New Tripod!

After much shopping, comparing, searching... I finally bought a tripod today. I am now the proud owner of a Manfrotto 701HDV, 547BK Video Tripod system with bag! It has features I wanted: capability to go real low to the ground, easy to lock/unlock the legs, smooth motion for panning or tilting, and camera leveler. Plus it has some features I hoped to get but didn't think I could afford... spiked rubber feet (the rubber feet are great on level surfaces, but I can lower the spikes if I am on uneven, or rocky surfaces) and it came with a carrying bag!

When I first started looking for a tripod, I didn't think it would be difficult to find what I wanted, but most of the tripods I found were made for still-photography, not video. Many salespeople looked at me like I was nuts, "You want a camera leveler? Well, this one shows when the legs are level." And I would try to explain... "I don't give a hoot if the legs are level, I want my camera level. If I'm shooting on the side of a hill, I want to quickly level the camera." I pictured some of the shots I took while filming A Shear Gem. For some shots I had one leg of the tripod on a bench and the other two legs on the ground. I don't care what the legs are doing...have I emphasized enough yet?...I just want my camera level!

Granted, my tripod is not heavy duty professional quality, like the one I toted around Italy last summer, but it suits my needs.

Tomorrow I have my first paying video job. I'm filming a short documentary style ad for a small company to place on their website. (Okay, so they are paying me in merchandise, but hey, I'm fine with that!)

Film Degree

I graduated in December 2010, but the University of Utah only holds graduation ceremonies in the spring, so it was on Friday, May 6, 2011, that I finally "walked the stage."

My degree... Bachelor of Arts, Film and Media Arts, Summa Cum Laude.

Because of the recent ceremony, inquiries once again come my way such as "A degree in film? What do you do with that?" It's almost a private joke among film students. Fodder for laughter and frustration. One classmate wrote a clever screenplay based on that question and the pickle the main character finds herself in after giving a flippant response. (I don't want to tell more since it is not my story.)

I wish I had a solid answer to give people. "I'm working for Acme Productions." "I'm a script reader." "I formed my own Independent film company." But I tell the truth, "I write screenplays. I studied film so I could understand the filmmaking process better."

Then comes the next question, "What are your screenplays about?" And I have to answer, "I can't tell you or I would have to kill you." This answer comes because I totally suck at telling about my stories in just a couple sentences. Maybe they only teach that skill in the Master Degree program.

Writing while "under fire."

It's been a month since I posted on here. A rough month with two deaths in the family (an aunt, and one of my brothers), and two trips (one trip for a funeral, and one trip for delivering a car to someone in southern California).

One thing I keep learning over and over since graduating: life is hectic. Whether in school or not, life is hectic. I have a tendency to want the "perfect moment" for writing. You know... solitude, quiet, a house so clean it doesn't cry out to me. Right. Like that will ever happen. Life--and death--happen, and I need to knuckle down and write.

That lesson was just starting to sink into my thick skull when I came across some notes I had scribbled about writing while "under fire" -- or in other words -- while life goes on all around. Choas, interruptions, noise, lack of time. Finding those notes written in 2003, reaffirmed what I was re-learning... I need to write no matter what.

I put a note on my computer, "Write while under fire," and since that time I have been more diligent in working on my screenplays each day. I am about 3/4 of the way through the process of re-typing the pages of one of my screenplays into my screenwriting software. (see post)

Now I am back to writing in my blog.

My movie viewing preferences.

In my previous post, I mentioned an article titled, "The Day the Movies Died." In this article, the author stated numerous reasons why people stay at home to watch movies, rather than go to the theater. I, too, am guilty of staying home to watch movies; however, he didn't list the reasons that apply to me.  

I enjoy watching movies on the big screen, and prefer to see them at the cinema (mmm... popcorn... big screen...). So why am I a stay-at-home viewer?

• Too often I am disappointed in the quality of the film. I don't like to pay full price (or even matinee price) to see a lame movie!
• Life gets busy. Sometimes by the time I get a chance to get to the theater, the movie I wanted to see has come and gone.

But a major reason I wait for the DVDs to watch at home...

• I don't like the content of most films. Movies have no need for vulgar language, extreme violence, and nudity/sex. At home, I can watch the DVD with a filter and not have to sit through the unnecessary garbage.

When a movie draws me to the cinema, it is usually geared for kids. Even then, I tend to wait for it to come to the "cheap theater" (or as my niece calls it: the "sticky shoe" theater). 

A problem stems from rarely attending new-release films... I don't see the previews for upcoming movies that might actually be worth paying full price and going to the theater to watch.  

After reading Harris' article, I realized that I need to make more of an effort to keep tabs on what's playing at the local cinema. I need to "vote with my money" and show that I will support new-release movies if they produce films of quality in good taste. 

I wonder how long I will have to wait for such a film to hit the screen.