Day 15: tired

I’m so tired. Tired of LA traffic, tired from lack of sleep, tired of coming home to check 1000000 emails I apparently need to read by tomorrow, tired of being confused about what is due and what needs to be done at the last minute for next week, tired of campus food, tired of freaking out about getting to places on time, tired of people who don’t listen.

On the flip side, I’m grateful for friends, grateful for a boyfriend who is always listening to my woes and comforting me when I need it the most, grateful for wonderful and inspiring professors who know their shizz, grateful for big sisters and big brothers, grateful for failing up by doing next week’s homework this week, grateful I have lunch money, grateful I didn’t gain weight yet, grateful I have ideas, and grateful for this challenging semester.

I ate lunch with my big sister today, who happened to be younger than me by two years AND who is close to my Wellesley friend (they went to the same high school). Isn’t it such a small world?! We just gabbed and she gave me tips from a women’s perspective, which is always helpful in my opinion.

I am thinking of hosting two events – one as a day trip to my family’s fashion store in Oxnard for all the ladies so they can get some cheap and cute clothes. Then we’d go to the Camarillo Outlets to shop for higher end goods that are on sale. The other event I’m thinking of hosting is a screening where everyone would bring their bad films they made before film school and the point would be to share our experiences.

Class wise, today was okay. Editing was a bit tedious because well, editing is tedious and I always saw it that way. I just can’t really bear thinking of spending days by myself cutting things on a computer, alone in a cold, dank room. But, the professor was really cool and almost made me like editing. I like HIS editing style. We had to pick a partner to cut a sequence from Roswell for next week. I’m hoping everything will go well. This is one of three assignments where we are working with others this and next week. We did the cinematography exercise as a group, we’re editing with one other person, and next week, we’re in groups to shoot a scene in the Vagabond motel. In a few weeks after that, we’re in pairs to shoot/direct a scene for directing class (and we’d switch). So basically we are starting to work with each other vs. just studying about film and techniques as we have done thus far. This is going to be fun as well as challenging. As I haven’t worked with a lot of people in my program yet, it’s hard to know what to expect. I guess you can only hope for the best but expect the worst.

Directing class was mostly logistical. We went over a lot of auditioning things again and watched some clips on being in the moment. We learned about the different types of acting, starting from Stanislavski to how they are today. It’s very beneficial to have knowledge in this field. I think I want to try to take an acting class sometime in the summer or whenever I can afford to squeeze in an extra class. For directing, I am paired with someone who is not in my 507 section so I’m excited as well as nervous. I’ve never worked with him but at the same time, that might be a good thing. The unfamiliarity might bring about a wall of respect and conviviality.

Okay my throat hurts like hell. Am I getting sick? I have to wake up tomorrow to go to the scholarship orientation. Gah. I’m tired of meetings on days I shouldn’t have classes.

Day 14: one step ahead

So today I found a faster way to get to school and I had some time to try it out. I go on 2 south all the way until the freeway ends and keep going until the 101 south, then take the 110s and I basically am cutting out all the bottle-necking traffic that occurs between the 5S to the 110S, and the 110S when it meets the 101. Woohoo! I also figured If I give myself 1.5 hours to get to school, I will never be late again. Score! I love being early – being able to take my time to walk leisurely to class absorbing everything in my surroundings.

