episode 5.242 - i'm practically the next CNN

update at

stevepappin.com

check it, yo.

i haven't worn my contacts/glasses for 3 days now...feels great, vision improving....except at night...vision is absolutely awful at night. i'm impressed that i'm able to differentiate between indoors and outdoors...thank god for my other senses.

g'night.

episode 5.231 - did NOT see that coming!

welp...48 hours, no sleep, and minus 5 pounds (seriously, by chance I checked my weight on my friends scale before we started, and when we finished I had lost almost 6 pounds...i wasn't able to eat all weekend) and we finished our 48 hour movie on time.

HOWEVER. when we got to the submission location, the head honcho who signed us up basically said that we were never in the competition, he was just allowing us to join and if someone didn't show then he would let us in. he said things like:

"so you got to make a movie under our rules, for free." OH AWESOME!!!!!!! OH MY GOD!!!!!! I mean paying 150 dollars to undergo immense amounts of stress, extreme weight loss and unhealthy lack of sleep is a privilege in itself..BUT FOR FREE!?!?! YOU'RE TOO FUCKING KIND. What a dick. Believe me guy, I can do all sorts of hazardous wastes of time for free..don't think you're doing me any favors.

I think what he meant to say is: "so you got to make a movie under our rules, and have absolutely nothing to show for it." because he still wanted to take our movie AND the contract that said you can't post it anywhere for over a year, so we would have essentially entered a vortex the past two days and then those hours of our lives would be gone forever...

needless to say, we stormed back in there after a quick meeting and asked for our contract back, then proceeded to burn it. that means I can post it somewhere for you to view very soon.

It really is a bummer, because I think we did a damn good job for 48 hours, and having seen some samples of what other people have done, ours could have impressed some judges for some awards...would have been a nice change to earn some credit for something we work hard on...

oh well. I'm over it, right? moving on.

episode 5.230 - Voluntary Lack of Sleep

this is exciting. 25 hours in to a 48 hour film festival. we got chinese food on the way and we're going to edit the portion we shot today..then shooting all through night until sunrise, whereupon we'll go out and shoot some more...with balloons and the scooter. isn't that fun? it's due Sunday night at 7:30 pm, then will premiere at a local movie theatre to be voted on by judges.

if you're wondering why you're getting an email, you're not really, i've just set it up to where whenever I post on my splooge, it sends you a copy, that way i'm guaranteed a prompt audience, MUHA!

anyways, wish us luck.

episode 5.226- I Done Kilt the Monster....

okay guys. i know you're all too nice to admit how ugly my website www.stevepappin.com was....even though i asked for your opinions, i don't think i got honest answers...which i appreciate fully.

HOWEVER. i did visit that place again recently, and was completely turned off by it's exhausting attempts to be something....but nothing...it was a weird website.

SO, i redesigned. something simpler i hope, and more enjoyable.

check it: www.stevepappin.com

got rid of a lot of the silly things that i deemed unnecessary for a professional portfolio (biography? really?)

again, tell me what you think.

episode 5.225: Maturity? Professionalism? Pish Posh.

So I had to make another resume for class..this time Career Communications class. This of course got me in the whole professional business mood and what not, and I ended up deciding that my long time running: Operation: KillDie productions, may not be the best name for a production company when first getting started and trying to get people to hire me...but i dunno, that's why I'm here.

I threw this together real quick:

only because I'm too stubborn to simply give up the name I've been using since the very beginning of my career..."what career, steve?" shut up

so, it' s o: KD productions now. Better, right? Not so diabolical, but still a hint of awesomeness? Obviously it still means operation: KillDie, but no one needs to know that...

tell me what you think. constructive criticism puh-lease. unless of course you love it and would like me to design your next business logo...

NEXT UP: BUSINESS CARDS! WHAAT?

episode 5.212- Did Ya Miss Me?

wickity wow. been a while, yet again. my mother was getting on my case about the lacking updates, so i've done some organizing and hopefully I'm gettin ya'll up to date...sort of...

my head is extraordinarily heavy. i never realize it until i've done at least one keg stand. sorry ma, but yes, I did have to establish myself as king of keg stands tonight...bad idea, i know. it's probably also a bad idea to be writing in this state. but seriously, i must have a really strong neck that just wants a vacation whenever it can get it. my head is enormous. i need to give my body the credit it deserves sometimes. I mean, i never get sick, especially to the amount that friends get sick, and when i do, my body purges and it's done with. thank god for this strength. Now: not to abuse it and take it for granted, nawmeen? (say it aloud, and then imagine me saying it aloud and you'll get it.)

anywho, catch up, who doesn't love ketchup. something to try: Heinz's ORGANIC ketchup. totally awesome. if only all brands could make their products organic with the same results in terms of tastiness. i feel good about dipping my fried potatoes in Heinz's ORGANIC ketchup. kinda like i'm giving my body that credit it deserves already, eh? then i down a can of Coca-Cola (which they have SUGAR COLA now) and top it off with a grease-burger (BUBBA-BURGERS, pretty much awesome.) where was i? oh, show case:

Angel Train from Steve Pappin on Vimeo.

