1/21/20

 Today is the last day in California and boy, has it been one amazing experience. We got to tour places and meet people I never thought I'd have the opportunity to do. To end this class off we had the pleasure of meeting Scott Williams, writer of the show NCIS. Scott was kind enough to let us tour the set of NCIS and give us some background of the show and how it's like to be on set, apart of the crew. He mentioned it's like working with family and that he's so happy going to work everyday. Which is something so amazing to hear because after being on the show for quite some time, I'd think it's important to feel happy and fun where you work. Being able to hear Scott's perspective as a writer intrigued me and made me think about writing more and getting involved in that part of the film world. As a writer Scott told us he works better when it's quiet and in solitude. He needs focus and not much distraction. He will even collaborate with actors/actresses to better suit the actor/actress to the character. NCIS is about a team at the Navel Criminal Investigative Services getting to the bottom of murder cases and terrorism cases. First airing in 2003, Scott starting writing for NCIS in 2011. Prior to NCIS, Scott worked on Television show's Castle, Bones, Miami Medical, Third Watch, and many more. First starting out as an aspiring actor, Scott transitioned to writing and soon found love and passion for that. A big take away from talking with Scott would be that you should not give up what you want to do, no matter what's going on in life. Keep focused on what you're there for and go out and look and you will find! This world is competitive and aggressive but if you don't lose sight in what you want then you have potential to reach that destination. Scott never gave up acting, until he realized he had other strengths and love for writing, which got him to where he is today. Thank you Scott, for reminding me to stay determined and keep that drive that got me out there on this trip in the first place.

After visiting with Scott, the group and I visited former Tc3 student Asa Fox. Asa work's as a colorist at Encore. Asa walked us through the importance of color correcting a film or music video and how he would go about doing that. With a little to no help from the director sometime's Asa is asked to color the film how he'd like it. Other time's the director is sitting next to him telling him what he'd like to see. Asa has worked on music videos for Vance Joy, Kehlani, Lil Yachty, along with feature films and TV series. Asa also taught us most camera's will shoot in LOG so that colorists can do the most in post production when editing with color. LOG is a faded look to the image so that the blacks and whites don't get over exposed when messing around in post. I think I'd like to also learn the software that Asa and his teammates mentioned called Da Vinci Resolve. Then if I get into color correcting a lot maybe one day I will learn base light, the more expensive software.

Thank you Asa and the team at Encore and thank you Scott for familiarizing me with different parts of pre-production and post production I didn't know much on!

1/18/20

Finally getting to sleep in a bit today the crew and I met up with writer/director Michael Kehoe for Brunch. Michael gave all of us great exposer to the film industries in's and out's. He told us how to start and where to start. He inspired us, motivated us, informed and believed. If we have the passion and the intensity to go somewhere, we can do that. But we have to go the extra mile to get the journey going. He also helped me realize there is many more jobs than the main ones we are always thinking of. Like director, writer, actor, producer, and camera... There is so many more, like even someone is called a best boy! Never heard of that one before! THERE IS A JOB FOR EVERYONE!

Around 3pm we got too Paramount. Where we toured the lot's and got to see some cool props from old films like transformers and grease. We toured the set of Dr. Phil and learned that although there are studio's that go up to number 32, their are only 29. Lot's 10, 13 and 22 do not exist. Technicolor took over lot 10 and is now it's own company on Paramount grounds. Many great films over time have been filmed at Paramount Studio's like Breakfast at Tiffanies, The Godfather and Ghost. I also learned that they have an entire blue sky parking lot designed to hold about 914,000 gallons of water and approximately 4 feet deep. Behind the lot is a great big white wall that is used to replicate some sort of sky, using a green screen. After that we toured Fake NYC, SOHO, Upper/Lower East Side, Greenwich, Brooklyn and Chicago. Many films have been shot within those fake city street's like Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Fat Albert, and Daredevil. 

Finally we head back towards the hotel to grab some dinner and head back to the hotel. I haven't been feeling the best today so I stayed back while everyone else went on to see a silent film festival! So jealous but I have to rest up to be alive the next couple day's we have left here in California.

1/17/20

Universal was magical; something I'd never experienced before. Touring the back lot, I got to witness full town sets, how they make rain, what it's like to have an earthquake, car chases and more. The outside sets like Bates Motel, the 3D tunnel set where we saw King Kong save us from the dinosaurs and the picture cars they used in many well known movies were also informative and fun to see from todays tour. I learned so much that I would have never thought of.