In my ideation class today, we shared our ideas for our documentaries with possible articles as sources. Wait, what? I had stayed up all night and woke up in the morning to finish typing out my treatments! I realized that I did next week’s assignment today. Uh…. well, I guess that takes a load off my shoulders for next week. I ended up sharing my idea for a documentary on a type of dreams you get when you’re in a hypnogogic state. If I end up making this, it will be my second film on dreams (the first one was called “Bearing Dreams” and it deals with prophetic dreams Koreans have when they’re pregnant). If I have one more film on dreams, it will be a dream trilogy! All my classmates had really interesting ideas for documentaries with a really diverse range of topics. I’m a fan of this class because we get to know each other through the sharing of ideas as most of these topics are very personal. After we shared our ideas, we watched some shorts. I ESPECIALLY loved Miriam Kim’s short called “Layers of US” that dealt with Korean Brazilians. The funny thing is, these Korean Brazilians all worked in the garment district, where I used to work for a few years! I actually was thinking of doing a short on the fashion district but wasn’t sure which angle to take. After seeing Miriam’s short, I know now that I want to do something based more on the conflict and harmony that arises in the collision of two cultures – just within one person, but in interacting with others. Yes, the Koreans working in the fashion district are mostly from Latin America (and that in itself is interesting) but you cannot ignore the large population of Latinos working for these bi-cultural Koreans and this is what I’m more interested in – the point in which they meet, how they meet, the power struggles, and the dynamics of this rather interesting relationship based on culture, commerce, and compromise. For example, I know that some workers feel like they cannot really express their discontent in their working situation because they either A) found that position through a lot of effort and connections B) finding a new job is harder than staying and dealing with a bad situation or C) are scared of the consequences. I think I’m more curious to see if this working relationship in this fast-paced world is a symbiotic relationship or one that needs to be re-evaluated. I have to think of ways to get honest answers and I know that in order to do that, I have to protect the people who come forward to talk about their situation. This part might lend itself to be more of a blessing than a curse since I can look for ways to visually mask or hide the identity of the subjects without taking away from their stories. I’m excited! Another new idea for a doc!

After class, I met with my big brother that the SCA assigned to me after getting back my questionnaire. He’s really chill and gave me all this advice about my first two years of film school. He’s an international student as well, so he gave me advice on issues only intl students can really know. I like that I have one big brother and one big sister. I loved having a big sis at Wellesley. I just felt more confident and safe knowing that I could turn to these mentors at any time. I’m meeting with my big sis tomorrow for lunch so I’ll update on how that goes.

I got to go to the animation show of shows, a screening by Ron Diamond, the ACME Filmworks founder. I loved all the films, but I especially loved La Maison en Petite Cubes (The House of Small Cubes) by Kunio Kato, which is nominated for an Oscar this year. I hope it wins because the story is so simple yet unique and layered. I can’t stop thinking about how ingenious it was. There was a lot of metaphors and it was emotionally moving in a nostalgic way. I bought a box set of 36 short animation films for $30. That’s such a steal. If I had more cash on me, I would have bought the other two boxed sets. Each DVD was just $5 and had 3 shorts. It’s so worth it. After I’m done watching this boxed set, I will most likely order more online (for the same price + shipping). What an amazing deal especially because I can’t buy these movies anywhere else or see it on the big screen for that matter.  A lot of these films never get distribution so if you don’t see it that one time, you will never see it again. It’s sad but true.

Anyway, I’ve procrastinated long enough. I have to go read the aviator and break down a scene I won’t be directing by tomorrow. I should have done this yesterday. Gr.

Day 13: Shooting on film

Today was pretty exciting. I got to class fifteen minutes early so that was a load off my shoulders. I also wore the right shoes so I was in the clear. I brought my mom’s gardening gloves and I brought props for my scene which I was to direct. So prepared, no? This class whips me into shape, no doubt.

Waiting for class to start. The early birds.

This is the ceiling of our classroom. It’s really easy to miss if you don’t look up!

I wish that I got some shots of our set up but I was too busy trying to actually set up the scene with my DP without any props (apparently the props dept is no longer functioning in this building). But, we made it work. We scrounged around the lounge and found some utensils, etc. to create a restaurant look for the scene. We found a table and chairs and even a sign holder. We got dibs on the purple rolling flat wall and began to light the scene for a romantic dinner scene in which a couple dating for four years are meeting for Valentine’s day to exchange gifts. To the woman’s dismay, the present she gets is not exactly what she had wished for.

