Cynematik • Cyndi Greening

BY CYNDI GREENING, ARIZONA, USA – Shawn Downs, the gaffer and sometimes cinematographer on the FilmZambia projects, is completing his thesis film at the LA Film School. You can view the trailer for THE HUNTER on YouTube. It is visually compelling, a nice piece of filmmaking. Often, beginning filmmakers think the dialog is the most important part and spend all of their time shooting actors talking. (Hence the horrifying descriptor, a Talking Heads Movie. Woe the director who makes a talking heads movie.) Shawn was never confused about the fact that filmmaking was telling stories with pictures and that it is different from, well, audio books or radio. Shawn’s moving pictures are moving. I like the rack shot with the arrow (a tad faster would be swell but perhaps he’ll speed that up in post). The choreography of the fight sequences looks very Wong Kar Wai-ish. Lyrical. And, I do love the sound effects. That chilling sound of the blade being pulled from the scabbord is chilling at the end. Okay, I am not keen on the opening graphic and hope that doesn’t make it to the final but, heck, if I had a bunch of money, I’d be having him direct something for me. Wouldn’t you?

Congratulations to Shawn. Since we returned from Africa, it has been an intense year for him. He has dedicated himself to filmmaking and, like several of the other Zambia crew members, he has taken the necessary steps to make his life line up around his goals. Of course, I think the goal of visual storyelling is a noble one. Gifted filmmakers give viewers access to people and places they might never see, propel them to have thoughts about relationships or quests they might never have had, perhaps even to relax and be entertained after a gruelling week. Shawn is beginning his quest and he’s making a strong first step.

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BY CYNDI GREENING, MESA, ARIZONA – I was watching television a couple of weeks ago and saw one of my digital filmmaking students on the news. Beulah Martin (and daughter Holly) were entering the ALMOST FAMOUS 48 HOUR FILM FESTIVAL. If Tigger were a grandmother, he’d be Beulah. She has boundless energy and even more enthusiasm for a film task you put in front of her. The films that they made tended to make had strong stories and, generally, a fun sense of humor. They didn’t win the festival but they did get their film up in lights. Beulah writes:

BEULAH: Holly and I are still engrossed in trying to learn about filmmaking. We entered the “Almost Famous” Film Festival. Our film did not make top 20, but did make honorable mention out of 81 teams. In fact, we were voted Audience Favorite on the night our film screened at Harkins and so we got to be shown again that Thurs. atthe top 20 screenings. That was a good experience to see our film on the big screen. We do enjoy reading your blog as it helps keep us informed on a lot of things going on in the independent film world.

At one point, Beulah had inquired about going to Zambia. She just loves filmmaking and good stories. I don’t know why she decided not to go … no doubt some other film project came her way.

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BY CYNDI GREENING, PHOENIX, USA — Working on the film trailers has us revisting all of the shooting days and recalling the terrific, dedicated work of our amazing FilmZambia crew. Their dedication and determination were unparalleled. So, a reminder to take a look at their reels if you’re looking for a crew member who will do whatever it takes to get your film done!

• Cinematographer Carlos Espinosa
• Line Producer MK Racine
• Cinematographer and Editor Robby Brown
• Editor, Cinematographer and MakeUp Artist Jeniece Toranzo
• Editor and Unit Photographer
• Assistant Director, Editor and Script Supervisor Nick Marshall

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BY CYNDI GREENING & PAMELA BOWMAN, PHOENIX, USA – The FilmZambia project has been a life-altering, monumental experience for all who participated. It is because of the Zambian project that we (the producers) have come to realize and refine our life mission. We experienced such satisfaction and joy at helping to bring a new voice to the global cinema, in educating filmmaking students in Zambia, in watching our MCC students expand their skills and have profound cultural experiences. The goal of educating, developing and supporting new voices in global cinema continues to be one of our primary concerns.

However, after attending the Sundance Film Festival in January, we realized that we were overlooking the voices of U.S. filmmakers. We were inspired to expand our commitment to include finding and nurturing the voices of new filmmakers in the U.S. Attending the festival, we found our voice and are stating our desire to help storytellers and filmmakers find their unique voice and get their story into the national market.

