Sorry this blog hasn't been updated in a while, nothing too exciting has been going on. Still working on sound editing for The Retelling, which has been a trial and error process.
I guess the two movie things I've done in the past week or so have been going to the Alamo Drafthouse's Oscar party, and seeing a sneak of Watchmen on Monday.
I was pleased with the Oscar show/party overall, though I was really rooting for Oktapodi and New Boy for the short films. Also a little disappointed that Kung-Fu Panda didn't win best animated film, but I wasn't expecting it to with Wall-E up there. One of the hosts asked the audience if they were hoping a movie other than Wall-E would win, so I immediately raised my hand. The only problem was that I couldn't think of what I would say in a theater full of Wall-E lovers. Looking back on it, I would say I loved that movie so much because I didn't have high expectations. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the movie had a lot of heart, and a great story with a good deal of genuinely funny moments. I had the expectation that Wall-E would be great, so I wasn't disappointed. Beautiful movie though, and it certainly deserved the award.
I was definitely happy with the Slumdog Millionaire wins, what an incredible movie! Also pleased with Ledger's win, he was truly amazing as the Joker. The speeches by Sean Penn and Dustin Lance Black (for Milk) about gay rights were fantastic. Both were very passionate about the issue, which was great to see broadcast on national television.
It was a fun crowd, and I'm glad my friends Brigeda, Danny, and Harrison were able to come. Brigeda is in love with Robert Downey Jr., and it was fun to see him on screen because she would always say something funny. The show ran pretty late, but the next day was wonderful because I got to go to school.
Actually, I was able to get through the day because I knew I was seeing Watchmen after school. My mom went to stand in line at 1:00 in the afternoon (she said there were about 25 people in front of her), and by the time I got there at 4:30 we were 47th in line (lots of people had joined their friends...so one person showed up super early and like 6 of their friends would show up later).
I haven't seen that many people so insanely excited for an event since Star Wars Episode III came out, which was kind of exciting in itself. It also seemed like the equivalent of Twilight for guys. Not saying girls couldn't like Watchmen, or guys couldn't like Twilight- but the ratio of guys to girls was...about the same as it was girls to guys at the sneak of Twilight I went to.
I liked Watchmen, but I probably need to read the book. It still holds up as a movie, and I think Zack Snyder has really improved as a director with each of his movies. Even though I'm not a big fan of CGI, he knows how to use it artistically. I loved the opening montage to the song The Times They Are A-Changin' by Bob Dylan, it does a good job of connecting the opening scene to the scene after the montage (otherwise it might seem like a weird disconnect). It's a gorgeous movie, and I'm looking forward to seeing it again on Monday to maybe pick up on the things I didn't quite get the first time.
That's all for now, I'll update this blog again next week for sure after seeing Watchmen again on Monday. Gonna go do some work on The Retelling now.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Zombie Girl in Park City
When I was making Pathogen, a local film crew followed the process for a feature length documentary called Zombie Girl: The Movie. After premiering at a film festival in Austin called Fantastic Fest, it has made it's way to Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah!
First, I would like to congratulate the directors Aaron Marshall, Justin Johnson, and Erik Mauk for their accomplishment. They worked incredibly hard to get this movie finished over the course three years with 150 hours of footage to work with. Congrats guys, I'm very proud to know you!
In this blog entry, I'm going to refer to certain people/places. Here's a guide:
ZG, Zombie Girl = Zombie Girl: The Movie
Cast
Mom - Megan Hagins (my mom)
Matt - publicist for ZG
Aaron - co-director of ZG
Justin - co-director of ZG
Erik - co-dirctor of ZG
Chris - composer for ZG
Chelsea - Erik's girlfriend, worked on behind the scenes
Becky - worked with Matt on publicity
Locations
Treasure Mountain Inn - Where Slamdance takes place
The Condo - Where we were staying in Park City
Main Street - Where most things take place during Sundance/Slamdance
Let's begin!
When my mom and I left Austin it was pretty chilly outside, so I didn't feel like too big of an idiot walking around in heavy winter gear. I heard Park City in January can get very cold, so I wanted to be prepared. However, When we arrived, it was just a few degrees colder than it was in Austin when we left ("warmer than usual" according to the weather forecast).
