Go Fletch Films

Oh, what’s that there? I won member of the month on TripFilms? Weird! They announced it on my birthday, too, which of course was a lovely gift. I just checked the site today and saw, so I’d like to thank anyone/everyone that voted for me, it means a lot. You wonderful people, you.

In other news, I fear my poor camera might be withering away and will soon meet it’s maker (Canon; zing!) if I don’t film something soon. I haven’t put a video on YouTube since I got the dang thing. I have so many ideas written down, but as I have been learning recently, it’s extremely difficult to get the right amount of people together to film a short. When one person is finally off, the other works all day. When they’re both off, I’ve already got plans. But it will come together soon, I promise you! And it will be worth it!

I’ve been working on my pilot a lot lately. As they say in Hollywood, writing is re-writing, so I’ve been going back and tweaking here and there. I’m not entirely sure what I’ll do with it once it’s done. I suppose print it out and have a few people give some feedback. If that works out, maybe I’ll fly out to L.A. and grovel at a network executive’s feet. Maybe stalk a few directors while I’m there. Perhaps become best friends with Cameron Diaz, infiltrate her social circle of celebrity friends and sneak my way into a big-time production. She seems nice, and I think she’ll be cool with it. Who knows.

Also, for anyone wanting another Transformers 2 review (because I’m sure you haven’t heard enough about it), here is mine. I took a friend who had never seen the first one to the midnight showing. Moments before entering the theater, she started asking questions about the plot and what I’d need to catch her up on so she would know about all the characters and their day-to-day struggles as robots in disguise. I informed her that there was only one thing you need to know to see this cinematic adventure, and that was that Michael Bay directed it. What does that mean you can expect? Only two things.

• Gratuitous Megan Fox slow-motion.
• Explosions, explosions, explosions.

They may or may not have snuck in some sort of a “plot” somewhere in between, but that’s up for speculation. That being said, if you’re going and are looking forward to any kind of storyline other than things blowing up and hot girls airbrushing motorcycles, do not get your hopes up. However, if you really enjoy amazing CGI and sandy boobs running through the desert, this is the movie for you! The special effects were mind-blowing. So realistic, in fact, that I couldn’t help but feel a little bit disappointed when getting into my car to drive home and realizing it could never actually save me from a psycho blender, nor cry tears of motor oil if I ever told it some disheartening news. Then I realized my car could, in fact, transform, from a car with a roof…to a car without one! Whoa! Chrysler Sebring: sedan in disguise!

Alright, one last thing. A big fad on YouTube I’ve noticed lately is making a video every day for a year. I don’t mean sketches, but actual vlog-type journals, just going about their daily business while filming. Here’s an example. I’m thinking every day is a little much, but since my montage videos seem to go over so well (at least among the people that are in them), I thought, wouldn’t it be fun to do one video a week? That way, I can only film the fun stuff, since I’m pretty positive I do a few fun things a week. Not every day though, I’m not that wild, you crazy kids. I’ll give you a little taste of a normal, everyday Monday night for me to help you make your decision.

So, should I try it for a month and see how it goes? The fate of these videos is in your hands! Choose wisely!

That’s all for now, but I’ll leave you with this thought to ponder…If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, why does every Diana Krall song sound the same?

Last night was my birthday party/scavenger hunt at B.B. King’s in Pointe Orlando. There’s not much of an explanation to go with this video except perhaps if I listed a few of the tasks on the list. Here are some that you’ll see in the video.

1. Your entire team engaged in a group hug.
2. One or more teammates doing 10 pushups in front of a large crowd.
3. One or more teammates doing a handstand in public.
4. A teammate playing dead in front of a group of strangers.
5. A teammate miming for a stranger.
6. Your entire group spelling out a word on the ground with your bodies (we spelt “hi”).
7. A teammate hugging someone in uniform.
8. Your entire team posing with a Harley Davidson motorcycle.
9. Your entire team with something starting with a Z (we had Zack in our group).
10. Your entire team being chased by another team.
11. Your entire team making a human pyramid in front of a busy restaurant.
12. Two or more teammates serenading a passing couple (they were Australian).
13. Your entire team posing with a VW Bug.
14. One of your teammates proposing to a stranger (she said yes).
15. Entire team “I can’t believe we all fit in here” (8 people in the backseat of a two-seater Toyota Tacoma with doors closed).

