This last fall I had the privilege of producing a video of some of the WWAMI graduates currently located in Alaska. It was showcased at the program’s 40th Anniversary event in September 2011. The footage was captured with the Canon 7D, and the Nikon D90 by Judy Patrick of Judy Patrick Photography. The video was welled received, and upon completion of the project, the representatives from WWAMI wanted individual videos produced of each person featured in the video. The following videos are the individual videos of four individuals that have been through the WWAMI program, and are now actively practicing in various locations throughout Alaska. Portions of the videos were used in a video produced at the University of Washington (click here to view).

ShareThis

ShareThis

ShareThis

Now Hiring from Micah Ness on Vimeo.

This movie, was one of the entries into the third Annual Oscar Night, 2010, at Family Life Church in Nampa, Idaho. The movie was a Mockumentary, in the comedy category. It was filmed with the Canon Vixia HF10 HD, and edited in Final Cut Pro.

This movie, was one of the entries into the third Annual Oscar Night, 2010, at Family Life Church in Nampa, Idaho. The movie was a Mockumentary, in the comedy category. It was filmed with the Canon Vixia HF10 HD, and edited in Final Cut Pro.

ShareThis

So, most everyone enjoys making movies, watching movies, or being in movies. Which ever is your fancy, Movies, Film, and Theatres are a huge part of our culture these days. Whether we are watching them on our ipods, televisions, DVD players, computers, or big screens, our eyes are consumed with movies a-lot. It is such a huge moneymaker in this and many other countries, and some people end up in the industry to make a living. Unfortunately those wrapped up in “Hollywood” usually end up being exposed by the media for every little thing, and get followed and photographed at any possible moment. It is amazing how the lives of movie stars become so much like a soap opera, and it is a shame that the movie industry is so caught up in the fads and basically anything that will sell a ticket or a DVD. Sex sells, and it embarrassingly true. There is nothing that is off limits for film anymore, and so many movies are watched, even ones deemed G rated or kids movies that should never see the light of day.

Now people get on me for being a movie critic, and I don’t say that I am sorry, because I am not. That is because when I look at a movie, I do not look at the cover, or the action, or just that everyone says that it is good, but I look deeper.  I do not believe that you have to make movies that follow the trends of the times, and the wants of the people, because many of those wants and desires are appalling. I believe that you can show love without nudity and sex, I believe that you can make movies that are appealing to different generations, and that their does not have to be an F bomb thrown every other word to make it cool. I spend quite a bit of time behind a camera, and you could say I have an eye for film. I have a creative mind and try to portray that creativeness to the screen.

I am not saying I am an expert by any means, but I am saying that through my experience I have learned to pick up on other things that make a movie worthwhile that many people may not consider. These are -

1. Cinematography. This phrase is not commonly used in describing a good movie, but it is what I am looking for. Creative camera angles, artistic shots, beautiful scenery and compilations, really make or break a movie. You can have a great actor, but if the shot is not set up well, then things just get boring. It is really hard to describe what I am talking about in words, but it is just something that catches the eye, and plays itself out to the eyes, like a symphony plays to the ears. Something that goes along with this is action and suspense. Filmmakers spend millions on stunts and explosives, and it really takes a lot of big booms to thrill us these days, but action can get over done as well, and unless it is supposed to be a fictional movie, I prefer the more realistic aspect of adventure.

2. Acting. It is so terrible when you have a great movie idea, but bad acting involved. Movies require emotion and the act of an actor or actress becoming one with the person they are portraying in the film. You would think that those who get paid so much, and make a living in front of a camera, would be able to perform better on a regular basis. A film should be believable, and be something to make you a part of the story.

3. Plot. I am one who really enjoys movies that have an intricately woven plot, that makes you have to think to figure out the movie, but this can be over done. I am also not one for having happy endings all the time either. Thought provoking movies, and ones that drive one to action really hits it home for me, and even though it is all acting and screen work, it should have an impact on you that will last much longer than the film. So what are you taking with you when you are done watching it?

4. Script. There are people that write and write, script after script, and the amount of them that actually end up becoming a movie is quite small. However, this does not mean that there are ones that become a movie and are still not film worthy. Cheesy lines, and predictable quotes can really put a movie on the bottom of the scale for me. It is not always the actor’s fault when there are words coming out of their mouth that shouldnt be. Yes, the 10 minute long motivational speeches are okay, when used sparingly, but really, when does that actually happen in real life. Yes it is a movie, but if it is not believable then keep it in the fiction category.

