Fan Girls Are the Future

So, there a few things are going on. First of all, the episode of "One Tree Hill" I shadow directed is airing tonight. I can't wait to see it on the small screen... with the commercials and everything. When I was out in Wilmington, North Carolina during production, I noticed something every time we shot a scene on location outside of the soundstage: Fan Girls. Out by the river at the basketball court? Fan Girls. At the remote beach house? Fan Girls. Downtown? Fan Girls. Rainy weather? Fan Girls with umbrellas. Devoted, disciplined, patient, keeping the series going seven seasons strong and counting.

And what's been going on this past week or so, making box office records with the release of New Moon, part of the Twilight franchise? Fan Girls. Everywhere. In line. Spending money. Making movie history. They seem to be a newly discovered, unstoppable force. And as I was watching the movie, noticing the carefully crafted money shots, I thought to myself, how cool that the filmmakers are going to such lengths, from the sweet main title opening to the elaborate visual effects action sequences, for the Fan Girls. It was all for them. And it's working.

So I'm thinking to myself, what if this catches on? I mean, if it really catches on? What if more stories need to be told and everyone wants to make something for the Fan Girls. What if more and more projects with awesome female characters get greenlit? What if production companies, studios, and networks realize that they need more qualified filmmaker Fan Girls to make stories for other Fan Girls?

You see what I'm getting at? Me likey.

:: bogna ::


UPDATE: It appears that CNN is onto this phenomenon as well! "Hey, Hollyood, the fangirls are calling"

Speaking of Sparklies...

Wasn't I just talking about sparklies? Here's some fun news:
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Beauty World, the commercial for Almay Pure Blends directed by Arlene Bogna & produced by Vista Point Pictures, has won a 2009 Davey Award. A Big Congrats to Cast & Crew!

For more information & credits click here, or you can watch the winning spot here.


ABOUT THE DAVEY AWARDS
The annual International Davey Awards honors the achievements of the "Creative Davids" who derive their strength from big ideas, rather than stratospheric budgets. The Davey is sanctioned and judged by the International Academy of the Visual Arts, an invitation-only body consisting of top-tier professionals from a "Who's Who" of acclaimed media, advertising, and marketing firms. IAVA members include executives from organizations such as Alloy, Coach, The Ellen Degeneres Show, Estee Lauder, Fry Hammond Barr, HBO, iNDELIBLE, Wunderman, MTV, Polo Ralph Lauren, Refinery, Sotheby's Institute of Art, Victoria's Secret, Wired, Yahoo! and many more.
Award: Silver Davey Award
http://www.daveyawards.com/

ABOUT ARLENE BOGNA
Arlene Bogna is an award winning writer/director. She won a Davey Award for "Beauty World", and the Platinum Aurora Award for Best of Show, a Telly Award, and a Davey Award for the PSA "Canvas". Her feature screenplay "Earth Kids", which she co-wrote with Nicole Schubert, won 1st Place Best Screenplay at the 2007 KIDS FIRST! Film Festival as well as the Sponsor Award. Currently she is developing an untitled action feature to direct.
http://www.vistapointpictures.com/arlene.html

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A Big Thanks to all who supported this project!!!

:: bogna ::

"Beauty World" - the TV version

It's here! The television version of "Beauty World" is now airing nationwide on Current TV.

And if you are near a TV today (Saturday, May 30th), you can catch it @ 10:05 am, 12:52 pm, and 8:15 pm PST (I think) on Current TV. (I posted more info here, including credits and channels)

Thanks for taking a look!

:: bogna ::

"Beauty World" to air on television

I am very excited to say that "Beauty World" was selected by Almay Pure Blends to air on Current TV! We were #1 with the popular vote, and we are absolutely THRILLED Almay Pure Blends chose our work. And because so many talented peeps worked so hard on this, I am glad it will have a new audience now that it's going national.
Beauty World
:30 commercial for Almay Pure Blends
Directed by Arlene Bogna
Written and Produced by Arlene Bogna & Tony Ferranti
Starring Karyn Nesbit, Jason Fedusenko, & Grant Tanguma
Cinematography by Nathan Levine-Heaney
Production Design by Jem Elsner
Key Makeup and Hair by Meredith Scott
Camera: Nick Militello
Boom Op: Ben Hunter
Edited by Michael Thibault
Music Supervision by Brian Saur
Sound Design by Brett Coleman
Sound Engineering by Mike Boeltl
GFX & VFX: Vista Point Pictures

And a big thanks to everyone who supported this project, and thank you Current for this wonderful opportunity!

