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

Chicago & Formosa Betrayed

These past couple weeks, I have been lucky enough to intern on a feature film, known as Formosa Betrayed.

I won't divulge too much information on the movie, but here is a brief synopsis for you to read through.

Formosa Betrayed is set in the 1980's, where a young detective investigates the murder of a well known professor.  During the investigation, he uncovers truths that send him on a collision course with the chinese mafia, chinese government and U.S. state department.  He must then not only uncover the mystery of this professor's murder, but also fight for his own survival.

That's pretty much the idea.  My life in the production office wasn't nearly that exciting, but I'm not complaining.  

Working as an intern gives you the opportunity to do several things, from distributing script revisions to running errands - to places that you don't really know about.  (This allowed me to get to know some filmmaking places that I will be using in the future, provided I shoot a film in Chicago.)

Chicago filmmaking is on the rise with films like Formosa, Dark Knight, ER, and much more.  (Yes, ER has been here a while)  But the industry is returning to Chicago over the next several years, and the hope is to have a thriving film community as soon as possible.

Some say we can only hope...I don't think we need to.  Filmmaking is on its way back to Chicago.  It's simply a matter of time.

DM

9 to 5

As I sit here putting the finishing touches on the production binder for Don't Russian, I realize one thing...

There is not much time for sleep.

I'm not really bothered by it, since this is a profession that I am choosing. If I wanted plenty of sleep I would go work a 9 to 5 job.

The thing is, we don't do that as filmmakers. I am constantly in contact with my group, and other groups, (and for some reason everyone calls me at the same time!) I am up many hours of the night, sending and recieving e-mails from anyone throughout the day. I think my phone bill will be rather high this month...yuck.

If you are a passionate filmmaker, you think about a project all day. You constantly tweak and improve the concepts. You make plot and character changes that alter the experience. Then, when all is said and done, you go back home and you think about it some more.

We are on the ball 24/7.

Am I a workaholic? Say what you will, but I am constantly on the move, and I am finding it very rewarding.

Before I get back to my work, I must recommend the film Gone Baby Gone. A pleasant surprise of Ben Affleck's directing abilities, not to mention that his younger brother Casey had a solid performance in the lead role. It is ultimately a moral story that will leave you guessing until the end of the movie, and thinking about it long after the credits have rolled.

DM

Take your job seriously, not yourself

With the second film project underway for Flashpoint, students have been bustling about trying to fill their various roles to make each film a success. I have been selected as a Producer, which perhaps you can gather is why I haven't posted here in several days.

A producer's job is endless. You are always adding, changing, doing more to keep things under control. You are the boss. The buck stops at you. The nice things about it is that you have a great degree of control over everything that happens. Since you run the show, you have the final say regarding just about everything.

Just don't screw it up.

Being a producer has opened my eyes to many new ideas of how to make successful films. I can have more of a creative impact on a film. The lesser exciting part is the business aspect, but I'm not saying it is enormously impossible. It's time consuming, daunting, and sometimes very aggravating. But it gets better as time goes on, and trust me, nothing is more rewarding to a producer than getting clearance successfully.

I feel it legitimizes what we do. With all the red tape, and all the legal issues, it's nice to have permission to film somewhere.

Just don't get too wrapped up. Keep yourself in check and don't get angry with others. You may be the boss, but ultimately that means the film is your responsibility, so pissing off the crew isn't going to get the job done.

Since most of the people who read this are filmmakers, just remember this. Have fun with those long hours, don't forget to laugh, because people can be so easily frustrated with all the tedious work that goes into filmmaking.

You do it because you love it.

DM

Student Film Screening

On Wednesday, Flashpoint Academy & Flashpoint Film Society hosted the 1st Official Student Film Screening. We organized the event over the last few weeks, in hopes of getting a pretty big crowd.

After all the planning, stress, and running around, it was an amazing success.

Along with the extraordinary turnout, we had some fantastic short films by several students, who were very excited to see their finished products on the big screen. I talked to a few new students after the screening who were inspired by the films. We even had a visit from Howard Tullman, the President of Flashpoint, who gave congratulatory remarks for all the students efforts.

Here's some pics from the event. Thanks to Howard Tullman for the pics...

A great success, indeed.

DM

A Rare Resolution

To ring in the new year, I have made a resolution.

Yes, I know lots of people make resolutions for the new year, but I don't! Usually if I have a plan to start something...I just start it. I don't wait until the new year to begin this.

This time it's different. After testing out my new digital camera, I realized that I need to work on my photography more often. As a young camera man, it would serve me well to have at least a still camera at my side at all times.

So there it is. My resolution is to have my camera with me as much as possible. I will take photos and post them to this website, and perhaps i'll make a photo section for people to look at my work. Who knows, maybe i'll get good at it.

Here are some Navy Pier photos I took on the 26th of December. A few test shots, but I rather enjoy them. Hope you like them as well.

Hope your holidays were wonderful.

DM

Natural History: Part 1-4

Many of the films at Flashpoint will stand out when they are screened to the rest of the class, but one in particular will make a statement far different than any others.

