Happy Holidays Everyone!

here’s something I saw recently, it’s inspired by one of my all time favorites “Calvin & Hobbes.”

and here is a Holiday classic…

The Real Luke – Holiday Greeting

Luke Asa, Filmmaker | Myspace Video

-Luke

greetings fellow riders of the great intertubez!

happy Friday! it’s been a good week here in Los Angeles. Shriekfest has started! I’m excited to see some horror & sci-fi films and meet a bunch of other genre filmmakers. CERTIFIED screens Sunday at 2pm. details here.

a year or so ago the trailer of THE REAL LUKE: PURSUANCE OF JUSTICE had just been released. I had a very special guest blog written by the one and only The Real Luke. he details the Hollywood Adventure that led him to California to make his first epic, feature length motion picture. here is the trailer to refresh your memory:

when we were on set, we ended up shooting a LOT of extra material. specifically in the desert scene. I had the project pretty well story boarded and knew what shots were needed to make the trailer. but we were running ahead of schedule and our Director of Photography, John Matysiak had some ideas for additional shots… so we shot a bunch of material that didn’t make it into the cut.

while editing I realized that there was enough footage to make an entire OTHER project. but there were a few slight issues. we were missing a number of “connecting” shots. after all, we weren’t trying to make a cohesive scene – we were trying to make a trailer. we had a bunch of cool action, but the moments weren’t really tied together.

in order to show a story that made sense, we’d need to film these “connecting” shots. having reshoots wasn’t out of the realm of possibility, since I was the actor, owned all the props, and the locations were “free”…but there was a BIG problem.

I had shaved my beard.

so… how would we do it?

did I need to spend a few months regrowing my beard?
should we only shoot me from the back?
what were the simplest possible shots w/o showing my face that we could use?

together w/ my intern Kevin Allen-Bicknell we laid out the shots we had in the best possible order. then discussed what was missing story wise and how we could tell that story with INSERT shots.

we went outside the yetiesque offices and shot those inserts on my Canon Powershot. then cut them into the sequence with the HD material. it wasn’t pretty, but it did let us see if the story made sense. and it did. next we needed to film those insert in HD. so on one of the scouting days for CERTIFIED I brought my Mackinaw, camo, and hatchet to set. John and I walked down the road a bit and quickly filmed the few shots.

they cut in perfectly. our plan had worked!

I wanted to set up the project as a “sneak peak” into the post production of the film, so I added the timecode window burns that normally are found on footage during the editing process. there aren’t filters for these, so they we all made by hand. yes, that means EVERY frame is a different title. (I can talk about what all the numbers mean if anyone is interested…let me know)

here’s the finished project, THE REAL LUKE: PURSUANCE OF JUSTICE: JUST DESSERT.

-Luke

howdy friends,

so the Big Bear Lake International Film Festival was a blast! I met a lot of cool people, saw some great films and our screening went really well. it was really encouraging to see the range of people that responded to CERTIFIED – from the 6 year old boy behind me telling his dad “that was soooo cool” to the silver haired lady telling me she recognized the story from OPEN WINDOW. plus I got to hang out w/ some filmmakers I’d met at other festivals and get to know them better. (and no, the leaves had not changed yet.)

like I said last week, at Dragon*Con I went to a bunch of different panels.

I want to briefly mention a few things I learned at those…

Practical vs. CGI Effects in Filmmaking
this panel was mostly concerning set design. when should you build a physical set…and when should you construct the set digitally? there was a person from each camp, and a filmmaker who’s feature was playing at the festival.

