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This MCD would have been impossible without Bart. While I'll lost my photograph of the EE wall. Bart still had his! Thank you friend!
Also, to Chris, who once again punched out a beautiful melody for my vanity project, asking for nothing in return... Chris: The consummate artist!
Gentleman, I am in debt.
Finally... life may not be a paragraph, but we all owe to these, and so many other inspiring words... don't we?
LARGER VERSION AVAILABLE AT MINICONCEPTDOCS CHANNEL, HERE
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Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
MINICONCEPTDOC #14: LACE
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This was a fun short. It features Bon Hernandez, a student in my Graphic Novel Seminar. Twice a week Bon would come to class in some new sweet kicks and a hot Nooka. When "lace" came up as a concept, it gave me a chance to find out about his sneaker habit.
I'm afraid he's spread his love of footwear to me. Do I have the wallet for this?
It was also great fun because I made the music myself. I wanted to make a sweet slo-jam beat.
It's comprised of a drumloop sample, some analog synth, xylophone, and some percussion on a kids drum (heavily effected). It didn't have a name but I think I'll call it "I death you to love."
Enjoy, LACE:
Thank you Bon for shading your time and shoes!
LARGER VERSION AVAILABLE AT MINICONCEPTDOCS CHANNEL, HERE
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This was a fun short. It features Bon Hernandez, a student in my Graphic Novel Seminar. Twice a week Bon would come to class in some new sweet kicks and a hot Nooka. When "lace" came up as a concept, it gave me a chance to find out about his sneaker habit.
I'm afraid he's spread his love of footwear to me. Do I have the wallet for this?
It was also great fun because I made the music myself. I wanted to make a sweet slo-jam beat.
It's comprised of a drumloop sample, some analog synth, xylophone, and some percussion on a kids drum (heavily effected). It didn't have a name but I think I'll call it "I death you to love."
Enjoy, LACE:
Thank you Bon for shading your time and shoes!
LARGER VERSION AVAILABLE AT MINICONCEPTDOCS CHANNEL, HERE
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Friday, March 26, 2010
MINICONCEPTDOC #13: BALK
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FINALLY! Oh this was a doozy! I had my first MCD fail... Though I hope to return to it in the future. Then, in creating Balk, I had numerous technical/artistic difficulties in exporting. I imagine if I am going to make 50 of these things (I hope!) then I will encounter more bumps along the way. I'll call this a life lesson. I've learned to be quicker on my feet.
Today's topic spans a history of baseball that runs from the 19th century to my own childhood to the brawls on the field today. I hope it's not a stretch and works on some level.
As I say in the film, 1985-1987 were some great years. Can you spot me in each:
CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE.
Music this week was provided by World Whirl 3. I can't get this haunting little ditty out of my head. I've been humming it all night and morning.
This short is dedicated to encouragement and perseverance!
LARGER VERSION AVAILABLE AT MINICONCEPTDOCS CHANNEL, HERE
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FINALLY! Oh this was a doozy! I had my first MCD fail... Though I hope to return to it in the future. Then, in creating Balk, I had numerous technical/artistic difficulties in exporting. I imagine if I am going to make 50 of these things (I hope!) then I will encounter more bumps along the way. I'll call this a life lesson. I've learned to be quicker on my feet.
Today's topic spans a history of baseball that runs from the 19th century to my own childhood to the brawls on the field today. I hope it's not a stretch and works on some level.
As I say in the film, 1985-1987 were some great years. Can you spot me in each:
CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE.
Music this week was provided by World Whirl 3. I can't get this haunting little ditty out of my head. I've been humming it all night and morning.
This short is dedicated to encouragement and perseverance!
LARGER VERSION AVAILABLE AT MINICONCEPTDOCS CHANNEL, HERE
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Sunday, March 21, 2010
MINICONCEPTDOC #12: SPIN
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Another mini lesson in film history. This is a peek at my personal optical toy collection.
Once again, music by Chris Ward. This time you can hear one of my favorite pieces from my recent feature documentary, De Luxe: The Tale of the Blue Comet.
