving for the holidays, and we only filmed half of Episode 3, so we're not going to have the new episode done before 2011. I guess that's what happens when you don't pay anyone.

Second Unit Psychedelia

2010-12-11T20:25:00.000+01:00

A few weeks ago I was asked by a director friend of mine, Jay K Raja, to direct second unit on his short film The Drop. I'd never done second unit before, which on larger productions generally consists of shooting establishing shots of buildings or closeups of signs and such. When he explained what we were going to do, I couldn't wait to start.

Essentially, Jay handed myself and cinematographer Boa Simon a fish tank, some neon blinking lights, a number of inks, and both a 35mm and a RED camera - and said, "it's a trip-out scene."

So for four days, Boa and I played with ink, water, and light. You've probably seen footage of ink hitting water and making interesting shapes. Well, they wanted something a little more ... psychedelic. And after four days with a fish tank and inks, you start to get creative. I'm fairly certain you've never seen this kind of footage.

Below is a small sample of what we shot (password is "drop in"):

I'm really happy with what we got. Some of it just looks too weird - like computer graphics. Trust me when I say it's nothing but light, ink, and water. Pretty great for a second unit shoot!

Wyoming? Wy not? part deux

2010-12-07T02:42:00.000+01:00

Just returned from a very snowy Wyoming, and a five-day trip that was fun, relaxing, and hopefully, informative and interesting. A few photos from my talk with the Jackson Hole Community School follow:

It was a great time!

Wyoming? Wy not?

2010-11-26T19:52:00.000+01:00

In a few days I'll be flying out to speak with a community high school in Jackson, Wyoming. A local there saw my film La Nina del Desierto at the Reno Film Festival, where it won the Best Short Film award. She invited me to come speak to the students there.

And of course the Jackson blogosphere is already overloading with excitement and anticipation:

Well, I don't know about overloading, but I'll at least receive a cup of hot chocolate on my way in. And while I'd hate to saturate Jackson with too much Los Angeles irony, I hope they're aware that the photo and title "filmmaker extraordinaire" are tongue-in-cheek. I don't want them thinking some ego with legs and a cigar is going to walk in and yap about his important opinions and timeless oeuvre.

That costs extra.

If you haven't already seen it, you should head over to Danger! Relax, Please! and watch episode 2. And turn up your speakers, this isn't some artsy photogenic exploration of an old gravedigger's soul set to lonely acoustic guitar. This is entertainment, dammit.

Hey, you! Relax!

2010-10-21T08:06:00.000+02:00

Narrative anarchy is here!

Click to Visit Dangerously

The first episode of my much-anticipated (by me) web series, the not-very-relaxing Danger! Relax, Please! is now up online! And with it, its own website!

Jenny Hou is patiently ludicrous as the lead, Boa Simon brought his considerable lighting and camera talent way down to my level for it, and Brian Andrews supplied the rowdy music, channeling god only knows what Saturday morning cartoons.

I have to say, this is one of my favorite projects I've ever done. After sweating and toiling through formal narrative for so long, trying to develop a storytelling voice while still maintaining a basic level of classic filmmaking language, it's incredibly liberating to just cut loose and do whatever the hell I want.

Although there is a certain frantic rhythm to it.

Episode 2 is on the way. It's been shot (see previous post) and is in the cutting room now. Episodes 3 and 4 have been written and cast. What eye-popping zaniness will Angry J get herself into? What will she get angry at? What comical cartoonish sound effects will garnish it?

Stay tuned.

Why So Series?

2010-10-18T01:17:00.000+02:00

Recently, due to the unforeseen popularity of a very silly short I made, Water Worries, I've decided to embark on a new project: a web series.

It'll be truly unlike any web series out there - I only label it such because it exists on the web, though I hesitate to call it a "series," lest it imply some kind of consistency. Unless inconsistency is consistency enough.

All of this smoke and mirrors will become clear enough very soon - for now, dwell on this image.

Cartoonish faces courtesy of Scott Sullivan.

Meanwhile, Cut to Black is going well. We had our third or fourth script meeting today, and we're making sure all the elements will come together in a quality way. I've designed a kind of teaser site, which you can visit here.

A Six-Spoked Wheel of Collaboration

2010-09-11T21:17:00.000+02:00

Tomorrow will convene the second meeting of an upcoming production that is really very exciting. On the set of my friend and colleague Scott Sullivan's latest short film (my position was that of the noble dolly grip), Scott posed the idea of doing a Four Rooms-like film. The idea took root, phone calls were made, brows were furrowed, creative fumes were unbottled, and now the idea is a very real and very interesting one.

Though the project is still in its infant stages, the foundation is sound. Five directors from our Chapman graduating class of 2009, Scott Sullivan, Candace Lewis, Daniel McLellan, Adam Fox, and myself, each with a unique visual style, and thematic interests, will each write and direct a 15-minute short film which meditates on the subject of one's last day on earth - essentially, death. These short films will share characters, locations, props, possibly even scenes, to make them feel part of a whole. They will then be combined and bookended by a short parenthetical prologue / epilogue, written and directed by a sixth party, to unite everything.

The result will be a feature film which explores six interconnected perspectives on death, brought to life by the self-critique and creative collaboration of six writer/directors.

At the least it will be a fascinating experiment, but it has the potential to be a truly amazing film. Needless to say, I'm jazzed.

My segment, "Goldfish," about a comatose man whose mind is preparing itself for death, has a first draft written. Tomorrow we'll be discussing further production challenges and setting up timelines. We'll also soon be setting up a dedicated website and blog for the production, where all six of us will be updating our particular nooks. Look forward to that!

Brand New Website, Student Academy Awards, AFF Spots

2010-08-08T02:57:00.000+02:00

Welcome to my new and improved website! It's streamlined, it's tightened, it's retro. Have a look around!

While you're peering about you might notice a new project I recently finished up - three TV spots for the Albuquerque Film Festival. Check them out below:

La Niña del Desierto is also still going strong, coming up now on the 1 year anniversary of its festival run. Since Amsterdam and the Student Emmys, it's been a finalist for the Student Academy Awards, as well as hitting the benchmark of acceptance to 20 festivals. We've won Best Short in Fallbrook, Foursite, and Reno since May. The year will finish up with the Albuquerque Film Festival, and from there - who knows?

For now, it's time to focus on smaller projects, like these commercial spots, which give me an opportunity to work with my good friends again (see my Network to the right there), all incredibly talented folks. While we sharpen our talents on these small scale productions, I've got a much larger one in the works...

Film Festivals Galore

2010-06-06T20:17:00.000+02:00

Well it must be something in the wind, because where La Nina del Desierto was getting no festival response before, there's recently been a slew of acceptances.

We've got film festivals in Utah, Amsterdam, France, Fallbrook, Blue Jay, Newport Beach, Reno, Wyoming, Burbank, Canada, and Milan. Really exciting!

Screenings and Student Emmys

2010-04-24T01:04:00.000+02:00

More people seem to like La Niña del Desierto! It's screened at a few festivals now, including Cinestud in Amsterdam, a wonderful festival (apparently the oldest student film festival in the world) that flew me out and put me up in Amsterdam for a few days.

And shortly thereafter, we received the 3rd place Student Emmy Award from the College Television Foundation - an incredibly fun night, where most of the crew was reunited, and we all celebrated in classic Hollywood fashion!

We also screened at the Newport Beach Film Festival, where I met up again with Dani-Rose, La Nina herself, and we participated in a great Q+A.

Finally, we won Best Short at the Fallbrook Film Festival, our first "Best of" from a fest! This has been an exciting month.

Boa Simon wins ASC Honorable Mention

2010-02-16T00:09:00.000+01:00

Really amazing news - Boa Simon, cinematographer on La Niña del Desierto, and one of my very best friends, was one of four students who won Honorable Mention at the ASC's Student Cinematography Awards.