So, we are pleased to announce the launch of Greening Productions / Angel&Wings Productions, a site devoted to supporting independent filmmakers worldwide. (You will have to read the story of how the company name was bestowed upon us in Zambia! Whle we don’t make religious films, we are committed to doing good work.) On the site, you will find the dates and times for classes and seminars that will be offered in the Phoenix metroarea. These classes will also be available in different national locations in the near future. In addition, we are making DVDs available to assist in your digital film development.

Wherever we traveled, people interested in film would pepper us with questions. Due to limited time, we felt we could not give adequate answers or explanations. Through these classes and products, we are now able to provide information and assistance to future filmmakers.

So enjoy the site and let us know what you think! If you have thoughts on other products and classes we could offer that would be of support. We will continue our global projects (we are currently working on a FilmEcuador project and a FilmSenegal project), also. We appreciate your feedback and thoughts!

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FINALLY finished my pity party and am back on the bright side today! I started working on the Zambian film project yesterday (with a vengeance) and got myself all excited again. So, I’m back on the bandwagon and working hard.

[Don’t get confused — although, Lord knows, I get confused by me sometimes — I still love teaching and will miss it tremendously. I’m just focusing on how I can teach in Zambia and other environs to keep myself happy.]

Gina and Margaret have come on board to help with producing tasks for the film. With three of us in the harnesses, pulling in the same direction, we’re moving at a quicker clip. Contracts are being written and signed. The press kit is being completed. The proposal and budget are being finalized. Eeeeee-yah!! Ride’em cowgirl. Let’s get a move on.

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Artist Michael Moore was awarded $18,000 by Columbus College of Art and Design. Moore submitted a portfolio of his work and application and competed with students nationwide.

Located in Columbus, Ohio, CCAD is a wonderful Art school. (I envy their many galleries!) Maricopa Community Colleges have an articulation agreement with CCAD that makes it very easy and appealing for Maricopans to continue their studies toward their Bachelor’s degree.

At CCAD, more than 1,300 students from 40 states and 30 foreign countries are enrolled in one or more of seven majors: Advertising and Graphic Design, Fashion Design, Fine Arts (including painting, drawing, ceramics, sculpture, printmaking, and glassblowing), Illustration, Industrial Design, Interior Design, and Media Studies (including photography, digital imaging, video and film, storyboard and computer animation, and photo illustration). In addition to major areas of concentration, they offer specialized courses of study in animation, art therapy, computer graphics, fashion illustration, product design, package design, and photography.

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The Media Arts students took on several projects for the college recently. The Graphic Design students worked on posters for Assessment Week, Communication Day, the annual Student Art Show, Media Arts courses of study (to send to high schools) and Graduation reminders. Eric Aguirre did an amazing poster on graphic design and illustration. Made to look like a comic book or graphic novel, it’s wonderfully engaging. Jeniece Toranzo made a companion poster for motion media (digital filmmaking and animation) that is visually compelling and powerful, as well.

M.K. Racine has been working diligently for over a month on the creating downloadable PDFs on ALL of the programs at Mesa Community College. She’s done a fabulous job! I’m incredibly excited to know that students and community members can quickly access information on programs without having to drive to campus and wander around to find a printed brochure. I’m hoping this means interested individuals can get information immediately (and THEN come to campus to talk to instructors and advisors). M.K. also produced both the Communication and Assessment posters!

Media Arts Filmmaking Students (there are over 20 students involved) are working on Video Spotlight Promos on a variety of careers available on campus. Student producer/directors set up the shoots, student videographers captured footage, and student editors are putting the promos together. The real standouts thus far have been Jeniece Toranzo, Lindsey Black, Michael Montesa, Carlos Espinoza, Gina Puma, Pam Bowman, and Stephen Shelley. My son, Alec Hart even worked as a videographer on one of the shoots.

Heath McKinney has almost turned himself inside out getting a dual-language DVD ready for the Spanish-speaking market. He, Ross Ingle, Jeanette Roe and I recorded the absolutely fabulous Sherrie Soria doing an informational presentation in Spanish. We’re trying to finalize the edit. We’re struggling with silly things (like how to hide the holes in the wall where I removed the clock from the wall). Originally, we had hoped to have it ready for an on-campus presentation on Friday but we’ve finally conceded that we’ll have to mail them next week. Regardless, we do have a Spanish-language DVD for the school … AND, it’s ready to be used NOW … to support enrollment for the fall. You gotta feel good about that. Kudos to Heath and Ross for super-human effort.

