NEW BLOG

So I stopped writing last June 'cause I got a new blog....

jonodesign.tumblr.com

...it's less talk and more about showing you my work. I've also been focusing on my new video blog for my upcoming fourth feature film "NightLight" at nightlightthemovie.com so yeah... if you're looking for my ramblings - you'll get em there (and chances to comment and ask me questions and junk).

To all of you out there that actually read this I encourage you to hop over. I've got a new Sci-fi short coming out early 2009 and tons more goodies so stay tuned.

life and stuff

So big number four is coming up about the same time big number 25 is. My latest script is a dark, dramatic, urban-fantasy containing elements of a rock opera set in SF that's all about death. Looks like this might actually happen...

Almost another birthday... this last year has been rough, but also rewarding. Shooting a music video this weekend - happy to get back into those. Rock climbing a lot.

I feel like I'm in a state of that drunk stumble back home from the bars. You know where you're going, just not sure how much longer it will take to get there - and you keep getting distracted on the way...

If you're still reading this for whatever reason go see The Fall. Top 3 easy, Tarsem is a genius.

background music

I sing little songs throughout the day about walking around or someone dropping a pen and I realized that I hear background music. The problem with this is that no one else does. I was watching Scrubs the other day, first season ( anything after Season 4 or so doesn't really count to me), and JD stated singing a lil song about walking away and the clever editors cut in a little background music for him so he didn't sound crazy.

conclusion... I must sound crazy to my co-workers. Sorry guys.

Vunderhlannd

So I realized the set pieces I made for the little kids performance of Alice in Wonderland were in fact what I expected to see in a film about kids doing a play of Alice in Wonderland.

The wooden frames that held up the large foam board trees were flimsy yet somehow strong enough. The shiny duct tape connecting the pieces was just slightly hidden from view. The director was worried the kids would knock over a piece or two and I just scoffed and said, "Well yeah, that's what's supposed to happen." Even though nothing did fall all the way down, there was an instance of panic when in the middle of a scene the mad hatter had seemed to be missing. When everyone realized this there was a hushed inquiry on stage and one adorable playing card loudly announced, "She's in the bathroom." which caused a good laugh and eventually a large applause as she ran back in from the hall.


I think my next film will be all kids, because almost everything they do is adorable. Scratch that, I just remembered how annoying they are.

sincerely,
4:21 on 4:21

Who really reads these things?

• I just finished up directing a short spot for Rambus recently.
• Working on sets and props for Boys & Girls Club Production of Alice in Wonderland
• Getting ready to teach some hip-hop to middle school kids up in Oakland


I feel like I should just give updates on what's going on as opposed to angsty opinions on random topics. Whenever I start writing something like that I read it back and think... "If I read this on another person's blog I'd think they were a complete douche bag". My life's hard..

If you're still reading you should check out http://www.myspace.com/birdsfledfromme
Brilliant musican.

Um.. I think that's all I got. I didn't eat Chinese food today, went across the street to get a burrito.

daze

• blueberry bagel with butter & jam

My cats like the kitchen window open when I'm at work. I walk the same route to work as I do going to the bars.

• Italian Club

Ping Pong to 21 with Molly and 11 with Seth. I play worse the day after rock climbing.

• Pizza My Heart

I've been re-cutting 'Ballad' or going to Pacific Edge with Jason. Used to teach Hip hop on Tuesday, now i'm learning it on Mondays.

repeat.

Well I'm back...

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So it's been a while I know. The zombie movie was a success, we sold out the Rio theater (550+) here in Santa Cruz and then a few months later showed it to a more private audience down in Carlsbad.

Things have been shuffled and reshuffled again I suppose. Stopped freelancing, spend my days at CRM.

Got a tv show pilot in the works, working with a great group of comedians. Going to be shooting in this great little theater called the Dark Room up in SF.

Also of course working on the next big feature. Actually two this time if one every year or so isn't enough. Jay and I each have our own and we both really dig each others. Things have been looking up for me recently or so you'd think...


-
happy turkey day

Cuttin...

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So I'm cuttin the movie at the moment for all those people out there that care. ;-)

I've been cuttin for about a week and a half and the premiere is in 2 weeks from now. Normally feature films of this magnitude are cut by a small team over 2-3 months, not necessarily one man in roughly 3 weeks. Unless he's a 'super' man if you will.

Mostly I'm tired and crazy from...
wake up - cut movie - eat - cut more movie - go to sleep (everyday).
But seriously folks, I hope to make it 'cause a lot of people are counting on this to be done soon, oh and it has to be good too, did I forget that?

We were on KZSC the other day and we'll be on a few more shows as we get closer. We'll be on SoWhat Television the sunday before (it's live) and this cool guy at http://botld.blogspot.com wrote stuff about us. I don't know what it says 'cause it's in a different language, but in my mind it's good stuff.

Thanks to all those people supportin us and I hope you will enjoy the flick.

