Day 7

On day 7 we did two sets of TOTF shoots. The first was Donny as a battle angel and Andre as a fallen angel. At the last minute, we added in Michelle as a street faerie that Andre would be saving. I got to help work on Donny's boots (I had helped with the skirt earlier in the week). These sets went well; first we did some in a tudio set up, then we went and did a few on location. There were some slight compositional issues, but overall it went well. Ironically, Chris, who had just showed up in Cloudcroft, brought us to this great abandoned barn that would have been perfect to shoot in. Of course he showed this to us after Joseph was completely out of pictures on his camera. Live and learn, I guess.

After eating lunch, we went to Alamogordo again, this time to shoot the skater-boy male-faerie character. His outfit kicked ass (thanks in part to the pants and elbow gaurds that I found). His performance was awesome too, once he loosened up. He took direction quite well and Joseph got some amazing shots. I'm excited to see him work on the shoots in photoshop. I expect to learn a lot. I'm also excited to go to FaerieWorlds, but that is further off, and I have a lot to do before then.

(I know I'm a bit behind, as it is Day 10 now, but I've had some technical problems with the internet where I am staying. I think it's fixed now, so it should be ok. However, I want to up load some pictures before I discuss my first weekend in LA, so you'll just have to wait. Thanks for reading and I'll try to catch up completely tomorrow.)

Day 6

Day 6 was fairly relaxed. We managed to finish up the Seven Deadly Sins quite nicely. Greed we did in the basement, with a bunch of white shirts. Then after a break, we worked on Wrath, which was the shoot with the most models. It was a scene in front of a “court house” after a man was found not guilty of rape. The scene took a while to compose, but once we got everyone in place it worked out nicely.

When that was done, we came back and just hung out. I finally got to show them my work, which was nice. They had good things to say; mostly that I definitely had my own vision. After we were done looking at my photos, we just hung out. I worked on a drawing, but I can't finish it until I get charcoal.

I'm still not sure what I'm going to shoot for my portfolio over this summer. I have a few ideas, but we'll have to see how it goes. I'm definitely excited about getting into doing some photography again.

We have some more TOTF shoots to do today. I'm particularly excited about seeing the skater boy one. If we have time, I might take some photos myself, but we'll see how much energy I have. Then tomorrow we leave for LA. Almost 1/6 of my internship is done! Even though I've only been here for a week, I feel like it's been half a month.

Day 5

Day 5 began with a nice breakfast. As we were all sitting around enjoying the morning, someone came in and commented that we weren't going any where today because it was pouring. At this, a frenzy began. Because it never rains very much in LA, Joseph was excited about doing a shoot in the rain. We rushed to cover cameras with plastic bags, dress the models and do their makeup. After all that rushing, it started hailing. So we waited. Joseph managed to perfect the protection for his camera. When the hail let up, we ventured outside. It was cold, but once I was out there I got used to it. He got some great shots.

After we came back inside, the main goal was to warm up. Rhonda made this excellent hot chocolate using cream cheese. It was amazing and I totally want to know the recipe. Later on, we began working on the Seven Deadly Sins again. We managed to do three of them, all three without leaving Rhonda's. I worked on the set for Sloth (which was basically making the kitchen disgusting) while simultaneously other people were setting up the bar scene for Gluttony. Both those shoots took maybe an hour or two. It was awesome because as we were shooting we watched Repo! The Genetic Opera. I kinda forgot how much I liked that movie. And finally, we squeezed in Pride as well.

The plan for the end of the day revolved around going to see Transformers Rise of the Fallen at midnight. First we had to go the Goodwill again to find clothes for the skater-faerie that we are shooting this week. I found the pants that they choose (they had awesome orange and green accents) as well as some elbow, knee, and wrist gaurds. I was excited that I was able to help out. Joseph claimed that I should get a raise from my nothing for pay by 5%. That was then returned by them paying for my dinner at Chili's.

After dinner, we went to Hastings, which is like a combination of GameStop, FYE, and Borders. We had a good time, looking at stuff and chatting. Joseph told me about the Angel and Spike After the Fall comics, which I didn't even know existed. I found a couple books that I want to read, so they get added on to the ever-growing list.

