Top 3 of Yobi Film Finals!

To skip ahead and vote click here.

First of all, thank you to everyone who voted (and who will hopefully cast a vote again)! I can't tell you how happy I am to find myself with so much support in this film competition! It really is amazing!

The voting for the Yobi Film Competition has been going for two months now, and after making the Top 40 - here I am after all those weeks and rounds - 1 of 3 filmmakers in the running for Filmmaker of the Year!

I know I've been promoting my short The Geology Student throughout the contest, but as a finalist you're actually voting for my entire Yobi Film profile. This includes numerous short films that I've uploaded and my promotion within Yobi itself. This really is a huge deal for me - potentially opening a lot of new doors and helping me make a lot of contacts.

By taking a couple minutes and voting with your email address (no understatement here) you could absolutely change my life. If I were to win I'd get a trip to the Toronto International Film Festival and a chunk of cash that I could put towards bigger and better projects. Not too mention all of the promotion and exposure I'd continue to receive.

There are now only two voting rounds left before a winner is declared. It's so close that I'm really going to try and pull out all the stops.

Please help me spread the word, use your email address, post my link on facebook, tell your roommate, send an email, tell a coworker, etc. Any little bit can help and if any of you ever need a vote I'm there, haha.

Check out my profile and vote here.

Top 4! Yobi Film Finals Continue!

To skip ahead and vote click here.

It's very exciting to think that I now have a 1 in 4 shot at winning Filmmaker of the Year from the Yobi Filmmaking Competition! To make the finals felt huge, but to come this close to the top feels both exhilarating and nerve-wracking. Still, thank you all so much for your votes and helping me advance! This could really be a life changing opportunity just based on how many people are continuing to view my profile.

To help my streak continue, use your email address to cast a vote for me here.

Use your email addresses, help me spread the word, any and everything is appreciated and could help tip the scale in my favor. Thank you guys for all your efforts in helping me make the most of this incredible platform! Another wholehearted, thanks!

In the Yobi Film Top 5! Please Vote

To skip ahead and vote click here.

Things are really coming down to the wire now. When I first started campaigning for votes over a month ago, there were 40 filmmakers in the running for Yobi Film's 'filmmaker of the year' and now there's 5 - and I'm one of them! This is a huge honour, and just to have made it this far feels like a huge achievement.

Please help me continue my run for the win by using your email address to cast a vote for me here. It's quick and easy and could make a huge impact in attracting a lot of attention for my video work.

Also, the winner receives a trip for 2 to see the Toronto International Film Fest, which would just be another dream realized.

Thank you guys for all your help in getting me this far. In a tight competition like this your individual votes can really be the deciding factor. I really appreciate all your efforts! Use your email addresses to vote, spread the word, send an email, forward my promo video, tweet me - anything you can do to help is very much appreciated. Thanks again!

Yobi Film Top 6! Please Vote

To skip ahead and vote click here.

And then there were 6.

As these weekly voting rounds continue I don't have much to add, with the exception of another thank you. Your votes are keeping me in this and for that I'm very grateful - so again, thank you!

Please remember to click over and cast another vote for me this week to help me win tickets to see the Toronto International Film Festival (not to mention all of the continued exposure for my profile and work by remaining in the finals).

Once again, you can help by checking out my contest promo video - forwarding it, adding it facebook, etc. Every little bit helps and if any of you ever need a vote in the future . . .

Thanks!

Geology Student Promo Video

Here once again is the promo video I made for my short, The Geology Student, after making the Yobi Film Finals last week. If you have yet to vote, but would like to support my project, all you need is an email address to vote here. Thanks for checking it out!

Top 7! Yobi Film Finals Vote Continues!

To skip ahead and vote click here.

I'm very happy to report that my run in the Yobi Filmmaking Contest is continuing as I was voted through to the Top 7!

With this being the finals round, each week only a single film/filmmaker is eliminated now. It's great to still be in it, but the suspense also increases week by week. In any case, thank you all for your continued support and effort.

Please check out my short and cast another weekly vote to help my friend Jeanette and I win tickets to the Toronto International Film Festival. Click here to see my contest profile and vote.

Thanks everyone!

I've Made the Yobi Film Finals!

