The dorm building we stayed in at film camp had many groups staying in it, but the sixth floor remained unused. On the last night, my mentor David was on night patrol. He helped some of us break out and sneak to the lounge on the sixth floor.
By the time we got there, it was very late. We sat around and talked for awhile, and soon everyone started falling asleep. We headed back to our rooms knowing that tomorrow we would finally get to leave the black hole. But did we want to now?
After two weeks, we had truly become afamily. I knew some of the kids at film camp better than I knew kids at my own school. Together, we managed to complete some sweet short films and maintain our sanity.
The last day went by quickly. It all ended with a closing ceremony. Many parents and relatives showed up. We watched the movies we had made and got to see work by the screenwriting and comedy improv students.
After the certificates were handed out, I found Carol Anne, Danny, and Danielle, and we started walking toward the parking garage. Just like that, it was over. Walking back to the car, I felt strange. We all felt as if the two weeks would never end, but they did. And as I grabbed my luggage, I knew that I would most likely never see those people again.
I really miss you guys. I hope you are enjoying the end of summer, and I hope that we meet again someday.
"You met me at a very strange time in my life." - Fight Club
So... after my adventure to WixPix, my weekend turned out to be much busier than I expected - complete with the grand opening of a new building at my school, a meteor shower, a trip to no where Pennsylvania, and a flaming car. I also ran into some dead ends on my short film and had a few college freak outs with my parents.
I want to talk about all of this, but for once in my life I am tired of filmmaking and college. In fact, if someone were to approach me at this particular moment and mention those two words, I would probably hurl my blueberry yogurt at them.
Right now, I want to talk about a much more pressing matter...
The Homosexual Tension between Edward and Jacob in Eclipse.
Normally, I completely boycott all things Twilight, but we had the chance to go to the Westwood theater on Friday at film camp. The theater was really cool, and Carol Anne tells me that a bunch of premieres were held there back in the day.
Eclipse was the only thing playing and surprisingly most of the film students who went were guys. We were really desperate to get off campus.
Eclipse played out as expected. I soon realized that girls like Twilight because it's basically soft porn. Seriously. Jacob was always shirtless - for no reason. Bella was cool but behaved like a whore. She made out with Jacob. Then Edward. Then Jacob again in a neverending cycle. And she tried to get in Edward's pants.
I found all of the violence and sexual stuff to be disturbing since many ten-old-girls are into the series. Girls like my little sister. I quickly called my mom to make sure my sister did not go see Eclipse, but it was too late. Dun. Dun. Dun.
Anyway, the most interesting part of Eclipse was the tent scene. Apparently Twilight fans were anticipating this scene because I found a whole blog devoted to it. The basic jist is that the famous trio are on top of a mountain during a snow storm. Bella is freezing and needs warmed up. Edward can't keep her warm because he's a vampire.
This gives Jacob the chance to say the line, "Let's face it, I'm hotter than you." So, werewolf boy crawls into a sleeping bag with a shivering Kristen Stewart and proceeds to think dirty thoughts that Edward can read.
God, I would hate to know what Stephanie Meyer is like in person.
And what was most disturbing was the fact that every guy in the theater turned to look at each other. We all felt it. The homosexual tension. It was awkward and weird. I can't explain it, but it was like both Jacob and Edward were thinking about ditching Bella, and running away with each other.
Still, not all things were awful. I have to admit... the movie was pretty sexy. At a couple steamy moments, we all squirmed in our seats. Afterwards, everyone admitted how much Eclipse made them miss their significant others back home, myself included.
Plus, Eclipse had really good music. Like this song...
And then there was...
THE TRAILER FOR HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS.
The trailer was greeted with a standing ovation. Being a Harry Potter fan since I read The Chamber of Secrets in second grade, I cannot wait!
Heh. Heh. I'm jumping the gun because the finale of Pretty Little Liars was on last night.
The children of my street excitedly tuned in to ABC Family at my neighbor's house. The show of course ended on a suspenseful note, and now I'll just have to hold my breath for the next season.
Haha! Okay, seriously. Pretty Little Liars is a shallow and sort of stupid show. In LA, Danielle and Erica affectionately called it Dirty Little Bitches. They were spot on. Some of the girls in the show behave like monsters. I find it really difficult to believe that high school girls actually act like that. I could be wrong. I do live in a small town.
I feel like teenagers deal with much more realistic problems than the materialistic ones that appear in Pretty Little Liars. So why did I tune into the show every Tuesday night? I really don't know. But it was entertaining in a summer way.
Another confession... I'm a gleek. Earlier this year, my dad and my brother (of all people) got me hooked on Glee. I excitedly tuned into the finale of that too.
However, whereas I would probably be embarrassed to admit I watched Pretty Little Liars, I am proud to announce that I'm a Glee fan.
I found the show to be hilarious and extremely well done. The writing, performances, and overall production values were impressive. Plus, unlike High School Musical, it wasn't afraid to address real high school issues... sex, pregnancy, homosexuality, racism, obesity, bullying, etc. Not to mention that it involved a pregnant girl and the birth of a baby.
If there are any other guys out there manly enough to profess their love of Glee, please stand up now.
