Tag: storytelling

Travel :: The John Muir Trail

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The Muir Project

This is trailer is something closer to home, figuratively and physically, than the previous videos that I’ve posted this month.  This is only a thousand or more miles south of where I live and looks relatively familiar.  I like to spend weekend up in the mountains hiking and being away from city life, which is a whole other experience all on its own.  Sometimes you only have to go as far as your backyard to experience something new.

I think what I like most about this film is the combination of art and the outdoors.  These are two things that I’m passionate about (can you tell?) and I like the blend of the two.  It also brings back memories of taking a travel photography class in college while climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro.  The scenery was very different, but the idea of documenting your journey on camera and in journals makes the experience very different from a day hike.  You notice more about your surroundings and reflect more about what you are going through emotionally and physically.  It also takes your mind off things when you feel like curling up in a ball and giving up for the day.  Documenting the the journey through art is a very powerful thing.

Travel :: BiPoland

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A note from the filmmaker: Please wear headphones for the best sound experience.

Matty Brown

Traveling is just as much about learning about a new place as about learning about yourself.  Just watching the first few minutes of this film is enough to learn not only about a very dark period in our history, but how we react to the images of a place that tormented thousands of Jewish people in the early 1940s.

This film, BiPoland begins as a reminder of the Holocaust and surpasses the history lesson to go on to demonstrate the strength of the Polish people and their ability to move on even with such a dark history that remains solid and real within their borders.

Beyond the emotion that this video brings to me, I really, really love the editing.  I know I usually discuss the camera work and the light, which is something that I really do admire, but editing is actually more my forte.  Bringing images, music and graphics together to tell a story and to move the viewer through the video is what I really love to do.  I’m one of those dorky people that gets a rush when I finally get a sequence right and the music and the footage sync perfectly to get the desired effect.  That is what this film does for me.  It’s a perfect blend of beautiful cinematography, vintage recordings and powerful music.

Travel :: Ice Hotel

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I was twelve when I heard about the ice hotel.  My dad saw it in a travel magazine and I’ve wanted to stay in one since.  Most people that know me well would find this very ironic as I’m always cold, but there is something spectacular about staying in something that seems so strong and permanent, yet very fragile and dependent on frigid temperatures.  I would only want to stay a few days if that, but the experience itself is a once in a lifetime thing.  For now I will have to settle with the experience of having a drink in the Ice Bar in London.

HENNING SANDSTRÖM

I realize that this video is more about the river than the ice hotel itself, but if we are to appreciate the hotel and all the work that goes into its design and construction each year, we need to appreciate where it all comes from in the first place.

Travel :: Corsica

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David Babendryer

Filmed on the island or Corsica, I love how this film makes me unwind.  The slow and relaxed feel makes this film almost sensual.  The close ups and the wide landscape shots really makes me feel like I’m there experiencing all of the little nuances that you notice when you’re in a new place and trying to take it all in.  Plus, I like how the story is told through the woman and the dog’s wonderings of the island, but there is no need for anyone to speak.  It is just the viewer taking it all in just as the person behind the camera did.

Handmade :: Coffee is My Medium

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Sorry to disappoint if you thought I was going to reveal how to make the perfect cup of coffee, I’m not that caffein obsessed.  Actually I have to confess that I don’t even like coffee but you sure can’t do the following with a cup of green tea.

by Tumblr

This just proves that anything can be the perfect art medium.  It just takes the right person to take advantage of it.  I don’t know if there is anything that stands out to me more in this film as the subject matter.  Much of what I create lasts for as long as I want it to- or even longer depending on where its posted or screened.  This is a whole other kind of art that I marvel at because of the enjoyment time is so limited, so kudos to someone who has the patience to create something so detailed and beautiful, only to see it melt away a few minutes later.

Handmade :: Paper Cuts

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http://blip.tv/etsy/handmade-portraits-rob-ryan-5625622

Etsy

Despite the fact that most of my work is digitally created on a computer, I still love paper and paint and pencils etc.  When I was growing up, I spent hours in art classes learning how to make all sorts of useless items but I thought were very exciting.

I no longer have as much time with physical tools as I would like, which is probably why I enjoy Handmade Portraits: Rob Ryan.  The one time that I made something similar to Mr. Ryan’s work (aka cutting out shapes on a page to create the picture) I ended up tearing most of the page and gave up.  Obvioulsy I wasn’t patient enough, but maybe now I could make it through a whole sheet.

On a deeper level, I like that there are stories within stories in each piece that he creates.  Behind every piece of art is a great story but we don’t always see that as plainly as you can here.

Handmade :: Sign Painters

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Dir. Samual J. Macon

Probably something that most of us take for granted- signs.  They are every where.  They are on the sides of buildings, on walls, dragging behind airplanes, on street corners, and hanging on door handles.  We cannot go more than a few steps without seeing one, but we probably don’t take the time to think about the origin of each sign.  At least I don’t.  I find that I’ve learned to ignore many of them.

Perhaps I would notice them more if I could tell that time and effort had gone into its creation and that it really was a piece of art.  Sadly, most signs that I see are machine made.  And perhaps that’s why I like this trailer.  It makes me stop and think about what I’m looking at and all the while, pointing out that we have traded in artwork for a cookie cutter print.  Once again, handmade seems to have its advantages…

Runoff :: Swimming Laps

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by Corduroy Media

Swimming has never been anything but a recreational activity for me although I enjoy it very much.  I’m always in awe of what professional athletes endure to make themselves stronger and faster.

Nathan Adrian, who teamed with swimmers like Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte at the 2012 Olympics, seems like a superhuman (as Olympic athlete do).  But in this video, he’s just like anyone else in their twenties, give or take the time he spends training.  That’s what I like though.  He is only human, with the exception of his amazing speed in water.

Run Off :: Return of the Salmon

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Back in January, I posted a short film, “Year of the River,” which talks about the removal of dams in Washington State that started in 2011.  This has been a huge step in ecological recovery in the state and has created all sorts of research into 1) the effects of dam removal and 2) how long it will take nature to recover from human impact.  Researchers at the University of Washington, National Geographic, and National Park Service Blog, to name a few, are all participating in the collection of data.

Enough of the ‘lecture,’ my point of mentioning this video was more to do with another point that I made in the same post- I promised to talk more about a film project that I worked on concerning a very similar topic.

Salmon.

Picture from National Geographic

Yes, those large fish that you can see fly between fish vendors’ arms at Pike Place Market in Seattle and more than likely have eaten while in coastal towns in the US, UK, Scandinavia etc.  Salmon is a huge part of the culture in the Pacific Northwest, even if we take it for granted.  Salmon live in our rivers and adorn our cities in ornate sculptures and artwork.  It’s so important to us that when I was five, my Kindergarten class spent a month learning about Salmon. Continue reading →

Art :: American Roots

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Green Lens Media, LCC

This film may not be an obvious documentary to some, but this is the perfect example of an art documentary.  It gives us time to reflect on the roots of the American people while using images to tell the story instead of conventional interviews and b-roll.  I love how this film lets the viewer reflect on the subject without being told what to think.