Lost, but not forgotten

Wow! I can't believe so much time has passed since my last update! Two weeks? It just flew by!

Needless to say, I've been very busy. As far as free time goes, this is the least I've had since I started college, I am sure, except for maybe one of my Humanities semesters. That said, I'm loving every second, because my days are filled with experiences that are helping further define me as a person, as Christian, and an aspiring filmmaker. So let me go ahead and post the disclaimer that if this blog goes another two weeks untouched, it's because I'm having so many great experiences that I have no time to post about them.

My internship has been great! Pace has been building over the past few weeks. I've been getting a better feel for the company I work for, and now I feel really comfortable there. Today I got my first big project! I'm really excited, because it's kind of a thing I just decided to pick up and run with. I'd tell you more, but you know, confidentiality and all that. It's why I can't tell you most of the amazing things I get to do at Lin Pictures. Here's one I can tell you about, though: last tuesday, I was walking across the lot toward the parking garage, and I noticed a lot of commotion by the Commissary. I decided to check it out. I rounded a corner, and before my sat the most amazing vehicle I've ever seen: the Tumbler. You know, that really awesome new Batmobile from Batman Begins and The Dark Knight? I don't know if it can really transform into a motorcycle, but I don't care. It's every bit as impressive in real life as in the movie, perhaps even more so because you realize that this thing is real. Honestly, it was like seeing an X-wing Fighter right in front of me (Star Wars, fyi). Okay, so maybe not that cool, but closer to that than I would have thought initially.

I'm really getting cooking on my screenplay for class, which is good. I haven't started writing yet or anything, but the story itself is developing. I'm getting to know my characters, getting a good feel for how I want my plot points to play out, and I know exactly how I want to end it. I've got a really epic third act in mind, but it requires a good set-up in the second act, which is now my challenge. I haven't really said much about it on here, so here is a short and sweet synopsis: A man starts dreaming about dying, comes to realize he is part human and part Guardian Angel, goes around saving people, realizes there are demons trying to take over the city, and sets out to save it. Does it sound like Constantine? Maybe so. But I plan to make my story better than Constantine, so don't throw the rotten tomatoes yet, please.

Here's a few great movies I've seen lately:
Chinatown - read the screenplay and LOVED it, and Jack Nicholson gives another solid performance as Gittes in this noirish '70's classic.
Garden State - a movie people love to hate, but I loved it, partly due to the phenomenal soundtrack. However, it's deeper than that: despite an somewhat existential worldview. I really connected to the characters. In a way, I felt like I had walked in the shoes of both Braff and Portman's characters. The ending, when "Let Go" by Frou Frou comes in, is burned into my memory like those red spots on your retinas when you look into the sun.
Swimming with Sharks - a lot of my peers hated it, but I like it. It wasn't really finessed, but it hit some solid points and really made me think. If it makes me think, then the film succeeded, at least in my book.
The Orphanage - one of the greatest horror films I've seen, chiefly because it doesn't approach the genre as an end in itself, but rather uses it to convey meaningful message of hope. I was delighted by the ending in many ways.

Okay, so it's super late on a Friday and I'm wired from the coffee I drank to keep me up through Solaris. Problem is, that movie is so slow paced that even coffee didn't help. I'll just have to finish it tomorrow. I just hope I can get to sleep now :/

Two days of awesome busyness

So finally I get to make a new blog post. Yay! Two days full of classes and homework gave way to a long but awesome day at Lin Pictures followed by another long day in Malibu shooting a film. Tired as I am, I'm really enjoying it.

Wednesday, we finally received our HPW part assignments. I was a bit disappointed that my script wasn't chosen, but it's great that I can use it for my senior project next semester if I so choose. I may have something better to write after screenwriting this semester. Anyway, I did get Director of Photography on my friend Nathan's script, a clever noir-ish comedy about a detective midget. Fun! I've seen a lot of his work, and it always comes out pretty good. That night, a bunch of us went out to the Santa Monica pier for its 100th Anniversary celebration. It was a cool event, and a lot of fun for all involved. We saw an incredible sunset, listened to a cover band, walked along the ocean, and watched a very long fireworks show. It was worth putting off the homework.

Thursday, we watched Cinema Paradiso in class. I thought it was pretty good. In the evening I had screenwriting, where we had to pitch three ideas. I realized halfway through that I didn't write my pitches right. Basically, I had three concepts with no real story attached. However, after refining them, I'm getting them into a more workable form, which is encouraging. I'm excited to actually get to learn some useful stuff in that class about something in which I have no formal education.

