Posted by
Leslie on November 28, 2009 |
No commentsI’ve been a little out of commission due to the holidays and my computer being on the fritz…
So I apologize for the inconsistent posts.
Quick question…
Did you see New Moon yet? How did you like it? I have to say that I was looking forward to it even though, from a cinematic point of view, I didn’t really like the first one.
I just saw the 2nd one at Arclight yesterday and I liked it better but there needed to be more action scenes and I feel my cousin said it best by summarizing the movie as being about “a bunch of people who couldn’t make up their minds.”
And they held many of the shots too long. Like the one of Bella being angsty by sitting in a chair for 3 months.
Yep… It felt like 3 months alright.
I know this sounds like a typically cocky director thing to say, but I think I could have done a better job and I feel many of the directors I know could have done a better job.
But I’m still hooked on the story, despite the “he loves me… he loves me not” oscillations of all the characters.
Please tell me the books have more to them than that.
Oh, and I’m Team Jacob. I liked Robert Pattinson in Harry Potter, but he’s weird in Twilight, and it’s not just the Vampire thing. I think he’s Robert Pattinson acting out James Dean acting out Edward. Weird.
Twilight Saga; New Moon
Tags: Bella, Edward, James Dean, movie review, Robert Pattinson, Team Jacob, Twilight Saga: New Moon
Posted by
Leslie on November 17, 2009 |
No comments
Suzanne Lyons
TEN STEPS TO SUCCESS IN HOLLYWOOD
(Or any Business)
1. SET A GOAL – Do a one year goal. For example, “By December 1st, 2010 I will _________________________ _________________________________________. Then break it down into monthly milestones: January 1st, February 1st, March 1st, etc.
2. DESIGN YOUR PITCH – Do a FANTASTIC logline for your project or yourself depending on whether or not you are selling your script or yourself. Then prepare a two minute pitch to expand on the logline. If you are pitching yourself be sure to design your pitch drawing from highlights from your career and your personal life. I usually make a list of 5 to 10 highlights from my career and personal life and then I choose the ones I want to use in my pitch. As producers you should always have a great pitch ready that is about you because you will constantly be enrolling people in YOU, whether they be financiers, agents, directors, etc.
3. CREATE A DISPLAY OF WHO YOU KNOW (MAP OF RELATIONSHIPS) – Categorize the names of everyone you know in the industry, ie. producers, writers, casting directors, directors, entertainment attorneys, etc. Call everyone on your Map and tell them what you’re up to.
4. NETWORK – Continue to expand your Map. Network, Network, Network. Get out there and meet people. Sometimes to push myself a little I will set a goal like “I will meet 10 new people this month”. See my October Newsletter for some great tips on Networking and creating Relationships.
5. MAKE REQUESTS AND OFFERS – Make requests (not favors) of people on your Map. For example, “I’m really committed to meeting 3 new directors for my film project. Do you know any directors you could introduce or refer me to.” Also, end every call and conversation with “Is there anything I can do for you”. We all to often forget to do this and it means a lot to the person on the other end of the phone.
6. CREATE A HITLIST – Target who you need to talk to or meet with. RESEARCH. Read the trades. Make a list of 10 to 20 names and start calling. This could be one of the requests that you make to people on your Map. For example, “I am looking to set up a meeting with John Doe, Casting Director. He is on my Hitlist as someone I really want to meet. I know you have worked with him before and was wondering if I could use you name when I called him.”
7. BRAINSTORMING – Get ideas outside of what you alone can come up with. So often we try to do it alone and it’s crazy. In the Flash Forward workshops over the years we had a built in one-hour exercise called “Brainstorming” where we divided into teams of six or eight people and then divide up the time equally. Then one person would state what they needed and then they would be quiet and just listen and take notes as everyone threw ideas at them. They were not allowed to comment on the ideas at all. They just wrote everything down and then took from the ideas what they wanted. It was extremely successful.
8. KEEP STATS – I know this doesn’t sound like fun and we all get a bit squeamish when we think about statistics. However, it is such a great wake up call to what actions you are really taking as opposed to what you are just talking about. Make a list of 3 to 5 categories you want to track and then add up the actions you have taken on a weekly basic. In the workshops I have led I always include this as part of the program. People are always shocked at how few calls they have made compared to what they thought they had. Categories could include: Number of production companies contacted about my project; number of meetings set; number of auditions; number of scripts sent out; number of new relationship made, etc.
9. GET A MENTOR – No matter what level you are at. Make it easy for them. Request only a little of their time over a very specific period of time. For example, three ten-minute conversations over the next four weeks, or a half-hour coffee meeting, or a lunch together. Also, please be prepared with your questions ready and it is important that you generate the conversation. It is not your mentor’s job to generate it. Remember it is a business relationship so always acknowledge them for their time.
