GOIN 2 FESTYVUL BRB

OH HAI
IN 3 HOURS CLYDE AND I ARE LEAVING FOR



NOT PACKED NOT PREPARED NO CLEAN CLOTHES TO WEAR FOR THE WEEKEND

cubicles.

Working from home is significantly less delightful when you make the realization that all of your favorite grainy snacks, for which you'd run out for a quick distraction, are off limits, and the only snacky options are fruits, vegetables, or meats. NOT FAIR, JUDAISM!

At one point, this was meant to be a filmblog. In its first iteration, it was solely response papers for my cinema verite class (which, in hindsight, may have been one of the most incredible educational opportunities I had at Vassar. Thanks, Jamie Meltzer, where ever you are!) Then for a hot second it was a proper bed of lies- whenever I went out and pretended to be Noseprint Pictures, a concept that I now realize was woefully underconstructed and unrealistic to anyone who had actually EVER WORKED FOR A FILM PRODUCTION COMPANY.

But, in the interest of killing time on the clock, a filmy anecdote with photos, and a general update.



RIDING TALL won the Best Student Documentary award at the International Family Film Festival. !!! IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING was also playing, which is mega exciting because one could ostensibly 'plex my Vassar movies. I didn't get to go, because that was the weekend of the cruise/funemployment... but when I returned to Puerto Rico, there were several emails and messages waiting for me, highly suggesting I attend the awards banquet. One of the other emails announced that

RIDING TALL had been accepted to the Connecticut Film Festival, along with another of Clyde's movies (New Uke City), Katie's movie (Black Ice) and some stuff from ben and brian (I am so setting up a Ben and Brian tag because as soon as they get to NY, I'd be over the moon to work with them again.)

We're also in the Ivy Film Festival-- Clyde for New Uke, myself for RT, and we got an incredible deal on a hotel in Providence, so we're going to have a romantic weekend getaway to Brown. The beauty of this festival lies in the numbers. There were 350 student films submitted. There were 31 films selected. 3 of those were documentaries. What are 2 of the 3 documentaries? Mine, and Clyde's. The third one is from RISD kid who went to Uganda to shoot child soldiers and an orphanage. Memorize-you-saw-it is totes going to kick our vassar asses to the curb... which should make for a more pleasant carride back to NYC, as I am fiercely competitive, especially with Clyde, and no matter if he wins or I win, I'm going to be unbearable.

Speaking of Clyde, we went to see Adventureland on Sunday, and caught the cameo of our "friend" (and I use the term very loosely, we had him on set for one day and he was pleasant and professional) Dan Bittner. Man, I am obsessed with linking today, aren't I? In any case, it was a sweet, nostalgic film, and Dan was solid. Then, these pictures reemerged from second semester senior year, and I was reminded of my greatest art directorial accomplishment-- the cubicles.



We needed to build a set on the soundstage as a requirement for Ken. The easiest one, Clyde decided, would be the FBI office. Unfortunately, we didn't have any tools. Or any real building experience. And it was snowing. like, a blizzard. I think this was in February, because after the shoot, I ran off to go to the Magnetic Fields with Ali. But then again, when wasn't it snowing last february? Which is less than conducive to running to three art stores, a fabric store, and the hardware store. Part of me seems to remember Gracie tagging along, but that also seems incorrect. There were several moments wherein we tried desperately to make our plans to build these less abstract, using various props to illustrate the positioning of the walls. This was ultimately a failure. We had NO IDEA how to build anything, I was lying my ass off at this point as I'd never actually built anything in stage crew without explicit instructions. We didn't have any tools. It was snowing. We were about to spend $$$ at a hardware store for supplies we weren't sure we needed. In any case, we assembled a lot of junk, including 1x3s, took it all to the sound stage, and then found canvas stretchers that worked far better. The burlap was a bit too thin to block light, so we "reinforced it."



