Congratulations to our Directing Instructor Simone Bartesaghi for winningBest Screenplay at the Milan International Film Festival (MIFF) for the movie he wrote and directed RUN.
RUN is a fast paced, coming-of-age crime thriller, about seventeen year old, street smart Daniel who is self taught, and unknowingly adept at Parkour, a physical discipline of training to overcome any obstacle within one’s path by adapting one’s movements to the environment.
Under the guidance of his tough loving, yet misguided father, Mike, Daniel utilizes his incredible athletic skills to become an agile young thief as they move from city to city. After a close call with the Detroit police, Mike decides to return to New York City in the hopes of settling a sixteen year old dispute and proving his innocence with the crime family where he met Daniel’s now deceased mother.
Daniel yearns for his nomadic lifestyle to end and finds himself bonding with Mark and a group of freerunners who introduce a name to his secret skill set. He instantly falls for Mark’s sister Emily who reveals secrets of her own and they both learn the importance of trust.
When Mike’s truce with the head of the crime family doesn’t quite go as planned, Daniel must utilize all his skills to fight for the life and freedom of not only him and his father, but also Mark and Emily when they unexpectedly get pulled into the dispute.
We previously featured Los Angeles Film School alum Jeremiah “Paper Films” Melton in our student spotlight feature, as he was busy shooting music videos for the likes of Three Six Mafia, Damon Dash and Akon, however now that he’s working at Skee TV, there is so much more to brag about. Although he’s only been working there for three months, he has already shot and edited behind the scenes videos of Wiz Khalifa, Pusha T, YG, Rockie Fresh and Rick Ross, Chris Webby and Dizzy Wright, T.I. and Chris Brown.
Watch the videos below. (Warning: Please watch the videos at your own discretion. Some videos contain explicit language.)
Felix Sauermann is not someone who waits around for things to happen; he goes out and creates the opportunity himself. After graduating from the Film program at The Los Angeles Film School, Felix founded his own production company: Project52 Media. His clients include GUESS Jeans and TOMS Shoes. Project52 is working on a new campaign with GUESS. They are searching for a new model and face for the company – Project52 Media has been tasked to handle the video portion of the campaign consisting of three videos and trailers. Project52 shot and edited the video for World Sight Day, an event organized by the World Health Organization and sponsored by TOMS.
Before enrolling in the film program, Felix actually wasn’t aware that filmmaking was something you could study or even pursue as a career. After moving back to California he started his research on film schools. Once he took a tour of the facility and met with an admissions rep at the Los Angeles Film School, he knew that this was where he belonged. Previously he had attended Whittier College for a degree in industrial design. He knew that a traditional 4 year school wasn’t something he’d want to do, so the film program was a perfect fit.
Being new to the world of Film, Felix “paid attention to everything”. It was important for him to break things down into its elements and reassemble them. Always having had an affinity for things of technical nature and photography it made sense to start as a camera operator.
You get to see the movie right then and there. You’re right in the middle of everything.
He spent a considerable amount of time on the Cinematography stage soaking up every bit of knowledge Charles Rose had to offer. Encouraged to pursue screenwriting by Linda Cowgill, Felix eventually finished the script for his thesis film “Wish You Were Here”. In preparation for the production Felix discovered his passion for directing in close collaboration with James Pasternak and Simone Bartesaghi. Having operated the camera on many films, Felix enjoyed piecing together a story shot by shot. The editing process seemed like a natural extension and the film turned out to be a success at the festivals.
Felix had originally started in the accelerated program and switched to the extended program when it became apparent he wanted more time and to take full advantage of all the recourses available. The time spent at the Writer’s Guild, Cinematography Guild and Producing Guild proved to be some of the most valuable.
The teachers care. And I mean really care… I like to think that I arrived as a student and left as a friend.
Felix has been fortunate to have a multitude of multifaceted and talented people on the team as well as plenty of referrals and recommendations. While also doing their own productions, Project52 is a community of filmmakers that is represented by one entity. Their purpose is to make it easier for people to approach a group of talented people and find the skill that suits their demands. Project52 pairs professionals with projects and the other way around. This method allows them to tackle a wide variety of projects since they are able to tailor the team to the clients’ demands.
Now that Felix is running Project52 Media, he is able to produce his own projects and has a lot of great things in the pipeline, including a web series titled “Invisible Rock Stars” as well as a documentary for the LAPD about a new program which prepares high school students for a career in law enforcement.
