Jenju Blurbs

On Set in Bakersfield

2010-11-11T20:36:00.000-08:00

Bakersfield is about two or three hours away from Los Angeles, about four if you catch L.A.’s crappy traffic which you’re almost always guaranteed to get. It’s nice to get away from all the bustle and hustle of the city though. Who knew flat ground and corn could be so peaceful?

It’s about eight in the evening and we only recently made the fall back an hour due to Daylight’s Savings. So, it feels like it’s almost 10 at night but I’m pretty sure it also has to do with the fact that I haven’t slept more than ten hours this past week.

We’re working on Caitlin Bond’s short film tomorrow (Friday) and Saturday so call time tomorrow will be 9am, which actually isn’t bad in the least considering there have been 4am call times in the past. I don’t exactly know what the film is about since I never got a script (Gaffers don’t really require one, just some gloves and a kick-ass attitude) but I do know it has to do with hardcore dancing and a wild concert. Right on.

Hopefully we’ll be getting a lot of on set photography that I’ll be able to post soon. Caitlin’s pretty awesome to have brought me on board. She’s knows about my aspiring desire to be a cinematographer, and she’s actually a bon-a-fide make-up artist so she knows people in the industry. Her Director of Photography for her shoot is in said industry so she thought it would be cool to put me as gaffer so I could pick his brain and learn from him. How wicked is that?

No doubt this weekend is going to full of awesome learning experiences and just flat out fun. Woot! Let the shooting begin!

Today's Films: Business vs. Art

2010-11-11T14:57:00.000-08:00

Funny done wrong. We're supposed to laugh with... not at.

I love my Visual Language and Culture class. Today's topic was the evolution of film from the Golden Age of the 1950s to its counter-culture era in the 1960s. Of course, it made us think what the films of today are saying about us.

All I can say is... it doesn't look good.

In my completely biased, humble and honest opinion I believe we live in an era of cynical passivity. What is that you say? I don't know, I kind of made it up.

I think it's safe to say that Hollywood's creative juices have stopped flowing and have instead been replaced by the wimpy kid that'll do the bully's homework to escape a couple of bruises. Why are we pummeled by a string of remakes, reboots and "based on..." re-fabrications?

I think we're in an age where filmmaking has donned a permanent business suit and is no longer viewed as a beautiful art form. What happened to the loud statements of the 1960s or the comedy of the 80s? We got scared. Hollywood doesn't want a repeat of what happened when television came on the scene and hit the film industry hard.

So they repackage and resell what they know "works" instead of risking a gut punch in the pocket in the name of art and humanity. Especially now, with the entire globe in a recession, the stakes are higher and one wrong move could end up affecting more than just the producers' finances. Understandable but not ok.

Not only have we dived into remakes of classic iconic films (or even b-rated movies) but once the best-selling novels and "based on a real stories" weren't enough bang for their buck, Hollywood discovered the world of comics and graphic novels. Suddenly, there was an entire world of endless story-lines and plots that hadn't been made into movies. Best of all, they already had a fanbase. So getting people to come and watch these films wasn't as big of a problem.

What we have now is a huge wave of comic/graphic-novel based movies, the majority of which aren't even done well. Even if and when Hollywood manages to ruin the characters or plots of beloved comics, loyal fans will still go and see the movies because... well, they're loyal fans. Hollywood knows this and so why bother making a decent five course meal when the dessert will bring them to the table? Now, Hollywood is doing what it does best. Which is overwhelm and suffocate the public with wave after wave of the same.

We, as the public, can protest and rant all we want but in the end we still go and buy those overpriced movie tickets because, let's face it: Times are bad and we need distractions and entertainment no matter how shallow they may be.

This, of course, is a huge generalization of Hollywood in the 21st Century. Of course there have been gems in the past few years, of course we've had a couple of winners in the ring. Some comic book adaptations have come out great. What I'm saying is, why aren't our voices louder? How come there are spastic bursts of roars that only fade away to Hollywood's garbled jargon?

Notice how a lot of the public has slowly gained interest in Indie films where it is more acceptable to take risks or how foreign films have gotten much more recognition in the past few years. Not all Indie film are amazing, not all foreign films make a connection but people are in search of something with edge, something with meaning and with something to say.