"Natural History: Part 1-4" is the short film I am thinking of, and today was the first of a two day shoot. It was a rather interesting setup, with a set of three walls with an opening of roughly 6x6. See for yourself below.

It has in its title "Part 1-4" because of its chapter setting. Although this is a short film, it encompasses a mans entire life. From birth (yes, there is a baby) to a teenage boy, to a middle aged man, to an elderly man. It is rather impressive work. For now, just enjoy the poor quality pictures I took with my cell phone. I'm sure I'll be posting more on the subject of Flashpoint films at a later date.


Until next time,

DM

Easy Like Sunday Morning

This picture is Daley Plaza on a cold sunday morning. I find it amazing that a city so busy with life on a weekday can look like this on a Sunday. Granted, it was rather early in the morning but nonetheless, downtown was empty and cold for much of the morning.

Sunday was the day I officially started working as Director of Photography on another short film. This film was much different than my own, since it was indoors and in only one location. This made filming a lot easier.

Don't get me wrong, it was still a lot of hard work, but it was very refreshing not having to rush from one location to another, only to be halted by authorities who don't want you to film there. I have two more films to work on, both of which I am producing. Although I am excited by all of these films, I am eager to sit down and edit my own film.

On a side note, I loved being the cinematographer. I feel like it is where I belong.

DM

Lost Wallet

The film "Lost Wallet" finished filming today after a few quick insert shots were filmed on the north side of Chicago. After going through a 3 day production on what will likely be a 3 minute film, I can only say this...

It was cold. Too cold.

That was pretty much the biggest downside, along with the cloudy skies on Monday. Even the weather, however, wasn't horrid, and we were able to finish what we needed to. Now we get down to editing the film in about a week.

With location shooting, you have to be very careful. Careful not to piss off people who think you shouldn't be there. For that matter, careful not to piss off people who know you shouldn't be there. We had several different locations, and there were many changes to these places on the days of shooting.

If you're a student at Flashpoint, and you heard that my film was stopped several times by several organizations, then what you have heard is true.

But we persevered, and we succeeded. Now we must make the most of this post production time and be prepared to take that camera back out if need be. Although I should hope we have everything we need.

Yes, it may have been cold, but I had a lot of fun doing this.

DM

Hope for the Best...

"Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst" is what my new Assistant Director is pounding into my head. He could not be more right, and I feel this is a motto many filmmakers should live by if they don't already.

With production on my first film just a few days away, many have been excited to see what it will be like during shooting. I have decided that I will use my GL2 camera to show off some of the behind the scenes filming, even though it is only a two day shoot. With this material, we can craft a short documentary on the making of the film. Coupled with what hopefully will become a great film, we can show the two off as part of our film reel.

In fact, if prospective students can see this short film and the making of it, perhaps it will be a helpful advertisement for how Flashpoint film students spend some of their time on a school day.

Monday & Tuesday we begin shooting "Lost Wallet" in downtown Chicago.

Pray for good weather. Please.

DM

I AM 3D BEOWULF!!!

He is Beowulf, and he is very angry.

Tonight was the Film Society's long awaited IMAX premiere of Beowulf in 3D. If you see this film, it is imparative that you see it in IMAX 3D, since it added greatly to the entertainment value. There's nothing quite like putting your hands to your eyes to shield from flying arrows...or was it because the 3D glasses were too damn big for my face?

There hasn't been too much posting going on lately, and that is because of pre-production on my film. I will likely give you an update later this weekend or maybe next week and show off some location pictures and props.

In other news, here are a few pictures of working with the crane and another hi-def camera. After spending some time on the dolly and operating the camera, I feel like its where I belong.

It just feels right to be sitting there, no matter how uncomfortable it may be at times.

If we get to play with new toys for class every week, then i'll be a very happy student.

DM

A Little Lighting

After sitting through a few classes with the Panasonic HD camera, I must say that I am rather impressed with its quality. Yes, reviews seemed to say that it was bulky and heavy, but last time I checked, most cameras of this quality were like that.

And at the "ahem" affordable price of $5000, you couldn't pick a better camera.

I decided to take a few pictures with my phone of the lighting stage. The class was expirimenting with lighting techniques. I'll tell you one thing - I never thought it would take so long to set up a shot with the proper lighting.

Filmmaking takes time, but it's worth it. At least to me. I'll let you take a look at the rest of these picture. More on this later.











Until then,

DM

Now We're Cooking

With Flashpoint Academy in full swing, filmmaking students have had a taste of acting, directing, production, and screenwriting. Although I love all these aspects dearly, the best part is just beginning. You see here the Panasonic AG-HVX200, which is the camera of choice for the school, and the camera in which I will shoot my first film.

I have heard a number of excellent things about this camera, most of which are good. The few bad things are that it is a little heavy and the viewfinder is low res. Beyond that, this camera seems to be exactly what we need.

I will try and have a more detailed review after I have used it myself, so expect a full report in the coming weeks. Nonetheless now that we're going to be working with these cameras, I feel like the next couple of weeks will be the most challenging and exciting.

Another Flashpoint Film Society screening tonight - Brotherhood of the Wolf. Also, on the 16th, of November Beowulf at IMAX!

