There is so much fog outside right now that I'm wondering if I'm in Los Angeles or back on the Point! It's been weird weather ever since the Santa Anas started (by the way, who knew the Santa Anas could be cold? I didn't!). At least we are all being kept on our toes regarding Mother Nature!
So these past two days have been intense. We finished filming an hour ahead of schedule yesterday, and left the set content and with all around good feelings from cast, crew, and home owners! An instructor was supposed to stop by and observe our shoot, but we were done so early that by the time the instructor came around, we were gone. Score one for us! And the home owners didn't care about the ash on the pool decking, which was even more of a bonus.
Yesterday was not the best it could have been solely because of personal issues. The shoot went EXCEEDINGLY well, but Satan decided to mess with me and have my debit card number skimmed/stolen, and about $2,000 worth of charges were racked up in about three days. I wish I could be the recipient of all the stuff that was bought with it, because I'm sure it's more exciting than groceries. All of the charges were made in Idaho and Utah, so I don't think I'll be responsible for the money spent, especially as the charges are already off the account. But it is still stressful! I don't like using my credit card!
Also, I dropped my phone and it no longer works properly. AT&T can't do much about it as the phone isn't under warranty, and so my only hope is to see if the phone bounces back. Obi-Wan Phone-obi, you are my only hope!
The day went back up when I went out with Esther, Laura, Kerena, and Hani, all the girls on my HPW team, to Urban Outfitters, were I got an awesome pull over dress for $10. Yay for winding down time with some great gals!
Overall, things are looking up hill. I've had a rough few days dealing with some personal melancholy over being single, away from Point Loma, and a multitude of other things, but hey, it happens!
My thoughts for the day: how do you decide what your calling love wise is in life? Is it really that bad to be single all of your life? I'm never quite sure what I exactly want, and sadly, there is no quick sheet or Spark Notes of answers to life's toughest chapter: love. I don't think single life is weird or not cool, but it is harder than it looks, and seems to get harder every year. And of course everywhere I look I see couples. I have mixed emotions about dating right now, but c'est la vie. We will see how I feel next week!
Below is an interesting article Amber put on Facebook about voodoo zombies in Haiti. It's very well written and thoroughly researched (or seems to be). I'll let you decide for yourself!
http://www.mensjournal.com/into-the-zombie-underworld
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Saturday, October 31, 2009
First Day of Filming
Today was our first day of filming for the HPW project I'm working on: "Little". We only had a few hiccups, including a flaming Styrofoam cup, me zoning while fulfilling 1st A.D. roles, and lunch arriving late, but overall, we had a great time. The team works great together, the cast is supportive and always willing to help, and we got 2/3 of the script done. Hopefully we don't have to do re-shoots!
Tomorrow is our second and last day of planned shooting. We may have to do ADR to get the sound quality we need on the voices, as the location we have is rather loud (sorry Esther and Jonathan!), and we may need to do re-shoots. But our call time is at least at 7:30am and daylight savings time starts tomorrow. So whoo-hoo for extra sleep!
For Halloween, Jonathon, Dave, Kerena, Hani, Gabe, and I went to Chipotle. We dressed up in tinfoil and got free burritos, and stopped by the Duff's house twice to score free candy. Delicious! And even better company. This upcoming Thursday is the LAFSC Halloween party, however, and I plan to dominate the costume contest! Even if my Youtube costume doesn't fit into the "Favorite TV Character" theme...
I think being up early (5:45am) for this morning's call time of 6:30am has made me tired, thus making me contemplative. So here is my musings that have nothing to do with filming: have you ever wondered who has written about you in their journal? I thought that today as I walked with some friends back. There are so many memories jam packed into my journal, and so many names that are mentioned once, twice, sometimes more. Often there are good things written in association with that name, and other times there are not so nice thoughts. In the end, though, that name and that person are still being remembered.
I wonder who takes the time to remember me in their journal. I wonder if it's good. Do they have a crush on me, or are dying to tell me something about themselves or me, but can't or don't have the guts? Would I want to know who writes about me, and what they write about? I know that my own journal entries, particularly about guys I have liked, would cause me to die from their sporadic and often up-and-down nature. But I bet, deep down, the people I write about would - for the most part - be flattered. I've always wanted to know how they would react, and if they've written about me back.
Tomorrow is our second and last day of planned shooting. We may have to do ADR to get the sound quality we need on the voices, as the location we have is rather loud (sorry Esther and Jonathan!), and we may need to do re-shoots. But our call time is at least at 7:30am and daylight savings time starts tomorrow. So whoo-hoo for extra sleep!
For Halloween, Jonathon, Dave, Kerena, Hani, Gabe, and I went to Chipotle. We dressed up in tinfoil and got free burritos, and stopped by the Duff's house twice to score free candy. Delicious! And even better company. This upcoming Thursday is the LAFSC Halloween party, however, and I plan to dominate the costume contest! Even if my Youtube costume doesn't fit into the "Favorite TV Character" theme...
I think being up early (5:45am) for this morning's call time of 6:30am has made me tired, thus making me contemplative. So here is my musings that have nothing to do with filming: have you ever wondered who has written about you in their journal? I thought that today as I walked with some friends back. There are so many memories jam packed into my journal, and so many names that are mentioned once, twice, sometimes more. Often there are good things written in association with that name, and other times there are not so nice thoughts. In the end, though, that name and that person are still being remembered.