To skip ahead and vote for me in the finals click here.

When I uploaded my short, The Geology Student, to Yobi Film last year I was thinking that it would provide an alternative in the contest to all the overly-dramatic or stereotypically emotional work I'd be up against. It's not that I have anything against these kinds of films, I just knew that I wanted to stand out - a campy comedy short about Geology seemed irreverent enough.

Here we are months and months later and after becoming a weekly winner, advancing through the 4 semi-final rounds, climbing from Top 40 to Top 16 (all thanks to your votes!) I can now say that I'm officially a finalist in Season 2 of the Yobi.tv Filmmaking Competition - that's Top 8!

What happens now, which I didn't realize until yesterday, is that each week only a single film will be eliminated until there is a single winner - meaning 8 rounds. The votes are also reset every week so your support is crucial. Everyone can vote just one time for the entire week on a single film/filmmaker - I'm really hoping you'll consider me.

I'm hoping I can stick around for at least a few weeks to earn one of the top spots, but advancing this far is certainly something I don't take lightly. No matter how things pan out, I want to send my continued thanks for all your help and votes! Click here to vote using your email address.

Also, below is a promo video I've created to help promote my project and the contest. If you'd like to help me gain some weekly votes send them to the YouTube link here. Thanks again!

Yobi Film Top 16! My Movie Needs Your Vote!

Click here to skip ahead and vote.

This is now the final round of the Yobi Film semi-finals, the Top 16! Thanks to your votes my short, The Geology Student, has continued to advance in this international film competition. I couldn't be happier, and now I'm just one week away from potentially making the FINALS.

Please follow this link to watch my campy film school short and cast a vote. It's as easy as using your email address and only takes a minute! You only need to vote once for the entire weekly round.

It's starting to get a bit tense after making it this far. Even if I wasn't to win (a trip to the Toronto International Film Fest) just making the finals would be a great consolation prize. You can bet I'm going to be trying to pull out all the stops to search for the support. In a contest that's relatively small (with only 16 films remaining) the winner can essentially be decided by just a couple votes.

When I took part in season 1 of Yobi Film last year, this was the week that I was eliminated. I'd really like to try and one up myself by making the finals this time around. If you've got a moment, please click over and enter your email address to support my short.

Thank you all for your votes and support in helping me make it this far!

Made the Top 24! Please Vote!

To skip ahead and vote click here.

The Yobi.tv Film Contest is rolling along and thanks to your support and votes I've made it into round 3 of 4, advancing from the Top 40 to Top 32, and now into the Top 24! Things are getting more serious as this week's votes will determine whether or not I make the finals next week for the final round.

Please take a moment to click on over to my Yobi page to use your email address to cast a vote for my short film. You only need to cast a single vote for the week (the votes reset every week). In a small competition like this your individual vote could make all the difference.

What do I stand to win? A bit of cash, but much more exciting, a trip to this years Toronto International film fest - one of those things that every filmmaker dreams of seeing. This is something that my buddy Jeanette (the actual Geology student in the short) and I would take full advantage of.

Anyway, I'll leave it at that. Please consider taking a moment to check out my campy film school short and casting a vote HERE. Just by visiting and voting you're helping my work gain popularity (even if I don't win). Views for my video have jumped from 27,000 to over 50,000 in just the last couple weeks since voting began.

Thanks for all your help and support folks! It means the world!

Please Vote - Yobi Film Top 32!

Click here to skip ahead and vote.

I want to thank all of you for your help so far, because of your votes I've advanced from the Top 40 to the Top 32 of the Yobi.tv Filmmaking Contest! The votes have now reset and I need your votes once again to help me make it into the next round.

All you need is an email address to register your vote, and it only takes a minute to do. For someone in my position, your support couldn't mean more in further helping me to establish myself as an editor and filmmaker. Every little bit helps.

Thank you guys for all your time and effort!

Go here to watch my short The Geology Student and vote.

Please Vote For My Movie

To skip ahead and VOTE click here.

With the number of times I've submitted, uploaded, and promoted my projects you'd think I'd be comfortable with the film contest/festival process - at least on the independent/DIY level. In truth, I think I've just learned how to reason with myself to appreciate that the challenge has the potential to be a great reward in and of itself.

