"Coffee Schlock with AJ - special guest Harold Camping" - A Running Lady Studios Film

Coffee Schlock with AJ

Today is Thursday, October 20, 2011,
or "Apocalypse Eve" according to
Harold Camping, who first predicted the
world would end in May.

It didn't.
Then he predicted that on October 21, 2011
the world would DEFINITELY end.
No really, for sure this time.
HONEST.

Funny thing. Today, Mr. Camping decided that there was no better way to spend his last day on earth... than as a cartoon.

So this morning, he popped into Running Lady's studio in Second Life and sat down to a chat with the one and only Virtual Girl - Avajean Westland - for a chat about the future...

That's our story, and we're sticking to it...

-------------------------------------------
Producers
Running Lady Studios
Avajean Westland
-------------------------------------------
Directed and Edited by
Suzy Yue (RL: DaVette See)t

Written by
AvaJean Westland (RL; Gameela Wright)
-------------------------------------------
1st Asst. Director
Bella Begonia

Cameras
Suzy Yue (RL: DaVette See)
Gnueon Aeon (RL: Robert See)
-------------------------------------------
Cast
AvaJean Westland...Herself
Harold Camping...Em Jannings
Announcer...Olaf Barbosa

Extras
Olaf Barbosa
Uchenna Bettencourt
Panza Eilde
Lea56 Hyun
Kayden Oconnell
1angelcares Writer
-------------------------------------------
All celebrity voices are impersonated.
-------------------------------------------
End credits
Gnueon Aeon

Music licensed by
Music Beyond
www.musicbeyond.com

Craft Services
Prim Food, Inc.
"We sculpt it, you gulp it"

Extras Casting by
Suzy's Super Cast & Crew
-------------------------------------------

Filmed entirely on Running Lady Studios Sim
in Second Life(TM)

Thanks to all the amazing content creators of Second LifeTM
whose creations appear in this film, including, but not limited to:

Amacci - Carina Larsen
Bryce Designs - Bryce Tully
Discord Designs - Kallisti Burns
Glowbox - Michael Bigwig
Laqroki - Mallory Cowen
Lisp Bazaar - Pandora Popstar
Maar Auer
Truth - Truth Hawks
{what next} - Winter Thorn
-------------------------------------------

Disclaimer

Coffee Schlock © 2010-2011 Running Lady Studios
All Rights Reserved

Running Lady Studios is the author of this motion picture for the purposes of copyright and other laws.

This motion picture is protected pursuant to the provisions of the laws of the United States of America
and other countries and unauthorized duplication, distribution and/or exhibition of this motion picture
may result in civil liability and criminal prosecution.

This is a work of fiction and the celebrity voice is impersonated (quite well, actually).
Any resemblance between the characters in this picture and any persons,
living, dead, or raptured (except for the lampooned celebrity) is coincidental.

No avatars were harmed in the making of this film.

ARROGANCE and SCANDALOUS - Fashion Fun

ARROGANCE by Diram was a fun shoot and subsequent film of a fashion show in Second Life that took place earlier this year featuring the "Arrogance" collection by couture designer, djod Karu. Karu is an imaginative, cutting edge designer and a delightful lady who I first met when I did a similar piece (discussed below) for the fashion show based on her "Scandalous" collection. I was flattered to be invited back by her and the folks at AVENUE Models to create this piece.

I've had a nice long association with Rusch, Jesika, Livia, the staff, and the Models at AVENUE. They are an ingenious group of marketing professionals and their fashion shows are always clever, inventive, and exciting.

I had to have some fun with the set, so I created the "crime scene" intro with the help of a few of my regular SSC&C actors, listed in the credits below, to grab the attention of viewers.

The choice of music underlying the show footage was also djod's idea, so I was happy that MFM Booking who owns rights, granted up permission to use the piece, "Bang It!" by Zoo Brazil with Gina Turner. Special thanks to Damien and MFM for expediting the process for me.

djod's sets always help me conjure up the story I want to tell with the piece and this one was no exception. I started imagining what I wanted to do the moment I saw the gritty and detailed location, so I had a good time doing this one. Also, one of my favorite pieces, of my own, was the one I mentioned above created for her "Scandalous" collection last year. I've included links to both pieces in this post, so check them both out, let me know which one you like better!