Considering that there were only two winners, one undergrad and one graduate student, this is a truly colossal achievement; the ASC considers Boa one of the six best student cinematographers in the country, based on his work on La Niña.

New Year, New Shenanigans

2010-01-18T02:26:00.000+01:00

I'm not one for new year's resolutions, not because I think I can't stick to them, but because the new year is such an arbitrary day. January 1st falls on absolutely no geological, astronomical, religious, or historical day of importance whatsoever. So really - why choose that day to start changing your life? You can start any time. I like that idea better.

Recently I've been submitting to a number of contests. I submitted to the Nikon Festival with my entry Contentment, which is also available here on my site now. It's an experimental piece but it turned out really great, I think. It's personal, moody, and short.

I also submitted myself for a New Zealand contest, and you can see my entry here.

And that's about it for now - I'm going to Sundance again this year, to volunteer. Should be an awesome experience!

Santa Fe Film Festival, 901 Victory, Experimental

2009-12-07T21:04:00.000+01:00

Best week ever.

First, the Santa Fe Film Festival. I flew down to Albuquerque, New Mexico, my home town, earlier this week, to screen La Nina del Desierto at Santa Fe. My editor, Dan McLellan, came with.

The festival was fantastic. We got all-access passes and mingled with other like-minded filmmakers and locals. We answered all manner of questions regarding feature versions of the short (currently being written), the history of the short (from high school), etc. It really was great fun.

I also got interviewed for the radio, being a local New Mexican, and that interview is up on the Press section. La Nina ended up being nominated for Best Dramatic Short.

About halfway through the week, we also received news that Dan, Dres Fischer Centeno, and myself won the contest for 901 tequila with our short spec commercial. We get $25,000, a trip to Las Vegas, and I get to put "Executive Vice President of Big Ideas" on my resume. Sweet.

And to top it off, last night I wrapped production on a very short experimental film shot on the RED with Boa Simon, starring Chris Payne and Rachelle Dimaria. I think it'll be neat - we shot downtown LA, the subway system, Long Beach industrial areas at night, and some other places that I think will really deliver, visually.

"Ragtime" and "Lincoln" Reviewed

2009-10-29T19:39:00.001+01:00

As you may or may not know, two of my shorts, Ragtime Ballad and The Silver Lincoln, are on IMDB and available to watch, in their entirety. Well, thanks to the internet's large audience of people with apparently nothing better to do, both films have received detailed, fair, and somewhat lengthy reviews.

Ragtime is "a job well done," "surreal and funny," and "worthy of a few chuckles here and there," according to one reviewer. Another praises Jenny Putney as "ravishing," and the Dandy's "snazzy top hat and wicked handlebar mustache," as well as Boa Simon's "astute" cinematography and Brian Andrews' "infectiously jaunty and merry" score, which "hits the jolly spot."

Lincoln is "definitely funny" with an ending that is "anything but funny," leaving the reviewer "torn." The acting and direction is celebrated as "fine." The keen critic also noted that "silver-colored coins are actually made of zinc and aren't particularly valuable."

I'm just curious how these folks managed to stumble on my films, and what could possibly make them want to write a detailed review of a little student film. God bless the internet, I guess!

Boa Simon up for ASC award!

2009-10-23T19:39:00.000+02:00

Thanks to his inspired work on La Nina del Desierto, my good friend and cinematographer Boa Simon has been nominated by Chapman University to receive an award from the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC). Very exciting!

Another Sketch

2009-10-19T21:33:00.001+02:00

Every craft requires practice. A guitarist needs time to fool around with chords and sounds. An artist usually has a sketchbook, not of complete pieces, but on-the-side musings. A writer will often keep notebooks full of stories that will never be seen.

A filmmaker isn't so lucky - between large, expensive productions, what are we supposed to do to stretch our muscles? Well, the best I can do is squeeze in a short film whenever possible.

This latest addition to my Sketchbook was created while Boa Simon, Jenny Hou and I were waiting for an interviewee to arrive for a recent industrial gig. In the ensuing downtime we pumped out this absurd piece of cinema, and while on medication recovering from strep throat, I edited and sound designed it.

So while they may not be flying us out to Cannes for it, it gave us an opportunity to use shots and sounds we've always wanted to use but never had the opportunity to. The shot above, for example, through the bottom of a bottle, was something I've been wanting to do forever. I even dug up the old schematic I drew for it probably five or six years ago:

Practice!

DGA and Santa Fe screenings!

2009-10-10T03:01:00.001+02:00

On Wednesday La Nina del Desierto premiered at a special screening at the DGA, or Director's Guild of America, in Los Angeles.

It was a really exciting screening, and it was great to see it on the big screen again, projected off real 35mm film this time. The print wasn't actually as nice-looking as when we screened it digitally, which was kind of a bummer. Still, I attribute that to a mis-calibrated theater and not to the print itself.

In other great news, La Nina was accepted to its first festival - the Santa Fe Film Festival, which is appropriate. I'll definitely be attending that. If you want to go too, the festival is December 2nd - 6th.

"La Nina" Screens at DGA

2009-09-15T04:39:00.001+02:00

I just received news that La Nina del Desierto will be screening at the Director's Guild of America on Wednesday, October 7th, at 7pm at the DGA's headquarters in Los Angeles, California.

La Nina will be one of the films representing Chapman University at this year's Dodge College First Cut Student Showcase. As part of this honor, I have received the Leo Freedman Award, meaning that the Leo Freedman Foundation will be paying for a 35mm print of my film! This is very exciting news!

Contact me if you'd like to attend - it's free!

New "La Nina del Desierto" Website!

2009-08-31T04:55:00.001+02:00

After a long enough time, I've put together a dedicated website for La Nina del Desierto. Check it out by clicking on the morose Javier:

It includes all kinds of wonderful stuff, including the new trailer! And information about the new DVD which is almost complete.

I just finished the making-of doc today, and it clocks in at a staggering 35 minutes. It's the longest piece of filmmaking I've ever put together. It's a very thorough look at the making of the film. If nothing else, it's a good alternative to a scrapbook for myself.

Old Spice Spec Commercial and a Cartoon

2009-08-11T21:59:00.001+02:00

We just finished and submitted our entry for Old Spice's spec commercial contest. Check it out:

The concept was by Boa Simon and myself, Boa shot and colored it, Michael Nie was the camera operator, Katy Echols is the lovely leading lady (I'm the bewildered chump at the end), Kyle Bjordahl drove the camera rig and gripped, Dan McLellan edited it together and did the special effects, and Brian Andrews composed the score. I directed and did the sound design.

Here's hoping we win!

In other news, I was digging around in a box of DV tapes I have, and I stumbled across some footage of a notebook in which I'd drawn frames for an animated cartoon. I don't remember drawing them, or filming the notebook for that matter, but I edited it together anyway! Enjoy:

New Site Look!

2009-07-29T07:20:00.000+02:00

After a very long day, I've revamped the site! It's got a slightly new look, new navigation, and new additions - such as my reel:

Overall I think it's a definite change for the better. The films page is still old, because that's going to require a major overhaul. For now - enjoy!

New Photos, Old Spice Spec Commerical, Cecils Pics

2009-07-20T20:05:00.000+02:00

I spent the last six weeks traveling through Europe with my family - Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, and France - and now my Photography section has been updated! Just click the image below to check 'em out:

Shortly after returning from my travels, my good friend and cinematographer Boa Simon called me up about doing a short spec commercial for an Old Spice contest. So yesterday afternoon and pretty much all through the night into early morning Boa, myself, and a skeleton crew shot this absurd spec with an even more absurd rig:

That's a Fisher dolly strapped to the side of our equipment truck, with the camera on the end of it. Boa and Michael Nie, the operator (who was also on La Nina del Desierto), stood back there and shot out through the open back door. The idea was that we get some head-on shots of this sports car driving along. Which is what we got!

