I Need Your Vote!!

Hey Folks!! I've entered a video contest here in Saskatchewan called Cell-ebrities that's being put on by the provincial phone company (Sasktel). All you had to do was make a video that had something to do with cell phones and then upload it to their site for a chance (after judging and public votes) to win a grand prize of $5,000. I've made a video called Give It Time, and now i need your votes to help it get noticed.

Being a post-secondary student I could use the money for another semester, and considering that I'm a film major this contest seemed like a fun assignment to take part in regardless. This stage in the competition is just about sharing your work and creating buzz for yourself to be selected as a finalist. The contest officially wraps at the end of December, at which time finalists will be chosen.

Still, your votes at this stage could help my film get recognized and give me a better chance at making the next round. You can cast a vote once every 24hrs.

TO VOTE FOR 'GIVE IT TIME' CLICK HERE:

http://www.cell-ebrities.ca/site/node/124

My friend Tyler also has uploaded a video called 'GILLIGAN' so i encourage you to check out and vote for his film as well. To see it click here:

http://www.cell-ebrities.ca/site/node/119

Desert Island Flicks #9

See my updated review of Almost Famous by clicking the image below.

Mini Film Fest

Sorry folks! I've been busy working on a couple new projects so I've been neglecting my blog. I'll try and get back in the swing of things soon, but with the holiday season fast approaching there are a few things i want to finish so i can share them when visiting with family and friends. In the meantime here is a mini Editing Luke film fest with a few random projects from the last few months.

Flying - Random Edit

Alphabet - Video Poem

Vegas 2005 Postcard

It Got Me Thinking

"In the future, everybody is going to be a director. Somebody's got to live a real life so we have something to make a movie about." - Cameron Crowe (director of Almost Famous)

WGA & the 2007 Strike

You must be aware that the Writer's Guild of America is striking. How could you not be? It seems to be the only thing people on tv are talking about anymore. I get it, I understand, I think the writers deserve their share but I'm sick of it. Especially the late breaking excuse for news on ET. Let me tell you ET this is not breaking news, it's the same bloody thing everyday! Execs, just give the writers their share and let's move on!


My patience with striking is also wayning due to the strike going on with service staff here at the university. It's already in its second week and I just finally starting getting my mail again (since I live on campus it's kind of a big deal to have people working in the office).

It's pretty much the same issue, the big guys at the uni holding out on everyone else even though they've been increasing tuition every friggin' year. Anyway, I thought I'd start a new category on this blog titled 'In the Media' where I'd share bits and pieces every now and then about what's going on in the entertainment world - or the real world. Sorry, no celebrity gossip, but tidbits about highlights that grab my attention.

I don't plan on repeating much of the news, that's what everyone else is for and honestly I don't get enough readers that it would even matter. Mostly I'll share things that I've found in relation to bigger stories more or less. Here are several interesting videos I came across in regards to the WGA Strike of '07.

A World Without Writers

Voices of Uncertainty

End the Stike Now!

Land of Living Skies

Here in Saskatchewan the provincial license plates declare that this place is the Land of Living Skies. It may sound a bit generic, but it's actually true. One of the notable features of Saskatchewan (it's kind of a stereotype too) is how flat it is.  It's easy to take the landscape for granted, but it does make for some epic views.

From the roof of the university residence you can literally see from flat horizon to flat horizon. If you find yourself driving on the Trans Canada highway into Regina you'll also find that you can see the downtown buildings about 30 minutes before you're even in the city. The natural landscape can easily be described as bland because there's just so much of the same thing, but the more I've traveled (even just to other parts of the prairies) you really do notice that this place is unique. 

Perspective is an important part of filmmaking and something that's discussed at length in film school, but it's also an important part of appreciating the things that you didn't even realize were so defining.  These are a couple shots of a sunset that I snapped from the roof of the residence a couple weeks ago. Pretty incredible.

Dorm Xmas Tree

I'm a Christmas junkie, so as soon as Halloween ends the holiday season starts for me. The ritual has usually been pretty simple. I'll throw on a Christmas movie, this year it was Christmas Vacation, and I'll put up my plastic tree. It'll be up until mid-December when I take it down and head back to my parents house for Christmas. A tree is a great decoration though, and it certainly sets my dorm apart by making it feel more comfortable, relaxed, and home-like.

Here is a quick little video of me putting up my tree last year. There was really no sense in making a new video because the process and the look are pretty much the same every year anyway. It may only be me and the department stores setting up this early, but here's a little dose of Xmas to get you counting down too.

For A Degree

I recently started to seriously question whether or not I still wanted to pursue my degree in film production. This wasn't just a random thought, but instead the culmination of doubt, frustration and serious questioning about the actual worth of an already lengthy university experience. I'm not about to dissect the importance of a degree because it seems pretty obvious. What I went through in the last week, I understand now, has been about rediscovering and redefining my goals.

I'm on a break until next semester now, and with this time I plan on doing a few more personal projects, making some money, and setting some realistic goals for myself. I'm smart enough to know that no one just finds motivation or inspiration, it's something that you have to work for; something that you have to pursue. Being a student has a lot of positives and negatives, but it's temporary. I'll be working now to remind myself that what I do here will have more worth when I actually start my 'real' life. Motivation doesn't come easy on the path to a degree.

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it." 

-Goethe

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." 

-Oliver Wendell Holmes

"If we did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves." 

-Thomas Edison