Starstruck...

I come from a small town. Spokane, while big, is a small city. We pride ourselves on the little things. Cheap living leads to a life of recreation and the pleasure of enjoying the creation around us. When it comes to celebrities we hold to the few that we have. Mainly, well, John Stockton? I don't really know of any celebrities living in Spokane actually.

This leads me to my surprise upon moving to Los Angeles. This is the town of the stars. There are more stars here proportionately than any other city in the world. Literally, someone famous could be in the car next to you at a red light. The crazy thing about this city is how easy it can be to fake it and get a glimpse of the celebrity life. There are thousands of people who know people who knows someone. You could easily have the chance to hang out with a celebrity at some point. It's L.A. after all.

What is the point I am trying to make? Well, I just got back from a movie premier. I happened to get tickets, courtesy of Lydia Carmony, to the Whip It premier. Drew Barrymore directed this film, it was her first film in which she was the director. So naturally, she was the premier. The tickets that we had allowed us to participate in the red carpet experience. Literally, I was standing around the red carpet. All the stars walked around right in front of me, including Ellen Page.

What was surprising was the entrance of two high end guests. These guests were none other than Steven Speilburg himself and Quentin Tarentino. I was taken aback by their presence and completely starstruck. After all, those are two of my top five directors. And because I already met and got an autograph from Michel Gondry earlier this month, I have met/seen three of my top five directors. I have only lived in L.A. for a month. Talk about an exciting city to live in.

There were a ton of other celebrities there as well I will get a list as soon as the premier info is posted online somewhere. I shook hands with the lead boy crush from the film and it was actually kind of exciting. After all, this guy kissed Ellen Page!

Well, I will be posting more about this in the future. For now, I am signing off. Keep reading!

Had some time to post more pictures.

Ok, so I have some free time on my hands right now so I have decided to just upload a ton of pics of people and things have I have been doing lately. I hope to eventually get picture of just about everyone up soon, but this is taste for now.

It was a dark and gloomy night one evening walking home late.

From Left to Right: Eric, Josh, Jeremy

This is mike.

Ellen.

Maggie.

Danielle.

Security Guard.

A picture taken from the roof of my school. Funny story:

We were shooting in the lobby and the security guard wanted a picture taken of herself. So I did, hence the photo up above. It didn't end there. When we were done filming she grabbed me and took me to the elevator. I was scared for my life. Where were we going! We went to the roof. She told me "Bulgarian Aunty will take care of you! Whenever you want to shoot up here you let me know." The roof has some amazing views, however it has been terrible weather lately and not clear enough to get some good snaps. That will come in the future hopefully.

I live in there somewhere. Don't ask me which one, the place is like a Labyrinth.

This is Josh.

Mitch and I working on my Film. We make a good team and we are efficient together. I am pleased with working with him. He will definitely be helping with my next film, if he is available of course.

Overseeing the scene.

Me recording sound on Mitch's short.

Chillin the bathtub with Justin. Tricky scene to shoot, not enough room in the bathroom!

And I conclude this photography posting with a random artistic picture from underneath the Santa Monica Pier. I don't really know why, but I just really like this pic. It has been a fast weekend, but definitely worth it. Tomorrow I am going to the premier of whip it starring Ellen Page. I am really excited and will be blogging about that in the near future. Stay tuned! Also, editing has been going smoothly on my short and it is nearing completion. I am really proud of it and am excited to show it so you all can have something fun to watch! Not that my video posts aren't fun enough, but seriously this will top anything I have posted so far! Its almost four in the morning so I am going to hit the hay. Sleep with come quickly for me tonight. I have nothing on my schedule tomorrow, which is needed, so I will be able to rest up and relax. The rest of the week is going to be pretty packed.

I have filmed a short.

I Filmed my first short film in Los Angeles yesterday and it went real smooth. We finished in just under 3 hours. I pride myself on my efficiency. I am now editing the film and will be posting it as soon as it is available. Don't worry, it will be finished soon because its due in a week so I am forced to get it done quickly. What was the plot? Well it was a romantic short about a guy who gets the girl. I think Im going to leave it at that so I don't ruin it for you. Anywho, here are some pictures of the shoot that should be fun to look at:

Observing the scene.

Talking about the shot.

Discussing the scene with the actors.

This is Kelsey, she is enjoying sound. I think.

We pose to show the actors the shot we want.

Ya know. Filmin.

"You're through Russ!"

An incredible scene.

The confrontation.

I had a lot of fun on this set. It went fast and smooth and looks incredible. I am in post production right now and will finish it soon. So don't worry, I will keep everybody updated and post it as soon as it's available. It's Sunday and I have nothing to do, which is nice, so I am planning on relaxing and heading to Church later in the evening to Mosaic.

Live from L.A. its Saturday Night!

Saturday evening:

Another late night at the center:

In alphabetical order...

