Priapus Productions Presents!

My favorite class this semester has been Technical Intro to Video Production, which is just what it sounds like - basic film making. I've really enjoyed the creative outlet this class has provided as well as the hands-on approach. I'm sorry that this is the only such class available to film minors, because I'd really like to expand on what I've learned.

Our first few weeks were spent learning the basics and getting into groups. No one in our group was experienced in this at all, so we had to figure out how to use the cameras (with no manuals) and so on and so forth from scratch.

We began to do one project a week. The first was simple Edison/Lumiere type stuff to show that we could actually point a camera at something and let light into it. The next few weeks were spent with exercises in different types of shots, different camera angles/movements, and various vectors. Most of them did not have storylines and the one that did isn't worth reviewing. In fact, I don't have copies of those early projects.

This film is the first one where nothing in particular was requested, but we had to show several things that we'd learned by then. We had one week to do it, and of course we all had other classes and lives, so the whole thing,throughout the week, was cobbled together over six or seven hours total. We did all the shooting in one afternoon, with few second takes. This is the second project where we had to edit, and the first where we put a lot of work into it. We not only edited the scenes together, but we also replaced all the sound with music and "special effects." We still were kind of groping in the dark, though, as will be obvious to you when you see the title!!!!! You see, while editing is essential to success in this class,it isn't actually part of the curriculum, so we had to figure it out with minimal instruction. Whee! It was fun and the professor was impressed with the progress we'd made since the lame early projects from just a few weeks before when we were still figuring the camera out.

The next project will be done in a couple weeks and has been in progress for over a month. It has a lot more time and effort going into it, but I'll talk about that when I have it finished and can post it.

In the meantime, here is my directorial debut, No Smoking.

March Movie Madness 2009 - Final Standings

Better late than never!

(Bolded names are the ones who picked Meryl Streep to win it all)
Stephanie 25 20 20 18 16 10 109
Paula O. 26 26 20 12 8 10 102
Kirk 26 18 20 12 16 10 102
Nat 21 24 20 12 8 10 95
Robin 25 18 20 12 8 10 93
Brad 27 26 20 18 0 0 91
Dave S. 26 18 12 18 16 0 90
Ross 23 16 12 12 16 10 89
John 25 20 16 6 8 10 85
Keith 26 22 16 12 8 0 84
Julie 22 18 16 6 8 10 80
Paticus 23 18 20 18 0 0 79
O'Tim 24 22 20 12 0 0 78
James 22 10 12 12 16 0 72
Alan 24 14 12 12 8 0 70
Jim M. 24 14 16 6 8 0 68
Cody 21 12 20 12 0 0 65
Dave B. 21 16 16 12 0 0 65
Emma S. 21 16 16 12 0 0 65
Jorge 25 18 8 6 8 0 65
Tanya 26 20 12 6 0 0 64
Paula L 27 18 12 6 0 0 64
Harris 24 14 12 6 8 0 64
Jim R. 22 18 12 6 0 0 58
Nancy 20 16 8 6 8 0 58
Michelle 18 10 8 6 8 0 50
Bahar 22 12 8 6 0 0 48
PJ 21 14 12 0 0 0 47
Delmer 20 12 12 0 0 0 44
Sheri 20 10 8 0 0 0 38

March Movie Madness 2009 - Champion

Meryl Streep 8
Daniel Day-Lewis 3

Congratulations to Stephanie, who finished with 109 points!

March Movie Madness 2009 - Semifinal Champs

Here it is, folks: Your top actor and actress, who will compete against each other for the March Movie Madness 2009 Crown.

In the first game we had the original Method Man, whose deliveries of "Hey, Stella!" and "I shoulda been a contenduh" have become two of the most imitated lines in film history, Marlon Brando, vs. the man who drinks your milkshake, asks you to stay alive no matter what occurs, taps his glass eye with the point of a knife, does amazing things with his left foot and does everything in the name of the father, Daniel Day-Lewis. And the winner is...

Marlon Brando 3
Daniel Day-Lewis 7

The second game pitted Joanna Kramer/Sophie Zawistowski/Karen Silkwood/Karen Blixen/Francesca Johnson/Susan Orlean/Clarissa Vaughan/Miranda Priestly/Donna Sheridan/Sister Aloysius Beauvier against Alice Adams/Susan Vance/Tracy Lord/Tess Harding/Amanda Bonner/Rose Sayer/Christina Drayton/Eleanor of Aquitaine/Ethel Thayer on Spencer Tracy's 109th birthday. And the winner is...

