Behind the scenes: Producing/Shooting at LAX

This commercial was a challenge to produce! I decided I'd jot down some notes for anyone shooting at a big airport in the future:

Filming at LAX: Airport security requires background checks for the entire crew, which means you have to be crewed up a week in advance. All gear has to pass through TSA, so we opted to go with Alexa Amiras. Shooting on tarmac comes with a $10m insurance requirement that has to be prepared 7 days in advance in order to obtain the FilmLA permit in time. LAX parking+security+traffic meant no production runs, so everything had to be on hand for the first shot. Background was uncontrolled (it's an airport) so we had to have a number of releases on hand. All in all this 60 second job required 31 insurance documents, permit requests, or applications.

We only had the marching band for a total of 4 hours between the two locations, UCLA and LAX, which required two units and a total of 6 cameras. 3 to cover the constant action in the airport, 1 to capture the marching band on the UCLA field, a timelapse camera, and a background shooter for media. The client wanted one set of footage that was basically a press-release on the event, and another set that was more cinematic, this cut.

Filming at UCLA: Drones aren't allowed on campus, so an overhead shot of a football field is a tricky one. UCLA was more than happy to allow us to use their 40' scissor lift, which was a huge boon.

Though all of our airport/campus contacts were very professional and helpful, I cannot imagine doing an airport shoot if it wasn't for an airport client like Delta (and UCLA on campus). With Delta we got: Access to special rooms to create a DIT base camp, entrance through Delta One, and the ability to coordinate plane arrivals with our crew, which made the whole approach shot possible.

All in all, a bunch of work for 60 seconds! Read More......

Methods & Madness x Caroll Taveras from Dada Factory on Vimeo.

Before heading to Sundance last month I wrapped up a neat little video with Tessa Liebman and Caroll Taveras. Tessa's a versatile chef who collaborates with various artists to make events celebrating and expanding upon their work. Dark was the night, pretty were the guests, indulgent was the menu. Fun stuff! Read More......

New Reckoning With Torture video up by Ayo Walters

This was a fun one to film, Ayo's quite professional as she's a thespian. Read More......

Reckoning with Torture Launch and Behind the Scenes

Reckoning With Torture is a creative action to bring America's recent legacy of torture under public fire. PEN American contacted me to make a few seed videos for the project, launching this week under the direction of Doug Liman. Here's his introduction, and a few examples:
Read More......

Asra Karim- Teaching in Nablus

Finished my second little film featuring the people and places in Nablus. This exceptional woman is the most on-it and together volunteer teacher I've had the pleasure to meet. While the rest of us shuffle and fib our way through English lessons Asra breezed through like a pro, preparing interactive, educational material for her classes, primary through adult. Asra spent a lot of her time teaching teachers, I personally think she should be a parliamentary member or something. She's a kind, patient, beautiful Muslim lady who speaks 4-5 languages and is at home here or in the west... I kinda hope she's running the world soon.

After her interview I shadowed Asra to her class in the village of El Jneed. The kids were adorable and the location pretty cool, the village is up on top of an incredibly steep hill overlooking Nablus valley. The classes are taught in an old mosque, which was turned into a library when a newer one was built nearby.

My time here in Nablus is drawing to a close, and unfortunately I only have time for one or two more film updates. I think next time I volunteer I want to make these my full-time occupation, they're fun to do and give you a smattering of exposures about how the organization works. Read More......

Meet Salah: The first foray into the people of Nablus

I met Salah early in my time here in Nablus, and he immediately struck me as not only photogenic but a generally gregarious and well-spoken fellow. I quickly got along well with him and started to learn some pretty interesting facets of his personality. He seemed an ideal first ambassador to Nablus. See what you think of him!:



-Salah is a volunteer translator at Project Hope, a computer science student, a Thai Boxing instructor, National Champion of K-1 Kickboxing, a good Muslim, and a Palestinian. He really loves Nablus, and wants you to, too!

Salah's profile is the first of many features to come about Nablus, if you're here and want to hear about someone in particular let us know, or if you're from abroad and want questions about Nablus or Palestine in general addressed in film form drop us a line! Who should we profile next?-

This was a fun project to do and I'm keen to continue it. The intention is to profile a different person or aspect of Nablus every two weeks or so, depending on my schedule. Right now I'm splitting my time between a steady course load of english classes, projects like this, and intensive video workshops. I'd really like to thank Asra for lending me her camera to film with, and Project Hope of course for making my time here possible and allowing me to spend my time on alternative projects. Read More......

