A Filmmaker's Journal

Piloting Submarines in the World of Tomorrow

2010-01-10T20:22:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday my phone rang while I was reading, and I was surprised to see that the call was from Disneyland. Being a seasonal cast member, my last day of work had been on New Year's Day, and I wasn't expecting to work again until starting the Disney College Program at the end of the month. I picked up the phone.

"This is so-and-so from the Disneyland Resort. I'm calling about your training schedule for the college program. You'll be starting on the tenth."

"Excellent," I said. "The tenth of February, I presume."

"No, actually the tenth of January," came the reply. "This Sunday." Unexpected, but not at all unwelcome.

"Sounds good," I said, pulling up my calendar.

"You'll start at 6 a.m. and then you'll working these hours on these days to train for your new attraction."

"Okay, and what attraction is this for?" I asked. I had been gunning for the Haunted Mansion ever since I applied to become a cast member.

"Oh, you'll be working the submarines."

Inside, I broke down a little. Kinda like Space Mountain. I had really hoped to continue working at Splash Mountain throughout my time with the Disney College Program. The New Orleans/Critter Country area had really begun to feel like home, not just because I spent so much time in the area but also because I really liked the atmosphere of the place. And now I was the kid who was told by his parents that the family was moving out of the state. In less than a week. One phone call had suddenly thrust me from home to the other side of Disneyland.

Of course, I didn't go down without a fight and asked if it was possible to stay where I was. Unfortunately, this year happens to be the year that the Rivers of America get drained for routine maintenance and will be down for several months. That means everyone who works a river-based attraction has to find a place at the other New Orleans/Critter Country attractions, and sadly there was no room left for me. So I took the defeat graciously (I'm in reality quite mild-mannered when it comes to fighting) and accepted the loss.

Okay, so I make this sound like it's a tragic ordeal. It's really not. The situation has been bittersweet at worst. Yes, I was disappointed to no longer wear the burgundy suspenders and work at Splash Mountain, but that disappointment was eventually overshadowed by the excitement of piloting the legendary submarines, Walt's original fleet of eight. So far, after one day of training, the work has lived up to my expectations. I think I'm really going to enjoy working the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage in the world of tomorrow.

Here's to the future!
T.H. Excellence

World of Color Fire Test

2010-01-08T13:06:00.000-08:00

As mentioned in my last post, one thing I'm really looking forward to this year is the premiere of "World of Color" at Disney's California Adventure. Below is a test of the various flame spurts installed throughout the show platform - take a look!

Pretty incredible, huh? Can't wait for this one to open!
T.H. Excellence

Ten Things I'm Looking Forward to in 2010

2009-12-31T23:27:00.000-08:00

10. 21st Birthday
9. Debut of "World of Color" at Disney's California Adventure
8. Iron Man 2 ('Nuff Said)
7. Continuing Development on Custom Ball Tower Design
6. Possible Investment in Camera Equipment
5. "Heroes and Saviors" Metatorrey Class
4. Disney College Program at Disneyland
3. Potential Cross-Training on an Additional Attraction (at last, a job at the Haunted Mansion)
2. College Graduation
1. Pursuit of Career

Happy New Year, everyone!
T.H. Excellence

New "Small World" Marquee

2009-12-15T20:03:00.001-08:00

According to the OC Register's site arounddisney.com, "it's a small world" will be getting a new marquee along with its new sponsorship from Sylvania early next year. I'm more or less a fan of this. The marquee brings out a fresh styling of the original poster for the attraction, and best of all the freakish Disney characters that have been scattered throughout the ride are not present. However, I feel like whoever did the art made an artistic misstep in that the graphic weight of the entire thing feels off. The "small world" logo seems to overpower the boat of children, and splitting the tagline to either side of the boat strikes me as a major disruption of the flow of the text.

Compare the new marquee to the original poster. The two are similar, but everything about the original poster seems to work a lot better, and if the marquee was retooled it could work better too. I dunno, maybe it's just me, but I felt like griping about it here. If anyone feels differently, speak up now.
T.H. Excellence

A Miniature Look at Epcot

2009-12-04T01:38:00.000-08:00

A couple of months ago I posted a video that featured tilt-shift photography, which makes everything appear to be a miniature model. Recently, the Disney Parks blog released a similar video, this time featuring a day in Epcot. Check it out!

T.H. Excellence

Finished at Last!

2009-11-30T18:10:00.000-08:00

At last my work is finally over! Well, pretty much. I’ve finally shot every last photo I need and compiled everything into its proper page layout, with only a couple of minor edits left to perform on a couple of pictures. Tomorrow I’ll review my descriptions on each page and make any edits that are necessary there, but for now I am essentially done with this! I must say I’m mighty pleased with it too. I like a lot of the pictures I took this semester, and I think they all fit nicely into each section. I’m feeling like this book could be a strong portfolio piece if I apply for a position in photography or something similar, so I have definitely achieved something worthwhile!

T.H. Excellence

Getting Closer...

2009-11-18T15:37:00.001-08:00

A couple of nights ago I tried out an idea I had earlier in the semester. I set my camera up in front of a console full of colored lights and zoomed in over the course of a long exposure. The results were something like this, which I found to be quite fascinating. The entire venture was pretty much just a big experiment of me trying new ideas. On some shots, I would pan or tilt the camera during the exposure to get some interesting curves in the lights. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t.
Ultimately, I got enough good shots to fill up an entire set, and I’m hoping to get a few more elsewhere. The theme for this will be “Alien Lights”, featuring photos with bizarre, unearthly lights such as this. The trick is to decide which shots are artistic and which aren’t. That’s usually harder to tell with modern art, but shots that still fall under basic photographic principles such as the rule of thirds are usually acceptable.

On a more conventional note, I also recently added a new theme titled “Heartbreak”. I felt like I underperformed when I shot the “Depression” set, so I created this additional set to either supplement or replace “Depression”. Right now I’m leaning towards replacement since all the “Heartbreak” photos together carry a story much better than “Depression”.

The picture above is one of the shots I plan on using as a main spread for one page. In this shot, you can see all the elements I’m using to tell my story. The flower represents the subject’s lost love, and she travels through a variety of emotions as she looks at the flower, strokes it, and finally leaves it behind. The books play a minor role. I simply used them to give the subject a little depth and establish her role as a student. Finally, I gave each picture in the set the overall look you see here, making use of colder, desaturated hues.

This project also marked the first were I slowed down and made sure my levels were perfect. Too many times I have shot a photograph too hastily and ended up with a picture that was too light or too dark. This time, I took a few test shots and checked my histogram to make sure my lights and darks weren’t peaking. The few minutes I took to do this ended up being very worthwhile, and I’m definitely doing this in the future.
T.H. Excellence

Destructive Magic

2009-11-14T10:26:00.000-08:00

You may have recently heard that Disney got the approval from the Chinese government to build Shanghai Disneyland. They've been pushing to do this for a few years now, so getting the green light was pretty big news. Unfortunately, their push to build Shanghai Disneyland will result in the push of 5,000 families out of their homes and into other parts of China. Most of these families of the poorer farmer communities and aren't sure how they're going to live elsewhere in the cities where the cost of living is higher. This move on Disney's part is going to ruin a lot of people who were already struggling as it is.

Upon hearing this, I remembered something similar happened in Disney's animated feature "The Emperor's New Groove". In the beginning of the film, spoiled Emperor Kuzco tells the poor peasant Pacha that he and his entire village are getting kicked out so Kuzco can build his new water park. When Pacha asks where they're all supposed to go. Kuzco simply replies, "Don't know. Don't care." In the film, naturally, Disney sympathized with Pacha and depicted Kuzco as he truly was: a selfish ruler with no regard for others. Ultimately, Kuzco became a changed man and built his water park elsewhere. Unfortunately, Disney is electing a double standard and taking a different course of action than their films have promoted. Nothing is going to stop them from building Shanghai Disneyland, certainly not 5,000 impoverished Chinese families.

If some Chinese developer were moving out the poor of China to build a mall, I'd be pretty upset, but that's just how China is. Different government and different laws make for a system that doesn't always support the best interests of the people. But Disney isn't a Chinese developer. Disney is an American company founded on American principles. What they're doing is strictly unconstitutional, even if their actions are taking place outside of the boundaries of the constitution.

Needless to say, I'm very upset. If you want to read the original article, you can find it here.
T.H. Excellence

Stopping the Motor of the World

2009-11-08T22:53:00.000-08:00

Unless you've been living under a rock recently, you probably noticed that Obama finally had his way with the healthcare system. Now, according to his plan, everyone will have access to affordable health care, and those who can't afford health care on their own will receive subsidies provided by fellow citizens. As far as I'm concerned, this is possibly one of the worst things you could do in office.

Rather than explain why I'm opposed to Obama's new bill, I'll illustrate my thoughts instead. What Obama is doing remarkably resembles the world of the looters than Ayn Rand creates in her novel Atlas Shrugged. At one point in the novel, readers are told the story of Twentieth Century Motor Company, a motor factory that decided to change its pay tactics. The powers running the factory felt that it would be better if everyone was paid based on need instead of the work they did. That way everyone in the factory would, in a way, take care of each other by continuing to do the same allotment of work but allowing their pay to be redivided in such a way that those who needed it more would receive it. Everyone who worked in the factory was convinced that this new system was for their own good, and so they accepted it.

However, it wasn't long before the work ethic of the factory changed. The workers realized that no matter how hard they worked, they wouldn't receive any additional compensation for it. In fact, they were in a worse position for doing so. Those who were noticed to be considerably talented were made to work longer and harder to improve the productivity of the factory, and yet they failed to take in any more pay.

As soon as everyone noticed this, their productivity made in turn in the opposite direction. Each worker strove to be no better than the guy next to him so that he wouldn't be labeled as extraordinary. In fact, many worked hard to be the worst worker in the plant in order to keep their work to a minimum.

And of course there was a problem on the other end of the spectrum. People soon began amassing needs in order to garner more pay. Poor relatives arrived from out of town to live with them, medical bills appeared out of nowhere, needs began piling it up.

In a nutshell, the situation was like this: the needs were growing and the work was shrinking because nobody wanted to work if he wasn't going to be fairly compensated. The system ran the Twentieth Century Motor Company into the ground as everyone deserted the factory and left to find lives elsewhere. However, the factory didn't close before a young worker rebuked the system and announced to his fellow workers that he would stop the motor of the world. Sure enough, the motor of the world slowly came to a halt as the nation's economy froze completely.

In Ayn Rand's world, the mentality of the Twentieth Century Motor Company had also slowly become prevalent throughout the entire country. Everyone was expected by law to help everyone else, and soon everything collapsed entirely. The young worker had lived up to his word: the motor of the world had been stopped. Even more incredible, he never had to do a thing, nor did he. Watching the attitude of the nation shift, he could predict it before anyone else did.

Now, stepping from fiction to the fabric of real life, Obama has granted America a system in which each citizen will be expected to provide for the needs of those who cannot afford to do so. This may be a fine attempt on Obama's part to make sure everyone is watching out for everyone else, but what's going to happen when everyone begins amassing needs in order to milk the system? Slowly, those who work hard are going to lose their reward to the looters of society, those who realize they can get something by doing nothing. Eventually the looters may outweigh the workers, and the motor of the world, at least as far as our nation is concerned, will come to a stop.
T.H. Excellence

One Job Finished in Photoshop

2009-11-04T19:57:00.000-08:00

A picture is worth a thousand words, so I’ll just say that this picture was my first major piece of work in Photoshop. While I’ve dabbled around in Photoshop in the past, this is by far the most extensive project I’ve completed. Heck, I even learned a bit of new stuff in the process, making this picture a double-win!

