Cynematik • Cyndi Greening

I spent six hours teaching yesterday and five hours today so, as you can imagine, my dogs are barkin! We all go through the same thing at the beginning of each semester. You have to get used to standing for three to six hours, navigate the room to keep everyone on task, and get used to lecturing for hours on end. It always takes about a week to get into back in the teaching groove. We had a small but devoted crowd. Ironically, mostly teenagers. They were more diligent about sitting through my lectures than some of my college classes have been.

We spent six hours on filmmaking yesterday and five hours on animation and gaming today. In spite of being quite tired by the end of the day, we ended up accomplishing a lot. I had scheduled Flash for the end of the day but had forgottent that I’d agreed to do that. Ultimately, former student Crista Alvey came by and we ended up talking about Flash websites and making buttons. I think it was worth everyone’s money and time. That’s always my primary concern. I never want people to feel like it was a waste of their resources.

Appreciation to attendees (some former students!) who were adaptable and willing audiences. And, appreciation to the event planners. Former student Amanda and sister Tiffiny put together a nice event. More attendees would have made me (and them) happy. It was the first year so perhaps it’s just the whole “freshman learning curve.”

I’ve got to give a big, big THANK YOU to Nick and Jeniece for all of their help taping the event. We were thinking folks might want to get a copy since each day was “Everything you want to know about indie filmmaking (or animation) in just a few hours.” Always count-on-able, Nick and Jeniece have been invaluable in current production projects. And, a thank you to Pamela Jo for her help yesterday in presenting and recording (not to mention providing phone tech support this morning to get the camera recording). As you can imagine, six hours of lecture is a healthy stretch of time so it’s nice to have someone there to take the pressure off and pick up the slack at the end of the day. Sincere, heartfelt thanks to the FZ Crew!

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This weekend, the Otaku University Conference will be held at the Mesa Conference Center. On Saturday and Sunday, Pamela Jo, Jeniece, Nick and I will be teaching a variety of classes on independent digital filmmaking, animation, Flash and compositing. The registration fee is only $45 which is an incredible bargain if you’re wanting to learn about indie filmmaking. And, if you’ve got a laptop, you can download the Maya Personal Learning Edition and work along in the animation class.

The description of the classes is below. Hope to see you all there.

SATURDAY
11:00–12:00 pm     Screenwriting
Turn your idea into a filmable script. Learn everything from script formatting to character development, story structure and creating compelling conflict. Emphasis on writing for independent film production. Screenwriting template and sample scripts provided.

12:00–2:00 pm     Low Budget & No Budget Production
This workshop will focus on the key aspects of independent digital film production including HD and SD cameras, on-set audio, lighting, camera movement, piercing the “observer” boundary, directing and the festival circuit. If time permits, color correction, sound sweetening, titles and text, managing input resolution, output for DVD mastering and web streaming will be covered. Blueprints for several “Do-It-Yourself” filmmaker tools provided including The $14 Steadicam and The Skate Wheel Dolly.

2:00–3:30 pm     GreenScreening
Step-by-step demonstration of how to light and shoot using a green screen or a blue screen. The influence of cameras, lighting and scene content will be discussed. Emphasis will be on how to incorporate these techniques into low-budget independent filmmaking.

3:30–5:00 pm     Compositing
Step-by-step demonstration of how to composite greenscreen/bluescreen footage with live action sequences will be demonstrated using Adobe After Effects, Final Cut Pro, Premiere and Shake will be demonstrated. Film look filters like Magic Bullet will be discussed and demonstrated.

5:00–6:00 pm     Selling Yourself and Your Film
The time to think about selling your film is before you even begin pre-production. Target marketing, distribution companies, film festivals and alternative marketing avenues will be discussed. Attracting the interest of the media using Press Kits and a Web Presence for your film will be explained.

SUNDAY
Noon–2:00pm     3D Modeling
Introduction to Maya and Modo for 3D modeling. Learn the how to create models using Polygon, NURBs and SubDivision Surface geometry. Understand the difference between each type of modeling geometry and the proper application of each. Learn how to apply surface materials, set lights and render stills. (Note: Attendees who own a laptop computer are encouraged to download the Maya Personal Learning Edition and follow along during the demonstration or purchase the full version from JourneyEducation [www.journeyed.com] for $398. ) Maya Personal Learning Edition

2:00–4:00pm     3D Animation
Introduction to animation in Maya. Using models created in the earlier session, attendees will learn how to keyframe and path animate objects. (Note: Attendees who own a laptop computer are encouraged to download the Maya Personal Learning Edition and follow along during the demonstration or purchase the full version from JourneyEducation [www.journeyed.com] for $398. ) Maya Personal Learning Edition

4:00–5:00pm     Flash
Introduction to Adobe Flash with an emphasis on the development promotional websites for marketing and self-promotion.