Using light and shadow to tell a story. Concept based off a script I'm writing as a feature. Needs new music that my cousin may produce, as long as he's not sick of my crap! Shot in two nights, one of which I was vomitting in the grass just off camera. Good times.

yeah. vomitting. fo reals. we had footage of it, but it's long gone into the depths of lost hard drives. i think it turned out otherwise. i've definitely learned a lot since then. shoot, i just finished shooting some 16mm FILM for pete's sake. we're talking emulsion, pull down claws..all the great stuff. got any questions about how a film camera works, i'm your man. now if i could only get excited about trapping myself in L.A. for what my soul will think is an eternity as I slowly realize that a life of fame and egotistical "creative types" is not at all what i'm interested, and I'd rather ride my moped down main street in Fairfield, Iowa. Or out on Pleasant Plain road to the 2nd resevoir where I can sit and watch the sunset after an awesome bike ride on the Jefferson County Trail....afterwards I can go home and chill with my family and cats outside in the backyard with maybe some fireflys and perhaps a barbeque...bah humbug, how enticing a simple life is to me right now...

my parents are probably cringing as they read this, even I do sometimes..but I mean sheesh...the more and more I live the more and more the small things enrich the minutes that go by. perhaps I cling to a past that will never return in it's full glory, and I can only hope to submerge myself in nostalgic material possessions...which is never a healthy thing.

these days i immerse myself in other peoples creativity in order to feel good about myself. I find a good television show or a long single player video game and let others hard work satisfy me to the point that my fondest memories of Florida are that of Psych and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. I can look on my shelf and conjure up where I was in life by simply seeing the title of the video game I was playing at the time. The office reminds me of days at home with kelsey watching episode after episode. Funny thing is, watching the office threw me back to my moments on stage during HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING. My memories are of memories before when times were glorious and happy, how depressing is that?

Apologies, I'm splooging all over the place here. Cry me a river and send me a greeting card. I just hope if I choose to fall of the face of the earth and just spend time in a rented house down the street from my family, you'll understand where i'm coming from. Not that that is my ultimate plan, but I'm just ensuring no surprises. :)

one of my biggest learning experiences while at Full Sail so far?

(try to watch it at the site in HD and with a good pair of headphones or some speakers with a sub woofer attached, or else you're not gonna get the full effect.)

Sweet&Sour from Steve Pappin on Vimeo.

A script I wrote almost 3 years ago inspired by my frequent trips to China Star. Huge learning experience in terms of translating to the screen. Shot in one night.

yep. i can make up lots of excuses for why this movie is the way it is. but hey, i don't even know if you like or not yet, so i'll skip on that, and perhaps fill you in later if you're curious. a majority of you read the script beforehand, so you all have an idea of what the movie should have/could have become, so sit back and enjoy. i will say that I do enjoy the acting and the intro titles :D (courtesy of MOI! YAY-UH)

ok. my buzz is fading and my head is returning to it's upright and locked position. i'm gonna call it a night after I guzzle some 2% and maybe rough Kuniko up a bit.

Ciao.

episode 5.133- Hey Ya'll

3 am, up waiting for my portfolio pictures to print so that I may hand it in before it is due in 12 hours.  I know what you're wondering: "Steve Pappin, did you procrastinate until the last minute to do your portfolio for 16mm??"  

The answer to that may not be what you were expecting: 

Yes, yes I did.

HOWEVER, I believe it to be all for the better, because I was working hard at my portfolio to apply for the Director position, and as I reached around 60% (give or take 50%) completion, I realized: "Hey, I'm totally not into this at all, and actually, I feel I may regret this decision." So, I halted at 60% (give or take 50%) and changed focus to Camera Team and Sound Department.  I can now say that I'm actually excited to be going into this next class.  I have my reasons!!!

Here is a video of Kuniko so your visit here isn't wasted.  HIL-ARIOUS.

episode 5.911-Public Service Announcement.

