i did this thing for washington bus. it was at moe bar. people were drinking and making all kinds of noise so i found a dark secluded area overlooking the neumoes venue.
the event was for citizens running for public office as city council members. featured in the clip below is robert sondheim who is co-owner of rosebud on capitol hill. fun bar, by the way! you can watch the other views here
i used a borrowed camera and audio kit from my gametapes internship.
i also used a bare bulb because the lighting guy didn't show up. it could have been worse, i guess. i could have had nothing at all, at which case i probably would have attempted the interviews on the sidewalk.
if i had this to do again, i would have been more mindful of the interview. several of the subjects did not repeat the question back in their answer so none of the videos really stand on their own.
also, i would have avoided the big ugly window in the background. at the time i thought it would add some interest but it ended up being more annoying than anything.
lastly, i think i bumped the iris control about halfway through because my subject looks dark.
as a local seattle film maker and videographer, i don't think this project would be included in my motion video portfolio.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
surreal music video, p1
very few music videos really add to the song. i love jim white's sound and i am happy to see that someone managed to make an equally surreal and post modern music video to compliment jim white's eclectic sound. i love the retro 3d animation style!
if jesus drove a motor home is off of his album drill a hole in that substrate and tell me what you see and would go well on a mix tape with beck and sparklehorse.
if jesus drove a motor home is off of his album drill a hole in that substrate and tell me what you see and would go well on a mix tape with beck and sparklehorse.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
tod davies sings time machine
little by little, i plan to upload and share some scenes and outtake footage from my tommy dean show documentaries. my hope is to better understand what i did with tommy and get a clear picture of what i want to do with future projects. if you have any input i would like to hear it but i have no reason to believe anybody reads this blog so whatever.
this is tod davies. his rendition here of time machine was a tough cut from the movie. if i was to make a movie about the scene that develops around a character like tommy, then it would have been appropriate to keep it. for the final cut, i trimmed this song down to thirty seconds and reluctantly turned tod into the 'donavan' to tommy dean's 'bob dylan' and i never really felt comfortable putting tod in the back seat like that.
the conversation at the beginning is a bit amateur and obvious but the more i see it, the more i think it is so appropriately amateur and obvious. tod davies postulates the absurdity of becoming famous simply by incriminating somebody else. the unspoken implication here is that the camera (myself) is attempting to become famous simply by incriminating someone who is not famous themselves. cut to tommy shaking his head. oh i am so pretentious!
as a local seattle documentary film maker and videographer, i am always looking for new subjects and new projects to work on. my hope is that through this blog, i might be able to not only clear out my head but find other local seattle documentary film makers who are interested in sharing ideas and helping each other.
this is tod davies. his rendition here of time machine was a tough cut from the movie. if i was to make a movie about the scene that develops around a character like tommy, then it would have been appropriate to keep it. for the final cut, i trimmed this song down to thirty seconds and reluctantly turned tod into the 'donavan' to tommy dean's 'bob dylan' and i never really felt comfortable putting tod in the back seat like that.
the conversation at the beginning is a bit amateur and obvious but the more i see it, the more i think it is so appropriately amateur and obvious. tod davies postulates the absurdity of becoming famous simply by incriminating somebody else. the unspoken implication here is that the camera (myself) is attempting to become famous simply by incriminating someone who is not famous themselves. cut to tommy shaking his head. oh i am so pretentious!
as a local seattle documentary film maker and videographer, i am always looking for new subjects and new projects to work on. my hope is that through this blog, i might be able to not only clear out my head but find other local seattle documentary film makers who are interested in sharing ideas and helping each other.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
capitol hill block party
this upcoming capitol hill block party in seattle looks fantastic. lets see... sonic youth, the gossip, deerhunter, black lips, the thermals, moondoggies, dutchess and the duke, sleepy eyes of death, starfucker... there are more. do you know who jesus lizard is? i've heard of the group but never really listened.
looks like this might be a viable alternative to the sasquatch music festival. if you want to see a bunch of credible indie bands, this festival might actually give you a run for your money. as i said before, who the hell are kings of leon? was it ever cool to listen to all those 'throwback' bands?
