ucfmills

Gratitude

2010-07-05T09:42:00.000-07:00

You never know how much you appreciate someone until you get a scare that they might be seriously sick. I am grateful to everyone for their positive thoughts. They worked.

Money.

2010-06-11T04:58:00.000-07:00

Link to doc grant application from NEH:
http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/BridgingCultures_Film.html

FROM DOC MENTORS:

FUNDING AND OPPORTUNITIES - It's a great time of the year!

Roy W. Dean Grant LA
Film and Video grants - dedicated to supporting films that are unique
and make a contribution to society. These grants provide a vast array
of in-kind services for projects in production worth close to 100K. Deadline June 30th, 2010.

Sundance Documentary Fund
- supports both US and international documentary films that focus on
current human rights issues, freedom of expression, civil liberties and
exploring critical issues of our time. Four areas of funding are
offered - development, production, post-production and engagement and
impact. Deadline: postmarked July 7th, 2010.

Kroll Fund for Jewish Documentary Film - a
generous grant funding post-production in the amount of up to 50K for
original documentaries that explore the Jewish experience. Deadline July 27th, 2010.

NEH Funding Initiative - Bridging Cultures Through Film - supports
projects that examine international and transnational themes in the
humanities through documentary film. Projects must be analytical and
deeply grounded in humanities scholarship. Deadline July 28th, 2010.

ITVS Open Call
- ITVS's largest funding initiative, providing completion funds for
single non-fiction television programs on any subject, from any
viewpoint. For US filmmakers already in production. Deadline: August 6, 2010.

Pacific Pioneer Fund - for emerging filmmakers in CA, WA and OR, granting up to 10K. All subjects welcome. Deadline August 15, 2010.

The Fledgling Fund
- supports innovative media projects that can play a critical role in
social change. The grant's primary focus is community engagement and
outreach. The next application cycle opens August 23, 2010 and closes October 1, 2010.

Love.

2010-06-07T15:06:00.000-07:00

First Amendment Claim: Relative Truth or "Crude" Consequences?

2010-06-07T06:49:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what to think about Berlinger's fight to suppress raw footage collected for his film Crude. Apparently, the Netflix online streaming version of Crude contained footage of Equadoran lawyers strategizing that the DVD version does not. Chevron's attorneys want to see all of that footage because they think it will help their case.

The journalist in me wants to defend his first amendment right to protect his "notes," which in the case of a documentarian, means raw footage. At the same time, I believe documentaries should reveal "truth." So, if the online version of the film shows the Ecuadoran lawyers making mistakes... and that's a more truthful version of the story than the DVD which does not contain the lawyer footage... what does that say about the manipulation of footage to create instead a less accurate "version" of the truth?

My sympathy, of course, is with the indigenous people of Ecuador who have clearly been screwed by Chevron. Further, the court's decision to force Berlinger to release his raw footage takes us down the slippery slope that could ultimately harm the protected sources of any journalist.

I guess I wish Berlinger had been more careful. Find the premise of your documentary, select the material that supports your premise, then stick with it. What bothers me most is one version of the truth online, and another on DVD. I'm afraid this damages the credibilty of his argument. I wonder what Michael Rabiger would say.

The downside of technology

2010-06-07T06:21:00.000-07:00

This article about multi-tasking is worth reading all the way to the end without any interruptions from your cell phone, Facebook or email.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/07/technology/07brain.html

Doc Consultants

2010-06-04T15:58:00.000-07:00

I've noticed quite a few "documentary consulting companies" popping up in links to sites I browse. Here's one of the latest: http://newdocediting.com/land/ultimate_documentary_guide/

People should just read Michael Rabiger's book. It only costs $50.

Documentaries by subject

2010-05-26T08:04:00.001-07:00

This is a great link for those looking for other docs already done on their topic: http://documentaries.about.com/od/populardocsubjects/u/PopularSubjects.htm

Documentary Articles

2010-05-17T09:16:00.000-07:00

Here is a good site for articles about docs with some links at the bottom for trailers and doc distribution companies. This comes from Mark Freeman, head of the documentary working group for the University Film and Video Association.

http://documentaries.about.com/od/documentarydirectors/a/

Free Docs Online

2010-05-12T14:25:00.000-07:00

I've entered YCC in Amsterdam's International Documentary Film Festival, which is in November. While exploring their Web site I discovered they have an online TV Channel with free docs like this one about Haiti:

http://www.idfa.nl/industry/idfa-tv/films/worldwide/film.aspx?id=8846a4f9-fdcb-4c03-9fb4-139f002231d7

Spring Success

2010-05-11T05:01:00.000-07:00

Whew! It has been a busy spring! I've had a blast screening The Young Composers Challenge at the Florida Film Festival and picking up the "best long form doc" award at BEA. Now the wait continues to see what other festivals may accept the film. I'm especially interested in a new festival in Park City, Utah that features "films about music." We shall see. I've also entered the film in another academic competition. The University Film and Video Association will have its national conference at Champlain College in Vermont in August.

