Storyboards and tilt shift

While back at home I was experimenting on different visual compositions for film. I took a few photos and made a little storyboard.

A bay bay thanksgiving

A true man cuts the turkey.

Auntie waiting for the turkey

Thanksgiving was a great time to just relax and chill with family. Black Friday at Gilroy was pretty fail, and I got sick the night we got back to Sacramento. But other than that it was a pretty awesome break.

For the first time in as long as I can remember, we had thanksgiving at my cousins place in Millbrae, California. Traditionally we would celebrate it at my house because my Grandma lived at our house, and it was too hard for her to travel. But since she passed away in the summer of 08 we have been changing it up. I miss my Mom and Grandma, but it's cool. Family is tight.

Enoch doing "hw" while we wait for dinner.


Jon takes a pic with his ipod of the Pacific Ocean from the SF bay.



And finally... Caleb Dances to Jai Ho.

Sterling and Tilt shift lenses

Sterling is back in the US for a only a few more days. Me, Enoch, and David got to chill with him in Alhambra, CA. That same day I got my tilt shift lens.



Michael Mann is the master of night photography.


Here are some two shots.

24$hk harmonica from Tom Lee! what a steal!







Cool hole in the wall chinese restaurant. I love that background/window shade thing. It gives it a real retro look. A cool little spot to shoot a film.

i feel so superhuman

So 2 weeks ago I was able to get on the show Heroes as an extra. It was my first time, and I had to drive out to Hollywood by 5 am for the shoot. But it was well worth the experience.

My officially title was Japanese background B. My job - walk to point A and then back. I also rode a bike. For those of you who are familiar with the show, you know that Hiro is from Japan. The scene that I was in was some sort of market place/flea market area in Tokyo. I don't watch the show enough to know where this is in line with the current season. But if there is some scene with Hiro saving a lady getting robbed with a butcher knife... Tell me! You might see my elbow or shoulder in the scene. We are instructed specifically not to talk with the actors, but during one break Masi Oka and Greg Grunberg were just chillin right in front of me. I was a little starstruck, but all in all they are just people like me and you. It's cool that they seem to enjoy their job. I really took notice to the production side of the show. The AD as usual is the mean person who gets the show on the road. And the director was chillin in video village most of the time. It was huge production. The set was so sweet. So much detail was put into it. There was fog machines and all kinds of props. It was a two cameras shoot. In total I think there were over 80 extras.

This gig just came out of the blue. Sometimes I think my life is ruled completely by my own power, but I forget there are greater forces which affect it. God's provisions shows its face once again. I really hope to do it again.

My business cards came in today!! Thanks to dan for designing it. Thanks for david with hooking me up on an online coupon. I got tons of em if you want one.

enables me to go on the heights

You ever been in that moment where you see a great movie, and it makes you want to shoot a film. Or maybe you heard this sick song, and it takes you straight to the piano or guitar? Or maybe you eat this tasty hot plate, and immediately it brings you to the kitchen to cookin something up? Well, maybe not. But it's a crazy feeling. It's the constant calling of inspiration. It's something from within which drives someone forward or crazy.

One of my big struggles is being able to do many things above average but unable to do any of these things great. I can't help it. I have too many interest. I really like film and music and photography and krumping and eating. Maybe its what takes me to the fringe or maybe it's what keeps me from getting anywhere. I don't know. I asked God to lead the way, and this is where I'm at right now. Only time will tell.

But I am happy to share that one of my friends from high school is doing his thing. I remember he used to freestyle at school. He did some battles at our rallys. Check out his tracks. Especially tape rock. It samples biggie's juicy.

You know who's back in this

http://virb.com/jaycemusic/audio/452146
This song goes out to those Asian Christian girls who want to date Jesus, but in reality are actually freaked out by the idea of relationship and are too scared to take a risk.
just kidding mofos. The song started when my bryce wanted to do a parody of a song (originally by Elliott Yamin). But he couldn't find an instrumental. So he asked me to put something together, so i made a remake on reason. Then he got Jeff and Matt to do rap verses, and i sung the hook. And there you have it. It was a lot of fun.

new demo!

http://virb.com/jaycemusic/audio/450834


Here's my song about getting money, hoes, and drugs. Just kidding. Sometimes the only way one learns is the hard way. I'll keep ya'll posted on any updates.

