Hello, readers. I know it's been forever since I last updated but I have been way beyond busy. I've worked on 5 short films, kept on top of homework, and worked on preparing for my Cannes Film Festival internship, which I fly out for in a month. On top of all of that, and the reason I'm writing today, I have had the great privilege of directing Take Her to the Graveyard by Cory Soukup for Theatrix's New Artists Festival.
For those of you who don't know, Theatrix is the student-run theatre at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Every year in the spring they put on the New Artists Festival (NAF). NAF gives student playwrights and directors a chance to produce and direct brand new plays. Plays range from 10 minutes to full-length productions depending on the plays submitted to Theatrix for consideration.
When I was a freshman at UNL trying to figure out what major I wanted, I got involved with NAF as a makeup artist and designer. I had no idea what I was doing and I had a blast. Ever since then, after seeing the actors and directors working together and having so much fun, I dreamed of directing for NAF myself.
Tomorrow that dream comes true. Not only am I directing a fantastic comedy by a very talented writer, but one of my own plays, An Overactive Imagination was also chosen for this year's production. An Overactive Imagination is directed by Shannon Hanson, who I had the great pleasure of casting in both of my larger projects in my Directing 1 class last year.
What makes this night even more special are the people surrounding me. Our assistant Stage Manager, Amy Kneyon, and one of my Principal Actors in Graveyard, Nolan Sullivan, were both big parts of my first NAF. We have a wonderful cast a crew all around, not just in my play(s), but in all four plays in the festival. I've learned so much and I am so grateful to Theatrix and to everyone else for giving me the chance to direct and to see my own words come to life on the stage.
This is the last day I will sit in this theatre as the director for this show. Tomorrow I send my baby off to face the world of college audiences. I may get emotional tonight. And that's okay. This experience has meant a lot to me, and so has all of the help I've received along the way. All I can say is thank you, to everyone.
It's time for Final Dress. Let's go.
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Monday, January 13, 2014
Berenice Wrap-up
Yesterday my first fully-staffed film production wrapped. For the past week I've been working on costumes and makeup for Dennis Henry's Berenice, adapted from the Edgar Allan Poe story of the same name. This also makes it the first film for which I've done exclusively costumes and makeup (I've done a bit for some personal and school projects, but those were also ones where I was involved in directing, editing, writing, etc.). It was quite an experience.
First off, this was a period piece, set around 1835. This meant a good deal of research for me, as well as scouring our costume stock for appropriate costumes, accessories, undergarments, and hairstyles. Luckily I had a great assistant, Megan Cudd, to help me out (though this is also my first time working with an assistant of any kind). I don't know if I could have done this half as well if it wasn't for her. She was a second pair of legs, eyes, and ears for me and with her help I was practically able to be in two places at once! We also had a generous budget provided by grants from the Johnny Carson School for which we were also grateful.
On top of that, this film was, of course, a horror film. Well, perhaps not horror. More creepy than horror, but very much Poe which meant subtle touches sometimes and gore and horror at other times. We ran into several challenges with makeup on that front. For example, how do we make this coat looks dirty without ruining it? Or, is stage blood vegan? (One of our actors was vegan and we had to put a lot of blood in her mouth). It was a very fun challenge and the results, I think, were very effective and I hope they look as good in the final cut of the film as they did in person, or better.
There were other, more basic challenges we faced too, like how to keep ourselves and the actors warm. It is the middle of winter after all and our shooting locations consisted of: the basement of the Temple Building (home of the theatre and film program), a poorly insulated historical house (with the door propped open), and Pioneer's Park. We were lucky that our last day of shooting at the park wound up being the warmest day at a balmy high of 40ยบ F. Still, I felt especially bad for our actors since the setting was supposed to be mostly spring or late fall and they were dressed accordingly. They were troopers though, and I respect them enormously for volunteering to go through some of what we did for no pay for the sake of the film.
I learned a lot too just by being on set and around people who are more experienced than myself in working on films as part of a larger crew. I learned the details of the job as an Assistant Director, a Script Supervisor, and many others. I learned how to properly pull a dolly and how much work goes into getting a single shot for the right effect. I learned some great lighting tricks and why pre-rehearsals are so important for the actors and director. I hope I continue to learn and get the chance to be on more sets these coming semesters and years. And I can't wait to see the final cut of Berenice in April. I think the audience will really dig it.
First off, this was a period piece, set around 1835. This meant a good deal of research for me, as well as scouring our costume stock for appropriate costumes, accessories, undergarments, and hairstyles. Luckily I had a great assistant, Megan Cudd, to help me out (though this is also my first time working with an assistant of any kind). I don't know if I could have done this half as well if it wasn't for her. She was a second pair of legs, eyes, and ears for me and with her help I was practically able to be in two places at once! We also had a generous budget provided by grants from the Johnny Carson School for which we were also grateful.