So here we go again with me asking you to vote for one of my short films.

Last year I uploaded my film school short, The Geology Student to Season 2 of Yobi.tv and in Week 3 of the contest I was voted into the semi-finals. With 40 weeks having gone by there's now 40 weekly winners, including myself, and voting has just begun for the week.

There are 4 rounds of the contest and each week 8 people are eliminated. All you need to do is click this link (or the giant banner above) and use your email address to vote for my short. You only need to cast one for each week.

They've actually simplified the process from last year, improving the page layout to keep you in the right place while trying to vote, so it's easier than ever.

The winner this year, besides getting a portion of the prize money collected, will get a trip and 2 tickets to the Toronto International Film Festival, which would be sweet. It's a pretty amazing prize!

That's about it, I'll keep things simple myself. If you have a couple minutes to spare it's easy to click over to watch my short and vote for me. There's no thumbs up or rating system, a vote cast is simply a vote to win.

Thanks for all of your help and support folks! As always, it means a lot.

Visit my profile page to vote here.

The Smalls: Filmmaking Site

It's my pleasure to introduce a site that I've taken quite a liking to in the last few weeks, The Smalls. With original narrative short films uploaded from a variety of users, relevant filmmaking content and tips, and links to other film opportunities, this is a site that I've found very easy to explore and use as a resource for my own independent filmmaking.

As someone who has tried to make the most of what the internet has provided for independent filmmakers, more recently I've been scoping out sites that (unlike YouTube) are focused entirely on narrative/creatively produced content. Finding a forum or forums to showcase your work is paramount to getting your name and work out there, and I've found myself shifting attention to smaller venues that potentially offer more targeted views. While many of these sites aren't the biggest or most popular, the people who use and view them are exactly the kind of people that you'd want giving you feedback on your films. For that, sites like The Smalls can be a valuable creative gauge to hold your work up against and challenge you to push yourself further.

I have yet to upload anything here because I've been too busy exploring others work (and just haven't got around to it yet), but I can see myself using sites like this as motivation to create a more ambitious and refined short film in the near future. I've been saying it for a while now that I'd like to see myself put energy into single project for a longer period of time to produce something on a more professional and somewhat larger scale than what I've done so far.

The Smalls is a site that was forwarded to me by a good friend so I can't take credit for the find, but you can expect me to be highlighting sites like this more regularily in the coming months. I hope to use this site to highlight my own projects very soon, and in the meantime I'll continue enjoying what others are up to - check it out for yourself!

Editing Luke in 2009

With the same checklist of ambitions weighing on my mind from years previous, the end of 2009 naturally leaves me critical about what I've done to advance myself over these last twelve months. It has been another great year, although not without its share of sacrifices to shed more of that film school debt and to prepare for a departure to a bigger city. 

That said, I have to have an optimistic outlook for 2010 - for the new decade entirely - because the change on the calendar represents a clear mark between the high school, university, young adult prep of the 00's and the young adult life, full independence, and creative career pursuit and fulfilment I'm expecting to experience in the '10s or teens (whatever we call this new decade).

As the clock rolls over find yourself another excuse to create something, share something, and inspire someone - if the new year reminds us of anything, it's that our time is what we make of it. Here are a few of the things that made my 2009 memorable:

January 2009 - Energized with the start of 2009 I began working on a portfolio preview to summarize some of my experiences. This clip was revised several times throughout the year, but the goal of showcasing my potential remained the focus.



January 14, 2009 - After finding the footage from one of my old film school projects I created a new short, Quirks (or: the Blurbs Behind a Lost Film School Project) as a stereotypical look/flashback regarding the creation of a student movie.

January 30, 2009 - Weeks of work with Stream Media resulted in one of the most ambitious editing projects that I'd cut for them - a four part series of promotional videos for the University of British Columbia, created using a range of impressive footage from a variety of contributors.

February 2009 - In an effort to complete the portfolio aspect of my blog, February saw a number of my older projects uploaded, receive official posts, and worked into my evolving videography layout - this trend continued throughout the year and subsequently inspired more creative ways to share my work with new video sites, links with similar projects, and the development of a new portfolio site by the end of 2009.

