| (no subject) |
[November 03, 2009|07:30 pm] |
 |
As promised, photos from last week's location scout. Bush
Terminal is full of amazing locations...but today I have
photos of just one.
Hopefully this is where I'll get to shoot...I'm working on
it! I'd say I've forgotten how complicated it is getting
locations in this city, but I've never had to get a location
like this before. One company is the leasee, another's the
manager, another's the owner, etc. And whatever one says, the
next says the exact opposite, and the third finds a way to
contradict both the first and second, even though they too
disagreed. At any moment I expect the solicitor's assistant
to arrive and report that my trial has not been going well at
all...
"Someone must have slandered Josef K., for one morning,
without having done anything wrong, he was arrested." |
|
|
|
| (no subject) |
[October 27, 2009|05:10 pm] |
 |
More short film location scouting and building...I
finally took pictures, which I can't wait to share! I'm
shooting entirely in Brooklyn this time around, which I'm
looking forward to. I haven't shot an exterior in the city
since Herb X, when I shot completely with exteriors because I
didn't have any locations. Both ND3 and Motel Room were
almost entirely shot with interiors, so this will be a nice
mix of both. No need to go over the deep end every time!
My Facebook announcement for the Puzzled screening has
gone over pretty well...people might actually come! The
festival is also hosting opening and closing night parties
which could also be fun, adn will give me an excuse to give
out some of the Puzzled postcards I have on my shelf! |
|
|
|
| (no subject) |
[October 20, 2009|12:30 am] |
 |
I received a very ominous email from the Big Apple Film
Festival saying that my screening as yet had sold no (zero!)
tickets! Don't worry, I've kept my composure and responded
the only rational way possible: I put the screening as an
event on Facebook! Let's see if anyone shows up. I remain
calm by believing that if I had a
friend/associate/acquaintance with a short film in a
festival, I would not most likely purchase a ticket in
advance but instead just show up and hope for the best, which
is what I'm hoping all the people who consider me a
friend/associate/acquaintance are doing right now.
Also regarding Facebook, Ben Miller posted an amazing
picture of our Sight & Sound class on his facebook page,
setting off a flurry of responses. It was fun, but not all
that nostalgic as most of the people who responded I'm still
in touch with. The picture:
I made it small so you might not be able to find me! I
look the same. |
|
|
|
| (no subject) |
[October 13, 2009|11:10 pm] |
 |
More short film preparations and also working on Kelvin
Bias's film this week...I have been building a set, which I
haven't done since Motel Room, but it's tons of fun. Actually
I'm using much of the set from Motel Room for this film, but
I don't think it'll be recognizable. I'm also, by the way,
using the wood paneling from the therapist scene in Nathan DuPree and the Knights of
Yesterland. |
|
|
|
| (no subject) |
[October 06, 2009|03:10 pm] |
 |
The 6th Annual Big Apple Film Festival program is now
available! Puzzled is playing on Friday, November 6 at 6:30pm
in Tribeca Cinemas Theater 2. For the complete schedule, CLICK HERE!
Tickets will be available starting October 11. To
purchase tickets, please CLICK HERE! |
|
|
|
| (no subject) |
[October 06, 2009|09:30 am] |
|
The Big Apple program is scheduled to be out tomorrow.
We'll see.
Just found out from the short film depot that
applications are now available for the 16th Regensburg Short
Film Week! Perhaps it's time for Puzzled's German debut?
Wish I had some cool images to share, but alas, I have
nothing. I am short film planning full-time, with no time for
taking pictures. But since we're on the topic of Germany,
here's one from my 30 mintues in Germany on a Sunday in 2001,
when all that was open was a fast food restaurant, and I never
got my passport stamped.
 |
|
|
|
| (no subject) |
[September 29, 2009|11:10 am] |
|
Still no official program from the Big Apple Film
Festival! What are they waiting for? Impatiently
waiting...
So I'm officially shooting a short film this fall. It's
based on the feature I've been working on, but it's only 4+
pages long, so it's going to be shot in two days. I'm in the
midst of casting and location scouting, the two most
difficult parts of filmmaking for me. At least with casting,
there's probably some reason why people would actually want
to be in a movie, but there's no reason I can think of why
someone would want you to shoot a movie at their place,
whatever their place may be. I'm working on it.
