Alex: The Blog

2012-02-23T20:06:00.000-06:00

Vasquez Rocks

2012-02-15T17:43:00.004-06:00

(I altered the color on this one a bit to see if it could pass for Mars) Went location scouting for the upcoming short film Backyard Mars that I'm working on as Director of Photography. We are going to shoot a the rocks as if they were Mars, which might prove to be tricky at times. But I'm up for the challenge, and the privilege of filming on such great location - not to

TEAMWORK

2012-02-15T17:16:00.000-06:00

Here's the short spot I was working on for www.lesmutts.com. In case you can't figure out what it's trying to sell (beyond cute and adorable puppets), it's the idea of "teamwork," something we often overlook.

2012-01-25T17:27:00.001-06:00

After a month in Iowa working and filming with the Les Mutts puppets, I've returned to Orange. It was a pleasant stay - I really felt like I was doing something, and most importantly, doing something I love. We filmed a number of short improved sketches that may or may not make it publicly online, as well as two shorter 30sec spots on 'teamwork' that I shot and directed (and

Les Mutts' Great (hopefully) Return!

2012-01-12T15:54:00.000-06:00

(Check us out at www.lesmutts.com ! ) I must admit, that title is a bit misleading. Les Mutts is not returning - it's technically a whole new entity. But it's history is that of a return, or even better, a much needed reinvention. When I first began working with Fran Hoerlein, I joined an unnamed group. After long being unable to figure out a suitable name, we settled on the understandably

New Years 2012 in Iowa City!

2012-01-01T15:49:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas Blog-o-verse!

2011-12-26T19:30:00.000-06:00

The Batting Cage's Debut

2011-12-16T15:37:00.000-06:00

Today my second-year-first-semester film, and the first longer-than-seven-minutes film I've served as Director of Photography for screened at our school's Folino Theater. It's always a bit nerve racking going into a screening of your own film. It doesn't matter if you know it's crap or you know it's gold - it's the tension of awaiting confirmation. Or, finding out that what you thought was gold

Commercial Puppet Shoot

2011-11-21T02:19:00.001-06:00

Some pics from a commercial I did with my old-time buddy Bryan.

A November Post

2011-11-12T20:26:00.001-06:00

I'm sitting in my Southern California bedroom, typing to candle light while I listen to rain sprinkle over the ground outside. I'm at a weird cusp. Leaving what was "end of summer" SoCal, I traveled up to the Lake Tahoe area to Camp Norge for a weekend of Norwegian folk dance lessons taught by my very own uncle, visiting from his current home in Sweden (we're all Norwegian by heritage). Being

Gideon Perez' Batting Cage Production Photos

2011-11-10T20:29:00.001-06:00

A few selected photographs that Gideon Perez took on 'The Batting Cage' a short film I worked as Director of Photography on.

Fun with Backdrops before a Film Set

2011-11-03T12:25:00.002-05:00

Gossip vs. Stories

2011-10-21T21:03:00.001-05:00

I recently was at my film school after a long weekend of many productions. People were telling stories of this production and that, and overhearing a bit of what I knew was sure to be a great story (we had many) from the set I was key gripping on, I joined in. The person telling the story, though, looked at me distastefully after I said "oh, what was that in reference to?" and said "Why do you

On The Edge... Of Film-making Madness

2011-10-08T19:57:00.003-05:00

At the film school I'm in, October can easily be viewed as the 'month of madness' at the school. We have two week grad thesis films, one week 2nd year "cycle" films underway, production one visual storytelling projects filming, and I think some undergrad thesis films going on as well. Needless to say, the school is hopping like a kangaroo on Red Bull, and extra help is hard to come by. Why

Overlooking the City

2011-09-18T12:37:00.001-05:00

Last night I spent a good part of the evening at or around a friends house in LA. As the night was ending, we all came up onto the roof to talk and enjoy the night view of the city. Yup.

Mid-Evening Radio

2011-09-18T12:30:00.002-05:00

I was driving into Los Angeles from Orange, flipping through stations one by one to find a clean connection for my iPhone wireless transmitter (the tape player is broken in my big old van), when I passed by a station playing some classic Queen. I stopped playing with my transmitter. I took it off my phone and put it in the glove box. Why, I thought, am I spending all this time working on forcing

Mahesh & Co. Visit Hollywood

2011-09-13T04:26:00.003-05:00

Mahesh and a new friend picked me up at my apartment in Orange, got some Sushi, then made a random detour to show them the infamous Griffith Park Observatory and Hollywood Blvd! We visited the Wax Museum and Guinness World Records museums, and ate some epically sized pizza!

Location Scouting: The Batting Cage

2011-09-06T01:10:00.000-05:00

I've had a pretty busy weekend, but two days of my 4 day memorial weekend was devoted to location scouting for the 2nd year "Cycle" film that I am Director of Photography for. And so, I uploaded a few of my favorite scouting pictures!

