"Let's Do Lunch" Los Angeles, Film School and Employment Reality

One of the greatest turn offs for most people when it comes to getting into the film and media industry is the intense competition...in ways this competition is a stigma that transcends tonnes of cynical students and interested parties who have not been able to get in, or, have not made the right effort.

During my first trip to Los Angeles this summer I had the opportunity to meet up with an industry worker who is in development at a major television production company (sorry guys, won't say who) over some nice dinner with them I was given the raw description of how competitive and cutthroat the industry can be when integrating. It involves long hours and extreme amounts of overtime and ambition. You need to love your work and be determined to get where you want to go. As a Canadian, it would pretty much mean little to have my PA credentials in my resume if I am applying in LA, they want people who know people, and who have worked and experienced their system......the *cue angelic music* THE STUDIO SYSTEM.

this does not bother me one bit.

I am a fan of the idea that as long as I can network and get my name out there enough, someone will eventually bite. You have to try everything, get a good position at a film festival as a volunteer and non-intrusively network (which means wait for their card, don't give them yours), or get into a film program in the united states in the big Two film maker factories: The New York Film Academy (Spielberg, Pacino, etc) and UCLA (Mr Lucas...need I say more?) and from there grab entry level jobs through teaching connections. Fresh, keen and able hands on set are always wanted and if you are determined enough to work your way up, you can have your shots at the big jobs.

After Touring Universal Studios and Warner Brothers I was completely flabbergasted to be passing and walking on the sound stages of shows like Ellen, Chuck, Big Bang Theory, and Two and a Half men, and see the recreated sets of the War of the Worlds, Jaws, and the lots of Spiderman, The Mentalist and countless others. Knowing that these worlds and characters can be fabricated as an industry of imagination blows my mind and entices me more to work my way to becoming a Hollywood film maker. I apologize to those filmies out there who love their independent and guerrilla film making ways, sticking it to the American studio 'Man', but I am a lover of the mainstream, trapped in an independent world.

Because of this an amazing friend of mine decided to kidnap me for a weekend and took me to the open house of the New York Film Academy. She wanted me to see the possibilities of working with real production tools and learn the ropes of starting my film making career. After taking the tour, hearing the programs, and the potential to study either in New York, LA, or half and half, I was pretty much bought on the idea of learning the competitive ropes of my art in the Mecca of Movies, and because of that trip, I feel I have found my escape.

Many are intimidated by the cameras, lighting, and technicalities of being in film school, but learning by experimentation and careful instruction is a great way to start, and that is what you do in film school. What you gradually learn in a field over months or years you learn in weeks. If you are creative but not very technical or vice verse, they fill in the blanks and sculpt you into a creative and technical film maker with the actual tools of the trade, from 16 and 35 mm to HD.

Never hold back because it is too expensive or too hard, work an extra job and take a year to film and build a portfolio, apply for film school, volunteer, ANYTHING....just don't give up.

Because if you do give up, you give someone else a chance, and every time you see a bad movie, you will know you could have made one better. Hahahaha, well, maybe not the best guilt trip phrase but you get the picture.

Stay tuned for my upcoming blog on scoring and shot organization which will include some behind the scenes leaks of FDNN

Christian A.V. Petrozza

FDNN, Long Hiatus, and Upcoming

Hello Internet World and fellow readers.

During the summer I went on a blogger Hiatus without any due warning which I understand is a faux pas for my own promotional integrity. Although that may be the case, there is plenty that will be in store for you in the coming weeks.

Fuzzy Days Noir Nights has gone through a tough patch in which there has been little to no dedicated interest in volunteers to promote, foley record, voice act, and edit for. Which means that once again I am a post production one-man team. ON A GRAND NOTE though, I have potentially recruited an amazing friend who is a musical prodigy to play with some original score ideas. Having an original score for a project for the first time would be a great step forward and I couldn't ask for a better candidate to step up to the challenge. Because of these delays Fuzzy Days Noir Nights release will be posponed until further notice, but I will be updating during every blog a short blurb on its progress.

UP and COMING events!
As I edit for the show I am aslo doing the finishing touches on a music video for another friend for his song Too Much now on halt until i have a better grasp on my webseries, but I intend to get back to it in the near future. Soon I will be doing online research on one of my new favorite topic "the bluray reality debate" and a current local phenomenon in my house "the dropping of cable for download space" as well as some details about my trip to Los Angeles over the summer as i visited Warner Brothers and Universal Studios. As far as movie reviews go, there will probably be an Avatar Extended Edition issue I'll put out just before its release. until then, I'll be better at writing up these blogs for all of you. So stay tuned and take care

. Christian A.V. Petrozza

Hollywood Endings

It rains, and he stands there shouting her name up to the heavens from the street level.