28 days later

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So 28 Weeks later just came out... um yeah ok. But also in 28 days from today, our zombie film is coming out at the Rio. Kinda weird, but also scary. Scary mainly 'cause I have 28 days to make a feature film to show to everyone...

hmm

you can bet who the zombie will be by... well you get it.

jOno out.

mad random

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Sometimes I like to tilt my head back extra far when I'm taking a shower and let the water rush into my nose for a moment. It makes me think of the ocean.

Sick

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Been sick for days. Broke a few glasses in my hands and have been coffing non-stop.


Doesn't help that I can't tell if the blood on my hands is real or not. Damn zombie movie.


Oh and the new official trailer jumped to over 1,000 views on YouTube in four days. Best be there or you might miss out.

SNEAK PREVIEW

So The BEGINNING (the zombie film I've been working on is getting ready to premiere. June 8th at the Rio theater in Santa Cruz. 8:00PM.



The new Official trailer is at...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlXe3DDHnK0

The D in jOnoDesign

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Here's some of my favorite print pieces that I love (click to enlarge).


The wrong sunblock can ruin a whole day of surfing. The right kind of taco though can make your week.

Gas Farming

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So my good friend Jay Wertzler shocked the world with an incredible short film called Gas Farming. A brilliant piece about a young girl who deals with her brother's untimely death by adopting an unusual drug habit: injecting gasoline intravenously.




I'm writing about this piece because on this day, April 24, 2007, it is playing in the Riverfront Theater, downtown Santa Cruz at 3:00.



This is a rather huge achievement and it's only the start.

Cheers Jay.

ROAD BLOCK

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This weekend in Zombie town was shooting a roadblock scene. Between strapping myself to the back of the car while it was driving...


... and actually setting up the block and working a guy dressed as a cop...



... plus the bazillion extras and brain explosions, gunshots, wounds and zombie shuffling I think I'm rather dead (yes that's a pun too). Oh wait on the way back from Lodi at 2:30 in the morning the movie car blew out the treads on a tire and we had to wait on the side of the highway for over an hour for a tow truck - getting most of us back to Santa Cruz this morning around 5:30 AM.

As if this weekend wasn't hard enough.

jOno out.

on Location

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So I'm up in Lodi with cast and crew shooting zombie movie. One of our extras hurt their ankle and we got rained out. We all went into town last night and got drunk though. Another day... ... I'm covered in blood.

Vitamin B is all you really need.

Arquette & Reubens

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So last night I hung out with David Arquette and Paul Reubens, nice guys.

David glances over at me while I'm filming the premiere of his new film, "The Tripper", and comments on my homemade stedi-cam while Paul Reubens takes a picture of us...

David: " Nice things you got there."
Me:" Thanks David."

From then on we were best friends. Talked about jokes they played on Paul Reubens, took a few rides in his limo and even let me wear is white Elvis style tux suit. After a few Appletinis at the Red though I had to pull away. I liked his flick, but not enough to get a tattoo about it.

Here are some Zombie pictures...

bars and cars

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My wrists are covered in black ink while my clothes reek of cigarettes and spilt beer (not mine, I would never).


I shot most of zombie drunk I think. I do remember that Jay got to play with kangaroos while I was watching someone pretend to drive a car down a highway without it ever being on one. We tied some fishing line to a picture so when we hung it out the window of the speeding car someone could pull on it as if it was rattling in the wind.


I like to sing along with music in an accent. I'm really bad at accents though so if I sound bad that's why.

tired

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Almost everything in my house has some sort of blood or blood hybrid smeared somewhere on or near it. Making an indie zombie feature film has it's consequences I guess. My kitchen reeks of chocolate syrup (one of our many blood substitutes) and my counters stay in a constant state of clutter, only this time the most prominent objects are a blood covered shovel a bat with nails and barbed wire wrapped around it and three empty cereal boxes (I like cereal a lot).


This last weekend we had over fifty extras show up to be drenched in the previously mentioned blood and shuffle around as we blasted CO2 charged cylinders of more blood at them. I get disappointed with the majority of the masses, but this last weekend made me remember not to be so cynical. I guess that's a good thing.


I was up at 4:00 AM Wed & Thursday of last week in the middle of a vineyard in Santa Maria directing a commercial. That wasn't as fun as watching Cole teaching forty extras how to walk like zombies. I did get half a case of wine for that though.


Sunday we all woke up at 5:00 AM and went and shot some guerrilla style footage around town and ended up in the mountains at the house Lost Boys was shot at twenty years ago. That's gonna make it in the film.

The SC fest starts tomorrow and I'm supposed to be helping work on a documentary for that. Got four sites, a commercial, a music video, trade show video, two trailers, an album, tons of print collateral and all I really want to do is go surfing when the sun is hot on my face. And maybe eat a taco.

It's early I think I'll eat some cereal instead.

-jOno

zombie

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Still working on zombie. Should wrap up production in a few weeks.