Kauren and Justin: Engagement Photos

Kauren and Justin needed engagement photos. I was happy to oblige.

They were a joy to work with. Since both are avid runners, they came up with the idea to do a set of photos in their marathon gear. The result was adorable.  I’ve included a few favorites below. The whole set can be viewed on flickr.

Designated Drivers Trailer

Well, it’s been a while since I posted screengrabs from my latest short film, Designated Drivers. So, I thought I’d be a good Samaritan and finally release a trailer to go along with them. I still have a bit more work to do on the actual movie, but until then, enjoy!

Now, you may be asking yourself. What’s the point of making a trailer for a movie that’s only 9 minutes long already? To this I say: nine minutes on the internet is equivalent to like nine and half hours at a NATO conference on transatlantic fuel. Heck, on the interweb , one and half minutes feels like the next Lawrence of Arabia. Epic, indeed.

Special shout out goes to the music in the trailer provided by WIndom Earle. Seriously, check ‘em out. They rule.

Survive. Recover. Live.

Back when I was 13, I discovered a massive loophole in the Virginia public education system. It’s at this young age when I realized that teachers would let you get out of doing “real” homework if you just made a movie that somehow related to the assignment. That report on the Canterbury Tales? Go out to the woods, put mud on your face, speak in a funny accent, and hit record. The physics project on electricity and conduction? Put on a few of your Dad’s lab coats and make a fake science show (real test tubes and all)! Then, just load the footage into your beast of a computer (512mb of RAM!), mess around in Windows Movie Maker for a few hours, and voilà—easy A!

I guess what I’m getting at here is that I’ve always wanted to be a storyteller—or at the very least pretend to be a storyteller. I’d watch movies on repeat, quoting lines ad nauseum. I’d analyze them, critique them, study them. And, back at the time when I realized I could trade amateur cinema for good grades, I was lucky enough to befriend someone who was just crazy enough to help me tell stories with a camera. His name is Rob Jones.

Describing Rob in a few words doesn’t seem fair, but I’ll try. He’s quirky. He’s funny. He’s smart. He’s got one of the best memories of anyone I know. But, above all, I’d describe him as optimistic. Seriously, I don’t think I’ve ever met a person as positive as Rob. I guess that’s why he was always so willing to help me out with my amateur productions. And, help he did. No role to small. No script too bad. Pretend to get run over by a car? Rob’s got that one down. Need to reenact a Civil War hanging? Rob did that too. Hit man? Mystical ghost? Monopoly champion? Rob played them all. In my short years, I’ve come to realize that some things just make you friends for life. Shooting bad movies together when you’re 14 is one of them.

On July 22nd 2010, Rob lost his legs when he was struck by an IED in Afghanistan. He joined the Marines back in 2007 while still in school at Virginia Tech. As soon as I heard the news, I became determined to tell his story. After all, I really couldn’t think to do much else.

Over the past year, as I compiled a narrative documenting Rob’s recovery, I’ve come to understand an innate truth—real life is the greatest storyteller. I know that sounds cliché, but hey, it’s true. In all my short years, I’ve been attempting to manufacture entertaining stories to make my movies. But, here, right in front of my eyes was a story better than any I had told before. And, I didn’t have to make up a lick of it.

So, although we’ve grown up a bit since I waved my cheap camcorder in Rob’s face at 13, he’s still helping me tell stories. In fact, he has given me the perfect one—his own. A tale of strength, of courage, of persistence, and heart. I feel awful that my good friend lost his legs. But, if there is one positive to come of the entire ordeal, it’s his journey of recovery—a narrative, that coupled with Rob’s words-defying optimism, is so very inspiring. Shortly after he got his senses back and Rob started his recovery process at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, he described his situation and eventual road to recovery all very succinctly: “Survive. Recover. Live.”

With those three simple words, Rob, unwittingly, had given a title to his journey—of the short documentary I have made to tell his story.

On July 22nd 2011—one year exactly from the date in which he sustained his injuries—I will be showing the film at the very high school where he helped me barter cinematic tomfoolery for passing grades.

I invite you to come.

All my life I have been attempting to tell stories. This time honor me with your presence as I attempt to tell Rob’s.

Survive. Recover. Live.

