Our film is progressing well. We still have the two scenes we filmed, they have been uploaded to Final Cut Pro and we have made good progress with editing. One challenge we've faced is getting another little girl to play the protagonist's best friend. It is difficult because as teenagers, no one in my group really knows any younger girls, and only Sophie has a little sister, who already has another role in our film.
I have been behind the camera during filming and have been editing in Premiere. I've done a bang-up job at both, if I do say so myself.
Next week, we need to find another little girl to be in our movie and then film the one scene we have left to film. Once that is done, we can finish editing our rough cut.
We got much of our filming out of the way early. Since every member of my group is involved in some sort of time-consuming extra-curricular activity, it is difficult to find days that we are all free to film. That will be a challenge because we still have one more scene that we have to film.
This week, I have been behind the camera for our filming and have begun editing the footage that we have so far. You see, I like to think of myself as an artist, and the camera is my canvas with which the actors (my paintbrushes) can make my vision come to life.
Next week, I need to film the remaining scene and continue to throw together a rough cut. We have been making good progress so far, and I hope that we continue to power forward in our quest, for the sake of art.
I recently discovered what many (namely myself) consider to be the greatest show to ever air on television. Unfortunately, for some reason, the show hasn't been getting as much attention as some of its sketch comedy counterparts (for example, that show about those two light-skinnded guys, Key and Peele).
I made a short list of potential reasons why:
1. Nick Kroll did something in a past life to anger the gods, and was forever cursed with bad publicity.
2. The show's humor is too subtle and sophisticated for the average fat viewer.
3. Key and Peele
But regardless of the reason, the problem still stands: my new favorite show does not have enough viewers. And for this reason, I have decided to share it with the the one or two people who happen upon this post.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Kroll Show (WARNING: adult themes/mild language).
In-depth analysis/reasons this is funny:
1. We are pulled right into the action from the very beginning: our friends Gil and George greet us with a warm yet strangely chilling "Oh, Hello", a sound that will haunt my dreams for years to come.
2. The scenario itself is ridiculous. Two elderly men with a knack for mispronouncing words invite their "beautiful nephew" Elon Faizon out to lunch, then shatter his trust by pulling a devilishly clever prank that consists of giving him "entirely too much tuna fish."
3. The one and only topic our protagonists discuss before the prank goes down is abortion.
4. The skit contains subtle yet clever political analysis of the issues facing our country disguised as witty dialogue.
5. John Mulaney (George Saint Geegland)'s face at 0:57.
6. Hilarious mispronunciations, such as "Vilmer Vlamerami" and "Ashrim Kintcher", are nonchalantly dropped without anyone acknowledging that they happened. But we know.
6. John Mulaney is a national treasure.
7. Joe Mande (Elon Faizon) is a national treasure.
8. Nick Kroll (Gil Faizon) is a national treasure.
And there you have it. The show just finished it's first season, and while it has been renewed for a second season, hopes for a third season look dismally low unless more people learn to appreciate the comedic gold that is the Kroll Show. Sure, one or two of their sketches are off-color, but any great sketch comedy makes mistakes sometimes. So get out there, and watch the Kroll show!
For today's blog post, I have amassed a plethora of kangaroo-related fun facts. Enchoy.
Kangaroos can't walk backwards. When trying to shake one, all you have to do is back flip over it and you'll have plenty of time to run away backwards.
Kangaroos can swim. So don't think you can lose them by hopping in the water.
Baby kangaroos are called 'joeys.' So calling them 'chucks' or 'praphaphorns' will only anger them further.
There are four different kangaroo species: the red kangaroo, eastern
grey kangaroo, western grey kangaroo and antilopine kangaroo. Know thy enemy.
A group of kangaroos is called a mob. No one wants to mess with a group of people that go by the term 'mob.'
On land, kangaroos can only move both legs in unison, but in water, they can move each leg independently. Therefore, a swift dragon kick to the legs cannot be as easily blocked on land.
Ever wanted to know more about the music scene at Blair? Well now you can! Featuring interviews with bands Ladle Fight and The Flying Mighty, rap groups Publik Theory and H.A.V.O.C. and BNC Radio's executive producer Adam Maisto.
You can also see the video on silver-lens.org (like us on facebook and follow us on twitter). You might also be seeing it in pieces on info flow soon.
