Paramount (part 2)

As promised, here is the sequel to our Paramount excursion, this time with the entire Cornell in Hollywood group.

Through Cornell in Hollywood, we all met Lee Rosenthal, President of Physical Production at Paramount. Lee was really great at explaining what his role at Paramount was and how he got there and was really inspiring with all of the zeal he had for the work he does. He also showed us behind the scenes clips from different films he has produced including the Mission Impossible movies (he was there when Tom Cruise jumped out the window of the Burj Al Arab in Dubai--which was apparently real), the Paranormal Activity movies, the Transformer movies, and 8 of the Star Trek movies--just to name a few.

Some of the highlights of Lee's tour included explaining to us the process of using the parking lot/water tank for different scenes and using it also as a reflective sky for the latest Star Trek movie. Also he showed us different iconic spots on the lot where movies like Sunset Boulevard prominently featured parts of the lot.

For me, the best part of the tour was when we got to check out the different New York streets backdrops and came across a film shoot for the upcoming Broadway musical turned movie Lucky Stiff. One of the producers, Victor, came over to our tour group and chose me to come sit with the director (who directed Memphis on Broadway) and Tony-award-winning lead actress Nikki James (from Book of Mormon) to watch a few takes complete with rain towers on the director's monitors. It was very cool to soak it all in.

The set of Lucky Stiff

Finally, we all went back and had a Q n' A with Lee about pretty much anything we wanted.

Definitely a good finish to our Paramount experience. Looking forward to what comes next!

--Jesse

Paramount (part 1)

Our most recent studio drive-on was at Paramount Studios. The old school backlot with all the history. You'll notice that the title to this post says part 1. That's because in addition to Liz's internship rocking, Cornell in Hollywood likes to hook us up too so we are going there again today and meeting the President of Physical Production. I'm sure we'll have some pretty cool stuff to talk about after that visit as well.

We got onto the lot with a drive-on to meet Sasha Alexander of Rizzoli and Isles. Although we didn't expect to meet the famous Ms. Alexander, we did end up walking right by her and only Elizabeth realized what was going on. Just to be sure we quickly IMDB'd her to match picture to face so as not to make giant fools out of ourselves only to find that when we looked up from my phone, Sasha had vanished.
Unfortunately we didn't get to see Sasha again for the rest of the visit, but if you're reading this Sasha, it was nice to sort of meet you.

After that we did an intensive self-guided tour of the historic lot. We walked down the streets of the different city backdrops moving from Chicago to Brooklyn to Soho to some rundown city in just 10 minutes. It's pretty amazing how detailed all of the sets are. 

We also saw the sets for Dr. Phil and The Doctors (which was what was set up at that time) and took pictures in the star's chairs backstage as we eluded to the more legitimate tour groups as they actually toured the set. We just can't be tamed by the conventional tour group.
   

As we went from stage to stage and as the weather got hotter and hotter, we started to feel our energy wearing down and decided to head back to the car. The lot itself isn't that big because it is relatively old and in the middle of West Hollywood (as opposed to the rest of the lots we have visited so far which have for the most part been in Burbank in the Valley with a lot more space). That being said (and I take full blame for this since I claimed to know where I was going) we got lost a few times and ended up taking the very long windy way back.

In the end we used up the last of our energy to check out the gift shop, where, per usual, we bought nothing because everything was insanely priced, and took pictures with the banners (well the ladies did) and the famous Paramount Gate. 

All in all it was a nice break from all the work we've been doing for Liz on an upcoming project and very cool to see a place with so much history, but it will be even better after today when we get a personalized tour, explaining what exactly we are seeing.

                                                                                      

The girls and their men (there are more but I figured, 5 pictures of virtually the same thing would be a little overkill)

The Minterns in the classic Sunset Blvd. shot

Excited to tell more about this awesome lot soon, also shout out to Carla from The 24 Hour Plays who works at Paramount that we had the good fortune of bumping into for a quick hello!

--Jesse

First Screenings in The Maxwellton Workshop

This past Wednesday night was pretty exciting. In class, Annie and I screened our first scene shorts for everyone.
Annie screened a scene from Thelma and Louise and I screened a scene from Squid and The Whale. It was very exciting to hear feedback on our work, especially because actually just going out and making your own work is something pretty new to both of us and this whole experience was very telling as to what it takes during pre-production, production and post to make something you're proud of.
Personally I learned a couple important lessons while screening:

1. Always do quality-control before screening. This may seem obvious but when you're finishing up the project it's the last thing on your mind. But lo and behold, neither me or Annie tried the DVD's on the system before screening so in the end they weren't the right kind and had to be screened on the computer.  Definitely not the kind of thing you want to happen in any kind of presentational setting; screening, pitch, or whatever else. Technology is great---when it works, when it doesn't it tends to make you look unprepared and dumb.

