Hello there! So, one of the things that I love the most about living in Los Angeles is that there are so many film related things that are just at my disposal. My buddy Chris told me today that he signed me up for an advanced screening of Spike Lee's "Oldboy". Just another free screening of a movie before it comes out. Yippee!
Another thing that is always happening is some sort of film festival. Well it just so happens that AFM (American Film Market) comes to Santa Monica every November, and people come from all over the world to buy and sell films. Today I met someone from: Germany, France, England, Australia, and Austin. I'm forgetting the others, but these are the places that stood out. I'll go into more detail about AFM tomorrow. Right now, I have to tell you what happened when Chris and I were leaving AFM.
Chris and I were walking to my car when we heard a BUMP. It sounded exactly like someone got hit by a car. We walk a couple of feet and see a bicycle laying in the street. Our gaze was immediately carried to the cyclist who was already at the side of the car, kicking and punching it. That's right, this guy got hit by a car, jumped up and proceeded to beat the car - VIOLENTLY! He was punching the driver's window like he intended to break it out. I was so scared for the poor driver who had pulled over with every intention of checking on the cyclist, but instead was in the car calling 911. The cyclist then proceeded to climb ON TOP of the car, I'm talking about the roof of the car, and jump up and down on it.
Chris and I kept walking because there was another biker with the guy and he was taking it upon himself to yell at every car that stopped to ask if they needed help. "Just go! Mind your f***ing business! Stop causing a scene!" Yep, that's what he was yelling while his friend was attacking a car. So no, we didn't try to help. We stayed on the other side of the street and minded our own f***ing business.
Then, the friend stops yelling at cars and makes his way to our side of the street, where he proceeds to get in a yelling match with a guy who was on foot. The guy jumps off his bike and starts acting like he's about to fight this bystander. I don't know if he punched him or what, because we got to my car and turned around and saw the police pull up. That's about the time that they both jumped on their bikes and got out of there. So we see the cops speed off after them, but we don't know what happened. From our vantage point, it looked like they were trying to run from the cops.
So…I spent my day meeting people to help with the advancement of my career, and I finished it with witnessing biker rage. What a random day! And guess what, I'm going back tomorrow. Can't wait to see what the day brings. Khimbia, you're right, maybe I should carry a taser!
Still a lot of work to be done to get this movie off the ground. I met some good people today, and it was only the beginning. Tomorrow, I will have my game face on. After all, what would James Franco do?
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
That's A Wrap!
I spent the last week and a half on the set of an indie film called Memoria. James Franco wrote a book called Palo Alto stories that includes a series of short stories. Three of the stories are being made into features. There was an Indiegogo campaign to raise the funds for the film, and since I don't have any money to contribute, I sent an email asking if they needed any help on set. A month went by and I forgot all about Memoria until I received an email from one of the producers asking if I was still interested. The next day I had a phone interview, and a week and a half later I was on set as the Camera PA.
Having your movie come to life is freaking hard work! One of the reasons that I wanted to be on that set was to see how a professional set operates. Until this point, I'd only been on my classmates sets. I wanted to meet more people, build relationships, and learn all that I could learn. It was such an amazing experience! These people are really good at what they do.
The directors in the trunk of the car so they could ride along in the car and look at the monitor.
We wrapped yesterday morning at 5am, and I'm still recovering. Apparently my body doesn't like night shoots, but what can you do? Being on set got me amped up and super charged for my film. I had a meeting today with my producers and everyone left with their to do list. It was great to be on that set, but I'm happy to get back to my routine and get back on track for Collectible Items!
Monday, September 2, 2013
Dodger Days
You guys know I'm still in school, right? I'm getting my MFA in Filmmaking. Well, a few weeks ago we got an email saying that the school was gonna buy some tickets to go to the Dodgers game and who wanted to go. Needless to say, we were all over that! Free tickets? Ummm...yes please!
Like I said, this email came a few weeks ago, and there is no way of knowing where you'll be at that point in your life. Of course I woke up this morning thinking I'd much rather stay home and work on my script, but I didn't want to waste the free Dodger's ticket that I already had, plus I knew I'd have fun once I got around my friends.