T.H. Excellence

Wrapping Up "Power"

2009-11-03T21:38:00.000-08:00

Today I headed back into the studio and did some supplemental work for the “power theme”. I wanted to flesh out the story of the original photo a bit since it seemed just a bit ambiguous. My immediate thought was to devise a series of photographs such as the scene on the right in which this glowing orb comes and descends to the subject in the chair.

It turns out there’s a bit of post work to do. The “glowing orb” was, of course, nothing more than a studio light mounted on a stand, and it seems that the stand was visible in some shots. Perhaps even more urgent is the distinctive glare present in some of the shots such as this one. It seems to be isolated against the solid dark areas, so I think it shouldn’t be hard to take care of, but it could be a tad problematic.

All in all, I’m satisfied with today’s work. In fact, just looking at the progression of shots is giving me chills. I think I’ve told a good, simple story here, so we’ll see how it holds up.
T.H. Excellence

A Slew of Photographs

2009-10-29T12:56:00.000-07:00

Over the course of the last week I’ve taken quite a few photos, which is nice because I hadn’t accomplished much with regards to this project earlier in the semester. As of now, I’m about two-thirds of the way done, and hopefully I can close out the last third sometime in the next couple of weeks.

As for this week, I’ve had some mixed results. I already wrote about the guitar shots (many of which were amazing!), and between now and then I captured four more sets of shots, which I have mixed feelings about. The shot below represents the first of these sets. I’m fairly pleased with it, and the lighting turned out better than I thought it would. The composition isn’t quite what I hoped for, though. The idea is that the subject is holding some sort of glowing entity in her hands, but you can’t see enough of the glow on her hands to consistently get that idea. It’s a little easier to see when the picture is larger, but I may nevertheless want to reshoot this and fix the problem. Also, as of now this photo represents the entire set, so I want to develop some ideas to make the concept more elaborate and involve more pictures. Those may be in by next week, so stay tuned.

Two of my other sets were a bit rushed, so I’m not as pleased with them. My lighting wasn’t perfect for the second set, which was themed to creativity, but it’s adequate. If I had more time, I might have tried to diffuse the light more or bounce it off of some surface above the camera so I didn’t get so much glare, but alas, I was hurrying too much to do that.

I dunno, part of me likes it anyway. True, it’s not what I pictured, but I still think I captured the spirit of the concept, maybe even in ways I hadn’t considered. I had wanted these shots to look incredibly clean and organized, and they’re still organized and relatively clean, but the fact that there’s a bit of hard glare and even a little noise (I accidentally shot on 1600 ISO!) lends itself to a harder, grittier aspect of art and creativity.

I imagine that I’ll do a little Photoshop work to clean up the shadow at the top of the picture and make that area more even, and I definitely need to cut out some of the glare on the protractor. No kidding, it looks horrible!

Anyway, on to the next set. My intention was to shoot a subject looking gloomy and depressed in the backseat of a car in order to capture the emotion of (what else?) depression. I was waiting for a cloudy day so that the gray clouds would match the theme, and lo and behold come Tuesday I got one. Then, to my chagrin, the sun came out right as I was setting up. Curse you sun!

Irregardless, my subject showed up, so I decided to go ahead with it, and the shots actually don’t look too bad. I did a little post work to bring down the colors and warm tones, which helps the pics out a lot. In fact, in the shot below you can’t even tell that the sun was out (and I guarantee that it was!) So I lucked out this time.
For this set, arrangement on the page is going to be a big deal. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get the shots exactly the way I wanted them in order to achieve the arrangement I had in mind. I was afraid that sort of thing would happen considering how hard it is to shoot in a car. Hopefully things will work out anyway, but I won’t really know until I actually go in and do the book work next month. We’ll see…

I don’t have anything to show for my fourth and final set as it requires a lot of Photoshop work. The concept behind the set was to have playing cards slowly floating down through the air against a black background, and that turned out to be really hard to capture on camera. I tried throwing the cards in the air in front of the camera, which didn’t work at all. If I was lucky, I could see a couple of white streaks in the frame. So instead I took pictures of each individual card held in a “floating” position. I’m currently in the process of cutting out each card that I want, cleaning it up, then compositing against the black background shot I took. So far it’s looking good, but I’ve still got a little ways to go. It’ll be done soon.

So as of now, I’ve got a quick shoot over the weekend and maybe a reshoot next Tuesday. In between, I’m sporadically doing Photoshop work and slowly getting this thing done! I made a lot of progress in the past week, so here’s for the final push!
T.H. Excellence

The Look of Rock

2009-10-23T01:18:00.000-07:00

Last night I began photographing once again, and for the first time on the project I took the camera into a studio setting. After capturing the themes of nature and industry, I wanted to capture the concept of high-energy music, a theme that has an edge yet still maintains something of an artistic side.

So I brought in one of my friends, set up a few lights, and had him strum around on my electric guitar while I got a few shots. The first picture shown here captures the spirit of what I was going for. Much of the technical work is actually similar to my industry theme. High contrast, which is emphasized by the black-and-white nature of the shot, as well as a solid black background. I set up the lighting to be fairly direct on the subject to create harder shadows as well.

After a first round of shots, I put together a harsher lighting set-up that essentially backlit my subject entirely. I was hoping to get a progression of shots moving through an epic jump, but I discovered that my camera was far too slow to capture anything between the peak of the jump and the beginning and end of the jump. Instead, I opted for a variety of jump shots provided by my friend, the shot above being my favorite.

All-in-all, I think the jump shots turned out surprisingly well, and enough of everything else I got was at the very least decent. Tomorrow I go in for a little more studio work, so we’ll see if I fare as well as today. Here’s hoping!
T.H. Excellence

Horizons

2009-10-17T01:52:00.000-07:00

Recently I discovered a long-gone attraction at Walt Disney World's Epcot that I found to be quite incredible! Located in Epcot's Future World, the name of the attraction was "Horizons". Boarding omnimover vehicles (much like the Haunted Mansion's doom buggies), guests were taken on a fifteen-minute journey through the future. The experience began with visions of the future as it appeared to those of past generations, then continued with glimpses of our own future. The elaborate detail is quite stunning, and you can see the entire ride in the two videos below:

And for those who are still interested, here's a great site full of details regarding Horizons.

T.H. Excellence

The Photographic Journals

2009-10-08T15:19:00.000-07:00

All this semester I'm working on a massive photo project covering a wide variety of themes that will eventually end up in a bound book. I'm also writing a journal of my efforts to track where I've been, and I recently realized that such material would be perfect for this blog. And so I present the first entry of many to be featured here on this blog.

10/8 – Lessons in Lazy Observation

Today I learned to do a better job cleaning up my frame. Yesterday evening I headed out to wrap up my collection for my “Nature” theme near a stream that flows alongside campus. I took a few shots here and there, including a shot of the cattails I had been eying for a while. (note that the cattails shot didn’t really turn out how I hoped) Then I stumbled across a cluster of lovely blue flowers and decided to try my hand at photographing those. To my surprise, the photo turned out really well, and I left satisfied.

Earlier today, I uploaded my pictures from the outing to my computer to take a look. At first glance, the “blue flower” picture didn’t disappoint. Good colors, good lighting, good composition, interesting background (which has been problematic in the past).

Then I noticed the, um, errors. See those little white hanging things? I have no idea what they are, but one crept into the edge of my frame and was now sitting very close to the front of the picture, out of focus to boot. It wasn’t highly noticeable, but good photography is like Mary Poppins – practically perfect in every way. “If I’m going to be a good photographer,” I thought, “that thingy has to go.” So I cropped the picture. I hated to do it, because that limited the scope of a picture with a pretty elaborate background.

At that time, I noticed culprit number two: a couple of dead, withered flowers hanging lifelessly just to the right of the big blue cluster! At this point, I couldn’t crop any more, so those simply stay for now. By this time I’ve learned my lesson, however. Whenever you’re looking through that itty bitty hole that represents your frame, check it to make sure everything (repeat: everything!) unsightly is gone. No dead flowers. No white thingies. Nothing else that will compromise the perceived perfection of the picture.

I might go out and reshoot this, although I may still end up using the original. I’m seldom satisfied with reshoots. Some how the spontaneity of the first time is lost, resulting in an inferior piece. But this picture wasn’t too hard to get, so we’ll see…
T.H. Excellence

Tilt-Shift Photography

2009-10-05T18:33:00.000-07:00

Ever hear of tilt-shift photography? It's an interesting type of photography that makes everything in your picture appear to be a miniature. Disney recently posted a video comprised of tilt-shift images on their blog, which you can find by clicking here.
T.H. Excellence

The World is a Stage

2009-09-18T18:49:00.001-07:00

All the world's a stage, at least that's what they say. In the day of TV and YouTube, this statement is now more true than ever. I was reminded of this after the memorable mishap of Kanye West at the VMA's just a week ago. In case you missed it, here's a video of the incident.

<a href="http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/2009/" target="_blank">Kanye West Storms The VMA Stage</a>

Kanye West Storms The VMA Stage

Everyone's put their foot in their mouth at some point, but very few have ever done it on national TV. And now that our society has become so in touch with the Internet, news of Kanye's blunder has spread like wildfire. By Monday, not only had everyone heard of the incident, but also began to mock it in a variety of ways. Several Photoshopped pictures posted on my school's bulletin board depicted Kanye interrupting other icons (Patrick Swayze's death is not as good as Michael Jackson's, and the red Power Ranger isn't as cool as the green one), while a quiz I took on Facebook informed me on when Kanye would ruin one of my own special moments.

Needless to say, all the world is a stage, and Kanye's act was so memorable that it proceeded to make encores throughout the other venues the Internet has to offer. With the advent of such platforms as YouTube and Facebook, even ordinary people can rise to celebrity status and have the same effect. A man named Gary Brolsma, for example, became famous thanks to a webcam video of his crazy dancing to a pop song. The entire video couldn't have taken more than five minutes to make, but everyone knew who he was as a result. In this day and age, celebrities have more power that ever to rock society's boat - Kanye West did last week, and the boat's still rocking. But the realm of celebrities isn't just limited to rappers, rock stars, and movie actors. Ordinary people have joined the ranks and are rocking the boat on a regular basis. If you're one of those people, don't rock it in the wrong direction. People will remember you for it, and you will likely never live it down.

T.H. Excellence

Old K'nex Ad

2009-09-16T12:32:00.000-07:00

I recently came across this TV ad that I've never seen before, but it reminded me a lot of my childhood when I was constantly working with K'nex. This was really back in the day.

Man, sometimes I really miss my childhood. Anyway, just for laughs, here's a video of a really cool K'nex ball machine I found. A lot of people build stuff like this for fun, but this is the most genius one I've seen yet!

T.H. Excellence

The World of Roald Dahl

2009-09-14T11:15:00.000-07:00

I recently discovered this featurette on one of the films I'm tracking this fall - Fantastic Mr. Fox, based off the children's book by Roald Dahl. This clip goes behind the scenes of the creative direction for the movie and how the director spent quite a bit of time investigating Mr. Dahl's home and surroundings in order to gain inspiration for the film.

