You Dorks at C2E2!

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Using WNET for my own nefarious schemes PT. 1

Making stripboards/breaking down scripts.



More to come.

Halloween 2011

A little video i decided to take during the Annual West Village Halloween Parade

Halloween parade 2011 - eyes from Matthew Chao on Vimeo.

New York Comic Con 2011 Pt.1

Here's the New York Comic Con 2011 Piece I produced with CDBerrios with the help of Associate Producers Mikyle Yuvienco and Julianne Wilkinson and production assistants Kathleen O'Donnell and Anne Zhou.

Watch New York Comic Con 2011: Through the Artists' Eyes on PBS. See more from THIRTEEN Specials.

A YouDorks Production

New York Comic Con 2011 Preview

More to come:

The Adventures of Teddy Perez Pt. 1

Teddy Perez gets ready to do some voice over:



Photo Courtesy of Tenro11 (aka Tenro333)

Teddy Perez Prologue Here

Big Brother

Those of you who pay a little more attention may have noticed that my video links seemed to have changed on the side of my blog -- they have. I've linked them to the higher-res Vimeo versions instead of the youtube versions.

You may have also noticed that my film from senior year of college is finally up in it's entirety for anyone who cares to watch. You can also view it here:

Big Brother from Matthew Chao on Vimeo.

Teaching Channel: Education Update Pt. 5

Here's the last and final:
High School

All of them are uploaded to my Vimeo site as well, which you can go to to see all of my work, but I also made an album just for them.

Education Update: High School from Matthew Chao on Vimeo.

Links to all the videos on Teaching Channel

Apparently you can see it on teaching channel's youtube channel too. Look for the ones that say "Common Core State Standards"

Common Core State Standards for Math
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy
Common Core State Standards for Elementary School
Common Core State Standards for Middle School
Common Core State Standards for High School

What Kids Do In Front Of Cameras

Me: “You know, every time I see a shot of one of these dumb kids grabbing his crotch and staring at the camera, I’m always tempted to just take it and stick it on the internet.”

Boss: “Yea, do it. We have a release.”

Picturing America

Near the first summer after I started interning at WNET, I worked for the *Emmy Award Winning Series American Masters -- a department I'm back in as of now. It is here that I met Gail Levin, a producer that was working on a for web series of short documentary segments funded by the NEH called Picturing America.

At any rate, they're all up now and you can watch them all at the provided link above. Go watch it and learn a little bit about America's history through art.

Elementary Educators and History teachers, you may want to check this out to see if any of this is of any use to you.

*Sorry, had to do that.

Teaching Channel: Education Update Pt. 4

Here's Middle School

The rest are actually uploaded to my Vimeo site as well, which you can go to to see all of my work, but I also made an album just for them.

I'll continue posting them up here one by one.

Education Update: Middle School from Matthew Chao on Vimeo.

Links to all the videos on Teaching Channel

Apparently you can see it on teaching channel's youtube channel too. Look for the ones that say "Common Core State Standards"

Common Core State Standards for Math
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy
Common Core State Standards for Elementary School
Common Core State Standards for Middle School
Common Core State Standards for High School

Lemmings

Apparently this is what I broke my foot for back in June.

10 Years Later

For the longest time, I used to leave an annual 9/11 memorial on my Xanga. I stopped some time in college -- i believe it was either 07 or 08 -- mostly because it started feeling cheap. 9/11 is a topic that has, in many ways, been talked to death. It is a tragedy that has been decorated with fluffy, poetic, eloquent words for the past 10 years, but none of those words can really encapsulate what happened or what we should be feeling. Ultimately everyone feels something different on the giant emotion spectrum, as they should do and as anyone would when facing tragedy. I remember, after another tragedy that was a bit closer to home, speaking with a friend and he said something that I'll always remember: "There's nothing to say,".

There's a reason why memorial services always include a moment of silence -- because sometimes silence will say more than any number of words ever will.

Teaching Channel: Education Update Pt. 3

Here's Elementary School -- because who doesn't like seeing groups of cute little kids yell out answers to math problems?

The rest are actually uploaded to my Vimeo site as well, which you can go to to see all of my work, but I also made an album just for them.

I'll continue posting them up here one by one.