After universal we got an exclusive tour of Sony Animations, all thanks to Caleb Bomysoad and of course Kaitlyn and Judy for showing us around! Here we learned all about story boarding, animation and bringing characters to life. There is so many parts to the process of making a feature length animation film that I never thought of. Something that surprised me was that depending on the length of the film there can be anywhere from 2 to 9 artists, creating the storyboard. I would have thought that having so many different artists, the characters and look to the story would alter or change but because of the technology we have today and the guides given to the artists, it usually isn't a problem.

To end the full, productive day, we met up with former Tc3 student Andrew Inglin. Andrew is a directory of photography, and film. Creating commercials and videos, Andrew gave us great advice and an insight into his journey to where he is today. It is not easy to get to where you want to be and you cannot lose sight in who you are and what you set sail to accomplish and that is exactly what Andrew explained in his many stories.

1/16/20

Starting off today's journey, we rode the beautiful hills all the way to Malibu, where we visited Creative Visions. Founder and Chairman, Kathy Eldon is a unique, compassionate and driven. I really do not think I have met a women so heart-driven and so focused in the work she believes in. Getting to understand Kathy and her life at Creative Visions, I learned not only what she works for but I learned a little bit about who Kathy is. A mother, a fighter, an activist and a human trying to bring this Earth kindness and genuine love through stories and mass-media. The foundation dives deep into Dan Eldon's Legacy and who he was to not only his family but the world.

Dan Eldon passed away when he was only 22 years old,  living a life most do not get to experience. Traveling, photographing, taking videos, journaling, and adventuring, Dan took art and his creative talent to showcase the violent and dangerous world that many people are not being entirely exposed to. Dan attempted and achieved to enlighten people from all over the world of the issues in society and what is really happening. 

Sister Amy and Mother Kathy carried his legacy on, by taking all of Dan's artwork and journals, creating documentaries, books, short films, social media platforms and more just to keep Dan's spirit alive. 

Having the opportunity to get to know Kathy, made my eyes open to the idea of awareness and how naive many of us, including myself. Taking a night and full day to reflect on my experience with Kathy has made me questioned what I am doing and what my purpose really is. As simple as being kind to others or traveling and reporting like Dan I can always be doing something more! 

I am beyond grateful to have made a connection with someone so admirable and I'd hope to follow in Kathy and Dan's footsteps.

Watching the documentary based on Dan's story called The Journey is the Destination, was moving and eyeopening. But what Kathy shows at shows at Creative Visions is even more so. It is persuasive, inspirational, expressive and most importantly artistic. 

Thank you again to Kathy Eldon, Amy Eldon, Ella Charon, Alicia Doughery. 

After Kathy kindly welcoming us into her home for a quick lunch and pacific coast view, we headed off to CBS to watch the sitcom Carol's Second Act. The class and I got to be the first live audience of the year, where we observed and laughed a lot. The biggest take away from this show was that I got to really see the Director, 1st AD and writer up close than previously watching MOM. The writer was always making changes to the script, the Director was very calm and trusted her staff/crew and it showed. And speaking of the crew, it was dominated by women which I felt really touched by. It's not everyday you see that in production.

1/11-1/12/20 (P.A.BOOT CAMP)

This weekend was very exposing to the in-depth steps and techniques to being a Production Assistant. My class and I spent 16 hours of learning, racing, practicing and reenacting the procedures of the do's and don'ts of production. Learning how to read a call sheet, organize a kit, and playing different activities to learn the production lingo. Lee, Jody and Chuck all pushed each and everyone of us to our limits and made sure we were all walking out of those two days, well informed and educated in becoming a PA. It's not as easy as anyone think's. Becoming a PA means you are working almost 20 hours a day, you might not be paid and you could loose your position in a second. It means you report and listen to your AD and you are apart of the production process. If you are a newbie you're a day player. If you get asked to come back and help throughout the production then you become a staff PA eventually. A PA always anticipates everything and is one step ahead of everyone. Carrying around a walkie, headset, pens, call sheets, one liners, doods, and sometimes scripts; the PA is ready to help in a quick, timely manner. Knowing production language over the walkie and face to face is important for accurate responses. Being a PA is only the beginning to moving up and throughout the field. Bringing home replicas of scripts, call sheets, one liners, doods and the shooting schedule is something not many people get the chance to study and look at before pursuing the dream. I want to say thank you to Jody, Lee and Chuck for giving us the opportunity to know what it takes to take the next big leap into the production business.