This was my third time going this season. I like Dodger Stadium a lot. It's a nice, fun place, with people who are having a great time. That being said, the only other baseball stadium I know is Citizens Bank Park, where the Philadelphia Phillies play. I lived in Philly for four years and used to go to Phillies games quite regularly. No offense to the fun times with the Dodgers, but I had a blast with the Phillies!
Today I went to the game with my buddies Chris, Miguel, Mikey, Joey, Rayne and Luke. We were pleasantly surprised when our friends Kitanan and Sangjin showed up. Now, allow me to tell you how I saw none of the game, but still managed to have a great time. I tell people all the time that I only go to baseball games to do two things: eat hot dogs and do the wave. In the third inning we witnessed a guy trying to get the wave started. I was instantly on board and down to help. It took a few tries, but he was determined and I was amused. The payoff came when the wave went around three times! I was so engrossed with the wave that you would've thought I orchestrated the whole thing! So I checked the wave off my list. Then I went to get my hotdog. It was delicious, as usual. Check. This next thing was bonus, because remember, I only show up for two things. There were several beach balls being tossed around the stadium. I watched them with a longing that only a child could know. One came close, but someone sent it soaring in another direction. Finally, when I least expected it, a beach ball flew my way. My reaction was all off and I missed it. I wasn't sad though, I was happy it had come so close. Then, as if fate were giving me another chance at happiness, the ball came back to me. This time I was ready, it was my time to shine. I knew what I had to do, I couldn't hit it too hard and send it over the edge. We'd seen our share of people getting booed for doing that. So I hit the ball with just the right amount strength that I could still be respected by the crowd. And that is why I saw none of the ball game. I was too busy watching beach balls and waiting for my turn in the wave.
Now, after a hard day of being at the ball park, I'm at home, working on my script. Actually, I'm taking a break to tell you about my day. Tomorrow is a brand new day, and since I took some time to relax today, that means I have to work extra hard tomorrow. So while you're at a BBQ, eat some for me and think of how I'm working instead of hanging out. Have a safe and fun Labor Day!
Like I said, this email came a few weeks ago, and there is no way of knowing where you'll be at that point in your life. Of course I woke up this morning thinking I'd much rather stay home and work on my script, but I didn't want to waste the free Dodger's ticket that I already had, plus I knew I'd have fun once I got around my friends.
This was my third time going this season. I like Dodger Stadium a lot. It's a nice, fun place, with people who are having a great time. That being said, the only other baseball stadium I know is Citizens Bank Park, where the Philadelphia Phillies play. I lived in Philly for four years and used to go to Phillies games quite regularly. No offense to the fun times with the Dodgers, but I had a blast with the Phillies!
Today I went to the game with my buddies Chris, Miguel, Mikey, Joey, Rayne and Luke. We were pleasantly surprised when our friends Kitanan and Sangjin showed up. Now, allow me to tell you how I saw none of the game, but still managed to have a great time. I tell people all the time that I only go to baseball games to do two things: eat hot dogs and do the wave. In the third inning we witnessed a guy trying to get the wave started. I was instantly on board and down to help. It took a few tries, but he was determined and I was amused. The payoff came when the wave went around three times! I was so engrossed with the wave that you would've thought I orchestrated the whole thing! So I checked the wave off my list. Then I went to get my hotdog. It was delicious, as usual. Check. This next thing was bonus, because remember, I only show up for two things. There were several beach balls being tossed around the stadium. I watched them with a longing that only a child could know. One came close, but someone sent it soaring in another direction. Finally, when I least expected it, a beach ball flew my way. My reaction was all off and I missed it. I wasn't sad though, I was happy it had come so close. Then, as if fate were giving me another chance at happiness, the ball came back to me. This time I was ready, it was my time to shine. I knew what I had to do, I couldn't hit it too hard and send it over the edge. We'd seen our share of people getting booed for doing that. So I hit the ball with just the right amount strength that I could still be respected by the crowd. And that is why I saw none of the ball game. I was too busy watching beach balls and waiting for my turn in the wave.
Now, after a hard day of being at the ball park, I'm at home, working on my script. Actually, I'm taking a break to tell you about my day. Tomorrow is a brand new day, and since I took some time to relax today, that means I have to work extra hard tomorrow. So while you're at a BBQ, eat some for me and think of how I'm working instead of hanging out. Have a safe and fun Labor Day!