We’ve shifted into our final couple of projects. A Chinese-language DVD/CD and an interactive MCC promo CD. Oh yeah, and the Zambia project.

The students have said that they learned soooo much from doing these projects. There’s nothing like “real” clients and “real” deadlines to really drive the lessons home for them. I’m really glad we were able to serve the college AND the student learning at the same time!

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Some great news from former student Stephen Glauser today! Stephen took the beginning filmmaking and other media arts classes. He did one of the funniest short films I’ve ever seen. He spoofed campus security. It was a hoot! So, it was no surprise to hear that he’s doing well at BYU. He writes:

“Sorry it has taken me so long to write. For the past two semesters i have been working my ar$$ off. I never knew how intense the animation program is here. Finally, after a year, I got my portfolio put together and submitted it. Who would have thought that of all the applicants they only choose sixteen. Luckily I am one of them. Hooray for me!!! That was the hardest thing I’ve done and I am not close to being over …. I miss you and your classes, they were fun.”

Of course, I send my heartfelt congratulations to Stephen (and family … Mrs. Stephen is in the family way) AND look forward to hearing all about his future successes. I’m sure there will be many!

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Since I have so many students who go to Brigham Young University after they complete their studies at MCC, I am getting quite familiar with their program. Both their film and animation programs look quite impressive. Some of the student productions have won prestigious awards and their graduates are doing quite well! I found a wonderful animated short that they’re working on called OUT ON A LIMB. They’ve got character sketches, environments, animatics and support materials online.

Since I’ve studied in Mexico (twice), I love the idea of a story from a piñata’s point of view! Not to mention, when I was in sixth grade, my family took a trip to California. We crossed the border to Tijuana and misplaced my younger brother for a short while. (Fortunately, we found him under a table.) My mom bought a piñata that she wanted to bring home. There was no room in the car. There was some suggestion about tying it to the roof of the car but Dad said it would be shredded in seconds. So, we left it behind.

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I wanted to update you on how things are going here in Utah. I am a T.A. for Jeff’s class this semester (MCC graduate Jordan Pack is taking it) and loving the teaching opportunities.

As for my own projects, myself and my writing buddy bought a Panasonic DVX100a in May of last year, and paid it off pretty quick with about 4 wedding videos. We shoot a lot of corporate videos, weddings, live events and love the new multi-cam feature on FCP. We time-code sync multiple DVX’s together and then line them up automatically in FCP, allowing us to switch between angles in real time. It saves us so much time in editing and our videos look pretty dang good. The DVX is an awesome camera, and it has been good to really get to know it inside and out. I also used it to shoot all of the behind the scenes footage for Mr. Dungbeetle. That really helped me to know the camera better, since most of the shoot was outside, in the mountains, under all kinds of weather conditions and a week and a half of night shoots.

I check your blog daily and love to hear about the newest news (CLG comment: They know how to make me happy!) in indie filmmaking. Your podcasts from sundance have been great, and have made me jealous. Between school, finishing up mr. dungbeetle, and pre-pro on Togther Again, I didn’t have time to sundance this year. I did have a ticket for michel gondry’s film “science of sleep” but got stuck behind an accident on I-15 that made me irreparably late for it. I am still upset about it.

You have always been and will continue to be the guru of independent film production knowledge and I appreciate all the help and experience I gained while at MCC. It’s exciting to see what my Mesa peers are working on and would love to see SHATTERED when it’s finished.

Anyway, that’s my update. Not too shabby I suppose, thanks to great teachers like you and Jeff Parkin who have inspired me and given me opportunites to learn, teach and grow. I’d like to send you a dvd of the work I’ve been doing, so if you could email me back your address then I can send you one with all my short films, commercials and a Mr Dungbeetle trailer. Thanks for all that you’ve done for me and so many other students. You are great. (CLG comment #2: Jared was diligent, determined and creative student. Sometimes they give us the credit but it’s really their hard work that pays off … we just open the door for them!)

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