I've also finished a new short film with my Honors Documentary Workshop class. Dr. Robert Cassanello from the History Department is the co-director and producer of this film about the only married couple slain together for their work in civil rights. Aaron Hose did a masterful job in editing the film, and you can watch it on his Vimeo site: http://vimeo.com/11268452 This film screened at the Harry and Harriette Moore Festival in Mims, Florida back in mid April. We will be submitting this to the Global Peace Film Festival. I was pleased that UCF President John Hitt watched the film online and sent me a nice note about it.

This summer I intend to get to work on a new short, The Circle Closes and finish my feature, Wally's Way to the Moon. I'll also be taking my Foundations of Story large lecture course up on the Web so that it will be offered fully online this coming fall. Looks like a busy summer!

Thank you Chris Ramsey

2010-03-24T17:43:00.000-07:00

Here is a link from Chris Ramsey's blog that I want to share:
http://www.indiewire.com/article/good_advice_documentary_dos_and_donts_from_a_vet_programmer/

Chris, thanks for finding this treasure and sharing it with us!

Student documentaries

2010-03-02T17:42:00.000-08:00

I keep thinking that things will calm down, slow down, I'll be less stressed and overwhelmed. This never seems to happen. It feels like every term it just gets worse.

Then, there are the days when I get to watch my students' films. I don't know how it happens (because I believe it has very little to do with me) but every spring at this time I start to see their films take shape and I am amazed... amazed at the courage, the skill, the depth and the hard work that the documentary students put into their films. They are the ones that make all of this crazy running around and going to meetings and everything else worth it. Just those 2-3 hours each week I get to spend with them in class talking about their films. They are my sanity.

Cool tripod trick

2010-02-27T16:38:00.000-08:00

Last night my van broke down on the way back from Mims. I had it towed to the Firestone place in Sanford, but in all the darkness and confusion of shifting gear from one car to another, lost track of my camera tripod plate.

I discovered this as I set up for an important interview today, but luckily, my friend Aaron Hose was there (he's documenting the Honors student project for his TV program, "Gallery.") Aaron took his own tripod and lined it up with mine. We balanced the front of the camera on one tripod and the back end of the camera on the other tripod. It worked beautifully. Of course we were limited in the framing of the interview, but once we got it all set up, balanced, etc. the shot looked great.

THANK YOU AARON, for teaching me something new and being just damned determined to find a way to get something done with what we had. That... to me... is what film making is really all about.

New film I'm working on

2010-02-27T05:42:00.000-08:00

Dr. Robert Cassanello (history) and I are teaching a pilot honors class this spring in which we make an historical documentary as a service learning project. We chose the Harry T. and Harriett V. Cultural Complex in Mims because we believe this special place has great potential... and the folks leading it are so nice. We've been out shooting with the students on Saturdays since early January and we've amassed about 25 tapes of interviews. We still need to shoot more b-roll, but I think we can start putting this together now. We have a shoot today in Sanford with an elderly man who was a boy when Harry and Harriett were rushed to the Colored Hospital there. He taught literature at Bethune Cookman College until retiring. We'll have him read the Langston Hughes poem "The Ballad of Harry T. Moore" and talk about what he remembers about hearing the Moores had been murdered.

Audio by Keith Lay

2010-02-22T19:30:00.000-08:00

One of the judges for the Young Composers Challenge, Keith Lay, is doing the final audio post work right now on the documentary. I'm very excited about this because Keith is both an audio technician and a composer. I want to make sure the musical sequences are mixed well. I know that Keith is "centering" the audio as well. I think this means that instead of the sound coming out of the left or right speaker it will be balanced between the two.

It has taken a few years to meet all of the people that can help me do this film thing. I am very fortunate to be friends with people that have special skills to help me. I'm realizing that no good film is made on an island. It's a truly collaborative art.

Is this guerrilla marketing?

2010-02-16T06:55:00.000-08:00

This week I've launched my new Web site lisamillsfilms.com It is not entirely complete but I'll have to just keep working on it little by little. I need to find a way to stash my film EPKs on the site so festival programmers can download stills, trailers, etc. If anybody has any ideas on how to do this, please let me know.

Also, there is a Facebook page for the Young Composers Challenge (you can become a fan) and we have five new clips and a trailer posted there. If you want to access them through YouTube, go to the search box and type "ucfmills."

We welcome all feedback.

My composer friends

2010-02-16T05:51:00.001-08:00

I guess my favorite thing about making documentaries is the new friends I make. Last night I had the privilege of talking to three of the composers I met while shooting The Young Composers Challenge. I went to the "String Romance" Focus Series concert by the OPO Chamber Orchestra to shoot Keith Lay's piece "On the Playground, Concerto for Violin and Strings." I just wanted to shoot an archival video for him to have. He's been so warm and supportive of my work, and right now he's perfecting the audio for the film. I could tell it was a special night for Keith and for his wife, Joy. They were the superstars of the event. The piece was beautiful. I especially liked the second movement.

On the way in to set up I ran into Catie Weddle and Sue Bigsby, who were likely there because Catie's harp teacher Rosalind Beck was performing a solo piece. That was gorgeous, too. It was great to see those two lovely ladies... mother and daughter out for a night of music. I gave them the "secret" information about the documentary and they seemed very enthusiastic about it.

After I finished shooting Keith's piece, Dr. Stella Sung invited me to sit with her for the remainder of the concert. Stella is a very warm person and I love to watch her work the crowd at these OPO events. She gives everyone who speaks to her warm wishes and takes the time to pay attention to her "fans." They really appreciate that.