She looks into his eyes on a foggy tarmac in Morocco
"but what about us?"
-we'll always have Paris
She flies off in a plane, never to see him again.

She urges the taxi driver to go back. Enters the English cottage and sees him there, a rare sight, tears streaming down his face. They look at each other, and are inseperable.

I really could go on about all the great Hollywood endings old and new there are. Some are sad but many promise the future of finding the one thing we all look for. Personally, as a lover of Romantic films and a firm believer in Hollywood endings, there is no reason why we shouldn't aspire to reach them in our actual lives.

We are surrounded by a culture of pessimism and faithless objectives engulfed in monetary agendas. What is wrong about wanting and aiming to become what you always wanted to be, and falling in love? Nothing is wrong with it. Here is why.

Hollywood films show the great lengths you must go to reach those goals, the heroes are never given an easy ride, much like all of us in our lives. Whether it is a dream job or a girl they pursue their passions and dreams despite all obstacles and adversaries, they fight through an odyssey of emotional, physical, and financial crisis. One thing is for sure, in the end, when all is said and done, they are a changed person for the better, and they lived fully. When one comes to such an epiphany such as myself, I realize I have held myself back from my Hollywood ending, because even when i get there I will not be finished. The search for love is a long perilous one, the journey for the job and life of your dreams is a great quest.

In order to achieve both of these, you need to create your own montage, find every moment to spend towards fixing your wrongs, winning a heart, and gaining the fame. You may have to go to hell and back, and then once more for good measure, but when you resurface from the real world, bearing the scars of your frustrations, abuses, self-doubt, and lifelessness, you will realize how proudly they look on you as you walk into the limelight screaming victory, walking back to the one you love in the rain. A Film is Two Hours on average, think of how short life is... it flies like a good film, make sure it ends well!

For all my friends, readers, and loved ones
Christian A.V. Petrozza

Never Give Up! Never Surrender: Filmies and Athletes Alike

There is a huge tendancy to give up when the going gets tough. Whether it is a math problem (run to the prof/teacher), essay structure (run to the TA with every clue how to mark you badly but no clue how to help), an athletic injury, or...

...finding a job...
*que Psycho music here*

IN MAINSTREAM MEDIA!!!!!
dUN DUn DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!!!
..okay seriously

There is a huge trend, although not surprising, of talented young minds with the artful ability to make films or be in film that are giving up. They will build websites, have equipment, make amazing internet videos, and then they tell you "I LOOOVE IT. But. Its too competitive so I'm becoming a lawyer/Teacher.

Not that I have anything against lawyers and teachers but WHYYY!?

In order to maintain a tough goal you need to put your full focus on what you want to do, if you use a fallback degree for those "just in case" or "i give ups" scenarios what was the point of flaunting it all before hand. Let me tell you something. The ones who walked away from their dream jobs, JUST GAVE ME ONE. Well not now but statistically too many are giving up, the film business is cliquy, and not in the high school way but in the way that you need to know somebody who knows somebody who knows and obscure website that helps you apply for these jobs. (and like all others I will give it to you if you ask. Or find it hiding in this post as a link ;))

Facing rejection is a tough road, one in which had taken me 2 years to finally get a solid phone call from a media project. A degree is a great thing to have, but even moreso is a credit in a show/broadcast/film and the experience that follows it. Employers want that, even for small starting Positions (I just became a PA by the way ^_^) because they want maximum efficiency and expect the most from each member of cast crew and post production team.

Over the summer of 2009 I honestly wanted to give up after being empty handed, but when I realized that I needed something to drive me again (after several spells of in-house insanity) I wrote an eight episode webseries. And thus my feather-in-cap, the trailer, began to enhance my need to start applying again, and earlier.

During the same time this year, after suffering a brutal sprain in a fencing competition, I have continued to be on hiatus from training, but it has not stopped me from doing exercise and strengthening. I have just started this now due to my obligations to prepare for my job, but I feel that the film opportunity was a great kickstart to inspire me to kick my own ass and get into shape again. Although somewhat afraid of re-injury, my mental training will flow alongside my physical. Because when you train alone, you need your thoughts clear and will to be fearless if you are going to go back on piste ready to kill.

