My sheer excitement for our final project!

After we get past this scene recreation project, we're moving immediately on to our final project. What? Are you kidding? That's ridiculous! Yeah, it is. It's ridiculously awesome! I could not be more excited to start working on the project as soon as possible.

To begin, I'll be working with the group focusing on the poem about a man's struggle with OCD. I personally think it's a very interesting story with which countless artistic, creative things can be done in the film medium. I'm not exactly sure which direction our group will head in with portraying the story, but being able to take a person's personal story and shape it in our own way will be an experience which I haven't experienced before. At least I think I haven't. The groundwork is laid down for us, but now we have pretty much as much freedom as we need to do whatever we want with the story.

Here's the poem...

In addition to the actually story we're presenting, the group of people I'm working with also attributes to my level of excitement for this project. Having worked with a few of my group members in the past, I know that they are very dedicated, creative people who certainly know what they're doing. For those in the group who I haven't worked with before, I have complete and utter faith in their work. While I may not have worked with most of the group before, I've seen some of their work, and as long as they match--or maybe even surpass--what I've seen of theirs in the past, I'm absolutely positive I'll be blown away with their work this year. During the few discussions I've had with some of my group members, I can already tell that they all have some great ideas for the production, as well. Also, it's simply a wonderful group of beautiful people.

Here's the best part. Some people would argue that a larger group project is too difficult a thing to do. They'd say that it's simply too complicated and annoying to work with so many people and to plan around so many different personal schedules. Forget them. They're wrong. Can working with a larger number of people be more complicated than working with fewer? Yes. I'm not saying it's not, but the extra complication certainly comes with its benefits. Think about it. Unlike last year where you'd have 3 people in a group where everyone helped with everything, each person can now be assigned a specific job in the production. Instead of having 3 people crowded around one table while writing the script, drawing out the storyboards, or editing, one person will do each of these things. It takes the complication out of everyone worrying about everything. Now each group member can focus their complete attention and effort towards their part of the project. That's not to say that every member won't help one another with each step of the production process, but each member will now be able to focus on the certain part of the production that they love to do and excel at. As long as everyone does their job, it'll work out much better than in the past. Just wait and see.

Let's not forget about the equipment. I mean, seriously. These new cameras we get to use are unbelievable compared to the ones in the past. They're quality pieces of equipment! They're able to do things that the JVC100 were never capable of doing. I couldn't have even dreamed of something so wonderful. They can shoot in slow-motion! How cool is that?! I could go on for hours about the FS100's features but I'd probably bore you. I really just wanted to bring it up and emphasis all of its awesomeness.

I cannot wait to get started on this project. I'm hoping--and planning--on finishing with a product that I'll want to show to everyone I know. Let's go Los Jalepeños! Or El Dorado? We haven't quite decided on a group name yet...

The Real World: Life After College

After watching the video about The Hobbit today in class, and working with people on our final project, I got to thinking...what's the future going to be like?  We're all struggling these last few weeks with finals, but what's going to happen once we step out beyond the Park School and actually have to do this for a living?  Instead of having classes to deal with on top of our productions, we'll have real life issues like families, mortgages, and all of that fun stuff. Is that going to be easier to balance, or more difficult?  Will we manage those two day run and guns?  Can we complete a feature film with only four days until the premiere?  Are we ever going to get adequate sleep again in our lives?

Noon...eight hours into a shoot...and I'm not even
on the actual makeup department.

The fact of the matter is, despite the kind of semi-insanity it takes to put in the hours in either pre-, post-, or regular production, the dedication is one of the most important parts.  You can't make a quality film without genuinely caring about the final outcome; when you make something truly good, you feel as if you've put a part of yourself into it.  It's like all of your time and annoyance at the entire thing has finally paid off, and will, with some skill (and maybe some luck), make this a really worthwhile production.  It's something you have to feel for yourself to wholly understand, I think, and from what I've known of the sensation, it's an awesome payoff.

You've also got to be flexible if you're going to work on any kind of shoot; your title might be "camera 2," but if someone asks you to, you can jump in and work as a boom op, extra, gaffer, or anything, especially on smaller productions akin to what we'll more than likely all be starting in.  Again, it goes back to your dedication; when you really want something to come out well, it shows in the work that's put in, even when it isn't technically your job to do something.  Being an extra hand never hurts on most shoots, so hopping in on little things to make the entire production go smoother.

