PHOTO SHOOT, I was hired 4, SCARY!!!!!

In the spirit of HALLOWEEN, here are some photos I just received, in which I was hired as an actor. There is a short film, MY WALLET, in which I'm one of lead actors.FILM is posted below. In any event, It was showing at a film festival in North Hollywood, when a photographer in the audience like my worked. The director, Richard Gonzales, of the short, was at the festival, and Beth Dubber, the photographer, got my number through him. She called me, and booked me for the shoot! That's HOLLYWOOD, baby!!! I LOVE MY LIFE! love, jd

prelude to a KISS...part 4 in a series of 4

The reception is back in Burbank at the CASTAWAY'S restaurant which rests near the top of a mountain. It's a great view of the San Fernando Valley, by the way. I arrive at the location, and there is a line of cars. As I get out of my truck to see what's up, it's the bride getting out of the Limo! Well, I missed that shot! It was dark, so I probably couldn't have got it anyway. I brought three of my lights with me just in case, and good thing I did, cause I used them all night! Again, it's night by this point, and I first used them to light a very creative entrance outside the reception room. Here is a series of what I filmed at the reception: The "toast" by the Best Man and Maid of Honor- The Blessing by the Priest- The Father of the bride speaks- The Bride and Groom speak- The wedding party dining-The cutting of the cake- The Bride and groom dance with their parents then their FIRST DANCE as husband and wife!- Interviews of guests wishing them well!-Lots and lots of dancing! By the end of the night, I had shot eight hours of footage. I'm editing that now, and I will post highlights very soon. I LOVE my LIFE! love, jd
P.S. The last shot of the night I managed to shoot was just as the bride and groom left the reception room, he gave her a KISS!

prelude to a KISS...part 3 in a series of 4

3:00 p.m. and the Ceremony starts at 5:00 It was a race to the ceremony all the way across the other side of L.A. The goal was to get there before the bride in order to film her getting out of the Limo. It wasn't gonna happen, because I had left the boom to the microphone back at my apartment. I had just enough time to retrieve the boom, and get back with plenty of time to prepare for the ceremony. At this point, I introduce my assistant in this venture, Richard. The ceremony and reception will be a two camera shoot. I call Richard, and he too is running a bit late. In any event, I get the boom, arrive at the ceremony, and Richard is there already and has shot interiors of the church to serve as CUTAWAYS during the edit. Cutaways are great transitions when editing. There was a platform set up at the front of the Alter to the side, which is where I was allowed to shoot from, and my other camera was allowed to use the Choir loft, and roam so long as we did not get to close to the ALTER. The filming of the ceremony started off just fine UNTIL the a groomsman stuck his head in front of the Bride and groom. An indiscreet, "SSSSST!" solved that problem! Also, I hid the microphone underneath the alter rail, and naturally, a groomsman kept bumpin' it! An indiscreet, "SSSSST!" solved that problem. The rest of the ceremony went off with out a hitch as my assistant and I captured, on film, what is to some women the most important moment of their life! It was off to the RECEPTION!!! more to come......I Love my LIFE! ...love, jd

Prelude to a KISS...part 2 in a series of 4

THE HOME
I arrived at the home of the bride, with camera in hand, at approximately 1:30. The bride wasn't dressed yet, which was good, so I my first shot was a "Pan" from top to bottom of her wedding dress laying on a bed. Being no afficionado on wedding dresses, this dressed looked VERY expensive! By looking at the distress on the father of the bride's face, I'm sure it was:) I then proceeded to shoot candid shots of the family getting ready for one of the most important events of the bride's life! Eventually, the bridesmaids arrived giddy, and gorgeous. They drank champagne, chatted, and loosened up for what would be a prelude to a kiss!! I captured these treasured moments all on film! 3:00 p.m., It's off to the CEREMONY!!! More to come..I LOVE MY LIFE!!!! love, jd

