Possible Humor With Space For Despondence

Occupy Wall Street

2011-10-07T02:12:00.000-07:00

Nick and I went to Zuccotti Park and took some photos and video.

Jessica Little Portfolio Reel

2011-05-16T14:41:00.001-07:00

Hippo shot a reel for Jess Little. If anyone knows someone that needs a reel (acting, modeling, performance, head shots) let me know.

Florida

2011-04-10T22:12:00.000-07:00

I went to Florida a few weeks ago to visit some relatives. Dan and I shot some stuff in the hotel. We also went on a fan-boat ride and saw crocodiles. People kept saying those crocs had to be robots or puppets...but I've never heard a robot or puppet sing like that.

Amazing New Stuff

2010-08-19T23:25:00.000-07:00

Well blogger, it's been a while. All of you are probably thinking, "Steve is so talented and amazing...I'll bet the only reason he hasn't updated his blog is because he's risen to the top tier of society and is far too busy for the likes of us." And by "all of you" I mean "none of you." And by "none of you" I mean "probably nobody will read this."

Banking on that, here are some things I have been doing and some things I am planning to do:

First off, I am moving to Prospect Heights on the 1st. So...that's exciting.

Here is a video Dan, Mike and I made for Landline. DISCLAIMER: Naked ass involved.

Lastly, I recently had to sit in the New Rochelle city court to deal with a traffic ticket. It didn't get resolved. I don't think anyone has a pleasant experience in places like that. There were a lot of babies crying and people yelling in Spanish. Anywho, I've been messing around with flash and thought it might be fun to animate the experience...with minimal moving parts. Here's something I did in 2 minutes:

Click it, he blinks! The character wouldn't necessarily look like that. It's just a quick doodle. Also, I've been doing a lot of freelance stuff...just figured out the whole moving situation. Now you're all up to speed. All of you. Everyone in the world.

Sometimes I Don't Know: Scenes 1-4

2010-07-20T18:40:00.000-07:00

Howdy

A while ago I posted storyboards for my senior thesis film. Here are some of those scenes:

On a side note, I want to take some long exposure shots of my neighborhood. I'm not exactly sure why, other than I dig what this area looks like at night. I took a test photo at around 1am. I wasn't really concerned with the framing, I just wanted to see what it would look like. I will post others as I take them.

Bieberfarts

2010-05-30T17:44:00.000-07:00

New amazing product from Captain Hippo.

Monreal: 320 Kickstarter

2010-05-14T23:38:00.000-07:00

My friend Dan Ferrara wrote a short script that we are trying to shoot. We started a kickstarter for the project in hopes of raising money to rent equipment and all of that.

Click the image below to watch our pitch. Feel free to donate ridiculously large sums of money.

We also started a blog for it so that everyone can get updates on the project, see stills, etc. Fun stuff.

Montreal: 320 Blog

Hope you are all doing well. I'm fine...I'm great. Things are great. Yikes.

Max Asleep

2010-02-19T00:43:00.000-08:00

My dog Max fell asleep in an awkward position, so I took pictures of him like a creep to post on my creepy blog for creeps. Enjoy.

Someone's asking for a tummy-rub, and his name is this dog. Gosh, I'm lonely.

Ned On Earth

2010-02-16T02:13:00.001-08:00

The couple hurried into pose as a local rancher snapped their photo. Ned never wanted to forget this day. That night, Ned and Cheryl became one. The next morning he was hit by a bus.

Above: Ned and his wife on their honeymoon. Proving true love knows no bounds.

Cards I Have Drawn

2010-01-28T00:53:00.000-08:00

I always draw cards for birthdays and holidays for some reason:

My parents won't accept a store bought card because they like the hand drawn ones. Jokes on them because the drawn ones are becoming more and more terrible. What do you think now, Mom? What do you think of your wonderful son now?

Anyway, I found a handful of them and decided to post them. I don't know the years of these, but none of them are that recent. I guess the simpler/ better drawn ones came later than the others...you get the idea. I posted them in no logical order. The cover images are on the left and the inside images are on the right. One of them is written as my dog Max. One is written to my grandpa, who lives in Florida. I'm not exactly sure why I have it here. Enjoy.

Writing

2010-01-20T01:19:00.000-08:00

I had left a friend's house early one morning to discover that the house across the street had been torn down. Two yellow excavators creaked in the dirt as their metal shrank in the cold. I could have sworn that house was there the day before. It couldn't have happened during the night. That seemed too quick and strange a time to break down something so large and so personal. And I probably would have heard it happening.

It was after that thought when a sharp pain ran up my spine. After a stretch, I started shuffling down the street towards my car. I wanted to see how long I could last without hearing someone speak.

Power_Love-ASTRO CLUB BLONDE

2010-01-15T00:30:00.000-08:00

My pals have created the future of music. Find more at www.millenniumblonde.com.

Captain Hippo-American Singer

2010-01-10T21:47:00.000-08:00

New Captain Hippo Sketch. Enjoy.