I wonder who takes the time to remember me in their journal. I wonder if it's good. Do they have a crush on me, or are dying to tell me something about themselves or me, but can't or don't have the guts? Would I want to know who writes about me, and what they write about? I know that my own journal entries, particularly about guys I have liked, would cause me to die from their sporadic and often up-and-down nature. But I bet, deep down, the people I write about would - for the most part - be flattered. I've always wanted to know how they would react, and if they've written about me back.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Ethics Panel
So today we had an ethics panel. It would have been more interesting if I had been awake and if I had not had other things to do. Seriously, an ethics panel where we do nothing but sit for at least two hours, the week our big projects are due to shoot? Haha, right! At least they fed us before hand.
Work was busy today, as we have had a flood of scripts come in - escaping the Pharaoh I suppose. Either way, they have to get read eventually, and since my job is to read, well, I'm just helping the scripts get to the Promise Land that is the trash can half the time. (See, proof that I go to a Christian program, as evidenced by the analogy above!)
My roommates are currently throwing some food item at the person smoking two floors down. Smoking isn't allowed in the state of California, and definitely not in the apartment rooms. Since the guy on the 6th floor seems to ignore this, my roommates have taken matters into their own hands and have resorted to throwing small food items at their window whenever that cigarette butt appears. How well and how often this works, and how soon until the guy comes up to our room is yet to be seen.
Oh yes, I made an acting debut this weekend as the love interest to a germaphobe! It was quite fun, actually. I have always wanted to try acting, but I'm so painfully shy at times that it seems improbable that I would be any good at it. The director said I did a good job, but you know how student films like this go: they'll always say you did a great job, even when you didn't. I have always wondered if I could make it as an actress, however, and I still entertain the thought of going into the acting world. But I think I'll leave that to CJ.
More craziness tomorrow - pray that this permit goes through!
Work was busy today, as we have had a flood of scripts come in - escaping the Pharaoh I suppose. Either way, they have to get read eventually, and since my job is to read, well, I'm just helping the scripts get to the Promise Land that is the trash can half the time. (See, proof that I go to a Christian program, as evidenced by the analogy above!)
My roommates are currently throwing some food item at the person smoking two floors down. Smoking isn't allowed in the state of California, and definitely not in the apartment rooms. Since the guy on the 6th floor seems to ignore this, my roommates have taken matters into their own hands and have resorted to throwing small food items at their window whenever that cigarette butt appears. How well and how often this works, and how soon until the guy comes up to our room is yet to be seen.
Oh yes, I made an acting debut this weekend as the love interest to a germaphobe! It was quite fun, actually. I have always wanted to try acting, but I'm so painfully shy at times that it seems improbable that I would be any good at it. The director said I did a good job, but you know how student films like this go: they'll always say you did a great job, even when you didn't. I have always wondered if I could make it as an actress, however, and I still entertain the thought of going into the acting world. But I think I'll leave that to CJ.
More craziness tomorrow - pray that this permit goes through!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Come On Down!
Ok, I'm a horrible blogger. Let's just face that music in F minor (to reflect my grade for keeping this thing up!) and go on to the guitar solo.
There's a ton that's been going on. Working on the short film that I'm producing has been up and down. We film next weekend! PANIC! God, however, answered a prayer by connecting me with a little person via the Little People Association of America, the L.A. branch, that is willing to be our lead! From there, everything else fell into place, and we officially have all of our actors lined up and ready to go. We even got to hire our favorite African American actors, and with that, are now setting our story a bit later than the 1940s.
Like a friend of mine stated, though, being a producer for these films is a lot like playing whack-a-mole. Every time you think something is done, another mole pops up that you have to hit with your rapidly dwindling hammer. Our mole happens to be getting our film permit. As things go, we have a special concern neighborhood, with extra rules up the whazoo.
For future note, the people at Film L.A. are some of the unhappiest people I've ever met. Avoid at all costs - they do not have a sense of humor! I can't imagine ever being that unhappy working anywhere. I also can't imagine doling out permits for a living.
Screenwriting is going well, and I am on my way through act two and page 25 of my screenplay, tentatively titled "Bottle Cap Boys" right now. Lame title? Yes. But I'm supposed to be practicing my log line, tag line, and title on people, and who better than a bunch of possibly random people reading this? So here they are!
Title: Bottle Cap Boys
Tag Line: Forgiveness can be the hardest thing when it comes to forgiving yourself.
Log Line: German WWII veteran Conrad lives in a nightmare that is his war guilt. Unable to forgive himself for his actions, Conrad begins to live more in the war than in reality, pushing his family and wife away in the process. Upon meeting Benny, a storytelling heart transplant hopeful, however, Conrad finally has a chance to let go of the past if he can open his heart to accept Benny's tales...
There it is! I'm liking it so far, and though I miss writing comedy, drama has its moments of joy as well.
I finally finished my Halloween costume. For those who don't know, I'm going as a Youtube video. It's hard to explain the costume, however, so you'll have to wait until Halloween to see a picture! Just a few more adjustments and the costume will be complete. Can't wait for Halloween! Not sure what I'm doing, but it'll be fun.
Our love sack, lovingly rolled three blocks to our apartment, now has a friend that my roommate picked up in the lobby. It looks a lot like a silver blob or tumor, and at this rate everyone will have a bean bag to sit on. But it does look quite at home, I'll admit.
This weekend we went to volunteer at the Dream Center. For a place named like that, you would think volunteering would be fun, right? Most of us walked away wishing we had our morning back. The Dream Center means well, but it was so disorganized that one team didn't do anything - there were too many volunteers! The other team, mine, passed out food and fliers to try to get people to go to church. I'm not a fan of ministry of that sort, as I know it's not my field, and frankly, I believe more in living as an example than in bribing people to church with half-moldy vegetables and potato chips.