I would have to say that these people... Keith Lay, Stella Sung, Catie Weddle... and of course Chris Wilkins and David Schillhammer with the OPO... and Carl Rendek, the orchestra manager... deserve a lot of credit. They are passionate about what they do and that shows in the quality of their work. They are also very friendly and warm, making everyone feel welcome. It is always uplifting to spend time with them.

Voices

2010-01-12T18:12:00.000-08:00

I've been enjoying the music programming on my Internet radio since I got it on Christmas day, but when I got home tonight the first thing I did was search for a radio station still on the air in Haiti. I spent about 10 minutes listening to two deejays there taking calls from earthquake victims. I couldn't understand anything anyone said, as it was all in Creole. But I heard screams, sobbing, shouting, pain. It was one of the most compelling things I've ever heard and it made me feel terribly sad.

Facebook | Lisa Mills

2009-12-02T19:58:00.000-08:00

Facebook Lisa Mills: "Write something about yourself."

Documentaries drive me crazy.

Peace Corps: JFK's Bold Legacy

2009-10-23T06:04:00.000-07:00

Stella Sung and Chris Wilkins watch the film on their mobile devices.
This blog post is for all of the nice folks who are attending the Baltimore Womens Film Festival the weekend of October 23-25th. Stella Sung and I wish we could be there for what sounds like a wonderful event, but our day jobs teaching at the University of Central Florida prevented us from making the trip. However, we would like to use this blog to tell you a little bit more about the making of Peace Corps: JFK's Bold Legacy.

How the idea for the music came about. The Orlando Museum of Art was planning to host an exhibit of Norman Rockwell's illustrations in the spring of 2008. Maestro Christopher Wilkins spoke with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra's Composer-in-Residence, Stella Sung, about the possibility of her composing some music inspired by any illustrations in the exhibit of her choice. The result was Rockwell Reflections, a suite with five movements, each inspired by a different illustration. Peace Corps: JFK's Bold Legacy was the last movement of the suite. When the OPO performed the suite as the final work for its concert on March 1st, 2008, the audience was extremely enthusiastic and gave the OPO and the work's composer a standing ovation.

The music on film. Meanwhile, backstage, Lisa Mills and one of her documentary students were filming Dr. Sung pacing nervously as her work was performed in Orlando for the very first time. Dr. Mills actually had several cameras in the Bob Carr Auditorium that night for a documentary she is filming about the OPO's Young Composers Challenge. The footage from the performance was so stirring, she and her husband/editor Tim Brown edited the entire concert together as a gift for Stella Sung and Mastro Chris Wilkins. When Sung and Wilkins received the gift they were delighted, and suggested that something else be done with the footage.

Winning Outstanding Cultural Achievement a MOFILM. Maestro Wilkins suggested that Mills edit together a special five-minute film and submit to the Mobile World Congress Film Festival in Barcelona, Spain. This film festival receives submissions from filmmakers who believe their short works would be good choices for cell phone subscribers to view on their mobile devices. Dr. Mills felt that the film about the birth of a new music piece should say something about the creative process. She was editing the film during the election of the Fall of 2008, and was inspired by its outcome. In January, 2009 actor Kevin Space presented the Outstanding Cultural Achievement Award at MOFILM to Peace Corps: JFK's Bold Legacy. Dr. Mills, Dr. Sung and Maestro Wilkins hope that anyone who views the film will be inspired to make connections between creativity and leadership.

Thank you for reading our blog post, and enjoy the festival!

The Friedrich Farm

2009-06-07T02:37:00.000-07:00

It's rainy and chilly but I could care less. This morning after a farmer's breakfast I followed Joachim out to his garden and pulled weeds for a while. It was wonderful. The tomato plants inside his hothouse are already 3 feet tall and loaded. There are mounds of potatoes, rows of strawberries and cucumbers and heads of lettuce inbetween it all. He showed me the bulbous celery that will be ready to harvest in the fall. Right next to the garden is the orchard yard that has trees with about 5 different kinds of fruit, plus about 7 kinds of berry bushes and... oh yes... some grapevines.

Behind the garden is the chicken coop and pigeon house. I got to hold some baby pigeons but you can't get too attached because they'll be the centerpiece of meals one day. They are Joachim's pride and joy. He's been raising pigeons for food since he was 10, taught by his uncle.

After the morning in the garden, Angela and I walked to a neighbor's house where we bought about 10 jars of local honey. The elderly many has a collection of taxidermied animals that is out of this world. I suggested to Angela that she ought to make a documentary about him.

Right now I'm in the kitchen watching Ute prepare Sunday dinner. So far she's peeled and trimmed white asparagus from the garden. I think there are also potatoes on the boil. She begins cooking each vegetable with water, salt, a little sugar and butter. That's basically the way she prepares all of their fresh vegetables, then they are served hot with more melted butter and perhaps some bread crumbs sprinkled on top.

I am absolutely in love with this family, their farm, their little village and rural (East) Germany. Later today we'll drive around Brandenburg and tomorrow Angela is taking me to Pottsdam.

