In this installment, Tongal’s own Caleb Light-Wills interviews longtime member and 1st Place Winner of the $7,500 Nine West Animation Project, David Lackey. Since joining Tongal just over a year ago, David has participated in twelve projects, created eight winning videos and become $5,600 richer. He’s also transformed himself from a guy with an interest in video into a full-fledged, self-taught, professional content producer. Although it’s not exactly rags-to-riches, this is the kind of story that we live for…proof that Tongal is literally changing lives. David’s portfolio is the perfect example of how skill, dedication and opportunity have converged to produce something exemplary. Truthfully, we can’t wait to see what’s next.
Caleb Light-Wills – You’ve been on Tongal for a while now, but how and when did you first find out about the site?
David Lackey – I was approached by a friend with the Lending Tree idea almost a year ago, had never heard about Tongal before that. I took a look at the site and really liked what I saw, and I've been here ever since.
CLW – Were you apprehensive about the Tongal process or was it something you understood almost immediately (i.e. multiphase contests = concept, video, prediction, exhibition)?
DL – Once I sort of figured out what was going on, it made a lot of sense. I'd never participated in video contests before other than some 24- and 48- hour filmmaking competitions because they mostly seemed more like a lottery and less like you had a legitimate chance at winning money. Contests where there is only one winner who gets, say, $100,000 -- that just sounds like too long of odds to me. Tongal's approach makes a lot more sense.
CLW – What is your production background like?
DL – I did not go to film school... I took a few film studies and photography classes in college, but for the most part I've been generally self-taught through reading on the Internet and just trying out ideas. I met a bunch of other self-motivated people running a filmmaking and acting club (Aggie SWAMP Club) at my college (which didn't have a film school), who also shared what they knew with everyone. I asked around and heard from various "industry people" that film school was valuable more for connections than anything, and thanks to our club by the time I graduated I felt like I had a lot of the connections and the start I needed to at least shoot my own stuff.
I did do IT work for a year and a half after graduation to save up and also buy some equipment, but the very clear demarcation point for me was quitting my job and moving to Austin a couple months ago to do whatever filmmaking work I could find.
CLW – What was the first Tongal project you participated in and what was the result?
DL – The first project I participated in was the Lending Tree contest... I really enjoyed getting to collaborate with the actors, a painter, a voice actor, etc., and I really liked the final product, but it didn't get picked by the judges. We were determined to make some money off of it though and did get the most views. As for why it didn't win, it may have been confusing, or there may have been some misgivings by the judges about perceived sacrilege or portraying the Lending Tree's product as something a Greek god would shoot at pedestrians.
CLW – Your work has come a really long way since “Angry Zeus.” What does it feel like to come out on top and walk away with 1st place and $4,000 for your 30-second Nine West Animation?
DL – That, admittedly, felt pretty awesome, especially since at the time I was set to move to Austin but still had a couple weeks left at my job.
I was sitting in my cubicle when the winners were announced, and I remember wondering "why am I still here, again?" Especially since the stuff I was shooting and editing in my spare time between 40 hour workweeks ended up paying off more than anything.
CLW – How long did it take you to shoot “Gear Up” and what was your process like?
DL – We made “Gear Up” in a weekend (with a pre-planning meeting beforehand). Once we actually sat down to shoot it, I think we were there for about 7 hours and then I just immediately started editing so we could get it in before the deadline. I tend to consume a lot of energy drinks right before Tongal deadlines.
DL (CONT) – We used a Canon 7D to film and were able to switch between still photos and video. I usually do try to decide if a commercial needs a voiceover early, and if so then find a friend with a great voice or someone online to do the voiceover. I usually try to have some closet set up with blankets hung on the walls that I can take an audio recorder into and use as a makeshift recording studio. I thought that was one interesting aspect of the Nine West competition; our video was the only one I remember that had the voiceover element, and I think paying attention to details like that and spending a lot of time on the Internet figuring out how to get your video to look and sound as professional as possible definitely pays off. It's almost impossible to overstate the importance of good sound.
