Zebidy Tank/Drop Tank music video directed by Wesley Alley

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZfTj3CCE_E

The Band

Drop Tank

Most recently I met a girl in LA that wanted to shoot a music video. She is Australian and the very talented singer for several bands and groups. She wanted a music video for her band Drop Tank.

Zebidy Tank

Zebidy Tank (The singer) was great, and I really liked her music. She needed a music video to showcase her talents, and I wanted to make another to showcase mine.  Perfect timing.  We put our heads together and decided to help each other out.  We had very little money for this video; but with a lot of haggling, calling around, and cutting deals we were able make what we had feed the crew and pay for sweet locations. She approached me with a song called “Cheap Shot”.  After listening to the song, Zebidy Tank and I had the same idea for what the video could be about. We started brainstorming and figuring how we could do it. Once we got it all figured out, everything just seemed to fall into place. We planned out a fight scene and started looking for someone to act in it with Zebidy, as well as a fight coordinator.  Almost immediately, a female professional wrestler named Katarina Waters, AKA Winter, approached us.  She liked the song, and wanted to do the coordinating, and the acting.  It was perfect.  So, just like that, we had two beautiful women who were going to fight each other, lots of blood, weapons, etc, what else do you need? Maybe a chainsaw??? We had amazing locations, a good song, and everything was falling into place. Once again I have amazing friends who wanted to help out and be involved. So that was it, we got a bunch of extras, got all the crew together and made a rocking good music video!!!

Zebidy Tank and Katarina Waters fighting while me and Director of Photography Dustin Gardner Block and go over camera moves.

Director of Photography Dustin Gardner and I reviewing footage.

Pro Wrestler Winter taking a punch from Zebidy Tank.

Winter striking back!

Talking to my DP about the framing (I have a mohawk because I make a cameo in the video... look for me.). 

Cool shot of the action

Fighting!!!

More fighting!!!

Check it out...

Director Wesley Alley with Katarina Waters (Winter) and Zebidy Tank after the shoot.

Bass- Joey Friedman

Singer/Guitar - Zebidy Tank

Drums - Harry Thynne

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZfTj3CCE_E

The video turned out great and it is one of the best things I have directed so far. Let me know what you all think... More posts coming soon, please "follow" so you can see all my posts. 

www.wesleyalley.blogspot.com

www,facebook.com/WessAlley

www.imdb.com/name/nm3111245/

A Very Merry Thanksgiving Trip To Idaho

Okay okay okay, I know I said that I was going to be writing the next few entries about the work that I have recently done and am proud of but I had a wonderful experience and I just wanted to share with you.  I will have another post about work that I have directed and that I am super proud of in a week or so. Please keep reading and we will be back to our regularly scheduled program soon...

Whitney and I Home for thanksgiving on the train to the North Pole to take pics of the kids with Santa. It was pretty sweet, and a surprisingly short train ride from Boise ID to the North Pole. Also free Candy canes and chocolate milk for all the kids... and Whitney's 16yr old brother haha 

So, this year for thanksgiving my wife and I went back home to Idaho. We didn't have much time and to make things worse we decided that we were going to drive the short 13 hour drive from LA to where I grew up. I slept a little while, Whitney drove, and then we switched and I drove the rest. It was an Okay drive. Not nearly as long as the drive we made last Dec, from Orlando to LA. That drive was crazy and a whole different story. maybe a story I will share one day... Anyway, home was great. We spent some time with the family, and even had a little time to visit with my Cousins that I had mentioned in my prior posts, Derek and Jeremiah. It was great, didn't have a chance to visit with either for very long, but it was great. First thing I learned is my family really needs to do more family portraits...

My mom and family

This is my cousins Jeremiah, and his family, Derek and his family and my moms sister Julie.

Derek and two of his adorable children. 

All three of his kids

Jeremiah and all his kids 

His whole Family

The beautiful new baby

Then we went to Boise to visit Whitney's family for a few days. It was fun, all of her family was in town, all the sisters and brothers and their families. It was great, food was good, all around a great thanks giving. Whitney's family definitly takes enough family photos... Notice the difference?

The whole family (Photo taken by me...) 

Whitney's Sister Misty and her family 

Whitney's Sister Melinda and her family (New baby coming soon)

Whitney's Sister Callie and her husband.

