Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Recently, I was early for work in Willimantic and decided to take a half an hour wander through the nearby cemetery while sipping some coffee and taking pictures. For some reason I find cemeteries fascinating, and peaceful. I visit to be reminded that struggle is normal and as long as we don't let it overwhelm us we are getting what we are supposed to out of our time on earth. And I visit to get a glimpse of how our families make a monument out of our graves to try and have us be remembered beyond their own memory. Someday, I will pick one grave which I find particularly interesting and see if I can find anything out about them from town records and such.

Hey, I never said I was normal.





Not going to lie, it was the 20 year old in me that thought the last name was funny...












Saturday, November 19, 2011

Wedding Planning


As most of you know I am engaged to the wonderful and Talented Alexander Andriulli, and now that my work schedule is loosening up a tinsy bit we're finally getting focused on some wedding planning! For this post, I'm simply posting some of my favorite research.



Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Weekend of Indie

There is quite a bit going on our little underground world of film this upcoming month or so. The question is, which one to pick?

On Friday November 18
a) MAC 650 Gallery is having an opening night for Linda M. Klusek
    i) 650 Main Street Middletown CT
    ii)4pm-9pm
   iii) free admission
   iv) I'll be attending for the beginning of the event ;-)

b) World Premiere for Hanging Tree
    i) Quad Cinema in NYC
   ii) 10pm-??
   iii) $15 at the door or $12 if you order online
   iv) after party at Studio XXI
   v) I will be attending this also :-D

On Saturday November 19 you could see:
a) The Fence
    i) at Clinton City Hall (CT)
   ii) show's at 8pm red carpet at 7pm
   iii) tickets are an affordable $10 and can be purchased right at the door.

b) Ninja Zombies
    i) Tribeca Grand Hotel (NYC)
   ii) 7pm for cocktail hour, two film shorts, and then feature
   iii) all of which only costs $10 to enter
   iv) and, bonus, part of all proceeds go to Healing the Children Northeast


On November 30th and December 1st:
a) Media Production Confrence and Expo (I recommend it for all of the ripe for picking networking opportunities)
    i) it costs nothing to see the exhibits
    ii) $35 for just one workshop
    ii) $100 for 4 workshops
    iii) $200 for as many workshops as you want, access to all of the keynote speeches, and to the evening reception.


Indie Film Stalking

All of these film premieres!

Sadly I've been working too much to make it to the film premieres I'd been looking forward to: The Melancholy Fantastic Directed by A.D. Calvo, and Zom Rom Com directed by Daniel Lee White, which totally breaks my heart :-(

However I have been diligently Facebook stalking them to find out when their next screenings will be taking place.

Alexander got to go to the last screening of Melancholy Fantastic and from the sounds of it I would have loved it. Horror, meets suspense, meets emo kid, meets mannequins? Yep, that's totally my cup of tea.


Their next screening is Friday December 16th at Real Art Ways in Hartford CT. And for once (knock on wood) I won't be working! So I'll actually get to go!

Check out their website for more info: http://www.goodnightfilm.com/melancholyfantastic/ or your could become a fellow FB stalker --erm-- fan at http://www.facebook.com/melancholyfantastic

No idea when I'll be able to catch Zom Rom Com next, but I'm keeping an eye out for it.

On the note of films I want to see but know I won't be able to make it to is Ninja Zombies. This one looks like it would be so much fun to go and watch!!! And I'm adding it to my unofficial list of reasons I need to move to NYC. (Item 1:, the people, Item 2: The work, Item 3: All of these freaking awesome film premieres I keep missing out on! I guess it's an offical list now that it's been written... )Anyway, back to Ninja Zombies



Their premiere is going to be Saturday November 19th at 7:00pm in the Tribeca Grand Hotel, NYC. And here's your stalking info:
Website: http://www.ninjazombiesfilm.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ninjazombiesfilm
Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=301219969907488

Monday, November 14, 2011

New Film Project

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2108600549/the-tillinghast-nightmare

A shout out to Alec Asten's new project! Tillinghaust! You should totally donate to this project and help make it happen! I am working on some artwork of my own to add to the endeavor so keep an eye out for some macabre Jeanette Drake originals!