Finally, here are some photos of the 2009 Cecil Awards, in which La Nina del Desierto won Best Picture, Best Director for myself, and Best Cinematography for Boa Simon. It was a great evening!

"La Nina del Desierto" Wins in 3 Categories

2009-05-19T07:25:00.000+02:00

La Nina del Desierto just won three Cecil Awards - Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Cinematography! A host of other excellent films were also nominated and won in various categories. Robert Brinkerhoff and Daisy Robinson, sound designer and production designer on La Nina, got nominated for other films that they did great work in.

The Cecils are Chapman University's awards show, named after Cecil B. DeMille, who gave some large amount of money or did something worthy of having the awards named after him.

What a night!

"La Nina del Desierto" Premieres!

2009-05-04T00:22:00.000+02:00

And it went great!

"La Nina del Desierto" Nearing Completion

2009-04-22T05:46:00.000+02:00

On May 2nd, La Nina del Desierto will premiere on the big screen at Chapman University. Until then, we're going to be scrambling to finish. By "we" I mean the editor, Daniel McLellan, the composer, Brian Andrews, and the sound designer, Robert Brinkerhoff. A lot of work has already been done, but a lot is left to do.

In the meantime, here's a poster!

10-Second Film Festival Submission

2009-04-13T18:52:00.000+02:00

Some geniuses here at Chapman came up with the 10-second film festival. Here's my submission:

Not including titles and credits, it's exactly ten seconds.

I think this is a great idea - not just for fun, but to keep exercising those filmmaking muscles. Keeps you sharp, and keeps your creativity peaking.

"Silver Lincoln" In NFFTY Trailer!

2009-04-03T19:10:00.000+02:00

I just saw the trailer for 2009's National Film Festival for Talented Youth, and The Silver Lincoln is part of it! Check it out below:

We're at the 40 second mark. Check out NFFTY's site.

New Old Miscellany

2009-03-30T21:33:00.000+02:00

I recently dug up some bonus material from Silver Lincoln and Variations on the Death of Gerald, consisting of deleted scenes and prank cuts (cuts of the film that are deliberately terrible that we show to friends and peers, passing it off as the real thing. The look on their faces afterward as they attempt to think of constructive criticism is priceless).

I also dug deep and found some old animations from my stop-motion days:

Way cool. They're up on the Archive's new Animation section.

Stills from "La Nina del Desierto" Footage

2009-03-15T02:19:00.000+01:00

Today we finally got a first look at footage from La Nina del Desierto, and it looks pretty impressive. Here are a few stills - keep in mind that it hasn't been color corrected at all, and in fact these frames are from a poor-quality scan of the film. They scan it at a lower resolution so that we're not editing with full HD footage.

Also note the "burn-in" numbers at the top and bottom - that's because for some reason our DataCine facilities at Chapman scanned our film at a 2.35:1 aspect ratio instead of the 1.85:1 that we shot at. Nevermind the technicality of it, the point is that those numbers will obviously be gone for the final product.

Click on the pic for a bigger version. Enjoy!

"La Nina del Desierto" Wraps Production!

2009-03-05T21:24:00.000+01:00

After two long weekends, La Nina del Desierto is finally in the can.

On weekend one, we shot all the day scenes. We started with a gorgeous sunrise, and filmed Javier waking up. We then moved to a dilapidated shack where we shot Javier's scenes with Costa.

For the next two days we moved to the desert - more specifically, a dry riverbed that had very loose topsoil. This dirt ended up stranding our grip truck and the picture truck overnight in the desert. On Sunday the grips spent - not kidding - five hours digging that truck out of the dirt. And then the picture car wouldn't start.

I mean, I guess that's what I get for writing a beat-up pickup into the script. You get a beat-up pickup. But still. The damned thing wouldn't start. It's like working with an animal that wouldn't do what it's supposed to do. What you're paying for it to do. AAA wouldn't go near it. Bill, the local horseshoer who owns the truck, had to come out himself to tow it.

Still, despite these and numerous other logistical headaches, we made our days - meaning we got all the shots we needed. That became my saying for the rest of production: "Well, at least we made our days."

On weekend two, we shot the afternoon and night scenes. On day one we shot an amazing sunset silhouette shot that I cannot WAIT to show you. Then it was Javier's nighttime camp scene. During the setup for this scene a huge 20-foot by 20-foot muslin (for reflecting light) came toppling over on top of another light, bending one stand and ripping a hole through the muslin. Sometimes I wish there was a way to hold certain key crew members financially responsible for their mistakes. As it stands, I have to pay for everything, and people who rig things up poorly waltz away, shrugging their shoulders.

I don't mean to complain. We made our day.

Day two was at the Four Aces, a gas station movie set, where because of another logistical problem (this one dealing with another truck that broke down) we didn't have a generator on set for five hours. That meant dealing with available sunlight, which isn't necessarily a problem - until the sun goes down.

Like I say. We made our day.

And on the final day, last Sunday, we shot some basic exterior shots of the picture truck driving around. Skeleton crew, nothing fancy. And on the final shot, right as we yelled "cut!", the truck stalled, stopped, and refused to start again. Ever. I guess it decided it had had enough.

Despite all problems, we made our days, the film is in the can, and I had one of the greatest experiences of my life. Working with a crew as talented and skilled as they were was a true privilege. Nobody needed help with what a c-stand is for or how to hold a bounce card. Nobody was intimidated by working with 35mm, which is a rare commodity in student productions. For the most part, everyone had a great attitude and a friendly disposition despite the often disheartening setbacks.

Working with the actors, however, was the capstone. Joaquin Garrido, who has worked with or knows personally most of Mexican cinema's big names like the Cuaron brothers and Guillermo del Toro, who has an IMDB list of credits a mile long, is one of the most egoless people I've ever met. He's very humble, keeps to himself for the most part but offers an educated opinion when asked. I've heard of actors like Ian McKellan physically changing when they get into character, but I've never seen it in action until Joaquin. He is a real artist.

Dani-Rose Gonzalez, who plays La Nina, is a little firecracker of a girl who has boundless energy and a huge heart. She was always willing to play around and have fun, but when necessary, she really snapped into character for the shots. She made trudging around in the desert a worthwhile experience.

Misha Gonz-Cirkl, who plays Maria, put up with a very hectic twelve hours at the Four Aces and a crew and cast that knew each other pretty well already. Like Dani-Rose, she seemed to be a well of energy and enthusiasm, always ready for another take and very communicative with what her problems with the scenes were.

Baxter Smith, who plays Costa, came one day each weekend. He's a very chill guy who brought a lot of great ideas to the table. He even came the second weekend, during a cold night shoot in the middle of the desert shooting a scene in which he doesn't even appear in person. Very generous with his time and his talent.

And of course, it was a blast to work again with Robert Benny, who was Lokesh in The Silver Lincoln, and who brought along his friend Dave Craine to be his partner in crime. They were so into it and so willing to do whatever needed to be done, I really wanted to give them their own subplot in the film. Maybe in the feature version, guys!

I want to thank everyone who made the production of this film possible. I hope to have a new page and stills from the movie up soon!

"Silver Lincoln" Screens in Seattle!

2009-02-16T06:20:00.000+01:00

The Silver Lincoln just got accepted to the National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY)! It will screen at the festival in Seattle, Washington, from April 24-26.

There's a chance I might attend this one. Could be a lot of fun!

"La Nina" Shoot Approaching

2009-02-14T04:17:00.000+01:00

I'm trying feverishly to jam all the pieces of the La Nina del Desierto pre-production jigsaw puzzle together before our first day of rolling cameras next Friday. Here's a basic laundry list:

My producer, Matt Sullivan, drove up to LA today to secure location permits, he has to get in touch with a set teacher for Dani-Rose Gonzalez, who plays La Nina, I have rehearsals with all four main actors on Sunday, yesterday we just finished making two dead body double props, I'm weathering prop gloves and a cooler, we have to meet with Chapman University faculty on Monday and Tuesday, I have to schedule the shots with my DP, Boa Simon, we have to rent an equipment truck and a generator, I have to find a place to rent chairs, tables, and sun tents for less than $30 a day, I have to get the prop CB radios to function off a battery, and Boa has to find time to pick up our 35mm camera package and film from Kodak next week. Jesus.