Attention please:

Do NOT, absolutely do NOT see this crap-pile of a "film":

i assure you, it has absolutely no redeeming qualities at all whatsoever.  I can even say that this film is 10 fold worse than my last rant, The Incredible Hulk starring Eddie Norton.  I am absolutely 100% embarrassed to have paid to watch this disgusting Hollywood nightmare.  I am more embarrassed about seeing this than I am about watching this the other week:

thats right.  I saw that movie.  And I would rather you tell your friends that I saw it than wolverine.  Honest to god.

Wolverine was laughably bad.  Literally.  I laughed in the theatre.  And it was ok, because not one other person in there was having a good time.  Seriously.  It was boring and neanderthal.  Is neanderthal an adjective?  It is now, thanks to this movie.  I did fall asleep for a good five minutes during this movie, it felt great.  

At least Hulk had special effects, this movie looked as though the post production team worked on commodore 64s.  

Not enough to convince you?  It was directed by this guy:

i'm an asshole, but seriously, get out of the business.  I don't want to have to compete with the likes of you when I get to California.  Sheesh.

Don't see it, or I will disown you.  The End.

episode 5.111-The Joys of a Canine

i was sitting watching West Wing when I noticed two small hairballs on the floor next to me.  I picked it up, as well as some stray hairs here and there before I noticed that if I drug my hand across the carpet, I could very easily acquire enough dog hair to clog niagra falls...

I realize this is a very self incriminating video, as my dad will be all over the fact that I haven't returned the broken vacuum cleaner I purchased when he was visiting, but I found it all too amusing not to.  Another self incriminating deed I performed this evening was placing the softball size hairball in on kelsey's bathroom counter.  I'll receive hell for it in the morning as I sleep, but I simply couldn't help my self.

now, i must return to my extremely addicting tv show based on a democratic government that never has and never will exist...i find submerging myself in fantasy worlds and other peoples creativity is becoming a heavy habit of mine...

episode 5.102: Thing of Beauty

yup...i made that.  it's too bad i wouldn't ever be a cook, because i'd be exceptional at it.  you know what it is? attention to detail.  and perhaps a slight amount of starvation.  check it:

Single Bubba Patty Cheeseburger with Lettuce and Ketchup.   i don't know if i've ever tasted one so good.  i fried those fries too...fried them to perfection.  Golden and Crispy, with the soft center.

Perhaps this meal is so tastey simply because of the battle that ensued over the stove for a good 20 minutes.  Hot vegetable oil hurts.  I think the dudes of medieval times had it right when they'd pour boiling oil on their enemies below, i mean DAMN.  I had to pull down my sleeves and wrap my hand in a dish towel in order to get in there and flip the sizzlin' potatoes so that they don't burn.  It took dedication, and an average to moderate pain tolerance.

Another reason why this meal is so damn tastey may be because it's a form of procrastination.  I'm totally avoiding doing the school work required in order to create the final project due friday, as well as putting together a portfolio for 16 mm positions... i've found that everything involving the final project has fallen on my shoulders, and if I don't do it, it probably won't get done...sooo.  Whatevs

see this:

seriously.  it makes you wanna like Jean Claude real bad, but then you realize it could be that this is the first time in his life he's actually acted.  still, it opened my eyes.  work is work. money is money.  sure, jean got super egotistic and drug ridden about it all, but he seems rather regretful about it all.  it's a hard life, no doubt.  my favorite scene is in the courtroom with his daughter.  (one of my favorite scenes, my ACTUAL favorite scene is too much of a spoiler to mention here.)  watch.  I thought it was phenomenal, but i may have just been in the right mood. 

I hold to it: A Florida Dog is a Happy Dog-

this one happens to be quite a bit of a shithead though.  He's a joy to have around and I absolutely love him, but what really irks me about this dude is that he is so intelligent, all the bad things he does aren't because he's just a dumb dog that doesn't know any better, but simply because he' s a shithead.  He does things he knows are bad, and then when it's time for punishment, he'll avoid you as much as possible, and sometimes straight up ignore your commands.  If he were human, he'd have the personality of a two faced juvenile delinquent.  Joaquin Pheonix from Parenthood comes to mind...and i hated that kid in that movie. Oh well, Kunikos constant love and genuine wanting to be hanging out with you makes all that stuff disappear after a while, and you forgive him until the point you leave the house for 2 minutes, and he's already either ripped apart the trash, gotten on your bed or barked at the neighbors...

as i'm writing this he goes and barks at someone passing by, then when I call his name, he simply turns his head and looks at me, but continues to bark out of spite...what a turd.

