Thursday, December 04, 2008

Finals

Finals week is upon me and I didn't even know it. I was under the impression for so long that I had at least two more weeks of classes but during a conversation with Adam I realized that...nope...one more week...Time to buckle down. I just can't wait for this semester to end and then it's off to visit Dave, Jess, and baby Jillian!

Monday, November 10, 2008

Gone For Good: Shoot Day Summary

Busy busy weekend!  About two and a half weeks ago I finally had an idea for a film.  The title is:  Gone For Good.  It's a funny little story of a typo that sends our protagonist (Elliot Nevills) into a fit of remorse and identity crisis.  Emily Bennett plays Elliot's significant other (in real life as well) and she leaves the note containing the typo.


I'm really excited about this film because:

A) I know my actors from High School
B) It's in color
C) There's sync sound (Courtesy of Gunnar Jebsen(Thanks Gunnar))
D) Extreme close ups of potted meat
E) Cross dressing
F) And unlike the stuff I shot last year this film is funny!

I threw together my two films last year and because of that I shot a thriller and a horror film.  Genres that don't do too much for me.  This time I think I wrote something that's truly funny and will make people smile and even laugh.  The shear fact that I'm as big of a Tim and Eric fanboy surprises me that it took this long for me to do something like Gone For Good.

I will admit though the film didn't come without trial and tribulation.  I could spend all night typing out a detailed recap of the night before my shoot and the morning of but instead I'll summarize my troubles in a list :D :

1. My $300 Bogen tripod broke the night before.
This lead to me having to resort to using a cheap plastic still camera tripod which I had to reinforce in order for it to withstand the 50lbs Bolex.  This issue wasted the most of my time since I tried fixing anyway I could.  Yet to no avail.  you can bet I'm taking it back to central camera for my manufacturer's warranty.
2. Two of my partners from class couldn't make the shoot to help me out.
This was actually kind of a blessing in disguise because with Adam, Gunnar, Elliot and Emily we were doing just fine.  Not to mention that was reaching our apartment's max capacity.
3. I forget to ask for a Grey card from the Film Cage.
This is important for color film so that the developer can tint the film correctly.  I looked everywhere online for a printable grey card but to no avail.  Luckily in the morning Gunnar did another search and he found one . . . hopefully it will work but by no means was printing a grey card a recommended thing to do.
4. I woke up later than I intended in the morning.
This is my own fault but the CTA saved me and made everybody else late too.
5. I blew one of the two circuits in our apartment.
This lead to me running up and down from our apartment to the basement about 4 times trying to get the switch the right way to give back power to the living room so I could turn the ceramic heater on so we wouldn't have to wear coats indoors.
6. I forgot my debit card on my run to Dunkin Donuts.
This meant I had to run back to the apartment. . . probably the least of my troubles but at this point I had about 10 minutes before people would start showing up.

okay so I extrapolated a bit. :/

The shoot went incredibly smooth! :D

I've already sent an e-mail to everyone involved expressing my thanks but I'd just like to put out a more public thanks to everyone:

To Elliot and Emily
for being so willing to act for me.  A little potted meat never hurt anybody.

To Adam
For being absolutely and positively helpful in the most possible ways.  Your friendship and will to do things right the first time are priceless.  We talked about fate the other day briefly and I have to think that me meeting you is a prime example of fate.

To Gunnar
For being such a great friend.  I can't imagine how much I would've had to pay for somebody to provide me the services you offer out of friendship.

To Wayne
For plowing forward and your insight.

And to everyone caught up in the madness while they tried living their lives: Erin, Kim, Gill
Most people wouldn't put up with my nonsense on such a consistent basis.

I'd be lost without you all!

Well now that the ball is rolling I'll keep everyone updated here all the way up to the completion of Gone For Good.  Stay tuned.