March 31, 2009 - On a return trip to Regina for my 25th birthday (also the city where I went to University) I took the opportunity to revisit a bunch of the locations that I had shot previous projects and reflect on what my departure from film school nearly a year earlier meant.

April 12, 2009 - Upon winning the weekly vote and entry into the Yobi.tv Filmmaking contest back in December 2008, my short The Gizmo Tree entered the semi-finals for the first voting round of the competition. By mid-May I had made it from the Top 30 to the Top 10, but was eliminated just shy of the Final 5. While the loss was disappointing, my involvement in the contest resulted in thousands of additional views to my blog and a surge of over 60,000 video views for the projects I had uploaded. Here is one of the posts and the promotional videos I shared during the run - click here.

May 6, 2009 - Using footage I had shot in 2008 I cut together a new experimental short titled, I Was Dead.

May 26, 2009 - My new short along with the promotion on my blog put me in touch with The Reel Skinny (a podcast and movie blog). Featuring up and coming independent filmmakers, I was interviewed by Patrick for his Off Screen podcast series - click here.

May 31, 2009 - Editing Luke celebrated 2 years and new promotional edits followed!

June 5, 2009 - In a surprise sequel to my 2008 short, Siblings, my sister and I had fun creating an impromptu followup - watch Siblings 2 (best to see part 1 first to get the punchline of part 2).



June 9, 2009 - I started a brand new job for a major website retailer as a copywriter and photographer. My editing work with Stream Media continued on a contract basis.

June 21, 2009 - After the conclusion of season 1 of the Yobi Film contest, I entered my short The Geology Student for season 2 and was voted into the semi-finals once again as a weekly winner - click here.

August 2, 2009 - My video views surpassed 250,000 - a quarter million!

August 24, 2009 - My friend Dave and I left on an incredible road trip to Indio, California from Alberta. In a single week we found ourselves walking around Salt Lake City, watching Beatles Love in Vegas, eating at the end of the Newport Pier by the Pacific, sitting by the pool in Indio, up a mountain in Palm Springs, and exploring the stretches of desert out around the Salton Sea. The project, due to how much footage was shot and my indecisiveness in editing it, has yet to be completed - but I assure you it will be.  I also put together a photo book of the experience. 



October 11, 2009 - I cut together a simple Editor Profile to highlight a few of my projects.

November 2009 - With increased pressure from 2 jobs, additional freelance work, and a new interest in refining my online presence, several new columns were created to make coming up with ideas easier. Intended to increase readership and encourage involvement, I've continued to search out others who are interested in contributing content to find interest on Editing Luke. This was also when the idea to establish a specific portfolio site came about, with Editing Luke becoming the blog element of that new venture.

December 12, 2009 - My brand new holiday short, We Two Kings debuted and attracted a lot of positive feedback (online views from Yobi.tv alone surpassed 70,000).

December 15, 2009 - Editing Luke is revamped and streamlined with a fresh new design and a simplified layout to make the content easier to access. With the new portfolio site nearing completion and elements of that design ready to be integrated into this blog, this month has really marked the start of an entirely new approach to how I'll promote my work online - click here.

2009 Overview
My total blog views grew from 29000 in January to over 68000 by December.
My total video views grew from 118000 in January to over 330000 by December.
Traffic both to my blog and for my videos in 2009 was greater than that of 2007 and 2008 combined.

This year has really allowed for some major changes in the near future. With the launch of not only a new site, but a new online hub for all my work, and a move later in 2010 thanks to the money I've been able to save, it feels like big things are on the horizon. That 'student transition' I've mentioned so many times since this blog was established is finally fading and I can see the fresh start and next step up on the horizon.

Put simply, 2010 is going to be exciting!

Here is one of my blog promos I made earlier this year - although it should now read 'over 400 blog posts' and over '300000 video views'. Things are sure changing fast.

Portfolio Previews (2009)

While the first half of 2009 proved to be a slow one for my personal productions, there was a lot going on behind the scenes to improve what I'd already created. Editing Luke, for instance, underwent a lot of revision. The majority of Videography posts have been updated or established to include the story, photos or posters, the movie, previews, and back links to relating posts to provide succinct and official entries for some of my larger projects. While it's meant fewer new videos, overall it improves the efficiency and purpose of this online journal.

