Narrative Report - 2/25/09

Well it was a pretty exciting day today. I received the HVX200 today. I have been testing everything out, and actually I am still in the middle of it, so I will have to get back shortly.

But I am definitely busy working on ironing out the post production format issues, and still working on the SD selects reel for upconversion.

It's going to be a late night. Good thing I will have Ryan to keep me company. He has been working really late on his illustrations of Robert Rogers for another PBS doc.

Narrative Report - 2/24/09

I have contracted motion graphics designer and illustrator Ashley Burke www.ashleyburke.com to do compositing and illustration work for the new fundraising trailer. That I am now working on.

I spent today putting together a style guide for her on flickr. The style of the piece is going to be a multi-media collage kind of style that is heavily influenced by Hawaiian style woodcuts and linocuts, as well as other woodcutting traditions from around the world including Japan and Mexico.

Ashley works as a freelance illustrator, and this is one of the pieces that she did for a commercial job in a synthetic woodcut style. Our animations are going to be less realistically rendered and very colorful, but I thought this work was very nice.



On a less fun note I have also begun re-sifting through my previously shot Standard Definition footage and I am constructing a timeline to export to tape so that I will be able to have all of the clips that I want to have converted to High Definition so that I will be able to have Fiona, my editor put everything together more effectively. I will probably be doing that tomorrow too.

Charles Peterson: VIMBY profile

Considering the legacy of his photography, which includes iconic images of Seattle's rock and roll scene in the early 90's in his photobook Touch Me I'm Sick, or in his latest work documenting the global B-Boy and B-Girl renaissance, Cypher.



Charles Peterson is perhaps not the kind of guy you would expect to meet. He does yoga, his words are thoughtful and measured, the answers to my interview questions were introspective, but not to the point of self-involvement. I really enjoyed the opportunity to sit down and have a pleasant conversation with this man about his work. I think if you take time to look beyond the sometimes frantic nature of his subjects, you can see the serene order that Charles is able to bring to all the chaos.

You can take a look at the finished VIMBY piece here:

VIMBY - Charles Peterson

PIC Narrative Report - 2/23/09

Today is day that my contract with PIC (Pacific Islanders in Communications)officially begins. One of the deliverables I am responsible is a narrative report of my activities in making this show.

So I think it will motivate me to keep better reports by publishing up on the blog.

Today I met with Dean Kekoolani and Karin Williams in North Hollywood at Dean's house. Dean is a Post Production format expert, and he is helping advise me on the best way to incorporate the SD footage I have already shot, and the HD footage that I will begin to shoot. We also talked about storytelling, and how to "talk story" through the medium.

After that I headed over to Bexel Video in Burbank to pick up my firestore FS 100 drive. I can't wait to get my camera on Wednesday to put everything all together.

I also treated myself to a nice Petrol accessory case. You can buy Petrol Cases and many other great video finds Bexel's Ebay Store

Earlier today I also sent out an email to some faculty members at the University of Hawaii's Academy for Creative Media putting the word out for interns. I am looking for people to function as addition camera operators, HD workflow assistants, and PA's. I have already gotten a few responses, and I am reviewing them.

Patrons of the Cuff React to Ricin Threats

A few weeks ago I talked with a few patrons of a Seattle gay bar called The Cuff. We spoke about their reactions to the ricin threats in early January that were sent out to 11 gay bars in the Seattle area.



Nearly a month has passed since these threats were made, and there have been no reports of ricing poisonings in Seattle.

The authorities are taking these threats seriously and are continuing to look for the individual or group responsible for the threats.

One interesting clue to the identity of the author of the note is an excerpt of a poem called "A Display of Mackrel". By Mark Doty, who happens to be gay. More about the connection between the threat letter and this poem can be seen at Towelrod.com

And read the entire threat letter at news.lavenderliberal.com

Christen Learns to Vault

One of the best things about doing short videos is you get to meet all kinds of interesting people who do fun stuff, but sifting through all the footage gets tedious no matter what you are doing.

I am editing a short piece on the Pacific Northwest Parkour Association, that I also shot, and I am procrastinating. I dislike logging footage. Anyway, I chopped up this little piece of the lovely Janine teaching me how to vault. Thanks to Pacific Northwest Parkour Association (PNWPA) it was fun hanging out with you, and the video will be finished soon. I swear :)

In the meantime you can savor my awesome vaulting style!

Blue Scholars Interview

VIMBY - Blue Scholars

To be honest this interview was not fun at all. There are a few comments that I could have put in this video that would have made them look bad, but I didn't care about it that much.

50 Artists, 50 Shots

50 Artists, 50 Shots is a video about artists in New York City responding to the acquittals. Produced by Barbara Holguin.

She is also working on a full length documentary called "Nosotros De La Saya". About the Afro-Bolivian civil rights movement.

You can learn more about this film at Myspace page for the film here