February 28, 2007 - Image #0017 - "..."

Sometimes words are unnecessary.

Cluttering up the silence that ceases to exist upon their arrival.

February 27, 2007 - Image #0016 - "Millions"

All of reality is based on millions and billions of tiny particles from which all matter and energy are created. The building blocks of reality are constantly being speculated upon by philosophers and quantum physicists. Everything we do, everything we are and everything we will be is based on precise mathematic calculations. Today, we offered our own speculation on exactly what the universe is based on.

"String theory," a recent theory, is the idea that all particles are created by vibrations of "strings" that exist on a subatomic level. They exist as bosons (particles that transmit force or energy), and fermions (particles that become matter). The strings rely on what is called supersymmetry, which is the belief that for every action the strings take, there is a simultaneous action, i.e. one boson string may react with another symmetrically and create an electron.

The strings show just how interconnected and unending all life and all reality is. Chaos and Order rule over all reality. The actions of particles, the movement of energy; all are tracked by specific mathematic equations and the reactions of actions can be calculated down to the last decimal point. However, the strings, due to their existence outside of time and our three dimensions of movement (they create the particles that exist within our four dimensions), are free from the restrictions of our Order, and their Chaos is what creates the initial beginning of all reality.

Everything that happens is due to the expenditure and conversion of a type of energy: moving your hand is taking the electrical energy from your brain and converting it to kinetic energy in movement, and a star being born is the modification of gases to a new form, which is simply the changing of thermal energy. So even if an action you take is "chaotic," it is facilitated by the expenditures of energy that led to that action, as the amount of sleep you get, the amount of nutrients in your body, electrical reactions in your brain and all other outstanding energies which contribute to your "decision" and can be calculated like any other measurement of an energy-related equation.

According to the first law of thermodynamics, energy can never be destroyed, it can only be changed or transferred. When energy first began, created from the strings that exist outside of our own time and entering the dimensions in which we exist and perceive, it changed and modified itself, while more and more particles were created, and more energy existed. This same energy has changed itself from stars to cosmic radiation to the spark on a planet's surface to the crashing of an ocean wave to the movement of a creature from the sea onto land to the kinetic energy burned to create a life of our own and on to ourselves.

Today, we are no longer afraid of death. We have come to the conclusion that we exist as beings of energy. As stated earlier, every action we take from thought to motion, are all based on energy, and it is the same energy that existed at the beginning of time and will continue to the end of time. We are not linear or finite, but all beings within a constant stream of energy that stretches from the beginning of infinity to the expanse of forever.

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 22, 2007 - Photo #0012 - "Le Feu Magique"

Magic is science we haven't figured out yet.

We are members of the Magic Castle and I have been known to have my own bits of prestidigitation with a deck of cards or simple coin. I have pulled cards out of thin air and read people's minds, but is this magic, or simple parlor trickery?

While the supernatural seems real with some sleight-of-hand, magic happens each and every day, in everything around us at every moment. What causes a plant to grow, or for atoms to hold themselves together? How do our wounds heal and why can't energy be destroyed? Scientific questions? Or concepts we have yet to grasp? We understand how certain things happen, but few understand the why. Avoiding conversations related to a "higher power's intent" I am referring to the aspects of our world we have yet to discover.

We often think about what it would be like to live in the Middle Ages or during the times of the Greeks, and I wonder if perhaps scientific explanations have dulled our storytelling abilities. While we are aware that the tides are not the will of Poseidon, but more influenced by our lunar counterpart, the creativity and "magic" is lost when you rely completely on scientific explanation. The further question is what brings magic into it. If gravity pulls us to the earth, what causes gravity to occur? What force pulls us down to the earth and keeps us from becoming so much driftwood in space? It seems almost magical when you really think about it.

Science is magic we've already figured out.

(And btw, the picture isn't photoshopped.)

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!

February 17-20, 2007 - Photo #0010 - "Snowed In"

For the past four days, we have taken a brief sabbatical from the daily photo blog, as we took time to relax and enjoy the crisp winter of Montreal and the wonderful company of friends and family.

Trekking through the snow and experiencing (for Travis) negative temperatures (in Fahrenheit) for the first time was incredible and a fantastic break. We were so grateful to see everyone during the trip and cannot wait for our next venture up north into the Hinterlands.

We were thankful to be able to celebrate our engagement in so many different ways. We had a fantastic trip. Expect to return to your regularly scheduled programming tomorrow. Thanks for reading so far.