Creating Ridiculousness!

Over the holidays, my sisters and I decided to make a movie.  

Not just any movie, but something really special. 

Let me explain.

Since I can remember, my family has listened to the synthesizer-tastic Mannheim Steamroller Christmas albums.  We grew up feeling very dramatic and wonderful whenever this music would play.  Therefore, the band's "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" was the obvious choice for a little holiday parody.  To be more specific, the credit needs to go to my sisters Aubrie and Heidi, who conceptualized everything and wrote the script.  

I think that creating ridiculousness keeps me feeling alive and vibrant.  This kind of thing lifts my entire soul and makes me laugh, dance, and sing around the house.  I can't think of anything more fun than filming a stupid music video with my sisters, then laughing our heads off editing the footage with a glass of red wine in our hands.  

I want to put the invitation out there: If anyone wants to play and is lacking the necessary bff, brother, or sister, please call me!  I'd love to laugh with you!

Here are some outtakes from filming, as well as the DVD cover we created at 2:00 in the morning:

Cover of our amazing DVD.  (We used to be home schooled and mercilessly jab at it whenever possible).

Isn't Heidi's hair amazing?  

Aubrie was a little gender confused.

This one has nice angles, but lacks proper uncomfortableness.

Aubrie's thighs were burning, but look effectively green and shiny.  Don't you think?

Trying to appear as awkward and uncomfortable as possible.  Don't you kind of cringe when you look at this?  I hope so.

I particularly love how my thighs appear massive because of how tightly I was clenching the wall.  Gorgeous.

This one needs no words.  It just speaks for itself :)

And here is the amazing result! Again, please let me know if you are in need of a really good laugh.  I would love to create something like this with you!

Happy Holidays!

Katie

Adam Mast: Opening Doors for Filmmakers in St. George

I've been interested in film making since I knew what a video camera was and discovered how much fun it was to film my siblings dancing around making faces and farting noises, and watch it later.  I'd like to think that the hours spent with my sisters recording our voices on a tape recorder, re-recording the parts that weren't funny enough, and then playing them back at high speeds was a precursor to my love of editing.  Not to mention how many plays, variety shows, and dramatic Olympic reenactments I've produced, directed, choreographed, costumed, special-effected, and forced upon my sometimes willing/sometimes not friends and family over the years.  I've come to realize that while I love acting, dancing, singing, and being a diva in general--my strengths really lie in directing and conceptualizing a creative project from start to finish.

But film making--like, serious film making--has always felt out of reach.  To be taken seriously, I would need the proper equipment, editing software, willing actors, good ideas, and all the strange-sounding things like shotgun mikes and dollys (which I'm proud to report are things I know about now).

Enter Adam Mast.

I met Adam while working on a film project three years ago.  Before meeting him, I knew his name from the Independent paper movie reviews and the oh-so-elite-and-interesting annual guerrilla film making competitions that he ran.  During rehearsals I would feign disinterest and slip in questions about the competition and filming.  I was surprised when he made it sound doable--like there were people he could get me in touch with that had the necessary equipment and knowledge.  He encouraged me, more than once, to just try it.

It still took two years for me to get up enough courage to enter the competition.  By that time, Kevin and I had started using the wonderful Canon 5D Mark II for our photography business, which has incredible video capabilities.  Plus, my newer experience with photography helped give me the confidence to set up shots and understand how to light my subjects.  

By the time I entered last October's guerrilla shorts competition, Adam was TOTALLY in my corner.  Talk about a supportive guy.  Any questions or problems I had he was right there, cheering me on, solving problems, and connecting me with the right people.  I made my little movie and was so happy with the results.  It didn't win anything, but there was some buzz about it.  Adam wrote that it was "one of the most professional films in this year's competition."  

Which, of course, totally stroked my ego.

Adam has also introduced me to some incredibly creative people that have been both inspirational and instructive as I head down this bright new road.  In fact, just yesterday I was editing my second film (YAY!!!) with Shaun Labrecque, whose cinematography and editing skills are (in my opinion) incomparable in this town.  And speaking of these guys, I assisted on Shaun's film this last weekend with Adam and want to share some photographs with you.  

And I'm also posting my first film, "Second Sense," that I'm so proud of, that I would have never attempted if not for this community leader and supporter of the film making arts: Adam Mast.

Adam and Shaun setting the stage.

Friends!

And you can see my first film, "Second Sense," here.  Watch it, if you haven't already!