MY MUSIC VIDEO WORK

Here's a set of Music videos I've directed shot and edited. This first one is for Sam Joole who's song "ALIEN ZOO" is the theme song for SQUATTERS the series. This band below is Sam Joole and the Heartattack. The video is for a song called "Ace in my Hand".... their budget was about...$50. It took 2 days 3 or 4 locations including one on the top of a 4 story condo in Santa Monica that had no railings (very dangerous hand held work) And they got some cool wardrobe cause they had a friend who worked at a very cool clothing store on Melrose. So the wardrobe was borrowed. What I'm trying to say is that we made this for the price of Lunch...

This next video I did for Sam Joole for his other band Alien Zoo. The song was release recently and features the lovely Cooper Harris. So my concept was to shoot Sam in Silverlake against these cool painted walls. First I shot video then Still photos. Lots of stills. He is talking on the phone to a girl who's crazy. Enter Cooper Harris who plays the crazy girl. We shot her against the same walls about 3 months later. I then spent about a solid week editing and color correcting this all together. I had to photoshop about 1000 photos, resizing them and adding FX to them before adding them back into the video itself....budget? $20 I say $20 because I own cameras and editing bay. The locations were stolen. So the $20 was for water and lunch.

NEW Teaser for BATTERY ROW noir Short

Having just submitted our 30 minute short to ITVfest in Los Angeles I thought it was time to update the teaser with much more of the new footage that wasn't shot when I made the old teaser. I added actors like Heidi Hamilton who gave an amazing performance as Nick, the bartender. You can hear Heidi and her very funny co-Host Frank on http://www.heidiandfrank.com/  I had been a long time fan of their show when it was Frosty, Heidi and Frank on KLSX in Los Angeles for several years. All very talented and upbeat in their humor which is what I like.

Also added to the teaser is Erik Scott Smith. I met Erik while I was director of photography for SQUATTERS the series back last year. He plays Alex on that show and "Lucky" in Battery Row. Very happy we were able to get him.

We also added Carly Jones to the teaser who plays Laura in Battery Row. Laura is Butch's gf near the beginning of the film. I met Carly at our audition for "Proving Ground" last year. We cast her for a lead role in that post apocalyptic fantacy sci fi thing but are still setting up that shoot for later this year when we get investors. Carly gave us our "Veronica Lake" type character that set up our beginning plot lines.
Here's her website....
http://carlyjones.com/

Here is our new Teaser...

Expanding my Horizons (literally)

In an effort to expand my mental libraries of artistic and cultural imagery and at the same time broaden my indie film making tastes and emotional tools, and oh yeah, have a vacation, Amy and I are going to France and Italy... tomorrow. So for the next few weeks my blogs will be filled with photography of locations between Paris and the Amalfi Coast which among other things will satisfy my old dream of becoming a location scout. My paintbrush is coming with us too. Here's a couple shots of the Amalfi coast courtesy of Google...

LIGHTING MYSELF in the Comedy SQUATTERS in NYC

Last year I was Director of Photography for a very funny Indie Web Series by Brendan Bradley called "Squatters." We shot in both LA and NYC since the show was set in NYC. Squatters is the award-winning online series about two best friends who make a bet to see who can last in New York City the longest without paying rent. The show was picked up as DailyMotion’s first original comedy series and is now the site’s most watched original series.


Here is their site in case you want to check it out....Not necessarily "kid" friendly so parents beware.:}
http://squatterstheseries.com/


So when we shot in NYC, I got a great and quick tour of the amazing metropolis. Running from location to location (including the subways at 2am) we shot in lots of very cool Manhattan spots. One of my favorites was Lucky Jack's Bar which is featured well in Episode 2 (check that link I just put up there). In one of these bar scenes I was Lucky enough to play a whisky drinking, deep voiced biker with an expensive leather vest. The trick here was to light the scene for both me and the 2 stars of the show simultaneously with 2 lights. Somehow I managed to do it. In between takes I guess I felt the need to lighten the loafers of my character and give him a faux British Accent... So Brendan (Hank/Director) let me take that new persona to a full scene and improv a bit.... Here is that version. 

feel free to compare and contrast with the one in the actual series.

Battery Row behind the scenes videos

Just some fun stuff from behind the scenes of the filming of Battery Row my latest short indie film in the Noir Style.






Below, this link features actor Brendan Bradley on the dolly as Allen Burns pushes him during some downtime. You can see me in the distance setting up a big shot in the haunted stairwell.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0r3RHTvddnU&feature=related

Painting Done

Instead of Indie films I've been finishing up this painting for a girl who commissioned it from me. Next thing I'm going to do is finish up the final cut of Battery Row. I took this photo at 4am so it's a bit off kilter. But you get the idea.

Indie film Instructional video

I just launched a 2 hr 45 min instructional video that is now on 2 disc dvd with
writer, producer Amy Wengreen.

The point of the video is show how you can start and maintain an at home
business of Hand and Foot impressions in clay. This seems like an easy and
simple business but noooo... I found out while shooting and editing this
little feature how multi layered and intricate this business really is and how
it's actually an artform that needs to be cultivated over time and practice.

Here's a teaser....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v016vHrFfE&feature=channel_video_title

We shot in both California and Utah over about 2 weeks and then began the long
process of editing all the bits and pieces together to make a rather well thought
out instruction of this business. Then I designed and built the packaging thats
branded with the look of the menu on the DVD's and website etc.