25 Films of X-Mas

Well It's seems I've got some time off! Kinda.

I'm planning on watching a slew of flicks these next few weeks...

• Adventureland
• Assembly
• Avatar
• Citizen Kane
• Day of the Dead
• District 9
• The Hangover
• I Am Legend
• Inglourious Basterds
• John Q
• K-20
• Omega Man
• Public Enemies
• Road to Perdition
• Robocop
• Sherlock Holmes
• Snakes on a Plane
• Speed
• Toy Soldiers
• Toxic Avenger
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
• The Zombie Diaries
• Zombie Hunter Rika
• 300
• 500 Days of Summer


Not looking to just be a passive participant in my entertainment outside of creating some of my own... I plan to play a few video games this season on top of it all. Pandemic's swan song The Saboteur, Assassins Creed II, and maybe a little Modern Warfare 2 to boot! Thanks, Mr. Kotick!



Really, during this break I'll be wrapping up this set of videos for Fresh Entertainment artist Kay. A behind the scenes trilogy for his song Put Some Sauce On It as well as a music video for his new mixtape track Better Believe It. They'll all show up some time in early 2010.

Speaking of which as I'm on a list kick I'm also going to be throwing up my top nine of 2009 in the next few days. Lastly I've got a few more things to get off my chest before this decade wraps up so expect a few more blogs. Stay tuned.

Ab Urbe Condita

We Done Did It!

We won Best Picture at the 2009 Filmanthropist Project!

I'd like to first thank the Director and amazingly talented dame who set this all up Kassandra Langum! Clayton Ebeling and Joesph Young who did another mint job on lights! As well as Daniel Steinberg who did mixing other other such QA on the project to perfection. Last but not least Mary Ann who was the backbone and subject of our film. Thanks a million. WE are the BEST.

The film should be posted on the Filmanthropist Project website shortly and when it does I'll let you all know.

Ready for the next round guys and gals?

A Bene Placit

"He's all yours, Rosebud me old son."

Saw a lot of things this weekend not the least of which was the Reckless Ones playing to the hometown crowd at the Sauce after being over on the other side on the pond in the UK. Small world story. Justin Staggs showed our class his latest music video Dead and Gone with the Reckless Ones. I've since done some work with him as I've already told ya'. The crazy part you ask? The buddy I went with knew the lead singer of the band! Small World.

Working on wrapping up classes and that means my portfolio and website! The home stretch. Just got my domain and my site should be up by the end of the week.

Just saw the The Road on the big screen. I must say it is for sure a must buy. It's however not better than the book. Speaking of which I also recommend Octavia E. Butler's Parable of the Sower.
I wish to play with these palettes...

Fresh to Blu-Ray Fight Club, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch! Also, got to mention Up, Dead Presidents, Killing Machine, Azumi, and The Inglorious Bastards from way back in 1978.

Lastly, White Heat with James Cagney. It was playing when I woke up on AMC and it almost made me late to the Kay Put Some Sauce On It shoot! Yeah, I'm a sucker for the oldies. They goodies.

'I once was lost, but now am found'
Okay, not so much the last part.

Communibus Locis

"Well, thank you for profiting on my childhood."

Things have been crazy! With the new camera have come some new projects.

The first is A Thank You from the Heart a short documentary film about Mary Ann Bauer who is a volunteer at Saint Therese. We entered it to the Filmanthropist Project which will be showing the top ten entries at the Oak Street Cinema on December 13th at 3pm. Also thinking about sending it to FOX News Channel's College Challenge as well. It's at a current TRT of 4:15 without credits and for the contest it's got to be no longer than 3:30. Have no fear my friends! I'll be posting it for you all to see soon after it's world premier at the Oak Street Cinema I hope to see you all there.

Working on a stretching video for CenterPoint Energy. This would be the second video I've done for them. The kicker you ask? It's a national video to be seen all over the country and it's also in high definition unlike the CSAFE video I did for them back in corporate video production. What else more can I say it's corporate and you'll never see it.