Prelude to a KISS...part 1 in a series of 4

Move in the DIRECTION of your fears, and stay out of the way of the results! FEAR saturated every inch of my skin as I approached this last weekend. Everything I had learned, in terms of filmmaking, Acting, and human behavior since moving here to Los Angeles, was utilized! Here is the "skinny!" Saturday night, I Videographed a wedding. Now, this task may appear at face value fun and minimal, THINK AGAIN! It's a monster of a task, which I can only compare to FUGUE FILMMAKING! see previous posts for the definition and description of fugue filmmaking:) Then on Sunday, I was booked as an Actor for a 14 hour still photography shoot! I played a 70's looking guy who kidnaps his ex-girlfriend for very sinister purposes! More on that amazing shoot later. But first, the wedding film shoot. It's not just picking up you camera and filming the wedding at church. The video shoot is FOUR FOLD! First, filming the Bride at her HOUSE as she gets ready and as the bridesmaids arrive to congregate for the limo drive to the ceremony! Secondly, the shooting of the actual CEREMONY, and thirdly, the RECEPTION. And finally, EDITING the hours of footage that were shot! Keep in mind, when filming weddings, there is no such thing as re-shoots or pick-up shots! It's not like when during the ceremony the Priest says, "You may kiss the bride," and a groomsman wanting to capture this magical moment sticks hishead IN frame thus blocking the shot! And I scream, "CUT! Lets do that again! The extra got in the way!" You get one shot, BABY! Try explaing to the bride that the most important moment of her life is forever shared on the screen with a big fat balding head! I think you get the point! more to come.....I LOVE my life!!!! love, jd
P.S. "Prelude to a Kiss" is what I'm naming the Wedding video....awww

Ouch! That hurt, oh I get IT!

I was loading my equipment onto my truck to go play a gig in Woodland Hills this past Tuesday night, when I savagely caught my finger between my keyboard and music stand! The scintillating pain raced from my brain to my toes to the tip of my finger where it rested and screamed to my face, GOT YOU! As I owned the pain, a technique I've had to learn due to being an injury prone klutz, I had an epiphany! This was just another reminder of how painful the road to achieving your goals and aspirations can be! Moreover, it's not just about OWNING your pain, it's about acceptance whether real, metaphorical, small, or big! And, this too shall pass! I love my life!! love, jd
P.S. The photo is of the organizers and myself from the screening of "Mexican American Psycho" at the North Hollywood Arts district summer movie series!

R ya wondering where I've BEAN!

The Pics say it all! I've been at the "Office/Coffee Shop" trying to get FUGUE FILMS back on the Film Universe. As I've posted in the past, my next film THE TEACHER'S LOUNGE is up next to shoot! It's a complete, total, gruesome, BRUTAL uphill battle! Hey, if it was EASY, everybody would be churning out feature films. Here is what I need to get accomplished before I yell, ACTION! Clearance from The Screen Actor's Guild, Solidify the budget, finish Casting, lock Locations, rent equipment that is still needed....etc! More to come...I LOVE my LIFE!!! love, jd
P.S. Thank you to the Beautiful TOBI SACKHEIM for taking the pics w/ her cell!

No Weights, No Dates!

I don't think I've ever blogged on how I'm a freak for working out. Although, I'm not always in the best of shape, I try to not to completely let myself go. A good measure, for me, in tems of being just right with my muscular and cardio-vascular health is whether I, SNORE! It's crazy! When i'm out of shape, I snore like locomotive, and when I'm in shape, I'm as quiet as a church mouse. An incentive for me in terms of running daily is running competitive 5k's during the weekend. I also lift weights six days a week. I hope this blog doesn't come across as cheezy, and self inflating, but I love fitness! I feel it's vital and helpful to all filmmakers, or whatever you do, to stay in shape as it will facilitate your performance. I'm sure there is systematic data out there to support this bold assertion! I love my biceps, oops, I mean LIFE :)...love, jd

p.s. for official J.D.MATA poster please e-mail at....just KEEDING!!! now 4 sure you hate me...heehee
photo by STEVE WORTH

The Autumn LEAF..SOLO TOUR 2007......

Here is my music Autumn Schedule! This is my favorite time of year, so this is a good time to connect with me in a musical realm. Damn, I'm sounding metaphysical ;0 )...
SUNDAY:
3:00 p.m. Spanish Mass at St.Charles Charles Catholic Church! North Hollywood, California
This is a service where I'm the Choir Director w/ a choir of about ten members. A very spiritual mass!!
7:00-10:00p.m. Ernies Taco House...North Hollywood
I play piano, guitar, and sing 40's,50's,60's all the way to now and the FUTURE!
MONDAY
Cafe Amsterdam, North Hollywood Ca. 7:00-10:00
Coffee house jams on Guitar and Piano
TUESDAY
Monty's Steak House Woodland Hills Ca. 8:30-11:30
I play piano, guitar, and sing 40's,50's,60's all the way to now and the FUTURE!
SATURDAY
7:00-10:00p.m. Ernies Taco House...North Hollywood
I play piano, guitar, and sing 40's,50's,60's all the way to now and the FUTURE!