Criminally underrated masterpiece that stayed under the radar.

Integrity-wise Hollywood is on a steep decline and financially on a slow decline. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but soon, the world will turn its back on what Hollywood has become if it continues this path. People like us, the future filmmakers must pick up where legends like Spielberg, Scorsese, Dennis Hopper, and Hitchcock have or will leave off. Because, let's face it, they won't be around forever and then where will we be?

Time to make that little flicker of a flame that is our artistic expression into a raging fire.

We Have a Date, Let's Shoot!

2010-11-09T11:10:00.000-08:00

Finally! After 3 months of brainstorming, 1 pack of cigarettes due to writer's block and 1 weekend of hardcore flow of creative juices, I have a script.

Potentially it has promise and I'm really excited about it. There is still a lot of editing and drafting that can be done but the story has been set and I have handed it over to my producer to look over and tell me it's shit.

Or maybe not, maybe she'll love it.

But in the meantime... We have set a date to shoot!

Filming starts February 25th of 2011. Currently my producer and I are looking for the heads of departments. At the moment we have a camera operator who not only is amazing with the camera, but has the ability to capture the beauty out of the most mundane things.

Exhibit A:

Am I right, or am I right? We have a potential Director of Photography. And by that I mean I picked him out and now my producer is going to use her special means to convince him that working on this project will complete him. Yes. I can't wait.

So the project is in full motion. Everybody get your seat belts and energy drinks ready. It's going to be a long bumpy ride.

I will keep everyone updated as progress grows. For now... I leave you with this.

Weekly Short Story

2010-10-27T10:26:00.000-07:00

Frankie knew the flower was going to die. He had to try anyway. He went back inside and rummaged through all his mother's old gardening tools. Frankie wasn't quite sure he had what he needed. When he went back outside he saw the flower had already weakened. It was reaching out for the sun from the crack of the sidewalk. People would trample over it. He began to work. If he fixed it and made it beautiful again people wouldn't step on it anymore. They would stop to see.

10.27.10

No Riddle for Batman

2010-10-27T08:59:00.000-07:00

Bad news for Riddler fans. /Film just reported that Nolan has (in his very secretive manner) denounced any rumors of Riddler being the next Batman villain. Furthermore, he also revealed the title for his third installment in the Batman series. For the full story, click after the jump.

/Film was able to discover from a recently published script.

The news comes from Geoff Boucher over at Hero Complex, who was able to score a coveted interview with the secretive director. “It won’t be the Riddler,” Nolan said of the third film’s villain, squashing earlier rumors and speculation to the contrary. He also noted, “We’ll use many of the same characters as we have all along, and we’ll be introducing some new ones,” a fairly self-evident yet cryptic statement.

Evidently, Boucher and Nolan also chatted about convincing Warner Brothers to go with IMAX instead of 3D for the film, which I find incredibly encouraging. Boucher says that information will be made available later today. We’ll update you guys when we hear about it.

So, is this good news? I think so. I think the Riddler was just a little to close to the Joker in term of villain that it could have come off as a bit repetitive. I may be wrong, there could have been a completely different and unique twist.

Anyways the question remains... Who is the next Batman villain? Nolan already denied Mr. Freeze as a likely contender back in March. Personally, I would love to see Harley Quinn as she is my favorite. But I'm also a realist so I'm not holding my breath. Killer Croc anyone?

Also, the title? I'm a little disappointed. It doesn't sound bad or anything but I was expecting something much more... epic. Reusing the last movie's title and adding a word isn't exactly creative. Who knows? Maybe it's just a tentative title.

In the mean time. Sorry Riddler fans :(

Face Punch

2010-10-26T09:26:00.000-07:00

I really hope I'm not alone in this because if I am... then it makes me a really bad person. Has anyone ever had one of those urges to punch -and not a love tap people, I mean a PUNCH- a friend in the face? And I'm not talking about punching them because something they did pissed you off. I'm saying just for the hell of it.

