Imminence

What a week, what a week, what a week.

You're going to get some serious Reader's Digestion going on here. Super fast, super imminent, les go, les go.

Thursday.

Thursday was big. So, on Facebook, I'm "friends" with people I do not necessarily know. These can be people I look up to, industry pros, social icons, the list goes on. Early last week, I noticed Mr. Eliot Rausch posted a status asking for young, action sports savvy, LA area, DSLR cinematographers for an opportunity. I sent my info. That was that. By the way, Mr. Rausch is a GENIUS when it comes to short documentaries. His most famous is below:

Last Minutes with ODEN from Eliot Rausch + Phos Pictures on Vimeo.


So then, last Wednesday, I get an email from Vans Off The Wall asking me to come to the headquarters for an interview. WHAT. So I did. And it was rad. AND CLOSE! The Vans HQ is just 9 miles away from Biola's campus. We'll see what happens from here. I'm stoked to be collaborating.

Thursday night, I cruised all over LA with Ms. Amanda Cooper. We went to Downtown Disney, we went to Universal CityWalk, we went to Mulholland Drive (and explored it to kingdom come), we went to Hollywood Blvd, we saw RIDICULOUS architecture, we witnessed the Ed Hardy outlet store (I really want to return), we saw lots of closed storefronts, talking and laughing about all of the above + more. Great time, to say the least!

Don't know what happened Friday. Bummer.

Saturday morning, I went to the famed Urth Cafe with new friend Ms. Danae Garcia and old friend Ms. Jenn Larcomb. Jenn hails from Simi Valley, my beloved hometown, and we lived through and experience high school together, enjoying our years at the wonderful Royal High School.  Not only did great conversation commence, but Urth Cafe provided delightful eats. Very LA. Super cool to catch up.

Sunday, I set my alarm for 7:30AM and woke up at 12:45PM. Not okay. But at the same time, okay. My body, that I abuse and neglect, needed that sleep more than I know... I guess. Kinda changed the makeup of the day, but hey, we do what we gotta do. You may remember I mentioned a PHATTY event that ADAMO Collection threw a few Friday's ago and Sunday is the day the video was released. Check check it:


Underground Art Showcase from ADAMO Collection on Vimeo.


Monday, don't really know what happened. Actually, I believe Monday night was the night we watched Signs. I don't really remember why we watched Signs. All I know is Ms. Amanda Cooper wanted to watch Mr. Michael Warnecke watch signs. So we watched Signs. Signs is easily one of the best films I've ever seen. Smash Mr. M. Night all you want but he definitely did something right in Signs. The way silence is taken advantage of, the way white space in the edit is abused, this is quality quality filmmaking. Movies this day in age aren't made with this much care anymore. At least it seems that way. DIG IT. Once the film commenced and bed was calling names, it was 3 some in the morning. I heard Michael yell "EYY" and "I'M CALLIN' THE COPS" from inside his room, and I started running because that's somewhat of an urgent call. Turns out there was a boy and girl making quite the scene outside our apartment, a scene right out of movies such as "The Notebook" or "Twilight." Face-sucking is a pretty good term for it. Let's just say the "I'M CALLIN' THE COPS" scared them just a bit. We laughed, a bunch. It felt like summer camp, laughin' real hard, running around the apartment, gettin' all giddy, wakin' up neighbors, having conversations through windows, the whole bit. It was a good night.

Tuesday. Copy + Paste from the facebook.

Had so many SOLID conversations today with old and new faces. Thank you for exchanging words with me, it's more encouraging than you know. And that's including you, "R.D." Thanks.

 Seriously though. So many good conversations with good friends, acquaintances, strangers. So much to talk about, so much to learn about, to much to listen to. And then "R.D." comes out of the blue. I find this piece of paper in my mailbox and it goes on to be perhaps the most encouraging few sentences I've ever had the privilege to read.  Rocked my world. "R.D.", if you're reading this, you made my day, week, month, year. Thanks a million.

And then BOOM. Here we are today. All over again. Here we go. And you know what's funny? Last week I thought I had no time. It's still true. I don't have time. But look at all this stuff that spilled out onto this blog... it just kinda happened. I think that's what this blog is about. Spillage.


