Hello, Spring? Are you there?

The snow is melting, the snow is melting!!! ....But it looks like it's going to rain... :( Still, all the same, yesterday I saw the first bit of grass trying to peek out from under the snow. I don't honestly want the snow to melt really fast, because I am NOT looking forward to another flood. Helping sandbag my friends' aunt and uncle's home for 10 hours only to find out their home was most likely going to go under water with the new (at that time) crest prediction... Luckily this year Fargo and Moorhead want to be ready for it and are requesting to have 1 million sandbags by St. Patrick's Day. I already know a few people who have gone to help. Even Al Franken came to help sandbag the other day.

On a lighter note, it is soooooooooo refreshing to be able to go outside with just a sweatshirt on and NO COAT!!!!! I went to the mall with no coat on Thursday and I am pretty sure it was one of the highlights of my day!

This week it's supposed to be gorgeous out as well so hopefully I can walk to class with NO COAT!!! I think it's funny how we cold weather folk can get so excited over the little things. But it's true! Speaking of, I saw a Facebook group the other day that was for Minnesotans who don their t-shirt and shorts when its 30 degrees out. I thought it was actually fairly accurate. I've seen some people already start wearing their flip flops, and I hate to admit, I contemplated it as well. But common sense finally came around and I realized how crazy of an idea that is... I mean, there is still SNOW on the ground!!!!

All in all, I am soooo ready for spring. It is welcome to come any day in my book. Until then, I will keep my spring clothes and shoes handy. That way, I am ready to bask in it's glory the moment it arrives!!!

These Winter Months

Feels like FOREVER since I wrote my last post. I tell ya, a busy schedule can make you well... busy. I just realized it has been since November!! Wow! How time really does fly by.

Well, since then, I had my portfolio review which went extremely well, and even completed my final film of the semester. I had to adapt a scene from a published work (I did a scene from the film "Hard Candy"). It was an experience I will never forget. Not only was it the largest project I ever tackled as a director, but also as an editor. 72 hours of post-production time (majority of it editing). If I wasn't working, in class, or walking to and from someplace, I was editing. In the end though, it was all worth it. The finished product I am content with and I even learned how to color correct!! That was one of the editing techniques I wanted to learn last semester, so I'm glad I could accomplish that.

Now, this semester is even more busy than the last. If I'm not at work, I'm in class, and if I am not in class, I am working on some film project or writing a script. I love it though. There isn't anything better than getting more experience!

Currently, I am working on our final film for Intermediate Filmmaking. There's a group of four of us and we are shooting on 16mm black and white negative film using the Arriflex BL camera. We begin shooting in 2 weeks, and it's very very exciting!!!

A New Kind of Review

So, while many people are trudging through writing papers and preparing presentations at this time in the semester, I am preparing for a portfolio review. This semester I am up for a film review with all the work I have done so far in the program. I have mine Thursday afternoon in front of the film faculty. I am so nervous! On top of getting ready for my 20 minute presentation I am also trying to find one more actor for a directing project and also need to finish pre-production and production on my final film project for the semester. Oh yeah, and make a presentation for my women studies course... Ahh the life of a college student. The schoolwork never ends...

Neither does work because now the Christmas season has finally started at JC Penney. So has the SAME Christmas music. Every year they play the SAME music... A few new songs every year, but that's it. I know there's only 12 Christmas songs known to man, but even if they had a new mix by a different artist, I would take it!

And next week is Thanksgiving, and I am SUPER excited to see my family! I haven't seen them since the beginning of October!! :D

NOT Down For The Count

This past week has been crazy busy for me. Between class, work, and film shoots, I'm surprised I was able to sneak in a nap today! In the midst of all of that this past week, I even sprained my knee(or at least that is what the doctor is thinking), but I'm still going!! I don't think I've ever been injured in such an odd way either. It was really awkward explaining the situation to the doctor.

Doctor: So, how did you injure your leg?
Me: Oh, me and my roommate were dancing in our room.

Yeah, and try explaining that at work as well. Very AWKWARD. Needless to say, no one is going to let me dance again for a while... Or at least until my knee is healed up. Slowly though, it's getting a little better and better I'm glad to report.

This past weekend I also was crewing on an Intermediate Filmmaking film shoot for my Practicum requirement. It was my first chance to do some script supervising as well as keep track of completed and needed shots on the shot list. I also got to use my boom operating skills again as well. I'm excited to see how the film is going to turn out. I will get to see the finished product in December!

This next week will be crazy busy again as well. By Monday I will have to crew on one film and direct another, and cut together a video reel of 8 minutes from films I have done thus far at MSUM. Next Thursday I have my film portfolio review, so by then I will have to have come up with a 12 minute presentation on what I've learned so far in the program as well. Soo nerve-wracking! Not to mention I am also putting in 18 hrs at work as well this weekend. Oy!!! Good thing I got my nap in today!!