Education Update: Elementary School from Matthew Chao on Vimeo.

Links to all the videos on Teaching Channel

Common Core State Standards for Math
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy
Common Core State Standards for Elementary School
Common Core State Standards for Middle School
Common Core State Standards for High School

Teaching Channel: Education Update Pt. 2

Same deal-y as before. Here's MATH!

Education Update: Math from Matthew Chao on Vimeo.

Links to all the videos on Teaching Channel

Common Core State Standards for Math
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy
Common Core State Standards for Elementary School
Common Core State Standards for Middle School
Common Core State Standards for High School

Teaching Channel: Education Update Pt. 1

So back in mid February I started working as an associate producer/shooter/editor for a project for PBS in conjunction with Teaching Channel, a U.S. version of the now defunct teacher's tv in the UK.

The project I worked on was specifically called "Education Update" and were 5 15 minute episodes detailing the adoption of Common Core Standards here in America. The project took about 3 and 1/2 months to complete and are now finally available to be viewed by the public. Below you can watch one of the episodes -- specifically on elementary education. They are all out but I am uploading some better quality versions to my Vimeo account, especially since the teaching channel website, for whatever reason, allows you to download the videos but not embed them -- and Vimeo does. So, more later -- they're a little larger in size so I only have enough memory in my Vimeo account to upload 1 a week, but you can still view the rest on the teaching channel website (actually, that is encouraged). Links below.

Education Update: ELA and Literacy from Matthew Chao on Vimeo.

Common Core State Standards for Math
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy
Common Core State Standards for Elementary School
Common Core State Standards for Middle School
Common Core State Standards for High School

Tom Mangravite

Tom Mangravite was an accomplished cinematographer, and while his credentials were not prominently displayed at the end of many Hollywood hits, he still had a very fruitful and none the less impressive career, having shot many classic and easily recognized commercials.

While all this is a relevant part of the laundry list of accomplishments that is this man's life, what I knew him as was a challenging, thorough teacher and a supportive and kind mentor. My Junior year of college I took Cinematography 1 with him, a class where he taught us much of the theory and science behind what goes on in a camera and then drilled that knowledge into us by recreating practical situations, his often taking on the role of cinematographer and ordering us as though we were working on a real set -- it was one of the most informative and valuable experiences I had in film school.

Often times, in class, he would take on the role of a hard ass, yelling at us for goofing off and constantly challenging. However, despite this gruff facade he donned during class, it was very clear his, as he put it, bark was much worse than his bite, often taking the time to provide assistance and support for students who sought it. His knowledge and passion will be greatly missed.

Back on my Feet

3-D Bird Walk Cycle from Matthew Chao on Vimeo.

Being able to walk has never hurt this much while simultaneously feeling this good.
(that is NOT an S&M comment)

Common Sense

Found this while filling out some Worker's Comp forms:



Man, I'd be really screwed if I didn't know any English huh?

Clipped Wings

Been wishing I could hurry up and just get to this point:

Flight Pencil Test from Matthew Chao on Vimeo.

(That's a little animation I did my senior year of college)

The Perils of the Film Industry

I managed to hurt myself on Friday, effectively putting myself out of commission for doing anything this past weekend... and, well, today. As you may be able to see from the -- very possibly too graphic picture to the left, I hurt my foot.

I was doing PA work (as is sometimes necessary when you go back to working pro bono as a favor to the person that kinda started you off on getting paid for the company that you previously did unpaid slave labor for for 2 years) on a commercial-ish gig for a company called "Black Watch Productions," a company I've worked with before (They're actually cool peoples). The details of this commercial, however, will remain hush hush since I signed an NDA and don't feel like being sued for leaking info over the net (in this public a forum none the less).

One of my goals is to steer myself away from doing PA work and get more assistant editing or associate producing gigs, but again, working pro bono doesn't pay the bills, even if you do get to pick up skills that will get you to your goal.

To sum up the events that left my right foot looking like it was suffering from a recent boxing match with Manny Pacquniao (and that was only minutes after this all happened)-- a 15-20 pound stage fell on my foot -- full force. It hurt a lot -- and I STILL had to drive home several hours later. Over the course of the next few hours I iced it as my entire foot swelled up to twice it's size and I stubbornly gimped around the sound stage cleaning and... well, doing my PA duties as best I could -- though frequented with breaks to re-ice and elevate.

