Merry Christmas!

Slap!

This film was HARD! Because we were given concept words-and mine was "slap"-and we had to built a story around it. I threw a couple of ideas out and this is what I ended up with. But I had so much fun working with FANTASTIC actors and using lights and different lenses. Most of all, telling this little story  through lights,mood,acting and editing, just using all we learned in  class was a great exercise for the last assignment of the semester.

Honestly,I am not sure where I am going with this now,but I am enjoying it.:)

P.S:......... I wasn't abused:)


Slap from Nikiyang on Vimeo.

Husband: Christian Magdu
Wife: Mary Walls

Director:Niki yang
D.P: Brandon Walls
Light/Grip:Ramin Taheri
Sound: Rus Brutsche

Thanks for watching and happy holidays!!!!!yay!:)

My days

This is the first week of my Hiatus. or speaking cruelly -laid off-or speaking nakedly-unemployed-
I made a long list of things to do, 3 months before this break. I was all enthusiastic and positive!!! I felt like I could conquer the whole world!

But this is what I have done.

Monday:

I baked chocolate chip cookies for the first time in my life. Actually, I bought the pre made dough-but I BAKED them! That part wasn't too bad but the horrible thing was I couldn't stop eating them!

Tuesday:

I surfed the internet ALL DAY under the name of "researching". I didn't take a shower, I didn't change and I didn't go outside once! I got a heavy headache after non stop surfing and felt stupid....:(

Wednesday: 

I found a GIGANTIC tick on Symore's neck.I got all panicky,couldn't do anything but wait for Rus the night knight to get back from work. He smashed it!!

Thursday:

Victor's one nail got completely pulled off!!Awful! I took him to the Vet and that took almost half of my day!Now he is wearing an awkward bandage sock:(

Not having a 9 to 5 job is making me super nervous,even though I hate it. It has been melting in my system for years, I feel like I am experiencing withdrawl...what a looser..:( Am I becoming a slave of the corporation?? Ok..I am getting too serious here.Time to stop blablabing.:)

Six shots

It is time to post my school project again!:)

In this film, we have to tell a story with a beginning,middle and end using only six shots. The most tricky part is each shot must be exactly 10 seconds in length. I think our teacher just wants us to suffer:(
I used 7 shots and all the shots have a different time length.-----I just couldn't do it!:O--------

I had the talented Lloyd Knight as my actor and we shot at the amazing photographer J.A.Overtoom's studio.Oh! and he kindly lent me his fantastic homemade dolly. Also I couldn't had even made this 1 minute short without much help from  my crew, Ramin, Brandon and Rus.:)

I used a Nikon 80mm-200mm f/2.8 and a Tokina 11mm-16mm f/.2.8 as well as my basic Sigma 24mm-70mm f/2.8. I rent them out from Hollywood studio rentals where I found excellent deals!


Ucla_Six shot film from Nikiyang on Vimeo.

Thanks for watching again and have a nice turkey day!:)

A typical day of work....

A candle light yoga class

 

THE END.

Artistic enlightenment

Chris's interview took me a long time to edit. Not just because of my hectic schedule but also I was really eager to capture Chris's essence like what makes Chris Wood  Chris Wood:)

After I observed many artists, I've reached one conclusion (which can be subjective:) They are somewhat handicapped!!:) which means, they seem to be not capable of doing anything else but make art. They are as stubborn as a donkey and as blind as a bat! However, like a blind man developing excellent hearing, these artists focus 100 percent into their art, contrasting their zero sense of dealing with reality:).and that makes their art out-stand from overflowing-arts. Personally, I am very jealous of this purity since I have a tendency of spreading out too thin..as you all know:)

Chris is an absolute handicap(sorry,dude.but you know what I mean) and his art needs to be exposed. One reason I started these interviews was to share some hidden talents and eventually somehow help them get up. I don't know how well I illustrated Mr.Wood,but just watching his work you will see the artistic enlightenment shines above his head:)

I can't wait to see his artwork hanging in some prestigious galleries in the near future.:)

niki's people map_Chris Wood from Nikiyang on Vimeo.