Florida Dog on a Rainy Day-

Sweet&Sour is pretty much out of my life now...and I find it hard to care.  I learned a lot, and after a bit of reflection and self-hatred, i've come out a better filmmaker I believe.  More goal oriented than before, I plan on developing a small faction of IFS that is more of a Short Film bootcamp with an intensive screening process that won't allow poser wannabes anywhere near the set.  I'm tired of half asses.  Can't say much on here, as it is a public blog, and anything you post on the internet can come back and bite you hard on the ass...

episode 4.601: I'm old news

I understand.  Everyone is slowly losing interest in my school career.  Just last week I was deemed Show-Runner for the 30 minute live broadcast we have to create for HD Productions.  I also came up with the show idea and will write a good majority of it...which is what i'm in the middle of right now.  Show-Runner is also seen as Executive Producer, and if you were to put a Show-Runner in the Film world, you would be the Director.  I told my sister, Reni about this, and she commented: "You're always the leader," then she went on to say something about how it's nothing new and you could tell in her voice that there clearly isn't much flair to my life.  I've been forsaken for being good at what i do...reni will surely comment in her defense. :D

We finally casted last night for Sweet&Sour, and now I have two good actors to work with for the rest of the week, and then shoot this bad boy on Thursday and Friday...then, it's SPRING BREAK!! Which I'll have a total of 75 dollars the entire week, since the school decided it fitting to give us our living expenses check AFTER spring break.  A smart move in some cases, but overall an extremely cruel move.  Should be the most exciting spring break ever...

Anyway, I got my actor from Int. Soundstage back for Sweet&Sour, which is fantastic.  He's very good.  It was also nice to see his updated resume with "INT.SOUNDSTAGE" and my name listed as Director...booyah.  He'll be playing the part of Charles...which I believe to be the harder part, with less lines...hopefully he understands that.   The other guy fits the part of Dan well, and should have a lot of fun.  Now comes the part I've been waiting for, and I actually get to start doing my job, without having to "rotate" positions or some other ridiculous school instated production rule...sheesh.  Here's hoping our location and production design all come together nicely...not to mention our lighting...oi vey...(kelsey once got on my case for saying that because I'm not jewish...a little bit later she left the apartment and walked across the welcome mat that says: "FO SHIZZLE, WELCOME TO OUR HIZZLE")

and thats all i have to say bout that...

episode 4.222: Maggabujadey

Wat: Documentary

the documentary I served as editor on..finally...up next is the Advanced Lighting video, after I send it to Kris to see if he wants to put some music to it.

episode 5.020: Walkin' The Walk

Our president is pretty much awesome...

episode 5.019- Hear No, See No, Speak No.

my final project for Make Up for Film:

we had to combine two different make up techniques, so i did bald cap and wax.  It's pretty cheezy in some parts, but I got a 100% on it, so I can't complain.  That finishes up make up class at Full Sail.  Good times, good times.

For those of you who don't know, i acquired the position of Director on the independent production: Sweet&Sour.  (A script I wrote, but it's just fun to say "independent production")  Now we're in it to win it, with our shoot days being in the first week of april.  Ought to be crazy seeing as how we cast on the 4th and shoot on the 6th...2 days to work with actors on a piece that is centrally an acting piece.......that is one thing Full Sail students will probably never learn to grasp, is what script requires what in terms of Acting, Experimental and whatnot.  Most of them just know the process, not the creativity...which is unfortunate.  oh well.  i'll do my best.

in celebration of me dominating another class (make up) I purchased this:

you guessed it: battling zombies with chainsaws and explosive arrows.  i know what you're thinking: "that doesn't make any sense"  Tell me about it.  i don't know when it became ok to take a well known zombie franchise and turn the zombies into creepy virus monsters that explode into giant meaty plant vine thingys...

thats what happens when you shoot them in the head with a shotgun..the just grow weird tentacally things that whip you in the face.  I mean come on...how does that thing hide inside his body anyways?  completely unrealistic...they should just stick to the whole "reanimated rotting corpse that now craves human flesh" schtick....it's much more believable...sheesh

the real allure to the game is that you can play cooperatively with people across the world through the power of the World Wide Web...which i thought was fantastic, because you meet up with a random person and then get the shit scared out of you by creepy meat plants, together...or so i thought.

my initial outing into the cooperative world consisted of me teaming up with some guy from Jamaica and running around in a swamp for quite some time.  Finally we get to an area where the meat plants start swarming us.  So, instinctively, I start unloaded everything i got at them.  And I mean everything.  Whatever was capable of propelling small pieces of lead at deadly speeds was soon rendered useless as I sprayed anything that moved with lead death...then i ran out.  so, for a good half an hour I ran around with my new jamaican friend scrounging up whatever ammo i could and fighting the hordes and hordes of enemies.  FINALLY, we succeeded in clearing them all out, and I felt a wave of accomplishment flow over me.  Not to mention a certain amount of bonding with my newly acquired teammate.  I thought we were unseperable, as I was sure he felt the same way at his home, admiring how we came through together in the end.  