After dropping off our bags at the condo, we took the bus down to Main Street. We ended up meeting everyone at a nearby restaurant to discuss the upcoming press events for the night: Interviews, Red Carpet, and then the first Zombie Girl screening. I have done interviews occasionally, but they're usually pretty informal. I had certainly never done a red carpet. Luckily, Matt and Becky walked us through them, and it was a lot of fun! My favorite interview question of the night was: Who is your favorite Muppet? (I said Animal, but I think it could easily be Kermit). That interview can be seen here.
After the interviews and red carpet was the screening. Until we got in there, I didn't really think about the audience. The previous screenings of ZG had been in Austin- where everyone in the audience knew the people in the movie and/or the places. But in Park City...nobody knew either of those things. Could they relate to the story?
The reaction was very positive, and the Q & A went well. After the movie a little boy named Luis asked for my autograph and told me about a movie he was in. I took the postcard hoping to catch it on one of the other days.
The other days were filled with interviews, photo shoots, and other press stuff- very new to me but exciting. All great practice to improve my public speaking, as well as fun to meet new people who are interested in movies.
One of the interviews was conducted by two-time Olympic skier Holly Flanders, and afterwards we went snow tubing! That was a blast. None of us had done anything like it before, so we started off going down the small hill individually. After the small hill, Holly, Aaron, Justin, the Park City Television cameraman, and I made a pentagon formation with the tubes and went down the big hill. I liked this one more- less spinning and more jumps. Definitely an awesome idea to pair up an interview with winter sports.
In addition to the press stuff throughout the weekend, there was a ZG party at Steven Beer's (the Sales rep) condo. I haven't gone to many networking events in the past, so this would also fall under the "new and exciting" category.
We were only able to see a couple of movies due to a busy schedule, but I'm happy to say that one of them was the short film Immersion- the movie Luis was in! He did a really great job. The movie it played with was called Only, which was a sweet love story with kids.
Even though I loved going out to Main Street for the ZG stuff or to just hang out, I had to work on my homework during the breaks between events. The condo was great- even though my mom and I were sharing the bottom bunk of a bunk bed it was perfectly comfortable. That bed was even bigger than my bed at home. Our roommates were quiet and very sweet- it was great to meet them and talk about movies.
One of our roommates did some work on the movie Adventureland, which was the one Sundance movie we were able to catch. Unfortunately, we missed watching the inauguration for it. Our roommate said he thought it was better than Superbad, so I was immediately curious about it (Superbad is one of my favorite movies). It reminded me of a less vulgar, sweeter yet darker version of Superbad. Being a teenager, I think both movies capture the age group accurately. Very enjoyable movie with great acting, I can't wait to see it again when it comes out.
I was constantly amazed by Matt and Becky's hard work to arrange the press things for ZG. It seems like one of the hardest jobs out there, and they definitely rocked it. I'm very glad I got to meet them- their determination and patience was definitely inspiring!
The second ZG screening went well, the reaction seemed positive. I did start to tear up a bit when talking about my mom and her support of my filmmaking, but overall I thought it went well. I loved it when people would approach me afterwards telling me about how they know someone/related to someone who has a passion for something- it was great to know our story was relateable to others.
The best comment about the movie came a few days later. Aaron, Justin, Mom, and I were eating lunch and a guy came up to the table to tell us how much he enjoyed the movie. He said, "It's like when you watch one of those Bruce Lee movies and suddenly you think you are able to fight. Afterwards I felt like I could go out and make a movie!" I was very touched that somebody felt inspired by the story, and I think that was exactly what the filmmakers wanted the audience to feel.
Right before I left town, Slamdance had a screening of Pathogen. We had a decent sized group, and most of them were people I had met earlier in the festival. It was a fun group to watch the movie with. I hadn't seen it in quite a while, and having some distance really made me enjoy it more.
