Izzy Legit's Title work

Andrew Giannetta (Director, DP, and son-in-law) has many projects that he works on, and one of them needed a bit of title FX work done. That was my job. The project is Izzy Legit, Putz to Player, and I have a partial of the clip from the web site here. Feel free to check out the rest of the clip if you are curious, and don't hesitate to tell me what you think. I'll pass it on to Drew.

I had fun doing this. Drew's idea, and my execution.

First Commercial FX Title Work

This is my day for posting my video work. At the same time I was making my professional acting debut in a commercial for Buy Cheap Software dot Com, I was also acting in another capacity for Andrew (who is both a Director of Photography and Director). I was the title effects person on the commercial that did make it. So below is the very short title effect that I did for the first commercial.

First Commercial Principal Role

So a about a year ago, I worked with my son-in-law Andrew Giannetta on a commercial for Buy Cheap Software Dot Com. This was the second commercial of two, and alas, is the one that will never be seen. But it's mine, and I did it, so here is my first professional appearance in a commercial. I'm the guy in the back.

In the Background - CSI:NY

I'm working again.

Those are words I never thought I would be happy to actually utter, but I am.

I have now shot three episodes of The Suite Life on Deck. This show is doing 3 weeks on and one week off, and that worked for me this week when I was booked to work on CSI:NY for 6 days. CSI is shooting at an old closed bank in downtown Los Angeles near 6th and Spring. This bank gets used for many different shows because it has that classic bank look. It is, however, empty most of the time and that leads to us having to share it with the regular inhabitants.

Rats. Lot's of them. Big Gray Rats, with attitudes.

I saw one make its way across the bank on my second day on set. He just walked calmly as you please along the teller windows, counters, and under the set up for the sound man, who said, "What the Hell", and scooted up onto his chair. The rat didn't even slow down to watch the funny human. I followed him to an area where he slipped behind a pile of wood and then I went back to holding. Later that day, I followed another two rats who joined up with a third.

During a rehearsal, a single rat (though I did not actually ask if he was single) decided to walk across the set under the feet of actors, crew and cameras. There was much in the way of surprise, and many whoops and much laughter. The rat, in fact, received a standing ovation (mostly to facilitate running if the rat decided to head toward anyone).

Someone had fun the next day by dragging a fuzzy gray rat looking thing on a string and running it by people standing on set, or in the case of background, laying down on the floor. Good times.

Crew said that the last guy to turn out the lights at night opted not to walk slowly out the door, and was in fact escorted by many large gray critters. Nice of them to let us use their building for the show.

One last thing I thought was rather funny. From the beginning of my time with Central Casting, I listed my pant size as 38 X 34 (the 38 being the waist) even though the only way I could wear that was below the waist. In fact, I really wore a 42 X 34, but so deep in denial was I that I hardly noticed. Well in the last few months, I have lost 20 pounds, and some accompanying inches around the waist. So when I went to CSI:NY to work, and wore the wardrobe they provided, I discovered that the pants they gave me were too tight. I thought that they must have given me a 36, because I was just barely able to buckle them (though I was able to buckle them at the waist, rather than below). I checked the label on Friday, and it turns out I was only partly right. They were size 34. That was a nice way to end the week

Take care,

Phil...

Planet go Boom

I am learning to use and abuse the Adobe After Effects program. There are a lot of things in the movie making business that I am going to have to learn, and I have a nice head start on special FX. The effect that follows was done from two tutorials that I modified, named "Dead Planet" and "Planet Explosion".

I used a pre-made explosion from Particle Illusion 3, as well as the small white debris field came from PI3 as well. The Shatter effect blows up the planet and the red and brown debris come from the particle effects in AE. The planet Earth was also created in AE using a flat map and a sphere.

Lots of fun, and though the planet explosion has it's faults from a realistic point of view, it is perfect as a learning tool and fun to look at.

OpenOffice.org 2

While I am on the subject of open source programs that are great replacements for the more expensive name brands, I thought I would bring up Open Office Suites 2. This next paragraph is from their web site:

"OpenOffice.org 2 is the leading open-source office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more. It is available in many languages and works on all common computers. It stores all your data in an international open standard format and can also read and write files from other common office software packages. It can be downloaded and used completely free of charge for any purpose."

