A New Way to Rent Gear!

As a student filmmaker, you typically only have so much gear at your disposal. Yeah, you probably have your DSLR, a few lenses, and a DIY soft box, but sometimes this isn't enough for your creative needs. As Ithaca College students, we are very lucky to have PPECS, but soon after we graduate we will just be poor college graduates who won't be able to afford the prices of large rental houses without a proper budget. HAVE NO FEAR! There is a new online rental house that may just be your saving grace.

http://kitsplit.com/

KitSplit is a new rental company based out of New York City that functions very similar to Air BnB. Just like Air BnB, the site focuses around a specific area and the resources, in this case camera gear, available. On the site you can create a profile and list the gear that you own and are willing to rent. Other users can look at your gear posted and have the option to rent it from you. This is perfect for students to make a bit of cash on the side. Not only can you make the money back on your gear but this allows you to save up for future gear.

The delivery option is quite unique. You can either arrange a pick-up through KitSplit or directly from the owner of the gear. This option opens numerous opportunities for networking. Each time you would use this service you have potential to make new business connections, you could even get work because of the rental you were picking up for another gig.

This rental service is revolutionary. While it is only in New York currently, they plan to expand to the west coast as well, which is where I think it will do very well. However, the niche market they truly need to target is smaller cities throughout the country. Mainly cities with colleges and universities that have strong communication programs. My thinking is that if this company expanded to Central New York, this would be used as a rental service for colleges like Ithaca, Syracuse, and many more, when the rentals at their school could not provide what they needed.

Overall, I'm looking forward to watching this business grow and expand, hopefully in a direction that benefits, students and filmmakers a like.

Our Anaconda Don't Want None Unless You Got a Series Commitment Hun

This week it was announced that Nikki Minaj would produce and appear in an autobiographical sitcom about her life growing up in Queens in the 90s. The show will run on ABC Family and might single handedly save television. This show has everything millennials want in a TV show: Nikki Minaj, the 90s and their parents disapproval of the content.

It is also being written by a woman, Kate Angelo (The Bernie Mac Show, Will & Grace, Sex Tape) which at least female identifying millennials will approve of. And god knows broadcast television needs it, millennials are watching television less and less and the content being put out there is not doing much to stop the trend. If traditional linear television hopes to survive they absolutely need to start tapping into a different formula. Gone are the days where 6 white twenty somethings trying to make it in New York (actually a 3 camera set in Burbank) with their antics haunted by a creepy laugh track is gonna bring in this generation of twenty somethings. Those carefree "shows about nothing" left with the 90s along with the affordability the Manhattan apartments they were supposed to take place in. Our generation now wants an accurate and diverse perspective on the world, and Nikki Minaj might be the one to give it to us.

It is my guess that many 20 somethings will tune into this show and will continue to be loyal to its brand, if the writing and casting come together as promised. Other networks should take note and should begin looking outside their scope of hot white 20 year olds and towards a demographic of people they are now so desperate to appeal to. 

"Dickture" Gallery and the search for Creative Content

In today's media saturated world, the search for creative content is getting tougher and tougher. I have found it increasingly difficult to come up with a concept that hasn't been covered already in one form or another. Each time I find myself sitting down to write, I always end up shaking my head when my script inevitably runs up against a formulaic plotline or a story arc that has already been explored.

When I was shown the post on f-stoppers covering the gallery I was instantly struck by how the artist chose such a simple topic and skewed it into a daring and hilarious concept. She took "dick pics" and spun it into an entire gallery of elaborately dressed penises. She has encouraged people, through this gallery, to remember not to take art and themselves too seriously.

The content is, of course not safe for work, so I wont include any pictures here. I'll link the video below, and the gallery. I highly recommend giving it a look and reminding yourself not to always take yourself too seriously.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XRnZ0wGGm4
http://www.dicturegallery.com/the-work/#prettyPhoto

Uptown Girls

Uptown Girls is a comedy from 2003, starring Brittany Murphy and Dakota Fanning. Molly (Brittany Murphy) is the daughter of a former rock star who was killed, along with his wife in a plane crash, and now lives alone, off her inheritance. Apart from this tragedy, she has everything else a girl could want and lives an extravagant and fun lifestyle in New York City. Though she is initially surrounded by wealth, Molly’s life soon plummets in a downward spiral.

