New projects

HELLO!!!!

So I finally have my own personal domain name! After a full year of having my website, I finally went the extra mile and bought and own my own domain. I have slowly been working on projects including new customs, models and painting toys. However I have started saving money for LA, in the hopes of moving out there next year and seeking out a job as a production assistant or grunt doing work for a practical effects studio. 

Thankfully I have two events coming up for both photography and film. I was hired by a friend who Dj's to travel with him as his photographer to West Virginia to attend Clustxr music festival, the biggest and only EDM (Electronic Dance Music) festival in WV. This will be my first electronic music festival I will be attending, and the first as a paid photographer for an artist. The festival runs from August 16th-18th. 

On August 25th, I will be heading to Cincinnati, OH joining the band Hello Luna as their photographer. They will be playing at the festival beWILDER FEST a beer boutique festival that celebrates beer and music. This is a band I worked with in the past while living in Columbus, OH. Also their lead singer was my hair stylist for a while, so that's always cool. Hello Luna is an Alternative Rock band who are local to Columbus, OH. I will be joining them Saturday and shooting for them from 8-9:00pm. 

I am very excited for these two events in August, and i hope this will open up new and more opportunities to expand my independent work as a photographer. 

Working with Van Aken Clay and Making Molds with Ultra Cal

during my junior and senior years at Columbus College of Art and Design (ccad) I learned how to properly make molds using clay walls and using Ultracal. In my senior year I also took time to sculpt a second Dinosaur head, an Amargasaurus. I sculpted the head and neck from Van Aken, an oil based modeling clay. i then made mold walls and covered the model in Ultra cal, doing both sides to create a two part mold. 

Unit 70 Studios, My Work over the summer

after Graduating from ccad I worked at Unit 70 Studios in Columbus, Ohio. This job was gained through my senior capstone thesis film about the Practical Effects Industry. During my time at Unit 70, I cast both foam and latex heads and bodies, painting in liquid latex, and base coating and other dry brushing techniques. I molded and cast in both Silicone and ultracal molds. This work experience was a great COmplement to my formal schooling and after my employment at unit 70 studios i have used some of these techniques on personal projects. 

2017 It's all over: Makeup, Monsters, and Movies: a Look into Practical FX

Huzzah! My thesis film is finished. It's been a rough long semester, with over an estimated 70 odd plus hours on this film. It's taken me far, and I've met so many wonderful and humbling people that I've been given the opportunity to interview. This journey these last four years has been a true adventure, with many twists and turns, both good and bad. I'm so proud of my thesis film, with all of the people I've interviewed and the people that have helped me along the way to get it done.

Let's break down my thesis:

Over 15+ hours of footage
Over 50 hours of editing
5 hours of traveling to each destination
3.5 hours for multiple renderings
And 3.5 hours of organizing and archiving each clip and photo

An outstanding, over 77 plus hours (at some point I just lost track) of work and hard time put into my thesis: Makeup, Monsters, and Movies: a Look inside Practical Effects.

So FIRST AND FOREMOST I want to say thank you to:
Kat Francis
Phil Garrett
Lemuel Worrell
Janelle Moorman
William Bryan
 Gary Jones 
Megan Chelf Fisher
Darrin Faires
Michael O'Brien
Cristina Himiob
Bill Hargreaves
Rich McKinley III
Bo Bruns
Robert Kurtzman
Cory Harrison
Stephanie Roach
Olivia Anne

And an enormous thank you to Ron Saks for creating the inspiration for my thesis. And to so many more for helping me along the way.

I cannot begin to express my gratitude to each of you who helped create and put together a story, about the practical effects industry. This story spanning from newbies in the industry to those who have been grandfathered into it, making monsters and props for years, and even artists who work in the business side of the industry. From artists who have made their own shorts and helped with student films to those who have IMDB pages with their works listed for miles. I want to say thank you to each and every one of you. This couldn't have been possible without your help. I eagerly await my premiere at the senior screening on Sunday at the Gateway theater. 

It's a bit of a surreal moment as I've realized that this is it. Four long years of being a Cinematics art student are finally over. It's a big emotional knowing that this IS and WILL be my lasting legacy here at the Columbus college of art and design. So many hours, long periods of time with little to no sleep, lots of coffee, tea and caffeinated drinks to keep me up through the night. Long nights editing next to friends. Long periods of napping in the different buildings during finals week(s). Lots of fun memories goofing off when I should have been doing homework. So many good things have come from these 4 years at Ccad. That being said there are certainly the cons from mistakes and experiences here. However I'm so proud of this film, it's the most work and the hardest project I've ever worked on in my life. So many long hours of driving by myself to meet my interviewees, late nights by myself editing, times where I wanted to quit. But I made it. Four long years are coming to an end. 

Thank you all and God bless. 

-Jonathan Crocetti

Robert Kurtzman Creature Corps in Crestline Ohio

A couple of photos from The Studio in Crestline Ohio.