Living la Vida Loca

Sorry for the lack of update! I have been constantly going. Well since my last post a lot has happened...
Went to a Dodgers game! We lost, but it was still fun. While waiting to get an internship, I went on several adventures.
Some friends and I went to the fashion district and went around to see the spots from 500 Days of Summer. We saw the bench, the DVD rental store, the karaoke bar, and the Fine Arts Building.

A couple days later, Lucy and I went to the Bronson caves where several movies have been filmed such as the Scorpion King. Lucy and I tried to hike up a hill that really wasn't able to be hiked up...especially in flip flops. We hiked up a different hill and had a great view of the area. We also went by the Sorority House from House Bunny.

A couple other people and I also went to Randy's Donuts. Its the donut shop with the giant donut on top that Iron Man sat on in Iron Man 2.

I had an interview at Jerry Bruckheimer Films and...I got an internship there! I have worked three days there and love it! The people there are awesome and I enjoy working with them. 
Rebecca, the program director, took a group of us cliff jumping. It was a lot of fun. I jumped from a 15 foot cliff and a 25 foot cliff. Loved it.
Connor and Felicia are now in Mexico and on their way had a layover in LA. So I went to the airport to meet them and mom flew in and surprised them. It was so good to see Mom, Connor and Felicia again! I took them around Hollywood and grabbed In N Out Burger with them.
I got to go to a Muse concert! It was amazing! I absolutely loved it.
Since I now have an internship, the free time has lessened as well as the adventures, so this weekend Josh Lucy and I decided we needed to do something. We went to the Pasadena area and tried to go to a gold mine, but the trail was closed so we went to a nearby trail. Of course instead of taking the normal trail we went up a water run off instead. It was harder, but more fun. At the end we had to rock climb about 45 feet up. We took the easy trail back down. You can always count on us to do something stupid and make a fun time out of it.
I am going location scouting this afternoon for one of our film projects. Its going to be a good film. I am the production designer for it. On our other video project I am producer. We are finalizing the pre-production phase and are soon moving into production. Homework keeps coming and life is busy, but I am still taking the time to have fun.
Life is going great out here and I am enjoying every minute of it. I will try to keep the blog updated more so you know what is happening in
Life from LA

I'll Ask for the Sea

So quick update...

I heard back from the second place I interviewed at for an internship and they decided not to hire any interns. Chris sent my resume in to another Production Office (not sure of the name) so hopefully I hear from them Monday about an interview. This song and dance is getting old, but I am not the only one. There are still about 15 of us doing it.

Rebecca Ver Stratten McSparren is having a book study at her house on Thursday nights. We are taking a book by C.S. Lewis and discussing questions and topics from it. It was really good and I definitely plan on going back.

Today we made another hike up Runyon Canyon. I love the view of the entire city. It is a gorgeous place. We also went to the Arclight and saw Easy A. Cute movie. I liked it. Tomorrow heading to a Dodger's game! Woot! Love baseball.

I'll keep you all updated on the internship, but until I get one I am enjoying all I can of
Life from LA

Sophia Bush!

Well classes are starting to pick up. I am working as one of the Production Designers on a group project. I am excited! I am also taking an acting class! Its every Tuesday night from 8-11. It is definitely stepping outside my comfort zone, but I am excited for it. I need a 2 minute monologue from a movie though...any suggestions?
I heard back from the Odd Lot, the place where I interviewed for an internship, and they turned me down. Oh well, I am not too heartbroken about that. I had an interview at Sodium Entertainment today and loved the company! Its a Production Company that produces independent films. They are up in Burbank so its a bit of a drive but I don't mind. I will hear back in the next couple of day whether or not I got the internship. I will keep you posted!
This last weekend we went to Malibu Creek State Park. We hiked a mile and a half to the lake in the middle of the mountains and a couple of us went cliff jumping and rock climbing. It was a ton of fun!
On Monday I hiked up Runyon Canyon with several friends. It was an awesome hike and an amazing view of the city. Tonight a group of us went to Griffith Observatory.