Paranormal Activities and 48 Hour Weekend

Good evening all!
This weekend was most likely most draining weekend I've had in about a year. To start off with, my roommates, a few friends, and I decided to go to the midnight showing of Paranormal Activity at the Fargo Theatre. Holy cow was that movie SCARY!!!!! I have never seen a movie that jarring. The movie was great, and the psychological effect played out on a lot of people in the theatre. It was a great way to kick off the Halloween season though!! I was too scared to sleep after the movie- I couldn't sleep until 4am!! And unfortunately I had to get up at 8am on Friday... :( oy!


I got up though, and that evening the 48 Hour Film Challenge began!! We broke into 5 teams- about 12 people in each, and were given our criteria at 7pm. This year it was:

Genre: Buddy film/Fantasy
Character: Jordan Gordon, system analyst
Prop: Bicycle
Line of Dialogue: This could get very complicated.

We moved out of the Center for the Arts and into my apartment in Neumaier and did pre-production Friday night. We got our final draft of the script done around 2:30am, then the director, cinematographer, and producer created storyboards and shotlists until about 4am. Then, at 7am we began the film shoot. We wrapped the shoot by 7pm (record time!!), and I was able to get some sleep Saturday night! Woohoo!
Sunday at 7pm we screened our film along with the other 4. Only 3 films had completed their film on time and one advanced to regions after judging. Our film won Best Soundtrack- the music was AMAZING! Our team worked really great together and every year it is a great opportunity to make friends and get to know colleagues. This year, my task was Prop Master... which didn't entail much, but I also did other random jobs. Went running for items, helped with some prop continuity, and did boom operating for 3 hours. It was an overall great experience despite my intense allergies from the cat on the location of our shoot. I can't wait for next year- maybe even this spring if I get a chance!!

Breathe of Fresh Air

So, last week we had Fall Breather. So, I got the weekend off from work, headed to my grandparents for the weekend, then went home for Monday and Tuesday. So, I had to drive an hour through a blizzard -we got snow in the beginning of October! :'(
And I get back home on Monday and come down with a nasty cold... Which I STILL have. On top of that, my allergies were running ramped since we were tearing out our old carpet in the living room and putting new sub-flooring in. Yeah, not fun. So, I really couldn't breathe over fall breather. How much of a play on words is that? :D
But, the drive back to Moorhead was redeeming enough. I stopped in Grand Forks and had lunch with a very close friend of mine and even met up with my step-cousin at the lovely joint Cold Stone Creamery. YUM!!
Spending 3 hours in Grand Forks, I still had the one hour drive back to Moorhead. I was greeted by my roommate Mary, who gave me one of the biggest hugs of my life (again). After we unloaded my car (which I mistakenly packed pretty tight with tons of stuff), we decided to go out and grab some fast food and came back and watched 18 Kids and Counting: The First Granddugger (soo adorable!).
When our roommate Melanie came home, Mary and I greeted her the same way I was greeted. You know, it's crazy. We have only been rooming since the middle of August, and even now we miss each other like crazy over long weekends and breaks. We really have already become sisters in a way. It makes me happy to know we all have 2 more years together at MSUM.
And now this week, I have a few midterms. I was lucky enough to have one this morning in fact and it was the easiest midterm I think there ever could possibly be. My next one is tomorrow morning bright and early!
This weekend will be sooo fun though! This weekend is the 48 Hour Film Challenge!!!! Friday night at 7pm we are told what genre, line of dialogue, character, and prop our film is to entail and then we have 48 hours to plan, shoot, and edit it. On top of that, it can only be 8 minutes and not a single frame over! They will be shown Sunday night at 7pm in King Hall 110 (just in case you want to come see our amazing film!)

Singing in The Rain and Talking In The Night

So, I liked that it rained the other day, but EVERY day? Ridiculous. I don't think it has been raining off and on like this in FOREVER! I miss the sun and I miss hearing the birds when I walk to class. At least it's not a million degrees outside anymore, but I have donned my winter coat and mittens already. That started October 1st. At least it wasn't in September but still. I think it's the wind that makes it so cold. Heck, even my roommate has worn her long john's under her jeans when we have to walk to class. But hey, at least she is staying warm. My mom sends me an email every morning sending me updates on the weather and where it's potentially snowing (somewhere on the west side of ND and east side of MT). Her positive morning messages always makes me smile. And even though this weather is absolutely insane, there is one bright side to having all this rain: I don't have to go out and wash my car, because Mother Earth is doing it for me :)
On another note, I have a funny story. I fell asleep watching desperate housewives around midnight Saturday night, laying in bed, because I was completely exhausted from work that day. My roommate got home around 1:30am from her date and told me she was back. Apparently I had an entire conversation with her while I was out cold. I know sometimes I may talk to people in my sleep, but never had I that much EVER! My other roommate even came in and I guess I wanted a hug from her and even sat up and gave her one! I actually did wake up around 3:30am and was so surprised to see my roommate back, because I know she always tells me when she's back. Needless to say, I was so confused. The next morning I asked the both of them about the night before and they told me the whole story. I was in utter SHOCK! I think I freaked myself out. Good thing we are learning about sleep in my Psychology class. Maybe I will learn something about it!