So Chins up Job Seekers and Invalids, we will Rise Again

Christian A.V. Petrozza

Compressing and Life

Recently I have been refurbishing my short films with my production logo at the beginning and sometimes at the end for artistic protection and branding. Unfortunately some of these shorts have been made on a different generation of mac and or made in HD as opposed to my usual DV formats and therefore, I need to add the logo which means I need to make sure I re-compress in the right format. It is not new to me that there are a million different variations on how to properly capture and compress video but it would save me a world of trouble and online research to figure out how to do this without error if the world decided to have three key formats and leave it at that. While compressing several wrong versions I realized this trial and error process reminded me of some life philosophies. These are a few I can come up with from the top of my head.

Compressing1: Just because you captured the video properly it doesn't mean that it will look high quality until it is fully compressed.
Life1: People hide the deepest part of themselves in labyrinths of personality,degredation, arrogence etc. But as they grow and mature into men or women, we see their true colours. Whether good or bad.

Compressing2: There are several different video formats, and two different ways (on my mac [compressor and FCP] in which to compress a film. Not all of them work for the type of format you captured in and must be careful to keep track of previous trials.
Life2: We go through so many phases as we grow, and are exposed to so many options, some of which we choose that can hurt or help us. Try to look at the history of those close to you or a past experience to lead your heart in the right direction.

Compressing3: Compressing something in high quality or HD takes forever just hope its worth it.
Life3: (No Dali Llama stuff here) make sure you did it right or all your work will just be another "I told you so" from the parents, or the big man upstairs.

Compressing4: Don't click cancel before something is done compressing, unless it freezes, because you may have been doing it right.
Life4: Never take the easy way out of a situation, unless it is stopping or slowing your life in a negative way. Working harder to get things straight is always worth it.

Compressing5: burn the good copy to DVD
Life5: Get the best of yourself out there and don't sell yourself short.

I may be reading too deeply into this but waiting for hours and compressing things as trial and error makes you think about more interesting things than the task at hand. I think my video is still going, down with deceptive mac loading bars. 5 minutes my foot, just jumped to 2 hours. Great

Christian A.V. Petrozza

Robin Hood, Formatting Practical and Life

On May 14th my wonderful girlfriend and I went to see Robin Hood, Directed by Ridley Scott. As many of you know, I have been anticipating the Crowe-Scott dream team comeback for quite some time, watching the amazing trailer over and over up until the release date. I have to say I was quite surprised at the differences in style and narrative that Ridley Scott chose to use in the film since it was not the typical dark-palette, smokey-lighting and gory battle-esque style that I expected. But all the same I loved the way they retold the legend.

Big Warning here, NO SPOILERS!!! But I will set up the film so that if you are one of those people who enter a movie clueless but with expectations *cough*everycriticwebsite*cough* then you will not be dissappointed after reading this. THIS FILM IS A SETUP to the original legend, which means it is the events that lead up to the out-lawing of Robin and his band. The film takes very original liberties with the Robin Hood legend but also mixes them perfectly with the factual interpretations of figures such as King Richard, Friar Tuck, will Scarlett, and little John. Due to Ridley Scott's love for medieval history. He has added some great depth into the family structure of the plantagenets and their political toils between Eleanor of Aquitaine, a now aged and cynnical mother of a cowardly son and a warmongering king. The relationships and connections between them and the Robin Hood legend run very close together in the film as well as the legend which made this film great to watch as a history tid bits, with that creative touch of folklore.

Also if you are looking for a bloodfest like kingdom of heaven or gladiator you will not find it. The film has great battles and seiges, and as Scott's history films usually do, give a great look into the life of the soldier during wartime. Robin Hood is not a forgotten tale, it is known by the eldest of men and women to the youngest children and because of that the fights are kept at a 5/10 ranging from Narnia-Braveheart. I am a sucker for a good battle, and in saying that I can proudly say the film, despite the lack of blood, did not dissappoint in the slightest. Along with a great mix of comedy, romance, action, and glamitics (glamourous politics, kings queens, affairs, and gold chainmail). This film deserves an eight out of Ten, I felt the story pace was great but some of the editing in the first half to be a bit too abrupt. I will probably change my mind after watching it again. BUT GO WATCH IT IT IS AWESOME.

I was going to Write about how rendering videos on a mac is like life, (which is scarily accurate) but I got carried away with the greatness of the movie and what I wanted to say about it. Stay true and steadfast with your cameras and remember.....

Film and Film again, until PA's become Producers

Christian A.V. Petrozza

Fuzzy Days Noir Nights Trailer.

Hello Everyone,

So Here it is The Fuzzy Days, Noir Nights Trailer Exclusively on Vimeo and This blog until I fix my formatting issues. I will do my best to fix it as soon as possible, but the trailer alone still does the show justice. Let me give a quick synopsis.

