Thank you,

Brian A. Bernhard

Knowing that the event would be coming to an end very soon, and that I needed to experience this NYC happening first hand, so that I would be able to reflect on it in a wacky blog posting. So when I got an email invitation from Xuan, to meet her, Nancy and Senem, Sunday at Noon, I jumped on it, knowing that I may not be motivated to do it any other way, because the “L” train has not been running on the weekends for the past month or so, and the only way to get into Manhattan was by Shuttle bus adding an extra 30 – 40 minutes of travel time to my adventure in each direction. Although, cryptically, Xuan’s message told me to meet them at the “Union Square” subway station entrance, I quickly realized there are about 20 “entrances” for that particular station, so to make things simple, and knowing that we would begin the walk at the east side of the island. I requested that the ladies meet me at the 1 st. avenue stop on the “L” line. I arrived at 12:30, and about 15 minutes later the ladies arrived. Our first mission was to head over to Avenue “C” at the far east side of 14^th st. to begin our Journey. As we began walking toward the beginning we walked smack dab into our first “Odd” piece of art, it was a slow moving group of oddly mixed buildings, boats, and mammals with human legs that called themselves, “A Northwest Passage”. I took some pictures and a little video of this slow moving westward train of artists:

THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE

Previously, I had downloaded the PDF map into my phone, that should of allowed is to be able to find the art a bit more easily. This seemed not to be the case, although, I very much enjoyed to scavenger hunt aspect to the day. At the corner of 14^th and “C”, we could not seem to find anything, even though; there were markers on the map. We noticed that there was an odd broken structure that looked like it might of once been a street lamp, it was painted golden, we decided as a collective, that if it has been painted gold, well then it must be art.

We laughed at the ridicules idea, and moved on. As we continued our journey, we noticed a series of “odd” words stenciled on the ground. None of us could figure out what it meant, but clearly this artist was the most prolific on 14^th st, as you can tell from all the pics, even though, I am sure we missed a few.

I was not actually sure what we were looking for, as art could be anything, so I began to take pictures of anything I saw that could be art.

As we journeyed deeper into the island we came across some performers that were, “Waiting for RFK”, here are some pics and a video, from just before they went to grab a bite at McDonalds.

Soon after we left our new hard hat-wearing friends, some of my collective expedition group began to feel the pains of hunger so a pizza stop was in order. As we were enjoying out lovely slices of crab pizza, the lovely Susan Surandon and what looked like her son, stopped in for a slice. After the blushing ladies in my group got the giddies out of their systems, we continued our endurance test, celebrity free.

Continuing the trek, we came across a group of ladies handing out Google Map pins printed on mylar balloons. They said the idea was to track people, but these balloons did not have any GPS to my knowledge. And I am pretty sure mylar balloons are not recyclable.

As we crosses the midpoint of our sojourn, we came across a lovely billboard…er…I mean lady, wearing her “Conceptual Camouflage”, a lovely dress designed to look like 14^th street. Here are some pics and videos:

Crossing over 9^th ave, we saw a strange photo shoot, that could only be described as “odd” so I snapped a few pics.

Once we hit the end of our tour, we started to head back, only to notice some more golden street objects! So I guess we came full circle.

In conclusion, I very much enjoyed the concept and ideas of the AIOP event. I especially enjoyed walking up to strangers, and saying, “Oh my, you are art in a very odd place.”

I am not exactly sure how this work relates to mine, with the exception that it is outside, everything I experienced was very subtle, and I am not sure, but I think that my work is anything but subtle.

So now that I am in school again, I had this lil’ homework assignment. To make a 30 second animation in After Effects, to be used in an “Exquisite Corpse” game (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exquisite_ corpse). Well, the idea for this came to me in the morning on a Thursday, I had the whole project finished in post by the end of the day on Thursday, it too 3 freaking days to render, because of all the lighting, shadows and 3d cameras. I suppose I will eventually make more movies featuring “Gus the Unemployed Rodeo Clown”

For more of my wacky business please visit my website: http://www.blightproductions.com

-Blight Productions

I sure have been one whacked out busy beaver. I have been soooo darn busy I have sadly neglected my dear sweet little blog. Well time for the big fat update!

