New Developments I feel compelled to share

I know what you're saying... "My GOD, another one of those long, boring 'status of...' posts from Chris Hanel...

Well, you're right. So feel good about being right and keep reading or move on to more important posts.

Still with me? Cool.

So, Dragon*Con. Yeah, old news, but there's some other stuff i haven't talked about yet that happened during my time in Atlanta. I pass all of this on to you because first and foremost I work here and what i'm about to share could affect my presence here for better or worse, but even moreso, this board has become my extended cirle of friends over the past 18 months and you deserve to hear.

So we showed The Formula at Dragon*Con, and they had to turn people away at the door. We filled the place to capacity. John "Fenn" Hudgens showed his movies, he showed Silent But Deadly (I wish Jeff Cioletti had stuck around to hear the great reaction), and then we showed The Formula. It was hot and stuffy in the room, people kinda groaned when they heard how long the last film was, people got worried (and 2 or 3 walked out) when they saw the beginning of a crappy saber duel in a forest, but the people that stuck around to see the plot twist were greatly entertained and we got a huge response at the end of the movie.

But wait, there's more.

After the showing, a lot of people thanked me for showing the movie and one guy comes up to me and starts asking me about the production phase and the budget and all this stuff behind the scenes, which i'm starting to get used to but this guy was reallllly digging deep. So, i ask him who he is, and it turns out he's Jeff Scheetz, the Co-Founder of the Dave School, a place which is known for its education in Digital Animation and Visual Effects. (Hence the DAVE acronym... clever huh?) He says he really liked the movie and he's looking for people like Steve and I to attend his school.

My first thought is to tell him he's got the wrong guy and to be giving Ryan_W and DorkmanScott a call (as he should anyways), but he says he really wants people that have writing and directing skills that can apply that to the animation. "The animation, we can teach. I want creative people to use those skills." I take his card, shake his hand, thank him for the chat, and walk upstairs with a smile which quickly turned to a frown because i couldn't figure out any possible way to get there.

Well, over the past 3 weeks a few miracles have happened and it now appears that I am going to be attending The Dave School starting in October. I've found a place to stay, transportation, and my school loans just came through. EVERYTHING fell into place on this one... and mostly because of my contacts on THIS VERY BOARD. Don't discount your online friends, people... you'll be thankful when they come to your rescue. (How do you think i GOT to Dragon*Con?! <points at Fenn>)

So now i felt ready to tell everyone of my plans. To anyone into 3d work or filmmaking in general, i have yet to hear a single bad thing about the Dave School from all my research, and i strongly suggest people check them out. Jeff and crew were marvelous in helping me get through the process of figuring this all out and getting me down to Florida as soon as possible.

Also, i want to embarass a few people by thanking Fenn, Nathan B., Lord_Gita, NickLong, Abe, Steve, Justin, Josh, and others who were super supportive in helping me make this huge decision and making the leap that much more definitive. The Llama boys knew how much i wanted to do this, and let me know that it was something that was best for me and that i had their support. That's what makes them the best friends i've ever had.

People have asked me what comes next, and to tell you the truth, i have no clue. I'm sure i'll still stay active on the boards and hopefully as a member of TFN staff (as the rest of staff probably just figured out why in the hell i've been so inactive lately) but the life of Digital Llama Productions is up in the air. Steve and Abe want to keep doing the radio show, and i give

 

Wow, good luck. Thanks for that inspiring story.

 

Well, you just reminded me of a point I forgot to make: People say fanfilms aren't worth it because it's too much hassle and too much money to spend on a project that won't get you anything in return. I say they're wrong. THIS is what fanfilmmaking can lead to... if you don't believe me, just ask Rive or Justin Dix. Ask John Hudgens. Talk to James Deruvo about the people he's met. Fanfilmmaking is one of the best experiences a young director can go through, and one of the most rewarding.

"Follow your dreams, i am living proof. Beefcake!" -Cartman

 

Actually I already abandoned my dreams of becoming a filmmaker a while ago. I'm pursuing a career in business law. Yeah that's right from film major to lawyer! However, that doesn't mean I can't still make films for fun!

 

Amazing. Have a lot of fun down there. From what you've told us, things have been rocky for you earlier, and they just got a whole lot better.

