Sunny Style Magazine

Belief, especially in one's self, is perhaps the most difficult idea to grasp.  Little do we realize that simply believing is the answer.  The mind is magnificent and one should cherish all the exceptional moments that are shared with it.  Your controller, your mind, may lead you into negative, dark labyrinths; or positive, enlightened walkways.  One thing is for sure-You make that decision yourself.  Only YOU can determine the strides you wish to take. 

http://theiscreative.com/blog/

More often than not, the only person truly standing in the way of our paths is ourselves.  We become our worst critics, and eventually talk ourselves out of following our passions in life.  While exploring Emily's blog I couldn't tear my gaze from my laptop screen.  From her blog entry- "When You Stop Believing"- posted on June 17, 2013.

Belief is a journey. It's phasic. You rarely feel it. You sometimes think it. The rest of the time, you just do it.  

-Emily Theis

Her words are organic-not just in speech but in her art work as well.  Her belief in collaboration is detrimental in the world of art; as well as, detrimental in the growth of the human spirit. 

 Out of Nashville, TN- Emily offers her expertise through her own business- Theis Creative LLC- in graphic design, hand-lettering, and branding work. Of course, after flipping through her works online I am catapulted into her obvious passion for her artwork.  She is proof that art is monumental in communications. 

Click the link below to see her work. 

By Jennifer Ogrin

By Jennifer Ogrin

At the Sheffield Doc/Fest, Morgan Spurlock, director and creator of the documentaries Super Size Me and POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold gave some great tips to filmmakers during his film's panel. Those of us that know the Academy Award nominee from the hills of West Virginia know that he loves to push boundaries in his docs, and he has made quite the name for himself for that very reason. We've learned to love him and respect his work. So we certainly appreciate any advice he offers. 

Tip # 1: If you're in your own movie, don't be afraid to cut yourself. Spurlock surrounds himself with "no men," those that will honestly tell him what they think. I had a friend and mentor tell me, never be afraid to kill your babies in the editing room. You may love it, especially if you are in the film, but if it's not absolutely necessary for the movie to progress forward, chop it.

Tip #2: Keep it on the fly. Don't shoot anything multiple times. Everything is shot in real time. Rarely should you use a tripod. (Not sure if I agree 100% with the absence of a tripod.)

Tip #3: Love thy lawyer. Spurlock says, "I love lawyers. A good lawyer will keep you out of trouble. A great one will help you cause it. We want to make sure we can dance as close as possible to that edge of that line, but stay on the side of the law."

Tip #4: Do what needs to be done. Everybody worked for free on Super Size Me. He did odd jobs during the production to keep it flowing. His grandparents paid for the crew to fly out to the premiere at Sundance.

Tip #5: Keep it positive! He recommends keeping a good team surrounding you. Drop all negativity, no matter what. His biggest goal is to always hire people smarter than he is.

Tip #6: Envision how you're going to market the film before completing it. This is something personally I live by and repeat constantly for every piece of work that I am responsible for the outcome. I believe it is vital to the success of your film.

Tip #7: Listen! Listen to people. Make sure that everyone has the opportunity to chime in whenever possible.

Tip #8: Trust your editor. Spurlock says, "If you want to empower the editor, don't hover over them. The more you leave the room, the more they're involved, the more they're invested. That's the reason all of our editors want to come back. They get a real sense of creative freedom, which makes all the projects better."

By Elizabeth Baxa

I recently had the opportunity to chat with my good friend Jeff Luppino-Esposito about his many creative endeavors.  Since college, Jeff has been collaborating with a slew of other talented people on short online musical extravaganzas.  Though he now works in social media at Nickelodeon, Jeff continues to produce side projects with admirable regularity. The web video, "The Beanie Baby Hunger Games," which Jeff created with ad wiz Jamie McCelland through The Online Musical project, has over 650,000 YouTube hits and received props from The Huffington Post and NY Magazine.  Jeff is truly one of the sharpest, most motivated 20-somethings I know.  He's an inspiration and someone to watch!

By Jennifer Grey Ogrin

From the advancing technology to the distribution methods, the film industry is changing daily forcing every individual to run a daily marathon to keep up with the times. The traditional route of financial compensation from theatrical distribution has died for independent filmmakers, as well as the big studios. Content creators are required to not only be adventurous with distribution methods but also with the actual content created. Everyone can make a movie now on an extremely tight budget. As an independent filmmaker, you must strive to hit a niche market with intriguing and innovative content.