After PA Bootcamp on Sunday we met us with Mel's old friend who attended Tc3, Symon Mink. Sitting next to him at dinner and getting the chance to really dig deep in the life of someone in production. Symon has been in the industry since 29 years old and works as a camera man. Better known as a focus puller. Where he works on the camera with one to two other people. He has worked on the film, Spider-Man 2 and many other series like Dead to Me, The Fosters, L-Word and many more. Symon got into depth about personal experiences, life with a significant other and how to balance life and work, his highs and lows and how he got to where he is now.
Symon really influenced me and gave me hope in having faith that in time and with the right connections and opportunity's with some growth, I can go a long way in what I love and feel passion for.

1/10/20

Having a full day dedicated to MOM and not the woman who birthed me, but the show shot at Warner Brothers Studios, MOM was by far the coolest, interesting, fun and informative experience yet! 

Observing behind the scenes consisted of over 200 crew/staff apart of this particular episode. From watching the director tune in on what he think was a good take and how he envisioned it. Re-writing the script and trying something new or different than before. You had the set designers who helped when the sets needed to change a little and the make-up artists for each of the cast members before their next appearance in-front of the camera. 

I watched how the camera team works together to create a story that didn't just flow through the characters dialogue but the intensity of the camera angles and shots. Having three men on on camera at a time blew my mind and never occurred to me.

 I overheard the lingo and the way the staff talked to each other and then how the cast talked. While learning all this about the way a production process works I got to be interactive in the audience, since the TV series MOM is a sitcom. 

I laughed, people danced, the crowd got competitive and the night grew intimate. I think what really worked was the host in the crowd with us, got the audience pumped up and full of energy, rather than tired and bored of sitting for hours rewatching scenes being shot multiple times! 

Some more information that I learned was sitcoms have real audience laughs and not generated ones, the entire staff is ALWAYS doing something as soon as they yell cut. The Director was very involved, along with the AD, which was right on the floor with the camera crew and cast! 

The show MOM stars Anna Faris as Christy Plunkett and her mother Bonnie Plunkett played by Allison Janney who are both recovering alcoholics who attend alcoholics anonymous meetings. 

1/9/20

Driving down the west coast, we made a pit stop at the world-famous "Enchanted Hill" or better known as, Hearst Castle. This National Historic Landmark was built between 1919 to 1947, this castle was William Randolph Hearst's beloved project. Stories go on to tell that he couldn't stop working on the castle to save his life. 
The Main house was called "La Casa Grande", and here he collected many art pieces and European antiques. Between 15 main rooms in the house, guesthouses, pools and 8 different gardens, Hearst was never lonely. Guests included President Calvin Coolidge, Winston Churchill  Charlie Chaplin and many more business and publishing celebrities.
Hearst was not only a lover of art, but he was a business man, a newspaper publisher and a politician. We learned about Hearst primarily though Professor Xaver in Mass Media by watching a well-known movie called "Citizen Kane". Where the movie's main character portray's stories and parts of Hearst and his remembering stories. 

After leaving Hearst's Castle we drove a couple hours down south to LA, where we then got settled into our hotel where we'd be staying the next few weeks! 

1/8/20

Twitch was a great experience, Robert toured us around the gaming headquarters teaching all us the fascinating details on how the company is continuing to grow and expand all over the world! This amazing online community allows gamers or streamers to create friendships, gain followers and earn some money back! Twitch was introduced in 2011 as a subsidiary of Amazon. Created by Justin Kan and Emmett Shear, Twitch began by Justin steaming his life in 24 hours and was shocked about how many people actually cared and was interested in it. With that being said Justin had the idea of creating this online streaming website to allow others to share their daily actives. Whether it is cooking, gaming, podcasting, hitchhiking, or reading there is something for someone to watch and listen to! Robert was amazing enough to give the crew and I a chance to see behind the scenes on how some of twitch comes to life!

After finishing up at Twitch, we all rode off into the sunset on our Segways! (which was just as fun as it sounds)