After a short Q & A and some pics outside with everyone, we said our goodbyes and headed back to Austin. I miss Park City, and I definitely hope to make it back with a movie. Met a ton of great people, and the city is beautiful. Thanks to everyone that helped make the trip possible!
First, I would like to congratulate the directors Aaron Marshall, Justin Johnson, and Erik Mauk for their accomplishment. They worked incredibly hard to get this movie finished over the course three years with 150 hours of footage to work with. Congrats guys, I'm very proud to know you!
In this blog entry, I'm going to refer to certain people/places. Here's a guide:
ZG, Zombie Girl = Zombie Girl: The Movie
Cast
Mom - Megan Hagins (my mom)
Matt - publicist for ZG
Aaron - co-director of ZG
Justin - co-director of ZG
Erik - co-dirctor of ZG
Chris - composer for ZG
Chelsea - Erik's girlfriend, worked on behind the scenes
Becky - worked with Matt on publicity
Locations
Treasure Mountain Inn - Where Slamdance takes place
The Condo - Where we were staying in Park City
Main Street - Where most things take place during Sundance/Slamdance
Let's begin!
When my mom and I left Austin it was pretty chilly outside, so I didn't feel like too big of an idiot walking around in heavy winter gear. I heard Park City in January can get very cold, so I wanted to be prepared. However, When we arrived, it was just a few degrees colder than it was in Austin when we left ("warmer than usual" according to the weather forecast).
After dropping off our bags at the condo, we took the bus down to Main Street. We ended up meeting everyone at a nearby restaurant to discuss the upcoming press events for the night: Interviews, Red Carpet, and then the first Zombie Girl screening. I have done interviews occasionally, but they're usually pretty informal. I had certainly never done a red carpet. Luckily, Matt and Becky walked us through them, and it was a lot of fun! My favorite interview question of the night was: Who is your favorite Muppet? (I said Animal, but I think it could easily be Kermit). That interview can be seen here.
After the interviews and red carpet was the screening. Until we got in there, I didn't really think about the audience. The previous screenings of ZG had been in Austin- where everyone in the audience knew the people in the movie and/or the places. But in Park City...nobody knew either of those things. Could they relate to the story?
The reaction was very positive, and the Q & A went well. After the movie a little boy named Luis asked for my autograph and told me about a movie he was in. I took the postcard hoping to catch it on one of the other days.
The other days were filled with interviews, photo shoots, and other press stuff- very new to me but exciting. All great practice to improve my public speaking, as well as fun to meet new people who are interested in movies.
One of the interviews was conducted by two-time Olympic skier Holly Flanders, and afterwards we went snow tubing! That was a blast. None of us had done anything like it before, so we started off going down the small hill individually. After the small hill, Holly, Aaron, Justin, the Park City Television cameraman, and I made a pentagon formation with the tubes and went down the big hill. I liked this one more- less spinning and more jumps. Definitely an awesome idea to pair up an interview with winter sports.
In addition to the press stuff throughout the weekend, there was a ZG party at Steven Beer's (the Sales rep) condo. I haven't gone to many networking events in the past, so this would also fall under the "new and exciting" category.
We were only able to see a couple of movies due to a busy schedule, but I'm happy to say that one of them was the short film Immersion- the movie Luis was in! He did a really great job. The movie it played with was called Only, which was a sweet love story with kids.
Even though I loved going out to Main Street for the ZG stuff or to just hang out, I had to work on my homework during the breaks between events. The condo was great- even though my mom and I were sharing the bottom bunk of a bunk bed it was perfectly comfortable. That bed was even bigger than my bed at home. Our roommates were quiet and very sweet- it was great to meet them and talk about movies.
One of our roommates did some work on the movie Adventureland, which was the one Sundance movie we were able to catch. Unfortunately, we missed watching the inauguration for it. Our roommate said he thought it was better than Superbad, so I was immediately curious about it (Superbad is one of my favorite movies). It reminded me of a less vulgar, sweeter yet darker version of Superbad. Being a teenager, I think both movies capture the age group accurately. Very enjoyable movie with great acting, I can't wait to see it again when it comes out.
