Nikki Young

The Magnolia Chronicles, Days 2 & 3: Our Time In The Adjustment Bureau

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It pretty effectively goes without saying that filmmaking, especially independent filmmaking, is a process of adjustments.  The unexpected will happen; there’s no way around that.  And while I’m not entirely convinced it’s possible to expect the unexpected – if you could, it wouldn’t really be unexpected, would it? – it’s still possible to prepare for it, to be ready to make the necessary adjustments to get the shot.

Over the last few days of production, Magnolia has been an object lesson in how to be ready. Continue reading →

The Magnolia Chronicles, Day 1: Matters Of Degrees

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My first experience as a PrimaDonna production assistant (a PDPA, if you will) was on Dating Danielle, almost exactly 5 years ago this weekend.  I have a lot of great memories of those 48 hours, but one of the greatest has to be the spirit that developed between cast and crew, as we all bonded while shooting on one of the hottest days of the year.

August is funny that way… Continue reading →

Re-Arranged

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While I’ve enjoyed my recent forays into performance (from Site 13 to Glamour in Glitter to my appearance at Texas Comicon), at heart I’m really a behind-the-scenes guy.  I love the process, the work of making movies that most moviegoers may never see.

So I’m thrilled to be getting back to the other side of that camera for PDP‘s next project.

Continue reading →

Once More Around The Block

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It’s been another something of an arc in this blog (if you hold to the idea I suggested last time of blogs having arcs) that much of the time I spend in the arts is spent meeting and supporting young talent in all fields.  Given that last week’s performance at Morgan’s Wonderland included three young actors, the post it inspired could fall into that category.

I’d like to believe that with the proper development and encouragement, young talent is a renewable resource.  And last night was another case in point. Continue reading →

Hurtado In Wonderland

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It’s been something of an arc in this blog (if blogs can be said to have arcs) that I really haven’t seen as much of San Antonio as I should have by my age.  That’s pretty much all on me – in my younger years I wasn’t as interested in getting out and meeting people and experiencing the world.  It took a little time, and some much-valued inspiration from friends, but I did ultimately choose the path of engagement.  And I’d like to think I’m better off for it.

All of which should tag this post as #MakingUpForLostTime. Continue reading →

How To Create A Pop Art Spectacular

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Even the smallest art show is an ambitious undertaking.  An art show with live models might be more so.  And an art show with live models impersonating pop-cultural icons?  To pull something like that off, you need great people at every level.

With Glamour in Glitter, we had them. Continue reading →

Give Me Some Light: Luminaria Reignited

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They say into each art some rain must fall… or at least they would if I were They.

It was a lesson learned back in March, when organizers of Luminaria: Arts Night in San Antonio found themselves faced with the threat of storms on the very day they had planned to hold the city’s biggest arts gathering.  After considerable discussion, they took the side of safety and postponed the event from March 10 to May 5.

I’d have been there under any circumstances, of course.  But as Nikki was scheduled to MC one of the music stages (having done the job before, two years ago, she was invited back for this year), I wanted to be there to support her and take pictures.  So, I made sure to keep the new day open on my calendar.

Continue reading →

VOSOT, or: What We Do When No One Is Watching

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Watch this industry long enough (and you won’t have to watch for very long) and you’ll realize that a lot of films fall through the cracks of distribution and release.  The reasons vary – sometimes it’s business, sometimes it’s personal, and sometimes it’s somewhere in the middle.  Sometimes they’re good films stuck in limbo through no real fault, and sometimes they star Eddie Murphy.

And sometimes one of those “vanished” films can surprise you.

Continue reading →

The Love List: … Go

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Over four weeks of rehearsing The Love List, we had a list of our own to work on.  And with each run-through, we refined and tweaked it, checking and re-checking each item.

It goes without saying – so of course I’m saying it anyway – that the dress rehearsal is one of the last, and therefore most important, steps in that process.  It’s where we take all the pieces we’ve created and collected and put them together to see how they work as a whole.  Set: check.  Props: check.  Costumes: check.  Blocking: check.  Lines memorized: check.  Sound and light: check.  MaMaLu Olivo as our stage manager: check.  It’s our best chance to see how the show will play before we bring the audience into the theater. Continue reading →

The Love List: Ready Set…

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As I write this, we’re nine days from opening night for The Love List.  And in our third week of rehearsals, the play continues to take shape, each run-through bringing us closer to that one moment we’re all striving for. Continue reading →