The Agency

I've been too busy (read: too lazy) to update this blog as often as I would like.

We completed the "Chase" film for my cinema class and it was screened on November 6. It was a pretty great experience seeing one of my films on the big screen. The professor was impressed and commented on my cinematography and editing. I received a perfect score, 120/120, for the assignment. I've been somewhat overwhelmed by my upcoming tasks. I have another film to complete for the class which is due in two weeks. School work, new projects and school applications are piling up.

Here's some interesting talk; I e-mailed Shervin yesterday to talk to him about an idea I had for YouTube videos. He said he wanted to meet with me so I went over to his office and met him and Danny. Turns out, they want me to rewrite "The Agency" and want us to film certain scenes from the first episode. Basically, they want to put together a small package and pitch the show to several networks; VH1, HBO, etc.

I love the idea and don't mind rewriting the script(s). I'm going to have to redo the original outlines and structure the story in a more professional way. I can do this on my spare time and it won't overload with my other work. If it ends up selling, they want to make me head writer. I wouldn't mind writing for television at all.

Chasing Nothing

In an unfortunate event yesterday, I found out USC's application for Screenwriting is due December 1st. I must have read wrong because I thought they were all due February 1st, but that's for all other majors. Just my luck.

After being pretty disappointed, I decided it was best not to attempt to rush the process. As of now, I think I'll be applying as a Critical Studies major with a minor in Screenwriting. Of course, I'm still hoping for Chapman (which I'll apply as Film Production with my second-choice being either Screenwriting or Film Studies) but I have to look at each school separately.

Igori is coming over tomorrow afternoon so we can take a look at the rough cut of Amorosa. It will be his first time seeing an edited cut of the film so I'm anxious to hear his suggestions and criticism. We'll also be filming a short film for my Cinema class later that day. It's very small, but hopefully I can make it look good enough for the class to enjoy.

I feel so unmotivated, I feel like life is passing me by and I'm just wasting my time.

Updates

After speaking with Justin, who will be composing the film, I decided it was best if I send him the film through mail. I completed a rough edit of the film last night and also mailed out an update to the cast.

They all seemed to be happy to hear from me, probably because they're more anxious for the film than I am. Impossible. I hate keeping them waiting and everybody else, but I need to take my time.

I'm going to cut a second trailer which Justin will also compose, so in the next few weeks, I'll release the first and second trailers as we officially count the days for the actual film.

Score?

I've been trying to continue with the process of editing. As I come closer to getting a rough copy of the film, I seem to get nervous. As soon as I make any process, I give up for the night.

The climax of the film is being edited right now, and all I have to do after that is add the narration. It looks like the film will have a running time of about fifteen minutes. I've been playing back the first ten minutes or so, just to see how I feel. I need to work on the transitions because the tone of the film gets lost during each scene.

I came across a composer from a student film forum. I asked him if he'd like to take a look at my film, mainly the scenes that have no sound yet, and see what he could do with them. They may look better with a score and help the overall tone of the film. I hope so.

Other than that, I've been watching the trailer for Revolutionary Road, as much as I can. It inspires me to finish my film, not only so I could have a finished product, but also so I can move onto another idea. Hopefully I'll come back in a week or so and say the official rough copy of the film is ready.

21 Shots

After being sick multiple times this month (stomach pains, fever, cold, stomach pains), I finally found time to film my first project for film class. Unfortunately, everything went wrong and I'm to blame.

Sure, I procrastinated at first but hadn't imagined I'd become ill three weeks in a row. The shots didn't feel amazing, that's because they weren't amazing. I wish I had the time to frame the shots better, and work on my composition, but I didn't. The street was busy with cars and people, the tripod was horrible (I swear, I'm going to break this thing) and I was losing patience.

An unedited five minute project took up three tapes because I didn't like any of the takes. Until I I finally realized I was going to go over the time limit which meant 5 points off. I was nowhere near finished and kept breaking down. What kind of filmmaker am I? I can't even compile 21 shots? Long shot? Close Up? We mastered these in Amorosa, why not turn that in?

In the end, I'm not happy with the footage and the tape reads 00:05:30. I e-mailed my professor; not to ask for an extension or tell him about my illness, but to admit I didn't give this project everything I possibly could. Even if he doesn't reply, or says he doesn't even have a clue who I am, I felt like I had to do this for me.