looks like this might be a viable alternative to the sasquatch music festival. if you want to see a bunch of credible indie bands, this festival might actually give you a run for your money. as i said before, who the hell are kings of leon? was it ever cool to listen to all those 'throwback' bands?
my bloody valentine
my bloody valentine played at wamu in seattle last night. it was brilliant. a music concert should be a full body experience and i can think of only a handful of shows that really understand that. m83 and sonic youth for sure. if i had been around to see can in 1975, i am sure i would put them on my list.
with these kinds of religious musical experiences, you always end up with a few bad apples in the crowd. especially if the band is somewhat of a legend. i don't know what is more upsetting to the show, the 18 year old chubby girl who is hyped up on youthfulness and god knows what kind of stimulants, earnestly bouncing around and rubbing her sweaty belly against you, or being mad at her for the rest of the show.
certainly, these big events are a lesson in zen and enjoying the moment, however it chooses to come to you. blah blah blah.
even in the most amazing show of your life, there will be moments to complain about. such as, who let the candy raving bastards in and why do they insist on dancing inappropriately? and i think we can all agree that stinky hairy sweaty guys don't seem to belong anywhere. not even at a rock concert. they look homeless.
wait.
this is my bloody valentine. they are so amazing. us adults like to say, "you will remember and cherish this moment for the rest of your life" and of course, that generally means "you probably won't believe it at the time, but this really is as good as it gets!"
anyhow. i just thought it was funny that i'd be learning that lesson at a rock concert.
with these kinds of religious musical experiences, you always end up with a few bad apples in the crowd. especially if the band is somewhat of a legend. i don't know what is more upsetting to the show, the 18 year old chubby girl who is hyped up on youthfulness and god knows what kind of stimulants, earnestly bouncing around and rubbing her sweaty belly against you, or being mad at her for the rest of the show.
certainly, these big events are a lesson in zen and enjoying the moment, however it chooses to come to you. blah blah blah.
even in the most amazing show of your life, there will be moments to complain about. such as, who let the candy raving bastards in and why do they insist on dancing inappropriately? and i think we can all agree that stinky hairy sweaty guys don't seem to belong anywhere. not even at a rock concert. they look homeless.
wait.
this is my bloody valentine. they are so amazing. us adults like to say, "you will remember and cherish this moment for the rest of your life" and of course, that generally means "you probably won't believe it at the time, but this really is as good as it gets!"
anyhow. i just thought it was funny that i'd be learning that lesson at a rock concert.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
do you need a drink?
licorice is right across the street from seattle university on 12th ave. it has a great happy hour. i'm talking about dollar menu food items and $4 cocktails. i am talking about miniature prosciutto sandwiches. and specialty cocktails with house infused vodka. seriously good stuff.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
the informers
this movie had so much potential. i will be disappointed if a director's cut doesn't surface on dvd. or at least, fan edits on bit torrent sites.
this film premiered at sundance and was so poorly received that the filmmakers took it back to the editing room and cut it down an hour.
they might have cut the wrong stuff out.
for starters, brad renfro's story arch could have been cut. his creepy uncle moves back into his house and brings his underage girlfriend winona ryder. a movie about the dysfunctional lives of rich people does not need a 'poor people' story arch.
they also cut some good stuff. apparently mel raido's character was a vampire. as the movie was edited, he is just your average pedophile rock star. boring!
before the cut, the introduction scene was half an hour long. it introduced the selfish gluttonous characters and gave them some personality before a car accident wipes one of them out. the film starts with a great gatsby reference. they could have meditated on the introduction a little more.
there is a brilliant funeral scene. i would watch the movie again just for the funeral scene. it hits on something that is never revisited throughout the rest of the film and i can't decide if that is necessarily a flaw.
the film's best moments are very new wave. sets an unreal dreamy nightmare mood that is as compelling as it is miserable. at its worst, it is not nearly as bad as the best todd solondz film.
