This Blog Post Belongs on The Cutting Room Floor: By guest writer: Rose Mendonca

Editor’s Note:

It’s somewhat fitting that the first CRF blog post of the year be used to showcase somebody that is just starting out their career in the entertainment business. Ergo (for your consideration), please allow me to introduce you to Rose Mendonca – a student at the Art Institute of California: Sacramento who is working on a Bachelor’s degree in Digital Filmmaking and Video Production.

I first met Rose almost – best known to some of you as @xphile on Twitter - almost exactly a year ago. She’s been great about sending me links to copies of her completed film assignments and other little clips that she produces on the side and posts on her YouTube channel. She also runs a great filmmaking blog of her own called Another Angle.

The best thing that I can say about her is that she has an enthusiasm about her work that is nothing short of infectious. A goal oriented person, she also processes feedback well – using all the information that she gets as an opportunity to grow and refine her craft. In my capacity as a promoter of indie entertainers, I find it almost impossible not to root for people like this.

Below you’ll get a glimpse into one of Rose’s largest projects yet – a short documentary called Deep Dimension.    

Rose, the floor is yours………

CJR


This Blog Post Belongs on The Cutting Room Floor:

I’m in a bar in downtown Sacramento, called The Shady Lady, sipping a Manhattan and munching on some fancy tater-tots. I wanted to go somewhere special. After all, I’m guest-writing for The Cutting Room Floor, one of the best indie podcasts out there.

I may as well start by telling y’all how I happened across Casey Ryan’s show in the first place. Flashback to Episode 163: My Big Break documentary interview with director Tony Zierra and actor Chad Lindberg. I had been following the documentary since before its release. Originally, I heard about it from Chad on Twitter. I was really keen on it. My Big Break has since become my favorite documentary, and nothing I’ve seen since has topped it. Casey’s interview with Tony and Chad was my favorite, out of the many articles I had read and other interviews Tony and Chad did for the film. Anyway, that was the first episode of The Cutting Room Floor I ever listened to, and I was a fan instantly. I got hooked on Cutting Room and have been hooked ever since.

Speaking of documentaries, I just finished my first documentary short. It’s called Deep Dimension -- about my friend Blair who is an independent musician living on Haight Street in San Francisco, CA. Blair is a pretty cool guy. You can see for yourself by clicking here.

If you watched my documentary, I thank you. If you watched my documentary and enjoyed it, I thank you very much. If you’d like to see a few extras, well, you’re in luck.

Here’s an outtake from the shoot, called Unintentionally Awesome.

To tell you the truth, Blair and I had so much fun while we were shooting this. He was an excellent sport. After all, this is my first real film from start to finish. Before making Deep Dimension, I had never used the T3i before (that’s what I shot it on). The tripod and the sun were more enemies than friends. We had frustrations, but we also had a great time. We always have a great time. This documentary took me a month and a half to make. It was all worth it. Plus, it made me realize, “Hey, I might just be a filmmaker after all.”

Don’t let anyone ever tell you passion doesn’t count for something. Passion is everything. Believe in what you do. If you want something, pursue it to the ends of the earth. That’s what I’m doing. I quit my good-paying, full-time job to do this. It was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done, and I have no money now, but I also have no regrets. That’s the way life should be.

Here’s a clip I didn't use. This is just me with the T3i, playing around in the recording studio at Signshop Records (Deep Dimension’s recording studio). This is just an outtake but I really like it.

I’m looking forward to working on new projects this year. I also can’t wait to see what my fellow creative minds come up with. I’m very excited.

Join me, friends, as we ring in the New Year. What you really need – you’ve already got it. You just don’t know it yet. Keep it real in 2013.

Love,

@xphile