Hallow

Today is Wednesday, October 31. Today is also Halloween, All Hallows Eve. I'm dressed up as an Insurance Salesman. On Wednesday. Everyone dressed up for Wednesday. It's great.

Here's a short history of Halloween.

Short History of Halloween

Just about every culture sets aside a special time to remember those who have died and give reverence to departed ancestors. Halloween started out as that kind of celebration. It has mutated since it came to America. The Mexican version of Halloween is Dia De Los Muertos, Day of the Dead.

Halloween's a pretty interesting holiday. People do weird stuff. People say weird stuff. People wear weird stuff. People think weird stuff. It's also a holiday that transcends age. Last week, we made a late night run to Denny's and a group of Halloween celebrators walked in, all dressed up and "fancy." They were probably late 20s, early 30s. They could have been standing next to the elementary kids who dress up for reading time. Transcends age. People do weird stuff.


Let me tell you something. LIFEIZCRAY.

Don't have much to talk about. Because so much is happening. So many projects to juggle, so many conversations to be had, so many passions to pursue. It's all a mad conglomerate of stuffs, compiling, compounding, abstracting upon each other. It's a world of trouble, it's a world of craziness, it's a world of learning and pursuit and excellence. This is the time for it, right? College? Be pushed further than I could even imagine? And THEN some? Yup.

Here's two examples of what I've been working on. I've been digging them BUT there's bunches and bunches of work to be done.

 

Here's a poster for the All Student Art Show that has been showing on campus all this week.

AND SleepTalk100 was shown at the gallery which was an unprecedented honor. 


Have a merry Halloween everybody. Eat some candy, down some sugar, celebrate a straight up bizarre holiday.

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!

The Line

Oh, it's Wednesday again. It's amazing how much happens at the week, but at the same time, how little happens. Think about it.

I'm here to tell you the apartment still is not finished. The same as last week. It is still not suitable for the tour. Not at all. BUT, I promise you, you will get the tour eventually. Treat it like a raincheck, except I choose when you redeem it. Either way, I apologize. The tour is a staple in college life, it had been unwavering. Can't quite say that any more.


This week has been good. Has it's ups and downs as normal. I've realize my plate is plum full of good, clean fun/work/school/etc. I think I'm going to legally change my name to "Busy." Why this happens every semester, I will never know. Let me introduce you to SLEEPTALK100.

On September 1st, I began an adventure: for 100 straight days, I am going to record my sleep talking during the night. It's exciting, it's off-kilter, it's annoying, it's vulnerable, it's eerie, it's a blast. I am a week into the project and the results have been surprising, mainly because I've never actually heard myself sleep talk, I've just heard the stories. Here's your introduction:


SLEEPTALK100 - An Introduction from Morgan Lott on Vimeo.



and here are your links:

MAIN SITE: Audio clips are here: http://sleeptalk100.tumblr.com

Follow progress and receive updates: http://facebook.com/sleeptalk100

Secondary: http://twitter.com/sleeptalk100




It's been quite the journey thus far. And let me tell ya, the next 3 months are going to be full of quality sleep talkin'. Like the facebook page and you'll see this stuff as it's happening. Crazyzyzyness.


I've got some fun video for you now.

I took a trip to yesteryear this last week and uncovered some classic videos. All I can say is: ENJOY.


This first one is one of my favorites. This was my first spontaneous film, no prep, go with the flow, jump cut editing. I love it. And I'm sure all of the people in this video really enjoy seeing their young selves. Recognize that dude in the thumbnail? Mr. Scott Weir = the man.



Marvelous Light. Oh boy. Summer of 2009 I had the privilege to play drums at Hartland Christian Camps. It was a blast and a half and AWESOME to see God work throughout the summer. One of the nights is called the Rowdy Campfire in which the goal is simple: go ape. Here is an example of the ape-ness: Two campers came up to play with us, I came from behind the set to sing, the bassist, my cousin Mr. Micah Hiett, went back to drums and we JAMMED. Act ridiculous, sound ridiculous, and praising God through it all. What a memory.




During my senior year in high school, I was in a video production class (which changed my life by the way) and this was my extra credit music video. It surprised people.





These first couple weeks of school has brought back memories from freshman year. I have told the stories of the next videos a number of times and it's absolutely wonderful to re-experience the madness.

First, the possum that was hanging out in my room. Mr. Ben Jacuk came in and showed us scaredy cats (and inexperienced, not-wanting-rabies, cats) who's boss.




And finally, us dudes heard of a free Ashley Tisdale concert. We HAD to go. It was necessary. This is our story.














And that, ladies and gentleman, is today's blog post. I hope you enjoyed the videos. I know I did, reliving memories is definitely worthwhile every once in a whileworth.


Look around, find some old pictures of videos from your life. Relive those moments. Nothing better.