Greetings Everyone and Happy April Fool's (a day late)!
Things have been crazy busy, as usual, but sadly, some of the 'busy-ness' didn't pay off.
As many of you know, over the past two weeks or so I have been fighting to keep Reseda High School's film program (and after school club) alive. The district has ran into some financial issues, and it seems as if my department - Film - was one of the Top 10 on 'the list' to be cut. Ever since I was made aware of the situation at hand, I have been doing everything in my power to keep the class/club alive. I pushed Open House really hard, and tried my best to get as many students involved as humanly possible.
Unfortunatley, my efforts did not pay off. I recieved word today that they have officially cut the Film Club at Reseda High School, and thus, I am no longer working at Reseda. With some luck, I'll be able to be re-positioned at a different school for the remainder of the school year -- but the concern is that other schools within the same district will soon be cutting THEIR Film Clubs, etc, too.
Words cannot describe how much that sucks. I am so upset - I feel a VERY wide range of emotions right now...I don't know where to begin. I knew how much this club meant to the kids....and I really think alot of good was done in the time that I was there. Sadly, the time was too short.
Fingers crossed, a new opportunity will knock in the next week or so.
In other news, Kyle has been summoned for Jury Duty (just to add to the excitement of today).
Thanks to everyone who has listened to me rant and rave about my emotions and feelings about the school job - Adrianne and Brandon, in specific.
I'll be updating again by the end of this week....I'm going to a TV taping tomorrow (with my parents who are currently out here visiting) of "AMERICA HAS TALENT", so that should be fun.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Mid-Week Update
Hello, Everyone!
WOW...things have really been moving along the last few days. It seems like last week Wednesday until now has been a complete and total blur, since I've been crazier than ever editing "CCH: The TV Series". I had my instructor, Sean, at my house at least 4 times during the week until 2 or 3 in the morning editing like CRAZY - but in the end, the result was worth the effort.
Tonight our premiere of "Chaos TV" went off without a hitch. Everyone really enjoyed all of the skectches and I got some great feedback - not just on my editing, but on my writing for "Who's On First - The Parody" and "Part of Your World". After the screening, a large group of cast and crew went to Denny's and Sean picked up the entire tab for everyone - which was so nice.
Tomorrow, my good friend Jared and I will present our Final Exam for Cinematography 1. For the exam, we were asked to study the concepts learned in the class...which, sadly, weren't much. We decided to film non-stop for 2 hours and challenge ourselves to edit and score the move into a 5 minute piece that highlights the entire 2-hour adventure that we took part in on Easter week. It should be pretty cool, and when it's ready (on Friday, most likley), it'll be on YouTube. The other videos from the TV class will also be on YouTube, soon, too.
Tomorrow is also the day that I get to prove my worth-while-ness in the Reseda High School family. Due to the outrageous budget cuts that Reseda High is facing, the after-school division of LAUSD (L. A. Unified School District) has decided to cut alot of programs that don't have at least 20 students involved - one of which is my Film Club / Class. The cuts are scaring alot of other groups, as well - including the theatre department and sound production class. I have gotten together with some of the instructors who are on the 'threatened species list' and we have come up with some game plans to stick together during this challenging time.
There is an Open House tomorrow, at which I need to present my case as to WHY the Film Club should stay in existance. I have students making posters, along with myself, which will hopefully leave a lasting impression with the administration - as well as parents, teachers, and students. Wish me luck, because tomorrow I will need alot of it...
I can't wait until tomorrow is done and over with. It will be nice to finally relax after all this pressure and crazyness. Lots of videos will be coming in the next day or two!!!
WOW...things have really been moving along the last few days. It seems like last week Wednesday until now has been a complete and total blur, since I've been crazier than ever editing "CCH: The TV Series". I had my instructor, Sean, at my house at least 4 times during the week until 2 or 3 in the morning editing like CRAZY - but in the end, the result was worth the effort.
Tonight our premiere of "Chaos TV" went off without a hitch. Everyone really enjoyed all of the skectches and I got some great feedback - not just on my editing, but on my writing for "Who's On First - The Parody" and "Part of Your World". After the screening, a large group of cast and crew went to Denny's and Sean picked up the entire tab for everyone - which was so nice.
