MCC Film Blog

Screenings and Streaming

Tonight we'll be screening Paul DeNigris' The Falls in class (in preparation for his talk NEXT Wednesday night). We'll also take a look at MCC Art Instructor Joanne Caroselli's' Tony, Tony Stick Around. These independent digital films give you an idea of what is possible in contemporary independed film production.

Ross Ingle will then talk about how he uses streaming media on his website for his music. We'll also discuss the final projects, the Michael Dean DVD and upcoming presentation and prepare for the end of semester! C-ya'all tonight!

End of Semester Rush

• Paul DeNigris (pictured left) will speak at 7pm on Wednesday, May 5 at MCC in AC3S.
  
• Michael Dean will speak to the community at 7pm on Tuesday, May 11 at MCC in the Outback Theatre.
  
• Michael Dean will speak to the class at 7pm on Wednesday, May 12 at MCC in AC3S.
  
• Hogue Printing tour is on premises at 159 W. First Ave in Mesa at 7pm on Monday, April 26.
  
• Intaglio Printmaking dates have yet to be established.
  

Paul DeNigris Coming to MCC, too!

More exciting news! Director Paul DeNigris (who was born and raised in New York but currently resides in Peoria, Arizona) is coming to MCC on Wednesday, May 5 to talk about his digital film The Falls. Shot in New York with two (2) Canon XL1s, the film boasts over 300 visual effects shots done with Adobe After Effects. An extensive article on the post production is very informative and can be read at Film Festival Today.

Print Shop Tour NEXT Week

ART283/291 folks and ART183/289 folks need to know that the print shop tour will be NEXT week. Monday, April 26, at 7pm, we'll be touring the print shop. We just couldn't get it set up for this week. Given all of the people I've seen with problems on their print problems, the lecture should be very "meaty" this week as we sort out everyone's problems. Use mapquest to locate Hogue Printing in Mesa. See you all then.

Michael Dean to Lecture in early May

Author, artist, musician Michael Dean is coming to MCC on May 12 and 13th. He will spend one session with our class and offer another talk to theatre, music and art students. We'll be watching his DVD D.I.Y. or DIE this week in preparation for his presentation.

And the winner is ... Thanh

Finally, the announcement you've all been waiting for. The winner of the 48-hour film festival is Thanh-hung Ho.

Juror
Today, Paige Peterson, former festival programmer from the Sundance Institute, screened all of your student films and offered her assessment of the best film. She chose the first film submitted. Below is a summary of comments by the judges regarding all of the films:

Checkmate
Best: The "throughline" of the film was never lost. The narrative structure and visuals were compelling, clean, clear and direct. The progression of the film was strong. Theme was strong and clear. Worst: Would have benefitted from sound.

Hot Topic
Best: African American actor was very natural, charismatic, appealing.
Worst: Story was unclear. Seemed to be multiple stories trying to be told. Visually unappealing; camera shots did not seem thought out. Script felt weak and rushed together.

Run Le Run
Best: Shot very, very well. (Multiple judges commented on this for this film.) Shots served the story and were not just to draw attention to themselves. Made the story visually very appealing. Acting was excellent and showed most effective use of props.
Worst: Story needs clarification and clear line. It meandered. Could have been much more effective if dream sequence were more clearly delineated.

Dora
Best: Girl's performance was extremely strong. Male character with initial voice-over was interesting and appealing. Excellent editing; use of editing to convey confusion and frustration of character was good (but over done). Good use of music.
Worst: Way too long. Story really needed to be tightened up. Judges did not get the Pandora's box / mythology. Felt the theme was that sometimes we're afraid to confront things but, in the end, when we finally open the box, there's nothing inside.

Checkmate II
Judges felt this film wasn't necessarily strengthened by more time. Best: Strong theme, clear story and point of view. Good editing but felt more like a music video or something that would play in a dance club with the repetitive beat. Worst: Used a lot of outside images.