After losing her inheritance, her apartment, Molly’s friend is able to score her a job as a nanny. The job is to look after eight year-old Ray Schleine (Dakota Fanning), whose dad is in a coma, and whose mom is so consumed with work that she is never around. Ray is everything Molly is not: sensible, independent, mature, and grown-up. Compared to Molly, who is spunky, fun-loving, and spontaneous, Ray is more of the adult in the relationship. Ray has gone through nanny after nanny because no one can cope with her, however, Molly is determined to get through to her, and teach Ray how to be a kid, and ditch the adult-like persona that she has. 

The main focus of this film is the juxtaposition of these two drastically different characters’ lifestyles. Molly has pursued an absurd lifestyle in response to the loss of her parents, while Ray has been forced to grow up too fast and be independent, thus assuming a complete adult manner. After annoying one another to no end, these two finally find common ground and each influences the other for the better. Molly is able to bring out Ray’s carefree child side, whereas Ray teaches Molly to become more mature and responsible than she had been previously. These events that unfold cause both characters to arrive at a better, happier life, while developing a touching friendship in the process.

THE GIRLS ARE BACK AT IT AGAIN ____BRINGING YOU BROAD CITY

   Board City is back! Created by Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer, and produced by Amy Poehler, broad city is a comedy between two best friends steering their way through the New York City life.
Abbi and IIana are two eccentric, crazy girls. They next stray away from situations that my lead them to trouble in the streets of NYC. They are two bad ass b****es! Not matter the trouble they always find a way out.

This is an amazing show to get in tact with.  Abbi and Ilana are the girls you want to hang with.  They're what us city gals call our kind of people.  They remind us of horrors and joys the city life provides us with.

What do Abbi and Ilana do a daily basis?

• Talk about a lot of sex
• Wear flea market vintage clothing along with some American Appeal and H&M 
• SMOKE A LOT OF WEED

This show portrays two strong Feminist Women ---- in which they refer to each other as "dude". They are the true representation of women in their 20's with their minimum wage jobs, mediocre roommates, but enjoy their friendship.  

Broad City is the true representation of the imperfect female. Broad City recognizes that no one is perfect. The ideal of perfect women on TV is getting old its time we live in the real and embrace our inner imperfections and never be ashamed of who we are.

"Manhattan"

I've always respected Woody Allen for his uncanny knack for story telling. His wit and neurotic charm make almost every single one of his films, save for a few (I'm lookin' at you, "Whatever Works"), unbelievably enjoyable. From all the Woody Allen films that I've seen, the story has always come first, and all the other aspects of the films seemed secondary. However, after watching "Manhattan", my previous notions of what a Woody Allen film is like were completely turned upside down.

Simply stated, the cinematography completely blew me out of the water. Shot in completely black and white, "Manhattan" is a love letter to New York City under the guise of a quirky romantic comedy. The iconic bridge scene, plastered on movie posters and DVD boxes, should be enough to make anyone think New York a magical place.

The contrast between light and dark is near perfect, making the image beautifully pop off the screen. For the first time ever while watching a film on Netflix, I had to stop and screen-capture certain shots because they were so well composed.

Many films have great lighting, but what I think sets this film apart from others is the interesting way that the shots are composed. In particular, I thought the scene in the planetarium was spectacular. Each shot blew me away, transitioning from very long shots to close-ups easily, whilst still accentuating the planetarium itself. I posted the video of the scene here tentatively, as I don't think the quality of the video does the scene justice.

Overall, I think that "Manhattan" is brilliant, and perhaps one of Allen's greatest films, vying with "Annie Hall" and "Midnight in Paris". It's definitely worth a watch for anyone interested in cinematography or for anyone who simply enjoys a good movie.

How I Met Your Mother

The CBS hit sitcom How I Met Your Mother, is a series starring Ted Mosby, a young single man living in New York City, searching for the girl of his dreams. The show begins with a flash-forward to 2030, where Ted sits in front of his children telling them the story of how he met their mother. His stories include four other main characters along the way: Marshall and Lily, his best friends from college who have been in a relationship since freshman year, Robin, his on and off Canadian love interest, and Barney, his out-of-box friend. While together, they encounter an assortment of obstacles with their families, relationships, and daily life.

The show is now in it’s eighth season, where multiple pieces of the plot have greatly developed, except for who the mother is. Marshall and Lily are happily married, living in their original New York City apartment with their baby, Marvin. Barney and Robin are now engaged and looking to get married, which due to last season’s finale, the viewer can assume it will be by the end of this season. The only question left is who is Ted’s wife? We have seen glimpses of her under an umbrella and of her ankles, but we have never met her before.