I was constantly amazed by Matt and Becky's hard work to arrange the press things for ZG. It seems like one of the hardest jobs out there, and they definitely rocked it. I'm very glad I got to meet them- their determination and patience was definitely inspiring!
The second ZG screening went well, the reaction seemed positive. I did start to tear up a bit when talking about my mom and her support of my filmmaking, but overall I thought it went well. I loved it when people would approach me afterwards telling me about how they know someone/related to someone who has a passion for something- it was great to know our story was relateable to others.
The best comment about the movie came a few days later. Aaron, Justin, Mom, and I were eating lunch and a guy came up to the table to tell us how much he enjoyed the movie. He said, "It's like when you watch one of those Bruce Lee movies and suddenly you think you are able to fight. Afterwards I felt like I could go out and make a movie!" I was very touched that somebody felt inspired by the story, and I think that was exactly what the filmmakers wanted the audience to feel.
Right before I left town, Slamdance had a screening of Pathogen. We had a decent sized group, and most of them were people I had met earlier in the festival. It was a fun group to watch the movie with. I hadn't seen it in quite a while, and having some distance really made me enjoy it more.
After a short Q & A and some pics outside with everyone, we said our goodbyes and headed back to Austin. I miss Park City, and I definitely hope to make it back with a movie. Met a ton of great people, and the city is beautiful. Thanks to everyone that helped make the trip possible!
Purpose & Projects
I've decided to keep a blog covering all of the movie related things I do. It'll be for talking about the movies I see/movie events I go to in Austin, but I'll also use it to write about my projects. I had a blog that focused only on The Retelling (my second feature), but I stopped updating it after filming. This blog will cover the progress of The Retelling, as well as my next feature film.
Click on the link for info on my first feature, Pathogen.
A group of middle school students band together to save themselves and their town when a zombies start taking over Austin. I made the movie when I was 12-years-old, and the run time is a little bit over an hour. The DVD is available to buy on the website linked above.
Here is the link for info on my second feature film, The Retelling.
Charlie Mason and his family move to a small town to take care of his blind grandfather, who is known for taking mysterious walks to meet "friends" that nobody has ever heard of. When Charlie attempts to prove his grandfather's sanity, he uncovers a murder plot in the works. It is up to him to put together the clues that, unknowingly to him, are being provided by unlikely and otherworldly sources. (Trailer on the website linked above)
The Retelling is currently in post-production. We finished editing it only a couple of weeks after production was complete, which was about mid-September. Since then, the fine-tune editing has taken quite a bit of time. With Pathogen, we did not do any color correction, and very little sound/music editing. Lack of previous experience has slowed down post-production a bit, but lessons have been learned and we're getting back on track.
Aside from finishing up sound editing, the score needs to be composed. This is being done by Brian Satterwhite, a local film composer. From our meetings, I really think this score is going to be great. I'm very excited to see the finished product! Brian has a website for his music called Nuance Music.
Click on the link for info on my first feature, Pathogen.
A group of middle school students band together to save themselves and their town when a zombies start taking over Austin. I made the movie when I was 12-years-old, and the run time is a little bit over an hour. The DVD is available to buy on the website linked above.
Here is the link for info on my second feature film, The Retelling.
Charlie Mason and his family move to a small town to take care of his blind grandfather, who is known for taking mysterious walks to meet "friends" that nobody has ever heard of. When Charlie attempts to prove his grandfather's sanity, he uncovers a murder plot in the works. It is up to him to put together the clues that, unknowingly to him, are being provided by unlikely and otherworldly sources. (Trailer on the website linked above)
The Retelling is currently in post-production. We finished editing it only a couple of weeks after production was complete, which was about mid-September. Since then, the fine-tune editing has taken quite a bit of time. With Pathogen, we did not do any color correction, and very little sound/music editing. Lack of previous experience has slowed down post-production a bit, but lessons have been learned and we're getting back on track.
Aside from finishing up sound editing, the score needs to be composed. This is being done by Brian Satterwhite, a local film composer. From our meetings, I really think this score is going to be great. I'm very excited to see the finished product! Brian has a website for his music called Nuance Music.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
