Finally Another Post

Hey everyone,

So it's been close to forever since I've last updated my blog... not because I have nothing to say or show, but because I've been incredibly busy ever since graduating Flashpoint Academy.

After graduating Flashpoint Academy I was lucky enough to score a sweet internship over at Rockit Ranch Productions... Chicago's premier restaurant and entertainment development company, specializing in the creation, marketing and management of some of the city's top venues including it's latest concept, the new asian restaurant Sunda, as well as the Underground nightclub and the ever - popular Rockit Bar & Grill.

Yes I know what you may be thinking. Why would a film major want to intern at a production company that doesn't focus on film? Well the answer is simple... Chicago 2016 Olympic bid! CEO, Billy Dec, serves on the Chicago 2016 Olympic Committee as Director of Cultural Relations. Billy is currently working on a project where he goes around town, of course with yours truly and my partner in crime Ryan Berena, and interviews celebrities on why Chicago is so great and why the Olympics should be hosted here. Ryan and I filmed and edited these interviews so it's been a wild and crazy experience meeting all these celeb's face to face.

Anyway... the videos have just started being released today, starting off with Jimmy Fallon, Michelle Williams, and Shaun Hayes. There will be one celebrity interview released once a day until October 2, 2009, when the decision between Chicago, Toyko, Rio, and Madrid is made. So be sure to check them out! For any and all information on this, please visit Billy Dec's blog at... www.aChicagoThing.com

The work has not ended, Ryan and I both have at least 50+ celebrity interviews to edit, so the work has just begun. Be sure to check back for additional updates, I'm going to try to update as much as I possibly can.

Did I mention the celeb interview release party this thursday, August 20, 2009, at Rockit Bar and Grill located in River North on Hubbard St.... Check it out, come by, 20$ donation at the door, 7-9pm open bar, good times, see you there!

Thanks!

Updated Cinematography Reel

Hello everyone,

Made a re-edit of my cinematography reel. Only a few slight changes fomr v.1, but I tried out a new song. Hope you enjoy!

Thanks!

(Updated) Cinematography Reel - Michael Bartello from Michael Bartello on Vimeo.

Tonight The Prom Music Video

Hey everyone,

Remember those stills to the Tonight the Prom music video I shot?

Well... it's done!

Producer, director, editor: Paul Matian

Cinematographer, gaffer: Michael Bartello

Assistant director: Justin Jackola

Budget: zero dollars.

Special thanks: Flashpoint Academy, Howard A. Tullman, Paula M. Froehle.

And of course... Paul Matian for bringing me on board as the cinematographer/gaffer. This was an amazing video to be apart of, we did it with little crew and no money, please enjoy!

Please click here to view the HD version on Vimeo!

Or... if you want to settle for less, watch the regular version below! But I do insist you view the HD version on Vimeo... just saying.

Thanks!

Tonight the Prom - The Lawyer and the Priest from Michael Bartello on Vimeo.

Fish Tank Edit

Hello again,

So check this out...

One day I brought the camera over to my buddy Chris McKay's house. He had a fifty galloon tank with multiple species of cichlid's in it. Combine that with a gnarly, unique tank landscape, and I figured that make a neat short little edit.

Chris has a new tank now, an even bigger, and I hope to get back over there with the camera to make another edit like this one, only longer. So stay tuned for that and plenty of other edits, all soon to come! So sit back, relax, and enjoy life under the sea. Please enjoy!

Thanks!

Fish Tank Edit from Michael Bartello on Vimeo.

Flashpoint Academy Portfolio

Hello again,

So I finally have a spot on the Flashpoint Academy website!  Me and the rest of the school that is...

Check it, click the link below to see my reel, which is already featured on my blog, and my resume, which is not already featured on my blog.  

Michael Bartello online portfolio!

Flashpoint did a great job with these online portfolios which feature students reels/work samples, resumes, email, and even links to personal websites/blogs.  Special thanks to Rachel Landry and Audrey Welling for putting together everyones portfolio, and an extra special thanks to Peter Hawley for pushing me to get it done sooner rather than later.  

Click the link below to access the portfolios for all four disciplines.

Click Here for film, sound, animation, and video game online portfolios! 

On a side note... hurray for warm, sunny weather!  

Hopefully this portfolio will help me get employed.... we'll see... fingers crossed.  I hope to have some photos to share with you all by the weekend, stay tuned for more updates!

Thanks!