Thanks for giving the interview,Chris,

Thanks for watching!

NoiseFold

< This is not me drunk.>

< This is not me trying to find coins from tree trunk.>

This is me after I saw the performance of Noise Fold at REDCAT  last friday.

WHY DIDN'T I BRING MY CAMERA AND MIC??????????????????

In much desperation, I shot it with an Iphone and posted it here. I know it is only a fraction of who they are and what they do, but I feel urge to share this.They deserve to get more spot light and enthusiastic claps. Because they are freaking great!!!!:P 

They performed only 5-6 times a year and they are not residents of California. It will be hard to catch them, but if they are playing around where you live, please GO! You will experience alive beautiful abstract paintings.

This is an "Artist statement" of NoiseFold.

NoiseFold from Nikiyang on Vimeo.

Thanks for watching!

P.S: The sunset was very dramatic at that evening.

I am poor.....poop!

a.EXAMINE

b.SHOCK!!!!!!

c.AFTER SHOCK

d.DENIAL

This was my next orderly reaction when I found out that we have only $500 in our bank account.........T_T

This week feels like it's lasting forever, come on friday-hurry!

Me vs World

This is the world  I saw before age 7.

One day,when I was playing in the playground, I just realized "I can think!".It sounds abnormal, but the whole world looked different than before .I felt that I was a cave girl or a blind cow who just discovered "Fire!"

This is me "peeking at the world" before age 18.

I couldn't wait to get out into the bigger world! and how slow time moved at that age!

BTW time shoots by like a bullet train nowadays...:(

Early 20's. Just wasted away:)

Late 20's.I was living in adventure land. I fought,I took a chance and I experienced.

30's. EVERYTHING IS JUST TOO MUCH!!

To be continued......in 20years...:)

Schooling

I've been taking a film directing class at UCLA extention recently. Ya, that's why my interviews haven't been updated quickly enough. The bad thing is I interviewed  excellent people before this new schooling kicked my ass.The footage is on my computer, I just need to edit....(sigh)....I shall do so soon!!

 

Anyway, here is what I've been learning and practicing at SCHOOL. (I love the word "school",much better than "work"!:)
 

The first assignment was called-Mise en Scene which dictates us to have only one constant shot,  no cuts- and the camera must be locked off. This exercise emphasizes composition and story content which is delivered within the frame. No sound, no music-my teacher references it as"Plain Vanilla":)

Ucla_Mise en scene from Nikiyang on Vimeo.

The second assignment was-Mood Film which we choose music(my choice was "Health") and make a short evoking the right mood for that music. No hand held camera -no sound.


Ucla_Mood film from Nikiyang on Vimeo.

So far it's been super fun except driving to Westwood-such a pain in my ass! What I realized the most was that this is a serious cooperation of many talents. I couldn't have done even a 1 minute short without the help from our team, Brandon, Ramin and Tim.  And of course actors are the key ingredients. Matthew was excellent and my friend Jeana saved my ass. I was panicking on shooting day because my actress didn't show up so I called Jeana up. Fortunately she was available. and I can't give more thanks to my guardian angel, Rus.:)
We have two more shorts to make this semester let's see if I can kick some ass!

I wrote "ass" 4 times in this post-me like!:)

We play in the streets.

Who's quote was it?

"The youth are beaming,but the youth with free souls make you blind"

I am fond of free souls. They don't seem to have any chains named- job,mortgage or saving account.....who knows,maybe they really want to have all of these. But who they are and what they do is just pure and beautiful for me. All the stories Justin told were like an adventure book, all  the music Blasting co. played was like an exotic drink.I don't want to see them become a big successful band who has a million dollar deal(sorry -guys:)) I hope they remain as true free souls seeking a better world as  musicians and human beings:)

You should go to see them live and just dance your worries away-and just be happy:)-which we all deserve.

