Patrick Hughes - Director Site

Director Patrick Hughes was featured over the weekend on a blog that I frequent, Firstshowing.net. He has just released his first feature film, Red Hill. Check out the blog post HERE for a brief description and trailer. Patrick is a successful commercial director who has also toured a few shorts on the film festival circuit. Below is his most famous short "Signs" which he did in conjunction with Radical Media.
I am featuring his work on the blog today because I believe he is a great example of how we are preparing you to work as a director in film and broadcast. He is starting off creating short films and commercials, then worked his way to feature films.
Here is the link to his professional work http://patrickhughes.com.au/shorts/
I would encourage you to check out his site. This is an ideal format for your graduate web portfolio. Enjoy!


Signs
Uploaded by mg02. - Check out other Film & TV videos.

New Sections of DF112 and DF122

DF112 Cinematography and Lighting Section C Room 224 Sat 9am - 1pm
DF122 Screenwriting Section C Room 622 Sat 1pm - 5pm

The Art Institute Call for Submissions: Virgins & Rejects Film Festival

[SAN FRANCISCO, CA, August, 2010] – The Digital Filmmaking & Video Production department at The Art Institute of California- San Francisco proudly presents the 2nd annual Virgins & Rejects Film Festival. The Virgins & Rejects Film Festival is open to all filmmakers and gives them the opportunity to showcase their work for the first time. Virgins are classified as never having submitted to a festival; Rejects are those who have submitted, but have been rejected by a festival.

The Virgins & Rejects Film Festival was created as an elective for the Digital Film and Video Production program at The Art Institute of California - San Francisco. Film Festival 101 provides the opportunity for students to create, curate, and host a film festival while learning the behind-the-scenes of the business.

The festival debuted last year at the historic Victoria Theater in San Francisco, California with a successful program of short media by filmmakers who had either never entered into a festival or had been rejected by previous festivals. The second annual Virgins & Rejects Film Festival is dedicated to providing a venue for similar emerging and cutting edge filmmakers to showcase their films for the very first time.

The Film Festival class at The Art Institute of California – San Francisco is currently seeking submissions for the Virgins & Rejects Film Festival. Submissions can be of any genre, and should range in length from 1-15 minutes. A full list of submission guidelines can be found at the official Virgins & Rejects website. Submissions must be received by September 13, 2010.

Once all of the submissions are in, the students in the Film Festival class will jury the entries. The chosen films will be screened at the Virgins & Rejects Film Festival held at the Roxie Theatre on Thursday, October 7th, 2010. Tickets are $5 for any student with any school I.D. and $8 for general admission.

Virgins & Rejects Film Festival
October 7th, 2010 | 6pm – 9pm
Roxie Theater
3117 16th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
Website: http://virginsandrejectsfestival.com

Crew Call for Student Documentary

Crew Needed

Description:
Documentary being shot over next 6 months following a small NYC company along their School of Rock journey, leading up to a big event in December. Click HERE for an article in the NY Post regarding the project.

Positions:
Looking for dedicated individuals who believe in hard work and want to be part of a fun and rewarding project.

Camera Operator:
- HVX experience, or own HD / DSLR
- Must know how to light interviews

Sound Recordist:
- Must be lav expert
- Also boom op

Assistant Editor/Transcriber:
- Log and transfer clips
- Transcribe interviews, clips

Additional Details:
- Production will result in webisodes + final film
- Main location is in Chelsea, various locations around Manhattan, Brooklyn
- Emmy winning producer involved in the project
- This project has already been covered by NY Post (soon WSJ +)
- Additional aim is for a performance on national TV in 2011

If interested please contact Jennifer Hahn sidekicksally@mac.com

Documentry on Philadelphia's Julius Wright

I wanted to pass along this short documentary on the street rapper Julius Wright. It's a wonderful film that chronicles a portrait of Julius' DIY style hip-hop. From watching it, I am lead to believe it was shot with a DSLR. The filmmaker is Glendyn Ivin, who won best director at Cannes. Here is a link to his site, in case you are intersted http://hoaxville.com/
Enjoy!

Alpha Channel Poster is HERE

This quarter, Alpha Channel will act as both Portfolio Review and juried student films. Films are due August 26th by 9pm, submitted on the student drive. Submission forms are also on the student drive. Any questions about submission, please contact Ross Williams.

Closed Classes for FA10

Below are the sections of classes that are closed due to enrollment.

DF122 Cinematography and Lighting T 8:15-12:15PM
DF132 Sound Design for Digital Film W 8:15-12:15PM
DF142 Digital Filmmaking T 1:15- 5:15PM
VP124 Directing the Actor T 6:00-10:00PM
VP205 Short Film Production M 8:15-12:15PM
VP226 Professional Production Team M 1:15- 5:15PM

Registration UPDATE

Hello Everyone! I will be adding new sections of VP205 and VP124 tomorrow. Both sections are full due to over enrollment. Look out!!!

New Sections ADDED! VP205 B Wed 1:15-5:15 VP124 B Wed 6-10p

Registration Opens Today!

AINYC Students!
On-ground Registration for the Fall Quarter begins today, Monday August 16, 2010

On ground registration starts today at 10:30am in the first floor gallery and continues on till Thursday. Please visit with David Nash dnash@aii.edu to be advised.

Online Registration is open as well (minimum 12 credits to register on-line)

Classes close fast so register early!

