Process: What I’m Thinking When I’m Shooting – Clips
Here’s an excerpt from the Redwoods section of the sample of A Life’s Work. Here’s about five and half minutes of raw footage from the Redwoods shoot. This was one of the rare shoots I went on solo, … Continued
Rashomon and A Life’s Work
The other night I went to see Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon at the Brooklyn Public Library. I’ve seen this film quite a few times, and a few years ago, while preparing for the Redwoods shoot, I watched the Woodsman’s trek sequence … Continued
The Nerves
Dear Filmmaker, Were you nervous before your first interview with Paolo Soleri? I mean, he’s kind of a rock star, isn’t he? R.C. in AZ Dear R.C. in AZ Yes, I think he is, and yes, I was nervous before … Continued
Jill Tarter and Sputnik: A Clip
Last week I dropped a teaser about Sputnik’s impact on Jill Tarter, Director, Center for SETI Research, SETI Institute. (What’s the Filmmaker Reading?) In the clip below, Tarter reveals when she discovered her passion for science, the effect Sputnik had … Continued
Achtung, Babies!
“I don’t want a full house at the Winter Garden Theatre. I want 90 people who just came out of the worst rain storm in the city’s history. These are people who are alive, on the planet. Until they dry … Continued
What’s the Filmmaker Reading? A Book About DARPA
The Department of Mad Scientists: How DARPA Is Remaking Our World, from the Internet to Artificial Limbs by Michael Belfiore, a book loaned to me by filmmaker and friend Daria Price. In the book, Belfiore discusses the birth of DARPA … Continued
You Chose These Photos
Last week I asked you to help me choose five photos for a new press kit. The results are in! Here are the five images that garnered the most votes. #5 The model of Arcosanti #4 Bristlecone Pine trees #3 … Continued
Practicing for Practice
Here’s a photo of “Hammerin’” Hank Aaron taking batting practice. I wonder how many times Aaron took practice swings in his life. Hundreds of thousands of times, I’m guessing. And he wasn’t practicing for some ultimate event, to one day … Continued
Why Is This Pinned to My Corkboard? Part 6
It’s 1983 and I’m a junior at Hunter College. I’m an English major but I decide to take an introduction to studio art class. The first third of the semester I study sculpture, the second third drawing, the final third … Continued
Why Is So Much Black Gospel Music Lost? A Clip
When I deliver the elevator pitch of A Life’s Work— “a documentary about people engaged in projects they may not see completed in their lifetimes” –I’m usually asked to describe the projects. Sometimes the Black Gospel Music Restoration Project takes … Continued