Feb 10, 2010

Inspired Singles: Issue 07

A single a day keeps your creativity in play.
Join me as I share some of my fav tunes in an effort to pay the inspiration forward.

Inspired Singles: Issue 07 by Luke Fandrich

That Was Me by Paul McCartney

A driving and crunchy mix, McCartney's song from his relatively recent album Memory Almost Full is nostalgic, direct, and upbeat. In a self-gratifying way, this is a great tune to belt out.


Turn This Boat Around by Matt & Kim

Simple lyrics, bouncy keyboards, and a childlike ambience - Turn This Boat Around from Matt & Kim's album, Grand, is a fun track. Fused with that indie-sensability I can easily picture this song in a Wes Anderson movie.


Gimme Sympathy by Metric

With a strong beat, synth flair, catchy chorus, and lyrics questioning 'who'd you rather be, the Beatles or the Rolling Stones?' I can't help but love this song. The music video only sealed the deal for me - nice one-take concept switching up the performers. Check it out for yourself.


Feb 9, 2010

Fast, Cheap Movie Thoughts

It was right at the beginning of this year that I first discovered the blog, Fast, Cheap Movie Thoughts. What really hooked me was that it was similar to my goals with my Cinematic Acrobatic interview series in having other filmmakers talk about their work and experiences - these people just happened to be industry professionals.

It continues to be a great resource and a fun read for anyone interested in the realities of making a movie commercially.

What I really enjoy about Fast, Cheap Movie Thoughts is that the people who are talking about their work are tackling a variety of different projects and genres. With comments from writers, directors, cinematographers, etc. I hadn't heard of the majority of the people, but I could recognize some of their work. In fact, the real charm of the blog is that these aren't discussions with Spielberg or Scorsese, these are true behind the scenes/indie filmmakers/industry workers who talk about the industry (often) from a point of struggle and sacrifice just to find more work, complete what they're doing, or to choose between the mainstream job or passion project.

That isn't to say that these people aren't as talented or skilled as the 'big' names, the blog just puts them in a context that makes them easy to identify with - the 'real people' behind movies not the celebrity persona's. The entries come off as real conversations and not promotional puff, which is a nice change from anything you'd come across in Entertainment Weekly.

For an informative and fascinating sample of different filmmaking backgrounds and stories, check out Fast, Cheap Movie Thoughts. And on a sidenote, the blog was ranked as one of the 50 best blogs for filmmakers by Moviemaker Magazine.

Feb 8, 2010

Don't Make Charlie Angry

My friend Tyler Cyrenne has regularly showcased my videos on his blog and I thought it was about time I returned the favor and showcased a few of his. With an equally passionate view of filmmaking, Tyler and I have often challenged each other and used competition to improve our projects. Film school saw many 3am meetings at Mac's to discuss how our assignments were unfolding.

In addition to the several shorts that he's helped me with (Buick to the Future Series, We Two Kings) he responded to be part of the 2nd issue of my column, Cinematic Acrobatic. His interview can be read here. Without a doubt, getting to know Tyler through film school resulted in a lot of good memories and projects that we still joke about today.

Check out his blog, Don't Make Charlie Angry and view a few of my favorite Angry Charlie videos below.