DJay Brawner

The year…it be an ending.

To my friends, fans, people I’ve never met, i wish you all an amazing 2012. Two Thousand Eleven has been a weird year for a lot of people out there. People thought they were going to die 6 months, but good thing we have Doomsday ahead of us in exactly 12 months.

I just want to leave you all with one thought: live each day of this new year like its your last day on earth. If you live each day like it’s your last than it will force you to be amazing and do the things you’ve always wanted to do.

Be good to each other.

Gym Class Heroes!

Hey Friends,

Really excited to now have my second Gym Class Heroes video live online. The song is called “Ass Back Home,” and features the talents of Neon Hitch. We had so much fun making the “Stereo Hearts” video we decided to go the same direction and create a second piece to the storyline. We pick up with the two characters now “together” and living with one another. The guy leaves his beautiful women for a night out. She is bummed. He realizes he needed to come back to his love.

On a side note, the video we created for “Stereo Hearts” was nominated for an MTV OMA award for Best Lyric Video. Unfortunately we lost to Joe Jonas, however I am honored to have had my work noticed by such a respeictable entity. I look forward to this one being seen by millions. Let’s hope so.

Thanks,
DJay

Nominated for an MTV OMA

I just found out the lyrics video I directed for Gym Class Heroes has been selected as a nominee in the second annual MTV OMA awards. The award show airs on October 31st. The OMA’s are a new platform for online videos and content to have a voice and be recognized. I’m honored to have my work featured. Despite the tough competition, I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

http://www.omusicawards.com/vote/best-lyrics-video

Understanding In 72 hours.

2011 has been a year of understanding, growth, and realization. I have gone from one direction and one hope, to something much larger. I started the year off by directing a short film I wrote entitled “72 Hours: A Love Story.” I put a lot of myself into the script, the production, and the aftermath. It’s been a long road, and an amazing journey of discovery. The film is nearing completion, and I look forward to releasing the teaser trailer in the coming weeks. Since filming that I have, created more, photographed lots, won awards, and directed a feature.

Film and creation have been my life for years. Looking back, the art, the videos, and the work I did as a kid all of it brought me to where I am now. (more…)

My First Videos.

It was spring of 2002. I was acting and working on a play entitled Words Words Words in Orange, Ca. A friend of mine had been trying to introduce me to his buddy, director / director of photography, Derek Dale, for quiet sometime. I was eager to meet him as he had worked on many of my favorite music videos (Mxpx, Strung Out, AFI, Etc etc). Derek came to the play to see his friend perform. After the show we were introduced, and very quickly began talking film. I gave him my email and land line (Cell calls were expensive back then. A week later he called me and asked me if I wanted to be the star of a Halo Friendlies music video, I of course said yes. My dreams had come true, I was the lead in a music video for band on my favorite record label, Tooth & Nail (A label I loved in High School and still do). I worked the set, doing a little bit of everything. After that shoot, I worked on everyone of Derek’s music videos. He even worked as director of photography on several of my projects at Chapman. (more…)

Los Angeles

In 1 week I’ll be celebrating my 10 year anniversary of living in Southern California. I first moved here to study film in 2001 at Chapman University. For the first 7 years I lived primarily in the Orange County death hole of depression. Back the train up…..Orange County can be depressing? To answer your question, yes, yes it can. Now, let me explain: Orange County is a beautiful place, filled with beaches, trees, bikinis, fake breasts, strip malls, Targets, Best Buys, Malls, Burger Kings, McDonalds, okay okay you get the point. As a creative person trying to create creative things, living a place where every block looks the same, every store in every town is the same as every other town, you begin to realize how stale it really is. I hit a wall after 3 years of college, 2 years of being in a band, and 3 years promoting concerts. I packed my bag moved to Chicago, then quickly to Santa Barbara for 4 months, then after years of dreading it I moved to Los Angeles. 

I spent 7 years in Orange County, driving to LA for film work, dreading the possibility of living in Los Angeles. But I did it anyway.  (more…)

Measure

In two days I begin filming Measure, a feature film based on William Shakespeare’s Measure by Measure. This will be my first feature film and fifth narrative venture. I am currently writing this blog from Cincinnati, Ohio where we will be filming 99.9% of this film. I am lucky to be working with some amazing people to bring this film to life. The people of Cincinnati have been so very welcoming, opening their arms to myself and the production. The City of Norwood, a small town right in the middle of it all, will be the main backdrop to this film. Needless to say I am very excited about it all, and I can not wait to call my first Action on Monday morning. It will be a great couple of weeks to say the least.

I’ve brought out 3 of my favorite people to work with from Los Angeles, Mike Longenbach, Bryant Jansen, and Brett Solem. Along with some of our actors; Breana Mcdow, Julie Marie Hassett, Evan Boymel, Vince Jolivette, Anthony Duran, and of course Ocean’s 11‘s Scott Schwartz. We have also assembled a strong long cast to fill in the blanks. I am looking forward to working with each and everyone of them.

Follow me on twitter @djaybrawner to stay update to date on the status of filming, I will be posting many photos.

Thanks,
DJay

Gym Class Heroes

About a month ago I created the Gym Class Heroes’ lyric video for their song “Stereo Hearts” which features Adam Levine from Maroon 5. I had a really great time shooting and editing this fun little video. When it was uploaded by Fueld By Ramen on Youtube, I was excited to see it receive over 100,000 plays in just 24hrs. Now that is has been up for just 4 weeks, it has been viewed over 2 Million times. I am blown away. Check it out both on my Films page as well as below on youtube.


MRC of Cincinnati

Yesterday I had a wild and crazy day. One of the highlights of my career as a director was speaking to a group of underprivileged kids in one of the worst neighborhoods of Cincinnati. The Music Resource Center of Cincinnati is just that, an amazing resource for the kids in the area. MRC has set up a program to allow inner city kids the chance to learn how to play, write, and record their own music. It is a growing program that allows it’s members the ability to advance through the ranks of music stardom.I was asked to speak to the members and staff yesterday about the film Measure we are shooting in town, but the kids were more interested in my music videos for Sam Adams and the work I’ve done with Gym Class Heroes. I am honored to have had the privilege of this experience, and I am hoping I helped to inspire these youth to keep pushing forward to achieve their dreams. I still have a long way to go to reach mine, but this kids have a jump start on me, that’s for sure.