A Long (mustachio'd) Time Coming

Hi everyone

It's been well over a year since my last post, which makes this a very long time coming. But, basically, I'm here to say that as of today, 'London Calling' is officially back. I have returned. I am alive. I am well. And I am back in London.

I figured that this is the best way to keep everyone up to speed on my life and my work. I think there's been a few people out there who've enjoyed reading about my misadventures... so this is for you!

OK, so here's what's happened since May 2007:

Summer 2007:

I may, I finished Junior year at St. Norbert, Jenna comes out to America in what was initially meant to be a 2-3 week trip... But, thanks to our lucky stars, she was able to spend the entire summer with my and my American family. I introduced her to Chipotle, Taco Bell, (you know, all the good stuff) Wendy's, Diary Queen, yep, that's it. Fast food. Well, not really. She did eat some of that, but not all (thankfully). We had a great summer together... I caricatured a lot... like the summer before. County fairs, little parties, etc... and this summer caricaturing was my only form of income. And it went well too. We took a trip to Chicago, went to the pool and saw the Burnies, saw the lakes of Minneapolis, saw Minnehaha falls, did lots. Then, in august, she went back to England and I went back to DePere for my Senior year in college. Oh, and I decided to not shave certain parts of my face all summer long. I could now appear on the set of the Pirates of the Caribbean 6 and not need a press pass.

Senior Year (2007-2008):

Senior year was great. Really great. I lived in a s***hole campus party house where my room was not really a room, but a converted porch. It had windows on the walls of my room that shown inside the house, it was actually slanted at a 12 degree angle and was unbearably cold in the winter. So in other words... the best college living experience you can possible have! But if weren't for the people I lived with, it would have been bad. But it really wasn't. I had a great year there.

Aside from accommodation, I also did some work during my senior year.
Much like before, I continued making my own short movies on the side. For less than $100, I made 4 short films during my senior year. The first was called "Campus Safety Action Force". It was a 15-minute action comedy about everyone's favorite on-campus authorities. I wrote the script in the summer of 2007, then shot it in the fall for about 7 weekends with a brand new Canon GL2 video camera bought with my college-bound fund (thanks mom and dad!), some old friends and a bunch of new friends. It was a very stressful experience at times, but definitely paid off. I had a lot of fun, we had a successful screening (about 200 people turned up!) and I made some great friends. In addition to the movie, I had an article in the school newspaper and had T-shirts made to raise money for Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS). On top of all that, I entered the movie into the student juried art show and won 2nd place! I wasn't even expecting that they'd include it in the show, but I guess I was wrong. I think a lot of people responded to the film. And that's why I made it. I wanted to connect with the students of SNC. I made it for them.
During my second semester I made 3 additional short films. These were much shorter than CSAF, but much more focused. They represent the first real step in the direction I want to take film. Character driven, interesting stories, use of symbolism, all that real stuff. I pored everything that I had learned into these 3 experiments. They were made within an independent study that I created with a faculty member that I really admire. The first is called "Unlit". I used two actors from the Basic Acting class I was taking to bring to life this little moment that exists within a much bigger story. It's basically just the climax of an argument that reveals little clues about their history together. For what it's worth, I think it was a big success.
The second is called "Vingt Quatre Ans" ("Twenty Four Years"). It's about a young French woman coming to America for the first time. In this 3 minute piece, she is on her to way to meet someone she has been waiting to meet her whole life. With thanks to the very talented French TA, Marie, the film turned out great. Above all other attempts, this has been the film that has really connected with people the most. For that, I am very proud. I hope to make more like this in the future.
The third and final film is called "Dream Tapping". This was another experiment of mine.... this time in political sci-fi. The idea stems from the government having the ability to tap into our phone lines to monitor our phone lines, prevent safety and uphold the greater good. So I took it a step further... what if the government learned how to tap into our minds, into our dreams? So this story takes places a white room, with all white clothing, representing a dream state that the government has created to make people better Americans by preventing terrorist thoughts. The story involves a young girl who was once a prisoner of this system hacking back in to try and bring it down. With the help of a young psychology student, she explains the system to him and they try to destroy it. I used the same actors as Unlit because I thought they worked well together. In the end, I thought they did a wonderful job and I achieved what I had set out to do: experiment with sci-fi. I'm happy with what I came up with and hope you'll enjoy it as well.

Aside from the short films made during my senior year, I also had a lot of fun, did well in school and continued to date Jenna. It was in some ways, the longest 9 months of my life, but in many other ways, it went way too fast. I spent a lot of time working and looking towards the future, but also seeing people I knew I wouldn't be spending much more time with. It was a delicate balance, but I think I succeeded in making my senior year the best it could have possibly been.

Graduation and Summer 2008:

Graduating was a really cool experience. I got to wear a Union Jack sash on my graduation gown, my family was able to make it and the ceremony wasn't ridiculously long! And I did graduate, which is also good. I was a little worried...
Probably even more memorable than gradua-ma-wating, however, was my senior art show. Being in the last group meant that I had the show just a few weeks before graduation and towards the end of the school year. So a really crazy-busy-stressful-time! But also a great time, because of being able to look back on the entire senior year. It was a great weekend. My family, grandparents, some extended family and some close family friends were able to attend. They took me out to eat, for drinks, for coffee and were altogether very supportive of me. I was very honored and thankful for such a a nice weekend.

So, senior year is over. Done. Gone. I am now an alumnus of St. Norbert College and possess a bachelor's degree. Scary.

Next Few Posts:
Videos!
Post After That:
NYC, home, then the move to London.