At this point, my hair was either really short, and I can't imagine it was, or it was terrifically long and wound around my head like a demented Heidi. I assume the latter. In any case, Sean Gilmore came to the rescue with a full set of tools (including an electric drill! Who knew you'd need such a thing in college?) And at around 5 AM, clyde and I finished painting the set, left the dressing for the next morning (at 9, I seem to recall) and crawled home. The most impressive part of the whole endeavor was not that we managed to create an office out of nothing, with my feigned technical expertise and borrowed tools, but that in painting four walls with three coats of paint (someone had painted them magenta, which does not cover easily) Clyde did not get one drop of paint on himself. He looked immaculate.

I, on the otherhand, was thoroughly dappled, and completely mystified as to how he had avoided making a similar mess. Maybe it's because I attack all physical activities like a 5 year old.




So, these are the cubicles. Cubicle story is now recorded for posterity. the next time I had to build cubicles (which was probably 2 weeks later) my car nearly blew off the road, lifted by an enormous sheet of foamcore. But that's a story for another day.

If You See Something, Say Something

If You See Something, Say Something from Caitlin Mae Burke on Vimeo.

Vassar College 2008, Senior Narrative Project
Written and Directed by Clyde Folley
Cinematography by Caitlin Mae Burke

All you need is bun

NYFF Update:
Hunger
Wendy and Lucy
I'm Gonna Explode
Waltz with Bashir

Shorts:

Cry Me a River
I don't feel like dancing
This is her

Forthcoming:

Gomorrah
Afterschool
Chouga

---
Remember the story I wrote from the emergency room while waiting for ryan to potentially have his toe amputated?
Apparently, the saga continues, but this time with bun bun as the protagonist:

Once upon a time there was a bunny named Bun Bun. He was small and soft,
with white fluff and very expressive ears. He traveled around in the handbag
of his good friend, Zelda Mae Bun. While she was at work, he would emerge
from the bag and sprawl upon her head in a puddle of white fluff, or hop
about to nibble on important documents. He was the happiest bunny in the
whole wide world, and wrote several novels under the name Bun Scott
Fitzgerald, dedicating them to his one true love, Zelda.

But then one day, Zelda Mae decided to join a gang and eloped with a shady
Thai cineast. She threw her handbag into the East River, with the poor
little bunny still inside, and ran off to live at the Film Forum, only
emerging to feed on a mysteriously powerful demon rum called Sparks in the
hippest dives in Brooklyn. But being sound of health and quick of thought,
the little bunny climbed atop a corpse floating nearby, and used the
vibrating ring of Zelda Mae's iPhone to propel himself back to shore. There,
he hopped carefully through the forest of used hypodermic needletrees,
eventually climbing back into the dark mean city.

Once back on land, the incredulous Mr. Bun hopped into a nearby bodega,
where he spent several days disguised as a toilet brush - an item rarely
used by the locals. He survived for nearly a week by eating nothing but
spaghetti and velveeta. And then one day, to his great surprise, Zelda Mae
wandered into the bodega sporting a fashionable new handbag. Shocked and
horrified, the little bunny watched as Zelda Mae sauntered over to the
cooler to gather a great quantity of sparks. The quick-thinking bunny then
hopped into action, diving into Zelda Mae's fashionable new handbag while
she was distracted with her beverage acquisitions. There he hid as he waited
for his once beloved friend to finish her transaction, wondering how he
would broach the subject of their separation.

It was then, with great horror, that Bun Bun realized he was not alone in
Zelda Mae's fashionable new handbag. Grabbing a nearby lighter that should
not have been there at all, the handsome hare illuminated a wicked looking
feline creature curled up in what was rightfully his napping spot. The awful
creature let loose a terrifying hiss and revealed a set of retractable used
hypodermic needleclaws from its ugly little paw. The dread beastycat raised
its needleclaws high, poised to deal the sweet and wonderful bunny a deadly
blow. But the lovable ninjabun was ready for the hellkitty, quickly wielding
his recently sharpened switchblade...

Will the clever and adorable triumph over the despicable cat-thing? Or will
vice and wickedness persevere to make Zelda Mae a most macabre pair of bunny
slippers? Stay tuned for our next episode:

Along Came A Bunny
Or
There Will Be Bun