Change of Direction: Travel Filmmaker?

Lota, Chile

While packing for Chile and South America, I was hustling my cameras, lenses, computer and other gear on Craigslist to invest in some new travel gear and a camera package that was light and versatile and could travel with me in one backpack.  In the back of my mind, I want to become a travel filmmaker, photographer, and/or writer on this journey.  Sounds like a dream job, right?  How do I do it professionally?  How do I make money to sustain myself and traveling?  I don't know.  Either way, I want to have the tools needed to shoot in a variety of conditions should a job or opportunity present itself.

After the new gear, insurance, airfare, fees, and other expenses,  I arrived in Chile with only a couple hundred dollars- much less then I feel comfortable navigating with.  In the past, I returned from an Alaskan road trip broke and stuck for months.  Since then, I've tried to be a bit more cautious.  The challenge with my work exchange travel lifestyle is having a little money saved or finding a freelance gig so I can get to the next place or job.  Once there, I can usually sustain myself fine for the present making little to no money and having few expenses- also, thanks to living with family and friends for periods in-between.

Recently, I have been thinking of summer travel plans after my volunteer term ends.  After the investment to get here, I don't plan to return home until I experience much of what South America has to offer.  I want to go to Patagonia and then make my way north slowly by bus to several destinations and eventually home.  I have plenty of time to do this... but only a couple hundred dollars.  I wouldn't say it's not possible, but it would be a challenge.  

I was starting to think my camera gear investment went too far.  It was risky and foolish.  I should have left myself more travel money.  I guess my fall back plan was that I could always sell my camera or computer to travel or get home.  But because they're my tools for occasional freelance work and one of the few ways I know how to make money, expression and hobby aside, that seemed foolish too.

However, last week I was able to sell my last lens back home via my parents and Craigslist.  That was a relief as I now have some travel money I can work with.

Last week I also received the exciting news that I have been selected as the filmmaker for this fall's Glimpse Correspondent Program!  I'm really glad I invested in my camera gear now!  I'll be producing films about stories abroad with the guidance and mentorship of the editors at Glimpse.  Meanwhile, I'll receive free tuition to MatadorU's Travel Journalism courses on writing, photography, and filmmaking where I hope to develop my craft and perhaps learn how to make a lifestyle and profession from traveling.  The program also includes a stipend after my finished films are published on the Matador website.  Awesome!

I'm not sure where this will go, but it's gonna be an exciting new chapter for my life and career!

Check out the announcement here!

Lota, Chile

Change with Film: Minimalism + IAMDYNAMITE Music Video

I've been experimenting the last several months with a more minimal process of filmmaking, partly out of necessity, and enjoying it:  Less people, less camera equipment, and less complication.  All the gear and tools I need to create, I can carry in one backpack with my own two feet- that is a liberating feeling!  It allows me to shoot and move fast while adapting and improvising on the way.  It can make filming much more fun.  Although I do enjoy shooting projects with large crews of close friends and colleagues with fancy film equipment, this is a nice change for now.  I don't have to create a production schedule around many actors, crew members, etc, which often causes delays, stress, etc...  When I want to make something, I just do it.   One-man crew style if I have to.  Boom!

Above is the new music video I directed for IAMDYNAMITE "Where Will We Go."  If you haven't seen them, you need to.  They're on tour right now.  They are incredible performers and awesome to see live.

I shot this video with the tiny GoPro Hero2 HD camera along with GoPro's headband mount.  We shot guerrilla style moving all around the beautiful city of Ann Arbor without permits for two days.  We were able to move fast and almost unnoticed as it was only a two-man band, myself, one assistant and a small camera.  We could walk down the street and film almost unnoticed.  Most people may have thought I was just being obnoxious walking down the street with a loud boom box.  Moments after passing, they would realize and say something like, "Oh my god!  They're making a video!"

Adjusting the camera mount on Chris Martin.

It took some practice with the band (Chris and Chris) to get used to the camera setup on their head.  For example, it was necessary to really exaggerate the facial expressions of the performance, mainly the lips, to make it look good or natural for the camera with its wide fisheye lens, even though it felt somewhat unnatural.  After a while, the headband mount became uncomfortable so we improvised more padding with a gel foot insole we bought from a convenience store.  After a rehearsal shoot the night before and a few hours on set, the Chris' had it down and the performances were able to shine.

Aside from concentrating on performing and moving while staring into a camera that is six inches from your face, which is difficult to do when you're walking through the woods over rocks and tree roots, the Chris' would also have to roll and stop the camera since I would often be hiding off screen with the boombox for playback.  When we filmed this, GoPro had not yet released their WiFi BacPac accessory so there was no way for me to monitor the camera while filming.  I would watch the performance from a hidden distance and review playback on the small LCD screen later.  Without a monitor, we had several 'lost takes' in the beginning:  "Yes!  That looked great guys!  ...Fuck!  We weren't recording... let's do it again..."

I give a lot of credit to Chris and Chris.  They each did about three full takes at each of the several locations.  It was a lot of work and they kept the energy every time.  By the end, everyone was pretty exhausted, the band rightfully so.

For me, it was more exhausting editing the video.  If you think you are dizzy from watching it once, imagine watching it for eight hours a day for a couple of weeks.  I hope you enjoy it!  Otherwise, I just killed a lot of brain cells for nothing...

Changing Since 1997: Notes from My 5th Grade Self

I will be flying to Chile in 3 days.  I will be volunteering with the English Opens Doors Program teaching English in the southern Bio-Bio region.  (Google Chile Bio-Bio and check out the images = RAD.)

Before that, I must finish editing a crazy music video I directed, sell a bunch of my stuff to have adequate funds, and configure my life into a single large backpack.

I have a one-way ticket and not sure how long I'll be gone.  My position is for 5 months but I plan to backpack and explore a significant time afterwards.  

I'm preparing myself for nearly any condition since I'll be experiencing cool winters in the south and will eventually explore desserts, mountains, jungles, and more later during the summer.

I am also going to explore becoming a travel documentary filmmaker and photographer and how to shoot in these various conditions while moving with a single backpack.

Packing and preparing has been quite the challenge as my mind mulls over the utility, versatility, and weight of each item.  I believe I have nearly acquired everything I think I need.  I will find out in the next day or two whether or not I can fit everything I think I need in my backpack.

