Two Queens

Confusion leads to disaster in this short film shot in Jackson Hole Wyoming.

Kaden x 2

My nephew's second birthday party.

Fiction (Final)

Well, here it is, the last post for this class. It's been real, its been fun, but it hasn't been real fun. Just kidding. I liked this class alot.

Originally for this assignment, I was going to do a vlog. However, because of equipment malfunctions, and a lack of time, I have had to write it out in a regular blog posting. The premise is the same and hopefully it will be as equally enjoyable.

To "Check it Out" Click the link.

Thanks to all.
Hopefully we'll meet again

Jeffrey Whitlock

Video Blog Fiction

For my creative writing blog post, I have decided to create a vlog about a fictional character. This character would be the personal assistant to a famous movie star or director. This character would do a daily vlog about his experiences with said movie star/director.

The problem I am facing with this project so far is a location that would be convincing.

Singles Second Ward (Redo)

Ok, here is the second attempt. After having my first go was deleted, I have redone it. Hopefully, it is a little more wikiworthy. Take a look.

The Singles Second Ward

I have started my new page on Wikipedia about the new film The Singles Second Ward.

I am still gathering the needed info for the page like full names of actors, budget details, etc.

I chose this topic, because I have pretty good part in this movie, and therefore good access to the information. This is also why I have been missing so much class lately.

Wiki Singles

For my short edit of a wikipedia post, I chose to edit The Singles Ward post. It is a pretty small post without a lot of detail. The first thing I changed was a few grammatical errors, and then reworded some of the sentences.

Wiki Battlestar

I reviewed the the post about Battlestar Galactica. It seemed to be a pretty through article, spanning the entire life span of the concept. They did a good job of providing dates, and names of characters both past and present. There were several things about the earlier series and movies that I didn't know before.

I especially enjoyed the end where they mentioned the possible future of the show. I was worried that I would find a lot of critics on the show by people that are not qualified to do so. However, the article had only facts.

I do think that it could have a little more information on the revised series and plot lines in general.

Battlestar Galactica

The Movie (Final)

As I have mentioned several times on this blog, I am a film student at the University of Utah. I am a Junior, but his is only my second semester a s a film major. This semester, I was fortunate enough to get into the beginning production class. For this class, we are required to produce two films, a short narrative, and a short documentary. I was very excited to be in this class, and even more excited to be making some movies.

I had a stroke of genius for my first film. A three page short film with a surprise ending. It was short and simple, with one location and three actors. All I needed was a middle aged woman, a small boy between eight and ten, and a Brad Pitt type man.

The man is an assassin, the woman is his target, and the boy is the child version of the man. The story in short is this: The hit man enters the woman's house, and then stalks her through the house until finally finding her in the bathroom. He enters, draws his gun and fires. Instead of being shot with a bullet, she is struck by a foam dart. The man we have seen is actually the little boy, and he has been imagining the whole thing.

I know what your thinking, Its brilliant, and where can I send a check to get in on this project. (1346 N 230 W, American Fork Utah, 84003. Make checks payable to Jeffrey Whitlock). Of course you would be right to think so. It will be awesome.

Finding the woman was easy. My friend Melanie who does casting for Halestorm, (Singles Ward, Church Ball, etc), is also an actress and looks the part. She offered not only to be in the movie, but she offered her giant new house and to find the rest of the needed actors. I was set. With a week before shooting, I could concentrate on story boards and set design.

I wish I could conclude the this story here and tell you that the shoot went perfect and my movie was ready for the Oscars. However, that would be a lie, and worse, a boring story.

I had planned to shoot on a Thursday, the only day I could miss both school and work. It was also the best day for Melanie. On Monday morning, I called Mel and left her a message confirming the shoot on Thursday, and that we had actors in line to be there. She didn't call back. I waited all day for her call, but never got one. finally around Eight she IMs me.

8:07 Mel
Sorry my phone died! I will talk to my friend tomorrow. I thought we were shooting on friday though.

(why are you messaging me instead of calling me like I asked)

8:09 Jefe
I cant miss school or work on friday, its either thurs or sat.

(I have said Thursday from the start, don't you listen to me?)

8:15 Mel
Would it be eaisier to find somebody else.

(The bomb shell. I knew I knew it was all to good to bre true. Here we are a few days from the shoot and she is going to bail on me. I don't know what to say, I need a back up plan. I quickley call my brother-in-law, and beg him to be in my movie. He agrees, and he volenteers his nephew and his wife for the other roles. Take that Mel, I will find somewhere else.)

8:25 Jefe
You sound hesitant, maybe I will go another direction.

