Tongue Tied -- Feature Film

Earlier this month, I saw a post within a Facebook job group. A Craft Service PA named Brett had recently had other engagements come up that would have prevented him from finishing his gig with a feature film, entitled Tongue Tied. However, Brett made it his duty to find a strong replacement that could commit to the last few days of the film shoot. Because it was in the area and because I have had experience with working in the craft service department, I reached out to him showing interest for the position. The more we discussed it, the more it seemed like it would be beneficial to both me and the production. A few days later, Brett and I met so that he could hand over some of the craft service snacks that I would need to take to set the next day. He also provided me with the next days' call sheet, contact list, and a list of snacks that people were asking for on set. Overall, I felt pretty prepared going into the production the next day.

It did, however, start out a little rough. I had to find the craft service that had been left on set, and for a time we had trouble locating the coffeemakers. As most people in the industry know, a good film set absolutely runs on coffee. Luckily we found them soon enough, and this actually helped to acquaint me with the people and the set hierarchy. I met many cool people, and by the end of the day, I felt in control of my new position.

On set, most of my duties were craft service related. I made multiple runs to the grocery store to pick up snack items including ones appropriate for dietary restrictions, coffee supplies, and other necessities like paper towels and plates. I also had to handle the petty cash and stay within budget. During production, I organized all foods in an easy to access manner and kept the area clean. I occasionally ran food and coffee orders to the crew as well. During meal times, I organized assembly lines, served portions, and once again took care of the trash.

In addition to my craft service duties, I also got to help move equipment and become an extra in multiple scenes of the film. This was awesome but also uncomfortable, as we had to go without jackets during shooting on a cold night. I enjoyed the experience overall, however.

After four days of shooting, we completed everything that was shooting in the LA area. A skeleton crew would then be sent out to finish in Arizona. I really hope that the rest of the shoot goes well and that I can see the completed film within the next couple years. To my understanding, it centers on a racist talk show host who has a car accident, after which he can only speak Spanish. From this premise and from what I saw being shot, it definitely looks like it will be a funny and well-done film, and I am very grateful for the friends I made on set.

M is for Melody -- Short Film

This  post has two purposes: the first is to continue to show the different projects I've been able to assist on, and the second is to ask for any readers' out there to help my friends and I get our short included in a feature film.

The ABC's of Death is a feature-length collection of short horror genre films, and the first film was released last year. 25 notable directors took part and the 26th director was chosen as the winner of a submission contest. A second film is in the works, and once again, a contest will determine the lucky number 26.

For our submission, entitled M is for Melody, I was script supervisor. I kept track of continuity and made notes to make the editing process smoother. We worked hard and we worked late, but we were able to get it shot in one night. Now we have only two weeks or so to raise our FB likes into the top six (six films will be chosen by judges, six determined by the FB popular vote, so we still have a chance even if we don't make the amount of likes necessary).

Knowing that I have had professional social media experience, the director David Bornstein also asked me to head up the social media frenzy that will be required to attain enough Facebook likes. I'm currently planning different strategies and applying them as fast as possible. Some ways I hope to advertise this film are through Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, blogs, and a number of other resources. It's a tall order -- at this point the top six most liked videos all have over 2,500 likes. Still, I see this as a challenge to myself to stretch the limits of my social media savvy.

That being said, here's the link to the film: M is for Melody  If you're reading this before 11/14/2013, please be sure to "like" it and help us out. If not, enjoy the film just to enjoy it!  Also, be aware that it is violent and somewhat graphic, not safe for work, children, and potentially triggering. But seriously, enjoy.

The Conduit -- Feature Film, Part Two

Early this year, I blogged about my production assistant experience with the feature horror film, The Conduit. The majority of the movie was shot last December in my hometown of Globe, Arizona. This past week, one of the producers, Wes Martinez, who knows that I am now living in California, reached out to me and offered me a gig as script supervisor for the last two days of shooting pick-ups in LA.