So, that last project I promised, turns out it won’t be happening. It was doomed from the start. First of all, I had all the lyrics written and the instrumental completely finished when I decided it would be a great time to restart my computer. Oh, saving it first? I forgot to. Second of all, when I wrote a second version and had the second beat halfway finished, I did some research and discovered the idea had already been done. Albeit their version was crap, they had a lot of views and are somewhat well-known on the YouTubes, so I decided it would be best not to get involved in a war of the titles. It was a Jizz in my Pants parody, and Dave and I were going to record vocals. Although this idea is now in the trash can, I’ve finished three more instrumentals that are 100% ready for recording. Whenever my wonderful actors have a second or two to spare, this will be the first thing we get around to. Time is hard to come by lately, though. The Magic are in the finals (in case you haven’t heard) and after tonight are 3-1. Sad. But there’s still a chance! Luckily there won’t be a game on my birthday so I might actually get to see someone away from their big screen TV.

And that’s pretty much all I can think to update on. Today was the last day to vote for member of the month so I’m not sure when they announce the winner but I’ll keep my fingers crossed and you do the same!

Just a quick update here, but I just found out I have been nominated for member of the month on TripFilms! To check out my videos and vote for me (pretty please), click here.

The concert Wednesday was amazing. Paramore did their synchronized head-banging, which I used to make fun of but now enjoy, and No Doubt rocked the stage. Gwen Stefani is insane. I’ve never seen anybody with so much energy. If they haven’t hit your town yet, go get your tickets now!

The game last night was disappointing but I had a great time anyway. My good friend had a party and we ended up playing XBOX to ease the pain of the Magic’s loss. After we finished, they showed me the new Project Natal (A.K.A. SKYNET!) video. This is probably the most insane thing I’ve ever seen, and a little bit frightening. Not that I won’t still play, or anything. Check it out.

Well, I better go finish this Forensic Files marathon. Someone just lost their left ear. Intense.

Sheesh, have I blown you guys off or what? Sorry about that. I wish I could say I’ve been so busy I simply haven’t had the time, but truthfully, I’ve just had a bad case of the ol’ writer’s block. I’m pretty sure that’s in the past, though. I’ve written five new sketches, two of them being songs/music videos, one being scheduled to start next week. It’s pretty, uh…graphic, but not in a bad way. Has that been said before? Graphic, but not entirely abominable? If not, I’ll gladly accept the title of being the first to say it. Alright, I’ll level with you. It’s gross, but it is hilarious. Is that better? Good. You’re welcome.

What else have I been up to, let’s see…Well, there was that little trip to Miami in which I stayed in an executive suite on South Beach, but that’s no biggie. I was commissioned by TripFilms.com to film a few travel videos for them, and in return, they put me up at The Pelican hotel, right on Ocean Drive. It was within walking distance of more than half the destinations on my itinerary. Talk about convenient. They even paid for my lunch!

After we checked in, we headed down to the beach, where a polite young man with a clipboard greeted us and escorted us to a pair of lounge chairs. He disappeared for a second and came back with a huge beach umbrella, which he then set up right in between the two seats. He told us if we needed anything to let him know, and went along his merry way. Once the storms started rolling in, we walked back to the hotel and hung out for awhile. We picked up some Cuban sandwiches and spent the remainder of the night in the room. The next morning, we woke up extra early and headed out to start filming. We went to News Cafe, Joe’s Stone Crabs, South Beach and Little Havana, in which we got two Cuban espresso shots for free. What can I say, I’m a charmer.