This brings me to the portfolio and blog previews that I created earlier this year to highlight my work.

My portfolio preview was created as an intro to my production DVD to show to potential employers and festivals. The video highlights some of my festival credits and notable projects from recent years. It's undergone several modifications to include more audio highlights and to display a larger range of edits. There's really not much else to say about it as the preview essentially does all the bragging itself.

Portfolio Preview Luke Fandrich (January 2009)
 
It is worth noting that my approach is undeniably individual though. While some filmmakers may have grand projects to tout, I instead have a range of personal accolades that reflect my individual drive and creative branding. I've expressed my viewpoint by approaching animation, avant-garde, travelogs, music videos, and narrative in a way that reflects my personal growth as a movie maker. I think by making myself the focus, I'm standing on my achievements instead of putting them above me. 

My blog preview (mixed with two different audio tracks) was an edit created to highlight 2 years of Editing Luke. They're a mix of promotion and pride for all that's been accomplished so far thanks to all the viewers and readers who have helped shape this experience for me. In a professional sense, I think these edits have also featured my blog as an up and coming space to check out. While reflecting on the amount of work that's already been made, I think my blog previews are most successful at suggesting that my personal motivation and creative passion are only becoming more refined and focused.

It's obvious that these previews and personal reels are going to evolve and grow as this experience changes. In just a single year there's always so many new points of interest. As proof you can view the first preview I ever made, I'm Luke I'm Fandrix from 2008. There's still a lot to work towards, and with any luck it's only up from here. 

2 Years of Editing Luke - MIX A (May 2009)
2 Years of Editing Luke - MIX B (May 2009) Edits and footage by Luke Fandrich.

The Geology Student Makes the Semi-Finals!

I just wanted to send out a quick update and thank you. I just got the news that my short, The Geology Student is now a semi-finalist in the Yobi.tv Online Filmmaking Contest! I'm the weekly winner for week 3 out of 40, which means I'll be competing against 39 other filmmakers come voting time next year.

This is the same position that The Gizmo Tree was in just a few months earlier, so it's going to be exciting to have another shot at the win. At the very least, I'll be featured in the semi-finalist section for the next several months while this preliminary round plays out. You never know how many people might watch from there.

Thank you to everyone who voted and helped me make the semi-finals! I couldn't be more appreciative of your support. Thank you very very very much!

The Geology Student on Yobi.tv

CHECK IT OUT AND VOTE! PLEASE?

I'm going to try my luck again with YobiFilm. Some of you may remember my weekly promoting with The Gizmo Tree through April, but that's old news. I've done some slight updating with my film school short, The Geology Student and uploaded it to their site.

Some may ask, why not make an entirely new short? And the answer is, I am. However, the new projects take time and when I have a bunch of content that most people haven't seen anyway, I feel like I might as well promote it. So here's my plug:

As many of you know, I'm just trying to expand my network and make connections. These video sharing sites are ideal for that. You can help me increase the popularity of my short by casting a single vote for The Geology Student on Yobi.tv. You just need to use your email address, and vote here. Simple as that.

I know it might sound kind of pointless, but if you've enjoyed any elements of my blog you probably have a slight understanding of why I'd even bother with this. You never know who could be watching. Voting only takes a minute and it helps me get a bit of recognition . . . so, please? :)

Thanks for checking it out guys.
See the site and VOTE HERE.

Here's the revised, bad educational film version.

So Close, But So Far

I can't begin to express how thankful I am for all the support, kind words, views, and feedback I've received throughout the Yobi Film Contest from so many of you. It's been one nerve-racking experience week after week, but here I am - eliminated.

I'll be honest, plain and simple, it hurts. So much energy was invested in this, and this anti-climactic ending has me shaking my head. I really felt based on the quality of my short, the persistence of my promotion, and my well-seasoned contest strategy that I'd be able to make the finals amongst my competition. For what it's worth, I can tell myself that I gave it my all.

There's a new season of Yobi Film starting in June, maybe I'll try again. Maybe I'll search out some new festivals and contests . . . maybe I'll just try and forget about this one.

