Did It!

So it's all done. Well not really, never really done. Just checking something off the end of the list. One more month, then it's the next step. College in Amherst. Far away, cool huh? Anyways I need a group and a flower so I'll get on that tommorrow. I still don't think I'm writing about anything really important. This is the last post. Then I'm done. No more. Done, like that guy in the mud up above. Who'd fall down in the mud like that if they weren't. Maybe. Anyways it's been a busy year, as always. But I guess that's the only way I'm willing to operate. I'm looking forward to axe throwing and pancakes, courtesy of McBride. We should have a barbecue too, like last year.

Oh yeah. I sold a piece of art at the show! that was awesome! Money is very validating, so is people liking my work. Anyways I had a good time. A stressful, worthwhile time that I appreciate.

Busy Busy busy

lots of storyboard work to do, so little time.
Hope to meet the deadline McBride!

Another update

Nine more weeks until graduation. But the final critique is in three! I have a lot to finish before then. My last piece will be about four or five pages (with two done so far) so that means a little more work to do than for other deadlines. I also finished my OAEA scholarship This weekend was fun. I did a lot on Saturday. I only saw one film this weekend though (so far) but it was a really good movie at that. Cinema Paradiso (1988), it's very good, I definitely reccomend it. Don't watch a trailer of it, just see it. There's a three hour cut of this and I'm going to keep on the lookout for that.

Hello

Chicago was fun and I did some storyboards BIG NEWS: not doing a western anymore, not because I don't love the idea I have but because it's too big and I want to do something a little less violent. Not like I'm having a change of heart I don't like the way things are escalating. Anyways I had a great time in Chicago, really cold though, but now I'll never complain about the cold anymore, or at least not here, now.

Change in things

So the other screenplay I wrote, while fine, is too long. So I'm going to do a shorter story that won't take more than four of those big pieces of paper I draw them on.

I'm also thinking of doing a short live action piece, maybe a comedy. That would be fun. Of course I may be too busy for that.

Me, now and everything

INT. HOUSE-DAY

Michael

So I've been writing a screenplay recently

and it's a weird ordeal. While it's kind of

interesting to write out a story specifically

for film you can't however write about anything

and all the rules! I think I've already broken

aboutfive for not properly indenting. So anyway the

awards ceremony was fun, got three gold keys,

played my video which everyone seemed to enjoy,

went to a blazers game, got whole wheat pancakes

and got most of my homework done. A good weekend

I would say. So now that I'm almost done with the

screenplay (or I think I am we'll see after today)

I'll get started on the storyboard. It's bigger than I

expected and I think it will be over five pages but

I'll just count that as "growth" as an artist.

Gold Key Ceremony

So the ceremony is this wednesday at the Newmark. Now this is what I know:

1. I will be going last

2. I am going to be introduced

3. I will introduce my film to the audience then while they watch it I will sit in the darkness for three and a half minutes and wait...


Now I haven't been there for about three years. The last time I was for the Platform International Animation Festival and that was really fun (Adult Swim was there and they had Robert Osborne introduce their new show teasers, a joke I didn't get until about a year ago). During my say there I was on the ground floor of the theater. My eyes were always fixed on the the stage so I never really looked up. I just looked at some pictures online of the main theater and I never realized the scope of the room-

A full house would be something.

I'm not clever enough to think up a witty conclusion to this, so this is where this ends.

Critque

My concentration is: Storytelling through the Cinematic Arts.
I apologize if you cannot read all of the text. Please let me know where you have difficulty reading or what part of the story you want to talk about by citing the panel(s) (example: I Like this (panels 1-6) because...)

Some screenshots and Critique

I just found some screen shots and I wanted to put them up. These are from some movies that I think really exemplify cinematography and good use of blocking. especially the middle two.

movies
1) A Fistfull of Dollars
2) Ran
3) Ran
4) Yojimbo

I should put this kind of stuff up more often. Oh and I've almost completed the storyboard for "Between Gentlemen"


Uploading videos takes forever so here's a link to some of my concentration pieces.

