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DM

Recession? Uh...Yeah.

Last week I was listening to a morning radio broadcast nonchalantly claim that the state of the economy was better than it was a year ago today, and that America was quite possibly out of the recession.

Yet I look around me…and things aren’t so hot.

The state of California’s economy is in disarray, especially after the state government approved a 10 percent income tax increase, effective immediately. Sure, California officials claim that residents will receive this money when they file their taxes next spring, but I hear rumors that the state will pretty much have to deliver IOU’s to nearly half the population.

Oh man I’m looking forward to this! Angelinos, please file your taxes early if you want to see a single penny from the government next summer.

Economic pressures have long plagued California, and now it seems like other states are facing fiscal crisis as well – such as my former home, Illinois.

California’s unemployment rate for September was an astronomical 12.2%, and Illinois was not far behind with a 10.5%. California faces a budget gap of approximately $7 Billion, which means that the spending cuts in 2010 will effect nearly every department.

So I call out to friends back in Chicagoland. If you plan on coming out to LA, be ready. I’m not saying it is a bad idea. (After all, Illinois is not doing much better)...But be very safe with your money, and for that matter, start saving now.

(sources include CNNmoney, Fox news, Los Angeles Times)

DM

Feelings of Nostalgia

Upon returning from a trip to Chicago for the weekend (for which I was in the area for a mere 38 hours) I needed to take a few minutes and reflect on the life I had there only 6 months ago. And I’ll be perfectly honest, the nostalgia was so thick that it literally stopped me from walking a few times. I couldn’t concentrate until getting back on a plane.

I’ve had this “Never Look Back” attitude since early this year, and I think returning to the old stomping grounds made me truly appreciate where I started. Not only places like Flashpoint Academy, but Illinois State University, and even all those years working in retail.

Even on those really really bad days…

Perhaps I didn’t realize it upon moving to Southern California, but the cultures of these two regions are wholly different. I have made such a die-hard effort to make myself known in Los Angeles, which included waking up early every morning and sending out my resume to at least 6 different possible employers.

I did this for 38 days. It was the scariest 38 days of my life, because it was the first time in 9 years I had been completely unemployed.

Now, I’m lucky enough to be an Executive Assistant, but I find myself wondering about where my path will take me. I love Los Angeles, and I look to continue my career here for many years to come, but it has never been my plan to stay here forever.

This, of course, depends on the career path, but travelling the world sounds real good to me right about now…

DM

Time to Watch Climbing Kili

Got 15 minutes to spare? Check out the Chicago/Midwest Emmy Nominee Climbing Kili below!

Climbing Kili from CNGM Pictures on Vimeo.

DM

The Chicago Emmy Awards

At long last I return, and with good news.

Yesterday evening I received a text from my partner in crime, Mr. Mike Noens, to let me know of some exciting news. Climbing Kili has been nominated for a Chicago Emmy Award in one of its student categories. In my excitement, I sent him a text back, and then immediately called him because I suddenly found reception on my phone. (I'm currently in the Rockie Mountains for a long weekend, so phone reception is non-existent haha!)

As it turns out, the Emmy nom was announced the night before at a party in downtown Chicago.

Both Michael and I are thrilled to hear the news, and we can't wait to see what unfolds for Climbing Kili in terms of Festivals and showings in the future...

Looks like I'll be on a plane back to Chicago in early November. Suppose it's time to return to Flashpoint Academy for a weekend after a long absence...

DM

Comic Con International 2009 - Part 2

Here are some more pictures of the final two days of Comic Con 2009. You can view these and more here.

Lost...yikes...not until 2010

Michael Emerson pays a visit...and is that a brain in a jar?

One of these days I hope to have one in my home...

Hopefully this one doesn't need work on the shocks, suspension, brakes, transmission and new tires...like the last one did.

Arkham Asylum Panel...And yes, Mark Hamill did give us a psychotic Joker laugh.

Buried Treasure Fail

I may have some more pictures in the future, but you can check the flickr link above and check out other photos from the event in the coming weeks...

DM

Comic Con International 2009 - Part 1

Hey gang,

I have been privileged to have made some great friends out here in California - some new, and some I have reconnected with since making the move west.  As it turns out, they had an extra ticket to Comic Con, to which I happily obliged.

Saying this place is busy is an enormous understatement.  The main hall was filled with booth after booth of comic books, tv shows, movies, books, video games, graphic novels....need I go on?  (More on this in later posts)  After exploring the floor for well over a few hours, we stood in line to get a glimpse of some of the films releasing through the fall and into next year.  Besides the panel of actors and filmmakers answering questions and talking about their projects, we were also able to view trailers and unseen footage.

