Blogged Arteries - The Unrendered Files

Opening Night At The Roxie!

2009-06-09T23:12:00.000-07:00

I am all about supporting the 48 Hour Film Project community, so I make every effort to come to all the screenings. It Donned On Me won't be premiering "Sur Mesure: Journeys In Transpersonal Haberdashery" until Wednesday night, but I did ventured out to The Roxie for the first screening. For those who are interested in attending these screenings, I highly recommend that you get your tickets online. Luckily, I ordered my ticket earlier in the afternoon, because had I not, I would have had to stand in the rush line. It did not look like the theater sold out on opening night, but at least I was able to get a decent seat.

As I stood in line, a familiar face approached me. It was Jeff Crispi, our leading man from "Doggie Style." Jeff is looking pretty good. He shaved off 25 pounds and he's gunning for another 75. Jeff worked with Atlantis Entertainment on the film de femme film "Held At Bay." Unfortunately, the film was not turned in on time, so it won't be eligible for the major awards. However, the producers did finish it, and it did get turned in, so it was screened first. I sat with the "Held At Bay" team.

A few films stood out for me. I really enjoyed Straight To DVD's superhero flick "Will Power." This action/comedy/musical/fantasy/call it what you want to call it film made me laugh out loud. I wonder if Straight To DVD really wanted to pull the musical genre but didn't, but made one any way. It wasn't a full on musical, but it definitely had elements of one. What made this film work was its quirkiness and comic book cheeziness. I definitely give "Will Power" two thumbs up.

"Getting Weird" by How Now Brown Scary Cow also gets my vote because I really felt like I was high watching it! If we could have 3-D films, why can't we have a smell-o-vision feature where Mary Jane puffs through the screen and her MJ funes just permeate through the theater for all to enjoy? How Now Brown Cow nailed this one. They didn't just make a stoner film, it looked like they were actually stoned making it!

"Midday Serenade" by The East/West Connection also impressed me. This romantic comedy didn't have anything extravagant like special effects or crazy costumes, but it was quirky enough to keep my interest. I often find myself going off on tangents when reading a good book, so I really related to the progatonist.

The film that really stood out for me was CurlyHairedPeople's "The Greatest Holiday Story Ever Made." I was excited to come to this screening to see this team because I absolutely loved their Barbie meets The Italian Job detective/cop flick from last year. I am a big fan of CurlyHairedPeople, and they certainly did not disappoint. Their making of a holiday film had enough gags to keep me laughing throughout the whole film. Kudos to CurlyHairedPeople!

Below are the three films I voted for. As for the audience award, I must choose CurlyHairedPeople's holiday film.

“Held At Bay” - Atlantis Entertainment

Genre: Film De Femme

“Heaven Is A Place on Earth” - Proper Thought Studios

Genre: Sci Fi

“Will Power” – Straight To DVD

Genre: Superhero

“Two” – The Compost Heap

Genre: Thriller/Suspense

“Midday Serenade” – The East/West Connection

Genre: Romance

“Mataha Bar” – Zero Hour SF

Genre: Horror

“The Telegram” – Tico

Genre: Mockumentary

“Custom Framing” – No My Day Job Productions

Genre: Detective/Cop

“Getting Weird” – How Now Brown Scary Cow

Genre: Stoner Film

“Movements” – 1 Blue Spore

Genre: Drama

“Changing Tempos” – Asian Mainstream Productions

Genre: Musical

“Thunderfingers” – The Pants Production

Genre: Buddy Film

“The Greatest Holiday Story Ever Made” – CurlyHairedPeople

Genre: Holiday Film

“Night Session” – Pillybooka

Genre: Fantasy

Haberdashery Poster

2009-06-08T23:44:00.000-07:00

My job now officially begins. It is time to market the hat out of this mockumentary!

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Elena Cruz
To: sanfrancisco@48hourfilm.com
Cc: Erin Bertiglia
Sent: Sunday, June 7, 2009 11:30:32 PM
Subject: CONGRATULATIONS SAN FRANCISCO FILMMAKERS!

Hi everyone,

Congrats on completing the SF 48 Hour Film Project! Just wanted to give you an update on the screenings and comp tickets:

COMP TICKETS:

How to get them: A volunteer (most likely Erin) will be standing in front of the Roxie from 6:30pm - 7pm to give out your comp tickets. They will be under the "team leader's name + 1." Team leader - figure out who gets the +1 on your team. No need for the +1 to arrive at the same time. Also, do not wait in the will-call line or ask the Roxie box office for your comp tickets. Just go directly to the volunteer with the clipboard and collect your tickets.

Remember, your comp tickets are for the 7PM show for your screening night. Please let me know ASAP if you want a comp ticket for the later show instead (at 930pm).

If you bought your tickets online, please wait in the "will call" line.

If you are buying your tickets that same day, there will be a separate "day of" line.

Q&A:

After the 7pm show, there will be a Q&A - have 1 or 2 people prepared to represent your team. I may ask everyone...what lesson did you learn? (in case the audience is a bunch of duds).

AUDIENCE AWARD:

Don't forget to tell family, friends and co-workers about the screenings. Feel free to bring props/anything to bribe the audience into voting for you (that would definitely work for me). Remember, ALL FILMS are eligible for the Audience Award, late and on-time.

Please feel free to email me with any other questions. Great job, everyone!! Looking forward to seeing the films.

Best,

Elena

Sur Mesure: Journeys In Transpersonal Haberdashery

2009-06-07T22:54:00.000-07:00

We have a title! Voila: Sur Mesure: Journeys In Transpersonal Haberdashery. How's that for a title?? Yes, it sounds absurd, but when you see this film and see how absurd it is, you will understand. I am very happy to announce that It Donned On Me completed our 9th film together as a team! WOO HOO!! I am too tired to give the minute by minute recap, so below is the visual representation of our post production Sunday.

Hats off to It Donned On Me!

A Mockumentary About Hats?

2009-06-06T23:25:00.000-07:00

Here we go again! The 48 Hour Film Project is always exciting, but there is just something about the San Francisco event that gets me worked up! I love the energy, and amazingly enough, I was able to keep the adrenaline pumping throughout the whole day and into the night.

8:13am.
I arrived on set to let the team in. We were scheduled to have Brenda Usher-Carpino, our Hatista, come in at 9am, so the crew had to be there bright and early. I showed up with a Mini Cooper full of hats.

9:03am.
Our Hatista arrived, and is immediately sent to hair and make-up. Dinah preps her up while Evan, Rick, and Rob set up for the opening scene. We begin to shoot the scene at about 10am.

11:07am.
All our other actors begin to trickle in one by one. I spend the bulk of the morning sewing hats to the ceiling and running around like a chicken with its head chopped off. Thank God I have Colleen, IDOM's latest addition. Colleen was my production assistant, and she was a great help!

1:18pm.
Shortly after the crew filmed the opening scene with The Hatista, Daniel, our Japanese business man, got into hair and makeup for his big scene. Evan shot his scene in three takes and moved on to scout out locations for the Mark and Ryan's scenes. I went ran off to Jade Cafe to get lunch for the cast and crew. The mu shu pork and fortune cookies sat in the dining area while we jumped right into the group therapy scene. A few of us IDOM'ers got to make cameos.

3:18pm.
After lunch, we went to the warehouse to film Ryan and Jeremy's scene. Ryan had on the goofiest "Blossom" hat. It looked like a yamaka with a big flower on it. Hilarious. There is definitely chemistry between these two.

5:48pm.
After the crew completed Ryan and Jeremy's scene, they moved onto the Mark's scene in his cube and in the board room. I wasn't there for most of that, but I heard that Mark and Evan had to go through a few takes because they were cracking each other up the whole time.

8:48pm.
After Mark's scene, Joanne picked up some dinner for us and then we headed to Mark's place to film Colleen's scene. This was the final scene, and Colleen totally rocked it. I never knew she had it in her!

10:23pm.
It's a wrap! After a long long day of filming, IDOM'er was able to say the words every crew member wants to here: IT'S A WRAP! We packed up all our equipment, thanked Mark for graciously offering his home for the shoot, and headed home for some shut eye. We agreed to meet back at headquarters at 10am the following day for post production.

Third Time's A Charm In San Francisco

2009-06-05T23:39:00.000-07:00

It seems like just yesterday I was at Fat City pulling out the road movie genre, and IDOM ended up making a little film called "Urgent Care." That was two years ago. Well, it's that time again, and I am excited for the 2009 San Francisco 48 Hour Film Project! This is where it all started for It Donned On Me, and this will be our ninth film together as a team. And to think, our third stab at San Francisco almost didn't happen due to scheduling conflicts. I'm glad things worked out, because it would have really sucked if IDOM had to pass on this event!

6:04pm.
Dinah and I arrived at Poleng Lounge on Fulton & Masonic to get the required elements for the 2009 San Francisco 48 Hour Film Project. The two IDOM'ers patiently waited at the bar as everyone checked in. I looked around for familar faces, but the only one I recognized was the robot butler from "Servo," Team Chaka Khan's leading man from their 2008 48HFP submission. Dinah also recogized Curly Haired People, who gave us that awesome Barbie Meets The Italian Job flick last year. I looked around for the Barkada boys, but no luck. At about 6:30pm, Elena Cruz, The San Francisco 48 Hour Film Project Producer, announced that we would get the show on the road by 7pm.

7:14pm.
Representatives from each team gathered up on stage to pull the genre from a hat. Actually, it was a manila envelope. It Donned On Me fell into group B, so we had to patiently wait for the first group to. Oh the anticipation!

Genre:
Mockumentary

Character:
Claude or Claudette Green, Guitarist

Prop:
A hat

Line of Dialogue:
“I believe anyone can change."

8:17pm.
The rest of the IDOM team gathered to brainstorm. Evan threw out the idea of making a mockumentary about hats, since the required element for the prop is a hat. Evan also noted that since the required line of dialog is "I believe anyone can change," we could open the mockumentary with that line. This mockumentary would be about a "hatista," or a life coach, who helps people improve their lives with hats. Every one seemed to like this idea, so we fleshed it out for the next two hours.

8:57pm.
The characters for this mockumentary was decided. The hatista would be played by Dinah's friend, Brenda Usher-Carpino. The other characters would be played by Mark Hodgson, Ryan Boyd, and Collen Haight. Jeremy Marquez will play Claude Green, our guitarist. We decided that there would most likely be a bunch of cameo appearances by fellow IDOM'ers and friends.

10:32pm.
Done! This was easy! I think it helped that we've done this eight times before, two of which were real documentaries. In any case, we all decided to meet back in the morning at 8am. My task for the rest of the night was to find every hat I could. This could be challenging.

Follow IDOM On Twitter!

2009-06-03T07:51:00.000-07:00

Welcome Colleen Haight!

2009-06-02T20:12:00.000-07:00

Please welcome the newest addition to the IDOM Team!

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Quang Khoi
To: Quang Khoi; Evan Donn; Dinah deSpenza; Tom Flowers; Kirk Moore; Rick Kemp; Rob Carey; Michael Evyzov; Sig Thorsen; Joanne Donn; Joe Kirsch
Sent: Monday, June 1, 2009 3:50:45 PM
Subject: Re: 48HFP New Rules and Highlights in 2009 + Drop-off info

Bring Colleen on board! I know she's a scholar, so I know that her paperwork must be impeccable. It's tough without Sig (and Joanne, for that matter), so it would definitely save us if Colleen is handling paperwork. I remember for TwirlyBoy, I had to deal with the paperwork stuff on top of being in the film. That was crazy. Fortunately for me, Sig showed up on that Sunday and took the burden away. Having one designated person to do paperwork would be life saver.

Tony

From: Rick Kemp
To: Quang Khoi; Evan Donn; Dinah deSpenza; Tom Flowers; Kirk Moore; Rick Kemp; Rob Carey; Michael Evyzov; Sig Thorsen; Joanne Donn; Joe Kirsch
Sent: Monday, June 1, 2009 3:40:25 PM
Subject: RE: 48HFP New Rules and Highlights in 2009 + Drop-off info

Hey IDOM'ers! I'm looking forward to another weekend of artistic abuse. Colleen offered to help out in any way and/or spearhead the paperwork shuffle if need be since Sig will be absent and it sounds like Tony will be short handed. She really enjoys the process of these competitions but did not want to be an interloper. I will bring her along for the event unless I hear otherwise from the group. Tony, if you want her to manage the paperwork let me know in advance. I will direct her her to the rules and regs section of the competition website so she will be prepared. See you all on Friday!

Talent Round Up

2009-06-01T11:05:00.000-07:00

I'm getting a little excited, can you tell?

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Quang Khoi
To: Evan Donn; Dinah deSpenza; Tom Flowers; Kirk Moore; Rick Kemp; Rob Carey; Michael Evyzov; Sig Thorsen; Joanne Donn; Joe Kirsch
Sent: Monday, June 1, 2009 10:47:31 AM
Subject: Re: 48HFP New Rules and Highlights in 2009 + Drop-off info

IDOM Peeps!

The SF48HFP kicks off this Friday!! Dinah and I will attend the kick off event to get the required elements. Let's meet at Dolby on Friday, June 5th, at 7:30pm. As of now, I have received confirmation from Evan, Dinah, Rick, Rob, and Mike who are in. Sig, unfortunately, will not be able to participate this time around, and Joanne will be in and out. Joe, Kirk, Tom? You in? I don't want to bombard you all with email after email, so if I don't hear from you by this Wednesday, I will automatically remove you from the distribution list. I will be bringing along an assistant to help assist with minor duties such as catering and such. I found that with "A Place Like This..." it was not enough having just me and Mike!

As for actors, I have lined up two talented comedians whom we've worked with in past: Ryan Boyd and Jeremy Marquez. Ryan is a tall good looking biracial male, 30-ish, can pull off a thug or a romantic lead. Jeremy is a 30-ish Filipino male. He was in my musical "Featherweight Blues." These two are funny, and very fun to work with. They are both very comfortable in front of the camera. I also have lined up a 40-ish Caucasian bald male named Mark Hodgson who is well versed in theater and is a good character actor. He has a collection of facial expressions and voices. Ryan and Mark are the two I am most confident can carry our film. Dinah also noted she may have a potential female actor. I'm working on some other female actors, but I wouldn't rule out Isabelle, who played the neighbour in Urgent Care. I recently bumped into her in the City and she asked when we were going to put her in another film, lol.

As for soundtrack, Dinah noted that she met with a composer and performer named Ajayi Lumumba, who is classically trained and has written scores for theater. He is an OPC faculty member. If we wanted to go the route of an original score, we have the Dolby theater for recording. I don't see anythind in the screening room calendar, so I think we're good to go.

48HFP Filmmaking Tips

2009-05-31T17:16:00.000-07:00

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Elena Cruz
To: sanfrancisco@48hourfilm.com
Sent: Friday, May 29, 2009 4:32:25 PM
Subject: 48HFP Filmmaking Tips

Hi everyone!

Here are some time-tested tips for making a better 48 Hour Film. Please read them, and forward them to your team.

Plan well. Set a schedule and stick to it as best you can. Remember: 15% of all teams do not make the deadline. Output the video to tape—whatever shape it’s in—at 3pm on Sunday. This will be your backup. You can always send a teammate with this tape to arrive before the deadline. Give yourself plenty of time for outputting the final video and getting the film to the drop-off location. Last minute glitches have caused teams to be late. And, one second late is still late. REMEMBER--Check the audio and video on the tape to make sure that they’re there.
Test your equipment ahead of time. Make sure everything works.
Prepare your final tape. Make sure you have the correct media, and enough for a backup copy. (miniDV, DVD or flash drive). The first thing your editor should do is lay down 5 seconds of color bars and tone, 5 seconds of black, your slate (team name, city, year, title, genre), the new 48HFP animated video label, which can be found here http://www.48hourfilm.com/filmmakers/slate.php (OR a title card with: "This film made for the 48 Hour Film Project 2009. www.48.tv"), 2 seconds black and then YOUR FILM.
AVOID GUNS: Most importantly, we want you to live through the weekend. In two of our cities, the 48HFP almost turned into a tragedy, when teams with cast members carrying guns were surrounded by police officers with their guns drawn. No 48HFP Project, or any film for that matter, is worth risking life and limb. We recommend not using guns at all in your shoots. If you do use guns, you should follow all safety precautions and get the proper permits for having guns in your shoot.
Sound problems are the most common technical problem. Here’s our advice: A) Find someone who knows how to do sound. B) Test your sound gear with your camera and editing system in advance. C) Make sure you have good audio levels on your final tape. We get 1-2 tapes each event with NO SOUND! Test those tapes before you run them in.
Do as much as you can ahead of time—but this only includes securing equipment, team members, and locations. Also buy and prep any food for your cast and crew. (Some teams have been able to get restaurants to donate a meal.)
Make sure you have the required prop, character and the line of dialogue in your film. The line must be verbatim. Teams have been disqualified for missing a word. Appoint a script supervisor – someone to make sure you get all the shots and lines you need. When you shoot out of order and under pressure, it's easy to drop things!
Because video projection systems vary from theater to theater, we have run into problems with movies with dark scenes looking too dark. Please keep this in mind while planning your shoot. There is usually nothing that we can do about it at the theater.
Keep your film as short and simple as possible. Save yourself some time and complications by limiting the number of locations. Some of our best films have been shot in only 1 or 2 locations. Also, keep it short! Most teams err by using the entire 7 minutes when they could have told their story in less time.
Begin editing early during the film weekend. While you shoot, have a runner take completed tapes to the editor, who can start digitizing and putting together a rough cut.
Have Fun—Be Safe. No, this is not an ad for safe sex—rather, we’re big advocates of safe filmmaking. The 48 Hour Film Project is an exciting, fun competition. However, it’s not worth risking life, injury or property. As team leader, you must ensure the safety of each person on your team – whether on the set or on the drive to the Drop Off location. It’s better to be safe and late, then to have an accident on the way to dropping off your film.
Spread the word about the screenings. This is the chance for your colleagues, friends and family to see your film on the big screen.

With less than two weeks to go, we hope you're getting everything
together for your wild weekend of filmmaking.

See you next week!
Elena Cruz
San Francisco Producer
48 Hour Film Project

Your Doc Challenge Film on SnagFilms

2009-05-30T13:07:00.000-07:00

This little documentary of ours keeps sticking and pounding along!

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Doug Whyte
To: Doug Whyte
Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 12:09:51 PM
Subject: Your Doc Challenge Film on SnagFilms

Hello - Good news! The International Documentary Challenge just signed an agreement with SnagFilms (www.snagfilms.com) to have a Doc Challenge Channel on their site. We will be joining other channels such as Cinetic, IndiePix, ITVS, Media That Matters, and PBS, among others. We are launching our channel with 15 Doc Challenge films from the last 3 years and we have selected your film to be a part of the initial launch!

SnagFilms is ad-driven and we will be splitting the revenue 50/50 with SnagFilms. After our related expenses, we will be splitting our cut with you - 75% to you and 25% to us. I am not sure if this will generate much revenue, but we'll see. Hopefully you will get a check or two in the future that will cover a nice dinner or two.