Thursday, August 29, 2013
I Love It When A Plan Comes Together
Well hello there! I know, I know, it's been a while. I have my reasons, but none of them are good excuses. So let's move past all of the side dishes and get to the meat!
Part of movie making on the independent level is raising the funds to actually shoot your movie. J'Vanne and I have been working to secure money to film Collectible Items, and one of the things we decided was to start an Indiegogo campaign. I called up a few buddies, Rich Lester, Miguel and Joey and grabbed some equipment from school.
We loaded all of the equipment in my new house, and everyone looked at me, waiting for my plan. I didn't have a plan. My plan was to grab a few friends and camera equipment and shoot a video. Now, this is the part that I love. We started throwing out ideas, and next thing you know, we had something incredible in our minds, and we set to work. I'd also like to publicly apologize to Cody who relocated several times so that we could film in the different parts of the house. Thanks Cody for your patience with us!
I think about all that has happened over the last couple of years, and one thing holds true; I love making movies! We're all so busy at this point in our lives, but it feels good to know that I can call up a couple of friends to help me with a project and not only will they show up, they'll help me write it, act in it and help me edit. We shot this film so quickly that I had a few moments of insanity when I started thinking that I should film a webseries. Then I reminded myself that I'm shooting a feature film in two months and have more than enough work cut out for me without trying to add a webseries to the To Do list. But rest assured, when Collectible Items is done, I'll crank out a webseries!
I spent last night editing the video and it looks great. Visually it looks great and the story line is quite amusing. And the music, I reached out to my buddy James (not Franco) and he whipped something up for me and it works great with what we shot! My pal Shawn did some graphics. Overall, it's a nice piece of work! Once all of the fine tuning is done, the Indiegogo site will go live and you'll be able to check it out!
Thank you for your continued support of Collectible Items and the process it takes for this film to come together.
I know what you are all thinking, James Franco would film the webseries and still work on getting the feature up and running. Well...I'm not there yet, but I'm working up to it.
#WWJFD
Part of movie making on the independent level is raising the funds to actually shoot your movie. J'Vanne and I have been working to secure money to film Collectible Items, and one of the things we decided was to start an Indiegogo campaign. I called up a few buddies, Rich Lester, Miguel and Joey and grabbed some equipment from school.
We loaded all of the equipment in my new house, and everyone looked at me, waiting for my plan. I didn't have a plan. My plan was to grab a few friends and camera equipment and shoot a video. Now, this is the part that I love. We started throwing out ideas, and next thing you know, we had something incredible in our minds, and we set to work. I'd also like to publicly apologize to Cody who relocated several times so that we could film in the different parts of the house. Thanks Cody for your patience with us!
I think about all that has happened over the last couple of years, and one thing holds true; I love making movies! We're all so busy at this point in our lives, but it feels good to know that I can call up a couple of friends to help me with a project and not only will they show up, they'll help me write it, act in it and help me edit. We shot this film so quickly that I had a few moments of insanity when I started thinking that I should film a webseries. Then I reminded myself that I'm shooting a feature film in two months and have more than enough work cut out for me without trying to add a webseries to the To Do list. But rest assured, when Collectible Items is done, I'll crank out a webseries!
I spent last night editing the video and it looks great. Visually it looks great and the story line is quite amusing. And the music, I reached out to my buddy James (not Franco) and he whipped something up for me and it works great with what we shot! My pal Shawn did some graphics. Overall, it's a nice piece of work! Once all of the fine tuning is done, the Indiegogo site will go live and you'll be able to check it out!
Thank you for your continued support of Collectible Items and the process it takes for this film to come together.
I know what you are all thinking, James Franco would film the webseries and still work on getting the feature up and running. Well...I'm not there yet, but I'm working up to it.
#WWJFD
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Hindering My Creativity
I told you that Cody and I are moving, right? We're not doing anything drastic, just moving to a bigger place for less rent. Sounds like a win, win situation. It is, except that it's completely interfering with my ability to work on my script.