Would I have came across the same situation had I planned the project for a week? It's not about the 60 points, it's about what you learned and what you take from it.

Post-Production

Igori and I finished filming our second unit photography yesterday and began uploading the footage around 4pm. We ended up with four tapes in total, reaching nearly four hours. Everything was going well until I played back one of our uploads and we realized it was grainy! We were about three hours into our footage so there was no way we were going to start all over. I immediately began to panick but tried to conceal it as best as I could. To make a long story short, there must have been a computer error because it turned out fine.

Today, I debated whether I should edit the material at home or work. I ended up transfering the footage to our external hard drive and connecting to Mary's laptop. Then, I connected my HDTV screen to the laptop along with my keyboard. I set this all up in my living room, where I'm in right now. As soon as it was all set up, I plugged in the headphones and realized I only heard the audio from the left side. Of course, I panicked. I rushed back to work to double check the audio there and same problem! I was devestated. Somehow, we captured the audio in monoraul! I immediately burned some unedited footage to a DVD and brought it home. Honestly, it sounds pretty good and I'm very happy with the idea. Woody shoots his films in mono and I believe it gives my film a much more realistic feel. It took a lot of panick and worry to get to this conclusion, though. I thank Mary for her patience.

As far as my living room goes, I feel as if this is the perfect enviornment to work in. It feels right, and when you're doing something as time consuming as editing, you have to work with what feels good. However, I don't like the idea of working through a laptop, so I'm thinking of doing it all at work. I guess I'll end up making my decision tomorrow. I spent a few minutes looking at our footage and I'm pretty impressed. The film may never be as good as I first envisioned it, but at least my audience won't be able to tell. I think editing will be a lot of fun as I tell another story and shape the original one. I have a feeling it's going to take months with my busy schedule.

We're officially in post-production!

My Best Friend's Girl: World Premiere

I woke up yesterday feeling like I was going to get a fever. I couldn't miss out on class because we were going to have our first math exam. After class ended, I decided I didn't have the energy for Anthropology class and ran home. My head started to ache and I started to feel cold all over. By the time I got home and in bed, I was freezing!

Usually, I wouldn't mind having a fever if I have the chance to rest. Although having a fever is horrible, you have to sleep it off to feel better and that is one of the best sleeps in the world. However, we had a plan; pick up Mary from work at 3:00 and go to Arclight Cinema for the World Premiere of My Best Friend's Girl. I got into bed around 11am and only had a few hours to feel better if we were going to make it. I took medicine, sweated as much as I could, and took a shower. It was almost 3 at this point and I told Mary we should forget about going. Before I knew it, I had already changed my clothes and left the house.

Standing in line was, of course, tiring but well worth it. This theatre wasn't nearly as large as Westwood's for Vicky Cristina Barcelona. We didn't see any stars until after the show ended until we finally saw Dane Cook himself. While walking to the car, I bumped into Jon Lovitz who was casually walking with a small crowd. Such a small, unusual looking man.

High Definition

Igori came to the office today so we could upload our footage so I can begin editing. Easier said than done...

He brought along the three high definition tapes which we used during filming and two edited footage in standard definition. Because neither one of us had never used Adobe Premiere before, we tried to figure out if it was possible to upload in high definition. It seemed to work, but we had to render the files which ultimately ending up looking like standard definition. We watched both tapes separately on a TV and the high definition footage was absolutely beautiful. I was greatly disappointed because I didn't want to settle for standard.

I didn't give up. After some research, I figured out my version of Adobe Premiere was supposed to support HD uploads. Igori messed around with the settings and we finally figured it out! It was going to take another three hours to upload the footage so we rescheduled. We did upload a short script as a sample so I could preview it at home. Although the footage does get downgraded, the final version will still be high definition. We also came across a huge problem. For some reason, our boom and equipment is visible because the camera screen displayed wrong images. Hopefully, we'll be able to work around this problem during editing. Something new to worry about...

The Hard Part is Over

We finished up our film on Friday, almost a week ago, so why didn't I rush in here full of excitement? I have an excuse.