What struck me as remarkable is the fact that Mrs. Dahl is largely in favor of her late husband's works being translated onto the screen considering that the reaction of the author and/or his family is usually the opposite. This is one of the reasons I'm excited to see this movie. When a classic book is adapted through filmmaking not so much for the sake of making money as for the purpose of telling it in a whole new light, you know that the filmmakers' efforts are going to be wonderful and worthwhile.
T.H. Excellence

"Up" Soars Over the Summer Movie Line-Up

2009-09-08T13:36:00.000-07:00

This morning I read the Rotten Tomatoes breakdown of this summer's movie line-up and found Up at the coveted "number one" spot on the Top Ten list for the summer, beating out other acclaimed films such as Star Trek or District 9. Though I know that Pixar creates excellent films, I was nevertheless surprised to see their newest title surpass other top movies for the summer that might be a more sophisticated. Could this be because Pixar created a family film, appropriate for all ages? Perhaps, but we were introduced to other family films as well, such as Ice Age 3 and G-Force that didn't even make the list. Besides, when it comes to judging the fine craft of filmmaking, "acceptable for young children" isn't usually high on the list of qualifications.

No, there must be something else in Pixar's Up that excels all the sex and violence commonly found in modern movies. Pixar has disregarded all these sensual components designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator and engaged in superior storytelling. They've created characters that are not only charming, but also incredibly deep. They've used their talents in animation to create magnificent worlds for these characters and stories to inhabit. Most of all, they've blended all of these together in such a way that make you cry in the first four minutes of the film. In other words, their talents only continue to uncover something more powerful (and, as Rotten Tomatoes has shown, more marketable) than the sex and violence permeating Hollywood today. I don't know how they do it, but they've done it so well that their work has not only found a competent place in the filmmaking industry today but has even soared on a regular basis, sometimes all the way to the top.

Well done, Pixar! We'll see you at the Academy Awards!
T.H. Excellence

Murphy Appears!

2009-08-31T20:06:00.000-07:00

If you've been following recent Disneyland news at all, you've probably heard about 'Murphy', the elusive new dragon for the finale of Fantasmic. Originally scheduled to debut mid-June with the return of Fantasmic, a massive wave of technical problems caught the creature off-guard. Her nickname, in fact, is a reference to Murphy's Law because just about everything that could have gone wrong with her did go wrong. As of now, Murphy has yet to make a grand appearance before audiences of Fantasmic, but Disney has worked out enough kinks to release this press video to the Orange County Register's website. Take a look!

T.H. Excellence

A Miniature Splash Mountain

2009-08-26T12:21:00.000-07:00

On a recent trip to the beach I found myself with little to do at one point, so I resorted to an act of incredible geekiness: I decided to try my hand at building a sand model of Splash Mountain. I'm not much of a sculptor of any medium, let alone sand, but I found I was able to carve out a rough replica of the actual landmark. No doubt my lengthy amount of experience around the actual thing was of considerable help. Anyway, when all was said and done, I felt my model was worth photographing, and thus the results are posted below.

Here's an aerial shot. I was so pleased with the front of the mountain that I decided to head behind the peak and complete the flume in that area as well.

One last close-up.

In case that doesn't float your boat, here are a few more pictures from the day.

Okay, that's all from me for now!
T.H. Excellence

Forty Years of Happy Haunts

2009-08-09T12:30:00.000-07:00

Today, August 9th, marks the 40th anniversary of a truly spirited attraction. On this date in 1969, Disneyland's famous experience known as the Haunted Mansion opened its creaking doors to guests, inviting one and all to visit all nine hundred and ninety-nine of its inhabitants. Today, the Haunted Mansion has become an addition to three other Disney parks throughout the world and is just as popular today as it was when it opened.

The Haunted Mansion just so happens to be one of my favorite attractions in the park thanks to its incredible artistic detail, memorable moments (who could ever forget the hitchhiking ghosts?), as well as wealth of backstory. In fact, I came to appreciate the ride much more after visiting doombuggies.com and becoming familiar with the legends and myths created around everything inside.

Anyway, enough rambling. If you're looking for me tonight, I'll be at the mansion.
T.H. Excellence

The Lollipop Says It All

2009-08-09T00:26:00.000-07:00

One of the lesser known safety rules at Splash Mountain is a 60 inch height requirement for the very front seat. This requirement isn't actually posted anywhere, so us cast members often have to pass it along verbally to appropriate parties, sometimes just as they're stepping into their log. Upon hearing this, mom or dad switch places with little Johnny and all is well. Of course, given enough time there is always someone who will give you trouble. My trouble came in the form of a hefty young boy licking a lollipop. His eyes were fixated on that very front seat, as is the case with many children his age, and as soon as the station gates opened, he hopped right in. As usual, I instructed his mother that he would need to be moved back a seat because he wasn't quite tall enough for the front, and she consented. However, when she told him to move back a seat, this little guy refused to budge. Urging him again to scoot back, he still refused, and this frustrated mother ultimately had to pick him up, wriggling and writhing, and physically place him behind her before she could sit down in the revered front seat.

"The lollipop says it all," I thought as they departed into the mountain. "Judging by the size of that candy, that kid is used to getting everything his way, even when it is denied him." Here comes the scary part: this kid is part of the future generation that will soon be laying claim to our culture and calling the shots. I hope there aren't more like him. I fear I may be wrong.

T.H. Excellence

Untitled Video Game Blog Post

2009-07-25T17:56:00.000-07:00

I had a little time to kill while I was in Best Buy today, so I headed over to the Playstation 3 display to see if I could find any games to pique my interest. Scrolling across the list of demos, I found a selection for an upcoming Batman title, and being a bit of a comic book geek, I decided to give the game a try.

Once the game had loaded, I found myself in the role of Batman, locked in a dark, dingy room and approached by thugs. A flurry of button-pressing resulted in a whirlwind of attacks, and one by one each of the bad guys brutally went down. On my way to the game's next level, I did a mental review of each button and it's function so as to refine my fighting technique. Playing through the next level, my skill increased, and a few levels later I was not only punching thugs left and right but also blocking and dodging with ease. I became invincible as I tirelessly went from thug to thug, executing a series of intense fighting moves and taking each one down with a storm.

By this time, I had completed the entire demo and a promotional video for the full game appeared. Video clips were joined by emphatic descriptions of each of the title's brand new features, such as the ability to explore the entirety of Arkham Asylum, the world in which the game takes place. I could help but think about how far video games had come since the days of hallowed classics like Pac-Man. New features are constantly being developed and have become a pivotal selling point of many new releases. If players can unleash a fury of new moves or take advantage of bigger weapons, they have an extra reason to buy the game. Essentially, it seems as though video game creators are pushing the development of their products in order to enable players to do more and more.

But no matter what technology may emerge, video games will always boil down to a flurry of button-pushing that controls an imaginary world. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my afternoon stint as Batman and had a riveting time punching my way through bad guys, but I came away from the console just the same as I had been before. No matter what the game allowed me to "do", I remained unchanged.

The full version of the title, "Batman: Arkham Asylum" will debut late next month. I could go out, buy a copy, and play with delight through the whole thing. But I would just as soon invest the same time in developing my own fighting skills so I could actually do what Batman does in the game. And I'd actually have something to show for it. Why spend time "doing" something imaginary when I could actually do the real thing?

I'm not an avid gamer, and I'm sure some heavy-duty video gamers could easily counter my statements here, but that's okay. I'm not here to condemn video games nor to praise them. In fact, I'm not sure what I'm trying to say about the gaming world (hence the title), but this most certainly is a commentary on the overuse of video games. It all comes down to this -whatever game developers are working so hard to allow you to "do", don't invest too much in it, and certainly not at the expense of other things you could actually do here in the real world.

That's all from me for now,
T.H. Excellence

The Wonders of Prius

2009-07-14T10:32:00.001-07:00

I drove around Orange County quite a bit yesterday, and by the time I got to work it was definitely time to fill-up before the "empty" light flickered on. So after completing my shift in the Magic Kingdom, I hopped in my car and drove down the road a few minutes to get to Arco. The usual routine ensued: pull-up, get out, select payment, pump gas. My car isn't huge, but the tank holds about thirteen gallons, so fill-up usually takes a few minutes.

When the tank was about half full, a Prius (it was powder blue, by the way) drove up and stopped at the other side of the pump. The driver got out and begin pumping gas just as I was. I didn't think anything of it until I pulled out the nozzle when the tank was full. Two seconds after I did that, Mr. Prius pulled out his nozzle and screwed the cap back on, filling up his vehicle in half the time it took me to fill up mine.

Oh, and he got out of the gas station and back onto the street first.

Go figure.

T.H. Excellence

Laid-Back Summertime PhotoBlog

2009-07-05T14:53:00.000-07:00

Looking back over my photo archives, I discovered a few shots I haven't posted that, in my opinion turned out pretty well! These were all taken when I was out and about enjoying myself, so if there's a category for these pics, it's "laid-back summertime".

This isn't a great picture, but it helps set the mood.

Strangely enough, I was trying to photograph something else when I took this shot. I happened to look down at these leaves and release the shutter, and upon further examination discovered I had a pretty good picture on my hands. So I adjusted a few settings and took the pic again, quickly forgetting all about the photo I had set out to capture in the first place.

To end, here's a shot of a baseball that very conveniently happened to be lying in the grass. Turned out really nicely, actually.

Okay, that's all for today. Stay tuned for more posts, and keep commenting!
T.H. Excellence

Feed the Birds

2009-06-17T15:40:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite positions as a guest control cast member is patrolling the bridge that marks the entrance to Frontierland. Foot traffic is pretty light until the fireworks let out, so I spend most of the evening answering guest questions and enjoying the sights and sounds of the park as the sun sets for the day. The other night, a woman came up to me and asked if it was all right for her young son to feed the ducks. "Perfectly fine," I replied, and the family spent the next five minutes on the bridge as popcorn and pieces of bread were tossed into the water. The ducks swam all around, trying to eat everything before it sank, and soon a small crowd of five or six people had gathered to watch the antics below them.

"It's quite amazing," thought I, "and also quite wonderful that among such world-class amusements such as Space Mountain or Pirates of the Caribbean some people would still take a few minutes to enjoy the simple pleasure of feeding the ducks."

T.H. Excellence

Three "E" Ticket Rides

2009-06-14T10:49:00.000-07:00

In 1958, three years after the grand opening of his renowned Disneyland, Walt made a trip to Europe for work on his new feature Third Man on the Mountain. Over the course of the trip, he became inspired to build three new attractions based on Switzerland's Matterhorn, Alweg's monorail, and Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which the Disney studios had adapted into a live action film a few years prior. Returning from the trip, Walt excitedly told his brother Roy of these new adventures he wanted to build in Disneyland, but was promptly shut down. As successful as the new park had been, the Disney Co. still had quite a bit of debt to pay off, and Roy refused to consider any new expensive attractions until they were debt free.

However, Walt's tenacity wouldn't let him take "no" for an answer. Some time later, Roy went to Europe for discussions with potential investors and Walt called a meeting together with his Imagineers to make an announcement. "We're going to build the Matterhorn, the Monorail, and the Submarines," he told them enthusiastically. The announcement caught the Imagineers off-guard. They all knew Roy would never agree to finance Walt's ideas as long as the company was still in the red. "What will Roy say?" they asked. "We're just going to build 'em," Walt replied. "Roy can figure out how to pay for 'em when he gets back."

