Demo Reel 2011

“Behind the Mask” Documentary

To say that I was out of my comfort zone while filming a documentary about two Hollywood makeup artists would be an understatement.  Never had I been tasked with transcending the realm of scripted production, and quite frankly, the idea of putting together a story that I couldn’t control scared me.  Along with my filming partner Liv, I traveled to Snow Camp, NC in an attempt to capture the story of Dean and Starr Jones, two brothers who split time between working on Hollywood movies and maintaining their 21-year-old haunted attraction.

The project presented some initial challenges that come with trying to direct people who are already established in the film industry.  For instance, Dean and Starr are beginning to direct their own films, so Dean’s newly acquired directorial instinct were likely to show itself during the interview.  I found it challenging to keep our talent happy while still maintaining control of the production.  Also, Liv and I were forced to work around the Jones’ busy schedule, which meant shooting while the haunted attraction was noisily operating below us.  Even though we used lav mics, Much of our footage was unusable due to audio contamination.

However, shooting Dean and Starr was highly educational in a way that producing your own fictional narrative cannot be.  The Jones’ story of breaking into the business was especially pertinent to me as an aspiring filmmaker.  The two brothers offered what I found to be reliable advice on becoming successful in the industry.  I also enjoyed witnessing the transformation of normal Snow Camp residents into swamp creatures, vampires, and even Freddy Krueger and Chucky.  I expect the knowledge I gained in makeup design will help me to better understand my makeup crew when I am directing in the future.

Although Dean, Starr, and the unavoidable screams of terror from the haunted attraction could be difficult to tame during the production, I have little doubt that I am closer to becoming a legitimate filmmaker because of the experience.

“Janitorial Justice” by Greg Gentile

I started animating stop-motion films for kicks about ten years ago, but even with the experience, I find the method to be a true test of will.  In the specific case of Janitorial Justice, I had an assortment of obstacles to consider before I could finish the project.

The biggest issues with every stop-motion animation that I have ever produced are time constraints.  This project was no different, as I am currently realizing that I may have overextended myself in terms of extracurricular and advanced classes.  Much of the non-class time I have is currently devoted to the ESTV shows in which I participate, and my other classes are also heavy on video production.  Finding time to be able to shoot at least 900 pictures with a cinematic aesthetic and edit them into a story was the most difficult aspect of production.  Also, between building the sets, executing the physical animating, experimenting with the shutter and aperture on every set-up, and recharging the endlesly irritating D90 battery, the time I did have to shoot this project was hectic.

The story I had initially planned was scrapped in favor of a more practical plot, and with the scenes being shot out of order, I found it somewhat challenging to piece the film together coherently as I progressed.  The requirements of the project threw me a curveball as well, as I wasn’t initially sure how to incorporate a cell phone and outdoor shot into the film.  However, I feel that, given the circumstances, the final project is something in which to take pride.

I find a sort of dark humor in violent children’s toys, so my favorite scenes in Janitorial Justice involved working with the red clay for the Lego gore.  The blood splatter on the walls in the climax of the film was difficult to achieve, but I think that my method serves its purpose well.  I am also pleased with how well my cell phone represented a large computer.

Ruining Your Childhood Heroes’ Image, One Animation At A Time

I have no problem admitting what many Elon Communications students have in the past: DMC is no easy task.  The constant barrage of photography assignments can weigh heavy on a man’s soul.  I never found a strong interest in photography, so all I could do is sit back and wish for some shining ray of hope that would signal refuge from these assignments.  Alas, hope was delivered.  The choice between creating a time lapse video or a stop-motion animation was presented to us, and I decided to take on the familiar challenge of creating a stop-motion film.  I have been producing stop-motion animations for roughly eight years now, so the task I had before me was one that I knew exactly how I wanted to execute.  I used Lego bricks for my animation subjects, as I have done frequently over the years.  The film is titled “Bad Mario” and follows the exploits of a morally challenged video game plumber on a quest to achieve points for doing misdeeds.  Here is “Bad Mario.”  Enjoy.

-Greg

The Return of the Jedi… er, Blogger

It has been quite some time since I have last presented my thoughts on the Internet, but I return with plenty to talk about.  I have been working hard on my second Lego stop-motion animation in the past quarter of a year.  For those of you who are unfamiliar, stop-motion involves moving an object a fraction of an inch, taking a still frame, and moving the object yet again in order to create the illusion of motion as they frames are played back in a video.  The process of stop-motion animation is a very tedious method of torturing oneself, but the payoff that you receive upon completion rivals the pain that animating causes.  The last stop-motion animation I created was for my Time Arts class in November, and it took one full month to complete the one minute and forty-seven second film.  Behold, “Causal”:

My current project is to be completed within six days of being assigned.  I welcome the challenge.

-Greg

Surrealism

The latest assignment for DMC involved creating surreal images with the aid of Photoshop.  Essentially, we were to create photographic images with the same psychological effect of a Salvador Dali painting.  I’d like to think that surreal art should not be defined so the viewer can make his or her own interpretations about the piece.  So without further ado, here are five “surreal” images created by yours truely:

- Greg

Underground Gallery Logo

As our first graphic design assignment, we were challenged to create both a personal logo (mine is currently this blog’s header) as well as a logo for Elon’s Underground Gallery.  Here is what I came up with:

After displaying our designs to the class, we were tasked with selecting our favorite logo and casting a vote for this year’s best.  My personal favorite logo is the work of David Gwynn.  I saw firsthand the effort that David put into his logo, and it paid off in his finished product.  Here is David’s design:

Rumor has it that each little person in his design represents an Elon Comm Fellow…  I will have to investigate this matter further to get to the truth.

-Greg