Gorgeous view and we got to look at the moon through a 75 year old telescope. It was really clear and looked awesome! We then made a FroYo run to Yogurtland and just as we were about to leave who do we see...Sophia Bush! She was inside getting FroYo. So I can say I have had my first celebrity sighting. I am sure there will be more to come cause thats
Life from LA

Labor Day in LA

Well outside of the academic world, LA has been a ton of fun. September has come around and as people are dealing with the beginning of school, I am having way too much fun.

On Thursday a group of us went to Beverly Hills...you know 90210. Well Thursday was 9/02/10. They were having a big party since the date and area code were the same. Sadly you had to pay $160 to get in so we just walked around Beverly Hills instead of going to the party. We did pass it. We walked around Rodeo Drive then went to Fuddruckers. Half of the group had gone to McDonalds so on the way back we stopped outside the 90210 party to wait for them. Well it happened to be the exact same time Natasha Beddingfield was starting her concert. We got to hear her entire concert perfectly clear while waiting for the rest of our group. I also saw a celebrity. I'm not sure who it was, but I am positive I saw him on TV. I just can't remember what show. Oh well. Also, while in Beverly Hills I got...a parking ticket! Crap. Apparently where I was parked, you had to have a permit after 10pm. I got back to my car at 10:21. Parking is so crazy out here though. I knew I had to get one at one point. There have been several students who have gotten parking tickets. Its part of the experience.

Friday was a relaxing day sleeping in, watching movies, chilling by the pool, and going to the director of the program Rebecca Ver Straten McSparren's house for dinner.

Saturday a group of us drove over to Malibu. We got stuck in traffic so it was a looong drive. We went to El Matador State Beach. It was really cool. The water was cold, but I still went in it. It was a bit windy that day so it was a little cold so we only stayed at the beach for about an hour and a half. We then went to Starbucks. Afterwards, most of the group went home, but my roommates and Zak and I toured Malibu. Zak went to Pepperdine for a year so he knew the area. He took us to Point Dume. In my head I call it Mount Dume. It was a gorgeous area overlooking the ocean. I got some great pictures there. We then went to Pepperdine to Hero's Garden. It is a small area overlooking the ocean. It was built to honor those who died on 9/11. We then went to Howdy's for dinner and had delicious Mexican food. It was a great day.

Sunday I checked out a new church called Reality LA. I loved it. I have a couple more churches I want to check out, but I have a feeling I will end up at Reality. After church my roommate Alisha and I met up with a couple other people at the LA County Fair. It was fun to walk around. Josh, Erika, Lucy and I went in these giant inflatable bubbles that were like giant hamster wheels on water. We tried to move around. It was fun, but hard. After, we went to BJ's for dinner and had pizookie for dessert. Pizookie is a warm cookie with ice cream on top. It was absolutely amazing! We ended the night by having a couple people over and watching Blood Diamond in our apartment.

Monday afternoon some of us went to the LACMA, Los Angeles County Museum of Art. It was pretty cool and I got to see several of Picasso's paintings. That evening 12 of us met and hiked up to the Hollywood sign. It was about an hour hike up hill, but we realized if we wanted to see sunset we had to start jogging. A handful of us jogged on and off the 2nd half of the way up. We were a good distance from the sign when we got there, but still had a great view. Next time we are going to go above it. We then got to hike for an hour back down in the dark. Then I had more parking issues. They close the gates to the park at sunset. Well we thought it was just closing them so people couldn't come in. Nope, it was bolted shut. The rest of our group had to either climb up a dirt hill to go around the fence or hop the fence to get out. I got to call the park rangers and ask for them to come let me through. They said they would send someone and when I asked how long, they told me they didn't tell people. So while we waited, Josh, Carlos, Emily, Christa and I did what any normal people would do. Play some music and have a dance party...well a partial dance party. It didn't last long. The park ranger finally got there and let us through. Its now about 9:30 and none of us have had dinner. So we head to the best fast food place in town...In N Out! After our burgers, we went to Yougurtland for some FroYo. We ended the night with the movie Tropic Thunder. We didn't actually start the movie till midnight due to the fact that we got back to the apartment complex at 11 and then I had to drive around for 20 minutes looking for a parking spot. Then after changing and walking over it was 11:45. Thankfully on Tuesdays we don't have class until 2.