I hope to get everyone excited and announce casting soon,
maybe even before the Big Apple Film Festival announces their
program. No, really, I'm not impatient. |
|
|
|
| (no subject) |
[September 22, 2009|08:50 pm] |
|
I got a message today through my withoutabox account that
said that Puzzled had been accepted to the 6th annual Big
Apple Film Festival! I am very excited...a film of mine
hasn't played in a theater in New York since Nathan DuPree in
2000, and never in a real competitive film festival. And it's
a nice change from all those "Dear Filmmaker" rejection
emails I've been getting for the last 9 1/2 years.
The official program has not yet been announced for this
year's festival, but you can still check out their website: CLICK
HERE! |
|
|
|
| (no subject) |
[September 20, 2009|09:00 pm] |
|
Puzzled and Corn can now be viewed at MiShorts.com! MiShorts is a brand new
UK-based paid short film download site, which is great,
because I can finally make some pence off my shorts!
In addition, I've taken Puzzled and Corn off view on
www.preginning.com, so I can see how successful the films
will be when they're not available for free. Don't worry,
they'll be back some day (perhaps even some day really,
really soon).
Lots of other things going on...there's a rumor floating
around that Motel Room will finally be completed in true HD,
which would be fantastic, and a first for a film of mine.
Also always looking backward and forward at the same time.
Currently I'm in need of a Hi-8 video player, a cassette
player, and a slide scanner. It will all come together. And
to top it off I think tomorrow I will be back wandering
around South Brooklyn.
» Puzzled on MiShorts.com
» Corn on MiShorts.com |
|
|
|
| (no subject) |
[September 15, 2009|04:20 pm] |
|
Well as quickly as summer arrived, now it has gone.
Autumn is just around the corner with the promise of shorter
days and cold weather. But the long, chilly nights are
perfect writing times. I look forward to writing something
new soon.
Today was certainly a last chance beach day for this
summer season, so I took yet another ride out to the
Rockaway coast and Riis park, to soak in the warm sea air for
maybe the last time, until next year.
What will I do without the distraction of warm sunshine?
Well I hope to have an announcement very soon about Puzzled
and Corn, and of course I'm always working toward something
new. And I'm helping produce Kelvin Bias's upcoming feature
film, which should start filming next month. |
|
|
|
| (no subject) |
[September 08, 2009|08:20 pm] |
|
Photo by Riahna VanSciver
Reporting in from Memphis with this fantastic picture of the big M bridge over the Mississippi. |
|
|
|
| (no subject) |
[September 01, 2009|12:00 am] |
|
More photographic travels with which to celebrate the
arrival of the great month of September. A couple of weeks
ago I took my Brownie Six-20 and took the A train and shuttle
all the way to Rockaway Park. My goal was make it all the way
to the western tip of Rockaway beach, and I did, but don't
tell anyone, because to do it I had to go through Breezy
Point, which is not allowed, or at any case highly
discouraged. Truly I did no harm, and I respected the dozens
of No Trespassing signs I saw on the way and didn't cross any
of them.
My journey took me through Jacob Riis Park, which, I
guess based on its placement on the subway map (don't even bother
looking for it on that map, by the way, because they seem to
have taken it off), I thought would be isolated, but was
pretty much packed (even though it may not look like it in
this picture). I guess lots of people have cars in New York,
because not everyone's going to bother taking the secret bus
that never comes and goes nowhere.
But I finally made it to the end. The west end of
Rockaway looked almost identical to Jone's Beach's West End
2, except that instead of overlooking Long Beach, it looks
out over Coney Island. Certainly one of the best and rarely
seen views in the city.
This is a picture of seagulls, but there was also this
amazing bird that I did not take a picture of, which was
black with a truly absurd orange bill, that looked like it
belonged in the Amazonian rain forest but instead decided to
make its home in Queens. Also, if you are actually interested
in Amazon rain forest birds, you may CLICK HERE. |
|
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
preginning's journal