Practical = actually building something physical. It could be a plywood set painted to look like stone or a miniature forest made out of foam and pvc pipe – but it actually really there. think the original STAR WARS

CGI = computer generated images. nothing is really “there.” think the new STAR WARS.

one thing I found really interesting was the idea that REAL props are sometimes less expensive than prop-props. for instance, the “Practical” filmmakers were building a steampunk airship and needed a nautical style ship wheel. to get the “prop” version was $400. to buy a REAL wheel was about $50. this seems a little counter intuitive, but the lesson is to be creative when making sets. go to junk shops, search ebay, visit recycling centers, etc. there is no need to limit yourself to actual “prop” sellers.

everyone agreed that the main issue with building sets was the space. it can be very expensive to find a space big enough, that you can keep long enough, to both build the sets and then shoot on. one of the panelist rented a warehouse in a rundown part of town, another used several friends basements.

personally I really like the aesthetic of physical sets. a combination of CGI and practical can be very effective and often makes the most sense. if you need a controlled apartment in NYC, but can’t go there. build the apartment, but then CGI the city out the window, or better yet – shoot a REAL shot of the city and composite it into the window…

I feel that there is something to actually physical objects that both actors and audience respond to. you could write a whole essay or book about the realness of the motion picture image…so I’m not going to get into that right now.

Dark Fairy Tales
this panel was directly after the “Vampires, What’s Next?” panel and a lot of the panelists and audience went from one to the other. it was interesting hearing the panelists give slightly different “who I am, what I’ve done” speeches for the different crowds.

as you may know if you’ve followed my blog for a bit, I’m very interested in fairy tales, myths, the supernatural, and the extranormal. so this talk was right up my alley. (a dark and creepy alley with at least one thing that goes “bump” in the night. hehe)

one of the issues many of the panelists had was with the Disney-fication of fairy tales. the original tales are pretty dark…and definitely not “G” rated in their amount of violence. they have been changed for the masses and the panelists preferred the original versions.

still it begs the question – are those original tales appropriate for small children? is it a bad thing to introduce kids to these worlds and moral messages in a more sanitized version? if they are really interested in the tales they could seek out the originals on their own, or introduced to in a English class in junior high or high school, right?

I’m not sure what the correct answer is. probably it’s a decision for parents to make depending on the particular child. that being said, I don’t think it’s an outright bad thing to have multiple versions of the tales.

anther tidbit I picked up at this panel was about antagonists. it’s important to remember that the Hero can only be as heroic and the Villain is villainous. so what makes a great villain?

one of the panels said, “a great villain is someone with good intentions that doesn’t know when they’ve crossed the line.” they used the example of Magneto from X-MEN: FIRST CLASS. here was a man that wanted justice and to protect other mutants. but the idea of justice turned into wanton bloodlust & revenge. and the goal of protecting other mutants turned into the genocide of non-mutants. his original goals were not inherently evil, but he was not able to maintain his righteousness. this is a common element of Tragedies too, where the protagonist descends into evil & eventual ruin.

it’s interesting to think of the Antagonists as the hero of their own tragic tale.

—-

I know that’s just two little stories from the panels, but I think it gives a good idea of the breadth and depth of the offerings at these conventions. I LOVE going to these sorts of things and listening to other artists & creators talk. there is a wealth of knowledge and experience out there, and conventions are a great place to find it in a concentrated form.

—

here is one of my favorite shorts from the convention. it’s something that is was both shot with “practical” effects and is a dark fairy tale – that’s suitable for children.

“Bedtime for Timmy”

-Luke

p.s. one more festival announcement…

Spooky Movie International Horror Film Festival, Washington D.C.

hey friends,

lots going on as Cannes is a week away! working on a new poster and website for CERTIFIED, expect to see those soon.

until then, here are two different sci-fi themed music videos.

Hooray For Earth’s “True Loves” video is a great low-budget science fiction film. It’s almost ALL natural locations and features a very small cast. the effects are limited and judiciously used. the cinematography and editing are top notch. all these combined creates a ethereal and compelling story.

on my first viewing I was surprised when it ended. I was so engaged in the world and vibe that I wanted MORE. and it’s pretty rare that a music video inspires that sort of reaction.

and for something completely different in scope, here’s Katy Perry’s “E.T.” it’s big, bold, and over the top. the production value and effects are top notch. the editing is tight and the photography is gorgeous. did it leave me wanting to see more? not really… but I enjoyed the 5 minute ride.

