Week 3 Photo Challenge: Storyboard for a Commercial

Here is a storyboard I compiled a few quarters ago for a commercial scriptwriting class. It was a commercial made for product endorsement, and in this case, a strong and durable Pet toy made specifically for a dog’s strong bite or disastrous chew. Kong Toys has been around for sometime and is known for not only keeping dogs busy when they are bored but also for exercising their brains and forcing them to think or strategize on how to get the treat hidden inside each toy. So my main goal in the commercial was to convey the purpose of the toy and why people should buy them.

A breakdown of the commercial shown in the storyboard is a everyday young to middle-aged woman is washing dishes in the kitchen. She looks out the window and gasps in horror to find her backyard dug up in multiple areas by her rambunctious but adorable dog. The next scene shows them happily and busily playing together with the Kong Toy as a voiceover plays describing what the toy is and what it is designed for. The next scene cuts to the same female peering over her neighbor’s fence to discover the same horror she just discovered in her own backyard just minutes ago. A close-up is shown of the neighbor’s dog covered in dirt, looking as cute and guilty as her dog once did. A straight cut-away to the Kong Toy product is shown and the VO reads: “Never leave your dog alone without it.”

Unfortunately I have yet to attempt to shoot this commercial due to a budget I would need to destroy someone’s backyard (that has grass and dirt) and to find a dog that would cooperate enough to get the commercial done. I have never worked with animals before and I’m sure it is far from easy. 

Week 2 Photo Challenge: Professional Photo of You Working

Behind The Scenes: "Bubblegum & Brokenfingers" (2011)

           This photo was included in one of the behind the scenes stills of the current project I am working on, “Bubblegum & Brokenfingers” (written by Sean Jackson, Somnium Productions). For production, I am credited as production sound mixer but have had to boom operate on different occassions, when there were unavailable boom operators, or the fact that I could get into small spaces, or in this case; part of a micro team to help a semi-exposed actress feel more comfortable. I’ve learned in the industry that you gotta do what you gotta do to get the scene shot and done. 

In this still, as well as for production, I am using my trusty Sound Devices 702 recorder with a AT4053 hypercardioid microphone for this indoor scene. The location of the shoot was at the Palms’ Brenden Theatre Celebrity Suite. And the 2,000 gallon shark tank marked it as one of the nicest suites I’ve ever been in.

  But besides that, the room gave us a lot of space for the gear and crew. The room also gave the gaffers a lot of creative opportunities on how each scene could be lit up. I did not realize this until seeing the finished product and now have a newfound respect for the art of lighting. What also is going on in this scene is probably three back-to-back days of 12 to 14 hours of shooting. Because this film was mostly written for night hours, majority of the movie was shot between the hours of 6pm to 6am. But because we were inside of a room where the only window we had was completely blacked out, we had no sun to tell us that we had to stop. 

I have definitely learned more than expected in this production just because I was thrown into it with no real prior experience so I was on my toes the entire time just trying to soak up and learn as much as I could knowing that this experience would take me a long way with the start of my career. I definitely have my thanks and gratitude to Somnium Productions for giving me this opportunity and letting me be part of the team.

Week 2 BOC: Get Some Copyright Law Under Your Belt

     Copyright Law has been around for over 500 years and is now constitutionalized in U.S. law and regulation. Copyright Law is enforced to promote creativity and encourage innovators since they will safely know that their works will be protected form infringements.

Copyright is is stated to be "an original work of art in a fixed, tangible medium of expression."A fixed, tangible medium means that the work can be seen, reproduced or recorded in some permanent form. Therefore an idea or creative thought alone cannot be protected. Examples of mediums that can be copyrighted are the following: Books, Movies, Music, Paintings, Photographs, etc.

Here are some links that can help clarify Copyright Law in the United States:

• http://www.copyright.gov/title17/
• This site gives you a complete breakdown of the Copyright Laws in the United States via .txt or .pdf format. This is the most helpful because you are able to read the laws word for word and analyze what they mean yourself, especially if you are concerned about taking the word of another individual.

