Revised Demo

After a months of work and revisions, here is the final version of my demo reel.

Special thanks to Francesco Lemus, student at Pinnacle Sound Design, who customized the track for this.

This project has served three different classes so far, in three different forms, so hopefully this will be it.

But probably not.

Jake

Trainwreck Revival - "Down by the River" (in a Van)

My last Official Entrant of the Sac Music Seen portion of the 2009 Sacramento Film and Music Festival!

This video was shot by the infamous Robert Reimers, a young talent only lacking attention.

Thanks again to Marilyn's on K Street for providing the location.

This came to live thanks to the nonstop support of Sean Kilcoyne, Trainwreck's leader, and because of his efforts, this video came out as strong as it did.

Thanks again to the band for putting up with the shooting conditions at the river and in my parking lot.

Enjoy the unaltered, perfect as it was cut of Trainwreck Revival's, "Down by the River" (in a Van)!

Awaiting the Apocalypse

AT LAST!

Finally, the Director's cut of "I'll Beat You to Death" (to Prove My Love to You).

Tyler of the Apocalypse spent hours with me in the editing process to perfect this, and the results are fucking phenomenal.

Another Official Entrant to the Sac Music Seen portion of the 2009 Sacramento Film and Music Festival by the award winning crew of Jake Schantz and Ian Webb.

Scales of Pain

Been a long time coming...

Crazy Ballhead's "Scales of Pain", Winner of the Best Program Music Video for the Sac Music Seen Portion of the 2009 Sacramento Film and Music Festival, and Best Music Video for the 2009 Art Institute of Sacramento Student Showcase!

This project was a labor of love brought to life by Ian Webb and Reginald Waters, Coach Barrera, and of course, Crazy Fucking Ballhead.

The Boxer and Gym came by way of Coach Barrera, Owner of Broadway Boxing in Sacramento. The beats came from Crazy B, which he used to rock the crowd at the legendary Old Ironsides. And I provided the madness as usual.


Coach accepted the lead role in our video, and provided his facilties, without without any other thanks and the free publicity. Thanks to him and Crazy, the gym became packed within less than an hour and a half, full of supporters ready to see blood.


Alex Barrera, Coach's brother and fighter, stepped up as to play the role of a rival. He asked for my autograph at the premier of the video, but I should be getting his. Look out for this kid.

As for Crazy and Coach, do I need to say look out for them? They've been kicking ass for years now; Sac's only now catching up to them.





Having this video take one of the top honors of the night was one of the most fulfilling moments of my life, not only personally, but as a budding filmmaker.

We knew something special would come from this venture, but Crazy and I didn't really understand the potential until we stepped into that ring.

Scales of Pain reflects on the personal sacrifices that come with making art, on overcoming the odds in a crowded and often crooked game.

The only better metaphor for the video than the song itself are the two awards it won in it's wake.

While Ian, Reggie and I could've stayed contented to be fat and happy in air conditioned rooms while on break, we decided to strain our sanity and sleep by making this video and three others.





I can't ask for a better crew, and to be rewarded like we were validates my confidence in all of their abilities.

The most important thing I learned?

I was one of the naysayers of the Sac film scene. But I've learned the only way we'll turn this place around is to keep our noses to the grindstone, and keep honing our crafts with the talented people lying in wait here.

Night Movers!

Here it is, our official entrant to the 10x10 Festival portion of the 2009 Sacramento Film and Music Festival. As the name implies, teams are given 10 days to create a ten minute film.

We used about 23hrs of that allotted time.

Meh.

Ian and I have dealt with worse, and honestly, the sense of unrestrained glib and nonchalant bullshit that prevailed made the deadline seem laughable, even almost a little much.

Shooting started at 7pm, ended at 4am. Final product was turned in 7pm that day.




Why do we do this to ourselves?

To get something as debaucherously hifey as Night Movers.

Almost Pension Plan 2 in a way.

The returning cast gives an amazing performance, and in my opinion, this film was the 3rd Best of the 10x10's, but they don't give an award for that.

Certainly the chemistry shows the casts' talents, and actor showcases a strong performance.



Sean Kilcoyne of Trainwreck Revival certainly steals the show, but he's balanced with the apathetic Juan Carlos Lemus, a Humphrey's Law Student.




This script showcases the most dialogue I've ever written, but considering the subject matter and the cast involved, I knew we couldn't do provide anything less than a professional ass kicking. Next year I'll take advantage of the time provided, but until then, we're left with the madness that is Night Movers. Enjoy.






Photos are taken by Greg Iron, fellow student at the Art Institute.