On top of that, this film was, of course, a horror film. Well, perhaps not horror. More creepy than horror, but very much Poe which meant subtle touches sometimes and gore and horror at other times. We ran into several challenges with makeup on that front. For example, how do we make this coat looks dirty without ruining it? Or, is stage blood vegan? (One of our actors was vegan and we had to put a lot of blood in her mouth). It was a very fun challenge and the results, I think, were very effective and I hope they look as good in the final cut of the film as they did in person, or better.
There were other, more basic challenges we faced too, like how to keep ourselves and the actors warm. It is the middle of winter after all and our shooting locations consisted of: the basement of the Temple Building (home of the theatre and film program), a poorly insulated historical house (with the door propped open), and Pioneer's Park. We were lucky that our last day of shooting at the park wound up being the warmest day at a balmy high of 40ยบ F. Still, I felt especially bad for our actors since the setting was supposed to be mostly spring or late fall and they were dressed accordingly. They were troopers though, and I respect them enormously for volunteering to go through some of what we did for no pay for the sake of the film.
I learned a lot too just by being on set and around people who are more experienced than myself in working on films as part of a larger crew. I learned the details of the job as an Assistant Director, a Script Supervisor, and many others. I learned how to properly pull a dolly and how much work goes into getting a single shot for the right effect. I learned some great lighting tricks and why pre-rehearsals are so important for the actors and director. I hope I continue to learn and get the chance to be on more sets these coming semesters and years. And I can't wait to see the final cut of Berenice in April. I think the audience will really dig it.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Film Production 1
It's almost time for the new semester to start. I'm in the middle of working on costumes for Berenice, but since I have a little time to breathe right now, I want to take a look back. Last semester was very interesting as I learned the talents of my fellow film students, and I enjoyed working on all of tOur Film Production 1 projects. Under the cut I've included the videos as well as some of my personal creative process and my thoughts on the final outcome for each. If you'd just like the watch the videos, and want to see more as they develop, I've opened a youtube channel here
Monday, December 9, 2013
A Push for the End
So, in just a few shorts days Lion in the Streets has closed, the set is struck, and the costumes are in the wash. Tomorrow will mark the final wrap on my Film Production 1 final project, and Dead Week will begin.
I have two more projects, one paper, and an oral exam before I'm officially done with this semester and get to go home for Christmas. But that doesn't mean the work is over.
While I'm home I'm going to be working on some big projects, and my break is going to be cut short so I can come back to Lincoln to work on Dennis Henry's Berenice. Two and a half weeks of break, a week of filming, and then right back into the saddle for the start of the new semester.
I'm really going to need to step up my game if I want to do well next semester. I'll be taking Costume Design 2, Film Production 2, Film Technology, a Business of Arts course, and an Honors English/Literature course. On top of that I'll be trying to raise money for my Cannes internship, costuming for one other film, and applying to direct for Theatrix's New Artists' Festival. Not to mention KCACTF in January, MBLGTACC in February, and whatever else comes my way down the road. I'll certainly be kept on my toes!
~Tay
I have two more projects, one paper, and an oral exam before I'm officially done with this semester and get to go home for Christmas. But that doesn't mean the work is over.
While I'm home I'm going to be working on some big projects, and my break is going to be cut short so I can come back to Lincoln to work on Dennis Henry's Berenice. Two and a half weeks of break, a week of filming, and then right back into the saddle for the start of the new semester.
I'm really going to need to step up my game if I want to do well next semester. I'll be taking Costume Design 2, Film Production 2, Film Technology, a Business of Arts course, and an Honors English/Literature course. On top of that I'll be trying to raise money for my Cannes internship, costuming for one other film, and applying to direct for Theatrix's New Artists' Festival. Not to mention KCACTF in January, MBLGTACC in February, and whatever else comes my way down the road. I'll certainly be kept on my toes!
~Tay
Friday, December 6, 2013
A Fresh Start
Hello and Welcome.
This is the official start of what I hope will be a semi-regularly updated blog. I've created this blog for two reasons. One is to promote my activities and those of my very talented peers to the general community and perhaps get my name out in the wide world. The other is to have a place to share more about my daily activities for my own reference and for family and friends that may not live so close to me and want a bit more detail that the usual social media post can give.
So, let's start.
This is the official start of what I hope will be a semi-regularly updated blog. I've created this blog for two reasons. One is to promote my activities and those of my very talented peers to the general community and perhaps get my name out in the wide world. The other is to have a place to share more about my daily activities for my own reference and for family and friends that may not live so close to me and want a bit more detail that the usual social media post can give.
So, let's start.
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