A map of the Palmdale area with our filming locations and photos.

Half the time I'm more excited than I think I've ever been, and the other half I'm scared completely shitless. I guess that's what it means to make a movie!

"Corner Store" Behind-the-Scenes Photos Up

2009-02-09T07:28:00.000+01:00

I had long forgotten about the stash of Corner Store pics from the shoot that were lying around on my hard drive, and just now stumbled upon them. Well, now they're up online!

On Tuesday, director of photography Joel Remke and myself will be heading back down to the actual Corner Store corner store to do some reshoots. I don't know if you noticed, but the exterior shots in the Corner Store that's currently online look really terrible in comparison to the rest of the film - that's because the rest of the film is shot on 35mm, night for day, and we had to go back during the day a few months later to shoot the exterior shots. Unfortunately, we only had an HVX digital camera available for use at that time.

Also, though the end credits piece of music is indeed an original by my good friend Tim Sauer, the middle piece is by Miles Davis, and needless to say we don't have the budget for those rights. So Tim is currently working on an original replacement piece.

Soon enough Corner Store will be 100% 35mm, 100% Tim Sauer. Won't that be nice.

"Silver Lincoln" Screens in Michigan!

2009-02-04T03:48:00.000+01:00

After facing rejection in a few other festivals, it's nice to announce that The Silver Lincoln will screen as a part of the East Lansing Film Festival in Michigan!

I hope it does well. We'll find out in March!

"La Nina" is Cast; Now on IMDB!

2009-01-30T18:46:00.001+01:00

Thanks mostly to the tireless work of my casting director, Cambria Hankin (who I'm plugging not so you'll be impressed with me, but rather with her, and be inspired to hire her), La Nina del Desierto has been completely cast!

Joaquin Garrido as Javier Martinez, and Misha Gonz-Cirkl as Maria

Baxter Smith as Costa, Javier's boss, and Dani-Rose Gonzalez as La Nina

In addition to the above, I've also cast Mitch Yapko ("Thomas" from Variations on the Death of Gerald) and Robert Benny ("Lokesh" from The Silver Lincoln) as two of Costa's goons. I always like working again with friends.

I'm really excited to start going now. I've also been working hard on props recently, gathering all manner of beat-up gravedigging paraphernalia. It's fun.

But in infinitely more awesome news, two of my films, along with most of the crews for those movies, are now up on IMDB! Apparantly being considered for inclusion in NFFTY (National Film Festival for Talented Youth) was good enough for IMDB. So check out The Silver Lincoln and Ragtime Ballad, along with pages for my good friends Boa Simon, Brian Andrews, Daniel McLellan, and myself.

Sundance - Day 6

2009-01-21T18:17:00.000+01:00

I spent most of the day today snowboarding. I didn't have a film until 6pm, and with a world-class ski area literally sprouting out of Park City, how could I resist?

At 6pm I had what I thought was a panel discussion with director Steven Soderbergh. He was supposed to talk about his previous films, like sex, lies, and videotape (which put Sundance on the map) and his latest, Che. Instead, he gets up there and says, "we have a movie to show." And then he plays his latest film for the very first time.

It's called The Girlfriend Experience. It was an ultra-cinema-verite film with a fractured narrative and all amateur actors. I liked it. I'm not sure how well it will do if it gets a wide release.

Directly after that I saw my final film at Sundance - Manure. It was a very stylized film about competing manure businesses. It was awful. It was so bad. It was derivative, predictable, nonsensical, embarrassing to watch - I wanted to walk out. Luckily the visuals were interesting enough to keep me. I couldn't believe that a film like that made it into Sundance. It was horrible.

It was so bad that when the directors, the Polish brothers, and the actors, including Billy Bob Thorton and Tea Leoni, came up for a Q&A, there were no questions. It was really, really awkward. Everyone thought it was stupid. Because it was.

Luckily we were out before long. And coincidence upon coincidences - it turns out that one of the actors I cast in my thesis project, La Nina del Desierto, happened to be at Sundance as well. He works for a PR company that throws parties, and he was able to let us in to the Manure after-party. A few of the minor actors were there, but the main ones weren't. Too embarrassed, I imagine.

I was sad that the last film I saw at Sundance was the worst I saw. I was on a roll of good films. But tomorrow I fly back to California and then it's La Nina straight for the next three months!

Sundance - Day 5

2009-01-21T00:54:00.000+01:00

Today I had a few hours off in the morning before my first show, so I strolled down Park City's downtown area. About halfway up Main street, I saw about 60 people crowding around a jewel store or a restaurant or something. I saw they all had cameras, and when one of them started saying to the others, "sorry in advance if I push you out of the way," I thought I would stick around to see mob mentality in action.

Well, I sat there for 40 minutes and nothing happened. Supposedly Jim Carrey was inside, and all the paparazzi was waiting for him to emerge. It was nice to sit there and see the people go by (including Paul Giamatti again and Bill Hader), but Jim Carrey just isn't 40+ minutes interesting. I walked up to the top of main street, checked out Sundance's bitter cousin festival Slamdance, and went back - and the paparazzi was still there, waiting impatiently. I'm sure Carrey had slipped out the back hours beforehand.

The first film I saw this day truly changed the way I perceive movies. The movie was Johnny Mad Dog, but I have a hard time referring to it as a "movie." A movie generally has a story, character development, obstacles that the protagonist has to overcome, etc. Johnny Mad Dog featured child soldiers in an unnamed African country (though it was filmed in Liberia) basically yelling and shooting people for two hours. It was very well made, but honestly, the terms "like" and "dislike" don't even apply. It was an experience. It made City of God look like Peter Pan. But even that analogy doesn't apply. It was unlike any other movie that exists.

Afterward, at the Q&A, the director talked about how the kids in the movie were real child militia soldiers during the war. He lived with them for over a year, learning about how they lived and what happened, and taught them to act. I couldn't shake the feeling that it was, at some level, cruelly exploitative. I mean, this guy is asking these kids to re-enact beatings, rapings, murders - all things that they probably did in real life. And that thought disturbs me.

After a film like that, I spent a good amount of time with my brow furrowed, having dark thoughts about filmmaking. I wasn't exactly in the mood for another film, let alone a violent one, but I had Bronson coming up immediately afterward, and I'd heard it was good. So I tried to go in with a completely open mind.

It was great! It wasn't really that violent a film - more a meditation on violence. It was the story of Charlie Bronson (not the American actor), Britain's most violent prisoner. It basically tried to portray his acts of violence as, in his mind, a work of art. I thought it was actually very light-hearted for such a gloomy subject.

Sundance - Day 4

2009-01-19T05:12:00.000+01:00

I got up today at a glorious 12 noon after a long night watching movies. I made myself a large breakfast and headed out to the movies once again.

I saw Sin Nombre, a film by an American first-timer who developed the script at the Sundance Institute. It was a very hard-edged film, about a Honduran girl and a Mexican ex-gangster making their way to the border. It was violent and incredibly rough, but also very heartfelt as a relationship develops between the two of them. Not for the feint of heart.

Afterward the director, production team and a few of the actors came up for a Q&A. The main actor, who played the Mexican gangster, was Honduran himself. He had never been in a film before. When he walked up to the podium to answer a question, the audience gave him a standing ovation. He couldn't get through the answer because he was literally weeping. I've never seen anything like it.

After that we headed to a condo where a friend of Chapman's film school gave us a wonderful home-cooked meal, much welcome after having to fend for myself between movie screenings.