They're standing (or sitting) there talking to you and all of the sudden, out of no cause from them, you want to punch that sucker in the face.
I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in this but am I the only one with the sack to admit to it? Lately it's just been that one person -whom I happen to be very close with- that I really want to pound.
It's not like they've changed in any way or form, or that they are doing something specifically to piss me off. But suddenly, the way they talk, the way the talk to others or their comments makes you want to drop kick their ass. It's almost as if every word that comes out of their mouth become insincere and connected to the sound of alley cats singing.
Am I alone? Should I go see a doctor? Do I go ahead and just sucker punch?

*sigh*

Weekly Short Story

2010-10-18T23:14:00.000-07:00

I realized that I have no actual schedule or deadline set up for this blog. Which explains why there are such long periods of time between my blog posts.

So I decided to turn an old English assignment that my professor use to make us do weekly into an article post on here.

The object is to create a short story in less than half a page, double-spaced and 12 point font. Obviously I can't always monitor that on here so I'm saying in 10 sentences or less.

This is actually kind of fun and I find it such a therapeutic form of writing that isn't laborious or painful. I will do this every week and you guys can feel free to comment on how you took the story or whatnot.

So without further ado... here we go.

Jonah looked at her in confusion. The little girl had just said the most peculiar word. “What?” he asked. She repeated herself, this time with less confidence. Jonah scratched his head. He wasn’t sure she was speaking an actual language. She pointed to the cup in his hand. She pointed to her mouth. “Juice?” he asked. She smiled and clapped, “Agulo.” He repeated her word, “Agulo.” Jonah smiled. He had learned a new word.

10.18.10 - Jenju

Writing a Good Script

2010-08-08T22:31:00.000-07:00

I am by no means a writer. Or at the least, not a professional one. Yes, I love to write, I love to doodle on scrap pieces of paper and I love to jot down random lines or sentences that pop into my head.However, being a writer- be it fiction or non-fiction- is something that's genuinely hard to do. Especially if you want to be a good one.

There's so much that goes into writing. Having a beginning, middle and end. Establishing your lead, their characters and their clear goal. Creating realistic obstacles and then deciding whether or not they accomplish their goal. This is all textbook stuff.

What makes writing so difficult is being able to have your audience, at the end of it all, connect to your script. Did it resonate? Did it make them think? Did your script mean anything? Of course, there are more than enough scripts out there that don't mean anything at all and are merely the fluffy tissue paper inside a gift bag. But this is about good scripts, or even more so, great scripts.

As I said before I am not a writer but as I go to a film school I am required by curriculum to dish out my own number of scripts. Ack.

I am very grateful though. I have the fortune to have a teacher that has pushed me with my art in ways others have never been able to. He is the Yoda to my Skywalker, you can say.

So the thing about writing a script is that there must be a reason for you to write one to begin with. Sounds so simple, I know. In fact, it's much deeper. If you're writing a script for the sake of one day capturing a stroke of luck in which your script is made into a muli-million dollar big budget movie that ends up paying all your school loans AND paying for your high life style? Don't be surprised if all your scripts come out flat.

There has to be a reason. Ultimately we write because we have something to say. We have something we want the world to know or understand. It could be something we care about such as a political situation in a country. It can be about belief, such as why anger should never be contained. It could even be, and often is, about ourselves and what we want the world to understand about us.

Something my teacher says is "You have to be willing to be vulnerable if you want to be an artist" and also "When you create art you have to dig and dig deep until it hurts. When it finally does, you have to dig even deeper." I won't go into the actual lecture of how one writes something while being able to dig deep within themselves. I'm still learning.

The point is, we have to search within ourselves to find out what it is that we want to say, what our voice and vision of the world we live in, the life we lead is. The hard part doesn't stop there though.

Once we find and are able to create that which is so personal and meaningful to us, we have to learn to detach ourselves. Just because we are able to unearth what's deep within us doesn't mean that we've unearthed perfection. What we've done is found the diamond in the rough, but now we must polish and shine.

We have to realize that people will read it, they'll critique it and they might mock it. We have to be willing to go through that. Most importantly we have to be able to not let it get to us or take it personally. Your work is not perfect, accept it and embrace it. Criticism shouldn't be viewed in such a dark light.