Have a great week my friends. Enjoy the weather. Hot and cold. Sunday was Hot. And now that I think of it, this was from Sunday:

It's a beautiful day. Rejoice. #ecclesiastes11:7 #theSUN #theSON http://instagr.am/p/HxF409TBOs/

Or freezing, like yesterday.  Enjoy it, no matter what.

Until next time,

L E A P

IT'S LEAP DAY 2012!

Friends, Leap Day comes once every four years, but actually every seven years. Last time, Leap Day came was 2008, that was four years ago. Today is Leap Day. The next Leap year will fall on 2016, four years from now. So we've got three years on both sides of us.

My numbers are off. WHATEVER. IT'S LEAP DAY! Get psyched, amped, jazzed, pumped, GOING ABSOLUTELY BALLISTIC!

Leap.






Friends, this blog post is a sad one. I'm here to report that I don't know how I will humanly possible be able to maintain this blog to the extent I would like to and the extent you deserve. You see, last weeks didn't even make it out in time (here's the link, there's lots of fun photos there. For seriously. http://emliv.blogspot.com/2012/02/pictorals.html). And this week I'm crunched for time as well. It simply isn't working out as well this semester as every other semester.  It's a sad moment.  So here's a survey:







So, friends, we'll see what happens. It really pains me to drop to such drastic measures.

This last weekend was seriously one of the most ridiculous weekends of my life. Here's the rundown.


Fri: Film my good friends Chase Wagner and Paige Echarte's wedding with Mawwiage Films. This wedding was absolutely 100% breathtaking. I CAN'T EVEN BELIEVE IT. So beautiful. I can't wait to show you our video(s).  Here's an image or two from Smetona Photo (http://smetonaphoto.com):

Sat: Film the Spring 2012 Adamo Collection clothing line launch party in Huntington Beach. INTENSE! Lots of people came out, art was displayed, music was blasted, all in all, good time. The video will be posted here when completed!

Sun: Playing drums drums drums for House of Worship at Biola. So good to get behind the set again, especially while worshiping our God. I have some video of that as well that will hopefully get edited into something worth watching/listening.


Madness of a weekend, and it doesn't stop! This kinda stuff comes up, goes away, more comes up, goes away, as it goes. As it goes. This is life and it's going at millions of miles per hour. I keep catching myself blinking. It's not healthy. I'm going to miss this life of mine.







Have an excellent excellent week my fellow internet browsers. Enjoy something you've never enjoyed before. Like salted peanuts. Or knocking over pylons.



Enjoy life. And don't blink.

YESSS

I'm in a WHACK MOOD RIGHT NOW. So, before you continue on, play this music, because it perfectly describes the WHCK mood I'm in:



Okay, okay, okay. We're one week into school and it's ABSOLUTELY CRAZY! Hard to explain why. But it's swell, it's going, and it's not stopping. Classes are crazy, learnings are crazy, new things are crazy, crazy is crazy is crazy is crazy.

Friends, I don't know what's gotten into me.

Friends, crazy stuff is going to happen this semester and there's no telling what it's going to be like. 

Something cool happened this week. My friends at Adamo Collection decided they would feature me in their online magazine this week. Wait, what?! I was, am, and will be honored. Take a look here:

http://raw.adamocollection.com/2012/02/06/young-creative-morgan-lott-brilliant-filmmaker-photographer/

and here's a fun video I threw together for it. Talk about a talking head.


RAW by adamo // Morgan Lott from Morgan Lott on Vimeo.


And BOOM BOOM BANG! This post is practically done. I haven't found a good amount of time on Wednesday's to pound this bloggy blog out, my schedule is kinda funky on the day of the week we start with a "W." I'll figure it out...evenutally.


Take a look at this fun craziness of a video to finish off our time together. It's a funky one, watch out.


Masquerade from Duodezimalsystem on Vimeo.





Farewell, friends. My redonkulous mood has just about subsided. So there you go.


Get in crazy moods every once in a while. Dance around a bit. Have a ball.

Combo-Nation

WOW! Well hello, it's been a while. This bloggy got the back seat these last couple weeks because, well, it has been an ABSOLUTE ZOO! Up above is not a picture from today; instead, there are two throwback images to send us back to yesteryear. They are fun to look at and remember...things. Okay, back to reality. The last few weeks have been off-the-hook crazy, so here we go, in chronological order.