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

That is the alphabet. We take it for granted. Often times we thinkin nothing of it. However our whole world is is run by it. You might be asking yourself by now, why are we talking about the alphabet? Well it's pretty simple. When you pay to work as a slave, one if your tasks is the job of sorting and organizing. This menial task is one that is done behind the scenes in dark corners of vacant buildings adjacent to derelict apartment complexes in abandoned neighborhoods. This is where our world is organized and stored. This is where we slaves work day in and day out sorting peoples lives in order to catalogue all the failures that their lives consist of.

That being said, an interns work is not all that bad really. But there are times of the day when there is nothing else to be done but sorting an organizing. How do I like this place so far? This is my second day here and I am enjoying it so far. I am beginning to remember names and fit in around the office. I like the people here a lot and the diversity of work here is great enough to never make things boring. There is always at least one feature being worked on, several commercials, and a music video or two. Life here never gets boring. Which I like. As far as things go I am comfortable here and excited for the semester to carry on.

Lunch break is almost over so I should be getting back to filing I guess. I finally figures out the wifi here so I can now blog whenever I get bored. That makes things interesting.

I am filming my short tomorrow, so I will be posting pictures and clips from that hopefully. Stay tuned.

-- Post From My iPhone

Random videos for your viewing pleasure:

Becoming anonymous:

Reporting live from my first day of my internship. It's lunch time and I have just filled up with free sandwiches provided by a start up cafe that is enticing us to eat there. First impression is I like the food, I might stop by time to time.

Oh right, you want to hear about my internship and not my lunch. Well let me finish my fancy grilled cheese and fill you all in. Today was learnig day. So many new faces and so many new names. It starts all over again. I really enjoy the over all feeling of this place so far. It's chill yet professional, I like the mix. I had a simple workload today: read an informational packet and edit a film script for typos. Pretty basic stuff, but after all I am an intern...

My day didn't start too ealy, arriving at nine I was a little sleepy but managed to put on an awake face. I met a bunch of people that I will struggle with their names for quite a while. Took a breif tour. Found a desk to call my own. Ate lunch, then headed home. Pretty basic day, but a good one for my first day.

I am excited to be here and meet a ton of good contacts that will hopefully be really helpful. This place is extremely legit and I am excited to work here. I will know more about what I am doing once I get comfortable in the office. After all it is my first day. My next day is Friday and I am curious to what that day brings forth.

This is what I know about anonymous so far: it's a successful independant production company that works on many differing projects varying from commercials for television, music videos, and full length features. The head producer in the company has had an excellent track record at spoting talent and is away currently working on set of the newest feature up anonymous' sleeve. My job here will be to assist the assistants and other menial tasks as needed around the office. If I'm lucky I will get a chance to meet people in the different divisions and find an area that interests me the most. One of the good things about anonymous is that I will get the chance to experience many different asets of a production. Hopefully I will find a department that interests me more than others. But for now I am nothing more than a legal slave for the office. At least I will be able to meet a few people. Hopefully that will work out in my favor.

It's time to get on with my day so I will have to conclude this blog for now, but rest assured I will be posting in the future soon. It's been a quick day, but a long day being that I have class for 4 hours straight in a bit. I can't complain though being that is really my only long day.

Dance Party.

From the desk of Joseph Arnhold:

Live at the Hollywood Bowl: John Williams

It’s hard to believe I have been living in Los Angeles for a month already. Just four weeks ago I was packing my car and preparing for the journey south. Fast forward to today and it feels like I have lived here for years. As fast as time has gone since I moved down, the days are long an feel like weeks. I have gone through extremes of homesickness to the opposite spectrum of completely falling in love with L.A. I am split in such a struggle of the heart as to what the future has in store for my life. I know I am not supposed to dwell on the future and be anxious, but lets face it, its on mind every day. Come December I have to make a choice. I am graduated and I need to find a job. The question is where and in what city. I miss home, I miss my family, I miss the country. But down here, its different. There is film everywhere, and it’s exciting. The energy and the passion of everyone living in this city truly makes you believe that anything is possible. If you have a dream, it can be filmed. That’s exciting and empowering. 

Whatever the future has is in store, the will of God is to be concerned with the present and focused on his will for each and every day. While I do want to dwell on the future and worry about what is going to happen next, I wont let it affect my experience here in this program. I am learning so much and meeting so many cool people. I am having a blast. It took a week or two get settled in, but now I am comfortable and enjoying every minute of every day soaking up the true L.A. experience. Since I have been here I have seen several celebrities, acquired multiple autographs, and even seen John Williams conduct an orchestra himself live. Life here is pretty sweet. I go to the beach regularly, swim in the pool just about every day, and enjoy the warm weather that appears to never end. 

