My Preditor Vlog

Most people you talk to have no idea what a producer-editor in television really does.  Any creative art career is generally glamorized and looked at as "easy" work.  It's long days and deadlines that brings handfuls of gray hair- and I love it!  I started making videos to show family what goes on, to answer questions and generally get better at camera placement and directing my own visual story telling.  Everything is shot on my phone or my GoPro.  No special plugins, no filters, just story and camera.  I hate being on camera, so don't judge!
Take a look and see what you think...

Operation Appreciation, Holly and T'Liza

When she first sat down with us,T'Liza was working for a nonprofit called Give An Hour.  Give An Hour is a free mental health service provider to military personnel, veterans, and their families.

 

Holly Horan is a Marine Veteran who never gives up on herself.  She continues to serve the community by helping Veterans with their transition into civilian life.

 

 

Everyone joins the military for a different reason.  Some are legacies, some of us do it to survive, to go to school, but we all go to serve- ourselves and others.

Miss Universe 2012

Just spent nearly the entire month of December at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino with the Miss Universe Pageant.  Got to spend time with all of the girls, meet the photographers, runway coordinators, and the people that make it happen.  It was my first beauty pageant, and while I had an idea of what it was going to be like, I had no idea how fun it would be :).  All of the contestants were incredibly friendly (no cat fights), and the production was spot-on.  Loved being part of the show!

Hollywood Screening of "Sleepy Time Pals"

Tonight was the premier for our show "Sleepy Time Pals" at Chaplin Theater- a screening theater deep in the bowels of a place called Raleigh Studios on Melrose in Hollywood. From the corner of Bronson and Melrose, you have this view of the Hollywood sign on Mt. Lee. Across the street, you've got legendary Paramount Pictures. You may have never heard Raleigh Studio (Producer's Studio), but if you know anything about Hollywood, this is one of the oldest studios around. This place was here twelve years or so before Paramount. It's changed names a couple of times, but the Clune building is still there. You've seen sets at Raleigh Studios if you've ever seen "The Closer" on TNT or maybe you watch "Private Practice." Parts of "Ironman" were shot here. Way back when: "Gunsmoke", "What Happened to Baby Jane." The place has atmosphere; it's fantastic. There are about a dozen different stages on the lot. A bunch of offices, equipment rooms, a large silver cow, trailers... there is a lot going on at this little place. Some of the pictures are pictures of pictures from my Blackberry (I left the USB cable on the computer at work and I'm too impatient to wait). I invited friend and designer (animation) Micah Lewis.
This is the sign on the corner of Bronson and Melrose. What's neat about this lot is you can see how the place has grown and evolved. The newest buildings on the lot kind of follow this design- with mirrorized windows. The older parts I think are the most interesting- the Bronson gate (below) has a lot of personality. Through it all, this place has made it's money renting stage space to other studios, which is brilliant. The theater is named for Charlie Chaplin, who was himself something of a living cartoon character. It was a classic theater with the projector house, drapery hanging, the lights, the seats, and the place had a pretty good crowd.
The show was about 20 minutes. I worked on this a little less than a year, but I know it was longer than that in the making. Probably about 30 people or so at one point or another had their hands on it. A lot of work and anxiety and frustration and love goes into something like this. It's time away from your home, family, friends, pets, reality. Production consumes your life, and when you finally get to see your work on the big screen, all rendered with the textures and composited, and you can turn to your friend and say "that's mine...that's mine...this scene was ours..." it finally seems to be worth it. Sleepy Time Pals is a live action 3d composite cartoon designed to get kids in a bedtime routine. There were literally all age groups there to include a population of children, and I was impressed with the audience response. People laughed at the jokes and the gags, answered questions to the viewers, and seemed to enjoy the story (The title is "Softbear has a Secret"). It's really a relief from the animator's perspective when you get the response you were hoping for in the theater. Success. When it's over, its nice to see your name in the credits, but the most rewarding experience for me is seeing the characters on the screen, and being convinced. My first Hollywood screening in animation was an incredible experience. Part of me wishes I could sit down and watch it again- or at least relive this experience, I feel super good about my art right now. I had the opportunity to work with some very dedicated people, we threw our talents together for this project, and it came together very nicely. Awesome job, STP Production Crew.

Early Rig Tests for STP

Here are about half of the rigs I've been dealing with the last few months. There is also a pillow (female), a toothbrush (male), a bookmark, a chart, and a stuffed sheep. There is a bear too. This is just a test where I have them move around and stand on a line, kind of like a lineup. I've hidden the visibility of the other characters until I can clean it up a little. Looks like I've got one more scene to do before my contract expires. About 910 frames.

STP Prod at The Zoo

Met my new producers and post production supervisor at The Zoo FX this morning to check out their new project.
Any studio you go to will bring you a new experience (especially coming from Turner), but I think this one is going to be good for me, even if it is temporary.
This new project is a children's show, a mixture of live action and 3d cartoon. Green screen work, voice overs, modeling and rigging is already complete. Some of the test animation has been completed as well. I have some experience with compositing of this kind, so I feel confident that I'll be able to handle some of the more difficult scenes. The rigs look half-way decent. I'm pretty sure at this point I won't have to stop halfway through a scene and gut a rig. My first mission of course will be to tear open the script and search for all the business I'll need to plan my shots. The storyboard is kind of rough...oh well. Sometimes it's better that way. Gives you more room to make your own decisions.
And the best part... the people I'm working for are cool and easy going.
Got to get busy. My big computer is on the way, so I'll finally be ble to convert this blog back to the original format - less of my blah blah blah and more pictures/video. Cheers.