February 26, 2007 - Images #0014 and 0015 - "Portraits"

The love we have for photography and filmmaking is second only to the love we have for each other. For Oscar Night, we decided to get dressed up to celebrate with friends and family, and just prior to the show, we snapped a few photographs of one another. Soon, simple pictures became experiments in lighting and minor shots became complex set-ups. Color, lighting, even the way our heads were tilted, all became aspects of the image we were capturing.

Caroline was beginning to learn more, not only about the lighting set up, but how to be a director as well. All the while, I was teaching as much as the few memories from film school would bring back clear, but also rekindling my love for directing; setting up shots and capturing a single image that matches one that I pictured in my mind.

Despite a daily photographic regimen, our focus has been on writing our other projects, leaving little time to appreciate and experiment with visual arts like photography. It was a fantastic escape and inspirational learning experience.

February 23, 2007 - Image #0013 - "I'll Never Let Go"

It's amazing what you can pull off in one evening.

A last minute production created a 15-second spot spoofing a famous movie scene, and starring the two of us for a contest requesting an advert for theaters with the phrase "Turn Off Your Cell Phones." Tonight we were lucky enough to screen the spot in front of the Fallbrook Film Factory.

The night we created this film, the time limitations were fierce, and filming didn't start until we haphazardly arrived at someone's backyard in Costa Mesa, CA, borrowing a swimming pool and trying our best to not wake the neighbors.

The family really came through and all showed up, Clint, Brandon, Janie and Clint's girlfriend Courtney. 15 seconds was a short time to fill a scene, but the setup took much longer than expected. The late evening and the necessary near-silence kept us at a disadvantage, but nothing was worse than the temperature of the pool, which we are certain, if not for the chlorine, would have been iced over.

When you are up to your midsection in freezing water, you realize that 15 seconds is a lot longer than it seems on tape. Especially when there are multiple takes. You reach a point where your body refuses to go under the water. Your brain sends signals demanding a response, but at some point there is a subconscious refusal and the top half remains stubborn and motionless.

At around 1 a.m., shrouded in towels, we wrapped production, satisfied with the shots, and ending up with an excellent clip. Shows you what you can do with a small amount of time, some determination, and the willingness to freeze off your toes. During the screening, our spot was met with a positive response. It was worth every degree below 40. (5 for you Canucks.)

To those that want to see the spot, here's the clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGqtcErSUeg

Enjoy!

February 21, 2007 - Image #0011 - "The Nuart"

Discovering the world of independent cinema has been a breath of fresh air and a much sought out alternative to the formulaic films that Hollywood pumps out every year. Throughout our lives, we have hungered for movies that not only break the mold, but create new molds to which other films can be forged.

The Nuart, shown in a music video by Michel Gondry for the artist Beck (to our surprise), is a theatre house owned by Landmark Theatres that dedicates its single screening room to independent films. Studios mass produce "filler films" with shallow content in hopes of big theatre sales and so on to DVD, circulating around the idea that film is a commodity and nothing more. Film is, and always will be, an art form. Too often the motivation for creating this art is driven by the need for profits, a dividing line that similarly separates graphic arts and simple advertising.

The Nuart is a gallery for cinematic art, portraying views and ideas from films and documentaries around the world, as well as those shot for virtually nothing; guerilla filmmaking at its finest. Films that evoke emotions, teach lessons, speak in different languages, bring you into a foreign world and truly affect your life are the kinds supported and displayed by this bright neon moving picture house on Santa Monica Boulevard.

Much like some of the films it shows on its Midnight runs, the Nuart is an older building, a landmark that has withstood time and multiple owners to maintain its dedication to art on the silver screen.

The Nuart will be the theatre that showcases our first feature film...and the rest that follow!