It is with pleasure that I announce that Write For Me is finished! You can check out our trailer here
We launched our GoFundMe page last week: http://www.gofundme.com/rj7yxs5d and have raised $145 out of our $200 goal. We truly appreciate all the support we have received and cannot wait to start submitting it to film festivals.
Our film will be shown to the public for the first time on Friday 5/8 at UNCW in the student film screening, so come out at 7pm to King Auditorium to show your support.
It has been a long journey, but I could not be happier with the end result, and am excited to hear feedback on the film. I hope you have enjoyed reading my blog. Comment on this post what you think about the film.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Visions Response
On Friday, April 17th I attended Visions Film Festival and Conference. I
went to the first film block and the second conference. I had a great time at
the event and was really happy I went. It was my second year attending Visions,
and I had a similar experience both years.
In general I have always been more interested in film production than film theory so I found the film screenings more entertaining then the conference block. For the film block I found their choices in films to be interesting. There were a lot of silent films with a more serious tone to them than I remembered in the previous year. Due to my personal preference I would have liked to see more carefree films. I found the documentaries to be especially interesting in the film block. I think the fact that I am in the process of creating my own documentary attributed to that factor. When I was watching the other documentaries I played close attention to how they were edited to get inspiration for the editing of my own film.
Attending Visions made me really excited for the opportunity to submit to film festivals when I finish my documentary, and I hope to attend all of the festivals my film gets submitted into. I especially enjoyed the Q&A portion of the film. It made me think about what questions people might ask me about my film and the process it took to make it.
The conference portion of Visions was also interesting. I found the film speaker, who spoke on Spirited Away, to be a little difficult to follow along with because I have never seen the film. Even when she gave examples on screen I had wished that I had seen the movie so I could understand better what she was talking about. I think the conference portion is more entertaining when you as an audience member are more knowledgeable on the subjects
In general I have always been more interested in film production than film theory so I found the film screenings more entertaining then the conference block. For the film block I found their choices in films to be interesting. There were a lot of silent films with a more serious tone to them than I remembered in the previous year. Due to my personal preference I would have liked to see more carefree films. I found the documentaries to be especially interesting in the film block. I think the fact that I am in the process of creating my own documentary attributed to that factor. When I was watching the other documentaries I played close attention to how they were edited to get inspiration for the editing of my own film.
Attending Visions made me really excited for the opportunity to submit to film festivals when I finish my documentary, and I hope to attend all of the festivals my film gets submitted into. I especially enjoyed the Q&A portion of the film. It made me think about what questions people might ask me about my film and the process it took to make it.
The conference portion of Visions was also interesting. I found the film speaker, who spoke on Spirited Away, to be a little difficult to follow along with because I have never seen the film. Even when she gave examples on screen I had wished that I had seen the movie so I could understand better what she was talking about. I think the conference portion is more entertaining when you as an audience member are more knowledgeable on the subjects
Friday, April 17, 2015
Week Twelve and Thirteen Documenary Update
"Write For Me" has finally reached post production!
We finished filming his week, and are wrapping up editing with an image lock and sound mix for Monday 4/20. On Wednesday 4/15 we went back and filmed Ben Palmer, the singer songwriter, again. He was a joy to work with and I honestly could have made a documentary about him alone, maybe it will become a future project of mine. On Thursday 4/16 we filmed Signal Fire's band practice. Due to scheduling issues we were unable to record Down With It playing, but if it is necessary we will use found footage for their broll. I am extremely happy with the way this documentary has turned out, and cannot wait to release the final cut of the film.
Our crew has launched our social media pages this week for "Write For Me", and will continue to update them. You can see our documentary poster on the pages as well. Here are the links:
http://writeformefilm.weebly.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Write-for-Me/932842426747186
https://twitter.com/WriteforMeFilm
In May we will begin to submit to festivals and are launching a GoFundMe page as a fundraiser for them. When the page is complete I will post the links to it.
Make sure you check back on the blog next week for a trailer to the documentary!
We finished filming his week, and are wrapping up editing with an image lock and sound mix for Monday 4/20. On Wednesday 4/15 we went back and filmed Ben Palmer, the singer songwriter, again. He was a joy to work with and I honestly could have made a documentary about him alone, maybe it will become a future project of mine. On Thursday 4/16 we filmed Signal Fire's band practice. Due to scheduling issues we were unable to record Down With It playing, but if it is necessary we will use found footage for their broll. I am extremely happy with the way this documentary has turned out, and cannot wait to release the final cut of the film.
Our crew has launched our social media pages this week for "Write For Me", and will continue to update them. You can see our documentary poster on the pages as well. Here are the links:
http://writeformefilm.weebly.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Write-for-Me/932842426747186
https://twitter.com/WriteforMeFilm
In May we will begin to submit to festivals and are launching a GoFundMe page as a fundraiser for them. When the page is complete I will post the links to it.