And so per Walt's orders, work began and three new classic Disneyland attractions were born, each one unique in its own right. No one had ever tried to build a roller coaster inside an artificial mountain before, and to top that, Walt's Matterhorn "bobsleds" were the first coaster vehicles to run on tubular steel track, which revolutionized the roller coaster industry. And of course, nothing like the Submarine Voyage had ever been attempted before. For the first time, guests were taken underwater as they sailed pasted coral reefs, sunken ships, and even the lost ruins of Atlantis, all without leaving the borders of Tomorrowland. Finally, the Disneyland Monorail was the first of its kind on the western hemisphere. Walt hoped that the introduction of the monorail to his park would lead to a new widespread method of transportation that would relieve the traffic congestion of metropolitan areas.

On June 14th, 1959, a huge gala celebration was held to commemorate these spectacular new attractions, and Walt considered the event the "second opening of Disneyland". Vice president Richard Nixon and family were on hand for the ribbon cutting of the Disneyland Monorail while Walt's submarines were christened the eighth largest submarine fleet in the world. Across the way, alpine climbers scaled the Matterhorn to its peak while Swiss dancers performed below. The entire celebration was televised by the American Broadcasting Company, allowing viewers from around the country to enjoy the excitement that surrounded the festivities.

In addition to these three new adventures, June 14th also marked the introduction of the E-ticket. When Disneyland first opened, all the attractions required a specific ticket for admission. Smaller rides took an "A" ticket, while bigger adventures such as the Jungle Cruise required a "D" ticket, with "B" and "C" tickets in between. When the Matterhorn, monorail, and submarines debuted, they were deemed worthy of a new ticket, the "E" ticket. The term became renowned both inside and outside of Disneyland and is used to this day to describe the biggest and the best that Disneyland has to offer, even though the admission tickets were discontinued in the 1980's.

The Matterhorn and the Disneyland Monorail have both continued to serve happy guests ever since that exciting summer of 1959. The Submarine Voyage also continuously operated until 1998, at which point the subs "submerged" into Disney history until resurfacing in 2007 as the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. And, as always, Disneyland fans continue to describe Disney's best experiences as classic "E" ticket adventures! There is no doubt about it - June 14th is certainly a day to remember in Disneyland history!

T.H. Excellence

All photographs copyright the Walt Disney Company.

Reflections of a Cast Member

2009-06-07T21:06:00.000-07:00

A few months ago a friend and I were discussing Disneyland and she asked me whether I preferred being in the park as a guest or as a cast member. I hesitated for a moment, considering each one, then replied, "Cast member. You get a really unique perspective of the park that way."

This is something I've felt ever since I started work at the Magic Kingdom. Though I've been familiar with Disneyland ever since I was a very young, something about switching roles and taking on a position I had never experienced before allowed me to see the park differently. Of course, I can't explain this without stepping back to explain a little bit about the Disney magic.

When Walt Disney built Disneyland, he created more than just an amusement park - he successfully crafted the illusion of a world entirely separate from reality. Accordingly, everything in his world was artistically assembled to uphold and maintain that illusion. The giant stone blocks that compose Indy's forbidden temple do more than just support the structure. They are an important storytelling element that informs each guest about the environment in which his next adventure is about to take place.

However, Walt created more than a lost temple in the middle of the jungle. He built Disneyland out of entire communities, such as those found in New Orleans Square or along Main Street U.S.A. Elaborate locations such as these need more than just buildings. Additional elements are in order, such as a laid-back jazz beat heard in the back alleys of New Orleans or a horse-drawn carriage faithfully making trips up and down Main Street. Finally, the illusion is not complete without one last touch: people. These places could not come to life without cast members to fill the roles of those who live, work, and breathe in this magical world.

This is the perspective I've come to understand as a Disneyland cast member. Every day when I go to work, I do much more than operate a theme park ride. I become a part of the magnificent show that Walt created over fifty years ago. The experience, of course, is absolutely fantastic, and as much as I love being a guest, it should be little surprise that I prefer being a cast member. To experience the magic of Disneyland is an incredible experience, but to be part of the magic is something even greater.
T.H. Excellence

"Disneyland is the star, everything else is in the supporting role."
~Walt Disney

Toy Story 3 Trailer!

2009-05-30T13:35:00.000-07:00

Remember when Pixar's first groundbreaking film came out? And remember when the excellent sequel was released several years later? Well, now Pixar is gearing up to release a third chapter, "Toy Story 3". You may have known this already, but I repeat it because the trailer was just released yesterday.

Also, later this year the first two Toy Story films will be re-released in 3D to gear up for the 3D release of "Toy Story 3". I'm really excited!
T.H. Excellence

The Boys

2009-05-22T23:09:00.000-07:00

Today I was pleased to learn about the release of The Boys: the Sherman Brothers’ Story, a documentary on the famous Disney songwriters. If you're not familiar with the Shermans, they've written such memorable songs as "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" and "it's a small world". This documentary was just released today, May 22nd, and has received high reviews from critics and movie-goers alike. I have yet to see it, but definitely plan to do so! The trailer is featured below:

T.H. Excellence

Disneyland PhotoBlog - Featuring the Submarine Voyage

2009-04-24T21:05:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Over break I made a day trip to Disneyland and spent part of my afternoon photographing the submarine lagoon in Tomorrowland. Those pics as well as a few others are included below.

That's all for now. Hope you enjoyed them!
T.H. Excellence

A Lockian View on Abortion

2009-04-12T11:51:00.000-07:00

For one of my classes I was recently assigned the task of writing about abortion based on the worldview of John Locke. Specifically, I was instructed to explore whether or not a Lockian society would allow for abortion, and furthermore whether or not the legalization of abortion justifies an armed rebellion. Here are my thoughts as written in my essay:

"The legalization of abortion has been an incredibly controversial issue in our nation. Many are for abortion because of the added rights it bestows on mothers. However, many others are against abortion because it is a form of murder. What would Locke say on the matter?
According to Locke, governments (such as the government that allowed abortion) are put in place for the preservation of man and his property, and so abortion should not be allowed, for obviously it does not preserve those who have yet to be born. However, things are a little more complicated than that. This preservation extends to those who have consented to join said government, and children are not able to do so. They are not under the authority of the government but rather the authority of their parents until they reach a certain age, at which point they join society. Therefore, let us look at paternal authority since abortion really falls under this jurisdiction.
Paternal authority gives fathers and mothers complete control over their children. However, this control is bestowed upon parents solely for the purpose of raising their children up to be mature adults ready to enter into society. Abortion, which ends the life of the child, is the exact opposite of these ends. Therefore, abortion has no place in a Lockian society.
So now that abortion has been legalized in our country, are we do begin an armed rebellion? According to Locke, yes. The government has indirectly entered a state of war against unborn children through their mothers, threatening their preservation. When someone has successfully entered into a state of war against another in our society, it is our right to take up arms against this person in order to preserve society as a whole. Being that the “person” in this case is really the government, armed rebellion is justified.
Of course, it would really be quite foolish to take up arms against our government in this situation, and I don’t think even Locke would approve. In this state of war, our government attacks not with bombs and bullets but with logic and reason. They justify their acts by stating that an unborn child is not actually a person if it has not reached a certain stage. As citizens of the United States of America, it is our duty to engage in this intellectual warfare and fight back to stop abortion and bring peace to the situation."

Thus concludes my thoughts. May the intellectual warfare begin.
T.H. Excellence

Disneyland Mini-PhotoBlog

2009-04-11T09:59:00.000-07:00

I've got a mini photo report to share today. And I do mean mini - three pictures! But I do think these turned out quite well, so I'm posting them here.

Keep your fingers crossed - I might have some new pics up by the end of next week!
T.H. Excellence

Not an Exit

2009-04-08T09:02:00.000-07:00

I was on a film shoot last weekend and happened upon this:

Just in case you didn't know the difference between Exit and Not an Exit.
T.H. Excellence

Gods Among Us?

2009-03-27T09:44:00.000-07:00

Just after submitting my last post here, a friend forwarded this video to me. The technology is very remarkable, and what is shown here is quite amazing! However, it also scares me a little bit. I'll explain why after the video.

So what do you think? Very cool? Very strange? Are you a little scared like me? I don't know what your thoughts are, but I think this could be too much power for mankind. Though the limits of the device aren't specified, it clearly has the potential to bring a seemingly unlimited amount of knowledge to the individual. Could we become gods of information? And amidst all this knowledge, is there any wisdom?

T.H. Excellence

The Future Has Arrived

2009-03-25T14:40:00.001-07:00

"There's a great big beautiful tomorrow
Shining at the end of every day
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow
And tomorrow is just a dream away!"

Such are the words sung throughout Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress, a lasting tribute to the technologies borne out of man's efforts throughout the 20th century. Rotating around the unique theater, the audience follows an American family as they progress through the years and highlight the brand new inventions of each era. Each slow rotation brought the audience to a younger era in which life was a little simpler and easier thanks to the latest technology.

The show captured Walt's enthusiasm for tomorrow perfectly. He was a firm believer in progress, that is, the development of new technologies and ideas. He also recognized the sorry state of our world and believed that progress was the key to making the world a better place to live. With this dream in mind, Walt foresaw an advanced world, unified in peace. Had he lived a bit longer, he would have been able to complete his Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, or Epcot for short, an experimental city that would have served as the testing ground of new ideas for better societies.

So what exactly was Walt's vision for tomorrow? Better, easier lifestyles so mankind can slow down and enjoy himself more as well as the company of others. In the Carousel of Progress, the Mother of the family makes this evident throughout the different periods. When we first see her at the turn of the century, she is doing the laundry, a task that used to take two days but is now reduced to but five hours thanks to her new "wash day marvel". As progress moves on, however, exhausting chores such as this are reduced greatly by the new technologies being created every day. By the time we reached the 1940's, Mother has much more time free from chores and is able to perform extracurricular tasks around the house, such as creating a "rumpus room" for Father. Finally in the present day she is free from all work and joins Father at last to showcase progress in the modern age. Technology has made her life much easier and much more relaxed so now she has time for the things she enjoys doing.

Progress has moved on since Walt's day, and there is no doubt that mankind has an even easier, more relaxed lifestyle today. Digital technology has done for us what electricity did for the inhabitants of the early 20th century, and thanks to computers and the Internet we now have easy access to unlimited resources. We can quickly look up a piece of information thanks to Google, chat with friends whenever and wherever via Facebook, and order almost anything we need or want through Amazon.com. These tasks have never been easier than they are today. An easier lifestyle? Certainly. A better world? I'm not so sure.

Part of Walt's vision for tomorrow was world peace and unity. Not only did he hope man would have more time to enjoy himself but also to enjoy others. Where was Mother when she was finally free of all work? Right next to Father. Yet more and more progress seems to be encouraging us to do the opposite. Digital technology helped things move a lot more quickly partly by removing the middle man. You don't need to go to a library and deal with a librarian any more. You just need access to Google. The technology that has made our lives easier so we have more time with others has merely made us more alone, though we are all somehow more unified through the world wide web.

Is this a problem? You betcha! Humans aren't made to function alone. We all need the companionship of others in order to survive emotionally. Yet this companionship is becoming less and less practical every day, and in a world that's moving more and more quickly, anything that's not as practical as the next thing is quickly cut. Rest assured the human race will survive for a long time in the midst of digital technology, but it may not continue as we once knew it. In the absence of companionship, the human heart grows colder and colder. Slowly we will turn into nothing more than robots of flesh and blood, living lives of utter practicality with little emotion and little sensation. And thus will begin the end of the world.