I was scheduled to film EPIC Hotel downtown, but when I got there and asked for the woman I spoke to on the phone, I was told she was out of her office and to wait in the lobby for the head of their marketing department. When he came down, he told me he doesn’t know who I spoke to, but that I couldn’t film there. I’m still a bit confused as to why someone in sales told me to come by on a day she wouldn’t be there and not leave a note or anything, but it’s all good. I would have been pretty upset if I had driven the four hours just for that hotel, though.

We circled back to The Pelican and I told them I forgot to film the interior of the rooms, but the maid was in ours cleaning at the moment. The manager gave me the master key and let me go do my thing. I filmed the “Born in the Stars and Stripes” room, much smaller than ours, but still very cool. You can see all the videos I filmed during my stay here. They even made a couple of them Editor’s Pick and one was chosen as the Video of the Day on TripFilm’s Twitter account. I was told that they’ll definitely be commissioning me again soon. Here’s hoping!

Other than that, I’ve been keeping pretty busy. Worked an Akon concert two nights in a row and a Snoop Dogg/G Love show in St. Augustine. I think I got a contact high just being on the premises. Worked the Players’ Club golf tournament in Jacksonville, as well. Tiger Woods was there, and as soon as his game finished, about a hundred women in heels left the event. Oh, and I’m going to the No Doubt concert in West Palm Beach next Wednesday! My favorite band of all time and they’ve finally reunited! Which is great, since I wasn’t old enough to go to their concerts when they were popular the first time around. It’s like it’s meant to be!

Also, I attended my good friend Bailey’s Birthday/Graduation (dubbed: birthduation) party this past weekend and made a video as her present. Pointless, but I like the song I edited it to. Check it out if you want.

Speaking of birthdays, mine’s coming up, and I’m involved in some sort of three-person joint birthday party. I’m not entirely positive it’s going to go over well, so I’m just going with the flow and hoping for the best. I’m trying to stay out of the planning process as much as possible, actually. I think I’ll just hide under the table so that technically, if anyone asks, I was there.

Well, this update was entirely too long but necessary, but I’ll keep up with it from now on. (yeah, we’ve heard that one before.)

For now, I’ll leave you with this gem of an email I received the other afternoon at random. Enjoy.

Today, while hanging movie posters in my room (which covered so much wall space it made me wonder why I even bothered painting), I had an epiphany. There are two types of people in the world. Ones that only hit the nail once, driving it into the wall with one swift strike, and ones that tap away with significantly less force, but more accuracy. The latter takes their time so that the finished product is perfectly aligned. The nail is not bent or crooked, the poster is not ripped, the hole in the wall is not any bigger than the nail made it. They are not a perfectionist, but they do pay attention to detail. The first person, however, just wants to get it done fast. They align the nail and hammer away, one shot, hoping it goes in straight, but not worrying if it’s just a little bit askew. They’re not necessarily impatient, they just look at the big picture, not what makes it up. Just a little something to think about the next time you see someone hammering. Now I’ll leave you with this video which I found quite interesting and useful for anyone who hangs a lot of posters, which is what I’m off to do. Enjoy.

Actually, it’s your co-pilot. Your Walt Disney World Monorail System authorized co-pilot, to be exact.

Yesterday was Mother’s Day. After Jason jumped out of a plane and I went bar-hopping with the family, the day got a bit dull. Upon realizing my friends Dana and Amanda were also bored, I decided it was prime time for an adventure. They came over and we drove down to Orlando around 8pm while they tried to guess where I was taking them. Finally, we arrived at the Magic Kingdom, just as everyone was leaving. We hopped on the monorail and visited all the resorts. We hung out on the beach at the Polynesian, chilled in the hammocks at the Grand Floridian, and went in search for the arcade at the Contemporary, but it was gone! We still had a blast, though. On the ride back to the front gate, we got to sit up front with the captain of the monorail and he gave us all co-pilot licenses. The pride we felt was astounding. But enough about my night, let’s talk about my week. I’m going to Miami.

