leena pendharkar

Fail Blog

Wed, 23 May 2012 21:18:35 -0700

We got listed! So very, very cool!!

bestsketchcomedy: So Natural! - watch more funny videos So, I...

Mon, 21 May 2012 13:35:05 -0700

So Natural! - watch more funny videos

So, I have an 11 month old son, I take him to “Mommy (or Daddy in my case) and Me Movies” which is the phenomenon of taking your baby to the theater and watching a current movie with other parents and their babies. You’ve heard of that right? It’s a thing.

Anyway, I’m taking him to see What to Expect When You’re Expecting tomorrow because that’s what they programmed and I like to get out of the house.

This sketch is probably better than that movie will be.

Check out the So Natural! web series on Funny Or Die and follow them on Twitter.

So Exotic is up!

Mon, 14 May 2012 10:55:02 -0700

So Exotic is up!

ur supposed to click the watermelons: “Wow, I’m such a good person, saving lives! (:” says the upper middle...

Mon, 14 May 2012 09:50:07 -0700

ur supposed to click the watermelons: “Wow, I’m such a good person, saving lives! (:” says the upper middle...:

vampireweakend:

“Wow, I’m such a good person, saving lives! (:” says the upper middle class girl, after posting Kony 2012 posters over a speed limit sign and at her local Starbucks, in her hip outfit made in a sweatshop in Vietnam by a starving 7 year old boy who makes 5 cents a day. She walks past her local soup…

Episode #1 of So Natural was featured on Funny or Die. Very...

Fri, 11 May 2012 12:44:12 -0700

Episode #1 of So Natural was featured on Funny or Die. Very cool bc it got some traffic that actually went beyond YouTube. A huge challenge in making the videos (it’s the same in indie film) is finding the best distribution platform for the work. The more eyes on something, the better.

My mom made the sweater, and the skirt is a hand me down from a...

Wed, 09 May 2012 10:06:16 -0700

My mom made the sweater, and the skirt is a hand me down from a friend. Dressing a toddler is fun when she’ll let me!

So Natural: What I've Learned So Far

Fri, 04 May 2012 11:21:00 -0700

In venturing out to make a web series, there were lots of things I thought I knew, but of course, have learned along the way. After all, I have been working in the web space since college, and making movies for just as long. Honestly, making web videos has felt like the perfect marriage of all the things I already love like design, production, storytelling and more. But what I didn’t realize is how much work the PR part of it really is. Here are a few things I’ve learned:

1. You can never promote a show enough. Getting on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, other people’s blogs and more is a large, large part of doing a YouTube show. You have to find your community.

2. Different social media platforms work better for different things. So for example, a photo a day is a great way to engage with folks on FB. On the other hand, with Twitter, it’s important to post frequently. While I like Pinterest, we need to figure out ways to better engage people. We have outfit posts and a variety of other ideas we are working on.

3. Some of the best support comes from friends, cast and people already in your network. I’ve found that when our cast engages, so does our community. It makes a lot of sense.

Someone asked me yesterday if I liked doing an indie feature or web series better. I find that they are different. With the web series, the production is much less intensive, and I like that you can immediately engage with people. With indie features, getting the word out is incredibly difficult, but it’s also rewarding to tell a longer story.

Episode #4: So Retro!

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:37:37 -0700

Episode #4: So Retro!

So Retro on The Blush

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:36:43 -0700

So Retro on The Blush

So Natural, The Web Series

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:13:00 -0700

I started shooting episodes of So Natural the web series back in October, with only two episodes, and have now shot eight more. Why did I decide to do this? Mostly because as a filmmaker, I just want to keep making films, and I love this idea of posting something online and immediately having an audience. The series is written as sketch comedy, but it has a cinematic look and feel to it in terms of the coverage and overall style. Perhaps it’s like a single camera sitcom, with no storyline as of yet…. So far, it’s been a blast, working with some really wonderful comedic actresses, and really expanding myself as a director. I want to keep it going, and have been thinking a lot lately about its evolution, and where it will go. The “so natural” joke has a lot of possibilities, but of course, I don’t want it to get old, either. I’ve learned so much in such a short time with shooting for the web, which is so great. One thing that’s really important is that shorter is better. My first couple of sketches are 4 minutes long, which on the web is an eternity. I believe that 2-3 minute is a better length, and am working toward that in the next batch. The second thing with web video is that you have to spend a lot of time marketing it. A lot. This means spending time on Twitter, FB, Pinterest, any form of social media that helps spread the word. So far, my fav is YouTube, and just using it as a social network. I have some idea of where I want this to go, but we shall see….

Episode #2, So Spiritual is up!

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 10:29:00 -0700

Episode #2, So Spiritual is up!

Episode #1, So Natural! is here!

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 23:13:00 -0800

Episode #1, So Natural! is here!

Beautiful video directed by Sofiya Coppola. Love Marni’s...

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:02:00 -0800

Beautiful video directed by Sofiya Coppola. Love Marni’s designs, very cool that they are doing a collection for H&M.

It's a new year.

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 11:55:00 -0800

What are my goals for the new year? Hmm, same as every year, to progress in my career and be happy, yeah, just be happy. I don’t lay out too many specific goals for myself in the new year, because I feel like I am always laying out new goals, thoughts, etc for myself. It’s a constant process, especially with this creative career path I have chosen. I’m working on a number of projects right now, which is very exciting. Script re-writes for my new movie, of course, and the web series is in post. I’m excited about the series, it’s nice to create content that is short and sweet, to be released via the web. The site is coming together, and so are the videos. In terms of new specs, I think I’m going to switch my energies toward some TV pieces. I say this every year, then get so caught up in more immediate work, that I never actually do the TV work. But seriously, I feel like my attention span is short these days, and I like the idea of writing some short, sitcom-like specs. We’ll see, I’m not totally committing, but I sort of am. Looking forward to writing, directing, creating and make more good work happen. Somewhere in there is teaching, and oh yeah, being a parent as well.

loveforfashion: Target Missoni Dress. Great way to wear this...

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 20:20:27 -0800

loveforfashion:

Target Missoni Dress.

Great way to wear this dress. I have it but it’s big and bulky and just weird all around…

Shoot day for So Natural went very well. Very excited to get...

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 22:06:37 -0800

Shoot day for So Natural went very well. Very excited to get the site up and put these videos out into the world!!

Shooting

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:56:00 -0800

Nervous and excited about shooting the series So Natural! this upcoming Sunday. Production is a lot of fun, but also crazy, crazy. I’ve got some great locations and a great cast and crew, so it should be alright…. I have my coverage style down, but things always change, and it’s good to be ready with some alternate ideas. It’s tricky getting great coverage with four actresses, but I’ve been watching Sex and the City to get some ideas. One thing I learned from the last shoot was that two shots are an extremely effective and easy way to get everything. I spent way to much time on master shots, something I really need to limit, because I don’t love those shots, anyway.

Out and about with family. That’s me on the far right. I...

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 12:36:00 -0800

Out and about with family. That’s me on the far right. I had to work pretty hard to land the Missoni dress.

Taken by Ameet.

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 12:24:05 -0800

Taken by Ameet.

Really?

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 15:07:04 -0800

Was disgusted with THR’s Director’s Roundtable article. It’s crazy that there aren’t any women here, and it’s even worse that they claim that “women have made small films.” Hello, Mike Mills is on the list but not Miranda July? What about Miriam Keshavarz?