A night at the Grindhouse

I went to see Grindhouse last night. While this was a good movie, this is not for everybody. I had been reading some reviews about the movie. Critics, and big Hollywood players were disappointed to see how America didn't go see this film. There is also a rumor that they will split up the two films in the next few weeks here in America. That news is what made me go see Grindhouse. Why pay for two movies, when I can go see them together as one.

But I can see why people didn't show up to see this. It is very gruesome. Some people probably wouldn't be able to handle it. There were even parts of the movie that made me cringe. Especially Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror. Lots of melting body parts. And Tarantino's Death Proof was a Tarantino film. Long dialogged. But the ending was awesome.

This movie is ment to be seen in the theater. They really make you feel that you're experiencing a true grindhouse experience. To the fake trailers, to the film grain and scratches throughout the movie, as well as the occasional film burn. This movie will not have the same feel at home in your home theater, because you know it was made that way.

So, if you have any desire to go see this film, go see it now while its in the theaters. The home experience will not hold all the magic this film offers.

Oh, as I was standing in line to buy my ticket for Grindhouse, there were two older ladies checking out. They were probably easily in their 70's. One of them even managed to pay for her ticket in all dimes. So after the teller picks up all the dimes, I go buy ticket. I get into the theater, and pick the seat directly in the center of the theater. Why nobody sits there is a mystery. After I had been sitting there for a few minutes, the two 70 year old ladies walk in and have a seat. Huh? Am I in the right theater? I almost got up to go check, but decided to sit it out, and see what what started playing. Sure enough, I was in the right place. And 5, 10, 15, 20, minutes into the film, the old ladies were still there as well. They finally ended up leaving with a bout 30 mins left, but at that point it was like 10PM.

So what would motivate these ladies to see a movie like this? They were defiantly not the target audience.

Moving

So I think this is going to be my everyday views blog from now on. I'll still favor filmmaking. But right now, I just don't have much to say about my journey. So, I will post my thoughts and adventures here as well.

Last week I moved into a new apartment. I got a new roommate, and we upgraded the apartment that I have had for 2 years. It's a nice and big place. The move was quite a chore. Took from Friday at 5:30 till about midnight. Then from 10:30 am Saturday to about 7:00 to get everything moved. I'm glad I had some help. If not, I would still be moving a week later.

Things are getting put away slowly. I just put up the last of the DVD's. Or at least the ones I have room for. I need to go buy a new DVD shelf. I've run out of room for my 500+ DVD collection.

Trial and Error

Video is new to me. I've done web, and print, but when it comes to video, its all just trial and error. There's so much you have to think about. And if something is off when its rendering, it ruins the whole file, and you have to start all over again. This is what I have spent the majority of the weekend trying to work on. I have a project from work that I brought home so that I could somewhat finish relatively on time. It was due this past Friday. I learned real quick, that there are so many options to render a movie.

For one, you have a handful of file formats. You have .mov, .avi, .mpeg, and so on. That part is fairly easy. The hard part is what kind of compression codec you want to use. Now this is where the trial and error comes in. There are about 20 or so. And me not being a video person, its hard to figure out which one I need. Choose the wrong one, and the frame-rate is off, the quality is off, or it just doesn't play.

After about 2 almost full days of trying to figure this out, I ended up with a version that is close to what I was looking for in the final outcome. I say close because the sound seems like its low quality, and there's a part where some of the color from a previous shot is left until future movement on screen wipes it away.

Frustrating.

Hanger3.com Mens Urban Token Necklaces

So, I am going to plug my own site. The site itself has nothing to do with with films, right now. But it soon will. Hanger 3 will be featured in my new project. It will have a prominent part. I'm not going to explain a whole lot about it right now, you'll just have to wait and see how its going to be used. But as of right now, this is a fully functional site. You can buy these mens necklaces. Each one featured a transit token actually used back in the day. Also, the money made here, will go back into my project. So help me out. Buy one now at Hanger3.com

Adding one more to the ever growing list.

One things for sure, there are a lot of people who want to make it big as a filmmaker, myself included. With sites out there like YouTube, Google Videos, Myspace, everybody seems to want their 15 minutes of fame as soon as possible. The newest short film site I've found is a new reality show on Fox called The Lot. I've spent some time watching some of these short films. Some are good, and some are very very bad. And it makes me really think, what does it take to make it? How to do you find your way to the top of the list to be seen? Should I wait patiently for my turn? Or should I fight like there is no tomorrow? I feel that the first question is the correct answer. What makes a good film? Story? Cinematography? Acting? Editing? Lighting? An education in filmmaking? Sure, of course. But you have to have the desire, and motivation to learn each of these things. And I don't think some of these people get that when they make there "films." It may just be for fun, but if you really want people to take you as someone who seriously wants to become a filmmaker, you have to act like one first. I do criticize others, but I criticize myself the hardest. Because I want to learn more. I want to blur that line from armature to professional. And you know what, I don't see these bad short films as competition, I see them as motivation.

If only there were a machine.

Its tough to get an idea, and stick with it. If only someone could invent a machine that can capture images and thoughts out of your head, life would be much simpler. There have been many times when I get an idea for a design, and when I start to work on it, the outcome is not even close to what I had in my head. "If only there were a machine." It looked so much better in my head. And this is what I am struggling with right now.

My last post was in October. And the last thing I mentioned was that I have a fantastic idea for my next project. Well, I still have that same idea, but its in my head. If there were only a way to pull that idea out, and get it into the computer. I sit down, and stare at the computer screen, hoping that my mind will take over my hands, and beautiful words start to type themselves on the screen. But more often than not, it does not happen.

If only there were a pill to stay motivated, we my not need a machine.

New idea in the works.

I know its been a while since my past post, but thought I would just say that I haven't given up on being a filmmaker. i am currently working out and idea that will be amazing. If I am able to successfully pull this off, I could be considered a pioneer for the specific genera.

Stay tuned. I am planning on shooting a pilot in 2007.

Trepidation, 2007.

Im on the IMDB!

Dustin Wood

IFC Media Lab

The Briefcase has been submitted, and aproved to show on the site of the IFC's Media Lab. Its a mini film festival, where people can upload their shorts for a chance to be seen on TV.

Please vote for it here

Finished

The Briefcase is now finished. I've done as much as I'm going to do with it. Its rendering right now. Next step is to finish the DVD lable, cover, and menu system. Then copies will be mailed out to all sorts of film festivals.

I have started a new MySpace page. They finally have a profile dedicated for films. So I am moving my page over. Check out Briefcase Movies @ Myspace