-Luke

hey friends,

last night was the Premiere of the pilot episode of “Updating Paige.”

it was part of the “Web Series Unplugged” series that shows at El Cid. it’s a pretty cool idea to have a venue for these sorts of projects. and to create a place where the people who are making them can come together and interact.

the show went extremely well, we got a LOT of laughs. and not to toot our our horn too much…but we definitely stood out among the crowd.

a fair amount of our cast and crew were there, plus some of my filmmaker friends from other projects. it was really cool to introduce Tony & Carey, the producer and editor of APT. 5 that had NEVER met before.

“Updating Paige” was actually shot quite a while ago…in fact, it was the week after we filmed “Certified.” it was a pretty fun shoot, but a couple of things stick out in my head.

first, it was HOT. really really hot. like record breaking 110+ degree heat. luckily it was a night shoot, but even still…that sort of heat will drain you.

sorry, I don’t have any pictures illustrating “sweaty and tired” but here’s one of me goofing around.

second, the crickets.

we were shooting at night, but the story takes place during the day. this isn’t a huge deal. day-for-night and night-for-day shoots are done all the time. we got a couple shots when we first set up where you could SEE outside while the sun was still up.

these would help reinforce the idea that the story took place during the “day.” the rest of the shoot it would be up to our talented director of photography, Matt Irwin, and his crew to craft the light in such a way that when a person watches the final piece, they would automatically think “day.”

the space was rather large, and because of our budget Matt did not have a ton of lights to work with…but they DID it. sometimes when I’m watching it I forget that we shot a LARGE percentage of the project after midnight. I don’t think anyone would ever pick up on this…and that’s a good thing.

however, there was an issue with sound. a very distinct “nighttime” sound that kept coming around.

namely, crickets.

when you are trying to sell the location “coffee shop during the day” a bunch of noisy, nonstop chirping crickets do NOT assist you in the endeavor.

and the inside of our location didn’t help matters. it had high ceilings, a tin roof, and exposed pipes and duct work that the little buggers would hide behind.

we sent PA’s up on ladders. we had grips clap and stomp their feet. we stopped and waited. heck, we even PRETENDED to call “action” to get them to start.

we’d smash a few, scare a few, and trick a few…but then they’d be back.

finally we just had to say “heck with it” and just keep filming. the crickets weren’t going to leave and at this rate…neither were we.

and some of us had to work in the morning. (myself included)

so we powered through and finally wrapped at about 3:30am. I was able to get a cool 4 ish hours of sleep before heading to work for a 9am session.

but in the end…my amazing sound guy, Steve Romero came through. the crickets are gone. in fact, I DEFY anyone to find any cricket sounds in the final video.

and here’s your chance to try -

-Luke

p.s. there was also a yelling landlord…but that’s another story for another less-digital time.

hey friends,

exciting news – “Updating Paige” is finished! and we have a premiere date scheduled. there will be a screening at “Web Series Unplugged” on Wednesday March 16th at El Cid in Los Angeles. details on the screening series can be found at facebook.com/webseriesunplugged

expect to see it online shortly thereafter! since that’s a month away, I’ve decided to release a film that’s been in my hip pocket for a while.

back when preparing to shoot the Grand Vanity “Got A Nerve” video I realized we were paying to have a camera package all weekend, but the music video shoot was just Saturday. it seemed a shame to not use the gear both days. so, I floated an idea to my producer, Tony Federico – should we try and shoot another project on Sunday? he liked the idea of filming something else, as long as we had a manageable idea. we asked Brett Pawlak, our director of photography and he was down for the challenge as well.

we had the gear, we had the crew, now we just needed a project. I went to my old sketchbooks and poured through them. somewhere there must be an idea that would fit. something that could be done with a skeleton crew, with basically no budget, in less than a day of shooting…

here’s a scan of the original idea. (click on it to see bigger)

over the next few days we worked on getting the idea flushed out and figuring out what locations we wanted to use. but we were still missing an actor.