At 11:30 I found myself in my favorite movie at Sundance so far: Black Dynamite. It was made as a loving tribute/satire of old 1970s blaxploitation action movies, complete with bad kung-fu, a funky soundtrack, and brilliant one-liners by the man himself, Black Dynamite. It was exactly my sense of humor, and everyone in the theater was digging it as much as I was.

Afterward I went up and thanked the director and star for making my Sundance experience so far.

Sundance - Day 3

2009-01-18T21:19:00.000+01:00

I slept in this morning for the first time in a while. I went at noon to see The Clone Returns Home, an arty Japanese sci-fi similar in theme and tone to Solaris. I went in with an open mind, which, it turns out, is exactly what you need in this film. It moved verrrrrrry slowly. Sometimes painfully so. Still, I liked it. It was gorgeously shot (the best-looking film I've seen so far), and very philosophical, dealing with what happens to the soul when someone is cloned. I was inspired, and it stayed with me.

Following the screening I went for lunch with two of the other guys that were with me. The Egyptian Theater, where we saw Clone Returns Home, is in the middle of the old town area of Park City, where it's most popular to walk and soak up the small-town charm. That means that every place to eat is completely packed, and features a special Sundance menu with doubled prices. Still, we figured it would be worth it to eat out at least once. We ended up in a booth across from the guys who made Black Dynamite, a blaxploitation satire that I'm seeing tomorrow. The burger was good too.

Directly afterward we hopped on the bus and saw Cold Souls by a first-time director, a French woman, starring Paul Giamatti. It was about a place that can extract and store your soul, and Giamatti, playing himself, loses his soul to the Russian black market. Absolutely hilarious. Not the best film overall, but Giamatti owned the screen. A genius performance.

Giamatti was there after the show for a Q&A, but he looked completely miserable. I wanted to say hi to him, but I saw another fan take a photo with him, and he literally frowned in the photo with the fan. I decided to leave him be.

A few hours later, at 11:30pm, we went in to see Mystery Team, a comedy by the Derrick Comedy Group, who apparently have a huge online following. They demonstrate how thanks to the internet, success can come in so many different ways. Mystery Team is about a group of teenagers who used to be child detectives when they were kids, solving mysteries of fingers in pies and missing diaries, and still haven't grown out of it. They are then faced with solving a murder mystery, and the humor comes from grown-up children in adult situations. Also very, very funny, if sometimes they cross the line.

I'm starting to understand what makes this festival so important and famous. Every theater you go to is packed with people that are all excited to see the movie, and are all in some way passionate about movies. It's an electrifying energy. On top of that, I don't think you'll see a truly terrible film. It's Sundance. It will probably range from amazing to decent, but chances are it won't be awful. And that's good when you're seeing anywhere from three to five movies a day.

Sundance - Day 2

2009-01-18T05:05:00.001+01:00

On this second day I woke up early despite having been out late and headed to the Eccles Theater, Sundance's largest venue, to see Mary and Max, a claymation feature film. I was there about an hour early, so I got excellent seats. I'm not sure how many times I'll be able to repeat my luck there. The theaters fill up very quickly.

The film itself was great. I have a soft spot for claymation, since I grew up doing hours upon hours of it myself. But despite being a comedy, and being an animation, it was very dark. It dealt with depression, mental illness, suicide, and lots of death. Not something you'd expect from a film that visually reminds you of Wallace and Gromit. Still, very good.

Later that evening I saw The Missing Person, a neo-noir in the vein of Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye. The lead actor, Michael Shannon, was amazing as an antiquated gumshoe in the modern age. Other than that, the narrative meandered and overall it was very slow, but the director afterwards admitted to owing Raymond Chandler a debt, and that probably had a lot to do with the pacing.

Directly after that I had a ticket for Rudo y Cursi, the debut feature film from Carlos Cuaron, director Alfonso Cuaron's brother. This is the film I was most excited for, and I almost didn't make it to the theater. I was chatting with two guys I met after Missing Person, and we all stepped on what we thought was the right bus. Well, after about fifteen minutes of unrecognizable scenery going by, we realized the bus had taken us straight out of Park City. Now it's a half hour before the show and we're far from where we need to be.

We eventually found a taxi driver at a nearby 7-11 willing to take us back into town. By this point I'm frantically calling my friend James to hold us a seat, because for such an anticipated film, there's going to be a line around the block. Unfortunately, he's at the end of the line. Well, I arrive just as they're letting the snaking line of people into the theater. I look around, jump the line, and make it in long before James or most of the people in line. I snag the best seat in the house.

Rudo y Cursi is amazing. It's a throwback to Y tu mama tambien, Carlos and Alfonso Cuaron's previous collaboration, without being a remake or sequel. It's fantastic.

After the show there was a Q&A with the director, his brother and producer Alfonso, fellow producer and amazing director in his own right Guillermo del Toro, and the star Gael Garcia Bernal. They seemed like a very friendly, very passionate group of filmmaker friends. I was amazed how most people meandered with their questions. One guy started talking about his Mexican grandfather, and another guy stood up and goes, "I have a script written just for you, Gael! Can we set up a meeting?" All in front of 1,200 people. Ridiculous.

But what wasn't ridiculous is that I stepped outside after the theater emptied and met Carlos, Alfonso and Guillermo, who were standing around in the cold. Awesome.

Sundance - Day 1

2009-01-16T05:17:00.000+01:00

So as part of a class through Chapman University, I'm spending the next week at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. This week, the News section will basically be my journal of the experience.

The 22 of us in this class flew this morning from LA to Salt Lake City, Utah, and from there we piled into a giant private bus that took us to Park City, about 45 minutes into the mountains. Park City is where Sundance happens. Usually it's just another sleepy mountain ski town, but for this week in January, Sundance explodes into its streets. I've heard that the businesses here literally make 100% of the money they need for the year in this single week.

Park City itself is kind of like an Alpine Disneyland - all the locals know that they make their money from tourism, so they really ham up the "adorable mountain town" atmosphere, complete with strings of Christmas lights, pretty wooden condos, and niche shops. Robert Redford himself, the man who started Sundance in Park City, said that Sundance, as a festival, as almost nothing thematically or aesthetically in common with Park City. They just rent the town for a week.

It's also damn cold - which should be no surprise in a ski town where you can literally board a lift from the center of town - but it's definitely a change of scenery from LA, where recently it's been about 80 degrees.

Later in the evening I attended the Sundance opening night party, which was a big hoopla in one of the resort lodges in town. We had tickets to attend, which made us feel very special. The place was absolutely crammed with people. It became almost impossible to move from room to room by the end of the night.

Still, it was crammed with filmmakers, actors, and press - no one immediately recognizable, but everyone wore badges that explained what their position was and what film they were there for. Everyone was in a chatty mood, and it was by peering at badges that I was able to talk for a good while with Greg Hajdarowicz, the Polish producer of the Spanish/Brazilian film Carmo, Hit the Road, which is playing at Sundance. I lamented to him that I was unable to get tickets to his film, and we chatted for a while about his upcoming projects. He mentioned that he's looking into making his next film in New Mexico, and we exchanged cards.

It all felt very Hollywood. But really, we just chatted movies. And that's the great part about Sundance - everyone already has movies in common.

"Corner Store" and "Silver Lincoln" up in Hi Res!

2008-12-21T01:40:00.000+01:00

My two latest films are now up online, very large, on their respective pages. Check them out!

Eventually I hope to have the rest of my shorts up as large as these.

"Corner Store" Page Up, Video Conference, and "Nina" Updates

2008-12-17T06:27:00.000+01:00

Corner Store is finally 97% complete, meaning it's missing one music cue and a few of the shots are still HVX digital shots instead of 35mm like the rest, but it's complete enough to show. Check out the new page:

On the page you'll find more information about the short and a bunch of hi-res frames from the film itself, which looks gorgeous in HD. I'm looking into finding the best way to upload the film online - I want the quality to be as good as it can be for a streaming film.