Promotional Flyer
Trailer on Vimeo
Donate to Wounded Warrior Project

Screening Information:
July 22nd at 7:30pm
Loudoun Valley High School Auditorium
340 N. Maple Avenue
Purcellville, Virginia 20132
$5 entry fee (all proceeds go to Wounded Warrior Project)

More Designated Drivers Screengrabs

While I continue to waste time before a “real” update, here are some more screengrabs from the Designated Drivers shoot.  All are raw from the camera. So, hopefully they’ll look a little prettier when I color correct.

In Production — Designated Drivers

Making movies is awesome

Again, I’ve been very busy (yes, I realize that’s becoming a disturbing trend with my posts). I really do dig writing, so I’m hoping to eventually get my act together and make this blog space a legitimate place to visit. In the meantime, you get these cryptic, piece-meal updates.

Last weekend, I finally started production on my latest short, a romantic comedy entitled “Designated Drivers.” I’ll hopefully be able to post some more screen shots soon, but I just wanted to share this one for the moment. It just makes me smile. Pretend drunk people are funny.

Save the Date

I mentioned in my previous post that I’ve been working on a lot of various projects as of late. Well, I’m happy to report that I can finally show one of them off.

To those unaware, I proposed to my girlfriend of over two years a few months ago in Walt Disney World. As a result, we’ve recently been thrust into the brutal task known as “wedding planning.”   I wanted to do something a little different when it came to a save the date, so my fiance suggested that I animate something (instead of the ole’ photobooth magnet dealio).  Well, not one to shy away from a creative project, I spent the last few weeks animating a short little motion graphics piece to be eventually sent out to friends and family. The result can be found below.

I had a lot of fun with this and took the opportunity to experiment with some new techniques. The majority of the video was built in After Effects. But, I managed to composite a few elements from Cinema 4D in there as well. This was my first time working with cloth, so I had an interesting time (euphemism) learning the ins and outs of that.  All in all, I think it came out really well. Enjoy!

Finding Time at the Lancaster Area Film Festival

I’ve been working on a lot on various projects lately (I’ll post some video evidence soon…I promise), but I wanted to take a break to post some more good news. Finding Time will be playing at the Lancaster Area Film Festival (LAFF) in Lititz, PA on April 9th. The full schedule has yet to be posted, but, hey why not crack open the bubbly and celebrate!

This comes as a nice little surprise as I continue to plug away on a series of animated projects and continue prep. work on my next full short project, Designated Drivers.

Keep an eye out for more updates soon.

Five Second Project: Reverse

At exactly this time last year, I made a deal with myself to finally buckle down and learn are 3D animation program. Well, here we are–around 365 days–later and I actually made good on my New Year’s resolution (now if only I could get the six-pack abs I promised myself ).

I’m still very much a novice Cinema 4D user, but I’ve been learning a lot, mostly thanks to the now ubiquitous advice of Nick Campbell, the greyscalegorilla. I decided to finally enter one of his “Five Second Project” contests. They’re a nifty way for motion designers to advance their skills as well as try out to new techniques in a short five second runtime. This month’s theme was “Reverse.” Check out my entry below.

My Top 10 Movies of 2010

Admittedly, everyone and their mother makes a top 10 list such as this every year. But, I’ve never prided myself on originality. Read below to get my takes on the movies I liked best this year. Feel free to argue with me later.

Catfish
If the Social Network depicts the creation of our current online culture, Catfish forces us to—if I may use a tired phrase—reap what we sow. It’s a movie about a young photographer who forms a relationship with a woman through facebook. As the relationship grows, our intrepid hero (and the audience) realizes that something isn’t quite right with his mysterious cyber sweetie, Megan.  And, therein lies the rub. There’s a lot of hoopla about the movie’s “twist” regarding Megan’s true identity, but clever marketing aside, it’s not really the point—at least not for me. This is movie about the consequences of defining ourselves through pixels—through the online personas we create. And, no, the irony is not lost on me that you are in fact reading this through the hallowed fiction of cyberspace. With the advent of the public-facing nature of the internet, everyone is essentially a celebrity. Our photos…our thoughts…our lives—all of it is exposed to the world like we’re all stars in our own network reality series. Catfish simply shows us this fact in narrative form. I hesitate to call it a movie for our time, for with our fleeting attention spans, perhaps it’s best described as a movie for the time before your browser refreshes.