We entered during an opening for the presentation of 9.  This post apocalyptic nightmare film encompassing creatures fighting for survival from killing machines was rather thrilling.  We were able to catch a clip from the film, which was extraordinarily intense, especially since we only saw about 10 minutes.  Legion was a project I had not heard much about, but after a 4 minute trailer about the apocalypse, Adrianne Palicki, and a Demon Ice Cream Man crawling on all fours, I was hooked.  District 9 was the biggest hit for me, considering that I have been waiting for this film for a couple of months now.  We were lucky enough to view a roughly 10 minute reel from the film which pretty much clearly drew opened the doors to what the movie is really about.  I won't spoil it, but I doubt you'll be disappointed.

In the later part of the evening, a couple friends and I stuck around to watch a panel with James Cameron and Peter Jackson.  They answered questions, talked about their films, discussed the possibilities for future projects.  You know, filmmaker stuff.

So, despite a horrible sunburn and not being able to find a Mass Effect 2 booth, the day was pretty exciting!

Here are a few pictures from day 1. (Which is technically day 2, since Thursday is the first day)

These poor guys had to stand there all day long...

Dead Space 2 Anyone?

So it's safe to say that attendance at Comic Con is good, despite worldwide recession

He looks really confused...

Apparently these guys are a big deal...guess they make movies or something...

More to come tomorrow...and you can view a few more pictures here.

DM

Climbing Kili One-Sheet

This is an early One-Sheet for Climbing Kili, the next Meincke/Noens Documentary.  The film is being submitted to festivals around the country over the next few months...

Hopefully, we'll be seeing more on this later...

DM

The Future of Me

It has been a busy month.  Suppose I should fill you in.

Following graduation from Flashpoint, I spent much of my time preparing for interviews in Los Angeles.  One week into June, I flew into LAX to speak with several companies, most of which seemed to be involved in the television business.  To make a long story short, I spent 9 days in the west, and returned to Chicago knowing that I would make the move.

6 days later, I packed up the truck and left.

I feel that leaving Chicago behind has allowed me to revitalize my love of film.  Even the trip through the Rockies allowed me to reflect on my successes and failures in the past 2 years.  My brother accompanied me on the journey, and we kept each other awake with jokes through Nebraska, but we practically didn't speak in Colorado, simply because we were too busy observing the majesty of the mountain landscape.  Funny, how mountainous terrain can make one reflect on their own life.

I didn't always plan to move to Los Angeles (just refer to earlier blog posts!) but perhaps it is for the best that I begin a new chapter in a completely new and exciting environment.  Although this type of change is probably the biggest I have ever made, I don't think it has set in, at least not yet.  After all, I've been independent for quite some time, which allows me the freedom to simply go where I need to go.

I certainly miss my friends, and I hope they will join me soon.  I do feel bad about leaving everything behind in such a hurry.  Hell, I don't even think some of my friends know I have left Chicago yet!  But as one of my enthusiastic professors told me, you can't fear the success in your life.  If you think you can do it, then you can do it.  It will happen, and it will happen effortlessly.  Take the opportunity.  Take the job.  Don't sit down and wait for things to fall into place, because they won't.  More importantly, don't believe that you can't do it.  You have failed by not taking the opportunity that could have made you happy.

This goes both ways - personal and professional.

Some may find these comments a bit generic and unoriginal, but they are the truth.  Do not fear the thought of not succeeding, for if you do not try, then you will never know if you really could have made a difference.

I have passed on opportunities in both my personal and professional life.  It's time to change that.  So I can tell you this much, when an opportunity comes about next time, I'm going to take it.  Hands down.  No fear of success.

And that's why I moved to Los Angeles.  No more hearing other peoples success stories.  It's time to write my own.

DM

Flashpoint Academy Professionals 2009

This past Friday, Flashpoint held the graduation ceremony for its inaugural class of 2009.

Congratulations, Graduates.  See you...

DM

Great Heights Teaser Trailer

There is a new trailer up for Great Heights.  Check out the teaser trailer here.

Over the next couple of weeks, you will be seeing a series of interviews and mini docs on greatheightsmovie.com as well, so be sure to check in on that!

DM

FP Portfolios...

This crazy schedule over the last 3 weeks has really kept me from getting a solid blog post in, but I figured I would at least put up a link for you to explore.

Check out the link to the Flashpoint student portfolios.  There are a number of really impressive projects in the works, and there are more on the way.

http://www.flashpointacademy.com/graduates

More to come...