To be able to include your film on the channel we need two things from you:

1) Two hi-res stills (or screen captures if that is all you have.)
2) A 2-3 sentence description of your film

Please send these to me ASAP. If we don't receive these materials from
you by June 5, we might not be able to include your film.

Thanks and let me know if you have any questions.

Best,

Doug Whyte
Director of Media Arts Programs
KDHX Community Media

48HFP New Rules and Highlights in 2009 + Drop-off info

2009-05-29T11:02:00.000-07:00

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Elena Cruz
To: sanfrancisco@48hourfilm.com; Erin Bertiglia
Sent: Thursday, May 28, 2009 10:24:19 AM
Subject: 48HFP New Rules and Highlights in 2009 + Drop-off info

Hello San Francisco filmmakers:

Here's some info that I still owe you:

DROP OFF LOCATION:
Benders
6PM - 9PM (on-time films by 7:30pm)
806 S Van Ness Ave
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 824-1800

Also, ticket sales are now available! Buy them early b/c they will sell out:
http://www.roxie.com/events/details.cfm?eventid=FD262F64%2DB894%2DFBCB%2DA9E4F78FA971F574

Price: $9.75 general admission, $5 for seniors/children

As the 48 Hour Film Project enters its 9th year, we continue to update and modify our rules. This year there are a few changes.

1. 2009 Genres

We've done our customary genre shake-up. Road Movie and Spy have been retired for the year. In their place we've brought back popular genres Buddy Film, Mockumentary, and Superhero. And it wouldn't be the 48 Hour Film Project without those three beloved words: "Musical or Western"!

Here’s the complete list of genres:
* Buddy Film
* Comedy
* Detective/cop
* Drama
* Fantasy
* Film de Femme (see below)
* Holiday Film
* Horror
* Mockumentary
* Musical or Western
* Romance
* Sci Fi
* Superhero
* Thriller/suspense

Film de Femme
Never heard of a Film de Femme? That's because we invented it! This genre is specifically designed by the 48HFP to encourage strong roles for females in 48HFP films. A Film de Femme is a film featuring one or more strong female characters. Romantic comedies or "chick flicks" are included in this genre, but are only a subset. What's a strong female character? Think Ellen Page in Juno, Salma Hayek in Frida, Reese Witherspoon in Election, or Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich. Smart and complicated. Try to avoid having a woman doing a man's job like a man would do his job. And contrary to public opinion, strong women characters are not required to kill someone!

2. 2009 Wild Card Genres
After genres have been selected, filmmakers will be given the option to trade in their genre for a Wild Card Genre. Once you switch, you can't switch back! Wild Card Genres will be randomly assigned to each city. See the list of possible Wild Card genres below.

* Fable
* Family Film
* Foreign Film
* Ghost Movie
* Historical Fiction/Period Piece
* Martial Arts
* Silent Film (see http://www.48hourfilm.com/silentfilm )
* Stoner Film
* Surprise Ending
* Tragedy

3. We’re going back to Cannes! We will be taking a selection of the best 2009 48HFP films to Cannes in May 2010.

4. Each City Winner team (i.e., the winner of “Best Film” in your city) will receive a FREE copy of Movie Magic Scriptwriting software (value $248)

5. The 48HFP is on Facebook… find us at “48 Hour Film Project” and see recently uploaded videos of Kickoffs from around the world.

6. We’re happy to report that once again the 48HFP is partnering with the Screen Actors Guild to allow SAG members to participate in 48HFP films. If you are thinking about using a SAG actor, here’s what you should keep in mind:
* You must complete the SAG Short Film Agreement as modified by the 48HFP Rider (2 copies - both with original signatures)
* You must have your SAG actors complete the SAG Employment Agreement as modified by the Rider
* You must complete the SAG Internet Use Rider for each SAG actor, if you would like to put your film on your personal website for resume purposes only. (Other internet uses will still require permission from SAG.)
* You will have more limited distribution options. For any but the most basic uses, you will need to contact SAG to secure additional rights.

Go to http://www.48hourfilm.com/filmmakers/sag.php for more information.

7. As a reminder, USB Flash Drives are accepted media! However, we will not be able to return the drive to you. If you choose to submit your film on a USB flash drive, you must follow the guidelines for submitting a quicktime file found here: http://www.48hourfilm.com/quicktime

8. In place of the customary required title card that states, "This film made for the 48 Hour Film Project 2009. www.48.tv" we are providing you with an alternative - a brief animated slate that identifies the film. Use of the animated piece is not mandatory, but it is preferred. Note: you must use either the title card or the animated slate in your film. To access the video label, go here: http://www.48hourfilm.com/slate

If you have any trouble with the file, just create the title card.

9. Each team must deliver a Team Leader’s Agreement signed by the team leader to the Kickoff Event. The team leader doesn’t need to be at the Kickoff, but his or her signature does! The Team Leader’s Agreement is at: http://www.48hourfilm.com/filmmakers/documents.php

10. Go to http://www.48.tv/ to see 48HFP films! A selection of early films, all of the 2006 and most of the 2007 and 2008 48 Hour Films can be seen on our own web channel, 48.tv. The site allows you to rate films, send links to friends, and search for films. The site has been in a beta testing phase since last year, and new features are in store for 2009. Filmmakers continue to be able to upload their film to 48.tv -- no more waiting for us to make it through our backlog. The site will have social networking functions (think Facebook or MySpace) so that filmmakers can provide info about themselves and their teams, and can communicate on-line with each other. And lastly, you can look up a film in our 48HFP Film Catalogue, and link directly to it on 48.tv. Try it: http://www.48hourfilm.com/filmcatalogue/

Or see what’s on 48.tv right now!
http://www.48.tv/

Good luck on all of your preparations.

Elena

Elena Cruz
San Francisco Producer
48 Hour Film Project
sanfrancisco@48hourfilm.com

Kickoff, Drop Off (sort of) and Screening Assignments Schedule

2009-05-28T14:55:00.000-07:00

Looks like we're in group B...

--------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Elena Cruz
Date: Fri, May 22, 2009 at 3:16 PM
Subject: Kickoff, Drop Off (sort of) and Screening Assignments Schedule
To: sanfrancisco@48hourfilm.com

Hello 48HFP San Francisco Filmmakers:

Below is the listing of when to be where for the Project film weekend. Please read the Kickoff, Drop Off and Screening Information carefully so that you're in the right place at the right time.

KICKOFF EVENT
You must have someone present to draw the genre for your film in our random drawing. Please limit total attendees to 2 people since there is a capacity limit at the venue. If additional team members want to join, they can wait for you at the bar in the lounge area (not at the tables, which are reserved for dinner guests). Also, note that this venue is open to having people under +21 attend.

Friday, June 5
6:00 - 7:00 pm
All teams arrive at 6pm – participate in check-in and genre drawings. Leave at 7pm

POLENG LOUNGE
1751 Fulton (@ Masonic)
San Francisco, CA
*there is a pay lot across the street at Albertson's

DROP OFF EVENT (TBD: STILL WAITING FOR CONFIRMATION)
Your film must be received by 7:30 p.m. to be considered on-time and eligible for all awards. Late films will still be screened (but not judged), so be sure to get them in!

Sunday, June 7
6:00 - 9:00 pm
"On-time" films by 7:30pm!

PLACE TBD (I will send you the info next week)

*If you cannot make it by 9pm, we will accept films until midnight. Please call my cell phone at 415.235.5641, and I will let you know where you can drop them off.

SCREENING SCHEDULE AND ASSIGNMENTS
At the end of this email, please find the official screening times and groups for the San Francisco 48HFP Project. Your team has been assigned to a group. Please notify me if you absolutely need to switch screening groups.

Before you get deep in the moment of filmmaking, just a note about the screenings:

Don't forget to invite your family, colleagues, friends and film-lovers to the screenings. The info is below.
Let your team members know which screening to attend to see their film.
For each screening group, the audience will vote for their three favorite films and from these votes, one film will be awarded the audience award. There will be 4 Audience Awards in San Francisco.
At the screening, feel free to celebrate your film (and to lobby the audience for votes). In the past, film teams have worn costumes, handed out candy and postcards to the audience in the lobby and brought posters and props along to the screening.

We're looking forward to a series of fun and exciting screenings!

Elena Cruz
San Francisco Producer
48 Hour Film Project
415.235.5641
www.48hourfilm.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

San Francisco 48 Hour Film Project Screening Info

WHERE:
Roxie Theater http://www.roxie.com
3117 16th Street @ Valencia,
San Francisco, CA

WHEN:
June 9, 10, 11, 15 & 16
Time: 7:00 and 9:30 pm each night (note: each screening group will be screened twice per evening)
Tuesday, 6/9 - Screening Group A
Wednesday, 6/10 - Screening Group B
Thursday, 6/11 - Screening Group C
Monday, 6/15 - Screening Group D
Tuesday, 6/16 - Screening Group E
Each team leader receives 2 comp tickets to the 7pm screening where there will be a Q&A afterwards.

TICKET SALES
Tickets will soon be available online at www.roxie.com - I will send a separate email once it's up with cost info.

You can also buy tickets at the door or beforehand at the Roxie.

SCREENING GROUP A (Tuesday, June 9)
1 Blue Spore
Asian Mainstream Productions
Atlantis Entertainment
How Now Brown Scary Cow
CurlyHairedPeople
Pillybooka
Proper Thought Studio
Not My Day Job Productions
Straight to DVD
The Compost Heap
The Pants Productions
Tico
Zero Hour - SF

SCREENING GROUP B (Wednesday, June 10)
Assmart Film
Cleaver
PhilmFilm
10,000 Eyeballs
Barewitness Films
DVIant Productions
Poppy Shell Productions
RadioActive Studios
Red Beard Productions
Team Rocket
The Fearless Bastards
Tricola
West Enders
It Donned On Me

SCREENING GROUP C (Thursday, June 11)
Four Eleven Productions
Outlaw Media Productions
Taza Films
The Cine-Files
Wooden Trellis
Big Legs
Chinese Takeout
Creative Prowess
Straight Arrow Productions
Team J
Third Man Productions
UME
WHOmentors.com, Inc.

SCREENING GROUP D (Monday, June 15)
Astigmatism Productions
Midnight Cowbells
Montage Productions
Paraffin Productions
A Derisive Apology Productions
Disposable Film
ENZ Entertainment
Indie Visual Studios
Studio A-6
team schneider
The East/West Connection
Vivo Media Group
ZERO BUDGET CINEMA

SCREENING GROUP E (Tuesday, June 16)
EagleVision
Fogbelt 2880
Solo Bello Films
Transvideo Studios
Al Dente
Burntwire.tv
Friends of Alfred
Racing Time Productions
Rebellian Studios
reVolV films
The Fat Kids Camp
The Ironwood Gang
the sixty-sixers

Hello from San Francisco 48HFP Producer

2009-05-27T13:26:00.000-07:00

I am so ready for this...

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Elena Cruz
To: sanfrancisco@48hourfilm.com
Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 1:08:15 PM
Subject: Hello from San Francisco 48HFP Producer

Welcome San Francisco 48HFP team leaders!

My name is Elena Cruz. I'm excited to return as the San Francisco Producer of the 48 Hour Film Project (48HFP). This is the first of several e-mails over the next few weeks that should answer all of your questions for the San Francisco Project.

Please ensure that your anti-Spam software or other security settings are set to allow emails from us to get through. We don't want you to miss out on any important information.

Emails to follow:

Rumblefish – Official 48HFP Music Resource
Kickoff, Drop Off and Screening Assignments/Information
New Rules in 2009
Keeping Your Film Short
48HFP Filmmaking Tips

Please take a moment right now to confirm that you’ve received this email, just so that I know that the email line is open. … just hit reply, type “that’s me,” or something to that effect, and send.

Also, do you need any spots filled on your team? Check out our “Recruit Team Members” list for San Francisco. We have set up a system by which folks can post a short ad on the 48 Hour Film Project website and then you, the team leader, can view the ad and recruit them for your team. If you’re looking for team members, this is a good place to do so.

To see the list, go to:
http://www.48hourfilm.com/recruit/

Then type in the following in the space provided:
username: team (not your team name, but the actual word “t”, “e”, “a”, “m”]
password: leader

Wishing you all the best as you prepare for June 5! You’ll be hearing more from me soon…and of course, feel free to email with any questions, advice or suggestions. Looking forward to meeting all of you!

Best,
Elena

Elena Cruz
San Francisco Producer
48 Hour Film Project
sanfrancisco@48hourfilm.com

We're Baaaaaaaack!

2009-05-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

IDOM Peeps, I hope you have June 5-7th open, because It Donned On Me will be going back to where it all began: The SF48HFP!

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: "system@48hourfilm.com"
To: vitamint73@yahoo.com
Sent: Tuesday, May 26, 2009 3:34:08 PM
Subject: 48 Hour Film Project Registration

Congratulations!

Your team, "IT DONNED ON ME", is officially registered
for the San Francisco 48 Hour Film Project scheduled
to begin June 5, 2009.

For more information, go to the San Francisco page of our website:
http://www.48hourfilm.com/tour

Starting about four weeks before the competition, you will receive a series
of emails with important information. The full list of San Francisco
teams will be posted once registration is completed.

Do you need more team members? On our website, we have set up a system by
which people can post a short ad and then you can view the ad and recruit
for your team. And remember to check back, as more people will register.
http://www.48hourfilm.com/recruit
username: team
password: leader

Ready to start preparing? Take a look through the required documents
as well as the rules:
http://www.48hourfilm.com/filmmakers/documents.php
http://www.48hourfilm.com/filmmakers/rules-filmmaking.php

Are you proud to be part of the 48HFP? Then get a t-shirt or put a badge
on your website, blog, or MySpace page:
http://www.48hourfilm.com/store
http://www.48hourfilm.com/badges

Welcome and rest up!

The 48 Hour Film Project Team

NFC Eve

2008-10-23T11:06:00.000-07:00

-----Original Message-----
From: Nguyen, Tony
Sent: Thursday, October 23, 2008 10:55 AM
To: Marquez, Jeremy; Ryan Boyd
Subject: RE: NFC Genres, Submission Formats and SAG Info

Ok Boys,

Send me your cell numbers. I am 95% certain that we will be using you. Jeremy, please don't be sad if we decide to give Ryan the bigger part. His thuggish good looks will win votes from the female judges! I will let you two know by Friday Night at about 10pm-ish what the deal is. I hope this works out!

Tony

Exotic Erotic Ball 1998

2008-10-22T12:22:00.000-07:00

I found another journal entry from the unemployment era. This one is dated October 24, 1998. I was going to wait until the 24th to post this blog, but since the National Film Challenge is this weekend, I'll go ahead and share this sulk fest now. I went through rough times 10 years ago, and seeing these old journal entries is bringing back haunting memories that I would rather forget. Nonetheless, I'm actually ok with all this because I've come a long way since 1998. Life is good now, and I like to think that all that unemployment angst actually helped me in the long run.

Exotic-Erotic Ball
October 24, 1998
Saturday Night

I needed to be blasted into the realm of make believe to make all the angst of unemployment disappear. I was tired of sulking at home, so it made perfect sense to attend San Francisco’s Hottest Halloween Bash: The Exotic-Erotic Ball. This event came at the perfect time, because depression had eaten its way through my system. What I really needed was to be immersed in world of multiple personalities, freaky souls with smeared make-up and gelled-up hair, and--of course--the rash of nude crude & lewd dudes & dudettes. Indeed, this is what I got at the Exotic-Erotic Ball.

Marie, Luis, and I attended this event in rather conservative mode. I, for one, donned my traditional Pillsbury DoughBoy Suit--the one that has given me so much attention the previous two years. I realize that guests are expected to dress in an erotic or exotic fashion, but there was no way I was going to peel off the Old-Navy-layer of my body, the one that serves as the extra coating on top of my epidermis. I call it my oldnavermis layer. Given that, I chose to sport the white tyvex suit once again. The irony lies in the fact that this suit, taken from Cell Culture Production--my former employer--served as a constant reminder of my unemployment status. Nonetheless, I extinguished all thoughts of CCP when the white make-up got slapped on my face and the big chef’s hat plunked on my head.

If memory serves me correctly, I believe the three of had just an ok time. I don't think that the Exotic Erotic Ball shocked us at all. I do remember that hanging out with Luis and Marie made me forget about my blues, at least for a couple of hours.

Why is it that I never finished any journal entries ten years ago?

One Decade Ago

2008-10-21T23:48:00.000-07:00

I said it before, walking down memory lane can be both fun but yet also painful. Unfortunately, I found something that brings back horrific memories of my unemployment past. Ten years ago today, I was in danger of losing my job. Sensing how depressed I was, my co-workers Luis and Marie invited me to hang out with them at another co-worker's birthday celebration. I was very grateful because this gave me a chance to get my mind off of my troubles. Below is a journal entry (I graduated to a journal in the nineties, long gone was the "diary") that I found from that night.

Tom’s Birthday
October 21, 1998
Wednesday

Tom Skikibu’s Birthday...#28. Big day for the big guy. What do we do about it? We celebrate in the old-fashioned CCP way: BOWLING. The graveyard techs arranged this festive event and invited me, the honorary graveyard guy, to join in on the fun. I happily obliged. The itinerary: dinner, bowling, and possibly Bride Of Chucky. Sounded like it was going to be a great evening...and I needed it, after such a horrible day.

My streak of bad luck continued to hit me down in media prep. I had made another stupid error on my documentation, so the whole day my head was in a dark and toxic cloud. Had Lourdes stuck the environmental monitoring probe on my head, it would have picked up some negative particles. Over the past couple of weeks, a series of careless mistakes have dumped my way, grossly slaughtering my credibility. Here I stand in my blue lab coat, blue head, and shoe covers with a giant blue “L” for loser on my forehead. All morning long, I felt as though I was being drowned in 1500L of phosphate buffered solution. This vision continued to haunt me as the day progressed, and the only way to exorcise it was to think about Tom Shikibu. Ironic, isn’t it? Who would have thought that Tom would have that ability to suck out the demons which lurked within my psyche. Nonetheless, thinking about his birthday bash soothed my shaky nerves somewhat.

The day dragged on and on. When the quitting bell finally rang, I eagerly zoomed out of CCP like Fred Flintstone jumped off that dinasaur to punch out. I wanted out of there so bad. I rushed home to pick up my bowling ball and drove straight back to Genentech to meet Marie, Jonathon, Minh, and Tom. When everyone arrived, we decided as a group to go to dinner. After much debate, they decided on The Hot Pot, a cook-it-yourself kinda place. I car pooled Marie and Kelly through the dense Daly City fog, getting lost a few times. Kelly admitted that he is not much of a navigator, so it somewhat felt like Ray Charles telling Stevie Wonder where to go. Of course, it didn’t help to have Mariah Carey on helium sitting in shotgun position picking at her scabs. We drove around a bit, and finally made it.

The dinner itself was pretty good. We coughed up $12 but ate a lot. There were some really funky things on the table, but I was diplomatic about the buffet of international cuisine. I must admit, though, that I felt a bit out of place. It was my first time at this establishment, so I had expected surprises to come my way: and that, indeed, is what I got. The graveyard guys have obviously been there before, for they displayed such dexterity in their cooking skills. Minh, especially, took over as head chef. He amazed me with his ability not only to prepare the food, but to serve it in exquisite fashion. To Minh, it seemed, presentation counts for 2/3 of the cooking experience. When all the food was on the table, all six of us dined away. After 40 minutes, we all achieved gastronomical satisfaction. Ahhhhhh. We paid the bill, and wandered out to the parking lot.