So here is a low down on where I am in the program and what is in store for the next few months: 

Classes are all settled in and in full swing. Monday nights we watch a film that we are to write a report on. Simple stuff. Tuesdays we watch our student films we made during the week and analyze them. Wednesdays we are split up in our groups and learn our specific tasks in relation our group film we are working on. My task is sound design, so I will be learning all about sound for the next three months. Thursday is our big “school” day. Ten to noon is Theology in Hollywood (the title says it all) and in the evening is another simple film class. 

I know what you are thinking, this sounds simple and not a lot of class time. Well there is more. 

The rest of the week is spent working for free in a slave program known to America as “internships.” I have hopefully acquired one and will be working at a place for most of the down time during the week. Weekends are spent helping other students on their short films. Most people film Saturday or Sunday and need as much help as possible. 

Basically, there is no down time ever, except during random times. Most “hanging out” happens late at night and never ends. Stuff we do is random and at the last minute, but its fun and exciting. 

The future? 

Pretty simple. In just over a month we will be done with our student film class, so roughly the end of October. Once this class ends we will have a bit more free time. However we are still working on our “group film.” This is a bigger film with a bigger production. That project will pick up and consist almost entirely during the month of November. Once December hits we should be basically done with school. On the 8th we have a mini film premier and watch our films on a big screen somewhere in L.A. It’s pretty exciting and I can’t wait to attend that. December 10th we move out and I drive home… 

That is my entire semester in a nut shell. Next Sunday I will be filming my first short film in this program and I am excited as I have an excellent script. I will be posting more details and photos on that this coming weekend. 

I am enjoying myself down here a lot. This town is truly one of a kind. And in reality, its not all that bad. Despite the dirt and grime that covers every sidewalk, my car is clean and the A/C coming from the dash is wonderful. Well, its two in the morning and I probably should be getting to bed soon. Sleep is always a good thing. Check in this week as I shall hopefully be posting a ton of pictures that are long over due and some new videos! 

Thanks so much for all your prayers and support,

Joseph Arnhold

Just a good Photo...

Under the the Santa Monica pier

 museum

Art display at the L.A. art

All the people at the John Williams concert

Erik working hard in the computer lab

The Beach!

Cool boat under the Pier.

on the way to the center

Somehow we snuck, or meandered, onto the set of Flash Forward. It was sweet they were filming explosions and gun shots. We saw some smashed up cars from a "car crash scene." Some how we were chillin next to the break table, so much food! i think we walked by the director it was crazy. It was sweet to see everything all set up and people all working to make everything look believable. Its kind of exciting.

A Saturday Evening Update:

Chillin on a Sunday

Hey everybody, I know it has been a while since I have written a normal blog, but today is your today. It has been several weeks since I have first moved in and finally I have become accustomed to the Los Angeles lifestyle. This is nice because I can start settling in and enjoy life. I saw John Williams conduct the L.A. Symphonic whiled they played his music from Harry Potter, Star Wars, and E.T. This was awesome and a great opportunity. I have a bunch of photos and will be posting them up soon.

In addition to hangin out school has also started to pick up. I haven't started my internship yet, but I have an interview monday at 3. I am so excited to start my internship. School isn't all that hard, which is nice. I have two personal films I have to shoot and I start the first one in a few weeks. I will be posting the results of that video as soon as it is available. So until my work starts I have been helping other students with their films and gaining experience. I have learned lots about the whole casting thing and lights and all that goodness.

Well, it's time for dinner so I am going to have to split but I will be posting more later.

It's been a while...But I'm posting again!

And there was excitment on the second week.

    Its Wednesday now and things are finally starting to go into full motion. Our collaborative films are finally starting to take shape into what teams we are in. Scripts were turned in today, only five will be chosen. I managed to read a few and got really excited to work on some of them. There is a lot of talent down here this semester, and that makes things competitive and healthy. We are all competing for the same job so we all have to do our best. No longer am I the token "video guy." I am "just another video guy."

    Despite that difficulty, the future looks bright. Our internships should be determined soon, so that is exciting. I am sitting around and waiting for my internship to call me back. I have to call in Friday if I haven't heard from them yet. My two choices are Anonymous Content and Dreamworks! Both I am really excited for so I hope I get either one!

    In other news, this week has had a bit of homework so it has felt the most like school so far. However, that is all about to change soon. In the next two weeks everything will be settled in and rolling forward. Homework will all be figured out, and the work will mostly be hands on. Ya know, fun stuff!

More to come in the future, stay tuned for more pictures and video!

An overcast Tuesday

The Chinese Theatre: 

This is where a lot of film premiers happen. 

Michael Jackson still has a large following

Batman: He is always protecting us.

The hillsides are in flames around L.A. So what do we do with our lungs filled with smoke? We head out and continue on with life. So this is what I did, I headed to Hollywood Blvd to do some gift shop shopping. I went home and worked on a film. Now I am writing a script which is due tomorrow at 3. Its been an eventful day.

White balancing

Jeremy focuses the shot.

Our filming gang. 

Kelsey, she is good at folding up tripods.