Meryl Streep 15
Katharine Hepburn 4




STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 5
(first number is round 1 score, on to round 5 score, then total so far -- bolded names are those who correctly picked both the final actor and actress)
Steph 25 20 20 18 16 99
Paula O. 26 26 20 12 8 92
Kirk 26 18 20 12 16 92
Brad 27 26 20 18 0 91
Dave S. 26 18 12 18 16 90
Nat 21 24 20 12 8 85
Keith 26 22 16 12 8 84
Robin 25 18 20 12 8 83
Paticus 23 18 20 18 0 79
Ross 23 16 12 12 16 79
O'Tim 24 22 20 12 0 78
John 25 20 16 6 8 75
James 22 10 12 12 16 72
Alan 24 14 12 12 8 70
Julie 22 18 16 6 8 70
Jim M. 24 14 16 6 8 68
Cody 21 12 20 12 0 65
Dave B. 21 16 16 12 0 65
Emma S. 21 16 16 12 0 65
Jorge 25 18 8 6 8 65
Tanya 26 20 12 6 0 64
Paula L 27 18 12 6 0 64
Harris 24 14 12 6 8 64
Jim R. 22 18 12 6 0 58
Nancy 20 16 8 6 8 58
Michelle 18 10 8 6 8 50
Bahar 22 12 8 6 0 48
PJ 21 14 12 0 0 47
Delmer 20 12 12 0 0 44
Sheri 20 10 8 0 0 38

And Stephanie makes a huge push, picking both final actors correctly for the maximum 16 points in that round, while the Brad train, having enjoyed the lead spot throughout the entire tournament, comes to a screeching halt because his final picks were Marlon Brando vs. Cate Blanchett. That said, Stephanie hasn't been crowned yet -- this tournament will come down to the final shot!

On a side note, I did want to take this opportunity to point out that THE MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS ARE PLAYING FOR THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TOMORROW NIGHT! Unless you have some twisted allegiance to the University of North Carolina, ROOT FOR MSU!

I now return you to your regularly scheduled Movie Madness. The final results will be posted tomorrow.

March Movie Madness 2009 - Final 4

Okay, after getting incredibly complicated in deciding to change up how I determine winners for the Final Four, I since decided to keep things the way I'd originally intended and just count the votes that were still alive. I apologize for the rigamarole; after thinking more about it, I decided that changing thing mid-tournament wouldn't exactly be fair. So thanks to those of you who responded to my emails, but in the end I didn't even tally them.

So... your Final Four.



REEVES REGION
Marlon Brando 8
Dustin Hoffman 6

KUCHER REGION
Paul Newman 5
Daniel Day-Lewis 8

LOHAN REGION
Meryl Streep 20
Jodie Foster 2

ANDERSON REGION
Katharine Hepburn 9
Audrey Hepburn 2


STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 4
(first number is round 1 score, then round 2 score, then round 3 score, the round 4 score, then total so far)
Brad 27 26 20 18 91
Paula O. 26 26 20 12 84
Steph 25 20 20 18 83
Paticus 23 18 20 18 79
O'Tim 24 22 20 12 78
Nat 21 24 20 12 77
Keith 26 22 16 12 76
Kirk 26 18 20 12 76
Robin 25 18 20 12 75
Dave S. 26 18 12 18 74
John 25 20 16 6 67
Cody 21 12 20 12 65
Dave B. 21 16 16 12 65
Emma S. 21 16 16 12 65
Tanya 26 20 12 6 64
Paula L 27 18 12 6 64
Ross 23 16 12 12 63
Alan 24 14 12 12 62
Julie 22 18 16 6 62
Jim M. 24 14 16 6 60
Jim R. 22 18 12 6 58
Jorge 25 18 8 6 57
Harris 24 14 12 6 56
James 22 10 12 12 56
Nancy 20 16 8 6 50
Bahar 22 12 8 6 48
PJ 21 14 12 0 47
Delmer 20 12 12 0 44
Michelle 18 10 8 6 42
Sheri 20 10 8 0 38


Brad extended his lead to 7 this round, but he's by no means run away with a victory. As a matter of fact, 5-6 people still have a chance of winning it all. So make sure you let Brad know he better be looking over his shoulder. Also of note is that Nancy has once again moved ahead of PJ...