And so I spend the entirety of my weekend chair or bed bound with my leg resting on a pillow as I wrapped ice around it. I think the swelling's gone down considerably and luckily nothing seemed broken (I can walk on it pretty ok now). There's more to this story, but I'm afraid I might end up violating the terms of the NDA if I talk more about it. Though, it is worth noting that we were shooting in a cool sound stage (i'm sure it used to be a warehouse/factory) in Greenpoint called "Cinema World Studios" -- and on a funnier/lighter note -- some time during the final day of filming (I was PA-ing on Thurs. and Friday, so on Friday --) some unexpected auditions started taking place that shouldn't have really since I believe the entire place was booked by the shoot I was on. The production manager for Black Watch Productions said it was weird because some of the girls that was auditioning for whatever last minute audition just came up popped into the wardrobe area our production was set up in and just started putting on bikinis and more or less stripping in front of everyone to do so (not our production's) so everyone was like "wtf?" and talked to the people that ran the place, who moved them upstairs.

When I was told about this I jokingly asked "are they auditioning for a porn?" To which the production manager is like "no... they can't be." -- Later we found out they were auditioning for something called (and I REALLY hope I wasn't imagining this) "Old Man Gone Wild" and that was a nice "told you" moment. But yea, it kinda wasn't cool that they kept eating our craft services (for those of you not in the film/tv industry -- that's our food/snacks -- as hopefully you could tell from the use of the word "eating,".)


All of that aside, I look at my job(s) and I really do think, you need to enjoy what you're doing if you want to survive in this industry.

Constantly I come across low-level/entry level people in this industry that don't seem to care, which is just kind of ridiculous to me because though there's this allure of fame and wealth, not giving a shit about your work isn't going to get you there -- hell, giving a shit about your work is no guarantee. Honestly, it is a very difficult thing to make a lot of money in this industry, the people you hear about making hand over fist in huge deals is maybe the top 1% of the people in this field. There are so many better ways to make lots of money, so for all the people in it because you think it's easy money -- you're in for a pretty big surprise.

Delivery Fail but Plushie Win, so lets just call it even.

I ordered Big Bird off of Amazon.Com last week -- only it wasn't really Amazon.Com, it was more BabyAge.Com selling through Amazon.Com, which wasn't a problem cost wise because it was discounted significantly with free shipping. ($16 -- how could I pass up the 20" plushie? -- that usually sells for $40 mind you)

At anyrate, I had it shipped to my office and got a call today about it being in. -- The packaging had BabyAge.Com written all over it and I realized how bad it looked/what it seemed to imply.

But look at how awesome that is. Big Bird was totally worth the mailroom people thinking I'm having a baby.

By the way, Big Bird looks totally gangsta in a fedora.

What I did yesterday.

Oh the joys of getting work done early and being by a Toys "R" Us

For the "Harry Potter" version, click here.

Why I love my job

On an analysis of Sonnet 18:

Teacher: "So now, knowing that, can you re-read it from a different way?"
Boy: "Oh I knew it, I knew he was talking about a woman"
[Teacher Laughs]
...
Teacher: "...And summer, it's way too short, and you're longer than summer, alright? you're better than summer because summer's always too short"
Boy: I would compare, certain females I know, to winter.
Girl: Cold?
Boy: Yes
[Long awkward pause]
Teacher: I think I'm too young for this conversation
[Awkward pause]
Teacher: Stay in the poem Brandon, stay in the poem

---

After that I was laughing so hard I have no idea how I kept the camera steady.

I LOVE MY JOB!!!

Epic April Fools Win!

Our boss had a nice surprise when she came into the office yesterday.

Happy April Fools Day Boss!

To Freeze Time

The day read two months ago, the calender on which it was printed hanging unchanged since that day. It was as though the tiny apartment was making a futile attempt at freezing time.

6 weeks -- it had taken a whole 6 weeks, but finally they were done. It was an odd sensation -- combing through 40 years of someone's life -- it wasn't a particularly enjoyable one either, but an educational one none the less.

