this last weekend was the 42nd annual Comic Con.  if for some strange reason you escaped the media blitz surrounding this event, let me give you a quick explanation of it.

imagine nerds.  now imagine their mecca.  now imagine that large media corporations figured out that if they make things the nerds like, the nerds will spend their money on said items.  now image the large media corporations decided to sponsor extravagant parties in nerd-mecca.

perhaps a tad over simplified, but the small convention for comic book artist, fans, and publishers has grown into an epic “Festival of the Popular Arts,” that features comics, movies, tv shows, games, toys, original art, t-shirts, and cos-play.

this was my 4th year going.  each year I feel like I understand the convention a little more and am able to negotiate the pitfalls a little better.  this time I wasn’t in it for the costumes, games, toys, and comics… My goal was to attend the panels and listen to filmmakers and artists talk about making their work.  Hopefully, I can apply their lessons to my own projects.

next I’m going to write about the different panels and the specific things I found interesting in each…there’s no real “through line” or consistent theme other than these are filmmakers making the sorts of films that I like to watch…and would love to be making.

TRON: Legacy

the first panel I went to was for TRON, in Hall H.  last year, the first day in Hall H was a mad house.  ”Twilight” AND “Avatar” were scheduled that day…and there were many screaming girls (and their mothers) in attendance.  this year, no Twilight meant less girls – although there were a couple NON-comic fans in line near me.  it was their first year at the Con and they were there for “Salt” and “Megamind.”  both of these struck me as odd…especially since “Salt” was opening that week. why wait in line for hours to see a preview of something coming out soon?  but it definitely illustrates that part of the convention’s continued growth is due to it’s more “inclusive” nature.

a couple things stood out about the TRON panel.  the first was the use of audience participation.  part way through the event they had the entire 5000 person crowd do a series of karaoke style shout-alongs that were being recorded FOR the movie.  we said things like “Res-ner,” “Disk wars,” and “De-Res.”  we stomped our feet and cheered…and in between NO ONE misbehaved.  nobody shouted, or whistled, or yelled “freebird.”  everyone played along.  it was really remarkable. by including the crowd in the filmmaking process, they had just made them 5000 fans. people want to feel special. and when they feel special, they tell other people about WHAT made them feel that way. in this case, it was the makers of TRON.

the other thing was something that Jeff Bridges said:

“We need modern myths.”

this really made me think.  after “Star Wars” – what do we have?  ”The Matrix?” anything else?  there is something deep seated and important about myths.  so, how do I tell stories that fulfill the same needs as the “myths of old?”

Green Lantern

Peter Sarsgaard, who plays the villain Hector Hammond in the film, told a story of when the director, Martin Campbell pitched him the roll.  the director told him the story through HIS character’s eyes.

why is this important?  it makes the story REAL for the actor.  it shows them the journey that THEIR character will go on.  making the character more interesting will help get talent.  it’s that simple.  why would a talented, in-demand actor want to be in ______ movie?  there needs to be a hook, and showing them the story as their character would experience it is a good way to do it.

Cowboys & Aliens + Captain America

both films showed rough, unfinished footage.  why do this?  why show something that isn’t 100% perfect?

because it makes the audience feel special (just like with TRON).  letting them see something exclusive sets up fan loyalty.  a core group of committed fans can MAKE a movie even before it is done with production. many would argue that the buzz that the Jon Favreau’s first “Iron Man” earned at Comic Con set it on the early road to success.  personally I can’t wait to see “Cowboys & Aliens” his next flick…and I’ve told numerous people how awesome it looks.

Let Me In

when should a movie be re-imagined? rebooted? that is, when should a film be remade? this question was the “elephant inside the room” at this panel.  after all, the Swedish film “Let The Right One In” has been rated as one of the best movies.  EVER. I’m not sure that the questioned was every really answered, but it was interesting to see the director, Matt Reeves, dance around the question.  without a doubt, he definitely loves the source material (a *gasp* book) AND the Swedish version of the film. with his version of the tale, he is not trying to “one up” or “replace” the first film, rather he seeks to add another interpretation to the source material.

he had several intriguing things to say; for me the most interesting were the notes he received from Spielberg regarding working w/ children.  since one of my leads for “Certified” is a kid, I paid close attention to these.

first off, let them come up with stuff.  no need to feed them everything, let them start with how THEY imagine things.  kids have great imaginations and if you can build off those, it will be a more organic process for them.

second, have them journal AS their characters.  every day they can write about whatever they want, as their characters, only rule is they must share and discus w/ director.  I don’t think this will be necessary for “Certified,” since it’s such a short project, but I’ll keep it in mind for future projects.