I marvel at how geeky these people are. It's amazing. I feel way more comfortable and at home with than I do when I'm in art classes at school. They were totally thrilled about going to see the Transformers movie. I thought it was good, but not great. Some of the characters were great, but they weren't developed enough. It could have been a lot better, but it was worth seeing.
Today we are doing the last two Sins (Wrath and Greed). Other than that, I don't know what's up today.

Day 4

So yesterday was at last a more relaxed day. We started out by taking a trip Alamogordo. We had to get batteries for the transmitter (which attaches to Joesph's camera and controls the flashes he uses to light the scenes). In addition we went thrift store shopping for some costuming things. They bought some belts, a coat for Andre and a skirt to rip up for Donny. It was interesting watching them make decisions on items. I'm definetly beginning to understand their style more. I think it's fascinating to see it come to life like this after seeing so many of their prints. One of my favorite things about ToTF works is the clothing. If they designed a clothing line I would totally buy some pieces. What is particuarlly impressive is that they compose the majority of their costumes from fabric, belts, and pieces that they get at thrift stores. All hail the beauty of second hand clothes!

After the shopping was over, we went to a Sonic. Neither Joesph, Donny or I had ever been to a Sonic; we were slightly convinced that they didn't exist. They do, apparently, and it was quite good. Although it was odd because to order, you drove up to little panels, pressed a button and ordered as if at a drive-thru. Then a waitress would bring your food out to you. It was very odd but quite tasty.

The rest of the day we worked on two of the Seven Deadly Sins photo shoots: Jealousy and Lust. Jealousy took place in a party, where one guy was isolated from all these couples. Lust was a stalker--very creepy and very well done. Today I'm fairly certain we are doing Sloth, but other than that, I'm not sure. I'll update later. For now: breakfast!

So some back story...

So, I haven't had a chance to work on this yet, so I figured I'd just write a brief overview of the first three days of my internship:

Day 1:

The flights were ok; the desert was impressive. However, there was a mix up in when Donny and Joseph were going to be arriving at 5...they didn't get in til 9. So I was in the El Paso airport for 9 hours straight. It was a little uncomfortable, but I napped and it worked out alright. I crashed as soon as we got to Rhonda's house though.

Day 2:

After getting a nice solid 8 hours of sleep, I woke up to begin ModelFest. I discovered that Rhonda's house was gorgeous--it's set in pine forest and is in the process of being remodeled. It's spacious and perfect for this event. The best part of the house is her studio space that is in the basement. There are walls of jewelry, hats, wigs, and costumes. I drool everytime I go down there.

The Modelfest thing involved meeting and talking to models, photographers, and stylists. I was shy at first but I got a little more ambitious and relaxed by the end of the night. There was a modeling contest that was basically like a challenge in ANTM. The models had to compose their own outfits and then model in them both with their bodies and expression. It was fun and a really good way of seeing what the models could do. After the competion, we had a sunset photo shoot at White sands. White sands is exactly what it sounds like; a desert of white sand. It was gorgeous.

It looks like snow and there were actually quite a few children sledding down the dunes. I personally think this is insane. You can't sled with out snow. Nor can you have a snowball fight, but some children were doing this as well. But regardless, the shoot went well; it was a race against the sun since we were running really late. But the models did well and Joseph said he got some good shots. Tired but happy, we retired to Rhonda's and had a little party.

Day 3:

So Day 3 was a full day of shooting. from 10 til 10. I took some behind the scenes shots and just observed the styling process. The location for these shoots was a waterfall that we had to hike to. When they said hike, I didn't picture that they meant it would be on the edge of a cliff. It was scary going down, but it was definetly worth it for the view.

Although not Joseph's ideal location for a shoot, he worked with it anyway. I got a bit of a sunburn, but it could have been worse. Afterwards we took a break to eat and recover from the climb. Afterward we began preparing for a downtown shoot with the same models plus a band. i was in charge of making the classical faerie more "street". I was petrified about doing this, but I used some of my own armwarmers and jewelry and then got some help from Rhonda. They ended up liking it, so I was happy. After that shoot, we came back and did a studio set with a street faerie and a darkling. Then I helped another model style herself a new outfit, which was fun. After all that, we were finally done. I picked up the costume room a bit and then went to socialize. We watched the Labyrinth, which was fun.

As for Day 4, it's just started, so I'll write about it later.