Category: Inspiration

Feet Up! :: Baseball Borders

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There are a lot of things that I love about summer- for one thing I’ve really been enjoying the warm temperatures and the sunshine!  One thing that really stands out to me though is baseball season.  Baseball is one of those things that is always on despite the time of the day or where you are in the country, so it’s kind of hard not to associate summer with the all-American pastime.

And, I come from a family that loves baseball. When I was little there was always a game on at my Grandparents’ houses.  If it wasn’t on the TV it was on the radio or someone was checking out stats in the newspaper every morning.  I guess you can say I didn’t have a chance with all that exposure- I can’t help but like it.  I’m sure it could have gone the other way, but I’m glad that I didn’t end up hating it.

A few months ago, a friend of mine posted this article from the NY Times and it caught my eye:

baseball-zips2

click here for the full article

I had never really thought about the geography of a team’s fan base before.  With globalization and the movement of people, it’s not at all unusual to see people supporting teams from other parts of the country, or the world, than the area that they are currently in.  If you click on the link and actually use the interactive map, it’s amazing how a block here or there can change a fan base.

Now I know this has nothing to do with film, but it does have to do with documentary in the wider term of the word.  It is documenting something about the U.S. and its love for its national sport.  One thing that I find so fascinating (and terrifying) about it is that the whole thing was put together by people’s preferences and location on websites and facebook.  There’s Big Data for you…  So perhaps we do stay in our little corners of the world when it comes to baseball and we haven’t yet roamed quite as far as I had assumed.

If you are one of those crazy baseball fans out there- enjoy the rest of the season!  It’s the perfect reason to put your feet up at the end of the day and enjoy a cold drink.

Feet up! :: Stirred not shaken

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Happy Independence Day to all of my American readers!  I’m not a huge celebrator of this holiday although perhaps I should.  I grew up overseas where the most we did was eat burgers for dinner and maybe wear some combination of red and blue.  Other than that, we really didn’t do much.  The Brits aren’t huge celebrators of the American holiday- no surprise really.

As we’re all busy and off to drink copious amounts of beer and BBQ our food with friends and family I leave you with one short video to inspire your festivities and maybe even give you something else to indulge in this 4th of July:

Claire Thomas

 

I love the light in this short!  My only complaint is that some of the text is hard to read – maybe a nice outline or shadow next time?  Hope this inspires some good celebratory fun and hope everyone has a safe independence day!

Tracks

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Film festivals have become the center of my life in the last few months.  Between working on getting  current projects into  festivals and attending films at festivals, I’ve become dependent on festival catalogues and spend far too much time looking at what films are playing at what time.  It’s almost like I’m back working for a festival again but for once I’m on the other end of the phone asking the questions instead of having to know all of the answers.

Now normally I would try to see documentaries to see what other people are working on but I’ve been mixing in narrative film as well.  One film in particular, Tracks, is an interesting mix of the two as it is technically a narrative piece while being based on a true story.  Now perhaps some scenes aren’t exactly the way that it happened, but for the most part the story is in tact.

Dir. John Curran

I know that the idea of watching a girl walk across q desert with four camels and a dog, interrupted periodically by a photojournalist, may not sound like the most invigorating story, but somehow it captures your attention for the full two hours.  I love the cinematography in this film.  It’s beautiful and it moves the viewer through the film so seamlessly (with many thanks to the editor and the composer too) that it’s pure eye candy.

The film also has another draw for me in that photojournalist Rick Smolan is featured in this film which adds an interesting connection for me.  I happen to work with Rick’s brother and at times with Rick.  It’s a surreal experience watching a film where you see the same name that’s sitting in your inbox pop on the movie screen.  I know better than to think of this person on the screen to be the true Rick, but it’s amazing to see someone who looks and sounds so much like him.

If you have the chance to see this film, I would highly recommend it. And, for those who are completely entranced by the story and want to know more, there is a book and the original National Geographic article.

Food + Friends + Nature :: Nature

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As a freelance filmmaker, you never know where you’ll be working next.  Exciting, yes.  It also causes a lot of stress because you never know where your next paycheck will be coming from.

