Controlled spontaneity

Today was another guest speaker day filled with actresses, producers, and editors…OH MY! Rich Newey started off the day by telling us that the business is heading towards commercials. He told us that commercials are a quick way to make some fast money. Rich has dabbled in both films and music videos and has touched just about every position in the business. He says that he is always thinking of ideas and that he’s always trying to think of that next big thing. 

Amanda Horning, Producer of the Voice, told us all about the wonders of reality television and how it really appeals to her. The thing that Amanda loves about The Voice is that she has to do research on people and because all people are different the research is always changing. She said she loves the ever changing data and the spontaneous work she does. The show obviously has a schedule but not knowing how people are going to react or deal with a situation makes for unique moments. She also shared with us the importance of becoming a page in order to network and learn. 

The tall and beautiful actress Megan Armstrong, started her work as an extra. She started by taking acting classes and worked her way up like we all do. She started off doing commercials and finally saved up enough money to go out to LA and start working on a larger scale. She has done work as an extra in Hancock and found her calling. She is now working on her Hosting career and is happy doing it. A really useful tip she gave me I had yet to hear was how she organized her contacts into a spreadsheet to keep track of them. BRILLIANT! 

Keri Kulikowsky works at casting and dealing with people in reality tv like The Apprentice. She told us that she really works at creating a relationship with that person on a basis in which she can relate to them. She often finds herself trying to put herself in the shoes of the people who sometimes don’t make it and make them feel better. She usually has to help cheer up those who are a little down too. She gave us a nice CD of music from Last Call with Carson Daly too. 

Our final speakers were Daniel Rodriguez and Caroline Gilmore talked to us about being a post production supervisor, and how hard it can be starting out. Daniel is working on a very popular show called the House of Lives. He makes sure that all aspects of post are talking to one another and that budget is going the way it should go. Caroline shared her experience and how things have been going in the short amount of time she has been out in LA. She stressed the importance of keeping our contacts as fresh as possible and being able to keep them with you for as long as you can because it could get you that first step inside that microscopic door. 

Today was a pretty short day but one I will never forget by far! A small group of us went to Maker Studios. Maker Studios finds people on Youtube that have potential of generating a lot of views so they sign with them and assist in making their videos and things of that nature. They also shoot music videos and just make videos to be placed in social networking. We met with Will Keenan who was previously a actor/stuntman and now helps setting clients up with the studio to help jump start there carrer. We toured their Studio and because they were just starting off it was a little smaller then most of the Studios I’ve been visiting, but in a way it was comforting. Knowing that everyone has to start somewhere makes me feel like it’s possible to make it in the industry and that one day I’ll be able to take that next step into the ever close door and finally make my way in.

I was on my first music video set today! The artist Alastair is an up and coming Hip Hop artist who wanted to make his first music video take place within an old nightclub/bar. We watched some of the takes and how they were collaborated and worked on. The bar was very dark but had a lot of accents of red which gave it a very underworld-ish feel to it. A perfect setting for a dark music video that has an evil flair. We only stayed a short time when we went out for a quick lunch and then off to The Doctors.

Now I’ve never really watched The Doctors but I have heard that it is a very thought provoking show and always leaves you wanting more. We happened to go to the Valentines day taping where along with talk about foods that are good to eat on Valentines day that have the least amount of fat, they gave us cool t-shirts to walk away with in order for us to remember the show by.

The last event of the day consisted of a very smooth and funny speech by a man named Rom. Rom was an Ithaca alumni and talked to us about the importance of social networking and how he is on the cutting edge of using it to its full potential. He specializes now in making apps for iPods and iPads. Being able to talk to someone that you can relate so closely with on a basis of social networking and apps and be like “Oh gosh, I actually use those”, really created an AHA moment and really kept me intrigued. The hussel and bussel never stops!    

Today…we went to the magical land of Warner Brother Studios. Driving through the streets of this tiny little town with fake walls and sets everywhere made me really feel a sense of homeliness. It seemed to be the same as Paramount until we went into some of their buildings which showed us some famous cars they had in famous movies like Scooby Doo and Batman. I’m not a nut about cars but seeing these really extravagant models really made my jaw drop. We went and saw the prop house too! The prices of the props very greatly because of time in which they are rented out. For example, to rent a lamp out for a week its over 300 dollars. Ridiculous right? Ya I know it’s ridiculous but it’s called for because it’s necessary in order to keep the company in order. After that we went to this mini museum where we saw the beautiful artifacts of movies past. My favorite part of the museum was the 2nd floor which was dedicated to just the Harry Potter Films (I’m a tad obsessed with them :) )

After seeing the Sorting Hat and other magnificent things in this museum, we made our way to the taping to Mike and Molly. Mike and Molly showed me a different way in which a sitcom could be shot and how different it was from a show like 2 and a half men which is shot on film. Compared to 2 Broke Girls also, it was a much faster show because the director had casted a very seasoned crew. Making the process smoother is always an objective of the director but also producing a funny show is critical as well which the director seemed to do very well.

Touring the prestigious Paramount Studios was eye opening on so many levels. Being able to see sound stages on the stature of these made my jaw drop. With the studios being so ginormous in size they not only have their own zipcode but also their own hospital, and gas stations. The community these people have together reminds me that this business is more then a job it’s a lifestyle. Our tour consisted seeing famous landmarks in TV shows like American Horror Story. There was also a “star” sighting as we passed Jole McHale and Donald Glover also known as Childish Gambino (comedian and rap artist). Being able to see towns and how versatile they become when changing into a different setting was pretty interesting to see to. “Swing” sets are the names of sets that are built temporarily and will be changed into something else right after shooting. 

Within the Paramount Studios we visited a new branch of Technicolor which had opened in the fall. This was an all new Post Production Studio which consisted of Sound Mastering/Foley, Editing, and Color Correcting. I have to say that my favorite part of this mini tour was seeing the Foley studio. Foley refers to the sound added to a movie or show after it has shot to help point out details in a movie. The floor consisted of many different types of flooring, a sand pit, and even a well of water. It just looked like a giant playground!

Finally we ended our day with a taping of the sitcom 2 Broke Girls. Now I’ve only watched one or two shows prior to this taping and the show seemed okay. After seeing a live taping though, my opinion has changed completely! The chemistry between the girls is so palpable with humor and friendship it almost seemed real. The best part was the constant script changes which kept the audience on our toes and you never knew what they would say next. All in all this day was star studded but also very informative and keeps me learning and yearning for more!   

Another set day at the amazing Central City Studios ment us moving furniture and tearing down walls. Today was almost like continuing on a checkpoint of where we last left off. We switched some stuff up and added finishing touches. One of the most detailed rooms we finished that day would have to have been the “man cave”. The man cave was a very dramatic showing of a dorm room and was over the top which is what made it so fun to dress! We put in a bunch of miscellaneous things in there like stuffed fish and clothes that litered the floor. Even though I don’t plan on following set dressing as a carrer, I learned a lot in those couple days of set. I learned that dressing a set is all about being about to complement things with one another and making props fit together like a very complex puzzle. I have a new found respect for people who have the talented eye of creativity and being able to be selectively unique, while also being able to make something look real and ordinary. Our day ended with us getting a beautiful picture of all of us on the roof over looking the city of Los Angeles.