Make sure you check back on the blog next week for a trailer to the documentary!
Friday, April 3, 2015
Week Ten and Eleven Documentary Update
We recently filmed Stray Local's band practice and got a lot of great content. The band acted as if we weren't even there and it created a great behind the scenes look. We still have to film Joey's and Sean's band practices. I am a little worried that we are running out of time. It has become increasingly harder to schedule interviews, but I am confident we will get it done.
I will finish editing a rough cut this week and am hoping to post a trailer for the documentary online to my Vimeo in the following week. We have decided on the title Write For Me for the documentary. Jonathan is working on online content for it. We will be launching a Go Fund Me page soon to gain money to submit to festivals. We will also have a website for the documentary. I am in the process of researching what festivals to submit to. When these pages are launched I will be sure to post them to my blog. Stay tuned for more details!
I will finish editing a rough cut this week and am hoping to post a trailer for the documentary online to my Vimeo in the following week. We have decided on the title Write For Me for the documentary. Jonathan is working on online content for it. We will be launching a Go Fund Me page soon to gain money to submit to festivals. We will also have a website for the documentary. I am in the process of researching what festivals to submit to. When these pages are launched I will be sure to post them to my blog. Stay tuned for more details!
Monday, March 16, 2015
Week Eight and Nine Documentary Progress Update
Our documentary has moved towards the post production phase. I am beginning to edit down the interviews and have been breaking them up into small segments. Starting this weekend I will begin to edit a full rough cut. I hope to have a rough cut edited by next Friday 3/23 to show my crew. We are still filming Broll. We plan to film Stray Local's band practice next Tuesday 3/24 and possibly Signal Fire and down with it later on this week or next week. After the first rough cut we plan to schedule any necessary followup interviews.
We are beginning to look at festivals to submit to within the next few weeks. I look forward to the opportunity and am excited to start funding. We are still working out the details of how we will do a fundraising page, but the majority of the money we raise will be dedicated towards festival submission fees.
I am also working on titles for the documentary. I have narrowed it down to my top three and hope to have one picked out soon so I can work on promotional pieces for the documentary. Things are going really well, and I look forward to the progress we will continue to make.
We are beginning to look at festivals to submit to within the next few weeks. I look forward to the opportunity and am excited to start funding. We are still working out the details of how we will do a fundraising page, but the majority of the money we raise will be dedicated towards festival submission fees.
I am also working on titles for the documentary. I have narrowed it down to my top three and hope to have one picked out soon so I can work on promotional pieces for the documentary. Things are going really well, and I look forward to the progress we will continue to make.
Monday, March 2, 2015
Week Seven Documentary Progress Update
This weekend my crew put in a lot of hours, but the reward was great! The production took about 9 hours and took place in three different locations. This weekend wrapped up the filming of our initial expert interviews.
The first interview was of Sean, the lead singer from Signal Fire. We interviewed Sean in his home in the room that Signal Fire has their band practices. We asked Sean a series of questions, and he gave us great input on what it is like to be the front man and primary songwriter for his band. The band focuses on trying to get their positive message across to listeners.
The second interview was of Joey, the lead guitarist from down with it. We filmed Joey in his bands new practice space. Joey was able to open up about the songwriting process from a guitarists perspective and offered a lot of interesting insight on the topic. Joey's band likes to write about heavy topics, and their songs have messages ranging from animal rights to speaking out against rape.
The final interview was of Hannah, one of the singers of Stray Local. We interviewed Hannah in the bands home, in a room that they hold their band practices in. Hannah talked about what it is like to collaborate with a band to write songs. She spoke highly of her band and the process that they undergo to write songs as a band.
We will be taking a break from production over the next two weeks to focus on post production. We will continue filming over the week of March 16th.
The first interview was of Sean, the lead singer from Signal Fire. We interviewed Sean in his home in the room that Signal Fire has their band practices. We asked Sean a series of questions, and he gave us great input on what it is like to be the front man and primary songwriter for his band. The band focuses on trying to get their positive message across to listeners.
The second interview was of Joey, the lead guitarist from down with it. We filmed Joey in his bands new practice space. Joey was able to open up about the songwriting process from a guitarists perspective and offered a lot of interesting insight on the topic. Joey's band likes to write about heavy topics, and their songs have messages ranging from animal rights to speaking out against rape.
The final interview was of Hannah, one of the singers of Stray Local. We interviewed Hannah in the bands home, in a room that they hold their band practices in. Hannah talked about what it is like to collaborate with a band to write songs. She spoke highly of her band and the process that they undergo to write songs as a band.