Enjoy!
Suzy





Fashion Show Produced by AVENUE Models
Stage Set and Design: djod Karu

Producer and Choreographer: Livia Mastroianni
Assistant Producer and Stage Manager: Emlies Xeltentat

DJ and Voiceover: Rusch Raymaker
PR and Publicity: Jesika Contepomi

AVENUE Models: 13 Cortes, Bety Dudek, Jesika Contepomi, Mimmi Boa, Seashell Dench

Film produced by Running Lady Studios
Director and Editor: K. DaVette See (SL: Suzy Yue)
Title Sequences: K. DaVette See (SL: Suzy Yue)
                           Rob See (SL: GnuEon Aeon)

Camera Operators: K. DaVette See (SL: Suzy Yue),  Rob See (SL: GnuEon Aeon)

Intro Film Noir
Actors Provided By: Suzy's Super Cast & Crew
Actors: Olaf Barbosa, KimberlyAnn Bieler, Lea56 Hyun, Cherry Mahogany, Aisling Sinclair, Dee Theas

Music
Bang It! Zoo Brazil/Gina Turner
Used with permission
Special Thanks to Damien at MFM Booking

Additional Music licensed through
Beyond Music www.musicbeyond.com

Scandalous



Featuring "Scandalous" collection by djod Karu of DIRAM.
Fashion show production by AVENUE Models.

Producer and Choreographer: Livia Mastroianni
DJ and Voiceover: Rusch Raymaker
PR and Publicity: Jesika Contepomi

Models
Mavi Beck
Tatiana Kuri
Liane Maertens
Vixie Raina
Gena Zeiler

Film by Running Lady Productions
Directed/Edited by K. DaVette See (SL: Suzy Yue)
Cinematography/End Credits by Rob See (SL: GnuEon Aeon)
Music Licensed through Beyond Music

Learning to Stop

Long shoots suck.

Here's the thing: Some shoots are going to be long ones. There are unexpected delays, unplanned changes, unhappy turns of events.

In other words, things happen. Still, there are ways to avoid overlong shoots. Careful planning, thorough prep, communication with cast and crew, scheduling. I think, generally, I try to do all that. The thing that is difficult to overcome is my desire for perfection. Not that my work is perfect, but sometimes on some shoots, I just keep trying for it, long after I should simply call it a day.

According to the Guinness book of records it took Stanly Kubrick 125 takes to capture the scene were Shelley Duvall climbs the stairs near the end of "The Shining. I'm no Kubrick, but I think that I understand him. It's going to be on film forever. You want to get it right.

But in my quest for getting it right, sometimes I have forgotten about or ignored the schedule, believing the end result woudl be good enough to erase the the negatives. And though the end result has generally been acceptable to me, it has not as happy a day as it should have been for the client, or even for the cast, when the project has been long overdue.

When I directed for the stage, I was a perfectionist, but not so much so that I ignored the fact that there was an audience buying tickets expecting a show to be up and running opening night. I think that we have seen recent examples in the press illustrating what can happen when those types of realities are ignored in pursuit of something amazing, breathtaking, etc. Not only is the audience you are expecting to wow let down, but you put you cast, your crew, and your reputation at risk. So, as a director for the stage, I learned acceptance. You have to, or you go crazy.

Now I have to apply that same attitude to my work as a filmmaker. There's a time when you just have to sit back and say "Enough."

On Actors and Second Life - The Actors' Sandbox, Part One

I love actors. I think the realization hit me only recently. I had another grand 90 minute session recently with The Actors' Sandbox in Second Life.

In case I haven't written about it yet, this is a collaborative effort between Running Lady, Corky Myrtle of Schoolhouse Earth and Wytchwhisper Sadofsky of TMU. Its evolving purpose is to allow actors of all levels of experience to come in and stretch a bit, do some scenes, discover and rediscover the tools of the trade, and generally relax and be actors together for an hour out of the day. At the same time, it is a place where directors and producers can come and observe these actors in preparation for casting of future projects. I'll post another blog on the evolution of The Sandbox and the particulars of the workshop sessions.

I'm excited about this project for a couple of reasons: it is providing a place for actors to hone their craft, and it is raising the profile of the role of "actor" in a virtual environment. In our case, it is Second Life that we focus on and in SL , frankly, the role of actor in machinima has been at best nebulous and at worst non-existent. For actors, filmmakers tended to grab the nearest avatar standing around, usually themselves, and basically place them in the shot as a prop.

In the last few years, I've worked to both seek out talented actors roaming the wilds of SL, and to show filmmakers that their films can be much richer and the experience of shooting a film can be greatly enhanced by using these talented actors. Not only talented, but trained, as well, in the craft of performing in SL.

I'm happy to report that the during the last three years, I have seen a rise in the both the awareness of an actor community in SL, but a desire to use these actors in films and live performances based in SL.

Here's to keeping that momentum going.