We begin with finals, the best week of every college students semester. Study study study, project project (more the latter). One of those times where, before finals week, the workload that needs to be accomplished seems a monstrosity and impossible for the timeframe, and then 5 days and little sleep later, it's finished, all of it.  It's a strange, great feeling. I don't have much to show for my exams, but for my Integrated Design II final, we officically completed the 100 Days project, mine being THE SLEEPTALK 100 (http://sleeptalk100.tumblr.com). This was a 2 part final, half of which is still in production. But here is the first half: a 32" x 24" poster, including the transcript of sleeptalks from each of the 100 days, running from September 1 to December 9.  Enjoy and expect part 2 of 2 in the coming weeks!

And then, all a sudden, school is out. UNREAL. 6 weeks of break from formal education. After this insane intensity of finals week, FREEDOM was here. Well, not quite. I've been learning some things as I've got through college and one of these "learnings" is college is not forever and you need a job. I've been somewhat proactive and have become involved with a new clothing company called the ADAMO Collection. A few guys from Huntington Beach and a few from Biola connected and began production for a creative community created for the youth by the youth.  I was asked to produce a video or two for them and I was more than obliged. It was GREAT being a part of this process. The creative inspiration and ideas these guys produce are unbelievable and having the opportunity to film pretty rad stuff was just that...pretty rad. I'll let them tell you their story:

ADAMO Interview from ADAMO Collection on Vimeo.

Working clothes for the graffiti segment. That stuff is PUNGENT.

And then BOOM! It's Christmas! Here's a great video from one of my favorite filmmakers Eliot Rausch. A great look into a modern day Christmas. Super interesting.

O NIGHT DIVINE from Eliot Rausch + Phos Pictures on Vimeo.

Christmas though, AWESOME! Always is. There's something about this season, seeing family, seeing friends, giving and receiving gifts, and most of all, celebrating the birth of our Savior, God turned flesh to save us from our own sins, Jesus Christ. Born in a stable, fulfilling prophecy, the star shines bright. Do we deserve it? Not one bit. Every time I try and think about this ultimate sacrifice I'M BLOWN OUT OF MY BOOTS! Sure is Good News.

And WOAH! Here's some of my extended family. We took a picture together. Yes, yes we did.

And WOAH! Here's some more of my extended family, watching my sisters and cousins performing "Go Tell It On The Mountain" in a very peculiar way.

And WOAH! Christmas is over and WOAH! New Year's is here!

New Year's is a bizarre experience. It's when the earth completes one complete revolution around the sun. 365 days. That's all. But it's a BIG DEAL. I guess. Just take a look at Time Square New York. Yeah. Big deal. So, for New Year's, people party. Parties all over. Big parties, small parties, ragers, get-togethers.  Mr. Austin Axen and Mr. Kyle Norman decided to invite a group of Biola people as well as a group of Simi Valley people to celebrate the coming of 2012.  Good times, good conversation, good fun. And 4 on a couch for a man? Well, the late arrival of Mr. Josh Suaverdez turned the gentlemen's record around and we went on to win the next 3 rounds, taking the championship.  We also threw down some PHAT fireworks, gettin' crazy with the explosives. Fireworks are always a good time, especially when you play with them in a safe manner, with a water source nearby. And Piccolo Pete's? Always a winner. And an earsore. A toast, watching a recording of the famous BALL in NYC, and celebrating into the night brought in 2012 RIGHT.

Here's the group x2!

But OH! It's not over. My little broski's are on the Royal High School, my alma matter, soccer team. They play games now and then and I take pictures now and then. Can you say perfect opportunity? The absolutely gorgeous sunset can too.

Fútbol.

And THEN. The project from the last couple days:

So in the film industry (maybe music industry?), there's this weird thing called the REEL. I'm not quite sure what it's all about, but basically it's a filmic resume, a collection of work that demonstrates and gives examples of your work in a compressed, short form video. The last few days I have been working on gathering clips scattered throughout the wide variety of videos I have conjured up, and spent quite a bit of time organizing and editing them together to create just that: my collection of work. So here it is, for you:


Morgan Lott // 2012 Demo Reel from Morgan Lott on Vimeo.





And then BOOM! Here we are today. It's been quite the few weeks! Things happen, lots of things happen. That's life. Don't blink or else it will skip right by you and you'll wake up and wonder where the last 50 years of your life went. Boy, that'd be nuts.




Friends, make memories each and every day. Discover something new about yourself. Be curious. Be passionate. LIVE LIFE!