Digital Media & Branding

Another cartoon review? Really?

Absolutely yes!

I’m not posting this review about a newly released film. I’m also not posting this review because the film was a smash hit like Avatar.

I’m writing this review because this movie is a roller coaster of creative genius; it’s heartwarming for adults, hilarious for adults and children alike, and will leave you wishing you had 10,000 minions at your disposal every day.

This film received 11 award nominations including Best Animated Feature from the Golden Globes, BAFTA, and Teen Choice Awards. The creative cast includes the venerable Julie Andrews, the hilarious Russell Brand, Steve Carrell, and Jason Segal, as well as the lovely Miranda Cosgrove.

The story centers around a villain named Gru who has a dream to steal the moon out of the sky. As the film moves along you learn about Gru’s insecurities, watch as he grows to love three adorable orphans, and see how he approaches learning from his mistakes. The message is perfect for spurring parent-children conversations about orphans and how much it means for them to find their forever home. Chris Renaud does a superb job as director. Impeccable story telling is the distinct marker of this film.

Impeccable story telling amidst subtle yet genius humor.

If you have not already seen this movie, do it! Your funny bone and your kids will thank you.

Keep it real friends.

CRAZY short post today! I just wanted to help promote The 2011 Thin Line Film Fest right here in my home town Denton, TX.

Last year was really great and this year’s line up is expected to be even better! This festival is an international documentary showcase that accepts all forms of documentaries including “mocumentaries”. You may remember the famous “This is Spinal Tap” from 1984. Although they aren’t showing that particular one, they will be showing modern day movies from all kinds of filmmakers.

The tickets have gone on sale and you don’t want to miss it!!

http://2011.thinlinefilmfest.com/
http://texasfilmmakers.com/

Kanye West has written and directed his own short film! It’s goal is to wet your appetite for his latest album that is appropriately titled My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

I would not suggest anyone under 18 to watch this video and honestly most people in the world will not appreciate this film. The art direction was fantastic but certainly doesn’t make up for the lack of story telling and the low caliber acting. Kanye and his counter part Selita Ebanks, who plays a Phoenix come to Earth, are more aesthetically valuable than they are emotionally convincing. The lines are forced and meant to be more meaningful than they felt….classic artsy-fartsy fail!!

You may have seen Kanye perform “Runnaway” [AKA "Toast to the Douchebags(Scumbags)"] on SNL alongside team of ballerina dancers. These dancers are seen quite a lot in the short film and are honestly the best part of the 30+ minute film. Kanye’s direction for this song’s occurrence in “Runaway” is brilliant! Methodically calculated and music driven it is easily the most entertaining portion of the film.

The three considerations that lead me to 3 out of 5 stars are 1) The bad acting, 2) the incredible art direction, and 3) the mediocre production quality. They have moments of cinematography that only someone with Kanye’s means can pull off independently and other moments that my 13 year old sister could do with $50 and a handi-cam. I’m also lumping the lack of story development into the poor “production quality”. I could see that Kanye’s character was contemplating things about the Phoenix and I could tell that the Phoenix was learning about our culture.…and that’s about it…. suddenly they have sex and the Phoenix is out the door! Silly Phoenix! Kanye is suddenly running down the road and the Phoenix seems to be leaving Earth. At the end I’m left wanting more closure.

Watch it and see for yourself. Maybe I’ve missed something clever and you can chime in with a brilliant retort! If you’re 18+ and you enjoy artistic style short films then watch the video on vevo.com. RUNAWAY

PS. I love Kanye’s album!!! That could be a factor in my opinion of 3 out of 5 stars. He melded some great music with some awesome art direction. He failed at telling a compelling story

It is now the second day of the last month in this year! As I think back on 2010 I can recall some of the toughest days in my life swirled with some of the most exciting times. Storied Productions has seen major growth with the launch of Memories Films . We will total around 18 weddings in 2010 and we have higher hopes for 2011.

