Combining Mediums

Brides of Dracula from Van Helsing (2004)  - I am hoping to create an inspired makeup look

Hello all!

This afternoon I did some importing and redesigning and uploading and managed to clean up the blog a bit. I finally got the "New Template Customizer" on Blogger and it turned out it's a lot easier than trying to code the entire thing ... I used to be a bit more tolerant of coding back in the days when I was obsessed with populating my guild on Neopets.com but nowadays I usually just want to get the coding over with as quickly as possible so that I can get to the creating. So I am happy to let you know that you can actually scroll the blog and click "Older posts" and lo and behold you will actually get to see older posts and not a weird looking homepage. I feel uncool for not being able to be a boss and code things entirely myself but hey, gotta move onto the creating!

Another slight update: I combined my "Audivila Films" blog with this Audfaced blog (thus the title change). So this blog is now dedicated to basically everything I do from makeup, to filmmaking to photography and all the other experimental projects in between. I'm really happy this way because now that the coding and layout is cleaned up and I have less sites to jump around from (or less blogs) I feel a lot more inspired to post more :) You know when you clean your room (the real type of cleaning where you actually get rid of stuff, not the kind where you stuff and hide things) and suddenly you just want to sit there and I dunno, create stuff in your new clean space because you can actually focus now? That's kind of how I feel.

Speaking of rooms I really need to deep-clean mine this summer ... I'm going to art school at last (aaaah!) so before I leave I really want to somehow leave my room "mode-home status" and seriously just let go of everything I really don't use or need. I hope most of it can be put to a second chance with someone else rather than tossing them into the recyling or trash.

Anyway, so this summer I'm really trying to get a lot done in terms of projects, life goals, health, money, adult life etc. I say that every summer but I feel a lot more energized this time around because I'm already 19, moving out soon and really trying to you know ... make it in life or something. So I want to make use of these few months where I don't have school. But I will have work ... every weekday. Ah well, it'll be the most money I ever make on my own! I've never had a summer job before, to be honest. This is my first.

I want to share with you a few things I plan on doing this summer. Mind you my list is actually very very very expanded from many different categories in life but I'll just pick and choose which ones you might actually be interested in hearing:

Some Summer Goals:

- watch a new film at least every 3 weeks (gotta stop watching reruns of my favorite movies only)
-finish Human Root (the short zombie film I worked on all this spring semester ... also the reason why I didn't have any time to make any recent Audfaced makeup videos)
-learn to draw human faces on my tablet more skillfully (i used to dream of having a tablet back when I did Oekaki and now that I finally have one, I barely draw anymore because I got into makeup and film and photography ... great timing)
- write at least 1-2 small short films/music videos and film them
- do at least 5 photoshoots this summer before moving away
- do at least 1 male photoshoot (gotta get some men for my portfolio if I really want to start a freelance business!)
- stretch every night and morning, maybe do morning jogs...?
- make some kind of claymation or animation short film
- write a children's book (yes I know publishing is a long hellish process but I just wanna write and illustrate it for starters)
- film all my halloween tutorials for Audfaced
- start that Tim Burton Scaracter's Contest
- buy a few more wigs and colored contacts
- reopen the MVMR Contest!
- do more voice dubs
- learn more about the world of fashion
- learn how to cook more recipes from my mom
- pass my online class (Summer semester of school yeeyah)
- giveaway all the books in my room that I don't use or read
- sell all the textbooks I've been holding onto or unable to sell in the past
- drink more tea
- read more about the world of cinema and recent events
- learn some hip hop dance moves
- clean my hard drives and laptop drive

Some Planned Audfaced Videos:

Shrinkle (aka Amy Doan) the creator of SugarPill Cosmetics!

- Answers Video
- Dream Contest
- Tahitian Fever (a collaboration with my friend who dances tahitian!)
- Shrinkle Inspired Look (yes, the creator of SugarPill!)
- Pretty Little Liars Series
- Can't Be Tamed Inspired Look (Miley Cyrus)
- Sally (Nightmare Before Christmas)
- Bride of Dracula (Van Helsing Inspired)
- Little Dead Riding Hood
- The Matrix Inspired Makeup Look
- Happy Clown (Halloween Tutorial)
- Avatar The Last Airbender Tutorials
     * Azula
     * The Avatar State/Aang
     * Ty-Lee

     *Princess Yue
     * Prince Zuko
- Left 4 Dead
     * The Spitter (maybe ...)
     * Hunter
- Samara Morgan
- Poison Ivy
- Harley Quinn
- Alice McGee Makeup Tutorial (Dark)
- Love Game Inspired Look
- Tweety Inspired
- Bird Inspired Looks
- Pride Series
- Avril Lavigne Inspired


..... realistically I know it's probably physically impossible to complete all of those in a span of a few months. And a lot of these videos I am determined to wait until I have the right & best presentation tools (after effects and edited-in visual effects, contacts, wigs, background etc) However. Each one of these ideas are some that I feel highly inspired to do so, you're bound to see a good amount of them in the coming months! :) I hope it'll be worth all the waiting ...  Thank you all so much again, for sticking with me despite my lack in videos.

