All filmed in an aquarium, but gorgeous all the same. Those lucky enough to go diving in warm salt water environments may get to see wildlife like this, but many don’t. I have gone diving many times, but the color is never that vivid. For those who don’t know, once you get past a certain depth, everything takes on a blue tinge thanks to the refraction of light off of water particles. I like that it’s not a landscape that we really think about, unless we are marine biologists. Beautiful and mysterious.

Landscape :: Big Sur

August 2, 2013August 28, 2013Leave a comment

Andrew Julian

I live near the water, but since either I’m in the office or off to meetings a lot lately, I don’t get to see nearly enough of the beach. Although this was filmed in winter, this just made me want to return to the water and enjoy summer. So there you go, a film about the Northern California coast. Beautiful even in the cold season.

Culture :: Biking Boulder

July 30, 2013August 28, 2013Leave a comment

Tyler H. Boyd

Each sport has it’s own culture and here we get a glimpse of bike culture. Now if only I didn’t feel like I was going to die every time I tried to ride my bike up a hill I might actually try it.

Culture :: Surfing without legs

July 26, 2013August 28, 2013Leave a comment

Mark Tipple

In most cultures, we don’t always appreciate how much the disabled can really do. Unfortunately, we tend to forget about what they can do and instead focus on what they can’t do. That’s why I like this video. It focuses on how even without the use of her legs, Pascale can still live her dreams.

Culture :: Return of the Sun

July 23, 2013August 28, 2013Leave a comment

Now that the weather has finally gotten warm, verging on hot for the Pacific Northwest, take a mental cool off:

Glen Milner

I’ve never lived in a place with extreme living conditions. I can’t imagine living in the dark for half the year and bright sunshine the other half. Nor can I imagine living in a place that is perpetually cold, except for those few months in the summer where the snow finally melts away.

On the other hand, these people are used to these harsh conditions, and the changes occurring due to global warming are changing their culture. No longer are they able to live as their ancestors have- something that seems to be prevalent across the planet as we use more technology and interact in different ways. But with these changes comes a silver lining- we have opened the world to everyone and not just the few wealthy people who can afford to travel.

But what are we losing by changing our cultures and merging into one?

Culture :: Obachan

July 19, 2013August 28, 2013Leave a comment

I don’t know about you but it’s been a while since I really got my hands dirty. I mean up to my elbows working in the mud kind of dirty. I guess sitting behind a desk several days a week will do that to you. This film makes me miss my days working out in the garden. I’ve been so busy lately that I hardly have time to go for a run in the evening, but I’m doing what I can to get outside, but not as much as I would like. We finally have real summer weather and I’m stuck inside… a lot.

I digress…

Mackenzie Sheppard

Growing up in an agriculture rich state, farming is something that I have noticed, but never paid that much attention to. I know that there are a lot of tractors and equipment to plow, plant and harvest the food products. There isn’t as much hands on farming any more. When I say hands on, I mean where we actually had till the earth, plant the seeds and harvest the crop with our own hands. Maybe that’s why Obachan is in her 80s and is still out in the fields every day- she still does everything by hand. She hasn’t let modern invention take over and she is letting her body live naturally. Maybe… she has found the secret to living a long and healthy life? It’s probably not the only reason that she has never been ill- I’m sure genetics and circumstance has had a lot to do with that as well.

What I like most about this film is the use of focus and the black and white footage. It lets the audience look at the rich texture that surrounds Obachan, and not so much the color that often over powers an image. As you can imagine, most of these images are some shade of brown, which in all reality isn’t always the most appealing of colors. By making it black and white it changes the focus away from the color to the content.

I only hope that I can be as active as Obachan when I’m 85. I have some pretty strong genes on my side, but then you can never know what is going to happen.

Culture :: Mexican-U.S.Border

July 16, 2013August 28, 2013Leave a comment

Often we turn a blind eye to the things that we don’t wish to see. Sometimes it’s outside our window and sometimes it’s a hundreds of miles away. If we don’t see it, it doesn’t exist, right?

Viewer discretion advised

Visually

Although this short animation doesn’t actually show the violence of the Mexican drug cartels, it conveys the reality of a very real problem on both sides of the Mexican-U.S. border. Although many of us don’t ever see the reality of these problems, it is an important part of American and Mexican culture. And although it is not a flattering aspect of culture, it should be acknowledged just as we acknowledge the more positive parts of culture.

Culture :: Life Drawings

July 12, 2013August 28, 2013Leave a comment

How do you make a scene in the round interesting to the viewer’s eye when they can only have one point of view at time? I think this film has found the answer.

Wriggles and Robins

Not only does this video take something that can be fairly still and turn it into fluid motion, but it takes nudity (which we usually view as taboo) and turn it into something beautiful and natural.

Culture :: Andean Gold

July 9, 2013August 28, 2013Leave a comment

I believe that some of the best things in life are worth waiting for- and the this beautiful video says just that.

The Inoue Brothers

I visited Peru about three years ago now and had the privilege of seeing these animals roaming the mountain side, but never a ceremony like this. However, I did see the community spirit that is the Peruvian culture. Each community is very tightly knit and everyone helps with the survival of everyone else. I think that’s what I like about Latin culture- that the community is more than just a group of people living amongst one another, but they are one large family.

Culture :: Skateboard

July 5, 2013August 28, 2013Leave a comment

Choose your favorite activity, and then think about how much time in an hour you actual work on that activity. How much time do you sit there thinking about what you’re going to do? How much time do you spend hyping yourself up? How much time do you spend daydreaming about something else entirely?

Now if you were a skateboarder, how much time would actually spend on the board:

Sebastian Linda

Skateboarding is a culture that I know little about, but it seems from this short film that perhaps it’s just like any other activity or culture we are in. It revolves around relationships and planning and not really doing anything for the majority of the time that we dedicate to it.

And on a more technical note, I think the editing in this is pretty awesome. Just saying.

emfirno

documentary production

Category: Inspiration

Landscape :: Under the Sea

Phillip Bloom