I've experienced a much higher lever of stress than normal the past week.  I'm feeling better though as I check off my last minute To-Do items (vaccinations, dentist, etc...).

I think part of that stress is mentally preparing for a really big new chapter in my life.  I don't know exactly what it is, but it goes beyond the volunteer position.  Once again, I've done another purge of my decreasing amount of physical possessions which I store in a nook at my sisters.  A nook is a space under the basement stairs and not a small technological device from which many people read many books.

I find myself becoming more vigilant of getting rid of stuff and ignoring the notion of "Maybe I'll need it one day."  I've realized that by the time I need "it" again, I can get a new one.  I find this notion can sometimes translate beyond the physical to the mental thoughts and I consider what thoughts I hold onto and what thoughts are holding me back...

But I'm not gonna take that tangent.  Instead I want to share some old school papers I found during this physical purge.  While looking them over, I reflected on what ideas, traits, etc may define me now that were present with my younger self.

The first document is a worksheet titled, "All About Me," written by my 5th grade self in 1997:

1.  Physical Description  Short, Fast, Strong, Big

2.  Favorite Food  Pizza

3.  Least Favorite Food  Egg Rolls

4.  Favorite Place to Visit  Toys "R" Us

5.  Favorite Book  Franklin the Turtle

6.  A happy day in my life was when...  My soccer team took 1st place in a tournament

7.  A sad day in my life was when...  I got in big trouble

8.  Favorite Movie  Jurassic Park

9.  If I could change anything in the world, I would...  Change Pollution

10.  Soccer makes me happy.

11.  Some day I would like to... Win the lottery

12.  I often worry about... Not having my room clean

13.  I feel good at school when... I do great on a test

14.  If I could trade places with any one in the world, I would trade with nobody

15.  My favorite animal is my dog Shadow

16.  I think a good role model for me is My mom

I will now retake the worksheet as a 25 year old:

1.  Physical Description  Tall, Slim, Athletic Build, Smiling

2.  Favorite Food  Various smoothies I make for myself

3.  Least Favorite Food  Most meat and dairy

4.  Favorite Place to Visit  Hmmm... Michigan.  Ann Arbor in the summertime with friends and family. Western Michigan and the Upper Peninsula.  But perhaps only to visit and not to live...

5.  Favorite Book  Ishmael, Born to Run, The Dharma Bums, The Secret

6.  A happy day in my life was when...  I paid off my student loans.  All of summer of 2008, 2009. 2010, 2011... I guess I really like summer.

7.  A sad day in my life was when...  Several winter days in Michigan.  A pet rabbit named Charmander died and we had him cremated.

8.  Favorite Movie  2001: A Space Odyssey, This is England, Gummo, Ken Park, In the Mood for Love, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

9.  If I could change anything in the world, I would...  keep changing myself and assist lifestyle change of the global population to direct individuals towards health, happiness, and fulfillment.  What might that entail?  Not sure.  But probably make things more simple: work, food, needs, daily life...

10.  Friends, Family, Love, and Sunshine make me happy.

11.  Some day I would like to... Live off the grid with my lover, family, and/or friends

12.  I often worry about... Not having enough time to do

13.  I feel good at school when... it doesn't require money or a test

14.  If I could trade places with any one in the world, I would trade with nobody

15.  My favorite animals are Alaskan Husky, Sea Turtles, Tigers, Pandas, Koalas

16.  I think a good role model for me is My mom, Dos Equis' "Most Interesting Man," and that crazy naked person that just outran the cops

Next up is a document of books I checked out from the library for the accelerated reader program in 1997:

- 3 different titles of The Magic School Bus

- Where the Wild Things Are...

- The Haunted Mask

- Song and Dance Man

- Let's Get Invisible!

- The Grouchy Ladybug

Very interesting!  I feel like some of these titles may be well below 5th grade reading level.  But I do recall getting free candy if you got a perfect score per book test... and I do love candy!

Next up is math document:

It contains 23 long division problems.  15 of the problems are blank (maybe I wrote on a separate sheet of paper, maybe not) and the remaining 8 I wrote "Skip" under them.

Perhaps I knew at a young age that I should just use the calculator in my desk and that long division is a waste.

The next document is a worksheet titled, "Life on Earth Decision-Making Frame."  It has 3 boxes that I filled out from which I received a blue star:

Question Box:  Is there life everywhere on Earth?

Important Info:  Parts of Antarctica there are no life.  Like in the coldest part and in the water there is no life.  The deepest part of the ocean is unexplored.  Parts of the desert are also unexplored.

Decision Box:  No there is not!

This was interesting and I like the title.  I think University's should give out a similar worksheet with your diploma when you graduate.  Perhaps a "Life on Earth After College Decision-Making Frame" and one tailored to those who study the liberal arts, have little chance employment, and no clear direction for life on Earth.

I must say that I am disappointed my teacher didn't tell me when I was wrong.  It took me more than a decade later to realize there are microscopic worms and organisms that live in arctic and antarctic ice.  Knowing that would have been much cooler than getting a blue star on my paper.

I apparently made decisions with exclamation points when I was 10 years old.  What self confidence!  I think we all should make greater efforts to make decisions in our lives with exclamation points.  If it turns out we're wrong, who cares!  At least we'll know there is Life on Earth and really cool worms that live in the ice.

I also found this document interesting since I have considered working in Antarctica within the last 3 months.  I met someone in Puerto Rico whose daughter's best friend is a baker on one of the science bases!  A frickin' baker in Antarctica!  That's crazy, right?!  Well, I guess scientists have to eat.

Before you write me off as crazy, which I may very well be, I will give you my romanticized logic:

- I am most inspired to learn when I surround myself with new environments, people, communities.

- In college I was surrounded by some people that wanted to change the world and some people that wanted to drink a lot and not figure out how to keep the world spinning.  For several years post-college I was surround by a lot of my liberal arts filmmaking friends.  Within the last year, I've surrounded myself by new age kinda people and ideas which has inspired me to learn and take control of my health while doing things I once thought incapable.  I will be surrounded by a totally new environment and people in Chile and will be inspired to learn the language and culture.  Who and what else can I surround myself with to learn?  What about scientists?  Yes scientists!