The show was just renewed for their ninth and final season on CBS. So the question remains, will we find out who the wife will be this season or next season? In my opinion, I think that they should reveal it this season because they could lose a lot of viewers if they continue to put it off. If Barney and Robin do in fact get married at the end of this season, then it is implied that he will meet his wife following the wedding. I also think this would be the best option because then the viewer would see Ted and his wife’s relationship develop for a season rather than at the end of the show.

Overall, I love this show and I am an avid follower of it. I cannot stop watching it in hopes that we find out who the wife is sooner rather than later, but I still find it to be a great show.  

Ithaca College's Park School...

and it's lack of classes devoted to how the industry and business works.

I first thought of this when we watched that video in class on Wednesday.  Now, I know Arturo has told us certain things about the industry and how production is the best way to get into the business but it was interesting to watch the video and see the vast number of positions available in just one department on set.  I was really amazed that I had never really thought about that kind of stuff because knowing the business and its positions are extremely important as well as how the hierarchy works on a set.  A lot of times, we only learn production type things in park and I think because of this, we forget that learning about the industry we get into and how many of the different things work is extremely important.  I really wish the school would create a class or two other than the intro media industries class that students could take to learn in depth about how the industry works in different aspects.  Some things they could talk about would be how to get investors for films, going through all the production jobs on set of a movie or television show (field, live, sports, scripted, ect.), all about the different studios and how to get in contact with them, and even the different areas in the country and around the world that are hidden hotbeds for video other than LA and NYC.   I think this would be extremely beneficial for students to really fully understand the business other than only knowing how to produce things.


-Tyler Chadwick

Adorama>PPECs

So for the project I was working on over fall break I needed to rent some equipment that PPECs did not have. I needed to rent a fast lens that would work on an EF mount. I’ve had my eye on the 50mm Prime in the L series, with an f-stop of 1.2. So I made a reservation online and was going to pick it up in the city on Thursday.

I got down to the building and from the outside it seemed to be like the stores that sell knock off electronics. They were very efficient when I got there, and were able to guide me to grey cards and I was out in five minutes to ride the elevator to pick up the lens.

Upon exiting the elevator I realized that this giant rental company was PPECs on steroids! They had about six people at the register, and at least a dozen people running around getting people’s orders ready. There were super 35s, cinema lenses, lighting, anything your heart could have desired, and it was better than Christmas. And then I just got the $1,500 lens. But it was amazing! They seemed slightly less organized than PPECs, but have more customers and way more equipment to go through.

Anyway, I don’t have anything to complain about, they were super efficient and got the job done at an extremely professional level and I will definitely use them in the future again.

Productions

Productions aren’t always fun, nor are they easy. This is fully hitting me during this one. Aside from going to bed at 1:30AM, waking up at 3:30, and going into the city at 5AM there have been some challenges along the way. The biggest one was getting into character. Forcing myself to get depressed is harder than I think, it’s pretty easy to do naturally, but when it’s needed, it doesn’t come. For two days I listened to the most hope sapping song I knew and tried to be in the dark as much as possible, and eat little, but I was so over joyed and excited about this project. So I probably wont be acting much anymore. Not that I can’t, but chances are I’d be acting my own projects and regardless I’d be overcritical of my work.

Day 2. Today finished the toughest part of the piece, I’m emotionally drained and can’t wait to get back to school and sleep late on Monday, if I sleep through class I’m sorry. While it was initially tough getting into character, it was rather easy getting into another one. I wasn’t too great at getting into depressed, but I was able to pull off annoyed/having a lot on the mind I’m sure. At least I know that is what I was feeling. This has been the roughest production on my body, mind and spirit yet and I would not be able to do this multiple times. Anyways I haven’t looked at the footage yet since we are still shooting, but I’m fairly confident that this will turn out to be a great piece. “Happy Birthday”

