Dreaming @ 24fps

Photo Sesssion Model Alex

2009-09-29T11:16:00.003-06:00

So last night my friend Smiley called so we could have a photo session with his modeling friend Alex. I brought my Novatron D240 lighting kit and my Nikon D40 camera. After Smiley's bathtub session Alex and I went to her living room to shot some photos. She had a radiant and vivid red wall. I did a quick butterfly lighting setup and set the Novatron at -2 stops with the shoot through umbrella. Here is my lighting diagram.

New Studio Shot

2009-09-19T19:52:00.004-06:00

Took this photo of my brother today. Used my new gray seamless backdrop paper. Only used one novatron strobe. Here is the lighting setup diagram.

Silhouette

2009-04-28T22:10:00.003-06:00

Went to my friend's Marvin studio to experiment with lighting for a photo shoot of my girlfriend Rebecca. He had a Novatron flash kit but my Nikon D40 doesn't have a sync flash adapter yet so I had to work with a 350k light. Still created a nice silhouette of Rebecca. Here is the shot.

You can buy a print from Deviantart, here is the link Buy Print

Dreaming @ 24fps Studios

2009-04-27T11:11:00.007-06:00

Starting today, I will be documenting all of my artistic endeavors on my blog Dreaming @24fps. This will include my Film/HD Productions, Photography, Screenwriting & Digital Art. Still working as a 1st/2nd AD for feature films, commercials, music videos and short films.

Finally, getting back into photography. Just launched my photography website Dreaming @24fps Studios Currently, I am working with the Nikon D40 SLR. Got 4 lens; 28mm, 50mm, 18mm-55mm & 55mm -200mm.

Really want to get into medium format photography. Saving up cash for a Pentax 6x7 with 120mm film.

Here is a recent photo shot I had with my comedian friend Igor. More new work coming soon!

A Comedy of Errors

2009-03-10T18:15:00.002-06:00

About four days, I received a peculiar email from Rooftop Films www.rooftopfilms.com congratulating me on my feature film being excepted into SXSW. At the time, I thought it was just spammed and ignored it. Then I missed two calls from the LA area. Today I got a call from a film critic out of Kansas asking me for an interview on my film "Women in Trouble", which I had no clue on what he was talking about. To date, I have not produced or directed a feature film. I was a bit curious about all these incidents.

So, I did a Google search on this film "Women in Trouble" which is a film about a serpentine day in the life of ten seemingly disparate women: a porn star, a flight attendant, a psychiatrist, a masseuse, a bartender, a pair of call girls, etc. All of them with one crucial thing in common. Trouble. Starring the talented actress Carla Gugino.

The film was written and directed by Sebastian Guitirrez who was the screenwriter for "Snakes in a plane" and "Gothika".

Guess, what Sebastian production company name is? Gato Negro Films!!!

As you all know my production company is El Gato Negro Films, which I have had for over 5 years now.

So, I am assuming when all these film festivals and critics do a Google search on Gato Negro Films, my company and contact info is the first to come out. The funny thing is that Women in Trouble will be showcasing at SXSW and I will be attending SXSW for a film conference presented by IndieGoGo. What were the odds? I tell you, the strangest things always happen to me. It's a comedy of errors!

The Igor Show - Dexter Vs Igor

2008-12-06T11:57:00.005-06:00

I've been producing a comedy series entitled "The Igor Show" with my comedian friend Igor. We have been shooting a few skits and working on an updated package to promote to comedy central. I was the director and Marvin Jimenez was the DP. We shot on the HVX200 and Letus 35mm adapter. The skit is based on the infamous showtime Dexter series intro.

IGOR VS DEXTER from Igor Mayorga on Vimeo.

The Killing Field - Take 1

2008-08-12T15:42:00.005-06:00

On Aug. 8th we started production for the first 20 minutes of NewTribeFilms www.newtribefilms.com feature film "The Killing Field". It was written and directed by my friend and colleague Daniel Maldonado with Ryan McMichael as the co-director. Once again, I was the 1st AD. It was a 4 day shoot. The goal was to shot the first 20 pages of the screenplay in 4 days.

