AFI Dallas

Over this past week I've been to the AFI international film festival in Dallas three times. Twice as a volunteer, stuffing bags and everything that goes along with it, and once as part of the press (last night on the red carpet for David Lynch's INLAND EMPIRE).

This was an amazing experience to talk to all of these filmmakers and actors! I was amazed by their openess and excitement to see a team of high school journalists out on a real world job. I got to talk with Bill Paxton (Twister, Titanic) and Chris Kline (American Pie), as well as many indie filmmakers (including Sian Heder, and her movie Mother).

Sian directed and wrote Mother based on her experiences as a baby sitter at all the 4-star hotels in Beverly Hills. Check it out at www.motherthemovie.com . The movie will be screening at the Magnolia theater on Tuesday (9:45pm) and Wendnesday (5pm).
She also was one of eight to be chosen for the AFI Directing Workshop for Women. Only 4% of directors in the movie industry are women and this program hopes to change that, as well as the perspective that women directors are not limited to "girly" movies but can create anything.

I am so excited to edit this piece for our TV show which airs this Friday!
By the way, AFI Dallas is screening many films all week long and ends on April 1st. So get on down there and see great films you wouldn't normally get to see in wide release. They are some of the finest pieces you can see in the film industry.

I'm still on this red carpet high! :)

Journalism and Iraq

I found this very informative. I hope you do too.

Two Worlds

There are two worlds in the movie industry that I know about fairly well; production and acting. My siblings and I all started off as actors, but I went into production, my sister art and animation , and my brother stuck with the acting. Right now, He is in Los Angeles for pilot season, this will be his third year. It has taken him 3 years before he's finally landed a callback out there and now even gone to "network", a term for being selected to audition infront of the executive producer(s). I'm so excited for him!
For me... I'm working on a script, just the bones right now.

For everyone who interviewed for KCBY, you will know the cuts by the end of next week. :-)
For everyone going to prom, have fun! I'll be there filming you.

Shattered Dreams Production

Every two years my school produces a program called Shattered Dreams. It is to show upperclassman the realities of drink and driving and doing drugs. We show it every year before prom and we film and edit the production. It is amazing how much work and preparation goes into putting this on for the school, but its so powerful. This year I was behind the camera filming people being taken from their classes as victims of drunk driving accidents. Every 15 minutes someone dies in an alcohol/drug related accident. With prom and spring break around the corner maybe people will think twice before driving while intoxicated, after watching this performance. All the emotional events got me thinking and I wrote a little poem about it. Here it goes...

She was beautiful
He was talented
They smiled
Everyone did those days
He liked risks
She liked romance
They took a chance
Everyone loved a party
She was high
He had some drinks
They didn't think
Everyone went for the drive
She pointed, screamed
He swirved, trying to brake
They were too late
Everyone crashed in an instant
She wasn't breathing, crumpled in her chair
He rolled from the drivers seat onto the grass
They were thrown through shattered glass
Everyone; silent, or wimpering in pain
He turned her towards him
She fell limp in his arms
They called the police and now heard the alarms
Everyone was injured or dead
He was arrested
She was in heaven
They were once eleven, now only seven
Everyone learned
Life is a game you don't want to lose.

DFW High School Short Film Festival

Go to for more info and to be our friend: www.myspace.com/dfwhighschoolfilmfest