It was an absolutely great experience to reunite with the crew. Though we only filmed for two weeks together last December, it definitely felt like returning to family or longtime friends. I also met some great new actors and got a sneak peak at the promotional trailer the crew has been showing to potential investors (spoiler alert: it looks amazing).

We filmed from early afternoon on Friday and Saturday well into the night and early morning. I operated slate, took continuity notes, and assisted with managing talent on set. I really enjoyed taking on this new role with the team. We filmed some great scenes, and I am even more excited now to see the film premiere sometime in 2014. I will be sure to update again once a trailer is released or once a premiere date is set.

Breezy -- Web Series

Early this summer, my friend and fellow filmmaker brought me onto the crew for the low budget web series he's producing entitled Breezy. This series focuses on a main character of the same name. Breezy is a struggling actress and a resigned waitress. Her dreams are big, her means small, and her potential unrecognized. It's the story like that of many of us -- just trying to make it in LA and land the dream career. But to do so, she has to balance auditions and waitressing, deal with crazy customers, and take ridicule from coworkers who just don't believe she can make it big. Still, Breezy's ready to prove them wrong.

Yesterday was my first time shooting with the Breezy crew. I was script supervisor, so I ensured continuity was being kept, logged editor notes, and made sure we got coverage of everything we needed. We shot at Little Rock bar in Tarzana. Cast and crew did great and everything ran smoothly. In seven hours, we shot one full episode and major parts of two others. Once completed, the series will be released onto the Breezy series youtube channel. 

While I didn't have a chance to help on this one, the pilot is available now.  Check it out!

Don't Tell My Mother -- Comedy Stage Show

This summer, I began an internship with a monthly comedy stage show called Don't Tell My Mother.  It's been especially exciting as it coincided with my move to L.A. and is the first thing I've worked on while here. This comedy show focuses on embarrassing stories of performers and writers, most specifically -- stories they wouldn't want their mothers to hear.

On June 20th, I helped run the last show of the season by setting up at the cafe location, Fais Do Do.  I also worked to greet audience members and make sure they felt comfortable and welcomed.  It was a great experience -- host Nikki Levy has a great energy for the show, and all the performers' stories were hilarious.  The stories are relatable and the atmosphere is incredibly friendly.  

Here's a sizzle reel of the show, though it has expanded significantly since this was created (the location has changed to accommodate for a bigger crowd):

And here's a link to the show website:

http://donttellmymother.com/

After the last show, I continued the internship through the off-season.  I wrote up a competitive analysis that included information about LA, Chicago, and New York, as the show hopes to expand to these other locations.  I also worked with other interns to brainstorm logo and merchandise ideas, and other ways to market the show through different forms of media.

Though I have completed the internship for my required credits, I have made good friends with the show's crew, and hope to continue helping out with the show when it returns for the new season. 

The System is Broken -- Feature Film

This past summer, I secured an internship with an independent feature film entitled The System is Broken. The film follows an idealistic young college graduate as he works in Florida during the final weeks up to the Presidential Election.  As the story unfolds, Pete and his friends in the campaign struggle in their work to widen voting access, but quickly face surmounting obstacles from their own party.  Though fictional, the film was based on the true experiences of writer and director, Ignatius Lin.

My internship on this film was within the publicity department.  Part of my responsibilities were to contact and arrange news coverage from local news outlets, and I was able to get our film shoot featured in several local stations and newspapers.  I also managed the film's social media pages and utilized it to acquire, organize, and connect with extras and supporters of our film.  I was also in charge of on-set photography, and took stills that can now be utilized in press releases and social media to create buzz for The System is Broken, which we hope to enter into the Sundance Film Festival once completed.      

Though the shoot ended in mid June in Tucson, I've been able to continue my publicity role with the director and producers here in Los Angeles as the film goes through post-production.  I will continue to manage the social media pages and act as a liaison to the press as the film is completed and beyond.