Once again, I car pooled Kelly and Marie through the cold streets of Daly City--and once again, Ray Charles took the wheel as Stevie Wonder navigated while Mariah sat in shot gun position telling stories about her boyfriend. The dense fog dissipated the familiarity of the city creating difficulty for me to find my way around. Nonetheless, the three of us tried our best. As I moved forward, my car trembled, and the unthinkable happened: I ran out of gas.

I didn't finish that journal entry, but if I recall correctly, Kelly, Marie, Luis, and Tom pushed my Nissan Sentra to the nearest Chevron. We all had a great laugh, and I thanked Luis and Marie for being the Calgon that took me away. Unfortunately, the very next day, I received my pink slip :-(

What The Hell?

2008-10-20T14:44:00.000-07:00

I must have been sniffing too much White Out when I posted this in my "diary."

One Year Diary

2008-10-19T11:43:00.000-07:00

There's actually room to roam around the garage! We rented a dumpster and pretty much got rid of 70% of the junk in there. The other 20% went to Goodwill. There's still about 10% left, and my mom will have to sort through those boxes.

I managed to find yet another gem from my past. Apparently, I kept a "diary" back in 1985. Notice that I put the word diary in quotes because I really don't like that word. I prefer to call this book yesterday's version of blogging! I had forgotten about this diary, so imagine how shocked I was when I found it. What's more shocking is the pathetic content inside! I opened the book and saw this note:

"Please publish this book and make it into a movie. Get Michael J. Fox to play me.”

The funny thing is that I had originally written Robert Redford, but I crossed it and put in Alex P. Keaton. I guess I had just seen Out Of Africa but didn't like it, so I replaced Mr. Redford with the Family Ties star.

The first entry was posted on the inside cover on December 29, 1985:

"I'm sitting on my bed listening to the year end countdown. It's at #9 right now. We Are The World. Willie Nelson just came on. It's 10:47 right now."

On the opposite page is this message, written with a black Sharpie:

"Who ever opens this book, read it through. You'll find it very [underlined three times] interesting. Someday, this book will be a #1 Best Seller."

Saturday, January 18, 1986:

"Hi. Today I woke up early to watch America's Top Ten. That's What Friends Are For is #1. Steimy? Definately! Diane and Nat and Madonna went to see Out Of Africa. Steimy! I took a Boo Boo Bath today. We went to church and after that we went to La Maison Où. After that we went to La Tours de Disc. I saw Gimme A Break, Facts Of Life, and The Golden Girls while Diane and Nat were playing tennis. Lordums! No more room."

Now I'm really confused. According to this entry, my sisters and Madonna (not the Material Girl, my sister Diane had a Persian friend named "Mandanna") went to see Out Of Africa. I guess I didn't see this film so why would I cross Robert Redford's name out? The better question may be why would I have written his name in the first place? Very puzzling. On another note, "La Maison Où" is The Wherehouse and "La Tours de Disc" is Tower Records. I wonder if I bought a 45 that night? Probably Mr. Mister's "Kyrie."

Sunday, January 19, 1986:

"I really detest Sundays. I absolutely hate Sundays. It bugs me. I always get face aches and bored on Sundays. I heard some of the countdown today. I woke up late. At around 9:45 or 10:oo. I didn't go to work today. Today Nathalie made chis (cheese) cake. Except for going for a short ride because of dad's new radio, I stayed home the whole day. Ricky Schroeder got married, for a course. His wife was pregnant. They didn't have my calendar!"

Wow, my life was so exciting back in the day.

Painting 1659

2008-10-18T22:56:00.000-07:00

When did Blogged Arteries: The Unrendered Files turn into a home improvement blog? The sale of my mom's house has consumed my life these past few months, so it's only natural that I rant about every waking moment of the process. This is a very stressful time for me, and blogging has been very therapeutic. In any case, after many hours of masking ever corner of this house, we are finally ready to paint! Below are some shots of my family painting away. We even got the kids in on the action!

I do have to say this: as stressful as it is, the best thing about this whole situation is that my family is all pulling together to get the task at hand completed. We actually are having a little bit of fun as well.

LATE

2008-10-17T22:35:00.000-07:00

I found another work of art. I believe I wrote this poem in high school. This piece of greatness is called "Late."

LATE
Darkness wandered about the house
Pitch black, nothing could be seen
Except for one small light
Like that of one fire fly in a blackout
I sat, reading, writing, suffering
Trapped in a Turkish P R I S O N
Known as a History book,
I studied, reading writing, dying
shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...
I hear

(nothing)

My eyes shut slowly
And slowly
And then,
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

The Moon

2008-10-16T12:28:00.000-07:00

There's so much going on in my life right now: home improvement, National Film Challenge preparations, Vietnamese class, work--when will the madness end? In any case, I'm still plugging along with this garage. I'm still stunned and amazed by the things I've been finding. I managed to come across a box of my college papers and one of the folders in that box was marked "Creative Writing." Well, you all know that I am a prolific blogger, but are you prepared to see some of things that spewed out of my brain pre-Blogged Arteries? Below is a poem that I wrote in the mid-90's. It's called "The Moon."

The Moon

The yellow light lasted a mere 5 seconds,
And then it turned to red.
I slowed my vehicle to a stop, and I stared at the rectangular box.
My engine quietly purred as I patiently waited.

I turned my head 180 degrees due west, and I faintly see the moon.
It is a blur, but I nonetheless revel in its beauty.
I see the round object a distance away.
It is white like snow and it shines.
It is full of life and it glows.
It knows the world is watching.
So it beams a big winning smile, grabbing the attention of its spectators.

I rub my eyes so that I could get a better look...
But now I see a different picture.
I still see the same object, but it is now closer.
It is white like paste and it blanches.
It is full of arrogance, and it sports a cocky attitude.
It knows the world is watching,
So it flaunts a smug little smirk, provoking the disgust of its spectators.

I rub my eyes again...
I realized then that that smirk was not a smile.
It was more like an indentation: a CRACK.
The magestic object I was admiring was not the full moon I thought it to be.
It was more like a distant planet: URANUS.

I felt like a fool.
How could I have made such a mASSive error in judgment?
That pseudo-lunar thing was xeroxed in my brain.
I could not get that hideous picture out of my head.
The moon cAN ALways count on the creatures of the night to upstage it.

I looked away in disgust.
The light turned green, and I moved onward.
One last time, I looked back, hoping that it was gone,
But, BUT, BUTT...
That full moon was still there.

NFC Actors

2008-10-15T15:12:00.000-07:00

The National Film Challenge is right around the corner! I got two guys that I think will be perfect for this project...

-----Original Message-----
From: Nguyen, Tony
Sent: Tuesday, October 14, 2008 9:35 AM
To: 'Ryan Boyd'; Marquez, Jeremy
Subject: FW: NFC Genres, Submission Formats and SAG Info

Ryan, Jeremy,

Are you guys open the weekend of October 24th-27th? The National Film Challenge is that weekend and I'm looking for potential actors. As I noted before, I say "potential" because the 48 Hour Film Project (which is what the National Film Challenge is) is a tricky competition. We don't know what we are going to do until we get the required elements at 7pm that Friday night, (which are the film genre, character, prop, and line of dialogue). We then have 48 hours from that point to make a film. There's no real "planning." Therefore, all talent that we consider will be "on call" until we know exactly what we are going to do, which is usually by 11pm that Friday night. You in? Let me know.

Tony

Another NFC

2008-10-14T17:15:00.000-07:00

IDOM Peeps,

The National Film Challenge is right around the corner: October 24th-27th. Genres will be sent next on Friday October 24th at 7pm. Let's meet at Dolby at 7pm on that Friday night. Unfortunately, my house will be unavailable that weekend, but we can figure something out. Dolby is always available. Any questions, just holler.

Tony

-----Original Message-----
From: doug@kdhx.org
Sent: Tuesday, October 07, 2008 12:45 PM
To: Nguyen, Tony
Subject: NFC Genres, Submission Formats and SAG Info

Hello NFC Filmmakers--

Here is updated info about genres, submission formats and SAG for the 2008 NFC:

1. 2008 GENRES

First and foremost, remember the new rule instated last year in regards to genres: As opposed to just getting â€œassignedâ€� one genre, we are going to give you a choice between 2 genres. (This is for all those folks that seem to pull the same genre year after year.) Just be sure to mark on your paperwork and on your slate which genre you choose.

We've done our customary genre shake up again this year. "Buddy Film" and "Superhero" have been retired for the year. In their place we've added "Thriller/Suspense" and made "Historical Fiction" a regular genre.

The 14 genres for the 2008 National Film Challenge are:

-Comedy
-Detective/Cop
-Drama
-Fantasy
-Film de Femme**
-Historical Fiction/Period Piece
-Holiday Film
-Horror
-Musical or Western
-Road Movie
-Romance
-Sci Fi
-Spy
-Thriller/Suspense

**Film de Femme
Never heard of a Film de Femme? That's because we invented it! This genre is specifically designed by the 48HFP to encourage strong roles for females in 48HFP and NFC films. A Film de Femme is a film featuring one or more strong female characters. Romantic comedies or "chick flicks" are included in this genre, but are only a subset. What's a strong female character? Think Police Chief Marge Gunderson in Fargo, Bette Davis in All About Eve, Reese Witherspoon in Election or Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich. Smart and complicated. Try to avoid having a woman doing a man's job like a man would do his job. And contrary to public opinion, strong women characters are not required to kill someone!

2. SUBMISSION FORMAT UPDATE:
After many discussions with 48HFP and NFC filmmakers and editors of the master screening tapes, we have improved Rule #12 of the Filmmaking Rules to allow for a self-contained Quicktime file on a data DVD or USB Drive. This is NOT just any Quicktime file - it is specifically a "self-contained Quicktime file on a data DVD". "Self-contained" means that the entire movie is within the Quicktime file. Filmmakers should check the Quicktime file to make sure that it is larger than 1GB. If it is not, then it has probably been compressed too much or is not a self-contained file. As usual, filmmakers should try to turn in a back-up copy in a second format.

Please read these instructions before submitting a QT file:

http://www.48hourfilm.com/filmmakers/quicktime-submissions.php

3. SAG ACTORS
Weâ€™re happy to report that once again the NFC is partnering with the Screen Actors Guild to allow SAG members to participate in NFC films. If you are thinking about using a SAG actor, hereâ€™s what you should keep in mind:
--You must complete the SAG Short Film Agreement as modified by the NFC Rider (2 copies - both with original signatures) --You must have your SAG actors complete the SAG Employment Agreement as modified by the Rider --You will have more limited distribution options. For any but the most basic uses, you will need to contact SAG to secure additional rights.

The updated SAG paperwork will be found with all of the other forms in your secure team area of the NFC site. We are still waiting on the updated forms from SAG so it may take a week or two to get them up. (You can find the link and your username and password in your registration confirmation email.)

Good luck on all of your preparations.

Doug Whyte
NFC Producer

Where Is All Our Stuff?

2008-10-13T21:27:00.000-07:00

Things are slowly disappearing in my mom's house. Gone are the grand piano, dining room set, living room furniture, and big screen TV. We are definitely making progress on this house. Here's a shot of me sitting in our empty family room watching the Colts game on my little TV. So sad. Football should not be viewed on such a small screen, but oh well. The good news is that I inherited my mom's TV, so every Sunday will be NFL Sunday, especially when I get my DirectTV NFL Ticket hooked up. I'll have to devote a separate blog about my trials and tribulations with DirectTV. ARgh!

My Colts beat the Baltimore Ravens today, which is a good thing. We started out the season 2-2, so this victory is vital. I am in a fantasy football league this season, and there's a lot of trash talking going on. What my fantasy opponents don't realize that not only am I a pretty damn good trasher, but I also have a secret weapon that blows everyone out of the water: PHOTOSHOP. Don't be too surprised if you start seeing some projects pop up on Blogged Arteries: The Unrendered Files.

Home Improvement

2008-10-11T08:59:00.000-07:00

Here's a before/after shot of my room. I took apart the cabinets and desk myself! What did I learn from experience? It's best to remove screws with an electric power screw driver. Don't do it manually. In any case, the cabinets are down, the desk is gone, and all the stuff in that room are packed up in boxes. The next task is mask up that room and paint. I really should be on a home improvement show!

Masking A Room For Painting

2008-10-10T22:14:00.000-07:00

Well, it looks like my brother, sisters, and I will be flipping my mom's house. We want her to get as much as she possibly could, so we're going to clean, paint, and fix everything that is broken. Our country has hit economic hard times, and it's not the most ideal time to sell. For this reason, the four of us will work our butts off to make this house look impeccable.

We've already started with cleaning out garage, so the next step is to paint the interior and exterior of the house. Before painting, though, it is imperative to make every room. That's my job. I've been masking for the past few days now, and I gotta tell you, my neck, knees, shoulders are killing me. I'm getting the job done though, and that's a good thing. Below is the step by step process, in case anyone out there plans to mask sometime in the near future.

Apply Masking Tape to Areas That Will Not Be Painted
Using "blue tape" or another low-stick masking tape, apply short lengths (no more than 24") of tape at a time on the area to be masked.
Press Masking Tape Down--Hard
Press the masking tape firmly onto the surface with the tips of your fingers. Make certain there are no bubbles or folds in the tape for paint to wick under the tape. This is the advantage of using low-stick tape: you can press it down very hard without worrying about the tape pulling the paint up.
Paint Surface Outside Masking Tape
Paint the non-masked area. Because you firmly pressed the tape down, you can safely hit the paintable areas without fear of the paint seeping under the tape.
Wait Until Paint is Dry Before Removing Masking Tape
Wait until the paint is dry. If you need to do a second coat of paint, do that. But I recommend removing and then remasking if you want to do any more than two coats. Any more than two coats of paint and the tape will not be strong enough to cut the dried paint on top of it.
Remove Masking Tape
Take a deep breath and pull the tape off in a slow, continuous motion at a ninety-degree angle to the painted surface. The tape will "cut" the paint in a clean line.

Phở Ngon Lắm

2008-10-09T22:57:00.000-07:00

I sat behind this kid in Vietnamese class tonight. I was so fixated with his shirt. I think I have one just like it. I remember buying it at Hot Topic in Hollywood a few years ago. I think I wore a few times and then it just hung in the back of my closet for the rest of its life. I believe I donated that shirt to Goodwill. Rest in peace Hot Topic shirt.

I'm having a great time with this Vietnamese class. I'm slowly but surely building my confidence in not only speaking, but reading and writing as well. It amazed me when the instructor made me get up in front of the board and take down dictation, and I was able to do it! Granted, the kinds of sentences that I'm coming up with is elementary, but at least I'm getting it. It made me proud when I sat down and was able to read what my classmates had written on the board:

Tại sao chị thích ăn phở? Tại vì phở ngon lắm!

Translation:
Why does she like phở (Vietnamese noodle soup)? Because phở tastes good!

Pretty good, eh?

Eyes On Dolby Award

2008-10-08T17:12:00.000-07:00

Lookie Here! Yours Truly was awarded the Eyes On Dolby Award for "outstanding work that brings honor to Dolby." I guess I am a model employee!

Dog Stress

2008-10-07T22:27:00.000-07:00

Moving is stressful, even for dogs! Luckily, Chewbacca's favorite aunt was able to give her a bath and massage. Seriously though, my dog is really stressing out. I've been so busy helping my mom with this move that I have, unfortunately, been neglecting my little dog. I keep telling Chewbacca that the madness will be over soon. Dogs know when you don't pay attention to them, and I admit that I've been guilty. Sorry Chew!

My New Home

2008-10-06T21:42:00.000-07:00

Every day I've been packing up the Mini with boxes of my stuff and slowly moving into my new digs. They call my car a Mini Cooper for a reason. MINI. It is a very small vehicle. I will have to make about 30 trips. Once I get my bed in the new place, I will officially move in. Below is pic of my new home, courtesy of Google Maps.

Cleaning Out The Garage

2008-10-05T20:34:00.000-07:00

Cleaning out this garage is actually pretty fun, at least for me. I'm uncovering the oddest things, from old stuffed animals that I used to sleep with to old college papers that I stayed up through the wee hours of the night writing. I know that I told my mother to just close her eyes and throw everything out, so when she wasn't looking, I stashed some of these things in my backpack. We're going to rent a dumpster pretty soon, so all these things will have to go.

Walking down memory lane is quite an experience. It's like I'm seeing my life flash before my eyes. I guess I shouldn't look too deep into this. I should just take my own advice and close my eyes and throw everything away. Easier said and done. Below are some more pics that I found while cleaning out the garage.

8x10 Glossy

2008-10-04T14:54:00.000-07:00

Complete with the TwirlyBoy 'do!

Cinemasports

2008-10-03T13:12:00.000-07:00

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Evan Donn
To: Dinah deSpenza
Cc: Joanne Donn; Kirk Moore; Joe Kirsch; Rob Carey; Tom Flowers; Sig Thorsen; Rick Kemp; Michael Evyzov
Sent: Friday, October 3, 2008 8:33:00 AM
Subject: Cinemasports

48 hours to make a film? What-ever. That's for dabblers and dilettantes. Real filmmakers only need 10 hours....

Cinemasports is happening again at the Mill Valley Film Festival which kicks off this weekend. Competition starts at 9am on Sunday (Oct. 5th, day after tomorrow), completed films (3.5 minutes or less) are due by 7pm, and the screening starts at 8:15pm.

I'd be all over this... if I weren't flying to Germany tomorrow. Anyone else want to give it a shot?

Evan

Passport Pic For Germany

2008-10-02T14:46:00.000-07:00

Another Vintage Photo Found

2008-10-01T20:23:00.000-07:00

Mom and I are still plugging along in the garage. I found this picture in a random box. I'm the leaning against the wall in the back. I look stoned. I don't recall taking this photo, but I do remember having a hamster as a pet. On another note, what's up with my sister's pajamas?

I Can Spell!

2008-09-30T20:02:00.000-07:00

Gỏi Cuốn

Phở

Chả Giò

Vietnamese Class

2008-09-29T18:25:00.000-07:00

I've decided to enroll in an introductory Vietnamese course at De Anza College. It's definitely a long way to travel, but I'm really committed to this. Illiteracy is frustrating, and my ultimate goal is to be able to pick up a Vietnamese newspaper and read it. In any case, I made it through the first week of class, and, like the Elton John song, I'm still standing! This is definitely going to be a challenging quarter, but I really want to do this. Who knows, once I master this language, I may start a new blog...all in Vietnamese!

Boxes

2008-09-28T19:42:00.000-07:00

It is very emotionally draining going through all the boxes in the garage. The goal is to get rid of as much as we possibly could. It's hard though. I've been unpacking boxes and uncovering things I haven't seen in decades. We moved into this house way back in the early eighties when I was still in junior high, so every object that I find has some sort of historical significance. It's certainly not easy for my mother, but I keep reminding her to just close her eyes and toss out as much as she can. We both agreed that the only thing that we will keep will be photos and old letters. Below is a vintage shot of me that I found stashed away in a box. Even way back then I was working it. I had such fashion sense, too. BLAST OFF!