Feedback on Free DV

A few comments: I know several people who have downloaded Avid Free. Everyone reports it to be buggy with numerous crashes and a finicky install. No one said it went in cleanly and ran well (on either platform). I posted a link to it on my blog last October CyndiGreening (Oct 9, 2003) so the software has been out there a while. Perhaps they've worked the bugs out now. Be aware that it may require some persistence to get it to run smoothly and let us know if you have good luck with it.

Michael Dean To Speak THIS Semester

Exciting news! Michael Dean, author of $30 Film School has agreed to come this term (assuming flight details and such can be worked out). Originally, it looked like it might be mid-summer or even next fall but the latest news is that we might be able to make it happen within a few weeks! It would be great to go into summer with his information and inspiration!

Michael also wrote $30 Music School which may be of most interest to Ross. Kai Kim, MCC drawing faculty, has known Michael for a number of years. She says that he has a gift for teaching self promotion to artists. I'll let you know when plans are solidified.

Is it just me or was I not supposed to ask who won? Ah, so when do I get my cross so I can be crucified. "Hope to see you in class for the announcement of the winning film."

Special FX and Digital Trix

Check out my blog. The last couple of days have some great links on on Special FX Supply Houses, Make-Up and general horror links. There's another day that's all about digital editing plug-ins and programs that are amazing. Magic Bullet was developed by The Orphanage, I am told, a post-production house famous for aiding new filmmakers. Hope to see you in class for the announcement of the winning film.

Bring Props Back, Please

I'm still missing a few film props. Please bring them back. Remember we have the introduction to AfterEffects this week. I've also got some exciting news about upcoming speakers! Check out my blog for information on Special Effects, make-up and hair.

War Dead Make Photomosaic of Bush

(Click on image for 4.4MB high-res version. Courtesy of American Leftist Blog.)

And The Winner Is ...

...going to be announced in class tonight! So be sure to be there for all the fun and excitement. Four films made the competition. Be on time and ready to work!

Learning Curve

First, I want to congratulate each group for completing a project! Ultimately, all but Than's arrived late but the other groups stayed in integrity by calling (prior to the deadline) to secure extensions. This is an important part of managing projects. Things often go awry in production. Learning to communicate with the "power people" about challenges significantly impacts the success (or failure) of the project and your careers!

Final Project: You should now be gearing up for your final project. This may be an individual or group film. It should represent your best work and reflect everything you've learned in these exercise projects. It should have authentic acting; excellent, artistic, aesthetic visuals; a strong story with sharp characterization; and be well-planned and storyboarded prior to shooting. This week's lecture will cap the learning and point to success strategies!

Screening! And, we'll screen your films and announce the winners.

WE CAME WE SAW

After my brain regrouped from the slushy state it was in on Sunmonday, I have this to say: It was a learning experience. At first I thought it was gonna be easy because we got our items early and we all seemed motivated. We had a script ready but, as time was running and schedules were not the same, insanity kicked in and it was hard to get something done in our group.

We came; we saw; we pulled a 7min short out of our a$%#. I would especially like to thank the actors who came in on short notice, Lindsey for helping me edit and getting the tunes for the film and Carlos for letting us use his camera. =)

In all, I loved the experience -- working with a tight deadline and trying to meet it was great! Can't wait til the next project!

Kudos to the Crews

Sounds like everyone could use a little rest. Filmmaking is an intense, stressful, powerful process. We'll talk about the collaborative process in much more detail this week.

48 Hour Film Festival Status

Than finished his film and delivered it EARLY. Black, Espinoza and Maldonado called and will deliver by noon today. Luciano, Hart, Willis called and will deliver their project by 7:30 tonight. Marsala, Joy, and Sargent called and will deliver their film by 9:30 tonight. Most disappointing, a few groups collapsed with members flaking out and not calling. Accountability, reliability and teamwork are essential for successful filmmaking; this was an educational experience for everyone.

[Note: Be sure to check my blog for an excellent article on a digital film at the Phoenix Film Festival that has a filmic look because of extensive AfterEffects work.]

Due Date?

This is due next monday right? Just kidding.