"It's better for you
and it's better for me
It's better than everyone thought it would be
The future has arrived."

T.H. Excellence

The End of Films

2009-03-21T00:12:00.000-07:00

Hi readers,
As of now, I have decided to discontinue my weekly feature Film Fest Friday. It's become increasingly more difficult to find films to feature each week, particularly with increasing workloads here at school. Instead, I hope to focus on more thought-driven posts that reflecting what I'm intellectually exploring, as well as the occasional slew of photos I once posted on a regular basis. And, of course, should I find an exceptional short film, it will definitely be posted here!

With regrets,
T.H. Excellence

Film Fest Friday - Duck Amuck

2009-03-07T00:24:00.000-08:00

Ever have one of those days when everything goes wrong, as if the world's out to get you? Well, Daffy Duck can relate, although I doubt you've got exactly the same problem that he has.

Have a good weekend!
T.H. Excellence

Ever Want to be a Disneyland Cast Member?

2009-03-04T20:36:00.001-08:00

Hey kids! Have you ever wanted to be a Disneyland cast member so you could help operate some of the most popular Disney attractions of all time? Well now you can! Themagical.nl hosts a variety of Internet-based simulations that allow you to take complete control of top rides such as Big Thunder Mountain and Tower of Terror! Just follow this link to Themagical.nl and you're on your way to making magic happen for guests around the world!

Enjoy!
T.H. Excellence

Film Fest Friday - Marry Me

2009-02-20T13:57:00.000-08:00

For today's short film, I present a tale of two lovers: a little girl in love with a little boy, and the same little boy in love with his bike. As the girl's attempts to seize the boy's attention become more and more incredible, something has to give.

See ya next time!
T.H. Excellence

Film Fest Friday the 13th - Mickey Mouse in the Haunted House

2009-02-13T16:43:00.000-08:00

Today happens to be Friday the 13th, so I'm featuring a rather creepy-yet-classic Mickey cartoon.

Don't go breaking any mirrors, anyone!
T.H. Excellence

Film Fest Friday - Timber

2009-01-30T23:05:00.000-08:00

Today's featured short is a Donald Duck cartoon that I've never seen nor heard of, but still enjoyed. In "Timber", Donald Duck crosses paths with a lumberjack and must escape in an epic handcar adventure!

See you next week!
T.H. Excellence

Film Fest Friday - How to Say I Love You

2009-01-23T17:51:00.000-08:00

Greetings, all!
Today's film is a UK short entitled "How to Say I Love You", featuring a young man who departs from the normal conventions in seeking a girl's heart.

T.H. Excellence

Swimming with Sea Turtles

2009-01-19T11:15:00.000-08:00

Sunrise, Monday morning. I've just flown into Kauai the night before and am sprawled out in bed, trying to adjust my internal clock to a new time zone. I'm not a morning person as it is without having to deal with the hours of my day shifting back. Suddenly my mom rushes into my room. "Tim! Quick! There are sea turtles in the water outside our condo!" Intrigued by the thrill of seeing wild turtles, but still half-asleep, I shuffle out of my room and onto our deck overlooking the ocean. Sure enough, thick shells and scaly heads are poking in and out of the waves crashing on the rocks outside our accommodations. My sleepiness overcome, I remain on the deck for quite a while, newly fascinated by these majesties of the sea.

This early-morning experience created a newfound fascination for sea turtles within me, and I fell in love with the grace and beauty of these gentle green giants. I instantly eyed any marine book in every gift shop we visited and quickly flipped through it, searching for colorful sea turtle photographs. And whenever we encountered a piece of art centered on sea turtles, my attention was immediately commandeered.

Finally, on Saturday morning, my fascination reached ultimate fulfillment. Donning a swim mask, I headed out for the cove next to our condo. I caught sight of a few fish here and there, but I had seen those before. I had a different goal in mind for today. I wanted to swim with the sea turtles! Though they they tend to feed some distance from shore, it was not difficult for me to swim out to their feeding grounds. Soon I found myself sharing the waves with some of the most beautiful creatures in the entire ocean. I watched in awe as these turtles drifted back and forth, paddling into crevices for a nibble of seaweed, then darting out again into slightly deeper waters. The turtles weren't intimidated by my presence, either because of their size or perhaps past experience with humans. They took no notice to me, and thought nothing of lazily floating up beside me in search of food. The time I spent under the water with these majestic creatures was truly remarkable, and I will honestly never forget it!

As I returned to our condo, I reflected on my awesome experience and came to lament my lack of an underwater camera. "It's too bad I couldn't get some pictures," I thought. "I bet some of those would have sold nicely online." All during our vacation I've been capturing artistic shots with my camera in hopes that I'll finally be able to break into the micro-stock photography business. Some underwater sea turtle shots may have been just the thing!

At this point, I noticed that there were two things wrong with my thinking. For one, even if my camera were waterproof, I would likely need much more equipment than I own in order to capture any worthwhile shots. But secondly and more important, I realized that I had completely overshadowed the experience I just had. No matter how much a picture of a sea turtle might sell for, it would never ever be more valuable than the actual time I spent in the presence of those underwater beauties. I had just enjoyed a rarest opportunity with God's creation, and was disappointed that I couldn't turn that opportunity into a money-making venture.

The Mastercard ads have gotten it right all these years. There really are some things that money can't buy, such as a swim with the sea turtles of Kauai.

As for your snorkeling equipment, Mastercard will cover that.
T.H. Excellence

Film Fest Friday - Hawaiian Holiday

2009-01-09T23:29:00.001-08:00

On Sunday I will be taking off for the cool tropic shores of Hawaii, so today it only made sense to feature the classic Mickey cartoon "Hawaiian Holiday"! Hopefully my trip goes better than this.

Look out for tropic PhotoBlogs!
T.H. Excellence

Don't Buy Stuff

2009-01-06T09:31:00.000-08:00

Great news! I found the answer to eliminating all our debt problems!

Gosh, and it's so simple! I wonder if our country will ever get the idea.
T.H. Excellence

Film Fest Saturday - Lonesome Ghosts

2009-01-03T07:58:00.000-08:00

To make up for lack of a film yesterday, here's the classic Mickey short "Lonesome Ghosts"!

Okay, I'm off to spend a day at Disneyland! Today's my last day working at Splash Mountain for the season.
T.H. Excellence

PhotoBlog - Walt Disney's Carolwood Barn

2008-12-27T00:12:00.001-08:00

On Sunday, December 21st, my dad and I had the privilege of visiting Walt Disney's Carolwood Barn in Griffith Park. For those who are unaware, Walt had quite a passion for trains and railroads to the point of building his own model railroad in his Holmby Hills backyard. In order to facilitate the work he performed on his models, he had a small barn constructed in his backyard, where he spent many hours with his miniature engines. But enough with the talk - on with the pictures!

No longer residing in Walt's backyard, the barn now finds a home among the countless model trains and railways of Griffith Park.

The barn now serves as a museum and tribute to Walt's passion for railroads. It contains all kinds of fascinating models and memorabilia as well as displays featuring the Disneyland Railroad as well as the model railroads of several of Walt's animators.

Walt's backyard project was branded as the "Carolwood Pacific Railroad", named after the road that led to the Disney house. Walt also liked this name because it gave his railroad the initials "C.P.R.R.", exactly the same as the real-life Central Pacific Railroad.

This is a model of Walt's "C.K. Holiday" engine. Though the engine itself is a facsimile, the car displayed behind it is an authentic piece of Walt's railroad.

Walt had this engine brought over to America from England, but unfortunately it suffered damage on the trip over and could not be incorporated into Walt's railroad. Nevertheless, he put it to good use by taking it apart and studying its inner workings as a reference for his other engines.

Nestled in one corner of the barn lies Walt's master control board, which operated the entire layout. If you look closely, you'll notice such landmarks as "Rorex Tunnel" and "Yensid Valley". "Yensid", of course, is "Disney" spelled backwards. Similarly, "Rorex Tunnel" is named for Walt's friend, who helped him construct the tunnel through solid rock.

Throughout the barn, Walt's love for trains is captured not only through his model engines but also through railroad paraphernalia, such as this caboose lamp.

Various other odds and ends are displayed throughout the barn, including mementos based on the classic Donald Duck cartoon "Out of Scale". This cartoon, which featured Donald operating his own backyard railroad, was the animators' way of poking fun at Walt's obsession.

The opposite side of the barn features a tribute to the Disneyland Railroad, including models and memorabilia.

On the left is a model of the E.P. Ripley, one of the engines that was in service at Disneyland on opening day.

Opposite is the Ernest S. Marsh, which began operating at Disneyland in 1959.

In addition to the Disneyland Railroad, the barn also includes a display of the Disneyland Monorail system. The orange panel was taken from one of the very first monorails operating in the park.

Finally, one corner of the barn hosts displays for several of Walt's animators, who had railroads of their own. This section was devoted to Ward Kimball, who's backyard was dominated by the Grizzly Flats Railroad.

This engine resides out front, a tribute to Walt's passion for railroading. It signifies what was a very great part of his life, and reflects all that rests in Walt's Carolwood Barn. If you ever get a chance to visit this special place, do so. It's quite remarkable seeing the memories of Walt's Carolwood Pacific Railroad. For more information, visit www.carolwood.org.

T.H. Excellence

Film Fest Friday - The Bloody Olive

2008-12-26T14:08:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the post-Christmas season, that time of year when you realize that yes all the holidays have indeed ended. As you pass through this time, enjoy this comedic film noir short entitled "The Bloody Olive".

Check back tomorrow for a PhotoBlog of my trip to Walt Disney's Carolwood Barn!
T.H. Excellence

Film Fest Saturday - Santa's Workshop

2008-12-21T01:19:00.000-08:00

Sorry this is once again late - I pulled a super-long shift for event services last night, then I was at Disneyland for most of today. Anyway, with Christmas fast approaching, I'm featuring this classic Silly Symphony "Santa's Workshop".

And now to all a Merry Christmas, and a blessed New Year!
T.H. Excellence

Film Fest Saturday - Donald's Snow Fight

2008-12-13T16:30:00.000-08:00

I think one of the best parts about the Christmas is the sharing of special moments with family. Apparently not everyone feels that way.

Merry Christmas all!
T.H. Excellence

Happy Birthday to a Very Influential Man

2008-12-06T00:40:00.000-08:00

Today, December fifth, marks the 107th birthday of the late, great Walt Disney. I am continually amazed and astounded by the influence this man left with his ingenuity and innovative spirit, and it's a shame he left us so soon. As a tribute, here's "Steamboat Willie", Walt's groundbreaking cartoon, as you may know, integrating sound into the picture.

Remember, "all our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them."
T.H. Excellence

A Tribute to the Magic

2008-12-01T11:22:00.001-08:00

Here's a tribute to the magic that cast members make every day. A fellow cast member from Splash Mountain was once doing a little guest interaction while the attraction was experiencing some downtime. A small child ran up to him and asked, "What's wrong with the ride?"

"You know that big snoring bear that you hear when you're up in the mountain?" the cast member started. "Well, he woke up and was very hungry, so he came down to the churro cart here for a churro. Except the cart was all out of churros, so he had to go all the way to Main Street to get one, and we can't start the ride again until he comes back."

The child nodded in understanding and walked away, at which point the father walked up to the cast member and said, "Okay, c'mon now, what really happened?"

"You know that big snoring bear..."

