4 Hours of Filming + 20 Hours of Editing = One Great 5 Minute Short (VIDEO

Here's a story of an undergrad who based his film on another undergrad's succesful film. And both are great!

"The Rainbow" is a film Alex Berger (Eng'10) made during a Video II class at Penn. The idea of the assignment was to make a visual poem—where image and words come together without the use of formal dialogue.

Per Alex,

"I had seen Kevin McMullin’s film, "The Boy and the Star", and I thought it was amazing. The story was simple, yet eloquent, and the stylistic elements he employed fit so well. In addition, the film fit my style as a filmmaker. Black and white, high contrast, close-up imagery, are all stylistic elements that I often used. After receiving the assignment, I set out to recreate Kevin’s film. I wanted to use the assignment as a way to experiment with the style and to attempt to figure out exactly how Kevin made this. In the stylistic sense, I did base my film “The Rainbow” on Kevin’s film. I have never met Kevin, so I felt it was appropriate to give credit to his work, because it closely influenced mine."

The premise of Alex's film is that this boy has presumably lost everything in his life that matters. He yells and yells so loud that the fire blows out, and the smoke forms clouds up above. The clouds lead to rain, and eventually a rainbow is formed. The story then becomes the quest to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Alex continues,

"I wanted to depict the feeling of losing something and the artificial journey that can ensue after one has this type of experience. It was not meant to be a light-hearted, joyous story, and I think the whimsical style counters this nicely. I think the filmed turned out well, but it was not something that I enjoyed making. It was one of those projects where I filmed for 4 hours and edited for another 20 hours to make a 5-minute movie. As Kevin can attest to, it was largely made in the editing studio."

Other impressive Class Project films

More posts from my "Penn's REEL deals" series

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READ MORE - 4 Hours of Filming + 20 Hours of Editing = One Great 5 Minute Short (VIDEO

In His Absurd Film, The Stakes Are High, And So Are The Girls! (VIDEO)

Earlier today I posted Amin Osman's (C'09) dark and disturbing film called "Table For Three".

The last of Amin's films I will post this week is also again, strangely enjoyable. The description of this trailer is as follows:

"Two stoners. A severed hand. A damsel in distress. This is one 4/20 they'll never forget. Unless they do, because it's 4/20."

Other impressive Class Project films

More posts from my "Penn's REEL deals" series

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READ MORE - In His Absurd Film, The Stakes Are High, And So Are The Girls! (VIDEO)

Why You'll Never Go Back To Your Date's Place Again Without Thinking of His Film!

Over the past couple of years on DT, I have showcased some enjoyably disturbing films...most of them coming from Penn new Penn alum Amin Osman (C'09).

Today on DT there are a couple more of Amin's short films that you'll find very entertaining.

If you thought he's been dark before, check out this one above called "Table for Three".  You'll never go back to your date's place again without thinking of this film!




Other impressive Class Project films

More posts from my "Penn's REEL deals" series

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READ MORE - Why You'll Never Go Back To Your Date's Place Again Without Thinking of His Film!

With His Award Winning Script, He Graduated a Year Early to Pursue His Filmmaking Career (VIDEO)

Hollywood alumni.. set up a meeting with this young filmmaker, because he's going places...

Kevin McMullin (C'09, in picture below in tanktop) is another story of talent combined with motivation and perseverance with all the potential of lots of Hollywood success.  With his Penn award winning script and some great short films under his belt, Kevin decided to graduate Penn a year early to pursue his dreams.

(l to r: Kevin McMullin (C'09), lead actor John Blakeslee, and cinematographer Sean Emer)

Thanks to the digital revolution and through lots of favors, Kevin has been able to make his feature film Exit 117 for less than $850. The film is an ensemble comedy-drama in the spirit of Rob Reiner’s “Stand By Me” and Richard Linklater’s “Slacker” about a group of recent high school graduates coming to terms with where they are and where they’re going in their lives.

