Graphics and Gravy!

So the new site is launched over at www.graphicsandgravy.com. I have a blog section over there, so I will be updating there from now on. the "Gravy" section is not active yet, as that is where the video stuff will go.

One of the recent things I have worked on is a 10 minute version of the Lake Eden Arts Festival movie. Of course, youtube prevents any videos longer than 10 minutes. this is mainly why the video lives on the archive.org server. Now, I have an edited version uploaded that comes in right under 10 minutes. The beginning credit sequence, and the end credits are mostly there, though there is plenty i would have loved to have kept, but it just didn't work out. Brief musical performances from Steep Canyon Rangers and Telepath fit in nicely though.

Thanks to all the visitors and traffic. Please check out the new site!

In the Pipeline

So there are a few things that have been keeping me busy and unable to update the blog.

First, I have been doing a lot of design work recently. I won this year's Orange Peel T shirt contest ( www.theorangepeel.net ) and have been designing various stickers and shirts for friends. I have finally gotten around to setting up a turnkey website for putting all of this in one place. The new name is: Graphics and Gravy. For information right now, you can visit www.graphicsandgravy.squarespace.com and click on "contact". Of course this is a work in progress...so, expect to see a gallery, and more descriptions and links added soon, as well as a custom domain name.

This also means that since the web videos and other film work will have a new home, that this blog will probably change over to that name. Stay tuned for news on that front, and thank you for all your support!

New Video Project - Teens for Change

I have been asked to work on a video for the Boys and Girls Club of Transylvania County. Happy to assist a great organization, I have been working for the past week or so on a project involving teens from the Transylvania chapter. The script and shooting were already completed when I took the reins. My job this time was to edit the video together to make a seamless version of the script that had been written.

The challenge for me this time around was to get to know video that I had not planned or wasn't familiar with. This proved to be a much greater challenge than I ever thought it would be. There are so many things that you take for granted when you prepare your video that may not be there when someone else shoots it. For example, the interviews I had done in the past mostly took place outside. The sound is much different, and doesn't have to be altered that much, unless there's a lot of white noise. In this case, the sound bounced off of concrete blocks. Eventually, I found a nice balance so that all the kids can be heard.

After 20+ hours of work, the video has been finished. I was able to completely round out the production by adding a soundtrack which was written and recorded myself, as well as a voice over, which I had not tried up to this point. I hope to have permission to post the finished product here soon, so stay tuned for details.

Painting Meets Video

This project came about as a request from me to the artist. I noticed that he was taking periodic photos of a particular painting. I asked him if he wouldn't mind taking photos at regular increments so I could edit all the photos together for him. This painting was intended to interpret the setlist from Phish's show at Hampton on 3-6-09. The painting visually incorporates images that represent every song played on that night.

This was the result.

New Project in the Works

I have begun to develop ideas for my new film project. This one will center on another of my favorite musical subjects: Phish. While I realize that everyone and their brother has made a tour video of some kind, I still want to document some aspects of the fanbase. Every filmmaker, amateur or not, has their own style...so mine will be similar in structure to my LEAF documentary. At least, that's how it stands right now. The footage I have collected so far has been from Hampton, and limited footage of ticket sales. Since I will be attending a few more shows this year, I would like to continue collecting different types of footage and see where it takes me. That's the most fun, anyway...

Ooops?

I am sorry to have misinformed anyone, but it appears as though the film is no longer on the schedule of LEAF 2009.

And it plays on...

The film is now linked from the LEAF site here. I have also gotten word that the film will screen at both festivals in 2009! So, if the little online version is not doing it for you, there will be a couple more screenings for you to enjoy!

Many thanks again to the festival staff and administration for sharing this journey with me!

Online Version Available

I am happy to announce that a streaming version of Making It Happen has been made available online at archive.org. (Click here.)There was some unknown difficulty in getting it to correctly upload. For those that have had trouble with the download link I emailed around, you should be able to view the entire movie, provided you have a fairly fast connection.

What a Great Festival!

I can't stress enough how lucky I am to be involved with a festival of this caliber. This one was great, as many will probably tell you. Both screenings of the film went off without a hitch. I want to give another thank-you to Jeff and all the folks at the Barn who helped with Friday night. I wouldn't say it was a full house, but there were many more in attendance than I thought there would be.

The movie continues to get attention, as there is now talk of having another screening as a benefit for Leaf in Schools and Streets. I have no details for you at the moment, but it's something that is being looked at. I can tell you I would be happy to be a part of that, and there is anyone reading this who would be interested in such a project, please let me know.

The last bit of news is an online version of the film will be released soon.

This Weekend at LEAF!

So, the next screening will be this Friday night at the Lake Eden Arts Festival. The Barn venue should be a perfect place to take it in. I hope to see many of you there. I am not certain of how long I can stay, as my Stage Manager duties have me at the Mainstage at roughly the same time.

I would like to thank Leigh and Jennifer for helping to coordinate this screening. As I have posted before, I am really looking forward to this one, as there looks to be a much bigger crowd for this showing.

For those that are following the blog (or not), you can send comments, questions about to movie after you've seen it right here. There's a contact section on the right side of the blog. If there's enough interest, I will post some questions and the answers here in the next week or so.