In Germany

2009-06-05T23:37:00.001-07:00

I've left Sweden for a visit with Angela Friedrich, a young woman I met while teaching in Jonkoping three years ago. We became friends and she came to stay with us in Winter Springs two years ago.

Germany day 1 June 5, 2009
When I arrived at Angela’s family home in Weseram Ute and Joachim seemed excited to see me. For dinner, Ute had prepared a soup of potato and kholrabi and sausauge. It was delicious. We also had bread and ham and cheese. I like the way Ute keeps the cheese and meats in separate Tupperware containers in the refrigerator. Refrigerators over here are much smaller. Tupperware is very valued over here, because it just arrived in the East in the early 1990s. We watched Barack Obama on the German newscast and then I slept very, very well in the guest room.

Germany day 2 June 6, 2009
I woke up early and Joachim took me for a walk in the garden. It was beautiful. They have a new flock of chickens that are very cute. The rooster is actually smaller and prettier than the hens. For breakfast I enjoyed Ute’s plum preserves and she made the key lime coffee I had brought. Angela mentioned that I had remarked about the 80s band Spandau Ballet. The next thing I knew Joachim had brought up Spandau Ballet’s “This Much is True” on YouTube. Today I think we will go out on a boat and drive around their county, Brandenburg.

10 Minute Film

2009-06-02T13:05:00.000-07:00

Here's a 10 minute film

Week 3

2009-05-27T13:49:00.000-07:00

My trip to the glass shop went great. I think I got some pretty decent footage, although when I look at what I shoot I'm always annoyed with myself and wondering, "what was I thinking?" Shooting a guy flinging around molten glass at about 1000 degrees was challenging and a bit scary at times, but the guy was very nice and protective of me and gave me great access. The couple that ran the glass shop were wonderful and insisted on giving me all these glass animals that Gunne made. I'm going to do somethings special with them for the film.

After I left the Nybro glass district I drove to Kalmar on the coast and spent the weekend there, all by myself, and had a great time. There were some lonely moments but only because I wished I could share all that I was seeing. Saturday morning I went to Kalmar castle and the local modern art museum. Great exhibit on Munch. Then in the afternoon I drove over to a barrier island on the Baltic sea. I found one of the widest beaches in Sweden and went for a run. It felt great.

Driving back from the coast was fun on Sunday. I got used to the traffic circles quickly. But when I got to the gas pump I realized I had no idea how to use it. A nice lady helped me.

I had some trouble with the PAL settings in FCP, but today I finally figured it out and got about half of my footage in the computer. I can't wait to start cutting.

Week 2

2009-05-18T13:51:00.000-07:00

Things are going very well. I've figured out Adobe Premiere much easier than I'd expected, but I'm still glad I have my laptop and final cut pro. My documentary shoot is now finalized for Friday. I'll be renting a car and driving for the first time in Europe. I'm a little nervous, but I figure if I take it slow I'll be ok. There's not much traffic in Sweden because there's not a very big population.

This week my teacher host went on maternity leave so I'm all by myself with the students. I think they're a bit afraid of their serious American teacher. I'm trying to smile more. I adore the students from Bangladesh. They are so very respectful. It's very sweet. The class spent today finishing the edit on their short documentaries. Tomorrow they present them in class. Next week we begin our TV studio production that will include the documentaries. It will be like a magazine show with mini docs inside it.

I'm very excited about my trip to the Glass Blowing studio in Southeast Sweden. Turns out I may not be shooting female artisans after all, which is a shame. But the guy they have lined up for me is apparently world famous and very nice. We'll see. After my shoot I intend to drive a bit further east to the coast for a day or so. I need to get out of the house here in Jonkoping because Josefina went into labor tonight. They will probably have a new baby here by Thursday. At the end of the weekend I'll be moving to someone else's apartment.

More later, now that my laptop is back up and running. I had a problem with the Swedish=American power adaptor but I bought a new one and it's working great.

Chilly Day

2009-05-14T13:42:00.000-07:00

It's back in the forties here and the sun barely came out today. I don't mind, though, because the change in the weather is nice and I know I'm going back to the heat. I didn't sleep too well today but I got a lot of work done today. I've connected with a female glass blower in a town about two hours south of her famous for "Swedish glass." I want to revisit Bert Haanstra's "Glas" film from 1958, but this time I want to shoot all female glass blowers. Sara is trying to arrange it for me. I'm sure it will be a challenging shoot but I think it would be fun. I would like to partner with a musician to compose the music but I know I don't want piano. I'd like something expressive, though, and perhaps experimental.

First Class

2009-05-13T14:14:00.000-07:00

Today I taught a class on mass media systems. I began the class with a group activity in which students had to invent a prime time program that would fit the paradigm of the media system within their country of origin. We then had a class discussion and I observed the same phenomenon among students as I experienced here three years ago. Whether they were from Germany, Mexico, Czech Republic or Bangladesh, all felt the public/commercial hybrid media systems in their countries were far superior to that of the United States' commercial system. Yet when I asked each of them what their favorite programs were, guess what they named? You guessed it... American Idol, The Office, The Sopranos, etc. etc. When I asked them if they would like to see the commercial channels taken off the air in their countries they emphatically said NO.