Today after class, a couple of us went bowling. It was a fun relaxed evening. Who knows what tomorrow brings. Half the students are starting their internship while the other half are still waiting to here. We get the day off so I am sure we will get bored and go find something to do because that's
Life from LA

The Inciting Incident

It has been a while since I have posted...I am sorry. There is much to say though. There will be two blogs posted tonight though so prepare!

Well classes have been going well. In Motion Picture Production (MPP) we were talking about the inciting incident and were challenged to look at the inciting incident in our life. It was interesting! I had never really considered my life as a story with an inciting incident. I think my inciting incident is happening right now though. Coming to LAFSC has definitely been something that will effect the rest of my life.

Today we learned our roles for the group projects for Hollywood Production Workshop (HPW). We all had to write a script and the profs picked four. (Oh yeah all the classes are co-taught so there are 3 teachers for each class...2 of them are the same for all 3). They then split us up into four groups and we requested our roles and they assigned each one. The directors had to submit a reel of their work at the beginning to try to get the position. I asked for Production Designer and got...Production Designer! I am excited. The four scripts are very interesting. They range from horror to homosexuality to a dark comedy to a comedy/chick flick.

I am still waiting to here about my internship. I had an interview at Odd Lot Entertainment, but still have not heard back. I will update the blog as soon as I know.

The professors out here are great! John and Jeremy teach all three classes. Chris is with them for two and Rebecca Ver Straten McSparren is with them for one. John is hilarious and Jeremy and him together are over the top! I enjoy having them as professors. The other day we had a lab and broke up into groups then presented what we did to the class. Every single group missed the point of the lab and did it wrong. John, Jeremy and Chris were speechless. It was entertaining.

I was talking to a couple of my roommates today and we were talking about our role as Christians in this industry. So many people have said to us "Go change Hollywood" or "Go make Christian films" and some people may be called to that, but I feel my mission out here is to be a light to the people out here. I am not suppose to make films that are about Christianity, but as a Christian, that message may shine through. I also might be suppose to be there for someone. For them to see what is different about me and through that have the chance to make an impact in their life. One of the professors, John, was working on the show I Love New York. It is not a clean show at all and many criticized him for it, but one guy on the show asked John what was different about him and then asked John to pray with him. John made an impact in that guy's life. Also one of the executive producers of That 70's Show is A Christian. He was able to make decisions on whether certain things should be on the show or not. Yes, the show is still very much secular, but it also could have been very raunchy, but it was reigned in. It has definitely got me thinking about how I am suppose to minister out here. Even in the first 3 weeks, I have really been growing spiritually and my walk with the Lord is growing stronger. I know I am in the right place and this is where God wants me right now. I am loving it out here not just because of all there is to do, but also because I know this is where I need to be right now...this is my mission field.

Well that is the academic and spiritual side of
Life from LA

Tacos, Inception, Oscars, and Lightsabers

Well Friday night we had several people over for Taco night at our apartment. It was a ton of fun and it was good to get to know some more people. We ended up playing spoons with fourteen people followed by mafia. I had not played that game since high school church camp. We then decided to go see Inception at the ArcLight. The ArcLight is a really nice movie theater where you purchase your tickets and get assigned seats. You are not allowed to text or talk during the film and you will get in trouble for it. Kids can go at certain times. Its the snob movie theater. Inception was great the second time around. Still trying to figure out if its real or a dream.