Current TV can be found on:

USA
+ DirecTV 358
+ Comcast Nationwide 107
+ Dish Network 196
+ Time Warner
New York 103
Los Angeles 142
Nationwide Check your local listings
+ Verizon FiOS 192
+ AT&T U-verse 189

UK & IRELAND
+ Sky 193
+ Virgin Media 155

ITALY
+ Sky Italia 130

:: bogna ::

Yay! We won a Telly Award!

More info on this soon, but I just found out we won a Telly Award! Vista Point Pictures has done some cool projects for some fun clients (or is that the other way around?), and it looks like we've been rewarded. I'm ready to celebrate. Just in time for the weekend...
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

"Beauty World" is online

I got to work with some very talented people on a fun project. Enjoy "Beauty World" (my take on a cosmetics ad)

"Beauty World" on current

What is Beauty World? Ladies, if you think it's a magical place where we look fantastic, feel great, have the wind in our hair, you're right. But if you think it's free of Dudes and Chili-Dogs, well, maybe that's just wishful thinking.

Almay has launched an exciting new natural product line. Here is our take at what it means to be beautiful without compromise. I give you "Beauty World."

:: bogna ::

"A Really Fun Ride" is up!

Here is the ad that Vista Point Pictures wrote, produced, designed, and edited for the Nissan Cube. We had a lot of fun doing this one. It is in competition on the CurrentTV website, so please visit it and vote for it!



A Really Fun Ride (Nissan VCAM)

Did you know the CUBE was "perfect for hormone-crazed teens?" Yeah, I didn't either, but according to CAR AND DRIVER, it is. Irresponsible car journalism, or just good clean fun? You decide. Check this out.


:: bogna ::

Sneak Peek at "Beauty World"

Here's a little sneak peak about a project I'm very excited about. A 30 second commercial called "Beauty World."

Part narrative, part beauty ad, with a touch of humor, it's my take on cosmetics and, well, life.

I got to work with some very talented people, and I've already learned a lot (like about the precarious relationship between electric fans and hair).

I can't wait until it's finished. I will post a link soon! (update: you can check it out here)

Meanwhile, here is a look at the wonderful and talented actress Karyn Nesbit on set.


:: bogna ::

The World Is Now Ready For Strong Heroines

One of my favorite directors/visionaries Chris Cunningham has directed a beautiful commercial for Gucci's Flora with Australian model Abbey Lee.

I'm totally inspired by this, and coincidentally since I just shot a Beauty Ad (more on that later) I've definitely been thinking about the notions of capturing the beauty and the power of the feminine on camera.

I love this quote from Riccardo Ruini, who developed the concept with Frida Giannini and Chris Cunningham:

“Foremost in our minds was a desire to avoid the heroine being perceived as passive or dreamy. We wanted to portray the female as an active character who brings to life in an active way the Flora personality by controlling the nature around her. We also felt it was important to demonstrate a movement of the female from mademoiselle to empowered woman; a woman initially delicate and feminine transforming into someone stronger and more powerful. “

See? It's time. Gucci is never wrong.



More on this at Dazed Digital.

:: bogna ::

An Actress Walks Into An Audition...

But not just any actress. Giselle Tongi.
Recently I was interviewed for a piece about Giselle. I met her when she came to an audition with her baby. Here is the link to the article in BACKSTAGE.



:: bogna ::

Rolling along with Bucky

I think we all know I have a soft spot for animals and road trips, (my recent solo show SAFARI AMERICANA: SCENES OF DELIGHT pretty much proves it), and I recently saw another artist's take on those two subjects that are close to my heart, so I'd like to introduce you to David Dechant's Bucky Rolls Like That (pictured below).


Bucky Rolls Like That is an ode to Rauschenburg, since there is the presence of taxidermy, there is a tire, and the lines between sculpture and painting are blurred (see Rauschenburg's "Monogram" pictured right). Dechant adds a playfulness to his subject. The vibrant pigments painted on the bear's fur, nose, and even tongue, give the beast a surreal beauty and humor. David also painted the tire treads white and repeated their geometry in three substantial panels mounted on the wall behind the piece, using that visual language to promise us a nice flowing ride. And by adding exaggerated, ornamental low-rider style handlebars, Dechant poses the question, is Bucky the bear simply roadkill? or is he actually in control of the ride?