My Concentration is "Storytelling through the Cinematic Arts" and here are three full fledged videos:
http://vimeo.com/17961839
http://vimeo.com/16643833
http://vimeo.com/12087049

Yee Haw. So my next storyboard is going to be a western. I'm even putting in the time to write a screenplay for it. It should be enjoyable for all of you. Somebody said that I should put dialogue in future work. well I'm giving it a try and the possibility of doing extra panels for that makes me somewhat angry. But so far the intro is dialogue based.

I don't like the fact that my ideas are poorly timed with Hollywood. I've wanted to do a western for the past four or five months and now the Coen Brothers make me feel like a band wagoner.

Also my Films seem to be getting more and more violent. for example:
1. Pulp. people getting punched
2. Fragile... okay nothing happens there
3. Between Gentlemen. people get shot
4. Western movie. People get shot and killed, worse too.

...maybe a comedy next, I might not be funny enough for that.


and do you have any suggestions for a Western movie title?

A man of the break

Being so busy, does make one think.

That there is little time for this...


I still feel like I'm behind and irresposible. Working hard is funny that way

c'est moi

Dear Ms. McBride, Here is the photo you requested. I hope it pulls a big smile on your face

Another Update

I'm almost done with my animation and that's really exciting.
Ran (1985) is on TV right now and that's great because it's a really good movie.
I need to work on homework and go on a run but i can do the latter later.
two more weeks until winter break, that's nice.
uhhmm... oh I got about six or so photos done for the WOA and I think they all look pretty good.
What else... nothing except to remind myself about the secret Santa

Another Week

so I haven't started the work of art yet, oh well. I haven't completed more work on my animation, oops. I don't know I've been in a sort of awkward rut and I need to get out of it as soon as possible. So that's really it. There's a long break coming up maybe I'll get some work done then...but I doubt it. This is depressing.

The big day

I went to my screening today at the Whistell Auditorium and I have to say it was really something seeing my film on a big screen instead of on my little computer screen. Then afterward there was a panel with the judges and some indipendent filmmakers. What I definitley got out of that was them saying that I had to love this to get what I wanted out of it and that I would have to clean some toilets along the way and that was a literal expression.

Also more big news:

After I finish Between Gentleman I'm switching to a new animation program! That's right because Flash is giving me so many problems and is malfunctioning to the point where working around these unsolvable errors is pointless. So now I'm going with Toon Boom Studio! Toon Boom Studio is an amazing program and although it isn't the king of the internet media, Flash's domain, it's still a for more impressive animation software and is more geared toward what I want to do, which includes exporting high quality quicktime videos (time to play catchup on that Flash) that I can put on DVD's and not have to say "close enough" but instead "perfect that's what it supposed to sound and look like!", much better I agree. Also it has this cool 3d camera tool in the program that's super confusing but I can't wait to figure it out eventually I'll figure out the program and my next short will be better because of it.

Also I'm uploading this trailer I found for a film that uses the same program I'm now using plus other Toon Boom programs. I believe it's like a ten thousand something receipt for just the programs. It's called Chico&Rita and it doesn't have a US release date yet.

What a busy boy

Ms.McBride was kind enough to give me an extension on my self-portrait and WOA#3 challenge so that I would more time to work on my more immediate projects.

So my deadlines are now:

Wednesday, a French quiz

Thursday: A DBQ is due as is my animated short "Between Gentleman" and my live-action short which is still untitled.

Friday: an SQ3R

and Sunday I have to finish and submit my college application to Emmerson.

to finish my short animated film I have to stage everything, put in credits, then censor credits for submission to the Young Arts Festival and in sound and music.

As for my live action short I have to complete two more scenes of it (which I am completing today and tommorow) and then I am editing it at the speed of light and calling it done.

...I'm getting an anxiety attack just talking about all of this


Can I get a Hell Yeah!

The Word of the Weekend is...

I twisted my ankle, and I have a lot of work to do so I guess that's convient. Lets see this weekend I need to finish my WOA challenge #2, push forward with my animation which I thought I might be able to finish this weekend but I also have to work on college essays (who needs sleep amirite?) and study for some school! So I'll have a lot to do and maybe I'll be able to start my self portrait while I'm at it.