Taking a much needed break at the donut shop.

The interesting thing about shooting with the Arri-S in this class with a professor who is an expert in the field of cinematography is that I learned how to use the light meter, do some math, watch the operator and AC fiddle around with the apertures, and applying our textbook reading into the production like knowing at which T-stop to film depending on the reading of the light, how different lenses provide different depth of field, and of course, just hearing the whirring of the camera as it starts rolling… I just appreciated the art of filmmaking in a way I didn’t quite understand in the past, when I just let my DP do everything with his digital camera. Next week, I am assigned to be the operator, meaning that I will be behind the camera physically shooting the scene that the DP and director decide on. I’m excited to get some hands on experience. We won’t be shooting with film but at least I will get more comfortable with handling the HD camera. I’m learning slowly how lighting works as well. It’s definitely an art I need to finetune and continue to work on but I like that it’s flexible enough to change it when it just doesn’t look right without any major consequences (that is, if it’s fixed before shooting).

After class, we walked over to the Vagabond Inn, which is where we will be shooting next week. The director has to cast the actors and write up a short scene to shoot. To be honest, I’m glad I got to direct today and not next week. I feel bad for the directors next week because they only have one week to sort through actors, find availability, and meet to rehearse with them before shooting. They also have to meet with the DP to come up with a look for the film. I think I will have to be aware of the look they’re going for but most of the physical work would fall on the DP, gaffer, and grip/electric. I’m going to be working with the camera mostly and find a way to achieve the look within the camera through framing, composition, etc.  I took some pictures of the Vagabond Inn so that I’d know what I’d be working with next week.

the bathroom window. slightly eerie.

chatting outside the room.

In other news, I found out yesterday that my short film “Pretty” will be screening at the Reel Women Film Festival on Saturday, March 28th at 3:30pm in the Shorts Program Three. I think they’re screening it at the Laemmle Music Hall located in Beverly Hills on Whilshire Blvd at the corner of Doheny but I will probably receive confirmation on the location in the near future. Please come!

Day 12: Late Again!

I’m so pissed. I left my house a few minutes before 8am and I hit a standstill on the 2 South AGAIN. Apparently some accident was blocking the junction between the 5 and the 110, which is already a peephole to begin with. So, having about 40 min to get to school by that point, I got off the freeway to try to make myself there locally. Too bad I got lost and ended up somewhere on Pasadena Av and then I had to cross the LA river (nice bridge, btw if you’ve never been) and then found Chinatown. From there it took me about ten minutes to circle around to face the right direction until I found Figueroa again. BTW, if you think you’re on Fig when you get off the 2, beware! Fig disappears and you’re on San Fernando. That’s where it gets all messy. These are the times I wish I had a GPS that would give me up the second traffc updates.

Anyway, I got to class around 9:10am and the rom was already dark with everyone breathing heavily, meditating. When the lights came on, I squeezed my way through and tried to flush out my brain with all the rush hour noise and annoying morning talk radio. Gr. We got to see clips of a bunch of shorts that were pretty interesting. I really enjoyed Jim Jarmusch’s film called “Cousins,” part of “Coffee and Cigarettes” which is a simple story about a meeting between two actors. The lesser known actor, Alfred Molino is the one who requests this meeting with Steve Coogan, the more famous and snobby one. It’s just hilarious how Jarmusch can tap into the human psyche in such a natural and simple way and what happens with just one phone call to change the entire dynamic. If you’ve never seen it, you should go and check it out. It’s inspired me in thinking about this assignment I have to do tomorrow for my cinematography class, in which I have to direct something using the stage at Zemeckis center. I have no idea what the assignment is but I have an idea, at least, based off of this movie, to make something of it in class. We also watched some other short films that were interesting – some that were made in order to accompany opera singing, and some that were just very abstract and yet… very revealing. I never thought something abstract could actually make me feel anything.

