Poorly Trained Monkey Productions

SofSURFACES

2006-09-01T17:34:00.000-04:00

This is my most recent project, yet one more part of the Freedom Field Playground project.

I would like to thank Rob (the gentleman being interviewed) for all his help.

well, that problem solved

2006-08-25T21:36:00.000-04:00

Well, I have my actors back, so now I can get back to work on my short horror film... finally.

On the other hand, I'm working on yet another vid project. This time, it's of rubber tiling. More to come early to mid next week.

I need help

2006-08-23T16:03:00.000-04:00

For months now, I've been trying to get a short film done. I need 5 actors, and I've been able to secure 3. Last week, I had a couple of friends agree to play the last 2, but I haven't heard back from them, which, as you might guess, is a bit irritating. So, if you wish to play a man or a women old enough to have a 16 year old daughter, let me know. This is a "silent, black and white" short horror film. When I say silent, there is no dialogue but there will be a score, and when I say black and white, there may be some color. The effect will be the same.

If you live in the South Central Indiana area and are interested, please, let me know.

Pervious Concrete

2006-08-20T14:22:00.000-04:00


This is my most recent vid. It was done for the Indiana Ready Mixed Concrete Association. This is an example of pervious concrete.

something a little different

2006-08-05T15:52:00.000-04:00

While working like mad to find enough commerical jobs to pay for the equipment that I want/need/would like to have, occasionally, I get an oppertunity to do something completely different.

Tonight, I will be assisting Chris Chambers in a photoshot. Now, mind you, I am nothing that resembles a photographer. All the same, this should be interesting.

In other news, I've decided to do some volunteer work for the Artcraft Theatre in Franklin, IN. I grew up going to the Artcraft, and. for me, it is the defination of a movie theatre.

A job for a friend

2006-08-02T23:50:00.000-04:00

Recently, an old friend of mine, Aimee Summitt, got ahold of me. I was fortunate enough to attend an art show in which she was presenting. Here is what I saw:

Another job... done.

2006-07-26T01:47:00.000-04:00

okay, back to work

2006-06-13T14:22:00.000-04:00

Well, since my last post, I've changed day jobs: I now work as a manager at Yes Cinema, which is a hell of a lot better than working at the hotel. I now work with movies all the time and my employer is giving me some interesting opportunities like using the projection booth as a workspace for editing and using the cinema as a set when it isn't open. I like both of these very much.

In other news, I'm going to be working with one Nick Gross on the silent horror short that i mentioned in the last post. We went to Murray's house last night to look over the lay of the land and we will be storyboarding early next week. It's very nice to get back to work since the job change and life in general has been slowing me down.

a fun little idea

2006-05-15T23:01:00.000-04:00

I had an idea a few days ago while listening to Murray

play his little base.

Murray can make sounds/music/noise from that base that can scare a rational man to deal, so for us horror buffs...

Anyway, I'm going to attempt a 5-10 minute short. That's simple enough, right?

Well, here's the catch: It's silent in the sense that there will be no dialogue or ambient noise. Will be be far from silent in the sense that Murray will be putting his brand of scary music to it.

I think this is going to be a lot of fun.

Wisconson, the final chapter (vid)

2006-05-12T17:29:00.000-04:00

Well, we made it back home (and managed not to get arrested). Beyond that, we finished the job.

The people at The Curb Depot were great and their GT 1000 is a really cool machine. It was great to watch them and it work.

Here is the video:

So thanks to everyone in Wisconson.

Almost done

2006-05-10T07:14:00.000-04:00

The rain in Appleton prevented us from getting all the necessary video yesterday, but we made the best of it anyway. We got a lot of footage of the decorative curb making machine and plenty of sound bites and some instructional information. All in all, it was prodcutive.

Last night I managed to get four minutes assembled and mostly edited, and since we are working on a 5 minute product, that is very pleasing. I am going to try to complete this thing before we leave, and if yesterday is any indication, I'm going to pull it off.

We have to leave the hotel in a few minutes to get the remaining needed footage, then we'll head back here to the hotel and I'm going to try to get the rest of it together. Wish me luck.

A paying gig

2006-05-08T10:56:00.000-04:00

In about an hour Chris and I are going to be heading to Appleton, WI for a paying job. We're going to be shooting a video for a company to use for trade shows. I'm really nervous since I've never had anything pressing like this, but I'm sure that everything is going to work out well.

This job is going to delay the editing work for the AMZ documentary, but only by a couple of weeks.

Things are starting to get exciting.

All Model Zone

2006-05-07T23:27:00.000-04:00

The All model Zone event went very very well yesterday. It was a long day, no denying that, but it was certainly good. It was also great to meet everyone.

Mandy was great with the interviews. I owe her a great deal, but don't tell her. She'll never read this thing, so if you don't tell her that I just said that, she'll never know.

Julia did a very nice job with the camera, and I also owe her, but she may eventually read this, so I retain the right to claim exhaustion if she ever brings this up.

