Enquirer Article About Emedia

Today in the Cincinnati Enquirer a collection of articles were posted about CCM, one of which was about the Electronic Media Division. I was interviewed for this article back in December, so to see the finished product was nice after a few months. The author, Jackie Demaline, is the arts critic for the Enquirer, and her articles will hopefully shed more light on what we do at CCM, as well as Emedia, and hopefully will bring in some more donations for scholarships and grants- something we definitely are lacking.

The Article, although very thorough, had a few bits of information incorrectly, but nothing serious or harmful, and overall I was extremely pleased with it. Ms. Demaline quoted me as saying:

What sets CCM E-Media apart from other programs across the U.S., Rooney says, is CCM. “Being at CCM, you’re surrounded by the best of the best performance students. If you do it right, you can interact with all of them.”

This is something I do believe in and it was nice to see that she included it in the article. In my last post, I wrote about my involvements at CCM over the past few months, and really is a blessing to be able to interact with so many talented people all of the time.

One thing that surprised me about the article, was that there was a comment posted online very shortly after the article was hosted on the website. The comment, written by an Emedia alumni, said:

Hey Rooney-Before you have your goals set so high, maybe you should talk to all of us former grads and see what we have done with our CCM BFA degrees. A lot have ended up in Real Estate, Banking and Construction. Amazing how well that degree sent me to law school and the really only great thing it got me was how to project my voice during oral agruments class! Now I just pass papers. Most of my class is totally out of the industry because the pay was so low! Welcome to the real world vs the academic world of play!

This is interesting to see posted so publicly/harshly, but it is definitely an argument I have heard before and have seen similar results. There are many Electronic Media majors who do not end up doing anything related to their major in their career, for a number of reasons. I think it is particularly prominent in Emedia majors who stay in Cincinnati after graduating, but I don’t have any fact to back that up.

I have actually been going through a tough decision time, in which I think I have decided to stay in Cincinnati for a while after graduating, in order to save up a nest egg before moving out to Los Angeles. When I first came to school, I thought that staying in Cincinnati would be the worst decision ever, and would cause me to be like the commenter said, without an Emedia job and unhappy. However, I have definitely begin to see a different side of the argument.

Emedia Grad Chris Hagan

Even today, as I posted the Article to Facebook, Chris Hagan, a successful recent Emedia grad commented, saying:

The comment made me laugh. I guess people are taught that a piece of paper equals great pay and forget that it’s actually hard work that equals great pay. I guess I’m in the small percentage of emedia grads that use my degree and make good money.

I agree with Chris, in that it definitely depends on what you put into your career in order to get back out what you want. I know that there are a large number of successful Emedia grads editing large Films, working on sets in Hollywood, opening up production companies (TodayCincinnati Productions), or many other things. I’m not disagreeing that there are plenty (or too many) former Emedia majors not working in the field, but it is not because of a lacking or sub-par program.

Andre Catrini, Senior Musical Theatre Major

I was lucky enough to film two Senior Musical Theater student Cabarets, where they demonstrated why CCM has one of the best Musical Theater Programs in the country. Andre Catrini, who I’ve been fortunate enough to work with multiple times, including filming other works of his and having him score my first short film, presented a cabaret called “Songs From the Trunk” where he presented songs that hadn’t made it into his other musicals.

Ben Durocher Cabaret

Ben Durocher had a fantastic cabaret as well, called “Experiments in Puppetry” where he demonstrated his mastery of puppetry that he has been working on for years. This was particularly fun because many of the people in attendance, friends and peers, had no idea of his puppet skills or interest. Laughter and fun ensued as Ben brought out a number of different characters and songs with the help of some other Musical Theatre majors.

Josh T. Smith and Natasha Ashworth as Roger and Mimi

Probably one of my favorite shoots I got to do this quarter was with Richard Hess, head of the Drama department at CCM, for the upcoming CCM Musical presentation of “Rent.”

One of the characters in the musical, Mark, is a amateur filmmaker, who spends most of the musical with a camera in hand. At the end of the show, Mark shows his friends a sort of montage representing the past year they had together. Also, during the final number, the montage will show on the entire back wall of the stage as the cast sings and ends the show.