Friday at work was really awesome. I really can't say why, but my internship is turning out to be all that I hoped it would be. I'm really grateful for the level of professionalism with which I'm treated. I'm given a fair amount of responsibility and I'm not treated like a complete moron, which motivates me to work even harder. I'm hoping my responsibilities will grow as I go along and prove to my supervisors that I'm capable. But even if I don't get anymore, I'm pretty stoked about what I do already.

Today was long, but rewarding. It started at the ungodly hour of 6 a.m. I met Bethany at her tower at 7 and we headed to Malibu for her MPP film project. We spent the morning at Leo Carrillo Beach shooting in a cave, and I got to have a lot of fun there collecting B-roll footage. Next we went to a doctor's office that made an AMAZING set! We spent the early afternoon there. In the evening it was back to her room, which ended up taking a long time because her roommates were also shooting in there. However, at the end of the day, we got a lot more footage than I had anticipated, and tomorrow we only have to get one quick scene and that will be it. My weekend planning worked out much better this time around, evidenced by the fact that I'm able to go both to church and to Prayer & Praise. Now, into the Weekend Read (scripts etc. I have to read from the office).

Who needs money?

Yesterday marked the first day of my internship, and in it's own sense, the start of my Hollywood career. What did I think of my first day as an unpaid, 10.5 hour day intern? AWESOME! My job is so incredible, it never occurred to me that I should be paid for my work. The experience in itself is very rewarding.

I'm sorry if I'm a bit too cryptic with my description, but I signed a confidentiality agreement that I fully intend to uphold, so forgive me for withholding too many details. My job is at Lin Pictures, a relatively new shingle on the Warner's lot in Burbank. I was shown to my temporary desk when I first arrived. It was positioned against a wall of scripts and optional materials that made me very VERY excited! I took a tour of the lot, which was really cool, and I even saw Alexis Bledel between makeup and the set. I also did a lot of copying, but nothing like the stuff I used to have to do at King Pharmaceuticals. They threw me a screenplay to read that was actually very good. The coolest part of the day was the two production meetings we had, where I had the opportunity to throw in my two cents on ideas, concepts, director recommendations, etc. I really loved it! I can't wait to go back on Friday.

I was pretty wiped out at the end of the day, so I chilled with other LAFSCers at the hot tub and then watched The Shawshank Redemption. This morning I went to the Writer's Guild Library and read the first half of Chinatown, which I really got into. I'd have stayed and finished, but I had a meeting with Bethany at Starbucks to talk about her MPP project this weekend. I'm getting really excited about working with her on it. I've got to get her storyboard done by tomorrow night (Thursday).

Anyway, I'm trying to decide between going to see 9 tonight and watching Solaris in the room. Or ET. Or one of my Netflix movies. Good to have options, I guess.

Student films, John Williams, and... DAVID LIEBE HART?!

So my large coffee purchased for the sake of parking validation is kicking in, and now I can't sleep. Not good, because I'm helping Seth with his Motion Picture Production class film in 6 and a half hours. But caffeine is both addictive and potent a drug, so what can I do but blog?

The majority of today was spent as Audio Tech (i.e. boom operator) for Brandon's MPP project. It was a long shoot, but not overly hot or frustrating, so that is good. Plus, everyone I worked with was really professional and did their jobs well. I could see the experience that Justin and Brandon had working together. I hope Seth and I develop that cohesion tomorrow (I believe we will do so quickly). The actors were pretty talented. I'm anxious to see the finished product, because I have a feeling it's going to look very nice.

After the long shoot, we went to the Hollywood Bowl to see John Williams playing "The Music of the Movies." It had a really cool opener with a Harry Potter theme. This took up the entire first half, but it was really cool with a film accompaniment and everything (how can one not enjoy John Williams and the LA Phil, anyway?) After the intermission, he did a medley of film classics both of his musical authorship and others. He did some bits from Catch Me if You Can, Witches of Eastwick, and Casablanca. The last bit was the Superman March, which was pretty epic. It was a nod to WB heroes, which made me happy since they are in fact my new employer. After exiting the stage, he followed up with an encore of Yoda's Theme, the Star Wars Main Theme, the E.T. Theme, and the Imperial March. Very "suite" encore, indeed!

On my way out, luck and fate placed me in the presence of an unexpected muse. From a distance, I spied a man crooning with a raggedy dog puppet perched upon a trash can. Closer inspection revealed him to be none other than the legendary David Liebe Hart of Tim and Eric fame! I got an awesome photo with him and gave him a buck at his request. I was ecstatic!