HOWEVER, in order to escape from this area we were currently in, one of us had to raise the bridge while the other ran across and let them through a barricaded door on the other side.  He quickly volunteered to operate the bridge, so I made my way across.  I was halfway to the other side when the bridge dropped out from under me and i fell to my death on the jagged spikes below...the jamaican traitor quickly left game without so much as a "goodbye".....so much for team...my heart was shattered, and I haven't been able to trust any of my partners since...

Moral of the story:  Always raise the bridge, so the other dumbass can run across and you can watch him fall to his death when you purposely let go...it's hilarious.

episode 5.012.2- This just in! Shithead Masterpiece!

here is my first attempt at a bald cap...the class dubbed this work of art: shithead...i'm so proud.

episode 5.015- Shoot them in the head! THE HEAD!

there is my 4th make-up project from today.  If i had more time i would have painted his teeth and bloodshot his eyes, but i think it looks pretty cool as it is.  if you can't tell, today was special effects make-up.  Most everything on nick is wax and some red gelatin.  COOL, eh?

thats what nick did to me...the picture doesn't really do it justice, but that scar by my eye is very realistic looking.  you get it by putting Scar Collodial on your face.  It's basically toxic stuff that pulls your skin real tight where ever it is applied.  we loved it. oh, and i was also the model for the instructor today, and he did this to me:

zombie make up day.  what more could you ask for?

episode 5.012- 'Ey Blinkin'!

name that 16th president!

i did that.  in make-up today. we were supposed to do historical make-up.  don't look at it too long because he becomes amish very quickly.  i'm only impressed because i couldn't know the difference between an eyeliner pencil...and one of those other pencils we use...last week i turned nick into a bald egyptian with a hair-turd on his head (pictures soon I hope), so i'd say this is an advancement...

episode 5.003- I Drive A Weedwhacker to School...

man o man i LOVE my new ride. 

thats a daytime picture for you, in her true glory. i mean, i knew mopeds were fun, but i didn't realize HOW fun until now.  I mean, c'mon.  Check out my transforming key:

"silly goose, how do you operate a motorized vehicle with that?"

CLICK!! SWISSSH!!

"WAIT, WHAT?!!? O-M-G NO WAAAAAY!!"

yep...based on a conversation i actually had with my own brain.

3 day owner of a moped and i'm ready being treated like crap on the road.  Some of you know about my initial adventure as I was pulling out of the parking lot with the moped I had just purchased literally 3 minutes ago, I barely made it a block when a white van sped past me and the floridian handlebar mustache grower hanging out the window hollered: "Strap on your helmet, ASSHOLE!" 

At this point I realized that I had unsuccessfully strapped my helmet to my chin, and I desperately fiddled with it before making a u-turn onto SR-50 during Friday rush hour...I felt like a jackass..which I was alright with because i learned a valuable lesson...unfortunately the one dude who had to chance to call me out on it failed to organized his illiterate brains fast enough to generate an actually applicable verbal insult.  This confused me greatly and I don't think I'm able to credit this guy for potentially saving my life, but, in FACT, i believe he may have been endangering it more than ever before.

Brain Function: (Searching for correct verb that connects the black thingy around chin....FOUND=HELMET) (Possessive Adjective=ERROR-Can't recall correcting spelling it but sounds like ) (NOUN=That thing I should have worn more as a child...FOUND=HELMET) (Inserting insulting noun WARNING! ABOUT TO BE OUT OF VOCAL DISTANCE! EMERGENCY PROFANITY SELECTION!!!! ACTION=BLURT "ASSHOLE")

Asshole?  Really?  Does my lack of personal safety serve as an insult to normal society?  (I say this as a crotch rocket flies past my apartment complex going 90 in a 35...no helmet at all) Perhaps I'm not properly educated on proper use of the word, but if you're going for effectiveness and relevance i'd be more partial to accept words like:

Jackass

Dumbass

Stupid Ass

or to step away from the donkey slang: 

Dipshit

Nimrod

Fuckstick

Tony Danza

all this was going through my head as I was trying to figure out how to secure my helmet strap in the middle of 4 lanes of traffic going in both directions.   His inability to think resulted in me having to decipher what just happened at an inopportune moment...who's the asshole now?

episode 5.001- Muh New Baby

episode 4.537- It's Like Math..Only Not

wasn't my idea....ok yes it was.