As a videographer, this was an interesting challenge for a number of reasons. First, it was snowing intensely the entire day in Downtown Cincinnati and Over-the-Rhine, which was intimidating at first. After a while, and enough plastic bags, I was able to work out a system and got great footage of actors playing in the snow downtown. The second challenge was to make the footage seem as if it was filmed by the character Mark, played by Ryan Breslin. This wasn’t too bad, but we wanted to make sure it was Mark filming his friends, so we eventually did some shots where Ryan would hold the camera pointed at his face to let everyone know it was him. Overall, the shoot turned out great and it was a lot of fun! I’m extremely excited to see the final product come February.

Ryan Breslin as the character "Mark" in "RENT"

This past week was also great because I had the opportunity to participate on my first National Commercial job, with the Ringling Brothers Circus! Not only was this a lot of fun because it was at a circus in the first place, but it was also really nice just to do a job that had an extremely professional feel.

Mike the Clown Helping Out at the Green Screen Interview Area

Getting Interviews of Fans with Help from Mike the Clown.

We drove out to Ft. Wayne, Indiana Friday night, shot from 9 AM-11PM Saturday, and returned on Sunday. We definitely learned a lot day of, but I feel as if we still came out with a good product that Ringling will be able to use successfully. It was also really great to be a camera operator using all rented equipment, because it gave me a little peace of mind knowing that the equipment wasn’t my personal equipment.

Fall quarter is almost done, but not soon enough! Classes and projects are really starting to stack up, so I’m looking at another few weeks of craziness before a winter break….finally!

Still Frame from the Finished Emedia Promo

The insanity started two weeks ago when my car overheated on the highway. This was frustrating and stressful in the first place, but because the next days were so busy, I have yet to get my car repaired. Fortunately my roommate is a car buff and has been nice enough to help me out, and hopefully everything will be back up and running soon!

Still Frame from one of the Union Institute Interviews

The first event was two weekends ago, where I filmed about 24 interviews/talking heads for Union Institute and University here in Cincinnati. We split up the interviews into two four hour sessions on a Thursday and Friday, but it was still a rush. In retrospect I would have definitely budgeted an assistant or audio guy into my bill, because setting up lights, audio, and the camera by myself was difficult and a little risky. However, it turned out great and I’m excited to see how it all turns out.

The following day, my roommates and I filmed Union’s Graduation at the Cincinnati Hilton’s Hall of Mirrors. The ballroom/hall is definitely gorgeous and it was a fun ceremony. Union Institute is mainly for adults who are going back to school to get their Master’s or even Bachelor’s, so the audience was mainly family and friends who were cheering and celebrating.

I have also been shooting a series of videos for a large corporation called the International Paper Company that is based in Cincinnati. These shoots have probably been the most legitimate and professional shoots I’ve worked on thus far, and I am excited to have that experience. Pictures and possibly video will coming soon!

Working on the Emedia Promo shoot with Emily Macke.

IT is the beginning of the fourth week of my last year of college, and it has already been jam-packed! My classes this quarter are either extremely intense production-heavy or theoretical and thought-based, so I have a very interesting mix academically.

Emedia Promo Shoot in the Recording Studio.

One of the biggest things that I am currently working on is the new Electronic Media Promotional Video for the Electronic Media Department at the University of Cincinnati. The department is trying to update its media presence and wants to boost its recruiting efforts, so one of my professors was given the task of creating a new promo. He then called upon scholarship winners and members of the student television station (UCAST), to help out with the video. We were approached in mid-September with an October 22nd hard deadline.

Thus far the video has been very successful in terms of the overall look and feel, since we are shooting the entire video on Canon DSLR’s.

2 7D's, a T2i, and an arsenal of lenses (5D not pictured).

Using a 5D, 7D, and T2i’s, we have really been able to do a number of different things than if we had used other cameras, because of their great contrast range, size, and flexibility. Also, as Electronic Media geeks, it has been a blast just to see so many of these cameras in one place.

Hopefully the video will give Emedia a new face and help it recruit students in the near future. The process has been fun and exciting, and although we are just entering post, I can’t wait to see how everything will look when it is cut together.