And I highly encourage you to make a Summer Hopes/Goals/Aspirations list too.  There's so much you can accomplish that can jumpstart your future!

Ciao!

-Cat
(and yes ... I dared to bust out the Asian persuasion peace signs)

Where have I been?

Hello!

So ... for those of you who don't know, first up I'd would like to apologize for my lack of updates & videos on my Audfaced YouTube Channel. Why has it been this way?

Well, on one night in January 2011 I was riding the train home with my best friend and I told him how I had this idea of making a zombie movie in my film production class this spring semester. It was a far-fetched idea, and I honestly didn't think much of it. A zombie movie? What a huge project, what a huge amount of work. Where would I even get the people to back something like that?

I remember I was sad that day because I knew I wasn't going to see my friend for a long time, but I shared this far-out idea with them anyway.

Well. I did it.

Ever since that night I began to work towards it. I was unsure of it at first but, step by step it became more and more serious.

It started with a facebook wall post.

I asked, "If I made a zombie short film, who would be willing to help out?"

I was shocked at the response I got. Two slightly new friends of mine responded, strangely very supportive and into the idea. This helped encourage me but I was still greatly overwhelmed by the task ahead and if I really wanted to take on it.

I asked around among high school friends, college friends and friends from Fright Fest (big help to have friends there if you want to make a zombie movie!) and I got a little bit of support but was still gravely unsure.

Next was a phonecall. It was from someone I never talked to at all in person, but had worked the same job with. He was strangely supportive and tried to help me pitch an idea for a more original zombie flick. It was not at this time that I came up with the core story idea but, the fact that this person called and was serious about helping me encouraged me a great deal. He wanted to help produce or at least help me find people. He began asking around. This encouraged me to ask around.

This is where things got crazy. I would literally spend 3-4 hours or more a day, on Facebook typing like CRAZY. I pooled my resources like mad, looking for people: I needed to fill a cast and crew and I tell you, it was not easy. I typed personalized messages over and over, called, texted, chatted, posted bulletins, notices, wall posts, ads, asked old teachers, old friends, friends of friends, friends of friends of friends ... it was endless. More and more I felt like a business woman or secretary and it seriously ate up all of my time online.

My film class hadn't even started yet and I was trying to take on this full on production on basically a very low to zero budget. I was asking people to work for free for this student level film project. I promised a DVD of the finished product and an invitation to the film festival when it was done. I said they would meet new people, get experience on working on a near-professional film set and have a great time. I encouraged people to invite friends to make it an even more fun, more comfortable experience.

Mind you, I didn't even know much about crew positions at the time, I swear, I barely knew anything. I was still finding out the difference between Grip, Gaffer and Cinematographer, no lie.

I was trying to fill a cast and crew while writing a script at the same time. I was trying to write a script based on the people that I knew I might have. I was trying to fill a crew that I knew would be dependable. I was trying to find a location to fit the script I hadn't even written yet. I was juggling school alongside it.

It was insane. I can't even express how hectic pre-production was. I was learning so much at such a fast speed, rushing to do so many things at the same time. I was trying to write a story when I didn't even know how many people I would have or if they would be available, if they were good actors. I didn't know what I would edit the movie on, I didn't know how to write a script. I didn't know the format. I didn't know how to deal with actors, how to lead a crew when I had never even taken a formal film class. No lie. I didn't. know. crap.

One thing I learned: collaborate. Ask for help but do it yourself. Listen, but learn from experience.

I can't even being to explain where all the help came from. So many unexpected turns, friendships, help from a friend of a friend of a friend who knew the friend of the first person you talked to. So many people who filled positions then left, and I was distressed but in the end it worked out and the second person I got ended up being so much better than I could have ever expected from the first person I had.

So much networking, so much talking, so much writing, so much stressing, time, working, location scouting, re-writing.

I mean, I got a friend's friend who lived across the country to help me write the script. I've never even seen his face yet he helped me come up with a solid story on Skype chat. He stayed up with me til 4 AM once, just to make sure I had a solid plotline before I wrote the actual screenplay.

Actual production ....... is a whole different story. Pre-production and production itself were seriously the hardest I have ever worked on a project. Physically and mentally. I swear my personality even tweaked a bit as a result of what I had to deal with.

I even got to meet two subscribers from YouTube because I offered for people living in the area to help out. One ended up being one of the FX makeup artists on set and the other was a zombie and human extra, helped with hairstyling and became a very wonderful and trusted assistant on set :) To this day I'm friends with both of them in real life. 

