Ted Is Here!

So today is the day...Ted is here!

I know I've pushed for it and I'm sure you're a bit sick of it, but go see the damn film! It's hysterical, full of heart, and guaranteed to make you laugh (I guess the same as hysterical). If you don't laugh, seriously something is wrong with you.

To show a bit of the "movie magic," enjoy the next little piece. It clues you in on how part of the movie - the most important part - the bear, Ted, was created.

Happy Friday and I hope this brings some laughs to the end of your week (until you see the movie).

Seth MacFarlane is Ted from Seth Macfarlane      

"You know - it's the kind of progressive, left-winged guy I am."  God, Seth MacFarlane is the man.

Seriously, I promise you will enjoy this film - some scenes may push it a little too far, but there are too many great moments to this film.

June Fails

Alright, so this week has been crazy - a few of our big films are coming out the end of this week (Ted...everyone go see it) as well as another HUGE one in about three weeks. So we've been pumping out spots, getting them ready for TV, Radio, and a few trailers. It's been absolutely nonstop.

Without needing to say it, works been a bit tense, so I thought I'd release some steam tonight by posting one of those "fail" compilation videos. If you've realized it - it the past couple months, I've posted a new one near the end of that said month, representing all the greatest fail videos recently posted.

So, this made me laugh. Hard. Especially the beer pong "dunk" (if you could call it that).

Catch ya'll tomorrow!

Happy one day until Friday.

Yay Mark Romanek

I had the pleasure of playing ultimate frisbee tonight with a bunch of random people in Santa Monica and let me tell you, it was a friggin' blast. Actually, I've been playing in pick up games the last couple of weeks, but only on Sundays and the level of play was much more relaxed and casual. Tonight was much more the style I'm used to.

So what does this have to do with this post? Nothing really - just thought I'd share that I'm doing "social" things during the week other than work.

Wait, there is actually a connecting piece here...so as you all know, or I hope you all know, the Olympics are this summer. So, ok, sports tie in (for those of you who think ultimate frisbee is just a sport for hippies, you can kiss my ass).

So frisbee, to the Olympics, to what?

A new commercial by Mark Romanek! Yes - the same one that I kind of followed to Ithaca, wrote to when I was accepted, and worked for the production company he is affiliated with (I kind of like the dude if you couldn't already tell through previous posts).

So one would assume then, at this point of the post, that Romanek's new commercial must be about ultimate frisbee and the Olympics. Well, you're wrong. It's just about sports.

Hah! Threw you for a loop on that one huh? But serious;y - I'm sure the Olympics played a role in why this commercial is being released now. It's not often that women's sports are in the spot light (which is a shame). So, with the approaching games, it would make perfect sense to release a commercial that focuses on the women's side of sports - after all, it is 50% of the Olympics.

And boy - Mark's new commercial carries a powerful message.

Macro World

So as you all know, I recently acquired a new camera and a few lenses.

If you recall, last week, I said the lack of writing by me was due to the fact that I was out and about, testing out the new equipment.

So bare with me, I apologize to any of you who may have seen these already, but I had a lot of fun capturing these and I can't wait to get out and capture some more (these were all from my macro lens).

Enjoy.

White Stripped Friday

Happy Friday all!!

Hope everyone is doing well out there on the interwebs.  I'm still playing with my camera and actually getting over a slight cold/illness, so combine that with it being the last (Friday) post of the week, consider it short.

To entertain you for at least a little bit - let me show you three awesome music videos, both by the same band and same director (Michele Gondry, who I used to work for). Sorry for any of you out there who I've already shown these to in the past...



Crazy stuff right? They literally stop motioned the whole video - adding and subtracting drum sets, guitars, and other equipment per new shot. Thats a hell of a lot of work. But it is damn impressive.



How'd they do it? Shot the video first, then proceeded to project it into each room of the house and reshoot the whole video - timing everything perfectly.

I'm not sure how they nailed it so well, but damn.



Get this...the whole video is one shot. No cuts. Nuts right?

Mom, Momma, Mom, Ma, Momma, Round 2

So I was thinking the other day, when I learned about my Mom's achievement, and it really got me thinking.

She's just awesome.

My last post explained how I felt and the song seemed appropriate it, but I think it was a little too generic, safe. Not really me.

So on the way to and from work, I kept listening to this one song a couple times and decided it sums up how I feel almost to a T. This is a bit fun, a little wacky, some parts serious, and 100% true.

Sure, you have to take the lyrics with a grain of salt because we never lived in Chicago, the years of certain events are off (I wasn't seven during those tears), and it isn't going to be a Mercedes, but a Miata. It may seem a little far fetched, but this seems to fit what we have pretty well. 

Do my Mom and I have a unique relationship? Of course. But who wants to be part of the norm anyway?

Congrats again Mom and thanks for everything.