Just as any new company we have had some growing pains and hard lessons to learn. I believe that 2011 will be the year that Storied has a chance to get comfortable in the rhythms that have been set by the enormous work load we experienced these past several months. This will be the year that we really implement that old cliche, “Work smarter not harder.” So what can you expect to see from us in the next 12 months?
Lets be honest. In this industry things can change without warning. Our goal is to create a company that will stand the test of time and we can’t do that without big dreams and hard workers! We’ve been blessed with both! You will see us make quiet strides to streamline our internal efficiencies and produce a greater volume of shows, weddings, commercials, and websites. You will see a modest attempt to get our business known by our beloved Dentonites (Denton, TX). It is important to us to develop long lasting relationships with local business owners as well as residents. If you watch carefully, you will see Storied Productions rise to the next level of professionalism as we take what we’ve learned and apply it to each client, story, website, or communications set before us.

Mark Twain once said, “If you hold a cat by the tail you learn things you cannot learn any other way.“Well we’ve been holding this cat by the tail since August 2008 and we don’t plan on letting it go! The continuation of education is something highly regarded around here and we aren’t really talking about degree programs and certificates. Those things have their place in the world, but I’m talking about learning from life experiences. We take each production and learn something new. You will see us become even more knowledgeable this next year and if 2010 has taught us anything, we know that 2011′s education will come with a large dose of humility!
We would be honored if you chose to follow us as we take on 2011 with a healthy dose of confidence merged with a healthy dose of fear and humility. On that note, feel free to leave your comments on our blog and visit our facebook page!
Twitter

We’d also like to make a quick shout-out to our new friends at A Different Perspective Photography. What a great crew of photographers to work with! We recommend them to anyone looking for photography work! Tell them Storied Productions or Memories Films

Let’s all welcome Disney back to “par”! I must say that after The Princess & the Frog I was worried that Disney would be done with making fairy tale’s that would be cherished for years to come without the help of their counterpart Pixar. Tangled was everything I remember the great Disney classics to be with an even bigger scale.
I remember when Disney’s Beauty & the Beast was so highly revered for the CGi they used in the dance sequence in that ball room scene. It was a breathtaking “crane shot” that started high above Bell & Beast dance and the camera swooped down and around them making for a dynamic shot that hadn’t ever been done so well in a cartoon feature. Tangled was of course entirely CGi and the grand scale was fantastic!
As you may have noticed the more recent feature cartoons have strayed away from the musical style that I grew up with. I’m glad to report that Disney has really impressed us with another soundtrack that is sure to win awards!
In short, I recommend this movie to families who want to introduce their kids to a new Disney movie that will join the ranks of a classic in the years to come. While the movie isn’t perfect in all areas of the writing, it is truly a good modern adaptation that captures the essence of a timeless tale.

P.S. No need to pay the extra money for 3D. I went to the 3D viewing and determined that 2D would have been just as effective, if not better. Let me know if you agree.

You may expect a family like the Carter’s, who’s most well known legacy is in regards to starting the Dallas Maverick’s Basketball Franchise, to be unapproachable. Nothing could be further from the truth. We were honored to be chosen among the Dallas/Ft. Worth Videographers to capture the wedding of the franchise founder’s grandson. Each person in this family as well as the Bride’s family were all great to work with and incredibly nice! I don’t think I ever saw Natasha, the bride, without a smile on her face and Lee, her Groom, was full of nervous energy as he tried to contain his excitement.

We shot this wedding at Dallas Baptist University where their family have been alma-maters for several generations. This location was beautiful! Their chapel is less than a year old and all the natural light flooded into the rooms to make for some breathtaking shots.

We decided to showcase the exit sequence to show a little different side of our wedding videos. It’s not a traditional warm fuzzy feeling as the music of Cat Power serenades the romantic night sky with beautifully contrasting bokeh in the background. As the editor, I was hoping to bring a little more weight to the romance that many videos lose with using overtly “happy” music. I wanted to bring attention to the deep intimacy that marriage represents and I thought that this dramatic sequence would help do that. I would love to know what you think about it!

It was a warm Ft. Worth Morning as the crew and I pulled up to the labyrinth of streets that surround the Ft. Worth Club in downtown Ft. Worth. What a beautiful interior and a welcoming staff! They really know how to take care of their vendors at this venue. We were served gourmet sandwiches and some of the best cookies I think I have ever had…just don’t tell my mother I said that! Read more…