Film Fest Friday - Bugs Bunny's Christmas Carol

2008-11-28T10:40:00.000-08:00

It's that time again! Here to kick off the Christmas season is "Bugs Bunny's Christmas Carol", an alternative take on the classic Dickens tale.

Here's to happy holidays, everyone!
T.H. Excellence

The Return of a Cast Member

2008-11-25T23:26:00.000-08:00

About a month ago, I received a letter from Disneyland scheduling asking if I would like to work in the park during the week of Thanksgiving. I replied immediately with a, "YES!" And so Monday night marked my eventful return to the park at last as a cast member instead of as a guest. Though it felt as though I had never left, I did have to get used to being back in the role. Almost immediately after walking onstage, a guest asked me where the nearest restroom was. I was surprised enough that someone had asked me a question out of the blue, despite the fact that I had just realized that as a cast member I would get questions at a regular rate. Fortunately, I was able to maintain composure and point out the nearest restroom without difficulty. The night was fairly simple after that and I fell into pattern with ease. The rest of the night was spent as a valet for stroller parking, which, I might add, is my favorite job out on the Fantasmic front.

Film Fest Saturday - School of Life

2008-11-22T01:14:00.001-08:00

It has been way too long since I posted something.

Today's feature is "School of Life", a piece with an interesting (and rather harsh) lesson.

Ta ta!
T.H. Excellence

Swamped!

2008-11-11T22:29:00.000-08:00

So today I recorded a lecture and helped a friend with a film project, while yesterday I spent most of my evening on an audio project. Then I have several editing projects to do over the course of the next several weeks all while working on a film all this weekend.

Ah, it's good to be a film major.
T.H. Excellence

"Up" Trailer

2008-11-10T00:49:00.000-08:00

Hey all! Pixar just released the trailer for their upcoming film "Up". Check it out here!

So whaddya think? I'm looking forward to this adventure!
T.H. Excellence

Film Fest Friday - What's Opera, Doc?

2008-10-31T14:58:00.000-07:00

Today's feature is a favorite cartoon I recently rediscovered: "What's Opera, Doc?", a classic Bugs Bunny short that also happens to be an opera.

Ta ta!
T.H. Excellence

The Whole of Disneyland

2008-10-26T13:10:00.000-07:00

On a recent trip to Disneyland, I decided to slow down a bit and enjoy a leisurely after-dark ride on the Mark Twain. Standing on the top deck, I was treated to a sight I hadn't seen before. As the old steamboat left the dock and slowly paddled her way around the river, I received a bird's-eye view of New Orleans Square, and consequently was able to see the entire scope of that French Quarter of Disneyland. And it was quite a beautiful sight to see! All the different elements - Pirates of the Caribbean, the restaurants, even the upper levels of Tarzan's Treehouse - came together to form a breathtaking landscape.

This only served to remind of something I've given thought to on several occasions - Disneyland is one of the few, if any, theme parks that succeeds not just in parts, but in whole. Not only does Disneyland have great individual attractions, but these attractions come together in such a way that they fit beautifully into one circle of land. This is something most theme parks don't accomplish. They might succeed in part, but not in whole. Disneyland's next-door neighbor, California Adventure, is an excellent example of this. There are quite a few parts of this park that succeed, from Tower of Terror to Soarin' Over California. There are quite a few attractions in California Adventure that are very well done and draw a lot of people away from Disneyland, at least for a little bit, so they can experience these adventures. But, as a whole, California Adventure is very weak, which is true of many other theme parks. They succeed in their individual parts, sometimes very well, but as a whole, they fail.

Just one more reason to love Disneyland.
T.H. Excellence

Film Fest Friday - Geri's Games

2008-10-17T13:01:00.001-07:00

Today's edition of Film Fest Friday is somewhat unique and calls for a different kind of introduction. As I was searching for a short film to present to you, I was reminded of "Geri's Game", a short film by Pixar that we all remember from A Bug's Life. As I searched YouTube for the short, I discovered not only the short itself, but also various spinoffs done by amateur filmmakers. And so I present to you the original Pixar short "Geri's Game" followed by a home movie spin-off "Don's Game".

And now for something a little different...

Isn't that interesting? "Don's Game" is really just one of many spin-offs of "Geri's Game". I never realized that Pixar's wonderful little short film had inspired so many people to recreate their own production of that classic film.

Now for something completely different. I recently discovered this TV ad for the new "What Will You Celebrate?" campaign at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. What's so special about it? Well, I'll share that after you watch it.

Did you see that part at the end where the boy is celebrating his birthday with the pirates? That was being filmed on one of the nights I was doing guest control for Fantasmic. I knew the shoot was for a Disneyland ad (and I guessed it was for the "Celebrations" promotion), so it's nice to see what the idea was behind what was being shot. It's also quite amazing the amount of time and effort that went into that. The set utilized quite a bit of equipment, and the crew was working all night while I was there (probably even after I left). All that for a bit in a commercial that barely lasts ten seconds.

Okay, I'm outta here.
'Bye everyone!
T.H. Excellence

Film Fest Friday - Being Human

2008-10-10T09:01:00.000-07:00

Today's film is entitled Being Human, and tells the story of two brothers who discover that one of them has a miraculous power.

Okay, that's all for now. See ya next time!
T.H. Excellence

Film Fest Saturday - Great White Hunters

2008-10-04T01:55:00.000-07:00

Dang, I have got to get these up a day sooner!

Okay, for your pleasure, we have a short documentary entitled Great White Hunters, focusing on three fishermen who go out and hunt great white sharks. Just for kicks, of course.

Okay, see ya all next week!
T.H. Excellence

Film Fest Saturday - How to Play Football

2008-09-27T11:28:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts recently - I've been pretty busy, as usual.

Anyway, to kick off the fall season, here's a Goofy short highlighting that classic American sport of football!

Fun stuff, huh? Sure makes me ready for fall!
T.H. Excellence

What Will You Celebrate?

2008-09-18T19:00:00.000-07:00

Today, the Walt Disney Company released their plans for next year's Disney Parks promotion. Themed around the question "What will you celebrate?", an emphasis is being placed on birthdays, anniversaries, and other milestones. The highlight of this promotion is a free ticket on your birthday. Yes, that's right. Visit Disneyland or Walt Disney World on your birthday and receive complimentary admission.

I never thought I'd say this, but I actually like this promotion. I don't think we need another one, but this one actually makes sense, and is something people will understand. Plus, it could make a nice lead-in to the predicted 55th anniversary celebration of Disneyland. Hopefully it will turn out to be better than Year of a Million Dreams. I just hope a decision is made to do no more promotions for a while.

So, if it's your birthday, don't forget to stop by the park. Be sure to visit disneyland.com to register and get more info.
T.H. Excellence

Film Fest Saturday - Paradise

2008-09-13T15:40:00.000-07:00

Sorry the film is one day late - had to get that railroad article out.

Anyway, here today is Paradise, a look into the nature of an automated life.

Okay, I'm off! Bye all!
T.H. Excellence

The Disneyland Railroad - A Most Valuable Asset

2008-09-11T18:18:00.000-07:00

When Walt Disney first embarked on the design process of Disneyland, he said, "I just want it to look like nothing else in the world. And it should be surrounded by a train." Walt had a passion for trains, and even had built a miniature model railroad in his backyard. Thus, it should not be surprising that as he laid out a dream park, a railroad ran all the way around it.

Over the years, the Disneyland Railroad has been known as an icon of the park, nearly as well known as Sleeping Beauty Castle herself. Main Street Station is the first thing that guests see as they enter Disneyland, and the last thing they see when they leave. As guests continue to explore the park, the train can be seen and heard in many of the different wonderful realms of Disneyland, making it an unforgettable sight.

What most guests don't realize, however, is that the Disneyland Railroad is one of the most valuable assets the park possesses. "How?" you ask. To explain that, let's step away from the railroad for a moment and focus on Disneyland itself.

One of the greatest things about Disneyland is the surreal escapism of the park. Due to elaborate designs and details, all of which incorporate magnificent theming, Disneyland feels like no other place in the world. While visiting the park, you truly feel as though you're somewhere else entirely. This is achieved through the "suspension of disbelief", which refers to how people perceive aesthetic works. If you find yourself engulfed in the story presented by the book or film you're following, your mind will accept the fact that what you are following is otherwise completely implausible, or even impossible.

Disneyland takes this "suspension" to another level. As stated before, the park contains elaborate designs and details to make for an incredibly immersive experience. You believe you're in another world at Disneyland because it looks and feels and sounds like another world. However, all these designs and details aren't enough to create this suspension of disbelief. In order to properly feel the effect, guests cannot be allowed to see the outside world at all while visiting the park. Doing so breaks the illusion, and all the theming in the world can't cover it up.

Fortunately, shutting out the outside world isn't terribly difficult, and can be achieved by means of a simple barrier. But what barrier would suffice that wouldn't negatively affect the theming of the park? A fence or brick wall would look bland, and might even make guests feel as though they're being imprisoned.

Luckily, instead of a fence or wall, the Disneyland Railroad does the job just fine. With the exception of a few small areas built after Disneyland opened, the railroad surrounds the entire park, and is raised on a natural berm to prevent the outside world from becoming visible. Nearby elements, such as trees or buildings, fill in the remaining gaps. Thus you have a natural barrier that hides reality, yet is not imposing at all, but rather friendly looking.

Now you know one of the most important, as well as the most subtle aspects of the Disneyland Railroad. Granted, there are others, which could even be considered equally important. The railroad reflects Walt's legacy of trains, and serves as a transportation system around the park. Even so, I'm most impressed by the fact that Walt's train that surrounded Disneyland became a most effective element in keeping the world out and keeping the magic in.

That's it for now folks, all aboard!
T.H. Excellence

A Most Magical Model Railroad

2008-09-08T20:49:00.000-07:00

I recently promised a post on the significance of the Disneyland Railroad, but that's still in the works. In the meantime, please enjoy this link featuring one man's model railroad and the magic surrounding it.

Click here.

That's all for now!
T.H. Excellence

Film Fest Friday - Bully for Bugs

2008-09-05T14:43:00.000-07:00

It's Friday again! Time for another short film. Today's feature is a classic Looney Tunes cartoon entitled "Bully for Bugs".

On a side note, I have heard multiple good things about my post on tunnels at Disneyland, so I'm considering writing a second note entitled "The Importance of the Disneyland Railroad". Stay tuned for that, 'kay?
T.H. Excellence

The Importance of Tunnels

2008-09-01T10:29:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about being a Disneyland cast member is slowly understanding the little intricacies and details of Disneyland, in operation, in design, and so on. This was particularly effective on Splash Mountain, since I spent most of my time there, but at the same time I came to know more about Disneyland in general as well. Perhaps one of my greatest discoveries was the importance of tunnels to both the park and individual attractions.

This was something I first discovered on Pirates of the Caribbean actually. For quite some time I had known that the placement of the waterfalls in the attraction was a practical application, as it allowed the Imagineers to take guests below the park's railroad berm and out into a much larger show building. However, it wasn't until this summer that I realized that these drops (particularly the first one) were actually incredibly effective storytelling techniques.

Consider things in this light. Pirates of the Caribbean is located in New Orleans Square. French quarter versus Caribbean town. That's quite the juxtaposition, and in my opinion it doesn't work very well. So how did Walt Disney get away with putting pirates in New Orleans? Simple. Guests enter the attraction and begin the ride in New Orleans. Suddenly, they pass under a bridge where they discover a mysterious skull and crossbones mounted above them. After being warned that "dead men tell no tales", the guests unexpectedly plunge down a waterfall into the darkness, essentially, a sloped tunnel. After emerging, they suddenly find themselves in a dark grotto full of skeletons and treasure.