The Garage

2008-09-27T17:35:00.000-07:00

Before I can move into my new digs, I will have to help my mom clear out her's. Here's a picture of my mom's garage. I kid you not, there is no room to walk. It is my job to clear out this garage as well as all the other stuff in the house. Oy vey!

San Francisco Resident

2008-09-26T13:08:00.000-07:00

I am now an official San Francisco resident. I found the perfect studio in the Outer Richmond, two blocks from the beach. I really hit it off with my new land lady, and with my steady job, she asked me to move in right away. I had to take a 4 digit cash advance from my credit card in order to cough up the first month's, last month's, security and pet deposits. Right now I am a sitting amputee, having given my arms and legs to the credit card company. I'll deal with the consequences later, but for now, I can bask in the glory of being a new San Francisco resident!

Another Saroyan Shot

2008-09-25T16:52:00.000-07:00

Very Annie Liebowitz.

Robin Cee

2008-09-24T20:15:00.000-07:00

Here's another great Saroyan Humphrey shot. That's me with Robin Cee, one of the funniest people I've ever met. What I love about this chick is her squeaky Minnie Mouse on helium voice. I first met Robin at the San Jose 48 Hour Film Project screening. She starred with Jeff Crispi in the romantic comedy "Lost And Found." We met again at the summer edition of the Avalon Micro Film Festival and then again at the SJ48HFP Awards Ceremony. Robin is a class act, and I would definitely want to work with her in the near future.

Saroyan Humphrey

2008-09-23T18:52:00.000-07:00

Jeff Crispi had a pretty amazing photographer named Saroyan Humphrey at the summer edition of the Avalon Micro Film Festival. This guy took some pretty cool pics, and this shot of Evan and Jeff is my personal favorite. This could be a Rolling Stone cover!

According to his website, Saroyan Humphrey began his career as an art director in San Francisco after leaving his hometown of Charlotte, NC, at the age of 22. Within a few years he had produced award winning work for Guitar Player magazine and Ziff-Davis. Saroyan has since designed for a wide array of clients, including Experience Hendrix, Isuzu, The City of San Francisco, and Microsoft. His work has been featured in Print and Communication Arts. Leveraging his success, Saroyan has established an eclectic career as an art director and graphic artist. He has launched designed, redesigned, and consulted for over 75 different publications, books, and companies.

When you get a chance, check out his portfolio. Good stuff.

Avalon Micro Summer

2008-09-22T22:56:00.000-07:00

Below is a shot from the summer edition of the Avalon Micro Film Festival in Sunnyvale. I'm looking forward to the upcoming fall edition, which will take place at Laney College. I like the casual feel of a bar, but it would be nice to have this screening in a theater this time around. I talked to Jeff Crispi this afternoon, and not surprisingly, he's running around like a chicken with its head cut off. I assured him that he'll be fine and that the festival will rock!

Avaon Micro Film Festival Poster

2008-09-21T07:48:00.000-07:00

The fall installment of Avalon Micro Film Festival is right around the corner, so keep October 18th open! It is a privilege for me to work with Jeff Crispi, and as the marketeer for this film festival, I wanted to make sure that the festival poster looks top notch. Check it out:

$1100 / 1br - Luxurious Address To Call Home (SOMA / South Beach)

2008-09-20T16:37:00.000-07:00

My mom recently retired and has decided to sell the house and spend her twilight years living out of her suitcase. She plans to do a lot of traveling and will most likely set up headquarters at my brother's Visalia home. As a result of this decision, I got evicted! I am now actively looking for a place to live, and Craigslist has become my best friend. I found an amazing loft in the SOMA area for dirt cheap, and I had to inquire about it. $1100 for a luxurious loft in San Francisco! This ad sounded too good to be true, but my curiosity certainly got aroused. I responded and the response below confirmed that this was a hoax. Damnit! Oh well, I'm still in the search for a place to call home, so if anyone has any leads, let me know. My requirements: dog friendly, $1000-$1500, no room mates, preferably in San Francisco.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Nathan Kovach
Sent: Saturday, September 20, 2008 10:07 AM
To: Nguyen, Tony
Subject: Re: $1100 / 1br - Luxurious Address To Call Home (SOMA / South Beach)

Greetings!
Thanks for your email. The apartment is still available.
I decided to rent the apartment because we are going to spend more time here in West Africa, about 3 years.. Let me start by introducing myself.

I must confess that I am very very new in this landlord business. However, My name is Nathan Kovach. I own the apartment located at 1247 Harrison Street #14 San Francisco, CA 94103. Due to my job as a missionary I spent less time in the States so I could not get a hold on any Realtor to handle this rent issue, although it was when I knew how long we are going to stay in Africa that I decided to rent out the apartment.. However, the initial plan was to sale out the apt. which I tried, but sometimes the agents inflates the prize and it takes longer to sell. because of this reason and more we need a responsible person (With good credit) that can take very good care of it as we are not after the money , but want it to be clean and for you to take it as if it were yours.

As you know that the the rent is reasonable, One Mr. Jeremy sent an email about the apartment and I told him that I cant give him the apartment because he is married with 4 kids, I do not want his children to get my property damaged because of our future plans on the apartment.

The rent is $1,100 No extra fees.
Below is my phone numbers
0112348081540815 or +2348081540815

1) Your Full Name:
2) Your Full Address & Phone Number :
3) Occupation?
4) Marital status?
5) Rental Payment plan ( Every 1 month,3 month or 6 months?) most convenient
6) How long do you intend to rent?

I know you would want to see the apartment before making any kind of rental payment , which is understandable.
We can make arrangement for the keys and documentation including an Authorization letter to be shipped to you, this will give you the opportunity to view apartment.

Apartment features
* Contemporary Live/Work Loft
* 2 Car Parking & Storage
* Marble Baths
* Gourmet Kitchen
* Gas Range with Stainless Appliances
* In Unit Laundry
* Walk-out Patio
* Large Walk-in Closet
* Lots of Natural Light Throughout
* Stunning Common Areas
* Square Feet 980 Sqft

Regards
Nathan Kovach.

Another Random Tangent...

2008-09-19T17:41:00.000-07:00

Gonorrhea Man!
The Justice League Of America has recruited a new addition to their super power team: Gonorrhea Man. While Superman has his super strength, Wonder Woman has her magic lasso, and Batman has his utility belt, Gonorrhea Man has the power to fight the sexually transmitted disease caused by gonococcal bacteria that affects the mucous membrane, chiefly of the genital and urinary tracts. His evil nemesis is Neisseria Gonorrhoeae, the giant bacteria creature that grows and multiplies in the moist swamps of society's reproductive tracts. When this evil STD attacks, Gonorrhea Man renders the offender unconscious by unleashing the deadly combination of tretracyline, ciprofloxacin, and azithromycin from his resevoir tip head shield. There is an epidemic, and this superhero was enlisted to put an end to it. The best prevention is abstinence, but since we live in a horny world, Gonorrhea Man is summoned to protect the universe from any acute purulent havoc inflicted by these menaces to society. It's a burn, it's a pain, it's Gonorrhea Man!

Fresh! Fresh! Fresh!

2008-09-18T23:17:00.000-07:00

When The Pillsbury Doughboy's contract expired in 1999, Interstate Bakeries Corp., maker of Wonder Bread and Twinkies, woo'ed the floured icon to join their happy family. The bakery offered the Doughboy triple his salary, a dental plan, and every other Friday off--an offer that he could not be refused. Having the Doughboy pitch sliced white bread and Twinkies proved to be a stroke of corporate genius. Revenue jumped 109% and the Doughboy became an even bigger star, landing himself on the cover of Forbes Magazine as one of the richest entrepeneurs in America. Success got to the Doughboy's head, and he quickly found himself getting into trouble. The late night partying and frequent weekend outings with the likes of Hugh Heffner, Courtney Love, and Larry Flynt were all ingrediants in a recipe for disaster and demise.

Within 6 months, the Doughboy spun completely out of control. Mixed up with the wrong crowd consisting of porn stars, troubled celebrities, and coke fiends, the former Pillsbury Sweetheart self-distructed. He was recently caught on film snorting cocaine with Kate Moss in a London recording studio. All charges against the Doughboy were dropped because he convinced narcotics agents that it was actually flour and not coke that he sniffed. Moss, however, did not get off that easy. Alcohol, too, became a problem. Bottles of cooking sherry suddenly came up missing from every liquor store within a 15 mile radius of the Doughboy's home. However, what killed the Doughboy's career was his insatiable appetite for naughtiness, which ultimately tarnished his wholesome image. The Doughboy swung with the adult industry's sexiest starlets night after night. MTV News even reported that he contracted a yeast infection!

The Doughboy hit rock bottom when Interstate Bakeries Corp., filed for bankruptcy and dropped him from their campaign. By 2004, Americans became obsessed with the low-carb diet, and as a result, loaves of bread became the most loathed food item on the grocery store shelves. Doughboy stock plummeted to a dismal 4 cents a share, and the spokesperson disappeared into oblivion. Rumour has it that the Doughboy got addicted to prescriptioned pain killers and molded away in a cupboard somewhere. Below are two snapshots taken by the paparazzi. Photo #1 has Betty Crocker flashing her buns...now that's poppin' fresh. Photo #2 has Sara Lee and the Doughboy engaging in some sort of sadomasochistic activity. Sources close to the Doughboy believe that this is how he got that yeast infection. Nobody does it like Sara Lee.

You're probably asking yourself, "HUH?" Well, I'm asking myself the same thing right now. I guess I was thinking about Ho Ho's, which lead me to think about the Pillsbury Doughboy, and so I went into my photo archives and searched for photos of me as Poppin' Fresh. Yup, I dressed up as the Doughboy for Halloween a decade ago. My mind really does work in mysterious ways, eh?

Kid In Dystocia!

2008-09-17T11:41:00.000-07:00

When I first met the members of IDOM, I really didn't know much about these people outside of the projects that they presented in class. We all came together with one common interest, video editing, and that's all. I knew that Rick was a chiropractor and a surfer, Joe had a kid and an iPod, and Sig was retired. As I worked with these people over the next two years on various 48 Hour Film Projects, personalities emerged and I got to know who the person behind the video editor really is. Something that not all IDOM'ers may not know about me is my past life on a goat barn. Yup, that's right, a goat barn.

If I were to compile a top 10 list of the most memorable moments in my life, I would definitely put my goat barn internship at the University of California at Davis somewhere in the top five. For three quarters, I swept the barn, fed the bucks, milked the does, castrated the kids, collected semen for artificial insemination, stirred collustrum, and performed various other barn duties. The defining moment of my college career came one spring afternoon in 1993 when I delivered a baby goat. Mother Nature took a coffee break that afternoon, so I had to intervene. Unlike human beings, animals give birth naturally. Kaiser doesn't get involved. This spring afternoon, however, one mother goat had problems. Her kid was in dystocia, which means that the offspring was not positioned correctly. This caused difficulties in the birth. Kids are supposed to come out head first, but this particular kid had one leg sticking forward. Had the mother continued to push, that kid's leg could have broken off. I couldn't allow this to happen, so I thought back to everything I learned in Animal Science 41 and jumped right in. It was Pre-Vet Quang Khoi to the rescue! Ever wondered how to deliver a goat? Well, here is the step by step process:

For those who may be wondering what the heck I was doing on a goat barn at UC Davis, I guess this would be the appropriate time to mention that I was studying to become a veterinarian. I went through the whole nine yards at Davis, taking all the required Science courses and doing a variety of internships. I graduated with a B.S. in Biological Sciences with an emphasis in Mammalian Physiology and racked up three digits worth of internship and volunteer time. I took a year off after graduation and worked as a veterinary technician, and in the end, I realized that this career was not for me. I couldn't see myself sticking thermometers up cats' butts for the rest of life. That, and the fact that I have this irrational fear of big dogs. Realizing that a future in Veterinary Medicine was not in the cards for me, I counted my losses and took a detour from this career path.

Working on the goat barn was definitely the most physically challenging job I ever had. I am not a physical labor kinda guy, so you can imagine how difficult it was for me. Even though I worked myself to complete fatigue, I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. Helping to deliver that kid in dystocia on April 28, 1993 will go down as one of the most memorable events that has ever happened to me. Amazingly enough, I was able to document that event with pictures. Just for the record, these shots are real--nothing here is photoshopped.

From King To Peasant

2008-09-16T12:11:00.000-07:00

I had mentioned to Sig and Dinah on our drive to the Renaissance Faire that there are things in my past that I would like to lock up and throw away the key forever. The biggest skeleton in my closet is my sordid musical theater past. Ugh. As embarrassing as it was, however, theater did mold me into the TwirlyBoy that I am today! As I sat in the back seat of Sig's Matrix in my peasant clothes, I revealed that this actually wasn't the first time I donned renaissance gear. Back in high school, I scored the role of King Sextimus in "Once Upon The Mattress," and I got to wear the royal suit! I guess over the years, I lost all my power and wealth, and now I am just a lowly peasant.

But I'm An Angel, Really.

2008-09-15T19:00:00.000-07:00

Miss Saigon

2008-09-14T20:31:00.000-07:00

So Sig, Dinah, and I were driving home from the Renaissance Faire when Dinah blurts out, "I need to pee!" Sig and I burst into laughter. We always seem to amuse ourselves when we quote IDOM movies. Of course, after the laughter simmered, we immediately launched into crazy IDOM stories. Well, 10 minutes later, Dinah says, "uh, I'm serious. I really do gotta pee!" So I pulled off onto Story Road in San Jose, a.k.a. Saigon Street, in search of a Starbucks or McDonald's so that Dinah could pee. I drove a few blocks but came up empty, so I pulled into the Vietnamese mall. Imagine this: Quang Khoi walking with an African American renaissance woman through the mall of Saigon. People looked at us. It was definitely quite a sight. In any case, when Maiden deSpenza finished her business, I had her pose in front of the Nuoc Mia and Banh Xeo restaurants. She looked pretty damn fierce. We may have a new Miss Saigon here!

God Save The Queen!

2008-09-13T22:26:00.000-07:00

Thy vile canker-blossom'd countenance curdles milk and sours beer! Ok, I didn't look that bad. I never thought it would happen, but I attended my very first renaissance faire this weekend. What an experience it was! My fair maiden and fellow peasant, Maiden Sig, invited Lady Dinah and myself to Willingtown, a little village in England, for a day of merriment! The three of us cheered on the Queen, listened to the siloquies of Sir William Shakespeare, dined on turkey legs and bangers, and bardered with merchants for ale, incense, and devil's horns. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so a two minute clip of video at 24 frames per second will bring nearly 3 million words to all ye lords, ladies, and wenches to enjoy!

Kirk's Dikdik

2008-09-12T21:44:00.000-07:00

My friend Daniel recently took a job at the California Academy of Sciences. The Academy has been under construction for some time now, but on September 27th, the doors will open to the public. Since Daniel is an employee, he was able to get my sister Diane and I special "Friends & Family" invitations to a pre-grand opening event. The three of us had a lot of fun walking through the rain forests, making faces at spectators through the aquarium plexiglass, and freezing our tushies off on the live roof. I was very impressed by the new and improved Academy. In fact, I think the California Academy of Sciences, though significantly smaller, will definitely rival the Monterrey Bay Aquarium. It's really that good.

One exhibit that really caught my eye was that of the little African gazelle called the Kirk's Dikdik. What an interesting name this little animal has! An IDOM member recently went to Africa with his family. I wonder if they saw Kirk's Dikdik there?

Wikipedia:
The Kirk's Dik-dik (Madoqua kirkii), is a small antelope found in eastern and southwestern Africa. It grows to 70 cm (28 inches) in length and weighs up to 7 kg (15 pounds) when full grown. It has a reddish-brown head and a tail that is 35–55 cm (14-22 inches) long.
It has a soft, grizzled gray to brown coat, and eats a wide range of plants. It has hooves with rubbery bottoms, which are effective when travelling over rocky terrain. Newborns are hidden for 2-3 weeks, and suckle for 3-4 months.

Genetic and behavioural evidence suggests that the Kirk's dik-dik exhibits a fidelity in monogamous behaviour. Genetic analysis of off-spring indicate little non-pair parentage. Year-round, Kirk's dik-dik maintains close within pairs, follows each-others activity patterns and spends more than half of their time with their partners, although males show no parental care. The males guard their mates closely during oestrus and over-mark all female scent. This behaviour reduces the likelihood of other males attempting to mate, however, males did attempt mate with other females on occasion. Genetic monogamy in dik-diks is probably best explained by the behaviour of females: in contrast to many monogamous female birds, female dik-diks do not appear to seek to mate outside the pair-bond.

Me, A Marketeer?

2008-09-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

Kudos to Strange Media's "Tracker" for taking the top honors at the Avalon Micro Film Festival. This film took home The Excalibur Best Film Prize. I had the privilege of speaking with the film's creator, Steffan Schultz, after the screening. It's really funny how it's such a small world: it turns out that Evan Donn worked for Steffan a few years ago. There may be a lot of people in the independent film community, but the ones who are truly passionate about this art form are the ones who keep popping up at these events. I guess that's why it came as no surprise to either gentlemen when their paths bisected again. I'm fairly sure that these two will meet again and again.

I have some exciting news. Jeff Crispi has asked me to join Team Avalon as a marketing consultant. All I did was post one write up on Blogged Arteries, but apparently it was enough for the invitation. The Fall edition of AMFF on October 18th is right around the corner and Evan will probably be producing again, so I figured I will be in good company. Also, this will give the opportunity to hone my marketing skills outside of It Donned On Me. We all know what I can and will do for IDOM! Of course, for Avalon, I will tone it down just a tad. In any case, I will be in touch with Mr. Crispi in the next couple of weeks to get the preparations underway. Hope you all can make it to the screening on Saturday, October 18th at Laney College. More details to come.

Who Is Little Debbie Anyway?

2008-09-10T19:11:00.000-07:00

Uh-Oh! I got the following message from the San Jose 48 Hour Film Project Producer today:

Your team was awarded the "Most Gratuitous Merchandising Ploy" but the IOC is now challenging the award. It seems that there's some suspicion that the so-called "Ho Ho's" were actually Little Debbies. Should this rumor prove to be true, the Congressional oversight committee may want to collect some testimony.

Who is Little Debbie anyway?

The Judges Have Spoken!

2008-09-09T18:29:00.000-07:00

A big thanks to Vincent, Brooks, and Kristin for all their hard work on this year's SJ48HFP. I'd also like to send a special shout out to all the film makers for keeping this art form alive. I love doing what I do, and what I love even more is seeing my peers showcase their blood, sweat, and tears through film. You guys all rock. Congratulations to EyeQ Films for your well deserved awards. I am so glad that I was able to meet you all in person after the screening. I look forward to seeing you all again next year. And now for the winners...