On a brighter note, last week I went to my first TV screening: The Price is Right - a classic. Drew Carey was quite funny and interacted with the audience a lot more than I thought he would. Some poor crew member got beaned with a backdrop back stage, but beyond that, no one from my group got picked, including our birthday boy with us. Oh well. I plan on going again, though, and we'll see what happens!
That's about it on the excitement. Things will get more interesting when I have more time after HPW to go out. For now, here's my metaphor I had to write for Theology in Hollywood that talks about what I compare myself to. Enjoy!
"So I thought a lot about this metaphor thing. I wanted to be a light
saber, but considering I don’t make cool noises and I’m not very
deadly, I had to discard it. I also really wanted to be something
awesome, like a garden gnome, but considering I’m neither short nor
bearded, that didn’t work either. So I went with something more
practical and settled for a telephone booth.
That’s right, a telephone booth.
I am like a telephone booth because different things come out of me.
I’m a multi-faceted person, and I show it. Sometimes, I have
Superman inside. I do good deeds because I sincerely want to and my reward is
others being happy, and I’m ok with that. Other times, I have the
creeper from 6th street who is looking for change in the coin slot.
My thoughts are scary; I’m selfish, nasty, and can’t think of a
positive aspect to the world as I wander out muttering about
government conspiracies. All this while, people get just a glimpse
of what I have inside because they can see through the windows and
breathe on the glass.
Which leads me to my next point of: I wear my emotions on my sleeve.
Telephone booths, though meant for privacy, really don’t give you as
much privacy as you want. You can get a glimpse of what is going on
through the glass windows, and by how much the man/woman is screaming
into the phone, you can get a gist of the conversation going on
inside. You won’t be able to hear exactly what is going on without
opening the door and asking, but just by using those investigative
spy skills you practiced as a kid when spying on your siblings, you can
get an idea of what I’m feeling that day.
But when it comes down to the line, no matter what kind of person or
conversation going on inside a telephone booth, those pay phones
wouldn’t exist without people. Germs and all, phone booths need
people, and so do I. Life is meaningless without interactions with
others. While I like to have a set group of people who stay in my
life, even if I only have one Dr. Who (yes, it’s a police box, but
it’s close enough) or Superman who comes back to me constantly, I
need people to keep going. I may not initiate the talking, and I may be a
bit quiet, but once you break the shell and start up a conversation
with me, if I’m there and not hovering in dreamland, I’ll talk back.
I am also a phone booth because I am a rooted thing. Let’s be honest,
the only phone booth that hovers is the Tardis, and since we’re a few
decades away from having anything hover, most phone booths are located
on the ground so as to be connected to the electricity that it needs.
I, too, am a bit of a rooted person. Though I like to travel, I like
to have a community everywhere I go. I can’t run on nothing! I need
the power that is my God, friends, and family in order to stay
operating.
Finally, I am like a phone booth because I am mostly an introvert by
nature. It’s always hard being an introvert, because you want to be
able to have the ability to just walk up to people and start a
conversation. Us phone booths, however, are so grounded in what we
know that we are afraid to leave our electrical lines for a few
minutes. Once you step into the phone booth, however, you find
someone to talk to, and often you get your ear talked off!
So there you are: I am a phone booth. Next time you see one, think
of me, or at least Dr. Who, because that’s a quality show right there."
There's a ton that's been going on. Working on the short film that I'm producing has been up and down. We film next weekend! PANIC! God, however, answered a prayer by connecting me with a little person via the Little People Association of America, the L.A. branch, that is willing to be our lead! From there, everything else fell into place, and we officially have all of our actors lined up and ready to go. We even got to hire our favorite African American actors, and with that, are now setting our story a bit later than the 1940s.
Like a friend of mine stated, though, being a producer for these films is a lot like playing whack-a-mole. Every time you think something is done, another mole pops up that you have to hit with your rapidly dwindling hammer. Our mole happens to be getting our film permit. As things go, we have a special concern neighborhood, with extra rules up the whazoo.
For future note, the people at Film L.A. are some of the unhappiest people I've ever met. Avoid at all costs - they do not have a sense of humor! I can't imagine ever being that unhappy working anywhere. I also can't imagine doling out permits for a living.
Screenwriting is going well, and I am on my way through act two and page 25 of my screenplay, tentatively titled "Bottle Cap Boys" right now. Lame title? Yes. But I'm supposed to be practicing my log line, tag line, and title on people, and who better than a bunch of possibly random people reading this? So here they are!
Title: Bottle Cap Boys
Tag Line: Forgiveness can be the hardest thing when it comes to forgiving yourself.
Log Line: German WWII veteran Conrad lives in a nightmare that is his war guilt. Unable to forgive himself for his actions, Conrad begins to live more in the war than in reality, pushing his family and wife away in the process. Upon meeting Benny, a storytelling heart transplant hopeful, however, Conrad finally has a chance to let go of the past if he can open his heart to accept Benny's tales...
There it is! I'm liking it so far, and though I miss writing comedy, drama has its moments of joy as well.
I finally finished my Halloween costume. For those who don't know, I'm going as a Youtube video. It's hard to explain the costume, however, so you'll have to wait until Halloween to see a picture! Just a few more adjustments and the costume will be complete. Can't wait for Halloween! Not sure what I'm doing, but it'll be fun.
Our love sack, lovingly rolled three blocks to our apartment, now has a friend that my roommate picked up in the lobby. It looks a lot like a silver blob or tumor, and at this rate everyone will have a bean bag to sit on. But it does look quite at home, I'll admit.