If someone doesn't get it, ask why? Perhaps what makes sense in your head just doesn't translate the same on paper. If your character seems illogical or confusing, then perhaps you need to truly understand him or explain him better.

It's such a process to write something so connected to us and dug up from deep within us only to have to learn to detach and let it go. But every screenwriter eventually has to turn over their script to the Director/Producer. They might get it, they might not or they might find something even you didn't know lied beneath.

Inception: Nolan's take on dreams

2010-07-24T15:07:00.000-07:00

I saw Inception about a few days ago but I was hesitant on writing anything about it for fear that my opinion was somewhat invalid. Also, my thoughts on this film are very similar to my feelings towards Toy Story 3. Though I feel I could follow and enjoy Toy Story 3 much much more.

So, Let's begin shall we?

I can understand why so many people loved this film. Really, I do. I enjoyed it too, it was action packed, there were some beautiful scenes and I do believe there was some great acting involved.

So let me start with the bad before I move any further. The dream sequences seemed to me like miniature action movie sets as opposed to the real complexity that dreams can be. Each level of dreams we were introduced to were like set-ups for chase sequences or fighting scenes. Real dreams are complex, they hardly make sense and they are as unpredictable as mother-in-laws.

Yet, what's fascinating about dreams is that we do not perceive them as strange until we are awaked to the "real world". I feel as if a lot of untapped potential got away in this movie. Nolan presented dreams as extremely structured and copies of our daily lives. They're such mirrors of our daily lives in fact, that it's a little depressing to see that no imagination exists beneath us even while dreaming.

Nolan probably wanted us to doubt reality and to explore being trapped or tempted by jumping to alternate realities (kind of Matrix-y). If he had really explored the complexities of dreams, it would have been a different movie. In order to support his theory of multiple realities, he needed to portray dreams as extremely orderly and easily manipulated. I don't blame his reasoning behind doing so but it suspends my belief in the film when you tell me dreams are like Jenga when I know them to be a hybrid of play-dough and a kaleidoscope.

The exposition in this movie didn't work for me. While I like it when a film manages to set up the stage without narrating itself (literally or through characters) this one had too much and not enough going on at the same time. If I had been reading the script as it appeared in the movie, I would have believed that everything was being made up as it was being written down. We don't get an explanation for why things are happening or what logic is being used until a character asks. Then it's a "Well, it's because of this. Which, makes more sense that I could have told you before but it's more dramatic that you didn't know until just now."

So many things are left unexplained and what little is explained is done in such an off-handed reasoning that we still don't feel satisfied with any answers given. We get a lot of words and scientific mumbo jumbo thrown at us but it's so unorganized we don't know what to do with it. At one point a character asks in aggravated confusion "Wait! Whose subconscious are we going into?" Exactly.

My last (for this article at least) quibble about this film is that it really doesn't dive into the psychological part of dreams as deep as it wants you to believe it does. The movie really centers around this team of thieves and their highly complex near-impossible mission. Each member has a specific area of expertise and it's vital that each play it's part just right and at the correct moment or the whole operation will go to hell. If this sounds familiar then you've seen Ocean's 11.

And that's my main beef with the film. It's so stunning to watch. The fight sequence between Joseph Gordon-Levitt and henchmen suspended in air is so well done, I can't wait to see what future action movies are going to do to top it. More than anything it's important to watch this movie the way you're going to watch an action thriller. It's fun, it's entertaining and at some points funny. It just doesn't dive into your mind the way I imagine Nolan wanted it to.

It's so filled with action that it doesn't give you enough character development and thus it doesn't really allow you to come to care for any of them.

Watch it, have fun with it. I'm probably going to go watch it again just so I can get a better understanding of this movie and maybe see something that I didn't in my first viewing. Who knows? Maybe I'll be able to find I was wrong and that there is a level of profoundness I had failed to see before.

Until then, I say enjoy the movie but don't waste your money on popcorn or candy.

Final Grade: B-

Toy Story 3: Best Pixar Film?

2010-07-06T22:59:00.002-07:00

So I went to go see Toy Story 3 (finally) with a good friend. While I was tempted to watch it in 3D briefly, I decided that I had to watch it the way I had watched 1 and 2.