New Camera

You'll have to excuse me these next couple of days.

I just purchased a new camera - well, I did a few days ago, but it just arrived today. It's one of Canon's top model DSLR's, and I can't wait to get my hands on it and play around with it.

Which is why I may not be around for the next couple days.

It isn't that I don't want to sit here and show you cool videos or write you a story or two. I may just get caught up with exploring my camera, figuring out all the settings, taking some test photos (and posting them of course) or even out and about making col videos.

So please bare with me a bit - I'm like a kid in a candy store right now. Hopefully this purchase will lead to some short videos being produced and maybe even something going "viral" on the web. Who knows! I'm obviously hoping for the later.

But, before I go, I thought I'd share this little piece with you. Ballsy move by McDonald's for sure, but also respectable. Sure, it goes to show how badly the general public is dooped, but I've seen videos like these before and they always make me laugh. It's crazy to think a fast food chain will go through so much to make their items look appealing to the public. And whats even crazier, is that people like us fall for it! Hah!

Oh and of course, with it dealing with photography, it relates to my new purchase.

Enjoy!

The Dr. Is In

Today is a special day.

A very special woman happened to become a doctor today. Who may you ask?

My mother of course! So congratulations are in order for Ms. Ellen O'Brien! If you see her out and about, send her some love - she's spent a ton of time on this and deserves all the praise.

More importantly, she had always been selfless and put this on hold until my brother and my own education(s) were pretty much taken care of. She's a perfect example that hard work certainly pays off.

Amazing stuff for an amazing woman.

I can't wait to crack a Guinness with you amongst the rolling green hills.

Congrats Mom.

Mom, Momma, Mom, Ma, Momma

I know its a month after mother's day, but I have to dedicate this to all the hard working women out there who raised this generation (and those who raised them).

I stumbled upon this piece today because it was released by one of my prior employers, Anonymous Content, and I have to say, it brought a huge smile to my face.

We all aren't going to turn out to be Olympic athletes, nor is life a walking Proctor and Gamble commercial, but I think the point comes across well enough. We all couldn't make it without our mothers. They've always been by our side, one way or another, helping us along. Mine never gave up on me, even when I decided to go down the less traveled of paths and chase a career in the film industry. She didn't run when I needed to go to the ER (although she probably wanted to). Her shoulder was the first I could lean on during relationship struggles.

And I'm sure the same goes for all of you out there reading this today. As little as your mothers may have touched your life - or as large, they helped define us and mold us into the people we are today, and I don't think they get enough credit for it.

So from the bottom of my heart and I'm sure from the rest of everyone else's out there, thank you Mom.

It truly is the hardest job in the world.

Sometimes Slower Is Better

Get ready for it - this is a long video, but believe me, it is more than worth it.

You all know how much I adore slow motion video/film (you know, shooting at a higher frame rate, so more images are captured and when it is played back to the human eye, since there are so many more images, the movement seems a lot slower - confusing I know). Well, if you think about it, or go back in time through my blog and rewatch some of the videos I've posted of extreme slow motion, you'll find the camera is never moving. The movement of the camera often times messes up the look of the captured images  - trying to capture something moving quickly (water droplets, glass breaking, etc) in real time is extremely difficult. Often times the moment you're trying to capture will be missed.

Well, those times are over. This crazy group in Germany designed a computerized rig, that moves fast enough and precise enough to follow the exact path of any object in real time. What exactly does this mean? Slow motion filming can now be filmed without missing any of those "key" moments.

I'm not the best at explaining it - so watch below where the guys behind the technology explain it much better.

And trust me - everything you see in this video is real. They captured all of it. The amount of takes it took to get exactly what they wanted must have been ridiculous, but based on the footage below, their time and effort was well worth it.

It's insane stuff. Beautiful, breathtaking, insane images.

Needless to say...I want a 'Spike.'

Westward

It had taken them months. Possibly even longer. And yet, the hadn't reached their destination.

They had volunteered to lead the way, to trek out across the unknown. To explore the country. Find a new home. Somewhere that would be perfect to start a community, new families, raise children. It could have stretched on forever, hill after meandering hill. Prairies that stretched on seemingly forever - seas of wildflowers that swayed in the wind.

There was no trail, no path, no predetermined route. They just traveled forward.

Some had died, unable to deal with he shortage or food and water. Others turned back, wanting to see their loved ones again, fearing that the journey would just continue on forever. Food had become scarce. The sun beat down and the soil dried and buckle. Lips began to crack, stomachs growled. They were lucky that had stumbled upon the herd of buffalo when they had. Water soon followed, flowing from a nearby brook.

They stocked up and continued on their way.

But now they were stuck. Before them lay the most awe inspiring sight any of them had ever seen. Carved from the river that flowed within it, the canyon seemed to stretch out in front of them in every direction, no end in sight.