(I hope that doesn' sound to offensive. She doesn't respond right away. I wait for her, listening to music and playing solitair Finally I go to bed. In the morning I see she has responded.)

10:15 Mel
Just trying to help work out scheduling but if you think you can find three other people and another place go for it.

(I can tell she was upset. I felt kind of bad, after all the work she has done. I should call her.)

On Tuesday morning I call her phone and suprisingly she picks up. I quickly explain to her my fears of doing it Thursday at her house, mostly that I haven't met the actors, and that it doesn't seem like she is really interested. But she alays my fears, and assures me that she wants to do the project and that she will make sure the actors will be there. I am back in buisness.

Once again, I wish I could end the story here and say that everything got better and went well, but it didn't. When I got to Melanies house Thursday morning, she informs me that Loren, my assassin, broke his foot a few days ago, and that I will have to shoot around that. I stare at her in shock for a moment, and then remembering that she is doing me a favor, and that I don't have any other choice at this moment, I say sure, I can shoot around his broken foot.

So the shoot began with my limping assassin and continued down hill from there. Just so you know, Melanie was fantastic in the movie, and so was everybody else despite the fact that the main character couldn't walk. The biggest problem was me.

Though I had put in hours of prep time, I was using a new camera that I was unfamiliar with, and therefore ended up with some focus problems, I had large shadows on the walls from the lights I had never used before, and I shot the whole thing in under Eight hours. Thats two hours faster than I had planned, which means that I was rushing when I should have been slow and careful.

Overall, I was dissapointed with the footage I took. I wanted so badly to have a succesful shoot, and create an incredible film. But it just wasn't meant to be. Hopefully I will be able to salvage it in post production.

IM with Melanie (Revised)

This is a conversation I had with a friend a few days ago. Her name, as you can see, is Melanie. Looking back at this discussion, I realize how idiotic and childish I am sometimes. Oh well, live and learn.

45 minutes

7:00 PM Melanie: hello there hot stuff! thanks for your help yesterday!

Melanie: where have you been?

(I enter my room and see that Melanie has IMed me)

7:11 PM me: Whats upi have been talking with my mother and killing Germans

(The Germans in question are Nazis in the game Medal of Honor for the Nintendo Game Cube.)

Melanie: I was trying to get ahold of you regarding wendover

(I had previously been invited to spend the night in Wendover with her and her husband. This is a common practice for them, as they get free rooms at the peppermill)

me: I left my phone upstairs

(I can't keep track of my phone, a habit which makes Melanie very angry)

Melanie: killing germans?

(She's not a big gamer)

me: Yes, the Nazis

(I beat the game)

Melanie: xbox?

(Her kids have an xbox. I think it is the only system she knows of.)

me: Those dirty krauts deserved every bullet

Game cube actually

(I am not a violent person, I just like to act tuff in games)

7:12 PM Melanie: nice

I guess no wendover

(Back to the important questions, she doesn't like to dilly dally, when disscussing gambling)

7:13 PM me: Yeah, I probably better not

No Flow

I hope you win a ton though

(They usually do win a ton. Her husband is a terrific Black Jack player and they have a bank roll of 10,000 to play with. I myself am horrible at gambling hence, NO FLOW)

The Next Day

11:04 AM me: what do you mean no can make it.

(I meant to say ...no one can make it. She was having a birthday party and I could tell she was a little bugged.)

11:05 AM Melanie: just that! i have had only three people say they could come

one is my mom

(Her mother is senile. Very sad)

11:06 AM me: That Sucks. So what are you going to do

I know, lets get hammered drunk instead

(I was completley seriouse with this suggestion. She generally takes me up on it)

11:07 AM Melanie: I think Lester is just going to take me out for dinner...fun huh?

(Boring)

11:08 AM me: Yeah, that will be awsome. Especially if he takes you somewhere good

(He generally does. Still, BORING)

11:09 AM Melanie: like ruth's chris

(Yeah, just like the last three times you went out to eat without me.)

11:10 AM me: exactly

Kung Poo

This is the coolest video on youtube. Check out all of his stuff. It's great.

IM With Melanie

This is a conversation I had with a friend a few days ago. Her name, as you can see, is Melanie. Looking back at this discussion, I realize how idiotic and childish I am sometimes. Oh well, live and learn.

45 minutes

7:00 PM Melanie: hello there hot stuff! thanks for your help yesterday!