To follow some research on the subject to inspire some work on my part:
I'm thinking of doing some sketches in the style of the old woodcuts from the 1800s.




Thursday, November 10, 2011

my current misadventure

Once upon a time it was a quiet fall in scenic New England and I had just begun work at a new theater as their scenic charge and props master. Very excited to join the crew and ready to get going on an 11 day build/install of the theater's upcoming production of Smokey Joe's Cafe.

And along came Alfred. He emptied his overflowing supplies of snow onto the unsuspecting North East. Trees toppled, transformers were ripped off of their perches and the quiet New England fall was plunged into wintry black out.

Meanwhile- back at the new theater- I began to paint the set out on the porch, bundled up against the cold and working as long as there was light. (And forever persuading the paint to dry despite the cold. The pre-built scenery ran out. 4 days of black out later an already crammed build schedule becomes impossible to complete in time for opening night. But no worry, if there was one thing I learned on Diamond Ruff it is that anything is possible with enough extra help. So, a few phone calls later, in come the reinforcements! Chris and Joe, also Diamond veterans, spend hours wiring bulbs for the full light-boxed stair unit and uncomplainingly give a hand with the painting as well. The last scenic charge from 7A was also there to lend a hand. Thanks Dan!

Now, a few sleepless nights later, the to-do list in down to manageable items and I am looking forward to a good night's sleep the way a kid looks forward to Christmas morning. But the set is looking beautiful and (big plus) a job well done means my rent's not an issue this month :) huzzah!!

What's the theater you ask?
Why, it's 7 Angels theater located at 1 Plank Rd. in Waterbury CT.

When can you see this remarkable triumph against Alfred?
Well, the show opens today (as I write, in fact, the show is running for it's first audience upstairs). and it runs until December 18th. Check it out at their website: http://sevenangelstheatre.org/

Who are the key players here?
Artistic Director is Semina De Laurentis
Set designer is Erik Diaz
Technical Director is Josh Clabaugh
Me! :o) as scenic charge and props master

Want a sneak peak?
Ok ;o)

Here are a few process photos I've taken along the way.



More later :o)

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Zom Rom Com

Ever since hearing the title when they were first scouting for help at SECT I fell in love with this film. I'm so glad their premiere is coming up soon! I really hope I can make my schedule work out so I can go to the premiere!



Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Diamond Ruff in the news

During this production we ended up with a lot of news coverage. Which was incredible :-)

For your entertainment, here are the things I've been able to track down:








The car chase caught on camera... news cameras that is :-)
http://www.ctnow.com/news/connecticut/hartford/hc-hartford-closures-0917-20110916,0,7181257.story

Trailer for a new film coming out


I found this link on the http://www.steampunktribune.com blog. Cool place if your even mildly interested in the world of steam punkery.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

More Diamond Ruff Pics

Our Talent for the film Fredro Starr. Known for his music in the group Onyx and for his work in "Save the last Dance,"


Felicia Snoop hanging out on set in partial Trojan warrior costume-- just the spandex under suit you see.













One of our flash back scenes where young Diamond is rocking the corporate world.














Featuring: Ray! Once one of our PA's- now forever immortalized as rookie cop 1 who yells "Freeze!" when entering the prison bus.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Welcome back!

And I'm back!

The last month was crazy! I will slowly filter out some images and stories over the next few weeks all about Diamond Ruff. And boy do I have some good ones to share. :-)

For now here's a few publicly released images for your enjoyment:


Remember that post a loooong time ago about Tolland historical prison? Yep :-) Here it is again in all of it's grandeur. Full of film people!











Willimantic has a courtroom? It does now.













Huzzah for Tact1! They helped me out so much on this project. If you have any prop gun needs absolutely give them a call. They were a pleasure to work with. http://tact1.net/










Still one of my favorite days of shooting; shutting down main street and driving 7 beautiful squad cars down it. Thank you Hartford PD!!