=

episode 4.556

episode 4.541-Aaah, School of Giving

Full Sail has its ups and downs...bad parking would be a down...slow repair time for broken equipment is another...

but when it comes to transforming the students into portable state of the art professional electronic creative suite machines...they do VERY well.  as it turns out, Full Sail has worked a deal with Adobe in order to get all film students a copy of the $2500 master suite of all of Adobe's new CS4 products...oh and they're doing it for 12 dollars...

some of my splooge readers may recall how I wanted to get Adobe CS3 (now obsolete) for 347 dollars? and incredible deal for a 1500 program?  well, i'm sure most of you won't mind if i take advantage of this newer, more unreasonable deal.  

why unreasonable? 

2500 --> 12 = 99.44% Discount...that includes: Adobe Premiere (IMO more superior to Final Cut, our current editing program) Photoshop (amazing) Illustrator (vectors? yes) Encore (Blu-ray designer) and much much more...that is unreasonable...this deal shouldn't exist...god i love being a student.

anywho...just thought I'd brag a little.  People say: "film schools are pointless" blah blah blah.  My school takes care of me, and I will be awesome some day because of it.

I was going to move on to a subject about 12 year old skateboarders that really piss me off, but I think i'll exit on a positive note...and i'm really tired.

episode 4.532 - Roll Out The Red Carpet

It's up!  INT. SOUNDSTAGE is available for all to view here:

http://www.stevepappin.com

i'm going to bed, and probably sleeping for 2 days straight..dear lord

episode 4.528-WHOA HOLY GEEZ AAAH

i'm sitting, watching Band of Brothers on Blu-ray, procrastinating writing my three page paper on "who killed the electric car" splooging on here about practically nothing and eating ramen noodles....sheesh.  

i can update on the whole Pitch Day ordeal, though.  I suppose I'll start by saying that today I was attacked by some serious swollen glands in my throat, big pain in the butt, seeing as how I was slated to stand in front of a panel of people in a large room and pitch a script i had written.  after class got out at around noon, i shut myself in the apartment and began performing experiments on my body in order to rid myself of this hinderance.  We're talking everything, salt water gargling, hot lemon water drinking, salt baths, geranium on the throat and then finally, a big honkin 2 hour nap.  i woke up still unable to swallow comfortably, but the adrenaline started to flow as I thought about what was to come, and I forced myself to read my pitch aloud a few times.  to top it all off, it has been raining all day (even now) and I had no car to get me to the school.

i finally did arrive at school, dry, thanks to a friend, only to find that the "panel" i was pitching for was actually a group of about 20 people...awesome.  We did get to use the "cool room" though.  It's not actually called the cool room, but i can assume that whoever needs to refer to the room we were in would probably do so by calling it the "cool room."  it's the room that they feature in the tour, saying: "this is where film students will pitch their projects to their professors in a professional, industry setting." i'm in month nine and I hadn't seen the inside of that room until tonight, as a part of a completely un-full sail related project.  

however, no matter how cool this room is, it definitely adds to the horror of standing in front of a bunch of people, the majority of which i don't know, and spilling out details about something you created in your own time.  perhaps a room layout drawing is in order:

this is what the room actually looks like...

but of course, when you're in there to pitch something, it becomes a little more like this:

sooooo, yeah.  the good news is, i manned up and stared horror in the eye, and pitched my shit anyways.  i had planned it to sound like this:

            "What if all you needed to hatch the perfect revenge plot was an empty Chinese restaurant and some devious internet searches?  Sweet and Sour is an engrossing conversational thriller in the vein of Seven and Babel.  It follows the lunch meeting that Charles has set up in order to confess his affair with a shared lover to Dan, who may already have ulterior motives unknown to Charles.

            Problems occur when Dan begins to lose his composure as he undoubtedly realizes he has reached the point of no return.  We watch as his evil plan unfurls, and casual conversation from earlier in the meeting, such as the food they ordered, language barriers with the waitress, comments on the internet and even the clothes Dan wears all become a part of the grand scheme.  What was initially to be a controversial confession from Charles, turns out to be a lot more devastating that anyone could have imagined and Dan still manages to get away with it all.

            Audiences will enjoy this movie because of the clues throughout that allow them as the viewer to piece together what has happened or is happening as the characters themselves do in this show, don’t tell, story. They will especially love how at the end, they won’t be able to help themselves from watching it again in order to catch all the subtleties that is Dan’s agenda to exact his revenge."

which, i did manage to regurgitate something that sounded like that, but the firing range that came next was most unexpected.  I finished the above pitch with: any questions? and expecting things like: "how long?" "how many characters?" i ended up getting "what kind of toothpaste does the main character use?"

