The Blog of Willey "YLee" Rillo

SF State Visit

Willey Rillo — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 15:31:51 +0000

Well, the weather wasn’t exactly as cold as I thought it would be, it was pretty warm while we were walking around campus. The trip was very useful in terms of helping choose where I want to go for college. SFSU is now probably going to be one of my top choices for college. I thought career choices were limited, but after going to SFSU, I found out there’s so many options to take, so many majors to choose from. Of course other than the multimedia majors, other majors I found interest in many of the other choices, too many to list or for me to even remember. The recreational activities were what made me the most interested in SFSU. Full arcade, huge dance room, good food, pool (the swimming kind and the billiards kind), and just places to take naps outside. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to go there in the future.

I.D.entity: Photo Essay

Willey Rillo — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:49:56 +0000

http://www.box.net/shared/hp1avy1yap

This one was very fun to create. It always seems to suck at the start, but the more you see it come together, the more you’re inspired to work on it. That definitely applied to the photo essay for me because I didn’t like it until all my pictures started coming together. I enjoyed working with photoshop a lot and like with the video, I improved a lot on the program since I first joined DSA. Some pictures turned out okay but there were a certain few that I really liked, such as the one above. I guess if I were to title it, I would call it “Realm of Reflection”. The hardest part for me about the photo essay was creating the backgrounds to go with photos. I’m not happy with what I did, but I couldn’t think of what to create for the background instead. I’m not a very creative person when it comes to artwork and visuals…but overall I’d say my photo essay is average.

I.D.entity: Music Video

Willey Rillo — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:23:45 +0000

So finally, here’s the finished product of a semester’s worth of work…well, the video itself wasn’t a semester’s worth, that just includes the other things involved with creating this video. I’ve felt like I’ve come a long way since joining DSA. I remember in my first experience with Final Cut on the Silent Movie, I barely had an idea of what I was doing. Now I actually know what it takes to make a good video, with all the color correcting, order and length of clips, transitions, etc. I suppose I could’ve done better with the clips because I wanted to tell the story of the music video a lot better than how it is now.

As for my song, I feel proud of what I ended up with. I really thought at the beginning it would’ve sounded awful, but I grew on to it as I went on making it. Just being in the studio working on the song was enjoyable for me, because it helped me work on my musical skills in singing and songwriting.

After ending this project, I hope to continue making music sometime in the future to improve on what I’ve done with I.D.entity in terms of the music and video.

Fate (Instrumental Version)

Willey Rillo — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 03:09:44 +0000

Well, it’s almost done. My song called Fate. Thanks to Art for working with me on the guitar and making great changes to the lyrics (which probably won’t be up for a while) and, well everything else. You’re too cool, man. By the way, the song isn’t that loud for some reason, so turn up the speakers when you listen to it. Link below:

Fate (Instrumental Version)

Bars and Tone Reflection

Willey Rillo — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:57:25 +0000

To sum up my trip to Bars and Tone, it felt like the subliminal message of Nike. I felt like I hit rock bottom, then went to the top. The only reason why it started off bad for me though was because a bird thought it would be funny to bomb me in my nice clothes and part of my hair. However, the actual visit was very fun and I felt that I left that company learning something that will help me for the rest of my life.

When I was there, I expected it to be all business and no play, but it didn’t exactly turn out that way when I introduced myself with dance. When I talked to Stefan, the president of Bars and Tone, we talked about to just pursue your passion if you really want it. I thought it Would be unrealistic to go for what I wanted to do my whole life, but I found out there’s so many ways to apply my talent to different jobs and opportunities. Also I learned how to be dominant in a handshake thanks to Brian Nowac (a director from Bars and Tone), by putting my hand on top during a handshake.

Overall, I have to say that the whole trip was an experience that I would like to go through multiple times. Not only did the visit help me narrow down my choices on a career path, but it also helped me find out that you can start a business for just fifty dollars. Everyone met me at the casual level, which made me feel much more comfortable approaching each of the employees. Right now, I’m doing everything I can to strengthen my talents so that I can use those talents to do something I enjoy. So thank you, Bars and Tone. Thank you for letting me know that I can succeed in life doing something that I WANT to do.

More Brawl Pictures; Feedback Appreciated.

Willey Rillo — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:22:54 +0000

Here’s four more that I’ve taken. Quality isn’t as good as that stargazing one (which I really love by the way), but it’s tolerable. I wish I could have an unrestricted camera mode on Brawl, so angles and zoom would never be an issue. I would REALLY appreciate feedback for those who actually look at my blog.

“Be Thankful” Part 8: Technology

Willey Rillo — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:18:45 +0000

Humanity really takes technology for granted these days. Nobody really gives time to appreciate the fact that we have technology to use in everyday life. Take a calculator for example. It saves your brain from epic brain cramps that can last for a half-hour or so, depending on how bad the math problem is. Anyway, my point is, technology is great, but chances are, we (humanity) would need to be able to learn how to live without it if it somehow disappears on us. Well anyway, it’s starting to become more of a rant than a giving of thanks, so I’ll go back to thanking it. My life is made easier with it, I mean, typing out this post is easier on my hands rather than writing (not that it isn’t bad to write every now and then). Well before I go off-topic, thank you technology, for making life easier, and on the downside, lazier, haha.

“Be Thankful” Part 7: Bryan Cuellar

Willey Rillo — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:20:29 +0000

Man, I’ve known this guy for a long time, since kindergarten to be exact. To me, he’s not the kind of friend where you spill all your problems onto and he’ll help you out. To me, he’s the kind of guy who’s like “HEYYYYYYYYYYYY!” and then you start dying of laughter. You can always expect him to put a smile on your face, whether he’s mocking you or listening to him mocking someone else on Xbox Live. I remember even as a child, he would always be the one you just have to be friends with. Just him being there would always make a person happy, so thanks for always making people laugh and smile.

“Be Thankful” Part 6: 925 Hip-Hop Sessions

Willey Rillo — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:31:45 +0000

This one goes out to Benny and Time and everyone who went to the sessions when they were still held at Mt. Diablo. Thanks you guys and the sessions, I was able to meet other bboys and bgirls. Meeting them was such a great experience for me because I not only was able to find out how many locals actually do what I do, but learn from them as well. It’s too bad that the principal stopped them at Mount, but I hope you guys are having fun at DVC and I think College Park breakin’ the night away.

“Be Thankful” Part 5: Music

Willey Rillo — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:19:21 +0000

Without the existence of music, where would my life be now? Thanks to music, my life has taken turns for the better. I’ve become a musician who can play several different instruments, sing, and soon, beatbox. Music is key to dance, and without it, what would dance be other than just movement? I also wanted to thank music for taking me to worlds beyond my imagination, causing me to get lost for hours and hours just wandering through dreams and nightmares. So thank you, music. For affecting my life, and for affecting the lives of everyone on this planet.