I think I need a shave& a haircut
...but that will have to wait

College app, school, life vs art

maybe it's not fair that I compare the two like that, but having to spend a weekend writing papers, working on my Common App and studying for an AP don't exactly move along a process. I got practically no work done this weekend on my animation and that's really upsetting because this was deadline week. I feel overcumbered by school and its hardly even started yet. Maybe if I was able to get more work done on my animation I wouldn't feel that way but it doesn't help things when I don't.
I need to start my self portrait I just need to get a photo of myself (I'll take care of that in class) I'm thinking of an abstract comic it should be pretty interesting.

I'm going to get this out of the way now and say it so nobody keeps telling me this later IF they actually care to read this I WATCH A LOT OF MOVIES
this weekend I saw four movies
A swedish film: The Virgin Spring, directed by Swedish landmark director Ingmar Bergman
A French film: Henri-Georges Clouzot inferno, a documentary about Clouzot art house mess and how that whole ship burned down (thank you Mrs.Grimm for reccomending it to me)
An American film: The Social Network, its really good. It's funny, clever and intelligent
and a Belgium Film: A Town Called Panic,

got to see it, have to see it and glad I saw it!

All these ideas I have in the back of my head for future shorts keep getting weirder and more out there. In a lot of ways I like the abstraction and the ability to experiment, but at the same time I want to make sure I don't isolate myself.
I think I might also want to do a western, that would be cool.


Okay funs over back to school work

Sore throat...

...and hatin' it. I hate being sick. So I never got to the game or the dance, but to be honest I never really liked the dances (music sucks, and people I meet there are either really out of it or act like a pervert). I rented two movies this weekend: Faust and The Straight Story.




None of you (or the majority) I would think would actually like Faust since it's very surreal, very bizarre and very much out there. But I think Jan Svankmajer made a pretty good picture and I actually enjoyed it especially his stop motion work that he is so famous for.




When I put the words David Lynch and Disney together The Straight Story is not what I would picture (more of a Blue Velvet on ice) but after seeing this picture I came to this ultimate conclusion... you have to see The Straight Story!!! It's incredible, its beautiful, and the music is great too. and unlike other David Lynch films it's simple enough that you can understand the story itself in one viewing (I'm still putting together the pieces of Mullholand Dr., and Lost Highway).


I did animation over the week but not very much over the weekend. I really can't wait to finish this project becase it's driving me crazy how close it is to being complete. I'm also concieving my next project that will be done in a different kind of animating style. I'm really excited about it especially the part where it might not take as long as this one (the same goes for the other four shorts I have to do)...I need a haircut.

I've been reading my brothers blog Delinquent Diaries and all that's really done is make me very envious of my brother and all the fun he has all the time, but still its really funny and entertaining "check it out y'all". And I'm going to try to go to facebok less because all it does is show me how much fun everyone I know is having while I'm sitting at home on the computer watching tv with no plans, feeling like an absolute loser... I hate the internet.

The Summer...

a short list of things that happened over the summer

1. I interned at The Hollywood Theater and made a documentary about kids that hate me

2. I went to Boston chicago and New York... I'm still really happy about that

3. I worked on "Between Gentlemen" and am two weeks from completion (I recently told myself I wont shave until I complete it as incetive to finish on time... at least its not as itching anymore)

4. I did a lot of art,some of which Abby thinks looks like trannies (thanks)

5. I met one of my idols (a tale for another time)

6. I decided that I'm not going to do all my projects the same way (thank god)

7. I listened to a lot of Classical music and obscure Jazz and realised that I haven't taken an interest in any band in over five months... i also discovered that it doesn't bother me

8. I've started getting into the works of William S. Burroughs and hope to read Naked Lunch soon... but I still need to read Hearts of Darkness (its only like ninety pages what am I procrastinating about?)

9. I didn't see very many friends so I made new ones

10. I scrapped some old ideas for animating (not really scrapped as much as tossed them aside for further scrutiny and meditation)

11.I watched a lot of movies! ( Although I wish I didn't see Saturday Night Fever, but to be fair I was expecting something else. You know what's a really good movie, Altered States)

12.I became a David Lynch fan and I wish he would make another movie the same goes for Sofia Coppola


I plan to do a lot of work this year and to get more out of it


Oh and heres big news. PULP was accepted for inclusion in the 2010 Northwest Film Center's Young People's Film+Video Festival. Out of 150 submission mine was picked along with 15 others, I feel special.