Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Mr. Hungry@Work


Hooray! We have completed our second paid video commercial! The 45 second spot is titled "Mr. Hungry@Work and is promoting the local business Camille's Sidewalk Cafe. I met up with the owner Rosemary about 2 weeks ago and even though she had her doubts she took a leap of faith and decided to commission DragonCow to make an ad for her:

SO HERE IT IS:


Pretty good huh? Rosemary has absolutely thrilled and completely satisfied with the video. We even had a chance to premiere the video live on the internet through a fantastic new site called ilivetoday.com and if you haven't joined ilivetoday.com yet you must! It's a really great way to connect with people and businesses in the Antelope Valley.

So if you're a business in need of some fresh ideas in creative advertising give me a call (661) 317-7803 or email me ben@dragoncowproductions.com

Everyone else sit back and enjoy the ride! Wish me luck : )

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Gotta Get Back


Well, I am here again, on the blog sending out my thoughts into the void! I've been quite busy so I think it is important for me to reflect on what I have been doing. During the last school semester I wrote blogs on a weekly basis as part of my Critical Thinking and Research English Class. This assignment fueled my creative writing greatly and jumpstarted my problem solving mindset. (Reflecting upon that sentence, I'm not quite sure how effective my car-oriented metaphors are.)

At one point or another we need to face down our failures. If we have the bravery to face down our failures we can turn them into opportunities. I recently received the third of three disappointing letters, first a letter denying me admission to USC, then a painful reminder in the form of a letter rejecting me from the Film-Production program and a third from the Animation and Digital Arts Program. I had my moment of pain, disappointment and bitterness and now I am moving on.

I am taking control of this moment and steering myself into a bold new future. Tired of working odd jobs and commuting to Pasadena (yes, I said Pasadena) I have started building up the business of DragonCow Productions.

The DragonCow team has:

Made its first commercial for a local business!
Check out the video for AV Florist in Lancaster:




I met with Av Florist owner Chris Spicher for lunch at Jackie's cafe in Lancaster and convinced him to take a chance and he commissioned us to make a 30 second stop-animated ad for his flower shop. In less than two weeks, thanks to some late nights and hard work from seasoned DragonCow animators Thomas Thomas and Dean Terrell, the video was completed.

This lead to the development of our next project another video ad! This time the ad is for Camille's Sidewalk Cafe. The future looks bright for DragonCow Productions as we have 2 more paid videos in the immediate future and several creative opportunities too...

Stay tuned to the tales of Ben Andrews and DragonCow, and our continuing saga.
As always, Wish me luck!

http://www.dragoncowproductions.com

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Wise Owls

A lone warrior approaches the dark mouth of a mountain. The mountain breathes it foul odor and the warrior’s bones tremble in fear. His metal boots clink against the hard rocky floor of the cave. The smell of rotting corpses pillage his nostrils. Death is all about him, and terror begins to grip his mind. What horrible beast lies ahead? What fanged, clawed, scaled monstrosity waits to ambush him in the dark?
This is the feeling of fear and uncertainty when beginning new things. We build up monsters in our mind, great enemies too big to be defeated. But we continue on through this cave because we are brave and crave adventure. We crave knowledge and understanding. Like Plato we must not remain prisoner in the cave, but find our way out to the sun.
FInding my way out of the cave.
This class was a great experience for me. I learned a lot. More than I thought I could learn really. Not only did I learn, but I had fun doing so. Even if I complained about the grueling research paper, or cramming at 11:58 to finish the assignments for the week, I really did enjoy myself. I enjoyed the struggle. The constant uphill battle. Never feeling safe, fat, happy or lazy. This course was dynamic and built up upon itself and the other courses I took this semester.
Parting is such sweet sorrow.
While I feel great relief in having completed the work aspect of this class, I will miss the learning and friendship of this class. Through all of these blogs I have really been able to connect with all of you. It’s been basically like reading each other’s diaries or journals. I’ve gotten to know you all on a deep level, and I will miss that community and interaction.
Some final thoughts.
You are never to old to learn. One of the most inspiring things about taking classes at a community college is coming coming across people 2 or even 3 times your age, going back to school to get a better education. Keep up the great work, you can do it! Owls may be old, but they are always the wisest!
Even a blog can be beautiful. Every opportunity to write or to be creative is an opportunity that we must seize. I think we all unlocked the inner philosopher and poet in these blogs. I greatly enjoyed reading all of your blogs because of all the fascinating metaphor and ideas that I came across.
About Me
I mentioned at the begging of the semester that I was trying to get into the USC School of Cinematic arts. I received a letter from USC yesterday, I did not get in. After taking the moment to wallow in wretched self-pity, I changed my thinking to a positive mindset and realized that it as simply not meant to be, at least not at this moment. That means for now I will remain in the Antelope Valley, so perhaps I may bump into one of you next semester? Also my video-production business is gaining some ground locally! I  am producing a video ad for AV Florist and connect with a lot of businesses locally through http://www.ilivetodayav.com (great site, highly recommend you check it out). So everyone please stay in touch! I will probably be premiering my first feature film, for more info email me at ben@dragoncowproductions.com 
So long and thanks for all the fish!