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BY PAMELA JO BOWMAN – MESA, ARIZONA – There are moments in life when events happen that make you realize you are an adult. That happened this week. We feel like we have grown up and have become an official production house. It is true we have produced quite a bit of product this year. One feature film, one documentary, an art instructional DVD series, two music videos. We are in the process of writing three different screenplays and we completed some smaller productions for private clients. We also spent time researching, fighting and overcoming a wrongful termination notice.

In spite of all that, what made us feel all grown up? Some little lines and numbers. This week we received our first ISBN numbers. We can officially sell our products through Baker & Taylor, Amazon, Borders and almost anywhere else you can name in the world. Seems like a silly thing, but for us to have our own bar code is…well… pretty cool.

So now we can produce our work and the work of others. This barcode is for Gingher Leyendecker’s Art Instructional DVD on Charcoal Drawing. We are official. One giant toddler and one small California girl. I hope being an adult doesn’t get boring or we are all in trouble.

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SUNDANCE FILM SUBMISSIONS: Only seven days remain! Absolute deadline is September 28, 2007. If you have a film to submit, go to http://www.sundance.org/submissions. The next festival runs January 17 through January 27, 2008.

TICKET/PASS PURCHASE LOTTERY: Starting next Monday, September 24th, you can register online for your 2008 Festival Pass and/or Ticket Package! REMEMBER: Registration is not first-come, first-serve. Selected registrants are randomly chosen by the system to receive a timeslot for an opportunity to purchase a Festival Pass or Ticket Package. Registration does not guarantee an assigned timeslot or pass/package availability. Go to http://www.sundance.org/festival/ on September 24.

VOLUNTEERS: Each year over 1000 dedicated volunteers contribute to launching the Sundance Film Festival. If you are dedicated to supporting independent film and wish to join the fun, film-loving, hard working vibrant volunteers, go to http://www2.sundance.org/volunteer/.

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Growing up in rural Wisconsin, I have a particular fondness for cheese. Any cheese. In fact, I love dairy in general. Ice cream is wonderful. Butter is terrific. I even like cottage cheese and yogurt. Of course, I’m supposed to be eating more fruits and … shudder … vegetables for my general good health but it’s just never as satisfying. You take the girl off the farm but it her heart … and tastebuds … still long for the taste of dairy. It is because of this odd sort of sensory obsession that I love all things that remind of “America’s Dairyland.” Crazy bumper stickers. Odd salt and pepper shakers. Today, I am amused with an animated GIF that I found. It reminds me of a holstein cow. Ironically, it was on a Zambian site.

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I’ve been getting such a load of poo lately for being slow about blogging. As you can imagine, I have had a lot of things going on. I can hear Pamela Jo already. “Oh come on, I know how much time you spend lolly-gagging.” I was talking with my sister, Sandy, over the weekend and I was telling her how the whole hearing thing was really wearing on me. The pressure was becoming overwhelming. Sandy said she could tell it was wearing because of how my blogging had been. I was blogging less frequently and there just weren’t as many amusing entries. I didn’t know it was that transparent. I’d been trying to only write when I was feeling happy and positive. Apparently, my standards had fallen … my idea of happy and positive just wasn’t.

I feel like I’ve really rounded a corner now. The hearing is done. (All four agonizing days of it.) I know I’ve done all I could do. I gave it my best effort. Now, it’s time to move on. Move forward.

Ironically, some really wonderful things have been happening. GREENing Productions has produced several new projects in the past few months. My business partner, Pamela Jo (who is always complaining that I don’t do enough), and I, have completed a wonderful two-part Art Instructional DVD. This was a project that I conceived over twenty years ago! I had said to my friend, Regina, “Wouldn’t it be great if someone had recorded Socrates giving a lecture or, perhaps, Plato, discussing the Republic?” I wanted to do a series capturing gifted instructors sharing their knowledge and their skill. Gingher instructed, we used two cameras to shoot, Pamela edited, I prepped the DVD and did cover design for a wonderful six-part series on Charcoal Drawing. I’ve always felt like what we did (we fine and occupational art faculty) was really remarkable and that it was unfortunate that only people living in the Phoenix metro area were able to benefit from our efforts.

So, in 2005, when Thompson Publishing approached me about doing a DVD series, I was really excited. But, the amount of work and low, low, low, bargain basement royalties (8%) just didn’t make it all that appealing to do more titles for them. On top of that, I was much more accustomed to a lecture structure with hands-on participation. So, the Cool School Interactus series just didn’t quite cut it for me. So, we did our own series. And, I must admit, it turned out pretty dang sweet! There are a few other folks who are hoping to continue the series and we’re excited to bring it to market. Next, we’ve got watercolor, portrait drawing and portrait painting coming out. It’s all too exciting.