Old Journey

A Jason Poon Short - Don't Stop Believing from Jason Poon on Vimeo.

I been meaning to post this for a long time. Thanks to Allie and Trisha for their patience. Don't Stop Believing featuring Allie and Trisha. BTW check out Trisha's photos! Check out the allie and matt series too (on trisha's site)! Has it been half a year??? Congrats

I hate potatoes

Last week we were back at Friend's Church in Long Beach to cook and serve dinner. Friend's Church is a church that serves many different people in Long Beach, but one unique things about it is that a part of it's congregation is homeless people.

It's always an honor when CITC gets to serve. Our church serves the meal once a month, but we cook once every other month. This month was our turn to cook, and we made a breakfast meal. So on saturday we prepared the potatoes... They were actually pretty tasty. The first batch came out nicely, and we would taste some. Then we ate some here and some there. Then it started getting nasty. Then my house smelled like potatoes. FML



There were 100 lbs of potatoes. Chop Chop.


Too many potatoes.


We tested out pancakes too.

Things in my Room 1 - hou yau

If you have been into my room know... I'm super messy. I wouldn't say that I am dirty, but I am messy. You might know other people who have a lot of stuff and are messy, but still they manage to know where everything is within their space. It's weird. I have tried to be more organized in a traditional sense, but it's hard. I'm working on it. So this series of post goes out to all of you OCD-neatfreak-germophobes. Here's a little peak into the stories inside my room.

Lee Kum Kee Oyster Sauce is the best! Even if you go to the wiki sauce it has the picture of Lee Kum Kee. Why do I like it? It's like a premium soy sauce. It doesn't even compare. The flavor is so rich. I grew up eating it in veggies especially kai lan and broccoli. It goes well as a marinate for beef in stir frys. Lately, I have been using it in ha zi mein (shrimp egg noodles). A great late night alternative to instant ramen. Editing some video late at night? Or maybe some dota? Oyster sauce on ha zi mein fasho!

show your moves!

video!

Here is a follow of the video shoot with chinese church organization dance classes. I assume Josh Yee edited all the video. I'm glad we were able to make use of it. And I'm sure ginger and wendy are glad its done. Enjoy!

I gotta feeling

Movie making is nothing like how it appears on the silver screen. A lot of work is put into a film before a camera is turned on. People write and rewrite drafts over drafts. Sometimes it's even being changed during the film shoot. People work together to plan shots. Rehearsals with actors. The there's production. 90% of film making on set sometimes feels like nothing time. Not to mention long days/nights wired only by the morning's coffee. The people on set sometimes don't even know the story. For this shoot I didn't even get a script. But after the shooting is done the film is not done. The work is passed to the editor. Editing can be a bleep. It's a tedious job. It can be lonely. I actually like it. But these are the major pieces of film making. And I love this process.

Things at first may seem overwhelming. The pieces may not seem to work together. People flaking. Drama. But when it comes together and people enjoy it. It's the best feeling.

Here are some pics from a film shoot this past weekend. The short film was called "Greatest Adventure" I got brought on by my friend Albert who was the DP for the film. I acted as the "B camera" for the shoot. It was definitely a good experience. It's been a while since I have been on a film shoot.

mashup inspired by Glee

So I watched glee last week. I know... admitting this kind of stuff is automatic revocation of man card. But none the less, I watched glee, and they did a mashup of its my life and confessions. I actually enjoyed it. It had a distinct pop sound which was different from the original soulful sound of confessions. But I liked the show's rendition anyway. A couple days ago my friend wrote some lyrics to an already produced song. He looked for an instrumental to the song, but he couldn't find one. He asked if I could make an instrumental. I did. And this is what I came up with.

http://virb.com/jaycemusic/audio/448528

Anyone recognize it? As I continued to work on the track, I realized that this iv, v, vi progression is extremely common. And naturally a melody from another song came out from the sound! I never tried doing a mashup, but it looks like this is what it has become. Don't be afraid! Try something new! I'll spread my wings, and I'll learn how to fly.

More dance stuff

http://vimeo.com/6960084

Checking the lighting/Freestyle Popping from Jason Poon on Vimeo.