Harry Potter Comic

2009-12-26T02:26:00.000-08:00

I don't really know why I drew a Harry Potter cartoon. It doesn't even really look like Harry or Malfoy, but yeah...you get the idea. I always felt, while reading the books, that if Harry got unreasonably aggressive and just started screaming obscenities at Malfoy from year one, not only would Draco have backed off, but Harry would have looked like a total bad ass. I settled on drawing this after I couldn't think of a logical, narrative reason why Harry or any other character would be pooping their pants. Maybe I'll draw that anyway. Yeah...maybe.

Lady GaGa Sketch on Fox News

2009-12-17T14:19:00.000-08:00

Here is a list of mostly everyone that was involved:

Featuring: Justin Brown, Talyor Sele, Andrew Ford, Junie Kenworthy, Rachel Geiman, and Grace Helbig. Written and directed by Steven Levine, Daniel Spenser, and Michael Antonucci. Lyrics sung by Whitney Gardner. Costume design by Elaine Haswell. Make up by Emilia Adamkiewicz. Shot by Noah Yuan-Vogel.

And here's Bill O'Reilly calling it "pinheady:"

Lady GaGa Shoot

2009-12-09T21:24:00.000-08:00

I know I haven't posted in a while...but it's Christmas early with this new amazing post! I shot a short script with Captain Hippo a few days ago about a Lady GaGa Christmas album. It was my first time on set with the Canon 7D, which belonged to our DP, Noah Yuan-Vogel.

And here's a picture of me pretending to know what I'm doing:

They were lip-syncing to pre-recorded music so I got to say, "Roll camera...roll playback," like a bad ass.

Anyway, yeah. It was the first thing I've directed that involved original music, wardrobe and make-up changes and choreography. And it was weird seeing so many people work so hard on a script that was written by Dan, Mike and I while we were eating burritos. It was a lot of fun and hopefully it will come out alright. That's what she said.

Sometimes I Don't Know Storyboards

2009-10-27T22:43:00.000-07:00

I thought it might be interesting to compare the storyboards for my senior thesis film to the finished image. The storyboards were drawn weeks before shooting. I think we did a good job of sticking to them.

Here are comparisons of Scenes 1-3 and Scene 6

I'm going to try to post the final cuts of these scenes sometime next week. I still have some sound and color work to do on them.

Inaction In Action

2009-10-25T03:21:00.000-07:00

Howdy.

I told a friend that I would try to write an entry after two drinks. I then realized two-drink Steve probably wouldn't write anything...he'd just stare longingly at a wall and make everyone uncomfortable.

However, I feel two or three days without sleep yields similar head-space. So maybe after I write and edit down some thoughts I will post them. Maybe.

I've also been trying to write a few short stories. It is taking a while. None of them have a point. Does that mean something? Exercises in worthlessness.

Anywho, just a heads-up on that.

This whole island smells like fast food. Sometimes I want to move to Vermont. I could be that interesting recluse who may or may not have been famous. They'd publish my journal someday after I died. Lit majors would swap interesting facts about me: "I read that he never ate solids, he only drank tea." "I heard he would train his cats to act out his plays. I love him." That'd be something.

Personal question of the week: Why do I create dialogue for moments I know will never happen?

Favorite pick up line of the week: Do you like ant-farms?

Director of Photography Reel

2009-10-05T19:50:00.000-07:00

Director of Photography Reel from Steven Levine on Vimeo.

Kicking off my October posts with my cinematography reel. I didn't include anything from films I have directed. That's a different reel that will hopefully be finished soon. In this reel are selects from a few films I shot last year, including:

Mickey dir. Daniel Ferrara
East Brighton dir. Anna Todd
Porcelain dir. Emily Wilson
Trust Me dir. Roberto Rizzo

There are also a few clips from various Captain Hippo comedy sketches. Hope you enjoy.

Bear Mountain

2009-09-28T19:07:00.001-07:00

I went to Bear Mountain today to kick off the Fall season. I took some pictures from the top. In the last one you can see Manhattan in the distance. Fun stuff.

Trust Me Scene

2009-09-21T20:45:00.001-07:00

This is the only scene in the short film Trust Me that I shot. The rest was shot by Shan Huang and the entire short was cut by Taylor Williams. It is also the only scene in the short that is hand-held. I also sound mixed the sucker. I had no control over the choice of music. Anyway, this thing was shot on an HVX with a 35mm lens adapter. When the adapter was working correctly the footage looked pretty good.

I have also decided I am quitting show business and joining a traveling circus. We're going to hit all the major cities. I will be performing as Stevonius: King of the Lions: Kings of the Jungle®. I will be logging my efforts to bond with my new feline work associates. Here is a picture so you can get an idea of the dangers I am working with here:

Trust Me Premier

2009-09-05T23:33:00.000-07:00

Here's the cast and crew of the short film "Trust Me." The crew being me and my two friends Shan and Taylor. I'm the tall, awkward guy all the way on the right...the one who doesn't know quite where to be or what to do with his body.