Enjoy, SPIN:
LARGER VERSION AVAILABLE AT MINICONCEPTDOCS CHANNEL, HERE
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Another mini lesson in film history. This is a peek at my personal optical toy collection.
Once again, music by Chris Ward. This time you can hear one of my favorite pieces from my recent feature documentary, De Luxe: The Tale of the Blue Comet.
Enjoy, SPIN:
LARGER VERSION AVAILABLE AT MINICONCEPTDOCS CHANNEL, HERE
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Wednesday, March 17, 2010
MINICONCEPTDOC #11: PORTMANTEAU
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Another collaboration here.
First, I made a call for portmanteau suggestions. They all were great... Though, some were outrageous, and others I had a hard time putting into images... Ultimately I had to make choices based on score length and translatability. I tried to work in as many as I could.
The second collaboration was with my brother-in-law, Eric Berry. A great artist, he blasted these illustrations out in a couple of hours! This was impossible without him.
I also had much help from the many talented people of Rutgers University-Camden.
To all the talent and suggestors: You know who you are!! Thanks!
PORTMANTEAU:
LARGER VERSION AVAILABLE AT MINICONCEPTDOCS CHANNEL, HERE
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Another collaboration here.
First, I made a call for portmanteau suggestions. They all were great... Though, some were outrageous, and others I had a hard time putting into images... Ultimately I had to make choices based on score length and translatability. I tried to work in as many as I could.
The second collaboration was with my brother-in-law, Eric Berry. A great artist, he blasted these illustrations out in a couple of hours! This was impossible without him.
I also had much help from the many talented people of Rutgers University-Camden.
To all the talent and suggestors: You know who you are!! Thanks!
PORTMANTEAU:
LARGER VERSION AVAILABLE AT MINICONCEPTDOCS CHANNEL, HERE
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Sunday, March 14, 2010
MINICONCEPTDOC #10: PERCUSSION
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This was an especially fun MCD. Had some help from friends in realizing this one.
It took one take to figure our approach, and 5, 6, or 7 takes to get it on record. Not sure which. Review the tape. There seems to be conflicting memories!
The percussion band: Jeff Blatcher, Kyle Costill, Justin Emmons, Robert Emmons, and Pete Gambino.
LARGER VERSION AVAILABLE AT MINICONCEPTDOCS CHANNEL, HERE
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This was an especially fun MCD. Had some help from friends in realizing this one.
It took one take to figure our approach, and 5, 6, or 7 takes to get it on record. Not sure which. Review the tape. There seems to be conflicting memories!
The percussion band: Jeff Blatcher, Kyle Costill, Justin Emmons, Robert Emmons, and Pete Gambino.
LARGER VERSION AVAILABLE AT MINICONCEPTDOCS CHANNEL, HERE
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Wednesday, March 10, 2010
MINICONCEPTDOC #9: ODD
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My idea for the MINICONCEPTDOC project came from a couple of places. First, I have friends that have participated in "a-photo-a-day" blogs, and I have been seeing similar things pop-up over the last five years.
My friend Michael made a song a day for a whole year some years back (Before this became a phenomenon!). I've also seen blogs for "a-poem-day", or short story Twitter contests.
I have always appreciated the challenge of these endeavors and decided to jump in on it.
The final "convincer" was a contest on Vimeo I was invited to. It's called Very Short Documentaries. The challenge is to make a documentary no longer that 1 minute based on a given topic. A new topic is given about each month. The first challenge was "Happiness".
I used a film I already had in the bag for that one.
So with that, I threw my hat in the ring with their contest and started my own blog around the same idea. I wanted to push myself i the hopes that these ideas could be a platform on a springboard for new, bigger ideas.
The second topic for Very Short Documentaries has just been announced: "Odd"
For Wednesday's MCD I created a "twofer". I am using "Odd" for both my MCD blog and the Very Short Documentary Vimeo contest.
I won't say much about what I've done. Instead, I will ask YOU a question:
What is "odd" in/about this film?
This week's score was donated by Jessica Emmons and Melissa Blatcher as World Whirl 3. Their track was oddly inspiring!