After a traumatic case, a big city P.I. Richard L. Plante, exiles himself from Toronto and moves to the small municipality of Brenford, a place full of farmers, developers, and wealthy townsfolk. Although he wants to do nothing but drown his sorrows in whiskey, he cannot help being drawn in to another case.

This is a Film Noir mixed with small town mystery, or as I like to put it, murder she wrote starring Humphrey Bogart.
ENJOY!

Trailer - Fuzzy Days Noir Nights from greenknight44 on Vimeo.

Editing Trailers, and the Webseries 'Fuzzy Days, Noir Nights'

Ever since I remember wanting to get into film (high school) I always gawked for days at the trailers of my most anticipated up-and-coming films, watching the previews twice or more a day to get pumped for the film. The fact that even after investing a couple of hours worth a month just re-watching these trailers and showing them to friends etc. continues remind me how impressive and fun it must be to be a trailer editor.


Trailers are more commonly known as previews, they show us some exciting plot points and enticing information about the film without giving too much away. In order to keep people excited for the film, I find most blockbusters leave you with a common phrase or image to remember the film by. For example, Avatar constantly had posters of profile shots of the Navi and recently, the Robin Hood trailer, one of my most anticipated films in a long time, has the fantastic use of phrase as Ridley Scott films usually do "Rise and Rise again, Until Lambs Become Lions". The phrase alone leaves shivers down my spine.

I kept these things in mind when editing my trailer for the webseries Fuzzy Days, Noir Nights,(FDNN) which will be released September 2010. Through the process of reading through the scripts, mapping out a Trailer Plot summary, and adding a few sounds, I realized how much fun and how little time it took me to edit it. I spent about 4 hours over two days putting together the trailer and the only proplem was trying to show exciting parts without giving things away.

So here's a few tips.
-if it's a show or series, put enticing and exciting shots out of episodal sequence, this keeps them guessing.
-play with your video effects like fade to white, brightness, simple stuff.
-make sure the people or the camera is moving during each shot when the plot picks up, keep it fresh and use as many angles as possible
-music is key, it drives the preview as much as the occasional dialogue. So as the grail crusader once said "choose, but, choose wisely"
-be sure to put a fresh character in the next shot, or at least a shot where they are in a completely different setting and costume, keep the colour flow constant, human attention spans are low, damn plebs ( :-) ).

But as far as I can tell they are the easiest promotional tool to get people to stay tuned and they can make or break a film. Now here are some production stills from FDNN and an awesome trailer for Robin Hood. Take note, this is what awesome looks like.



Christian A.V. Petrozza

BACK ON TRACK: Fedora's, Trench Coats, Small Towns, and Big Houses

So after the Successful screening of Pretty Boys and Dabbling In Histories: Now and Sven at the Next Generation Film Festival I am finally free of my academic obligations. I will have a copy of Pretty Boys delivered today and I will post at some point on Vimeo, but until then Dabbling is on youtube.

With the release of these huge projects which turned out amazing and after several awesome nights of celebrating with film people after two years of being limited due to my Athletic Obligations (which I don't mind at all, love you fencing people) I am finally able to get back to the long arduous task of continuing to capture the last 4 hours of the new webseries coming soon. By the end of the month, with some help from a friend, I will have a trailer ready.

But until then stay tuned and I shall continue to keep you all updated on the webseries and its post production. But in the meantime,if you have not seen it already, here is my animation.





Christian A.V. Petrozza

Problems Problems Problems, but some cool news.

I would like to start by explaining my long hiatus from my own blog. A few weeks ago before 345 ended one of the facebook widgets I applied to this page was a scam and became a redirect hack to my blog, I did not discover this until weeks later, an amateur mistake, but I'm still relatively new to this so give me a break.

I have also been arduously working on 3 grand projects which involve a lot of extra curricular time, which is what this blog was supposed to take up. I was eventually swallowed by my work. Unfortunately group work in fourth year film is not all its hyped up to be. Organization is can be a definite virtue sometimes and take note, is essential if you are getting into the film and media business, none of this 'go with the flow, we'll figure it out as it happens BS'. That's another thing, best always to be straight forward with people, or you will find things get passive aggressive very fast.

On the side I have been waiting on a potential job opportunity at the Mekkah of moviemaking, so I am keeping my fingers crossed and my cell phone on. Don't abuse it!