I didn't have much time to help out in preproduction since I am currently working as the 1st AD on another feature film which will begin principle photography on Aug. 24 through Sept. 14. On set there were some minor delays and set backs. We shot with the panasonic hvx200 plus the brevis 35mm lens adapter. Some of the main issues were sound(because of the environment), camera set ups and make up. Regardless we accomplished a lot and the footage looks stunning. Here are some photos on the set and trailer.

The Killing Fields Movie Trailer from daniel maldonado on Vimeo.

FoxNews Warstories hosted by Oliver North

2008-06-28T11:26:00.002-06:00

So I had just finished wrapping "Shooters" when I get to call to grip the following day at 11:00 am. So that meant I only had a few hours to sleep and wake up at least by 7:30 to pick up Ryan and leave San Antonio to get to Johnson City. The location was the Lyndon Baines Johnson National Park.

The production we were working on was for FoxNews Warstories hosted by Oliver North.

We had a 12 K light, 1 ton grip truck, generator and a Jimmy Jib. The Jimmy Jib operator was Eric Young of Bulls Eye Jib. www.bullseyejib.com
Eric Young was an amazing guy. I help set up the jib for the first shot. Even thou this production was easy and laid back, I was still exhausted after my 1st AD job of 4 days. The Foxnews Warstories produciton was only 8 hours and I still got paid my full rate.

"Shooters" - Comedy Show Pilot

2008-06-28T10:51:00.004-06:00

On Friday, June 13 2008 I saw a posting on craigslist for crew for a comedy show pilot entitled "Shooters". I contacted director/screenwriter Javier Garcia of Javy Productions and offered my services as a 1st AD. Javier & I meet up at Starbucks the next day. Right there and then I got hired to be the 1st AD for a 4 day shot that same week starting June 20 through June 23rd. So we had 5 days to cast the rest of the roles, find locations, hire crew etc. I hired my friends/colleagues Daniel Maldonado as the DP and Ryan McMichael as the Gaffer. Javy Productions also rented my Panasonic HVX200 for the 4 day shot.

The flow of the whole production was smooth from the get go. There were no major set backs with talent schedules, locations nor crew. We had 4 days to shot 40 pages. My crew and I had to make sure we lite the scenes with the lighting package we had which consisted of (1) 1k, (1) 2k, (2) 650's and (2) 350's and some C-Stands. It came down to shooting 10 pages a day with a minimum of 3 locations a day with at least 10-15 talent a day.

As the 1st AD I had to make sure we were on schedule with out going over 12 hours a day.

As far as the script and talent there were freaking hilarious. I really had a fun time on the shot. Regardless of the fact that I had to set the tone everyday and that my responsibility was to make sure we didn't go over budget or schedule, I had a blast. Here are some stills from the production. Will post the trailer as soon as Javier finish the edit.

Last day of shooting was on Monday, June 23rd. We wrapped around 10:30 pm. 15 minutes later I get a call from Zimmerman Productions asking me and Ryan to Grip & Grip Electric the next day in Johnson City which is an hour and a half away. Call time was at 11:00 am. So much for resting :D

Shooters Premiered at the Alamo Drafthouse on Aug. 21st 2008!!!

Net 30

2008-06-03T12:29:00.002-06:00

Recently I had to wait over 45 days to receive a check from a production company out of New York. It's bad enough that you have to wait 30 days for a check after the last day of shooting. This was the longest I had to wait for a production check and dealing with the accounting department was horrible. It's just common courtesy to let your crew know if its their policy to wait over 30 days for a check. For TV spots net 30 is the norm. I've spoke to some crew members who have stated that Televised Sporting events can take up to 45-90 days to receive a check. I don't known many crew members who could afford to wait over 30 days to get a check. Net 30 just sucks.

KW NASH

2008-06-03T12:17:00.002-06:00

About a month ago I 1st AD on a TV Commercial with NewTribeFilms for KW Nash. We shot the commercial with the Panasonic HVX200 and with the Brevis 35mm lens adapter. The shot was really smooth. It was a 12 hour day shot. Here is both the tv spot, which well be aired locally in San Antonio.

