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.

Full Moon over the Ocean

I went to the beach around 9:00pm the day before the moon was completely full. It was beautiful. The white-silver light of the nearly full moon reflected off the waves, creating a bright, shimmering strip across the water. The water became progressively darker, until it was almost black, on either side of the shinning strip. The moonlight also reflected off of the sand making it appear almost day time on the beach itself and creating deep, dark shadows along the row of houses at the edge of the beach. As I walked with my family I noticed the moonlight shinning on both of my daughters’ hair, giving them a lovely halo effect. Their faces and bodies were very well lit on the side facing the moon, but the other side was cast in the same deep shadows of the houses, showing a very interesting contrast. It was absolutely beautiful and inspiring.

UNCW

I sat at the entrance to UNCW between Leutze and Morton hall at about 3:15pm and my light observation seemed to be overwhelmed by shadows.
The shadow of my hand across the page of my notebook.
The light swaying shadows of leaves blowing in the wind.
The darker shadows following people fading in and out of other shadows with light and shadow passing over their faces as they walk by.
The shadow of a bike as it passes through the crowd.
The solid dark shadows of the columns stretching sideways into the bright sunlit parking lot. The columns themselves are mostly shaded, with light only hitting the bottom.
The light and shadows change as people and objects move. The light and shadow appear to be constantly moving.
The direct light shines down through the opening in the roof.
Light bounces from above onto the tops of everyone’s head as they walk by, making their hair kind of glow.
The light shines down onto a stationary yellow bike casting one side in shadows and the other is brightly lit and glowing.

Outside Carolina Beach Food Lion on Saturday

The area was very crowded with constant sounds, no silence at all in the time I listened. I was intense. There was the continuous sound of cars speeding past on the street nearby, the low hum of the water and soda machines and the wind blowing. Cars entering the parking lot and parking had a slower sound than the cars on the road and some of them thumped with music. There were car doors banging shut, cars starting and the beep of cars being locked at intervals, along with occasional horn honking and brakes squealing. The sound of people talking and their footsteps would fade in and out and they came closer. The footsteps ranged from heavy thuds to flip-flops (mostly flip-flops). The noise of carts crashing and being pushed across the parking lot was fairly constant. One child was crying and a couple minute later another child was humming. There were a couple of sounds I may have missed if I had not been listening; a trash bag rustling in the wind and the water dispenser filling a jug. There were sporadic noises that included the clang of keys hitting the ground and the thump of a soda can dispensing and the bell on the door of the shop next door.

By the Pond with Fountain at UNCW at Night

I seem to be attracted to water sounds. There was the constant soft splashing of the fountain and a hum in the distance I could not identify. An owl hooted off in the distance once or twice along with beeping from a truck backing up. It was not very crowded, but flip-flopped footsteps and voices faded in and out as people approached and passed me. The wind blew through the trees on and off while I listened. There were the heavy, fast footsteps of a man running passed with his backpack jingling. The loudest sounds included the sound of footsteps with a rolling backpack thumping on the wooden bridge and the tower clock ringing out the half hour. Even though there was constant sound and the clock tower surprised me, it was not intense the way it was at Food Lion. The sounds here and at the beach had a different, more peaceful quality.

Kure Beach on Saturday

The beach was not as crowded as I expected but it was still full of layers of sound. Again it was continuous sound with no silence. There was the constant noise of waves rolling and crashing and the wind blowing. I could hear three different groups of people talking, the sound overlapped and faded in and out with the wind, making some of the conversation clear, but it was mostly muffled. There was the intermittent noise of children playing and yelling, and of seagulls laughing and other birds chirping. I could hear the flip-flopped footsteps of a few people, but bare feet were silenced by the sand. There were a few singular sounds like a man sneezing, a dog chain rattling and a plastic bag crinkling in the wind. As one group left, you could hear the sounds of beach chairs and umbrellas snapping shut and children asking to stay.

I am a senior (perpetually) majoring in Anthropology and Film Studies. I earned an Associates Degree in Liberal Arts at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College and spent a year majoring in Anthropology at UNC-Charlotte. I moved to Kure Beach in 2006 to attend the Film Studies program with the intention of making documentaries. My interest is in Cultural Anthropology with a focus on indigenous religions, natural medicines and healing practices. After I graduate, I plan to work on a Master's Degree in Anthropology by combining my film production experience with Anthropological fieldwork. I hope to eventually earn a Doctorate in Anthropology.

I grew up in San Pedro, California, a small coastal town south of L.A. that is often used as a location for many films and TV. It is a very multi-cultural town and I was exposed to many different ways of life. This is where my love of anthropology and film-making started.

I am currently enrolled in Introduction to Film Study and Business of Film and this will complete the pre-major core course requirements. I completed Introduction to Film Production in Spring 2007 and this was my first experience with film production. During this class, I gained some experience as a director, camera-person, producer and actress. I enjoyed learning about some of the different aspects and perspectives of film production. During this experience I realized that as much as I enjoyed the roles of director, producer and camera-person, I have no desire to be in front of the camera. It did not help that my first experience as an actress was as a clown.

I also have some experience in costuming. I made the clown costume for the project I just mentioned and another clown costume for a different project. I like sew costumes as a hobby and I have made many Halloween and Renaissance costumes for my family and friends.