On the drive home, Luke revealed to me that last Sunday we were eating lunch across from Buster from Arrested Development. WHAT?!! Why didn't anyone tell me? I was quite disappointed for having missed the sighting, but he is apparently a deacon at my church out here, so I'll be keeping an eye out for him on future Sundays.

Classes and Internships

Well, we've finally started classes. I finally feel like I've got a few assignments to work on! I'm not gonna lie: I liked the time off. It's been great to see the city and all of its wondrous offerings. However, I'm here to learn, so I'm pretty psyched about what is to come. I've actually got a number of papers to work on, so I hope I don't forget about any of them!

My first screenwriting class was yesterday. I'm really excited about it. Our instructor, Kris Young, seems like he'll be a really good help in this process. The book we're reading has also been very helpful, so hopefully I can pen out something a bit more compelling than last springs amalgam of personal struggles and borrowed conversations. Maybe I learned something of myself from that screenplay, but its biggest lesson was that I can do better. I've got a great idea in the works, but I hope it won't require too much research on the first draft. I think I can put out the basic story, and then morph it into a form that gives more nods to the timeframe in which it takes place.

I had my internship interview today. First of all, a producer's office is pretty small. There were four people in the "receptionist" area, all at desks. I waiting around for about 15 minutes (I was early so as to be on time). Seanne Winslow is the name of the woman who interviewed me, and I really liked her. She reminded me of actress Elizabeth Banks. She seemed pretty impressed with what I had to say, so I was pretty hopeful for getting the job. She gave me positive feedback afterward and said she'd call in a couple hours. I wasn't sure how to take it, so I decided it was a good sign. Well, only an hour later (if that) she called back and said, "Welcome to the team!" I was very excited! Unfortunately, this meant my roommate Sean didn't get the job. I felt really bad about that. At the same time, picking Lin as my first choice was hard, so there are plenty of other good places out there, and I really believe he'll find a good one among them.

Today is my last day off before a long weekend of endless shooting. I'm trying to get on the ball with assignments and movie watching so that I'll not feel too pressured come class time next week. I think it'll be okay, though.

One Day. Four Beaches.

Today was more or less a day off for me, so what better way to spend a day off than exploring the coastal region of this new city I'll be living in for the next three months?

I started with Manhattan Beach. It was certainly a very nice and beautiful area. There were plenty of shops and nice restaurants, and the houses were some of the nicest of seen in terms of decoration. It had a great boardwalk, where I was able to do some longboarding. There was also a bike path that seemed to go a long way. The surf looked pretty sweet, too. The pier was very nice, with a sort of glorified snack stand at the end on a platform. I'll definitely be back there for another day trip.

Next, I went just up the coast to Dockweiler. The bike path continued on from Manhattan. There wasn't much to see or do there apart from strictly beach oriented things (no restaurants or stores). However, you can make fires on the beach, so it looked like a great place for parties and big get-togethers.

After a healthy lunch of XL Slurpee and two hot dogs, I set out on the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) toward Malibu. It was a very beautiful drive. I arrived at my third beach: Zuma. It was very scenic and looked like another good all around beach. It didn't have the convenience of facilities like Manhattan, but it wasn't barren like Dockweiler. I saw many dolphins there, and they did flips and tricks of all kinds. It was a very awesome sight.

My last beach was Leo Carrillo, on up the PCH. Of all the beaches, it was definitely my kind of beach. It had little pockets of small beaches cutting into a rocky coast, much like many of the beaches in Hawaii. The water wasn't the best for swimming on some of them, but the beaches definitely gave you a feeling that you were in your own special place by the ocean. I found an excellent rock there for sitting, thinking, and praying (all three of which I did). It's a bit of a drive, but definitely worth a return trip someday.

After all this, it was time for some fun away from the traffic. I turned onto Mulholland Highway. It looked scenic and seemed to be a fun road. It got even more fun when I saw the speed limit: 55! Keep in mind, this is a twisty turny road, much like the small mountain roads back home. Needless to say, I had some fun in my front wheel drive Mini. She hits the turns like she's on rails!

After my little break from the bustle, I was back in it on CA-101. The traffic was a real bummer, plus it was 105 out by Reseda, a full 20 degrees warmer than La Brea! I got back, bought some groceries, went for a swim, made a pizza, and now here I am, updating my blog over at the school. I'm about to have a friend read my screenplay. Here's hoping I hit the jackpot.