So why does this tunnel device work so well? If nothing else, tunnels are disorienting. It doesn't matter where you were before you entered the tunnel. After passing through the dark for a few seconds, you have no idea where you are, where you're headed, and where you came from doesn't really matter any more. Combine that slight confusion with the added disorientation of the drop, and, well, you could be anywhere by now. Were you in a Louisiana swamp a moment ago? Who knows? You just plunged down a waterfall in the dark, and now you're somewhere else entirely.

At this point, I realized that this tunnel concept was utilized throughout the park. Many E-ticket attractions have some sort of tunnel, including Indiana Jones Adventure (Chamber of Destiny), Space Mountain (launch tunnel), Splash Mountain (second lift), and even the Submarine Voyage (bubble curtains). Some of these attractions even utilize two "tunnels", placing one in actual attraction as well utilizing a second, minor tunnel for the line. Space Mountain uses a good portion of its line space as a tunnel of sorts, causing guests to wind around inside the mountain and making them feel as though they're descending into a space station. Indiana Jones also uses a tunnel by taking guests deep into the Temple of the Forbidden Eye before they board their transports. These tunnels are incredibly immersive and allow guests to feel more and more like they're actually in a space station or jungle temple, so that by the time they've boarded the attraction, they actually believe that they are where they are.

Finally, two of the most effective as well as the earliest tunnels can be found just beyond the park gates. As guests enter, they see before them Main Street's train station, beyond which lies the Magic Kingdom. In order to truly enter the park, they must pass through one of the two tunnels underneath the train station. These tunnels are not dark or foreboding, but rather serve as portals. A plaque mounted above each tunnel reads "Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy." As guests pass through, they truly do leave behind the world of today, and quickly find themselves in Main Street U.S.A., the timeless turn-of-the-century town.

Two tunnels, dare I say portals, simple, but effective.

And now you know the importance of tunnels to Disneyland.
T.H. Excellence

Film Fest Friday - More

2008-08-29T15:07:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts. I've been quite busy for a while now, but I've finally had time to slow down from school enough to post this short film More.

Okay, back to school. Hopefully I'll get the time to post more often.
T.H. Excellence

Film Fest Friday - Donald's Vacation

2008-08-08T23:49:00.000-07:00

This week we return to classic cartoons for Film Fest Friday. Because I will spend much of next week camping, I thought it fitting to host "Donald's Vacation", a short in which Donald attempts to camp in a scenic area of the forest, but cannot do so without contending with the local wildlife.

I wish I had a kayak like that.

As I stated earlier, I will be camping next week, so don't expect too many posts.
I'll see you all when I get back! Hopefully with pictures!
T.H. Excellence

Catalina PhotoBlog

2008-08-03T07:26:00.000-07:00

Approximately a week ago, I attended a week-long family camp on Catalina Island, which was been a tradition for my family for fifteen years. During this period, I was able to get quite a few wonderful photos, and now I'm posting them here for you.

There were always a ton of sailboats out, and on this particular day we could even see one of the cruise ships visiting the island.

From here we have a nice view of Gallagher's Cove, where our family camp was located.

There can be quite a bit of cactus sometimes.

I always thought this looked like one of those pictures you'd see in those travel brochures.

The sunrises and sunsets can be really pretty.

The sunsets are lovely here.

That's all folks! Sorry that was a bit late.
T.H. Excellence

Film Fest Friday - The Clap

2008-08-01T18:26:00.000-07:00

Today's short film is titled The Clap, focused on a classical music enthusiast who is obsessed with being the first to clap after each piece of music performed on stage.

Sorry for not posting for so long. I was recently at camp, and since then I've just been busy. Look for a PhotoBlog coming soon.
T.H. Excellence

Film Fest Saturday - 4960

2008-07-19T10:18:00.000-07:00

Today's film is 4960, a film focusing on two people trying to contact each other between "point A and point B".

A bit different from the normal pace of films I feature here, but well-done nevertheless.

Okay, this is my last post for approximately a week. All next week I'll be on vacation, so don't expect anything until at least next Saturday.

Have a good week, everyone!
T.H. Excellence

PhotoBlog - Disneyland Edition!

2008-07-17T07:25:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I've done one of these, so I'm providing this nifty update, full of pics from the Disneyland Resort! Since I've been trying to get this up for a while, I'm actually going to delay Film Fest Friday in order to get this up. I apologize for any inconvenience.

I love all the details at Disneyland, including this piece of machinery in the line for Big Thunder Mountain.

The Astro Orbitor allows for a multitude of photographic possibilities!

The composition isn't the best, but I still love the way the colors turned out in this shot.

Every summer, Disneyland features their own All-American College Band. They're really amazing!

New Orleans Square is lovely at night.

Disneyland in general is amazing in the evening, actually.

I'm not entirely satisfied with this picture, but it looks pretty good so I'm posting it anyway.

I love the lights of Paradise Pier.

A nice castle shot.

And finally, the man and the mouse.

Okay, I'm done for now. 'Bye all!
T.H. Excellence

Happy Birthday to the Happiest Place on Earth

2008-07-17T07:16:00.001-07:00

Today, July 17th, marks exactly 53 years of operation for Disneyland Park here in California. It's amazing how that incredible place has been transformed over the years, from adding new rides to updating old facades, and even adding a whole new theme park! Yet behind all the changes is the same park, still holding many of the same attractions that so many individuals have enjoyed and treasured for many, many years. Disneyland certainly has had an impact on our culture, particularly here in Southern California. And I must say it is a definite honor to be a part of it as a cast member.

For those interested, a small article was published today highlighting aerial views of Disneyland from a 1956 promotional film.
Link here.

And finally, keep an eye out for a Disneyland PhotoBlog in the next few days.

Okay, that should do it!
T.H. Excellence

The YouTube Screening Room

2008-07-13T21:04:00.000-07:00

Big news! YouTube has recently released the YouTube Screening Room, a special section of the site that allows short films to be posted and reviewed by YouTube users. Reaching an audience is one of the hardest parts of filmmaking, and now YouTube is allowing it to be done. I personally am excited to see what short films might appear here, and look forward to what it may grow into.
T.H. Excellence

Film Fest Friday - Wrong Side of the Bed

2008-07-11T17:49:00.000-07:00

It's Film Fest Friday! Today, we'll see what happens to someone who gets up on the wrong side of the bed and, as a result, continues to have terrible luck. Will he be doomed to continually suffer?

Simple short, but amusing. I must say I enjoyed the ending.
Look for a PhotoBlog coming soon!
T.H. Excellence

Behind the Scenes of the Disneyland Fireworks

2008-07-07T14:09:00.000-07:00

June 30th marked one full month of my employment at the Disneyland Resort, and I must say I've quite enjoyed my time there so far. It's been great spending so much time in the park both in the roles of a cast member and a guest. There are so many things I enjoy about being there, from helping guests have a wonderful day to making sure everything runs smoothly, and even watching fireworks while I work!

Prior to the beginning of my time here at Disneyland, I actually hadn't taken the time to enjoy the park's nightly show "Remember... Dreams Come True". However, I've recently been scheduled for many night shifts and have been able to enjoy the show's lights and music on a regular basis. It was wonderful the first time I saw it, and it only gets better and better with each viewing. Thus, with my interest sparked in Disneyland's pyrotechnic efforts, I was pleased to find this video earlier this morning, highlighting some of the behind-the-scenes processes of Disneyland's nightly show in the sky.

That video was only a small sample of the amazing show that goes on over Disneyland every night. If you haven't seen the show yet, I highly encourage you to do so. And be sure to keep an eye out for me, okay?
T.H. Excellence

Film Fest Fourth of July

2008-07-04T02:03:00.000-07:00

Happy Fourth of July everyone! In honor of our great nation of America, I've posted a classic Bugs Bunny cartoon highlighting America's favorite pastime: baseball! In this short, Bugs takes on the meanest, roughest team in the major leagues all by himself! Can he defeat them? Watch and see!

That's all folks! Thanks for watching, and God bless America!
T.H. Excellence

Film Fest Friday - How to Ride a Horse

2008-06-27T09:19:00.000-07:00

Today's short is an instructional video on riding horses. I hope you all will receive some sort of educational benefit from this.

Maybe that wasn't quite what you expected, but it was still a lot of fun, wasn't it?
Okay, I have to go. I'm a little under the weather right now.
T.H. Excellence

Film Fest Friday - Mainframe: The Art of the Sale

2008-06-20T09:01:00.000-07:00

Today's feature is Mainframe: The Art of the Sale, depicting a salesman with a million dollar product and the wrong target market.

AtomFilms.com: Funny Videos | Funny Cartoons | Comedy Central

Okay, I'm off. I'll see y'all later.
T.H. Excellence

The Life of a Cast Member

2008-06-18T16:26:00.000-07:00

Today marks one week since I started my official duties as a post-training cast member, and I must say this has been quite an exciting week! Almost every day I'm in the park, helping Splash Mountain to run smoothly. So far, it's been quite fun! I've really enjoyed interacting with guests and taking on the various roles required to operate the mountain.

Not that work has been all fun and games. The job certainly has its ups and downs, and sometimes it's easy to get really frustrated when confusion erupts or guests get upset over something. But making one guest happy completely compensates for dealing with twenty annoyed guests, and I must say I really take pride in the job. The best part of my day is closing up the attraction at midnight once Disneyland has closed. Afterwards, I walk to my car, enjoying the cool silence and the glowing lights of the empty park.

Okay, I need to go sleep. I've got an eight hour shift tomorrow, and it starts at 10:00 a.m.
T.H. Excellence

Film Fest Friday - Bone Trouble

2008-06-13T09:55:00.001-07:00

Today's entry for Film Fest Friday is a recent Pluto cartoon I found and enjoyed. Here it is!

Quite interesting, eh?

On a side note before I wrap this up, I have successfully completed my training for Splash Mountain at Disneyland. Thus far, I have had a really great experience and I'm really enjoying my work. Hopefully that trend will continue.
T.H. Excellence

Film Fest Friday - Out of Scale

2008-06-07T21:22:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of a short film yesterday. I spent most of my time working at Disneyland, being trained in the various aspects of operating Splash Mountain. It's been incredibly intensive, but pretty fun as well, and I've had a great time going through the different cast member position.

Anyway, enough of that. Today's film is an old Donald Duck cartoon from 1951. This was one of my favorites when I was a kid, mostly due to the gargantuan model railroad in Donald's backyard.

Okay, I gotta go. I have to be in the park at 6:00 tomorrow.
'Bye for now,
T.H. Excellence

Slowing Down

2008-06-04T13:34:00.000-07:00

On Monday, I once again visited Disneyland for a few hours with the intent of enjoying several attractions that I missed on my Saturday visit. Yet even though my main intent lay in the attractions, I spent a fair amount of time snapping pictures here and there, and I had a small collection ready to upload as I boarded Splash Mountain for my final adventure of the day.

Then something unexpected happened (I still don't know what) and my memory card had to be formatted, thus removing many of the pictures I had shot earlier. Fortunately, this wasn't too much of a blow. I didn't have that many pictures on my camera, and those that I had taken could easily be reshot later if necessary. So I simply moseyed around the Critter Country area and took a few more pictures before heading out. It was at that time that I realized how Disneyland is to truly be enjoyed.