When I showed them UCF students' newscast they were not impressed, nor were they impressed by any of my students' documentaries. A German student found all of it "annoying." At least he didn't call it "American crap!" like a Czech student did last time I was here.

In a classroom setting, International Students are tough. But, when you get them in the studio they know very, very little about camera work, editing, etc. They loosen up a bit when they are doing more hands-on work and they discover it's not easy to make any television program look good.

Back in Sweden

2009-05-12T13:38:00.000-07:00

It feels great to be back here. This really does feel like a second home here I am so comfortable with the school, my friends, even the geography of little Jonkoping. My flight was great... the best ever overseas, maybe because I had a window seat. I flew into Stockholm, took a train from the airport to the central bus station, then took a 3 hour bus ride from Stockholm to Jonkoping.

Today was my first day at the HLK and I hung out with Josefina in the studio. It's actually good to be back in a TV studio. I noticed as I was helping her with equipment that I've become much more confident in handling mics, tripods, etc.... even lights up in the grid. Tomorrow I give my first lecture on television news in the U.S. That oughtta be good. Ha.

I love the fact that people here do not live to work, they work to live. The work days are shorter and everyone takes a break caled "fika" at 9:30 and 2:30 each day. They gather in a common area of the school and have coffee. The coffee (or latte or cappuccino if you prefer) is FREE, along with all the crackers and biscuits you want. Educators are really respected over here and nobody is worried about the economy. "Education is never a victim" I was told, matter-of-factly by a fellow HLK faculty member.

I saw my friend Ebba and cannot wait to hang out with her. She and I are only one week apart in age. It was funny when we first saw each other... we sort of looked each other up and down and then smiled and said, "you look exactly the same!" I guess this is the sort of thing women do once they get up to this age... they celebrate staying the same as long as possible... before age starts to really show. Maybe it already does but we each choose not to see it. Anyway, she is going to help me set up my shoot at the glass factories south of here. She will come along and shoot stills while I shoot video. It should be fun. I'm really looking forward to it.

I don't think I'll be going away as much as I did last time. I just like hanging here in Jonkoping and I don't feel like I have as much energy. I just want to chill. I just watched the sun set over Lake Vattern and now all the lights are on across the lake on the hill. It's beautiful.

End of the term

2009-05-12T13:33:00.000-07:00

I haven't written in quite a while because I've been so busy and I honestly haven't wanted to share some of the thoughts I've been having. It's not that they're negative or super secret or private. I guess I've just been a bit lazy.

The last few weeks of the term were very gratifying in terms of watching students' films come to life. There are some very talented and deep students at UCF and I'm proud to be allowed to teach them what I know and what I can find out. The turnout at the student film screenings was terrific and I'm feeling very satisfied here at the end of the term. Tim and I have edited about 1/3 of the Young Composers Challenge documentary. It has come together fairly easily but one challenge is the sheer volume of material. You really second-guess yourself on structure, what to use now, what to save for later, and wondering if it will all make sense in the end.

As soon as I got my grades turned in, meetings finished and graduation attended I flew away to Sweden. More on that in my next post.

Notmuchofabreak Days 3-4

2009-03-12T20:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning was a rush of preparing the Ellis films onto every format known to man. We never got word back from the folks at the Phillips Center on how they wanted us to deliver the films so we brought up DVDs, QT files, even DV tape. I wasn't looking forward to the drive, but seeing the films on that huge screen in the auditorium was definitely worth it. I was very pleased and I'm looking forward to March 20th when they'll play behind the ballet. We've decided to tape the whole event with two HD camcorders (Chris Walker, I'll send you a copy... the films contain some of the footage you shot for me).

Today I felt moody, and resentful of all the people enjoying themselves at the beach during spring break. It took a lot of motivation, but I sat at the computer all day going down a list of things I wanted to accomplish... from burning DVDs to sending them off to festivals... to following up on all the things I've been putting off communicating about. I must have written three dozen emails at least. I rewarded myself by riding my bike to my wonderful hot yoga studio in Longwood. When I'm in Gainesville next week I'm going to try to go to a hot yoga place up there that I've heard good things about.

I'm worried about the films, about finances, about putting on weight, about worrying. I feel self-centered and edgy. I want to spend days alternating between cleaning my house and walking in the woods. I dream about being on a boat in the middle of the ocean. I miss the people I like who live in other places.

Heading to Jax tomorrow for the 15K River Run, a 7-year-long tradition. I hope to get some beach time while I'm up there... staring at the water.

Breaking Spring Day Two

2009-03-10T19:44:00.000-07:00

Just slightly more energy today. I took a bike ride up to Walgreens yesterday and bought some meds. One of them (Advil Cold and Sinus) had something in it that required my signature and drivers license. I guess that's in case I'm running a Meth lab. It certainly juiced me up yesterday evening. I enjoyed the new daylight savings time by cleaning up branches and pine cones in our yard, which is a totally neglected disaster. I can't wait to stop spending money on films and get my house put back together.

Anyway, this morning I laid out my new notecards and got to work on wrapping up Act1A: the technology session of the workshop. At the end I found a perfect transition to last year's winner. Steve Goldman plays the midi of Joe Columbo's orchestra piece. This will go well into a bite or two with Joe, who then talks about Stella, so that will get me to the concert. I hope it works.