Glass Blowing

Hello,

This edit is a demo reel for Ben Tullman, glass artist. This demo reel was made for, and shown at, "One of a Kind" art show at the Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL. Filmed at Chicago Hot Glass, this video showcases Ben Tullman's skills as a glass blower. Unfortunately, since the process of creating a glass piece takes a few days, there is no footage of the finished piece. This video basically gives you a visual of the process of glass blowing, definitely awesome stuff!

This was an extremely awesome video to work on. Ryan Berena and myself arrived at Chicago Hot Glass without the slightest clue as to how we were going to film it. But, we quickly caught on, and besides the extreme heat, it was definitely a fun video to work on. This was the first time for both us that we were exposed to glass blowing, and now I'll stop talking and share that experience with you. Please enjoy...

Thank you!

Please enjoy.

Ben Tullman Glass Artist from Michael Bartello on Vimeo.

@ Properties Promotional Video

Hello again,

So I guess I'm on a role with posting videos... it's about time right?

Anyway...

Heres a @Properties' video a small group of us made at Flashpoint Academy.  I participated in the cinematography end of it, and my partner in crime Ryan Berena did the editing, which is fantastic.  This video was made for promotional use on the real estate company, @ Properties' website.  This promotional video features highlights of the Chicago neighborhood, Lakeview/Wrigleyville.  

I'm also going to be posting a glass blowing edit later as well... which is definitely worth watching.  More information on that later... when it's posted.

Don't forget to check back soon!  I'll stop talking now, please enjoy!

Thanks!

@ Properties' from Michael Bartello on Vimeo.

Cinematography Reel

Hey everyone,

Sorry for the delay, but I finally have something to show everyone, and will have more by this weekend.  Here is my cinematography reel, which is basically a collection of work that I filmed while attending Flashpoint Academy.  I'm constantly working on this, so stay tuned for updates.  Also look out for a link to my portfolio page on the Flashpoint Academy website, which will coming soon!  Please enjoy.

Thanks!

Cinematography Reel from Michael Bartello on Vimeo.

Tonight The Prom Music Video

Hello again,

Told you I'm back on track, look at that, three post's in two days... 

Anyway...

So a couple weeks ago Paul Matian contacted me about shooting a music video for the band, Tonight The Prom.  Tonight The Prom is a local Chicago band that is quickly gaining notice in the public eye.  You can check them out at... TTP's Myspace - CLICK HERE!

My sister, family, and friends are all down for TTP, so when I was offered a chance to be the director of photography, or cinematographer, on their first music video I immediately became willing.  On top of that, Paul Matian is a gnarly dude, and I've been wanting to work with Paul for quite some time.

Paul and I grew up in the same neighborhood.  We both enjoy hockey, skateboarding, film, and unknowingly we both ended up going to the same school, Flashpoint Academy.  The only difference being, of course, is that Paul works there, while I'm just a student.  Here are some production stills from the shoot, enjoy!

Oh yeah, I stole these pictures off Paul's blog.  Check out Paul's blog by either clicking the link on the right side, or just simply CLICK HERE!

The band, Tonight The Prom.

Paul and I working out our most challenging shot.

We had a pretty good sized external monitor.

Latter dolly = GNAR.

Hair malfunction. 

Filming in progress.

Once we got going, we got going.

Why not?

The crew!

Stay tuned for additional updates, music video coming soon!

Thanks!

Recent Photography

Hey everyone,

So over the last few months, despite how busy I was, I still managed to snap some photos here and there. I decided not to use a vignette on these, or did I just forget to? Anyway, here are some of those photos, more is on the way so make sure you check back soon! Enjoy...

Check back soon for more photography!

...Oh, a video is on the way!

Check out some gnarly photo manipulation in the meantime, it's worth it.

Click Here!

Thanks!

"Urban" by Michael Bartello

Hello again,

So as I was scanning my sketches I also realized that I forgot about some photos I shot in Chicago last year.  The title is lame, I know, but it fits the bill, so whatever.  More photos are still to come, I'm fascinated with the Chicago architecture so that will most likely be the subject.  But who knows what could happen.

Oh yeah...

The students of Flashpoint Academy start their third round of student films soon.  I'm currently working on two films at the moment...

1)  Whitewash,  directed by Bobby Navia.

2)  More than this,  directed by Josh Gort.

I'm the director of photography (cinematographer) on Whitewash, and gaffer on More Than This.  This means that not only will I be extremely busy this next month, but I'll have quite a few photo-blogs to post.  

Anyway, hope you enjoy the following photos, check back soon for more!