Vinyl is not dead

Yeah, I saw this guy live. Last night at 7th and Grand Los Angeles, CA was Freedom of Beats was hosted by 7 Lounge. I haven't heard so many classics in a minute.

It was a good time watching some DJ's do their thing. It was raw. One of the most underplayed elements of hip hop is DJing. Without the DJ you have nothing else. There aint no music; there aint no dancing. I haven't seen someone spin real vinyls since 2000. People have it plugged to their macs and click this and that. One love to all DJs, but it was fresh to see DJ melody doing it with vinyls on the 1s and 2s.

It was also a humbling time. I started getting into hip hop music in middle school, and I feel like I been able to hear a lot. But there's just so much history. The roots of hip hop go deep. It's time for me to go back to school. I need to get acquainted with the og sounds. As for my music, I doubt this experience will make any revolutionary changes to my style. I do hope to obtain an appreciation for the past thus giving me more meaning in my own music creation.



and yes... Pitbull did not invent hotel motel holiday inn

if youre 18-21, you gotta turn this up

Hip hop has 4 elements. Graffiti, DJs, MCs, and breakers. All these elements work together to create hip hop. In high school I began B-boying. I once got second place in an amateurs b-boy battle at my school's club. I eventually got more into popping and later choreography. I have never taken dance too seriously. Although, it definitely is a good escape for me.

My friend Nate shot a video promo for my friends Ginger and Wendy. The video was used to promote Chinese youth of Los Angeles to participate in a united hip hop dance ministry. This program was created through a network of chinese churches. I helped as a back up DP/Director. It was cool to meet a bunch of breakers, poppers, and lockers.

The location was this cool little warehouse in Santa Ana. It was a fun experience shooting there. Kino flos do magic for lighting.

This was a behind the scenes video shot and directed by Don Le.

Dance Ministry BTS Video from Don Le on Vimeo.

By the way the title was a reference to jagged edge let's get married remix. Congrats to Davey and Risa!

Has it been 14 years?

Yes. Since it's release in 1995, Toy Story was the beginning of many epic pixar films. I love pixar films. They just bring out so many good feelings. Isn't it every kids dream to have their toys come alive? On October 2nd, 2009 Disney is releasing Toy Story 1 and 2 back in theatres, but in THREE DEE!! Whoo! First off, it's a 3d experience. Second off, it's two for the price of one. No Chinese man can complain about that.


Seems like Disney is gonna be bringing back a lot of oldies. One of my top animated films of all time is also coming back to theatres in 3d. Beauty and the Beast. This movie is so tight! I remember when I was little I watched a live presentation of this film at Disneyland. And when the beast turned into a human I was so amazed. Belle has always been my favorite Disney Princess...(no man card revoking please) Beauty and the Beast is gonna be back February 12, 2010. Just in time for all you guys to make the move on your lady before Valentines.

Matthew 13

What do you want to be when you grow up? The journey of ones future is filled with twist and turns. Sometimes the outcome is expected. Sometimes it is a complete surprise. Our experiences shape us. The people we meet shape us. But we all become something.

Elliot is growing up, and he is becoming a pastor. During his AACF days, he was a good speaker. I was often moved, encouraged, uplifted, or challenged when he spoke. He is at the early stages of his pastoral ministry, and I'm glad I can support it through doing little videos.

Elliot's Small Group from Jason Poon on Vimeo.

Upper Playground LA

Dan and I hit up Upper Playground in LA this past thursday to see Patrick Martinez's solo show "You Don't Have To Lie To Kick It."

Little did we know every 2nd thursday of the month it's downtown LA's Art Walk. It was popping! This is real LA art culture. If you are into art or like urban fashion, this is the place to be. We got there around 9:30, but people usually show up around 7. Although we got there later, the street corners were still packed with people. DJs, art, clothes, street food, and krumpers. Dan even got hustled by a bum. Click
http://www.downtownartwalk.com/ for more information.


Got there late, but the streets still popping. Walrus is for upper playground.



Dan in awe of the artwork.

Posing with the art. This piece is sick. Click to take a closer look.

My boy Sam Flores doin it big with the NE caps. Reppin the yay fasho.

Gotta love Sam Flores.