We started looking for a place back in March, and since we didn't have to move in rush, we took our time finding the perfect place. Now that we've found the perfect place, there are a lot of unforeseen complications. Our new place only comes with one parking spot. So one of us will have to park on the street, which isn't a problem, until you factor in that there is no over night parking without a permit. Okay. So we get a permit. That's not a problem...except it is. This parking permit has become the bane of my existence and a huge part of why I can't write.
In order to get a parking permit you simply have to show up at one of the many conveniently located LADOT offices. You see, when you're buying your first annual permit, you have to do it in person. And all you have to bring with you is a lease agreement and utility bill. Easy! We already have the lease, we only need one more thing.
So, on Tuesday, Cody and I went to the LADOT office with our lease agreement to explain to them that we won't have another form of proof until after we've moved in, and then it'll be too late to get a permit without getting a parking ticket. Clearly, it was going to be that simple. Alas, I was wrong. The lady told us that we need to call the utility companies and set up our switch over, and then bring in a notification of our new service. Okay, that's easy. I'd do that while Cody was at work on Wednesday. And we decided to get two annual parking permits, and put one on each of our cars.
On Wednesday, I called the cable company...only to find out that they aren't the ones who service our new area. Not a problem, I simply set up a cancellation date with them and found out who the new cable company is. Moving right along; I looked up the electric company, and as I was doing so I became disheartened. Burbank Water and Power, sigh. We're moving from Burbank. So I cancelled that service. So far, all I was doing was canceling service, and I still had no proof of residency for the new place. Not to mention, that I needed to put Cody on all the bills too, so she could get a permit for her car.
Next call was to the gas company - SoCal gas. Piece of cake! We're staying in Southern Cali, I'll just transfer that service right on over and add Cody to the bill. Not that easy. Apparently you can't have roommates on the bill, only spouses and domestic partners. Just another setback, but I wasn't discouraged, yet.
Time Warner is the cable provider for the new area. I called to set up our internet and cable, and I was able to get Cody on the bill. All was going well, until the fight with CBS and Showtime and the random upfront fee of $89.99. So....we didn't sign up with them. We still have no proof or residency AND we found out that in order to have the annual permit, the car must also be registered to that address. The car registration also must be done in person. Ugh!
Figuring out this parking situation has been an ongoing process for the past two weeks, and it seems as if it is no where near being resolved. This move was a great idea because we'd be saving a ton of money and have a bigger living space, but with the parking pain lingering on my mind, it is severely hindering my creative abilities. I need an assistant. What would James Franco do?
#WWJFD
We started looking for a place back in March, and since we didn't have to move in rush, we took our time finding the perfect place. Now that we've found the perfect place, there are a lot of unforeseen complications. Our new place only comes with one parking spot. So one of us will have to park on the street, which isn't a problem, until you factor in that there is no over night parking without a permit. Okay. So we get a permit. That's not a problem...except it is. This parking permit has become the bane of my existence and a huge part of why I can't write.
In order to get a parking permit you simply have to show up at one of the many conveniently located LADOT offices. You see, when you're buying your first annual permit, you have to do it in person. And all you have to bring with you is a lease agreement and utility bill. Easy! We already have the lease, we only need one more thing.
So, on Tuesday, Cody and I went to the LADOT office with our lease agreement to explain to them that we won't have another form of proof until after we've moved in, and then it'll be too late to get a permit without getting a parking ticket. Clearly, it was going to be that simple. Alas, I was wrong. The lady told us that we need to call the utility companies and set up our switch over, and then bring in a notification of our new service. Okay, that's easy. I'd do that while Cody was at work on Wednesday. And we decided to get two annual parking permits, and put one on each of our cars.
On Wednesday, I called the cable company...only to find out that they aren't the ones who service our new area. Not a problem, I simply set up a cancellation date with them and found out who the new cable company is. Moving right along; I looked up the electric company, and as I was doing so I became disheartened. Burbank Water and Power, sigh. We're moving from Burbank. So I cancelled that service. So far, all I was doing was canceling service, and I still had no proof of residency for the new place. Not to mention, that I needed to put Cody on all the bills too, so she could get a permit for her car.
Next call was to the gas company - SoCal gas. Piece of cake! We're staying in Southern Cali, I'll just transfer that service right on over and add Cody to the bill. Not that easy. Apparently you can't have roommates on the bill, only spouses and domestic partners. Just another setback, but I wasn't discouraged, yet.