Want to see some pretty epic HDR (high dynamic range) photos?  This will blow your mind, nothing screams inspiration to me more than these photos.  Definitely a must see, click the link below.

Click Here!

Oh, and if your a fan of high-speed photography check this out.  Definitely worth taking a look at, just click on the link below.

Click Here!

Thanks!

"The Yoojzh" Update

Hello everyone,

So heres what's going on with, The Yoojzh.

Originally, or rather ideally, we wanted to release, The Yoojzh, on February 6, 2009.  However, it doesn't look like thats going to happen, that date is only when our documentary is due for our documentary class.  Turns out we have a lot more footage than we thought, twenty-five P2 cards worth of footage.  This is roughly over twenty hours of footage that we have to some how squeeze into a 15-20 minute documentary.  Should be fun.

Although this project was originally an assignment for our documentary class, we took it to another level and decided to go all out and release this to the public, which is why we are putting a lot of extra effort into post-production.  We will definitely have a rough-cut of done by tomorrow to hand into class, but the final-cut won't be done for another couple weeks.  Unfortunately though, the rough-cut will not be posted for the public eye simply because it's only a watered down version of what the final-cut will be and we don't want to spoil anything.

All I have to say is prop's to this man right here, Ryan Berena.  Working late/all nighters, sick, and still making magic.  Oh, did I mention...

Check the magic man himself, Ryan Berena, in, The Yoojzh.

Stay tuned for more updates and the official release date for, The Yoojzh, a documentary about skateboarding.  Who knows, maybe a second trailer will be released, so check back soon!

Thanks!

Freedom Documentary

Hello everyone,

So a few months ago our school gave each of us the task of creating a short documentary to help promote the 2008 presidential election.  Upon completion, select videos were then sent to the Chicago McCormick Freedom Museum to be entered in a contest.

Well of course Ryan and I worked together on it and although we both hate politics, we actually had a lot of fun making it.  We were able to interview Andy Sisomboune, Matt Levy, and Mark Levy and get their opinions on current politics and the 2008 presidential election.  This project was also another opportunity to hit the streets of downtown Chicago and film at various locations around the city, which is what we love.

Our documentary did get selected by the McCormick Freedom Museum, however, we didn't win the the final contest.  No big deal though, it was fun making it and a tremendous experience nonetheless.  Please pardon the incorrect aspect ratio.  Enjoy!

Freedom Documentary from Michael Bartello on Vimeo.

My First Student Film

Hello again,

Here is my very first student film that I've done at my school, Flashpoint Academy.  When I was writing it I had a whole story line to go with it, however, some of my actors fell through unfortunately.  Therefore, last minute I changed the whole meaning of the film.  Rather than convey a story, I decided to concentrate on all visuals and let the audience come up with their own story for it.  

The footage Ryan Berena and myself shot is all located within downtown Chicago, mostly within the loop during the winter months of 2008, and featuring Michael Falco. Yes, we froze while shooting this, but it came out better than expected surprisingly.  Please note that I plan to go back and re-edit the footage sometime in the future.  I'll stop talking now, please pardon the incorrect aspect ratio and enjoy the first cut of my first student film, Socialize.

Untitled from Michael Bartello on Vimeo.

Interview Photo Blog

Hello again,

We are just about done filming for the skate documentary, February, we just need a little bit more b-roll footage and interviews or Ryan and myself.  That trailer coming this week!

Anyway...

 

The other week we interviewed Joe Gigele, and thanks to Josh Gort and Alex Villasenor, we have a photo blog of it.  Thanks a lot guys, enjoy!

Mr. Gigele himself, posing for the camera.

That man wants to get interviewed!  Even when there is no one around.

Josh decided to jam while we were trying to set-up.

This picture is pretty sick, props to Alex Villasenor.

Alex looks confused while Joe goes Hollywood.

Yeah...we use various gels to achieve maximum satisfaction.

Gigele, moments before we roll camera.

I found a new place to store my cigarettes, hands free!

Gigele's getting pumped, can't you tell?

Finally, roll camera.

Ryan Berena posting up, manning B-camera, smoking cigarettes.

Alex, scoping out the interview before it's his turn.

February, coming soon!

I just want to take this time to thank everyone who Ryan and myself have interviewed.  I know the process is nerve racking, long, and uncomfortable, but thank you for your dedication.  Once again, special thanks to Josh Gort and Alex Villasenor for the pictures, and extra special thanks to Josh Gort for letting us use his place to conduct the interviews.  Stayed tuned for more photo blogs and videos, all soon to come!

Thanks!