On a side note, I spent most of today at WixPix, a production company near Johnstown. They do commercials and videos for a lot of local businesses and companies. I got to job shadow, ask a bunch of questions, and even work the teleprompter.
Unfortunately, they couldn't give me a camera for my short film, but that's okay. I have a few backup plans that will go in effect tomorrow. Production of this short film will start soon... I promise.
Hipsters mainly reside in areas such as Brooklyn, San Francisco, and Mexico. However, in LA there were sightings and talk of the hipster culture. My contact with said culture began on the first Wednesday at film camp. That evening, we journeyed into Westwood for the first time. After eating at In-N-Out, we headed to Urban Outfitters.
Being from Johnstown, this was my first time in the store, and it was pretty cool. It was here that David and Auggie decided to help me define my fashion sense.
Together, we picked out two V-neck T-shirts. That's it. They are extremely comfortable, and I hear that Target is the place to get a bunch for cheap. Truth be told, I had wanted to try out a V-neck long before that night.
I got a short haircut the night before I left LA. Upon returning home, my Johnstown peeps saw my haircut and new clothes and labeled me as a hipster.
I think hipsters are cool, but I don't want to be one. I don't want the hipster mentality. I want to be Chad. Still, that doesn't mean I can't steal some hipster fashion once in awhile.
P.S. Here's a funny blog to entertain and distract you for awhile longer.
AsI mentioned earlier, the film students were placed into groups of three or four with each person acting as director, producer, director of photography/cinematographer, or editor/sound.
My group worked great together as we quickly decided that Reid would direct, I would produce, Kevin would work the camera, and Walter would edit.
For actors, we cast Jimmy and Zach who were great. They both agreed that they hadn't made a movie as fun as Lemonopoly since high school.
Our group was mentored by a graduate student name Julio. He was awesome! Making Lemonopoly, I learned that the producer does all of the hard work - scheduling, gathering props, setting locations, working with actors, and keeping the shoot on time. Producing was fun especially since organization is my specialty, but I would much rather direct.
On Saturday we had a blast at the shoot. Unlike other groups, we stayed in one location all day. We threw lemons, created jokes, and made a mess.
We spent the rest of the week editing the film. Because my group worked well together, the whole experience was fun. For having only two weeks, I am proud of Lemonopoly. Feel free to check it out.
Let me start with a word about the weather. LA. Warm and sunny right? Wrong. My mom told me that I didn't need to pack any jeans. I packed one pair just in case and wore them throughout the trip. I arrived in LA during June Gloom, which carried over into July. It felt like fall in Pennsylvania. While the people of Johnstown were sweating, I was bundling up.
The days at film camp were long. After only a few days, I felt like I had been there an eternity. We often compared the huge campus of UCLA to a black hole that had sucked us in. It felt like time had stopped, and life outside of the college no longer existed.
This being said, we were easily amused by things such as instant coffee vending machines, Panda Express, and any murmur of Lady Gaga.
In the evenings, the people of US Performing Arts planned fun activities. We often had the chance to go to the gym or the pool (so I did get some running in), and we made trips to Westwood, the neighborhood outside of UCLA. Tuesday nights were Improv nights, and on Monday we ate this thing called a pizookie. It's basically this huge cookie of deliciousness that you eat with ice cream. People in Florida call it a cookie pie.
After an exhausting day of filming on Saturday, we took Sunday (the Fourth of July) off. All of the students boarded school buses, and we headed to Hollywood.
My group decided to stick together. We headed to Amoeba Music, the most beautiful place on earth.
The store has a top floor filled with used DVDs. The bottom floor is littered with posters, used and new CDs, and records. Posters cover the wall, loud Cuban music plays in the background, and the whole building has a welcoming smell of dust. I even walked into the back room where old school music is kept. I could have spent an entire day in that part alone.
I ended up buying E.T.,Three Kings, and Phoenix's It's Never Been Like That.
After Amoeba, we grabbed some Philly Steak n' Cheese sandwiches, explored a Goodwill type store, and took pictures outside of the Chinese theater.
The day concluded with a trip to the Hollywood Bowl where we watched the cool firework show. On the late night return trip, I feel asleep on the bus. Reaching the dorms, everyone passed out immediately.
That adventure was a highlight on my trip. Getting the chance to just have fun and hang out with new friends for a day was great. The next day, we returned to filmmaking.
The second week of Camp Zacchaeus ended yesterday. The experience was amazing, of course. It gave me the chance to hang out with old friends, make new ones, touch the lives of children, reflect on and absorb all of my summer adventures, and grow spiritually.
As Ryan, Tyler, Addison, and I left the grounds of Camp Sequanota, I became overwhelmed with the sense that summer was ending. Camp Z was the last of my excursions. LA. Film Camp. XC Camp. I've done a lot. This summer has been beautiful, but it's not over.
I still have three weeks until school. I am using this weekend to recover and regroup. Tomorrow I will be reunited with Alaina (who is at an Ok Go concert at the moment) and the cross country team. And on Monday, my 24/7 quest to complete my summer reading and make a short film before school starts will officially begin.
In the process, I want to write about everything. And I'll start with that long list.