And by using Rauschenberg's Combines as a point of departure, David is practicing his own manifesto he calls Varyism by arranging art objects spatially in order to construct intellectual, not physical, relationships. Bucky Rolls Like That is constructed as an interactive arrangement, where the visceral and the elegant can coexist.

:: bogna ::

SAFARI AMERICANA: As Seen In ArtScene!

I was thrilled to read the review of my solo show in this month's ArtScene. Suvan Geer's review of my art has brought certain themes to my attention, themes that challenge me to grow as a person and as an artist. I am grateful for that.

Part of the reason I make art in the first place is to constantly answer the simple questions, like "who am I?" And the answers keep on coming, which in turn only make me ask more questions. I am sure I am not alone in this.

Without any further ado, here is a peak at the article.

Excerpted from ArtScene
ARLENE BOGNA and BARBARA BLATT
By Suvan Geer (July 2008)
Arlene Bogna’s "Safari Americana" photographs make the viewer sink into a nostalgic reverie. She asks us to consider what it is in human nature, or the American psyche, that makes us delight in the sight of painted, three dimensional animals perched atop sign poles or hawking honey from flat bed trucks. Bogna’s images have the spontaneous feel of snapshots, yet the carefully orchestrated camera angles and artist’s repeated down-low perspective capture the sheer naive exhibitionism of the roadway animal signs.
[Click here to read the full article.]



:: bogna ::

Safari in the Summer? Oh yes.

I had the best summer solstice ever. The opening of SAFARI AMERICANA: SCENES OF DELIGHT packed the gallery at its peak last Saturday (here is a photo by TastyPiePhotography.com before the crowds gathered):
I was so happy to see my friends, some who I haven't seen for a while, come out and support me, willing to spend some time in a crowded white room with me on a hot summer LA night. What a great feeling! And it was fun to talk to people I just met. I loved everyone's interpretations and observations about my work, and I must have had the same empty water bottle in my hand for hours because I was on a roll fielding questions non-stop. And I absolutely loved it when people went over to the audio installation and got the courage to push the button that was there to tempt them (the name of that piece is Satisfaction, and it's okay to push the button, and I'm not telling what happens if you do).
I was quite excited that METROMIX had written an awesome article about my show, and I was thrilled to find out that ARTSCENE is running a preview article by Suvan Geer! It was also a blast to get to meet Peggy Fogelman, so brilliant, so sophisticated, and an absolute curatorial rockstar (you can thank Peggy for putting contemporary artists' work into The Getty Center...yeah, she's that great) only to find out that she helped select my show for the gallery! I am over the moon.
My show is up through July 18th if you haven't already checked it out. And please, if you can, do check it out. I am so happy to have this opportunity to share my work with you.

:: bogna ::

Having an Art Attack... and Loving It!

I am very excited to share this preview article of my upcoming solo show SAFARI AMERICANA: SCENES OF DELIGHT in METROMIX. Please enjoy!

Art attack: Arlene Bogna's 'Safari Americana'
By Kimberly Waid & Alie Ward, Metromix

Here is an excerpt:
"Photos from her new series, "Safari Americana: Scenes of Delight" pop off the paper with rich pigments and a gorgeous stillness. Exploring the very specific and bizarre theme of roadside animal effigies (fiberglass cows, anyone?), Bogna presents a show that’s hauntingly vintage in aesthetic but also an homage to modern, plasticine life."

You can read the entire article here.

I absolutely cannot wait for the show!