After class, I ran over to Starbucks to get some coffee to wake up before heading over to Zemeckis to PA on a short that my Directing SA was doing. She’s filming a short about a freakshow. It’s pretty cool. I’ll post pictures tomorrow. I basically tore up some hay to spread on the ground with fellow classmates Ariella and Evan. We set up the curtains and moved things around. Super PA’s! I couldn’t stay the entire time but I had fun and met some cool people. They had pretty good food and awesome actors. I can’t wait to start shooting!

hard at work pinning the curtains together.

Setting up the first shot.

I love this shot – so expressionistic.

Discussing the movement of the shot.

Craft Services

View from the parking lot 2.

Heavy pink clouds seen from Jefferson and Figueroa.

Signing out.

Day 11: Luke’s BBQ

Luke threw a backyard bbq for all his friends and classmates. Yay, Luke!

Luke’s place in Hollywood. That mountain in the background is Runyon Canyon.

Luke’s place from the front

The backyard, when the sun was setting.

I was the first one there and I even stopped by Red Ribbon, a Filipino bakery, to pick up some chicken empanadas for the bbq. I helped Luke a little but mostly just drank his beers and chatted with his friends before all the SCA people started pouring in. It was good to see my classmates outside of class. It’s refreshing and good to connect with them aside from an academic and work-related way. Luke lives with some other people and one of his housemates showed us around his place in the back and it was pretty awesome. His house was like a physical embodiment of his personality and he even had a toilet in a shared space with his kitchen and bar. He played Charlie’s father in LOST. He’s a pretty interesting guy, with his walls covered with inspirational sayings and photos of what he thinks about constantly. That makes me want to do something similar to get me inspired. I had a great conversation with Brittany about being open to new experiences and about catching on to inspiration.

Luke’s place also had a hybrid orange and lemon tree as well as a persimmon tree and a fig tree. Inside the house on the second floor, the walls were covered from floor to ceiling with books. It reminded me of Akila and the Bee, even though I’m not sure there were ever any shots that looked like a library. You can see Runyon Canyon from his balcony and he lives close to Guitar Center on Sunset Blvd. I miss my old place in Park La Brea, where it was close to everything and where I was never bored. Now, I just spend way too much time in my car.

Me and Nelson

Dawn and Josh

After the BBQ and screening our Ed Woods film (to see people’s reactions), I had to head home to help my mom serve and entertain my ginormous family as we celebrated my brother’s 14th birthday (again). We ate a lot and I played with my baby nephew. He’s so cute. I want one of my own one day. Koreans are funny. My family members were shocked that I was so good with kids and now they’re demanding me to reproduce.

The fam that gathered for my bro’s bday party.

Tomorrow is our second class with Frasconi so I have to do some reading before I go to bed. Hopefully, I can get some sleep in tonight. On Tuesday, I’m assigned to direct something during class using the sound stage in Zemeckis. I’m a little nervous as I have no idea what I’m supposed to do yet. Maybe I’ll draw up something simple to direct just in case I have some sort of control over how things go.

Day 10: Ed Wood Film Festival

So I woke up at 11am to get to USC by noon to meet with Nelson, Ariella, Meera for our Ed Wood theme announcement. We decided to partake in this 24 hour filmmaking experience to get a better handle our equipment and just to play around. When I got there (again, in the rain) there was a mass of people just hearding into the EVK. At least it was close to my car. Anyway, We had to sign some posters, got the theme, which was “In and Out” and our object was playing cards.

We drove to Meera’s house and filmed for the rest of the day. I had to leave at 6:30pm so I didn’t get to edit but I’m sure it’s in the can by now. I won’t give away what we did but hopefully, ours will be screened and yes, I make a cameo.

Here are some location and pre-production pics. I couldn’t take pics as soon as we were rolling.