So besides making movies, going crazy, realizing I have a 3000 word paper due the same day as a 10 page screenplay (of course Prof X thought it would be fun to tell us it was 3000 words only a week before it was due. Thanks tips) everything is ok as long as my newly acquired SNES emulator keeps providing me with some brain-melting enjoyment upon the occasion I have an ioda of time to spare.



I will soon be posting another blog once this week is over so do not fret, I shall return with more interesting things to tell you.

Christian A.V. Petrozza

The Gold, My Goals

A phrase that has been thrown around since Sunday night. How about that game? To be honest, I was thoroughly proud, excited, and most importantly, entertained. All of a sudden, the Canada and US teams decided to sober up their skills and play an awesome, intense, and epic game. I seriously did not recognize the team that were crashing into each other and bailing on the ice a few games before. Neither team should be ashamed of their performance, I sympathize with the idea that losing sucks to win a silver, but USA played a great game. I focus on their performance because we all know Canada did amazing with Lou's careful saves and that cinematic finish by Canada's favourite Crosby.

As our Canadian athletes sweep the Olympic gold record and improve their hockey game my ankle injury has- oh wait, some of you don't know yet.

...A few weeks ago in a competition far far away (Carleton, so not really) I was competing in an interuniversity championship. During my individual event I was making a comeback in a losing match when I miscalculated a lunge and sprained my ankle. Although painful, my swearing and tears were directed towards my inability to continue on to the team event, because I am the captain and anchor. Why me...

alright back to me in the present. After several multi-color bruises, physio, tender tendons, and a lot of Prince of Persia, I have finally gotten off of my crutches completely.

The worst part of this ordeal is that I have been unable to work out and fence for several weeks and only until recently have I been given the thumbs up to start doing some biking. Although an improvement from nothing, I dearly miss the sport running in my veins, I miss the way of the sword. It is without doubt I will be back as soon as I can walk without a tenser bandage.

The most important part about getting rid of an injury for an athlete is physio and working out your joints that are injured. Re-determine yourself to get better and you will surprise yourself with the results of recovery. The way this is going, Wolverine would be hard-pressed to heal faster than me.

Christian A.V. Petrozza

The Rain of Realism: Gaming crosses into Hollywood Borders

A Special Thanks to my Friend and housemate Charlie for bringing this game to my attention.

Ever wish you could watch a movie and interact with it through it's characters? Kissing the girl, punching the villain, or interrogating the tough suspects?

As of February 23rd a game by Quantic Dream by the name of Heavy Rain was released. Labeled as a Film Noir thriller (my favourite) the game immerses you into a film-like story, taking you on an interactive ride as several characters as they try to figure out the mystery of the oregami killer, a merciless and mysterious child murderer.

Now you must be thinking "aren't all video games interactive?" well of course, but the game's graphics and style as you will see in the trailer and review videos approach the gameplay and cinematics as completely immersed into one another. Many games limit your movement or improve graphics during cinematics before they switch back to the gameplay. The design of the game allows you to play with the most detailed and consistent graphics to date, almost bordering photorealism, and with a great soundtrack and compelling mystery I find it very hard to call it a videogame instead of a movie.

The nature of the movement-sensored gameplay and controls during the game do not take away from the camera positioning or cinematic techniques that are simulated in the game. Some reviewers wonder if this cross-over between cinematic storytelling and gameplay together is a watershed moment in video game and film technology.

If in a few years we are able to be part of our favourite movies by "playing them" would it be a cool new improvement? Or should we keep a healthy barrier between Hollywood and our ever evolving games?

I don't know about the rest of you, but I wouldn't mind fighting as russell crowe while watching Gladiator or Chasing a bomb maker through Madagascar as Daniel Craig in Casino Royale.


Christian A.V. Petrozza

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Mmm Mmmm Money- A Million Dollar company markets in an unstable economy

While watching the Olympic highlights on the CTV network, an anchor in the marketing department brought up the great decline of Campbell's soup and their cuts in order to give some money flow and new marketing strategies a chance to continue their sales. Strangely, much of their television advertising was pulled for these cuts and put towards person-to-product marketing, such as the rebranding of their iconic soup can.

The rebranding of the can would change the location of the red stripe, the omission of the spoon, a contemporary bowl, and the addition of some or more steam over the soup. This may sound very silly and terrible for the image of campbell's, and it was, but it was all in an attempt at funding their Neuromarketing strategy, sounds like a government conspiracy, doesn't it?

In a nutshell, the idea of Neuromarketing is to use popular imagery that has been studied through live subjects in order to evoke universal emotions. New tests were initiated to update their branding, and thus, the changes came, but it was all in vain.