Tomorrow, my good friend Jared and I will present our Final Exam for Cinematography 1. For the exam, we were asked to study the concepts learned in the class...which, sadly, weren't much. We decided to film non-stop for 2 hours and challenge ourselves to edit and score the move into a 5 minute piece that highlights the entire 2-hour adventure that we took part in on Easter week. It should be pretty cool, and when it's ready (on Friday, most likley), it'll be on YouTube. The other videos from the TV class will also be on YouTube, soon, too.
Tomorrow is also the day that I get to prove my worth-while-ness in the Reseda High School family. Due to the outrageous budget cuts that Reseda High is facing, the after-school division of LAUSD (L. A. Unified School District) has decided to cut alot of programs that don't have at least 20 students involved - one of which is my Film Club / Class. The cuts are scaring alot of other groups, as well - including the theatre department and sound production class. I have gotten together with some of the instructors who are on the 'threatened species list' and we have come up with some game plans to stick together during this challenging time.
There is an Open House tomorrow, at which I need to present my case as to WHY the Film Club should stay in existance. I have students making posters, along with myself, which will hopefully leave a lasting impression with the administration - as well as parents, teachers, and students. Wish me luck, because tomorrow I will need alot of it...
I can't wait until tomorrow is done and over with. It will be nice to finally relax after all this pressure and crazyness. Lots of videos will be coming in the next day or two!!!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Hoppy Easter!
Happy Easter, everyone!
It's so weird having Easter in a land where its 95 degrees and SUPER hot. I was blasting the A/C all day! I even jumped in the pool for a half hour or so today.
Things lately have been going well. I have been VERY busy this past week with my "CCH: The TV Series" class. As many of you know, I am one of the producers/directors for a TV series that the school is sponsoring and broadcasting. As usual, however, I am one of the only people that know how to edit - so I have been giving the exciting job (not) of editing the whole darn TV show together. In some ways I enjoy it, while in other ways, it's the last thing I'd like to be doing right now.
Sean (the instructor) has come over a few times to check out the footage and help give suggestions for editing. He'll be coming over again around 10:30 PM, along with 2 other kids in the class, to check out some final edits. The screening will be on Wednesday and then I will be able to rest easy for a while. In reality, once this entire WEEK is over, I'll be able to rest easy (it's exam time at Columba).
Other than editing like crazy and working on too many projects at once (nothing new there, huh?), life is going well. I am still enjoying the nice weather. Did I mention I am at the pool typing this blog entry?
ANYWAYS, Happy Easter to everyone - I hope all is well back home in the 15 inches of snow.
I'll be posting A LOT of YouTube video links this week to some of my completed works. Get excited.
More to come soon!
It's so weird having Easter in a land where its 95 degrees and SUPER hot. I was blasting the A/C all day! I even jumped in the pool for a half hour or so today.
Things lately have been going well. I have been VERY busy this past week with my "CCH: The TV Series" class. As many of you know, I am one of the producers/directors for a TV series that the school is sponsoring and broadcasting. As usual, however, I am one of the only people that know how to edit - so I have been giving the exciting job (not) of editing the whole darn TV show together. In some ways I enjoy it, while in other ways, it's the last thing I'd like to be doing right now.
Sean (the instructor) has come over a few times to check out the footage and help give suggestions for editing. He'll be coming over again around 10:30 PM, along with 2 other kids in the class, to check out some final edits. The screening will be on Wednesday and then I will be able to rest easy for a while. In reality, once this entire WEEK is over, I'll be able to rest easy (it's exam time at Columba).
Other than editing like crazy and working on too many projects at once (nothing new there, huh?), life is going well. I am still enjoying the nice weather. Did I mention I am at the pool typing this blog entry?
ANYWAYS, Happy Easter to everyone - I hope all is well back home in the 15 inches of snow.
I'll be posting A LOT of YouTube video links this week to some of my completed works. Get excited.
More to come soon!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
30-second update
Good News: I'm working at Universal Studios on Friday - Holiday Pay - 3x!!
Bad News: The IT Department at Columbia College lost my footage for "Part of your world" and "Who's on first". Guess what we might be re-shooting tonight??
Coming Soon: A post about my trip home for the weekend to see OLiVER!