Whitney's mom dad, and brother Sam.

We weren't there very long, but I even had time to visit a few old friends. Met with my buddy Kyle from high school, my buddy Mark from High School, and even had a business meeting with my buddy who is like my older brother, Jade. We met about a script, and a possible movie that I might be directing. 

Buddy Mark rocking out!

Kyle doing super cool Important stuff...

My brother Jade. His mom thinks he is special too, and we are making movies!

Sorry to all of those that I didn't get to visit, it was a very short trip, and I promise to be back and see more people next time.

It was a really good, short trip. There was one thing though that really really made me feel good, and made me want to share. All through out the trip, people kept making comments about how great I am doing. Not just the normal my mom thinks I'm great comments (which trust me, she totally does think I'm great) but real cool comments. My cousin Derek tells his kids that I worked hard, did good at school, and actually became what I wanted to be when I grew up and that if they work hard, and do well in school, they can too. Other members of my family just kept asking me about all of my success and my projects. When we went to Boise, I heard more great things like that about how great it is to read about my successes in my blogs, and how proud of me everyone is. It was a really humbling and cool experience and trip. It has not only fueled me to work hard for success, but really made me humble to know how much people care and how many people are rooting for my success. I just wanted to tell all of my friends, family, fans, loved ones, everyone thank you for everything. I really appreciate all the help, support, etc. and that I promise I will work really hard to continue to make you all happy and proud. I could not achieve anything without your love, support, and help.

SO TO EVERYONE OUT THERE FRIENDS, FAMILY, FANS, SUPPORTERS, PEOPLE THAT HATE ME, EVERYONE----- THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING.

okay now back to not being all gooing and thankful, and back to our regularly scheduled blogging.

"The Way You Rock It" Official Music Video for Teddy Jackson Directed by Wesley Alley

Recently I have also shot some music videos, as a director, which I am very proud of...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-KKusS7ofo

A few months back I released a music video for a friend "Teddy Jackson" for a song he has called “The Way You Rock It”. 

The Artist Teddy Jackson
Teddy approached me about making the music video for him, and had an idea about being a Martian and searching the earth for his girl. The idea was actually for a different song. After talking with him for a while, we decided on doing a different song, and he chose “The Way You Rock It” I really liked the idea of the Martian so we kept that idea, playing with the term rocket instead of rock it. This music video had absolutely no budget, so we had to figure out a way to do it for 100% free. Lucky for me, I know an amazing gaffer who stepped up to DP and saved the day for me. Him and so many friends of mine really stepped up to make the music video turn out. We had friends donate alien costumes, friends donate mirrors for stars and lighting effects, friends donate time and equipment, and tons of other stuff... We made robots out of boxes and household items, made costumes, and painted faces.  I even had some very good friends donate locations. I was able to get a studio and a local bar and grill. Speaking of… If you ever go to Orlando FL… you have to check out The Oblivion Tap Room. It might be my buddies establishment, but it is truly the best food in Orlando.  Try it, you will not be disappointed!!!! 

 Any way.  So keeping the idea he was a Martian, and playing with the idea of rocket ships, I wanted to do a hip-hop star wars style cantina scene. So we did tons of stuff to that effect, and had Teddy dance across the universe looking for his space angel.  He finally finds her at the end, and finally gets to dance with her.

Space Angel

Teddy doing his thing

Aliens!!!!!!

Reaching for the Stars!!!

Director of Photography Michael Smallwood and Smallwood Lighting Consultants.

Wolf man Rob!

1st AD Keith and Me talking important Directing stuff...

