Well I'll be darned.

Two weeks have already passed.  Here are some past highlights (still catching up) mixed with this week's precious treasures.

Festival of Colors was March 24th.  It was my first time.  Not sure I'm a fan, but this video is cool :) 

Sammy's for Jonathan's Birthday!

I realized that my friend Laura looked exactly like this painting.

I finished my last winter semester final TODAY!  I knew I probably forgot some information in the essays, but it was confirmed by talking to a friend right after the test, dang it.  I knew what Kristalnacht was!  I now have a weekend off before school starts all over again.

Happy Easter!

There are some precious moments in my life that would pass me by if it wasn't for the iPhone :)  I am going to start putting these moments on my blog weekly.  I know I haven't written in awhile, so here is a brief update:  
I'm finishing my second semester of BYU's film program.  Still trying to figure out what I want to pursue.  This semester I studied screenwriting, history, distribution, and YouTube.  Check out my channel, DateChronicle

I helped Associate Produce, Post-Production Manage, and assisted the Script Supervisor on the capstone Bitter Pill. 


I've been busy serving on the Student Film Association council, which put on the Final Cut Film Festival this last weekend on campus.

I submitted a short into the Final Cut Film Festival (it was a movie made for a ward talent show for fun) and didn't make it, but now know how I can improve.  (There is an edit with better music I have yet to put up).



















Rachel got married in February in the Salt Lake Temple.  We all went to visit her in Vegas for her second reception in March.

I applied for a same-day surgery PRN position and got an interview but am waiting to hear back.  It will be okay if I don't get it because


I'm going to London, a film study-abroad, this summer from June 19 - August 1st!



Here are some special moments for today.  I'm with my brother Matt, appreciating warm weather and the miracle of spring on my dad's new scooter :)

Eclipse...Sweded

Here is our final for our TMA 105 class.  I was a little nervous because no one in my group seemed to be taking initiative, so I ended up writing the script with some collaborative changes once we started filming.  We did filmed it in about 8 hours and then Collin (the guy who plays Edward) edited over the weekend. Everyone did a fantastic job!  


Unofficial and probably spelled wrong credits:
Collin Barkdull: Edward
Kirsten Merrill: Bella, Alice
Kirsten's Husband (whoops): Jacob
Mark Heizer: Charlie
Emily Steffensen: Victoria
Ben Hawks: Victim
Special Appearance by Nick Dixon, our TA, as Jasper

Through Blue-Eyed Lenses

Here are some things I've seen mainly on campus.  I started taking pictures with my iPhone to practice composition.

This was CREEP-y in the HBLL

Action!

So part time nursing was officially too much.  I was doing 14 credit hours of film (which does not factor in all the time you need to spend on projects) plus 24 hours of nursing which took up my whole weekend.  I also had to pull a couple of night shifts.  It was too hard to maintain for where I want to be in my life right now.  So I've decided to save the working-woman until I have to and so now I am a full time film student.  Okay wait, I actually got referred to an editing job for independent study by a friend the same week I turned in my two week notice.  I had an interview and got hired the same day :)  So now I am a part time film editor too.  It is definitely a blessing and I will learn a lot.


My last shift was sad because my first patient passed away.  He was experiencing some respiratory distress and went on a bipap just to maintain an O2 sat of 89-92%.  It was a sweet experience because the family was able to prepare, but it was such a strange way to pause my nursing career.  I think I'm able to say that I did 8 months-which isn't great, but it's better than being a new grad.  I actually will miss the wound care dressing, IV placing, antibiotic hanging, TPN checking, Feeding tube replacing, Wound Vac troubleshooting, butt wiping, PICC line sterilizing, pill passing, IV flushing, foley inserting, and whatever surprise handling I did over these few months.  I wish I kept a better record of each shift's experiences, but there are definitely moments that stick in my mind.


So far this semester has been crazy but fun.  We got right into filming and so far I've done an action film, silent horror, a Swede of Eclipse, and a silent documentary.  In TMA 185, we are currently working on our final fiction films and our final documentaries.  I'll put the stuff online as soon as I can.

My Identity as a Filmmaker

My mother has exposed me to the older classics.  Through her, I gained an appreciation for black and white films and Old Hollywood actors.


My dad is more than willing to see any movie with me.  This has had an influence on my filmmaking because I have learned from tasting some bitter as well as the sweet.

This book was the first that I remember wanting to write a screenplay for it.  It is a darling book with tons of potential.  Fortunately, things get remade all the time because the film that is out now does not do the book justice.




My old acting coach, Rick Macy, I believe plays a role in how I view acting and film.  Because I recognized him in a church film when I was younger, I learned to appreciate the art of acting as well as the work required going into film.  One memorable experience was when we acted out the teacher's scene from the 6th Sense.

An episode of this TV show was filmed at my home when I was a little girl.  That was my first peek at what it was like behind the set and I loved it.  I remember there was hallway where the Angel reveals herself and how they set up the lighting.




Barbie World Tour  This clip may have inspired what I did with my dad's old camera when I was younger.  I did a lot of trick photography and stop motion.  Besides reverse footage and magic tricks, I filmed our Chihuahuas acting out a play and a full stop motion version of The Fly, as well as other short stories, with Barbies.








The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will always have an influence in my identify.  I want to incorporate that influence into my stories.  I would like to write films that use symbolism or include situations in which good principles may be taught.

My media exposure has included things as diverse as Bringing Up Baby to The Simpsons.  So far, I haven't seen many of the film recommendations from our professors, so I look forward to opening new doors.  I am attracted to period pieces, thought provoking dramas, romantic comedies, comedies, and well-rounded films such as Pirates of the Carribean.

Hair

Before

So I noticed my hair wasn't growing...nay, it appeared to be shortening!  So, I finally threw in the towel on hair-growing and decided to cut it off.  It turns out it wasn't so bad, but here is to being dramatic anyway.

After