First things first, I am going to be a guest on a super cool live internet show called “ReW & WhO” I will be on at 5:30PM, Wednesday August the 26th, that is TONIGHT, so tune in to the website here: http://www.arizzmaradio.com/rewandwho/rewandwho.html. I am going to play some TOTS tracks, as well, as some video clips, and generally make a somewhat hopefully entertaining ass of myself for you good folks.

Second thing, I have finally finished THE LOVE STORY, my newest short film. I am going to be sending it to film festivals ASAP, but until then please enjoy the fancy new updated trailer I just cut for it:

THE LOVE STORY – OFFICIAL TRAILER !HQ!

A NEW CLOWN MOVIE FROM

BLIGHT PRODUCTIONS

“THE LOVE STORY”

-FEATURING-

JEF JOHNSON(Slava’s Snowshow & Cirque Du Soleil)
as both clowns!

“Gotta’ keep the park clean!”

Improvisational clown movie making at it’s finest. A lil’ clown meets the lady of his dreams.

Written/Directed/Edited by Brian A. Bernhard
Cinematography by Kalin Ivanov
Original Score by Carmela Sinco

COMING SOON!

ALSO!!!!

I am going back to school now, I make a bunch of stuff there, including the first ever Blight the Clown video game. It is still a beta version, I am going to be adding levels and more sound effects and al kinds of other fun stuff. Click here for the process site, or click here to play the game!

School so far has also gotten me to make a bunch of other craziness, check it out:

2 BLIND MICE – A NEW GAME

This is a little commercial I made to promote a new game I helped create called “2 BLIND MICE”. For more information and the official rules, please visit: http://www.2-blind-mice.com

2 BLIND MICE (A working title)
A New Game By
Isadora Dantas, Ta-En Kuo, & Brian A. Bernhard

Objective:
Be the first team to collect the gold coin!
Summery:
Players will be divided into two teams. The teams will be divided into two parts, the “EYES”, and the “HANDS”. The “EYES” cannot move and the “HANDS” cannot see. There will be a series of colored coins placed within the game area. The “EYES” must direct the “HANDS” with a series of single word commands to collect all the appropriate colored coins to gain access to and collect the gold coin for the win.

DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL RULES FOR “2 BLIND MICE”!

PROFESSOR VON GOITER TEST ANIMATIC

So, I was asked to make an animatic for my class in Parsons. Professor Von Goiter is a little character I have been working on in a little comic strip, I have not yet released yet. He may yet see the light of day as an animated short.

The music is politely borrowed for this school assignment from the track, “Despair” composed by Ennio Morricone off the soundtrack for the movie, “The Thing”.

BLIGHT’S LIL’ FLIPBOOK

This here is just a little 50 frame animation I did for the MFA program at Parsons, that I am currently enrolled in.

Thanks for giving it a little look-see!

Thanks,
Blight the Clown
(A.K.A.) Brian A. Bernhard
Producer/Editor/Artist/Clown
Blight Productions
Website: http://www.blightproductions.com
Band: http://www.totsland.net
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BlightTheClown1
Blog: http://blightproductions.wordpress.com

Last week, I produced a video for a friend that works at the SPCA. She is developing a web series called, “THE SHELTER SHOW”. Here is the episode of the show that I did:

Adopt a black animal today at your local SPCA!

For more information about adopting black animals please visit: http://www.vbspca.com

For more information about “THE SHELTER SHOW” please visit: http://www.sheltershow.com

For more information about BLIGHT PRODUCTIONS please visit: http://www.blightproductions.com

Co-Produced by Amy McNally & Blight Productions

Featuring Amy McNally as your host and a cast of beautiful black animals!

Directed, Edited and Shot by Brian A. Bernhard

Special thanks to:

Alex Colburn, Andrew Mendoza, Sharon Q. Adams, the staff and animals at the Virginia Beach SPCA, and John B. Dey Elementary School

Equipment list:
The entire video was shot with a Flip Video MinoHD camera & a Sony MP3 IC audio recorder

Editing was done in Final Cut Pro

ALSO:

DON’T FORGET TO ATTEND THE NEWFILMMAKERS SUMMER ANIMATION FILM FESTIVAL!!