2. Checkerboarding in post-production. This is a technique in editing where you overlap sound so that speech comes before you cut to the speaker's face, thus quickening the pace and taking some of the unnecessary air out of the scene. It's a lot like in theater when people overlap one another in conversation for comedic timing or for intense drama, just in film, you want to have the actors give each other space in shooting so that in editing you can choose exactly how much they interrupt each other and where. It may seem weird to do during editing, but by the time you're done you'll be glad you did.

3. Finally, don't be afraid to play. Both in production and post, everything is digital, which means you can make a copy of your footage and play around with it. You can add effects, coloring, sounds, tracks, whatever you want. During shooting you can improv, have the scene be done silently, or without scripts, or in a Boston accent. Don't be afraid to screw around a little, because in the end it will actually make the performances come off as more real and full-bodied and will help you discover really cool takes on the scene. And then you edit together all those true moments in a creative way and suddenly you win an Oscar. It's just that simple. We'll have James Cameron verify that soon.


Anyway, the best thing that comes out of this experience is that you can learn and gain so much from just one shoot and that in today's world, shooting is so easy that there is no excuse not to always have some project in the works. Shoot with an iphone/flipcam/anything and download Avid/finalcut/premiere and edit in bed or if you're me edit with a beer outside barefoot. You'll have a movie within 2 weeks.

Here are mine and Annie's videos.

Enjoy!

Excited to see the next screenings for class next week and our 2nd shorts in a few weeks!

--Jesse

"Directing Actors" Shoot - Photos from the Set

Hello All!

Last Sunday we shot my project for our weekly "Directing Actors" workshop.  I chose to direct a pivotal scene from American Beauty.  With the talent of a couple wonderful actors, my cinematographer, classmates acting as production assistants, and Jesse's gorgeous house, we recreated a charged moment between the mid-life crisis-ing (yes, I just made that a verb) Lester and his uptight wife, Carolyn.  

We started the day doing glamorous location duties--picking up piles of dog poop in the backyard--and ended the day sweating in the hot heat of the Valley.  But all in all it was lots of work, lots of fun, and a really invaluable experience.

My DP (Director of Photography), Tim Merrill and I.

The very talented Chris Connell (as Lester) and Lucy Egerton (as Carolyn).

Can't wait for the next project!

Cheers,

Elizabeth

Never Say Never: The Avi Youabian Story

Just chilling in the Min with Bieber and check out the credits!

2 nights ago we had the privilege of meeting with one of Liz's former students and close friend Avi Youabian. Avi went to USC Film and is now a successful editor in LA. He has edited everything from blockbuster 3-D movies to Academy Award winners to his own bar-mitzvah video cut with footage of him jet-skiing. His resumé includes The West Bank Story (Oscar for best short film), Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, and TV episodes of FlashForward, 90210, and Cold Case.
As diligent interns we of course had a screening of the Justin Bieber movie and gained a newfound appreciation for the Biebs. Liz even claims she is now a Belieber. In truth, though, the film was a work of editing talent, though, because in a documentary you have to make the footage you are given seem compelling and make it tell a story even if it isn't, even when it is Justin Bieber eating doughnuts out of a trashcan (yes that happens).

When meeting with Avi, we learned all about his journey to where he is now and as is now becoming a pattern with the people we meet, we learned about the incredible work ethic he has. Every step of the way he always took initiative to give every project he worked on paid or unpaid, credited or uncredited more than his all and in return he gained a reputation as a top-notch editor. We learned more about the politics behind the scenes of movie-making both for big and small films, and that sometimes what may seem like a misfortune may be a blessing in disguise.

Avi also gave us a lot of helpful information as to how the editor and director can collaborate and what not to do. A main point was to get as much coverage as possible, meaning shoot from every angle, every time. When debating whether or not to do one more take, do it. You won't regret it later. Digital space is cheap and you'd rather have more material to work with than less.
Finally Avi regaled us with stories of his beginnings and working late into the night on a project only to be offered a job on the spot after a director noticed his diligence. These things pay off and out here people find jobs in the most unexpected ways.
Watch out for Avi, he has only just begun.

Warner Bros. Studio Sneaking and Stalking

It's been a while since our last post, so let me catch you up. The past week has been extraordinarily busy with all 3 of us hard at work on our own projects creating publicity packets, cutting reels, brainstorming pitches for new projects and learning about the finance side of projects works. Unlike many other industries, this one has no set path and no predictable outcome day in and day out. It's why it's exciting and also why it's terrifying and can keep you working until all hours. But, if you love it like we do, it's all worth it.

While making sure we have plenty to do, Liz also makes sure we get the most out of our time out here, so a few days ago she had us drop everything and go on our second scavenger hunt of the summer at a studio, this time the Warner Bros. Studio. We might have stressed out a little bit worrying that we wouldn't get things done in time, but let's face it, with Elizabeth being the Batman fan she is, it was hard to push off this impromptu visit.