The footage of Farmer's market was from elizemiliano on youtube. 

Thanks for giving the interview, Justin.

Thanks for helping with the interview, Jisung.

Thanks for watching.

Blasting.co from Nikiyang on Vimeo.

How to make money.

1. Pick a male tree.

2. Pick female money.

 3. Leave them alone in a quiet place.

4. Sit under,this new born baby,the money tree and wait for the money leaves to fall.

 ............This is me procrastinating.........:(

I want to make an enclosed room which provokes people to see their inner selves.

Ju-yeon and I go way way back to our stupid early 20s. Now, we are grown up and standing on very different ground. But we've been calling each other to talk about  everything from guy problems to career struggles or to just talk about what the best water distiller is:)...

It's been kind of weird and fascinating to watch a friend who started with nothing but talent and passion and who now has had a solo show in National Museum of Woman in the Arts , here in the States.I know many of her hard stories and how she overcame them. Making art has been all the she has done and the only thing she wants to do.I admire her stubbornness...it makes me feel like a total sell out.:)

I hope she can sell her installations one day.:)

FYI: She donated one of her installations(the sculpted one) to SCAD,  and the painting behind her was her painting which she sold to NMWA.

 

Thanks for giving the interview, Juyeon!
Thanks for watching.

Niki's People map_Juyeon Kim from Nikiyang on Vimeo.

Brain Animation

Wook and I sit 3 steps away from each other at work. But due to our heavy butts, we mostly talk through  chat, instead of visiting each other's desks.

And this is what she wrote to me today.

I though that was a brilliant idea, and it recalled to me the time when I went through my painful puberty.
I always felt like my brain was ingrown.

Perhaps there was a playful kitty messing with my "brain yarn ball". I wanted so badly that kitty to knit a beautiful sweater or something, so I could feel like a happy teen.

That long lasting puberty left me when I hit 26........shhhit,maybe it wasn't just puberty. 

 But a long story short, I liked the idea of animating my brain. I definitely will start with a brain fart scene:)

Ps:I am working on editing a longer interview than what I usually do. Please don't go away too far, I will entertain you with my daily drawings and motion doodles.:)

Victor and Margot

Walking with a hairy lady and a gentledog is my favorite thing to do, after a long day of work.

am I talking like an old lady?:)

I was just going to post a drawing but then I did this motion doodle. It's so stupid it's fun:)

Watching the sunset with Margot from Nikiyang on Vimeo.

Dear Shepard,

Last Thursday(9.16.10), Shepard Fairy had his solo show opening at Subliminal Projects.
I was so ready for his interview!

But I wasn't aware of the frantic scene!

and......I was too hungry to wait in line to get in the gallery!..I know it's lame.

So I drove back with tears in my eyes.

I was going to ask him about how he is able to balance two-worlds. His roots are in the street art world but he is gradually spreading his branches into museums and galleries as a fine artist. Does he miss the thrill of "paste and run"? 

I didn't get to ask him any of my questions but the sweet potato chips were yummy that night.

p.s: As we all know those obama posters were done by Shepard Fairy and I hope I don't get into any trouble using them here.:)

I wanted do something bigger than me,bigger than money and bigger than work.

When I asked Paolo about himself, he said "It's funny to talk about me because this Echo Park Film  Center is not about me, this place is about community, about the giving."

The more you share, the more you have. It goes against what capitalism and materialism teach us. but the people who think about the bigger picture rather than themselves are truly happy people and I confirmed that while I interviewed Paolo. And those people have auroras which heat our hearts:)

We need more people like Paolo Davanzo.
We need more social centers like EPFC.
We need more diversity.
We want to see more than boobs and robots.
We don't need anymore Starbucks:)

                          
Thanks for giving the interview, Paolo.

Thanks for watching.

Niki's People Map_PaoloDavanza from Nikiyang on Vimeo.