The Bookie World Premiere

2008-04-13T18:07:00.003-06:00

Last night was the world premiere of The Bookie at San Antonio's Cinefestival. I worked on The Bookie earlier in 2007 where I became the 2nd 2nd AD. It was an awesome experience. It stars Douglas Spain & Mike Starr
A funny story about the shot was the fact that nobody would ever see me on the set since I spent most of the time in the trailer making call sheets, sides and paper work. One day I went on set to get an approval from John Nolan the 1st AD on a call sheet and Mike Starr was reading over his lines. Mike Starr goes...OHH its JESUS the FUCKING NINJA. Kind of an inside joke. I always wear black and the fact that nobody ever saw me when I would pop in and out of the set. That was cool. Congrats on your success Cevallos Brothers!!! Here is the trailer to the film.

Monster Quest - Chupacabra

2008-04-13T17:43:00.006-06:00

This week on April 7-9th I worked on a 3 day shot with The History Channel new show Monster Quest. They were doing a segment on the Chupacabra's. I was the grip on the shot. We had a minimal crew. Director, DP/Cameraman, Sound & a PA. The gripping gear was also minimal. Small Arri Kit, 4*4 Mirror, 4 X 4 White Side/Silver Side Beadboard, Duckbill Clamp, 4 x 4 Flag Kit, 2 C-Stands, 1 Combo stand & 5 sandbags.

Mostly the segment consisted of Interviews with a few reenactments. On the last day we went to Cuero, Texas where a woman shot and killed an animal that many claim is the Chupacabra's. That was definitely the coolest day of the shot. We set up camera traps in 3 different remote areas and had 2 guides; a hunter and a Cryptozoologist. Now I am a city guy so this was a new and exciting experience. I will post some photos that Keri took and show you guys what we saw. You be the judge.

Motion Graphics

2008-02-09T14:24:00.001-06:00

Coughin' from mr. sifuentes on Vimeo.

Here is an animated DVD Menu I did for the music video I produced entitled "Coughin'" for 3rd Degree Records for artist Kyle Lee. I used Adobe After Effects 7, Photoshop CS2 and Encore DVD. This is actually a few months old but just recently found an awesome video program better than youtube & myspaced. The program is Virb.

Panasonic HVX200 Rental

2008-02-08T16:36:00.010-06:00

I recently purchased the Panasonic HVX200 and I am offering rentals for Independent Film/HD clients. El Gato Negro Films is targeting indie production companies who do not have production insurance. Rentals are offered to San Antonio, Austin & South Texas. Please email me for more information info@elgatonegrofilms.com

Currently, I am also in the process of buying either 2 16GB P2 cards or 1 32GB card. Press Kit coming out soon.

Art of Dreaming

2008-01-28T12:43:00.001-06:00

I recently finished the 3rd draft for my short film entitled "The Art of Dreaming". It's the story of a painter who mourns the lost of his lover in a surreal/dreamlike where she is trapped inside his own art. The screenplay came out as a result of a digital art piece i made awhile back. You can read and download the screen here. Art of Dreaming Screenplay

2nd A.D.

2008-01-08T16:10:00.000-06:00

Well, earlier in 2007 I worked on a feature film entitled "Ace In The Hole" directed/produced by the production company Cevallos Brothers Productions. The film featured Mike Starr (Goodfellas, Dumb & Dumber, Black Dahlia) and Douglas Spain ( Star Maps & Band of Brothers). Now this wasn't the first time I've worked with the Cevallos Brothers. On the 3 previous times which, were all Music Videos, I was a Grip. I was gonna do Grip work on this feature but the original 2nd A.D got ill. Both the 1st AD and Director asked me if I would jump in. I didn't think twice. I love working with the Cevallos Brothers.

On Dec 2007 the Cevallos Brothers came back again to San Antonio, to shot a HEB commercial starring Eva Longoria ( Desperate Housewives) and I was asked to be their 2nd AD again. Which was an honor. Here is the commercial.

That being said, I am thinking about entering the 1st Assistant Director training program offered by the DGA, which gives professional training for Directors, 1st A.D. & 2nd A.D. Wanted to give a special thank you to my mentor and friend DGA member 1st AD/Producer John Nolan.

Coughin'

2007-09-04T17:44:00.000-06:00

About a month and a half ago we finished shooting and producing a music video for local Texas artist Kyle Lee from 3rd Degree Entertainment Records. I was production coordinator and 1st AD on the set. Which brings me to annouce that two very close friends of mine and I, have started our own production company under NewTribeFilms .