---
My idea for the MINICONCEPTDOC project came from a couple of places. First, I have friends that have participated in "a-photo-a-day" blogs, and I have been seeing similar things pop-up over the last five years.
My friend Michael made a song a day for a whole year some years back (Before this became a phenomenon!). I've also seen blogs for "a-poem-day", or short story Twitter contests.
I have always appreciated the challenge of these endeavors and decided to jump in on it.
The final "convincer" was a contest on Vimeo I was invited to. It's called Very Short Documentaries. The challenge is to make a documentary no longer that 1 minute based on a given topic. A new topic is given about each month. The first challenge was "Happiness".
I used a film I already had in the bag for that one.
So with that, I threw my hat in the ring with their contest and started my own blog around the same idea. I wanted to push myself i the hopes that these ideas could be a platform on a springboard for new, bigger ideas.
The second topic for Very Short Documentaries has just been announced: "Odd"
For Wednesday's MCD I created a "twofer". I am using "Odd" for both my MCD blog and the Very Short Documentary Vimeo contest.
I won't say much about what I've done. Instead, I will ask YOU a question:
What is "odd" in/about this film?
This week's score was donated by Jessica Emmons and Melissa Blatcher as World Whirl 3. Their track was oddly inspiring!
---
Sunday, March 7, 2010
MINICONCEPTDOC #8: SIMULTANEITY
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Simultaneity is a concept I have explored many times in my filmmaking. I have always enjoyed using multiple frames within the "screen frame", but what I enjoy even more is multiple cameras capturing an event simultaneously. This creation of multiple frames becomes visually and spatially interesting when space and time converge. To see a single thing through multiple lenses really creates multiple worlds of a reality we thought we knew, right? But when we look back at the footage, it's always different, remembered differently... We see and hear things we didn't experience the first time around. It's sort of the world that lives next to us.
There's something provocative about multiple, seemingly objective stares, of a filmed event. Of course, we know that there is no objectiveness in the camera's eye because it invents a world within a frame, while excluding the world outside of it. However, it does give us a new perspective, and I don't know about you, but sometimes that's all I need.
In this MINICONCEPTDOC we see Stephen and myself beginning by filming each other, film each other, until eventually we just film one another. Again, I find the most striking moments are those converging, or overlapping realities. Finally, we both rest in frame to face the gaze of our audience!
The music here was graciously donated by Greg Kaminski.
I give you, SIMULTANEITY:
LARGER VERSION AVAILABLE AT MINICONCEPTDOCS CHANNEL, HERE
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Simultaneity is a concept I have explored many times in my filmmaking. I have always enjoyed using multiple frames within the "screen frame", but what I enjoy even more is multiple cameras capturing an event simultaneously. This creation of multiple frames becomes visually and spatially interesting when space and time converge. To see a single thing through multiple lenses really creates multiple worlds of a reality we thought we knew, right? But when we look back at the footage, it's always different, remembered differently... We see and hear things we didn't experience the first time around. It's sort of the world that lives next to us.
There's something provocative about multiple, seemingly objective stares, of a filmed event. Of course, we know that there is no objectiveness in the camera's eye because it invents a world within a frame, while excluding the world outside of it. However, it does give us a new perspective, and I don't know about you, but sometimes that's all I need.
In this MINICONCEPTDOC we see Stephen and myself beginning by filming each other, film each other, until eventually we just film one another. Again, I find the most striking moments are those converging, or overlapping realities. Finally, we both rest in frame to face the gaze of our audience!
The music here was graciously donated by Greg Kaminski.
I give you, SIMULTANEITY:
LARGER VERSION AVAILABLE AT MINICONCEPTDOCS CHANNEL, HERE
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Friday, March 5, 2010
Fickleness and Faces
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1.
This is my first non MINICONCEPTDOCS related post since I started that project!
Regarding MCD, I am taking all the liberties I desire with the projects. I am alternating between word generators, I am generating words before I post the most recent project. Right now, I have three words in the bullpen, and I will shoot them not in the order they were pulled! I figure it's my project, it's my perogative... And really, is anyone going to call me on this... Is anyone even paying attention enough TO call me on this.