Time Warner is the cable provider for the new area. I called to set up our internet and cable, and I was able to get Cody on the bill. All was going well, until the fight with CBS and Showtime and the random upfront fee of $89.99. So....we didn't sign up with them. We still have no proof or residency AND we found out that in order to have the annual permit, the car must also be registered to that address. The car registration also must be done in person. Ugh!
Figuring out this parking situation has been an ongoing process for the past two weeks, and it seems as if it is no where near being resolved. This move was a great idea because we'd be saving a ton of money and have a bigger living space, but with the parking pain lingering on my mind, it is severely hindering my creative abilities. I need an assistant. What would James Franco do?
#WWJFD
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Yep, I love Cali
I thought about blogging yesterday, but it would have only been about food, which in retrospect might not have been so terrible. Maybe I'll do a combo post today. I'll talk about the delicious food from yesterday, coupled with why I love Cali. How's that sound?
My buddy, Chris, AKA C Chan, and I love Korean BBQ. It's safe to even say that is "our thing". Our lives were made even better, when we discovered the all you can eat for $9.99. But this happiness was put on hold when we became busy with our films. Remember the post about the tv pilot - Life's a Pitch? Well, that's his show. So he's busy working on that, I'm busy working on Collectible Items, and somehow, the KBBQ is what suffers. But not yesterday. No, yesterday we made the time to go and eat as much delicious, delicious BBQ as our bodies could hold. And sadly to say, we've done better. Clearly, not going for over three months has put our bodies at a disadvantage. But now that we're aware of our handicap, we will work to over come it.
Last weekend my cousin gave me some fresh mint from her garden. I got home and told Cody that we should make mojitos on Friday night. So I googled a pretty impressive mojito recipe and then decided that the proper pairing would be shrimp tacos. So I googled a recipe for that as well. Needless to say, I'm apparently a brilliant google user, because the recipes that I picked were the best! They were so yummy that we decided to have a repeat of that. I'm just saying.
http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2009/05/mojitos.html
http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/grilled-shrimp-tacos-10000000635602/index.html
That brings us up to speed and puts us on today. While hanging out with C Chan yesterday, we decided we should go hiking today. Hiking is also one of our things, but it's not exclusive like KBBQ. For instance, I can hike with other people, and I often do, but neither of us is allowed to have KBBQ without the other. That's right, we're not allowed. I don't even know if it's something we talked about, or if it's just an unspoken rule, but either way, we found time to hike today. We hadn't done that since April.
The high today is 82 degrees. The sun is out, and the clouds look like they were painted. The hike was perfect. You should know that this was my first week back in the gym since May, so this hike started off kind of brutal. But, I got used to it and was able to enjoy myself. As I hiked, I thought about my friends scattered around the country. In Philadelphia it's been raining everyday. In Texas and in Vegas, it's too hot to leave the house unless you're going to the lake or a pool. I'm reminded every time I hike, just how much I love Los Angeles. The traffic sucks. It's expensive to go out. There's no parking in Hollywood. Yet somehow, in LA, I'm laying in bed with the window open and the breeze is blowing cool air on me in August.
I'm so blessed to wake up every morning and pursue the field that I love while living in a city that I love. Making movies and living in LA used to just be a dream. I think it's safe to say that I'm living my dream.
#WWJFD
My buddy, Chris, AKA C Chan, and I love Korean BBQ. It's safe to even say that is "our thing". Our lives were made even better, when we discovered the all you can eat for $9.99. But this happiness was put on hold when we became busy with our films. Remember the post about the tv pilot - Life's a Pitch? Well, that's his show. So he's busy working on that, I'm busy working on Collectible Items, and somehow, the KBBQ is what suffers. But not yesterday. No, yesterday we made the time to go and eat as much delicious, delicious BBQ as our bodies could hold. And sadly to say, we've done better. Clearly, not going for over three months has put our bodies at a disadvantage. But now that we're aware of our handicap, we will work to over come it.