the day of the Grand Vanity shoot came and we still didn’t have talent. Tony posted an ad on craigslist, then throughout the day he checked the responses and forwarded any promising prospects on to me.

but it wasn’t until the morning of the shoot that we confirmed our actor. Tony gave him a call and he was in. Jerome would be meeting us at our first location, the Huntington Library that afternoon.

just like with the music video, the changing weather had provided us with an amazing backdrop for the shoot.

wait, let me stop for a minute. Huntington Library is a very interesting place. it’s not a “library” in the way your local public library is…and it’s not just a park…or a museum…or a garden. it’s a bit all of those put together. you can look at rare books, see art, wander the gardens, or have high tea there. it’s really an amazing place.

so just outside was this row of ginkgo biloba trees. their leaves were brilliant yellow. the wind would gust and send a shower of them floating down. it was amazing. and we filmed it.

next we ventured into the park. one of the advantages of shooting on a DSLR is that people don’t bother you… for the most part you look like you are shooting “real” pictures. I’m sure eventually people will get savvy to this, but for now there is an incredible amount of access that this format affords.

there is NO WAY we would have been able to afford to permit this location. it’s a non-starter. there was no reason to even consider asking about it.

but, grab a DSLR, have a small crew, don’t spend too much time “directing” your actor…and security guards will walk right by you.

as the sun set we packed up and headed to our next location – Century City. I think it was on one of my long bus rides shortly after moving to Los Angeles that I experienced the strangeness of Century City for the first time. here was a group of large, modern buildings…but at night there was NO ONE around. it was like something out of “Omega Man.” eerie to say the least.

however, when we got to the location we found out someone else was there…namely Michel Gondry and the very large production of “The Green Hornet.” this actually turned out to be quite a boon for us. Sony spared no expense in shining light. three giant sun trucks, each with 15 10K lights bounced light all around the normally darkened streets. and we used it.

here’s one of our takes that was interrupted by a car chase. (how rude!)

it was a very low key and easy going shoot. we didn’t have any set locations, or a script for that matter…but it didn’t really matter. everyone was up for the adventure and we took what came our way and made the most of it.

the post on this project went as smoothly as the production. Carey Williams edited, Jeff McDonoungh did the score, Steve Romero did the sound design, and Bruce Cathcart did some stabilization and color correction.

and here it is… enjoy!

-Luke

Howdy friends!

well, another year has come and gone. right now I’m enjoying my 8th or so day of rain in a row. first it rained for 5 days in Los Angeles…and now it’s raining in the Pacific Northwest.

sad to say I don’t have the Nokia/TRON story for you this week… I was told the video was going to be posted a couple days ago, but it hasn’t been.

BUT, I do have a special treat for you…a Real Holiday greeting from someone you may know…

The Real Luke – Holiday Greeting

Luke Asa, Filmmaker | Myspace Video

Merry Christmas.

-Luke

hey friends,

here’s the final part of my interview with Lex Halaby! enjoy=)

—–

LG: So what the heck do you do?

LH: I’m a director. I like to think writer/director even though I haven’t directed a feature film. I write the concepts and scripts the both my short films and music videos. When I do commercial work the concept has been hashed out by the agency already so my role is different. I don’t like to say that I’m one kind of director or another. I don’t want to just do music videos, or commercials, or narrative – I like to do it all.

LG: You’ve done some documentary stuff to, right?

LH: Yeah, in fact right now I’m working with a really talented editor, Ryan Brown on a documentary I shot in London. It’s about a performing arts school called “Chickenshed.” They are a really interesting, progressive school that incorporates people from all backgrounds, all ages, and all abilities into one performing arts troupe. The work they do is really amazing and they’ve become a leading example of what you can do by incorporating all types of people.