I can still remember watching the trailer for the first movie and then later watching the movie in the theaters with such amazement. In a way I was excited to see the movie, not for it's proclaimed brilliance but because I realized that I had grown up right along with Andy. I wanted to touch back on a childhood that Toy Story had been a part of. Kudos, by the way, to Pixar for sticking with the same kid (now adult) for the voice of Andy in all three movies. Their level of dedication and loyalty is just amazing.

Now, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I laughed, I gasped and maybe I cried a little (I don't remember). However, although my good friend and I did talk about our reactions to certain scenes afterwards, I felt myself grow somewhat silent. I really loved the movie, but why was I disappointed (a little) at the end?

Finally I pinpointed my feelings when my friend voiced "All it really did was pull at your heartstrings". I realized that Pixar has done something wonderful yet somewhat damning. They have never failed to amaze, evoke emotions and push boundaries (Cars didn't happen people). But, along with that mantra comes the level of expectation we've come to have for Pixar.

So I would have to disagree with my fellow comrades who swore it was the best film Pixar has ever produced (have we already forgotten WALL-E ?). Before I get stoned, I have my reasons so hear me out.
My stance with Toy Story 3 begins first with my question: Was a third movie really necessary? Although I also enjoyed Toy Story 2, I also questioned the need for it when it first came out. What worked for TS2 was that it explored the new theme of mortality and betrayal. TS3 felt, instead of a new angle, an extension of the themes touched on in TS2. Here again we see the toys struggling with the need to be played and not forgotten in some dusty cardboard box or dumpsite. It's their doubts of security and longevity mixed along with the theme of being a loyal family. But, even that theme of loyalty has already been touched on in 1 and 2.

The movie feels more or less like an action film( a really good one). One that's family friendly and involves no near-nude women running for safety. I feel as if the ambition for this film fell short. There were some themes I would have been interested in, like the look on Buzz's face when he realized Andy had picked Woody over him or the toys' attitude towards Woody as he was moving on with Andy while they were being left behind. Both of these scenarios were quickly accepted and hardly touched on. I feel that every time the plot came close to digging deeper, the shovel was tossed aside.

The new characters provided an opportunity for growth. The original crew of toys from 1 and 2 really didn't have any more room for growth and if they did, the idea wasn't entertained. The more intriguing character was Lotso (voiced by Ned Beatty) the bitter fluffy bear but, even he felt like a rehash of The Prospector from TS2.

This movie was great. It was entertaining, it pulled at your heartstrings, it made you care and it made you worry. Even though it all feels familiar it's still done very well. It's worth the money, it's worth the $12 for the bad popcorn and it's worth the time. However, because the film comes from Pixar, you can't help but expect a lot out of them. This film from anyone else would have been mind-blowing. It lacks the ambition that we've come to witness with films such as WALL-E, Up and Finding Nemo. Saying this, it's a film worth watching over and over for the elaborate and clever action-escapade scenes, it's comedic timing and it's ability to make you tear up. The saga has ended on a beautiful and clever note.

Final Grade: A

On another note, another reason Toy Story 3 is a must-see is for its six minute short shown right before the movie. Pixar has a long standing tradition of preceding its feature films with animated shorts. They're always wonderfully done and heartwarming. This short was no exception and the merge of old-school meets new-school proves once again that Pixar enjoys pushing boundaries.

The short, titled Day & Night, was created by Teddy Newton and was a lovely fusion of 2D and 3D animation. The short is set to a score by Oscar-winning composer Michael Giacchino (Up). It's delightful and comedic but it's so profound you can't hold the urge to clap as the finale comes. The story is of two figures (One Night, the other Day) who learn to accept and appreciate each other's unique differences. It borrows a lecture from Dr. Wayne Dyer given in 1970 where he affirms that the unknown can be mysterious and beautiful and should not be feared or resented. It's unlike any other Pixar short previously done. It struck a chord with me as it touched on a subject very close to my heart and has now officially bumped Geri's Game as my favorite Pixar short film.

Final Grade: A+

The short is now available for purchase on iTunes.

Day & Night - Preview