Best Film: The Animals
Producers Choice for Excellence: Dia de los Dead
Best Direction: The Animals
Best Acting: (tie) Jordan Dobbs Rosa [Firecracker] and Abigail Wray Bennett [Firecracker]
Best Cinematography: Attrition
Best Music/Score: Nobody Gets Me
Audience Choice (Group A): High Stakes Hooky
Audience Choice (Group B): The Animals
Best Team Logo: Barkada inc. (The Best Thing)
Best Required Character: The Best Thing
Best Required Line: Firecracker
Best Required Prop: The Animals
Most Gratuitous Marketing Ploy: TwirlyBoy
Community Player Award: Victoria Johnson, Robin Edwards, Evan Donn, and Jason Salazar

Most Gratuitous Merchandising Ploy

2008-09-08T13:35:00.000-07:00

I am very happy to announce that TwirlyBoy has walked away with two awards at the San Jose 48 Hour Film Festival. What I love about these two awards is that they are not your standard honors. TwirlyBoy took the prize for "Most Gratuitous Merchandising Ploy," an award in which I believe was given because of the spiky haired twirling sensation's excessive and repetitive demand for Ho Ho's! The other award that TwirlyBoy earned is a special "Community Player Award" for Evan Donn. Kudos to Evan for being a team player to IDOM and a community player to San Jose. CONGRATULATIONS IDOM! In honor of our two awards, below is a TwirlyBoy trailer, courtesy of Rob Carey. Enjoy!

Toni From It Donned On Me

2008-09-06T11:41:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I approached one of the film makers of the San Jose 48 Hour Film Project after her screening and let her to know that her film from the prior year made such an impression on me that I bookmarked the YouTube version on my web browser. I also noted that more often then not, I find myself singing the song from her movie. Her film was so memorable that a year later I'm still talking about it! I stopped her after the screening and had a good six to seven minute face to face conversation with her. Fast forward a few weeks, I see this posted on the San Jose 48 Hour Film Project message board:

I spoke with Toni from It Donned On Me this year, and she complimented me on last year's film! She said she had the YouTube link bookmarked in her Web browser. That means more to me than any award! And I still love the line from their entry last year, uttered by the character with the German accent: "I'm starting to like your dogs!"

Do I look a woman? Apparently so! I couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Toni" from It Donned On Me. It's so funny because she remembered our conversation very well, yet I don't think she really knew exactly who she was talking to. I emailed her back and asked if I look like a woman to her. I also added "just for the record, it's Tony with a y. 'Y' as in the 'y' chromosome. In other words, I am male :-) " How funny is that? In any case, if I were a girl, I'd like to look like this:

TwirlyBoy Grows Up

2008-09-05T15:18:00.001-07:00

And The Nominees Are...

2008-09-04T23:06:00.000-07:00

I am very excited to announce that 'TwirlyBoy' is up for a few SJ48HFP awards! We are nominated for Best Direction, Best Music/Score, Best Cinematography, the Audience Award, and possibly some special awards (hmm... "Most Gratuitious Marketing Ploy" ???)! I'm really looking forward to this event! I won't show up as TwirlyBoy though. I got my faux hawk chopped off last week, and with no Twirly 'do, there will be no TwirlyBoy.

From: sanjose48hfp@gmail.com
Sent: Thursday, September 04, 2008 8:32 PM
To: 48 Hour Film Project Participants
Subject: San Jose 48HFP Awards Ceremony Nominations Announced!

...hello Players and Team. The judges have deliberated. Then they've reconsidered, and then they arm-wrestled to resolve some of the finer points of the craft. At last we have their results. The nominations for awards in each of our major categories are being announced here, and the final winner will be announced on Sunday night at the Highlights Night and Awards Ceremony.

The Event
So first of all, let me tell you that the event will be held at the Media Center in Palo Alto. Here are the complete details:

San Jose 48 Hour Film Project presents...

Highlights Night and Awards Ceremony
Sunday, Sept 7, 7:00pm-9:30pm
Media Center
900 San Antonio Road
Palo Alto, CA 94303
Admission: $5

At the event, we will show many of the films from this year's crop, a couple of surprise special features, and we'll present the awards along with comments from the judges. This is a great night to "close the loop" on this year's event. See the films one more time, hear what the judges and the audience thought of them, and socialize with the other filmmakers and teams. It will be a grand night.

Nominations
Nominees are listed in alphabetical order, and you should be aware that your film may be up for a special award or another honor that is not listed in the nominations. There are still some surprises to come.

Best Film:
The Animals
Bodbrane, Wizard of Spas
The Best Thing
High Stakes Hooky
Lost and Found

Best Acting:
The Animals - Mark McGrath
Firecracker - Abigail Wray Bennett
Firecracker - Jordan Dobbs Rosa
Attrition - James Davis
Marble Bag - Tom Cokenias

Best Direction:
The Animals
Bodbrane, Wizard of Spas
Lost and Found
Nobody Gets Me
Twirly Boy

Best Music/Score:
The Animals
Firecracker
High Stakes Hooky
Nobody Gets Me
Twirly Boy

Best Cinematography:
The Animals
Attrition
Dia De Los Dead
Firecracker
Twirly Boy

Additional awards do not have nominees, but take a look at these and see if you think your team may have qualified for one of them. Awards will be given for special achievement in several areas. These include:

Most Gratuitous Merchandising Ploy
Best Team Splash Sequence
Best Credits/Titles
Best Marketing Collateral
Community Player Award

All right. There's a lot more to say and we all know that the art is to say just enough. I've probably already gone beyond that limit today.

---v

Double Stuff Racing League

2008-09-03T22:48:00.000-07:00

Labor Day really threw me for a loop. All day yesterday, I thought it was Monday and today it felt like Tuesday. The calendar and clock have shifted in my head and, in a way, I feel like I am jetlagged but minus the need for sleep. To top everything off, it's been a hectic week in sports with the US Opening happening and the NFL season starting up.

I've spent the past few days watching my favorite tennis players duke it out while researching my picks for the upcoming fantasy football season. The bad news is that my girls, the Williams Sisters, had to square off against each other in the quarterfinals (younger sis Serena narrowly beat Venus), but the good news is that I got Peyton Manning as my quarterback! So in honor of Serena advancing to the semifinals and Peyton ending up on my roster, as well as Venus taking the Wimbledon title and Peyton's kid bro Eli winning the Superbowl, I am posting my newest favorite commercial. This Oreo ad is genius. The Williams Sisters and the Manning Brothers all on one stage. Genius.

My Workout Routine

2008-09-02T22:13:00.000-07:00

About 4 weeks ago I was hit with a stomach virus that pretty much wiped me out. I spent that whole weekend hacking up a lung, a spleen, and a few other internal organs. It wasn't pretty. Although I was in a lot of pain, the detox actually did me good. I lost two digits worth of weight and didn't gain an ounce back. In fact, I managed to use that detox as a springboard to a healthier lifestyle, and as a result, I lost a whopping 18 pounds. By watching what I eat and consistently exercising, I was able to achieve this very difficult goal.

Now for the funny story. I went to gym during my lunch break today and spent 50 minutes doing a high intensity cardio workout. Afterwards, I headed over to the jacuzzi and then the steam room to relax my muscles, something that I do after every workout. The problem was that 24 Hour Fitness decided to close the pool area for cleaning. I saw the cleaning lady prep her equipment, so I quickly jumped into the jacuzzi. Unfortunately, she kicked me out after 4 minutes.

I quickly got out of the jacuzzi and sprinted over to the steam room. I entered the room and a 50-ish woman in a black bathing suit immediately inquired if they were going to kick us out. I responded, "most likely, but I'll give the cleaning lady about 6 minutes." The woman then launched into a tirade about how disappointed she was that our gym decided to clean out the pool area in the middle of the day. She went on to say that she needed the steam room because it revived her after her aqua aerobics. I agreed, and added, "it's an integral part to my workout routine!" Those words just twirled out of my mouth! It's a good thing that the woman interjected a response because I probably would have finished that line off with "how am I going to win an Olympic gold medal if I don't have my Ho Ho?!" Imagine that.

In any case, I am going to keep up with this new lifestyle modification process. So far so good. Who knows, maybe i'll be able to get back my college day physique. We'll see.

Junior Goes To College

2008-09-01T09:39:00.000-07:00

So here's what I'm thinking: Junior, the Vietnamese speaking midget horse, goes on a new journey to find enlightenment. He trots up the hill and ends up at The College of San Mateo. There, he enrolls in an ESL class with the hopes of understanding the ramblings of Diane Smothers, the yoga instructor who shunned him. He takes his new endeavor seriously, even if all the other students in the class room are of a different species. As a result, Junior graduates top of his class. He trots back over the hill in search of that yoga instructor, and when he does meet her face to face, she continues to baffle him with her jumbled jargon. With no time for silly games, Junior once again turns away.

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Doug Whyte
To: Tony Nguyen
Sent: Sunday, August 31, 2008 11:08:13 PM
Subject: National Film Challenge Registration Is Now Open

Attention Filmmakers:

The time is here again for the 6th Annual National Film Challenge! The National Film Challenge is an exhilarating fiction filmmaking competition brought to you by KDHX Community Media and the creators of the 48 Hour Film Project.

Here are the details:

WHAT IS THE NATIONAL FILM CHALLENGE?

It's your chance to stop talking and start filming! The premise? Filmmaking teams have just one weekend to make a short film. All creativity - writing, shooting, editing and adding a musical soundtrack - must occur beginning Friday evening at 7 p.m. on October 24, 2008 and ending Monday October 27, 2008. On Friday, to make things interesting, each team is assigned a genre for its film, and a character, prop and line of dialogue that must appear in each team's movie. Then the film must be sent to National Film Challenge Headquarters with a postmark no later than Monday, October 27. In the following weeks the top films (determined by a panel of judges) will be available for viewing (and voting!) on our website. The winning films will screen with the 48 Hour Film Project City Winners at this year's 48 Hour Film Project end of year event (TBD.) In addition there are cash prizes for the winning films!

HOW DO I SIGN UP MY TEAM?

Starting SEPTEMBER 1, 2008 you will be able to register your team. This is going to be the largest National Film Challenge ever - 300 teams will be selected to compete this year! Registration is on a first come first served basis. The Early Bird Entry Fee is $110 if you register on or before September 30, 2008 and $125 if you register between October 1, 2008 and October 23, 2008. Teams can be anywhere from 1 person to 30 or more people. Read all of the rules of the contest here.

Do you have any questions about the National Film Challenge? Please check our FAQ and then use our Bulletin Board to post questions you need answered. Don't think a good film can be made in a weekend? View the winning films from the 2007 National Film Challenge in our on-line screening room. Every second counts!

Doug Whyte
National Film Challenge Producer

How's that for a sequel to IDOM's 2007 National Film Challenge, "Retreat" ? This could very well happen. Bear in mind that anything goes with It Donned On Me. We did produce this little oddity called "TwirlyBoy" ...

Jeff Crispi Rocks

2008-08-31T00:46:00.000-07:00

I managed to tweak my schedule so that I could attend the Avalon Micro Film Festival. I guess I'm making up for lost time for missing out on the whole "Doggie Style" experience last year. For those who are new to Blogged Arteries: The Unrendered Files, I am referring to It Donned On Me's 2007 San Jose Film Project submission. I know that last line probably sounded a bit perverse, so I had to make that clarification. In any case, I really do feel like I missed out last year due to family obligations, so when Jeff Crispi invited me to attend this event (where "Doggie Style" would be screened) I did what I could to get there.

The Avalon Micro Film Festival is the brain child of Jeff Crispi. What started out as "The East Bay Micro Film Festival," a screening that took place in Mr. Crispi's home, has turned into a film festival tour in New York, Oakland, the South Bay, and eventually San Francisco. This film festival is really making a name for itself, and I am proud that It Donned On Me is a part of it. Not only was "Doggie Style" screened, but so was "TwirlyBoy." I was very impressed by the selection of high caliber films that Jeff put together. I got to meet a few of the filmmakers as well as some of the actors, some of whom were hysterical. On the schedule for the evening (in no particular order):

"Renounced" - Angelo Bell
"Consumed" - Subject To Change
"Love Hurts" - Christian Simmons
"Doggie Style" - It Donned On Me
"El Invencion" Trailer - Andres Garcia Franco
"Sunshine Bob" - Christian Simmons
"All Nighter" - Ryota Mori
"Max" - Rick Kemp
"Crickets" - Kari Navil
"The Key Master" - Ryota Mori
"El Ride" - Veronica Rodriguez
"Tracker" - Steffan Shultz
"Pencil Face" - Christian Simmons
"TwirlyBoy" - It Donned On Me

After every film screened, Jeff had a question and answer session with the filmmakers. As TwirlyBoy, I got to be a part of the panel! Initially, it felt weird to be up there, but the other filmmakers were so supportive and fun that I completely chilled out and ran with it. The audience asked very insightful questions, but what was even better was hearing the filmmakers responses. When all questions were answered, Evan--who just happened to be the executive producer of this film festival--played some of the filmmaker's other works. It was well after 11pm, but I was still engrossed on the screen. However, as the clock ticked closer to midnight, I had to call it quits. I thanked everyone, especially Jeff, for the great evening.

The Avalon Micro Film Festival is an intimate engagement where the audience member really gets to know the filmmaker and his or her art. I like that. Jeff Crispi is doing something good for the film community. Jeff, if you're reading this, you rock!

Avalon Micro Film Festival 2008 Summer Edition

2008-08-30T09:18:00.000-07:00

Tonight is the Avalon Micro Film Festival in Sunnyvale, and I am bummed that I won't be able to make it. Whenever I can, I try to make it out to all the screenings of IDOM's work. Unfortunately, I have some family obligations that I can't get out of. The next stop for the festival is New York, and I will try my best to make it out to The Big Apple. I'm pretty sure the organizer will screen one of our films again. Below is the description of the festival that Evan posted on the IDOM site:

Once again several of IDOM's films will be screening as part of the 2008 Avalon Micro Film Festival. The Summer edition will be taking place this Saturday, August 30th at The Quarter Note in Sunnyvale at 8pm. IDOM's films "Doggie Style" and "Tail" will be screening on Saturday along with a dozen other short films including "Max" - a short film by IDOM member Rick Kemp written by and starring Mickey Joseph, star of our first 48H film "Urgent Care". The screening will be followed by a Q&A with several of the filmmakers in attendance.

The Avalon Micro Film Festival is a truly grassroots production started and run by Jeff Crispi, one of the stars of "Doggie Style." From a single screening last year Jeff has grown the festival to four scheduled screenings this year spanning both coasts, so if you miss this week's screening you'll still have a chance to catch the fall or winter shows (in Oakland & New York, respectively - I'll post details as they are finalized). So come on out to support both truly independent filmmaking and independent exhibition as well as have a great time at the movies.

Above is a shot of Jeff Crispi and Dinah deSpenza, a.k.a Don and Dawn August of "Doggie Style." This little family reunion (Don and Dawn are siblings, in case you didn't know that) took place at last week's screening of TwirlyBoy. Next year, regardless of what genre we pull, I say we incorporate these PR Specialists into the script. They, of course, would represent TwirlyBoy!

True Confessions

2008-08-29T21:31:00.000-07:00

There's something I really need to get off my chest. This is something that's been eating away at me ever since the TwirlyBoy premiere. I am afraid that I've been lying to everybody, and it's now time to come clean. The truth of the matter is that I did not do my own twirly stunts. I actually had a body double, and her name is Tatiana Ogryzo, world class ribbon twirler from the 90's. We didn't credit her in our film because I didn't wanted anyone to know. Well, it's time to give credit where credit is due. ;-P

Oh, another thing, those weren't Ho Ho's I gave out at the TwirlyBoy screening. They were knock offs. Ho Ho's cost $1.29 for a three pack versus $1 for a box of 12 of Little Debbie's Swiss Rolls. I chose the economical route. They look like Ho Ho's, they taste like Ho Ho's, in my book they are Ho Ho's! Can you imagine TwirlyBoy demanding the Ho Ho knock off? "I WANT MY LITTLE DEBBIE'S SWISS ROLLS!" In any case, if I have offended anyone by being deceitful, I am sorry.

And The Award Goes To...

2008-08-28T07:41:00.000-07:00

We are a week away from the Awards Ceremony for the 2008 San Jose 48 Hour Film Project! Yippee! I am crossing my fingers that TwirlyBoy will garner a hand full of nominations. If I had it my way, this would be the results:

It Donned On Me would twirl away with every award, if I were a judge! An IDOM sweep! Of course, I am a slightly biased. So for the sake of being impartial, I will remove TwirlyBoy from the list and vote for what I feel is the best of the best of 2008. Please note that these are my personal picks and not predictions. If I were to pick the best of 2008, minus TwirlyBoy, they would be the following:

Best Use of Prop
"Lost and Found" - P-Town Pictures (romance)

Best Use of Character
"From Coffee To Drumstick" - Outlaw Media Productions (fantasy)

Best Use of Line of Dialogue
"Marble Bag" - Block Cipher (romance)

Best Costumes
"High Stakes Hookey" - UbseyMovies (period piece)

Best Special Effects
"Bodbrane and the Wizard of Spas" - Beyond Forever Studios (fantasy)

Best Art Direction
"Vagrant Realty" - Turnabout Pictures

Best Sound Design
"The Animals" - EyeQ Films (fable)

Best Musical Score
"Rock Me Kokopelli" - tinyandsmall.com (period piece)

Best Cinematography
"The Animals" - EyeQ Films (fable)

Best Editing
"The Best Thing" - Barkada, Inc. (drama)

Best Writing
"Dia de los Dead" - Vision 6 (holiday)

Best Acting
"Dia de los Dead" - Vision 6 (holiday)

Best Directing
"The Best Thing" - Barkada, Inc. (drama)

Best Film
"Dia de los Dead" - Vision 6 (holiday)

Rock Me Kokopelli

2008-08-27T08:36:00.000-07:00

It's been a full week since the first screening of the 2008 San Jose 48 Hour Film Project. I am a bit antsy because I have to wait another full week (and a day!) for the awards ceremony. TwirlyBoy seemed like it was very well received by the audience, so i'm hoping we get some nominations. The waiting game is always tough, but I will survive. At first I was afraid, I was petrified, but like I said, I will survive. I'm really looking forward to the September 4th awards show.

I think it's time for another IDOM party. It Donned On Me had a productive summer, and it's time to celebrate both "Tail" and "TwirlyBoy." This would also be a good time to screen "Rock Me Kokopelli," the period piece by IDOM renegades Joe Kirsch and Kirk Moore. These two created their own film for the SJ48HFP, which was premiered last week in Group A. I made it out to Cinema 12 last Wednesday night to support them and the other film makers. I don't believe that any other IDOM'ers have not seen their film yet, and I understand that Joe is in the process of doing some tweaks. We'll definitely have to screen "Rock Me Kokopelli at the next IDOM party!

it DONNED on me

2008-08-26T08:56:00.001-07:00

Ok, I have a funny little story. There I was sitting on the guacamole green Ikea couch updating Blogged Arteries: The Unrendered Files when my iPhone beeps. I checked the screen and saw that an email came in from a co-worker. I initially thought it was a work issue and was about to put the iPhone away, but when I saw the subject heading "It Donned On Me," I had to check. I opened up the email, and this is what I saw:

Hey dood. Just checking on this, just in case. Not to sharp-shoot ya or nothin'. You know that the usual expression is written "it dawned on me", yes? I assumed you have a friend named Don or that there's a pun in there with the Godfather or something, but then I thought maybe I better check just to be sure…This is one of those things like when you've got something in your teeth--I wasn't even sure if I should mention it, but then I figured I better mention it. Right. Sorry if this is know-it-all pain-in-the-assery.