Melanie: where have you been?

me: Whats up

7:11 PM i have been talking with my mother and killing Germans

Melanie: I was trying to get ahold of you regarding wendover

me: I left my phone upstairs

Melanie: killing germans?

me: Yes, the Nazis

Melanie: xbox?

me: Those dirty krauts deserved every bullet

Game cube actually

Melanie: nice

7:12 PM I guess no wendover

me: Yeah, I probably better not

No Flow

7:13 PM I hope you win a ton though

The Next Day

11:04 AM me: what do you mean no can make it.

11:05 AM Melanie: just that! i have had only three people say they could come

one is my mom

11:06 AM me: That Sucks. So what are you going to do

I know, lets get hammered drunk instead

11:07 AM Melanie: I think Lester is just going to take me out for dinner...fun huh?

11:08 AM me: Yeah, that will be awsome. Especially if he takes you somewhere good

11:09 AM Melanie: like ruth's chris

11:10 AM me: exactly

11:19 AM me: I can't find his email adress

But you could send him a message on his myspace page

11:25 AM Melanie: are you there?

12 minutes

11:38 AM me: Hey I am back

I was talking to my mother

11:40 AM Would you like me to cut and paste you message into his myspace page?

---

Battlestar Galactica Blog

I confess, I am in love with Battlestar Galactica. I honestly think it is one of the best made shows on television. If you don't believe me, try it. I swear you will love it.

I follow the blog www.bsgblog.net. It is a good blog with up to date info on the show and a fairly decent critique of each weeks episode. On occasion, the moderator doesn't know what he is talking about, but sometimes he gets it right.

The Xbox Player (Revised)

With long tanned arms, he slowly bends down, and lets out a small quiet groan. His big boney hands each take a handful of white vinyl and the he rises, picking up the large white beanbag chair made to look like a giant soccer ball. It has rip in the side of it, and I can see white cotton stuffing sticking out of it. As it rises into the air, two light brown beens fall from the rip and land on the carpet, disappearing into the thick brown shag. He takes two short steps toward the center of the large rectangular room and drops it directly in front of the tv. As it lands, I can hear the air rush out of it and it makes a loud "whump," He bends his knees, and falls on top of the bag, making another softer whump. The remaining air in the bag rushes out, and I can see individual beans pressing against the thin vinyl.

He grabs the legs and readjusts his tan shorts to be more comfortable. He reaches out to the side of the beanbag, and picks up the long rectangular, gray remote control and presses the button to activate the television. He sits still while the large black television, three feet infront of him, comes to life.

The tv slowly brightens into a white screen displaying the xbox 360 logo in green and gray. The boy waits, tapping his index finger on the side of the white controller, his left foot bumping up and down on the carpet, as the label "Ghost Recon" appears on the screen. His long fingers press the buttons in rapid succession, guiding the screen through a series of pictures, until it reads "loading." His fingers flex and unflex as the loading bar slowly moves from left to right.

As he begins to play the game, he works the controllers, moving the sticks with his thumbs, his eyes never leaving the screen. His mouth twists into different shapes as he plays. First he grimaces, then smiles, then grimaces again. He frowns in concentration, eyes never blinking, he opens his mouth into a snarl, and jerks the controller upward two times, and then laughs, a smile on his face.

The Xbox Player

With long arms he bends over and picks up the large white beanbag chair made to look like a giant soccer ball from the corner of the room and throws it in front of the tv. It lands with a loud "whump." He falls on top of it and then readjusts his tan shorts to be more comfortable. He reaches out to the side of the beanbag, and picks up the long rectangular, gray remote control and presses the button to activate the television. He sits still while the large black television, three feet infront of him, comes to life.

The tv slowly brightens into a white screen displaying the xbox 360 logo in green and gray. The boy waits, tapping his index finger on the side of the white controller, his left foot bumping up and down on the carpet, as the label "Ghost Recon" appears on the screen. His long fingers press the buttons in rapid succession, guiding the screen through a series of pictures, until it reads "loading." His fingers flex and unflex as the loading bar slowly moves from left to right.

As he begins to play the game, he works the controllers, moving the sticks with his thumbs, his eyes never leaving the screen. His mouth twists into different shapes as he plays. First he grimaces, then smiles, then grimaces again. He frowns in concentration, eyes never blinking, he opens his mouth into a snarl, and jerks the controller upward two times, and then laughs, a smile on his face.

The Long day at school (Revised)

Yesterday was my first full day back at school. For reasons that I won't go into here, my schedule is very strange and spread out. My first class starts at 10:00am and is a math class (gag). My next class of the day is at 6:00pm, and is a film production class (yeah). So I have a seven hour break between classes on Monday and Wednesday.