DM

Producing Reel 2009

Just a brief update today - Check out my producing reel for Spring 2009.

Producing Reel Spring 2009 from Daniel Meincke on Vimeo.

More videos on the way...

DM

Remembering Creativity

How does one return to the creative element?  How can I say "that project was my idea" rather than "I did the paperwork for that idea"?

I bring up these questions because a good friend of mine, my best friend in fact, kinda let me have it after I told her that there is no creativity left in this industry. It is a simple and disheartening realization because of how much red tape is involved in filmmaking.  This conversation took place two months ago and I have since thought about how I need to remember that being in business does not mean that creativity is completely gone.

The sad truth is that sometimes, in order to pay the bills, you have to give up time to be creative.  But this doesn't mean you should not forget about conceiving new ideas.  That's why I joined Flashpoint in the first place.

I've spent the last 18 months focusing the majority of my work through the business side of filmmaking - paperwork, producing, red tape, negotiations, so on and so forth.  It's hard to get excited about an idea when all you do is make production binders and copies all day long.

So how do I get back?  How can I get back to that element that I had when I directed Lost Wallet in 2007? I recently had the opportunity to be an impromptu director for a project. Even though it was for a short period of time, and even though it wasn't originally me directing, it still felt pretty good.

I want to do that again.  I want to have the satisfaction of being passionate about something.  I want to really, truly, deeply enjoy every facet of a films creation, from conception to execution.

I'm not saying I don't like what I do now.  It is something I consider myself pretty good at, even if the projects I work on are not my own.  But it certainly would be nice to get back to a level where I can write something and show it off.

Who knows, perhaps development awaits me in California.

What I do know is that it's time to stop thinking about it and start doing it.  It's time to re-ignite my passion, my desire, my potential.  Let's start by putting the pen to the paper, then we'll see what I can really do.

DM

Charles Leslie: 1st Assistant Director

Yet another small project to share with you loyal readers/viewers.  

Some time ago, Mike Noens and I headed up a short documentary on Charles Leslie, the 1st Assistant Director for The Intruder.  This project was filmed in the spring of 2008 and the documentary was filmed and edited during the same period.

See for yourself.

Charles Leslie: 1st Assistant Director from Daniel Meincke on Vimeo.

More to come...

DM

Evil Bread II

The short film below is EVIL BREAD II, a joint effort between Flashpoint Academy & McDonald's.  Last year, McDonald's contacted Flashpoint for help with a viral marketing campaign, which resulted in several clever entries.  Below is one of the award winners, about a man who returns home to find his quarter pounder is mysteriously missing...

Hope you Enjoy.

Evil Bread II from Daniel Meincke on Vimeo.

Evil Bread II was produced by Flashpoint Academy Studios, and involved Dorian Weinzimmer, Danny Crook, and Jeremy Hoen.  Starring Jor'don Hodges....and a quarter pounder with cheese.

DM

Young Voters in Chicago

So as a part of this resurgence of blog posts, I want to begin posting some of the short projects I have done over the last few years.  I will kick it off with a more recent project, Young Voters in Chicago.

With the extreme importance of this recent election, Flashpoint Academy sent us out into the world to see what people were doing about the campaigns, candidates, and future of our country.  We found 4 young voters who had some very different opinions.  This ultimately made for a more entertaining project.

Hope you enjoy!

Young Voters in Chicago from Daniel Meincke on Vimeo.

Young Voters in Chicago has interviews from -

Conor Kendrick

William Meincke

Alan Jankowski

Josh Nordmark

As a side note, check out www.michaelbartello.blogspot.com.  A good friend and gifted cinematographer, Bartello always has something cooking over on his site.  It will be living in my links section from now on...

Check it out.

DM

Welcome back, Mr. Meincke

Long time no post....

I begin this afternoon with just a brief update on the newest Flashpoint project, The Couch.

This program is a small session, geared towards reviewing upcoming and currently released films in the domestic market.  Although we will have a main series focusing on the various upcoming mainstream films (they will be judged upon their theatrical trailers), there will also be some small side sessions, where others will voice praise or dislike for a recently released film.  We are filming two sessions, of which I hope both are able to be posted online here at the site for your viewing pleasure.  I'll keep you posted!

In other news, Flashpoint has been gearing up for the final stretch of its inaugural class.  While students have been preparing resume's, business cards, and portfolios, Flashpoint has been getting ready for sending them out into the working world - or at least out to the interview.

We shall see what develops for the first class of Flashpoint in the coming months.

More to come.  Promise.

DM