There’s people that are physically handicapped, mentally handicapped, and completely able bodied all performing on stage together. We interviewed students in the school, the faculty, and the founders. We also filmed their rehearsals and performances and are in the process of creating a short documentary about the message and principles that they are built on.

LG: Is this something that they gave you the script for? Or did they give you a “Thesis statement,” something that said “we want want a piece that communicates these ideas?”

LH: No, actually in the case of “Chickenshed” they were really open to how I wanted to approach the subject. I went out there and for the first week I just took in the school. I sat in on as many classes as I could and got to know people. I got to see them perform and see what they do. And from that I was able to start putting together my ideas for the structure of the piece. Then I developed questions for the interviews that fit into that structure for the film. After shooting 12 hours of interviews I was able to find the right cut-aways and b-roll footage to compliment and exemplify what they were saying.

LG: I think it’s really smart that you spent that week just being there and being in the moment, absorbing it before you started shooting. Do you use a similar technique on your non-documentary projects?

LH: In the creative process, it’s really important for me to be on location as much as possible prior to shooting. I do a lot of my visualization on location. You know that from the “Man-Man” video, when you and I went out and looked at stuff and shot photos. It’s important for me to be in the space so that I can be inspired by it and pre visualize things before production.

LG: I remember on one of your recent projects, the Coheed & Cambria video, you went to the location a couple time before you shot, right?

LH: Yeah I went out to Victorville, CA a few times. The first time was to find locations and make the decision that yes, Victorville was the place to shoot. The second time was to look at the locations more carefully and think more in terms of blocking. We also did some lighting tests with the camera to find out when the best time to shoot certain scenes would be. Victorville is a couple hours away, but I knew I couldn’t show up on the day of production and not have those fundamental decisions made already – cause then it’d just be mass confusion.

LG: So tell me a little bit more about this project.

LH: The record label and band’s management came to me with a creative brief and said “we want to do something very different with this project.” They were open to it being more than a normal music video. The brief included a section from Claudio, the singer, with certain themes that the song’s lyrics touched on. So I those themes and incorporated them into a short film script. I pitched it as a “music video/short film hybrid using the song as the score.” They liked it, and I booked the job.

It was an interesting experiment working dialog in and out of a music video. There are times where you hear the music and lyrics and times where it’s just an instrumental version of the song with dialog from the characters. I think we achieved something unconventional and different which is what we set out to do.

And people have responded to it. G4 did a premiere of it on “Attack of the Show” and a shorter version w/o dialogue went to MTV. It was a great opportunity and I’m glad I got to take advantage of it.

LG: What’s the logline?

LH: It’s about three teenagers who live in a small desert town that’s turned against them. Through the course of the video you slowly discover why.

LH: I’m also developing it as a longer form short film, separate from the music video. Originally I wrote a longer script then I paired the footage down in editorial to work with-in the constraints of a music video. There other scenes and dialog that were too long to air, but will be great in the festival version.

LG: So what stage is the short film in?

LH: The longer form version of the Coheed & Cambria video is currently being edited. Then it will need a new sound mix and score because the timing will have changed. It will be a few weeks before I get into the meat of it, because I’m doing this version out-of-pocket and since requires some favors — I have to work at a “favor pace.”

LG: I think it’d be interesting to tell people what a “favor pace” means. ‘Cause I know what you mean, but I’m not sure all of our readers will.

LH: Sure. When I say a “favor pace” it means that people are going to do the work between their paying gigs and in their spare time as a “favor” to you. So things move slower when you are asking people to work for free.

If you have a little bit of money, it definitely helps, so sometimes I will pay out-of-pocket just to keep things moving.

LG: It’s the whole “better, faster, cheaper” thing.

LH: It’s the triangle: quality, time, and money. If you don’t have much money and you want high quality you gotta give somebody a lot of time with it.

LG: So what other projects are you working on right now?