Working with multiple cameras with DP Heath Saunders

Rocky on a walk

After spending five weeks in Spoleto, Italy, I spent some time getting used to being back in Ohio and to a semi-normal schedule. Back in my hometown of Findlay, Ohio, I got to visit my mother and her relatively new dog Rocky. It was great getting back in town to see family, friends, and just to relax a bit.

After spending a good amount of time in Findlay, I got to head back down to Cincinnati to get ready for my Senior Year at the University of Cincinnati. Once in Cincinnati, it was time to celebrate my girlfriend Lily Volle’s 21st Birthday. We went with a group of family and friends to a Don Pablo’s for dinner, and then the following day gathered at her parent’s house. At the Volle’s house, Lily’s niece helped blow out the candles.

Lily and her niece Lyla blow out birthday candles.

I also found the behind the scenes footage of testing the continuous shot process for this commercial. Very cool stuff!

I have never really been interested in commercial advertisement work, but after perusing through MJZ‘s website, as well as others, I could actually see myself possibly working in that industry.

MJZ has a great Flash-based website. Advertising for the Advertising Agency!

Although I still think television and film call my name a little more, it is always interesting to see different things that are possible in the amazing media industry. Thanks to advice from relatives and friends in LA in the business, I am trying my hardest to keep my mind open and just be ready to work in countless jobs doing very different things over the next few years. I am beginning to understand that you will never know where you will end up in life, and how the path to where you end up will be all over the place.

Nights are gorgeous after storms.

The skies in Spoleto, Italy have proven to be beautiful almost every day. Whether it is an extremely clear day with a very blue sky or a cloudy storm, it seems to always be great to look at the sky here. I went to the Roman acqueduct in town after a storm at took the photo above of the skies finally clearing after hours of rain. The picture below was merely a coincidence after I walked out of my apartment door and looked up at the sky at around seven PM Italian time.

A beautiful sunset outside my apartment in Spoleto.

Streets in Spoleto

I have arrived in Spoleto, Italy to document and promote the CCM Spoleto 2010 Classical Music and Opera festival. Spoleto is a small town of about fifty thousand people in the hills of Umbria, a region known for its olive oil and truffles.

The city is gorgeous in a very rustic way, with winding streets and hills, as well as local merchants and shops filled with local vendors who are very kind. The festival should prove to be an exciting time, please check out ccmspoleto.blogspot.com, where I will post during the 5 week festival!

My Great-Grandparents' wedding.

I can remember driving from my family’s home in Denver, Colorado all the way out to the small town of Findlay, Ohio for our Rooney Family Reunions since probably the 1994 reunion. Held every four years, the descendants and family of Ed and Louise Rooney gather to catch up, meet the dozens of new family members, and to celebrate the 4th of July in the Rooneys’ home base of Findlay.

The Rooney family has seemed so special to me, not just because they are my family, but because it is amazing to see over 200 people gather and just have such a happy and loving atmosphere. Every four years I meet cousins who I have never met before, but since we are family, there is an instant bond and connection. I was fortunate enough a few years ago to have a second cousin pick me up in Anaheim, CA and drive me to Hollywood to visit a set…which is about a two hour drive. I didn’t really know this cousin that well, but it didn’t matter because we both come from the same family, and that enough is something in common.

Some of my great-aunts and uncles studing as children in Findlay.

Another amazing part about the family is the amazing work ethic and determination that was shared with all of my great-uncles and aunts, as well as my grandfather. Most of the 11 children either owned their own business, became CEO’s, or just led a life that made a difference to other people. Knowing that they worked hard their whole life to be that way has really helped me focus on a career and to work as hard as they did.

This year’s reunion was yet another success, although it was sad missing some of the family from California, who were home taking care of Rosemary, my great-aunt who fell and hurt herself before traveling to Ohio. There was a great deal of excitement, however, because my Aunt Annie’s family brought dozens of new children.

I brought my camera and got some footage of the Fourth of July celebration out at one of the family member’s farm. Although it does not show as many family members as it could, I feel that it captures how the day felt for me, which was very relaxing and cheerful!

(Thanks to Chris Rooney for the pictures!)