Let The Commercial Making Begin!

So, this week was really focused on film making. I didn't exactly get in front of or behind the camera lens, but we did storyboard.
Storyboarding a a major part of putting together a film. Even though we're aiming for a thirty-second film, there's a lot to be sorted out. For example, Ilana and I discussed what we were going to say and what we were going to take shots of to put with the audio.
There's pros and cons to storyboarding. One pro is that you don't waste time when you're filming-you know what you're filming, or at least have a base for your film. The con is that you draw out what you imagine, but it doesn't actually look like hwat you want it to.
I don't want to come off by critizing myself, but I know the type of personality I have. I like to do things on my own.. I don't know why I'm this way, but it has its pros and cons too. The hard part about working with a partner is that our decisions don't exactly match up. We both have great comments and visions, they just don't mesh like peanut butter and jelly, if you get my metaphor.
Either way the film goes, it should be a good thirty seconds of a successful commercial.

-ashleycoppolino

New Daily Practice

I'm already doing a photo a day, but I don't feel like I benefit from it.

I decided to write some sort of poem a day-it can increase my expressing in few words or more and make my writing better, I guess.

It seems fun to me.. It's not photography, but I like it just as much.

I'm not going to say that I don't like the things I write, but this is only the beginning of something bigger and better.

Follow it if you wish: http://heyitsashleyyc.blogspot.com/

(they're all written on the correct day, I just post them in bundles)

-ashleycoppolino

Thanksgiving Week

Happy Thanksgiving all of you.

This time of the year I start to think about my family- who they are to me and why I love them. I don't have the worst family in the world, and I know they're not the best, but they are mine and I wouldn't trade them for the world. For them, I am thankful.

Obviously my parents, brothers, cousins, aunts and uncles are family, but I also consider STAC a family. We all throw around the concept that we're a big family, but I actually mean it. The people that sit in that room are the only people that actually see my flaws because I let them, they know who I am without me trying to show it. I'm thankful for that.

I thought about it, and Thanksgiving is the holiday which we celebrate because we took away the land from someone else and claimed our own. I don't know how to think of the holiday since I realized that large factor. Now it just seems like a family dinner with overeating. And yes, I'm thankful for that too.

-ashleycoppolino

Halloween Weekend!

BOO!

did I scare you?

Well, this Halloween I went to the parade down in NYC. IT was so fun! I dressed up as this distressed zombie, and I would just jump at people and scare them. It was so much fun.
I made it into the parade, so I was being creepy and walking up to people on the barricade and getting in their face. I screamed at people and they screamed in fear back. I don't think I would have been able to do this without the liminal acting skills I've been able to develop. I was in character 90% of the time. The other 10% was spent jumping around with people dressed up as Toucan Sam, Ke$ha, and other zombies.


Back to STAC..
The movie was a fail on Friday, so we're kickin' it up with a party on Monday! The movie was really good, to start with. I constantly find myself thinking in shots, which is cool, but a bit annoying. This movie had a bunch of creative shots, which had my mind going crazy to film a movie.
& book making! Another year with Karl! You'd expect to be better the second time around, which I guess I am, since I knew what we were doing, but not all the time.

Be seeing you,

-ashleycoppolino

So many many many many things.

I'm not complaining, I promise.

There's just so many things to do! Study for this, study for that, apologize for that, photos for her, meeting to discuss that, send this to them, print that thing, make these better... get my point?

Don't get me wrong, really. I love being busy. I love that feeling of accomplishment, like when you can look at what you've done in a final piece instead of it being scattered. I honestly like the constant flow of having something to do. Key word is flow, not all at one moment. I have so many things to do, which is why I'm venting to you Bloggers.

But any who, the trip! I'm so mad I missed it! It sounds like you all had a lot of fun.. Hopefully we'll go back! But I'm not going to lie to you all, I had a blast even though I missed the trip.

here I am,

-ashleycoppolino

To Be Honest / Be Kind Rewind

To be honest, I do not like The Prisoner. I don't know, there's something lacking, the thing that intrigues me. No one take offense, but it's boring to me. It's constant episodes of someone not being able to complete what he wants. I blame modern TV for making me not enjoy The Prisoner. Modern television 99% of the time gives the audience the information they want to know right away, so I feel like I have become greedy with wanting to know everything about the show. But the problem is that all the information isn't given, it's left to be figured out, which is good, but I just can't stand it.

Be Kind Rewind! They're always fun. They never come out perfect, or the way you see it in your head, but like I said, they're always fun. My group's movie went first. It was about four teens who discussed "If I Ever.." and they answered the question with the personal answer. Our movie was laughed at, which is understandable, but since we had limited time, we rushed the concept which was supposed to be a serious drama. Even though I did Be Kind Rewind last year, I still miss the editing factor. If this movie was edited with the flashback effects, the re-takes and music, it would probably be understood more clearly. It was fun to do this with all newbies too. It was so funny when everyone got excited about filming and running around the school; it was like five kids in a candy shop. Even though filming was a last year thing, it should be a thing for this year too. It's fun but full of experience.

-ashleycoppolino

10/1/10 (First Field Trip For STAC 2010-2011)

There were too many good parts of this trip to mention them all.

Although, I do have a favorite part.

MoMA was having this event where you get the option to scream at the top of your lungs into a microphone. Probably not my favorite thing to do. My heart was racing, as if I was going to do something wrong even though the guard said that's what the microphone was there for. I didn't want to do it. I went up to the microphone, but chickened out (see first photo - totally candid!). But then I got up there, in front of the microphone and screamed at the top of my lungs. To this day, that was the best feeling in the world. It was a large empty space with a microphone and two speakers waiting for people to scream. It was moment changing. (see second photo - screaming super high pitched and loud!)

In the few seconds that I screamed, I felt like no one heard me. I closed my eyes and let out what I held inside for so long. And when I walked away from that microphone, I wanted everyone do scream. I wanted everyone to feel the feeling I felt. It was like my whole body rewinded and restarted. It was so amazing. My lungs felt clear where I could say anything.

After that, I just kept singing words to songs all around New York City. Once again, it didn't feel like anyone heard me. It was like I was singing to myself out loud. But I had a group-Star Fuckers (OOF!) (see photo 3!)- that was there to back me up and support me.

By far, the best trip yet.

-ashleycoppolino