Still want more? Friend Diamond Ruff on Facebook or check out our website at http://diamondruffmovie.com

Monday, August 22, 2011

Sweet Caffeinated babies!

After a long night doing paperwork and another day's worth of it to get through, I really can't wait to just get my hands physically on rest of my to-do list!

But, as a wise man once said to me- "A good production is 80% planning and 20% creating. And even though creating is the fun part. It can't happen well without the prep."

So another day of prep begins again.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Yeehaw!

It feels so good to have things all starting to line up. Locations are set, schedule's locked, crew's coming in to help now, even materials are making themselves available.

And now there's a good group of people on the team-- each and every one will be a total pleasure to have. It never ceases to amaze me how a team of people makes moving a mountain not only seem possible but also pleasurable.

I can't wait! Production's going to (knock on wood) be a total blast! :-D

Monday, August 15, 2011

yarp.

22 days left until we begin filming, and everyday gets busier and busier. Tonight, at the ripe old hour of 2am I am  making as detailed a google calendar as I ever have before. That way, god-forbid, I lose my schedule printout my handi-dandy phone can keep me on track.

Up next: a lot of graphic design, which, thank goodness will be happening on my brand spankin' new laptop! YAY! My old one recently decided it was a great idea to have the screen stop working. Boo.

In other news I finally got around to helping out with the painting in the stairwell at the apartment. I painted a good chunk of ceiling and a couple of walls before tripping over the corner of a drop cloth and landing ankle deep in the paint tray. Poor rainbow flip-flops- they deserved so much better than a white latexey death. I will miss them. I am proud to say, however that despite getting my entire foot covered in paint I managed to get down the hallway, into my apartment and into the shower with only a few easily cleaned up drops of paint.

Doodle a day? Surprise, surprise, is a neat little stack of sketches waiting to be scanned and uploaded. I'm a few days behind which irks me, so eventually I'm just going to have to sit down and crank out a few extras. I really want to make this happen. Because I know keeping up while during production is going to be next to impossible.

Friday, July 29, 2011

Yay!! Movie!

After a slew of interviews and some incredible workalizing; the wardrobe department now consists of more than 2 people. Huzzah!!! Set Department; still a little scarce on man power but I've got a great set designer, an incredible graphic designer, and some dedicated set PAs. Now... All I have to do is get enough people to help me carry stuff around...

In other news;
A friend shared this incredible steam punk shoe site with me. And I've decided I need to own every single one of these. My wallet promptly smacked me in the face and reminded me I'm broke. *Sigh*
yummy steampunk shoes!!

so pretty!!
love this like it's my job!

Friday, July 22, 2011

Thursday, July 21, 2011

The Sound Stage has become my home


Good Morning Sound Stage!
The sun is shining and the birds in the nest above the doorway are chirping. time for a nice cup of coffee and drifting through the morning's e-mails. 

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Blargh!

So the last few days have been totally crazy. I've been running around doing location scouting, e-mailing like a fiend, and trying to squeeze some sleep in. So doodle-a-day has been suffering. I haven't even had my 5 min coffee-to-myself time lately.   :(

However, the movie's finally picking up steam, and we're finding great places to shoot, and wonderful people all over who are willing to help out. This movie is not going to be easy; but it is sooooo going to be worth all the effort!

Sunday, July 17, 2011

can't sleep, too much caffeine...

After my 12 hour (ok, actaully 11 and a half hour) day of continuity work on the script I just couldn't sleep, so I spent a while doing doodle number 40.

Photoshop. Entirely :)

Wall sketch and painting

The wall painting I'm working on for the recess around my apartment door. Technically this is today's and yesterday's doodle-a-day--- but I'll think I'll back-track a bit to make some separate one.

Can't wait to finish this painting!

Friday, July 15, 2011

39

















Sorry for the poor image quality, but I gave the original away to a friend before scanning it...

Watercolor on paper

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

38

orchid sketch revisited

colored in Photoshop-- quickly... I'll redo this one later- I'm not very happy with this one. But for now, I'll leave it up. What can I say? We all have our uninspired days.


And, slightly better...