Spring Update

Hey all!
    It's been a while, eh? I find it difficult to update when I'm very involved in a project. Today we wrapped The Snow Queen, the advanced USC graduate student film that I was the 1st Assistant Director for. It's been a long journey, and picture lock is in a week's time --- so we'll be able to see the fruit of our labors by then. Check out some production stills:

 I'm very proud of the work we've done! As attached as I am to The Snow Queen, it's time to embark on some other projects!

I've agreed to edit a music video: "DLZ" by TV on the Radio. The music video involves a mad scientist looking for "the cure for the heart". What am I most excited about (besides the whole mad scientist angle) you ask? There will be some extreme high speed photography of beakers breaking! Awesome. Some close friends are involved in the filming of the project, so I know it's going to be great. Stay tuned for more updates.

I'm also in the process of writing up a series of treatments for some potential projects to shoot this summer. Among them (working titles):

The Second Coming
Mystery Date
Ben Franklin vs. Zeus
A Boy and His Bolson
Cher
Slimy
World Line

     Depending on how the treatments are received, I will likely be directing one or more of them this summer. Once again, stay tuned for more updates!

     I also just completed the edit and sound design for In Transition, a short zombie film about two sisters for Maury Shessel's directing course. It sounds great (if I do say so myself), but it also looks great! Check out the stills:

     Additionally, I did the cinematography for a short film by Robert Panico, about a detective father and his daughter. Check it out:

 

Well, that's all the updates I have for now. Thanks for reading!

~Alexandra

Props and Composer

This afternoon, I rushed back to Hollywood from south of downtown to try and snag a prop package from the post office before closing --- and I made it just in time, with 2 minutes to spare! I arrived at 4:58 to get my package, sent from my parents at home in Wisconsin. They are enthusiastically collecting props and wardrobe for The Pangaea Bloodline, for which I am eternally grateful. Today in the mail I received a white lab coat and a handful of dental tools. What are the dental tools for, you ask? Paleontologists use them to meticulously scrape away the rock from an emerging fossil. I'm trying to be as authentic as possible. Good films place emphasis on the details, you know?

I also met my composer in person today, and what he has to offer seems very promising. He was very enthusiastic about the project, which is a huge plus. I think there might be a magical chemistry between us, because as I was describing the climactic moments of the film that call for a score, he said he already had it in his head. After hearing some samples of his work (http://www.smptv.net/student.php?id=38), I have full faith that he will deliver to me exactly what I want.

There are a few things that I need to take care of soon, before class gets too out of hand:

1.) I need to create an animatic for my composer
2.) I need to e-mail an emboidery company to get a quote on the price of the "Paleo-League" patches
3.) I need to start thinking about purchasing a dinosaur skull. Don't laugh. Seriously!

That's all for now. Thank you for reading! Stay tuned for the next post, it will most likely be on the film I am cinematographer for this weekend, Harvest Day (dir. Ayanna Qadeem).

Alexandra

USC: Semester 2!

Hello everyone! It's been way too long since I've updated. I've been up to a lot in almost a year's time! I just started my second semester in the graduate film studies program at USC, and I'm busier than ever! This semester, the main class (508), requires us to work with two other students to create a slate of 3 films. We each write/direct one film, and switch roles on our peers' films. Here's a little update as to what my story is looking like: 

 
"THE PANGAEA BLOODLINE"

A timid young woman discovers something very strange in her family bloodline: Dinosaur DNA.

A tragic past. Evil paleontologists. Hidden prehistoric superpowers. If that's not the formula for a good movie, I don't know what is. The images you see posted here are concept art. Currently, the script is running 4 pages too long. I'm working hard to whip it into shape before early November, which is when I enter principal photography. It seems like a lot is happening between now and when I start shooting!

I also have a writing class, in which we develop 3 10-20 page scripts. Here are some teaser titles for some of the ideas I'm working on:

MYSTERY DATE

SLIMY

THE SECOND COMING

THE ENVELOPE

WORLD LINE

BEN FRANKLIN VS. ZEUS

A BOY AND HIS BOLSON

CONSCIENCE






Until next time!
~Xandra

Music Video Update!

Good gravy, I need to update this more often!

Anywho! What have I been up to, you say? So glad you asked. Well, James and I just finished shooting our music video for the song "Do It Again" by Stroke 9. No, we don't have copyrights. No, it doesn't matter, because it's just for fun!

Shooting was brutal, but incredibly enjoyable. I mean, how often do I get to dress James as Robert Plant and watch him sex up the microphone? Not as often as I should, if you ask me.