Although their cuts raised their worth by 11% in the United States, their overall soup-sales dropped 18% in the US since the following year, and continue to suffer. So much for their evil Neuro-scheme to make money.

In these times of economic strife, other companies, are fighting to keep peices low while competing with sale brands like No Name in order to cater to the deal-seeking populous. Unfortunately not all companies can sacrifice much and therefore lose their customers. Market researchers believe that their consumer losses will not replenish with the economy, due to their lack of affordability in a time of need. Those who are able to prosper, have done so with re branding.

The mega store Wal Mart has recently changed the details of their brand and slogan during this period to "Save Money, Live Better". This change engages the audience to think that their traditionally low prices will affect not only their wallet but their life/family life at home. One of their most recent commercials, although hilarious, strikes home this message.

Some consumers seem to embrace change in their products or stores as they re brand, whereas they feel alienated by others in a brand's attempt to entice the user with cheap labelling tricks. But after such a long tradition of Campbell's soup giving nourishment to millions of Americans for decades, why are they in the decline? Why don't they continue to rise like World-sucking Wal Mart?

Christian A.V. Petrozza

Our Game, THEIR FAILURE

I just finished watching the USA-CANADA Hockey game on CTV for the last two periods and had a few issues with it, no wait, that is an understatement, a GIGANTIC amount of issues with it. A friend mentioned on his facebook status and I quote "...is wondering why there is Timbits Hockey on CTV" I completely agree with this. I do not watch hockey as much as I used to *eversincethestrike*cough*richbastards*cough* but when I did I remember watching players scoring awesome goals, checking clean, and STAYING ON TWO SKATES!!!! I felt like I was watching a bunch of baboons on roller skates trying to play hockey on an uneven frozen lake (u heard me, roller skates, frozen lake), and it wasn't just Canada, the United States as well!!

You would think that these guys are getting paid through the nose, ears, and other gaps in the human anatomy to play HOCKEY, but apparently even after their NHL and Canadian lets-win-medals program money they STILL can't skate, or play a proper last minute with six players.

At this time in my rant I would like to point out that WOMAN'S HOCKEY appeals to me for this exact reason. They are CLEAN, they are AWESOME, and they don't bother doing this deaking BS that all men's team players do. The women skate up to the net and shoot, they don't get uber close and try to dizzy the sumo wrestling goalie into forgetting where the puck is then MISS when they are point blank because they forgot that they actually had to score!! So lots of respect to the simplicity, clarity, and finesse of Woman's hockey.

Now remember I am not mad about our loss as much as I am about what men's hockey has become. This was disgraceful on both ends and I hope either both coaches are fired, or they just do not allow NHL players to be in the Olympics, because clearly, they have too much money to care whether they are playing a great game, or playing the same way a rock parties at a rave.

Next time CTV, Show something more awesome next time, that we are actually good at, Like Skeleton, Moguls, Snowboarding, or Speed skating.

Christian A.V. Petrozza

Comedy is in Brevity: That Guy With The Glasses Goes Viral

An online film critic and founder of the "(Film) in 5 Seconds" internet phenomenon, That Guy With The Glasses (TGWTG) has made countless movie lovers, and haters come together in laughter at the spoofed and satirical renditions of films in their shortest form. Of course these films are either summarized in the most critical but comical manner but at the same time summarizing their value in their visual and stylistic aesthetics and poking fun at them by leaving most of the plot out.

The video below is one of his videos on Amadeus, a critically acclaimed film with an elegant and stylistic aesthetics. Instead of embracing them, TGWTG decides to use only the parts in which Mozart cracks his most contagious and nerdy laugh (which he does often in the film) and end it with his abrupt and gritty death. This struck a huge chord for me because upon first seeing the film and reflecting upon it those were the parts that I remembered, and like many others I nodded at my computer screen and thought That's pretty much the whole movie.

Since his videos became viral, many people have made other "5 Second" summaries of films not yet done, often crediting TGWTG in the very abrupt and quick end credits.

This culture of re cutting or critiquing a film through its key themes, or elements of style and script which could make it funny has also led to the internet phenomenon of re-cutting films into genre-specific trailers. 10 Things I Hate About Commandments (Based on Footage from Heston's The 10 Commandments) is an absolute favorite and prime example of how movie lovers engage in post-production activities to pay homage and have fun with their favorite good, or bad film.

Christian A.V. Petrozza




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London's Eye: CCTV Awakens Big Brother Sentiments

The London Eye, one of the many structures part of Britain's millennium project that now stands face to face with the rustic majesty of Westminster and Big Ben, which have kept the tube running on time and their Island Nation safe. As the old meet the new from across the river Thames the very positioning of these two iconic symbols of London spring an irony about their greatest gadget CCTV surveillance. Very literally, London has an eye on everyone.