Sacramento Music Scene Film Festival

This year I found myself asking," How can I lose more sleep and wake up a bigger failure than I was before?"
After the 48hr Film Festival, and the 24hr Film Race, I've found another way to push my dreams ahead of my skills, the Sacramento Music and Film Festival.
For the Sacramento Music Seen portion of The Festival, which pairs local musicians with filmmakers, I decided to take on THREE bands.

The first mentioned here is the only one so far with footage available to view on the Internet. So below is the link to a trailer for Crazy Ballhead's forthcoming single, Scales of Pain.
Not the song he originally wanted to do as a video, but the beat and the lyrics bore a hole into my head and I had to get the idea out before someone else beat me to it.
Most of my production energy went into this video, from getting the gym, the boxers, and finally Old Ironsides, which we'll be filming in on 7/6/09.
Ian Webb and Reginald Waters were my crew for this shoot, although the Old Ironsides performance might just be Ian and I tomorrow.



The second video features Trainwreck Revival, an alt-folk-rock, blues inspired band and their song, Down by the River. Another great shoot with my buddy Robert Reimers. The video showcases our inspired, sometimes sloppy style, and also features great exterior field shots, which Rob and I are suckers for.

And finally, Awaiting the Apocalypse can stop waiting on me, as we've finished shooting for their video, Beat You to Death. Ian and I completed their video last weekend, and Reggie is editing away as we speak. This band has been patiently waiting for their friendship with me to go somewhere, and with this video, I can safely say it actually has. One of the most difficult shoots I've EVER done, it was definitely worth it.

There is no glory in shooting this much at once. It wears down your relationships, deprives you of sleep, and reminds you why you're not skilled enough to work a normal job. It's the opposite of the escapism that happens onscreen.

In order to even come close to losing yourself in a fictional world, you must embrace the mundane rules of the real.

Pretty fuckin' poetic for 4hrs of sleep.

Digital Cinematography Final

As much time as I spend worrying about this project, I figured I should at least post something on it.




The first scene was shot in Stockton, early from 7am - 8:30am in a field off a rural road. It was raining that night and that day in Sacramento, and if I wanted to mimic the change of morning that occurs in Lawrence, I had to get to where it wasn't raining.
For light we used a bounce board with foil. The blood was created by Jennifer Morris using ketchup from Jack-in-the-Box after we realized we forgot the premade fake blood at home. Only had to deal with the cops once on this one. Lots of great shots in 60P, and a few where I play with the shutter speed.




We shot the second scene two days later, using Mark Rodrigues' car. I set up a tripod, CTB'd the passenger windows, silked the back window, and used a homemade kinoflo to light the interior. Shoot time was less than 45 min. Even got a cool shot where we extended the tripod to get a shot out the sunroof.

Return Policy

Pension Plan

Here it is, it all it's glory! The 48hr Film Entrant, PENSION PLAN!!

Pension Plan - Official Credits

Often in the midst of confusion, we forget to thank those that saw us through.
To properly extend our undying gratitude to the few that dared to believe beside you.

Below is a list of the revised credits on Pension Plan, a version which will not air the following corrections.

Cast
Jeff Palmer - Narc
David Airozo - Detective #1
Juan Carlos Lemus - Detective #2
Mark Rodriguez - Rodriguez
Jack Irvine - The Scot
Matthew Rubio - Smack Cutter
Veronica Bruno - Mishka Allova
Jim Rollans - Smack Buyer
Elise Summersblair - Smack Taster
Jakaterina Errington - Roommate
Shane Daniels - Gangster #1

Written, Directed, and Produced by
Jacob Schantz

Edited by
Ian Webb

First Unit
Director of Cinematography
Ian Webb

Gaffer
Jennifer Kingston

Second Unit
Director of Cinematography
Rachel Henkleman

Gaffer
Robert Reimers

Grips
Matt Rubio
Mark Rodriguez
Dottie Cashero

Catered by
Sara Sexton
Jennifer Morris

Music by
Ian Webb

Special thanks to
Capsity Offices
Naked Coffee
Dottie Cashero
The Patience of the Sacramento Police Department

Pension Plan - 48hrs of Hell

If you've ever woken from a blood soaked nightmare, clutching your cotton bedsheets hoping to feel something tangible, then in a startlingly moment of clarity, look down at the faint rigor mortise setting in underneath your fingernails and realize it was no nightmare, it was in fact real and you were holding the knife when your wife and her sister's necks were split open like two fatted calves, and you were the one who spilt their blood so callously the liberal judge who convicted you reinstates death by hanging, then you might know what's it's like to make a 48 hr film.

Film in itself is a demanding beast. Not one part of it can be overlooked or oversimplified if you ever want to achieve anything other than what my teacher calls a "Student Film." He calls his student's films "student films" when he wants to insult us. I guess the titular application works well enough, I am a student after all, but he implied that if my stuff looks like a student, it probably means I suck.