I've also been doing music videos with Justin Staggs and at the most recent one with Minnesota Rapper Kay I was offered a chance to shoot and put together a behind the scenes video to hype Put Some Sauce On It. I'll be sure to let you all know where and and when it is posted for the world to see sometime in January. Speaking of which I'm just out the door to shoot Kay in the studio to recording some tracks for his new album unfinished business. So, I'll see you all later unlikely the same time, but the same BAT-URL!

Got a few surprises for you all... [CLIFFHANGER]

Oh, and workin' on my portfolio too!

Ex Hypothesi

"Campa... Quino... They would destroy the city..."

With the decision to go with the HVR-Z5U rather than the GY HM100U also came more time to get the extra bread together to fund this little endeavour. It was about an extra seven hundred dollars altogether to go with HDV basically S-miniDV based Z5U. S-Video and even more so S-VHS bring a big smile to my face. It's was the first professional format I learned.

From VHS-C and editing on two VCR's to S-VHS editing deck to deck. I also went from action figure actors to classmate and crew actors. Those where some great times, I just pray that footage never sees the light of day again. Sorry, back from the flashback. This means I'll still for some time shoot to tape and then digitize the footage. Somethings have changed like now I edit NLE and thus I can tool around and mold things like clay because ⌘Z is a life savor.
Yippee-ki-yay!

Besides the extra Benjamins lost was the time to shoot the end fight scene of Red Reflection with it's colorful leaves and amber dusk sun. Those beautiful leaves now lay on the ground dead and soon gone. However, Red Reflection is anything but dead and gone. In the mean time till next fall
I've got some other plans.

Bellum 2012 is that first plan. I began to cook up the idea for the film back in 2007 and finally banged out a script earlier this year. Right now I'm doing some final revisions and getting ready to set this bad boy in motion. Should be an adventure.

Also, I've been watching a lot of flicks as well. What else is new right?
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Drag Me To Hell, Observe and Report, Dead Presidents, Gojira, El Mariachi Trilogy, and yes the Spy Kids Trilogy as well. Been taking Robert Rodriguez's 10 minute film schools...

Omnia Mea Mecum Porto

"Get your gear. Let's go."

I Went with a Sony HVR-Z5U and have gotten it from B&H Photo Video! Shipped this baby overnight from New York City. Now I know I said I was going with a JVC GY-HM100U, but it just didn't do it for me with it's 1/4 inch CCD's which I heard from several sources didn't work so well in low light. After a view of some tests on YouTube and Vimeo I knew I had to look elsewhere. I looked back and went with the updated model of the camera we used on our First 48 Hour Film Project when we shot SUB-SESSION a Sony HVR-Z1U.

This bad boy has a 29.5mm lens, a lux of 1.5, and it shoots 24p just to name a few of it's many specs. Oh yeah, and it overcranks and shoots what it calls smooth slow motion! I'll have some stuff to show you guys shortly. Sorry, for the lack of updates again I was doing research and getting funds together... UPDATE SUPER SOON!


E Pluribus Unum

"I expect the best and I give the best. Here's the beer."

The great news is I'm done with public speaking!
Über Epic.

Watched some more great films. Watchmen on Blu-Ray for one! Also, Barton Fink, JCVD, Starship Troopers, and oddly enough the Woody Allen flick
Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Looking forward to seeing
Inglourious Basterds and Funny People on the
sliver screen very soon. Yowza!



Been reading some buttery comics like Spider-Man Noir, Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, Captain America: Red, White & Blue, and for the first time Sin City. Lastly I've given into that shouting boy inside me and I'm back on a fighting game kick. It's been a great year for 'em. The Return. King of Fighters XII is the latest to join the club along with the king Street Fighter IV and the oddball and yet very intriguing ブレイブルー better know as BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger here in America. Distortion Finish! I call it research -- enough said.



Rewrites continue on the Red Reflection script. The shoot is still on for a late September or early October date, basically as soon as the red leaves and amber sun make their presence known we're goin' in. Oh yeah, kinda need to buy my JVC: GY-HM100 shorty here as well. Thank you, renters returns! I'm on my way even more so now...

I did indeed take that excellent adventure with
Mr. Logan and Mr. Preston! So not bogus dudes and dudettes! Got myself a few weeks to relax before my return to classes, and I'm going to enjoy them! It's what summer created for chillin'.

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