Marwencol

     Last week, I attended a showing of the film Marwencol (2010), directed by Jeff Malmberg, at the Ithaca College Handwerker Gallery. The documentary follows Mark Hoganhamp, a victim of a brutal assault that left him with severe brain trauma. Mark had to start from scratch. He lost all of his memory when a group of teenagers viciously attacked him outside of a bar. Hogancamp recovered after a limited period of rehabilitation and returned home. He was having trouble going back to his life because he barely knew who he was. He created a fictional town called Marwencol, in his backyard, and used military dolls to represent the characters that he created. The town was like therapy to him. One doll represents himself, one his dream wife, and many other dolls represent his friends in real life. Hogancamp started to capture stills of Marwencol town life with his cameras and keep the hundreds of developed pictures in boxes. A photographer asks what he was doing one day when he was dragging a toy jeep along the side of the road. Hogancamp told him that he takes pictures and the people are real to him. The photographer was interested in the idea and kept in touch with Hogancamp. Many aspects of Mark's life are highlighted but the photographer he meets convinces him to have a showing of his work at a NYC art gallery. Hogancamp summons the courage to make the trip to his own show but he isn't sure how to be social with many people when he arrives at the exhibition.

http://www.marwencol.com/   
(^^^CHECK OUT THE TRAILER AND LEARN ABOUT THE MOVIE ABOVE.)

I thought that the documentary was missing a few parts that the audience would've liked to see. I would've liked to hear about his ex-wife that he cannot remember and only sees in past wedding videos. I would also like to know what happened to the teenagers and if he has any family and their reactions to his fictional world. I don't think the documentary was trying to milk Hogancamp's story by any means but the photographer in the film seemed to take advantage of Mark. The photographer thought that his pictures were interesting so he blew them up onto large canvas and organized re-prints on the gallery's walls with Hogancamp's knowledge of how his work was composed. No one can understand Mark's world and the photographer seems to make it seem like Mark isn't normal and his world is just a spectacle to others, not his life. I recommend you watch this unlikely story because it is truly amazing and unique in so many ways.

Ed Norton

    Recently, I rented 25th Hour starring Edward Norton on Itunes. I saw parts of the movie in the past and my friend recommended it on Thursday. The movie follows a drug dealer, Montgomery Brogan (Edward Norton), that is caught by the DEA and the 24 hours before his seven year jail sentence are highlighted. The movie is directed by Spike Lee and the lighting and cuts are unlike many movies. The large streets shots in NYC are very dark and Lee plays with shadows by lighting entire streets and having wide shots. Also, there are many scenes where one action is followed by the same action but from a different angle. For example, in the beginning of the movie when Montgomery Brogan slams his trunk closed, the shot is from behind him and the trunk closes and then the next cut is to a side shot and the trunk is closed again. This style is disorienting to the audience and it made me realize that I was watching a movie instead of seducing me through the story.

Edward Norton has always been one of my favorite actors. Movies such as American History X, Fight Club, and Moonrise Kingdom could easily be in my top ten favorite movies list. I find it very strange that many people say that I look like certain celebrities. Over the years I've gotten Asher Roth, Ryan Gosling, Benjamin McKenzie, Kevin Cusack, and recently, Edward Norton. Some of my friends at school now call me Ed. I know this seems strange because 1.) I don't think I look much like Edward Norton, 2.) I've received so many comments on actors I look like but I often disagree and 3.) a "you look like John Cusack" comment insults me. My roommate Conor said, "You don't look exactly like Edward Norton but you look like him more so than others." This is a strange comment but I've recently begun to understand that I do look more like Edward Norton than others. I recommend that people begin to watch multiple Edward Norton films if they haven't seen them yet. The post below me is about Fight Club and Edward Norton is gaining more and more attention.

museum of the moving image

hey all, if you guys haven't heard or been to the Museum of the Moving Image I really really suggest it. Its located in Queens NY, a bit of a travel for some, but definitely worth it. If you ever find yourself in NYC take a subway to Queens for the day. I went with some friends a few months ago when it re-opened and it was really interesting and engaging. If you have some love for cinema and want to learn more I suggest it. One of the films they were showing was basically a story told through the music put to it. and each person takes it a different way and turns it into their own story. The sound and images were not put together in any particular way, which makes it interesting. I hope some of you look further into this, its worth it.

'Memento' returning to theaters for one night

Christopher Nolan's, Memento is showing one more screening in theaters one week from today February 17th in eleven cinemas in the U.S. and Canada. The film will be in new digital print followed by a never before seen Q and A with Christopher Nolan moderated by Guillermo del Toro. Also, a tenth anniversary edition of the film will be released on the 22nd. It will also carry a new featurette where Nolan discusses the legacy that his film has left. If any of you happen to be in New York City next thursday don't miss the screening at the City Cinemas Village. I randomly stumbled upon this on the internet and thought it was pretty cool that they are showing it in theaters again. But yeah. Hit it up if you get the chance!