- I realized in Puerto Rico that I really do enjoy working in the greenhouse and partaking in the growth of my own food.  I was at peace outside.

- I am considering grad school to learn a new subject or interest.  But I wouldn't do it if that required I reenter education loans and debt.  I think debt is counter-intuitive to life.  If you think that is a radical statement to make that is okay.  I won't explain myself now.  I would rather be radical and skateboard and eat pizza.

- What better way to learn while being surrounded by scientists and working in a greenhouse in one of the harshest environments on Earth?

- And perhaps surrounding myself by scientists could be one route to finding the dream job or work as a travel or environmental filmmaker.  National Geographic here I come.

So maybe after Chile I'll be in Antarctica.  Right now it's just a fun idea twirling around in my head.  Being physically closer to Antarctica makes it twirl a little more.

---

If you have any insight or reflections from 1997, 5th grade, or Antarctica, please leave me a comment on the post.  I'm interested to hear where you were then.

[And instead of editing, packing, or sleeping,  I spend an hour writing and thinking about ice worms.  Sometimes I just don't know where I'm going... physically or mentally...]

Letting Go: Change at Work. Change of Control

[This is partly a response to my earlier post about my frustration and failure in first attempting to shoot a commercial in Puerto Rico.]

The last month in Puerto Rico flew by with lots of changes!  First off, I successfully shot a commercial in Puerto Rico!  It's a fun surf spot produced for a contest held by a brand of whisky.  I applied the lessons learned from my first failed attempt at making a commercial here:  I sought out reliable non-actor locals and gave myself plenty of time to shoot it while anticipating delays, cancelations, and/or reshoots.

I cast two surfers who I met on the beach to play father and son.  The "father" is the owner of a surf shop and the "son" was an employee.  I cast the two because they looked the part and there was already a natural chemistry between them from working together.  This meant I would be able to use less energy on trying to direct a performance.  I approached the project very much like a documentary which was a change from my recent work.  There was very little staging and very few takes.  I basically gave them simple actions to do and I would watch them and capture different moments and angles I found interesting.  

I was a one man crew with all my cameras and lenses in a backpack with a tripod strapped on the side.  It was very empowering to know that I could carry everything I needed to make a commercial in one backpack with my own two feet.  Larger productions can get so complicated once you start adding tons of gear, people, etc.  This was liberating.  Everything was shot daylight exterior so there was no need for lights which I didn't have a budget for.  A few times I used the white bottom of a body board to bounce the sunlight.

One of the most rewarding parts was just hanging out with the surfers, getting to know them, and becoming friends.

Over the past month, I've humbled myself a bit while learning to "let go" and not attempt to control so many things that are beyond me.  During the commercial shoot, I had no control whether it would rain or not or whether the swell would come in and the waves would suffice.  I also had to adapt to "Caribbean Time" where nothing or no one exists on a set schedule.  There were three days where we were suppose to shoot that fell through... luckily I was the only crew member and I had to just accept it, not stress over it, and say to myself, "Okay, I guess we'll shoot tomorrow."

The great thing about it all was that everything seemed to work out perfectly as I let go of control.  We got the waves, we got the sun, we got the shots and everything we needed in time and it all happened right before the owner caught the flu.

When I arrived in PR, I started looking for ways to make some extra travel money.  After the commercial, the one employee left to take a commercial fishing job in New York.  Now with an employee gone, and being sick with the flu, the owner who I became friends with asked me to work at the surf shack.  And thus the universe provided!

Working @ the Surf Shack is a pretty good gig.  The only real work is running 6 miles on the beach there and back everyday.

I had a really busy week while the owner was sick.  I was working in the kitchen at the health center and at the surf shack nearly every day.  I worked a 60 hour week while commuting 6 miles a day via barefoot running on the beach.  I was exhausted.

I've had some time now to rest and recover a bit.

I've adapted better to the Caribbean and am much happier with this new perspective of giving up control.  That's not to say I don't make plans and have optimistic intentions for outcomes... But rather, I don't stress or get too hung up when nature, people, or other things happen that are beyond me.  I realized I was some gringo trying to bring a whole different attitude from the film industry with expectations and scheduling that simply don't fly too well in Puerto Rico.

Also, the Surf Shack is right next to the yoga studio where I tried to cast the two people that flaked on me in the earlier failed commercial attempt.  That failure and my earlier expectations aside, they are totally nice and cool people and I see them on a daily basis.  No more hard feelings.

Now that I've changed a bit, I recognize other people who attend the health institute who bring similar expectations from busy city life.  They too would be better off if they let go a bit.

For example, the power frequently goes out here for long durations while storms pass through.  The last power outage lasted about 36 hours.  During these times I have to run the generator for a bit to power the kitchen and prepare meals.  One woman complained to me that the generator was very loud and inappropriate for the nature of the institute... She said we need to have a "sound barrier."

Really?  Are you serious?  You want me to make a sound barrier?

I simply apologized politely for the inconvenience.  But in my head, I'm blown away by her non-constructive feedback.  What does she expect?  My only two options are to run the generator and prepare her meal, or allow her to enjoy silence and solitude which will require her to fast.  I cannot control nature and its storms.  I cannot control power outages.  I cannot build a silent generator nor quickly organize a crew of volunteers to help me build a "sound barrier."  Come on lady!  Let go!

Although it's frustrating working without power in the kitchen, I don't mind doing without power, internet, and sufficient water pressure for a while on my own.  But this is really hard for city people...

Another lady was very sassy when we ran out of papaya.  I told her I'm sorry but the only papaya I have left isn't ripe yet.  In my head: There's some parts of nature I simply cannot control.  And I'm sure the papaya would ignore any verbal requests to ripen faster on my behalf.

Last week I started working in the greenhouse too!  I haven't practiced growing much of my own food which is one of my intentions this year.  I love it in the greenhouse and I'm learning a lot:  For example, don't wear flip flops while shoveling compost because ants will bust out with no mercy and leave you with the itchiest of bites on your foot.  Growing the wheatgrass and sunflower sprouts takes about 6-8 days so we always have to prepare for groups far in advance.  We have to be very careful because we run low at times and can't make nature grow any faster: Another lesson of control.

