classy classes.

produced/directed/acted in a commercial or two today for my class.
now that is a story in itself.

I learned that there are a lot of ways to deal with people both individually and in groups.

I have complained a lot about my classes this semester. I guess I'm a little frustrated that I am taking all these film classes, but still not in the classes that everyone I adore is taking. I feel like I am wasting my time not being in classes with people I love and adore and want to be with all the time anyway, right?

But I am learning heaps every day about working with different dynamics of people. I have been forced to meet new people and negotiate relationships with them. There are people you find soo annoying initially but then have to learn how to deal with. There are people you bond with almost instantly. There are people that you slowly realize have amazing potential. There are all kinds of people in this world.

It is important to not shut ourselves into group of people we know are awesome. Because once upon a time we didn't know them and it takes branching out or you'll miss out on wonderful, beautiful people.

I've had many an opportunity to step up to the plate. My professors are forcing me out of my sit back and make cynical (but hilarious) comments attitude I've had these first few weeks and are calling me out in class to either answer questions or take some sort of ownership over what's going on. Steven forced me to produce our commercials and it sparked a sudden love of producing that is hidden somewhere in my soul. I absolutely loved organizing it and delegating and seeing the brilliant things people came up with. I was absolutely wowed with some of the prod design that happened.

It's good of these professors too. I appreciate they take the time to not let me slip through the cracks with my mule-headedness and they force me to do things that have strengthened me.

I also think it's sort of fantastic that they throw us out on our own with almost no instruction to make commercials and teach lesson plans. It's sink or swim in today's world.

Make-up is the humbling class. I went to my teacher on Monday with blue and green globs on my eyelids and said, "I don't know what I am doing." You see, I don't do makeup every morning so I've missed out on hours of practice and as such, I'm rather pathetic. This class has given me amazing insight though. Makeup can say SO much about a character and as one who is found of production design it is something I don't think about enough. For whatever reason, this is one of the few classes where I am comfortable admitting I have no idea what's going on.

Love 187, because the more I learn about producing the more it blows me away how rad it is. Also we learned a bit about UPMing today and I sort of fell in love thinking about breaking down a script. It's like a fantastic puzzle of pre-problem solving (as in solving problems before they become problems), also it's a little like a coloring book even though we aren't allowed to use Crayons (which, yes, I always pronounce like "crowns" so what?). And I did some research on Jurassic Park and it's many complications. Including a hurricane:

Although the company had scheduled one more day of 
filming, the sheer force of Iniki literally struck all 
the sets. There was no power or working phones on the 
island, so at dawn the next morning, Kennedy jogged 
two miles to the airport to explore their options.

"The destruction in the airport was unbelievable," she 
recalls. "All the windows were blown out in the 
terminals, and the buildings were full of palms, 
trees, sand and water. Every single helicopter had 
been tipped on its side."

Thanks to her relentless efforts among airport and 
military personnel in Lihue, Kennedy was able to hitch 
a ride to Honolulu on a Salvation Army plane and began 
organizing from a pay phone. Over the next 24 hours, 
she not only coordinated the safe return of the 
company, but also arranged for more than 20,000 pounds 
of relief supplies to be transported from Honolulu and 
Los Angeles into Kauai.

more here

Producers are amazing!

I hate to say this, because I always make fun of people who say they want to be Writers/Directors/Producers. But...I love writing/directing/producing. They are all so fantastic. And of course I would be a Writer/Director/Producer (from hereon known as a WDP) who has a strong emphasis on Production Design. I am really narrowing things down!

Know who I'll still make fun of? People who want to direct without doing anything else first. In my mind, directing=understanding all positions. Best way to understand=do. Just sayin'.

Even though I am starting to find all these classes inspiring and important, it still is so hard to gain any motivation to do any work. I'm a bum.

Oh, and I miss Elizabeth.

p.s.
Right now I smell amazing. It's this combination of coconut, laundry detergent, and shampoo that is really comforting.