Daniel Maldonado - Director/Director of Photography
Mr. Sifuetnes - Producer/Director
Ryan McMichael - Gaffer/Best Boy Electric

I am still keeping El Gato Negro Films for my own personal film projects.

One The Set

2007-05-24T20:56:00.000-06:00

I've been really fortunate to have been working all this month. Worked on a Documentary: A Hanging in Texas where I was a grip. Been craving to work with a jib again and we pulled off some wicked shots. They shot on a Canon XL. For the most part it was an easy gig. Mostly interviews with Lowel lights.

The other gig I did this month was an Infomercial for UTSA Medical School, where I was also a Grip. Nothing to major a few Kino's: 2 and 4 bank, peppers, midgets and tweenie's. Shot on Dvcpro HD Panasonic.
Since we were shooting in a office environment and had little room to rig we had to use scissor clips to hang up the lights.

The production company rented a Super Pee Wee II dolly which was sweet. They hired Sandy a Dolly Grip to maneuver it. That dolly is amazing. Never had the chance to work one yet.

( Ron - Sound on the left and Sandy - Dolly Grip on the right)

( Me on the Pee Wee)

Finally I also worked on a segment of America's Most Wanted. Only shoot I didn't have time to take stills. We had only 3 grips to cover all gripping departments. We had to rig 12 lights, lunch boxes, stands etc on a 2 story building. The lighting set up came out awesome. Was shot on an old abandoned warehouse. Camera was the Panasonic DVX100b.

Panasonic HVX200

2007-05-05T08:36:00.000-06:00

Two weeks ago I began my first test shot on the Panasonic HVX200, for a concept I have for a music video. We couldn't actually shot on 720p since we are still waiting for the P2 cards to come in.

From my experience shooting and working with digital cameras, I have come to the conclusion that the Panasonic HVX200 has a far superior lens than both the JVC and Sony HD cameras. The capturing of light and focus are stunning. I am excited to finally work on High Definition and to experiment in the editing room.

Mr. Sifuentes

The Myth of Man

2007-04-16T12:19:00.000-06:00

Synopsis

The Myth of Man is the metaphysical chronicle of Xavier Lopez, an aspiring writer who comes across an obscure BOOK written by an anonymous Mexican writer. The BOOK contains a man's haunting memoirs and his disturbing artistic collage of his quest to find spirituality. Xavier becomes obsessed with finding the author. As Xavier begins his research and investigation, he starts having premonitions and lucid dreams until he comes face to face with a haunting self-realization.

This is the Synopsis for my first feature film " The Myth of Man " . Which will be shot in 35mm. A little back story. For the last 2 years I have been trying to bring investment money to produce this feature film. At the present date I have the lead actor casted for the role of Xavier Lopez which will be played by actor Jose Galaviz. A while back we did some test photography with a still 35mm camera. Even thou the film will be shot in color I wanted to shot the stills in black & white and experiment with Sepia.

I also wanted to share the first full illustration storyboard which was done by Artist Alberto Gonzalez and screenplay page.

"A filmmaker has almost the same freedom as a novelist has when he buys himself some paper. Stanley Kubrick"

Mr. Sifuentes

Dreaming @ 24fps

2007-04-16T10:51:00.000-06:00

I've been acting professionally for over 10 years and for the last 5 years I have devoted all my energy to the art & craft of cinema. I've paid my dues in full. Started in the film industry as a PA and moved up into Gripping. My focus is in Directing/Screenwriting/Editing . Hustling for any job that comes my way. Regardless of the budget. Make my living mostly from my Gripping, DVD Authoring and Graphic Design work.

The purpose of these memoirs is to have an insightful reflection of my experiences as a independent filmmaker. One of my goals is to have behind the scene featurettes of my process as an artist and the struggles of producing my own personal work, including: feature films, short films, music videos and documentaries.

Currently working on the 3rd draft for my first feature film " The Myth of Man " you can download the first 20 pages on my official website El Gato Negro Films . It's been over 2 years since I first started working on the screenplay and building resources for bring investments for the film. Full update coming soon.

"The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is." C.S. Lewis

Mr. Sifuentes