Tuesday, 30 July 2013
Friday, 19 July 2013
I'm off to Shanghai again for a shoot. It will be 97 and humid. This will be a very challenging shoot in these kind of conditions.
Necessities for filming in heat:
Cooler with ice for keeping drinks and humans cool
Drinks - must keep everyone hydrated!
Sunscreen
Lip balm with sunscreen
Umbrellas
Handkerchiefs to soak in water to put on face, neck and head
Hats
Lightweight pants, shirts and jackets
Area with AC nearby for relief
Moving slower than usual - build time in the schedule for the crew to not rush
Here's to a successful shoot in the sun!
Oh and as I leave, we just released a new Hi. It's Taryn. video. Learn how to create a Cat Eye! Don't think I'll do this for the hot shoot but perhaps when we return to our cool hotel for dinner, it's something to attempt. Enjoy!
Necessities for filming in heat:
Cooler with ice for keeping drinks and humans cool
Drinks - must keep everyone hydrated!
Sunscreen
Lip balm with sunscreen
Umbrellas
Handkerchiefs to soak in water to put on face, neck and head
Hats
Lightweight pants, shirts and jackets
Area with AC nearby for relief
Moving slower than usual - build time in the schedule for the crew to not rush
Here's to a successful shoot in the sun!
Oh and as I leave, we just released a new Hi. It's Taryn. video. Learn how to create a Cat Eye! Don't think I'll do this for the hot shoot but perhaps when we return to our cool hotel for dinner, it's something to attempt. Enjoy!
Monday, 8 July 2013
As you all may know, I recently partnered with writer/director Leena Pendharkar on the YouTube channel So Natural TV. We're making sharp-witted shorts for women - and men too!
As part of the channel, we started a beauty, fashion and DIY series hosted by style expert Taryn Horacek called "Hi. It's Taryn." Taryn has a really fun, quirky style and great tips for everyone's style.
I'm the first to ignore my style regimen so working with Taryn has really sparked my inner girliness. I'm loving her approachable, easy-to-use tips and finding myself actually thinking about what make-up I want to wear. There are some really fun beauty products out there. And Taryn will be reviewing as many as she can.
For all you techies, we're filming the episodes on a DSLR. We have a couple of lights and a shot gun mic. We're loving the ease of the shoots and the great content Taryn is providing for us all. We hope you check it out and subscribe to So Natural TV.
One of the funky ways to introduce color to your hair is through hair chalking. Before I started working on "Hi. It's Taryn.," I had no idea what hair chalking was. Essentially, you can use any kind of chalk to put cool colors in your hair. And it washes out easily. Who knew?
Right now, we're giving away a free set of hair chalk from Free People. All you have to do is watch the giveaway video below and comment on your favorite band. We will send the set of hair chalk to our favorite response.
First, here's a tutorial for how to use hair chalk from our own Taryn:
Hair Chalk Tutorial by Hi. It's Taryn.
Get Your Own Hair Chalk Here, from Hi. It's Taryn. Just watch and comment on the video below.
As part of the channel, we started a beauty, fashion and DIY series hosted by style expert Taryn Horacek called "Hi. It's Taryn." Taryn has a really fun, quirky style and great tips for everyone's style.
I'm the first to ignore my style regimen so working with Taryn has really sparked my inner girliness. I'm loving her approachable, easy-to-use tips and finding myself actually thinking about what make-up I want to wear. There are some really fun beauty products out there. And Taryn will be reviewing as many as she can.
For all you techies, we're filming the episodes on a DSLR. We have a couple of lights and a shot gun mic. We're loving the ease of the shoots and the great content Taryn is providing for us all. We hope you check it out and subscribe to So Natural TV.
One of the funky ways to introduce color to your hair is through hair chalking. Before I started working on "Hi. It's Taryn.," I had no idea what hair chalking was. Essentially, you can use any kind of chalk to put cool colors in your hair. And it washes out easily. Who knew?