I had to break in the middle of the day to pick up my laptop, which has been transformed from a tiger to a leopard. I guess it can climb trees now. I also got the final cuts of music from Stella for the Ellis films. After a quick stop at the grocery store I was able to drop in the new music tracks without much trouble, thank goodness. Ben showed me a great procedure for doing this with markers inside the sequence.

Tonight I wrapped up with a little more digitizing. I won't get much done tomorrow because I have to drive to Gainesville for a screen test of the films.

Interesting note of the day: The "Sarasota 350" is holding an "alternative film festival of rejects" across town, during the Sarasota Film Festival. I like this grassroots idea and as a member of the Sarasota 350 I submitted Dear Mr. Gore. If you want to learn more, read this article in the Sarasota Newspaper.

Spring Break Day One

2009-03-09T20:45:00.000-07:00

It's official: I have a cold. I am feverishly blowing my nose and staying in my pajamas all day. I don't have much energy, but I see this as a good thing because it's forcing me to sit at my computer and work on my film.

Today I went back through the first five minutes of YCC and discovered two important things:
1). It needs more energy
2). It needs more structure
These are two things that most documentaries need when they are first being born, I think. So, I made notes for Tim where I think it drags. Then, I went and found more sound to give it more structure. I still struggle with inserting new clips without making the whole sequence go haywire...knocking things out of place, unsynching the audio, etc. If anyone reading this has any suggestions, please let me know. For now, what I do is make a copy of the project and fiddle around with the copy. Then I show Tim the copy and he "does it" to the original. I know there must be better ways to operate. It's a good thing brain surgeons don't work this way.

This evening I made several index cards and placed them on the piano in my edit pit:
First card: Central Organizing Principle: Talent and Perseverance lead to Creativity and Success
Second card: Act one must answer two important questions: What is going on here? Why does any of this matter?
Third card: Act 1A: The workshop (list of elements follows)
Fourth card: Act 1B: The rehearsal (list of elements)
Fifth card: Act 1C: The concert (list of elements)
The end of Act 1 will be Stella Sung taking a bow. I've decided I need just a few title screens for transitions. I still like the idea of a "young famous composer history" at the beginning and I have two students trying to find me drawings/photos for that.

It was definitely worth taking a day just to observe, take notes, organize and regroup. This spring break is going to go by very fast.

Young Composers Challenge

2009-02-01T07:22:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking a lot about whether to/how to tie into my documentary about young composers... stories, histories, information, connections with... famous composers who started young. I've been thinking about that little history lesson about General Sherman that McElwee does at the start of "Sherman's March." I wonder if I could begin this film with a clever little history lesson on Bach, Beethoven, Mendelson and Clara Schumann... child prodigies of their day.

So, I went to the glorious UCF library and checked out several books on the lives of the composers. Fascinating stories here... like the jealousy between JS and CS Bach. CS was older, and jealous of his little brother's talent, so he hid music from him. JS found it and snuck it out at night and copied it. When CS found out, he snatched it away from his little brother. Clara was a piano prodigy whom her piano-teaching father totally exploited for his own gain. He drug her all around Europe to make money for the family. She married Robert Schumann, who was her father's piano pupil, but later reportedly had an affair with Brahms.

To do this sort of thing I think I would need narration, and I would need to find some visuals. I've got a book on how composers have been portrayed by Hollywood in movies, but I don't know if I could afford to clear the copyrights. I was thinking about having Stella Sung and Chris Wilkins read these stories as voiceovers.

Also, Tim has come up with an idea for an animated open: In front of a red curtain, a music staff floats into frame like a magic carpet. Caricatures of the 5 teens are riding on the carpet, each playing their instruments. The magic carpet floats around, then leaves the frame and musical notes from the carpet "hang" on the carpet and become the title. The red curtain opens and the five teen caricatures are standing on the stage, taking a bow. Or... the musical notes could float onto a page on one side of a book and each teen's photograph could appear one at a time on the opposite page of the book.

Then, after the "history lesson" and "animated open" I'll begin the film with the workshop. I'm getting psyched about working on this again.

Plate spinning fun

2009-01-14T20:40:00.000-08:00

It is amazing how much time and money it takes to promote your film when it's finished. It's a fun thing to do, but something I never thought much about. Last week I received my harshest review and this week I've received the best... the one I was hoping for from someone important. Up and down, up and down. I feel like I'm on a trampoline.

I'm working with Ben, rushing to get this Rockwell film finished in time to submit to the mobile film festival. Gosh, this thing has been a ton of work. And then, there's this film for the Ellis Island ballet. I'm feeling much better about the way this film is turning out but there's not much time to get that finished, either.

Today I shot another interview with Steve Goldman. I realized as I digitized the tape at home that I had forgotten to switch my camera setting back to HDV from DV. ARGH! I guess I'll just use his sound. Otherwise, the meeing was terrific. He's going to back me on an animated open for the YCC doc... something I've always wanted.

And then next week I have a shoot on my rocket scientist documentary. I've been working with Wally on his presentation before 300 people in the LIFE program at UCF. I hope I can get some students to commit soon to helping me shoot this thing. It's Tuesday morning and I'm sort of beginning to panic.

