Monday, April 25, 2011
"Award of Achievement"
This weekend I received the "Award of Achievement" for Student Production Long Form at the 2011 Iowa Motion Picture Awards. It was a great honor and I had a lot of fun attending the ceremony with my dad and meeting Iowa's best of the best filmmakers. I will definitely be seeking a nomination next year for 'Finding Genesis' if that turns out. Here is my handsome trophy! I put it up on the shelf next to the "Best Director" trophy my parents gave me when I was 12.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Iowa Motion Picture Award Nominee
In related news, I'm one of the IMPA's spotlight members. This isn't really a big deal, any IMPA member can achieve this, but I'd like to post what they sent out to all the other members since only members can read it. The information comes from a fancy questionnaire I filled out for them a while back.
Member Spotlight
Zachary Hayes
Where are you located?
Iowa City, a sophomore at the University of Iowa.
Provide a brief bio of yourself. Include both personal and professional.
My name is Zachary Hayes, I'm 20 years old and a student at the University of Iowa studying to become a filmmaker. Born and raised in Des Moines. My goal is to become a director of photography, though I thoroughly enjoy every aspect of the industry and feel I could be proficient almost anywhere else--so there is room for error and I'm still young. I currently work at City Channel 4 in Iowa City as a camera operator. While I'm always working on my own projects, I love being part of other filmmaker's projects as well.
List your credit highlights and/or area of work.
My "best" short so far is probably “Waiting for Eternity.” It's as cheesy as it sounds, a story about a vampire that falls in love with the corpse of his victim. Short, sweet, and trendy. Lots of visual effects. Besides the countless amateur shorts I've made since I was 11 years old, my other "professional" work would be the commercials I made for Affinity and a local bakery. Each won a contest, so that's good.
Why/how did you become involved in the motion picture industry? Where did you train/study?
I got my first camera when I was in elementary school and filmmaking has since been the only thing I'm interested in. I'm still studying at the University of Iowa and meeting a lot of great people here that share my passion.
What is your most satisfying professional achievement? Most embarrassing?
Conquering my fear of eating Ramen noodles and tuna for the rest of my life by attending film school. It was also satisfying winning a video contest for Affinity. Although looking back at that video, the quality is embarrassing!
Who/what are your greatest influences?
Peter Hedges is a big influence of mine because we both attended the same high school so I felt like I didn't have to be born in LA to be a filmmaker. Also my dad, although he probably wishes I'd become a doctor.
Why did you join the IMPA?
To network, stay informed and fill out questionnaires.
What's your favorite movie?
That's probably the hardest question I'm ever faced with; I'd have to say “Chaplin” starring Robert Downey Jr.
What are your interests outside the production world?
For the longest time, I had a comic strip called Hysteria Syndrome that was featured in a couple publications.
What would you be if you weren't working in production?
A magician.
What's something your film colleagues wouldn't know about you?
That I'm giving them deffered pay working on a film that probably won't make any money.
What's up next for you?
I'm making a movie with the working, maybe official, title “Finding Genesis.” It will be between 30 and 45 minutes, essentially about an alien race who come to Earth in search of "god." There will be explosions, romance, and an epic soundtrack. This is not a class project, but a lot of other Iowa students will be helping me out. I'm excited! You should be too.
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