Friday, November 07, 2008

Latest Endeavors

Mid terms were about three weeks back and as soon as they were done I was ready for something very extracurricular!  So I bought a Ticket to see Crystal Castles at the Metro.  Now I love Crystal Castles just as much as the standard hipster but I am by no means a hipster so for the once in my life I found myself being a poser.  I went to the Ark thrift store down the street (a jewish run thrift store with pretty much anything and everything on God's green earth) and once there I bought a pair of red jeans way too small for me and I borrowed a black snap up cowboy style shirt from Gunnar.  I would've worn a bandana but I couldn't get ahold of one but the costume was good enough...I got to the Metro early but there was still a line down the length of the black with hipsters...low and behold...they were all wearing combinations of red and black shirts and jeans.  It was cold out and we waited outside the metro about an hour after the doors were supposed to open...the line got obscenely long.  When we finally got in I found a spot up in front of the stage and psyched myself up.  It was the best concert I've been to.  I went by myself for no other reason other than nobody was up to willingly beating people up and get beaten up.  Two opening acts were okay and pretty mellow but as soon as CC came out...which was a long wait...mayhem ensued!  The crowd lost it and the clusterknuck of bodies began!  Here's what it looked like:

Clusterknuck





Holding the strobe



Alice
(complete with batman shirt and strobe)







Mid strobe

A concert not for the weak.

Alice crowd surfed during the second song and during Crimewave she reached out and grabbed my arm with one hand and held the mic with the other......I was going absolutely CRAZY.  After their last song she threw the mic into the crowd and then they left the stage.  I left the metro completely soaked in sweat, mine and everybody else's.  I left the concert changed...If you don't know Crystal Castles, go listen!

Oh and then Halloween.  Here's some pics of that too:


The family

My Pump

Kim's pump with Darce

My pump with Darce

Kim and I stayed home that night carved pumpkins, ate pumpkin pie and watched the Addam's Family movie.  Good times.  Surprisingly despite midterms being over things only seem to be getting busier...that's Production II's fault.  Shooting my first film this semester on Sunday.  Should be fun!  I got Eliot Nevills and Emily Bennett to be my couple in the film.  The working title is Gone for Good and there's a good chance I'll just keep it that way.  Don't let the title mislead you...it's definately a comedy...I had to do a comedy.  My two films last year were way too serious for my usual taste.  I mean for christ sake, I'm a Tim and Eric fanboy...how can I not do something funny or at least demented?  It'll be awhile before I can post it online but I'll most definately keep an updated log on how production and post goes.

Stay tuned.

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

It's been awhile since the last update but nonetheless it's here.  It's my Junior your and things have been pretty good so far.  I live up in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago and The cast is the same as last season.  It's Adam Erin Kim and myself.  HEH Funny to think that I haven't disclosed this info yet on here...


Classes (in order of attendaence):

Post Production Audio 1
Production II
Abnormal Psych
History of the American City

Pretty BA lineup in my opinion.  Production II and PPA1 are heating up and about two weeks ago midterms were had but never to fear as I PWNed 'em all.

Oh be sure to check out the new music lineup down at the bottom of my page!  First track should be a raw recording of Gunnar and myself playing two covers by the Kings of Convenience.  Good stuff!

well gotta go...Erin has recruitred me to help take Darcy (our Tabby) to get spayed (have her female part augmented)  should be fun...

Edit:

I'm an Uncle!  Have been since october 30th.  Her name is Jillian Griffin!  JG...good initials! :)  I can't be more proud!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Uncle Joey

Well this post is way late in the making and with no excuse whatsoever.

I'm gonna be uncle Joey!!!!!!

