vatche arabian productions

So. 2011. How’d it go? I’d say I had a very successful year.

In 2011, I produced quite a bit of new work. Ranging from some shorts (‘I’m Sorry I Killed You,’ and ‘Friends I Haven’t Met‘), fun trailers and web videos (Labor Day 2 and Boy Shooting Nerf Gun), and Lonely Reviewer’s increased coverage of IFFBoston, it was a busy year!

So, what’s on tap for 2012?

I’m always looking to produce new projects, and collaborate with friends/colleagues on theirs. I’ve already got some things coming down the pipeline!

I hope to produce a few more shorts this year, and hopefully some that coincide with the themes I’m exploring in the projects I’ve done this past year. Shooting on DSLR is making these projects so much easier to produce, and increases production value 10 fold. With the addition of my own portable sound recorder to my kit in late 2011, things are only going to get better from here.

I appreciate you guys for checking out my blog, and my site! Happy New Year!

My newest short film stars Andy Kokoszka, Molly Langston, and Fred Grandinetti – it is basically a little idea I had a few years back riding the subway in New York City. As dangerous as it may seem, people running late often apply make-up on a bumpy train. So the moment I came up with, was two very different observers, both watching a girl apply eye liner.

Enjoy (please watch in HD if you can), and let me know what you think!

I shot this little short with my brother Razmig a few months ago on a weekend vacation with my family in New Hampshire. I’ve been trying to shoot more and more run and gun short films like this one with my DSLR. I love the look the camera captures. This was something we came up with randomly and thought it’d be a fun exercise.

It also stars my good friend Brandin Tumeinski, my favorite shot is the opening shot, I just love the way it enhances the suspenseful feel of the piece.

Unfortunately, the success of last year didn’t repeat, but I still had a great time making Labor Day 2.

Labor Day 2 was 9 hours of shooting, followed by at least 60 hours of editing, color correction, and compositing – and another 10 hours of sound work by my friend Gregg Swiatlowski. With 31 effects shots, (the missile in the middle took about an hour to create, another 30 minutes to fine tune) we upped the ante from the first. I do feel like Labor Day 2 definitely was an increase in production value and quality.

Here it is, in its Youtube glory, Labor Day 2: Unholy Union. Please enjoy the film in 720p!

Last year I had a great time making a fake trailer for the Brattle Theater’s annual Trailer Smackdown summer event. This year, the theme is sequel’s, and I knew I had to enter it once again! So, obviously, I made the sequel to last years entry, Labor Day 2.

Be sure to come out to the Brattle Theater Wednesday evening for this great event, and see what we’ve all come up with for this years entry. The evening begins at 6:30pm with a BBQ, and doors to the theater will open at 7:30. Besides the contest, the programmers show some of their favorite trailers – ranging from hilariously awful to extremely good (The Shining trailer anyone?). It’s one of my favorite annual Brattle events.

If you haven’t seen my trailer from last year, here it is:

Hope to see you Wednesday night at the Brattle!

This weekend was my cousin Aline’s graduation party (congratulations! good luck at school!), while we were there, my younger cousin Alex told me he really wanted to be in a fun video with some special effects, so we came up with something on the spot. The short video also stars my brother Razmig, and my cousin Natalie.

IFFBoston 2011 kicked off last week, and this year I’ve amped up my coverage for Lonelyreviewer.com. We’ve shot this years festival quite extensively, and I’m going to be cutting the Q&As for release online. Here are two videos I cut. The first is the Q&A that followed the screening of BEING ELMO: A PUPPETEER’S JOURNEY. The second, an interview with the filmmakers behind ICE HOCKEY, a short that screened at the festival. IFFBoston is an amazing film festival, and I am honored to have been allowed the opportunity to work with them.
 

Back in 2003 I made a documentary interviewing a group of “third-generation” survivors on what the Armenian Genocide means to them. The film gives them the opportunity to speak about who they are, and how the Genocide affects their lives.

The film until this weekend, had not been available online. I decided in recognition of the 96th anniversary of the beginning of the Armenian Genocide, I’d make the film available for viewing online.

It is shocking to me that not much has changed in the time since I made the film. The Genocide, though continuing to gain recognition within many other countries remains unrecognized here in the United States. It is through continued lobbying and education that hopefully the United States Government will join many others in finally recognizing the Genocide as historical fact.

So I posted last night that I’d completed the rough cut, as soon as I submitted that post I decided I wasn’t satisfied. I went back, using the sound recorded that day, I created a temporary soundtrack that will serve as the foundation that Gregg will build on.

I’d also been toying with the thought of adding music, but watching it with the sounds of the subway, I’ve decided against it.

I’ve got it out to various colleagues to get notes – and I thought, why not open it up to anyone whose reading my blog. If you’re interested in participating in my little focus group, head on over to http://www.vatchearabian.com/contact/ and drop me a line!

Short #1 rough cut: Complete.

Tonight was my first night truly cutting since I filmed last weekend. Last week got a little bit busy, and I got side tracked with editing a Q&A with James Gunn for “Super,” for Lonelyreviewer.com.

I cut this short completely without any sound. Which was a unique way for me to cut. I’m usually one that finds a lot of motivation cutting to sound, and here I was cutting picture with absolutely nothing in the background.

Without giving away much of the scene, it takes place primarily on a subway car. So in my cutting, I had to think of the different sound design that was going to fill in the blanks to what I wasn’t seeing. I also found myself paying close attention to the expressions and eyes of my actors. I was being motivated to cut by the movement of the camera on the subway, keeping things fluid.

I really am happy with the way it turned out. I’m going to use some of the sound effects recorded on that day to create a base layer of sound, and than hand it off to my friend & sound editor Gregg, to polish it up the way he does so well.