She does look cute with the camera, though.

Photos curtsey of Chris Chambers

Location Scouting (Pics)

2006-05-05T23:22:00.000-04:00

Today I had the oppertunity to get together with Josh Lowery, the individual writing the script for a horror film I intend to make.
The film is to be made in Columbus, IN as soon as mid-summer if it is possible or as last as next summer if a deley is required.

Today, Josh took me to some of the areas of Mill Race Park that he is considering for the movie. Of course this is all speculitive since he has yet to finish the first draft of the script so we have yet to finalize any location needs, let alone secure said locations. However, Josh's failure to produce a finished script (i am ashamed to note) is entirely due to my failure to keep in good contact with him so far in the process. After being inspired by his dedication and his work, I promised to NOT be difficult to contact in the future.

a short documentary about to be shot

2006-05-05T02:44:00.000-04:00

my very loving crew for the event

This is my very loving crew for the short documentary I'm doing of the All Model Zone event being held in Columbus, Indiana on Saturday. I'm really looking forward to this. I love my crew, even if I'm not in the picture.

Keep checking back and I'll let you know how the event went.

A little something that all indie filmmakers should read

2006-05-05T00:58:00.000-04:00

Today, while reading the DIY Filmmaker Sujewa blog, I read this from MovieMaker Magizine by Jim Jarmusch.

If you're not a fan of Jarmusch, become one. Now. If you are (or even if you're not) read that article through and through. I personally found it inspiring.

Setting a scene (pics)

2006-04-30T03:22:00.000-04:00

Is there really anything more important to a beautiful shot than the proper setting? This is a serious question. I'm not waxing poetic here, I really would like opinions.

I happen to think that when a director is really looking to make a wide shot hit home, he/she/it needs to keep in mind that a setting at the right time with just the right light is going to move an audience as much as any dialogue or action.

In attempting to learn how this works, Chris suggested that I spend some quality time with a still camera looking for just the moments. That's what I've done here.
I'm really a little proud of these images. They represent the first time I really started working on getting "the eye."

What I really want to promote here, however, is the concept that working with different tools than one would normally use can lead to real learning about how to make the familiar tools work a little differently.

As always, feel free to comment.

scouting for horror (pics)

2006-04-30T02:51:00.000-04:00

One day, I will get to make a proper horror film. It may take me a while, and I certainly have a lot to learn, but it will happen.
I believe that if someone really wants to do something, it's never too early to start. So, that being said, I make sure to stop and look (and if i can, take some pictures) if I run across someplace that I like the look of for a horror pic.
Also, I really think that working with still photography a little bit has really been teaching me a lot about planning and framing shots. I don't claim that I am good, but I do believe that I'm getting better. The more practice that I get, the more I learn.

Does anyone find the location in these shots creepy? I'm a bad judge because the place creeped me out. Did I capture that at all?

because i like to share

2006-04-30T01:05:00.000-04:00

"It's a poor craftsman who blames his tools."

Well, I'm not about to blame my tools for any of my mistakes, errors, idiocy, or anything else.

I'm currently using two cameras, one that I own and one that I am fortunate enough to borrow, and they both are better at this job than I am.

The first camera, the one that I own, is a Panasonic pv-gs250. I've been really pleased with it overall. It's small and easy to use as long as my needs are basic. It takes a little time to get used to the menu system, however, after using it for a few hours I got the hang of it. I really use it as my main camera.

The panasonic does great in natural light conditions as well as indoors with decent light levels. However, in low light conditions, it really strains to get the picture. I've learned to keep this in mind when planning my shots, so I'm now minimizing the problems there. If you look at the first video posted, you will see that in low light conditions (even with the scene mode set to low light) it loses much of it's clarity and punch.

The second camera, the Canon XL1-S, is a borrowed gem. It is a monster with features and gadgets and can keep you running for days. It's quality is great and it functions very well. A person can spend much time loving/hating the owners manual learning to use everything on it, but confusing options, in this case, mean valuable features.

The XL1-S, with all it's great features, is a big, big machine. This is one of the two reasons that my Panasonic is my main camera right now (the other reason being that the Canon doesn't belong to me and so I don't want to submit it to the abuse that I put my Panasonic through). It's size gets in the way on occasion, especially when working in tight spaces or having to climb on furnature. I love the Canon, but I also love having a tiny camera.

I will make an honest attempt to keep equipment reviews coming.

a little face recognition

2006-04-30T00:32:00.000-04:00

this is me, for all who may be concerned

photo credit: Chris Chambers

a little further down the line (video)

2006-04-29T10:21:00.000-04:00

This is a commercial I put together for the photographer Chris Chambers. I think it shows some progress over my first piece.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

my first attempt... (video)

2006-04-29T10:16:00.000-04:00

This was my frist videography attempt. I really couldn't get this the way that I wanted it and my camera work is atrocious. However, I learned a lot from making this one. Any constructive comments are appreciated.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.