Just last week we had a video conference with Korea in Chapman's giant theater, where we premiered Corner Store and the film that we helped crew on in Korea, Children's Games, as well as a documentary about the whole exchange experience.

As luck would have it, the entire hour-and-a-half video conference is available online. You can watch, as separate chapters, the Intro, which explains the program and introduces all the main players, and the Conclusion, in which Stephanie Altishin, Corner Store's producer, and myself hold a Q&A with our Korean counterparts.

I've also been working hard on La Nina del Desierto. I met with Joaquin Garrido, a potential to play Javier, and he seemed eager to take the part providing his schedule allows for it. Daisy Robinson, the production designer, has been digging up wonderful props for the film, and a week ago I went out with some of the crew and tech scouted our locations. Boa Simon, the DP, and I started designing our shots based on my storyboards and shot a few tests:

The 2.35:1 aspect ratio is intentional - that's what the final ratio will be. When all is said and done it will be really interesting to compare the storyboard, the test shot, and the final frame to see how certain shots evolved.

Picture Lock for "Corner Store" and the Results of Fermentation

2008-11-12T08:13:00.000+01:00

I just got back from a meeting with Robin Hartwig, the editor on The Corner Store, and we finally locked picture. That means there is to be no more messing with the video. The audio, both sound effects and music, however, will require ample messing-with in the days and weeks to come.

My good friend Dom Ricco has resurrected an old project of his, tentatively titled Visions of Life, and asked me to take a crack at his year-old script. I really love the premise. A wounded and bitter young soldier, confined to a restrictive neck brace, is stuck in a hospital room next to a friendly older Arab man, who describes in engaging detail what's outside their window. Though he hates the Arab man at first, he eventually has a change of heart, only to discover that the Arab man has passed on, and that he was blind - basically making up the scene outside the window.

I'm having fun with doing rewrites, and I'm really hoping that Dom can put this into production in the Spring. He was basically ready to go last year (some of the impressive storyboards are above) before he decided to pull the plug, probably because the script wasn't quite there yet.

Sometimes there's no cure for writer's block than letting it ferment. There's almost always a solution after you've put it out of your mind for a while.

"La Nina" Pushing Forward

2008-11-10T22:08:00.000+01:00

With a mere two and a half months left until cameras roll on my ultimate passion project, La Nina del Desierto, the pre-production materials are flowing. We've gotten our schedule and budget approved by the school, and subsequently our Green Light.

Furthermore, storyboards have been finished (see top and bottom), and, perhaps most exciting of all, our production has been selected to receive a grant from Fotokem. They will develop, for free, up to 10,000 feet of 16mm or 20,000 feet of 35mm film. This means we can essentially shoot as much as we want. Thank you, Fotokem!

Now all we need is a grant from Kodak for the film and a grant from Panavision for the cameras...

In casting news, I suppose I can reveal who we were romancing to play the lead role of Javier, since we never got through to him personally, and his agent very politely rejected us.

Danny Trejo is NOT Javier Martinez!

Oh well. The good news is, I scoured IMDB for other similarly-aged, grizzled-looking, Mexican-American bilingual actors who've had a decent amount of acting experience (I'm suprised I found any at all), and I came across Joaquin Garrido.

Joaquin Garrido MIGHT be Javier Martinez!

He'd be perfect. I contacted his agent and she said that he's in Mexico currently, but should be very interested in the role. Fingers crossed!

That's it for now. I leave you haunted by the pint-sized spectre that is ... La Nina del Desierto.

M. M. No More?

2008-10-15T08:55:00.000+02:00

I've decided to stop using "M. M. Rempen" as my pen/screen name. It's such a mouthful. And people don't know what to call me. Em Em? Mmmm? Eminem?

So now I'm just going to go by most of my full name - Michael Malachi Rempen. That way, those who know me as Michael or Mikey can call me that, and those that know me as Malachi can call me that too. End of story.

No movie news! But I did meet Sean Penn the other day.

Back to Booming

2008-10-07T00:31:00.000+02:00

I've decided that this part of my site should be more than just a plug for myself. I was watching an interview with Jason Reitman, director of Juno and Thank You For Smoking, two of my favorite movies, and he said that when he was at film school, he would have like to know about what other big filmmakers were thinking and doing in film school to get to where they were. Other stories that might motivate him to keep going.

That led me to think that maybe it would be interesting if I talked in a little more detail about what day-to-day life is like for me at film school. Not that I expect to be some big director some day, and that these blog posts will be feverishly pored over by film students clamoring to follow in my cavernous footsteps, but at the very least, I'll be able to look back on this later in life and remember what was going on senior year. Dear diary...

This last weekend I was the all-important boom operator on my classmate Scott Sullivan's senior thesis shoot, The Gory Details. Though I was doing it for class credit, I felt like it would be fun to be back on set. I like being on set, and the boom operator is a great position. You get to be right there in the middle of the action, but you're not responsible for all the heavy lighting and grippage. You can chat with the actors and you get to do a lot of sitting down. When it is time to hold the boom pole, you build arm muscle. I remember reading somewhere that boom operators make a lot of money. I can see why.

I'm working on the script for a feature film, and it's incredibly difficult. After having spent so much time working on short films, I feel comfortable with short form storytelling. There's a clear beginning, middle, and end, with little room for tangents. But the feature is a whole other beast. I have characters and a basic plot, but I know that if I start writing, I'll crap out at page ten, out of ideas. I need to have it totally outlined on note cards or something similar before I can really buckle down and start writing. That's difficult to do.

The other hard part is that you can't force ideas. Ideas come to me when and where they feel like it, and not before. It's usually before falling asleep at night, when my mind is shutting down. So that means that writing a feature takes as long as it takes my ideas to settle into coherent forms that fit with what I've currently got. It'll happen, I'm sure.

And now for the plug. The Awards page has been updated to look shnazzier. I think it's pretty sweet.

"Silver Lincoln" Screens in Santa Fe!

2008-09-30T05:25:00.000+02:00

I just got word that The Silver Lincoln was accepted to screen at the New Mexico Film Expo in Santa Fe this week! Now I have to find a way to get a copy from Orange, California to Santa Fe, New Mexico by the day after tomorrow...

In celebration, I revamped the Awards page. I'm not sure I like the new look.

"La Nina" Location Scout

2008-09-28T21:37:00.001+02:00

My DP, Boa Simon, and I recently went on a camping trip to scout some locations for La Nina del Desierto. We found some incredible places.

Click on the pictures to see bigger ones!

The Korea Times and the Corner Store

2008-09-23T08:30:00.000+02:00

A few weeks back, a lady from the Korea Times emails me for an interview, concerning the whole Korean exchange trip we did over the summer. I answer her questions, and she tells me where I can pick up a copy a few days later. Funny thing is, it's all in hangul, or written Korean. Still, it's worth putting online!

I've seen a few cuts of The Corner Store now, and it's looking like we're going to shoot some pickups. We never actually see the exterior of the store, and it might be good to get those shots to split up the film's scenes, which have trouble transitioning from one to another.

Other than that, I'm surprised how well it turned out. We were so stressed and unprepared when shooting it, due to the single week of pre-production we had available (the DP, Joel Remke, and I were making up shot lists an hour before the shoot each day), that I was worried it would turn out to be cinematic trash. But we got lucky! It's not half bad. Everyone else involved agreed, with equal surprise.

As for La Nina del Desierto, I'm working on procuring a certain Hollywood actor to play Javier in this reincarnation of my first short film. I won't say who until he says yes or no. Suffice it to say that you've definitely seen him before - this guy works like mad.

And I'm off.