SSC&C Actor Profile: Avajean Westland

I promised to introduce you all to "The Crew" so I thought I'd start with Avajean Westland.

Avajean, or AJ for short, is one of SSC&C's talented actors. I doubt whether I'd get much of an argument from the rest of The Crew if I went to far as to say that she is our most experienced actor. Always prompt, always prepared, always doing just a little more to bring a character to life, AJ is the consumate professional. Not surprising, given the fact that she is an equally talented and hard working actor in real life. The virtual platform makes no difference to AJ. For her, Second Life is just another performance space.

Equally comfortable in front of a camera or on a stage, AJ brings all that confidence and skill she pours into her real life as an actor to her work as an avActor (a word I coined to describe an actor who performs using an avatar in Second Life, other virtual environment or game engine). For an actors their entire being is their most valuable asset. For AJ, her avatar is no exception. AJ's form is a thing of beauty, carefully sculpted by AJ herself and all accouterments are chosen by her with thoughtful consideration of her own unique style.

But beauty isn't all she she pours into this avActor form, she comes armed with an arsenal of intelligence and creativity. Not satisfied to simply allow animations to run randomly as some avatar puppeteers might be tempted to do, AJ meditates on, selects, and rehearses her movements, choosing a number of possibilities. This allows her to present a director with a number of options, each carefully rehearsed. Likewise, her voice-over performances are always a study in careful examination of the character.

AJ's name is well known and respected by many SL-based filmmakers and among live theatre troupes in world. Besides appearing in many Running Lady productions, she is a member of the Avatar Repertory Theatre. Equally at home with the classics and more modern fare, she is in constant demand. But never resting on her laurels, she continues to take classes, audition non-stop, and to look for more and better ways to hone her skills.

As competent backstage as she is onstage, AJ has worked as a PA on Running Lady Films and SSC&C projects and was the producer of A.R.T's popular adaptation "Alice in WonderSLand."

When AJ isn't auditioning, rehearsing or performing in Second Life or in the real world, she spends time in SL with her loved ones and friends, and frequents many, many virtual clothing shops. A self-professed "shoes"-o-holic, there's not a shoe place in SL that she hasn't given the once-over. She loves clothes as well, and even this hobby she manages to work into her film and theatre career. She also publishes a weekly newsletter for SSC&C highlighting sales and events in SL that might be of interest to actors.

To see some examples of her work for RLP and SSC&C, check out the 48 hour film project entry from RLP from last year, featured on our website.

Her most recent voice-over performance was as the co-narrator, with Kayden Oconnell, of our latest project for Cosmic Surrounding Technology, featured in the previous blog post.

Read more about AJ in her SSC&C avActor magazine/resume.

Thanks, AJ, for being a part of "The Crew."

Cosmic Surrounding Technology, LLC

SSC&C's latest gig. Lots of fun shot in half a day. :) Great job, you guys ;)



Presented by Cosmic Surrounding Technology, LLC as a part of the launch of NEWLIFE HEALTHCARE LLC and celebrating the Re-opening of NEWLIFE Fertility Center in Al Azaiba, on February 25th, 2011 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Muscat, Oman.

Film by Running Lady Productions
Animation Sections filmed in Second Life
Credits
Director and Editor: K. DaVette See (SL: Suzy Yue)
Camera: Robert See, K. DaVette See (SL: Gnueon Aeon, Suzy Yue)
1st Assistant Director: Bella Begonia

Costume Crew:
Lilibet Nightfire, Suzy Yue, Bella Begonia, Cody Juneau

Music: Beyond Music
Script: K. DaVette See and Fathi Al Riyami (CEO and President of Cosmic Surrounding Technology, Oman, USA)

Casting: Suzy's Super Cast & Crew

Narrators:
Avajean Westland
Kayden Oconnell

Cast
1angelcares Writer
Aisling Sinclair
Avajean Westland
Bella Begonia
Calamity Hathaway
Cherry Mahogany
GinGin Denja
Lilibet Nightfire
Mathilde Varghon
Olaf Barbosa

Getting to know "The Crew"

Running SSC&C is fun. I mean, it is work, of course and some days it is frustrating trying to promote it, organize it, etc. But it is, ultimately, a lot of fun. Mostly because of the people.

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to introduce you to the people who make up "The Crew," the amazing and diverse group of actors and techs that make up SSC&C. Some of them have been with us from the beginning, and some are brand new. But they are all amazing, dedicated and talented. Not to mention fun!

Check out out latest project on Running Lady's YouTube site. That shoot was a blast and I will be posting out takes very soon.

More blogging tomorrow. Be there. Aloha.

Suzy