Many plates in the air. And then, there are my students. They help me get through all of this. No, they do more than that. They remind me of how fun all this is.

Back at school

2009-01-08T13:00:00.000-08:00

I was in a great mood when I woke up this morning and I slowly realized it was probably because I was heading back to class with my documentary students. I love them.

I continue to send "Dear Mr. Gore" out to various festivals, hoping SOMEBODY will like this film and program it. I had a nightmare last night that it did not get into the Florida Film Festival and I was told the reason was because there were too many audio problems.

I was able to successfully videotape the death of two brussel sprout plants in my guest bedroom last week. I'm hopeful about the Ellis Island ballet film, but nervous about the trip to Gainesville next week when my team and I show the choreographer what we've done so far.

The Rockwell Project is heating up again. I was actually able to do a revised cut all by myself and I like it, but it needs polishing. What am I going to do when Ben graduates and moves away? I need to learn more from him in a hurry.

I need to get cracking on Young Composers Challenge. I've now lost confidence in what I've shot so far, but if I can get back in there and look at the footage again, I might be happy. Who knows. These little projects with Stella have been a bit distracting.

Bad Plant Tape

2008-12-26T19:59:00.001-08:00

Well, the plant finally died and I cued-up the tape with great anticipation. That's when the error message flashed: "heads need cleaning!" ARGH! Turns out we got NONE of the plant homicide shots on tape. Fortunately, I had a little digital camera set up as well and the stills turned out "OK." Some of them are out of focus because it's just a little crappy point and shoot... but I think they'll do. I need to buy a head cleaning tape and TRY AGAIN. Darn. I'm doing well, though. No panic and no temper tantrum. I think I'm just tired.

A Byline

2008-12-22T21:22:00.000-08:00

Documentary Magazine, Winter 2009, p.18. "Rouch's Revolution: The Roots of Reality." This is the first time I've ever been published in a national magazine. It's just a book review, but it feels so fabulous, I cannot believe it. FINALLY!

Botanical homicide

2008-12-22T20:37:00.000-08:00

There is a small bell pepper plant slowly dying a death without dignity in my home. It is set up in front of and on top of several sheets of chroma key blue poster paper inside the walk-in closet of my bedroom. I poured a herbicide on the roots yesterday morning, then aimed a desk lamp upon the plant and waited. Every three hours or so I rolled my camcorder and snapped a digital still. The plant lived on. Last night I squirted more herbicide onto the leaves and stems. This morning, the plant lived on. I began shouting obscenities at it every two hours or so... just walking by the closet and screaming, "die, plant, die!" This evening, the leaves began to shrivel. The little white flowers have closed up and are turning brown. I am sad. I feel guilty. But, I roll my tape and snap my stills.

This little plant is sacrificing its life for "art." It will become one of several abstract images my team and I are assembling as a background film for a ballet about Ellis Island. The plant is supposed to symbolize the Irish potato famine. I could not find a potato plant, although I spent most of one whole morning last week on the telephone with agricultural extension agents all over Central Florida. When I told them what I was doing, that I wanted to commit botanical homicide, they snickered and referred me to someone else. After hours of frustrating phone calls and the discovery that NO ONE in Central Florida grows potatoes, I looked up the potato plant on the internet. It looked almost exactly like a bell pepper plant. So, I went to Lowes and bought a bell pepper plant. And now that innocent bell pepper plant is a victim of art.

Also victims of this particular "art:" two antique windows from A&T Antiques on Orange Avenue. We rolled tape as we threw rocks through the glass. Half a bag of flour and an old fan from my garage were destroyed while Ben and I tried to create a "dust storm" in a parking lot on Friday.

About this project, some would say it is "artistically challenging," and that it is "taking me beyond my comfort zone." I choose to say "I have no idea what I'm doing but I desperately hope some of this will work."

post-term let-go

2008-12-14T18:57:00.000-08:00

Fall term is over, grades are turned in, and I'm trying to pull my mind out of several instances of melodrama that arose last week. I'm unhappy about the capstone doc screening for a number of reasons, but I need to let go of that the way I let go of my audio cassettes today. It's time for a new TV and that means a new piece of furniture to put it on, and there's no room for an audio cassette deck that we never use anyway. So today we decided we would throw away about 3-dozen audio cassettes that we've collected over the past 20 years. It was a tough decision, looking at our handwriting on most of them, remembering for a few moments where we were when we listened to a particular album... smashing pumpkins, counting crows, home-made compilations, etc. They're out in the trash now and tonight when I go to bed I'm going to try to prevent the anxiety nightmares I've been having by envisioning my melodramas at the bottom of the pile in the trash can... that will be out on the curb in the morning.

Preparing for Thanksgiving

2008-11-16T12:25:00.000-08:00

I shot "Dear Mr. Gore" on a crappy old PD 150 and it's finally finished and I am more proud of this thing than any other thing I've done in my whole life, even my dissertation.