So, the question: what's the better life choice, to get the necessary amount of sleep each night to function properly at a mediocre job that you mildly like, or to stretch every last minute with work you're passionate about despite its slight impact on your health?

As much as I love my naps (and I really love naps), I'd totally go into this field of frenzy and film in a heartbeat.  The years ahead working with this sort of thing will without a doubt be spontaneous and full of late nights, but for the enjoyment I get out of putting in the time and effort with a group of like-minded people, it's worth it.

And We're Back

I love Ithaca.

This summer I decided to stay in Ithaca. My summer days were filled with giving tours to prospective families and my nights were filled with friends, some old (but how old can they really be?) and some new. Probably the most important thing I did this summer was explore. I went into town, I met people that live here, I went on hikes and runs, but more importantly I broke out of the South Hill Bubble in which we live. I now see this town not just as a college town, but as one of the most beautiful places I've been. Ithaca really is different without students. I'm not saying one is better than the other because both are amazing- but they're just different.

Everyone is back in Ithaca and excited for the semester to start. As excited as I am, a part of me is going to miss this summer, not just because its the summer and the weathers warm, but because of everything I learned here while not being in class.

These first few days of classes have helped me snap back into "school mode." I thought it was going to be a rough transition but it's going pretty smooth so far. I'm more excited than ever to dive into all of the projects that I'll have but I'm going to miss some of the free time this summer gave me. This semester I'm really going to focus on putting my all into everything and producing a quality product. I'll be putting my best foot forward whether it be in Fiction Field or Intro to Business.

I know this doesn't have a tremendous amount related to our class in it, but I'll get there eventually.

The End of the Beginning

As a returning junior I find myself to be in an interesting place in life. I am halfway done with college and while I have learned a great deal, I feel like it went by in a flash. For the first time in my life this summer I was actually caught off guard by how fast my life is changing. I am not in my safety net of high school A/V classes and clubs, I am halfway through my education at a top school in my desired field. There are people around me doing fantastic things, I had several friends intern for NBC during the Olympics, some did work on some big name television shows, and one has been performing stand up in the NYC comedy circuit with comedians that I deeply admire. I am no longer a kid who wants to "end up making videos of some kind", I am a twenty year old who is not so far from having the chance to professionally do so. I am past the point in my life where I can slack off and half ass an assignment, the costs of that outweigh the benefits by an incredible amount. When all is said and done I will have paid about $200,000 for my four years in Ithaca and I doubt I will ever say, "you know, I'm really glad I half assed that project so I could get to hang out with my friends a few hours sooner than I would have had otherwise." I cannot afford to squander this opportunity to learn from the best my school has to offer. I believe that this realization is the most important one I have had in my life. I am dedicating the next two years to continually besting myself. I am going to find out if I have what it takes to live up to my goals, what it takes to make the life I dreamed about in high school a reality. I am going to put everything I have into these next two years, and this class will be no exception. I am entirely different person from the one who I was at the beginning of freshman year, so I can only imagine how much these next two years will change me. I am anxious, I am excited and I am ready. -Alex Kelly

Back in Production Class

While everyone always feels a little disoriented coming back to their classes for the first time after summer break, I didn't expect to be so intimidated by my production classes this semester since I'm a junior. Of course, I've taken production classes before - but not since my freshman year.

Everything I learned in Intro to Field Production and Intro to Media Production were extremely helpful and provided a great foundation for me to begin my studies as a Television-Radio major. I, also, worked on two ICTV shows - one field, and one studio, and though I was only a PA I definitely was able to utilize and build on the things I was learning in my production classes. Of course, at the end of my spring semester freshman year I registered for Television Production and Direction and assumed that the following semester I would sign up for Fiction Field Production (as that was what the old curriculum called for at the time). 

However, things did not go my way. I ended up having to drop Television Production and Direction as certain things in my personal life were preventing me from having a heavy workload. I figured I would put of P and D, since production classes require a lot of attention, until things calmed down. But they didn't and I ended up having to refrain from taking not only P and D and Fiction Field, but from doing any extra curricular activities such as ICTV. Essentially, my focus and my passion for the media industry was put completely on hold for a year. 

Naturally this felt like a huge setback for me, but I'm definitely ready and prepared to get back on the horse, as far as production classes go and taking both of these classes this semester. It felt intimating being reintroduced to all of the technology and to be back in the studio for the first time since I was a freshman. I can't wait to be back at it!

- Melanie Saitta