this is what happens when hollywood makes art films. the movie doesn't really wrap up at the end. it ends with obvious symbolism. the sun is gone, the party is over and most everybody is too hungover to do anything about it.
the informers is a movie full of inconspicuously good moments that might float by without catching your attention but you'll find yourself thinking about them later.
this is one such scene: kim basinger's character and her ex-husband are in her bedroom, preparing to go out to a party. he says he forgot his syringes at home and asks if she might have one. she does. i wonder, after all the years they've been divorced, she still keeps a syringe around for him? interesting.
gratuitous, grotesque, sensitive, irreverent, reflective.
this film premiered at sundance and was so poorly received that the filmmakers took it back to the editing room and cut it down an hour.
they might have cut the wrong stuff out.
for starters, brad renfro's story arch could have been cut. his creepy uncle moves back into his house and brings his underage girlfriend winona ryder. a movie about the dysfunctional lives of rich people does not need a 'poor people' story arch.
they also cut some good stuff. apparently mel raido's character was a vampire. as the movie was edited, he is just your average pedophile rock star. boring!
before the cut, the introduction scene was half an hour long. it introduced the selfish gluttonous characters and gave them some personality before a car accident wipes one of them out. the film starts with a great gatsby reference. they could have meditated on the introduction a little more.
there is a brilliant funeral scene. i would watch the movie again just for the funeral scene. it hits on something that is never revisited throughout the rest of the film and i can't decide if that is necessarily a flaw.
the film's best moments are very new wave. sets an unreal dreamy nightmare mood that is as compelling as it is miserable. at its worst, it is not nearly as bad as the best todd solondz film.
this is what happens when hollywood makes art films. the movie doesn't really wrap up at the end. it ends with obvious symbolism. the sun is gone, the party is over and most everybody is too hungover to do anything about it.
the informers is a movie full of inconspicuously good moments that might float by without catching your attention but you'll find yourself thinking about them later.
this is one such scene: kim basinger's character and her ex-husband are in her bedroom, preparing to go out to a party. he says he forgot his syringes at home and asks if she might have one. she does. i wonder, after all the years they've been divorced, she still keeps a syringe around for him? interesting.
gratuitous, grotesque, sensitive, irreverent, reflective.
Friday, April 24, 2009
everything that happens will happen today
tim exton at gametapes shot the video footage and i made a montage set to david byrne's song from everything that happens happens today. it could be shorter but the song is long. maybe i should have picked a different song and stick to the pretty shots?
also, i must consider my boss had me do this for a friend. what if they don't like david byrne? but then again, who doesn't like david byrne?
also, i must consider my boss had me do this for a friend. what if they don't like david byrne? but then again, who doesn't like david byrne?
sports video
i am doing an internship with gametapes.com, a company that focuses on high school and college sports. how did i get into this? i'm a video guy.
also, the boss is very encouraging and is okay with lending me equipment for other projects. i might post some of that jazz later on.
my friend Rob said to me: interesting exercise. A stutter-cut effect would work well in there somewhere (kind of like what you did with the freeze and backward cuts). If you have a little more time with the equipment, you could turn that clip into a showcase for a much wider range of editing tricks. Start simple, the way you've done, then keep building more and more crazy shit. As it is, it looks like you had a good idea but couldn't quite fill all the space.
as a local seattle videographer, i am always open to criticism, positive or negative. many people i feel welcome criticism when they don't really want it but i am authentically welcome so drop me a line if you have something to say. and of course, if you have work of your own i am happy to return the favor!
also, the boss is very encouraging and is okay with lending me equipment for other projects. i might post some of that jazz later on.
my friend Rob said to me: interesting exercise. A stutter-cut effect would work well in there somewhere (kind of like what you did with the freeze and backward cuts). If you have a little more time with the equipment, you could turn that clip into a showcase for a much wider range of editing tricks. Start simple, the way you've done, then keep building more and more crazy shit. As it is, it looks like you had a good idea but couldn't quite fill all the space.