while walking around the floor I also had some thoughts regarding my own work, and specifically how I “pitch” it to people.

when people ask me “what sort of films do you make?”  I’ve invariably said “short films and music videos.”

this is a horrible answer.  it’s a conversation ender.  I can talk about my work… and I should.  this happened once at a booth where I was buying a plush toy and later that night I was thinking about it.  I realized that I need to change how I answer that question, so I’ve been working on it.

what sort of films do I make?  I make films that deal with reality and question our perception of it.  my work is a surreal, fantastic, quirky, and often funny take on the human condition.  what does it mean to be a member of society, to be a co-signer of the social contract and how does our perception of reality affect how we do participate in society?  most often I’m working the sci-fi, fantasy, or noir genres.

it still needs a little work, and that might be a little too didactic for some, but it’s a good start.

on my last day at Comic Con, I spent about 9 hours in Hall H. I had the best seats I’ve EVER had…I could actually see the faces of the people on the panels.

here’s a pic of the screen from near my seat.

and then…this GIANT guy sat in front of me. take a look at how much of screen his head blocked out.

ahhh well. C’est la vie.

Or in Klingon, “vetlh ‘oH yIn.”

-Luke

howdy friends,

happy Comic-Con week to you! this will be my 4th year going…last year I felt like I was just hitting my stride with planning and execution of the convention. the only major change for this year… a closer hotel. all the better to facilitate afternoon iPhone recharging and naps. anyhoo, I’ll be talking about #SDCC next week.

this week, here are a couple of things I’ve seen on the interwebz

here’s a video where some nefarious characters battle with “cardboard” weapons… take a look.

I think this video is a perfect example of putting the cart before the horse. these guys have made a visually impressive video. they’ve taken a funny concept- “cardboard” weapons- and added in great vfx.

the different sorts of weapons and the escalating nature of the fight are great.

but story? characters? emotion? these are nowhere to be found.

visual effects should serve the story, not the other way around.

if they’d spent 30 seconds at the beginning developing the characters and setting up say, “a plot,” I’d want to watch this again…instead, I found myself losing focus during the 3.5 minutes. does it work as a visual effects demo? yes. does it work as a short film? no.

take a look at this Milk ad from Japan. it took has cool vfx and an interesting premise…but there is a STORY and we identify with one of the characters. caring about the characters makes it an ultimately more rewarding viewing experience.

-Luke

the final blog about our New Orleans trip is pretty much just about two things:

Music & Food.

and maybe not in that order.

on our 2nd day in New Orleans we took the street car up Canal St. it went almost all the way to the Fairgrounds. we didn’t really know where we were going, but we assumed that the massive group of pale, older, folding-chair carrying white people did. we followed the pack the 8 blocks or so and viola! the Fairgrounds and Jazz Fest awaited us.

it was sunny. and hot. and there weren’t many places to sit. we covered ourselves in sunscreen, camped out on the grass and started to watch music.

there are about 8 different venues that were simultaneously showcasing different sorts of music. each stage had it’s own theme (more or less). and each stage allowed for varying levels of intimacy. for example, on the “ACURA” stage, you’d be lucky to make out the performers features…if you could even make out their face. the “Heritage Stage” was one of my favorites of the festival. it featured local New Orleans musicians…and it was small, so I could get up close.

the Paulin Brothers Brass Band

after a couple bands it was time to eat.

crawfish Monica

mango freeze & boiled crawfish

the crawfish was pretty tough to eat. there isn’t much meat in each “fish” and getting it out is tricky. Teal and I eavesdropped on some other “out of towners” who were getting help from a “local.” step one, pull the heads off. step two, suck out the juices from the head. step three, pinch, squeeze and pull out the tail meat with you teeth. not an easy task. by the time we’d finished the 30+ crawfish I felt like I was just starting to get the hang of it… another basket and I think I’d be good.

sweet potato pie

some of the other bands we saw on the first day include:

Coco Ronicheaux and the Swamp Monsters
Groupa – Nordic Folk Collective
Steven Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers
Tribute to Louis Prima

Teal and I were both pretty tired after the first day…and our feet were even more tired-er. (hehe) so we decided to pick up some of those folding chairs that everyone was lugging around. best $10 spent. EVER.
(make sure to go into the CVS on Canal St. and pick some up if you go.)

the 2nd day was overcast, windy, and just a little humid. after the blazing sun and windless heat of the day before this was a welcome change. being able to unfold our chairs and sit down at a moment’s notice made it all the sweeter.

watching Buckwheat Zydeco

of course, the eating continued…

fried soft shell crab po-boy

pheasant, quail & andouille gumbo

even though we were tired, Teal and I stuck it out to the bitter end. our last stop was the Gospel Tent. there weren’t many people watching the act and we felt a little bad about leaving, but eventually we threw in the towel and headed back to our hotel.