Thursday, we met in Glendale to reshoot a certain scene. The weather was very gloomy but luckily the sun came out in time for the park and beach shoots. Friday, everyone was stuck in traffic for an hour, so we started a little late. We didn't wrap up until 11pm. Everything went pretty good.

From that night until last night, I couldn't sleep. I kept telling myself some scenes could have looked nicer, etc. Now, I'm completely unhappy with the film -- although I haven't even seen any footage yet! We may upload the footage this weekend but we have several small shoots to do without the actors. We'll see how everything turns out.

School started on Tuesday and I had my second Cinema class today. We'll be making three short films this semester. It's being taught by the Department Chairman but we're also holding the class with my previous professor's class.

I'm so eager to screen one of my films. That's my goal for the end of this year!

Still Waiting

I began reading "So You Want to Be a Producer" by Lawrence Turman, which was given to me on my birthday from my sister. Usually, I don't like books like these but from the get-go, Turman states this is not a "How to" book. It's mainly interesting to read about his personal experience in film and sheds some light on areas of production I was not familiar with.

Interestingly enough, I registered for my USC application today and completed Part 1 which consists of basic background information. Part 2 is much more detailed and I'm pretty sure there's an essay that follows along with it. It felt scary, finally sitting there, filling in the fields. I guess the time has to come eventually, right? Deadlines are at the end of this year and Chapman hasn't even released their Fall 2009 application yet.

I spoke very briefly with Igori this afternoon to see how he felt about our schedule for this week. I think we're going to end up working both Thursday and Friday, just so we don't rush anything.

21

Last Tuesday was fairly hectic; I ran across buying miniDV tapes, beverages, rented a boom microphone and even manged to go to Public Storage to pick up my old headphones. As usual, everything went wrong shortly thereafter because the DP was missing his camera. Of course, I called the production off and hired Igori Kamoevi as my DP and scheduled a shoot for Wednesday.

I arrived at Petit Decor around 8:30am with a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts. I began setting up our first shot and waited impatiently for everyone to arrive. As Igori and I set up the scene, we realized our camera does not support the boom mic I had rented. This horrified me because I thought we had wasted an entire day but we scrambled back to the store and exchanged it.

We filmed the entire Petit Decor scene and wrapped up around 4pm. Friday, I went back and looked at our dailies at Igori's house and they looked rather nice. Igori suggested we shoot the outdoor scene again in Malibu, just to have a better look with the shadows. Thursday and Friday we will resume with shooting and hopefully wrap the entire film up by the end of this week.

In other news, it was my birthday on Saturday and I finally became 21. Friday, I went out to dinner with my family in Pasadena. On Saturday, Mary, Armineh and Vahe, took me to Malibu were we also had dinner. We celebrated with family at the park on Sunday and everything went great.

Pre-Production

I met with the last actress yesterday and she has officially been casted for Amorosa. I spoke with James today to go over the shooting schedule and it looks like we're going to begin on Monday. Everything is pretty much ready, I'll have to go meet with rental business to discuss renting a dolly and a boom microphone. I just hope everything goes smooth, and since this is my first film, I'm concerned about the overall script.

I just hope this film turns out to be a good interpretation of my idea.

Amorosa

I would officially like to announce the title for the short film; Amorosa.

I am choosing to withhold all information pertaining to the film and will only discuss certain elements as we begin filming. I met with two actors today to discuss the film and they have both signed on to the project. I have already picked out our locations for filming and reviewed them with the director of photography. As of now, the locations are in Hollywood, Burbank, Reseda and Malibu. I will be meeting with a final actor on Thursday and if all goes well, we will be ready to start filming this weekend. We are probably going to have to wrap it up by the end of next week because of scheduling conflicts, but I don't think that should be a problem.

It has been getting pretty difficult to organize the shoot and cast each actor. I think the main reason I am having some difficulty is because this is the first time I am directing a film. I was in charge of writing the story, casting the actors and crew, scouting locations, and such more in so little time. Hopefully, I can overcome the obstacles I will eventually face but I am pretty confident this film will be complete by the end of this month.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona: World Premiere

Mary and I had the pleasure of being invited to Woody Allen's latest film Vicky Cristina Barcelona which held its world premiere in Los Angeles yesterday, August 4. Many celebrities joined, including the cast and crew which included Scarlett Johannson, Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, Rebecca Hall and even Woody Allen himself. I am sad to say we didn't get the chance to see Woody Allen, however. We did get the chance to see the rest of the cast during the film and even ran into them in the lobby after it had ended.