Wednesday, July 22

6:00PM NEWFILMMAKERS ANIMATION FESTIVAL

@ The Anthology Film Archives
32 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10009
212-505-5110
Your Pal,
Blight the Clown
(A.K.A.) Brian A. Bernhard
Producer/Editor/Artist/Clown
Blight Productions
Website: http://www.blightproductions.com
Band: http://www.totsland.net
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BlightTheClown1
Blog: http://blightproductions.wordpress.com

In this weeks Blight Productions update, I have posted 2 new black & white ink drawings, a silly new video featuring my friend and master magician Professor Bob Friedhoffer, and a lovely invitation to a new film festival featuring my movie “A CLOWN CAROL”. So check out the entire blog posting for all the juicy details!

:::THE DRAWINGS:::

-I WANT MY BALLOON BACK NOW!-
(Click the image to purchase a print)

-PIRATE BEACH BASH-
(Click the image to purchase a print)

:::THE VIDEO:::

-BENDING A FORK WITH PROF. BOB FRIEDHOFFER-

I went to lunch with the amazing science magician, Professor Bob Friedhoffer the other day, and wouldn’t you know it, he just could not keep himself from doing a trick at the table and teaching me how to do it.

For more of my madness please visit: http://www.blightproductions.com

for more Professor Friedhoffers magic please visit: http://www.sciencetrix.com

I also put a little clip of my band’s music in there, if you dig it check us out, THINGS OUTSIDE THE SKIN, the song is called American Way, our website is: http://www.totsland.net

:::THE FILM FESTIVAL:::

I WILL BE ATTENDING THIS FESTIVAL, SO I HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL THERE!!!!

Wednesday, July 22

6:00PM NEWFILMMAKERS ANIMATION FESTIVAL

@ The Anthology Film Archives
32 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10009
212-505-5110

Elena Topouzoglou PHAROS (2007, 4 Minutes, Video)
Andrew Dolan LUKE OF HAZARD (2008, 2 Minutes, Video)
Max Chan POLLINATION (2007, 2 Minutes, 2007)
Victoria Alexander UPSTAGED (2009, 2 Minutes, Video)
Shereen Abdul-Baki ELEGY (2008, 3 Minutes, Video)
G Melissa Graziano LOVE ON THE LINE (2008, 5 Minutes, Video)
Teddy Thoren IN DEEP (2008, 14 Minutes, Video)
Brian Bernard A CLOWN CAROL (2007, 9 Minutes, Video)
Shinhee Kim EGG ROBOT MOMO (2009, 7 Minutes, Video)
Patrick Smith PUPPET (2006, 6 Minutes, Video)
Nicholas Piotrowski THE GHOST-EYE TREE (2008, 11 Minutes, 35MM)

Thanks for reading all the way to the end of this weeks posting, dont forget to subscribe to my blog, and email list for all your artistic needs!

Your Pal,
Blight the Clown
(A.K.A.) Brian A. Bernhard
Producer/Editor/Artist/Clown
Blight Productions
Website: http://www.blightproductions.com
Band: http://www.totsland.net
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BlightTheClown1
Blog: http://blightproductions.wordpress.com

This post marks the final episode in this chapter of Blights “Missing Adventures”, I will be posting other comic strips, its just that Blight the Clown will be taking a break from the internet to work on his book. Also, check out the trailers for my friends movie, “Lencho”, he has been kicking ass on it for several months now and it should prove to be pretty fantastic. He is having a bit of a fundraiser for the movie in a few days so he can try and pay some of his crew. Details are posted in the blog.

:::THE COMIC:::

-THE MISSING ADVENTURES OF BLIGHT THE CLOWN #30-
(Click the image for a larger version)

(Click here for the comic archive)

:::THE FUND RAISER:::

-El Regreso de Lencho (The Return of Lencho)-

MONDAY JULY 6th @ 6:30

Come support the film, have fun w/1hr OPEN BAR ….. & watch the first 10 min of the film.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FACEBOOK EVENT

The film El Regreso de Lencho (in English it’s The Return of Lencho). It was shot on 16mm film on location in Guatemala in late 2008 (there is also an animated part to the film). It is currently in post production. It’s a Spanish language film about a character named Lencho who uses street art to organize Guatemalan youth–now targeted by the police as insurgents–to express their social justice and human rights concerns in an increasingly corrupt and violent Guatemala. It promotes graffiti art and human rights in a globalized third world.
http://elregresodelencho.com/

Tickets $20

Silent Auction of Latin American art.

