Updates

Just a quick update on my life.

Things are starting wind down here at LAFSC. And not winding down like a windmill prop or even a wheel of some kind. More like a tunnel that compresses down tighter and tighter until it comes to a fine point and all of you is pressed through it like toothpaste.

I currently have 3 MAJOR projects that will require a lot of time and are all due within a few days of each other. This is not including my everyday normal responsibilities either. I have a 1500+ word paper, a 110 page script (which is 40 pages shy of 110) and sound editing and mixing for our HPW short film. All three are due between the 3rd and the 5th. Life is getting more stressful all of the sudden. I also have several other assignments to do/blow off between now and when those big ones are due as well.

I "pitched" my script to a producer this week in screenwriting. It didn't go well. You could even say I crashed and burned a little. It wasn't a problem with my story at least, I just suck at pitching apparently. But I am moving on. As Lew Hunter said, "You never fail in Hollywood. You just keep going or quit." So I pick myself up, keep going and learn how to pitch better in the future.

I've been struggling with feelings of loneliness lately but tonight was good. I went out with some co workers after work and had a lot of fun. It really helped pick me up a lot. It may not last but it was nice to feel a part of a group, even if only for a little while.

That is all for now. Hopefully I can find time to post here during the crucible before me.

Good Times

Just a quick update. Nothing really special going on but I figure it doesn't need to be for you all to be interested.

We finished shooting our HPW film and are moving into post production. This is where I come in. Once the picture is locked, it will be up to me and my partner to make the sound as good as humanly possible. I have really enjoyed this work so far but we've never had to do this on something this long before. I'm excited though and can't wait to get started. Except...

My screenplay is coming along nicely and I hope to get a lot done on it over Thanksgiving break. But with my time shifting increasingly towards HPW editing in the near future, I am afraid for my work. I am hopeful I can finish this in time to turn in just 3 more weeks, but we will see I guess. I really need to focus and get more work done on it now while I still have some time.

We had a meeting tonight with several LAFSC alumni to talk about what life is like post LAFSC and what to expect in (for me at least) the coming months. There is apparently an alumni retreat in February and that sounds awesome. Fenceposts are a good motivator for me so that is my survival goal at this point.

More as it comes. Don't forget to check my Two Hours production blog too to stay up to date (in more detail) with that project. We're excited about it so far, here's hoping we can finish the race and turn some heads.

Shooting Begins

Things have finally gotten under way here with our big Hollywood Production class. Our first day of shooting was today, and probably our longest. We shot close to half of the film, give or take a minute. It was a long busy day but it was a good time. I think everyone enjoyed themselves. We have high hopes for our production so execution is key.

We shoot the remainder of our office scenes tomorrow and our mall scenes next Saturday. That will be an early day but it will be the home stretch and I'm sure everyone will be excited. The mall has the best scenes and I think everyone is looking forward to it. If you want a more detailed look at our shoot, check out our production blog here:

Good Week

In "Small World After All News", Tera Teed (a fellow LAFSCer whose parents, I've discovered, own the bagel shop my dad has been going to daily for the better part of a decade) has her parents visiting today. Her mom said she saw my dad on Saturday(?) before they left. And while that is cool, it is nothing compared to my new discovery. My sound partner for my big HPW film attended my Aunt Mary's school. Not only that but he had her for a couple classes and as a speech coach. Very bizarre world.

We start filming this week for HPW so it's going to be busy time around here. I'll try to stay up to date on here as much as possible.

Recommendation of the Week:
Kind of a twist here but my recommendation is the U2 concert from Monday night. They streamed it live on Youtube from a capacity Rose Bowl and now have the entire concert up to load and watch. Top notch, surprisingly good quality. I loaded it and listen to it while I work on homework. If you missed it, I say check it out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4QLFVrZ-fw

Goin on Set

Just a quick update.

We start production for our big Hollywood Production Workshop film next weekend (shooting). We should be done casting and have our locations secured by the Monday at the latest. It's really exciting and I'll keep you updated on how that goes.

Busy weekend coming up, not a lot of rest coming for me. Prayers would be appreciated, lots of people here have been sick lately.

Later!

Word from the West

Hey loyal readers. I realized I haven't updated for a while so here you go. Apologies for my absence. In my defense, it's hard to come up with a good follow up to "I met Tony Hale".

Fall seems to be here in LA, finally. In the last week we have had our first overcast day, first rain and first "mostly cloudy" day since I've been here. Then again, it was also in the 90's on Friday and Saturday so maybe it's just a fluke. But today was probably my favorite weather I've experienced since coming here. This was the "mostly cloudy" day I was talking about. Usually in LA, if there are clouds, they are totally overcast and will burn off at some point (or they moved in on some clear blue skies). Today we had legitimate, distinguishable clouds with sun poking through in just less than a 50/50 split. The temp was cool but not cold and it felt awesome.

Heeeeeeeey brother....

That's right, it's everyone's favorite little brother "Buster", aka actor Tony Hale. He came and talked to us at the center about his acting career, his faith and his...shoes? Yea, it's a crazy town out here. Here's another picture from the night.


Tonight was a great night. I got off my internship a little early so I could make it to the newly opened Buffalo Wild Wings in downtown Burbank. It was packed full of Vikings and Packers fans and was quite a fun atmosphere to watch in, even if I was technically by myself in my adventure. Eating familiar food while watching my home team is very nice.

Things have been cool this week so we are getting the illusion of fall for now. It's nice but it should be back in the 80's next week. Oh well.

Until next time! Twins win the division tomorrow!