Exit Through the Gift Shop
I recently caught up with Exit Through the Gift Shop, a documentary about graffiti and street artists that made waves at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.  Very rarely does hype ever live up to final product (see this year’s critical darling Winter’s Bone), but Exit manages to not only meet expectations—it exceeds them. Like the very concept of street art, it’s a difficult movie to describe in a quick logline. Essentially, it follows hapless French filmmaker Thierry Guetta and his search to locate and befriend the notorious street artist Banksy. What results is a meta, “is-this-actually-real?” journey through the nocturnal world of street artists and the cities that are their canvases. This alone would be interesting fodder for a film, but things really begin to ramp up as Gift Shop transforms into an active dissection of that age-old collegiate question: what defines art? (you can stop rolling your eyes now)

The movie is bold, fast-paced, and hilarious. Equally impressive, it made me think (as in actively ponder things) more than any other movie I saw this year. In our current society, now more than ever, it’s easy to create art. In response, Banksy seems to be asking, what defines actual ability in a world where everyone has it? Or, more to the point, in a world where no one can tell the difference?

Easy A
John Hughes may have invented the high school movie. But, its stuff like Easy A that reinterprets the genre for a new generation. Ripping a page from the acidic wit of Tina Fey’s Mean Girls, Easy A is a modern high school fairy tale—the sort of story that abounds with high school cliques and clichés that ultimately, through sharp writing and acting, manages to defy them. Emma Stone is adorable as a lead character who pretends to be a slut for social and financial gain. The rest of the supporting players are equally as well played, with especially rousing bit performances from Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson. Easy A may not reinvent the wheel, but it’s a high school vehicle that is sure as hell fun to take for a ride.

True Grit
I’ll admit, there was a time when I didn’t necessarily “get “ the Coen brothers. Or, maybe it was that I just didn’t get what there was to get. As my movie tastes grow, I’ve realized that the Coens are essentially budding linguists—two very talented men that love language and love the varying ways that different people use it.  From the accents of Fargo North Dakota to the southern dialects in Raising Arizona, the Coens craft tales where speech itself is the star. That’s not to say they don’t also get the rest of the details right. With True Grit, they’re firing on all cylinders.  It’s a western that is as thrilling, beautiful, and suspenseful as it is funny. Amidst it all—stemming from the spectacular performances of Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld—is that glorious attention to dialect.  I guess it’s easy to say that the Coens are at the top of their cinematic game. But, really, is that a fair assertion when they’re the ones who keep on defining the rules?

The Kids Are All Right
The setup is pure indy-comedy quirk: two kids from a same-sex couple are out to find their biological father. Shenanigans ensue. But, there’s more…so much more. Lisa Cholodenko’s smart family comedy, The Kids Are All Right, takes what could have been strictly a gimmick and turns it into a story that is touching and real. Both character and plot development get equal screen time here, and the strong cast of female leads breaks Hollywood convention. The writing is well-paced and witty, but really, the movie shines when it takes a step back to analyze what makes a family—for lack of a better word—a family. With this heartfelt realization, Cholodenko may have actually made this year’s most commercial, audience-friendly film. That is, lesbian moms aside.

How to Train Your Dragon
It’s unfortunate that in the world of animated movies Pixar always seems to get the critical acclaim while Dreamworks gets the short end of the proverbial stick.  While Toy Story 3 was fantastic (see below), so was Dreamworks equally impressive offering, How to Train your Dragon.  Stocked with lush visuals, fantastic set pieces, and solid voice acting, How to Train Your Dragon is a thrilling example of great storytelling combined with flawless animation. But, what really makes the film fly? The connection between a boy and his first pet, which in this case, is an adorable dragon named Toothless.  It’s this relationship that drives the movie to a personal place—one filled with equal parts honest sentiment and nostalgia. Now, if only I could adopt my own dragon…

Toy Story 3
Oh, right, Pixar…so can they ever screw up? Seriously, I imagine Pixar Animation Studios to be an enchanted place filled with sparkles, love, and unicorns. This year, much like before, the lauded magic factory delivers yet another masterpiece, Toy Story 3. Yes, I said it. A masterpiece.  Although it may never have been originally conceptualized as a trilogy, the Toy Story series is representative of how far character development and storytelling can go when properties are in the right creative hands. From Andy’s youth to his eventual departure for college, our journey with Woody, Buzz, and the gang is as fantastic as it is heartfelt—a story that honestly depicts the fleeting nature of youth in combination with grown-up ideas like loyalty and companionship. And, it does all this through the eyes of plastic toys. Now that, ladies and gents, is truly magic.