Bad News: The IT Department at Columbia College lost my footage for "Part of your world" and "Who's on first". Guess what we might be re-shooting tonight??
Coming Soon: A post about my trip home for the weekend to see OLiVER!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
WOW!!! Crazy Week!!!
Wow...so much has been going on latley, it's crazy. Here's an update:
1) I passed Red Cross Instructor Training! This is super exciting because now I am an official Red Cross instructor. The class started with 12, ended with 8, and only 4 of us graduated - so it was a VERY good feeling to know that I made it to the end. I even got the highest marks in the class! :)
2) Disney's California Adventure with my friend Jared was a blast. For those of you that didn't hear, I went to California Adventure recently to grab pictures for Disney as a part of a photography contest they are running. I got some neat photo opportunities while also being able to have a BLAST with Jared for the entire day at the Happiest Place on Earth. We had SUCH a good time, and I'm sure we will both be back in the near future.
3) Tonight was the filming of the "Who's On First?" parody (that I wrote), AND the "Part of your world" parody (which I also wrote). It was a GREAT evening and we had a ton of success. The Abbott & Costello parody is going to be a riot; and our Hillary Clinton impersonator was out of this world hilarious. Check out a few shots that we got from the shooting:
The Setup
Artsy shot filming with Amber
Giving notes to our wonderful Hillary impersonator
Notes with Jared, Sean (our instructor; director of shows like Rodney and Home Improvement), and Jody (director of shows like Hannah Montana).
Framing the shot
Kyle sitting in back - overseeing all the action
The star and the director posing for a quick picture.
My FAVORITE picture of the batch!
When I have the final product complete, I'll be posting it on here for sure.
A special thanks to everyone that is still watching this blog and checking back often. I really appreciate you checking out the latest news in my life, and I hope you're enjoying it and maybe even getting a laugh or two out of reading about my life out here in California. I know sometimes I don't update as much as I'd like, but I hope that it dosen't take away from my 'blog experience'.
Thanks Again! I'll be back soon!!
1) I passed Red Cross Instructor Training! This is super exciting because now I am an official Red Cross instructor. The class started with 12, ended with 8, and only 4 of us graduated - so it was a VERY good feeling to know that I made it to the end. I even got the highest marks in the class! :)
2) Disney's California Adventure with my friend Jared was a blast. For those of you that didn't hear, I went to California Adventure recently to grab pictures for Disney as a part of a photography contest they are running. I got some neat photo opportunities while also being able to have a BLAST with Jared for the entire day at the Happiest Place on Earth. We had SUCH a good time, and I'm sure we will both be back in the near future.
3) Tonight was the filming of the "Who's On First?" parody (that I wrote), AND the "Part of your world" parody (which I also wrote). It was a GREAT evening and we had a ton of success. The Abbott & Costello parody is going to be a riot; and our Hillary Clinton impersonator was out of this world hilarious. Check out a few shots that we got from the shooting:
The Setup
Artsy shot filming with Amber
Giving notes to our wonderful Hillary impersonator
Notes with Jared, Sean (our instructor; director of shows like Rodney and Home Improvement), and Jody (director of shows like Hannah Montana).
Framing the shot
Kyle sitting in back - overseeing all the action
The star and the director posing for a quick picture.
My FAVORITE picture of the batch!
When I have the final product complete, I'll be posting it on here for sure.
A special thanks to everyone that is still watching this blog and checking back often. I really appreciate you checking out the latest news in my life, and I hope you're enjoying it and maybe even getting a laugh or two out of reading about my life out here in California. I know sometimes I don't update as much as I'd like, but I hope that it dosen't take away from my 'blog experience'.
Thanks Again! I'll be back soon!!
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
A Roller Coaster of Updates
Hello, everyone! It's time for some more quick updates.
1) CCH: The TV Series - Things are going to hell. But, as always, TV has its ups and downs. Three sketches were supposed to be filming this week. Ironically enough, they were all mine - "Part of your world" spoof, "Who's on first?" spoof, and the "Mac/PC Ad" spoof. 2 of the actors left our cast for unkown reasons, and one of our actresses is sick. Yep. That definatley sucks. It should be interesting to see how class goes tonight.
