Goodwill :: No Scraps Left Behind

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As the many food centered holidays creep nearer, I find myself thinking about food – again.   It seems to be on my mind a lot this year but then again we all obsess about food in some way.

I wouldn’t necessarily consider this video a work of art – what I mean is that I don’t find anything extraordinary about the film itself.  However, I love the concept that this company has come up with and it makes me wonder why more people haven’t started doing something as fantastic with our waste food as Rubies in the Rubble:

Rubies in the Rubble

Funny enough, I have never seen these products at markets or in gourmet grocery stores in England – I probably haven’t been looking hard enough and it’s been ages since I was last at Borough Market.  I will definitely look for them next time in the country later this year.  We throw away an incredible amount of food each year and it’s so nice to see that someone is doing something useful with this excess of food.

Goodwill :: Eco Print

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So many of us sit at computers day after day- for work and for play and here and there we print various documents.  We’re told constantly about the amount of paper that we waste by printing and by using our various devices we can reduce the amount of paper used and read off our our phones, our tablets etc.  But what no one mentions is the ink part of the printing process.

We take for granted (or at least I did) that ink is just a part of the printing process and other than being and expensive office expense, we don’t really think about the other impacts that it makes. But thanks to designers like Dan, a more eco-friendly font could change the impact that we make with our printed pages.

grey london

I love the color contrast between the black and white in this video and it includes typography- something that I have a great fondness for.  Sometimes I wonder if I should have gone into graphic design instead of video production.  I also love the intricacy of the font and the thought that has gone into the development of this font, just so that we can save 33% more ink per page.  And what does it mean for the rest of us (other than saving us money)? It means that we can contribute towards reducing the amount of waste that we create.  How cool is it that we can help the environment AND use a beautiful new font?  Pretty cool.

Ode to those behind the scenes

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As cliche as it is to designate November the theme of

thanksgiving14I can’t help it.  It just seems to come with the territory as we are thrown into a string of family holidays which, for the most part, make us feel thankful for various aspects of the holiday season.  I’m not sure if I’m all that thankful for the extra stress that it brings with menu planning, new work projects and upcoming travel BUT I am thankful for the opportunities that it brings. I’m still trying to figure out how to make this time of year less stressful as it all seems to culminate into one large stress fest, but so far I am at a loss.  Anyone have any ideas here?  I suppose I could just say “screw it all” and forget about a lot of it but that wouldn’t be in my nature.  Darn myself and my over commitment!

To prevent myself from digging myself into a rant, I’m going to list a few things that I’m grateful for, which in many ways can reconsidered a work update:

  1. Since leaving film school almost two years ago, I’ve worked on four major projects, each with their own international distribution/broadcast deals.  (The Human Face of Big Data, The Breach, Wall of Fire: A ChefSteps Story and Out of Print)  Not too shabby if I do say so myself.
  2. In the last three months, I’ve picked up two new projects and there are several others pending.  One being a film called Crazywise (click here for more info) and another that I will share more about in the near future.
  3. And last of all… there are more announcements to come but I’m going to wait a little bit longer before I share them.

Despite their warnings, seasoned filmmakers can never really prepare you for the slog that is getting your foot in door to this industry.  I have been extremely fortunate to have met some incredible mentors along the way and I am extremely grateful for their guidance and jobs in the last few years.  Their lessons and support have been invaluable.  I have a long way to go before I’m going to feel more comfortable with where I am in my career, but for now I’m grateful for all that has come my way.

My theme of giving thanks though is not just giving thanks for the various aspects in my own life, but I want to focus on others who are doing amazing things out there but with hardly any recognition.  There are so many of us that work in the stage wings and are hardly ever seen – even if we like this covert role it is nice to have the occasional moment in the limelight. So here you are – just a few remarkable people who are doing their part to make the world a better place.

Escapade :: Advantage

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Getting the “birds eye view” can be very advantageous in certain situations.  When photographing a panoramic view for instance, or mapping out an area. Being chased, or trying to ensure that you stay ahead in some sort of distance race, this rule certainly applies.  Or in this film, all these circumstances collide and prove the point perfectly:

Advantage the movie

What I love most about this film comes in three parts:

  1. I love the color contrast.  Everything is a shade of orange, grey and dark grey and it all seems to meld together, yet contrast so beautifully that you have to wonder how much of it is planned and how much of it is natural surroundings.
  2. I love the movement of the camera.  Something like this could be very stagnant even though the car is moving but the movement of both the camera and the car gives the audience the feel of being part of the chase.
  3. I love the graphics.  They move as vividly as the rest of the film and tie in with the story well, taking it further than the final shot of the driver looking down over the cliff. Very “James Bond”.

Makes me want to go out and see a action film.  A classy action film.

Escapade :: Firecracker Artwork

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When it comes to certain projects, I could say that I tend to stay with more traditional methods and don’t always venture out to try more “adventurous” things.  I’m trying to expand my horizons but I wouldn’t say that it’s because I’m afraid to try new things, it’s because I haven’t thought of trying them in that context – obviously I need to think more outside the box.

For instance, using firecrackers to create artwork:

Cool Hunting

I tend to associate smaller explosives with fireworks at celebrations or demolition of larger buildings.  I would never have thought to use them in creating large pieces of fine art.  Who’d have thought?   I guess you can say that David Sena is one of the few (if not the only) as I have never seen art quite like this before.  I love it!

I don’t know if there is anything particularly spectacular about the filmmaking here, although it is well made.  I think it’s more the topic that really stands out to me.  I makes me want to try something like it myself, but for now I’ll stick with what I know as I don’t have a place to safely try out this method of artwork.  Perhaps someday…

Escapade :: Frame by Frame

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It’s been a while since I’ve seen a film about the Middle East.  That’s mostly because I’ve been shying away from them as I get tired of hearing about the wars that have been fought there and the depravity that the people live in etc. etc, but this film trailer caught my eye and I was immediately drawn in by the story.