Until next time, thanks again for all your efforts - it takes some of the sting away.

Last Minute Votes

I just wanted to make one last stitch effort to call out to any of you who may be interested in voting for my movie, The Gizmo Tree in the Yobi Film Contest. After several weekly rounds of voting, there's only a single day left to vote to see if I make the finals - the Top 5 and final round of the entire contest. This opportunity is huge to me, and at this point it really can come down to just a couple votes. To view my contest profile and cast a last minute THUMBS UP vote for me and my short, click here.

Thank you to all of you who have shown your support throughout this process, I can't express enough how much I appreciate it. We'll know whether the voting worked by tomorrow - be sure to check back. Fingers crossed, it's all come down to this.

Gizmo's in the Top 10! Please Vote

My short film, the Gizmo Tree has just reached the Top 10 of the Yobi Film Contest! We started out with 30 movies/semi-finalists and after a month of voting I now find myself only a single round away from reaching the Top 5 - the ultimate round - the Finals!

To skip ahead and cast a much appreciated vote for my movie, click here.

Ever since uploading my work to the Yobi Contest site back in December, my focus has been making it to the finals in the film category. Win or lose, I really just want to feel satisfied that I pushed as hard as I could, promoted as hard as I could, and even if it's just for a week, feel like I had a shot at the top title. Opportunities like this are obviously few and far between.

While I can't deny how helpful the $10,000+ grand prize would be in helping me advance my own career and facilitate a desired move to Vancouver, what's actually fuelling my campaign for votes is the exposure that a contest like this gives my work and myself (which it already has). If I can gain even a couple new contacts to improve my network, the reward can be far more significant and long lasting - being featured as a finalist is a great start!

It's funny to be talking about my serious outlook in relation to a short like, the Gizmo Tree. It's a clean cut, quirky little comedy that seems to serve its purpose and encourage a few laughs - but the positive response and feedback has been incredibly humbling. I've watched it and critiqued it more times than I'd care to remember, and yet it's this easy going flick that has the potential to influence some fairly dramatic personal and professional upgrades.

Your votes, attention, time, support, viewership, feedback, and even your ability to put up with my self campaigning, speaks to the fact that many of you are willing to help me achieve something that I can't possibly succeed at alone. In this case it's a single weekly vote and telling others about my short, which in turn is helping me reach new viewers and grow in popularity. In the last round alone, the Gizmo Tree shot up over 9,000 views.

To cast a vote for the Gizmo Tree:
1. Visit Yobi.tv and use your email address to join the site.
2. Once logged in, simply visit my Gizmo Tree Contest Profile.
3. Click the THUMBS UP under my movie. That's it!

I want to thank you all for your help and support - whether this is the first time you've voted or the 5th, the rounds are only getting more competitive and intense. That said, I'm going to give my weekly pitch again and ask if any of you can mention my short to a co-worker, friend, spouse, family member, etc. it would be greatly appreciated! This is the last round of the semi-finals, and the Top 5 is almost close enough to touch.

Thank you!

Please Vote for Gizmo: Round 4

Folks, we're now halfway through the Yobi.tv Filmmaking Contest semi-finals, and my movie, The Gizmo Tree has progressed from one of 30 films, to one of 15 films in the running for a grand prize of over $10,000 for best film. I'm now only 2 weekly rounds away from reaching the finals!

Thank you to all of you who have voted so far and helped me advance to the next round. I'd be lying if I didn't admit how exciting it is seeing my short advance yet again, and seeing it rise in popularity (now over 32,000 views). Take a moment to visit my contest profile to watch my short, to vote again, or to vote for the first time - this videomaker would really appreciate it! Also, if you've let anyone else know about my short, pass on the good news and remind them to cast another vote.

To cast a vote for the Gizmo Tree:
1. Visit Yobi.tv and use your email address to join the site.
2. Once logged in, simply visit my Gizmo Tree Contest Profile.
3. Click the THUMBS UP under my movie. That's it!

Once again, you can watch my promo video for the Gizmo Tree below to see how all this started, for instructions on how to vote, and to help me promote my short in the Yobi Film Contest. Thanks for your effort everyone now please, GO VOTE.