Right now, we're giving away a free set of hair chalk from Free People. All you have to do is watch the giveaway video below and comment on your favorite band. We will send the set of hair chalk to our favorite response.
First, here's a tutorial for how to use hair chalk from our own Taryn:
Hair Chalk Tutorial by Hi. It's Taryn.
Get Your Own Hair Chalk Here, from Hi. It's Taryn. Just watch and comment on the video below.
Saturday, 6 July 2013
Hi all,
I received the following email from a former intern with whom I worked after I posted my last blog about internships. I was truly humbled and touched by it. I had no idea I had helped shape the future of an intern who worked with me. Thanks Lydia - for reaching out and letting me know. It means a lot and I hope shows that internships are so valuable. I thought I'd share.
Note from an intern:
Hi Jane,
I received the following email from a former intern with whom I worked after I posted my last blog about internships. I was truly humbled and touched by it. I had no idea I had helped shape the future of an intern who worked with me. Thanks Lydia - for reaching out and letting me know. It means a lot and I hope shows that internships are so valuable. I thought I'd share.
Note from an intern:
Hi Jane,
Back in the summer of 2004, I was an intern for Weed Road and had the pleasure of working with you. Of all the internships I had, the three months I spent there were the best and it was an amazing learning experience. At the time, I was able to work with you, Ashley and Viruna.
I just read your post about being grateful for internships and I must say I was grateful for each of mine. When I was at Weed Road, I was coming up on my last year in school, eager to get working on anything I could, and wanting to learn as much as possible. I had a lot of questions about a variety of things and I distinctly remember you in particular being nice enough to listen, answer, and give me your opinion.
It was a long time ago and I don't expect you to remember every intern that came across your path. I just wanted to drop you a line and let you know I had a great internship experience and a large part of that was because of you.
I enjoy reading your blog posts and look forward to the next one. Hope all is well and that you continue to do great things.
All the best,
Lydia
Monday, 24 June 2013
Right now, there are a slew of interns suing their former workplaces for pay as reported by The Wrap here. I don't know their specific circumstances so I can't comment on whether it is right or wrong for them to be suing. I'll let the courts decide that. But I will say that internships started my career in film and I'm very grateful for them.
When I decided to dip my toe into the world of filmmaking, I had no idea how to really get a strong look behind the film industry's mysterious curtain. Sure, I could have tried to find a paid gig. But, I knew that the industry was incredibly competitive - I needed a step up over other candidates. I had no experience at all - who would hire me? I wanted a fast entry into the world of film. I didn't want to wait around for the elusive paid gig.
And since I wasn't sure if film would be right for me, I didn't want a full time job yet either. Also, I wasn't sure what area of film I wanted to work in. So really, an internship was the best solution for me as I wanted the flexibilities it would afford me - flexible hours and the freedom to watch others working so I could decide if I wanted to do what they do full time.
I loved both of my internships. I worked on a feature-film production in the production office and in post production on two different films. Yes, I worked my ass off and I got people's lunches and I did real work that mattered. And I was so happy for it.
I wanted to be relevant and matter to the productions I worked on. I take pride in my work and look at every experience (paid, free, deferred) as an opportunity to grow. I absolutely believe that if you work hard, you will be rewarded. Sure, I would loved to have been paid for the work I did as an intern, but I was gaining in many other ways that to this day have provided me with so much more "payment" than my work would have even been worth in salary.
I met people in my internships who to this day, hire me, refer jobs to me, offer advice and a shoulder to lean on.
In both internships, I was gaining from the experience of working with seasoned veterans. I was meeting people who would go on to introduce me to my first paid gigs in the industry. I was given the opportunity to pick the brains of established film veterans and get a sense of what I wanted to do in film. This kind of brain picking is expected from interns and I was given access to learn - I believe even more so than if I were being paid.
Working for free also allows you to build your network. Your network will be your number one resource for future jobs. I can honestly say that most of the jobs I have gained in my life have been through referrals from those with whom I worked in the past.