Why, you ask? Oh, no reason in particular, really. Just since I booked my first real job as a freelance videographer for a site called tripfilms.com and they’re putting me up in a hotel to shoot five or six videos for them. No biggie. But more on that later.

I’ll try my best to start updating this every other day again. I lost my mojo for a little bit but I think it’s back now and I’ve locked it away so it can’t escape again. We’ll see.

New video, filmed yesterday. Hit up Blue Springs state park and the beach with some friends and had a great time. It was a little overcast but the breeze was great. I couldn’t upload this one in HD because I’ve reached my weekly limit, but it’s still pretty high quality. Enjoy!

Ladies and gentlemen, we have liftoff. For the almost six years I’ve been making videos (and the three that they’ve actually been quality), I have dreamt of this day in the distance. It’s been a long time coming, but it’s been oh-so-worth it.  We are finally filming in HD.

I used the prize money and an extra special donation by our number one fan to buy a brand new Canon Vixia HV30 camcorder. It’s one of the highest rated HD cameras on the market, and after just an hour filming with it, I could see why. Natalie and I took it down to downtown Orlando for a test run and had a blast. The quality is amazing, even zoomed in all the way. I didn’t have to use any sort of color correction and the colors all stood out beautifully. Don’t take my word for it, check out the video below, or check it out in full HD here.

Told you so. On top of the amazing quality, the camera itself is also quite stylish. Sleek and sexy, some might say.

So, now you know what we’re working with. Needless to say, there will be an abundance of videos coming your way very shortly. I think I could make doing laundry look action-packed with this bad boy. Say, now there’s an idea…

Basically, BigStar still hasn’t put my interview up on the website, but I do have a transcript from them, so I figured I’d just post it here until the official article is posted. So, without further adieu, my first real interview:

Interview with Alex Fletcher, 2nd place winner of BIGSTAR.tv’s Comedy Short Film Contest

Congratulations on your success!
Thank you!

Q. Where are you from?
Lake Mary, Florida.

Q. How long have you been making films, and what got you into it?
A little over four years now. I started making videos for friends in high school, just pictures and cheesy transitions, that kind of thing. One day, I borrowed a video camera and filmed a skit with a few friends for fun, and it just took off from there.

Q. What motivated you to enter BIGSTAR.tv’s short film contest? Did you create Mary Kay Lady for the contest, or was it something you had produced prior to your knowledge of the competition?
My wonderfully supportive friend, Amber, encouraged me to enter. She sent me the link and I submitted my video the next day. I didn’t have the equipment to film a video on such short notice, so I entered Mary Kay Lady, which had just been made two weeks prior for my website, www.gofletchfilms.com.

Q. Did you watch any of the competing entries? What did you think of them, and what do you think it was that made your film stand out?
I watched many of them, yes. There were quite a few creative entries and a lot of potential. I believe that my film stood out because it was different in the sense that there were not any other original songs or music videos in the contest. Most all of them were sketches and scripted shorts, so I had an advantage by being unique.

Q. If you could describe your experience with this contest in two sentences, what would you say?
It has been a fantastic experience and I’m very glad I participated. It is a great opportunity for people to get their work out there.

Q. Being that BIGSTAR.tv typically only awards one prize per contest, how do you feel being a special exception and winning 2nd place?
I am truly thankful for the recognition and the prize is more than I could ask for. I appreciate the support I’ve received from countless individuals and your company.

Q. Do you have any ideas in mind as to how you will spend the $500 prize? If so, what are they?
As of now, my plans are to invest in a new camera and various other equipment to further my filmmaking career.

Q. What are your future plans as far as filmmaking is concerned?
Filmmaking is my number one priority, and my plans are to keep it that way. As of now, I am working on a screenplay for a television show pilot and will continue making short films in the meantime.

Congratulations & Thank you for being part of the Independent film movement at BIGSTAR.tv
Thanks again!