Is this too cheesy to start quoting religious works? This is something that I read over my Bible study tonight.

May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation--those good things that are produced in your life by Jesus Christ--for this will bring much glory and praise to God. Phillipians 1:11

Good luck.

Chris

 

Congrats Chris!

It is kind of bitter sweet because if they do continue doing the radio show, it will still be good, but it won't be the same without you. But seriously, that's really great that you're going to DAVE School (Love the name) and it's just amazing watching someone like you, and others on these boards, and watching as their careers progress from things they have done here. I think this is just the start of bigger and better things for you, and you deserve it. Good luck.

 

So that's what you've been doing all of the time!

Sounds great, I hope it turns out to everything you want it to be. I've always thought making a fanfilm is a good springboard to better things, and once again here is proof. But personally I would have thought only people like Lord_Rive or myself could get into a class like this though.






















You should be in CHRIS school
Come on, admit it, for just a second you all thought I was being conceated didn't ya?

 

LOL! Truthfully, I kinda did Daft. Forgive me!!!!

 

Congratulations! You seemed pretty excited down there about it.





and BTW, I have some video clips for you from DragonCon.

 

First off, I wanted to drop in and reiterate how proud I and the others who knew about the decision beforehand are, and have been, of Chris on this one. Taking the initiative to go back to school in the first place was something we thought took a lot of dedication, and being able to work out this sort of opportunity and see a specific direction ahead is a "big moment." I know how difficult it is to uproot and leave everything and everyone behind in pursuit of your "path." I had to do that just this past July when I left everyone behind in Indiana and moved to Atlanta for my first teaching job. It's tough, and for a while, it's going to wholeheartedly suck enough nights that you think you're going to crack up before a month is out, but then you're on the other side of that month thinking "That wasn't so bad. I . . . am a badass." We're with Chris in the decision, and we'll be with him as he makes the transition and beyond. "Ya done good," as they'd say down here.

Second, Chris not being involved with DLR or DLPG anymore is quite a blow, but perhaps this is also a sort of siren call for the rest of us. I created ChronoRadio so that I could expand the audience created by my timeline, but also to expand on areas of SW fandom that the Llamas could touch, but not spend too much time on. Now, the Llama ranks have been changing for a while, and if something ends up "missing" due to Chris being gone, that's not cue for being upset or bummed out. It's cause for celebration, in a way, as it will force us all, if we really believe in that type of program, to step up to the plate and fill part of that void. Second Strike's announcement set off a stream of several other audio drama announcements. Perhaps this big announcement of change for DLR and DLPG can help set off a stream of new radio shows?

Third, at the risk of mentioning how much work Chris still has on his shoulders from the community, you haven't seen the last of him. I'll be making sure of that. Chris is still working on Second Strike, and he's doing, I think, a fantastic job. When it's released, you'll get to hear all his fine mixing work, and also catch his portrayals of not one, but two characters in the story. You've already heard one, Lom Darus, in the preview scene.

I'll also be trying from time to time to bring Chris on as a guest or guest host on ChronoRadio, as time permits. Perhaps over time he can become sort of a staple guest of that program, bringing his wit back into the fan radio show genre, without him having to take all the time to do the mixing.

Also, there's still more to come from Dragon*Con. Chris recorded a lot of great stuff there. I'm privy to at least two of them: a special "Live from Dragon*Con" DLR featuring (among others) me, Colucci and Hudgens, and a video clip of Chris and I meant for DLR, Second Strike, and other fans. Of course, how the school change bodes for the project we announced in the video clip is anyone's guess.

So . . . take heart. Our "favorite son" (screw Grover) will still be around, on screen or in audio if not "in person."

 

Congratulations Chris!!
I've seen a lot of advertising and info on the DAVE school lately (They have a TV add running on Tech TV that even features a Duality style saber fight with Sithvixen).

Looks really cool, being on the Universal Florida back lot and all.

Just out of my own curiosity, what lead you to select this as your school as apposed to some of the more established programs? It would be interesting to hear about the factors you considered when looking for a school and what helped you make your final decision. (Maybe this is a topic for Llama Radio.)

Anyway, Congrats and ....

Have fun!

 

So what does this mean for Digital Llama Radio?!