Here's a link to the film's website:  http://www.thesystemisbroken-movie.com/

The Conduit -- Feature Film, Part One

Sometimes you get lucky and things just fall into place, and that's what happened in the case of my involvement with the feature film, The Conduit. This was a horror film that just happened to be shooting in my hometown of Globe, Arizona, right in time for my winter break from school. I therefore got in touch with the line producer, John Fonseca, and the crew allowed me the opportunity to work on the film with them as a production assistant.

Working on a feature horror film was really exciting and interesting. I got to see monster make-up applied, and we filmed in really spooky locations, such as the old jailhouse in downtown Globe. It was a small crew, so much of my involvement was whatever needed to be done, like working slate, organizing craft service, and assisting in set design.  

The film is set to release by early 2014.  A teaser trailer will be coming soon, but for now, check out the film's website, theconduitmovie.com and the Facebook page here.

Of Blood -- Campus MovieFest

Campus MovieFest is a great opportunity for student filmmakers.  They lend out cameras and Macbooks with editing software to all teams, offer tutorials on how to use them, and then give the students a week to make a 5 minute or less short film.  They then pick the top 16 to premiere at the university, with categories and prizes for Best Drama, Best Comedy, Best Actor and Actress, etc.  Then the winners get sent to the CMF Hollywood event, complete with red carpet and even more awards.

This past year, my friend and fellow filmmaker, David Bornstein, pulled me onto his team for his short film, Of Blood.  I was script supervisor for this production.  We worked hard and late into the night, but it was worth it, because we won for Best Drama and the film got to go the Hollywood event.

Here it is:

General Education -- Feature film

Last August, I received the opportunity to assist in promoting a feature film, General Education, for its Tucson premiere.  This was the first time I'd ever assisted on a feature film, and it was also my first film job that took place after the completion of the film, so it was nice giving this new type of role a try.

I helped to publicize the premiere with a combination of social networking and print media, and also helped to arrange a Meet and Greet with the filmmakers.  I'm  happy to say that General Education is now available on both iTunes and Netflix Instant.

Here's the trailer:



Be sure to check it out sometime!

Shot To Power -- UFO

During my freshman year, I joined one of the film clubs, the University Filmmaker's Organization, affectionately known as U.F.O.  I met so many other talented young filmmakers, made so many friends, and was able to see many projects through from pitch all the way to post-production.  The first UFO film I was involved in was Shot To Power, a western.  It was a pretty ambitious project, considering we had to get appropriate period piece locations and costumes, but the challenge was enjoyable and we worked with talented actors that were really able to sell the western vibe.  After helping with development, I worked as part of the sound crew during production.

Here's the final product:

Shot to Power from Univ. Filmmakers Organization on Vimeo.


And here's a picture of our wonderful cast and crew:

True Love's Kiss -- My First Film Project

The film below was, as the title of this post implies, the first short film project I ever had the opportunity and pleasure of working on.  This was back when I was just starting out at the University of Arizona as a freshman, still new to film classes and film production entirely, and I jumped at the chance to be a production assistant for this Senior Thesis Film.  It was a really enjoyable and exciting experience, and made me even more certain of my choice to pursue Film and Television as a major and a career.

True Love's Kiss premiered at the I Dream In Widescreen event at The Fox Tucson Theatre in May of 2011.

True Love's Kiss from Jesse Klein on Vimeo.

The Introduction

At my recent graduation ceremony from the University of Arizona, our commencement speaker gave us some great advice about entering into the film and television industry, and reiterated how important it is for us to put ourselves out there and make samples of our work available to view.  In fact, she said, with the Internet making it so easy, there are really no excuses not to build a name for yourself.  Well, now that I've moved to Los Angeles and am right in the heart of the industry, I decided it's time to take that advice.  This blog will therefore focus on my television and filmmaking experiences thus far, give links to those that are available online, and give updates on all the new projects to come as I move forward with my career here in Los Angeles.