This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am very glad we both attended.

You've Got Mail!

After my last entry, I made some phone calls and was pretty certain I was going to cancel the film. I couldn't find a camera, equipment, or even a Director of Photography who was willing to work for no charge. That's until I got an e-mail...

One of the DP's I was waiting to e-mail me back, did. He was willing to meet for lunch on Friday. After not being able to sleep because I was so anxious, I met him at 2pm in Hollywood. Everything went as I hoped it would and I can officially say we are making this film! We have all the equipment we need and his friend works at a rental company and will let us borrow what we don't have.

I keep rewriting the script in my head many times because the story is so complex. I'm currently casting for the film which, I think, is probably the hardest part so far. I'm hoping the script will be ready by the end of this week and we're trying to wrap up the entire film by the end of summer.

Crash & Burn

I haven't mentioned this yet but I am starting to work on a script for a short film which I am looking to produce this summer... or sometime this year. Some film schools require a film submission, but in any case, it looks good to have a completed film on your resume.

I have already written a story and script outline.Usually, I draft a story outline which tells me exactly what the story is going to be about without any real details. After I am comfortable with the story, I begin writing a script outline. A script outline tells me what is exactly going to go into the script, scene by scene, with key details. Lastly, I begin writing a script using these outlines as a reference and guide.

Now, I probably sound like I know exactly what I'm doing. Unfortunently, I don't have a clue. I have never produced a short film and if I was working with a digital camera and a group of friends, I wouldn't care as much. I'm trying to make a good film; hopefully submit it to several festivals but most importantly, show my creative abilities. I have been meeting with Shervin who has helped me put together the concept of the story. I told him I was looking for a Director of Photography/Cinematographer so he recommended Igori Kamoevi. I've worked with Igori in the past on projects with Shervin so I gave him a call. We met later in the afternoon and dicussed the project. I really think he will do a good job if I work with him; we both have a similar approach to filmmaking and are both influenced by European cinema. I am also planning on meeting with one or two other cinematographer's sometime this week.

The problem is Igori doesn't own a camera so we will have to rent one. Renting a camera will cost as much as $150 a day. The good news is the other guys I am planning on meeting with are interested in working for free... oh, and they have a camera!

Sounds great except for my second problem... those other guys aren't returning my e-mails.

Film Marathon

On June 20, first day of summer, I began my own film marathon in which I will attempt to watch films I have never had the chance to see. It has been exactly one month since I began the film marathon and for the record, I will like to post the accomplishment here. I will eventually post small reviews for each film.

Friday, June 20
Atonement

Saturday, June 21
Crimes and Misdemeanors
8½

Sunday, June 22
Reservoir Dogs
Pulp Fiction

Monday, June 23
Hannah and Her Sisters
Manhattan Murder Mystery

Tuesday, June 24
Manhattan

Wednesday, June 25
Bananas
Stardust Memories

Thursday, June 26 – Sunday, June 29

Monday, June 30
American Beauty

Tuesday, July 1
The Sweet Hereafter

Wednesday, July 2
Ordinary People

Thursday, July 3
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
In Bruges

Friday, July 4
Terms of Endearment
Kramer vs. Kramer

Saturday, July 5
Gone Baby Gone
The Italian Job

Sunday, July 6

Monday, July 7
The Royal Tenenbaums
Match Point

Tuesday, July 8

Wednesday, July 9
Zelig
Play It Again, Sam
Cassandra’s Dream

Thursday, July 10
Interiors
Batman Begins

Friday, July 11
I Heart Huckabees
Into The Wild

Saturday, July 12
Snatch.
Spellbound
Unbreakable

Sunday, July 13
Lost in Translation

Monday, July 14
Fargo

Tuesday, July 15
Punch-Drunk Love

Wednesday, July 16
Exotica
Match Point (Second Viewing)

Thursday, July 17
Meeting Woody Allen (Short Documentary)
Bande à part
Love and Death

Friday, July 18
The Dark Knight

Saturday, July 19
Being John Malkovich
Adaptation.
The Prestige

Sunday, July 20
Husbands and Wives

Million Dollar Grandma

Interestingly enough, my grandmother won $1.4 million over the Memorial Day Weekend in Palm Springs. I thought I'd mention this because, after all, it's a semi-life changing event.