some of the bands we saw that day included:

Hadley J. Castille Family & the Sharecroppers Cajun Band
Forgotten Souls Brass Band
Elvis Perkins in Dearland
Gospel Inspirations of Boutte

along the way we tried to sell our chairs. there were still two more days to the festival and we figured SOMEONE on the street car would have sore feet from standing all day. but no one would bite! it was very curious. we ended up giving them to the front desk clerk at the hotel, hopefully they found a weary festival goer to hookup.

later that evening the whole family ventured into the French Quarter for an ice cream place that Teal had found called la divina gelateria. the night was hot and muggy. people were out and about, it felt like a real city.

one thing I really liked about New Orleans was the coffee. it was good. and it was good at any number of places. even the drip coffee at this little spot was excellent. after tasting numerous varieties of ice cream, we sat outside and enjoyed our treats. I tried to convince the clan to go get some Absinthe with me…but to no avail, so we headed home for some much needed rest.

black coffee & black pepper cherry gelato

our final morning in New Orleans we went back to Café Du Monde. it was just as good as our first visit. along the way we passed an art dealer selling paintings of the DOG that we’d seen all around the city including at Jazz Fest, on a big hotel, in various galleries, and in bus station ads.

rodriquez dog

smoking fish

our last stop before leaving was the famous Central Grocery where we purchased their equally famous “Muffaleta” sandwich…

Dad noms

it was quite a trip. we got to experience all manner of new food and new music. it was really special to try things that if we were back at home we wouldn’t have access to. New Orleans truly is an American gem. I highly recommend going there…and not just for Jazz Fest. there is music and food available on a daily basis there…in fact, it’d be hard to go and there and NOT experience it.

do you have any favorite food or music destinations? I’d love to hear about them!

-Luke

howdy fellow travelers of the intertubez!

hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend…it’s crazy to think that this time last year I was experiencing winter in Chile (read it here). this year, my big trip was South again. but instead of South America, I picked the American South. my family and I were going to New Orleans, Louisiana.

New Orleans has been at the top of my “places to go in America” list for many years. the history, the culture, the food, and the music have fascinated me for as long as I can remember. finally, the stars aligned and I was able to plan a trip to not only the city, but the famous Jazz Fest.

our first morning in NOLA we wanted to see the Mississippi…and have coffee and beignets at the world famous Café Du Monde. we walked along the river and looked at the birds, the auto ferry, and the joggers. it’s amazing seeing such an important body of water…it reminded me of seeing the Rhine. so much history in a flat, wide, and not very big river.

a statue by the river

nestled in the shadow of a dike, the café is surrounded by old brick buildings with wrought iron railings. the Café does only two things. and they do them well. normally I try to stay off the beaten path and out of the tourist traps, but I wouldn’t hesitate to go back here. I’d probably have gone here every morning if schedule allowed.

coffee & beignets

a painting in our hotel…just a little bizarre.

Jazz Fest didn’t start until the following day, so we took the street car down St. Charles Ave into the Garden District. this is one of the older residential neighborhoods I’ve ever been in…at least in the States. the area dates back to the 1800′s. it’s amazing to walk past a house and read a sign about how it was built during the Civil War…and it’s still being lived in! thanks to fires and earthquakes there aren’t many places like that in California.

a tomb in the historic Lafayette Cemetery #1

Mom & Dad

Teal checkin’ the interwebz

a house in the Garden District

Third St.

a tower of jasmine

besides the beautiful old homes and 100 year old oak trees, one of the things that I really loved about the Garden District was the smell. it really IS a garden. it is one of the lushest and greenest urban places I’ve ever seen. the entire area was filled with the fragrant smell of blooming plants. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that much Jasmine in my life.

after walking around we’d developed quite an appetite… Teal had a list of notable local restaurants and after some discussion we settled upon Cochon. it’s a haute cuisine take on the local Cajun food that’s savory, rich and spicy.

pork & pickled watermelon

BLTO (the “O” is for Oyster)

dinner was incredible, but this was just the start. Jazz Fest was the following day and it promised not only interesting and eclectic music, but the food that makes New Orleans famous.

-Luke

howdy hi,

a couple quick updates. my experimental narrative, “JEROME” is coming right along. sound design is done, a composer is working on the score, and *fingers crossed* I’ll be doing color correction and vfx tomorrow. also, I’m in the midst or working on an EPIC blog about my trip to New Orleans for Jazz Fest this spring. stay tuned.

in the meantime, enjoy this AMAZING Cadbury ad.

-Luke