Peaceful Uprising and performance that matters

I haven't been that into art of late. I've spent a lot of time being underwhelmed, not feeling that lifting feeling of inspiration that got me into this world of expression in the first place. When I think of communicating the importance of expression I get disdainful, failing to see how expression for expression's sake can do anything more than provide a consumptive market with MORE. NEW. STUFF.

This perspective forgets, of course, the huge power that comes with expression. The power to awaken people, to make things clear, to teach and spread truths in the hope of a better world.

And what a better way than to be reminded of that by Peaceful Uprising.

If you aren't familiar, Peaceful Uprising is a group "committed to defending a livable future through empowering nonviolent action." They're Utah based, and (quite effectively) sprang up around the case of Tim DeChristopher, who used direct action as an attempt to block illegal land auctions in southern Utah, an action which in part led to the government realizing its mistake and dissolving the agreements Tim was disputing. Tim is still being held on federal trial, however.

The trial has been posponed multiple times, it becomes clearer and clearer that the prosecution is unwilling to allow Tim to make a case for himself while he holds a media spotlight. So he and Peaceful Uprising decided to hold the trial themselves. In public. With puppets. And excellent, directly political dialoge that provides specific ideas and actions to take in its commentary.

I went to the Exchange Place Plaza last Friday to film the performance. Here're some highlights:


You can see the entire half-hour long performance here. I'd suggest checking it out, there's a ton of informative stuff about how we got into the current state of affairs. The performance outlines how corporate power came to weigh so heavily in the civic domain, and what we can do about it.

So what we have here is art. Street theater. It may not be as polished and perfected as the majority of gallery shows out there right now, but it has something most of them do not: Direct, actionable content. I'm sick of vague dithering, and very happy this group is working hard to awaken people to their options in the face of vast environmental injustice. Read More......

Announcing the Tale of Don Giovanni Premiere

It's time to screen this bad boy!
Anyone who's been following this blog knows how long this film has been in the making, it's incredible, really. So now, more or less, I'm done. More words after the jump, but first I'd rather let the work do the talking. I give you the Trailer! (full screen that sucker):

Vimeo not working? Here's a REALLY crappy youtube version.

So, quickly, to recap: The Tale of Don Giovanni: That Indomitable Hipster is my first narrative film and a romping bike adventure. It's around 24 minutes long and has more scenes than a drunken prom date.

It is the story of Don Giovanni as told in Mozart’s opera, adapted into a hyper-exaggerated bike hipster vs. anarcho-punk world on the streets of Salt Lake City with updated sexual politics. Wackiness ensues. There are fixie riders, mountain bikers, flashy hipsters, smelly punks, a transvestite or two, many instances of the word f**k, a sex scene, a rape scene, and lots and LOTS of bikes. There's a dumpsterdoven BMX called the monarch and a man getting hit by a bus. The soundtrack is completely local and completely inspired and I weep to think of what I would have done without talented friends.

It took a tremendous effort to make and the work of many, many people, all of whom deserve way more credit than I'm able to give them. This project rallied people from all aspects of my life, and I was horrified I'd let them down. I don't think I did. I hope you'll come ride in the alleycat (which won't be nearly as hard as the one we shot for the film) and attend the premiere with your fam and friends. Please distribute this flier far and wide, I want to fill the post and possibly overflow to do multiple screenings. This community rocks and I'm happy to be a part of it.

See you on the 24th. Read More......

TWO VIDEOS I FORGOT TO POST!

Speaking of Greg, here's too much footage of him in spandex ;).



Greg called me up one day and said "wanna film some biking?"
"No," I replied, as is customary.
Then I thought about it. "Why not?"
"I'll pick you up in 2 hours" He said.

There's the result. I love that song, and had forgotten this was how it was introduced to me.

Also! Al and I cut a new trailer for the 337 Movie: Afterimage. We've also recut the film, incidentally, it's 52 minutes long and hopefully being sold to Europeans as we speak. Check out the groovy split-screen:



Speaking of things I've forgotten, how could I ever forget to remind everyone that Bike Porn 3 is happening!??!:

Come see some racy filmz at 1401 S. Main at 9:00. That's on Oct 17.

Also, the same night as the first Don Giovanni Party you can pre-game as a Zombie during the Salty Zombie Weekend!

Out like a light. Read More......

European Bike trip video vol. 1

I started editing some of the footage I shot in Europe this summer and it fell nicely into place in little 3-5 minute installments. I'm not sure if this is the final iteration of this footage, but I like using the music we encountered along the way to frame the experience. Let me know what you think!



If your computer doesn't like the vimeo link I'll have a Youtube version up soon. Read More......

48hr Winnars!

So if you recall, we participated in the 48 Hour Film Festival this year. Good times were had by all, our spirit as a team was indomitable but we weren't in it to win it, so to speak, just trying to make the best film we could.