More Press and More

2008-09-06T23:15:00.000+02:00

I've put up two more articles in the Press section. The first is an old one from high school graduation that I'd forgotten about. The second is more recent - it's in the Chapman University film school's magazine "In Production," and the article involves my trip to South Korea and the movies we made there and here in California.

Speaking of South Korea, I had a chance to watch dailies from The Corner Store, which is the movie that we made here after our trip to Korea. We made this when it was the Koreans' turn to have a cultural experience, and they crewed on our set. One of them even had a role.

Anyway, the footage looks decent enough (it was shot 35mm, it should look good), but it was hard to tell because we were watching it on this tiny screen, SD. I'm sure it looks great HD. It didn't look like there were many options, however, as far as coverage goes. Our editor, Robin Hartwig, certainly has her work cut out. It's hard to say at this point if it's going to be any good. I really hope it is! We all worked our hardest on it.

Pre-production on La Nina del Desierto is now in full swing. Producer Matt Sullivan and I have been working hard on casting and crewing up. Next weekend, cinematographer Boa Simon and I will go camping in the desert north of Los Angeles to try and find a few good locations. Should be fun.

In other news, I've had the wonderful luck of getting what is called the Hayde Scholarship here at Chapman University. It's not a financial scholarship. Basically, I meet once every two weeks with Chapman's filmmaker-in-residence, who this year happens to be Jocelyn Moorhouse. She directed Proof and a number of other films I haven't seen but definitely will! I'm hoping to talk with her about my forthcoming Albuquerque-related feature script, which I hope to have complete by the time La Nina is done.

Finally, The Silver Lincoln is 100% complete! I have a trailer up on its page explaining that I'm not putting it online because I want to submit it to festivals, and a lot of festivals won't accept a film that's available online. I also say on that page that a DVD of Lincoln (which is awesome, comes with sweet features) costs $5 plus shipping, but all I really want is money for the shipping, which should be around $5 anyway. In any case, contact me if you're interested in getting a copy and we'll figure something out.

"The Silver Lincoln" Trailer Online!

2008-08-27T19:23:00.000+02:00

Brian Andrews, on the eve of his departure to New York for the rest of the year, completed The Silver Lincoln score. With that done, the film is officially complete!

I have put up a trailer on the Lincoln page, instead of the full film. Why just the trailer?

Well, I'm right now knee-deep in pre-production for the remake of La Nina del Desierto, which will be my senior thesis at Chapman University. This film will cost me a lot of money to make.

I'm therefore putting together a Silver Lincoln DVD, complete with storyboards, behind-the-scenes photos, and other features, which I'm selling for a modest $5.oo, plus shipping. Every dollar will go toward La Nina, which I am aiming to make the best short film of mine yet.

Most film festivals won't accept a short film that's available in full online anyway, so until runs its festival circuit or the funding for La Nina is secured, whichever comes first,

If you'd like to see the trailer, click below!

If you'd like to support independent/student short filmmaking, click the DVD below to contact me about receiving a DVD of The Silver Lincoln in all its glory!

The Vault: Updated and Expanded

2008-08-24T03:40:00.000+02:00

I finally got around to uploading some of my really old, worthy-of-the-Vault material. The Vault is now 7 short films mightier. Some are action, some are animated, some are comedy. Some are good, some are bad. All but one are less than 3 minutes long, some as short as 43 seconds.

They're old, they're short, they're fun, they're in:

Enjoy.

New Photos, Storyboards, "Ragtime," and Press

2008-08-15T02:12:00.000+02:00

I finally got the last three rolls of film from my trip to South Korea developed. They were black and white, but not C-41 process, so it had to be sent out to a special facility. To think that at one time, black and white film was cheaper than color...

Anyway, I've added a few of my favorites to the photography section. Click on the crab to go there!

I've also dug up storyboards from Ragtime Ballad and Baggage. You can click below to see those as well:

And speaking of Ragtime Ballad, I just put up a MUCH BIGGER version on the site! It's very big! It's bigger than the small one! Now you can see all the digital "dust" and "scratches" in glorious almost-full-screen. Enjoy.

Finally, the "Links" section is gone. It was never doing any good anyway. In its place is a new "Press" section. I've only been in the newspaper twice, but you never know when it'll happen again! I've been looking for a place to put those articles online anyway.

Introducing The Vault

2008-08-01T04:53:00.000+02:00

I recently decided to showcase only the best and most recent of my shorts on the Archive page, rather than all of them. So for that reason I created:

I've already pushed a few films back there, but what I'm hoping is to be able to put up much older stuff in the Vault, like my old animations and the shorts made as class exercises.

"Lincoln" Storyboards Up!

2008-07-22T20:34:00.000+02:00

I just uploaded the storyboards from The Silver Lincoln, which include some comparisons with some of the final shots. I'll put up some more comparisons soon. Click on Chester below to check them out!

I know The Silver Lincoln itself isn't up yet, but that's just because it isn't done yet. Brian Andrews, composer extraordinaire, is still finishing up the score. It'll definitely be up as soon as that's done!

"Ragtime" Now in Glorious Flash!

2008-07-18T02:37:00.000+02:00

Thank God for Flash. Before now, Ragtime Ballad, in its Quicktime incarnation, would skip and jump erratically when played for no discernible reason. Now, I've got it up on a nifty Flash player with bells and whistles to boot. Check it out!

In a few weeks, when I get the chance to do a recompression, I'll replace that one with a bigger, crisper one.

I've also put up Flash pages for the behind-the-scenes videos from Variations on the Death of Gerald and Irretention. Be sure to give those a whirl. And check out the post just below this one for info on the recent revamp I did on the site!

Website Revamp!

2008-07-16T06:31:00.000+02:00

For a while I've been noodling ways that this site could be improved, and today I finally sat down and implemented all the changes I'd been working on. Sure, nothing looks different yet, but check out the Archive and any of the individual films' pages. It's more streamlined, more informative, and, I think, snazzier. But I'm just one man - let me know what you think!

The Links page has also been stripped down, mostly thanks to the news that Zia Films, as a production company name, has already been taken, and Take 24:7 is going through an overhaul. Even so, only Boa, of my friends, has a functioning website, and so it's basically the Link to Boa's Page right now. Eventually I'll be replacing Links with Press, after I scan the newspaper articles.

But most exciting of all is the fact that I just dug up an old CD that had behind-the-scenes pictures and storyboards from old films of mine! So check them out below!

Irretention Behind-the-Scenes

Irretention Storyboards

White Behind-the-Scenes

Wrap on "Corner Store!"

2008-07-08T19:15:00.001+02:00

On Sunday morning, July 6th, we wrapped production on The Corner Store, after four long night shoots.

This film was part of the Korean exchange program in which I participated. The experience was very rewarding - it allowed me to work on 35mm film, to build characters and scenes with the actors and DP on a much more fluid level than ever before, and of course, I got to go to South Korea. Tonight the Koreans, many of which are now good friends of ours, depart for Seoul, and the long post-production process will begin.

I hope to have photos and a new page up soon!

And, of course, The Silver Lincoln is still in the twilight hours of post-production. Brian Andrews, the composer, has been working diligently on perfecting the score for the film. When that's complete, we'll see it up here.

There is some bad news. Turns out that Zia Films is already a functioning movie production company in Los Angeles. This means that I will have to dream up some other production company to work under. I suppose that's just as well, though I'm not sure why.

Back From South Korea

2008-06-24T16:56:00.000+02:00

Earlier this week I returned from my two-week voyage to South Korea, courtesy of Chapman University. I took dozens of photos, and the best have been added to the photography page. Just click on the image below to go there.

The script for the film that we will be making with the Korean students is almost done. We'll be shooting in just over a week, and there's a lot of pre-production to do. Luckily for me, Chapman is footing the bill for the whole production, so for once I don't have financial worries on top of logistical ones. Now all I have to do is put a film together.

Good thing that's what I love to do!