So yesterday, I awoke a little later than I had planned, and decided to drive in to school instead of taking the train as usual. The train, being a fickle friend, can be agonizingly slow. To my dismay, I-15 was the recipient of three car wrecks that morning and had been reduced to a parking lot.

Finally I get into down town SLC and decide to park on campus. I don't have a parking permit, but I new I would be late if didn't. Besides, my first class is only an hour long, and maybe I will be back before the meter maid comes by. Wrong, there was a nice fat warning on my windshield when I got back. That warning was probably the best part of the day, to speak the truth.

So with 10 minuets to spare, I start my long hike across campus. However, I realize that I don't know where the JFB is. It sounds familiar, so I head in the direction I think it is. I know it is a math class, but I have no idea where that particular building is. After climbing what must be an Everestian height, I realize that I am not even close. I start to sweat and get a little bit angry. The bag hanging from my shoulder begins to take on weight by the second, and my shoulder aches with the pain. I realize my only option is to find a computer, and look at a map. Nearest computer? The Union building. Back down Everest and across the Sahara to the Union Building.

I quickly check the school map, after trying to log in a couple of times. I'm sure the school computers thought it a great joke watching me fumble over the keys trying spell out my password correctly. I retaliated by leaving sweaty finger marks all over the keyboard. Locating the JFB, I set out for my class. Inside the JFB, I am dismayed to find that I cannot find the right room number. It seems that I must be blind, maybe by the sweat, because I walked by it several times. Panic sets in and I must have shown it on my face, because a nice old gentleman asked me what I was looking for. He pointed me the way, and I huffed out a brief thanks, then stumbled off toward it.

By the time I walk into class I am fifteen minutes late and the teacher is well into his lecture in what must have been a foreign language (It is a math class after all). I climb over several people to find a seat, they are not pleased to be interrupted, probably the smell, and once settled I am able to investigate what has been a growing pain on my heal. I find a large bloody blister oozing into my sock. I stifle a gasp, and then calming myself, take out my books and begin taking what I am sure will be worthless notes in a class I'm sure I won't comprehend.

What a perfect start of the new semester.

Shrek and Fiona's Babies

A Little Bit About Me

For all you new fans of this blog, I thought I should tell you a little bit about myself. I am 25 years old, I am 5' 6" tall, blond hair and blue eyes.

I have spent the last 5 years as an actor, doing shows around the country. I have grown tired of the constant moving around, and now am back at school.

I am a junior attending the University of Utah, studying Film. Film has been a hobby for a long long time, and now I am very happy to be studying it full time.

I love movies. I love movies. I love movies.

Shrek the Third

I saw Shrek the Third this weekend. I thought it was pretty funny. The problem was, that I was in a theater full of little kids, and several of them cried through the entire movie.

I can't understand why some people won't take there kids out of the theater when they are crying. Why do they think that it is okay to just sit there and let the kid scream for 5 minutes.

I nearly walked over and asked a lady to take her kid out so I could here the movie. But I didn't.

Let this be a lesson to all of you parents out there. If your kid is being loud, please take them out to the lobby. Or perhaps you should look into renting your movies in the future.

Long Day at School

Yesterday was my first full day back at school. For reasons that I won't go into here, my schedule is very strange and spread out. My first class starts at 10:00am and is a math class (gag). My next class of the day is at 6:00pm, and is a film production class (yeah). So I have a seven hour break between classes on Monday and Wednesday.

So yesterday, I awoke a little later than I had planned, and decided to drive in to school instead of taking the train as usual. To my dismay, I-15 was the recipient of three car wrecks that morning and had been reduced to a parking lot.

Finally I get into down town SLC and decide to park on campus. I don't have a parking permit, but I will be late if don't. Besides, my first class is only an hour long, and maybe I will be back before the meter maid comes by.

So with 10 minuets to spare, I start my hike across campus. However, I realize that I don't know where the JFB is. I know it is a math class, but I have no idea where that particular building is. I start to sweat and get a little bit angry. My only option is to find a computer, and look at a map. Nearest computer? The Union building.

So I hike to the Union Building and quickly check to school map. Locating the JFB, I set out for my class. Once inside the JFB, I am dismayed to find that I cannot find the right room number. It seems that I must be blind, because I walked by it several times.

By the time I walk into class I am fifteen minutes late and had to climb over several people to find a seat. Once settled I am able to investigate the growing pain on my heal and find a large bloody blister oozing into my sock.

What a perfect start of the new semester.

It's A Brand New Day

Hello World!

Thus begins a new era in the blogging world.

Welcome to The Life and Times of Jefe.

This blog will be a record of my thoughts, feelings, and deeds over the summer semester 2007 at the University of Utah.