CLW – Nine West posted your video on their Facebook page, which, as of today, has over 130,000 fans. What’s it like to have your work populating the News Feeds of that many people?
DL – Great! It's great to do a video for a competition like this where people recognize the company behind it. So glamorous.
CLW – What are some key factors you take into consideration when figuring out whether or not to participate in a project (money, time, exposure, etc.)?
DL – All of those elements play a factor (money more than exposure for me, probably). Time is a huge deal, all my videos before the last two Binaca ones I did while working fulltime (not an impossible barrier time-wise, but it kind of drains you) and there are a few competitions I've skipped because I simply didn't have any free time to do them. It also depends on if I can look at the contest and strongly visualize something I'd want to shoot for it. Occasionally, the contest sounds great, I just didn't have any really strong ideas that I'd be motivated to work hard on.
CLW – What has been your favorite Project on Tongal so far?
DL – Nine West was pretty fun because the animation aspect was something unique to do, and setting off small explosives in your apartment is always fun. This last Binaca one might take the cake though. If you can do any kind of special effects, chances are the first thing you made was a Star Wars fan film (myself included). I think this contest gave some people a chance to reconnect with that gleeful kid with a plastic lightsaber inside of them and it was tons of fun.
CLW – I would argue that “Exorcise Your Breath” was one of the best video produced for the Binaca Make A Scene Project. What was that production process like?
DL – Thanks! The production process was great, Reinaldo was great to work with as a writer, he had great ideas but he was also able to take my input and changes in stride. So we actually had a properly-formatted script which we met a couple times at a coffee shop to go over for revisions. Four people total were involved: I directed, shot, edited, and did makeup, Reinaldo wrote, ADed, ran sound, did costumes, and kept the set (his apartment) in order. Other than that we just had the two actors, who were both great to work with. My roommate's also a fantastic editor and he did help me get a really tight edit on both pieces.
DL (CONT) – It was actually supposed to be a one-night shoot, but I'm pretty sure I broke the golden rule of filmmaking, which is "don't poison your lead actress halfway through a shoot." I gave her two five hour energy shots with a meal in between, but regardless they really messed her up and we had to call off filming her stuff for the evening and come back in a couple days to get the last few shots. Which meant replicating my original makeup job for the second shoot. Gigi was great though, the shot where she gets punched was the last of hers we were able to shoot the first night, and despite being absolutely out of it and miserable she still was able to literally roll with the punch and give this amazing creepy smile at the end on the first take.
CLW – I also understand that you had a role in creating the 3rd place Binaca video “2001: A Fresh Breath Odyssey.”
DL – I actually directed and edited 2001. Early on I was thinking of doing Gone With the Wind or Men In Black, but I didn't feel like I'd had a really good idea yet. I was checking out a group called Austin Film Meet for the first time and mentioned the contest to Reinaldo, a writer just getting into directing who was also new. A couple days later he came to me with the 2001 and Exorcist ideas, both of which I loved, and we agreed to split costs and whatever we won.
DL (CONT) – We only had one gorilla suit which we rented for $40 from Lucy In Disguise With Diamonds, a costume shop here in Austin. Reinaldo plays almost all of the apes (we shot locked off with Reinaldo doing gorilla stuff in different parts of the same frame, then I composited the shots together in post to make it look like a bunch of apes). I spent 15 minutes in the suit in front of a green screen in my living room and thought I was going to die; it's nearly impossible to breathe in that thing. I have no idea how he managed to hike all around this giant rock dome (Enchanted Rock, Texas) for hours and then between hiking be jumping all around in different positions in this asphyxiating gorilla suit. We didn't realize the video was supposed to be 30 seconds or less at the time, so we actually have a lot of footage we didn't use. It was exhausting but also incredibly fun, hikers would give us these crazy looks and then came to get a picture with the gorilla at the top of this epic landscape.
CLW – What did you think of the other Binaca videos that won and were purchased? Any favorites?
