Music Video and More Humboldt Info

Brenda showed me the music video and it looks fantastic. I am excited to get to show it today. Everyone did such a great job and I had a really good time working with Brenda, Amir, Michael and Patrick. Thanks you guys for an excellent experience.
Aimee Hennessy, Co-director of the 41st Humboldt Film Fest responded to my email and gave some more info. They received about 150 entries last year and she suggests entering early because they have more time to review the films during the fall semester. They screen an evenly distributed mix of Experimental, Narrative, Documentary, and Animation, many are cross-genre. Common mistakes include submitting in the wrong format (they no longer accept 8mm and 16mm, they prefer DVD or VHS) and not following the instructions on the submission form. Labeling your DVD or VHS with Title, Run Time, Director and email address is most important and she suggests including a synopsis. They are looking for new ideas and the unexpected, and she does not judge films by production values. They do not accept music videos. I hope the extra info is helpful.

Cucalorus Film Festival

I had a great time at Cucalorus Film Festival. I was a bit worried at first because between work, homework and tests, and my children, I did not know when I was going to be able to find the time to attend. Then at 6:30pm on Friday my children were invited to spend the night at a friend's house and was able to go see the films I really wanted to see. I still made a mistake, however, because I did not read the assignment sheet before I left, I saw a short and a feature at Lumina Theatre rather than at Jengo's Playhouse. I kept thinking I was missing something. After talking to Micki I understand what I was missing - The Party with all the Filmmakers. I enjoyed the intimate setting of the films I saw at Lumina Theatre and I chose to see those films because they had a personal meaning to me. So I did break the rules but for a good reason . Next year, however, I am sending the kids to Grandma and getting a hotel room downtown and a pass for my husband and I am not going to miss a minute.

Music Video continued

Sorry for the short post, I was called away and never came back to it. I am the worst at blogging. As a producer I learned that you should always physically check your locations before showing up with the cast and crew. When we got to the Greenfield Amphitheatre to film it was completely demolished. Tammy Skinner from Parks and Recreation said there was construction, but I did not realize that meant demolition. It was OK though because we had many other alternatives at the park and everyone was great about it. It was kind of funny, but under different circumstances it could have been disastrous. I also learned that you should keep all kinds of extra batteries on hand. One last thing, make sure to get the talent release form signed before you start shooting and hope they are willing to sign. It almost as bad as a mortgage interest disclosure form. Having a great crew to work with made the shooting go so successfully.

Music Video- the delzorros

Everyone worked hard and did a great job. The delzorros were very cooperative and it think it was a great experience for them as well. I can't wait to get the film back to see what we have to work with. It is very exciting.

Self Portrait

It is actually finished! Editing was much smoother than I expected it to be. I did not have much trouble until I tried to print to video. But with much help from Amir, it finally worked. Everyone in the editing lab was very helpful, every time I encountered a problem, someone helped me out. I really appreciate it. While I was filming, I wanted to get a good shot of the sky with clouds, so I could speed it up. But there was not a cloud in the sky at my house the entire time I had the camera, so I experienced how the weather can affect production. There were clouds yesterday when I left my house. I enjoyed working on the project and I am glad to have completed a film on my own. I gained a lot of experience with the camera and final cut pro and I feel a bit more confidant about future projects. Thanks again to everyone who helped me.

An Experience in Light and Sound

I enjoyed working on this long-term, connected assignment. I learned quite a bit about the cameras and the Final Cut program from all the different people I worked with. I appreciate and need the added knowledge. Working with sounds was especially interesting to me. I love music, but I did not really realize how much you could play with pre-recorded sounds before the assignment. I was impressed with the way each group came up with very different sounds from the same source. I also love black and white photos and I was very happy with all the great pictures we had to choose from for the final project. Although I am always nervous at the beginning of each project, (and on workshop day) because of my lack of technical experience, I feel good about each phase as it was turned in. I am looking forward to seeing each group’s finished project.

Afternoon at the Pool

I took my daughter to the pool in the full sun of the afternoon; again I always seem to be attracted to water. The bright yellow-white light reflected off the water in the pool creating bright sparkles of light here and there as the water moved. The light was coming from almost directly above so everything was very well lit. The shadows of the fence, tables and chairs and the buildings were very short and falling towards the north. When my daughter got out of the pool, she was covered in drops of water that reflected the full sun, so she was covered in the same sparkles of light that are on the pool water. The sun shining on top of her head reflects the gold in her hair, making it very shiny. The sparkles disappeared as she dried herself off. It seemed to me to be a good time to film outside because of the full sun and the ability to hide the short shadows when necessary.