as a local seattle videographer, i am always open to criticism, positive or negative. many people i feel welcome criticism when they don't really want it but i am authentically welcome so drop me a line if you have something to say. and of course, if you have work of your own i am happy to return the favor!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
little by little, less cool than the year before
i've gone to sasquatch 4 years in a row. sometimes the music has been legendary and sometimes it has been so-so. from my experience, you only need two great bands to play and the whole experience seems like money well spent. this year, not so sure.
but the problem with big indie rock festivals is that by the time most artists make it to the main stage, they are already five years irrelevant. here is the laundry list of mistakes.
kings of leon are headlining saturday night. this band was never cool! it is a good thing crystal castles is playing at the same time in the dance tent or saturday would be an absolute failure.
the decemberists were invited. colin meloy and his love for prog rock have gone too far! obviously, i'm being a bit irrational here but i don't want to see the decemberists for a while. they sound too much like yes! or rush these days and i just can't handle it.
animal collective or yeah yeah yeahs should be headlining saturday night. obviously.
fleet foxes go on before silversun pickups. like the kings of leon, silversun pickups are irrelevant.
tv on the radio and m83 are playing at the same time. fans of one band will obviously want to see the other. so don't play them so close together!
how do the organizers schedule these festivals? do they draw names out of a hat? or are they moving away from catering to the kexp crowd and more toward the kroq crowd? i mean the 107.7 crowd? i mean... fuck it. the vanilla "we sound like bands that were cool ten years ago" crowd?
way to go, sasquatch.
but the problem with big indie rock festivals is that by the time most artists make it to the main stage, they are already five years irrelevant. here is the laundry list of mistakes.
kings of leon are headlining saturday night. this band was never cool! it is a good thing crystal castles is playing at the same time in the dance tent or saturday would be an absolute failure.
the decemberists were invited. colin meloy and his love for prog rock have gone too far! obviously, i'm being a bit irrational here but i don't want to see the decemberists for a while. they sound too much like yes! or rush these days and i just can't handle it.
animal collective or yeah yeah yeahs should be headlining saturday night. obviously.
fleet foxes go on before silversun pickups. like the kings of leon, silversun pickups are irrelevant.
tv on the radio and m83 are playing at the same time. fans of one band will obviously want to see the other. so don't play them so close together!
how do the organizers schedule these festivals? do they draw names out of a hat? or are they moving away from catering to the kexp crowd and more toward the kroq crowd? i mean the 107.7 crowd? i mean... fuck it. the vanilla "we sound like bands that were cool ten years ago" crowd?
way to go, sasquatch.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
did your school let you down?
there was a career fair at seattle university today for students of the communications department. i graduated in december but i went anyway.
there was the aclu, the us marshalls, a software company, the big brothers and big sisters organization and a handful of other non-profits. my favorite was the lobyist because he wasn't offering internships or jobs or anything at all. he just smiled a lot and looked confused.
there was a pr agency there. waggener edistrom. that was helpful.
there was the aclu, the us marshalls, a software company, the big brothers and big sisters organization and a handful of other non-profits. my favorite was the lobyist because he wasn't offering internships or jobs or anything at all. he just smiled a lot and looked confused.
there was a pr agency there. waggener edistrom. that was helpful.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
remember this guy?
havn't talked to bruce bickford in a while. i called him up and he told me he's going to virgina next week. great news! he will attend the james river film festival. he is doing a workshop on the 17th and on the 18th, they show monster road.
last weekend he went to comicon and met some famous illustrator who works for darkhorse. i think everybody would like to see bruce get together with an illustrator there and work on turning some of bickford's stories into comic books. that would be amazing!
also in the future, bruce is going to the salem film festival in oregon. they will show monster road and some of his animations.
ps, bruce was also disappointing with the watchmen movie.
last weekend he went to comicon and met some famous illustrator who works for darkhorse. i think everybody would like to see bruce get together with an illustrator there and work on turning some of bickford's stories into comic books. that would be amazing!
also in the future, bruce is going to the salem film festival in oregon. they will show monster road and some of his animations.
ps, bruce was also disappointing with the watchmen movie.
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