What I like most about the greenhouse is the occasional fresh coconut break.  The other day one of the workers chopped a bunch of cocos with a machete for each of us.  A fresh coconut water break is much healthier and cooler than the typical cigarette break most people have at work.  The world would be much better off if we replaced all cigarettes with coconuts.  I can picture myself now walking outside of a bar and a hipster asking me for a cigarette at which point I reply smugly, "No dude.  Just a coco..." And I pull out a machete and chop the coconut right in front of their face!  They then walk away with their tail between their legs realizing how uncool cigarettes are and how cool machetes and cocos are! Boom!

So, if you find yourself getting too stressed out... Maybe you should let go of some control... Or have a coconut... It helps!

Changing My Approach to Filmmaking: Explore, Experiment, Reflect, Change, Retry, Results?

Man!!!

I'm excited!  I'm working on an idea for a future film project that I think is going to be freaking awesome!  Today, I finally rendered some preliminary results and was ecstatic after seeing the potential!  Unfortunately for you, I can't share any of the results yet, but I wanted to write about the experience.

Regarding the part of my life as a filmmaker- I don't even know if I'd call it my career yet- I feel like I haven't really been learning since I graduated from film school.  That's not entirely true, but my process or approach to filmmaking certainly changed then and has become rather stale.

In film school, everything I was seeing and doing was new.  I was learning.  I had the time to experiment with new ideas, try anything, fail, reflect, try something different.  There were no clients involved or money to be made.  Most importantly, the end result often didn't matter.  It was all about learning and taking time in the process.  And that made the process very rewarding at the personal level.

Since graduating, I learned a lot about the film industry and have made advancements in my writing and directorial work.  But in retrospect, my process to filmmaking now feels stagnant.  I realized, for the most part, I've been playing it safe.  For the majority of my work, I've been producing films for a client or for compensation with an end result in mind and a deadline to be met.  Although it can still be a creative process, it is not an artistic process.

I realize this is why I often think of myself as a creative, but not an artist.  I think, ideally, the artistic process should have few constraints in terms of time and results- granted, some constraints can be helpful as a creative challenge.

Many great artists have a "through-line" with their work: A certain direction, element, or theme that they are constantly exploring and building upon.  That is the important part: exploring.  Taking the time to try things, fail, reflect, improve, try a new direction.  You build upon results and don't settle at one result and hand it over to a client.  Most importantly, you are exploring and creating art primarily for yourself and no one else.

That is what I'm finally doing again: exploring.  I'm experimenting with my filmmaking technique.  I'm learning.  I know what I'm gonna try differently.  I'm taking my time.  I have ideas and directions for results, but there is no end point for the time being.  I'm doing it for myself and no one else.

And that makes it more of an artistic process that is incredibly exciting and rewarding.

I look forward to sharing!

Peace.

Change in Career: Contesting Day Jobs

Watch the Mountain Dew commercial I directed here:

http://www.mofilm.com/watch?movieID=7524

This was the BIG (now dated) news alluded to in my last post.  I won a $10,000 Grand Prize and a trip to the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona for the Mountain Dew contest hosted by MOFILM.  Kelly, Danny (the "director" in the spot), and I had a great time in Barcelona thanks to the awesome hospitality of MOFILM.  It seems this is the beginning of several opportunities.  We we're also featured in an article on AnnArbor.com.  Check it out!  See the full cast/credits below, all of which are great friends and regular collaborators.

Around that same time, I almost won a commercial contest for Trident Layers too... but I ran into a snafu when I didn't have all my paperwork in place... which cost me $7500... lesson learned.  Do your paperwork in advance, even though it's obnoxiously boring.  Hopefully, Trident will come back and buy the spot though.

Also, Kelly and I just entered another MOFILM competition for Chevrolet. We cut an awesome spot together with our Alaska road trip footage from last summer. It was a very happy coincidence that I drive a Chevy!  Grand Prize is $8000 and a trip to Tribecca Film Festival.  I'll keep ya updated on that one!

All this contest stuff has certainly created a new career push towards directing commercials.  Some new opportunities are developing.  I'm making money as a director where only a few months ago I couldn't get a job as a stock boy.  So hopefully I can put off getting a day job since it's tough to find one even if you want it.

Things are looking good!  As is the Michigan sun that is finally coming out to play!

-----

Mountain Dew - "The Pitch"

Cast: 

Danny Mooney: "Director" 

David Roetman: "Executive" 

Natalie Condon: "Secretary" 

Crew: 

Marty Stano: Writer/Director/Producer/Editor 

Debashis Mazumder: Producer/Assistant Director 

Natalie Condon: Producer 

Benjamin Dell: Director of Photography 

Joey Ostrander: Art Director 

David Fienup: Sound Recordist/Sound Designer/Audio Engineer 

Chris Miller: Gaffer 

Geoffrey Gilbert: Camera Assistant 

Josh Condon: Sound Assistant

Change in Michigan Industry. No Change with Michigan Film Incentives.

My Michigan filmmaker friends at Deep Blue Pictures produced the above video. It's part of the new campaign: High Five for Film Incentives!

This campaign is necessary to share the positive impact and change that Michigan’s Film Incentives have created in this state. If you want keep this positive change in Michigan and allow it to develop, then please share your comments and stories on the High Five for Film Incentives website. More importantly, if you support the incentives, voice your concern to your state representatives.

The recent report from the Senate Fiscal Agency issued in September 2010 by economist David Zin drew the conclusion that the film incentives are not working, or not working enough.

Jim Burnstein recently defended the state’s film incentives against the issued report in his testimony to the Senate finance committee last Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010. Burnstein is a UofM film professor, Screenwriter and Vice Chairman of the Michigan Film Office Advisory Council. He’s been studying film tax incentives for several years following the states that have succeeded and the states that have failed from initiating incentives. He also played a major role in the passage of Michigan's incentives.

One of the key points Jim made during his testimony, which was highly attended, myself included, was that…

The purpose of the legislation was to make the people rich, not the government itself rich.

If you make any change to the film incentive bill, the state and the many Michigander’s who have invested into this industry will lose everything they started.

Leave the film incentives alone. Period.

He strongly advised that the state must wait at least 5 years before you can accurately assess the economic impact of the film incentives. Not to mention the report by Zin doesn’t account for the “overall value” the film incentives are making.