LH: I just directed a project for Coca-Cola’s new Christmas jingle, a music video for the band Train, and a music video for Kimberly Caldwell from American Idol. It’s been a really busy month and balance all the projects has been a challenge, albeit an enjoyable one. Those should all be released in the coming weeks.

Before that I did a large Latin video for Juanes, international latin rock-star. That was a great experience. He was fantastic to work with, we got along really well, and it’s a beautiful video. I think we hit the themes and tone of the video perfectly.

It takes place all at night, outside on city streets. You don’t see anyone at all, it’s completely empty, but you do see people’s shadows. So Juanes is walking through an empty city with the shadows of a bustling city all around him.

LG: So do you have any writing projects right now?

LH: Well, I’m pitching on quite a few music videos and a couple commercials right now. And in my personal writing I am developing a graphic novel and some short scripts. I think the graphic novel is going to be my next major undertaking. I just met wih my friend Skip Martin who’s just published his graphic novel, “Bizarre New World” and talked with him about the next steps I need to take in order to get it made.

LG: What inspired you to work on a graphic novel?

LH: Graphic novels are very creatively freeing to me. There’s no limitations from a storytelling and budget standpoint. It costs the same amount to draw a character sitting alone on a park bench as it does to draw a character flying a massive spaceship through a black hole. There’s no budget constraints and therefore far fewer creative constraints. Of course the quality of the art and printing all cost money but not in the same way it does in filmmaking.

There’s many stories I’d like to tell that are too expensive for the screen and graphic novels allow me to bring these visual stories to life. It’s still something I’m exploring, but very excited about the possibilities of the medium.

LG: What were the graphic novels that have been inspiring you?

LH: “Scalped” and I’ve also really enjoyed the “Walking Dead” series.

LG: Can you think of any examples where inspiration has come from an unexpected place?

LH: I’m usually inspired when I’m traveling or when I’m somewhere where there’s a lot of visual motion. If I sit and watch cars, or I’m at the airport, or just watching people walk by I’m able to think much better than if I’m starring at a screen.

Usually when I’m writing I just walk around the house in circles. I can’t just sit if I’m trying to break an idea. I think all my ideas come from movement and action.

LG: I like that bit about motion, how it lets you disconnect and hit those other areas of your brain.

LH: Yeah, I didn’t even realize that until a few years ago. Once I realized it, it really helped. It’s really hard for me to just write in front of my computer. That’s why I really need to get my laptop fixed [laughs] so I can be somewhere else. [LG laughs]

The other thing I do, just from a productivity standpoint, is run a program called “Freedom.” It blocks all internet access for a certain amount of time. So if I have a hard deadline and I’m getting distracted with emails and the internet, I’ll run that program and it block my internet access for say “the next two hours.” The only way to get it back is to fully reboot the computer, which is a pain, so I don’t do it. And then I get more writing done.

LG: That’s a great productivity tool.

LH: It’s a free program too. [http://macfreedom.com/]

LG: So I think we’re getting close to being done…if you weren’t filmmaking – what do you think you’d be doing?

LH: I spend a lot of time thinking about that. If I wasn’t in film I’d probably be in either politics or journalism. Like NGO [Non-government organization] style politics. Or psychology. [both laugh] I think they are all related in a way. I think that in writing and filmmaking understanding psychology is really important. Especially for understanding motivation and how characters interact with each other. Also to understand the psychology of the audience. What do they interpret from the characters on screen? Do they connotate it as positive or negative and how do they react to it? I think those are valuable skills.

I’m always involved in politics and I love to travel. I like to be outside of the US, so that’s probably where the NGO side of things comes from. And journalism, that’s from my love of documentary.

I like picking people’s brains…like you’re doing to me right now. [laughs]

LG: Deep into the dark recess of Lex’s mind we will travel…

LH: Super meta right now. [both laugh]

LG: So what’s your favorite episode of The Real Luke?