It's an Imaginus Zoo!

2011-09-02T00:31:00.001-05:00

There's a show/project that I've been working with since I arrived in Southern California. And now (nearing a year since I began puppeteering for the show) the website and Facebook page have begun to pop up! Which also means that I can finally post some stuff for you all to see! Well, I can link you to the website and Facebook page (which you should LIKE, of course)... Here's the website:

Comic- Con 2011

2011-08-01T17:00:00.000-05:00

One thing about delays is that they sometimes lead to great times. I was on the fence about being able to attend the Comic Con International 2011, battling travels and work, but problems finding a new place to live, securing my position on my fall Chapman project as Director of Photography, and just not having enough time for all I had to do left me in California after a ride I had left. On the

Where I've Been

2011-07-21T03:59:00.004-05:00

It's either too early for me or too late. I've already showered, but I need some sleep. Ah yes, but sleep is something far away. At least two hours of driving away, add that's after my friends film finishes rendering and we can leave this editing suite. So where have I been? I've been right here, working on sets (for class or free, of course), working on someplace to live (harder than I'd ever

End?

2011-07-10T12:15:00.002-05:00

I realized as I posted pictures the other night that I haven't really posted anything of text in the past... um... while. And it makes me think – is this blog dying? Maybe. When I started this blog, I was just beginning my higher education. I needed an outlet- a vent – for all of my concerns, frustrations, and quite frankly, rants about how “sucky” my life was at the time. I was able to grace the

Productions...

2011-07-09T21:55:00.002-05:00

Been hard at work for a summer productions course. Here's a still each from four of them...

HAPPY 4TH, EVERYBODY!

2011-07-04T08:14:00.001-05:00

Photo taken this year at Washington, D.C. by yours truly.

Eleven Pictures from the 2011 O'Neill National Puppetry Conference

2011-06-23T23:48:00.006-05:00

Smithsonian Museums & National Mall

2011-06-22T02:42:00.003-05:00

National Puppetry Conference

2011-06-21T22:21:00.000-05:00

Photograph by Richard Termine And so come to end another year at the O'Neill, and what a year it was. This year I took a break from being in the Anarchy strand of the conference, and instead dipped into a new program called the Resident Company Members. In this program, I performed under the Emerging Artists and helped them bring their visions to life. Well, one person, the ever-so-talented

Connecticut

2011-06-14T18:40:00.005-05:00

Hi everybody! I'm in Connecticut, at the National Puppetry Conference. I haven't updated much lately as my computer has gone ka-putz, and I have been super busy. But I had a very enjoyable week of "vacation" in Minnesota, and now some time in CT. I'll be back into the grind in California (filming starts the day after I get back) later this month. Yay!

Mountains (and planes and moments) of Madness

2011-05-27T22:12:00.002-05:00

Welp, I've finished with my first year here at Chapman University.It was a crazy last semester, with bursts of insanity interlaced with (and often due to) a major infection that required me to to have an abrupt oral surgery to remove my wisdom teeth (they cut into my jaw... my JAW)!But now I'm into that wonderful crazy hazy thing called summer. My plans are left, right, up, down and all over. I

Mountain Finale

2011-05-25T22:05:00.001-05:00

Six Flags Magic Mountain - end of the semester trip.I was a great time to just buckle up, relax, tense up, fly, splash, drop, scream, or be thrown around like a little rag doll (I'm talking to you X2). All in all, it was a tiring but great time!

Cecil Awards 2011

2011-05-24T03:08:00.004-05:00

I joined animator/director/roommate Bryan to the 2011 Cecil Awards here at Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. Dressed up. Had some fun. And took some pictures.

The Pact

2011-05-21T02:59:00.002-05:00

The Pact ( a 16mm Film) from Alex Griffin on Vimeo.Here's the culmination of my second semester here at Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts - The Pact.It's my 321, so a 3 page, 2 person, 1 location dramatic scene. I had such a great cast and crew, and I am really prod of the final product.Enjoy!

What I've Been Watching...

2011-05-11T05:12:00.002-05:00

I got a BBS Productions Blu-Ray set, with a number of classic films I've never seen (the only one I'd seen previously was Easy Rider), and have fallen in love with Head. Not to mention this song.I've seen them setting up all week at Disneyland, and was there before/after the premiere. Looks like a fun party, too bad I wasn't invited...Yes, It's been a very Pirates'y week. Michael Bolton

Le Mutts' Lighting Tests

2011-05-09T05:08:00.000-05:00

I did this a bit ago in my Cinematography II class with some of my puppets. I set up the lighting, set up my Canon 60D (which is the video above), and then some of my other classmates filmed it with a Panasonic 35mm camera. The 35mm print was great, and I still have the roll (alas, no projector or theater). Hope you enjoy!

A Real Duckling on a Fake Rock

2011-05-04T02:17:00.002-05:00