I had the pleasure of speaking to someone I believe is marching to a remarkably different beat. The creator/director/editor of the new film Chompers3D, Jesse Blanchard, is digging his own trench in the filmmaking world with his 3D low-budget monster puppet animations. Based out of the hip, indie city of Portland, Jesse has progressed from live action films to his new puppet horror films. His films have premiered at Cannes, been picked up by VH1, as well as selected and distributed by George Romero and Dimension Films. For his current project, the antagonist is a shape changing monster that camouflages itself as something round, such as a coffee cup or a trash can, and throughout the movie, it enhances its camouflage abilities as it eats. Check out the trailer to the film:

Blanchard has been at the filmmaking game for a total of ten years now. Without film school, he dove into making his own short films to learn.  He explains that live action left him unsatisfied with his results, whereas puppets allow him to perfect his style. Without having to raise the immense production funds required of live action, he teamed up with a local puppeteer to shoot a test short with the puppets. I found the short film is a treat to watch, so don’t miss out on the video below.

His feature length film Chompers 3D is currently in pre-production and most likely will be shot in segments to keep costs low. In addition to making his own films, Blanchard builds 3D rigs. He finds 3D to be a special addition to the film experience, bringing a fun element to his already fun world of puppet animation. The 3D rig is called Robert Rig, which can be purchased by visiting www.goatandyeti.com/

Filmmaking is a constant learning environment and veterans are no exception to the rule. Blanchard feels he is missing the teamwork aspect of filmmaking, and he’s now working hard to build his team. He recommends for up-and-coming filmmakers to get out there and make movies. The best way to learn is experience, and he admits, another major reason is to keep up with everyone else that is already out there making films. If you are raising money via kickstarter or any other route, you need to make a case for yourself by displaying your abilities. Blanchard’s two great tricks are setting a deadline and using a timer. Before he starts a project, he sets a deadline for the premiere to push him to finish it on time. Secondly, he uses a timer while working to commit himself to an hour at a time of solid work minus all distractions. Great advice from a great filmmaker. 

To find out more about the upcoming short film, visit: chompers3d.com

By:  Taylor Aitken

  CHAOS KILLED IS ANYTHING BUT THE DEATH OF CHAOS.

Chaos Killed- Anything but the death of chaos in the field of music. But judging from my interview, these guys live for the unpredictable trait of music.  Traveling along a path in one direction; yet, finding yourself straying down a completely different road entirely-That is art; unpredictability.

Sitting there with Cody Gaston and Joshua Revels, I loved nothing more than being that fly on the wall as they took my questions and delved into their true thoughts and ambitions.  Listening to their process of creating art together was truly inspiring.  Unfortunately, Anthony Reese and Joshua Jenkins were unable to meet at the time to share their input.  As I am not very familiar with the technicalities of creating music, I still found myself hypnotized as they spoke.  They spoke with such admiration for their craft as well as hope for their future endeavors.

A key positive for this group remains they are not afraid of change; in fact, they embrace it.  Currently, they have been inspired by progressive music.  It is only fitting that as the world keeps spinning, technology is a constant feed of information. Originally from the upper Ohio Valley, they work out of Innovation Studios in Steubenville, Ohio.  Innovation Studios is where the magic takes place with the help of Mike Ofca (the owner of Innovation Studios) who provides the tools of the trade for audio editing.  As I spoke with them, and I studied their radiating spirits, I could see how much passion they possess and release into their music.  A group with such kind hearts and will-power to create what they love will be successful-They are now.  While many bands are on the grind to become fame's next feature, these down-to-earth guys are just riding the wave and enjoying every minute of it.  When I caught up with Josh Jenkins and asked of his expectations for himself and Chaos Killed, he left me with this astonishing response:

"To be honest with you I don't have a large list of expectations planned out for the band.  When we started the thing in Rees' basement I never expected it to make it out of there. We were just being creative and loving every minute of it.  I do have one hope for us, and thats to continue to make music that we love and grow exponentially from doing so.  What's great about this band is that we're all strongly motivated by one another, not one central leader.  When one falls down or loses focus we have one of our brothers to pick us back up.  I think we are finally buying into the idea that if we want to ascend to anything better than we have it now and actually make a living from doing what we love, it's going to come from how much we put into it."

After taking in Josh's response, I was rather speechless.  What wisdom and inspiration to be shared with lovers of music and art everywhere. With this attitude and drive success becomes inevitable.  

Having the pleasure of seeing Chaos Killed on multiple occasions, each time I attend their performance I learn something more about the band that I did not know before:  They are always full of surprises. Chaos Killed brings a unique sound with their combination of alternative flare and hard core build.  Recently, I traveled to Aliquippa, Pennsylvania where I witnessed Chaos Killed try out their new sound for the first time at The Fallout Shelter.  As anyone would be, they were quite nervous and overwhelmed with excitement.  As witness to their creative trial, they nailed it.  Their music and lyrics blended what seemed like effortlessly (though as artists, we know the amount of sweat and happy tears that go into our work).  The crowd was hypnotized by their unique sound and character.  To the audience, Chaos Killed was a talented band to rock out to and celebrate their love for music. They never let us see them sweat.

   It has been an inspiring ride  following this gifted band and studying their artistic being and I couldn't be happier to continue watching them as they grow.  I hope that they keep pushing to new heights and find out more about themselves spiritually and artistically along their journey as they already have.  Whether they find themselves with music as their career or choose to keep their creation of music as a hobby, the sky is the limit for Chaos Killed.  From Sunny Style and myself to you, best wishes for your success and never let your spirit run dry.  

