Switching back and catching up

Okay, so I said in my last blog here that I was going to switch to Tumblr, and I did. I posted a few times there and it went well, but I think I've decided to switch back for a few reasons. First, I can't save drafts on Tumblr. I rarely finish a post in one sitting and Blogger allows me to save a draft to finish later. This very post was probably written in a few rounds. The experiment to post smaller pieces more often didn't work, so I'm going back to epic long ones less often. Also, Tumblr doesn't have a comment section and I need to accommodate my eager public. Speaking of my readers, I'd like to send a shout out to Chelsea Ryan who told me today she actually read some of my older posts. This one's for you Chels. You're awesome.

It's been over two months since my last post and much has happened since then. Last semester ended with little fanfare other than the realization that I would not be graduating in May, but rather I will be around an extra semester until December. Somehow I'll find a way to mess that up and be here until next fall. Pfft... school.

In early January I and a group of nine friends made the cross country trek to the Big Apple, New York City. We spent a week at a hostel in Manhattan and it was probably the greatest week of my life. Great memories doing great things with great friends. I think I'll dedicate another blog post just to talk about how awesome that trip was. It was enough to make me decide I want to move there shortly after graduating. A few of the people that went on the trip agree and we're probably going to be rooming together.

The new semester started and I have been busy as all hell. It is my senior capstone semester and it has been a grueling one. I am working as cinematographer on four projects. It is tough enough to try and do your best on one but I have to dedicate myself creatively to four. I really only have to do three for credit, but when I found the fourth I couldn't turn down the opportunity. In the six weeks since school started, I have been on set five of those weeks. When I'm not actively on set I've been preparing shot lists, lighting schemes, working with the art department and director, and generally preparing for whatever shoot is up next.

It has been as exhausting as it has been rewarding. I have been compiling some of the best work I have done in my short career and have cemented relationships with some of the most talented young filmmakers I have had the pleasure of collaborating with. Many thanks to Geoff McCarthy, John Murphy, (the aforementioned) Chelsea Ryan, Tim Haldane, Brett Dellandre, Miguel Munguia, Daniel Tantalean, Tom O'Neill, Chris Meyers, and all of the casts and crews that have been along for the ride for the last month and a half. I'm proud to say that I've worked with all of you.

As of today I am working diligently on the latest and maybe most ambitious project of the semester. It's an experimental film about a robot that is controlled by a special drum set. Yeah, it's as trippy as it sounds. But I've worked with this director before and he's a real visionary. I'm looking forward to the project. What I am not looking forward to is the schedule. We're shooting Monday through Thursday, all night shoots from around 8PM to 5AM each night. It's going to kill me. I plan on sleeping for a couple of days straight after we wrap.

Well, I'm keeping busy, but hopefully that doesn't prevent me from writing every once in a while. I have a couple things up my sleeve that I want to keep record of on the blog. On that note I bid you adieu and hope to see you again blogosphere. Peace out.