We will be taking a break from production over the next two weeks to focus on post production. We will continue filming over the week of March 16th.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Week Six Documentary Progress Update
This week we filmed our first interview with Ben the singer songwriter. We were supposed to film a second interview with Hannah from the female folk band, but she had to reschedule due to having the flu. We plan to still finish the first round of film interviews before spring break, so we will not be behind schedule.
The interview with Ben went unbelievably well. He was incredibly easy to work with. He had a lot of experience with interviews, and worked with us to help the process run smoothly. He offered to unplug his refrigerator, turn off the AC, and even change his shirt if he needed to. The content of the interview was also great. He more or less stayed on topic the whole time and gave us a lot of material to work with. He primarily writes instrumental pieces without lyrics, so he talked more about the emotions behind songwriting than the memories. I am really excited to see how it will tie in with the other interviews. The only negative aspect to the interview was that Ben was wearing glasses and the light kept getting caught in his glasses. In retrospect I should have told him to take off the glasses because now I will have to try and fix it in post production.
The interview with Ben went unbelievably well. He was incredibly easy to work with. He had a lot of experience with interviews, and worked with us to help the process run smoothly. He offered to unplug his refrigerator, turn off the AC, and even change his shirt if he needed to. The content of the interview was also great. He more or less stayed on topic the whole time and gave us a lot of material to work with. He primarily writes instrumental pieces without lyrics, so he talked more about the emotions behind songwriting than the memories. I am really excited to see how it will tie in with the other interviews. The only negative aspect to the interview was that Ben was wearing glasses and the light kept getting caught in his glasses. In retrospect I should have told him to take off the glasses because now I will have to try and fix it in post production.
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Week Four Documentary Progess Update
This week we made a lot of progress with the documentary. We have begun to move onto production and filmed Signal Fire's live show at Ziggy's By The Sea on Saturday, February 7th. We filmed the live show on an HD camera set up with a tripod and a GoPro. We recorded sound by hooking up an H4n to the FOH audio through an XLR cable. We plan to interview Sean the singer songwriter for the band during the last weekend of February. We will then schedule a followup interview with him in March. Sean and his band were incredibly friendly and welcoming to the crew. I look forward to working with them this semester.
Jonathan and I also attended a show on Sunday, February 8th where we met Stray Local. They were also incredibly friendly and enthusiastic about the documentary. This has really put me at ease about interviewing them in the upcoming weeks. For Stray Local we are going to take more of a group interview approach because they collaborate more as a band to write their songs. We plan on doing the first interview with them Tuesday, February 17th.
We are still working on locking down our other two experts for the documentary, but have people in mind and are looking to solidify them in the next two weeks.
Jonathan and I also attended a show on Sunday, February 8th where we met Stray Local. They were also incredibly friendly and enthusiastic about the documentary. This has really put me at ease about interviewing them in the upcoming weeks. For Stray Local we are going to take more of a group interview approach because they collaborate more as a band to write their songs. We plan on doing the first interview with them Tuesday, February 17th.
We are still working on locking down our other two experts for the documentary, but have people in mind and are looking to solidify them in the next two weeks.
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Documentary 1st Interview Questions
1. What instruments do you play and how long have you been playing those instruments? and/or how long have you been singing?
2. What genre of music do you like to play the best and why?
3. What genre of music do you like to listen to the best and why?
4. Are there any artists that inspire your music if so what artists and why?
5. What gives you inspiration to write music from your personal life?
5. What is your favorite song you have written and why?
6. Explain what it is like to share a song you have written with your band
7. Explain what it is like to share a song you have written to a live audience for the first time
8. What memories do you have associated to the songs you play live?
9. How does the songwriting process effect you emotionally?
10. Is there a subject you want to write a song about but haven't?
11. What message do you want people to take away from your music?
2. What genre of music do you like to play the best and why?
3. What genre of music do you like to listen to the best and why?
4. Are there any artists that inspire your music if so what artists and why?
5. What gives you inspiration to write music from your personal life?
5. What is your favorite song you have written and why?
6. Explain what it is like to share a song you have written with your band
7. Explain what it is like to share a song you have written to a live audience for the first time
8. What memories do you have associated to the songs you play live?
9. How does the songwriting process effect you emotionally?
10. Is there a subject you want to write a song about but haven't?
11. What message do you want people to take away from your music?
Hardcore Band Bio's
Right now we are in the process of deciding between two Hardcore bands for the documentary so I will provide bios for both.
Society Sucker is a Hardcore band from Wilmington, NC. The band began playing shows in June 2013. Society Sucker consists of five members Ian, Robert, Chris, Jared, and Lenny. They currently have a five song EP titled S/T, which was released in September of 2014. Society Sucker continues to remain active in the North Carolina Hardcore Scene, and can next be seen live on March 26th in Raleigh, NC.