This weekend we went to volunteer at the Dream Center. For a place named like that, you would think volunteering would be fun, right? Most of us walked away wishing we had our morning back. The Dream Center means well, but it was so disorganized that one team didn't do anything - there were too many volunteers! The other team, mine, passed out food and fliers to try to get people to go to church. I'm not a fan of ministry of that sort, as I know it's not my field, and frankly, I believe more in living as an example than in bribing people to church with half-moldy vegetables and potato chips.
On a brighter note, last week I went to my first TV screening: The Price is Right - a classic. Drew Carey was quite funny and interacted with the audience a lot more than I thought he would. Some poor crew member got beaned with a backdrop back stage, but beyond that, no one from my group got picked, including our birthday boy with us. Oh well. I plan on going again, though, and we'll see what happens!
That's about it on the excitement. Things will get more interesting when I have more time after HPW to go out. For now, here's my metaphor I had to write for Theology in Hollywood that talks about what I compare myself to. Enjoy!
"So I thought a lot about this metaphor thing. I wanted to be a light
saber, but considering I don’t make cool noises and I’m not very
deadly, I had to discard it. I also really wanted to be something
awesome, like a garden gnome, but considering I’m neither short nor
bearded, that didn’t work either. So I went with something more
practical and settled for a telephone booth.
That’s right, a telephone booth.
I am like a telephone booth because different things come out of me.
I’m a multi-faceted person, and I show it. Sometimes, I have
Superman inside. I do good deeds because I sincerely want to and my reward is
others being happy, and I’m ok with that. Other times, I have the
creeper from 6th street who is looking for change in the coin slot.
My thoughts are scary; I’m selfish, nasty, and can’t think of a
positive aspect to the world as I wander out muttering about
government conspiracies. All this while, people get just a glimpse
of what I have inside because they can see through the windows and
breathe on the glass.
Which leads me to my next point of: I wear my emotions on my sleeve.
Telephone booths, though meant for privacy, really don’t give you as
much privacy as you want. You can get a glimpse of what is going on
through the glass windows, and by how much the man/woman is screaming
into the phone, you can get a gist of the conversation going on
inside. You won’t be able to hear exactly what is going on without
opening the door and asking, but just by using those investigative
spy skills you practiced as a kid when spying on your siblings, you can
get an idea of what I’m feeling that day.
But when it comes down to the line, no matter what kind of person or
conversation going on inside a telephone booth, those pay phones
wouldn’t exist without people. Germs and all, phone booths need
people, and so do I. Life is meaningless without interactions with
others. While I like to have a set group of people who stay in my
life, even if I only have one Dr. Who (yes, it’s a police box, but
it’s close enough) or Superman who comes back to me constantly, I
need people to keep going. I may not initiate the talking, and I may be a
bit quiet, but once you break the shell and start up a conversation
with me, if I’m there and not hovering in dreamland, I’ll talk back.
I am also a phone booth because I am a rooted thing. Let’s be honest,
the only phone booth that hovers is the Tardis, and since we’re a few
decades away from having anything hover, most phone booths are located
on the ground so as to be connected to the electricity that it needs.
I, too, am a bit of a rooted person. Though I like to travel, I like
to have a community everywhere I go. I can’t run on nothing! I need
the power that is my God, friends, and family in order to stay
operating.
Finally, I am like a phone booth because I am mostly an introvert by
nature. It’s always hard being an introvert, because you want to be
able to have the ability to just walk up to people and start a
conversation. Us phone booths, however, are so grounded in what we
know that we are afraid to leave our electrical lines for a few
minutes. Once you step into the phone booth, however, you find
someone to talk to, and often you get your ear talked off!
So there you are: I am a phone booth. Next time you see one, think
of me, or at least Dr. Who, because that’s a quality show right there."
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Oh Look, An Update
So I realized that I haven't updated in awhile. It's been stressful, I've been tired, and I'm almost out of clean underwear again, meaning another trip to do laundry... DANG IT!
The past few weeks have been filled. My internship is going well, and I'm enjoying reading scripts - what few scripts I do get. I'm never very busy at my internship, and I feel like it's almost a waste for me to be there. But the people are nice, I'm learning a good deal about what I don't want to do in life, and I'm also learning about producing.
Speaking of producing, the movie I'm producing might finally have a location! It's too bad that I'm suddenly swamped with paperwork now, but things will work out...I hope. My group and another group are trying to cast the same person, so it's been hard to balance that, as well as balancing getting in paperwork, on top of casting, breaking the script down, budget - oh yeah, we suddenly have to pay actors, taking a large chunk out of our budget, as well as a half million other things that I don't feel like getting into now.
At least we might have a location, thanks to an adorable French couple who have kindly opened up their antique riddled house to us. I can't wait to go see it again. Hearing their French accents always makes me think of my grandmother!
The highlight of the past few weeks was definitely going to San Diego and seeing Katrina for the first time in over half a year! We had a great time hanging out at the beach, eating sushi, and just talking. I also had a good time hanging out with my roommate, Stef, who will always be my roommate even if we aren't rooming right now. Roommie love!
Other than that, the days have been just packed, as the Calvin and Hobbes anthology states. Only I don't get to sleep in a tree with my tiger and a water balloon. Lucky kid.
At least I'll be getting out this weekend before I explode! I'll be acting the part of the tourist as I walk around the walk of fame!