Funny! I love that people wonder about our name, because it means that they are talking about us! I emailed the guy back and explained that our director is named Evan Donn, and that It Donned On Me is simply a play on his name. For those who may not know, I was put on the spot last year when I signed us up for the San Francisco 48 Hour Film Project. I had less than a minute to come up with a group name. The first moniker that came to mind was "The Crack of Donn." For all you dirty minded peeps out there, I'd like to clarify that the "crack" refers to us taking a crack at this competition! In any case, it dawned on me that this name probably wouldn't go over well with the team, so I had to come up with something else. It then dawned on me that we should be called "IT DONNED ON ME!" The name stuck and the rest is history.

On that note, I'd like to close out this blog by posting the IT DONNED ON ME story, which Evan has updated on the IDOM website. We've only been together as a team a little over a year, but we have accomplished quite a bit!

The ongoing 'It Donned On Me' saga...

For the past few years Evan Donn has been teaching classes in After Effects and Final Cut Pro in the Multimedia department at College Of San Mateo. Every semester there were a couple of students who just wouldn't go home when the class was over, staying after with a seemingly endless stream of questions about every imaginable aspect of video production. Many of them returned semester after semester for whichever class Evan was teaching at the time.

In the spring of 2006 Evan taught a new class called DV Workflow which consisted almost entirely of these "irregulars". DV Workflow became essentially an 'everything but the kitchen sink' type of class covering the entire process of video production with an emphasis on producing video for the web.

As part of DV Workflow every member of the class had to produce an episodic video series for the web. This led to various members teaming up to work on each others' videos as well as providing valuable input on the finished videos during class screenings. When the class ended everyone felt that the working dynamic of the group was worth continuing.

Led by Chief Instigator Tony Nguyen they dubbed themselves 'The Evan Donn School of Film' and began holding quarterly screenings of everyone's current work. In 2006 several members of the group attended one of the 48 Hour Film screenings, and they all walked out with the same thought - we can do that.

From that point on the quarterly screenings took on a new direction as 'challenges' were thrown out with criteria similar to the 48 Hour Film Project. This helped prepare the team members for the challenge of building a short film around a character, prop and line of dialogue.

As the 2007 competition drew closer Mr. Nguyen once again took the lead and signed up the team for the San Francisco 48 Hour Film Project. Put on the spot to come up with a team name he considered and rejected many possibilities before the ideal name 'donned' on him...

Despite their history the San Francisco competition was the first time all members of the team had worked together on a single project. Everyone jumped right in and the result was our first short film - 'Urgent Care'.

Despite incredible audience reaction to the film, 'Urgent Care' failed to win either the audience or juried competition for San Francisco. However, the team was selected by competition sponsor Visa as one of ten teams from San Francisco to compete in their national "Life Takes" Invitational against teams from New York and Los Angeles.

With only one film in the can, Evan decided the team needed a little more practice before the Visa competition. Unbeknownst to the team, he signed them up for the nearby San Jose 48 Hour Film Project and announced it at the cast & crew party for 'Urgent Care'. Fortunately everyone jumped at the chance to hone their skills and prove that the success of the first film wasn't just luck. The result of that effort is 'Doggie Style', the second official film from It Donned On Me.

In September the team came together once again to complete another 48 hour film for the Visa "Life Takes" Invitational. In collaboration with members of the a capella group "Flying Without Instruments" they completed the fantasy film "EXIT".

In October, 2007 the team completed their fourth 48 hour project, the National Film Challenge, producing "Retreat", an existential tale of a horse seeking enlightenment. After this they took a break from high-speed filmmaking for the holidays in order to prepare for the 2008 season.

In March 2008 IDOM kicked off the 2008 filmmaking season with the International Documentary Challenge, producing our first non-fiction film, "Stick & Pound". Selected as a finalist in the competition, 'Stick & Pound' screened in Toronto at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival where the team brought home Documentary Challenge awards for Best Cinematography and Best Directing!

After an amazing first year of competition IDOM came full circle, returning for the second time to the 2008 San Francisco 48 Hour Film Challenge and successfully completing our 6th film, "Tail". 'Tail' brought home the award for 'Best Sound Design' as well as being nominated for Best use of Dialoge and Best Cinematography

Just a few weeks later it was once again time for the San Jose 48 Hour Film project. Despite a rough start IDOM pulled together and created 'TwirlyBoy', possibly our strangest film so far.

With seven very different films completed in a years time some would say it's time to take a break, but not IDOM - this is just the beginning as IDOM tackles new projects and goes in new directions in the quest to become the greatest competitive filmmaking team of all time!

Stay Tuned!

Twirly Cast & Crew

2008-08-25T19:36:00.001-07:00

Twirly Blooper

2008-08-24T14:18:00.000-07:00

You gotta love bloopers. We had our fair share of TwirlyBoy outtakes during the filming of this peculiar road movie. One of my most memorable moments occurred during the scene where TwirlyBoy is talking on the phone while tightening his gluts on the hula chair. A minor hula malfunction occurred, giving Twirly a little scare. Fortunately, the spiky haired ribbon twirler finished the scene without any injury.

More From The SJ48HFP Screening

2008-08-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

What I love the 48 Hour Film Project is that I get to meet people who share the same passion for film making as I do. As I gave out Ho Ho's to every audience member in the theater, a familiar face approached me. I had to do a double take, but when I got closer, I recognized who it was: Liz Langston, the co-founder and executive producer of the 48 Hour Film Project! I gushed to her, "It's me! Tony! From It Donned On Me! I met you at the Visa Life Takes Invitationals!" She immediately smiled, gave me a big hug, then turned to her friend and said, "This is Tony. The last time I saw him, he was jumping up and down on stage!" It was definitely a pleasant surprise to see Liz at this event.

I am also glad that I had the opportunity to meet up with Barkada, Inc. I've been a big fan of their work ever since their time travel flick, "Saving The Future From The Past," which they made for the 2007 San Jose 48 Hour Film Project. They followed that one up with the hilarious musical "A Keesh For Hershel." If it weren't for the the 48HFP, I never would have met these guys. Barkada is awesome, and I hope that someday in the near future we could work together.

The awards ceremony for the 2008 San Jose 48 Hour Film Project is not going to happen for another week and a half. I'm getting excited for that night, and I hope that TwirlyBoy will take home multiple awards. I'll be antsy for the next week and half. Can't wait!

Tony's Picks For The SJ48HFP Audience Awards

2008-08-22T17:42:00.000-07:00

I'm still recuperating from last night's screening of TwirlyBoy. My body is actually sore from all that twirling in the theater! It was fun to see all the films from last night as well as from the night before. There are some really good submissions this year.

My personal favorites from the two screenings include "Marble Bag" by Block Cipher, "Vagrant Realty" by Turnabout Pictures, "Dia de los Dead" by Vision 6, "High Stakes Hooky" by UbseyMovies, "The Animals" by EyeQ Films, and "The Best Thing" by Barkada, Inc. All these films had something special. I liked the quirkiness of "Marble Bag, the humor of "Vagrant Realty," the full package of Dia de los Dead," the nostalgia of "High Stakes Hooky," the style of "The Animals," and the production values of "The Best Thing." Kudos to these teams for producing such great films.

Choosing the Audience Award is tough, but for Group A, I would give it to Vision 6's holiday film, "Dia de los Dead," a poignant film about three friends trying to cope with their friend's death. This film was a well packaged piece, complete with excellent writing, great performances, and superb production values. As for Group B, I am going to go out on a limb and vote for "TwirlyBoy." Surprise surprise, eh? I gotta vote for IDOM! However, if TwirlyBoy were not in the running, then I would definitely vote for Barkada, Inc.'s "The Best Thing." For a team who has made their mark making laugh out loud flicks, Barkada really scored with their drama about death. I'm not sure what it is, but both films dealing with death made the biggest impression on me. In any case, both of these films will definitely receive nominations for all the major categories. I hope TwirlyBoy does too!

Group A, Wednesday, August 20, 2008
"The Road Ahead" - Mi Casa Su Casa Productions (road movie)
"Bodbrane and the Wizard of Spas" - Beyond Forever Studios (fantasy)
"Nobody Gets Me" - Midnight Cowbells (horror)
"Marble Bag" - Block Cipher (romance)
"Vagrant Realty" - Turnabout Pictures
"The Curious Augustus Shank" - RadioActive Studios (spy)
"Lost In Translation" - SJ Crew (detective/cop)
"Rock Me Kokopelli" - tinyandsmall.com (period piece)
"Musical Forty-Eight" - Aido Group and Live Collective (musical)
"inheritance" - Blue Ribbon Productions" (drama)
"Attrition" - Short & Sweet (thriller/suspense)
"Dia de los Dead" - Vision 6 (holiday)
"High Stakes Hookey" - UbseyMovies (period piece)

Group B, Thursday, August 21, 2008
"Rocking Dreams" - Fremont Film Forum (musical)
"Late For Practice" - Chula Vista Entertainment (thriller/suspense)
"Lost and Found" - P-Town Pictures (romance)
"Firecracker" - Team Filmzombi (holiday)
"One Step Ahead" - ChaozFilms Productions (film de femme)
"Survived" - CA Tamil Talkies (film de femme)
"St. Angela" - Rising Sun Studios (comedy)
"BamBoozle" - STRIKETEAM (detective/cop)
"Second Chance" - Rebellian Studios (suspense/thriller)
"Death For Rent" - MYF Media Productions (horror)
"From Coffee To Drumstick" - Outlaw Media Productions (fantasy)
"The Animals" - EyeQ Films (fable)
"The Best Thing" - Barkada, Inc. (drama)
"TwirlyBoy" - It Donned On Me (road movie)

TwirlyBoy Screening

2008-08-21T23:45:00.000-07:00

What a crazy night. Evan Donn recapped the evening best on the IDOM page:

'TwirlyBoy' closed out last night's screening with a bang, ending a night of great films with the audience both entertained and confused as they asked themselves "what just happened?" To top it all off, IDOM Chief Instigator Tony Nguyen appeared in full TwirlyBoy regalia (including a costume change!) and bribed the audience with free Ho Ho's and some spectacular ribbon twirling. Win or lose, at least we won't be forgotten! There was even some talk of a possible sequel... hmm, "TwirlyBoy 2: Electric Boogaloo" perhaps?

If you couldn't make it out to the screening you can enjoy TwirlyBoy from the comfort of your own home RIGHT NOW!

Indeed, IDOM's Chief Instigator went over the top for this screening. I really wanted everyone to remember 'Twirly Boy', so I brought a Ho Ho for every audience member. I had a total of 250 Ho Hos in my bag, and I gave them all away! Shameless propaganda, I know, but like I said before, I will do anything in my pursuit to get the IDOM logo tattooed in every audience member's brain. I probably looked like a dork twirling around in my thermal undies with the Ed Grimley 'do, but that's perfectly fine because I do believe that I achieved my goal of making a lasting impression on the audience. Like Evan said, "win or lose, at least we won't be forgotten!"

There will forever be a special place in my heart for TwirlyBoy. This has been an incredible experience, perhaps one of the best in my history with It Donned On Me. The reason why is because I missed last year's event due to family obligations, which really bummed me out. I came into this competition wanting to savor every moment, and boy did I ever. I'd like to thank my fellow IDOM'ers for having the faith in me and casting me in this role. I am so there for the TwirlyBoy sequel!

Twirly Pics

2008-08-20T01:32:00.000-07:00

TwirlyBoy, The Movie Poster

2008-08-19T02:32:00.000-07:00

It's a little after 2am and I am close to passing out. The past few days have been pretty intense and I think it's all catching up with me now. I spent the last couple of hours piecing together the TwirlyBoy poster, and I am happy to say that after a few rough drafts, I completed a movie poster that I am proud of. When production ends, my work begins. As the Chief Instigator, my job is to market all our films, so it is vital for me to get the movie poster, postcards, and blog updates completed in a timely manner.

I take it upon myself to take these extra steps because I am proud of IDOM and I want people to see our work. I strongly feel that doing all this is necessary in order to get our name out there. How many movie studios out there just make a film and hope that it will sell? Marketing is a very important part of the process, and I will do everything in my power to ensure that every film we make will donn on everybody. Someone has to do it! Our work speaks for itself, but a little PR will take it even further.

What Just Happened?!?

2008-08-18T19:45:00.000-07:00

I'm still asking myself "WHAT JUST HAPPENED?" over the weekend. I'm really not sure how we got to the finish line, but somehow we did. I am happy, tired, excited, and relieved. After having missed the San Jose 48 Hour Film Project last year, I really wanted tomake the most of this year's event. At this time, I need to finish up the "TwirlyBoy" poster so that I can get it to the printer in time for Thursday night's screening. Hence, I will now bring this blog to a halt. Before I make my exit, I will plagiarize Evan Donn. Below is an excerpt from the IDOM website, courtesy of Mr. Donn himself.

What just happened?! That was the required line of dialogue for the 2008 San Jose 48 Hour Film Project, and also a good description of our weekend! It seems we'd become complacent after our last couple projects ('Tail' and 'Stick & Pound') went very smoothly, and we assumed that would always be the case... not this weekend!

Our usual M.O. is to wrap up writing the story/script by midnight Friday so we can get some sleep before an early start on Saturday. This time we didn't wrap up until 2:30 am - and we didn't even have a full story at that point!. Saturday kicked off late with low morale as we all sensed that things weren't going well, but we plunged back into brainstorming mode and finished up the story. This pushed back our shoot start time until early afternoon but it was worth it, as once the story started to come together our enthusiasm returned as well. Our shoot ran late into the evening and our first rough cut wasn't ready until 3:30 - and we still had material to shoot! We kicked back off at 8:30 Sunday morning and wrapped the shoot in a few more hours, leaving us just the afternoon to finish the edit.

Unfortunately this late schedule meant we ran out of time to record an original score (sorry Dante!). We found some good CC-licensed tracks on Jamendo which brought everything together well and wrapped post with just over an hour to spare - just in time in fact, as it took nearly an hour to get to the drop off in San Jose! We made it though, with just 7 minutes to spare - probably our closest drop off so far!
Despite the struggles we pulled off a film we're all proud of - 'TwirlyBoy'. It's a strange name. It's an even stranger film. Strange, but good. And like every other competition we've done so far I don't think there's any way any of us could have envisioned the film we'd end up with before last weekend...

'TwirlyBoy' will premier on Thursday, August 21st at the Group B screening, which takes place at the Camera 12 Cinema in San Jose at 7:30pm. If you're planning to come be sure to buy tickets ahead of time as it's likely to sell out. If you can't make the screening don't worry - we'll post 'TwirlyBoy' here on the site in glorious HD on Thursday night!

TwirlyBoy

2008-08-17T22:42:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Matthew Sloan, we have our movie title: TwirlyBoy. I tried to pitch TwirlyBoy Does Not Want To Go To Beijing, but Evan rolled his eyes at me. I guess I'll be ok with the truncated version. Twirly Boy. It really does have a nice ring to it.

9:48am.
Sunday morning. We were about nine hours away from the deadline, and we still had some scenes to shoot. Yikes! This was definitely a crazy jam packed day, but I am always up for the challenge. At about 10am, we all hit the road to shoot those last few scenes. Evan will have to do some color correction because the sun did not come out for us. As I sat in the convertible in my TwirlyBoy suit, all I could think of was getting pulled over by the police. It didn't help that I was standing up on the front passenger seat twirling my ribbons. I kept telling myself that it was Sunday morning and all the cops were probably at IHOP. Fortunately for us, they probably were.

10:30am.
After driving around for about 45 minutes, Evan got the shots that he needed. Matthew was done for weekend, but TwirlyBoy still had one final scene to shoot. I was bummed to see my partner in crime leave, but all good things must come to an end. I had a lot of fun with the dapper British gent this weekend. There was definitely chemistry between us, and I am very excited to see the final product. The two of us really nailed this.

2:31pm.
CRUNCH TIME!! With the clock ticking away, every IDOM'er cranked away towards that finish line. I took the liberty of working on the credits. Evan edited, Rob reviewed and logged the cam 2 footage, Sig and Dinah finished up the paperwork, Mike and Tom hunted down our talent for signatures, and Rick searched for Creative Commons licensed music.

7:23pm.
With only seven minutes to spare, TwirlyBoy crossed the finish line! I think this is the closest we've ever come to elimination. I swear, the ride to San Jose to drop off the final product was a road movie in itself, where the star of the film is the temperamental GPS device! My blood pressure reached dangerous levels during this ride, but none of that mattered once I handed in that envelope. I was happy and relieved that we did it once again. TwirlyBoy is number seven for It Donned On Me, and we keep getting better and better. I can't wait until the screening.

The Road To Beijing

2008-08-16T23:54:00.000-07:00

Three hours of sleep, hurray! We all agreed to meet back at my place at 10am, but since I had about 15 action items on my to do list, I got up at 7:30am to prepare for the filming of this road movie. As Dinah snoozed away in the guest room, I took my sick kitty to the vet to get her fluids. The last thing I wanted was to have my cat Poppy die on me during production! I am happy to report that after getting 200ml injected into her geriatric feline body, Poppy regained her poppiness. In any case, when I brought the cat back to the house, Dinah woke up, Mike arrived, and the three of us took off to find accessories for my TwirlyBoy costume. We only had one hour, so we raced through Joann Fabrics and Longs Drugs, scrambling for supplies.

10:34am.
After completing our little scavenger hunt, the three of us returned to the house and I immediately jumped into the shower. Dinah and Mike ventured off to Safeway to buy some food for the cast and crew and shortly after, Evan, Rick, and our actor, Matthew Sloan, arrived on set. I jumped out in my TwirlyBoy suit complete with the Ed Grimley 'do and introduced myself to Mr. Sloan. He had no idea why I looked the way I looked. Rick hadn't explained to him what we were doing yet, so he must have thought I was a freak. That's ok, I'm used to that kind of reaction from people.

11:08am.
Tom Flowers and Rob Carey arrive on set. The two coast side chumps missed the final exit and ended up crossing the San Mateo Bridge. That's actually not the first time this happened to an IDOM'er. Wanda Mazur had to cough up the toll when she missed the exit during the filming of "Urgent Care" last year. In any case, Tom and Rob's tardiness did not halt production because we were still trying to come up with a story! Hence we did not start shooting until after noon.

12:33pm.
The story of the Olympic ribbon twirler who refuses to go to Beijing is finally completed! Matthew Sloan will play Johnathon Thomas, the sports agent, and yours truly will be TwirlyBoy. Tom Flowers will play Johnathon's boss, Rick's friend Daphna will play a sexy woman, and both Evan and Rick will be cast as band members. I'm sorry that I cannot give any more information on the plot because this was all that I knew! Evan took Matthew out on the street to work on the first scene as I change into my Twirly hazmat suit.