The process of starting a company was challenging – but in the end all worth it. Building a team and working with smart, creative people has been very rewarding and the company only continues to grow.
It’s better to collaborate and let people do their thing. With Project52, we have so many talented people on our team who each have their areas of expertise… You don’t want to interfere with the creative process once a common goal is in sight.
Los Angeles Recording School Course Director, Intermediate Film Sound instructor Andrew Ing was nominated for a 2nd Daytime Emmy Award for his work on Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness which airs on Nickelodeon.
The nomination is for the category “Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing: Animation”. Andrew also won a Daytime Emmy for the same show and category last year. Congratulations Andrew, we’ll be rooting for you!
Walk On, a documentary film that Joseph Kibler produced and is the subject in is having it’s World Premiere screenings at the Newport Beach Film Festival and would love to students, faculty and staff to attend.
Walk On documents Joseph’s journey as a physically disabled 21 year old who was born HIV Positive. Despite medical forecasts, he has gone from wheelchair to walker, walker to crutches, and at the age of 18 took my first steps with a cane. Walk On follows Joseph as he trains for a lifelong goal of walking in a 6 mile AIDS walk while educating others about HIV and disabilities with the help of a Quadriplegic Stand-up Comic, an Amputee Paralympic Sprinter, and a Purple Heart Veteran.
Here is the info to get tickets to the world premiere screenings of film Walk On.
Next screening is at the ISLAND CINEMA 7, 999 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660:
Tuesday April 30th at 6:00pm
Screening will have a Q&A session afterwards with the filmmakers.
Going above and beyond will always bring you career awards. Just ask Jonathan Greasley, who graduated from Los Angeles Recording School back in March of 2011. The British national originally moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a professional musician with his band Apartment 26, but once they broke up he decided to switch paths and focus on the audio world within the film industry. Jonathan came to LARS to help kickstart this change in direction.
Jon’s fortunes and career trajectory changed forever when LARS Program Director Steve Miller helped to introduce Jon to a contact at sound design house King Soundworks, who were impressed enough to offer Jon a paid internship right after graduation. Nearly two years later, Jon has risen through the ranks at King Soundworks and is now a full-time unionized sound editor for them. Jon’s impressive audio credits include last year’s blockbuster feature Battleship, as well as broadcast network shows Parenthood, Prime Suspect (NBC) and Vegas (CBS). Jon was also assistant sound editor on the Jackie Robinson biopic 42, which is released in theaters everywhere Friday, April 12.
Originally Jon started out as an intern, and being the great person and hard worker that he is, hit it off with the team and especially with owner Greg King. It was only a matter of time before he was able to advance within the company. Duties as assistant sound editor range from pulling and mastering sound effects for both film and television, making sure the assets from the picture editing department are transferred and prepped properly, helping the sound editorial team with whatever they need to most effectively create the show’s soundtrack, spotting foley tracks for shows, and then eventually cutting both dialogue and effects. Additionally, he was able to use the expertise gained from these responsibilities to supervise and mix several independent features when the opportunity arose.
Providing a support role for the team and showing his expertise in the Pro Tools Icon consoles proved to be very essential in his work. While attending the Recording School, Jonathan paid close attention in tutorial sessions and made sure he booked the rooms out as often as possible. He also made it known that he was interested in doing post-production sound for film, so he linked up with at least five different film students’ short film projects. That gave him hands on experience, as well as networking opportunities that are so necessary to advance within the entertainment industry.
When asked about advice he would give to current students, Jonathan replied:
It helps to know what you want to do. As soon as you know, let others know. Get as much hands on experience as you can, and get to know as many people as possible. Because I put in extra effort and made it known I wanted to do post-production sound for film, Steve Miller was able to introduce me to the people at King Soundworks.
Congratulations on all your hard work paying off Jonathan! Keep it up.
Join us Tuesday, April 23rd at 7:30pm for an evening of award-winning short films and a fascinating look into the creative process that catapulted Online Video creators into major Hollywood studios and multi-million dollar feature films. After screening the three impressive, short films that lifted these directors into the Hollywood limelight, we’ll open up a live Q&A panel with the directors themselves!