I wouldn’t say that the U.S. has a completely free press – at least not like they do in Europe where everything is fair game until it breaches privacy laws, but it’s a far freer press than other parts of the world where the government controls everything. Completely everything. You don’t appreciate what you have until you see what it could be like or worse, you experience it first hand.

Red Reel

This film is beautifully shot and it has a powerful message: if you don’t have a visual presence on the web or in the news, then you are left behind.  As someone who has always lived in countries with a “free voice,” it’s hard to imagine living somewhere where you could be killed for documenting something on a camera.  We have become so accustomed to taking photos with our phones and other various devices to share our experience with everyone that we know.  What would it be like to not be able to document what is going on in your life? And, what would it be like to live in a place where once a group of people have left, you have the potential to be forgotten by others?

Something by me… & ChefSteps

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Finally, I get to share something that I had a hand in this year.

One of my film adventures this year included working with a company called ChefSteps, a high-tech cooking company committed to changing the way people cook.  This was probably the most fun that I’ve ever had on a film shoot and probably the most delicious too.  BBQ with all the fixin’s yum! Oh, and I happen to love all the people that I got to work with.

So without further ado, I present Wall of Fire : A ChefSteps Story

Intrigued? Go here for the full blog post on the ChefSteps website and while you’re there, check out some of their other amazing recipes.  Believe me.  You’ll be glad you did!

Escapade :: What is Adventure?

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When I was little, I would ask my dad to take me on adventures.  He would always return my request with “what kind of adventure?” and I never quite knew how to verbalize it.  I knew that scaling a mountain or hand to hand combat with pirates was probably not an option for a quiet Saturday afternoon.  But I always had this image of what adventure was.  It was probably due to me watching too many Pippi Longstocking movies as a kid.

That image of “adventure” has never really been realized, even when I’ve been in exotic countries, climbing mountains, sailing the oceans or zip lining through rain forests.  These have been fantastic adventures and I would never trade them for anything but I’ve never gotten that thrill that I was looking for.  I guess I did when I was in a rafting accident in Ecuador but I really don’t want to repeat that again.  So I suppose I just need to appreciate the experiences more as I go through them and not expect something out of the ordinary to happen because I’m probably already doing something extraordinary.  At least for myself.

So while I’m thinking about adventure this month and I STILL can’t really define what that means to me, I came across this video that lends perfectly to my quest:

Kalum Ko

The lighting is beautiful and the images crisp, all while showing off how beautiful the Pacific Northwest is.  Lovely.  Plus, it features my new obsession with stand up paddle boarding, which I have yet to try, skiing and a few other outdoor sports that I love.  So content wise, there really isn’t anything to dislike.  But even more appealing is it’s challenge to the viewer to embrace life and adventure- whatever that definition might be.

So now that I’m all enthused, I’m off for the weekend to try to find some sort of new experience that I can define as an adventure.  Preferably without pirates commandeering my ship and probably without the need of an ice axe, but you never know…

Getting out of the house

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I’ve been working a lot lately, or at least I feel like I’ve been working a lot.  It’s been a lot of sitting and staring at my computer screen and frankly, I’m sick of it.  I didn’t get outside nearly as much as I would have liked to this summer, but c’est la vie.  Fall is here and it’s time to start thinking about the end of the year.  Already!

I’m actually looking forward to Fall even if the weather is colder and the days shorter.  I know that seems contradictory to the fact that I’m sick of sitting inside, but I’m also hoping that it means that I will take more advantage of the daylight hours and get out more instead of sitting at my desk with the mentality that “there’s still plenty of daylight left,” when actually I should have been outside all along.  When you have less time to devote out of doors (or to other things), it changes your perspective on things, don’t you think?

So for October, I’m dedicating the month to celebrating adventure, to doing something new and out of the ordinary (for myself).  I’m hoping to feel that spark of life again, because if I’m completely honest, I don’t feel like I have much of a life when I’m staring at a screen for several hours of the day.  It makes me feel rather like a zombie.  And this is why I’m sharing this video with you:

Albin Holmqvist

 

Education First (EP) teaches languages and therefore, opens the door to exploring new places. So take a gander and go do something new, even with the shorter days.  The end of the year is rapidly approaching and wouldn’t it be a shame to realize that all you had done is worked all year?

For the Foodie :: Feed Supper

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I realize that I’m a little late to talk about this campaign as it has already started, but I thought it was a good thing to at least mention it.

It seems that there a whole slew of cause awareness events going on at the moment.  We seem to be easing off of the ice bucket challenge and are moving on to other challenges – probably a good thing now that the weather is finally cooling off.  For instance, there’s the SNAP Challenge where you eat off a tiny budget of $3.40 a day to understand how millions of others live everyday.  There are the usual walks and runs and other physical exertions that we seen to do annually and then there’s the FEED Supper campaign:

Jenner Brown

I love the idea of this campaign because it brings people together to enjoy each other’s company and nourish their bodies.  I feel like I’m always on the run right now and rarely have the time to sit down with people that I love to do the most basic thing of feeding myself.  When I was still living at home, we ate as a family every night (as long as we were all in town) and it was a time for us to all catch up on the days events.  Food, at the moment, is something consumed on the move and I long for the ‘old days’ of sitting down with my family to eat together each night.

This campaign encourages bringing back that old family tradition while helping a good cause.  Food desert is a relatively new term, but it’s an old problem and it’s good that we are finally addressing it for what it is an trying to bring and end to this all too common issue.