Tag: outdoors

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…

For the Foodie :: The Carrot

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Growing your own garden from a seed is always seems like a miracle to me.  I’m always in awe of how nature can create something so amazing and complex with a seed, some soil and regular sprinklings of water.  It’s even more miraculous when the thing growing is more than a common weed- those things don’t seem to have any problem growing and taking over huge spans of land.

This summer I helped my friends clear out part of their yard and re-landscape parts of it, including a patch of weeds that we planted with wildflower seeds.  Now I know that wildflowers are just another variety of weed, but at least they flower and look a bit more exciting than the common grass.

After spending six hours pulling grass, roots and all, from an 8 by 8 patch of ground, I sprinkled the area with wildflower seeds.  The watering was probably the best part after working in the sun for that long.  After that, all I could do was wait.  Wait for the seeds to start sprouting and hope that I didn’t leave too many grass roots in the ground for them to overtake the patch again.  When I returned about a week later, I found that I had several sprouts of various shapes pushing their way up through the soil and I was beyond thrilled that they had taken root.  I felt like a genius for making it happen when all I really did was mix seeds into the damp ground.  Big whoop.  But I still felt amazing.  I can only guess how this little boy felt when his carrot was served for dinner:

Steve Annis

 

I think this advertisement is extremely clever because it gives emotional connection to all ages- the young gardner, the over looking father, the exasperated mother (when she can’t get her son to come in out of the rain) and the onlooking sister.  We’ve all had some sort of project that provide that range of emotion and it brings back those childhood memories of when something that now seems so small and insignificant, seemed so overpoweringly important.

There’s something about growing your own food that brings great satisfaction to people of every age.  I can see how farmers must feel when they bring in their harvest and know that their hard work is going to feed people far and wide.

The Breach at the Galway Film Fleadh

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Back in July, The Breach had it’s world premier at the Galway Film Fleadh, Ireland.  Now if you remember, I’ve been working on various aspects of this film for several years and I’m excited to finally share the official trailer:

The Breach Film

 

I’m also excited to share that the film has already won an award and we have many screenings yet to come:

BREACH-LAURELS

This project has been an on going for me and it’s hard to believe that it’s finally ready for people to see.  I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunities that the director, Mark Titus gave me throughout the process.  I’ve learned a lot and I’m so proud of the team of people that have made this project what it is.  Congratulations everyone!

More screenings coming in the future – schedules will be posted here and at www.thebreachfilm.com.

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.

Another month gone…

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May was one of the busiest months I’ve had in a long time and to be honest I loved every moment of it.  It was one of those good types of busy where I was exhausted by the end of the day (in a good way) and I looked forward to the next day.  I hope June can bring something like that because I’m feeling very fulfilled at the moment.

What was keeping me so busy?  I don’t know if I’m quite ready to share that yet as there is a lot in post-production to be done, but to give you an idea, it involved:

  1. Spending time up in the mountains.
  2. Food.  Lots of food. Really good food.
  3. Visiting with friends.
  4. Camping.
  5. Puppies.
  6. Watching films at the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF).

I know.  Not a lot to go by, but like I said, post-production is going to take a while.

I don’t have much of a theme for this month but after reflecting on this last month, I’m using themes from the last few weeks to inspire my next few posts.

Food,-Friends,-Nature

A broad topic I know… stay tuned.

Screening at SIFF

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I’m a little early this week (and yes I will still post on my normal day) but I wanted to share something exciting and time is of the essence.

For a long time now I’ve been talking about a film that I’ve been working on called The Breach.  Now I haven’t actually worked on it in about a year as it’s been in post-production for a while and my role ended last summer, but I’m excited to say that it’s actually screening!10271559_839988009362041_2148807514626219220_n

Wednesday June 4th at 6:30 pm (Uptown Theatre)

Saturday June 7th at 1:00 pm (Pacific Place)

Tickets available here: SIFF TICKETS

 

Hope to see you there!

 

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!

Winter Olympics 2014 :: The Mountainside

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I couldn’t end my Winter Olympics theme without talking about skiing and snowboarding.  I know I’ve already talked about them in the past and I promise after today I will try to keep it to a minimum… at least until next winter.  I can’t guarantee anything though.

So here you are, my mountain sports tribute- and I’ve made sure to keep the videos short this time.  Nothing too long.

SNOWBOARDING

vaz web TV

 

I LOVE the use of the clouds and natural colors of the sun reflecting off of the different surfaces as well as the the few moving shots of the rider moving down the mountain.  Considering all of the snow sports videos that I’ve seen in the past, this one is one of my favorites and actually makes me want to get on a board again.  I’m not sure if my tailbone agrees with me though.

 

SKIING

faction skis

 

So I’m not much a stunt person myself as I’m not a huge fan of the dropping feeling my my stomach as I free fall but I love the movement in this video.  I feel completely mesmerized when I watch this and I’m intrigued by the song choice.  In so many videos and even when on the slopes, the music blaring from the snow park speakers has a much heavier beat.  This song gives it a completely different feel compared to the usual stunt videos.  Combine the music with the slow motion effect at certain points in the film and it gives it a calming effect.  Get me to the mountain!