mind explosion - 2009style

so this is 2009, huh?
well this is kinda anticlimactic...

or is it?

even in this time of economic hardship, i refuse to walk with my head down. an economic downturn should be the best time to be an entrepreneur! after all, if I can find a way to be successful while the economy is struggling, I am sure to grow within a thriving economy.

I refrained from making new years resolutions this year.

last year, for the first time in my life, I was able to follow through on my resolutions for 2008.

with that said, I don't want to have my goals artificially set by the calendar year. the fact is, innovation and inspiration don't always follow a calendar. (good point Apple. if y'all don't have to be ready with upgrades for MacWorld, why should I?) if I feel inspired to do something, I will do it - as fast and efficiently as I know how. instead of setting broad goals for the year, I set down ground rules by which I live. some of these rules are taken from my childhood and upbringing. other rules are created as I mature and learn new things. nothing is set in stone and if there's reason to change, I am open to that. for now though, these are some of my thoughts going into the new year, as well as some of my short-term goals, and things I look forward to...

- i'd like to use this winter break to create a stronger web presence for West Egg Productions. right now, WEP is taking time to further strengthen our team. in doing so, we're printing business cards (that are in the design phase now). we're also creating a comprehensive website showcasing the various members of our team, our respective skillsets/backgrounds, and examples of our work - both collaborative and independent projects, alike.

-school is extremely important to me. I expect to graduate in june. holding off on business school for now. i've recently had a voracious appetite for articles about business, entrepreneurship, finance, and management. I may enroll in a part-time MBA program in the future if I feel it's a step in the right direction. right now, i'm not ready to commit myself to more years of full-time education.

-some online services that will be very clutch in the new year for both me and my start-up:
+www.mozy.com - unlimited online file backup at a low cost. looking into this one...
+www.lynda.com - great site for detailed video tutorials on various pro apps.
+www.efactor.com - great networking tool for entrepreneurs.

-one of my guiding principles: if someone on the street looks interesting, do not hesitate. there are too many opportunities missed in that moment of hesitation. if someone on the train next to me is reading a screenplay, I will make my best effort to meet them. that also applies to any other industry-relevent prop.
+i make an active effort to get a business card from someone interesting each day.
+i try to e-mail or call anyone I meet and constantly think of ways we can help each other.
+i want to be surrounded by people that challenge me -
people that will inspire me to show the absolute best version of my self at all times

-i've had the habit of taking everything personally in the past. i'm done with that.
anyone who questions me is only extending an invite to be proven wrong.
simple as that - more fuel for the fire.

-my brother will probably be off to business school by September. i'm considering a place in brooklyn with some friends. after getting inspired by the artist collectives who's parties I frequently attend, I've started to consider the possibility of one amongst my own friends. house of yes and the danger house are my inspirations thus far.
potential housemates include, but are not limited to:
+painter/illustrator/musician Maurice Blanco (www.mauriceblanco.blogspot.com)
+DJ/MC/web designer Rome - a friend from Hunter College
+filmmaker/apple genius/West Egg partner Danny Reynolds
it'd be nice to have space that can double as both a performance space and living quarters.
i was thinking everything from live painting events to screenings to parties with musical guests.

anyway, i've got a lot to say - not even close to done yet BUT, as I begin to really focus on my professional life outside of school, i'll be sharing more thoughts on the interweb for all to see.

keep your eyes open.

-e

P.S: just got an internship at CBS for my last undergrad semester. pretty excited.

P.P.S: I think i'm going to try and post a "looking back at '08" blog at some point soon. we'll see. it's not very high up on my to-do list (which are the best organizational tool ever, btw).

arite, arite, arite...

first things first, sinatra is blasting away as i wake up on this fine morning.

just wanted to put in a quick director's file entry that i actually wrote on a piece of paper on the 18th. check it out.

my brother was flipping through channels and he stopped to watch "The Sandlot".

I immediately started paying attention to the way this film is shot.