....well, not really, but they damn well might have if I hadn't answered all of their other questions first.

to be all anti climactic about it, they picked my script out of 3 to be the next short film to go into production for the International Film Society.  Which, to say the least, is completely awesome, because it's the first club at full sail that makes legitimate independent movies with full access to all of the university's equipment...BOOYAH.

I know what you're thinking, International Film Society, what the hell are doing in that club?  and trust me, bring up Iowa in any Floridian conversation, and you're not only international, but damn near extra terrestrial....

so with that said, Steve Pappin is rockin it down here at Full Sail, with 3 projects underway, a world premier tomorrow, a 4.0 GPA and 100% attendance...not to mention a TWO DAY WEEKEND!!! YAY-UH

episode 4.527: Ditch Pay

So, I just clicked send on an email that locks me into an extremely nerve-racking process where I'll voluntarily stand in front of 3 judges and "Pitch" a story to them, in hopes of getting it greenlit for production...

But really, I don't care if it's greenlit, the real success here today is that I'm going to do it, and i'm going to do it without a GPA to push me...this is real life, legitimate movie making, and I've taken the first step...I couldn't be more nervous.

So, Thursday night from 6-9...if you don't hear from me after that, it's probably because I completely imploded, and will probably be packing up to make the move back to Fairfield to become Regional Manager at Family Video...

INT(erior) SOUNDSTAGE UPDATE:

My edit got voted as the that shall receive a world premiere on FRIDAY.  I hope to make a short documentary on the event, and post it here as well.  Pretty cool stuff.  Tomorrow night I get graded on my edit as well, so it will be cool to hear what the teachers think of it.

MONK MONASTERY UPDATE:

Our documentary, working title: "wat" (thai for temple/monastery) is progressing nicely.  I will be working on production as media manager, and in post production as Editor.  The other day I threw together an opening title sequence that everyone in my group really liked (hence the working title i came up with)  The teachers say that our concept has never been done in the history of Full Sail, and considering at the beginning of class they insisted that everything had all been done before by other students at Full Sail, it kinda means a lot.

Lastly, went and watched Defiance, the WWII movie by Edward Zwick starring James Bond and Billy Elliot...LOVED it.  With this movie it is official that Edward Zwick movies are my guilty pleasure.  I can sit, watching his movies, knowing that half of the stuff is dramatized to be more exceptable for the masses, and still not care.  Last Samurai? Totally redunk historically and maybe even a little insulting to the samurai way of life, but still incredibly awesome.  Blood Diamond?  A little hollywood action starrish when it came to depicting the gruesome wars in Africa, but still incredibly awesome.  Glory? nothing need be said, pure awesome.

Go see Defiance, and just enjoy.

Ciao

episode 4.522-You Saw It Here First

just a little taster for you guys.  the final edit will be done tomorrow, although it won't be very close to what we originally wanted. (silly requirements and whatnot)  i intend to release my Directors Cut for at least you all to see, but if my edit is chosen, i want to make sure it makes it on the DVDs that go to the actors, since the Directors Cut will feature them a lot better....can you believe I'm referring to my Directors Cut? and it's actually legitimate? pretty cool stuff.

well, that trailer was just something i threw together in about a hour, and hasn't really been touch other than putting the clips together, so it's pretty rough (in terms of color correction, audio, and even included scenes)  but hopefully it gets you excited for the world premiere next friday, like a trailer ought to...

secondly....nick rowland:

and i went on a photo adventure today, at Leu Gardens and shot a lot of subjects that would most likely lead to people questioning our sexuality...but hey, we got sweet cameras and we ain't afraid to use them:

and finally, a little something that should belong in outer space but, of course, is in florida....

oh, and:

TREE BALLS

episode 4.511-Industry Woes

I figure as I wait for my condensed edit of INT. SOUNDSTAGE's opening titles animation to render, I'd post on how I've been accused of copyright infringment....sound scary? kinda.  but not so much. just really, really lame:

if you can't read it, just click it to make it larger...

thats right, ladies and gentlemen...the adorable video starring myself and the late Tug Boat has been seen as a threat to WMG's existence as a multi billion dollar company....

well, seeing as how 98% of the videos on youtube use music that don't belong to them, i felt a little slighted at first.  i suppose i'm being punished for being honest about it...some may think i'm being punished for being stupid about it, but when it comes to copyright infringement, isn't it all the same?

so, i suppose i either legitimately swap out the music for some that i actually have rights to...or perhaps try and reuploading the video with a different name, because then they would have absolutely no idea that i used 30 seconds of it over me trying to get my cat to act like a savage murderer...the pool is open for new, and honestly, more creative names for my very first Operation: KillDie production.  (oh, a wave of nostalgia, siiigh)

how about:

Feline Laceration Chills?  its different enough to throw the hounds of my trail, but blatant enough to stick it to 'em....put it to a vote.