We went on stage after the first screening for a short Q&A. I was surprised nobody asked me anything about the sound recording or mixing. "Was that real wind?" Oh, wouldn't you like to know. Anyway, it was a strange experience. I don't want to say anything bad about the film...the sound could have been better.

Interactions I Wish I Avoided: August 31st

2009-08-31T23:23:00.000-07:00

I passed a man in the subway handing out pamphlets for Jews for Jesus. As I passed he asked "Are you Jewish?" For some reason I responded with "Are you?" with way more hostility than was warranted.
Why do people think "Big Guy" is a nice thing to call someone? That's not going to get your free hip-hop demo CD handed out any faster, guy waiting at the top of the escalator.
I was waiting at a pharmacy. I guess the woman working there knew me because she mentioned how I "keep getting taller." I said "Hopefully these pills will put a stop to that." She didn't know if she was supposed to laugh.

Mickey Scores

2009-08-27T00:31:00.000-07:00

Another doodle found in a notebook from who-knows-when. I wish every Mickey cartoon started and/or ended like this. I left the scan of the book's spiral...so, check that shit out.

Farmingdale Hawks

2009-08-24T23:12:00.000-07:00

I remember very little from this time in my life. I remember never quite understanding how the game was played. I remember quitting because the helmet hurt my head. Well, who's laughing now Albany Avenue Elementary?! Where's your blog?!

Why does the bus say "ward" over the door?

Passin' On Class

2009-08-20T20:17:00.000-07:00

A cartoon directed and animated by my friend Mike Antonucci. I helped write it and also did the voice of Steve...cause I'm Steve.

Class of 2009

2009-08-18T23:47:00.001-07:00

A photo of me with some of the coolest people I know.

Alfie the Wonderboy

2009-08-18T23:37:00.001-07:00

I guess I drew this two years ago. Alfie had very little control of his life.

Pillow Land

2009-08-16T23:00:00.000-07:00

Another comic.

Hide The Murder Weapon

2009-08-15T03:31:00.001-07:00

A Jimmy and Billy cartoon. Again...stupid but fun to color.

Doodle 2

2009-08-12T00:15:00.001-07:00

Select scribbles from various pages of a notebook.

Noise Core Band

2009-08-11T21:55:00.001-07:00

I know its stupid, but it was fun to color.

Sleep

2009-08-03T03:08:00.000-07:00

I keep having the same dreams over and over. Some of them are pretty blatant in meaning...I attribute all of them to stress. Here are some key plot points:

Friends drop me off at an amusement park while they go run errands together. A staff member assures me I'll fit on the ride. I don't. Everyone laughs, including the small children waiting on line, while they try to break open part of the ride to get me out.
I'm driving down a commercial street and my breaks never stop my car completely, causing me to run several red lights. I keep putting more and more pressure on the break but the car only slows, it never stops.
I'm in a plastic toy box on a shelf in a toy store. Girls are buying the toys around me, opening them and playing with them. In front of me is an employee explaining to a very obese woman that she shouldn't take me out of my package because I'm worth a lot of money unopened.
I look down to discover I have ripped both knees of my jeans...which sucks.
I'm running late for something because I have to wait for my computer to finish rendering video.
My dog is lying on the floor with a metal brace around his head. We have a new puppy that we don't like as much.

Here are some favorites from my childhood:

I've been kidnapped by a cartoon pizza man in some crazy factory. My babysitter is right outside the window but she doesn't hear me screaming.
I'm being attacked by a giant spider.
I'm in a swimming pool with every girl I've ever liked and I'm really self-conscious.
I'm trapped in a haunted house.
I live in Star Wars.

Wedding

2009-07-30T02:20:00.000-07:00

Stills I pulled and messed with from a wedding I shot. I think they'd make good alternative rock album covers.

Friday

2009-07-28T00:06:00.000-07:00

A short I wrote and directed sophomore year for my narrative class. There are some others on my Youtube page. Yeah, I used Modest Mouse...what are you gonna do about it? Something? Please don't.

Space Dinos

2009-07-27T19:06:00.000-07:00

The best thing that came out of my Oceanography class. On this paper is everything you need to know about Space Dinosaurs (dinosaurs that occupy the outer limits of space). This image is best viewed while listening to the Disturbed song "Down With the Sickness." I should pitch this to Nickelodeon or Michael Bay.

Spidy Spider

2009-07-26T17:26:00.001-07:00

A story I wrote when I was a kid...I think it's a very complex narrative. Anyway, this actually happened.

Governor

2009-07-24T13:38:00.001-07:00

I'm going to start coloring and uploading some of my favorite cartoons.

Doodle 1

2009-07-23T20:51:00.000-07:00

A drawing I did on the back of a Post-It® note.

Opening Statement

2009-07-22T21:38:00.000-07:00

Testing out Blogger...giving myself as many opportunities to dump my opinions on others.