CHEECH AND CHONG VISIT THE LOS ANGELES FILM SCHOOL IN CELEBRATION OF THEIR UPCOMING BLU-RAY RELEASE “CHEECH AND CHONG’S ANIMATED MOVIE”
Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong are presently making the rounds to promote their new movie Cheech and Chong’s Animated Movie. They spent Wednesday evening at The Los Angeles Film School entertaining a crowd of approximately 300 Los Angeles Film School students and alumni with their classic humor and hysterical chemistry. The Q&A preceding the screening of their film was moderated by LA Film School faculty member and Course Director Michael Peter Bolus Ph.D.
Known for his great improvisational acting abilities, Cheech addressed how he integrates his style into scripted productions, “When you show the director and the other actors that you know actually what the basic material is and you can juice it up and improv and you show that ‘here’s the difference,’ it’s like bringing in another drummer, tss, tss, tss… and they start playing that way too and it loosens up the whole thing. It’s all music, it really is all music.”
The Grammy award-winning comedy team of Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong originally came together in the 1970’s with their stand up comedy, films and albums being a mainstay in the hippy counter culture. Parting for a while in the 80’s and 90’s, they have come back together in recent years and the chemistry and comedic timing of the pair has not missed a beat.
After finishing a degree at Florida State, Leeron realized he wanted more out of life and wanted to excel in ways that he grew up dreaming about. He decided to turn his dream into a reality by pursuing a career in the film industry and started out by moving to Los Angeles to enroll in the Los Angeles Film School. With the help of his parents and grandmother, Leeron uprooted from Florida and “made the best decision I could have ever made for myself,” which was diving right in to the film degree program. “I learned more at LAFS than I learned studying textbooks at Florida State,” Leeron explained, as the courses here are all hands-on, and students are able to start making their own films right away. The experience he gained here gave him the skills and confidence to take on any job within the industry. Learning the ins and outs of being on set from award-winning industry professionals allowed invaluable experience, as the most important lesson he learned was that:
“The industry can be brutal; you have to be tough because of how much work, energy and time is spent on any one project.”
After graduation, Leeron pursued freelance work. He had a strong reel, used networking connections, and was trusted to work on more freelance projects. However, the need for a more stable job couldn’t be denied, so he reached out to the Career Development department, who helped him land a few interviews. Leeron expresses his gratitude:
“I want to thank the team for helping me. At first I was scared and felt pressured with the weak economy, but I didn’t give up. I kept pursuing jobs and went to interviews at companies like Sony and Warner Brothers.”
About a month and a half after graduation, he was able to get an interview with Mahalo.com (which is now Inside Studios). Currently, the company has nine shows in production and is expanding. Leeron was selected as a candidate for the Production Manager position and was quick to acclimate to the company, culture, and fast-paced environment at the studio. His day-to-day responsibilities revolve around managing all productions from beginning to end. He also has the responsibility of hiring freelancers, assisting his video team (directors, editors, DP’s and crew) to complete successful productions, and assisting his team to scout locations, provide budgets, and cast hosts for the show. Leeron thoroughly enjoys working with his colleagues, and he describes them as “Extremely talented!”
In addition to everyone’s job tasks, Leeron and his colleagues are free to share ideas for more shows. Everything he learned at LAFS is applied to his everyday job responsibilities at the studio, from knowing what equipment needs to be brought in, to running the right production processes, to making sure that all shoots are being completely efficient and successful. The former Production Manager of Mahalo.com was also a LAFS alum–he set an incredible path and structure for Leeron to follow.
The most recent show Leeron has been working on is called “Being Fat Sucks,” which is similar to the YouTube sensation “Shay Loss,” who documented his weight loss and gained a subsequent 264,862 subscribers and over 13 million hits. “Being Fat Sucks” goes above and beyond, and documents four different individuals, all with different weight loss goals and needs. The second season of the show premieres Monday, April 15th, at 1pm PST. Justin Bellow, another film program alum, is the director and co-producer.
Watch the trailer for “Being Fat Sucks” and make sure you tune in on Monday at 1pm!
Shalik Berry is looking for interns for a five room recording facility he owns called Windmark Recordings in Santa Monica, CA. They are in the process of opening out doors and need some interns. If you are interested in working in the music business then this is the right opportunity for you.
Intern Duties:
Cleaning
Runs
Logging microphones
Cleaning up after every session (wrapping and storing cables properly, returning mics to locker, normalizing the consoles, general cleaning of the rooms)
Answer phones
Taking food orders
Working closely with assistant and recording engineer to prepare and wrap up sessions.
Helping to organize equipment.
If interested, please send a cover letter and resume to Ernesta Mensah at emensah@lafilm.com and she will review your information to pass along.