So if I live up to only what I'm defined as, I SUCK.

Fair enough logic for a fellow lunatic like me.

I suppose that's why I bother to kill the demons in my subconscious when it comes to the 48hr Film Festival. I'm not really qualified to lead a production on a large scale at all. So I abuse all the resources I have to make a large scale production.

From actors to locations, everything and everyone I work with is the product of a previous working relationship. Very few new elements are introduced, save the plot and an actual deadline.

Jeff Palmer, the lead in Pension Plan, is a 3rd time veteran of the Schantz Camp. He's been cast in one production normally, and the other two times he swooped in and saved us from certain disaster. When the lead in the upcoming short Birthday Boy was scheduled to be deployed to Florida during the summer of of '08, Jeff came in to save our ass and play the second male lead.

The morning of Pension Plan I placed a call to what I had hoped would be our lead actor, whom I had spoken to the night before. I called to discuss his wardrobe for that day, when he responded by asking "Oh, that's today...?"

Four hours later, the script I had written was completely revised to reflect the changes in characters, once again, Jeff had stepped in, this time back in the lead.

Jeff has an uncanny instinct with the characters he plays, and he's been instrumental to me in learning how to direct actors. Jeff's loud, a little foul mouthed, and always hilarious. He's been embedded in the Art Institute since his debut in my trailer, Sweety, and has been going strong, building a following of colleagues and friendships, kicking ass on clown hookers, cops, gangsters, office workers and his liver ever since.

I'm proud to have something to do with him.

The rest of the cast are returning from their roles on Birthday Boy, save two members. The most notable being Juan Carlos Lemus, the second detective, my co-worker at the law firm. Always giving me shit for not putting him in movies, I gave him the chance he wanted.

I don't think he fully regrets it yet.

The office used in the film and the alleyway are located at Capsity Offices, 2321 P street. Another working relationship that stemmed from Birthday Boy, Capsity has been integral in my growth as a businessman and filmmaker by facilitating the process for my needs and theirs. I owe a lot to them when it comes to helping build relationships, and even my own aesthetic.

No one would be more supportive of going 5hrs over shooting time in their location like they were. They've truly emboldened me by enabling my bad habits.

Bad habits are tools, tools needed to build the foundation that becomes my film. Bad habits like over shooting, over rehearsing, and too much attention detail to lighting. Before you can master these areas, you must repeatedly subject your actors and crew to the same scene and situation over and over again until they can all act and light the goddamn piece themselves.

Nothing taps into an actors emotion and depth the way onset frustration does.

Frustration is the second most essential in film making.

Not feeling frustrated means you're not really trying.

"Show Business is a hideous bitch-goddess."

You're goddamn right George Burns. (Don't let me know if he didn't say this, I don't care.)

Film making shouldn't be fun. It's a horrible act, that ravages peoples lives and ruins personal relationships.

Now put all that energy and self destructive nonsense that goes into making a regular short film, condense it into 48hrs, and now maybe you understand why I make a 48hr film.

Because I shouldn't.

Every reason in the world says it won't and probably shouldn't happen, but goddamn it, I like to defy the universe. I've been going against the grain of existence since my birth and peeling away the fibers ever since.

Nothings more thrilling than getting away from the scene of the crime and knowing you're getting away with it, knowing they'll never trace the fingerprints back to you, not with the bodies chopped up and placed in the oil barrels and dropped off the banks steep cliffs of the Big Sur Coastline.

Looking in the rear view mirror and staring at the carnage that was my weekend, I could only smile and patiently ponder who to lacerate next.

I guess overall, what I'm trying to convey, is see Pension Plan when it opens as part of the 48hr portion of the Sacramento International Film Festival, April 4, at the 24th Street Theatre in Sacramento.

I'll be looking for you.

First Attempt, Worst Try

I think the first step to any process is the hardest, because it's the one that requires the most commitment. Anyone can plan and plot, but actually having the discipline to follow through requires more energy that most are willing to give. That's what probably stops me from joining in the blogging craze.
I write crazy scribbled notes in worn pads and booklets, using any white space I find as a launching point into my next thought. Typing on the infinite canvas of the web feels like a cop-out to me. Like my thoughts are half complete, because I'm not able to take them everywhere with me.
That's the odd dichotomy of thinking that's kept me from blogging. I feel more productive when I write in cheap notebooks, and faster technology may prevent me from feeling so because of the luxury of time.
But there's always exposure to consider. And if I, as an aspiring filmmaker, reject any means of free advertising, then I'd being myself a disservice. So that line of self-interest and potential greed brings us to the first post today.
Thank you for being a part of my continuing journey. Please check out News10.net for my pieces as a Citizen Journalist, and keep an eye on my YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/cooljerkoff) to view my class assignments.