EXCITING STUFF IN THE ENTERTAINMENT WORLD

Here are some entertainment happenings that I am really excited about right now...

Strange Days with Bob Saget - A six part documentary/reality series featuring our favorite Full House dad investigating various American subcultures. A&E looks to have done it again...the journey begins tonight (Tuesday November 30th at 10pm) and sees Bob ride across the mid-west with a motorcycle gang.

On the documentary front I would recommend Inside Job as it gives a pretty straightforward explanation of the financial crisis, clearly pointing the finger at a small group of bankers who brought the system to the point of collapse with their greed. Although this film is far from objective, it is definitely an interesting look into one man's opinion about the factors that caused the meltdown.

Feature film wise the news has recently been released that Steven Spielberg will direct a bio film depicting the life of Abraham Lincoln played by none other than...Daniel Day Lewis. That is definitely something to get excited about...

HARRY POTTER DELIVERS BIG IN OPENING WEEKEND

Image courtesy of nytimes.

The latest offering from Warner Brothers, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, opened this weekend to 330 million dollars in worldwide box office sales. The $125 million in domestic box office sales were the second highest opening for a Harry Potter film ever (adjusting for higher ticket prices) and serves to validate the year long marketing push by the studio to present the film as darker and for both a family and adult audience than its predecessors.

25% of the audience was from the 18 to 34 age demographic, which was the most from this demographic for an opening weekend amongst the Harry Potter series. The Franchise has made close to $6 Billion worldwide over the course of its 7 movie run, and will conclude this summer with the second part of its final installment in 3D.

In the latest piracy episode to effect a major blockbuster film, about 36 minutes of the film leaked onto the internet a week prior to its release. Although the incident is being looked into, it appeared to help the film rather than hinder it, an interesting development in a day and age where studios are becoming more anxious about piracy and the effect of free online access to their product.

WIND Spec Commercial

On the weekend of November 12/13/14, the JTP Fifth crew headed up to Narrowsburg, NY to shoot the second half of a Spec commercial for wind energy. The first part of the commercial was filmed in the picturesque wheat fields of Montana, and the rough footage that I was fortunate enough to get an advance peak at looked absolutely fantastic. The commercial was shot on the RED camera by DP Jack Lam and directed by JTP Fifth's Cordy Wagner.

The commercial depicts the beauty of ideas and the youthful optimism that will lead us into the future as an 11 year old girl finds a hollowed out hull in an old barn, reconstructs it, and emerges with a beautiful red sailboat...I could keep going but then I'd spoil it for when you all watch it yourselves...

The two plus days in Narrowsburg were great, even though we were out of cell phone reception range most of the time and shooting in a cold barn, it was all made better by the incredible dinners that Danny Miller and co. cooked up for the crew: free range steaks on Friday followed by racks and racks of ribs on Saturday. Good people, great footage, and lots of watching and learning for this intern...

The Changing

The College Board

On Saturday, November 13th, JTP Fifth Column had the opportunity to produce a photo shoot for The College Board.

The College Board, a non-profit association, assists High School students with the preparation of the College admittance process. Since its start in 1900, The College Board now works in tandem with over 5,700 educational institutions and on average helps seven million students and their parents each year. The services that they provide consist of college admission, guidance, financial aid and enrollment programs. Their programs include: the SAT's, the PSAT/NMSQT and the Advance Placement Program.

The photo shoot, which took place at Bloomfield High School in Bloomfield, NJ was shot by recognized portrait photographer George Lange. The talent used was comprised of Bloomfield High Students and teachers as well as teachers from surrounding New Jersey schools.

These photos will be used for The College Board's website and promotional materials.

The shoot itself was a great time had by all and everyone from talent to production team members had a great day working on this project.