...If you forgot, early last year, Kevin's short film "The Boy and The Star" was my #3 pick in in my series: Top Penn Videos that will give you the chills.  As you'll see in Kevin's trailer above, this film also has a very special artistic feel that will be sure to move you!

How did Kevin get his start and what's his plan now?

Per Kevin,

"I have been making short films since I was a 12 years old with friends and after high school I chose Penn over film school to get a broader liberal arts education. While I was there I won first place at the Greater Philadelphia Student Film Festival two years in a row, which funneled my shorts into the international Philadelphia Film Festival.

I decided to condense my time at Penn into three years to pursue filmmaking and put money toward this endeavor. I wrote the screenplay for this feature in my Intro to Screenwriting Class with Kathy Van Cleve and kept rewriting over the next year. It won the 2009 Flesch Screenwriting Award at Penn. With this prize money and some savings I shot “Exit 117” for less than $850 on lots of borrowed equipment and natural sunlight.

This is another example of Penn undergrads working together. Kevin teamed up with friends:

• Rodrigo Suarez (C, ENG’10) and Blake West (C’09) who contribute music to the soundtrack
• Andrew Stern (W’10) who acts as the Radio DJ’s voice over
• Jessica Brown (Grad Education ’09) who has been the pre-production manager and a production assistant
• and Jon-Marc Balint (C'10) who has a supporting role in the film and is associate producer. 

Hollywood Penn alumni, feel free to get in touch with Kevin here: kevinjamesmcmullin@gmail.com



More on Kevin's Exit 117 site HERE

Join Kevin's Exit 117 facebook group HERE

More of posts from my "Penn's REEL deals" series

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READ MORE - With His Award Winning Script, He Graduated a Year Early to Pursue His Filmmaking Career (VIDEO)

New DT Series This Week: Penn's REEL deals (FILMS)

Over the past few weeks I have been aggregating some great short films from Penn alumni and undergrads that will move you, surprise you, creep you out, scintillate you, tickle your funny bone, ...and overall impress you!

I decided to showcase them this entire week in a new DT series I'm calling "Penn's REEL deals".

Be kept in the loop and sign up for the newsletter below or follow me on Twitter!

(In the meantime, check out my other DT series by looking down the right-hand column of this site)

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His Nursery University ...And You Thought Getting Into Penn Was Hard

As I reported HERE the other week via exclusive videos, despite having good grades and extra curricular activities, there is still much anxiety associated with a prospect waiting to find out if he or she will get into Penn.

If you think this is bad, imagine what some parents need to do to get their child into ...nursery school!

Documentary filmmaker Marc Simon (C'96, SAM) has created a movie that many parents...especially in the NY and California regions will relate to.  The film covers the (absurd!) process of getting their child into nursery school and what nursery school admissions is all about.

Per Marc (kneeling in picture below),

"From the moment parents learn they are "having a baby", they focus on providing a happy and healthy environment and the best opportunities for their kids. This includes planning for their children's education, and today, for moms and dads across this country, the pressures associated with schooling begin early - very early. Nursery University gets inside nursery school admissions -- a modern day cultural right of passage -- with sensitivity and a great sense of humor, inviting the audience behind the scenes to experience and learn from this stranger-than-fiction reality."

Nursery University Opens April 24th
@ PHOENIX ADLABS IMAGINASIAN THEATRE
239 EAST 59TH STREET, NYC - BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD

Friday 11:30, 1:45, 4:30, 7:00, 9:15
Saturday 11:30, 1:45, 4:30, 7:00, 9:15
Sunday 11:30, 1:45, 4:30, 7:00, 9:15
Monday - Thursday 1, 3, 5, 7, 9

www.movietickets.com
**Q and A's after every screening with the film makers, families, heads of schools. and pre school experts.

• Read the great film's NYTimes Movie review HERE
• Other Penn documentary filmmakers HERE 

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Touchdown for David Isser's "Gameday"

In light of this weekend's Superbowl, I have a special treat for all of you.