• http://www.supnik.com/ 
• Paul D. Supnik (Beverly Hills, CA Lawyer) Website gives you a breakdown of basic copyright laws aimed towards Entertainment Industry. He highlights copyrights, trademarks, good to know Entertainment Laws, Merchandising and Licensing. This website is extremely helpful since it is aims towards the Entertainment Industry.

• http://www.musicbizacademy.com/directory/copyright.htm 
• Here's an excellent site about Copyright, Trademarks & Publishing Laws and Facts aimed towards the Music & entertainment Industry. This website offers tons and tons of links to specific topics you would want to learn more about in regards to those subjects.

Week 1 Photo Challenge: The Xtranormal Summer Movie Contest: "Zero to Hero"

Here is my entry for the The Xtranormal Summer Movie Contest: "Zero to Hero"

Zero to Hero
by: jnguyen2

Xtranormal's Summer Movie Contest Entry: "Zero to Hero"

The Process:
I made “Zero to Hero” through xtranormal.com’s app, Movie Maker, and it turned out to be a lot more fun than I thought. At first when I was looking through the examples of movies that previous users made, I didn’t understand how I was going to make a movie just like that by just being able to type. As soon as I got started, it was a lot easier than I thought too.

I came up with the concept by going through the options the site gave me. I was able to pick different characters, location scenes, voices, as well as body movements and hand gestures. As soon as I saw all of my options, I immediately started brainstorming on what I could make my movie about. But it all had to start with what characters I was going to use. So after going through all the characters, the  ‘Superzeroes’ group were what caught my eyes most, so I went with them. Here you had supposedly superheroes with absurd powers such as a toilet paper symbol with an outhouse on his head? Telephone symbol? Hot coffee symbol? I don’t even know what those symbols are supposed to mean so I knew I had something to work with here. I already knew I wanted my genre to be comedy so I knew this would fit perfectly. Why I wanted it to be comedy was because not only do I find it most amusing for something short and web-based, but it wasn’t going to be the best looking animation out there. You had monotone robot voices to work with and the animations were just above minimum. But what do you expect from a computer application that allows you to make a movie from just typing? That alone is pretty awesome itself. So from there I just set everything up and just went on a whim with a story based on what body movements and hand gestures I could use. And the rest is history!

Week 1 EOC: What sacrifices are you willing to make for your career?

Without a doubt, one question that one should have a definite answer to. Yet, I sit here staring off into space, trying harder to avoid giving an answer then to just answer it and get it over with already. I guess it's because I'm more afraid to find out what I’m going to actually have to sacrifice in order to make it in my career.

I'm 26 years old, and a female that isn't getting any younger. I know that I want to start a family soon (and am surprisingly already being pressured by my parents!). So I’m stuck with what most women want today: a successful career and a happy family. Now is that too much to ask for? I guess it still is. With an economy in shambles, it’s hard enough to just find a job, let alone find your dream job that pays enough and doesn’t overwork you to death so that you can actually have a life. So okay, I guess now I’m really asking for too much. But hey it’s what I’m going to invest most of my life in, so it better be exactly what I want! So being a young woman in today’s society, I’m being tested everyday on exactly where I’m willing to draw the line in the sand. And it's really hard to say without knowing where I'll be at that point in time in my life the day I'm tested again. Based on my past experiences, the one thing I do know is what I don't want. So for now, I will live by this statement: I will continue to pursue my career as long as my health is well, my family and loved ones are still smiling, and last but not least, live my life to the fullest with no regrets because my life was granted to me and I will never take it for granted. :)

Week 1 BOC: Will you be living in Las Vegas in five years

According to my plans, I will not be living in Las Vegas in five years. I hope to be moving to northern California (the Bay Area) or southern California (the Greater Los Angeles Area) depending on where I can get employment.  I hope to reach the mobile gaming industry and preferably for a corporate company for sound design and scoring, therefore my chances are higher in California, particularly in northern California.

I do understand that the economy is not at its best at the moment especially in that particular state. Therefore, I do understand that if I do find employment in Las Vegas that fits my needs I will then decide to reside in Las Vegas, NV. My overall goal is to be employed at a job that pays adequately and of course where I will be happy.