1:08pm.
Evan commenced filming and directed the sports agent and TwirlyBoy in the road scenes. Underneath that hazmat suit is my thermal underwear TwirlyBoy costume. I was boiling. Matthew didn't have it any easier, as he had to carry all of TwirlyBoy's luggages to the car. He also got punched out by our director. Matthew definitely had the more physical role, but I had to suffer in that suit. We both deserve Academy Awards just for our endearing these harsh conditions!

1:27pm.
TwirlyBoy sweats it out in the convertible. Even with oxygen blowing into the suit, I was dying. Unfortunately, I couldn't leave the vehicle because the costume was just too cumbersome, so it was best to stay put. I didn't complain, for I am a professional. I may not be SAG, but I am dedicated to my craft!

2:49pm.
While I sweated away in the convertible, filming continued. Evan and Rob finished up Matthew's solo scenes and then we jumped right into Tom's scene in front of the green screen. I wonder how he's going to look in Beijing?

5:47pm.
It's a good thing Rob has a wide angle lens on his camera. If he didn't, then it is quite possible that Evan would have had to ride on the hood of the convertible in order to get the head on shot of TwirlyBoy and the sports agent. Can you imagine Director Donn as a hood ornament? In any case, Rob duct taped down his camera to the dashboard and Matthew and I drove off. The two of us improvised the scene all the way through. Hopefully, Evan will be able take bits and pieces of our banter and edit them together. Matthew drove around for about 15 minutes before pulling over to the local mini mart to film the Ho Ho and ho scenes. We had to work fast because the sun was going down!

10:04pm.
Unfortunately, the sun went down and we weren't able to get all the shots that we needed. You can't really argue with Mother Nature, so we sucked it up and planned for an early morning shoot on Sunday. We headed back to my place, took a dinner break, and jumped right into the telephone scenes between the sports agent and TwirlyBoy. Poor Matthew, I thought his eyeballs were going to fall out because of the allergies to my cats! Nonetheless, he pulled out the scene. I, too, had a difficult time, but mine were not allergy related. I had to do the scene on the hula chair, and my biggest fear was flying off of that that thing. I almost did, too!

12:24am.
At about 11pm, we all drove out to Cheers in Pacifica to film the final scene of our road movie. The Wander-Ins, Rick's kid's band, graciously agreed to let us use their drum kit for the final shot. We rocked out to The Wander-Ins surf music, and when they finished their set, we jumped onto the stage for scene. It felt weird being at this bar in my TwirlyBoy suit, but I stayed in character. The only time I broke character was when I saw Tom Flowers jump out onto the dance floor with Daphna and boogied to the surf version of 'White Wedding.' That was quite the scene! In any case, Evan said we had to crank this scene in less than three takes, so I had to really focus. Luckily, I was able to do it in two. The funny thing was that I misunderstood the director, and rather than fake drumming, I actually pounded away. Now that was embarrassing...

2:44am.
Another late night. Another early morning. It was already 3am and I had to be up in a few hours to film the twirly scenes. I guess I shouldn't complain. Evan was up later than I was, and the poor guy had to sleep on my couch. Unfortunately, I only have one guest room, and Dinah had dibs on it already. I really can't put him and her in the same room because that would be a little too weird. So, he slept on the couch. I did provide him with a fluffy pillow and a comforter. I just hope my cat didn't attack him in the middle of the night.

Boy oh boy, it was a very very long day. I am happy that we are halfway through the weekend, and I am confident that we will finish this road film and that it will be awesome! On a final note, it wouldn't be an IDOM 48 Hour Film Project without a sleeping Rob shot...

Road Movie Again!

2008-08-15T21:10:00.001-07:00

Here we go again. It Donned On Me just picked up the Best Sound Design Award for "Tail" and now we're jumping into another 48 Hour Film Project. Another weekend of junk food, no sleep, and running around like chickens with our heads cut off. Why do we put ourselves through this? Oh yeah, because it's fun and we absolutely love it.

6:34pm.
Rick, Dinah, and I arrived at Camera Cinemas 3 in San Jose a little after 6pm and went straight to the meeting place. It was fun to see familiar faces in the room, as some teams from the San Francisco 48 Hour Film Project and last year's San Jose competition were present. The producers took us into the small theater in the back, and we eagerly waited as they gave the run down on logistics. When it was time for our screening group to approach the stage to pull our genres out of a hat, my left leg got stuck between the aisles, and as a result, I ended up in the front dead last. This was not a great position to be in, as the anticipation made me go crazy. Do you know how hard it is to stand by while your competitors are pulling their genres? Comedy, drama, horror, spy movie, film de femme...oh boy, what the heck are we going to get!? In the back of my mind I was thinking anything but historical fiction. I really can't tell you why, but there's something about that genre that made me nervous.

As I watched each group pick their genres, I mentally kept track of what everyone pulled. I began to freak out because that historical fiction slip was still in the hat! Fortunately, the girl ahead of me pulled that genre, so I let out a big sigh of relief before diving into the hat. I stuck my hand in and felt around. There were only two slips of paper left in that hat, and I had no idea what they were. Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Mo, catch a tiger by it's toe.......ROAD MOVIE.

I have to admit, I was less than thrilled to have received this genre, since we have already made a little road movie called "Urgent Care" for last year's San Francisco 48 Hour Film Project. I really wanted something different, but at least we didn't pull historical fiction! The funny thing is that we later learned that the team who pulled historical fiction changed for the wild card genre. This got me to wondering, maybe we should have done the same thing. I was really annoyed that we pulled a repeat genre, but in the end, things really do happen for a reason. Plus, "Urgent Care" was technically not a "road movie." Just because we had an ambulance driving along Highway 280 does not really make it a road movie, so this year will be our chance to actually make a film that truly fits the genre.

Genre:
Road Movie

Character:
Chris or Christy Doyle, drummer

Prop:
Pin

Line of Dialogue:
“What just happened?”

8:51pm.
Evan, Rick, Tom, Rob, Dinah, Rick's lady friend Colleen, and I met up at my place and we all sat at my dining table and brainstormed ideas for this road movie. There were plenty of ideas flying around--some more absurd than others--but no story. What we had to work with was a dapper British gentleman, a convertible, a hazardous material suit, and possibly a bee suit. Here's a sample of some of those random thoughts:

A guy is lying in the middle of the the road. He is contemplating something. Suicide maybe? Monologues on the side of road, perhaps?
Urgent Care: The Sequel. Granny ends up killing the EMT during a wild afternoon of nookie in the ambulance. She ends up driving that ambulance around town trying to get rid of the body.
A movie about roads!
A guy is walking down the road and he sees a bee. The two of them walk together on this road and does something interesting or meaningful.
An Olympic rhythmic gymnast goes on a road trip to Beijing. Of course, the gymnast is from Saigon and only speaks Vietnamese.
A guy goes on a date with a girl who is confined to a bubble. She has to wear a hazmat suit to protect her respiration. She has some sort of disease. In the end, he kisses her and he dies.
A comic road trip. A comedian drives around the city and tells jokes.
It's not a road movie, it's a RUDE movie. We tell the judges that we misunderstood the genre and made a rude, crude, and crass film a la the Farrelly brothers rather than a road movie!

11:48pm.
Nothing. We kept throwing ideas out, but there was still no story line! I brought out Vietnamese thinking caps for everyone hoping that inspiration would hit us, but nada. I had to walk away to reboot my creative hard drive, so I disappeared for about an hour to find my bee suit. Unfortunately, I came up empty. No bee suit, no story line, 11pm, uh oh! To top it off, everyone's blood sugar began to drop. Having champagne at the beginning of the brainstorming session relaxed us, but what we really needed was food! So, I sent the red headed chiropractor out for nourishment. While he was out and about getting donuts and chips, Rob went delirious. Check it out:

1:30am.
After hours of throwing ideas back and forth, we came to the conclusion that all we had we had was an idea. At 1:30am, we decided that it would be best to call it the night and come back in the morning to try to piece together a story for that idea. The premise: a Vietnamese ribbon twirler goes on a road trip with a dapper English gentleman. That's all we had! We all agreed to congregate at my place a few hours later. All I knew was that I was going to be this ribbon twirler, so before I went to bed, I prepared for this role by jumping online to do some research on rhythmic gymnastics.

2:47am.
At about 3am in the morning, it donned on me that IDOM was officially in unchartered territory. Never before have we walked away from a Friday night brainstorming session without a story! Boy oh boy...

SF48HFP Winners

2008-08-14T11:08:00.000-07:00

The Judges Have Spoken!

Best Use of Prop
"The Hazard of the Trade" by Solo Bello

Best Use of Character
“Gus the Fifth” by Dramatic Gopher Productions

Best Use of Line of Dialogue
“A Few Pointers” by Sleepytime

Best Costumes
“How the Bunny Got the Bear” by Fogbelt 2880

Best Special Effects
“187” by CurlyHairedPeople

Best Art Direction
“The Trade” by Redhanded

Best Sound Design
“Tail” by It Donned On Me

Best Musical Score
“A Keesh for Hershel” by Barkada Inc.

Best Cinematography
“The Last Job” by Emerging Artist Productions

Best Editing
“Hard Labor” by 80 Babies

Best Writing
“A Woman’s Intuition” by Paraffin Productions

Best Acting
“A Woman’s Intuition” by Paraffin Productions

Best Directing
“Servo” by Chaka Khan

Jury Selection Award
“Basket Case” by BSSP

Best Film
“Burn” by Platypus

Sounds Good To Me!

2008-08-13T23:17:00.000-07:00

WOO HOO!!

Tonight's screening of the 2008 San Francisco 48 Hour Film Challenge finalists was so much fun. Evan, Dinah, Mike, Erin-Kate, and I met up at Fat City, eager to see if "Tail" would walk away with any awards. To our delight, our little film took home the Best Sound Design prize! Woo HOO! We received nominations for the Best Use of Dialogue and Best Cinematography categories as well. Evan noted that the overall quality of the films was really impressive, and I do agree whole heartedly. It was so much fun to see all the finalists at Fat City. What made me smile was the fact that everyone in the room shared the exact same excitement that I did. I am very glad to be a part of this 48HFP community.

I guess the SF48HFP is now officially over. Although I am sad to this event come to a close, I am excited that IDOM now has another piece in the vault. I am also pretty stoked the San Jose 48 Hour Film Project, which starts up in two days!

"Tail" is now posted on the main IDOM website, so check it out when you get a chance. Oh, another, I do have to give credit where credit is due. When asked how she felt about winning the Best Sound Design award, Dinah deSpenza gushed, "Sounds Good To Me!" Very punny. I liked that so much, I used it for this blog entry title.

Awards Screening

2008-08-12T13:28:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Looking forward to seeing all of you tomorrow. Just some quick notes about the event tomorrow:

We will be screening 14 films (posted on the Web site)
For each award, I will be showing a 20-30 second clip of each of the nominees
There will be about 120 chairs set up, so come early if you want a seat
There is no food at the venue, so eat beforehand. However, we will be giving away FREE popcorn
I want to start screening the films by 7:15pm.
Don't forget your camera for photo opps.

See you tomorrow!
Elena

Finalist

2008-08-11T13:32:00.000-07:00

I am very happy to announce that TAIL is a finalist in the 2008 San Francisco 48 Hour Film Project! Our film made the top 14 and will be screened on August 13th at the awards ceremony. Good Stuff!

From: sanfrancisco-bounces@lists.48hourfilm.com
Sent: Monday, August 11, 2008 1:49 PM
To: sanfrancisco@lists.48hourfilm.com
Subject: San Francisco 48HFP - Awards Screening Info!

Dear San Francisco 48 hour filmmakers and fans,

The Awards Screening for the San Francisco 48HFP is coming this Wednesday! We hope you're as excited as we are. Come and support your fellow filmmakers and see these 14 fabulous films!

Date: Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Time: 7 – 9pm
Place: Fat City, 1314 11th Street, San Francisco
What: Announce and screen the San Francisco winning films!
Cost: $1-$5 sliding scale

The Line-Up:

80 Babies
"Hard Labor"

BSSP
"Basket Case"

Barkada Inc.
"A Keesh for Hershel"

Chaka Khan
"Servo"

CurlyHairedPeople
"187"

Dramatic Gopher Productions
"Gus the Fifth"

Emerging Artist Productions
"The Last Job"

Fogbelt 2880
"How the Bunny Got the Bear"

It Donned On Me
"Tail"

Paraffin Productions
"A Woman's Intuition"

Platypus
"Burn"

Sleepytime
"A Few Pointers"

Solo Bello
"The Hazard of the Trade"

Team Redhanded
"The Trade"

Stoned Again?

2008-08-10T11:21:00.000-07:00

Uh Oh. Am I getting another unwelcomed visit from Mr. Kidney Stone? It's highly probable. I spent the whole night hacking up a spleen and now there's a sharp pain on my right side. If I am getting a blast from past, then I will provide my readers with my very own blast from the past. Most of you have probably already seen "Stoned," my 4 minute tale of internal physiological pain and how it affects the mind. This is actually my favorite piece so I don't mind showing it again and again. I'm in pain, give me a break...

Avalon Micro Film Festival

2008-08-09T20:56:00.000-07:00

'Stick & Pound', 'Doggie Style' and 'Tail' are scheduled to screen at the 2008 Avalon Micro Film Festival on Saturday, August 30th. Unfortuanately, I won't be able to attend because of a prior engagement. First I miss Kosovo and now Sunnyvale!

080808

2008-08-08T17:00:00.000-07:00

August 8, 2008 is supposed to be the luckiest day of the year, so I am taking the time to pray to the luck gods to bestow some good fortune on IDOM, as the best in the best of the 2008 San Francisco 48 Hour Film Project will be announced next week. I found myself asking this question over and over again today, "How the heck did we get to this point??" A year ago, a random group of community college students got together to make a little film called "Urgent Care" and now here we are: Internationally Acclaimed Award Winning Film Makers. Was it luck that got us here? Perhaps. I like to think of it more as hard work, talent, chemistry, and passion. It Donned On Me has consistently delivered high quality productions, all of which has received some sort of accolade. I said it once before, and I'll say it again, I am one proud Chief Instigator. That said, I will still cross my fingers, rub my rabbit's foot, and put on my lucky horse shoe Colts jersey on this very lucky day. Hey, it doesn't hurt!

Sumo'ed

2008-08-07T21:01:00.000-07:00

Company picnics can be tricky. I always get a little nervous attending these corporate events because I'm not very good at the mandatory meet and greet of my colleagues and higher ups in a controlled social environment. This year's festivities was different though, thanks to the fun little ice breaker below. I wish I had video footage of this, but a photo slideshow will have to suffice. Check it out.

By the way, I did make it out of that sumo pit unscathed, but I did commit the near fatal error of jumping into the bouncy house right afterwards. Not smart. I was dizzy the rest of the day.

Stripper To Appear At Edinburgh Fringe

2008-08-06T07:21:00.000-07:00

My girl Lynn Ruth is at it again, and right now I wish I were with her. If I were independently wealthy, I would have jet set my way to Kosovo for Dokufest and then hop on over to Edinburgh for the Fringe to meet up with the strippin' granny herself. I had an amazing time in Scotland with Lynn Ruth last year, but unfortunately, finances will not allow me to hang out with her this year. I will be there in spirit though, and I wish the crazy septigenarian the very best. I just hope she doesn't break her back doing the strip tease. Boy that would be a sight...

Stripper To Appear At Edinburgh Fringe
July 11, 2008

False teeth, sagging breasts and varicose veins might not combine in a conventional image of the body beautiful, but a 75-year-old stripper from San Francisco believes that she can storm the Edinburgh Fringe with a show that will explode society's obsession with youthful good looks. Lynn Ruth Miller, a former journalist who has only been stripping for three years, said that she was “living the dream” in an act that celebrates every fold and crease of her body, “revelling in the disasters” that the ageing process wreaks.

“If you want to feel old and inadequate, that's up to you, but there is a choice. I look like an old lady, I know I do, but I never suffer pain, I never get tired and it is so exhilarating to communicate with people. When I'm on stage, I'm talking to the world, saying, ‘Don't sit in your rocking chair - get out there and live',” she said.

For her show, Aging is Amazing, Ms. Miller has devised an eye-catching opening sequence that echoes Samuel Goldwyn's dictum: start with an earthquake and build up to a climax. Emerging to the tune of the Strip Polka, over the next four minutes she sheds a robe and several chemises, to be left standing in front of her audience clad in billowing underwear, elaborately decorated with a fringe, bells and feathers.

Those who have seen her performances are rarely left unmoved. “I swear the audience went completely bonkers when this crazy lady stripped down to her granny panties,” one admirer wrote. Despite this unabashed exhibitionism, Ms Miller describes herself as a good girl with a 1950s mentality. A former teacher and librarian, she spent most of her career working as a newspaper columnist. She loves classical music and her first experience of the Edinburgh Festival was to sit enraptured at symphony concerts at the Usher Hall.

“I've coped with the dips and the valleys and experienced the highs. I've never taken any pills or drugs. I've lived a totally conventional life. And now, if it means taking off my clothes to make people notice me, why not? I'll do it,” said Ms Miller, who has been married twice. She admits that she probably terrifies her former husbands.

Her stage career began less than five years ago after she devised a stand-up comedy act about her experiences as an older woman. In 2005 she was booked to perform at a venue that was also promoting burlesque and decided to embrace this most risqué of art forms. Her strip routine was born.

She made her mark straight away, performing at a birthday celebration by dressing up in a black chemise and stockings and bursting out of a giant cake. Later, performing on stage at an upmarket hotel, she provoked a ripple of emotion from the well-heeled audience by lobbing her underwear at them.

Of course she was younger then, only 72, but she will reprise her bra-throwing routine this year in a second Fringe show, Grannies Gone Wild, in which she also sings a song written by the Sex Pistols. It is all for comic effect but Ms Miller's performances are driven by her hatred of discrimination. “Most comedy springs from anger, and it's ageism that infuriates me. My routines attack the notion that old people don't remember who they are, can't walk up a stair and have to wear nappies,” she said. “I'm thrilled that I'm ageing. I like it all. My show is about all the things that happen to you but I let the audience know I'm still having fun. And I am.”

In Edinburgh's “pubic triangle” - a grubby area of the Old Town notorious for its lap-dancing bars and strip joints - there was scepticism about Ms Miller's act. “In this industry it's horses for courses,” said Jay Drummond, the owner of Hooters bar.

“Certain people like certain things - tall, short, blonde, dark, big boobs, small boobs, fat, thin. It's a weird and wonderful world out there. But I've not had much call for 75-year-olds.”

Philip Walker, of the Campaign Against Age Discrimination in Employment, said that he was fully behind Ms Miller's show.

“Just because you're older doesn't mean you can't live, that you're past it. If she looks good, and she obviously looks good to herself or she wouldn't be doing it, why the hell shouldn't she?” he asked.

What's Happening In Kosovo...