It is a video that I am pretty proud of especially because of all the help I got from friends. It made me feel so loved and respected that so many people came out to help, and donated, and worked so hard just to help us make a little free music video!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-KKusS7ofo

The award winning director of ReRe-Animated

Filmmakers are storytellers. I have been a filmmaker for a long time, and before that a storyteller.  Some of my fondest memories as a kid are playing “guns” or “cops and robbers” with my sister Melissa and cousins Derek and Jeremiah. We would spend hours figuring out the story to the game we were going to play. We would figure everything out and build an entire world around what we wanted to do. We would spend so much time and energy creating these stories that on many occasions, by the time we figured it all out, it was time to go home.  I also remember my dad telling all us kids scary stories around the campfire. His were always the best, no one could tell them like he could. All us kids would take turns trying to make up good ones like his but we never could as kids. As I grew up My love for stories grew to cartoons and movies, and as soon as I could, I wanted to make my own. I would tell Melissa, Derek, and Jeremiah all the time how I was going to make movies when I grew up. The first movie I was ever going to make was going to be a spoof of all the biggest movies from our childhood and I was going to call it............... Wait for it.................. “That One Movie”. That way when people were talking about movies, and couldn’t think of the title and they said "it was that one movie," other people would get confused because there was actually a movie called “That One Movie.” (I am still going to do this someday, so don’t steal my idea!!!!!!)

Me, Jeremiah, Derek, and Melissa as kids having a great time. Photo by Richard Vansant

When I actually got started making movies, I made some terrible short films.  Ones that no one will ever see! But I kept making them, making mistakes, learning tips, secrets, etc.  Always practicing. You can’t expect to become great at anything without practice. Or luck I guess, but anyone who know me will attest to me having the worst luck out of anyone in the world… So luck wasn’t going to cut it! I had to practice and learn.  I made several bad music videos, several bad short films, several student films, etc. Eventually I started making products that I was proud of.

The first short film I Directed and produced that I was really proud of is my short film ReRe-Animated.

http://www.rere-animatedmovie.com/

http://www.facebook.com/rereanimated

Comic book art work by the fantastic talented Morgan Wilson

Bodies line the streets; zombies roam hunting for brains or flesh, the "Zombie Apocalypse is now"... At least that is what Brian thinks. Brian drags Wess from his bed, and out through the night barricading themselves inside the safest place to be when zombies attack... A bar... Wess, doubting the accuracy of Brian's recollection, tries to convince him he could be wrong. Together the two friends wait out what could be the zombie apocalypse arguing as their imaginations run wild.

More fantastic art from Morgan Wilson

ReRe-Animated is a short film that I made with the help of a lot of great friends and supporters. I had an amazing crew, and could not have made it without their help. ReRe-Animated was the first real project that I tried to direct and produce myself. It was after I graduated from film school, and something that I spent lots of time, energy, and money to make it. I had the best equipment, the best crew, with talented actors; it really was an amazing experience. 

Morgan Wilson's representation of Brian an I fighting Zombies

some sweet directing/acting

Brian and I giving thumbs up!

All the awesome and scary Zombies

Actors Wesley Alley, Michael Opal, and Brian C. Chenworth

As amazing as the experience was and how good the film turned out, it wasn't all great.  It was hard with lots of problems. Right out of the gate we had a location fall through, so we had to find a new location very short notice. One of my two lead actors quit after weeks of rehearsals.  It was difficult to find someone else, so I had to step up and be one of the leads. My wife wrecked her scooter! Almost everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. Even the weather was against us, it rained on us everyday and I don't mean, just a little rain I mean torrential downpour. It was a very tough schedule, and a very tough project all together. Like I said, it turned out great, and it was the effort of all my friends and crew that really made it possible. There is no way I could have pulled it off with out them.

something wicked this way comes

Praying for no Rain while A.D. Keith Gaynor and Actor Brian C. Chenworth wait super patiently...

Curtis braving the storm

Don't worry, I got you buddy. While Production Coordinator  Hillary Matheny does something coordinatory. 

Associate producer and Production Manager Nicholas Kramer broke out his rain gear from back when he was Captain of a fishing boat "Oh God Please No Rain"off the coast of Oregon. 

Nothing to do but wait for the rain to pass... So Bromantic...

Currently, ReRe-Animated is in its film festival run, and doing great!!!! We have won several awards including Best Horror Short Film at Shockerfest International FIlm Festival 2012, and Best Short Film Orlando FIlm Slam February 2012. We have screened at lots of pretty amazing festivals, not to mention, been seen by some pretty amazing people. Please check out the web site to see some great quotes from people, a list of all the film festivals and awards, as well as so much more!!!!

http://www.rere-animatedmovie.com/
http://www.facebook.com/rereanimated
http://rere-animated.blogspot.com/
http://www.cafepress.com/rereanimated