Film's Influence on Games

Gaming is a fascinating and blooming industry, from a filmmaking perspective. Many critics claim that gaming will replace films for the younger generations. Filmmaking has had an obvious influence on 3D gaming since Wolfenstein and Doom popularized the medium in the 1990's. When 3D gaming became more sophisticated and story driven, cinematics were introduced. Cinematics are defined as short animated scenes that carry the story from mission to mission. These scenes had to follow the rules and guidelines of traditional filmmaking. More and more I am seeing openings at gaming companies that encourage filmmaking experience on resumes.
If you are a gamer and have been to my office, you would have noticed the Bioshock doll that is sitting on the mantle. The world that game series creates takes advantage of the medium through superior art direction and storytelling. I feel that the Bioshock series fits into this catagory that critics fear will take the place of filmmaking. While I am a film loyalist, occasionally, I will find myself yearning to explore worlds through an interactive, not passive, experience.
Below is the latest tralier for Bioshock Infinite, which was annoucned this week. Enjoy! - Eve.

Apex Art Video Call

"Commercial" Art: Video Call
Open call for video submissions with an opportunity to win $2,000.
Accepting submissions through October 31, 2010.
Commercials may or may not be the most creative thing on TV or the Internet, but we know you can make them better. Take any broadcast commercial, cut it, dub it, repeat it, or flip it and make it art for an upcoming apexart exhibition that will be on view from November 10 - December 22, 2010. Click HERE for more information.

Original Music Video

When it comes to music videos, I am always thunderstruck by new and innovative ideas. The A Typical (band playing music at concert, rap videos with hundreds of bikini models) music videos are over played and rarely given a second look. The band Ok Go has a career based on their creative and quirky music videos. Today's video is from a band named Pigeons. It's a simple video about a girl who is drunk at a party. Pay attention to the way it is filmed. It makes you feel drunk. That is good filmmaking. - Eve

The Hundred in the Hands - Pigeons (Music Video) from DANIELS on Vimeo.

An unspoken industry

"Pre Visualization is is a collaborative process that generates preliminary versions of shots or sequences, predominantly using 3D animation tools and a virtual environment. It enables filmmakers to visually explore creative ideas, plan technical solutions, and communicate a shared vision for efficient production" This is the definition phrased by the VES (Visual Effects Society)
This field is primarily been the concern of the VFX directors and supervisors, until now. As time and money are key factors in film production, it behooves you, as a director, to become familiar with this process. Pre Vis is an excellent way to plan your production before you even set foot on a set. The documentry has a great segment that promote the use of pre vis outside of action sequences and heavy vfx. Watch and share your thoughts. - Eve.

Previs Documentary - Part 1 from Previsualization Society on Vimeo.

Roz Sohnen's Workshop

Subject: Hitchcock, his films and collaborators
Time: 6-8 PM on Tuesday nights on August 17,24th and 31st.
Maximum: 25 people.
Workshops will be held in the Gallery

- This is a fantastic opportunity to those interested in directing and film theory.

Ross William's Workshop

Subject: Audio and DSLRs: strategies for sync recording
Date: August 25th 5.30-9.30pm T.V studio followed by 227
Maximum: 10 people

- If you plan on shooting with a DSLR, it's extremely important that you sign up for this workshop. Please see Ross Williams for any further details.

Jason Moore Workshops This Quarter

Selling Your Short Film
You just made a great short film: now what? Learn the secrets of getting your film into festivals and discover ways to gain exposure, get some buzz, and even make some money from your short. Thousands of other filmmakers are doing it, so can you!
When: Wednesday, August 11, 6-9pm
Where: Room 733
Max enrollment: 25

Green Screen Basics
Want to learn the basics of lighting, shooting, and editing green screen material? Jason Moore and Johnny Woods will take you through the process. It's easier than you think!
When: Saturday, August 14, 10AM-4PM
Where: TV Studio
Max enrollment: 15

Kanye : Video Teaser

As promised, the best I could do is a teaser. :)

Video Collage : Behind the Scenes of Power

Today's video is brought to you by a member of our new admissions staff! Thank you!
I posted this video because the director Marco Brambilla has approached the medium of music videos in a new an refreshing way. Like the Jay-Z video posted before, this video has it's roots in the classical fine art world to create something new to the eyes of the MTV generation. Watch and enjoy! When Power is released to the internet, I will post it for your viewing pleasure.

Catfish : Thoughts?

Every once in a while, I find trailers to films that just get me.
Today, Apple has posted an official trailer for the documentary, Catfish, which premiered at Sundance this past January. Catfish is the kind of film that is described as being more successful knowing little to nothing about it. A great example of that kind of film is the Blair Witch Project. My friends and I bought advanced tickets to an afternoon screening during it's original, limited run. To this day, it was one of the greatest theater experiences I have ever had. The audience knew nothing about the film, only word of mouth (before the boom of the internet :) Everyone in the cinema was silent throughout the entire running time. After the last frame, every single person in the theater did not get up until the last credit rolled. We were all in a sudden state of shock. It was great to experience that with an audience.

The most recent example of this is Paranormal Activity. The original marketing campaign was truly successful (limited midnight only screenings, on-line petition for a wide - release). Then, TV and trailers destroyed the film's effect by including the last scene in advertisements. (Kinda like showing the Statue of Liberty in all the posters for the original "Planet of the Apes") Point being that if you know what's going on ahead of time, the suspense does not exist for you.

After I watched this trailer, my instant reaction was that this film might deliver the same experience. I think it does a great job building suspense without ruining the "twist". I know nothing about this film and plan on keeping it that way until I see the limited run in mid-September. If you have any thoughts, please share :) - Eve.