Happy New Year

So another year has gone by and for this first day in January 2012 I have decided to reflect back on all that I managed to accomplish this most wonderful of years 2011.

Well at the beginning of this year was right after I had my premiere for Gas Guzzlers at Towson University. At this point I was putting up my 15 minute clips from the film up on youtube. After that I was trying to think of something new to do video wise and while I was able to come up with something pretty awesome it was beyond my level of budget big time so I have to sit on it for a while. I then started putting up newly edited versions of my True Docs series including the Heroin Addiction, Fishing, and Graduation story videos. Almost all of these videos got ads put on them which was yet again an achievement of this past year.

Not too much longer from here was when we finally worked on Spiritus which to this day is still a crowning achievement for all the videos I have worked on (at least from the ones I have seen). This film was done in only 72 Hours for the Towson 72 Hour Film Festival. It was a pain and it isn't perfect but for the time we had I am very proud of it. We won both Audience Choice and Best Film of the Fest (my first ever award winning film!). It was definetely the highlight of my year so far.

Next up was the 48 Hour Film Festival which we mad Nina as a result of. This film is my biggest reminder of what not to do when making a short film. Make the beginning terrible...which is exactly the biggest draw back of this film. The beginning is unnecessary it doesn't really do anything except make the film slow and campy (not in a good way). At the time we all accepted it because we couldn't come up with anything better to do for the film so we went with it. On set the footage seemed funny but after editing it not so much anymore. In the end the meat and end were both excellent but that terrible intro killed us. However again I am proud of it for what it is.

After this is when big changes came for this year. Me and my close friend Hector stopped being friends since I "changed," apparently. Team Open Aperture was forever lost even after all the vein attempts to get it back together. So for the first time I was an island...lost at sea not knowing where to go and then I caught a break. An ad on craigslist looking for a videographer to do football games. I was hesitant at first and wasn't sure then they offered $250 a game and steady work for a whole season. I was ready to go! In only 3 months I made $3,950 plus what the $10.25 I was making an hour at work. I was in heaven, even though the payment got all messed up a few times I still got the money and it helped out a lot this year. I may have been alone but I was making money for the first time like ever.

The next step was working with people outside of my close friends and that opportunity came thanks to the 48 Hour and becoming friends with the winner Everett Glovier who I saw needed to crew for a film he was working on The Cat which I did so completely free. It was worth it though I learned so much from those guys and being on set was so much fun. It couldn't have gone any better and for the first time since the summer I felt like I wasn't on an island anymore and that I had video buddies again. I still feel that way and hope to work with Everett and Zach more in this coming year. Time will tell.

This year I may be able to be a crew member on my first feature length film if all goes well with the interview and in addition I may be pitching a full length film to a studio for the first time. We will see and if this year is better than last year well then it doesn't get much better than that.

Best wishes to all in the New Year,
Daniel Hess

November is Over

November what a truly strange and different month you were. It was a month for me to be on a film set which was a blast, I got to boom and help out with gear...it was fun. You were my transition from doing so much sports videography to getting back into the realm of making films. I finally finished up Love is Undead and was editing like a champ until my computer died (it is ok computer, you are in a better place and your upgrade will be truly incredible). I had my first interview for a film related job which was an amazing experience to gain (I may not have gotten the job but it is ok). As you have gone away the 1st of December is another interview for an internship, which I am praying I get. But thanks November for being there, to teach me so much more than I have learned in a long time. Thank you Everett Glovier for letting me on your set and teaching me so much, and continuing to help me despite the fact that at first I probably sounded like a dick. 

On that note yesterday my meeting with a local country artist went really well. It sounds like I got the job for doing album/promo photography and I am super excited. It will be a chance to get some more credit out there and a chance to work with more people subjects, which I don't get to do very often. I have a few ideas in mind and I can't wait to try them out.

Waiting to get my computer memory taken out so then I a friend of mine can build me a new awesome PC. Hopefully everything goes according to plan.

Thanks for the support,

Daniel Hess

October is Over!

Well since today is the first day of November I realized that October is finally over (duh!) but it was really a crazy incredible month to say the least. I know I say all the time that To Tony Productions is expanding and growing and on to bigger things but this month really showed me that bigger things are coming. The fact that in one day I managed to fit in three gigs from the morning to night is insane but somehow we managed to get it done.

I have had a blast filming all the great High School football games for IBN sports and the experience I have gained is incredible...just from finding a little ad on Craigslist I have gotten so much work. Also going to the Funky Formal was really cool and a unique experience (a party in an alley really?) that I will not be able to top for some time. Going to the dogfest at the Baltimore Humane Society was fun just to see all the dogs and the cool setup that BHS has. Plus the pics I got from that event were incredible. Then for the first time I got to see the Statue of Liberty which is now 125 years old...it is a once in a lifetime experience.

October 2011 is a month I won't forget and it was the first time in a long time I found a perfect balance between my professional and social lives. November is already shaping up to be a crazy month as well, I just hope things keep up this way for a long time.

Wish us all luck,
Daniel Hess