2008-08-05T08:26:00.000-07:00

As I am typing away,"Stick & Pound" is probably screening right now in Kosovo at Dokufest! I do really wish that I was there. Many thought that I was crazy when I announced that I was going to fly to this eastern European nation known for inter-ethnic tensions for the screening. I see it differently. This would have been an experience that not many could say that they've had. Anybody can go to Paris, London, or New York, but how many can say that they made it all the way over to Kosovo for a film festival? I've always been an off the beaten path kinda guy, and this trip would have given me unusual material to blog about. Unfortunately, flying out to Kosovo would have cost me an arm, a leg, and a few internal organs, so I had to decline the adventure. I stand behind every IDOM production, and I want to be there for every screening of our work. For this very reason, I am bummed. However, there will be more film festivals in the future, and hopefully, these will be at venues where I can afford to go to!

Synopsis

Within the last few years documentaries have entered into a renaissance period. Filmmaking tools are now so affordable that anyone willing to invest the time and energy to tell a story can do so. Audiences have finally realized that some of the most compelling stories come from the truest form of drama—documentary films.

It has become obvious that there is no shortage of engaging stories, aspiring artists wanting to tell them, places to screen them, and people to view them. With that in mind, and after seeing the impact the 48 Hour Film Project has had on the independent fiction filmmaking scene across the country, Doug Whyte, Director of Media Arts Programs for KDHX, developed the International Documentary Challenge. A documentary filmmaker himself, Whyte saw the potential an event like this could have on the documentary filmmaking community.

An event like the Doc Challenge is a great opportunity for up-and coming documentary filmmakers to broaden their skills. It is a somewhat ridiculous notion to think of completing a film in just 5 days, especially a documentary, which often can take years to finish. But that, in essence, is the point of this competition—to encourage documentary filmmakers to work straight from their instinct, make quick decisions and finish a creative project under pressure. When making a film in 5 days, one learns a lot about what is and isn’t important in filmmaking—lessons that will never be forgotten.

In addition, an event such as the Doc Challenge can strengthen the documentary community as a whole. To have throngs of filmmakers out in their communities making films at the same time has several impacts:

1) Many short documentaries for viewers to watch at public screenings, on TV and on the internet;

2) More press and exposure for documentary filmmaking as an art form;

3) The filmmakers, all under the same restraints, will bond with each other by sharing war stories from their week of intense filming and editing; and

4) The community in which the filmmakers live will recognize the presence of documentarians in their area.

The Doc Challenge is an event that appeals to both novice and professional filmmakers alike. Novice filmmakers have the opportunity to go through the whole filmmaking process in less than a week, learning the art of documentary production in a trial by fire situation, and professionals have the opportunity to work on a creative, personal project without having to commit years of their life. In the end, the International Documentary Challenge is just plain fun, for the filmmakers, the subjects and the viewers.

FILMS

All The Eights, 88
City/Country: Sydney, Australia
Genre: Biography/Character Study
88 year old Betty Van Acker, champion bingo player, shares her secrets to finding luck in life.

Ars Magna
City/Country: Seattle, WA, USA
Genre: Biography/Character Study
Cory Calhoun, creator of the famous Hamlet anagram, is an average guy with an obsession for finding meaning in jumbled phrases.

The Art of Balance
City/Country: New York, NY, USA
Genre: Sports
In a society where singular dedication to a career seems like the only way, Gary Synder struggles to balance two lives and thrive as both an art dealer and an Aikido instructor.

Beholder
City/Country: Brooklyn, NY, USAGenre: First Person
An autobiographical film about a photographer's evolving perspective of New York City.

Bend & Bow
City/Country: Brooklyn, NY, USA
Genre: Experimental
Natalia Paruz reveals the moment that changed her life and how she became known as the "Saw Lady" to millions of New York subway riders.

Click Whoosh
City/Country: Seattle, WA, USA
Genre: Historical
An homage to a familiar fixture of popular culture that now teeters on obsolescence.

Ghost Bike
City/Country: Toronto, ON, Canada
Genre: Art
This documentary explores the grassroots "ghost bike" movement - why are these mysterious white bikes being placed in cities all over the world?

I=me2
City/Country: Sherman Oaks, CA, USA
Genre: Experimental
The parallels and divergences of twins Chris and Kevin--twice the documentary in the same low running time.

Ice Fishing
City/Country: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Genre: Sports
As the ice fishing season comes to a close, families and friends drive to their huts on the frozen lake to get away from the city, breathe fresh air, drink a few beers and fish one last time before the surface of the lake melts away.

Jetty
City/Country: Portland, OR, USA
Genre: Social Issue/Political
A "Mom and Pop" fishery on the Oregon Coast is threatened by an ecologically unsustainable crabbing policy.

Meet The Freegans
City/Country: Portland, OR, USA
Genre: Social Issue/Political
Steve is an educated man. A school teacher. A homeowner. He also enjoys eating food from dumpsters.

Pennywise: The Changing Face of Change
City/Country: Silver Spring, MD, USA
Genre: Social Issue/Political
Reflections on the cultural value and economic insignificance of the American one-cent coin.

Red Light Blues
City/Country: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Genre: Social Issue/Political
Could this be the Swan Song of the world’s oldest profession?

Stick and Pound
City/Country: Foster City, CA, USA
Genre: Art
A documentary that explores the rhythmic language of the Gullah people.

Gus & Gloria Lorenz Invite You...

2008-08-04T19:15:00.000-07:00

Looks like they're not going to narrow down the list of award winners like they did last year. Boy oh boy, that just makes it more exciting!

From: elenacruz@gmail.com
Sent: Sunday, August 03, 2008 8:29 PM
To: sanfrancisco@48hourfilm.com
Cc: Erin Bertiglia
Subject: Audience Award Winners + Awards Screening Info

Hi Everyone!

First of all, thank you so much for making my first year as the SF Producer so memorable - I had a blast, and really enjoyed putting this together and working with all of you. Also, I wanted to give everyone an update on the audience awards plus the Awards Screening. I posted the Audience winners on the web site (but here they are below with the runner-ups):
http://www.48hourfilm.com/sanfrancisco/

GROUP A

"Basket Case"
BSSP

Runner Up: Golden Ticket by Pillybooka

GROUP B
"A Woman's Intuition"
Paraffin Productions

Runner Up: The Last Job by Emerging Artist Productions

GROUP C
"The Trade"
Redhanded

Runner Up: Button Man by Nobody Productions

GROUP D
"A Keesh for Hershel"
Barkada inc

Runner Up: Servo by Chaka Khan

Also, as you know, Dolores Park pulled out last minute for the Awards Screening so Erin and I have been scrambling for a new venue. From talking to you, I wanted to keep the Awards Screening as an open and free event. So Fat City has offered to host it this year, but to cover the costs of renting a projector, screen, chairs and security, we will ask for a small contribution ($1 - $5 sliding scale).

DATE: Wednesday, August 13
PLACE: Fat City
314 11th Street, San Francisco
TIME: 7pm - 9pm
COST: $1-$5 sliding scale
WHAT: announce and screen the San Francisco Winner plus winners of the following awards:

Best Directing
Best Writing
Best Acting
Best Editing
Best Cinematography
Best Sound Design
Best Use of Character
Best Use of Prop
Best Use of Line
*Best Graphics
*Best Special Effects
*Best Musical Score
*Best Costumes

*(these are optional awards that the judges may or may not decide to give out)

Please invite team members, cast & crew, family, friends and anyone who didn't make it out to the screenings. I'll send out an evite tonight that you can forward around. Hope you guys can make it! Please email me with any questions. Looking forward to seeing all of you again!

Elena

The Dark Knight

2008-08-03T19:36:00.000-07:00

I am a huge Batman fan. I had been waiting for The Dark Knight to come out since the credits went up at the end of Batman Begins three years ago. Christopher Nolan really turned this dying franchise around with his 2005 interpretation. Fast forward three years, and we have a sequel that is more graphic novel than comic book. I should have seen this film on opening night, but this little thing called the 48 Hour Film Project conflicted with the screening. I finally saw The Dark Knight this weekend on IMAX, and what an incredible experience it was. This movie is dark, violent, and thoroughly satisfying. All the hype about Heath Ledger is true. Check it out before it makes its exit from the cineplex. You need to see it on the big screen.

"The Dark Knight" Leads Box Office For Third Weekend
Sunday August 3 4:01 PM ET

"The Dark Knight" fended off a strong challenge from the new "Mummy" sequel to lead the North American box office for a third weekend, and is on track to become the second-biggest movie of all time.

The Batman blockbuster earned $43.8 million for the three days beginning Friday, distributor Warner Bros. Pictures said on Sunday. Universal's "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" followed with $42.5 million.

The Walt Disney Co. political comedy "Swing Vote" came in at No. 6 with just $6.3 million, the latest disappointment for its star, Kevin Costner, who has not had a $100 million movie since 1992's "The Bodyguard."

The total for "The Dark Knight" rose to $394.9 million. Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc, said it expects the film to add at least $100 million, surpassing the $461 million haul of 1977's "Star Wars" and its two reissues, the current No. 2 movie of all time in the United States and Canada. The $601 million record, held by 1997's "Titanic," seems watertight. Adjusted for inflation, though, "Titanic" ranks at No. 6, far behind "Gone with the Wind" at $1.4 billion, according to tracking firm Box Office Mojo.

"The Dark Knight" will add yet another record to its impressive tally on Monday or Tuesday, when it breaks $400 million, which would be its 18th or 19th day of release. The old record of 43 days is held by 2004's "Shrek 2."

Internationally, "The Dark Knight" has earned $205 million, Warner Bros. said. Top markets include Britain with $50 million and Australia with $32 million.

MUMMY BIG OVERSEAS
Pundits had predicted that the "Mummy" movie could open to upwards of $50 million domestically, roughly in between its two predecessors, but the critically mauled Brendan Fraser film was a little bruised by the Batman juggernaut. It marks the follow-up to 2001's "The Mummy Returns," which opened to $68 million. The franchise relaunched in 1999 with a $43.4 million bow for "The Mummy."

Universal said "The Mummy" was big internationally. The film, co-starring Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh, opened to $59.5 million from 28 territories. Top markets included Russia and South Korea, each with about $13 million. Because the action is set in China, and the Olympic Games kick off in Beijing on Friday, Universal has been cross-promoting the movie with its General Electric Co corporate sibling NBC, which holds the U.S. broadcast rights to the games.

Fraser has had a low profile since appearing as part of the ensemble in the Oscar-winning 2004 movie "Crash." But he now has two movies in the top 5, with Warner Bros.' "Journey to the Center of the Earth" at No. 5 with a four-week total of $73.1 million.

"Swing Vote," in which Costner plays a hard-drinking oaf whose vote will determine the outcome of a U.S. presidential election, was released as a counterprogramming attempt. Disney distribution president Chuck Viane billed it as "a thinking person's movie," but it ended up being one of the worst openings of Costner's career. Reviews were mixed.

Disney's only summer success, the Pixar-produced cartoon "WALL-E" has earned $204.2 million after six weeks, and will pass the $206 million haul of last year's "Ratatouille." But it will end up as only the sixth-biggest of Pixar's nine productions.

Despite the strong performance of "The Dark Knight" and "The Mummy," overall sales fell for the second consecutive weekend, according to tracking firm Media By Numbers. The top 12 films grossed $149 million, down 10 percent from the year-ago period. Year to date, revenues are flat at $5.9 billion, while the number of tickets sold is down almost 3 percent.

(Editing by Eric Walsh)

It is My Sister's Birthday

2008-08-02T18:17:00.000-07:00

Last fall, I took Evan Donn's Digital Workflow class, and my first assignment was to make a 48HFP-esque project. The genre that I pulled was film de femme, the character was Becky a bull rider, the prop was a fan, and the line of dialogue was "I love you long time." I scratched this my head trying to figure out what the heck I was going to do. Inspiration finally hit me when I flipped through the old family photo albums. If you haven't seen this video clip about my film de femme sister yet, check it out. Oh another thing, wish the girl a happy birthday.

2008 San Jose 48 Hour Film Project

2008-08-01T12:29:00.000-07:00

Has it really been two weeks since we got these required elements for the SF48HFP? Well, in two weeks we'll be doing it all over again! The 2008 San Jose 48 Hour Film Project is right around the corner, and I am in Chief Instigator mode! It Donned On Me will be out and about the weekend of August 15-17 doing our thing. Since I missed this competition last year, I will be in San Jose soaking up the experience (as if I haven't been doing so already with all the other competitions). San Jose will mark our 7th film together as a team. Who woulda thunk it?

From: San Jose Producer
Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 11:44 AM
To: San Jose Producer
Subject: Welcome Team Leaders!

Hello San Jose 48HFP Team Leaders!

My name is Vincent Lowe, and together with Brooks Graham, we are your San Jose Producers for the 48 Hour Film Project (48HFP).

Welcome to the 48 Hour Film Project San Jose 2008! This is the first of several e-mails over the next few days that should answer all of your questions for the San Jose Project.

Please ensure that your anti-Spam software or other security settings are set to allow emails from us to get through. We don't want you to miss out on any important information.

Emails to follow:

Rumblefish – Official 48HFP Music Resource
Kickoff, Drop Off and Screening Assignments/Information
New Rules in 2008
Keeping Your Film Short
48HFP Filmmaking Tips

Please take a moment right now to confirm that you've received this email, just so that I know that the email line is open. … just hit reply, type "that's me," or something to that effect, and send.

Also, do you need any spots filled on your team? Check out our "Recruit Team Members" list for San Jose. We have set up a system by which folks can post a short ad on the 48 Hour Film Project website and then you, the team leader, can view the ad and recruit them for your team. If you're looking for team members, this is a good place to do so.
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You will receive a series of these emails because you are a leader of a team, or because your team leader has requested that you be on the list. You can easily be removed at your request. Just send me a note and we'll take care of it immediately.

If you are a team leader and you want a member of your team to receive these emails, it's a good idea to send me a note and have me update the list to include them. I'm happy to do that.

------------------

You'll also receive (less frequent) general interest postings that come to the SJC 48HFP newsletter email. Those may repeat some information from these, we just want to be sure the information gets to you. In particular, it might be good right now to put down the key dates for events that you'll want to consider.

Aug 9 - Music for film - Meet & Greet with live performances by talented local musicians.

Aug 15 - Kickoff 6-7pm

Aug 17 - Dropoff 5-9pm

Aug 20 - Screening Night 1

Aug 21 - Screening Night 2

Sep 4 - Highlights Night and Awards

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Lastly, if you want to be able to get the word out yourself to others in the Bay Area and 48 Hour Film Community, you can join the Yahoo! group that contains team leaders, players, producers, and boosters. This moderated group gives you a place to request support and participation that will make your production a success. The group is membership and message moderated. Volume is low and appropriate.

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Wishing you all the best as you prepare for August 15th! You'll be hearing more from me soon…

Vincent Lowe and Brooks Graham
San Jose Producers
48 Hour Film Project

The Audience Awards

2008-07-31T18:58:00.000-07:00

A big congratulations to the four films that took the Audience Award! These winning submissions are definitely worthy of the prize.

Audience Award Winner: Group A
"Basket Case" by BSSP

Audience Award Winner: Group B
"A Woman’s Intuition" by Paraffin Productions

Audience Award Winner: Group C
"The Trade" by Redhanded

Audience Award Winner: Group D
"A Keesh for Hershel" by Barkada inc

If I Picked The Winners...

2008-07-30T21:43:00.000-07:00

Best Film
"Tail" - It Donned On Me

Best Directing
"Tail" - It Donned On Me

Best Cinematography
"Tail" - It Donned On Me

Best Editing
"Tail" - It Donned On Me

Best Acting
"Tail" - It Donned On Me

If I had it my way, "Tail" would take every prize at the 2008 San Francisco 48 Hour Film Project awards ceremony. And IDOM sweep! Obviously, I am a little biased. Ok, maybe a lot. I did manage to attend every screening this year, so I do have an opinion or two. At this time I'd like to give my picks for the 2008 San Francisco 48 Hour Film Project. Please note that these are my personal picks and not predictions. To be impartial, I have removed IDOM's film from the list. If I were to pick the best of 2008, minus Tail, they would be the following:

Best Use of Character
"The Trade Expert" - Last Minute Productions

Best Use of Prop
"The Trade" - REDHANDED

Best Use of Line of Dialogue
"Button Man" - Nobody Productions

Best Costumes
"Servo" - Chaka Khan

Best Special Effects
"Button Man" - Nobody Productions

Best Graphics
"Moose" - Mediablitzed

Best Musical Score
"A Keesh For Hershel" - Barkada, Inc.

Best Sound Design
"The Golden Ticket" - Pillybooka

Best Cinematography
"The Last Job" - Emerging Artists

Best Editing
"Button Man" - Nobody Productions

Best Screenplay
"A Woman's Intuition" - Paraffin Productions

Best Acting
"A Keesh For Hershel" - Barkada, Inc.

Best Directing
"187" - Curly Haired People

Runner Up For Best Film
"Button Man" - Nobody Productions

Best Film
"A Woman's Intuition" - Paraffin Productions

TAIL At The Roxie

2008-07-29T01:41:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking we should replace the curly topped IDOM boy with Rick Kemp. Can you imagine the red-headed chiropractor gracing the IDOM logo? He has the perfect face for the spotlight! Dr. Kemp was front row and center in the Daily Journal yesterday! The funny thing is that he didn't even know that we made the front page until a friend of his called and told him so! When Rick gave me a copy of The Daily Journal, I had to laugh because IDOM made the cover while Obama was relegated to the back. It's nice to be the cover boys and girls for the day, and I owe it all to Susie Robles, the reporter who wrote the story.

The final group of films for the 48 Hour Film Project premiered last night at The Roxie. It's so gratifying to see all your hard work on the screen with a full audience! Evan summed it up well on the IDOM site:

Today was a big day for IDOM - we hit the front page and the big screen on the same day! The San Mateo Daily Journal ran a front page story on us today titled 'It Donned on Me' enters second short: 'Tail' which gives a good summary of our team history as well as the history of the 48 Hour Film Project.

Tonight was also our screening group and we got to see 'Tail' in front of a packed house at the Roxie - and I have to say the audience reaction was even better than we could have expected! The screening as a whole was great with several interesting films from both new and returning teams. Thanks to everyone who attended - and for those who missed it we'll have 'Tail' on the site tomorrow!

Group D brought some great films. Barkada, Inc. once again scored with their musical "A Keesh For Hershel." These guys crack me up. I've been a fan of Barkada ever since they released their San Jose 48 HFP piece, "Saving The Past From The Future." This group nailed every note with their musical, no pun intended. Other films that made impressions on me were "Servo," a silent film about a robot butler from team Chaka Khan, Turnabout Pictures' tooth fairy fantasy, and the romantic comedy "Sustainable Love" by Food Court Films. These films get two enthusiatic thumbs up from this IDOM'er.

After the screening, creepy guy Mike and I hit up every newspaper rack in Burlingame looking for copies of The Daily Journal. After I dropped Mike off, I searched San Mateo and Foster City for the publication. An hour an a half and 70 copies later, I finally made it home. It is now approaching 2am, and now I need to get some shut eye. I will close this blog with a picture of Elena Cruz, the San Francisco 48 Hour Film Project Producer, and myself. I do have to pose this question: Does my head look unusually large in this photo?