Our self-guided tour of WB was nothing short of awesome. We visited the site of many different famous TV and film shooting locations all over the lot and took pictures (as per Liz's scavenger hunt) with many different backdrops and the famous water tower (the one where the Animaniacs used to pop out of on Sunday mornings). We also visited Central Perk, the Ellen Degeneres Show office and the Legendary office (the company that shoots Batman) so that Elizabeth could fulfill her inner comic geek.
After all of this we tagged along different VIP tours (keeping our distance) and trailed off at times to sneak on to soundstages. In particular we snuck around the set of Shameless and saw the swamp area and building used for Merlott's in TrueBlood.

Wrote the Harry Potter Screenplays

Merlott's from TrueBlood

all the soundstages (so many!)

Shameless 

Shameless set 

Trying desperately to keep her cool

In addition to all of this we visited the chill-inducing Warner Bros. museum where the original costumes, props, and prominent set pieces from some of their most well-known shows and films are on display. We saw the new Batman costume from the upcoming film (which yes we all have tickets to already to see in Imax) and all the costumes from Friends (including the girl repelling bracelet), the Departed, and the Oscars that WB has won for its numerous films. There may have been some tears. We also went to the second floor of the museum devoted to Harry Potter. We each got sorted by the original Sorting Hat from the films (I'm in Slytherin, Elizabeth is in Hufflepuff, Annie was identified as a Weasley and was put in Gryffindor) and saw all the different beautiful props and costumes from the film. It's actually so impressive the time and effort that must go into the design of all of those and it is shocking that a lot of what we might think is CGI in the movies is actually just fantastic prop design.

Unfortunately the security was pretty tight and photos weren't allowed there.

Finally we found the hidden bungalow colony where celebrities have their offices and stalked around to find different famous parking spaces (because we're cool like that) and found Steve Carrell and Sarah Silverman.

<Pretty Little Liars shoot>

we kind of wish we were this cool

The coolest thing we saw by far though, especially if you are either of my sisters, was a shoot in progress  of Pretty Little Liars that we were somehow allowed into (Note: if you walk around like you're supposed to be there while looking at your phone like you're reading an important email, you can get pretty much anywhere in this town). We watched the shoot for a while and may or may not have seem some stars (truthfully none of us watch the show, so who knows).



After a good 3 hours of walking around and stalking random tours to find cool things, we decided to head back to the Min. It's pretty awesome getting to see first hand how things work both on the development side from working for Liz and on the production side through these visits. Getting that kind of well-rounded view is pretty much priceless.

--Jesse

The 24 Hour Plays

Many people told me when I went out here to capitalize on my time this summer, especially the weekends. Don't waster your time and make sure to have fun. Well, the Minterns (it's a thing now) decided to take that advice to heart as we, along with other Cornell in Hollywood interns Emma, Adriana, and Taylor set off to go volunteer as production assistants for this year's 24 Hour Plays in Santa Monica. If you're reading this and you're from Cornell it's a lot like 24 hour playfest. In 24 hours 6 new plays are created, written, directed, and put on. Different fro Cornell, however, is that the writers are renowned Hollywood screenwriters, the directors are pros, and the cast is filled with A-list celebrities like Jason Biggs (American Pie), Brooklyn Decker (Model and movie star), Gillian Jacobs (Community), Rosie Perez (Generally good at all things), Tracey Thoms (Cold Case, Rent)--just to name a few (24 in all, I felt like listing all of them would be excessive). Each play is written in around 9 hours and then the cast rehearses until 4 and then there is tech (yes full on tech with lights, sound and a live band with video projections) right until opening. It's a pretty insane process.

What was really cool, though, besides the being starstruck every time you turn a corner because "Oh there's the mean guy rom the Hunger Games" or "There's Lauren Zisces from Glee" or "Hey it's a Gossip Girl!" was seeing all of these pros be in their element and work their hardest for the love of the art. 

The event itself was a benefit for Urban Arts which is a school program that helps bring the arts to underprivileged schools in New York and LA and is funded primarily by donations. The biggest donor was Mont Blanc (as we were told and saw over and over and over again). 

Even though our jobs were generally menial like stuffing programs or setting out food, it was a great way to meet people and feel awesome or actually make connections. 

What was even more amazing was the quality of the actual show. Seeing each scene develop throughout the day you tended to wonder how these pieces would pull together. It seemed like the chaos of a 6-week rehearsal process was being so rushed that it would never work, but with the incredible skill and will from every person it became a production worth paying quite a bit of  money for. 

To top it all off, as volunteers we were allowed into the after party at The Shore Hotel afterwards. Complete with ravenous paparazzi and an open tequila bar, it was a pretty great way to finish off the day. It was also nice to have a place to speak to anyone we wanted/had guts enough to actually talk to (I may or may not have accosted Wilmer Valderrama in passing--no shame). 

Shout outs to Mircea Monroe (who was an actress on Dating Rules Season 1), Stephen Godchaux (a fantastic screenwriter), and Phil Courteney (the production manager for the 24 hour plays) who were all incredibly friendly to the whole group of us. 

All in all a very good and productive use of 24 hours. 

The next one is Nov 16th in NYC, go see it or be a part of it!

The Mintern Army with Princess Grace de Monaco in the background (namesake of the featured Mont Blanc pen of the night)

The cast