2) Reseda High School - Things are going great at Reseda. My students are getting ready for a few film shoots, and they have everyone at school talking about them. It should be neat to see their work over the next few weeks, as I'm sure it'll be nothing but entertaining!
3) Krystal's Grandma Passed - It brings me great sadness to report that Krystal's grandmother has passed on. Obviously, this is a very difficult time for her and her family, so I am just stepping back and helping fill in wherever I can. I know some of you had expressed concerns earlier this week for Krystal's family, and I will make sure to pass those along the next time I talk with her. I know she appreciates all the support and care....even from thousands of miles away in Wisconsin.
For now, that's all folks! More to come in the next day or so.
1) CCH: The TV Series - Things are going to hell. But, as always, TV has its ups and downs. Three sketches were supposed to be filming this week. Ironically enough, they were all mine - "Part of your world" spoof, "Who's on first?" spoof, and the "Mac/PC Ad" spoof. 2 of the actors left our cast for unkown reasons, and one of our actresses is sick. Yep. That definatley sucks. It should be interesting to see how class goes tonight.
2) Reseda High School - Things are going great at Reseda. My students are getting ready for a few film shoots, and they have everyone at school talking about them. It should be neat to see their work over the next few weeks, as I'm sure it'll be nothing but entertaining!
3) Krystal's Grandma Passed - It brings me great sadness to report that Krystal's grandmother has passed on. Obviously, this is a very difficult time for her and her family, so I am just stepping back and helping fill in wherever I can. I know some of you had expressed concerns earlier this week for Krystal's family, and I will make sure to pass those along the next time I talk with her. I know she appreciates all the support and care....even from thousands of miles away in Wisconsin.
For now, that's all folks! More to come in the next day or so.
Monday, March 03, 2008
Red Cross Boot Camp Weekend
This past weekend was CRAZY!! Friday, Saturday, and Sunday I spent my entire day at the Red Cross learning skills in CPR, First Aid, AED, and a few other fun things. The skills I learned were great and I think they will be good to have, but being able to master the skills was not an easy task. I had a little trouble getting all the concepts down in a fast-paced environment, but I DID eventually manage to get them down, so life is good!
Outside of my crazy weekend at the Red Cross, everything else is going well.
Reseda High School is keeping me happy. We'll be releasing a new fundraising plan soon, and we are also starting to film a new movie - which is fun.
School, as usual, has me running around like crazy. The TV Series class is a lot of fun, but also a fair amount of drama as well. Like any school, there are always complications with stuff such as 'finding a budget'.
On a different (and sad) note, Krystal went home this evening to deal with a family emergency - her Grandma isn't doing well and is in the hospital. With a little luck, all will turn out well. Obviously, her and her family are on my mind and I hope they continue to show their strength is this challenging time.
Life is going pretty well right now. Things are picking up for me and I seem to slowly be getting busier and busier. I'm still stuck with the 'I miss back home' syndrome, and I think it's going to stay like that for a while. As much as I enjoy the small handful of friends I am (slowly) getting to know out here, nothing beats being back home. Everyone is reminding me that the Spring Musical back home is coming up, so I will for sure be making an effort to make it home for that.
More to come soon! Thanks for continuing to read :-)
Outside of my crazy weekend at the Red Cross, everything else is going well.
Reseda High School is keeping me happy. We'll be releasing a new fundraising plan soon, and we are also starting to film a new movie - which is fun.
School, as usual, has me running around like crazy. The TV Series class is a lot of fun, but also a fair amount of drama as well. Like any school, there are always complications with stuff such as 'finding a budget'.
On a different (and sad) note, Krystal went home this evening to deal with a family emergency - her Grandma isn't doing well and is in the hospital. With a little luck, all will turn out well. Obviously, her and her family are on my mind and I hope they continue to show their strength is this challenging time.
Life is going pretty well right now. Things are picking up for me and I seem to slowly be getting busier and busier. I'm still stuck with the 'I miss back home' syndrome, and I think it's going to stay like that for a while. As much as I enjoy the small handful of friends I am (slowly) getting to know out here, nothing beats being back home. Everyone is reminding me that the Spring Musical back home is coming up, so I will for sure be making an effort to make it home for that.
More to come soon! Thanks for continuing to read :-)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)