My older bro Dave and his wife are expecting a baby! I've actually known now for a long time. When I came back from spring break the big announcement was made. Dave and Jess had arrived in town a day or two before me and although my plans were for a short spring break I was ecstatic to get to see them since they live VA. I arrived late that night and so I didn't get to see Dave or Jess till the morning ...I knew something was up because things seemed different somehow. I had slept in a little since arriving so late but I roused myself with some help I'm sure from someone...when I got upstairs I hugged Dave and Jess and then noticed that my mom and dad were wearing somewhat matching shirts...at first I just passed it off since I already accept how odd they can be sometimes (a trait I swear I didn't inherit ... :) ) As they were fixing lunch I slowly came out of my trance and then it finally hit me...I looked at my parents' shirts and noticed they weren't just odd...they were REALLY ODD! My mother's simply said "Grandma to (be)." be was replaced by a graphic of a bee. My dad's said "dad's know a lot but Grandpas know everything" and had a graphic depicting an elderly gentlemen. Although I registered what the shirts said I still hadn't grasped the implication until everyone Dave, Jess, Ma, Pa, Andrew, and Ryan all glared straight at me...in wait. Then it hit me - I got the quite obvious message and was caught speechless!

:)

Hugs and kisses exchanged and to this moment as I type this post I'm still wrapping my head around this monumental event. It has been almost 9 years since our family has gained a member...if you don't count Bandit or Shirl. I can't post in this entry whether it's a boy or girl because if my information is straight then my dad is waiting for the birthday to find out.

To explain in this post the utter joy this news of a new family member brings me would be a crime. Rather, you should ask me yourself when you see me and I would be much more accurate in such explanation both verbally and gesturally.

For now it's a waiting game but when the day comes you can be sure there will be ample amounts of play by play coverage. :D

That's all. I'm a happy man!...Uncle!!!

Monday, May 26, 2008

Back in Loveland

It's been two weeks since I've arrived back home in Ohio. Spring semester ended at Columbia on a good note with As and Bs across the board. Since I've been back I've had some time to finally focus on a few projects of my own.


One project that I'm really excited to finally not only have the time but also the means of which to perform is transferring all my family's old analog video to DVD and then also to the internet. It's a fun project not only because I love video and anything to do with it but some of these Hi8 tapes haven't seen the light of day in years. I found stuff from back when I was a little boy and all the way up to when I was performing in the fresh/soph show for my high school. This project is way overdue and the importance of saving these memories from being lost is of importance not only for me but for my whole family.

A more recent project has arisen in only the past few days here. My father must think I have some talent in video production because he has indirectly volunteered me for an even more weighty video project putting together a 5-6 minute portrait of the Cincinnati division of Proctor & Gamble for his boss Bill. My dad offered the challenge and after I did some preliminary research gathering information on rental houses and pricing the costs of such a production I've concluded that not only is it possible but I would be privileged to be the one to put it together. I spoke with my father's boss and we exchanged expectations and some basic ideas. Tomorrow morning I'm going into Cincinnati with my father to do some location scouting and to get a better idea for my project outline. I'm aiming high here and I look forward to slapping this one on my resume...a project for the likes of P&G is something to boast about.

Oh and on top of all this I just so happen to be working 40 hours a week and come mid June I'll be taking an online class...

so much for summer :/

speaking of work...I walked in the other day and guess what was playing over the intercom.....Rick Atsley....My workplace Rick Rolled me at 9a.m. C,mon!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Father Wrote the Play: by Leeland Greenmess

TA-DAH!

Here it is...the long awaited premiere of Father Wrote the Play: by Leeland Greenmess. If you haven't heard of it then that's okay but now that it's here you should definately tune in. If you want up to date ... updates on progress made in the series then get a Vimeo account at www.Vimeo.com and join the Father wrote the play channel! The story follows Leeland Greenmess on his quest to direct his fathers last play: The Haunted Conifer. Leelas journey begins when his father dies and bids him to go and direct the play. Although Leeland is hesitant at first he knows that as his father's dying wish he must go through with directing his father's play. Enjoy!

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Cahoots


Cahoots from Joseph Griffin on Vimeo.