Last weekend my cousin gave me some fresh mint from her garden. I got home and told Cody that we should make mojitos on Friday night. So I googled a pretty impressive mojito recipe and then decided that the proper pairing would be shrimp tacos. So I googled a recipe for that as well. Needless to say, I'm apparently a brilliant google user, because the recipes that I picked were the best! They were so yummy that we decided to have a repeat of that. I'm just saying.
http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2009/05/mojitos.html
http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/grilled-shrimp-tacos-10000000635602/index.html
That brings us up to speed and puts us on today. While hanging out with C Chan yesterday, we decided we should go hiking today. Hiking is also one of our things, but it's not exclusive like KBBQ. For instance, I can hike with other people, and I often do, but neither of us is allowed to have KBBQ without the other. That's right, we're not allowed. I don't even know if it's something we talked about, or if it's just an unspoken rule, but either way, we found time to hike today. We hadn't done that since April.
The high today is 82 degrees. The sun is out, and the clouds look like they were painted. The hike was perfect. You should know that this was my first week back in the gym since May, so this hike started off kind of brutal. But, I got used to it and was able to enjoy myself. As I hiked, I thought about my friends scattered around the country. In Philadelphia it's been raining everyday. In Texas and in Vegas, it's too hot to leave the house unless you're going to the lake or a pool. I'm reminded every time I hike, just how much I love Los Angeles. The traffic sucks. It's expensive to go out. There's no parking in Hollywood. Yet somehow, in LA, I'm laying in bed with the window open and the breeze is blowing cool air on me in August.
I'm so blessed to wake up every morning and pursue the field that I love while living in a city that I love. Making movies and living in LA used to just be a dream. I think it's safe to say that I'm living my dream.
#WWJFD
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Networking!
I know that when I blog it leaves the impression that I go out and do fun things on a regular basis. Believe me when I say that is an illusion. I very seldom leave the house, which is why it's kind of a big deal when I do. Which is always why things like last night are so exciting for me!
There is a lounge not too far from here that shows independent films every Wednesday night. One of my teachers told me about it and said that we should go check it out. So Charlie and I went last night. Remember, I don't leave the house that often, so when a chance to get dressed up and meet new people presents itself, I'm super giddy about it. Charlie texted me asking what I was gonna wear. Okay, I bought these brown boots three years ago, and I'm like a four year old when it comes to these boots. I know that I'm wearing them, and then the rest of the outfit has to work with them.
I wore a long, flowing, black dress that is shorter in the front and longer in the back, a green belt and my brown boots. Whenever I get dressed up, I call it "playing dress up". So fun! The Xen Lounge, owned by Tisha Campbell and Duane Martin, was so swanky! It was classy and adorable. There's an outside area, and they set up a big screen for the films. Needless to say, the outside was packed, so Charlie and I found ourselves inside. But man, there were a lot of attractive people there. It was great people watching.
They showed four short films, and we met a few people from USC. Overall, it was pretty cool. I didn't do as much networking as I would've liked, but next time, I will. And of course, the goal is to have my last film, A Difficult Thank You, be screened there. I'll let you guys know when that happens. But for now, I got get back to writing. Collectible Items isn't gonna write itself! What would James Franco do?
#WWJFD
There is a lounge not too far from here that shows independent films every Wednesday night. One of my teachers told me about it and said that we should go check it out. So Charlie and I went last night. Remember, I don't leave the house that often, so when a chance to get dressed up and meet new people presents itself, I'm super giddy about it. Charlie texted me asking what I was gonna wear. Okay, I bought these brown boots three years ago, and I'm like a four year old when it comes to these boots. I know that I'm wearing them, and then the rest of the outfit has to work with them.
I wore a long, flowing, black dress that is shorter in the front and longer in the back, a green belt and my brown boots. Whenever I get dressed up, I call it "playing dress up". So fun! The Xen Lounge, owned by Tisha Campbell and Duane Martin, was so swanky! It was classy and adorable. There's an outside area, and they set up a big screen for the films. Needless to say, the outside was packed, so Charlie and I found ourselves inside. But man, there were a lot of attractive people there. It was great people watching.
They showed four short films, and we met a few people from USC. Overall, it was pretty cool. I didn't do as much networking as I would've liked, but next time, I will. And of course, the goal is to have my last film, A Difficult Thank You, be screened there. I'll let you guys know when that happens. But for now, I got get back to writing. Collectible Items isn't gonna write itself! What would James Franco do?
#WWJFD
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