On top of that, we’ve got a documentary project that’s just show up. It’s about the Navajo Nation. I’m sure you’re getting the awesome visuals in your head already. Canyon de Chelly. Hogans on the plateau. Sunrise. Sunset. The timeless passage of life in the remote desert. I’m really excited about this project and I’m learning NOT to say anything too early because it’s really in the nascent stage. Until we get a bit more committed to film, I’ll have to keep it under my hat.

While we’ve been working on the new series, Jeniece has been working on editing the concert that Danny did for the Zambian National Arts Council last September. The final piece was about 40 minutes long. She also edited the FilmZambia Film Shoot that was held at the Le Triumph Dolphin Restaurant on 31 August. She did a really nice job with it. In addition to the two concert pieces, we were able to add his scene from the film AND the performance by his guitarist on set. The only thing left to do is the Color Correction and the Audio Mixing. Then I get to commit them to DVD. I’ve already finished the cover design.

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Well, today is my first Judgment Day. The MCCCD Hearing Committee met at 11:00 a.m. to begin deliberating my case. Who knows how long it will take them? The original hearing was scheduled for only one day but ultimately took four days. So, if that is any sort of a clue of how the deliberations will go, I’m anticipating a resolution some time next week. I’ve been on pins and needles all day and feeling a bit “jangly” … awaiting the judgment of my peers. To complete this process, I will have to go through a total of three cycles of judgment. It begins with the non-binding recommendation of the Hearing Committee. Their recommendation goes to the Chancellor. The Chancellor then makes a recommendation to The Governing Board. That will be my Final Judgment with the Maricopa Community College Disrict. It will occur on October 23, 2007. So, only five more weeks until it’s all sorted out.

Overall, I’ve got it a whole lot easier than Dante Alighieri’s characters in his most famous work. Dante gave us The Divine Comedy with the articulation of the Nine Circles of Hell. Literature aficionados and literate humans know that Dante also described the Seven Terraces of Purgatory and the Nine Spheres of Heaven. So, I’ve got it a whole lot easier than any of the folks traversing those worlds. They’ve got three times the frustration, agony and suffering for EACH level. It’s all relative, I guess.

Lately, I’ve been obsessing about making a Fine Art book (like the one Dante is holding in the painting above). I want to hand-set type again and run pages and carved blocks through a Vandercook Press. I want to do a custom binding and a custom cover. With everything that’s been going on, I’ve been writing a great deal. I’ve got a collection of short works I’d like to commit to paper. Maybe that’s something I can do to make the next five weeks pass more peacefully. Maybe I could make a small edition and share them with some of the folks who have really agonized with me the last several months. They really deserve a whole lot more than a Fine Art book but … heck, attorney fees and independent films have drained all my discretionary funds. I’ll put up images as it develops.

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My brother is currently serving in Kuwait. During this tour of duty, we actually get a lot of email from him. It’s been nice to be able to know what he’s doing and how things are going. When he served in Desert Storm, they told us the soldiers would be able to get email. I had a COMPUSERVE account at that time. I was one of the early adopters of internet technology. I sent daily emails to my brother but never heard a thing from him. They told us to keep writing because they were getting the emails. It was several months before I found out that my emails were going nowhere. Nowhere. That huge pile of words—words of reassurance, of connection, of humor—pouring into some dead end digital dumping ground in the great military industrial complex.

That’s almost as funny as these two signs. That’s my brother, Kevin, on the right. (As you can see, none of us Greenings are very tall. Kevin’s twin sister, Kim, is only about 4′10″. I actually feel tall around my youngest sister!) Anyway, according to his email, the TCNs that create their signs for them do not know how to read English. So, they need to be especially careful about proofreading the signage when it is returned. Obviously, the folks working on these signs got a little confused. So, be careful about smoking that cell phone when you’re at Camp Virginia in Kuwait.

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I’ve been teaching Maya for the last three years. I have to admit, I do love Maya. It’s an amazing and wonderful piece of software. It consists of four modules—modeling, rendering, dynamics and animation. It’s a sophisticated piece of software. Recently, however, my son turned me onto Luxology’s modo. And, you can try it for 30 days for free.

Modo (they always write it with a lowercase “m” but I just can’t make myself do that at the beginning of a sentence) is a terrific 3D modeler with seamless, sophisticated, multi-threaded Paint and Rendering capability built-in. Modo allows you to move between polygon and SubD geometry by simply touching the TAB key. Modo’s UV texture editor is soooooo much easier to use than Maya’s. This is one area where Modo really stomps Maya. The modo Shader Tree is similar to the Shake Shader Tree—both are dynamic and easy to modify. And, it renders like nobody’s business.

What I don’t like … no animation. So, everything has to be moved to another application. If I were doing product modeling or character modeling only, I wouldn’t care BUT, since I do want to move things, it gets a bit frustrating. Thus far, moving models into Maya hasn’t proven to be as easy as I’d like it to be but I haven’t given up, yet. More updates as I learn more about how to better integrate these two tools.