.... well, we also WON! Yay! The award of Best Film was presented to us, we get to go on to the NAB confrence in Las Vegas next year. In celebration and as a very special treat to you, I present you with our 48hr film festival submission, Halcyon. Enjoy!:
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Jann Haworth

It is impossible to do anything concise concerning Jann Haworth. From the 60's to her 60's, she's been actively making art her whole life, and her simultaneous roles as artist, teacher, community builder, mother, hellraiser, and trickster make her quite the act to summarize. I had the unenviable task of taking all the great things she said over an hour interview and pairing them down to a 7 minute clip.

I sat down with Jann to talk about her current art, her background in the pop movement, and her relationship to Salt Lake City and Sundance, where she currently lives. Jann has only a tiny local market despite being one of the giants of 20th century art, but her status as a historical figure allows her to straddle the art world and work in Salt Lake while exhibiting in Paris and London. She has the advantages of a global artist but connects her passions with the community, helping to initiate local art projects like The SLC Pepper Mural and the 337 Project.

This is an excerpt from my senior thesis, Slingshot Out of the Valley

Check out more of Jann's Work on her website. Read More......

Cein Watson

Cein Watson is a knockout of an artist. I first saw his stuff in Disorderly House last summer, back when they were doing a different installation piece each month rotating on Gallery Stroll. He had covered their entire back wall in Sharpie, making a giant tessellated structure that looked like a robot's nervous system.

He is a printmaker, painter, and illustrator based out of Salt Lake. Cein Watson moved here from the east coast, but his heady academic influences and complex pieces make his work difficult to palate in Salt Lake, he has trouble finding a market here even though his work is astonishing and immersed in theory. He expands upon the ease with which you can afford to pursue your passions in Salt Lake because the community is supportive and laid back, as well as how he wants to tell early 20th century scholar and critic Walter Benjamin to 'Go fuck himself.'

This interview is an excerpt of my senior thesis, Slingshot Out the Valley

Check out Cein's wonderfully unnavigable website and his studio's blog. Read More......

Slingshot Out the Valley

My goal with my Honors Art History Senior Thesis was to put a little more local relevance and vitality into my academic pursuits. The end result is a split piece, a 20 minute art journalism video that profiles 3 local artists and contextualizes Salt Lake through the 337 Project. I showcased the work of Margaret Willis, Cein Watson, and Jann Haworth. Each of these artists does amazing work and has a complex relationship to Salt Lake City, together they create a snapshot of a corner of the city's creative field. The project could never be a whole portrait of all the amazing things going on in this city, rather I wanted to get a little more familiar with specific artists than we were able to in Afterimage: The Art of 337.



This video portion is the more consumable side of the thesis. It is expanded upon by the written portion, which delves into the roles of these artists in establishing local identity, the ideas of habitus and global art, and the role of technology in the aforementioned concepts. The paper posits that our interconnectivity is key to pushing great creative endeavors into the cultural limelight, which is mutually beneficial for the artists involved and art consumers both on a local and global level. It warns participants in this hybrid culture against becoming too homogenized in the expansive reach of the internet, and discusses methods artists can employ to maintain individuality while still enjoying the benefits of convergence culture.

Music by Casey Blandford and Alex Haworth

I'll soon have links up to the individual interviews, enjoy! Read More......

bike winter release

I've finished my little winter bike video I've been working on the last couple of weeks, I hope you like it!


bike winter from Dada Factory on Vimeo.

Ever since I saw The Restless Debt of Third World Beauty I wanted to practice doing a music-video style edit, and in my recent trip to New York I spent a great deal of time dreaming up shots and generally itching to make a movie.

I wanted to make a video that summed up the craziness/fun of biking in the winter, but most of the blizzard footage I got was pretty boring/unusable, and I didn't feel up to filming on the worst days. So this is the mixed result, it was good fun, and I wish I had time to make a similar one every week. It's a little shout out to the people I love in this city, the activity I love so much, and the thrill of riding up a steep hill in the sunset.

Keep in touch for The Tale of Don Giovanni, That Indomitable Hipster, hopefully being filmed this October.

Many thanks to:
Greg Hebard
Prescott Mccarthy
Esther Meroño
Alex Haworth
Kim Sieb
Chris Ginzton
Patrick Beecroft
Lindsey Howard
The Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective
Saltcycle.com
Legal Messengers Inc.
Prollyisnotprobably.com for introducing me to Will's Stroud's stuff
The Wooster Collective for introducing me to Rowan's stuff.

music: "Careful" by Hot Chip off of The Warning EP Read More......