Burnstein describe this overall value with a few examples of positive change:

1. Image. The Senate Fiscal report doesn’t account for the positive change in Michigan’s image as a result of the free positive press and publicity that the state is receiving all over the world generated from the film incentives. This also benefits tourism, one of Michigan’s few industries. And you can’t put a price tag on the ability to revamp Detroit’s image, which has often been the laughing stock in world press for years. Take this video for example with nearly 3 million views.  I bet Cleveland will soon wish it was Detroit.

2. Reverse Change in Brain Drain. Burnstein cited an impressive list of innovators and CEOs who we’re educated in Michigan’s publicly funded institutions, only to leave the state after graduation and make their millions elsewhere. What kind of investment is that? Since the film incentives passed in 2008, Burnstein witnessed several of his students, myself included, stay in Michigan to seek opportunities with the film incentives.

Unfortunately, it seems Burnstein’s testimony may not have gotten through to Sen. Nancy Cassis, R-Novi, the Senate Finance Committee chair. I realized that a Senate Finance Committee hearing doesn’t necessarily mean they are listening. I was disgusted at how distracted Sen. Cassis was during Burnstein’s testimony. While Burnstein defended the film incentives, and described why the Senate’s report is misleading, Sen. Cassis turned her back to order lunch. Listening to the people is a part of the job responsibility for a state representative. Sen. Cassis’ poor listening skills surprised me. She rarely made eye contact throughout Burnstein’s testimony and it seemed the majority of her time was spent overlooking her prepared statement that she would close the hearing with.

Those in attendance at the hearing may have found Sen. Cassis closing statement to be contradictory. After Burnstein cited several of the ripple effects of the film industry and how it affects several industries (construction, hospitality, transportation, security, and more), Sen. Cassis said that the film industry in Michigan is a “boutique” industry that only affects a privileged few. She said the film incentives play favorites, what if we passed incentives to support graphic design instead? I don’t think Sen. Cassis knows that graphic designers may be hired in the art department on film sets.

She also said that supporters of the film incentives are unrealistically hopeful and they only provide anecdotes of support and not facts. She provided her own anecdote saying that when she was young, she had a once in a lifetime opportunity to intern in Washington D.C. Instead of taking that opportunity, she said she married and move to Michigan to work in the auto industry. She tried to express optimism that you can give up on dreams and still find opportunities. This seemed to be the advice she gave to all of the young people in the room.

The problem with her position now is that the auto industry is no longer an opportunity. It is dead- well, in some respect I think so. Although working in film is a dream that is being realized by many people in the state of Michigan, young and old, it is also one of the few positive state movements towards diversifying it’s economy and moving away from an auto only economy.

LOOK: I’m not a politician, I’m not an economist, I’m not a scientist, and I’m not an expert on anything. But I too, like Sen. Cassis am interested in “facts.” But the facts I’m interested are not facts of numbers or facts of budgets, I’m in interested in FACTS OF CHANGE.

Change is a necessity for survival. Fact. It’s Darwinism and survival of the fittest. Your surrounding environment is always changing and you must adapt to survive.

When I look at Michigan, I see a state that was innovative more than a hundred years ago to build the largest auto industry. Then I see a state that threw away nearly all it’s economic diversity to capitalize on this auto industry. It worked great for a long time and it seems that a lot of people expected great wages forever. When I see the auto industry, I see lack of foresight. To think that you could produce the same car forever, a car that runs on fuel created from extinct dinosaurs and other matter, it is unrealistic to think that economy may be sustainable (But, they're slowly changing). It’s the same with real estate. There’s a limited amount of land and you cannot keep building and selling houses forever- at least in the same capacity it was going...

I’m sorry for those who are unemployed and suffer from this economy… but I’ll restate a fact of change, a fact of life: It’s survival of the fittest and you must adapt. The environment, the economy, the people around you, etc will always be changing whether you notice it or not. You must change too if you want any chance of survival.

The Michigan Film Incentives seem to be the state’s only attempt towards positive change and adapting its economy. Or at least it's the largest attempt that is positively affecting several industries (hotel/hospitality, restaurants, tourism, construction, and more...)  I’m certainly open to other solutions but right now, no other politicians, including Sen. Cassis, can offer an alternative in which Michigan can adapt. Instead, they suggest changing the film incentives, one of the state's few good implements. 

Please voice your concern to your state representatives, along with Sen. Cassis, and soon the new change of governor Rick Snyder.

To read Jim Burnstein’s testimony find the .PDF at the bottom right side of the screen on the Michigan Film Office's website.

Also, here’s a recent article in the Free Press of Burnstein’s testimony.

Change in Karma: Camera Gear, Lost and Found

Lost Flyer by Kelly

Kelly and I park our car near the marina on Douglas Island, AK. We shoot a few photos across the water of Juneau, we get back in the car and drive across the bridge to Juneau library.

After parking the car I realize the back door hatch is wide open! Either I forgot to shut the door or I didn’t close it all the way and it popped open. There was no way to notice the wide open door while driving because our car is filled with so much crap that you cannot see a thing out the back, let alone hear a sound. Nor did anyone honk at us on the 8 minute drive to indicate that our life possessions we’re dangling precariously from our tiny car.

This is our stuff that was in our car while the back door hung open...

I’m panicking as I survey the back of the car, fearing what may be missing. My camera bag… it’s not there! My chest clenches and I say my favorite swears for a full minute. We jump back in our car and immediately retrace our route back to Douglas Island. Nothing. We retrace the route a second time as I repeatedly hit the steering wheel and yell my favorite swears. I hit the steering wheel so hard that my hand is sore and I hope my car allows me to vent my frustration without ejecting my airbag.

The disappointment of my idiocy and losing the camera bag sinks in.

Luckily, my camera was in the front of the car and not in the bag. However, I still have lost all my accessories valued at approximately $500. Not to mention important photos still on my memory cards.

In further idiocy, I don’t think my bag had a name tag on it… If it did, it was probably my old home address and phone number. Even if someone tried to return it, there would be a likely chance it may get lost in the mail…

[Insert a long string of swear words here.]

It’s approximately 7pm and we’re scheduled to leave Juneau on the ferry the following afternoon. Kelly and I have little time to employ lost and found efforts...