The past few weeks have been filled. My internship is going well, and I'm enjoying reading scripts - what few scripts I do get. I'm never very busy at my internship, and I feel like it's almost a waste for me to be there. But the people are nice, I'm learning a good deal about what I don't want to do in life, and I'm also learning about producing.
Speaking of producing, the movie I'm producing might finally have a location! It's too bad that I'm suddenly swamped with paperwork now, but things will work out...I hope. My group and another group are trying to cast the same person, so it's been hard to balance that, as well as balancing getting in paperwork, on top of casting, breaking the script down, budget - oh yeah, we suddenly have to pay actors, taking a large chunk out of our budget, as well as a half million other things that I don't feel like getting into now.
At least we might have a location, thanks to an adorable French couple who have kindly opened up their antique riddled house to us. I can't wait to go see it again. Hearing their French accents always makes me think of my grandmother!
The highlight of the past few weeks was definitely going to San Diego and seeing Katrina for the first time in over half a year! We had a great time hanging out at the beach, eating sushi, and just talking. I also had a good time hanging out with my roommate, Stef, who will always be my roommate even if we aren't rooming right now. Roommie love!
Other than that, the days have been just packed, as the Calvin and Hobbes anthology states. Only I don't get to sleep in a tree with my tiger and a water balloon. Lucky kid.
At least I'll be getting out this weekend before I explode! I'll be acting the part of the tourist as I walk around the walk of fame!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
A Late Night With Wireless
So we now have wireless in the apartment. Nicole - 1, Technology - 1,098,342. I'm catching up!
On a less zany note, life here in L.A. is going well. I finally have an internship at Wind Dancer Films, where I read scripts, write coverage, and move my car every two hours so I don't get towed (I'm too cheap to pay $20 a day for parking, so sue me - actually, don't, I don't have anything to give!). It's a small company, you can go to their website here: http://www.winddancer.com/. Check them out, they're pretty cool! They specialize in chick flicks and family entertainment, so I don't feel too out of place!
I had a few surprises on the job. One, I get an hour for lunch. Two, I only work with two other people and am in the same building/room as the executives. Three, work goes from 9:30 to 6:30, and I go home early!
In other news, classes are going well. I have finalized my idea for screenwriting, a dramatic tale about a WWII veteran finding forgiveness through a child's stories, and am working on that as well as honor's project papers, and various busy work. I'm excited about my topic, though nervous - there are a lot of fun scripts and good writers in the class! It's hard, because while I seek approval, I also want to be challenged.
I have yet to be to a movie premiere, though I won tickets to "A Serious Man". Unfortunately, it's right when Tony Hail is coming to speak tomorrow, so with a heavy heart, I passed on the tickets to one of two co-workers at Wind Dancer. I then found out that the movie is directed/written by the Cohen brothers, so I don't feel as disappointed.
I've had one star sighting, Sophia from "Beautiful People"! I had and still have no idea who she is, but my roommate recognized her outside of Starbucks, so one point for me. I'm jealous, however, of the lucky few who saw Tom Welling and Jude Law today. Alas, the disadvantages of a small office: little star power appears within our walls!
Also, my weekend this week was spent in San Diego. I got to see several of my wonderful San Diego friends, who I already miss! So hello to you all from the land of the silver screen, and I'll hopefully see you soon!
It's almost 3am at the moment, my first truly late night doing homework. I now feel like a college student once more. So off I go to get some sleep before my writing get together with fellow (and also panicking) screenwriters.
On a less zany note, life here in L.A. is going well. I finally have an internship at Wind Dancer Films, where I read scripts, write coverage, and move my car every two hours so I don't get towed (I'm too cheap to pay $20 a day for parking, so sue me - actually, don't, I don't have anything to give!). It's a small company, you can go to their website here: http://www.winddancer.com/. Check them out, they're pretty cool! They specialize in chick flicks and family entertainment, so I don't feel too out of place!
I had a few surprises on the job. One, I get an hour for lunch. Two, I only work with two other people and am in the same building/room as the executives. Three, work goes from 9:30 to 6:30, and I go home early!
In other news, classes are going well. I have finalized my idea for screenwriting, a dramatic tale about a WWII veteran finding forgiveness through a child's stories, and am working on that as well as honor's project papers, and various busy work. I'm excited about my topic, though nervous - there are a lot of fun scripts and good writers in the class! It's hard, because while I seek approval, I also want to be challenged.
I have yet to be to a movie premiere, though I won tickets to "A Serious Man". Unfortunately, it's right when Tony Hail is coming to speak tomorrow, so with a heavy heart, I passed on the tickets to one of two co-workers at Wind Dancer. I then found out that the movie is directed/written by the Cohen brothers, so I don't feel as disappointed.
I've had one star sighting, Sophia from "Beautiful People"! I had and still have no idea who she is, but my roommate recognized her outside of Starbucks, so one point for me. I'm jealous, however, of the lucky few who saw Tom Welling and Jude Law today. Alas, the disadvantages of a small office: little star power appears within our walls!
Also, my weekend this week was spent in San Diego. I got to see several of my wonderful San Diego friends, who I already miss! So hello to you all from the land of the silver screen, and I'll hopefully see you soon!
It's almost 3am at the moment, my first truly late night doing homework. I now feel like a college student once more. So off I go to get some sleep before my writing get together with fellow (and also panicking) screenwriters.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
There Is Such Thing As Too Much Free Time
So I'm still unemployed, going on week four. Mandeville Films, the satellite Disney production company, informed me that they were moving in a different direction, which for those who don't know, means I wasn't hired.
