Angi Blehi -Monett Times article

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December 15, 2006 -

PCHS graduate gains foothold in film industry

By Murray Bishoff

Managing Editor Published December 14, 2006 4:00 PM CST Angi Blehi talks about her experiences in -

ANGI BLEHI getting started in the business A Pierce City High School graduate from 1988 recently contributed to a new book on the film industry. Angela Blehi has gotten a foothold in the film business in Las Vegas, Nevada, and has several film projects in the works. Film School & Beyond is the book project, a publication just been released by the media-based career coaching company Farview Point. The book reveals secrets to applying to and succeeding in a film or media-based college. Schools such as the University of Southern California, UCLA, NYU and others receive an astronomical number of applications from wanna-be filmmakers from all corners of the globe. Most of these film students will be turned away from their college of choice. In the book, past and current film students from around the country were asked to discuss their experiences in and out of film school and to help answer many of the key questions any young up-and-coming filmmaker might have about film school and the film industry as a whole. Blehi is the daughter of Shirley and Andy Blehi, who now live in Hartshorne, Oklahoma. She attended Heritage College and ITT Technical Institute, Las Vegas. She received her associates degree in drafting and design, specializing in Multimedia from ITT Tech. Angi also attended The Art Institute of Las Vegas where she studied visual effects and motion graphics. "I never really had a moment where I said to myself, 'Wow! I want to be a filmmaker!' " Blehi told The Times. "From the time I was in middle school, I was always 'setting up shots' in my head and writing scripts. My friends used to tease me because I would always say, 'This is like a scene out of a movie'. When I started the multimedia program in college, I was immediately drawn to video editing and compositing footage as well as 3D graphics. Once I learned those skills, telling my 'stories' through film just seemed natural." Two weeks after Blehi graduated from ITT Tech, she enrolled in a special effects and motion graphics class at the Art Institute in Las Vegas. Here were comprehensive courses that could give her the skills to become a filmmaker. She is currently working on a collaborative project with some of her former classmates. They have formed a production company called Midnight Oil Media and are working on an independent horror movie that they hope to send to film festivals in 2008. Blehi has also done graphic design work on logos and ads for major companies like State Farm Insurance, the Venetian Hotel and Casino, and the Bellagio Hotel and Casino. "I also did a video introduction clip for the Layne Staley Foundation in Seattle--and being an Alice in Chains fan, that was a huge honor! At this time, I have only worked with other independent filmmakers, not anyone famous (yet)." Blehi sees herself not just as a technician, but as one who tries to rise to the challenge of her craft on many levels. "I am definitely a combination type person! Mainly due to low budgets, I wear the all the hats! Director, graphics, editor, scriptwriter, producer....I have to do it all. The Midnight Oil Media project, though, is a collaborative effort. My partners and I developed a Tales from the Crypt-type movie with three short stories. All the stories take place in Las Vegas and they all have some kind of supernatural twist. "We all wrote different stories--mine is titled The Hard Bargain. Production will begin in May. In that instance, I wrote and I will direct, but the other partners are my support team and it'll be vice versa when their scripts go into production." In trying to name her favorite movies, Blehi had to confess, "I'm a die-hard nerd. I'd have to say the Star Wars movies. Although it's very hard to watch them and not try to break down in my head how they made certain scenes! I also really enjoy new camera angles such as in Man on Fire or Silent Hill. I also like the innocence of movies like Napoleon Dynamite and Little Miss Sunshine." Blehi is also the creator of Stone Gallows Productions and is currently working on a documentary detailing the effects of methamphetamine on today's children. She noted methamphetamine has been a very bad problem in the Southwest, as bad as it used to be in Missouri. "I personally have had two of my best friends pass away due to meth addiction. One woman had three small children, the other had one. It's just so tragic. I took the anger I had because of my friends' deaths, and channeled it into this project. That's how it began. As I started researching more, it became evident that the real victims in these cases are the children. Children all over the U.S. are living in absolutely deplorable conditions because their parents care more about getting high than taking care of their children. "Meth houses are usually incredibly filthy and have a lot of traffic coming in and out the door. Both of those issues can be hazardous to any children living in the house. Also, if they are 'cooking' meth in the house, the chemicals get on every surface of the house. So when that child goes to make himself a sandwich (children of meth addicts are usually very self-sufficient) and lays his bread on the counter, as soon as the bread touches the counter the chemicals get on the bread and now the child is ingesting meth chemicals. Chemicals and acids used in making meth are often found in the refrigerator next to the child's food. "When police raid the lab, the children are usually found dirty, sometimes with no clothes or shoes. They are hungry and thirsty. Children, as young as five, often act as babysitters to their younger brothers and sisters. Meth labs are also likely to catch fire. Last year, according to the DEA, more than 2,000 children were present during meth lab seizures nationwide. Twenty-two were injured and two killed. Law enforcement officials say that possibly 90 percent of meth labs are never found." The odd name for her production company, Stone Gallows, came from an animation project during her last year in school. "I was researching a project for school where I was creating a 3D animation of Stonehenge. I've always been interested in Stonehenge and while watching a documentary about it, they said that the name 'Stonehenge' actually loosely translates to 'Stone Gallows' and there is some question of whether or not they did executions at the site. I thought that was incredibly interesting! In my mind, I saw some possibilities for logos and that's how Stone Gallows came about." In the documentary business, there are also shining examples to serve as an inspiration. Blehi commented, "I admire anyone who discusses subjects that no one wants to talk about. Certain things, like Alzheimer's and meth addiction, make people uncomfortable, but those are the subjects that need to be exposed! By giving people the facts they need to make informed decisions, we can all work together to change things. I also really like the way the Discovery Channel and the History Channel present their material. They can make the most boring things sound interesting and understandable." The film business is difficult, takes a great deal of money, and time. Blehi admitted that as a mother, a student, and a full-time employee, pursuing such a profession even on her level can be difficult. "I work on my projects every other waking moment. My kids [Brandon, 14, and Morgan, 12] aren't surprised when they see me asleep on the floor by my computer. I also work side jobs doing graphic design, computer repair, stuff like that to afford my projects." Blehi's documentary on "children of meth" is in its third year of work, still in the research stage. Filming has not yet started. "I check and double check my information to make sure it is up to date and accurate. Financially, grants are usually available, expecially if the subject matter is a social issue. Professional-grade cameras are very, very expensive, but I was lucky that the schools I went to allowed the students to rent or borrow cameras, tripods, portable green screens and other equipment." By comparison, the book project to which Blehi has contributed was an easy effort. "I was still in school when I received an email about the book being written. I would speak with Darren Alff, the author, whenever we had a free moment to talk and we also sent a lot of emails back and forth. He is really a great guy, and the book came out great. It's already getting rave reviews." She enjoys working more on films than in TV. "Making my own films, I get to say how I want the finished product to look. In television, you usually have a whole slew of people reminding you of budget issues, time constraints, and giving you 'suggestions' for how certain scenes should look. It would be the same way though if I was working for a major studio." Blehi hopes to continue her schooling. "I've got my heart set on a technical science PhD. And of course, I want to be making better and better movies and short films. Oh, and hanging out with George Lucas would be good too!" Film School & Beyond is available now at Amazon.com or by visiting www.farviewpoint.com. Blehi also has her own Web site at www.angiblehi.com which should be running January 1 after the redesign that's currently underway. -

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Angi Blehi – Life Beyond Film School Contributor