We post a listing on Craigslist even though it’s not widely used in Alaska.

We file a police report. [P.S. This is probably the best place to return something if you cannot find the owner yourself.]

And last but not least, we used the good old fashioned “Lost” flyer. Kelly drew up the flyers while I taped them all over Douglas Island: the marina, parks, cafes, gas station, library, telephone poles and more.

We get on the ferry the next day with less photographic resources to document the remaining part of our expedition. My tripod is also rendered useless because both tripod plates we’re in the camera bag…

We arrive in Sitka, AK the next morning. I check my voicemail, fingers crossed… nothing.

I’m really hoping for good karma at this point. Earlier this spring I found a wallet while running through the woods. I went to the address on the license which was a halfway home where no one heard of the guy. With no luck finding him myself, I went to the police who were able to track him down through an employer on the check stub. I hoped that this one-hour good deed would come back to me one day…

And it did!

The next day I received a voicemail from a woman who had my camera bag. Apparently, it fell out of the back of my car in front of her home where someone later found it and brought it to her door. The next day, she had found our illustrated “Lost” flyer at the café!

Boom! The old school "Lost and Found" flyers actually worked! What a relief! The kind woman even fronted the money to ship the case back to me. Thank goodness for her and thank the goodness of Alaska!  After receiving the bag in the mail, I sent back a small reward check along with some good karma I’m sure!

Change in Environmental Film: Art + Poetry = Effective Message

[If you don’t read this blog post, I won’t mind. But please watch the short film Plastic Bag narrated by Werner Herzog. I’ve included it at the bottom of this post. It is incredible. Period.]

“Hey you! You wasteful consumer! Watch this film I made! I’m gonna show you a bunch of heightened or ambiguous facts about your unsustainable lifestyle! You are blowing it for the future of our planet! Change your lifestyle now!”

This is the imagined voice I hear when I watch several poorly made environmental films. You’ve all seen them: The PSA that you forget 30 seconds later or the awful post-apocalyptic feature film that you wish was only 30 seconds.

Or, it may not even be an environmental film. It may be Avatar in 3-D IMAX where you have a bunch of humans in robot suits destroying beautiful landscapes and its native people for a precious resource: UNOBTAINIUM!

Come on James Cameron! These generic scenarios lack effectiveness of an environmental message. But I guess that wasn’t the point. The point of the film was to spend $280,000,000 to make a bunch of cool looking 3-D stuff.

Anywho, as a filmmaker with a concern for the environment, I ask, “How do you make a good environmental film?” Several people, including myself, make environmental films but I see very few that are truly exceptional.

First, let’s start with a simple definition:

Environmental Film – A film/video whose primary subject is the natural environment, or an issue concerning the environment.

(For this discussion, an environmental film includes PSAs, films, videos, television, and online media of any length.)

In most cases, if you figure out what is bad first, it is much easier to figure out what is good.

So what makes an environmental film bad?

1. The presentation. The subject (content) may be important, and may be interesting too, but the material’s presentation (form) is poor. A lot of filmmaker’s engage with their subject but fail to engage creatively with the filmic medium itself. The result: A film lacking originality or interest.

2. The tone. Environmental films can have an overbearing tone. Instead of presenting a subject to the audience, the film turns the audience into the subject, attacking our guilt for the issue at hand. Even if our actions are at fault, this is an ineffective way to promote change. A film can try to tell us what to do, but it cannot hear our response. So instead of responding, we quickly dismiss it.

3. The audience. Both presentation and tone influences the audience of an environmental film. If the presentation is too dry, scientists may be the only ones who will bore themselves. If the tone is too strong, environmentalists may be the only ones who can tolerate it.

4. The message. I believe the purpose of environmental films is to raise awareness and promote positive change for the issue at hand. But if the film has already failed in its presentation and tone, and failed to find an audience, then the message, no matter how important, has failed to make an impact.

Okay, so it seems that environmental films have at least four components: presentation, tone, an audience, and a message.

And a good environmental film should successfully convey its message to an audience. It should promote awareness and encourage change.  Now how do you do that? Well, that’s tricky. If there was a formulaic answer, I’d be off making excellent environmental films and not thinking of it.

Instead of an answer, let’s look at 2 case studies of successful and exceptional environmental films…

1. Planet Earth.

This 11 episode television series premiered in 2006. It was the most expensive environmental documentary to be commissioned by the BBC and took 4 years to complete.

The presentation of Planet Earth is incredible. It’s subject: 11 different habitats from all over the globe. The photography (form) may be more fascinating at times then the habitats themselves (content). High-speed photography and complex camera moves provide unique views of landscapes and wildlife.

The tone of Planet Earth is casual and objective. The narration is merely descriptive. There is no address to the viewer, or guilt tripping of any sort.

The message of Planet Earth is also subtle. After watching 11 breathtaking episodes, the viewer has a greater awareness and perhaps appreciation for the global environment. At the very least, it is an entertaining and unforgettable document of nature.

You may not volunteer to protect marine life after watching Planet Earth… However, I believe that if one wants to get stoned and watch a great white shark eat a seal in super slow-motion… that is still one step forward. Appreciation must come first.

2. Plastic Bag. A short film.

This film is the reason for this post. I saw it a month ago when it made its online premiere and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head.

Plastic Bag by writer/director Ramin Bahrani is a poetic triumph. The film personifies a plastic bag that wanders a long existential journey in search of its maker. It starts with its “first breath” at the grocery store and ventures all the way to the “Vortex,” a plastic utopia in the middle of the ocean. The plastic bag’s voice is narrated by none other than Werner Herzog. Bahrani’s regular collaborator, cinematographer Michael Simmonds, creates powerful images that strike an emotional cord with their raw simplicity. An elegant score from Sigur Ros’ Kjartan Sveinsson accompanies the visual beauty. Moments of light humor ground the film from any pretension. 

First and foremost, Plastic Bag succeeds as a short film and a work of art. Furthermore, it succeeds as an environmental film. Its message is clear and direct: We live in a disposable society that is creating a serious problem of plastic pollution. But Bahrani never attempts to address this issue directly. Instead, he turns the issue into a character, a plastic bag, and seeks to tell a great story of that character with every element of the filmic medium. He creates a great film first, that happens to appeal to a broad audience, and coincidentally carries a strong environmental message.