Chaos Killed can be found on Itunes:  //itunes.apple.com/us/artist/chaos-killed/id414804787

Let the world know about Chaos Killed by sharing on your social networks or blogs. 

Also, connect with Chaos Killed by: 

By Taylor Aitken

While checking out the news on www.fashionindie.com, this blurp caught my attention.

I have been dabbling with different  designs for men's fashions so my research has been directed in this single facet as of late.  This article focuses on Payton Frantzen, Yunxiang Sharon Zhou, Patrick McCabe, and Sang Hup Park, of Parsons School of Design.  Their lines each reflecting unique ideas; yet, all similar in portraying edgy men's designs.  Notice the masculine forms sporting sleek, attention-demanding apparel with a limited palette of earth tones-combined with black and white.  The shapes are absolutely intensifying- reminding me of a style similar to Steam Punk which I have always found intriguing.  The designs are something quite unique, though, looking very futuristic.  And if this style is planning to stay in our future, I shall not be disappointed. Fabulous fashion.  Click the link below to find out more about these fresh designs.

Short stories about love, who doesn't love that? 4 stories, 8 lovers by Cornetto Films called Cupidity. They will leave you with a smile from ear to ear. What is Cornetto? It's those delicious ice cream cones that you can pick up just about anywhere with a pool nearby. This might be the best advertisement I've ever seen for a brand...and it's technically not even an advertisement. Although, I'm definitely craving some ice cream. Going to have to settle for the American version....

To connect with Cornetto: Twitter Facebook YouTube 

By Jennifer Ogrin

If I have to choose only one thing to watch online, it is Corridor Digital's YouTube videos.  They are an inspiration to work hard and love the work you do. They release videos every two weeks on schedule, no matter what. Specializing in action and Visual Effects (VFX), they alternate their videos between action/thriller and comedy.  At first, they started by just making videos for fun then ended up working for YouTube as a full time gig. How sweet is that? Forget network television, these guys get just as many views for every video!

It's a tough choice, but here is a sampling of some of my favorites I want to share with you. Enjoy!

  Check out the trailer to a webseries they made airing on Bammo channel. 

Ready for a touching story that will make your jaw hit the floor? Nick Vujicic's story is about looking at yourself and how you approach the world every morning, every day, every minute. We can't be happy all the time; we're humans. But we can certainly make an effort to smile more often, and make an attempt to not take everything for granted all of the time. Oh, and stop complaining that "I can't do it"...when honestly it's "I won't." 

Ready for a poppy music video that makes you scream, "Summertime!?" Take a listen & watch Anne-Marie's pop/electro infused, with a hip hop verse, song "Summer Girl." The ultimate good mood'er.

For more Anne-Marie:

Facebook Twitter

Ready for a touching story that will make your jaw hit the floor? Nick Vujicic's story is about looking at yourself and how you approach the world every morning, every day, every minute. We can't be happy all the time; we're humans. But we can certainly make an effort to smile more often, and make an attempt to not take everything for granted all of the time. Oh, and stop complaining that "I can't do it"...when honestly it's "I won't." 

By Jennifer Ogrin

If I have to choose only one thing to watch online, it is Corridor Digital's YouTube videos.  They are an inspiration to work hard and love the work you do. They release videos every two weeks on schedule, no matter what. Specializing in action and Visual Effects (VFX), they alternate their videos between action/thriller and comedy.  At first, they started by just making videos for fun then ended up working for YouTube as a full time gig. How sweet is that? Forget network television, these guys get just as many views for every video!

It's a tough choice, but here is a sampling of some of my favorites I want to share with you. Enjoy!

  Check out the trailer to a webseries they made airing on Bammo channel. 

A new reason to press that repeat button is a beautiful new alternative song called "Wondering" by Jaymes Young. The name fits it well, causing the mind to wonder while listening to his dreamy voice. His first single called "Dark Star" is as the name suggests, darker, but it is just as good of a listen. 

Short stories about love, who doesn't love that? 4 stories, 8 lovers by Cornetto Films called Cupidity. They will leave you with a smile from ear to ear. What is Cornetto? It's those delicious ice cream cones that you can pick up just about anywhere with a pool nearby. This might be the best advertisement I've ever seen for a brand...and it's technically not even an advertisement. Although, I'm definitely craving some ice cream. Going to have to settle for the American version....

To connect with Cornetto: Twitter Facebook YouTube 

A new hit hyping it up on HypeM is the single "Take Me Home" by Belanger. It's his first single, and it's hard to take this off repeat. He's a music producer who remixes some awesome songs, so this new single is an extra special treat. Make sure you go to HypeM to vote for the new song. To make it even better, he's offering a free download! 

To check out more:​ 

Facebook Soundcloud 

www.belanger.co