Lincoln Screens, Korea Drafts

2008-05-11T23:15:00.001+02:00

Tomorrow night at 7:00pm, The Silver Lincoln is screening at Chapman University's Knott Studios. Just this morning, Daniel McLellan (the editor) and I finished some last-minute music and sound effect tweaks. It's look and sounding fantastic, and it should be a great premiere.

I've been working with the writer, Darryl Wharton-Rigby, on the working-titled "Corner Store," which is the script that is being produced as part of the Korean exchange program this summer. It's still in its very early stages, so we'll be working on restructuring and resizing it to a level that's more manageable for the limitations we have. I'm confident that it will be a good film, and a great experience all around.

Since this post is lacking in colorful pictures, I will direct you to Zia Films, where I've recently overhauled the design to something I feel is more in tune with the themes and ideas that I'm interested in.

Lincoln and Korea

2008-04-18T03:41:00.000+02:00

I've just put up a new page for The Silver Lincoln, where you can see behind-the-scenes photos and the list of credits:

For now, there's not much else up, but stay tuned!

In other, much more exciting news, I've been selected by Chapman University to direct a short film as part of a fully-funded scholarship / travel course in June. The travel course is also an exchange program with students at a film school just outside Seoul, in South Korea.

Over the next couple months we'll be developing a script for the shoot. Then, for two weeks in June, the seven people involved in the short will be going to South Korea, to visit and learn from the students there. We help them and crew on their set, and then they come back here to California with us, to crew on our set. The whole thing - the travel and the production - is paid for by Chapman, which is very exciting. I'm really thankful to have been chosen for such an extraordinary opportunity.

More on that in the coming weeks!

Looking Good ...

2008-04-15T20:09:00.001+02:00

Last Friday I went into telecine with The Silver Lincoln, and we watched dailies. It looks awesome - the above pic is a frame from one of my favorite scenes. I'm very excited to see the post-production process rolling.

Dan McLellan has been hard at work editing Lincoln, and so far the rough cut has gotten a great reception. I'll be putting up a page for the movie soon, but for now, I've put up the best of the behind-the-scenes photos, which you can view here:

The Silver Lincoln Behind-the-Scenes Photos

In other news, Matt Sullivan, a friend of mine and peer at Chapman University, has come aboard La Nina as producer. Matt is a very talented and accomplished producer, and his help means a lot to me and the production. The script is still being drafted, but already the pieces are falling into place for a great short film.

Also, I've gone through my old photo albums and scanned in some of my favorite photos from old trips. Click on the photo below to see my updated photography gallery, including new pictures from India, Switzerland, and China.

That's a Wrap!

2008-04-08T03:55:00.000+02:00

The Silver Lincoln wrapped this weekend. We had three full days of shooting, and while we started late almost every day, we finished at least an hour early each day.

The cast was fantastic, the crew was great, and the whole experience was by far the best one I've ever had making a movie. A huge thanks to everyone who helped out.

Coming soon is a new page on the site for Lincoln, as well as many behind-the-scenes photos, storyboards, and more.

I'll be overseeing the film's telecine this Friday, and over the weekend, Dan McLellan will start editing. When he has a rough cut, Brian Andrews will start to build the score for the film. And in May, the film will be complete! Stay tuned for more updates.

In other news, I've started pulling my thoughts together on paper for my remake of La Niña del Desierto. Despite going through many changes, some extremely drastic, I think the final project will probably resemble the original pretty closely. We'll see how that turns out in the coming months.

Updates

2008-03-24T19:34:00.000+01:00

I've changed the individual films' pages a bit, by trying to sidestep the boring single-column style with something a little more creative. It's particularly evident on the Varations page, a movie that boasts a bunch of great extras.

The Silver Lincoln is coming along nicely. We're two weekends away from production, I've cast my actors, and in fact just yesterday we held rehearsals. Locations are locked, the crew is coming together, and excitement is in the air! I'm looking foreword to a great production.

Stay tuned.

"The Silver Lincoln" In Full Swing!

2008-03-06T21:46:00.000+01:00

The Silver Lincoln, previously titled Mint, the eleventh and by far most ambitious short film of mine, is in full pre-production. Locations are being scouted and secured, auditions are being held Saturday, March 8th in Los Angeles, props and costumes are being designed and purchased, storyboards are being drawn up, and so on. There's a lot of work, but this time I've got a load of funding and, more importantly, a dedicated team of both old and new friends.

Producing Lincoln is Dennis Yeap, a focused and hard-working guy who transferred last Fall from Malaysia. The director of photography is Boa Simon, who I've worked with before on Variations on the Death of Gerald, Baggage, and Ragtime Ballad. He's a close friend and is crazy passionate about lighting and cinematography.

Coming on as assistant director is Dom Ricco, my longtime friend, who I could not have made it to this point without. We've been looking for another opportunity to work together since The Last Piece, and now we have it.

Editing Lincoln will be Daniel McLellan, another close friend who has worked in some way on every short of mine since I arrived at Chapman University, as well as editing Baggage. Composing the score for the film is, of course, Brian Andrews, who has scored Variations, The Last Piece, and Ragtime Ballad, and whose work never fails to amaze me. Finally, Christopher Manus, "Gerald" from Variations, will be joining the production in a small cameo role.

So as is evident, I'm going to have the pleasure of working with several old friends and trusted collaborators, as well as some new faces here and there. I'm very, very excited to begin production on Lincoln, as I think it will be my best to date, and I hope it will make a great short film on its own.

To movies!

"Ragtime Ballad" Online!

2008-02-03T19:58:00.000+01:00

The wait is over! Ragtime Ballad, my tenth short film, is online.

Composer Brian Andrews polished the score off last week, and the premiere was yesterday. It's one of my favorites, because it pulls together a lot of what I've learned in film school while still throwing back to my high school glory days of filmmaking. It's also refreshing for everyone involved - me as a director, the actors, the composer, the cinematographer - to go completely over-the-top.

What are you waiting for? Watch it now!

New Photos

2008-01-21T18:07:00.001+01:00

Happy 2008!

I just spent the first two and a half weeks of the new year in Argentina and Chile, and I have a few new photos to show for it. They're both beautiful countries, and I got some great shots of La Boca, the colorful port neighborhood of Buenos Aires, a winery in Mendoza, the Pacific coast city of Valparaiso, and the mighty Iguazu Falls.

Click the below photo to browse my photography gallery:

In movie-related news, Mint has a possible new title, The Wheat Lincoln. We'll see how that flies as we start the final drafts of my eleventh short film. Also, Brian Andrews, my good friend and film score composer, is wrapping up the score for Ragtime Ballad, so we should see that up on the site soon.

Zia Films

2007-12-19T23:51:00.000+01:00

Now that Vanishing Point Pictures has become a thing of the past, I've started a new production company, Zia Films. The website is now up:

Zia Films

Right now the only films on the Zia filmography are Baggage and Ragtime Ballad, but not only will all my future projects be under the Zia banner, hopefully I can produce some projects independently of my own direction that we can consider part of Zia Films.

Very exciting!

"Mint" Has Funding!

2007-12-12T23:27:00.000+01:00

Much to my elation, I found out today that my newest film in production, Mint (working title), has been approved by Chapman University to receive some funding, as it will be considered part of a class in the Spring 2008 semester.

This is great news, because it means Chapman will be providing me with 16mm film and processing, as well as a modest budget for food, transportation, and an equipment truck. Any money I bring to the table after that will go towards production design. Mint will be my most ambitious film to date as far as design goes.

To find out a little more about Mint, check out the Upcoming Projects page.

Welcome!

2007-12-11T07:20:00.001+01:00

Welcome one and all to my new website!

On this site you'll find my films, tons of information and behind-the-scenes goodies, photography, and more. You can learn about upcoming projects and awards, and I'll be posting regularly right here with news on films and what's going on.

I hope you have fun! Shoot me an email if you have questions, comments, or just want to chat.