127 Hours
Sure…on the surface it’s one of those ripped from a headline stories that Hollywood loves to churn out year after year. But, this one’s different. 127 Hours—the filmic adaptation of real life hiker Aron Ralston’s harrowing journey of survival and eventual life affirmation—breaks the mold of typical Hollywood melodrama. We may have seen these themes on screen before, just not done this damn well (at least not in my recent memory). You could attribute the movie’s success to Danny Boyle’s lively visuals and James Franco’s amazing performance, but really this movie works because of its simple, solitary premise—not, as some would have you believe—in spite of it. It’s about a boy and his rock, and, in turn, every little detail is escalated from the mundane to the extraordinary: the stream of sunlight in Ralston’s dimly lit cave…the drops of water resting in his canteen…the stretch of one’s leg to reach the object that is just a bit too far out of reach. And, as the film reaches its inevitable conclusion, all you can think about is how these little things—these normally overlooked objects and moments—make life worth living.

Inception
If Chris Nolan pioneered the thinking man’s blockbuster with the Dark Knight and the Prestige, he has refined it with Inception. It’s the rare sort of movie that manages to give its audience equal dose spectacle and head-scratching mythos, all while keeping the whole production moving at a frantic pace. This is urgent filmmaking by a modern filmmaker, obsessed with the layers and puzzles hidden inside our mind. And, damn is it fun to watch. In our current era of Hollywood-moviemaking, where huge budgets are synonymous with sequels and super heroes, Inception proves that big, bold innovation can still bring in the dollars, and more importantly, the goods.  BRAAAMM!

The Social Network
The creation of a website shouldn’t be interesting. It just shouldn’t be. Neither should legal briefings or closed-door depositions. Or, college dorm life and copyright legality for that matter. But, in the Social Network they just are.  With the facebook movie (as it’s been affectionately dubbed) director David Fincher and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, have delivered a film that feels as epic as the Godfather. Fincher is at the top of his visual game here. So is Jesse Eisenberg with his portrayal of facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.  But, as much I enjoy all of these things—as much as I relish the machine-gun paced, one-upmanship dialogue from Sorkin, the Social Network really shines in the moments of silence. As we watch young Mark Zuckerberg stroll through Harvard Square on a cold winter night, we are given the inclination of a mind hard at work—he’s a kid so far separated from the rest of us that he just may be the only person capable of virtually connecting us. Think about that…about how the connections we make nowadays can be terminated with the simple change of a relationship status. Or, in the case of The Social Network, a billion dollar lawsuit. The story that both Fincher and Sorkin are telling here may not necessarily all be true, but what they’re saying about our generation and human nature most definitely is.

And for a special bonus…the…

WORST MOVIE OF THE YEAR

The American
Sure, technically, there were probably worse movies to hit theaters this year. But, there’s something about the American—with its faux-intelligent “artsy” pandering—that just pisses me off. On the surface it’s a slow-burn espionage thriller starring George Clooney that harkens back to vintage paranoia thrillers of the 70s. In reality, it’s just boring. Really boring. I’m talking five minute long takes of the Italian countryside boring.  Amidst all the dullness and ponderous pacing, we get George Clooney mugging lonesome for the camera. A tortured hitman? How ingenious! The American is the type of movie that gives smaller, sparse films a bad name. It’s fulfilling a sort of “art-film” stereotype, complete with gratuitous, awkward sex scenes and long takes of people sitting and doing nothing. Clash of the Titans and Prince of Persia may have been dumber theatrical experiences this year, but at least they had the courtesy to not pretend to be smart.

Finding Time at the Festivus Film Festival

I’m super swamped at the moment with various projects–and I promise a legitimate update soon–but in the meantime here’s a bit of good news. Finding Time was just accepted into the Festivus Film Festival. Yeah!

For more information about the Festivus Film Festival check out the website here: http://www.festivusfilmfestival.com/

In other unrelated news, I have finished my fourth feature screenplay, Popular Vote, and have posted it on inktip for viewing.

Let’s just say, life’s hectic at the moment.