I use this program for my office suite, and it is great. Easy to use, and free. It has all the same functions of that other companies program (the one with MS in the title). Check it out, and see if it meets your needs. It's available for Mac, Windows, and Linux.

Fun with Inkscape

I play with many graphics programs. A new one that I just started playing with is a vector graphics program called Inkscape, and it's great for creating web graphics, among other things. Following the instructions of a tutorial called "Inkscape-Screencast5 - Photo Popping Fun", which is a podcast video, I created the simple but satisfying picture on the left.

There are many other programs that I use, and as I go along, I'll highlight some of them here. Many of them, like Inkscape, are either freeware or open source, a wonderful way of getting excellent programs that are often top of the line for what they do.

(I don't work for inkscape, nor do I get payment for this post from anyone.)

In the Background - Suite Life on Deck

Weeeee....

Well Suite Life is back, only it's different. It's now The Suite Life on Deck, and takes place on the deck of a luxury liner owned by London Tipton's father (owner of the Tipton Hotel that the Suite Life of Zach and Cody took place in.). Zach and Cody, and London Tipton join the cruise as students in Seven Seas High, a schooling opportunity that has the kids, and many others, on board learning as they ply the seas. Dylan and Cole Sprouse, Brenda Song, and Phil Lewis are all back in their roles from the first series, and there are the crew and passengers who are portrayed by many of us background types who walked the halls of the Tipton Hotel.

Yes, I'm back too. And what a first week I had. I am union now, and Michelle (our 2nd 2nd) asked for my return, so with luck I will be on the show regularly, and with many Thursdays, as well as Fridays. This week, on the show's premiere episode, I was featured.

Being featured in background means that I was put into action with one of the leads, in this case in two scenes with Phil Lewis (who plays Mr. Moseby). There is a risk in getting a featured action when doing a show, and that is, the Director, 1^st AD, Writer, or Producer could walk up and say, “Oh...he'll never do, I want someone else”. So when you are handed a featured bit, you stamp ruthlessly on the urge to jump up and down like a school girl, shouting “yippee”, and look exactly like the professional everyone thinks you are. As they explained to me what we were going to do, and that I was going to get to mug for the camera to allow Mr. Moseby to say the line scripted for him, I never even let out the little “eeps” that were trying to come to the surface. Indeed, I kept my composure and performed with calm and confidence. Yep.

Then came the last scene of the day. Michelle came over and told me she needed me to stand in center stage, and hold the binoculars so Mr. Moseby, could again, interact with me. This time they had me looking up at the sky, which was the lights and walk ways above our heads, and Mr. Moseby would walk over and take the binoculars. We rehearsed the scene, and afterward, someone saw me with the binoculars hanging over my neck, and thought that having Moseby grab them and then have to pull them off my head would be even funnier, so we did a quick rehearsal and figured out how to make it work. Now there was a problem earlier in the day, when someone nearly passed out and they were afraid that we could have another injury, so the strap around the neck was dropped, and instead, we would just have him take them from me.

Now here is how you save your featured bit, and get the notice of the crew at the same time. I called over the script supervisor who was standing nearby, and suggested that when Mr. Moseby tried to take the binoculars, I would not let go of them, and he and I would have a short game of tug o' war instead. She liked the idea and took it over to the Phil, the Director, and others that were discussing some issue of the scene, and they liked it. That became the choreography, and when the first episode of the season airs, I will be seen in two scenes, one at the opening and one near the end of the show. I waited until I was off the lot, and on my way to the car before acting like an over excited kid at a party.

I know I have said it before, but I really am glad that I gave up the security of my job and moved back to So. California to get involved in this whole business. I am having a heck of a journey, and if I never get all I want to out of this, I am going to enjoy the trip. I'm writing scripts, doing computer effects, acting, producing, and having a ball, and yes there are tough spots and not everything is turning up roses, but frankly, when you're doing something you love doing, whining about what isn't working is just silly. I'm in this for the journey, and with any luck it will be years before the ride ends.

Phil...