I almost forgot to mention, Luxology offers a number of Tutorials and Training Papers.

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I’ve got official confirmation. The date we go before the Governing Board is OCTOBER 23. So, you’re now free to make plans for September 25. The end of September is NOT the date to save. However, I sure would appreciate your support at the end of October, if you’re so inclined. The Executive Session will begin at 5:30 that evening, and the Open Meeting will begin at 6:30. As with the hearing, I believe (but have to confirm) that I have the option of requesting that the Executive Session before the Governing Board be open to the public. Spread the word around. The more, the merrier.

I had a very blue day today. A few folks had asked me if I was experiencing any sort of a “let down” since the hearing had ended. Since I got the notice on May 11, a lot of my energy had been devoted to gathering evidence to clear my name. When the hearing ended on August 31, I felt only relief initially. It was so good to finally have the chance to say my side of the story. In this whole experience, the most shocking thing was that it all came as a “bolt out of the blue.” Prior to the delivery of the notice on the 11th, NO ONE talked to me about anything. No one asked a single question. No one. I was delivered a notice with a laundry list of five allegations and not one person from my campus nor the District office had spoken to me about anything. Ever.

Equally shocking, quite a few people had to have known what was occurring. I had worked for the District for 16 years and had spent eight (8!) years at Mesa. I have to think that some of my friends and co-workers had to have known what was occurring. Yet, no one gave me the heads up. How was that even possible?

Today, the emotional impact of everything finally hit me. Previously, I was too focused on the hearing, on clearing my name, on freeing the films. I wasn’t thinking about anything else. The human (or lack of human) concern and compassion was a quite devastating. After growing the Media Arts program for eight years, after instructing hundreds and hundreds of students, after going to Zambia with a student crew to make a film, after selling my beautiful home and working to establish a fund to take future students on similar cultural and educational experiences—after all of that, a Notice to Terminate and a Copyright Claim on the Film. No wonder I’m feeling blue.

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Pursuant to A.R.S. §38-532, any District employee who knowingly makes false allegations of alleged wrongful conduct to a public body shall be subject to discipline, up to and including termination of employment subject to termination procedures as set forth in District policy and a civil penalty of up to twenty-five thousand dollars.

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Well, it’s been a week since the hearing finished for me. At the end of the hearing, the District legal representative said the matter would probably go before the Governing Board at the end of October. Earlier in the week, I heard that it may be heard at the September 25 meeting. So, I’ll have to let you know for sure when I know. The meeting is open to the public so I invite everyone to come check it out. There is an opportunity to speak, if you’d like to say something — good or bad — those of you who didn’t like your grades or your critiques, here’s your chance.

Some of you know that I loved the Showtime series THE TUDORS (for the costumes and acting alone). During Henry VIII’s time, they had public beheadings that were quite well attended. I don’t know if it was a deterrent for the common folk to stop getting uppity or just a gruesome form of entertainment. So, I think of this as my own rather public presentation regarding my last sixteen years of service to the students and the community.

And, if you know anyone else who might want to come, please send them an email and invite them. I’d love to see you’all there!

THE ONLY BAD THING … I don’t know if that is the right date for certain … so keep your eyes here and I’ll let you know as soon as I know. Tell all of our friends … and enemies … the end is near.

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It’s Labor Day Weekend and that means film aficionados are flocking to Telluride for the 34th Annual film Festival. In years past, I would have been made the challenging ride north on Friday. I always spent the first 24 hours with an altitude headache. Fortunately the smell of the pine forests, the crisp mountain air and the gaggle of excited filmgoers made it worth the effort. Telluride is a little odd in that they don’t announce the films until the festival begins so there is no frantic ticket buying ahead of time. One purchases a pass and simply choose films after reading the 34th Annual Telluride Film Festival Guide. It’s a stark contrast to Sundance.

Each year, there are three tributes to remarkable filmmakers. The tributes this year include actor Daniel Day Lewis, composer, arranger, pianist Michel Legrand and director Shyam Benegal. I always loved the panel discussions with tributees.

There are several films I love to see. Very high on the list would be Jon Krakauer’s tale of a trip into the Alaskan Wilderness that was adapted to become Sean Penn’s INTO THE WILD. After seeing Noah Baumbach’s THE SQUID AND THE WHALE at Sundance, I think it would be neat to see MARGOT AT THE WEDDING at Telluride. Margot is played by the luminous Nicole Kidman. To be honest, I never much likd Nicole Kidman films. I don’t know when she that shift occurred but now I really like her work. There are documentaries by Werner Herzog and Barbet Schroeder that I would love to see. Guess I’ll to what everyone else does, wait for them to come out in the theaters. Dang it.

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