I am excited about the next three words: SIMULTANEITY, ODD, PORTMANTEAU (A word I have always loved)! For PORTMANTEAU I will be asking for audience participation.
2.
On with the new.
For the month of February I had a video piece in a gallery in Philadelphia. The Show is over and I can now bring you the piece! I can hear the excitement of those that missed it! Not only hear, I can feel the vibrations.
The video is now on my vimeo site Here is what I wrote:
Faces, After Whitman is a conceptual documentary piece that ran as an installation at the 3rd Street Gallery in Philadelphia from February 5-28, 2010. It's final place was always meant to be online as it deals with the inherent issues of online social network sites.
Artist Statement for Faces, After Whitman
Walt Whitman published his first edition of Leaves of Grass in 1855. The book included an unnamed poem that would eventually be called Faces. While I have always enjoyed this poem and looked to it to aid in my awareness and understanding of the Other, as well as my own ethical responsibilities to humanity, it hasn’t been until recently that I applied these words to an element of my life I gave little thought to: Facebook.
How we encounter the face of the Other has exponentially expanded with technology. We have access to each other like never before. As this contact widens so do the implications. It expands our knowing, our awareness. It can be overwhelming. So, what are we to do?
I log in to Facebook. I receive updates, comments, news… I so often see these tiny squares representing faces in my life. Some close, some peripheral, others tangential. What do I know of them? What can I know of them? What is real? What is persona? But, ultimately I ask myself: What do I owe them?
I think Whitman’s words tell me.
These faces move fuzzy before me; it’s easy for me to stand cold against them.
How do you see them/me?
“These faces bear testimony slumbering or awake” Walt Whitman
[BEST LISTENED TO THROUGH HEADPHONES]
FOR THE LARGER HD VERSION VISIT MY VIMEO SITE HERE.
---
1.
This is my first non MINICONCEPTDOCS related post since I started that project!
Regarding MCD, I am taking all the liberties I desire with the projects. I am alternating between word generators, I am generating words before I post the most recent project. Right now, I have three words in the bullpen, and I will shoot them not in the order they were pulled! I figure it's my project, it's my perogative... And really, is anyone going to call me on this... Is anyone even paying attention enough TO call me on this.I am excited about the next three words: SIMULTANEITY, ODD, PORTMANTEAU (A word I have always loved)! For PORTMANTEAU I will be asking for audience participation.
2.
On with the new.
For the month of February I had a video piece in a gallery in Philadelphia. The Show is over and I can now bring you the piece! I can hear the excitement of those that missed it! Not only hear, I can feel the vibrations.The video is now on my vimeo site Here is what I wrote:
Faces, After Whitman is a conceptual documentary piece that ran as an installation at the 3rd Street Gallery in Philadelphia from February 5-28, 2010. It's final place was always meant to be online as it deals with the inherent issues of online social network sites.
Artist Statement for Faces, After Whitman
Walt Whitman published his first edition of Leaves of Grass in 1855. The book included an unnamed poem that would eventually be called Faces. While I have always enjoyed this poem and looked to it to aid in my awareness and understanding of the Other, as well as my own ethical responsibilities to humanity, it hasn’t been until recently that I applied these words to an element of my life I gave little thought to: Facebook.
How we encounter the face of the Other has exponentially expanded with technology. We have access to each other like never before. As this contact widens so do the implications. It expands our knowing, our awareness. It can be overwhelming. So, what are we to do?
I log in to Facebook. I receive updates, comments, news… I so often see these tiny squares representing faces in my life. Some close, some peripheral, others tangential. What do I know of them? What can I know of them? What is real? What is persona? But, ultimately I ask myself: What do I owe them?
I think Whitman’s words tell me.
These faces move fuzzy before me; it’s easy for me to stand cold against them.
How do you see them/me?
“These faces bear testimony slumbering or awake” Walt Whitman
[BEST LISTENED TO THROUGH HEADPHONES]
FOR THE LARGER HD VERSION VISIT MY VIMEO SITE HERE.
---
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