Ya know, forget about that! I'm glad you're future is shaping up to something. Initially when I read your post, I thought you were going to say something like "I got drunk after Dragon*Con and wound up in a jail in Mexico City". So I was all the more surprised.

Besides, the quicker we get you outta here, the quicker I can start Digital Beaver Radio!

Congratulations! I feel fortunate to see such a star born.

 

Digital Beaver Radio? Isn't that a porn network?

 

Digital Beaver Radio? Isn't that a porn network?

Oh no, we are not going there! This is a family friendly board.

 

Congratulations Chris!

I know how excited you must be at this moment.

I too had a career change that was in part to my fan film hobby. If somebody had told me the future that I would be working at a video post production facility in the next year or so I would have laughed at them.

I've been here at the new job for 1 1/2 years and i wouldn't trade it for anything.

I get to do editing, DVD authoring, 3D work, audio production....this list goes on.

Fun stuff.

Enjoy it my friend. These are the days of our lives LOL!

from one chris to another.

 

Good going Chris!

I am also college searching, would you be kind enough to send me some information on DAVE so that I can find out if that is one of the colleges I wish to apply to?

 

Congratulations! Good luck! Have fun! Eat your Wheaties! Don't drink and drive! Secure all animals in the zoo!

I am going to FilmCon! So I'll see you there!

-tm

 

That's great, Chris. And after seeing the Formula, you certainly deserve it. That film is an excellent reel for this kind of thing.

I am very happy to hear you are getting noticed. But beware. The only thing I would damn sure of is ... ARE THEY ACCREDITED? The last thing you want is to go to a film school - especially on student loans - that isn't. My brother did that and went nearly 10,000 in debt ing school loans and found out after the fact that this fly by night film school run by professionals - wasn't accredited. His fault, to be sure - and it was an expensive lesson to learn.

Course, if memory serves, the Dave School is located at Universal Studios in Florida, right? So it must be pretty cutting edge. I remember visiting their website awhile back.

Again, I'm thrilled for you! Enjoy Orlando. BTW - you might want to hook up w/ JHoffaOLB - he's a Florida boy.

 

Well, all I can say is that the film school offer was well-deserved...

A little personal background here, quickly, tho... I got started in this business and SF conventions by a great guy named JJ Johnson, who sadly was murdered in 1990... He was the director of the Educational Media Services for the University of Tennessee, although he'd also worked for CBS at one point...

For whatever reason, he saw something in me, and put me in front of a video editor instead of a copy editing terminal (as I was working for the university paper at the time)... within days I'd changed from a journalism to a broadcasting major...

That summer, I did my first music video, and JJ took me to my first convention - the 1986 WorldCon... he put me on his media staff, and turned me loose upon SF fandom... and things have never been the same for me since... a LOT of who I am and what I've done can be traced back to JJ's influence....

JJ was (and still is) a legend in the 1980s southern convention scene... he put together the first convention television network, he had an incredible personal library of films and video (in a time when VCRs were NOT commonplace), and was willing to help anyone at any time with assisitance, a room, some money... he was loved by people around the world, and is still missed in Southern Fandom... there's even a broadcasting scholarship out there set up in his name...

I bring all this up because I had a late dinner with one of my old convention friends (who also knew Jay) during the con... after watching and hearing about Chris' exploits at DragonCon this year and all the stuff that happened to him since I convinced him to come down, she said to me, "You know what you've done here.... you've turned into another JJ, as far as Hanel is concerned...."

That floored me...

You guys never knew Jay, but I'm glad to be carrying on his torch... glad I had a hand in this... as I think we can expect good things to come from Chris Hanel...

Fenn

So in 15 years or so, it'll be Hanel's turn to find some up-and-comer and give him a boost...

Oh yeah... and what's to say you can't still do future DLRs by way of a phone patch or something? Don't let several states' worth of milage stop you...

 

Don't forget that Orlando is landlocked, Chris. No beach for you. . Hope you enjoy Florida as much as I do!

~Neszis~

 

The beach isn't that far away if he really wanted to go...

If my mom will let me, I'll have to meet ya and welcome you to the land of heat, rain, hurricanes, and old people.

 

very cool chris.

of course, the only reason I comment is because you're now a mod... and when mods have good news you say congrats dammit!



No, but seriously though, you deserve it.

Cya
Mike