Without internships, I guarantee that it would be much harder to gain entry into the film industry. People like me, who weren't in school and couldn't intern for school credit, would likely be locked out of any great internships - as many already are. As it is, the studios typically only allow students who get class credit to intern.
To this day, I still work free and deferred if it's a project or for a person I believe in. And I know that work will have its "pay day," in some form or another. I look at internships as no different than going to school - and with an internship, you aren't paying for the experience like you are paying a school to teach you. It's also no different than building your portfolio in order to find paid jobs doing what you love. And building a portfolio is hard work!
My point is that internships do have value, above and beyond the salary. I hope we don't lose sight of that. My career is proof positive of it. I know I would not be the film producer I am today without them.
Here are some tips from HelloGiggles (Web site cofounded by Zooey Deschanel) for How to Be the Perfect Intern. And honestly, these lessons are true for all the work you do - paid or not.
When I decided to dip my toe into the world of filmmaking, I had no idea how to really get a strong look behind the film industry's mysterious curtain. Sure, I could have tried to find a paid gig. But, I knew that the industry was incredibly competitive - I needed a step up over other candidates. I had no experience at all - who would hire me? I wanted a fast entry into the world of film. I didn't want to wait around for the elusive paid gig.
And since I wasn't sure if film would be right for me, I didn't want a full time job yet either. Also, I wasn't sure what area of film I wanted to work in. So really, an internship was the best solution for me as I wanted the flexibilities it would afford me - flexible hours and the freedom to watch others working so I could decide if I wanted to do what they do full time.
I loved both of my internships. I worked on a feature-film production in the production office and in post production on two different films. Yes, I worked my ass off and I got people's lunches and I did real work that mattered. And I was so happy for it.
I wanted to be relevant and matter to the productions I worked on. I take pride in my work and look at every experience (paid, free, deferred) as an opportunity to grow. I absolutely believe that if you work hard, you will be rewarded. Sure, I would loved to have been paid for the work I did as an intern, but I was gaining in many other ways that to this day have provided me with so much more "payment" than my work would have even been worth in salary.
I met people in my internships who to this day, hire me, refer jobs to me, offer advice and a shoulder to lean on.
In both internships, I was gaining from the experience of working with seasoned veterans. I was meeting people who would go on to introduce me to my first paid gigs in the industry. I was given the opportunity to pick the brains of established film veterans and get a sense of what I wanted to do in film. This kind of brain picking is expected from interns and I was given access to learn - I believe even more so than if I were being paid.
Working for free also allows you to build your network. Your network will be your number one resource for future jobs. I can honestly say that most of the jobs I have gained in my life have been through referrals from those with whom I worked in the past.
Without internships, I guarantee that it would be much harder to gain entry into the film industry. People like me, who weren't in school and couldn't intern for school credit, would likely be locked out of any great internships - as many already are. As it is, the studios typically only allow students who get class credit to intern.
To this day, I still work free and deferred if it's a project or for a person I believe in. And I know that work will have its "pay day," in some form or another. I look at internships as no different than going to school - and with an internship, you aren't paying for the experience like you are paying a school to teach you. It's also no different than building your portfolio in order to find paid jobs doing what you love. And building a portfolio is hard work!
My point is that internships do have value, above and beyond the salary. I hope we don't lose sight of that. My career is proof positive of it. I know I would not be the film producer I am today without them.
Here are some tips from HelloGiggles (Web site cofounded by Zooey Deschanel) for How to Be the Perfect Intern. And honestly, these lessons are true for all the work you do - paid or not.
Thursday, 20 June 2013
Friday, 14 June 2013
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| Image Credit: Daniel Mcfadden; Despina Spyrou |
Both films are enjoying major box office success for indie films. Congrats to all involved!
And for Hawke, one is his best opening (The Purge) and the other is his best critical success of his career (Before Midnight). How lovely to have both happening at once! I'm really looking forward to see them - though The Purge will probably give me nightmares...
In this article, Hawke shows a real respect and love for the indie film process. I have always been a fan of Ethan Hawke and I love him even more now. Ethan, when can we work together?
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