Well here it is...My first 16mm film. I think I did alright. although exposure seems a bit overexposed at time I promise that when you watch the straight projection it's fine...stupid DV. Anyway watch for the scene where I'm running behind Sam and you might see a glimpse of the tree that I hit and then try and find my one continuity error.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Hamlet

The long awaited release of one of my first ever feature length (approx. 8min) films is here. I found this forgotten project a long time ago. I saved all my video projects onto my external hard drive before moving out for school even before I went to BG and I have just recently started mulling through the archives. The embedded film is one of those archived creations. I made this abridged version of Hamlet for a group project for British Lit. during my senior year of high-school. Tig was my partner and to be honest...I don't know where he's gone now after school. Anyway, here's the film and be sure to watch it through to the end for the special reading by my brother Ryan.



Hamlet from Joseph Griffin on Vimeo.

Monday, March 03, 2008

Ground Zero

Here's some pictures my T.A. Evan took a few minutes after the catastrophe:

Hi8...Bye8


So my roommate and I were having a conversation when the topic of Hi8 camcorders came up. Everyone remembers the damn things from that wedding or birth or crappy zombie thriller they shot in their backyard in the 90s. Hell, I can recall one Christmas in specific where my brother, myself and the family's Hi8 cam ruined Christmas for the whole family. Probably my first attempt as a filmmaker, as far as I can remember, I dressed my little bro Andrew up in a big puffy vest and sunglasses. The idea was a sort of James Bond thriller in the arctic tundra of Siberia (Wisconsin in the winter time was an obvious choice for the location to get this effect across). Andrew slinked around the porch and down into the yard improvising as he went along. The bomb that he was supposed to disarm was in the shed connected to our house and underneath the porch. Mind you this is like Christmas eve now. Andrew goes in to open the shed door and instead of the bomb we discover every single Christmas present unwrapped and exposed to our curious little eyes. Yes we were in shock and yes we thought about just closing the door and leaving...but then...what if the bomb went off....right? So we continued in and at this point I broke the silence and began the commentary on the early unveiling. Me being that avid little filmmaker I was I forgot to turn off the camera and one present in specific I remember was one of those little plastic play kitchens with the little plastic burgers and hotdogs, Andrew wanted it, He noticed the picture on the box and felt no shame in going right up to it and approving of its presence. After we had scoured the shed we finally left and without stirring Mom or Dad. We thought we were in the clear! It wasn't until later however that we found that our efforts for being undetected were in vein. Mom found the tape in the Hi8 camcorder and along with it all the evidence that "Christmas was ruined". I don't remember a more sullen and remorseful Christmas in my life. Mom was mad and we knew it. Actually, to this day I don't think my mom has been more mad than she was on that fateful Christmas day. To be honest though, they should've just wrapped the presents instead of leaving them exposed for us to walk in on like that. I digress. Back to the original topic. Hi8. Not only does the quality of the Hi8 camcorder suck but my memories of it suck. It's funny to think about the bastardized medium now that we have DV and more recently P2 card technology. I made a joke to Adam saying if I ever make it in the film business I'm going to shoot my first and subsequent movies all on Hi8. It's amazing that they are still selling like hot on eBay and other marketplace websites. Then while I did a search on Hi8s I came across this link to a posting where a guy is set on transferring Hi8 to 35mm...which is a freaking joke! I thought it was funny and if you've ever used Hi8 and understand the superiority of 35 then check this link out and try not to laugh:

http://www.likeastory.com/boards/cgi/noncgi/Forum8/HTML/000373.html


Poor guy.

Edit: Then again the post was made in '98. Maybe he was serious...all the more hilarious!

Sunday, March 02, 2008

The Big Zero - Five

Long time no update, so here it is:

I turned 5 this last Friday! My fifth leap-year birthday was kicked off as such that the year can only get better from here on.