So I continue to wait and pray that God helps me find an internship soon, before I take up underwater basket weaving or I go insane and spend my day riding the elevator - which ever comes first! It's hard to accept that God's timing and my timing don't match up, but that is part of accepting God as having control over my life. It's also humbling to have to continue to wait and accept that I might be one of the last people to get an internship.
I have submitted resumes/calls of interest into: Jim Henson Company, Sony Animation, Tim Burton Productions, Marshall/Kennedy Productions, and New Line Cinema, so I hope to hear from one or more soon.
My days have been not busy yet crammed at the same time. I have a lot of homework for my classes, especially Theology in Hollywood, yet trying to fit in that and all of the activities I want to do is challenging (especially after the laid back semester in NZ).
Yesterday I went to the Ellen show, and waited around for four hours to get to hear the Dave Matthew's Band and see Ellen, but not see the studio show. Sadness. We were offered guaranteed tickets for the studio show, but I won't get them until January 11, 2010. I'm also incredibly sunburned, and still trying to figure out if I'd do the experience over again, but at least I got to hang out with classmates! And In 'n Out was a GREAT plus to the day as well.
Classes have been going all right, though there is nothing spectacular to report on that front. I've watched a ton of movies, including "Magnolia", "Casablanca", "Whale Rider", and some episodes of Supernatural and Pushing Daisies. Most of them were good, though I wouldn't recommend "Magnolia".
I've also been writing scripts for some MPP students, as well as working on my own screenplay for class. I've had to change my original idea to a new one about a German WWII veteran finding peace about his war experiences through the fantasy world of a child. I'm excited for it, even if it was a sudden switch around, and I'll let you all in on how it's going! At the moment, the working title is "Brilliant Shadows". Right now, I've got a two page basic summary of it, and will be working on character sketches next week.
We'll see where the next week leads us!
So I continue to wait and pray that God helps me find an internship soon, before I take up underwater basket weaving or I go insane and spend my day riding the elevator - which ever comes first! It's hard to accept that God's timing and my timing don't match up, but that is part of accepting God as having control over my life. It's also humbling to have to continue to wait and accept that I might be one of the last people to get an internship.
I have submitted resumes/calls of interest into: Jim Henson Company, Sony Animation, Tim Burton Productions, Marshall/Kennedy Productions, and New Line Cinema, so I hope to hear from one or more soon.
My days have been not busy yet crammed at the same time. I have a lot of homework for my classes, especially Theology in Hollywood, yet trying to fit in that and all of the activities I want to do is challenging (especially after the laid back semester in NZ).
Yesterday I went to the Ellen show, and waited around for four hours to get to hear the Dave Matthew's Band and see Ellen, but not see the studio show. Sadness. We were offered guaranteed tickets for the studio show, but I won't get them until January 11, 2010. I'm also incredibly sunburned, and still trying to figure out if I'd do the experience over again, but at least I got to hang out with classmates! And In 'n Out was a GREAT plus to the day as well.
Classes have been going all right, though there is nothing spectacular to report on that front. I've watched a ton of movies, including "Magnolia", "Casablanca", "Whale Rider", and some episodes of Supernatural and Pushing Daisies. Most of them were good, though I wouldn't recommend "Magnolia".
I've also been writing scripts for some MPP students, as well as working on my own screenplay for class. I've had to change my original idea to a new one about a German WWII veteran finding peace about his war experiences through the fantasy world of a child. I'm excited for it, even if it was a sudden switch around, and I'll let you all in on how it's going! At the moment, the working title is "Brilliant Shadows". Right now, I've got a two page basic summary of it, and will be working on character sketches next week.
We'll see where the next week leads us!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
To Start Things Off
Welcome to my new blog!
I decided that since I am technically still studying abroad, that I should keep up another blog for all of you, so that you can all live vicariously in Hollywood through me. If you don't know, I'm at the Los Angeles Film Studies Center (LAFSC) in Los Angeles, about half a mile away from Miracle Mile (not the hooker street, the place where movies are made). So relax, sit back, and read my antics in Hollywood while you sip your bourbon, wine, chocolate milk, or other poison of choice.
As most of you know, I got back into the country from New Zealand in July, went straight to Comic Con after a short visit to San Diego, then sat around at home for a month, catching up on quality veg time that I didn't get during my last month in NZ. It was a glorious time, filled with swimming, cats, and eating food that I didn't have to pay for. But like all good things (or mostly good, the boredom set in after week two), it came to an end.
My dad and I drove out to L.A. together in my little Mitsubishi. It was some of the best "dad-time" I've had with him in awhile, and we had a good talk about topics ranging from politics to religion, the economy to free trade. The drive was a bit long, though seven hours compared to the students driving from Ohio and Pennsylvania was nothing. We would have been stranded near California Institute of Technology outside L.A. if our trusty GPS hadn't been able to inform us of a nearby gas station. After a delicious meal of dim sum, a night in a motel off of 3rd Street that looked like and smelled like a horror movie, and checking into the Park La Brea Apartments, my dad and I parted ways, and I was alone in Los Angeles.
So why does this blog have Miracle Mile in the name? Easy: because LAFSC is located on Miracle Mile, at a place we lovingly call the Center. If that doesn't sound ominous enough for you, the Center is open 24/7 to students, and is seriously creepy at night.