Monkey Town at 58 N 3rd St 58 N 3rd St (btw. Kent & Wythe) Williamsburg, Brooklyn has a Front Dining Room and Bar, while our back dining room maintains our original configuration:
- 4 screens
- communal seating
- 6.1 surround sound

Directions to Monkey Town
From the L Train:
1. Exit at the Bedford stop (the 1st stop in Brooklyn).
2. Walk 4 blocks south on Bedford,
3. Make a right on N. 3rd St. (west)
4. Walk an additional 2 and 1/2 (west) on N 3rd. Monkey Town is halfway down the block on the left.
http://www.monkeytownhq.com

:::THOUGHTS ON THE WEEK:::

There must be something in the air, the past few weeks have been filled with celebrity death. First David Carradine and his fantastically shocking yet sudden death, then Ed Mcmahon, I guess we saw this one coming, he was old and sick, but sad none-the-less. Then Farrah Fawcett, again sad, but a very public documentary about her cancer prepaired us for it. Then Michael Jackson, I guess this is the one that got to me the most, very tragic and unexpected, just on the verge of a comeback tour, trying to get back on his feet after a very public stoning by a hypocritical society. In his case, I wonder what ever happened to innocent until proven guilty. No matter if you love or hate the guy, he had a huge impact on most anybody that grew up in the 80′s. He took music videos to a level that blew peoples minds, I can remember watching the video of the making of Thriller, it was my first glips behind the scenes into the world of filmmaking. Then he bridged the gap between video games and music with an amazing title for the Sega Genesis called Moonwalker, a game where you defeated the bad-guys by dancing! I even remember how the world came to a stop and everyone turned their televisions on at the same time to watch the premiere of his video for “Black & White”.  Michael Jackson even introduced me to one of my all time favorite artists, when Weird Al did the song “Eat It”, that changed my life forever. So it is with a sad heart that I mourn the death of a brilliant artist. Then all-of-the-sudden, I find out that the infomercial guy Billy Mays died this morning. Now, even though it is always sad when someone dies, before last week, I don’t think his death would of personally effected me in anyway, BUT I saw him on Conan O’brien, and for the first time enjoyed his non-salesman personality, he actually made a really funny segment with Conan, and I thought I might even try watching his new television series “Pitchmen”, but I guess it was not meant to be. Such an odd week. Below is a youtube video response to Michael Jackson’s death that seems appropriate to describe the hypocrisy of the public.

Michael Jackson is Dead

Thanks,
Blight the Clown
(A.K.A.) Brian A. Bernhard
Producer/Editor/Artist/Clown
Blight Productions
Website: http://www.blightproductions.com
Band: http://www.totsland.net
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BlightTheClown1
Blog: http://blightproductions.wordpress.com

2. Even with all the DIY networking & promotional tools that are are available today, it is still incredibly hard for an artist to find the right audience for his/her work.

3. Unless someone wants something from you, why does (almost) everyone seem like they want to sell you something?

4. How often do you have to smile, nod, shake hands with, pander, and pretend to care about something, or someone, that you really don’t give a shit about, during your average day?

5. Why is communication so difficult for the majority of the population on this planet?

-Brian

I made a new sideshow banner featuring you favorite clown Blight, “ALIVE ON THE INSIDE”, and then I put it on a T-shirt for you kids to buy! Get to it now!

CLICK THE IMAGE TO BUY THIS AWESOME T-SHIRT FOR ONLY 15 BUCKS!!!!

CLICK THE DRAWING TO BUY HIGH QUALITY PRINTS!

Thanks,
Blight the Clown
(A.K.A.) Brian A. Bernhard
Producer/Editor/Artist/Clown
Blight Productions
Website: http://www.blightproductions.com
Band: http://www.totsland.net
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BlightTheClown1
Blog: http://blightproductions.wordpress.com

2. Now that people shoot on DV tape or digitally, they tend to shoot way too much footage, that bogs down the post production process (especially if you work in television and have strict deadlines).

3. People forget, when shooting any kind of narrative story, you should always have some kind of storyboard, to help communicate your ideas to the cast and crew.

4. When shooting a live event always take extra tape and battery’s, and keep a tape unwrapped and ready to go in an easily accessible pocket.

5. Even when shooting an outside night shot, its generally a good idea to bring extra lighting.

-Brian