Greatest Documentary Of All Time...

To say that would be an understatement, but I feel that it is the most appropriate thing to say about this amazing piece of work. If you don't know what the "Life In A Day" project was, let me clue you in a bit...

On July 24th, 2010, a challenge was issued by oscar nominated director, Ridley Scott, and director, Kevin Macdonald, to document a single day of your life on planet earth. But not only was it to be done from one man's point of view, it was to be done by the world... Over 4.5 thousand hours of footage later, and tens of thousands of entries made, a 90 minute documentary was created.

After watching it, I immediately regretted not being a part of this amazing movement. The ability to experience all the different kinds of emotions (ranging from happiness to sadness, love to regret, and fear to acceptance) in just a little over 90 minutes was a journey in of itself. This documentary captures what I love most about filmmaking, which is the reality of life. Nothing is always going to end peacefully, and I feel that it is important for people to understand that. Saying that however, I still love the feeling of a happy ending when one truly deserves it. All in all, this was an awesome piece of film and I cannot wait for it to come out on DVD when it will include 45 minutes cut from the original edit! :D

If you missed it tonight, you can view it on its youtube page at 7 PM Pacific Standard Time (PST). Here's the link and I hope that you watch it and enjoy it as much as I did ;D

http://www.youtube.com/user/lifeinaday

Stupid Movie-viewers...

I'm just posting because I am starting to get sick of all the hate that is going around, and how everybody thinks that they are the "be all/end all" critic! I'll admit that I use to be one of those stupid people hahaha... I use to HATE the idea of CGI and VFX in films and would almost instantly disregard a movie because of my idea that the perfect film had to be an award-winning one. I can't believe that all these people (including the old me) are so closed-minded. It's starting to get old!!!

After making films for a couple of years and watching a lot more recently, my views are starting to change. I am starting to accept a lot more for what they are and not for what I expect them to be. These creations come from the minds of the artists that work very hard to bring them to life. I am starting to appreciate those "dumb-down" movies that everyone is now starting to rally against. You know, sometimes it's enjoyable to just watch a movie and relax while you're doing it ;P

Again, I can't believe how closed-minded I was when it came to CGI and VFX. To make the quality of films nowadays, even the ones that don't feature full explosions, require vfx. The best example I can think of is Forest Gump. While it seems that everything is completely "real" and "not cgi", there are many instances that VFX and CGI was used. The feather in the beginning for example is CGI. Plugging Forest into the TV interviews (like the one with JFK), involved VFX. There is so much more to VFX and CGI than the average movie-goer would like to admit. Hopefully one day they see it as I do haha...

Take this new movie, "Battle: LA" for example.



I think it looks like an awesome, sit down and relax type of film, but after reading the youtube comments, I couldn't believe what I saw. Comments ranging from "This movie sucks" to "Oh they already did this one... It's called Avatar and District 9" are the ones that really get me. I HATE how people compare movies to each other. Just because they both feature aliens doesn't mean they are the same thing!! People are stupid these days...

Anywaysss... Now that I'm done rambling, I'll give you guys a bit of an update. Or maybe just me haha... I'm working on a new short film about a conman, and it should be a light comedic type of short. Its not something I'm used to, but I like the idea behind it. I've also taken a bunch of pics and can't wait to show you guys in my "Best of 2011: January" photo reel that should come out within the first couple days of February. My parkour has taken a considerable notch up and I am really starting to love the whole movement aspect of it. I love to move and achieve flow that is natural to my body and learning how my body reacts to things...

Well thats just a little bit of right now, so until next time...

Peace

Best Pics Of 2010

Just a quick update, here are my best photos taken from 2010. Some are the raw files, some have been edited a bit (to give them a bit more contrast), while only about 2 are edited heavily (color-correction). Most photos were taken with the Canon SX130 while about 5 or so were shot with the Canon SX110...

Enjoy and let me know what you think!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/57523975@N03/sets/72157625778144216/


In other news, I was able to have an inside tour of the LDS Motion Picture Studio! My aunt talked to the official/main editor of all those LDS films like JS: Restoration of the Prophet, RM, Best 2 years, etc., and he agreed to give me a tour of the whole studio! I have some pics here as well. It was an amazing experience :D

I was a bit intimidated at first, but Wynn Hougaard (the editor) was such a nice person and gave me confidence in pursuing my dreams of working in the film industry. He also turned out to be a great example, and I look forward to his work in the future...

Last but not least, I recieved my Patriarchal Blessing today. I can definitely say that it was the most spiritual, rewarding, and amazing moment that I have ever experienced and witnessed in my life. It was such a personal revelation and I know for a fact that it was real... If you're LDS and haven't received it yet, I would strongly encourage you to do so. It will change your life for the better :D

Goodbye 2010...

