Burn Baby Burn Films
Burn Baby Burn Films was a studio I worked with from 2010-2015. It was a studio my dad helped start as a producer/director, but the majority of the projects that were actually produced were written and directed by Josh Pierson.
I appreciated the experience of working on a film set as a teenager surrounded by adults. After a time, they came to respect my opinions, so my hard work was rewarded with increasing responsibility within the studio. I started helping around the sets as a cord runner and general production assistant, which progressed into a little acting, then I was given assistant directing responsibilities, and I was finally handed the camera and sole editing duties.
My only complaint about my time with Burn Baby Burn is that the theme of the projects and who directed them was very uniform. I and a few others felt we had legitimate visions for what we could make as a studio, but unfortunately, we were locked into very specific styles.
Anyway, I had some fun working with these guys and I picked up vital skills and beneficial experiences along the way, which is very cool.
The Long Slow Burn
This project was the very first one I worked on with Burn Baby Burn. The film is about a hitman whose life has spiraled out of his control.
My initial position was slated as a production assistant running cords, keeping notes, and lending my keen eye for detail. I only helped out in that capacity on a few shoots, but my help was much appreciated.
When my dad got burnt out on editing, he pawned that job off to me as well. It was a learning experience as it was the largest project I worked on at the time and my first foray into big-project editing.
The original film was intended to be significantly longer, if I remember correctly, but entire scenes were lost thanks to the Canon XL-1 chewing up an entire tape during transfer.
I was given what scenes escaped unscathed and tasked with piecing together the story, despite losing chunks of the original footage. It was a mess, but again, it was a learning experience for an amateur high schooler.
M is for Misanthropy
This film was the second I worked on with Burn Baby Burn. It is about a woman who's being haunted by her past, present and future via drug induced hallucinations. The film was created for the ABC's of Death film competition.
Again, I started the project mostly within a production assistant role, but finished the project with more responsibility. I was given my first shot at directing as the Assistant Director in addition to being the editor, though much of the editing direction was given by Josh Pierson. I also provided a lot of insight for the cinematography, much of the vision was deferred to me by my father, though he still had final say with the camera.
DIRT
This film was the third I worked on with Burn Baby Burn. It is about a about a middle aged college professor who is struggling with his daily life, as well as the emotional damage from an abusive childhood that has taken an immense toll on him.
I continued my roles as Assistant Director and Editor for this film. My main complaint about the film is that the camera settings the film was shot with were quite off from the get, making it difficult to achieve a consistent and attractive look.
It was another valuable learning experience that I quickly improved upon in subsequent projects.
The End of Me
This film was the fourth I worked on with Burn Baby Burn. It focuses on mental illness, lust, and tragedy.
I took a step back for much of the post production of this project because of the transition from high school to my first stint in college. During production, however, I was handed the camera and told to have at it. It being my first time behind the camera, I think it turned out okay. I enjoyed the experience, but looking back, I can readily recognize where I could have improved my contribution to the project.
Grind & Blow
This film was the final I worked on with Burn Baby Burn. It is a crime-dramedy involving a dirty cop, pot grower, dealer and drugged out stripper that find themselves entangled in a plot to steal the unsuspecting, trusting grower's money.
This project was probably the one I was most involved in producing with Burn Baby Burn. I oversaw the blocking and shooting of the entire film, while again being the sole editor. It isn't perfect by any means, but it's decent for having an amateur 18 year old's fingerprints all over it.