Day 9: Almost in sync

Today was my second class with Albrezzi. I knew it was raining this morning so I left my house at 7:50am for my 9am class. I tried an alternate route off the 2S and went local the rest of the way. I arrived at my class at 9am sharp. =T I guess the freeway, no matter what, is still faster. Darn.

Albrezzi’s class was awesome. Again, I’m so inspired. Remember when I was like, I have no idea why we had to watch Witness? In class, we dissected the beginning sequence all the way up until Samuel’s bathroom scene. I learned about things I didn’t see the first time watching it through, from the visually driven decisions to contrast two worlds to the rhythm and tension and release of each act. I will never see movies the same way again. I have much more respect for Peter Weir and his style now that my eyes are open to the fact that each and every shot was meticulously and intentionally crafted to add to the story’s rhythm, whether it was meant to influence us on a conscious or a subconscious level. For example, in the Amish funeral scene, there is a shot of Rachel that is much like a Vermeer’s painting (the girl with the pearl earring – which of course, later was made into a film starring s. johansson)

We are introduced to her in this way, with natural light coming in from the windows. In fact, most of the Amish sequences were filmed with natural light while the “modern” world used a lot more complicated lighting techniques. Anyway, I won’t regurgitate my class notes on here but it’s just interesting to delve deep into other people’s work.

Afterwards, we had to file into the basement for an editing lab orientation which basically outlined all the rules – an there are MANY! We basically have to research time in 4 hour chunks in person, and must leave by the end of our time (esp if we are the last ones). Of course, we can’t eat, drink, smoke anywhere inside the building esp in the labs. We also have no cellphone reception down there. So, basically, if I ever am editing down there, I will be MIA for 4 hours or more (if I’m allowed to “vulture” my way into getting more time in). We also get lockers and share some Hard Drives. I can already see myself losing sleep and getting frustrated with a piece of machine. I’m contemplating just buying AVID for my laptop. It’s only $250 or something ridiculously cheap like that (I paid a lot more for my FCP).

After our do’s and dont’s, I was told that we didn’t have an afternoon class. Wha? I scheduled a class in from 2pm-4pm. I thought we were meeting for a second editing session but that’s not until Feb 6. Wow. I felt completely out of sync. I decided to try to roam around the 4th floor to drop in on profs but it looked like they were all out so I walked over to the Annenberg, where the worldpress exhibition was held. It was amazing. The photographs literally jump out at you and you’re just standing there, staring at  a picture with a thousand questions in your head and a story forming about the characters in it. It’s kind of breathtaking to see these raw images that say so much more than what it is – a single shot. I bumped into Josh, a classmate, who also had the genius idea to ditch the rain and check out this exhibition.

I realized then that I had left my thermos at SCA (since there are designated areas for food/drink in the basement of SCA) so I had to trudge through the rain to get it and walk to my car. I was thoroughly wet and cold by the time I got into my car so I drove home, showered, got into my warm bed and napped with my puppy.

Day 8: Rain rain, go away.

What a loaded day. I had a feeling I was going to be stuck in at least one of the freeways I needed to take to get to school (I take the 210E to the 2S to the 5S to 110S) because it was raining hard in La Crescenta and if you know anything about LA drivers, you know they freak out at the slightest drizzle. I ended up having to get off the 2S and find my way locally, which was a bit difficult to do using just my senses. I came to my class 15 minutes late as a result. Gr. What a horrible start to a day.