Again, I cannot even being to express how help came from all different directions, from so many places that all added up to what I have today:


A finished short film.

Mind you, the editing of the actual movie is still in the editing room, but last week I did actually finish the trailer. The official trailer. I worked so hard on it to finish it in time for the film festival and I am proud of it :)

I had a running website for it too to post updated and just for people to feel excited about what they were a part of.

While I sent most updated through Facebook event messages and emails, this website is what I intend to make into an actual movie site, complete with behind the scenes videos, movie posters and just something for people to visit in the future when they miss the whole production.

Pre-production was january-late february.

Filming/production was 7 days of filming from February 26 up to April 30th. The days were spread out but mind you, it took weeks to prepare every single day. Many got canceled, moved forward and moved back because .... it's very difficult to get a bunch of people to arrive on the same day at the same time. Especially a hoard of zombie extras o___o

The film festival was on May 10th, but I only had enough time to finish editing the trailer, which got screened there. I really enjoy seeing my work on a big screen in front of an audience, even if I curl into a ball and cover my eyes from the anxiety.


My "Auds in Wonderland" video was also screened because I also submitted this as my "About Me" project (which was the original reason I made it). Though, since I didn't give it a name when I submitted it to the student festival, my film professor chose to screen it and titled it "Makeup Magic" Haha.

I know I could go into more detail about my zombie short but for now, I just wanted to update you all on why I basically haven't made any real new videos since the beginning of 2011 ...

I DID have a spring tutorial seriously ready to be uploaded but stupid me accidentally deleted a ton of files on my hard drive while moving files around and I don't think I was able to recover them in one piece :(

It was called "Sweet Spring" and this is how it looked:

Don't even get me started on how upset I am >____<

I was SERIOUSLY happy to be able to share a new video with you all at last, and a more simple makeup look too. And it took awhile to edit, all I needed to do was the voiceover, but, I didn't get to yet because my voice is extremely nasally from severe allergies ...

So basically I lost this file as well as my zombie bride, crazy clown, mermaid behind the scenes video footage and my poison ivy/two face video footage .... luckily I didn't lose the PICTURES of the photoshoot stuff but, it's always a pleasure to be able to show the entire process .... which was a lot of work to film ... luckily everything I lost got leaked a little so there's remnants of their existence but, I don't think I'll ever have them back again. All because of my stupidity -______-

I have considered refilming all of them but I'm thinking at this point .... I should just move on and continue new projects.

I'll definitely record the clown tutorial for this Halloween and maybe have a go at the spring makeup look again this summer but ... man. That zombie bride was something I don't really want to film again because the prosthetics have already been reused for other projects and it was really uncomfortable and messy and smelly to do .... :P

At least I have pictures .... that zombie bride project was such a disappointment though, I made it to submit to Syfy's Faceoff Contest but they didn't even put it up on their contestant entries page so I have no idea if they ever saw it or if it ever got in. Oh well.

 Well ... with that said, that is where I have been. So not only did I just spend like 5 months of my life on making a short film, but I lost all the projects I had on hold from last year and this year :|


I don't enjoy being pissed off about it but, at least it's my fault and not someone else's otherwise I'd just be holding a grudge. Instead, I can just tell myself how dumb I am sometimes :{P

I have a handful of projects I'd like to do trials for and film and edit this summer, before I move away. I don't know what my situation in my new home will be like and where I'll be able to film or if I'll have the time and resources but here are my ideas for this summer ... I'd like a headstart on the Halloween tutorials too. Honestly, starting in the summer isn't that much of a headstart. Videos take time, just as last Halloween's did >_< I started drafting ideas for those July 2010!

Video Ideas:
Black Widow - Dark Makeup Tutorial
Answers Video (Sequel to ASK A QUESTION video)
Tim Burton Scaracters Contest :)
Can't Be Tamed -Dark Feathery Makeup Look
Love Game Inspired Look
Mauren - Rent
Mimi - Rent
Coraline
Sally
Aria Montgomery - PLL
Emily Fields - PLL
Samara
Happy Clown
Poison Ivy
Harley Quinn
Crazy Doll
Prince Zuko ... need more askers!
Princess Yue
Princess Azula
The Avatar State
Left 4 Dead - Spitter .... this would be very hard to do.
Left 4 Dead - Hunter
Elphaba (Wicked Witch Makeup) Maybe ...
Firework - Katy Perry Inspired
MP Inspiration Video ... still need to find new inspiration for this and time/hard drive space ...
Elegant Night ... originally a sultry holiday look


That's all for now my dears.

Keep in touch :)











PS - Catch me on BlogTV sometime. I just did my first real broadcast last night, it was so much fun and about 27 people showed up, I was so happy :)

Love, Auds