I believe making art and poetry is one of the most effective means for change and that this film creates a new direction for environmental film. Enjoy!

Plastic Bag is one of eleven short environmental films that make up the online series Futurestates presented by PBS’ ITVS (The Independent Television Service). I’ve only started watching a few of the other shorts. After Plastic Bag, my expectations were high and could not be met. One of the other shorts fell into the cliché post-apocalyptic scenario and I stopped watching.

Change in Sleep: The Filmmaker’s Schedule + Dementia

It’s 1 am and I go to sleep. I wake up at 5 am to start day 4 of a short film I’m shooting (I'm the director of photography.) 5:45 am I’m loading my car with the equipment- over a hundred pounds of camera cases that I have to carry down 3 flights of stairs. 6:10 I’m in Ann Arbor on the road to set but first I have to pick up the assistant director to car pool and a production credit card at another location. 7:12am we arrive on location 12 minutes late. We’re shooting at a jazz club with a lot of lights, camera setups, scenes, live music, and extras (thanks to all the extras for coming out.) All of this leads to a long shooting day. I have a shooting schedule that has the day planned out with estimate times. Unfortunately, our original schedule accounted for optimism (or dementia) and not reality. Optimism schedules our camera wrap for about 11pm and leaving location with cars packed by midnight. But reality put us down for camera wrap sometime around 2 am with cars leaving location around 3. After dropping off my gaffer (car pool switch option) I return home at about 3:45am. Whew… the day is over! …not quite… At this point, I take the opportunity to carry the hundred pounds of camera cases into my apartment- why the hell did I sign a lease on the 3rd floor? It’s 4 am and I’m done…

I would tell you the rest of this story, which moves from logistics to dementia, instead of writing about it but there’s the kicker: It’s 1 am yesterday and I’m going to sleep with a soar throat. I wake up at 5 am yesterday with a horse voice. Optimism schedules my voice for the whole shooting day because communication is essential on a film set. But reality will only allow a few takes of my voice. After lunch, I’m whispering to all the crew as loud as I can. By the end of the night, I am MOS (for non-filmmakers: this means rolling only camera and not sound.)

It’s 4 am and I’m exhausted. I would jump in bed but I have to pee. I’m in the bathroom with my pants unzipped but my feet are sore, my back hurts, and I’m way too tired to stand up… So I have to pee sitting down.

It’s 4:20 am and I’m still sitting on the toilet. I sort of remember peeing but I’m not sure. I stare at the hair brush on the sink. I follow single hairs through the bristles as if I was in an intricate maze. A maze where the walls move if you jump up and down because the floor is a trampoline.

I get out of the maze and then try to figure out which hairs are whose: Kelly’s (my lovely girlfriend) or mine.

It’s 4:24 am and I convince myself that I’ll never have a hair solution. I justify my dismissal with the remembrance of an old Sunday School fact: “God knows every single hair on your head.”

My feet tingle sorely and I look down at the light blue shag rug, which feels extra squishy at the moment. The bathroom lights start a fluorescent like flicker even though they are incandescent. The light creates a texture on the rug that looks like ocean tides. My feet squish into the sand and the water is cold. I kick some sand on the back of the bathroom door when I realize the imperfections of the door's paint. I imagine a very tired painter who has to paint my whole apartment in one day. Struggling with lack of sleep, he paints the bathroom last. Anxious to be done and to rest he uses more and more paint that ultimately drips and bubbles. Whether or not he’ll redo it again is his decision.

It’s 4:28 am and I let out a weak cough which hangs in the air creeping around the bathroom as if it was a smell from a cartoon. I follow the cough to a small cup on the counter with a candle in it. I wonder if I can make fire by rubbing my hands together. I wonder how long it would take the candle to melt and whether or not my throat would feel better if I gargled hot wax.

I shudder from a cold breeze that puts the candle out. My sweatshirt is on but I don’t know how it works. I’m still cold even with that.

It’s 4:34 and I cannot remember how long I’ve been sitting on the toilet. I’m still not sure if I went so I’m not sure if I should wash my hands. Then I realize I’m really sick and need to wash my hands. I wonder if I could gargle the antibacterial soap and kill whatever bacteria that is inflicting this awful amount of pain on me.

It’s 4:35 and I’ve been sitting on the toilet so long I probably have a ring around my bum.

Yes, I do have the toilet ring around my bum.

It’s 4:36 am and I can’t remember if I’ll remember these interesting shots of words so I get up to go get my laptop. I pull my pants up without wiping- hopefully I didn’t forget that I pooped and thus skipped a wipe. Should I go back and do one for safety?

I return to the bathroom with my laptop and sit back on the toilet. I try to recall my thoughts while typing and keeping up with my fast flow of current thoughts. I certainly could have typed this one from my desk… I’m not sure why I came back to the bathroom. I wonder if anyone else is sitting on their toilet with their computer at this exact same moment. I consider signing on AIM to see if anyone is available to video chat and witness my state of exhaustive sleep deprived dementia.

It seems as though a still camera appeared on the bathroom counter. I pick up the camera and try to take a still photo of myself. I push a triangular button to review it and it turned blurry. I thought of taking another one but realized this was the most accurate self portrait and document of my current state.

I start to doze off for a second but wake to myself deficating. Good thing I’ve been sitting on this toilet for nearly an hour. Otherwise, I could have made a real mess.

I continue to type in hope of completing the record….

I’m not able to right this all down before falling asleep. Hopefully my dreams are as interesting as my blurring thoughts.

I proceed off on a tangent and write a quick poem after staring at my computer for a solid five minutes:

Finder the Universe

Floating hands on the keyboard

The Universe at my desk 

The digital screen of my eyelids 

Drips like plasma 

But to touch is to believe 

Tangible and reality differ 

So can we believe the digital screen? 

When I’m dead I’ll leave a screen saver

[I woke up @ 3pm and discovered that I actually did write all of this… I’m not sure what it all means… P.S. My voice is still lost.]

Change in Film: Purpose, Value, and Waste

[WARNING: The following may only interest filmmakers or critical thinkers.  Basically, I consumed a ridiculous number of awful films that made me seriously consider the production of my own films and others.  This is a long rant that is partly analytical, theoretical, critical, philosophical, and self-reflecting.]