But, today I was to do my first pitch ever so I calmed down and paid close attention to everything Brenda was saying. We first went over the script breakdown we did the night before on “Lunch Date” and then we saw the short film, to see how the film was different from the way we had dreamt it in our heads. It was interesting to see the silent moments – the moments that the director and actors worked out to create beats when there wasn’t an obvious beat in the reading script. I think that’s what I’m learning the most when it comes to beats – that it’s not always just in the dialogue, but also evident in the spaces between. After the screening of this short, we all got 5 minutes to go up in front of class to pitch our ideas. It could have been anything, as long as it wasn’t something we had worked on in the past or a film that has already been made. By the midpoint, there was a mad rush to go up but I wanted to wait because I wasn’t too sure of myself.  I ended up going last, which turned out to not be so ideal because we went over our class time and there wasn’t time for my feedbacks (so I got a private feedback from Brenda after class). I pitched a 3d animated feature film and Brenda told me that she could see it as a short film and that she’d love to see it if I ever made it. That was so encouraging. I mean, I know I was nervous and rambling when I got up to talk but it’s pretty cool to just feel like maybe my ideas aren’t that ridiculous. I also liked a lot of the ideas my classmates had, especially the ones that took me by surprise with twists and interesting plot points. I think I naturally gravitate towards heists and action movies as a viewer or listener, but I myself like to make stories that deal with hope and love and all that other marshmallowy stuff.

After class, I joined a small group of SCA students to eat at The Lot and then we headed over to the Job Talk, where we were sufficiently scared and started panicking about our futures, etc. I heard a lot of that stuff already and know all about how hard it is to survive in this industry but I was still taken aback. What do you mean jobs are not guaranteed for USC film school students?! Pshhhh… Anyway, I’m okay now.

In our directing class, we focused a lot on casting today and we got to see some interesting clips of what Coppola went through to get Al Pacino in The Godfather. We learned about being able to conduct auditions professionally and the things to avoid when casting. I got a lot of tips on actor/director relationships, particularly on how a director should give adjustments to actors by crossing the “line” over to the actors (on set) and to make sure to work with actors individually (as not to taint the other actors’ objectives and to create a level of intimacy and trust in working with actors). We also learned about creating an environment of safety and trust, and how to get the actors to come out of their shells (in auditions) to see what they connect with on a genuine level with the characters they’re playing. I’m really inspired now to hold another audition just to practice all this stuff I think I absorbed today. I’m so tired now but I’m also wired because I had 4 shots of espresso before my night class and now I can’t seem to unwind.

I forgot to mention that on Monday on MLK day, some of us got together to screen “Witness”, as it was required by tomorrow in order to talk about it. I’m a little confused as to why this movie is so important but I guess I will find out tommorrow.

Here are some pics from that screening:

Making sure the light reflected off the tv screen didn’t blind us.

We are cinema nerds.

A cool classmate with lots of talents both artistically and athletically.

Day 7: Feel the crunch

Today was my ideation class and we got to share our photos that either dealth with locations or our childhoods. Of course I bring photos from my childhood. I mean, why did I even think I wasn’t going to? Gah. Anyway, I had no idea we were going to post it on the wall and have everyone stare at it before explaining the significance of it. For some reason I thought the photos were going to be passed around with our written explanations of it. Kind of a more quiet dissection vs. a public showing of my awkward life. Oh well. I think I have to learn to not be embarrassed about my past and the stories that will come from them.

In our journals we are supposed to talk about ideas, thoughts, memories, etc. that we keep coming back to or things that keep tugging at us. I guess for me, the notion of belonging, acceptance, adapting, assimilating, and playing with cultures, faith, existentialism is important to me. Of course I also have to talk about racism and social class and things like that but I know I can tackle a lot of these subjects in the same film. I have to think more specifically but as for now, in a general sense, these are the issues I KNOW that I want to talk about.

I’m really stressed out right now because I have two classes tomorrow and I haven’t had time to do any of the homework for tomorrow. I spent the afternoon thinking of an idea to pitch for my producing section tomorrow. It’s going to be a claymation about an immigrant egg with big dreams. I just have to practice delivering it because I have to do this in front of class tomorrow morning. I also have to break down the script using the producing graph/chart, which shouldn’t be too hard but kind of tedious. I will most likely get to my directing homework tomorrow after Brenda’s class. I will read and break down the script by intentions for my 6pm directing class as well as reading like 7 pages so that shouldn’t be too hard. I’m just passing out slowly so I need to keep focused and stay awake long enough to do this.