:: bogna ::

'My Life as a Filmmaker' and other soapboxes

Recently I was asked to speak at Gabrielle Kelly's "My Life as a Filmmaker" class at Los Angeles Film School. I was happy to come and talk about the skills of survival needed in the big filmmaking world out there, but I wasn't sure if I'd be able to fill in the hour and a half. But the students were very cool and very excited about their projects and their goals after graduation. I was impressed that they all seemed to specialize in a trade that complemented their long term goals.
I shared my stories of survival, showed a couple reels, talked about Vista Point Pictures, and listened to their concerns. Then I gave a little bit of tough love that I wish someone had given me: that it is your responsibility as an artist to be resourceful and to do some strategic planning so that you may continue your art and your craft. That it's okay to have professional experience, or to learn something about finances and commerce along the way, without worrying that knowing those things might somehow make you less of an artist or a pure creative. And that it is up to you to keep developing and strengthening your craft and your voice. I think many artists just want a patron to swoop in and develop their raw talent for them, but this ain't the Renaissance. There are things you can do to buy your own independence, even if only in little chunks at a time. Being savvy isn't something that need come only after huge 'overnight' commercial success. Self-reliance means being authentic and responsible throughout the process of your journey as an artist. And as an artist, you may not have a way out of that...
Before I knew it, the class was over, and I was all pumped up from having jumped onto my soapbox. I don't know if my talking was helpful, but I hope to see great things from these students in the future. We are all in this together, after all.

:: bogna ::

Getttin' ready for SAFARI AMERICANA

Yes, it's just around the corner. 'It' being SAFARI AMERICANA: Scenes of Delight, my solo show this summer at Gallery 825 in Los Angeles. I'm excited that I get to have the big space that I wanted in the back, and I get to fill it. And I will. With big, fun colorful images taken with toy cameras from my road tripping. And it's analog, baby. Except for the multimedia component of course. But it's mostly large format color photographs dominating the walls with the images that dominated me when I saw them in "real" life. And since I am about to experience a very rewarding process both as a visual artist and as a filmmaker, I am pulling up my sleeves, rubbing my hands together, and giggling on the inside. I cannot wait!

Looking for Something

If you are looking for an antidote to the kitsch trend in art this summer, then look just a little further, like towards Hyperion and Rowena in Silverlake, CA.
"Looking for something and maybe almost finding it" is the title of Kathy Jaroneski's solo exhibition at the Silverlake Neighborhood Council.
Her paintings have a quality of seeing both through and far into an introspective reality.
The color composition is bold and soothing at the same time, like good design, but the forms, strokes, and drips of paint have a motion which makes the paintings come alive.
There is a tension in her work, a dichotomy where discipline meets emotion. Color logic rules over expressive brushstrokes in "Silvia's Lake", while a light palette serves to offset an aubergine storm in "Aubergine #2". It lulls you in then shakes you up. Definitely a must for anyone seeking some emotional authenticity in a season of empty blockbusters and subprime refinancing.

On another note, let's hear it for seeing something you weren't really looking for in the first place, and would rather not have seen, but now that you have you can't help but grin a little. I found myself grinning at the Claremont Museum of Art when I saw this sculpture. You get the picture. You should see what the artist Amy Maloof did to a shopping cart as well.

Enjoy the heat and keep looking.

:: bogna ::

Walking the Art Walk

Did you get to the Culver City Art Walk? If not, there's always next year. Didn't know there were galleries in Culver City? Well, you might want to up your 411 skills and come check it out. Even when there aren't large happy swells of people ebbing in and out of the galleries during an official art walk with live jazz in the air, it's still worth seeing anytime.

I was so happy to see Mike Stilkey at BLK/MRKET Gallery. His solo show HORSE STORIES was beautiful, and his success couldn't happen to a nicer guy. He totally helped me when I was framing a gallery submission and I seriously wish him well. It was good to see so much of his work, especially when accompanied by his whimsical horses on the walls and all those red dots.


I also was thrilled to see Nicola Vruwink at d.e.n. contemporary. I first saw her work at the OPEN SHOW at Gallery 825 and I knew she was a genius for crocheting audio cassette tape. There is a deep satisfaction when looking at - and reading - her work. Between her and Sharon Kagan, knitting and crochet has been forever elevated in my mind as the ultimate avant-garde lovingly ironic art medium.


So, even if you missed the art walk, you can still make it out there and not be disappointed. And if you do find yourself in Culver City, make sure you see Blum & Poe. They started it all. And I do know that every time I go to Blum & Poe I leave happy, like I've really seen something. Usually something big.

Crackerjack: Jay Belloli from the Armory Juries Gallery 825 Show...

...and one of my pieces, "tribe", is in it! Tribe is an abstract color photograph (not a painting) and it's all about the moment, a very long moment, an "even longer than you think" moment, captured on film. Check out Gallery 825 - they are a very cool gallery and I am very happy I get to be a part of this show.

:: bogna ::