It's quite interesting how slapstick-y some of the framing, blocking, and sound is.

here's an example i picked up on. i assure you that there are many more.

we see a low-angle medium close-up shot from behind a young boy.

we see the outline of his shoulders and head. beyond his frame, is a seemingly gigantic fence.

we hear dog-barking and immediately we are lead to the exact place the director wants us.

it's an interesting way to "fake it". it's also a good way to say something with limited resources. the director was very effective in communicating his message.

another thing, i wrote about this a week ago but never put it online...

i've been paying more attention to the way people speak. no, that doesn't mean i'm walking around eavesdropping. well, it might BUT, i don't actually care about WHAT they are saying. just HOW they speak. When I took STAGES at North a few years back, we had to do an exercise like this. I learned a lot from it then. To this day, I still find myself thinking about that stuff. I mean, it's something I can still learn from. As someone who is not extremely confident in writing realistic dialogue, it allows me to pick up on patterns and other subtlties of common speech.

anyway, that's all for now.

write again soon.

e

sinatra is great...

if there is ever a morning that i think is going to suck, i put on some sinatra and all of a sudden, that morning just sucks a little less.

can't help but feel inspired by him.

work and stuff

so i've been seriously neglecting this thing. sorry bout that. time to catch up a bit.

since september, i've been cutting promo's for artists like Shontelle, Hinder, Lloyd, Fatman Scoop, and some others. it's been keeping me pretty busy (and pretty antisocial) but i need the money. i'm also shooting a promo for Caitlin Krisko as she records some new material.

i'm saving up. i turn 21 at the end of this month and it'd be a dream come true to buy a SCARLET. you can find out more about this camera on their website... www.red.com
it's pretty phemonenal technology, and the owner is only continuing to hype it.
he has created an open forum online where fans can speculate about their upcoming announcement. the owner has a way with words... "Come Nov. 13th you will hear more than you ever expected... then you will have to wait again (for delivery). The message will be more than you could have ever dreamed. Then the wait will be..." he likes to leave us all on the edge of our seats.

anyway, this past weekend, i helped out on a music video. It was being directed by Randy Scott Slavin, who is family, and has been my mentor for many years. The video was for semi-newly-signed Atlantic Records recording artist Ryan Star. He has his Atlantic debut coming out in 2009 titled "11:59" and the video was for the song that'll prolly be the first single... "Right Now"
The shoot was a lot of fun. I'm not the only one who felt this way. Can't wait to see a cut.

last thing - i'm gonna start using this blog to post some things for my directing class. as an ongoing assignment, we're supposed to make a "director's file". in essence, a blog of noteworthy observations and such things made as a director. first thing of note is this website... http://www.gointothestory.com/ it's moderated by a fairly successful screenwriter and is a great place to read useful and relevent material.

gotta get back to work. talk soon.

e

oh yeah... i bought two domain names. sites will be coming soon.
just waiting on some web developers i've been in talks with.

www.westeggproductions.com
www.eSpotFilms.com

www.rstar.net

at the start of july 08, i had 3 videos on my youtube account.

i now have 21 posted.

check it out.

www.youtube.com/nopr03lem

oh yeah, i'm also being featured on www.rstar.net

ballin'

e

Sept 11, 2008

Sorry I haven't written in a long time. I'm going to try to start writing regularly again. In my screen directing class, I've been asked to keep a "director's file". Since it's meant to be kept like a journal, I'll prolly use this as a means to share what I find.

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Anyway, I feel that it's appropriate to write today, September 11, 2008.

It's been seven years since one of the most shocking, and tragic days of my life - the day I realized the vulnerability of New York, and furthermore, the United States of America.

It was a really scary day. I was sitting in my high school's library. The TV Studio I had helped build was located in the back room, so it was my usual hangout during my free time. They had a TV with basic cable for the library staff and I remember hearing the gasps. I thought it was a joke at first. I guess that was just an optimistic hope. Ten minutes later, my eyes were glued to the TV and quickly starting to water. I wasn't the only one. Everyone was shocked by the horrible thought. They were innocent people just spending a normal day at work. They probably ate breakfast the same way they did the day before. It's unimaginable. Well, it was unimaginable seven years ago. In reacting to this day of horror, we, as a country, united in declaring a war on terror. It seems like the country has been on a steady decline since. The war, amongst other things, has drained our economy. A country, once united in an effort to survive and rebuild is now united in counting down the days til our president leaves office.

It's been seven years and I'm still hoping every day that we'll get through it.

e

p.s: those of you that know me know that i'm not interested in politics. i have, though, started to think about this election and i simply don't wanna write about it. the honest reason why is because I personally don't have faith in either pair. like i said above, i'm just hoping we get through this gigantic hole we're in.

been kinda sick all week.

it sucks.

gotta try and do work.

gr.