who'll stop the rain?

I love it when it rains here . . . well, I love it when it rains anywhere, but it doesn't happen often here in Utah. It's a different sort than the clean, refreshing type we have in Oregon. Not half as beautiful or rejuvenating, but it will have to do.

The best part about it raining here is that people are always so amazed. It seems to become THE topic of discussion. You can hear people say, "How about this rain!" as they walk by on their cell phones, or run into an old friend and the first thing he says after "How are you?" is "It's raining!" . . . (both of which happened on my walk back to my apartment today). It's a big deal here. I arrived at my apartment dripping. I loved it. It reminded me of home.

the view outside my bedroom window at about 6pm this evening

Otherwise, life is crazy busy. School is nearly over for the year (I'm READY for that) and theatre is going well. The show I designed (Sarah, Plain and Tall) is going into the scene shop this week . . . as in it's going to start building soon. And, they've made the official scenic design decisions for next year and will be emailing them out soon. I'm anxious about it!

Jeremy Brown recently returned from his two-year mission in Sao Paulo, Brasil and came up for the weekend to visit and help celebrate Elizabeth's birthday. Fabulous.

I called the guy out at the LDS Motion Picture Studio about maybe working for them this summer. He said he'd talk to his shop foreman about hiring me as a scenic and call me tomorrow. I don't think this is a case of, "don't call us, we'll call you" because he sounded genuinely interested and I was also referred to him by his close friend (my boss at BYU).

And finally, I might be buying a car this summer. I know I said that last summer, but I'm even more serious this time. I'll post pictures when/if the time comes, but it's not going to be right away. Nothing's set . . . but things are looking good.

Live @ Loreley

I would just like to post a quick note and shout out a huge THANK YOU for making today, this most stressful of days, so absolutely fantastic. And also for making me laugh with abandon. There is now a certain plain and lopsided girl hanging on my wall. She is loved.

I'm not dead. I just disappeared for a bit.

For the last several days, I have barely seen anyone except for the crew of the TMA 419 project entitled Bubbie. I was asked to do the Art Direction for the film, and we wrapped our first weekend of shooting on Saturday night. We will finish shooting during the last weekend in March.

I was dreading the shooting of this film because the pre-production work has been so hectic and frustrating. Well, I won't pretend that the work we did this weekend wasn't hectic and frustrating, but it was also wildly fulfilling. I loved being on set and watching the entire process. I loved the crew and had a great time. Interestingly, I decided that I would like to try cinematography some day. I don't know how I will be able to accomplish this feat, but I'd like to try. Maybe Cambell will let me shoot one of his films some day. I need to learn how to use a camera first. Maybe he could teach me.

Allow me to explain the nature of this project that recently consumed my life. Students who major in Media Arts (AKA: film) have the opportunity to apply for the chance to direct a short film with department funding and the use of the best departmental equipment. Only about five students are allowed to do so. Because the program is so competitive, it is a privilege to work on (esp. direct) a 419 project. (TMA 419 is the class in which you enroll for the project.) The result of this selective process is a surprisingly professional atmosphere on set. I'll admit that pre-production meetings with the director were irregular and scattered, but on set, everyone was at the top of their game. It was fun, but it felt like a real film shoot with all the proper technical roles being filled. I can't pretend to know what a professional film shoot is like, but I discussed it with several others, and apparently, this was pretty close.

Here are some pictures I snapped from this weekend:

Our producers, Rob and Lauren. Not that they chipped in any money, but they were in charge of keeping people (esp. the cast) happy and making sure money was going to the right departments. I snapped this picture while we were out looking at the mobile home . . . a location scout, if you will.

Cole, the DP, in the green and while jacket. DP = Director of Photography = Cinematographer

The director Matt, on the floor in the red, helping Jessika (my co-art director) and I hang wallpaper in the middle of the night. Also, Jessika's shoes standing on the hip chairs from my apartment we used for the film. We pulled several late nights to get the set ready for whatever was shooting the next day. From Wednesday afternoon to Saturday evening, I spent about nine hours at home and five hours in class. Every other waking moment was on location. Yeah, the art crew was busy.

The film in Jessika's 35mm camera ran out and it took TWO film majors FIVE minutes to get a new roll of film in. I kid you not. It was hilarious and I took a picture of it. The guy in grey is Nate, the Best Boy Electric.

Cole being awesome. Alla (1st Assistant Camera) is to the left of him and Paul (2nd Assistant Camera) to the right.

Cole and Matt (Director and Screenwriter) discussing a scene while Alla and Karen (the actress who played Bubbie (the grandma)) look on. So, guess what book it is that she reads in that scene? I had to grab some books from my bedroom as set decoration, and this one ended up as the one she was reading. I was so tickled. Think: Jackson. (And no, it's not Citizen Soldier or The Jungle.)

Cole and Paul. Cole was probably my favorite person on the shoot. He's talented, he didn't jack around and didn't let other people jack around, and he was hilarious.

Hello, monitor. That's Caleb. He played Scott.

A shot I took of some of the lighting equipment from behind more lighting equipment.

Film majors have the coolest shoes. Have you ever noticed that before?

It was an eventful weekend and I am officially alarmingly behind in all of my classes. No worries, I shall pull through. I always do. I'm looking forward to shooting again. I wish I could get involved with the post-production stuff like editing, but I have absolutely no time.

In related news, I was very pleased that Memoirs of a Geisha won the Art Direction and Cinematography Oscars last night. Gorgeous film.