I recently had the opportunity to shoot for a company called Hooplaha. They specialize in creating short documentary videos with a positive message. My first assignment: Friends of Fieldworkers.
I met an amazing woman who runs an organization in Ventura County that gives aid to the fieldworkers who work there. This comes in the way of helping them find affordable housing, helping them get their kids in school, even getting donations for presents at Christmas.
It was truly a humbling experience, and I'm so glad I got to help tell this story.
The Director, Miguel Duran, and I, really started this project in the spring of 2014, shooting a spec trailer on 16mm film that we could show to potential investors. It paid off, and we began principal photography in Phoenix, AZ in the fall of 2015. We had a great crew that brought a ton of passion to the project, and I think it will show on-screen.
The film is currently in post-production and is looking to make a festival run in 2017!
I've been looking forward to this for a long time, and I can finally say
that Out of Print is getting a theatrical and VOD release!
I shot this documentary about how the digital theatrical experience is destroying the future of revival cinema. We talked to so many amazing filmmakers like Joe Dante, Mark Romanek, Rian Johnson, Kevin Smith, Edgar Wright... the list goes on. Really tremendous artists who love revival cinema, and love the New Beverly (the theater we focused on).
My goal was to match the visual style of each interview to that of the subject we were talking to. So, Edgar Wright got a very intense, stylized look in his interview. Stuart Gordon had a spooky tone to his, etc. What's funny was the unintentional "starfield" look we gave Rian Johnson, not knowing that he'd be picked to write and direct Star Wars three years later!
Anyway, I'm very excited about this project finally getting a release! It's been a long time coming and I can't wait to share it with the world.
I've been shooting some interviews for Dolby Laboratories lately, and getting to meet some fantastic directors and technicians. Here's the first one I shot for Deadpool!
One of my favorite projects I've worked on, For the Love of Nothing, is now on Vimeo to watch. It's a beautiful, tone piece based on Ray Bradbury's short story, The Last Night of the World.
I spent almost a week in Austin with colorist Cory Berendzen finishing up the color on The Last Possession, a feature I shot outside Dallas last year.
I had a great time in Austin, even though I spent nearly all my time in a dark room at TBD Post. It was a great facility filled with awesome folks, so that made up for the fact that I wasn't out exploring and enjoying Austin more than I did.
I've spent the last few weeks going from Orlando, to Los Angeles, to Milwaukee, to Austin, and now on to Phoenix and New York. It's going to be a crazy season for me, and I couldn't be happier!
So I'm set to shoot this feature film based on a true story about teacher reassignment centers in New York in the fall. It's called In the Rubber Room, and the producers are doing something really cool.
I recently had the pleasure of returning to my home state of Texas to shoot a feature film just outside of Dallas. This has been a dream of mine ever since I left to come to L.A. over 11 years ago.
I cannot describe how it truly awesome it was to take the skills and friendships that I have cultivated in L.A. and put them to use back home.
It was a blessing getting to work with an awesome crew of locals. I can't thank them enough for all their hard work, and I hope I get another chance to go back and do it again.
And, with any luck, you'll be able to catch The Last Possession in a theater near you!
OOP played in 35mm at the Crest Theater in Westwood on October 19th. I wasn't able to attend, but I'm told the print is absolutely gorgeous. It then played the following weekend at the Filmshift Festival in Boston and was very well received. Look for more screening info soon!
Oh yeah, and here's a picture of Julia Marchese and I receiving our Programmer's Award at the Sidewalk Film Fest in Birmingham:
Last weekend I had the pleasure of showing Out of Print at the Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham, AL, and had THE BEST time I have ever had a film festival. The venues were great (including the very amazing Alabama Theater), the other filmmakers were a joy to meet and hang out with, and it was seriously the most well-run festival I have ever been a part of.
I will recommend this film festival to every filmmaker I meet from now on.
Oh yeah, and Out of Print won the Programmer's Award!
Here's the trailer for Out of Print, a documentary feature film I shot about revival cinema, 35mm preservation, and the New Beverly Cinema!
Shot on 35mm film and digital video, featuring interviews from Patton Oswalt, Kevin Smith, Rian Johnson, Seth Green, Clu Gulager, Joe Dante, Mark Romanek, Joe Carnahan, John Landis, Lloyd Kauffman, Edgar Wright, and dozens of other filmmakers and film geeks.
From the guys that brought you Bounty Killer comes FUTURE PHONE! It's an epic, time-traveling, action-adventure, romantic comedy! With ninjas!!! (I shot the stuff with the ninjas.)
Check it out!
Well I've had a pretty amazing month shooting music videos, a commercial for Adidas, operating a camera for the Codex booth at NAB, and climbing a mountain to shoot a spec for a feature, all culminating in an amazing telecine session at Fotokem!
I'm looking to carry this momentum into the summer where I plan to shoot a couple more feature films. Fingers crossed!