They had all agreed on this journey being a tough one. The group had managed without food and water, scared off packs of coyotes, huddled together for warmth.

But what lay in front of them, seemed impossible.

How would they ever cross is?

501

Happy halfway to 1000!

Technically, this is post 501, but I'd just like to thank you all who have followed me through all my posts, stories, videos, and general word vomit. Even those who just happened so stumble upon this space.

I appreciate you all.

Protected

Sometimes when life was too much, he'd make his way down to the water's edge, through the woods, following the old beaten path, running between the ferns, until his feet made the hollow thumping noise on the dock. The thought of only the planks of wood beneath his shoes separating him from the water eased his mind.

Not many people knew about this portion of the lake. It was once popular, but as time crawled on, plants grew, and as the path began to become overtaken by the forest floor, fewer and fewer people had journeyed to the water's edge - until it was only him.

He was lucky to have found a boat some time ago, washed up along the shore. It wasn't perfect, nor new, but it could still float and thats all that mattered. Finding oars had proved more difficult, but it wasn't long until he found a pair laying, seemingly unused in someone's back yard. He had convinced himself that he was only borrowing them for a short while, but he knew deep down inside, they would be his forever.

As bad as the world could be. As many names as he could be called in school, he had his escape. Pushing the boat into the glass like water was always soothing. He'd do it as quiet as possible. Not because he was worried someone would hear him and invade his private moment, but because it just felt like the right thing to do. It was respectful of the calm that had descended upon his world for the time being.

As he glided out towards the center of the lake, he noticed how lucky he was. The water was shielded by a layer of mist, much to thick to ever see through.

He could stay hidden for as long as he wanted.

Django

Hey Hey! Happy Friday!
(I know theoretically it is Thursday night for me, but when you see this, it'll be Friday)

Hope everyone out there had a pretty easy week and has some sort of plans for the weekends. Enjoy it and relax - I'm sure you've earned it over the last couple of days.

Real simple post. It's about Quentin Tarantino.

He has a new movie coming out this winter for Christmas, called Django Unchained. When I first heard about it, I lost shit sh*t because, well, it's a westner. Yup, a Tarantino western. Booyah. I read the script and it is pure gold. If DiCaprio doesn't win his Oscar for this - I don't know if he ever will.

So why am I talking about this tonight? The first trailer for it dropped recently and I think it is great. Ok, I'll be real, I don't think it is great. Don't get me wrong, I think the images are strong, the cutting is good, and the humor is where it is needed, but come on Quentin, what the hell were you thinking with the music!? No. No. No.

I'm confident that the future trailers will have better musical choices and once they do - it'll be something to behold.

Until then - I hope this gets you excited for what is to come in December.

Tropical Dreams

So so tired.

Long day at work. Hot night prior, slept poorly. I'm drained. Just two more days until the weekend. Yesss.

Good news about tonight? I got to see Jon Grado again. Yayyyy (and his brother Matt and his Dad - wahooo).  Had a great meal and a great time catching up.

Now it is time for bed.

But, I can't leave you without some beautiful images.

Want to go on a vacation with me? This place sounds nice. I'll certainly be visiting there tonight in my dreams. The cold wster. Friendly people. Engrossing cultutre. Lush forests.

Im. So. There.

This Is How You Make A Short

Plain and simple. This is how you make a short film.

You don't need anything flashy. You don't need scope. You don't need special effects or even a large budget.

This was shot in a couple days, for virtually nothing. How do you get Kevin Spacey? The person behind the film, somehow sent the script to his talent agency, it fell on his desk, and boom, he was in.

So wait, lets get this straight. All you need is a solid script, talent (in this case an incredible actor), and the knowledge of story structure? Alright, totally doable.

I don't have much meaning behind this - I just think it is a marvelous piece, that is very haunting, yet moving and something that everyone should see. And of course, hopefully appreciate. But, I will say this, at this moment, it is around 360,000 views on youtube - get ready for it to go viral and explode. I almost guarantee the director behind this will get offers on features in the near future. God, the internet is a wonderful thing.

Hopefully soon I can make something like this (I have to order my camera first).

This also cements how amazing Kevin Spacey is too.

Timescape

This is just 1000x beautiful and awe inspiring.

I really can't wait to see the whole thing once it is released online. The images in this are absolutely stunning and almost too good to be true or real for that matter.

Seeing Yosemite also makes me excited to make new memories there later this summer. But the best part of the entire video? Come on Mom, you know.

Joshua trees! Standing alone, out in the desert. In the sun and under the moon. I love this video because those few shots alone, brought back memories of arguably the best trip I have gone on thus far in my life. Throw in the wind farm (it just has to be the one we drove through) and it brought a smile to my face.

This video wasn't just cool and something to look at, but it stirred my emotions, like any good piece should.