DL – I laughed a lot watching almost all of the Binaca videos actually...all of the top videos were wonderfully elaborate. The winning video certainly has my respect for being both creepy and sexy. As for personal favorite, I may have to go with the Pulp Fiction conversion. Laughed for a solid minute at the "do they brush their teeth in What?" line.
CLW – From a production standpoint, you’re one of the most well-rounded Tongal members, that is, you consistently produce excellent live action, stop-motion and animated content. What your favorite type of content to create?
DL – My favorite kind of content to create is probably standard narrative film-type stuff, but I really enjoy making anything I can figure out how to do that shows them something cool or out of the ordinary that they're not expecting. Most of my short films tend to be horror, and I think it's because I love watching the strong reactions people have to something that's totally fake.
CLW – Your “Ride the Bull” video is still one of the most concise explanations I can point to when people ask us what Tongal is, which begs the question, how come you didn’t submit, “Turn your creativity into cash” to the Tongal Tagline Project?
DL – I should have! I meant to, and I definitely put some thought into making the dialog and tagline as concise as possible... I do remember thinking that if that had been the tagline you were looking for you wouldn't have had to do this whole contest. You're still more than welcome to use it, of course. I did get paid for that one.
CLW – Has Tongal helped you professionally, e.g., helped you build a usable portfolio, land production jobs, etc?
DL – Tongal has been fantastic--ideal, really--in terms of portfolio and has definitely given me something I can show people when I'm trying to get work.
Tongal's a great way to put serious effort into a variety of videos that are all projects you actually want to do, as opposed to client videos where your creative freedom might be more limited, or personal projects which don't usually pay well or have big names attached like the companies who use Tongal.
CLW – What have you spent your earnings on?
DL – A few celebratory drinks, but otherwise camera/editing equipment or just putting it away so I can keep on hanging out and making movies. Equipment tends to be my main expense. Cost of living here in Austin is nothing.
CLW – What is your favorite thing about Tongal? We’ve gotta be doing something right, if you’re still around, right?
DL – Heh I think I've said a lot already... the structure of the competitions and the reasonable chance of getting paid if you work hard, the creative freedom, now some of the recognizable names that put up contests, and the sort of competitive online community of people who are doing the same thing you are. I enjoy watching the progression of entries from older members and seeing new members come out of swinging too. Overall, Tongal seems to have a very good understanding of and belief in the real value and potential of the content created here, and I think that's why it's been successful thus far and will likely continue to keep on steadily expanding in the future.
CLW – What’s next for you on Tongal or otherwise?
DL – I've been working on some various projects with friends and doing whatever film-related stuff comes along. Right now, I'm trying to collect all my videos together, get a demo reel done and start trying to produce some more serious projects and collaborations. A few friends have talked about production company ideas but at the moment I'm not tied to a particular label. I'll naturally be keeping close tabs on upcoming Tongal projects.
CLW – You’ve been with us since the site was black and red and used a jump loader. What would you say has been the single best improvement on Tongal since you started using it?
DL – I'd have to go with the recent "post to YouTube" feature. Fluid social media integration seems key to making these contests work, and rightfully that seems to be where most of the programming effort is focused. YouTube integration seems huge to me.
CLW – What types of contests, improvements, etc. would you like to see on Tongal in the future?
DL – Keep on doing what you're doing with the video contests, I like that you keep trying new things and experimenting with the structure of contests. Improvements? I always kind of felt like the standings should be posted the exact second the contest results are scheduled to come out. My mom tends to call a lot right around the submission deadline and the results date asking if I've heard anything, because she's never quite sure when she'll be able to watch the videos or when the results will come out. This whole early results thing from the Binaca contest certainly isn't going to help that at all, thanks a lot guys. (I'm kidding. Love you, Mom.)
CLW – What is your ideal Tongal project?
DL – Any project where the judges are looking for something a little edgier and there's room to do something inventive and fun. MacGruber was a lot of fun, the Nine West animation-only contest was great, and Binaca's done a great job with that as well of course. Keep 'em coming!
This interview was conducted via email on October 15th, 2010.