My colleagues Sam, Kalanzi and I put together a lil' documentary about the music scene at Blair. it will be dropping tomorrow, and there may or may not be a story about it on Silver Chips Online. Also, it will be on silver-lens.org! So get pumped. Unfortunately, I could not procure a teaser for use in this blog post, but trust me, it's pretty cool.
Hey, speaking of www.silver-lens.org, why don't you like us on facebook and follow us on twitter! You can submit your videos to Silver Lens and get some publicity or check out videos submitted by your talented friends and classmates!
In light of the Oscars happening last night, I thought I would do this week's blog post on the film industry (well, last week's post, it's a day late because the Oscars ran late).
Here are my Oscar picks:
Best actor: Nicolas Cage
Yeah, that's right: Nick. And I didn't just pick him because we share a name. You may be asking yourself, "what has Nick Cage been in recently that would make him eligable for an Oscar? Well, I guess there was that Ghost Rider movie..." Wrong. Nick Cage has graced literally all the best films of 2012 with his presence.
Argo
There was some controversy over Ben Affleck not being nominated for best director, even though his film Argo took home the Oscar for best picture. Nick Cage also took home a few Oscars of his own after his performance in the film, including best supporting actress and best lighting.
Django Unchained
Quentin Tarantino blessed audiences with this instant classic about one man's quest for revenge, and Nick Cage blessed audiences with his performance as Jamie Foxx's love interest. This won him an award for best supporting actor, making him the first person to have ever won an Oscar for best supporting actor twice in the same awards show.
Yes, even The Life of Pi
Moral of the story is, I have no idea what I'm talking about. All I know for sure is that I love Nick Cage and bagels and vitamin water.
Note: All photos were made by me in Photoshop. Just in case any advertising agencies want to hire me or something.
Let's just say you're sitting at home one day, letting your mind wander, when suddenly it occurs to you that you don't know what film noir is. So you google it. This is the first and only search result:
Pretty Noir, if I do say so myself.
Basically, we were put into groups and told to make a film based on an object picked completely at random. My group chose a pair of binoculars. As you can see, we did an excellent job of centering the story around the item. We were also allowed to pick one genre from a list, and we elected to make a movie in the style of film noir. We didn't really face any challenges, except maybe having to export two times because we forgot to end the music.
I learned a lot of things that will be applicable to CAP Hollywood, such as teamwork, leadership, communications, arts, critical analysis, and what have you.
Our most recent independent video assignment was supposed to be about life in Silver Spring. I decided to partner up with sam,
since this particular assignment was not very independent. When we
first began to film, we didn't really know what we wanted to do with the
assignment, just that we wanted it to be shot in Downtown Silver
Spring. Then, out of nowhere, this happened. Enjoy.
Shot with a Fujifilm s400, edited in Premiere Pro. The music we used was Chacarron Macaroon by El Mundo. The video can be found here, in case of embedding trouble.
I listen to records (ironically, of course) because that's what all of the cool kids these days are doing. So you can imagine my excitement when my mom's friend let me take what I wanted from her old record collection.
The purpose of that shaky intro was to let you know that I have been listening to a lot of old school music lately, and I thought I would make a post sharing my favorites with you. This is the post.
1.
Chuck Berry (The Great 28)
Elvis was a lie. You want the real king of rock and roll, you need not look any further then Chuck Berry, one of the world's first rockers. He took blues and rhythm and turned them into an entirely new genre.
2.
Billy Ocean (Love Zone)
Billy Ocean is the undisputed king of R&B, at least in my book. His soulful vocals blend beautifully with the smooth, sometimes jazzy, sometimes experimental instrumentals.
3.
The Allman Brothers Band (Eat A Peach)
The Allman Brothers Band is a rock band with an emphasis on blues, a genre of which I am extremely fond. The long tracks will often consist of imrov that lasts several minutes and surprising complex solos based around a single chord. I must say, I am approve.
4.
Louis Armstrong (The Great Summit)
This is one of Louis Armstrong's latest albums, recorded in 1961 and released in 2001. But man, do I love Louis Armstrong. He and Duke Ellington have been favorites of mine since I started playing trumpet in 5th grade. I'm afraid if I try to get into the specifics of Armstrong and Ellington's styles I won't do them any justice, so I'll keep it at that.