This past week marked the end of my pre-screening process for the Ann Arbor Film Festival. Over the last two months, I have watched 320 films, narrative and documentary, that were submitted for consideration in the 48th AAFF which will take place March 23-28, 2010 at The Historic Michigan Theater. Of those 320 films, I recommended approximately 40 to the next round of screening with only five or six films that I really liked- thank you to those few filmmakers.

This long exhaustive process has changed some of my ideas about filmmaking and the types of films I want to make.

First off, I don’t think the majority of filmmakers ever intend to make a bad film. But let’s face it: bad films happen. It’s really hard to make a good film and it takes almost a miracle to make a great film.

Regardless if it awesome or god awful, a majority of films take a lot of time, money, and energy.

So before funds are raised and the camera starts rolling, filmmakers should ask themselves, “Why am I making this film?” It seems self-explanatory but I’m not so sure after watching hundreds of films made within the last year.

After some contemplative thought, I have devised a few main categories that describe the purpose of the filmmaker to participate in film production along with the purpose of the viewer or audience to participate in film consumption. [For this discussion, the filmmaker is the primary person responsible for the creation of the film. The categories can be extended to additional filmmakers and crew members necessary for film production but it is not the primary interest of the discussion.]

These categories are interchangeable in many cases and most filmmakers, films, and viewers have multiple purposes although there may be a primary purpose.  For example, the purpose of a film like Farenheit 9/11 may have been political, but it also made a ridiculous amount of money.  Who knows whether or not that was Michael Moore's purpose too or just an accidental end?


PURPOSES OF FILMMAKERS AND FILM PRODUCTION

1. Money. The purpose is to make money. The content of the film does not matter. The film can be Citizen Kane or really dirty pornography- as long as it makes money.

2. Entertainment. The purpose is to entertain an audience. The filmmaker may also experience pleasure and amusement in doing so and may experience similar pleasure in the making of the film itself. So there is entertaining the audience, and entertaining oneself. Entertainment can be commercial, artistic or both.

3. Art. The purpose is to explore film as an art form and push its boundaries.

4. Social. The purpose is to explore social issues. It may be the intention to raise audience awareness on the issues at hand. The content of the film can vary from private and personal to global matters. Social factors may also participate in film production and not just the film itself.

5. Political. The purpose is to explore, expose, or propagate political issues. It may be the intention to influence the political views of the audience.

6. Education and Experience. The purpose is to educate an audience. Also, the filmmaker will mostly likely gain knowledge and experience from the production of the film itself.


PURPOSES OF THE VIEWER, AUDIENCE AND FILM CONSUMPTION

1. Entertainment. The purpose is to entertain oneself. The kind of pleasure varies greatly from the type of film, the type of viewer, and the type of consumption. Pleasure may not even be dependent on the film itself, only the type of consumption. For example, teenagers may go to a movie theater to get away from their parents and make-out with their significant others. What is on the screen is insignificant.

2. Art. The purpose is to view film as an art form, see its boundaries being pushed, and enlighten one’s experience and understanding of film and art.

3. Social. The purpose is to gain insight, knowledge and/or understanding of the social issues the film addresses.

4. Political. The purpose is to gain insight, knowledge, and/or understanding of the political issues the film addresses.

5. Educational. The purpose is to gain general knowledge and insight of a particular interest.


VALUE

Each purpose for film production merits a particular value. Value describes the worth, importance, or usefulness of producing a film. Although value is somewhat subjective, most would agree that certain purposes have higher value than others. For example: a documentary may merit social value for raising awareness of a global concern. A simple comedy may merit value in its ability to entertain. Although the latter has an important function in society, one would not argue the greater value of the former.


FILMMAKER EXECUTION AND AUDIENCE RECEPTION

The purpose of filmmakers and film production should be distinguished from the purpose of the film itself. The purpose of the film itself is related to both the filmmaker and audience. If the filmmaker’s efforts are well executed, their purpose may continue with the film itself. For example, if a filmmaker’s primary purpose is to make an entertaining film, and the production of the film is well executed, then the film may be entertaining. There is then the possibility that the film, with its purpose to entertain, may entertain a viewer whose purpose for consuming the film is to be entertained. However, if the production of the film is not well executed, the film may not be entertaining and may not entertain the viewer. If the primary purpose for producing a film is not met by the film itself, it may have little to no value for existence or for an audience.


NARRATIVE AND DOCUMENTARY

Based on quantity and not quality, it seems the primary purpose of most narrative film production is to entertain while the primary purpose of most documentary film is social, political, or educational.

A poorly executed narrative film that does not entertain yields little to no value for its primary purpose of production. However, a poorly executed documentary film that does not adequately engage its topic still seems to yield some value. Perhaps its because the original purpose could be considered of higher value and the act of partaking in a documentary film production raises awareness, however small, to its topic or cause.


VALUE VS. COST

A film’s value should be weighed against its cost. It takes a lot of time, energy, and resources to make a film. If the end product has little to no value, then the film and its production is waste and the filmmaker could be considered wasteful for that matter. Filmmakers with a primary purpose to make money understand this concept quite well: if the cost to produce a film is greater than its revenue, it has lost or wasted money and was not worth the effort.


CONCLUSION

I enjoy nearly all types of films for a variety of reasons. I see value in each purpose of film production and consumption. I do not necessarily think particular genres of films have more value than others. I think creativity determines that. Unfortunately, a majority of narrative films are unoriginal and a waste of time and resources. The only time a cliché melodrama makes me cry is during the end credits, knowing that a lot of money, people and energy were used to create a lot of waste.

I’ve begun to think that I, myself, may have a greater purpose by pursuing documentary filmmaking whereas I once thought I would become a director of narrative features. The lifestyle of a documentary filmmaker seems more engaging, active, and appealing right now.  Especially if there are some travel perks...

Who knows what I'll ultimately do or become.  I’ve labeled this last section “Conclusion” but I have yet to get to the bottom of anything...

If you bothered to read all of this, thank you!  I would appreciate any feedback.  If you think this blog post sucks, let me know.  I apologize and will try better next time.  At least the production of blogs post uses little resources and only wastes my time and yours.  If I had produced a film about this instead, I would have wasted several people's time, money, and resources and that would have been devastating.