Anyway, orientation week! It was like most other orientation weeks: awkward meals, the giving of names we knew we wouldn't remember, the initial panic of getting food, trying to scope out your roommates to see if they are just as messy as you or are total slobs, and attempting to find the hottest (and most available) guy/girl nearest you. Some highlights from orientation week:
Meeting Doug Jones: Doug Jones (the faun and the pale man from "Pan's Labyrinth", the Silver Surfer from "Fantastic Four 2", Abe Sapien from both Hellboy movies, and a horde of other roles) is a rather well regarded actor, especially for odd, horror-esque monster parts. He also happens to be a Christian and an exceedingly funny guy. He came and spoke to us about the industry for two and a half hours, and stayed for an hour and a half after wards taking pictures, talking, and signing autographs. He is absolutely AMAZING, and had a lot of encouraging things to say about making it in Hollywood. His biggest advice? Be a good soul. Funny how the advice your parents give you always ends up to be the most correct...
Touring the Kodak Theater: The Kodak Theater is where the Academy Awards are held every year. While no pictures are allowed inside the theater, I can assure you that it is gorgeous, and much smaller than it looks on television! Evidently there is an open bar inside for celebrities, and the reason stars are always in a hurry to get inside is to take advantage of their one free drink. The area outside the theater has spaces for the names of every Best Picture winner, from the beginning to 2075 (or some absurd number like that). And on the inside, some fun facts: the stairs inside are shallower than normal so that actresses can walk easier in their heels and dresses, people nominated for an award always sit in the aisle so they don't have to crawl over everyone to get out, and the reason movies are called the "silver screen" is because of the glass screens that gave off a silver sheen used to show movies back in the day.
The Hollywood Bowl: Our entire class of 52 attended the Hollywood Bowl last Saturday and was serenaded to the music of John Williams (for those who don't know, he is responsible for such memorable soundtracks as "Star Wars", "Jaws", "Harry Potter", and "Indiana Jones"), conducted BY John Williams himself and the L.A. Philharmonic Orchestra. It was fun not only because the music was great, but because during the "Star Wars" part, my nerd status was decreased when people brought out their light sabers and waved them in time to the music.
This first week of classes has been quite the week. We are certainly being kept busy! We had two homework assignments due the first week: a two-page character sketch and a reel if we chose to try out for director in a semester long project. A run down of the classes:
Theology in Hollywood (TIH): We discuss theology. In Hollywood. There's not much else to it...
Hollywood Production Workshop (HPW): In this class, we are split into five groups and each group produces a 10 minute short film that will premiere at the Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard and will be eligible to be entered into film festivals. Everyone has a part. Director, producer, director of photography (DP), production designer, picture editor, sound editor. The five scripts chosen are written by five students.
Professional Screenwriting (PS): This is one of our elective classes, in which you write a full length screenplay, or as much of one as you can. The other elective is production oriented. I am in screenwriting, however, and it is by far the smaller group.
Internship: As simple as it sounds - we get an internship in Hollywood. We have help in finding the internship, but whether we get it or not depends on our interview!
So the first week is a mass of orientation classes, do this, don't do that, don't sleep in the Center or die, the usual. We all agonized over our scripts that we had to turn in - especially screenwriters, who saw HPW as the Super Bowl of possibilities in this program - and tried to figure out where we wanted to go in the movie business, and thus what internship to apply for.
As for me, I am applying to Mandeville Film and Television, a division of the Walt Disney Company. They have produced some of "Monk", "Surrogates", "The Proposal", "Eight Below", and other films. After two reschedulings, I had my interview today, and while it went well, I have to submit a sample coverage (basically a book report for a screenplay and comments on whether you think it should be produced or not) before they will consider hiring me. It was quite the amazing feeling, though, to be walking on the Disney lot, and into the Animation building! I met the sweetest guy while walking in. He looked to be in his 30s, grinning from ear to ear, and walking with a bounce in his step. Ends up, it was his first day of work on the Disney lot, working as art director for a television show that he had created. What an inspiring way to start the day!
The interview went well, but HPW proved to make my day. Why you ask? I'm glad you asked!
MY SCRIPT GOT CHOSEN!!!
It was one of 52 scripts chosen to be produced, and MAN am I stoked! I can't wait to see my characters come to life on the screen. We had five very different and interesting scripts: a musical about an intern, a film noir about a midget detective, a horror story/fairy tale, a Tim Burton-esque tale, and mine, a British style comedy with a twist of drama. Even better, I got my first choice of job: producing! I am now one of two producers for the detective story, titled "Little".
A glorious day, indeed!
I know L.A. is going to hold a lot of promise, and I pray to God to show me what my purpose here truly is, and to show me if the movie industry is what I really want to do in life. I will keep you all updated on what happens, and anything random and exciting that goes on. For now, though, I will continue to revel in the glory that is God and his most precious creation: people.
Cheers,
Nicole
I decided that since I am technically still studying abroad, that I should keep up another blog for all of you, so that you can all live vicariously in Hollywood through me. If you don't know, I'm at the Los Angeles Film Studies Center (LAFSC) in Los Angeles, about half a mile away from Miracle Mile (not the hooker street, the place where movies are made). So relax, sit back, and read my antics in Hollywood while you sip your bourbon, wine, chocolate milk, or other poison of choice.
As most of you know, I got back into the country from New Zealand in July, went straight to Comic Con after a short visit to San Diego, then sat around at home for a month, catching up on quality veg time that I didn't get during my last month in NZ. It was a glorious time, filled with swimming, cats, and eating food that I didn't have to pay for. But like all good things (or mostly good, the boredom set in after week two), it came to an end.