This weekend I’m going to help my classmates with the Ed Wood Film Festival, which is a 24 hour film festival. At noon on Sat, they will announce the theme and we will start the filming process. How exciting!

Day 6: Cinematography & searching for ideas

Today was a special day. Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States. As an international student who feels more like an Asian American with a lot of travel experience rather than a South American-born Korean who immigrated to the U.S., the event was bitter sweet. On the one hand, I am happy that my 14 year old brother can have the experience of witnessing a huge change in administration in his lifetime where perhaps he feels more included in this democracy as he comes of age. I am also happy for the historic significance this has on America as well as on the rest of the world. On the flip side, it tastes bitter for me because I can only enjoy the show from the nose bleed section. I wish I had been able to vote in this election, a right that so many of my peers living in the U.S. has. I mean, in a sense, I’m not completely left out, as the youth under the age of 18 probably also felt like I had. Our consolation is that we expressed our voices through campaigning and donating to many of these organizations that would eventually help Obama win. So in a sense, I am not completely left out, am I? Many times in my life, I felt like I didn’t truly belong. There was always something that marked me as being different, whether it was my race, nationality, social class, or immigration status. Feeling like I was just like everyone else or even thinking like everyone else wasn’t ever enough to really be like everyone else. I wonder if the things that marked me as being different would ever come full circle to help me out in life. I guess I still have a lot of years ahead of me to figure that out.

Anyway, I missed ten minutes of Obama’s speech near the end since I was listening to the entire thing while stuck in traffic on the 110s. I seriously need to find an easier way to get to school. Once I arrived at Zemeckis, Obama was just finishing his inspiring speech. What a remarkable day that it went smoothly, aside from the weird stumbling on the oath (later I found out that the chief justice tried to memorize the oath and then basically forgot the order or something… Roberts: “That I will execute the office of president to the United States faithfully… ” kind of sounds like a threat if you misread it). I also don’t know how I felt about Aretha Franklin. It seemed like she was struggling a little.

Once the cinematography class started, the energy was contagious. Was it the new president? Was it playing with the Arri-S? Perhaps both, somehow connected in some weird way. I realized today that I need to really study up on all the numbers. The T-stops and ASA’s are confusing me. I can’t believe how numerically challenged I am. I just need to memorize it, the way I memorized the multiplication table when I was 4 by reciting it over and over again in a song. I remember doing something similar with the periodic table of elements. I should make a song for cinematography. Once I figure out the lyrics and tune, I’ll post it here in case anyone is as numerically challenged as I am.

After learning to loop the film inside the Arri-S, we took a break. I convinced some people to accompany me to try out La Taquiza, which is known for their mulitas. Mulitas are basically two tortillas made into a sandwich, with cheese, guac, and salsa with a choice of meat (beef, chicken, seafood). I got one beef mulita and an horchata and paid a bit over $5. I was full so it was worth it. I give it 4 stars. I will have to come back at least once a week to try something new. They’re favored by yelp.com so obviously I give them kudos. I will have to check out Chano’s next. I hear they have some good grub.

(this is the shrimp mulita)

After class, Ariella and I went to eat, then got our haircuts, went to Little Tokyo to buy some food and snacks (and a birthday gift for my brother). I dropped off Ariella and came home to take out my mom and bro to a Brazilian Churrasqueria for the special night.

I’m currently doing some creative soul-searching for tomorrow’s ideation class. I’m trying to figure out if I want to pick pictures from my childhood/family/identity, or pictures from an evocative location. I’ve already done some identity films from the past so I really wanted to do a comedy for my first project. However, after reading the first chapter of Creative Filmmaking From the Inside Out, I’m now contemplating whether I should continue exploring my vision first of who I am as an artist before branching out to do fun and light-hearted stuff. Hm, maybe I can still do comedy though, if I find funny things from my tumultuous past.