More to come,

DM

Flashpoint Film Society

Recently I sat down with a group of fellow film students with a plan to start a society aimed at showing films to other students. Each Thursday night we now screen a classic movie in the screening room on Flashpoints main campus.

This weeks film was Ghostbusters, and it was a blast.

This film was the groups debut, and I must say the event went rather well. We had a good turnout and that made for a great movie experience. Someone once told me that seeing a film on the big screen is so much more enjoyable than on tv.

He was damn right.

The organizing members will keep you posted on what the next film will be. To all those who helped out or attended the screening, thank you for your support and we hope to see you again next time around.

Remember that all Flashpoint students and faculty are welcome to join! Spread the word!

DM

Lesson Learned

This past Friday the students at Flashpoint took part in an all day filmmaking event. Students were divided up into 8 different groups to make their own 30 second film with the recently released game "Team Fortress 2."

Following a storyboard session, the students would record shots and dialogue with this game using 3 of the characters seen on the left. Then the editors would go to work by constructing the short in time for a screening at the end of the day.

This proved rather difficult, primarily because of the lack of time allowed to construct this film.

Our group had a great idea. Everyone was contributing to the pre-production of our film. Story ideas were mixed together to create a clever 30 second short. Storyboarding allowed for our short to have a clear direction.

Unfortunately, with the lack of time to prepare the camera shots and fact that known of the team members knew little about the game (myself included), the experience took a hard turn and almost fell apart.

We got down to business, however, and were able to turn out a short film that we are allowed to revise this coming week. Although it was rather hectic, and at times aggravating, the overall experience is undeniably helpful to our future careers.

If you can't collaborate successfully, then you can't be in this business. Period.

DM

The Darjeeling Experience

For all you film people out there...

This past week I had the priviledge of attending a free screening of "The Darjeeling Limited" which I thought was quite a fantastic film. Rather than going into detail about why I liked this movie, I will tell you that the experience was more than I had hoped for since Wes Anderson and Jason Schwartzman showed up after the screening for a Q&A.

I have a couple pictures of Wes and Jason (joined by Capone from aintitcool.com) and a video about a possible sequel to this film. Enjoy.



More to come from the film world soon enough,

DM

The Midnight Circus

In 6 weeks I will be shooting my first film. This is a short film, but that doesn't mean it gets any easier. A first draft has been written, but there will be some revisions this weekend. Then I must pitch to fellow students and assemble a team to work with during shooting and post production. There is much to do.

For those of you living in Chicago, may I suggest a trip to Daley Plaza this weekend. "Midnight Circus" will be performing over the next few weeks leading up to Halloween. I caught a glimpse of the acrobats and performers as I was leaving school, and it was quite an excellent show. You can see on the left that the show is performing at numorous times everyday, so perhaps you'll be able to catch a show...

Click over to http://www.midnightcircus.net/ for more information.

Not very good quality, but I did manage to capture a few videos with my phone. Enjoy.



Until next time,

DM

Gapers Block

I write to you from the quiet computer labs of Flashpoint Academy. Today's blog is focused on Gapers Block, which is a new link placed down below for all you readers to click on (but only after you finish here). The term 'Gaper' is much more than just some made up word. The folks at this fine website write about the many terms people use to describe a traffic slowdown. Here in Chicago, it is known as a "Gapers Block" or "Gapers Delay." More specifically, it is a traffic jam caused by an accident. I guess you learn something new everyday.

Need something to do next Saturday night? No problem. Just check out the upcoming events, which is overflowing with good stuff to check out. Or how about reading a review on a new movie or book. You can even read about restaurants and dishes at some of the establishments around Chicago.

There is even a 'Fuel' section where people can vent their frustration on the Bears quarterbacks, review the fall tv shows, and even give input on the status of the U.S. economy.

So please, when your finished here, take a moment to parooze Gapers Block. It's loaded with blogs, news, reviews, and listings of upcoming events. Who knows, perhaps you will find something in there that will take your mind off the frustrations of the day. Enjoy.

DM

The Fun Part

After a first full week at Flashpoint Academy, I must say it is good to be back in the swing of things (school things that is). Over the next couple of weeks, we will be introduced to a variety of technology that we will be using for filmmaking, video game design, etc. The trick is to not freak out and drop something.

What is most exciting to me is the classroom space. I originally anticipated the location being nothing more than a few white walls and some desks, but it has turned out to be an entirely different atmosphere. Keycards allow entry to every room...even the bathroom, and editing suites and cinema rooms await our projects. Theres even a screening room, where we can not only view our own films, but screen our favorite films of all time.

As I have said to pretty much everyone that has asked, there is a lot of terminology being thrown at us, but it is all for the best. In very few days we will be diving into the fun part of school....the filmmaking.

I just have to make sure some short film ideas come to mind within the next couple of days...

More as the week progresses

DM

Pictures do the Talking

Here is Flashpoint Academy's classroom space. This is only the 5th floor, and Flashpoint also has a lobby on the 1st floor and more classrooms and labs on the 6th floor. Enjoy.

More in the coming days...

DM