LH: I think the trailer that you did was ****ing amazing. I love that trailer. It was particularly funny because the other Real Luke stuff is intentionally so lo-fi and has a homemade feeling, but then this is really huge and epic and I like that contrast.

LG: [laughs] Cool. So where can people see your work?

LH: You can go to my website www.lexhalaby.com and to my production company’s site www.mighty8.tv.

[End Interview.]

So that wraps it up. Definitely some exciting work on the way from Lex!

I really enjoyed picking his brain and finding out about his creative process…it’s an exciting adventure getting to learn more about how my friends work and I’m glad I can share it with y’all!

-Luke

hello fellow dwellers of the intertubes!

I’ve just finished a new music video for Grand Vanity’s song “Got A Nerve.” the band is composed of Greg and Dani Jong, a husband and wife duo that I first met on the Procession’s “Major & Minor” video (watch it here.)

the video was a lot of fun to make, the Jong’s have a great attitude and since it was pretty low budget, I got to work with friends. that is, I had to convince people who like me to come work for free or cheap.

since we were going to be pushing the limits of our budget, I wanted to make sure the video was well planned. a month or so before the production, I went to Van Nuys with my Canon Powershot and shot some tests which I then cut into an animatic.

here are some clips from that test.

intro test

stop motion test

soon the week or the production was upon us…unfortunately the Jong’s came down with the flu. being a performance video it was kinda important that they were in good shape for filming, so we pushed the video. this is never a fun thing to do. once you change dates, the availability of crew and gear can change drastically. and the later we were going to shoot, the worse the weather would be.

yes, this is Southern California, but it does rain here. and the closer you get to the end of the year, the more likely it will rain. but this time, fortune smiled on us. between our initial shoot day and the day we shot it got cold. cold enough that the leaves changed.

leaves before

leaves on day of shoot

this isn’t something we could have planned, but it totally worked in our favor. the potential negative of delaying the shoot turned into a positive that enhanced the mise-en-scène of the video.

the shoot itself went smoothly. no one hassled us at all, which was great since we were shooting IN THE STREET without permits. this means that if anyone had a problem with us shooting they could report us to the police and the police would shut us down. thankfully, Saturday morning in Van Nuys is a pretty mellow place.

you can see a woman walking her dogs stopped to say “hi.”

this was my 2nd video with the director of photography Brett Pawlak he shot the “Come Around” video. it was good getting to work with him again. since we were shooting on a long lens, we were pretty far from the band and would often chat during the takes. listening to the audio tracks cracked me up. maybe someday I’ll cut together some choice lines. until then, you’ll have to be satisfied with a pic of our sweet kicks.

Tony Federico came on board to produce. this was also our 2nd project together, the 1st being the Rotten Apples video. many of these pics are ones he snapped on set. it’s pretty great working with someone who has an even more ridiculous mustache than me.

early morning Tony

the day consisted of much walking around Van Nuys, some stop motion shooting, a bit of green screen, and ended with a short narrative scene. this “house” was actually a small, detached guest room in the backyard that the Jong’s used as their recording studio. add a knocker and a coat rack and viola! another location. part of this scene we had to film after the sun went down. luckily the small lighting package we had did the trick.

to celebrate the shoot I treated a few of the guys to a pretty awesome meal at Umami Burger.

a big thanks to Ben Ceccerelli, Steve Romero, Andrew Drapkin and AJ Ullman for their help with the post production. these guys have all helped me with numerous projects and I couldn’t keep doing what I do without them.

enjoy the video! (quicktime here)

-Luke

p.s. the next day, Tony, Brett and I would be going on an adventure… we had the camera package for the entire weekend, so we decided to shoot a little short film. a couple posts on craigslist, many headshots, and a few phone calls later we had our talent…

more on that once it drops. until then, here’s a teaser pic from that shoot.

hey there,

here’s a little animation of me animating a stop motion segment for the Greg Jong AKA Grand Vanity “Got A Nerve” music video…

the video should be finished soon, so stay tuned!

-Luke