Another year has come and gone, and the sense of being able to start anew is in the air...

Seriously though, 2010 was one of the most eventful years of my life so far. I graduated high-school, starting diving deeper into film-making and getting recognized for it, entered multiple film festivals, started practicing parkour regularly, played high-school football, completed my first semester of college, got a new job, picked up photography as a new hobby, received the Melchizedek Priesthood, and so much more... Its going to be hard to say goodbye to 2010, but its worth it.

With so many trials presented this past year, I have grown tremendously. I have learned how to better deal with my life, and determine decisions more efficiently. My outlook on responsibility has increased, and my gratitude/humbleness has been raised a whole lot, along with my happiness... Hopefully 2011 will reward me with the same amount of knowledge and experience which has been given to me in 2010 :D

On another note, 5 days after receiving my first camera and over 1200 photos later, I have created a little photo showreel displaying my best work. If you have any opinions on it, please let me know what you think... I also decided that I'm probably gonna make a new reel monthly, so expect one at the end of January!

Enjoy!

Long Time, No See...

Well its been a while since I last posted, and to be honest, it was just because I've been procrastinating on this haha...

Anyways...

I haven't been able to create any new short films recently, because I just haven't really had the time or (more importantly) the equipment. But Christmas has come and gone, and I finally got my first camera! Its not really a camcorder, but its a still-photo camera that happens to shoot HD video as well :D It's called the Canon SX130 IS and it not only takes nice video, but amazingly clear photos (if you know how to use it). The photos can also get pretty big, around 4000x3000 pixels :)

In the last 2 days alone, I've taken almost 200 pics! Here are a few of my favorite ones below:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/57523975@N03/sets/72157625681563528/

As you should already know, I am most interested in going into film. But I am starting to enjoy photography so much, that I am going to be looking into getting into it professionally as well. The 2 fields work great together and compliment each other easily. It should be beneficial switching from one to the other, if I happen to have any downtime in one of the other fields... I am a creative person at heart, and I love the visual freedom that comes through photography. And the feeling of taking a great photo is beyond words because you know that YOU did it. You know that YOU took the effort to make a memory and/or moment out of the most mundane thing. And in the end, it is YOUR picture, not your teammates or friends, but yours...
Photography is just another great outlet letting me express myself!

Speaking of expressing myself, remember how I wrote about getting into parkour? Well I was off and on with it (as usual) but I have finally made the effort to stick to it, and have been at it for a little over 2 months now! I practice for about 1-2 hours a day, 3-5 days a week, rain/snow/night or shine. I created a little 2 month progression vid, if you want to check it out below.



It's not a lot, but hey... One of the leading parkour and freerunning communities in the world, WFPF, posted my vid on their facebook and home site! They said that it was one of their most fav vids they saw that week, and loved the happiness shown through my training in it. I'm not going to get too deep (or maybe I should), but parkour has taken a very important place in my life. Not only physically but mentally...

When I first started parkour, I followed the basic philosophy strongly. Be as useful as possible, so that you may help anybody in a time of need. I still love that aspect, but have also evolved due to my training and have an even more open mindset. As of the moment, one of the greatest things I enjoy most about parkour is the "flow" that can be achieved. To know what you're body is capable of and using that to your advantage. To know your limits and understand the many different opportunities to grow. With this in mind, I am getting a lot more done in training and loving every second of it. And the great thing is that it doesn't limit itself to the physical body. It has made me stronger mentally as well.

I definitely feel the changes that has happened mentally. Through training, my confidence and self-esteem has shot up immensely. I have learned how to overcome obstacles as efficiently as possible and learned to not "sweat the small stuff" as much as I use to. My outlook on life has become immediately brighter and I find myself finding even more pleasure in the simpler things in life. It is a feeling that I cannot explain, but parkour has changed my life for the better. I am stronger, happier, and more satisfied with myself...

Another thing has made my life a ton better recently is my preparation in serving a full time LDS mission in a couple of months. I am halfway done with the paperwork at the moment, and cannot wait until I receive my mission calling. I always coasted through church as a boy and teenager, but now that I have focused more on my Church, I can say without a doubt that this is the happiest I have ever been in my entire life! More news on this later...

Well everyone, thats a wrap for now and I'll see if I can update this more often haha.

Peace!

Lighting Up The Sky...

So last week there was a huge thunderstorm across Utah Lake. I didn't think much of it, but my little brother wanted me to see it. So I got up to see what was going on, and was amazed. I quickly ran to grab my sister's camera so that I could take some video. Here are some of the still images from the videos I took. They may not be the highest quality lighting bolts ever, but I still think they're pretty cool...