The First One

So, why this journal? I dont really know. Actually, I do. I was talking to Dean Lynch and she floated the idea of sharing this experience with people. Plus having a record of what your brain is going through on a day to day basis is pretty interesting. Plus, my family and friends have no idea what I'm up to because I refuse to send out mass-emails, or have a proper conversation on the phone. It's time-consuming, so let it pass. Anyway, moving on.

This first entry is probably going to be a complicated one. I'm going to try and set up this post so all the ones after this make sense. Since I'm starting this blog halfway through the semester, none of my day to day experiences are going to make any sense. Lesson 1: Notice how I used the phrase "any sense" in both sentences preceeding this one? Yeah, that may not be the best way of conveying that thought, but it's going to happen a lot on this blog. I'm just rambling... keep up with me.

Actually this is a really awesome way of writing this. We start in the middle and move both ways - forward and backwards. Instead of giving you the entire backstory on this semester right now and then starting my regular updates, Im going to give you a little backstory every time I update. Memento-much?

BASIC FACTS: Im interning at three places at the moment: The Bernie Mac Show, Strand Releasing and "Akeelah and the Bee".

Le Bernie Mac: I'm a trainee with the Director of Photography, Victor Nelli, Jr. It's awesome. I've designed the internship to give me a basic understanding of every single department on set. I was with Camera the first two weeks, then Grip, then Electric, then Sound and now I'm with the ADs on set. I definitely didn't know what all those departments did before I started work at Bernie Mac so don't worry if someone's like wha? I'll share the wealth. The experience is excellent, I'm learning truckloads. In fact, I call it The Bernie Mac School: seems like these guys go to work so they can make sure I learn.

Strand Releasing: Whoof! I got lucky with these guys. They are one of the biggest little distribution companies out there. I work with the President Marcus Hu at Strand. HE is on the board of Sundance, his company goes to festivals and picks up small, indy films for theatrical distribution and home video sales. They are smart people, with a commitment to independent filmmaking. They don't want to join hands with a big studio and become someone's speciality division. They want to make sure REAL indy films see the light of day. Cheap buys, small marketing, easier to recover profits, more honest, original and challenging films in the market for us. More about this later. Oh, did I mention its a 6 person company, so I actually get to participate in EVERY thing at work?

Akeelah and the Bee: I'm training with the Director of Photography David Mullen, ASC on this Lions Gate Film starring Lawrence Fishburne and Angela Bassett. It's a cute story, shot in 35mm anamorphic, on Location in south-central Los Angeles. imdb it, its an interesting project. Again, I clearly got lucky. It's a low-budget production and I have free hands on the set. I work mainly with the camera department. An anamorphic show on location is a lot of work, long hours and fast thinking AND luckily for me, the camera department is understaffed so they let me do a lot of shit, which makes me learn a lot more. David Mullen is an awesome guy and just seeing him direct lights is such a learning experience.

Phoof! That's a good start. More tomorrow. Here's an insight into LA. Time, Day, Weekend, nothing matters. Film rolls 24/7. I got a 7am call tomorrow at Akeelah and the Bee. We're shooting at the Palladium in Hollywood tomorrow. It's going to be a long weekend.