When most people visit the park, they spend their whole time running from one place to another, hoping to catch a show at a certain time or trying to get into a line as quickly as possible. Most people don't take the time to slow down and examine their surroundings. I was forced to do that while I was snapping pictures, and I came to realize just how wonderful a place Disneyland is. Separated from reality, it carries its own sense of peace and wonder, with the dreams and fantasies of many masterfully blended together into one extraordinary park. When you take the time to slow down, there is an infinite amount of details to be found, some placed intentionally, others simply an inherent part of the place. A group of ducks perched on a docked canoe, for instance, or the laugh of a child in reaction to an amazing day. This is beautiful, I thought to myself. It is so wonderful that I get to work here.

The Sailing Ship Columbia was docked in Fowler's Harbor, resulting in her masts poking up over this roof. I'm not terribly satisfied with the way this photo turned out, but it looked lovely in the thought process.

I'm very fascinated with the Haunted Mansion's artistic style, so I spent several minutes grabbing a variety of shots.

Here's a black-and-white pic.

And finally a black-and-white with blue tint.

The canoe dock was very serene that evening.

All the guests and cast members had left, and the canoes were serving as a perch for a group of ducks.

A random shot of the Crystal Arcade on Main Street.

And to conclude, one final shot of the Partners statue in the central plaza.

Thanks for reading, everyone. I start guest interaction training tomorrow, so stay tuned!
T.H. Excellence

First Days at Disneyland

2008-06-01T17:06:00.001-07:00

If you happened to be here around mid-April, you may recall that I was recently hired by the Disneyland Resort to work in an attractions role. Well, Saturday, May 31st marked my first official day as an attractions cast member as I went down to the Disneyland property to begin my first day of training called "Traditions". This day was a simple walk-through of general training, in which I was instructed in various cast member traditions and guidelines with regards to safety, performance, guest interaction, and so forth. After lunch, my group and I were taken through the backstage area of Disneyland and emerged "on-stage" in the middle of Toontown, where we began a quick walk around the park to inspect and observe its various aspects. I must say that entering Disneyland from the back is quite a different experience, but not an altogether unwelcome one.

The day eventually concluded by preparing each of us for our next day of training (which would be area-specific), and I learned I would be operating Splash Mountain for the time being (bummer, no Haunted Mansion). When all was said and done, we received our official Disneyland Resort ID cards and name badges, which was very exciting. And, of course, my natural response upon receiving my ID was to rush to the main entrance of Disneyland and present it for admission into the Magic Kingdom.

Since Traditions concluded around 6:00, I had approximately six hours to romp the parks before they closed for the night. Since it was a Saturday, the lines were a bit long, so I was worried I wasn't going to get to do everything on my agenda. Indeed, Disneyland closed its gates before I could get on every attraction I had intended (California Screamin' will have to wait for another time), but I managed to fit in quite a bit between 10:00 and midnight. Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, and Splash Mountain were all walk-ons, allowing me to experience all of those in less than an hour. Space Mountain wasn't quite a walk-on, but I easily made my way through the queue in about 10 minutes, which wasn't bad at all. Afterwards, I attempted to cram Peter Pan's Flight and Indiana Jones Adventure into the last 20 minutes of the day, but, alas, I did not quite make it.

Oh well. There will be other times.

Anyway, even though I was rushing from place to place, I still managed to snap a few pictures. I would have loved to take more, but I can spend more time doing photography later. After all, I've got access to the park for the entire summer.

The train station was looking lovely in the setting sun, so I took a few shots.

I was inspired to take this shot while in line for Soarin' Over California. I'm very satisfied with the lighting and colors, but I'm not sure about the composition. I can always try again some other time.

So I went on Tower of Terror for the first time (that ride is a death trap!) and got a few not-so-good out-of-focus slightly-grainy shots of the very well themed lobby.

Loved this owl sculpture in the middle of the room. Wish I would have had my tripod so I could have capture it better.

My group stopped to watch a bit of the Electrical Parade (which we kept running into as we tried to get out of the park), so I propped my camera up against a trash can and got a few shots.

In my opinion, this is probably the most memorable part of the parade. Not sure why, though.

I bet it's fun to be the guy who drives that turtle around.

And for the final shot of the day, Space Mountain (the wait was only 10 minutes!). Don't look too closely - it's a little blurry. Wish I had my tripod.

Okay, those are all the pics for now. I'm hoping to go down to the park one day for a massive photo excursion, but first I have to get settled in working there. At any rate, I'll keep you updated until then.
T.H. Excellence

Film Fest Friday - Falling

2008-05-30T08:29:00.000-07:00

For today, we feature short film "Falling" as part of Film Fest Friday! This is a random, but amusing film about two friends who find a magic wand while out on a hike. The results are, well, interesting.

AtomFilms.com: Funny Videos | Funny Cartoons | Comedy Central

Okay, that wraps up this week's film.

On a side note, I'll be at Disneyland all day tomorrow, my first official day as a cast member. Keep an eye out for any kind of reports or trip pics that may follow.
T.H. Excellence

Summer PhotoBlog!

2008-05-25T23:52:00.000-07:00

Dang, it's been a really long time since I've done one of these. Too long, in fact. I'd better get started right away.

Here's a quick shot I took at Downtown Disney with my new polarizing filter.

These flowers were really hard to edit.

These next few were shot on a college retreat.

Why does this picture make me think of The Lion King?

Random water pipe shot.

Now for a few photographs from an overcast afternoon at the beach.

This shot of the lifeguard station didn't turn out as well as I thought, but it's not terrible.

Finally, a sunset shot of a lonely set of power lines, strung off into the distance.

Wow, it's been a really long time. I need to start doing these more. Hopefully I'll be taking more pics while I'm working at Disneyland this summer.
T.H. Excellence

Film Fest Friday - Kaylie

2008-05-23T11:49:00.000-07:00

Today's feature in Film Fest Friday is quite special to me because, well, I worked on it earlier this semester. It was directed and produced by a couple friends of mine, and I was recruited to be the assistant director. I must say I think this film was very well done, and I'm pleased to have been a part of it. I'm also pleased that I've got at least three background cameos as an extra.

Stay tuned for a small PhotoBlog coming up in the next few days.
Ta ta for now!
T.H. Excellence

The Return of Great Adventure?

2008-05-22T03:04:00.000-07:00

I just returned from the midnight premiere of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I must say, it was WEIRD! Okay, not the whole thing, just the end. But let me start from the beginning: for the most part, I enjoyed the movie. It had plenty of action and adventure, true to the spirit of the original three films, with the epic chase through the jungle being my favorite part. Yet after the end, I kinda forgot about the jungle chase and the other segments of the movie. It was so weird, it was all I could think about afterwards.

On the plus side, "Temple of Doom" looks relatively normal now.

At any rate, I would still recommend seeing "Indy 4" at least once. You know you want to. Even if the end is weird, the rest of the movie is quite enjoyable in parts, and it's good to have Indiana Jones back for one more round.

And I'm pretty sure this is the only movie in which Harrison Ford escapes in a refrigerator.
T.H. Excellence

"Prince Caspian" Review and Film Fest Friday

2008-05-17T09:07:00.000-07:00

On Friday, myself and a group of friends went down to the El Capitan theater in Hollywood for a viewing of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. My report: it's a decent film, but don't read the book or it will ruin the movie for you. For me, it was the other way around. While the movie wasn't bad on its own, I was too distracted from the huge discrepancies between book and movie to really enjoy it. While I have other complaints as well, I feel that these would have been remedied if Disney had tried to stay a little closer to the original story.
Again, the film isn't bad or anything, but it's going to get mixed reviews based on how well people remember the book.

At least the cinematography was pretty good.

Anyway, moving along. Today's Film Fest Friday (a day late - my apologies) features Mickey, Donald, and Goofy again in "Lonesome Ghosts". This time, the three friends have taken up jobs as ghost exterminators. However, when they reach their first client, the tables are slightly turned.

That's all for me, folks. I gotta get back to working towards finals.
T.H. Excellence

The End is Near!

2008-05-14T20:01:00.000-07:00

Today marked the end of classes for the entire academic year, and I find the time to be quite bittersweet. While I will have so much more time on my hands once finals are completed, I will also be returning home, absent from all the good friends I have made at school for approximately three months.

But before that happens, I have several items to wrap up, paperwork and such, as well as a Disneyland wiki site to add material to. The next week is going to be rather intense. But it's going to be oh-so-wonderful as I complete my freshman year along with my fellow students.

I'm signing off for now. I've got to get back to work
T.H. Excellence

An Afternoon of Cinematography

2008-05-09T21:32:00.000-07:00

Hi all. I promise that there will be a Film Fest Friday this week. It's currently residing at the end of this post. But before that, a little bit about my day:

Today I had a film shoot. I'm currently producing various video segments and faculty interviews for an orientation week here at school. But as fun (and insane) as producing is, I finally got to live according to my true calling: cinematography. Yes, for the entire afternoon I peered over the shoulder of my camera operator, setting up shots, arranging lighting and the like. And it was fantastic. I wasn't able to do quite everything I wanted with the scenes we were shooting, but I still had an excellent time and look forward to doing more work in the future.

So, anyway, that's what I spent my afternoon doing.

On to Film Fest Friday. Today I return to classic Walt Disney cartoons with "The Whalers", a short I discovered recently in which Mickey, Donald, and Goofy try their best to catch a whale. Do they succeed? Watch and find out:

Okay, I gotta go now. I've got a lot of film work to do tonight.
Thanks for stopping by,
T.H. Excellence

A Busy Life

2008-05-05T23:57:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I'll see an item of considerable expense and say, "When I'm a rich and famous movie producer, I'll be sure to get (fill-in-the-blank)." Quite ironic, actually. For one, no one can tell if I'll become rich and famous over the course of my career. For another, I never gave much serious thought to becoming a movie producer, rich or otherwise. The thought never appealed to me. Yet for some reason or another, I'm having a great time being a producer right now.

Currently I'm coordinating all of the video work for an orientation week here at school. Essentially, the job is that of a producers. I've got to schedule faculty for video interviews, assign screenwriters to create scripts, reserve equipment, and so on and so forth. It's a crazy job, but I'm loving it. And I guess I'm pretty good at it. Or, at least, no one's complained so far.

So am I going to graduate and become a producer? Probably not. I still have my eye on cinematography, and I intend to thoroughly explore that field to see what it has to offer. Still, it's nice to know I have the capacity for something else in the film industry. Ya never know what could happen.

T.H. Excellence

Iron Man Review

2008-05-02T09:44:00.000-07:00

Last night, I went with a group of friends to the local Regal Cinemas for the midnight showing of Marvel's newest comic book adaptation Iron Man. The general consensus: incredible! This film worked incredibly well. The story was good, the action/fights were good. Robert Downey Jr. played a solid Tony Stark. This definitely one of the best films Marvel has ever released, and I would definitely recommend going to see it.

In case that didn't pique your interest, here's a clip from Yahoo.com.

That's all for me today, folks. Go see Iron Man - I think you'll enjoy it.
T.H. Excellence

Film Fest Friday - Chad Vader

2008-04-25T15:28:00.000-07:00

Today's Film Fest Friday features a somewaht recent Star Wars fan series called Chad Vader. Perhaps you've seen this before. Perhaps you haven't. Either way, here is the first episode of a very funny, very original series.

I'm incredibly busy right now, so that's all I have for the time being.
Until next time,
T.H. Excellence