work update.

I suppose its only fair that I should post an update on this here blog, especially considering that I am the reason it exists. After all, I am the one who moved our beloved Ali across the country to the God-forsaken city of New Orleans. I wanted to take a minute to give you a quick update about what I’ve been working on the last few months.

Back in late February and early March I worked on a big feature film called “Now You See Me”. It stars Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Morgan Freeman, and Isla Fisher, among others. Here's a little behind the scenes video.

On the Set: Jesse Eisenberg's Magic Thriller

Sorry Isla, I'm taken.

It's always fun and interesting being around well known movie stars. Most of the time you quickly realize that, for the most part, they really are just normal, everyday people who happen to be good at pretending to be someone else. Other times you kind of notice that constantly pretending to be someone else requires a certain amount of crazy. The best part about working around actors is when one says she thinks your cute... just don't tell Ali....

The best thing about working on Now You See Me was that it provided me with the opportunity to get my next and most recent job, The Last Exorcism Part 2. We finished shooting the film about a week ago. It was interesting going from a very large budget movie like Now You See Me, to a not so large budget movie like The Last Exorcism 2. Big budget movies carry a certain amount of weight and pressure, but they look great on the resume and can be a lot of fun. Lower budget movies can sometimes maintain a better sense of family or community within the crew, but often times drag the crew through the mud in attempts to pinch every penny. But it truly comes down to the leaders of the film, i.e. the producers and directors. If they're good, smart, and knowledgable people, than theres a good chance it will be a good production, regardless of budget size. 

Working on movies is an experience that is equal parts “exciting movie magic” and “ok wow maybe that will be cool after music and editing”. In some ways it is similar to seeing how a magician does all his tricks. Sometimes seeing the secret is really neat and exciting, and other times it sort of ruins the “awe” and “splendor” of it all. Watching a stuntman jump out of a second story window, for example, still carries a fair amount of excitement in person as compared to the energy and impact portrayed on screen. On the other hand, watching an actor pantomime in front of a green screen for days on end doesn't exactly make your toes tingle with excitement. Whether a day on set is filled with massive explosion and gun fights, or hours upon hours of insert shots of clocks and spoons, I can’t imagine a better day at the office.

-Chad