Hello,

The clouds have decided to part a bit today. There are some seriously crazy looking skies in upstate New York.

So many activities happening on and off campus lately.
There are a lot of opportunities to get active outside of class and outside of the campus bubble.

On Friday is the debut performance of Birthday Night, a new play written and directed by my friend Kristian Rodriguez. There will be three performances from Oct. 9-11 at Spark Contemporary Art Space. Opening night there will be free cupcakes from the delicious vegan cafe, Strong Hearts!

Also on Friday is sketch comedy troupe Penguins Without Pants first show of the semester! They're always a hoot. Here is a little taste of the humor:

Ginger Brothers Investment Firm from Evan Paschke on Vimeo.

I will be busy doing an animation for my transmedia studio this weekend. Think felt.

Hello Bloggers,

Tonight my old roommate and good friend Harrison (A.K.A BIG MOUTH) is DJing an even at the Red House called Overcoming the Spectacle: A Cinema of Pure Means:

"A yearlong film program that will explore the role of cinema as a medium for political transformation by way of an examination of the medium itself and the act of what it means to ‘watch’ a film.The films included in this program all critique the spectacle / spectator relation inherent in the structure of cinema and attempt to imagine new relationships between the medium and the viewer. Taking its conceptual grounding from what Giorgio Agamben refers to as the cinema of ‘pure means’, this series will look specifically at cinematic strategies that refute fabricated meanings, thoughts and desires. It is through the work of the cinema that the cinema, too, has to be destroyed."

Films being shown tonight, all by Guy Debord:

Critique de la séparation (1961)

La Société du spectacle (1973)

La Société de tous les judgements, tant élogieux qu'hostiles, qui ont été jusqu'ici portés sur le film La Société du spectacle (1975)

P.S. I GOT INTO PRAGUE 2010!!!!!!!

Week 3

HI.

It's Ellen.

This week has been crazy busy with work. I am P.A. on my friend's film thesis so we've been shooting scenes and getting organized. It's exciting to collaborate on something that can potentially be submitted to a film festival.

Speaking of film festivals, I found a poster for one called MONO NO AWARE while I was snooping for some official signatures in the student affairs office (I'm still trudging my way through all the study abroad paper work.) It looks like a pretty neat festival. It only accepts film submissions which is something I will definitely support. I'm thinking about using super8.

TATA FOR NOW!

Week 2

Hey y'all!

I'm about to finish my second week of the semester boy has it been a long two weeks.

Yesterday was the department meeting for film majors. I got to take a look at all the new freshmen film kids (good picks for PAs on future projects), was thoroughly impressed by new professor Kimi, and totally had my nerves jogged by the quickly diminishing amount of time I have to finish this SUabroad application!!!

Next I'm off to my Documentary production class for lecture and workshop from guest artist and award winning cinematographer, Gary Griffin.

Best wishes!

-Ellen.

Good-bye quiet summer of Syracuse! Hello new semester, new students and loads of school work!

And hello VPA blog world.

My name name is Ellen and I am a junior studying film here at Syracuse University. I am originally from Syracuse, NY, a graduate from the lovely Syracuse City School district. (Yes, I am a "local.")

Attending SU has opened so many great opportunities I would never have found anywhere else. The VPA film program has given me so much creative freedom, from experimenting with projects using 16mm film to constructing puppets for stop-animation. I've also been able to follow a minor in ETS in the College of Arts and Science. I'm looking forward to my class on Jacobean revenge theater and all those bloody details of 17th century English literature.

This month I will be preparing my portfolio and applications to study abroad a FAMU, the Film and Television School at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. It's a very competitive program so wish me luck!