The boy remembered vividly the fateful day two months ago, the tangible tension that effortlessly filled the apartment as he entered, the foreboding aura emanating from the room at the far end of the tiny apartment, the nervous fidgeting of the boy's father; the old man's son.

Ultimately the boy could not bring himself to peer into the far room, allowing only small glances at the doorway, through which socked feet attached to the beginning of legs, to which the rest lay hidden under an aging bed sheet. The boy felt that that was enough -- any more and his mind wouldn't be able to hold it's shield of composure. Ultimately, none of it felt real, even if he knew it was, and that feeling was what he clung to, a feeling he knew would shatter if he stepped foot in that room.

In reality, the tactic the boy employed served no purpose. It did not rewind time nor did it change the outcome of the situation, but for then, it was what he needed. It was also what the apartment needed.

The calender hung stubbornly on the green age-stained wall. The room's attempt to stop time had ultimately been unsuccessful, as evidenced by the now otherwise bare walls and empty rooms; the world had once again triumphed in it's fight to keep turning. However, where the calender failed the apartment had managed, in some small part, to succeed; twice a week for 6 whole weeks it transported the boy back and forth through 40 years of time -- a journey that was rarely pleasant but one that will never be forgotten.

The Teachings of a Cup of Coffee

I don't think I'll ever understand your addiction to coffee. This morning I had my first cup in what must have been at least a year. I took it black because I feel like that's how you usually drank it. From my first sip I was immediately reminded why I don't often drink the stuff.

I find it interesting that someone with as large a sweet tooth as yourself could like a drink so bitter, though I suppose one could argue the bitterness made all those sweets you enjoyed taste that much better.

Perhaps that's one of the secrets all you coffee fiends shared amongst yourselves. Though I may be just missing the obvious reason of the energy kick it gives. I don't know, I wasn't a follower of yours in that regard.

Choice of beverage aside however, (I never got the Diet Coke thing either, but I'll concede that preference on behalf of your diabetes) you did instill in me the foundations for becoming a respectable adult. In that respect I was a follower of yours. This was a task you had striven to accomplish in most of your students, I'm sure. I'm also fairly certain you achieved that goal time and again. I would like to think, however, that I gave you more trouble than the average brat that walked through your classroom doors, which, of course, made the outcome all the more rewarding.

Through the 9½ years I've known you, I've come to understand a little more about you. Most of this can be summed up by simply saying "you never stopped changing,". With the courage to always try something new (we all uttered a collective gasp when we first witnessed your use of the common instant messaging shorthand "LOL") you continually planted and replanted yourself in the midsts of younger generations; building and maintaining a strong relationship with the mere seedlings so you could guide them as they sprouted, budded and eventually bloomed. Creating a relationship through mutual understanding, it was an action you performed seemingly instinctively and those lives whom you've touched because of it were introduced to its importance.

I still don't get the coffee.

F.A.N.G this Valentines Day

Here's a music video for Nyle Emerson that I produced with Jimy Shah, Richard Gianotti and Kent Hu. The director was Tahir Jetter and the Cinematographer was Fletcher Wolfe.

The Many Sounds of Jeff

When I was working as an assistant editor on the American Masters Jeff Bridges: The Dude Abides film, I edited together this little sequence called The Many Sounds of Jeff just for fun and somehow it managed to become a little web extra. So yay for that.

The Old Man

It was about 4:30 when he got the news. He was dressed rather nicely: dress pants, black button-down underneath a red v-neck cashmere sweater. His attire, while entirely appropriate for the work related event earlier that day, was now completely inappropriate for the news he had just received.

The old man's apartment was hot and cramped. Strewn about were various sets of clothes and other junk. The old man had lived like a pack rat... for all the good that did him. Now the possessions he had refused to get rid of for so long were left behind for his family to clean up.

Our hero arrived shortly after he got the call. In the room next door lay a lump in the bedsheets. The room held an ominous and uninviting presence, but as long as our hero stayed away from the room none of it seemed threatening, as though it were radiated from a world far away. Perhaps it was this feeling that none of this was real that he was hiding behind, and as long as he didn't step foot in that room his fairy tail world would remain.

Ham

The short doc I started in college and finished in Oct. 09. I finally got around to posting it online like I promised so long ago.

Ham from Matthew Chao on Vimeo.