Ever since 9/11 and the terrorist roundup at Heathrow in '06 England has cracked down on security measures within their grand cities, and sleepy hamlets. Rarely can you find a bench to sit on or a garbage can to throw waste in unless you are in a grand park. Most people in train stations and other public transport docks are encouraged to litter due to their heightened employment of garbage pickers (to replace the rubbish bins). As a mostly litter-free Canadian I was guilt-stricken at the idea. The greatest, most expensive, and controversial of these precautions is the CCTV camera which has cost the government over 200 million pounds! Talk about a safe investment.

Although on the other hand, many critics and citizens are skeptical of this camera which acts as the overlord of national security. Many studies show that even though their cameras can catch criminals, it has not stopped the rate of crime nearly as much as it should. People are beginning to debate whether it was a good idea to begin with, and many are scared rather than feeling secure.

In the North, the Scottish have also begun installing the cameras but have been reviewing the issue of their expenses. Many believe that the sheer expense should go into recruiting more police officers rather than just street eyes.

I feel the argument to put money into hiring more able-bodied police would be much more effective that throwing money at cameras that can only observe in a kind of 'we'll catch them later' kind of system. Let's get more cops on the streets and less bureaucrats watching us do our grocery runs.
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Glowing Tunes: The new dawn of DJ technology?

Remember the days when DJ's used spinners and crazy soundboards? Oh right! Most still do, but the future of cool beats and synth sounds seems to lie in a cool technology called Reactable Technology. As the video and picture shows it seems like a cute interactive table that people would find at a club featuring DaftPunk. In reality this technology is being introduced to the music and clubbing world as interactive bar tables are serving drinks on sensor coasters and famous singer Bjork begun to use the Reactable as a medium for some of her performances.

The concept is to physically interact with the sound cubes on the table and measure the beat and rhythm by the distance and setting you applied between the interacting cubes and discs. On top of it all it's design is sleek and stylish for the Techno-beat DJ's which are their lead target investors.

While looking at this cool glowy instrument I wonder how it will affect the way people define talent within the music mixing circle. How someone who needs to ear out and synthesize beats between records has been rendered obsolete by a kid whith a new glowy table full of cool lines, sounds, and shapes. At the same time this new technology may add an element to the vintage style of DJ mixing, while one spins, the other Reactables.

This is something I would love to see developed in the future and used more often, especially since autotune has finally gotten on my nerves, its time to React, with this cool new table.

Christian A.V. Petrozza

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Kill The Bird: Tweeting and Texting Television Travesties

Ever since texting took flight in the cell phone universe it immediately jumped on a social text bar that was strapped on the bottom of every Much Music video full of teenagers posting random comments like 'I love ya Tina" or "Play Rick Astley! lol!" Now with the birth of a new social network God, Twitter decided to overblow their expanse from the internet to TV. Twitter has already done this during hit shows like Fringe and Glee. This idea was also exploited during the Michael Jackson Memorial.

Now I understand in comparison to music video text bars twitter posts relevant comments to the programming, but does anyone really give two tweets about 'Randoguy58's' concern about who will bring the moonwalk back. Many viewers shared horrified sentiments with the TV Tweet trend when it appeared on Fringe and Glee, and it was soon pulled. Like many who have blogged or commented, the Tweets were distracting to the audience despite the Tweets being from production crews and the actors.

This 'lower-third-social-information' impedes on the asthetics of watching and enjoying the romance, action, and suspense, let alone the suspension of disbelief of the shows we watch. I would hate to be watching Battlestar Galactica if Edward James Olmos had tweets popping up during an exciting spaceship battle.

This Twitter bird has also flown its way to IBM who has patent the Tweet remote, so people can ramble about watching television while watching television, this spelled a nightmare come true for many TV lovers who are afraid that it will encourage shows to have more live feeds on the show. Although IBM is working on this technology the annoyance with this idea may kill the Remote before it gets the green light.

Television has always given the comfort of escapism within the comfort of your own home, we do not need little tweets to interrupt our fantasies and pleasures.

Christian A.V. Petrozza

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Madmen Opening Women's Wallets: Show Style Branding and Shopping

As a person who enjoys an older form of period drama like The Tudors and Rome, it is not the easiest to find the gorgeous clothes of Henry VIII or those wicked feathered helmets of Lucius Verinus. On the other hand, if you are one for one of the countless CW love octagon shows like One Tree Hill or Gossip Girl or have a soft spot for the vintage wit of Madmen and are wondering "where can I buy/find something like what she/he's wearing?" then the networks and their publicity will lead you right to it.

