who: ava duvernay. writer/director/producer. credits: i will follow, middle of nowhere, the door
what: keynote filmmaker speech
when: 2013 film independent forum (october 27, 2013)
where: los angeles, ca
why: film independent organizes a networking weekend for filmmakers to meet other filmmakers at various stages in their journey. the keynote speeches are usually a big highlight.
all of that energy, all of that focus on trying to extract from other people, is preventing you from doing.
- ava duvernay
i wanna be on this train. 2014 inspiration.
if filmmaking isn't your thing, this speech is still worthwhile. it applies to anything worth pursuing (career, relationship, etc). the message is all the same.
i worked on a special project called "the tale of the emergency landing at christmastime." it's a radio play written by playwright tyler grimes who's currently working, creating and collaborating with the distilled theatre company here in new york city. i derived a warm amount of joy working on this. (1) it's my first radio play. i appreciated the challenge of bringing a story to life without having the usual tools at my disposal to employ. there's only voice, imagination, emotions and listening. (2) this play contains all the magic you hope the holiday will bring but it also touches on the feelings of frustration, cynicism, sadness, and complexity of family that can be present during this time of year.
i hope for you to have your own miracle this season and going into the new year.
the download is free, a gift to you.
last friday night, i had the pleasure of attending a screening for a film i worked on. "dutch kills" is about a guy who's released from prison only to be pulled back into one last gig. the special things about working on this film are (1) it is a completed project and will be submitted to film festivals, meaning people will see it and hopefully connect with it in some way. and (2) the process by which this film was made is nothing short of inspiring. written and produced by a group of friends, it started out as an idea. pen was put to paper, friends were reached out to for support, these friends and friends of friends were cast, money was raised through a crowd-funding campaign, the project was shot, and the post-production process was endured. and now there's a living, breathing movie. there are so many stages to completing a film that allow for slim to none short cuts. i'm always amazed by those who commit to the process, taking it day-by-day and overcoming the inevitable challenges that present themselves. beyond inspiring.
congrats to tama filianga, r.l. mann, joseph mazzella, and liam leguillou for your talent, hard work and dedication. thank you to rotimi paul for bringing me to the project and lodric collins for your unwavering support.
the "dreams" video is out.
such a catchy song. i love the video, esp the animation & the sword fighting scene!
check out my cameo in it too.
shout out to: music artist daniel giel, writer/director sandy chase, producer/ad (lady who hired me!) huriyyah muhammad, talented actors koji nishiyama and lisa itabashi, make-up artist michael serapiglia, animator peter parlegreco, fellow actor jorge alvarez, gaffer tom chaves, key grip mike keane, 1st ac akina vandevelde, and production assistant amanda kizigha!
this fall has been really special in that a few projects i've worked on saw the light of day at a screening. such a rewarding feeling to see the culmination of your work on a screen and shown in front of an audience. the feedback is spontaneous, honest, and immediate. and...it can give an artist that extra little push that is sometimes needed to keep going.
good number
writer/director: paul mckoy
synopsis: a group of friends explore how many sexual partners is too many.
role: val, wife
premiered at: the katra film series, manhattan, nyc, 9/29/12
next steps: you can see this short film in its entirety on youtube
next steps: the short film received its first award for “best narrative short” from the columbia center for the arts: mount hood independent film festival. next up, the film will be showing at the big apple film festival in nyc from nov 14-18.
dreams
writer/director: sandy chase
synopsis: daniel giel's music video featuring a student who falls asleep in the middle of his exam only to awaken to a strange dream world.
role: bubblegum girl
premiered at: the filmshop, williamsburg, bk, 10/25/12
next steps: the music video will soon be released on youtube. stay tuned.
koji (castmate) and i at the premiere for "dreams"
my actor reel is finally done! thank you so much to my editor andy torraco! i wrote about andy in the post before this one. i can't thank him enough for helping me get to this point. having a headshot & resume is standard for an actor, but having a reel is the icing on top. especially when you're in the early stages of your career and much of the work you do is for students and independent filmmakers without a distribution channel. actors rely heavily on receiving the footage from filmmakers, so that we can put together a visual resume. this reel is a 3min look into the work i've done since leaving my full time corporate life in 2005 to pursue acting as a career.
in addition to andy...special thanks go to ela thier & the independent film school, gerard brown iii, rotimi paul, lodric collins, dave reck, cindy narayan, chandra caldwell, kate o'donoghue, the william esper studio, kc's class, karen chamberlain, deb jackel, trisha clark, joanne greco, tony clomax, tanya lewis, sheereen miller russell, brandis russell, candice cook, kasara davidson, aisha langford, kia lowe, brandi colander, phylicia fant, kate simpson, kate goerlich, kenya (robinson), nichole taron, kia barbee, bevy smith, isaiah michael joyner, kym blanchard, jenai emmel, faramarz and om factory, kenneth fabritius, gabriela gudino jaime, ananta cuffee, danelle manthey, stephen wolf, kimon jackson, pamela mckinney, shelley hines, and my mama and family for your faith, support, craft, talent, feedback, encouragement, gentle prodding, shoulder, side eye, you name it!
definition of a good number - what you deem as an appropriate number of sexual partners that your significant other has had.
does it absolutely matter? or does it matter up until a certain age, and then it's open season? if you meet & fall in love with someone, do you want to know about his/her past? and if so, how much? if he's clocking in at wilt chamberlain numbers but makes you feel like the only girl in the world, do you care? if she knows & has experimented with lil kim's "how many licks" frontwards & backwards, are you giving her the side-eye? these are just questions...you be the judge.
i shot a short film as a wife who's husband and his buddies have strong opinions about how many partners is suitable for a potential wife. who knew a number could reek so much havoc on a group of friends. take a look and let me know in the comments section what your good number is.
shout-out to writer/director paul mckoy, director of photography wiener milien, and producer patrick ulysse. the entire cast: lodric collins, alexis davis, james lyones, noriko sato, and paul roberson. the crew: marc enette, andrea monorchio, sarah matte, jacqulyn abergas, jean marie papin, janice lindo, shorn joseph, fredrick weiss, and savanna sweet.
i'm so excited to share my webisodes currently running on the martha stewart living website.
big step in my acting career...hopefully this is just the beginning of more commercial work. http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/frigidaire-gallery (click on this link and then click on the green box to the right, below is what you should see)
*special thank you's go to eon, joanne, the marketing group at martha stewart living, and ben jacks & scott welch of the jacks firm*
update: my webisodes were active for the month of august. once i get the videos on dvd, i will re-upload to this post. 9/28/11-here is one webisode, check out the other two on my youtube channel: www.youtube.com/somindboggling