10. CREATE A SUPPORT STRUCTURE FOR YOURSELF – It is extremely important to be held accountable for your promises! We’re only human after all and sometimes when the going gets tough the tough get going. Don’t let that happen. Be held accountable for your word and your actions. Every Tuesday morning a group of 6 of us get together to talk about our goals and what actions we are going to take that week. On Friday we email in what we have done so far, and what is still left to do before we meet the next Tuesday. It really helps keep us focused and on target, and the coaching and brainstorming we do with each other is priceless.
A BONUS TIP: HAVE FUN AND ACKNOWLEDGE YOURSELF DAILY! We are here to have fun (no matter what business you’re in) so keep that in mind at all times. The more you take on having every action, every milestone and every goal as FUN, the more people will want to play with you and the more you will attract into your life everything you want. Also, don’t wait for others to acknowledge you. Acknowledge yourself. In the Launching the Future workshop I lead I include a page where people list what they want to be acknowledged for, just to get them in the habit of acknowledgment.
Tags: film industry, General Filmmaking, how to become an actor, LA Acting, Las Vegas Acting, Suzanne Lyons
Posted by
Leslie on November 9, 2009 |
No commentsI have already written about the blog Self Reliant Film, and there is another post that I think you would be interested in.
He is doing a survey of individuals who are making films in areas that are NOT in the filmmaking centers of the country (L.A. and New York).
So if you’re making films and you’re not in these areas, you might want to nominate yourself or other people you know for each of the states (don’t worry about filling in the blank for each state… just the ones where you know filmmakers.)
(LIke me… In Arizona… It’d be cool if you wrote me in for AZ!)
And I actually did nominate people in NY and LA when they asked for New York and California. That’s where I know the best filmmakers are for that state, and I don’t think that he was against nominating people in the filmmaking centers… I just think that he also wanted to get a wider scope of the country.
Anyhoo, here’s the original post.
And, again, when you get to Arizona, please list Leslie Lello.
If you want to check out my stuff, go take a look at my You Tube channel, which is always a work in progress…
(BTW, more 80’s Chicks, Brittany and Tiffany, on the way soon!)
Posted by
Leslie on November 5, 2009 |
No commentsBetter Homes and Gardens was trying to do a food decorating segment on NBC’s Today Show, but things got wacky when some Drunk Ewoks entered into the party…
Seriously, it’s pretty funny and then sort of awkward when the Ewok started hump Han Solo’s leg.
Yes, I said leg humping.
(Apparently, even Ewoks had crushes on Han Solo… *sigh*)
And then Darth Vader takes away the martini. Vader is such a party pooper!
Gotta love live TV…
This is the link to the story as well as the video clip:
Drunk Ewok Disrupts NBC’s Today Show
Posted by
Leslie on November 3, 2009 |
No commentsI found this site a long time ago and was somewhat impressed by the content of what they were teaching…
Apparently, the 4-day Travel Channel Academy teaches you how to shoot travel videos so that you can become a professional videographer for the travel genre of filmmaking.
I was at one time considering this indulgent program because at the time I was doing so much traveling and still photography that it seemed like the obvious next step.
But after thinking about it I recognized that 4 days was a bit short to get one’s career rolling.
Additionally, I am now in a program (at Northern Arizona University) that costs about the same (for one, 4 month semester) but is infinitely longer, more thorough and will teach me more and leave me with a much better reel.
And it’s accredited, so I’m getting a legit degree as well.
On a website/blog like this that encourages you to go out and just start shooting, would say that there are three steps to getting good at all this.
The first is to go out and do it and learn as much as you can on your own.
The second is to get a mentor and around people so that you can watch and pick up their better habits and techniques. (actually, the best thing would be to combine the first and second steps)
The third is formal education, but only if you’re still getting to work hands-on and only it is an excellent program.
Don’t do 4 day programs that promise you a career. It’s a good place to start for some people I suppose. It’s a FUN place to start for a lot of people, which I think it what initially drew me in.
I would love to get some feedback on this… Anyone take this course or one like it? Any thoughts on this subject?
Tags: filmmaking education, General Filmmaking, how to become an actor, Movie Directing
Posted by
Leslie on November 1, 2009 |
No commentsI mentioned earlier this week that I shot a series for Halloween on NAZ Today about The Ghosts of Flagstaff.
I have the clips but I have not able to upload them so I’m just going to send you to the site for now. I will probably upload them to YouTube soon so that you don’t have to sit through the whole show (fascinating as it may be).
The Monte Vista Hotel
Mabel at The Milligan House
John The Conductor at The Flagstaff Train Station
The Newlyweds and more at the Weatherford Hotel
The most interesting story for me was the Weatherford Hotel, not because of the stories as much as because something very weird came up in the footage.
There are these two black misty clouds that move through a wall from background to foreground and then out of frame.
At first I thought that it was my camera technique, but when I looked at it a few times and showed other people, I was left wondering it perhaps we did see SOMETHING paranormal (and so were they…)
If you watch, please leave your comments and let me know what you think. (about the black mist, the stories, the shooting, etc…)
Tags: Arizona, Flagstaff, ghost stories, NAZ Today, Weatherford Hotel