Enter, the side job. Now the trick with the side job is finding one that is flexible so that you can work on your projects and also pays well.  It’s not the easiest thing to accomplish as any artist can tell you.  So for this summer, I’m working as a gardener for a family friend.  I’ve actually did this when I was in college to make money during the summer and to be honest, its still one of my favorite summer jobs because I get to be outside a lot.  Ask me in a few months how I feel about it and I’ll probably tell you that I’m sick of it because I will have weeded the same flowerbed 100 times and the weeds are still prevailing. In any case, it’s still not a bad gig.

I found this video a few months ago but haven’t had the chance to share it with you.  It reminded me of pruning bushes last week, although what I do is very tame compared to this.  It also reminded me of working on my last project as we were filming up in the mountains and some of our team spent a lot of time moving wood around the property getting ready for our very large bonfire.

Juliet Zulu

I like the play of light in this even though it has a very limited color palet.  It’s hard to make green interesting, but Juliet’s combination of light and texture of the trees make it visually interesting.  Another plus- it’s short and to the point.  Just enough to grab your attention while giving you the information you crave.

Food + Friends + Nature :: The Food

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Last month, I worked for a small start-up in Seattle called ChefSteps.  If you like food and/or science, you must check them out.  It’s a very unique place where food and science come to you and inspire you to be a better cook.  That’s my mini plug over.  I’ll probably talk about them again in the future so don’t say I didn’t warn you.

The project had me working with an amazing group of chefs who, like any one who cares about what they produce, are passionate about what they share with their customers.  They weren’t dishing up ramen, but the passion and intensity that they put into everything they do comes through in this film (I don’t think they are quite this intense when they’re driving though):

Nowness

 

Besides making me very hungry for ramen, I love this video because it conveys the personality of the main character so well.  I guess it’s a toss up between the Ivan Orkin and the ramen, but either way, you know who they are by the end.  The camera work is good, although I would have liked to see some more color in some shots, but overall I loved it.  I don’t know if it’s inspired me enough to go and make ramen for myself (there are a few more steps than I have time for) but I’m ready to go hunting for the best ramen restaurant that I can find.

Wanderlust :: Aloha

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Makai Creative

Be honest.  When you hear the word Hawai’i doesn’t your heart begin to flutter and the idea of going to the islands in the middle of the Pacific intrigue you just a little- even to the point of distraction?  Well it does for me.  When I’ve had it with things at home, Hawaii is usually one of the first places that I think of escaping to.

I’m not entirely sure what it is about the small chain of islands but it always sounds heavenly.  I’ve been once.  For four days.  Yes, all that way for four days and I loved it!  Someday I hope to go back for a lot longer than an extended weekend and hope to visit more than just the island of Oahu.  It is a beautiful place but I would love to see all of the other terrains.

Perhaps this video isn’t what we all expect of the Pacific island but it just shows the diversity of whats sitting there in the middle of the ocean.

Wanderlust :: Vino

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filmit

Now I’ve never been to Slovenia let alone to a vineyard in Slovenia but I have been to several vineyards.  There is something so serene about these specialized farms and they are the perfect getaway for just a few hours.  Its possible that after several wine tastings its just the fermented grape juice that I’ve been sampling that makes me feel that way but I beg to differ.

Since I can’t travel overseas at the moment, perhaps a visit to a vineyard is the perfect antidote… For now I will settle for a glass of wine.

Wanderlust :: Making the most of where you are

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After my rather whiny post last week I think I’ve gotten it out of my system.  Don’t you hope!

Now that we are well into May I feel like things are looking up.  The promise of day trips to the mountains and adventure lingers in the air- summer is rapidly approaching!  This makes me happy just thinking about because maybe soon the weather won’t be so grey. Yahoo!

I found this video that made me appreciate the ability to be outdoors even when you live in the city.  I really don’t have room to complain because I live in a city that is sparsely populated compared to NYC but I was inspired none-the-less.

indoek

 

Happy nearly-Summer!

Wanderlust :: Mexico

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Ok ok, so I just got back from a quick trip to Mexico for a friend’s wedding, and you would have thought that would have helped with the travel cravings.  But like I’ve said before, it only made me want to travel more.  Tough luck for me because I’m not going anywhere for a while.  Or at least its looking that way…

So to help commemorate my time away I present to you this video of Mexican food.  I warn you- it will make you hungry so try not to watch on an empty stomach:

The Perennial Plate

 

Don’t you just love all the colors?!

If you’re into food and especially into trying new food when you travel, make sure to check out The Perennial Plate.  They have a great catalogue of videos celebrating the diversity of good food in the world.