I have been working on a local television show which will air in Glendale and Burbank. I am the writer and producer for "The Agency" and we have already completed several episodes. I truly think it's an original comedy the Armenian community is missing.

I wrote my first short film which is titled "Deliver Me This" and entered it in a contest last month. The winners are supposed to be announced sometime in June but I took it as a learning process instead of a shot at winning. I am currently in the process of looking for producers who are interested in developing the project. I am also going to start writing for my next short film, which I will produce and direct myself, hopefully this summer.

On another note, I have officially made a list for a film watching marathon. I have over 100 film titles listed in which I plan on watching this summer. I think it's obvious why I chose to do this but it's going to be fun, nonetheless.

Oh, I also got straight A's for Spring semester at school!

Success is Painful

Pain is good. They say if you don't feel any pain, you wouldn't know when there's something wrong with you. Ah! So we've established there's something wrong with me!

I've been in pain and in bed since Monday afternoon. Familial Mediterranean Fever - if you don't know it by now, Goggle it. The hereditary disorder which cripples my soul and puts a pause on my life for a few days. Unfortunately, I missed Cinema class which was the greatest disappointment of all. If I had the energy to go, I would have, but I was battling inflammation in my abdomen and still am.

Now that I am bedridden, I believe I should make some announcements. I started working on a local television show through the people I work with. I am writing and producing a thirty minute comedy show for the Armenian channel. It's great experience; I co-direct and take action in the industry I only dreamt about months ago. I am also beginning to work on small projects for myself, mainly as experience for film school.

I'm trying not to let the application process get to me. Is it working? Well, I'm sick and the main cause; stress. I am starting to understand the fact that it is not about what school I go to. To be honest, I'm steering away from USC and have completely ignored UCLA. I think Chapman is the best fit for me but regardless where I go, I have to stand out. I shouldn't let the school make me who I want to be, I've got to make myself great using the school to my advantage. Film school should be a time for me to work on everything I have wanted to. It will be the opportunity to write and direct films I have been dreaming of. It will be the time to network, regardless of it's with USC or Los Angeles City College students.

May is minutes away and the summer is just around the corner. Applications will due soon and before I know it, it'll be spring. I'll be impatiently waiting in front of my mailbox but for what? An envelope with a letter granting me acceptance to their prestigious school? Every now and then I need to take a step back from these schools and say to them, "Hey! I don't need you, you need me."

Orange!

I stood there looking straight at the building almost trying to intimidate them. Once the doors were open, students ran from one end of the building to the other, I no longer felt scared or anxious. Chapman University's Dodge College of Media Arts and Televsion was the first film school I had the chance of visiting. Chapman is one of the six schools on my list and the only to offer such a tour. I rather not go into detail but it was pretty much as I had imagined. It has everything an aspiring student needs to succeed but it is I that will bring the motivation.

Shortly thereafter, I experienced an intense headache which lead to a fever and stomach pain. The pain developed into a stomach virus known as Gastroenteritis which is in the process of healing. Also, while eating dinner last night, I must have done something wrong in the oh-so-complicated process of chewing and swallowing because I feel something lodged in my throat. It is actually quite painful and at times I cannot breathe and my chest and back hurt when I try to. When I sit still, my face begins to slowly shake and it feels as if I am going to pass out.

Solve

I find it difficult to live without worry because of the many obvious obstacles in my path. I worry about my acceptance to film school, which ultimately leads to stress over my current school work. I can't seem to enjoy myself as much as I used to because of the constant pressure I put on myself. When I feel overwhelmed by an upcoming test, I slowly move away and think of a paper I must complete for another class.. then I detach myself from the current semester and think of the next few semesters I have left; and the tests, papers, and homework they will require. Finally, I face the hardship of completing a portfolio, which is the make-or-break as far as getting accepted is concerned.