This particular video focuses on one of Mad Men's characters and her classy vintage wardrobe and how the common viewer could purchase a close substitute for a low price. This video is one of a series known on YouTube as Fashion411 which looks at celebrity and show fashions and clothing. I recall this method of branding and advertising being done on shows like Entertainment Tonight and Magazines like Vanity Fair to brand and price the clothing items at their high end price, or their box store deals. One thing always bothers me when I observe this branding phenomenon, are some shows watched for the clothes or general style? Has the plot of these Neo-soaps become a background neccessity while people gawk at the clothes. Sounds like ''style pornography'' to me rather than a respectable source of entertainment.

The Internet has taken this TV/Film wardrobe labelling craving to the next level as sites like SeenON do nothing but advertise for the clothes shamelessly paraded on these shows. Some television networks that make a living out of beautiful people like CW have an entire section devoted to Styles on each of their hit shows. So for those gentlemen who want to class up a night out at the bar, or your next polo match with some Sweater Vests worn by Chuck Bass from Gossip Girl, these links are for you.

One thing is for sure, when Bond 23 comes out, I will be looking at the pricetag of his latest cuff links...Just saying.

Christian A.V. Petrozza

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Kids at The Sandbox: The Vortex of Video Game Genres

Whether you are hanging off the crenelations of a 13th century crusader castle in Acre, wall running along mudbrick walls of a persian palace, or just grabbing some stars and green mushrooms for a 1up, there is something to be said about the open world, sandbox games that are slowly consuming and contending on the video game market. Although many have marked games like Prince of Persia: The Sands Of Time and Grand Theft Auto as the first great sandbox games, we have to remember the definition of what this means.

A Sandbox game is based on an open world and concept system in which the environment and capabilities of the avatar or character you play do not limit them to one linear objective or route. Instead, sandbox games allow you several possibilities and maneuverability throughout the atmosphere. For example, one game brought to my attention as a sandbox game was Mario 64! This shocked me when I read this but upon further explanation the game allows you not just platform jump through a level, but even choose several different routes and choose which world you want to enter whenever you want (for those who remember, the paintings on the wall).

Recently, the cool factor to sandbox games has taken a great leap, especially towards the idea of using accessible atmosphere and architecture as props and holds in the many parkour-based games like mirrors edge, Assassins Creed, and Prince of Persia. These have raged through the market as the ''must-play'' games of their respected years and have remained my favourite video games for the most recent consoles.

This growing popularity in the concept of adding malleability to gameplay also makes me wonder about a possible genre mixing pot now that these games have given a 'be there or be square' attitude to most game developers who have added many of these features to once untouched genres like first person shooters and arena combat games. Now games like Modern Warfare 2 give airstrike capabilities and camouflage options, and others like Sould Calibur give armour deterioration details and downgrades when an opponent has been hit.

Are changes like these just a closer step to video game realism? Or are we ruining the true-beating heart of nice simple linear games and their genres?

Christian A.V. Petrozza

http://www.henryjenkins.org/2007/12/gambit.html
http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2008/01/assassins-creed/
http://www.giantbomb.com/sandbox/92-453/

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The Power of Parody

With cheap and availability to editing equipment and cameras everyone and their mothers can make video's. Although the dawn of this phenomenon sparked skits a la America's Funniest Home Videos some more creative amateur film makers decided to re enact or re imagine their favourite cinematic moments. For those not acquainted with Stephen Spielberg's great 1991 classic Hook this scene is a ode to the editing and concept of one of the key scenes in the film when an older Peter Pan, played by the wonderful Robin Williams begins using his imagination again as part of his Pan re-orientation.

The comedy troupe Goodneighborstuff filmed this skit and are an internet based group that has some ties in theatre and used clever devices such as out of sequence shooting with a flowing script in order to fool the eye and add the magic to the scene, thus making the food miraculously appear. They also used the original music from the very same scene (scored and conducted by the magical John Williams) in order to hit the point home and let the audience identify with the scene that they may remember from their childhood as some sort of nostalgic 'a-ha' moment.

This nostalgia factor to comical renditions of pop culture films, music, or television connect to the viewer differently than other forms of comedy and entertainment because of their familiarity to a media filled audience, which are likely to respond to such an iconic film director, film, and score.

In our media and 3-screen age, the power of parody prevails

Christian A.V. Petrozza

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