Soulful Commandoe! This store is tight! I'm hecka feeling the logo. I wish I got a shirt now. One of the workers stopped me and gave me props for my shoes! Thank you Radii.

Flossing the free upper playground tote bag.

i cant sing; i produce

I'm not a singer, but I'd like to produce someone.

The current hip hop music trend looks like a fusion of club and electronica with a bunch of other stuff. I personally love this because I already like electronica. I love clubbing too. I have a bunch of influences that are inspiring my music creation. They might not be no tupac or anything, but I'm grooving to it.

Keep your eyes peeled out for...

Kid Cudi
His album drops September 15, 2009. This has got to be one of the rawest artist/rappers out there. We all know Day 'n Night, but he got so many other sick songs. One of my favorite tracks is Man on the Moon. It's like Kanye West meets postal service. The song is so unique to the rap world. I feel like I'm on the moon. Cudi almost quit after getting a lot of crap from the online world, but he's not going anywhere. He is currently signed with G.O.O.D Music. THey also have these other guys - Kanye West, John Legend, and Common. His blog is raw. His interviews are raw. He is the man on the moon.



Brian Kennedy
My current favorite producer. This guy produces dope tracks. He has this upbeat/uplifting feel. It's club but still r&b. One thing I like is I feel that there is a high production value to his music. Most of the kids out there making their beats on fruity loops. It doesn't have that phat sound. He got good compositions that really make a full souding track. There is a heavy use of synths and ambient sounds. He does a lot of songs with Jackie Boyz - another dope up and coming duo. Although many of the artist he has produced are still unknown, he will be known.



And Finally! I'm gon be a producer!

Thanks to dan for photoshoping.

new track

WHat up world.

This is not a new track, but I got this out a couple months ago.




Friendships are such an important thing in my life. We put much time and effort into them. And when it is not reciprocated, there is pain. Maybe they are actually overrated? As for the track I used the minor scale and slower tempo to give that sorrow feel.

Weddings - Joanny and Mike and 5dmk2

Congratulations to Joanny and Mike. I love you guys. Thanks so much for your encouragement over the years. I'm really happy for you too, and I hope you guys have a meaningful marriage. It was tons of fun MCing the wedding.

Mike + Joanny Teaser

I shot this completely with the 5d mark II. CS4 is lagging on support for 5d mark II native footage. And working with proxies isn't that bad.

get something goin

i been getting involved with a lot of little and big projects here and there. It's real good. But I havent been able to work on any of my own projects. no vids coming out soon, no music coming out soon. I been doing a lot of writing, and i gotta get back into pro tools and reason and put some stuff together.

got back from hk not too long ago. It was tight. cant wait to go back. but that wont be happening soon. pics below for your view pleasure.

i moved into the new place. its real good. maybe post some pics of the place in a bit.

Caleb with egg puffs. homie behind him be staring at sterling. gai dan jai so yummy.

Macau with the fam.

me and homie sterling. 1love fasho international.

Err body geeked up!

So visual confession also has audio confessions. I been working on a lot of different tracks, and I made this from the jerknn movement. For those of you who aren't familiar with Jerking, it's a dance/hiphop movement that is currently exploding in southern california. It's fun, lighthearted, and it really goes against the traditional gangster grain of hip hop. You might have heard the New Boyz' song "youre a jerk" on the radio. Whether you hate it or love it, I'm love it. It reminds me of the hyphy movement from norcal. Maybe that nostalgia is just creepin into my system. When I hear those beats I just want to get up and dance. So I made a beat. Check it out.

Sometimes it Rains in Vietnam

These are two pictures I took while I was in Vietnam. This is a microphone stand made from bamboo. They made it on the spot before the event. The people of Vietnam were extremely resourceful. Their ability to adapt to a situation was incredible. As my life changes, I see that I need to also adapt. A friend said to me once, "Adjust, adapt, overcome. That's why I'm still alive." The ability to be flexible becomes so critical within life. Many times I find myself in love with a certain plan (usually my own) and within the process I forget the original objective. I fall in love with an idea, ministry, or event. All of these are only tools to accomplish the original goal. Being flexible means being able to change the plans so that the goal may be accomplished. Adjust, Adapt, Overcome.