Saturday we all headed to Hollywood Blvd. and went on a tour of the Kodak theater (where the Academy Awards are held). We got to enter on the grand stair case that the celebrities walk up. We went down to where the hosts and presenters hang out before they go on stage. We went into the theater then walked down the hall the celebrities walk down after they have won their Oscar. And we got to see a real Oscar. It was so fascinating.
I then decided to hang out in the area with a group of people instead of heading back to the apartments. We had about 8 hours to kill before the John Williams concert. We grabbed lunch then headed down Hollywood Blvd. looking at the stars. Once we had reached the end, we crossed the street and walked the other way. We realized we should probably head back since the Hollywood Bowl was back. We decided to walk to Sunset and head back that way. Well we saw Amoeba Music and had to go in. The bottom floor is filled with discounted and used CDs and Records. The top floor is packed with used DVDs. I bought 2 DVDs, The Royal Tennenbaums and The Star Wars Trilogy (IV, V, VI). We then spotted Urban Outfitters and had to go in. Needless to say, we killed time. We stopped at Starbucks and realized from there we had doubled our walking time. We took the first 20 minutes to get to the mall by the Kodak Theater and grab dinner before taking the next 20 minute walk up to the Hollywood Bowl.
The Hollywood Bowl was spectacular. John Williams did an awesome job! If you don't know him, he is a composer and did films such as Star Wars, the first 3 Harry Potter films, Jaws, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, Superman, Catch Me If You Can, Schindler's List and many more. He started the concert with other people's work and ended with Jaws, Indiana Jones and Star Wars. As soon as the Star Wars theme started playing several hundred toy lightsabers popped up in the audience. It was really cool to see. Then when they started playing the Imperial March, all the lightsabers were bouncing in time with the music. I was laughing because it was so funny to see. John Williams ended with an encore playing the theme from Superman. It was a wonderful concert. Definitely one of my top 3.
Sunday I got to go to church on Hollywood Blvd. The service was held in the old Hollywood Pacific Theater. I liked the church, but there are several others that I am going to check out as well.
Today my only class was a camera lab, teaching us how to operate their cameras. The cameras are nice and it will be great working with them. I finished my script and have a interview tomorrow to figure out where I will intern at. I will let you know where I send my resume and keep you updated on whether or not I get that internship.
Life has been going great and I am loving it out here. My roommate and I had a lightsaber battle on our phones this evening after a FroYo run. I also got to talk to my roommates back home Christa and Megan! I miss you guys and it is weird not moving in with you! I have been a bit spoiled here though but I guess thats just
Life from LA

What Do the Silver Surfer, Fauno, and Abe Sapien All Have in Common?

My first celebrity that I have met!
Life has been crazy here in LA! I have been starting classes and working on homework every night while glancing at that pile of movies I checked out from the school DVD library, dying to watch them.
I have been loving the classes here! They are all so interesting and the professors are great! They all co-teach and its great to hear from several different people. I will be making 3-5 films this semester while having an internship (still not sure where yet). Busy yet amazing!
Tonight we got to meet Doug Jones. He played the Silver Surfer in Fantastic 4, Fauno in Pans Labyrinth, and Abe Sapien in Hellboy and Hellboy 2. He was also in Legion and many other films. Check him out on IMDB! He is a Christian actor and came and talked about how he got where he is today. He is hilarious and I had a lot of fun listening to him.

Let me tell you about life here. Well my apartment is 3 1/2 blocks from the school. I walk to the school in the morning then back to the apartment for lunch then back to the school for the afternoon class then back to my apartment for the evening. That is just the daily routine. I also walk to get FroYo (frozen yogurt) and sometimes drive up to Hollywood Blvd and Sunset Blvd then walk around there. You walk everywhere. The other day I went to Sunset Blvd and walked down to Aroma with my roommate Alisha. It was a fabulous restaurant and I highly recommend it. Then we went to Pinkberry a really cute frozen yogurt chain that lots of celebrities go to. It is really good! I did not see any celebrities while I was there though.

Tomorrow I have a small group meeting from 10-2 (free lunch!) then I can spend the evening writing my scrip. Saturday we are going on a tour of the Kodak Theater then heading to the Hollywood Bowl to see John Williams (Harry Potter, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jaws, Jurassic Park). It will be amazing and I am so excited!

On Tuesday I have an interview with one of the professors for internship possibilities. Then she will submit my resume and I will interview with that company. I will give updates on my internship. I know I will be working Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

Well I am so tired and need to go to bed. I wanted to give you all an update. I am loving LA and am so glad I am here. I know this is where God wants me right now and am so thrilled! I am having a blast and loving
Life from LA