Filmmaker David Isser (C'01) has gone from documentaries to now comedies ...and in his latest one, Gameday (above), check out a guy who cleverly tries to find out the score of the big game from his buddies, while he's stuck in the car with his girlfriend who hates football.

Girls and guys out there will enjoy this I'm sure!

Also, be sure to also check out the show Dave edited for the Discovery show on February 8th, 9pm ET/PT, 8PM CT called "The Science of Sex Appeal".  Sounds very interesting...

Speaking of football, did you check out Jordan Zucker's (C'97) very creative weekly videos from her Girls Guide to Fantasty Football website. Go over there and check them out!



Check out my other Funny Friday posts here!
 
Click here to learn how David got started as a film director

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READ MORE - Touchdown for David Isser's "Gameday"

Funny Fridays: Political Documentarian Discharges Another Film

As you may recall from my previous post, filmmaker Stephen Robert Morse (C'07, DP /34th Street) got funding from Wharton to create a political documentary.

From his Spring '07 Cinema Production course, Stephen has now submitted an entirely different type of film he wants to show us. ...A comedy that deals with "the morning after", revenge, STDs and all sorts of goodness. Look out for the use of Smokes as a location in the film. And try not to cringe when you see how the lead character uses Listerine to help his "situation" out.

Watch The Morning After
Part 1
Part 2

Stephen is now pursuing a Master's in Scriptwriting at the University of East Anglia and working at Blake Friedmann Agency in London, and plans to move out to LA in May '08 to find a job in the entertainment business.

The Morning After stars:
Marc Friedman (C'07), Lia Zneimer (C'09), Lizzie Frasco (C'08), Alex Weinstein (C'07), Leah Feder (C'07), Tracy Webber (C'07), Caitlin Russell (C'07), The Spring '07 TEP pledge class, Eric Borowsky (C'07), Tom Campana (C'07), Alex Solether (C'08), Andrea Kohn (C'09)

Check out other creative Class Project Films

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Now and Then Thursdays: Stalking at Penn

For my "Now and Then Thursdays" series, I wanted to share one of my most favorite films I created back in 1996 about an obsessed woman who stops at nothing to find her man. Her man happens to be Waldo from the popular children's book series and finding him on Penn's campus may be a little tricker than she hoped.

Starring Eric Stone (C'99) as Waldo nd Lily Hanna (C'96) as the obsessed chick

Parts of this video were taken during the 1996 Hey Day and Penn Relays. It's interesting to note that the same fun and craziness existed back in 1996 as the fun and craziness you'll see in the videos from Hey Day 2007 as well as the 2005 Penn Relays.

Check out my past "Now and Then Thursday" posts

Watch my other 1996 videos: "Love on the Go" and "Stacked Competition"

READ MORE - Now and Then Thursdays: Stalking at Penn

Mikaelyn Austin (C’04) scores with Palestra documentary on ESPN

Writer/Producer Mikaelyn Austin's (C’04, Women's Basketball) feature-length documentary film The Palestra: Cathedral of Basketball, premieres next week on ESPN Classic and ESPN-U.

For those of you who haven't heard about this film, it traces the evolution of college basketball through the rise of one of the most historic basketball arenas in the country. The film traces the storied history of Big 5 basketball at the Palestra and features former Penn players and coaches including: current Penn Athletic Director Steve Bilsky, C’71, David “Corky” Calhoun, C’72, Chuck Daly, and Fran Dunphy.

I met Mikaelyn about 5 years ago when she was first starting this project and it's fantastic to see what such hard work and persistence can do. Congratulations, Mikaelyn!

Click here to see an interview with Mikaelyn

Click here to preview the film and learn more about the Palestra documentary and ESPN airings


ESPN Airings:

ESPN CLASSIC
Thursday, July 5th @ 10pm EST
Saturday, August 4th @ 8am EST


ESPN U
Wednesday, July 11th @ 10pm EST
Monday, July 16th @ 9pm EST
Friday, July 27th @ 9am EST

READ MORE - Mikaelyn Austin (C’04) scores with Palestra documentary on ESPN