Circumventing Copyright Infringement! Feline Laceration Chills? yay-uh! nay-uh! view results

OR, if anyone has any better ideas, i'd love to hear them.

episode 4.504-Can You Handle It?

Massive update from the land of warm weather and terrible traffic.  i got my ass kicked by Iowa's winter weather on the very last day i was there.  stupidly, i dressed for florida, not taking in account the amount of time i'd be spending walking from our motorized vehicle to overheated buildings.  twice at the coral ridge mall, then again at the airport.  i couldn't have spent more than five minutes outside, but then i had to cram myself into a sardine can of an airplane and travel for 4 hours.  in the last 30 minutes of my second flight, i thought i was going to lose my mind.  

the man next to me couldn't help but stare at the shivering rocking mass in the seat next to him, who was begging for the plane to land out loud.  of course, i didn't realize how vocal i was being until it was too late, and we shared an awkward moment when my glazed-over eyes met his increasingly worried ones.  it certainly didn't help that the vile 4 year old child behind me would kick the back of my seat just because her mom told her not to.  the mom eventually stopped trying, and the child continued to treat my seat like the pedals on her retarded little pink bike that i'm sure she has.  6 years later, when we finally landed, i made sure she got the worst stink eye ever bestowed upon something that wasn't a steaming pile of turds in an inconvenient location...like my pillow.  not that that has ever happened, but i couldn't think of a much worse place than a pillow for turds...except maybe in between my upper lip and gums...but of course i couldn't see that to give it the stink eye, so the pillow will have to do...

the next 4 doors are a blur, and just when i thought i was rid of my sillyness, i got attacked by a severe dose of lactic acid in my shoulders and arms. it was as though i was laying on a bed of syringes all injecting enough cement into my muscles to give the Empire States Building 6 basements...true story.

now, enough of my bitching.

of all the movies released around christmas that i need to see, i finally got out of the apartment to experience Stauffenbergs Series of Unfortunate Events Starring the Pirates of The Carribbean...er, I mean Valkyrie.  To start, i'd like to say: If I were to have made this movie, I don't think I'd been too upset with myself.

ok ok, so i'm sure there is plenty to criticize and whatnot, but overall, I think they did a good job in telling a story that no american really cares to hear.  Hitler and his SS were assholes, and not every german approved of all the dumb shit he was doing.  What I was impressed with is that most of this movie took place before the americans even invaded europe.

Anyway, Tom Cruise becomes a pirate, 

and teams up with Davey Jones,

who is already in cahoots with Hamlet,

and they have a big plan to make Mr. Gibbs

counselor of Germany...oh and that creepy dude is there too,

doing something, I can't quite recall what.  And of course Lord Cutler Beckett

is being a total douche, and would love nothing more than to cut out Adolf Hitlers heart and use it to command a fleet of panzers...er, well...sort of.  don't want to spoil too much for you. oh, and this guy is there too:

i won't tell you how he fits into the whole mess, because the curiosity has to be killing you, and i enjoy that.  so, to recap:

Tom Cruise+Eye Patch+Pirates of the Caribbean-Johnny Depp+Nazis^2  

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------      

                                                  Adolf Hitler

                                                   =Valkyrie

any questions?  pop quiz later.

subject change.  here are some pictures i took with my new camera:

All that and MORE, click here.

spread them around.  send to family, friends, the president elect, WHOEVER.

that brings me to my next topic...4 MORE DAYS!!!!

Good God, how immensely exciting.  News flash: its okay to be cautiously proud of our country again!!! YAY-UH.  I don't want to say too much, because politics ain't my thang, but this is bitchin.

in terms of school, i'm editing the footage for INT. SOUNDSTAGE as we speak, and a final edit should be completed very soon.  The world premiere will be on the 31st of this month, on the 50 square foot jumbotron on Full Sail campus.  pretty exciting stuff.  MEANWHILE, i'm beginning pre-production on a documentary to be shot February 8th on a Puja being performed by some Theravada Bhuddist Monks in Kissimmee, Florida...it is at this ceremony that the monks receive their 8 precepts (which is more dedicated than the standard 5)...so that'll be cool.