5. Clean. Believe it or not there are actually some movies out there that have no sex scenes in them, and that are actually good movies. Yes, there are some movies that require certain elements to portray the whole picture, but if it that means dirtying it up then I will just not see the movie. It is a shame that we become numb to all of the cussing and swearing and scantly clad women, and we say it does not effect us, but is that 100% true? What is going on on the inside?

This list could go on and on, but it gives you an idea of what goes through my head when some one asks me if a movie was good, or what I thought about it. Videography is one of my passions, and I enjoy the opportunity to share that passion with others through the videos I make. I may offend some people in this article, but someone needs to go against the grain of society and the film industry, and show that there is a different standard to judge things by. So next time you go to a theatre, or sit down in front of the “Tube” think twice. I am not saying don’t watch movies, but be a critic, if you so choose, and you may find your enjoyment in entertainment get just a bit better.

ShareThis

There is a yearly event that many people watch on TV, and a select few get to experience first hand. It’s called the Oscars. Its that night when all of the celebrities, filmmakers and movie stars get together, done up in their best, or sometimes worst, fashion attire, and head down the red carpet with cameras flashing, and video rolling. It is always the hype of who is wearing what, this person dating that person, but most importantly, who will go home with the Oscar. People enjoy watching it, and cheering on their favorite movie, actor or actress, and hoping for some creative phrases that some come up with when receiving the coveted gold colored statue. However, the fun only goes so far for the viewer, and unless they get lucky, or work hard pursuing a movie-making dream, they may never get to be a part of it. So, Family Life Church, in Nampa, Idaho decided to change all of that, and recreated the special occasion, and started “Oscar Night.”

It began last year, in 2008, as just an idea, but has now grown into a full-scale production. So basically the church leaders picked out six teams, with appointed Directors, Cinematographers/Editors, with different genres that were pulled out of a hat. Then each team wrote a script, formulated a plot, and then recruited actors and actresses to fill the roles required, but not necessarily in that order. They were given a few guidelines, but had pretty much full flexibility on plot and story within their genre. With that the minds and cameras took off. The time frame given was about a month the first year, which you would think would be plenty of days, but when it comes to organizing and filming, it takes a lot of time. Most of the films actually only got completed in the last few weeks before the event, but it was still entertaining to watch them, and laugh and cheer. only one of the films did not make into the final night, but the rest came in quite late though. The night before the event, was spent editing all of the films, and resulted in lack of sleep for the editors, but it paid off and it all came together just fine.

The night finally came, and brought a great turn out. Everyone was dressed up in their best outfits, just like the Oscars, but minus the news interviews and tabloid stalkers. The red carpet was rolled out, and everyone got a chance to shine on their way in. Hore deurves were served as everyone mingled, and then the showings began. Everyone enjoyed the variety and creativity. The film that won the most Oscars was “Dude Wheres My Speedo” in the Sci-fi category, and they went home with five Oscars. The second place went to the Chick Flick category, with the film “Mclandings Quest for Love“. They took home four Oscars, including the most coveted of all the awards, Best Film. The rest of the films followed suit. The Western film “El Paso”, The comedy “Dodge Ball, the true story”, “Undead Past”, in the Drama Category, and “Never Die” to fill in the action slot. All in all it was a great event and everyone had a great time. That was just the start of the now annual Oscar Night, and this year it improved dramatically.

The rules were the same, to keep the film under ten minutes, and they gave nearly two months to do it. A few teams started right away, and it showed in the final productions. I was selected to be a part of 2 teams, but by the end of the time, I had my hand in four of them. My brother and I were on opposing teams this time however, since last year we were together and went home with best film, so you could say there was a bit of a rivalry going on. His team got Chick Flick again, and mine received Comedy and Drama. I ended up putting a bit more time into the drama, since I was limited in time to spend, and had to choose a priority. We had almost too many people joining the team, but it was great to have such talented people to work with. It was difficult however to organize everyone, and get all of the shots needed. All in all the films went well, and ended up in an even better event this year, hosted at the church. The Chick Flick once again won Best Film,  with Josiah, my brother, as the director, but the leaders said it was a tough choice between His and ours, which was the Drama. The movies ended up a bit longer than desired, but when you have some good stories to tel, the time does not matter.

Everyone had a great time, even though some took home more Oscars than others. The Top two videos can be viewed on the Videos page of this site. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did making them.  The movies were shown at FLC in Nampa, hosted and put together by The NXT youth church.

ShareThis