The following series of photos depicts the results of my first film shoot here at Columbia. The shot was of my main character running to a woman who was hurt. I followed over his right shoulder as he ran. In retrospect I believe I had made a mistake and whereas I wanted a wide shot with a 16mm lens I in the process of winding the camera up had moved the turret so that I was looking through the 25mm lens. This vastly reduced my field of view but I decided to compensate by simply backing myself up a bit in order to get the desired framing. This decision would lead to a tree with a hole cut out of it and my whole face becoming very bruised. As I ran behind the actor I all of a sudden came to a complete stop and pain surged through my face. After coming to my senses I noticed I had run into one of the park trees and tore a chunk of it out with the sun shade on the 75mm yvar lens. Luckily the camera was alright...the only thing I was truly worried about after hitting the tree was the camera. Opposite the tree and it's injuries were me and my injuries:


I didn't black out and I never got any sort of a headache besides the initial dazedness that I experienced the whole thing was really no big deal. We continued the shoot as usual and the camera clicked of film just fine. After a bit we took a 30 min break in the nearby Dearborn Station and two off duty bike police had some sanitizer and a band-aid. The rest of the shoot went smoothly and once I got back to my apartment I simply iced the wound for about half an hour and then went on with my day. I couldn't have asked for a more eventful 20th birthday.

Back in Oswego this weekend I got the chance to help in a fellow scouts Eagle Court of Honor. Dave Stewart and I were good friends back when I was in troop 63 and to have the opportunity to see him get his wings was quite special.

I bought three movies while I was in Oswego since I got some money for my birthday.

1. The Third Man (Criterion Edition)
2. Hard Candy (creepy thriller gone controversial with a young Ellen Page)
and
3. Heat (a personal favorite featuring a scene with Al Pacino AND Robert Dinero)

All long awaited additions to my collection! :)

Other than all this my birthday was rather lax. No party but now that I think about it my mother sent me some cookies that have my name plastered all over them in the kitchen and that to me sounds like a good enough party so I'm out for now. Stay tuned for more details as things progress.

Monday, January 07, 2008

Red Car

Today was the long anticipated first day for me as an intern at Red Car Productions. It was a long day from the start but very exciting. I got up extra early so that I could walk the 30 minutes it takes to get to E Illinois street and the River East building where the Chicago Red Car Offices are. I got to Red Car a little bit early and that was a good thing since I got a bit lost in the River East building. I met the other intern, Chris, and all day I found myself running around northern Chicago. Food runs, coffee runs, deliveries...everything. I am beat. The people at Red Car are incredibly kind and their attitudes are anything but pompous. Tomorrow is my second day and with all the buzz that I was subject to my first day of work I expect tomorrow to be no different.

After work I caught the El up north and bought an old bike off Gunnar since my Huffy is a POS. Hopefully the bike will help make my errand running a bit quicker at Red Car. I only wish that I could someday work at a place like Red Car. I'd go into details about the building and the Offices but I'm tired as hell. I'll provide a detailed analysis of those and more subjects tomorrow...if I can muster the strength. Goodnight!

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Fatal Feline II

So over the past two days I've been working hard at a little project for my future filming endeavors. My big bro and my sister in law have stopped into town this week and so I got my big brother to help me out with building a PVC pipe camera dolly. The finished product is pretty nice. We did some research online and came up with a hybrid design for the dolly and the track. I'm quite impressed with the end product. It all comes apart and can be stored in a bag and hefted around. even the track has been cut into 5' pieces. For the wheels my little brother Andrew gave me the wheels from his old skateboards. here's some picthahs -


Dave cutting angle irons to mount the wheels onto


Mounting the wheels

All the pieces of the dolly
The dolly on the track - Perfect fit!

we used doorstoppers fot the tripod legs to rest on.
later we're going to add eye holes to the PVC so we can fasten the tripod down securely with rope or bungie cords.

Perfect!


Each 5' track piece has a male and female connector end. This makes for easy assembly and makes the track portable.

Beautiful!

The next day right after our new years celebration with fireworks and confetti I got my brother and cat together to make a short film so I could test out my dolly. I don't own a professional camera, or tripod but I was able to slap something decent together. I used my dad's old Kalimar 960 tripod (not a fluid head) and my Casio Exilim digital camera to make my short which I've titled: Fatal Feline II. There isn't a Fatal Feline I but that's all part of the fun of it. It's a sort of Dramatic/thriller/horror/comedy that I think anyone, who owns a pesky cat, can find something to laugh about in it. Check it out on Youtube!