Revealing the beauty of ancient computing… The Core Memory Project.
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Vancouver Weather
The weather this weekend reminds me of an early Sunday only three weeks ago. Davies and I woke to piles of snow on the mountains, too good to resist. We hopped in my Jeep, put it in 4×4, and headed for Grouse Mountain (which neither of us had skiied). We slushed through a parking lot buried in snow, piled up the tram and enjoyed a day of freshies in steep, new terrain.
Taken with the Chris CrappyCam 2000, aka his Sony cell phone
At day’s end back down the tram, the parking lot was bare, the sun was out, people were walking their dogs.
And how else do you cap off a classic Vancouver day? With a fine meal of course… after a crisp view of the ocean, bathing in the sun.
Ah, Vancouver…
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Stuff I Use: Hollywood Microdolly
This thing is pure gold: the Hollywood Microdolly. Sets up in two minutes, is smooth, light, and fits into a small handbag about 30″ long. It weighs maybe five pounds, and you can set up a new shot in less than 30 seconds. Fifteen feet of travel and it looks great.
This shot is from a tripod-mounted Red, sitting on top of the micro dolly. Saif was doing a press check at his workstation. Behind us is a 150-foot-long giant of a Heidelberg, pumping out four completed magazines every second.
We set this up while he was working. His movements weren’t coordinated – we tracked with him as he worked, guessing at each action. Having the Microdolly took this from a boring pan shot to a much more interesting movement that accentuates the speed of the action and the size of the workstation, while keeping the focus on his attentive character.
How does the world change when we evolve from a culture of production, to a culture of innovation? We Think.
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On The Run
Suddenly, things got busy.
- Post continues on Rwanda: Hope Rises along with preparations for screenings in May and June
- The Red camera business has taken off like a shot. I spent this afternoon at Anthem Visual FX testing our workflow for an upcoming SciFi network TV show
- This morning was spent prepping for a week long shoot with the RED, including skydiving, sailing, and ice skating
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Attacks in Rwanda
Attacks in Rwanda during the commemoration of the genocide… Stuff like this is a sign of how complex and ongoing the rebuilding process is, and by correlation, how difficult it is to convey the story of what’s going on there accurately and clearly. This if the first attacks I’ve heard of since starting my film. Hopefully it’s the last…
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Emily West Music Video
Worked today on the set of a music video for Emily West, an up & coming country music star. That’s right… I spent all day listening to country music. Now that’s sacrificing for your art!
Emily made it easy – she’s full of energy, and her hit song, Rocks in Shoes, isn’t too bad – for a country song… (you can see a pre-shoot version of the video on this MySpace page. The version shot today will look 1000x better.) Jim was operating steadicam, the most excellent Ian Seabrook was first assisting, and I was 2nd assist – which takes on a whole new meaning……
… when you’re shooting with the Red. This was the Red’s first Vancouver music video, and the first rental of our new venture Inspired Cinema. Big things are afoot with the RED in Vancouver, and we can hardly keep on top of the demand. The fantastic imaging quality, slick workflow, and the unbeatable price point – along with the service quality and experience we’ve put together – make our Red cameras a very attractive proposition for a lot of shows.
I’ll post more about what I was doing and the tools I’m using later. Lots going on!
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I Saw What I Saw
Sara Groves… she’s not someone I’d heard of, but this video about Rwanda is quite beautiful. It describes well how I feel about Rwanda, and the emotion inside visiting a place like that for the first time, full of contradictions.
Higher quality version here.
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Daily Design Inspiration
Ran across The Serif in my search for April Fool’s jokes… excellent design & typography linked.
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Moving to LA [UPDATE #2]
I can’t say much, but just wanted to post a quick update to say I’m moving to LA, for how long I’m not sure. In a chance combination of who-you-know and timing, I’ve been asked to direct my first feature film for an off-shoot of Lions Gate!
Never in a (pick a big number) years would I have guessed that I would get an opportunity like this.
I can’t say too much about the project, except that it is fully budgeted, includes at least two name stars that you would recognize, and the genre is right up my alley. I can say that it is a sequel… which, if you know me, is not my first choice – but as a director, stepping into an existing franchise leaves out a lot of the guess work. And what am I saying – I get to direct a feature! With a budget!
Assuming my follow-up interview goes well, pre-production begins next week with shooting starting sometime early June in Bangladesh. I’ll try to keep things here updated as much as I’m able.
[UPDATE]
I’ve been informed that I can tell you the working title of the film: Alien vs. Rambo
[UPDATE #2]
Yes, you’ve caught my First of April ruse… it’s not really a romantic comedy. It’s actually a buddy-comedy – Alien and Rambo hit the road together to bust a cap on the bad guy.