Anyway, shots that are only going to be in the video for less than 10 seconds took hours to set up . . . and, in some cases, cleaning up afterward took a while as well . . . Haha, take that how you will. Ahem.

James and I did everything, from pre-production to cinematography to directing to acting to editing. We had to cut some corners at the end due to time constraints, but we're very pleased with the way it's cutting together. And, let me tell you, it's an absolute thrill to be wrapped up in watching clip after clip after clip of James doing what he does best: looking like a stud and acting like an idiot. (Of course, I mean that in the fondest way possible.) There are many difficult decisions to be made in regards to editing because he did such a bang up job in every shot . . . not a bad problem to have, if you ask me!

Please enjoy the sneak preview photos. Chances are the video will be complete in about a month's time. So, go ahead and start counting down! I know you're all waiting with bated breath.

A Disastrous Proposal

So, for Pre-Production I had to write up a 1 page proposal for my project.

Goodness, was that a disaster!

I didn't quite understand what anything on the prompt actually meant, such as, "State in one sentence how you would go about producing this film". What???

Now I'm not an idiot, but that's really vague. What do you mean "how" would I produce it? Well, of course, with much thought, careful planning...it just was a strange question! So I wrote and re-wrote all night. I didn't feel that bad however, for another student in the class was having the same trouble that I was.



The image on this post is that of my project proposal. It looks alright far away, I think. Close up...not so much!

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

          Well I did say I would elaborate more on this project in my last post. I've gotta be honest. I don't feel like hammering it out beat by beat right now...mainly because it's not finished! I can give you the main idea, however.

            The working title is Her Instructions, and it's the story of a young woman aspiring to be a director (sound familiar?) who runs into problems proving her worth to the male producer who is her potential employer. In her first interview, the producer assumes she's there to apply for the job of secretary, and she is promptly hired. Through expressionism, magical realism, and a hint of surrealism, the film explores the problems women may have with what identity to put forth in a largely male-dominated field.

            Incredibly unlike me, I know! But if I actually film it, it would be the perfect arena to make bold visual choices, which is something I'm trying to push myself to do.

Films Never To Make

In my pre-production class, our instructor gave us a list of films never to make. They are as follows, and you will soon learn why it disturbed me so:

1.) The "In" Film: A film that only other film students or your immediate group of friends will understand. Full of "in" jokes about the film program, or experiences you've had with your friends.

2.) The "Spoof" Film: A film that parodies a film that's already been made. (I'm sure sweding falls under this category)

3.) The Music Video with Copyrighted Music: A music video of a song that you don't have the copyrights for. Even more pointless, a song that already has an official music video.

4.) The "Full Length Hollywood Movie in 15 Minutes" Film: A film so ambitious in scope that it is better suited for a feature length hollywood film than for a short student film.

Well. Looks like I'm a failure, doesn't it! I think every film I've done falls into one of those categories. Oh well...

________________

My instructor did, however, suggest that we make a film about something we feel strongly about. Since I'm not one to get involved with social or environmental or political issues or anything of that sort, I initially felt uneasy with this statement.
But as he kept talking, I starting thinking about things that actually bother me, without feeling like a bad citizen and human being because global warming didn't pop into my mind right away.

What makes you angry? He asked us. What frightens you?

And that's how I came up with the idea I'm going to propose on Thursday in class. More details in the next post.

The Grand Revision of a 22 Year Old Filmmaker

I finished my first feature length screenplay, The Grand Regret of a Teenage Superhero, in May 2008, having rushed it's completion so I could turn it in for class.
I was excited to see some of my characters that originally only had life in my original comics come alive in script format. So, initially, I was pleased with the outcome.

In the past year or so, I've tried my hand at developing both short and feature length screenplays. Only recently have I been very determined to get something new written...and have been getting very frustrated because I can't stick to one project and finish it.

I decided in the past few days nothing was getting done because I was unhappy with the way I left Grand Regret. It was rushed, written on the fly with little to no planning, and it was my first experience with script format. Ever. It's been nagging at my subconscious, and finally, I'm realizing what I need to do!

I cannot move forward until I am happy with my first screenplay. I love the characters, and I love the story. I have to make it into something I want to show people, instead of something I want to shove under my bed. Then, I can move forward to the various other projects I have planned.

So! Now that I have that figured out. My revision of Grand Regret initially scared my half to death. Now, I'm really liking some of the things I've been adding. The characters are fuller, the stakes higher, and I can really start to feel some emotion coursing through it. I'm having some issues with the villain's plotline, but I think that's something that I will visit once I've gone through once to change some character motivation issues and add some new scenes that will add depth.

Wish me luck!