Don't Wash Your Hair on July 25

It looks like we'll be premiering my first feature-length documentary, "Out of Egypt", on Friday, July 25 in San Jose. Needless to say, there has been a lot of hard work put into this project and I hope that everyone can come enjoy the fruits of our labor (and the beans of labor; it's a Friday, so we're fasting).

Everyone Loves Taboo

A video we made in Tahoe a few months ago:

I Have Just Enough Bandwidth to Dunk on your Face

I think this sequel will make more than the original, just based on its credentials.

The best Farsi-Related Video we've ever Made

Okay, so it's also the first Farsi-related video. No problem.

Pouya and I had a nice little Picnic Day Eve this year: sushi, video games, videomaking, and pizza. Sounds good to me!

Our Very Own Dramatic Show About Drama

We made this video over the weekend. It's super dramatic, and I'm pretty sure Grey's Anatomy is going to steal the storyline for Season 4. My cousin Chris is awesome in this, and I'm really surprised at Heather's performance, too! I really like the montage at the end, complete with The Fray.

EDIT 3/19/07: I re-edited the last few seconds of the video to make sure that it is completely G-rated (there was a shot of a dude shooting some guy in the chest while making out with a chick--just kidding.)

Wasteland - Trailer

We debuted this six years ago today:

Spring is Pretty Awesome - Past Tense Part 1

August 29, March 12, June 2, and June 18.

I like to make movies, and I also like to show them to people. On August 29, 2000, we first showed Pinch Me to a group of about 20 in Cupertino. On March 12, 2001, we showed Wasteland in the lounge of our dorm to 50 or 60 friends. We watched The Sphinxters for the first time with about 80 people in Social Sciences 1100 on June 2, 2002. And right before graduation, we debuted Kickin’ It! to a group of 60 friends and family members on June 18, 2004.

Yes, it’s been over three years since we’ve made a movie with a running time of over half an hour. One reason is that those kinds of projects are very time-consuming, and another reason is that we don’t all live that close to one another anymore (when I say “we” here, I’m referring to the main Force of July cast members of the first five years—Brian, Dan, Pouya, Shelby, Morgan, Hanni, George, and others).

This is why the debut of Wasteland holds a very special place in my heart. The two limiting factors now—time and proximity—were so incredibly non-factors freshman year. Time? Of course I have time, let’s go play some wiffleball. Proximity? We LIVED WITH EACH OTHER. Almost every character in Wasteland lived on Ryerson 2, so I could see if people wanted to get their scenes in by simply walking down the hall. And the movie took place in a dorm, so it’s not like we had very far to go.

Today, on the sixth anniversary of the Wasteland debut, I would like to make a few “salutations” (that’s rap lingo):

*First off, Spring, you smell fantastic. You are usually warm, beautiful, better lit, you like baseball, and when I'm with you, I feel like everything is right with the world. Some people may like other times of year because they get more presents, but I love you for you. Allergies are a small price to pay.

*My dormmates, you were/are awesome. I want to live on the same street as you when I get older. We will make videos together again.

*Family, thanks for keeping me busy with a safe hobby. Eddie, you got me into the whole video-making thing when I was like 8, and Mom and Dad, you supported the process. Thanks.

The trailer for Wasteland is in the next post. The movie is not particularly well-written, well-acted, or even edited correctly (hey, I was 18). But it reminds me of good friends and good times and when it's all said and done, that's all that really matters.

Cookmasters! Video

We decided to make a video on New Year's Eve, and since we didn't feel like leaving Kat's apartment in Davis, we did what we could with what we had. Enjoy Cookmasters!, starring Brian, Kat, and myself. Please have low expectations.

I Could Watch This FOREVER

I think Charles Barkley did this once with Barney. This video is four years old and I still love it:



In retrospect, I should have paid John 5 bucks to put up shots that I could block easily and made a much more exciting video. He was actually pretty good, too. I might need to refilm this with me wearing a headband.

EDIT: Okay, just to let everyone know, John is practically my cousin and he had a lot of fun doing this. I showed this to some of the parents of the kids I coached in little league and they said that this was basically the exact opposite of me. I guess that's what makes it fun.