"down in it." is a Hardcore band from Wilmington, NC featuring Shane Michael, Fletch, Lar, Dono, and Meatle. Their band is known for practicing the straight edge lifestyle and being vegans. "down in it." has released three different EP's titled A New Sun, Unrelenting, I'm In Hell, and 32.3.1. The last EP 32.3.1 was released in November of 2014. They formed as an official band in early 2014.
Society Sucker is a Hardcore band from Wilmington, NC. The band began playing shows in June 2013. Society Sucker consists of five members Ian, Robert, Chris, Jared, and Lenny. They currently have a five song EP titled S/T, which was released in September of 2014. Society Sucker continues to remain active in the North Carolina Hardcore Scene, and can next be seen live on March 26th in Raleigh, NC.
"down in it." is a Hardcore band from Wilmington, NC featuring Shane Michael, Fletch, Lar, Dono, and Meatle. Their band is known for practicing the straight edge lifestyle and being vegans. "down in it." has released three different EP's titled A New Sun, Unrelenting, I'm In Hell, and 32.3.1. The last EP 32.3.1 was released in November of 2014. They formed as an official band in early 2014.
Monday, January 19, 2015
Documentaty Concept
When most people think of music documentaries they think of ones made for a specific band or genre of music. I am not saying there is anything wrong with documentaries like that, I mean I wish I could have made One Direction: This Is Us, but what about what got these bands and genres to be where they are today?
I am making a documentary about the songwriting process and it's effect on the musicians that undergo it. The documentary will follow three to four bands. I would like to interview a band with a female front artist, a hardcore band, an up and coming band, and a band of veterans in the music industry. By interviewing a variety of genres and demographics to the scene I hope to create a documentary that doesn't focus on selling a specific band or genre, but enlightens the audience on what its like to create and share music and how that changes over time.
My idea for this documentary stemmed from my passion for music. I can't play an instrument or sing, but for every phase in my life there have been songs that I have loved. These songs have been associated with my happiest experiences to my hardest letdowns, and despite how much time has gone by if you play one of these songs from my past I will be taken back immediately. For instance the song You and Me by Lifehouse still reminds me of my middle school crush despite how much time has passed, and Brown Eyed Girl takes me back to a diner in California with my dad when I was thirteen. These memories haven't changed despite how many times I have heard these songs since then. This concept got me wondering how or if this is different for the bands that wrote this songs.
For the documentary I want to uncover concepts such as what is it like to share a song about something deeply personal with your band, and what it is like from the bands perspective to play that song live. Does the band members associate their own memories to the song? Do memories associated with songs change once these songs are played live? What is it like to play a song about something as devastating as death from someone who has never experienced it. What is it like for someone who has? What is it like to play a song you wrote when you were eighteen? I feel like there are so many questions about the emotional ties to musicians music that no one ever talks about. How do their memories and emotions come into play when performing these songs live for strangers or privately for their band members?
My hope for the documentary is to create something everyone that cares about music can find interesting. I want to tell the story from a perspective where it doesn't matter who these bands are or where their futures will take them. I hope to bring the audience on an emotional journey, and at the end they are able to have a new found appreciation for the bands they listen to.
I am making a documentary about the songwriting process and it's effect on the musicians that undergo it. The documentary will follow three to four bands. I would like to interview a band with a female front artist, a hardcore band, an up and coming band, and a band of veterans in the music industry. By interviewing a variety of genres and demographics to the scene I hope to create a documentary that doesn't focus on selling a specific band or genre, but enlightens the audience on what its like to create and share music and how that changes over time.
My idea for this documentary stemmed from my passion for music. I can't play an instrument or sing, but for every phase in my life there have been songs that I have loved. These songs have been associated with my happiest experiences to my hardest letdowns, and despite how much time has gone by if you play one of these songs from my past I will be taken back immediately. For instance the song You and Me by Lifehouse still reminds me of my middle school crush despite how much time has passed, and Brown Eyed Girl takes me back to a diner in California with my dad when I was thirteen. These memories haven't changed despite how many times I have heard these songs since then. This concept got me wondering how or if this is different for the bands that wrote this songs.
For the documentary I want to uncover concepts such as what is it like to share a song about something deeply personal with your band, and what it is like from the bands perspective to play that song live. Does the band members associate their own memories to the song? Do memories associated with songs change once these songs are played live? What is it like to play a song about something as devastating as death from someone who has never experienced it. What is it like for someone who has? What is it like to play a song you wrote when you were eighteen? I feel like there are so many questions about the emotional ties to musicians music that no one ever talks about. How do their memories and emotions come into play when performing these songs live for strangers or privately for their band members?
My hope for the documentary is to create something everyone that cares about music can find interesting. I want to tell the story from a perspective where it doesn't matter who these bands are or where their futures will take them. I hope to bring the audience on an emotional journey, and at the end they are able to have a new found appreciation for the bands they listen to.
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