My dad and I drove out to L.A. together in my little Mitsubishi. It was some of the best "dad-time" I've had with him in awhile, and we had a good talk about topics ranging from politics to religion, the economy to free trade. The drive was a bit long, though seven hours compared to the students driving from Ohio and Pennsylvania was nothing. We would have been stranded near California Institute of Technology outside L.A. if our trusty GPS hadn't been able to inform us of a nearby gas station. After a delicious meal of dim sum, a night in a motel off of 3rd Street that looked like and smelled like a horror movie, and checking into the Park La Brea Apartments, my dad and I parted ways, and I was alone in Los Angeles.
So why does this blog have Miracle Mile in the name? Easy: because LAFSC is located on Miracle Mile, at a place we lovingly call the Center. If that doesn't sound ominous enough for you, the Center is open 24/7 to students, and is seriously creepy at night.
Anyway, orientation week! It was like most other orientation weeks: awkward meals, the giving of names we knew we wouldn't remember, the initial panic of getting food, trying to scope out your roommates to see if they are just as messy as you or are total slobs, and attempting to find the hottest (and most available) guy/girl nearest you. Some highlights from orientation week:
Meeting Doug Jones: Doug Jones (the faun and the pale man from "Pan's Labyrinth", the Silver Surfer from "Fantastic Four 2", Abe Sapien from both Hellboy movies, and a horde of other roles) is a rather well regarded actor, especially for odd, horror-esque monster parts. He also happens to be a Christian and an exceedingly funny guy. He came and spoke to us about the industry for two and a half hours, and stayed for an hour and a half after wards taking pictures, talking, and signing autographs. He is absolutely AMAZING, and had a lot of encouraging things to say about making it in Hollywood. His biggest advice? Be a good soul. Funny how the advice your parents give you always ends up to be the most correct...
Touring the Kodak Theater: The Kodak Theater is where the Academy Awards are held every year. While no pictures are allowed inside the theater, I can assure you that it is gorgeous, and much smaller than it looks on television! Evidently there is an open bar inside for celebrities, and the reason stars are always in a hurry to get inside is to take advantage of their one free drink. The area outside the theater has spaces for the names of every Best Picture winner, from the beginning to 2075 (or some absurd number like that). And on the inside, some fun facts: the stairs inside are shallower than normal so that actresses can walk easier in their heels and dresses, people nominated for an award always sit in the aisle so they don't have to crawl over everyone to get out, and the reason movies are called the "silver screen" is because of the glass screens that gave off a silver sheen used to show movies back in the day.
The Hollywood Bowl: Our entire class of 52 attended the Hollywood Bowl last Saturday and was serenaded to the music of John Williams (for those who don't know, he is responsible for such memorable soundtracks as "Star Wars", "Jaws", "Harry Potter", and "Indiana Jones"), conducted BY John Williams himself and the L.A. Philharmonic Orchestra. It was fun not only because the music was great, but because during the "Star Wars" part, my nerd status was decreased when people brought out their light sabers and waved them in time to the music.
This first week of classes has been quite the week. We are certainly being kept busy! We had two homework assignments due the first week: a two-page character sketch and a reel if we chose to try out for director in a semester long project. A run down of the classes:
Theology in Hollywood (TIH): We discuss theology. In Hollywood. There's not much else to it...
Hollywood Production Workshop (HPW): In this class, we are split into five groups and each group produces a 10 minute short film that will premiere at the Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard and will be eligible to be entered into film festivals. Everyone has a part. Director, producer, director of photography (DP), production designer, picture editor, sound editor. The five scripts chosen are written by five students.
Professional Screenwriting (PS): This is one of our elective classes, in which you write a full length screenplay, or as much of one as you can. The other elective is production oriented. I am in screenwriting, however, and it is by far the smaller group.
Internship: As simple as it sounds - we get an internship in Hollywood. We have help in finding the internship, but whether we get it or not depends on our interview!
So the first week is a mass of orientation classes, do this, don't do that, don't sleep in the Center or die, the usual. We all agonized over our scripts that we had to turn in - especially screenwriters, who saw HPW as the Super Bowl of possibilities in this program - and tried to figure out where we wanted to go in the movie business, and thus what internship to apply for.
As for me, I am applying to Mandeville Film and Television, a division of the Walt Disney Company. They have produced some of "Monk", "Surrogates", "The Proposal", "Eight Below", and other films. After two reschedulings, I had my interview today, and while it went well, I have to submit a sample coverage (basically a book report for a screenplay and comments on whether you think it should be produced or not) before they will consider hiring me. It was quite the amazing feeling, though, to be walking on the Disney lot, and into the Animation building! I met the sweetest guy while walking in. He looked to be in his 30s, grinning from ear to ear, and walking with a bounce in his step. Ends up, it was his first day of work on the Disney lot, working as art director for a television show that he had created. What an inspiring way to start the day!
The interview went well, but HPW proved to make my day. Why you ask? I'm glad you asked!
MY SCRIPT GOT CHOSEN!!!
It was one of 52 scripts chosen to be produced, and MAN am I stoked! I can't wait to see my characters come to life on the screen. We had five very different and interesting scripts: a musical about an intern, a film noir about a midget detective, a horror story/fairy tale, a Tim Burton-esque tale, and mine, a British style comedy with a twist of drama. Even better, I got my first choice of job: producing! I am now one of two producers for the detective story, titled "Little".
A glorious day, indeed!
I know L.A. is going to hold a lot of promise, and I pray to God to show me what my purpose here truly is, and to show me if the movie industry is what I really want to do in life. I will keep you all updated on what happens, and anything random and exciting that goes on. For now, though, I will continue to revel in the glory that is God and his most precious creation: people.
Cheers,
Nicole
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