Right now, I am finding an exit. I have a Math exam waiting for me at 9am this Saturday. Because of my anxiety and stress, I cannot concentrate and apply myself to understand how to do any of the problems. My desk is filled with more scribbled papers than an Immigration office and all I can think of is throwing them all away. Yet when all hope is lost and I look at a math probem and it tells me to solve; what comes to mind are my own problems which I am in pursuit of solving, and I smile at the irony.

Key Grip

I was determined and eager to get started with film production, and I believe I am finally getting there.

The interview at Coffee Bean must have gone well because I got hired. As you may have imagined, I did not take the job. I scheduled several other interviews, one of which was today, and am still waiting for a call back. One thing I have learned is every production company looking for an intern that I came across was very small, working from a house, and very unprofessional. I was unhappy with their working environment, therefore I declined the first job offer and will probably decline any others.

On Sunday, I was given the opportunity to work as a production assistant/key grip with Shervin Youssefian for a music video he was directing. I am a fan of his work and having the chance to work with his crew was a great experience. We also taped a behind-the-scenes documentary which is going to be shown with the music video on Armenian TV. Overall, it felt right, working with a team of creative people looking to capture the perfect moment on camera. This is the first step and from here on, I won't be waiting around for things to happen. I'm going take action.

The Starbuck & Tea Leaf

If you know me at all, you would know I do not support coffee houses. Toddlers in Beverly Hills drink more than two cups of coffee now; and I could swear, both Starbucks and Coffee Bean are the exact same store with a different name and logo. Oh, and if you know me at all, you probably would not believe I bought coffee at Starbucks tonight then walked right across the street to Coffee Bean twenty minutes later. All this took place in Brentwood.. and I burnt my tongue while drinking Earl Grey, which I threw away after two sips.

I had an interview at 7:30 tonight at the great Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf; which I should say is a creative name, but that's beside the point. I waited at Starbucks because I arrived an hour and half early. After arriving at Coffee Bean at 7:20, I sat and waited while I watched a group of young adults crowd together over folders full of paper. I knew it was them who would interview me, but I thought it would be more appropriate to wait for them to approach me. Well, it took them about twenty minutes to do so.. after I got up and left.

The position is as production assistant on a comedic web series. I rather not mention their names or the title of the project, because a simple Google search will open up this blog.. and there goes my chance! In all honestly, I could care less if I get hired. No need for details, but a 12-hour shoot for three straight weekends in Santa Monica are not exactly the ideal choice for me; a student.

In conclusion, I burnt my tongue and I spent valuable time at two coffee shops. Two hours later, we brainstorm for my next move.

Impossible is Nothing

After calling USC and being transfered from the Cinema department to the Admissions department, then back to the Director of Admissions for the Cinema department, I have concluded the following: It is impossible to transfer to USC Cinema with the help of USC counselors.

"We don't do any preliminary counseling."

And after I asked how I would know if I'm on the right track to transfer, she responded:

"You won't know until you apply for admission."

Well, that's fairly simple now, isn't it? I don't know too much about counseling or transfering students, but I'm guessing my four-year-old cousin would know that. USC doesn't do any counseling with students and their 'Transfer Day' isn't limited to students hoping to get into USC Cinema. So what does an eager student do? Call UCLA. Any luck there? Nope, I received the same information through a phone message.

"If you're calling to receive more information on admission and transfering, DO NOT leave a message. You can receive all that information on our website!"

Either I'm doing something very wrong or I'm just ahead of my time. My current college counselors recommend I go straight to the source, yet the source refers me to a website. A website which I have already mastered, no pun intended. My conclusion is this: If you want something done right, don't call around. Get up and do something!

A Career In Progress

I have always loved the idea of keeping a journal or a diary. It's fascinating to know you are able to go back and read everything you wrote. From when you were a child or a teenager, seeing yourself write out new ideas and revisit the past. Although the journal technique has failed me in the past, I am ready to start from scratch. I made this blog to keep a journal of my ideas and thoughts so I am able to experience them in the future. Another reason is to keep a journal of my career and it's progress.

I will post as often as I can and allow readers to journey with me as I set goals and try to reach my personal dream. I will write several articles but they will all connect with my daily life and my steps to reaching my dream. This will be a career in progress; a career in film production. I will use this journal as a reference and a guide for the future. Through each post, I aim to show growth and with each passing month, I will become a step closer to success.