Sometimes, films aren’t planned. Place Stamp Here was an accident. Shhh, a happy accident, darling.
“I realized that sometimes my favorite part of my job is that my chair swivels, so maybe I need to more actively pursue other, more creative, more lovely projects.” - Kelly Sharp
And then Kelly sent us her charming script.
When she talks, Kelly goes off on these tangents that are wonderful and natural and so insisting that she narrate the script exactly how she’d described it to us in an email, we moved forward with our take on how to tell the story visually…
To the storyboards.
Cute … we could’ve drawn the whole film that way. But at the same time 1.) I sort of loved finishing a film in such a timely fashion and 2.) I really loved using the actual trinkets and the things we’ve all collected on all of our travels. Which also made the process unique and interesting. And amazing!
The music really tied the film together — composed by Jasmin Way, Carter Logan and Hannah Rawe of The Chandeliers with Zach Knox on piano.
It was so fun to collaborate and we’re so lucky to be surrounded by such creative types. We all thought of it like this — maybe we’re broke and maybe didn’t plan on making another film … but it’s festival season which equals fun. Motivation!
We used different techniques like shooting the stop-motion elements, combining traditional animation with cut-outs, watercolor, photographs. It’s um, a cornucopia of mixed media.
But OK, my favorite part was making coffee-stained paper for the backgrounds.
girls were showered with flowers and candy and expensive dinners yesterday. i didn’t even eat anything but chocolate until about 6pm last night. well. this is a little gift from me…
(press play for a more pleasant experience)
musical (and late) valentine - to the love i adore
I’m always amused by the clever doodles Google comes up with — changing their logo and brand to celebrate events, holidays and famous artists. But today’s doodle is extra magical. To celebrate what would be Jules Verne’s 183rd birthday, Google tries to capture the spark and sense of exploration found in his popular novel, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. The Google logo acts as the window of the submarine from the story. The user can interact by “pulling” the lever (or dragging their mouse overtop) to navigate the sub down to the bottom of the sea. In essence, there is a little underwater adventure on my computer!
There’s a decent amount of detail down there too, from the little divers, treasures and fishies to the creepy sea creatures lurking below. It’s quite fun to play around for a bit.
Saturday – Worked way too hard all day, took a “nap” and crashed until 10pm. Gnawing hunger pangs woke me up. Got takeout and had just about 10 minutes to either do nothing with my night or catch a movie. Mmeeeeeeellllllloow weekend but I’m so dead from the holidays that I can’t. Party. Anymore. Must repeat mantra. So tagged along to the movies with friends and it turned out to be an impromptu lovely double date.
Black swan is a trip. Darren Aronofsky wrote a great script and it’s so intense at times that I can’t look. Some scenes hurt to watch and that’s what I love about his films. When it ends, it feels like the first steps off of a rollercoaster ride – I’m giddy but maybe feel like crying while smoking a cigarette – it’s so satisfying that I want to go ’round again. Just the same way I felt the first time I’d watched Requiem for a Dream, actually.
The shots are disorienting, as if you’re in the mind of Natalie Portman’s character as she spirals down the toilet of obsession and you feel like you’re going insane with her. It’s kind of relateable in a scary way. I know I’ve had that crazed feeling — needing to be the best at something. Everyone has lost control at some point, right? Hopefully not to this extreme. Also, the dancing is very beautiful but at the same time very, very real. Ballet is not glamorized and it’s not “warm and fuzzy”. Some of my favorite shots were the ones where she was breaking in her shoes, tearing them apart and sewing them back together.
Bonus! I’m always excited about animated clips in film. Black Swan has a *very small* animation sequence which I managed to find. Alert! it’s not really a spoiler, but just thought I’d mention to beware so it doesnt’ give anything away if you haven’t seen the film.
By the way, I do not claim to own any part of this video, just sharing!
After seeing a brilliant movie like this, there is nothing to do but watch cartoons all night. I need to relax and let my brain unmelt.
It’s swell to work from home every day, but rough to live and work in the same place. True, I’d love to have the means to rent a studio space. Somewhere to set up shop that is nowhere near where I sleep. But my commute is from my bed to my desk. Sometimes it make me feel like a hermit crab. So here are some…
Maybe don’t stay in your pjs all day. It helps to make me feel like a part of society. I wear comfy clothes at the very least, but occasionally get inappropriate and wear digs that I could never get away with wearing to the office. WHY? Because I have nothing better to do and no boss getting mad if my bra is showing.
I’m a weak little flower who needs sunlight to grow. I just moved my desk by a window – done. Otherwise if you’re facing a wall, paint it a less than boring color. Caddy-corner your desk. Decorating can be cheap. I have the urge to draw big notes on my walls. In chalk!
Great advice! This strategy keeps me sane. Go to the gym, grab a cup of coffee and get to your desk by 10am. Work for 8 hours and then you’re off the clock. Well I rarely make it to the gym, I’m not super girl. Which brings me to #4…
Exclamation point. Under tight deadlines, I go 2-3 days without stepping foot out of my apt. SO sad. At least take a walk around the block. Anything to get away from the desk.
And the top 5 ultimate strategy for surviving freelance is…
Don’t confuse with 4. 4 is a given, you need a break every day, even twice a day. But 5 is indulgence. Noooo workaholics. Even watching an hour of tv or catching a yoga class can be good for the mind and the achey back.
Makes you want to quit your day job and join the freelance cult, yeah?