Actually, there are a few bits that Tim shot on his news camera, a very heavy SONY-IKE-CANON hybrid that ordinarily would be shooting homicides, brush fires and accidents. Speaking of accidents, the left rear wheel flew off the WESH-TV live truck Tim was driving Friday night. He was doing 60 mph westbound on SR 528, approaching the toll booths at SR 417. The huge, heavy van with the microwave mast on top and thousands of pounds of video production gear inside fishtailed wildly as Tim struggled to keep the thing under control and bring it to a stop. As he sat there shaking, he looked in his rearview mirror to see a man jump out of his semi-tractor trailer with a fire extinguisher to put out the fire on the rear axle. A few minutes later when Tim called me his voice was still shaking. Writing about it makes me feel only slightly less upset. I've been clinging to him all weekend. I don't want to let him out of my sight.

There is so much to say about the films at this point I don't know where to begin. I'm becoming so obsessed with my film work that I am beginning to resent most anything that takes me away from it, with a few exceptions. I'm beginning to feel confident about Dear Mr. Gore and that frightens me. I think throughout my life a defense mechanism against disappointment has been to have very low expectations of my work. This is ridiculous, since mostly I've worked hard and gotten what I'd hoped the work would bring me. But this time... I just don't know. I get nauseated just thinking about it. I'll move on.

This is also the time of the term when I get a little irritable. Students hand in piles of work and a lot of it is obviously done at the last minute and I lose patience. I need to relax. I also am reminded that at times my line of questioning can get interrogatory, even intimidating (I think this comes from my tough journalism background and the way I've been questioned by various nasty bosses over the years). I need to be quiet and listen.

Away from the personal: today we shot some animation for the Dear Mr. Gore open using a really low-tech idea and Evan's artwork. I find Evan's approach to creativity intense, yet refreshing. He carefully considers what the outcome of an action might be, but is also very flexible and willing to experiment. Tim can be stubborn, but Evan remains patient and insistent, and in the end, Tim usually listens to him. They ultimately end-up working well together. I step back and watch.

I anxiously await new music cuts from my composer at NYU and I wish people at the music companies I contacted would respond. I spent $150 for the rights to a photograph this week.

I guess everything is personal with me. There is no way to extract my work from my personal life. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but that's just the way it is. I am very grateful to everyone who is inspiring me right now and I ask for their patience.

Festival Submissions

2008-10-18T08:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was stressful, but productive. I was working fast to get two films ready to submit to the Florida Film Festival. The first was a 15 minute short: SAM RIVERS: JAZZ MASTER OF THE MOMENT. I'm just producing this one. Stephanie Rice directed and edited it. Ben Jaffe did a polish edit. I kept an eye on the DVD production and then got it over to FFF. I think they're interested and will seriously consider it. They can draw a lot of Sam Rivers fans to the festival if they screen it.

At the same time yesterday, I was polishing a 95% rough cut of DEAR MR. GORE. I submitted early to FFF with a hole for the Mayor Buddy Dyer ride. I also submitted an explanation of what else will change, such as beeping out expletives, audio and color polish, etc. I have no idea what the selection committee will think of this film. They may think it is self-indulgent hogwash. I went to bed last night sweating about it but at least I can say that I had something to say, shot a film about it, and actually completed the film. I guess that's worth something.

Now, it's onto the challenge of editing YOUNG COMPOSERS CHALLENGE, which is definitely a challenge to cut. Synching three different audio tracks is a nightmare, but thank God Tim is patient. More later.

Sam's Potential

2008-10-18T08:35:00.001-07:00

I just have to post because I'm so excited by what I'm seeing on Sam Torres' blog. I think for the first time I'm getting an indication that Sam knows exactly what he wants and he has the confidence to express the fact that he knows what to do to get what he wants. That's always an exciting moment for an artist. The moment never lasts... but at least Sam recognizes it and has celebrated it. Also, the videos he posted from his Doc Workshop research are terrific. They confirm he's onto a good documentary subject. Nice work shooting as well. I can't wait to talk to him some more about Matt Butcher.

MOFILM

2008-10-11T13:17:00.001-07:00

The film Tim, Ben and I made from Stella Sung's Rockwell Reflections will be submitted to a handheld device film festival in Barcelona in February. We showed draft one to Stella and Chris Wilkins yesterday at the offices of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra.

Malaise

2008-10-11T12:46:00.000-07:00

I had an incredible workload this past week and I got everything I wanted to do DONE, including grading, etc. So, why do I feel so low today? I have no idea. It could have something to do with finding out yesterday that I'm teaching an "extra" extra class this spring. This fall I was only supposed to teach two, but then it became clear the doc capstone students needed a regularly scheduled meeting time of their own, so I added that and a directed research to my plate. Mind you, I'm not getting teaching credit for either of those added things.

Then, I was supposed to only teach two things this spring, but then yesterday they added another class, plus I'll continue with the capstone meetings and the directed research. It's a load every bit as heavy as I taught when I was an instructor with no research or creative activity requirement.

I'm trying not to complain out loud, but I'm allowed to vent here. I not only wonder now how I can do "quality" work. I wonder how I'm supposed to get any work done at all.

Pressure

2008-10-09T17:15:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while for a couple of reasons. First, the usual excuse of having way too many plates spinning at the same time, trying to keep them all going. Second, a hesitancy to share thoughts that accompany emotions. I'll never be able to NOT edit myself. I learned how to do it early, about 8th grade, when I began writing. Learning how to edit video gave me more skill in that department.

I feel like the documentary shoots have generally been going well. The YCC concert September 28th was complex, but I did more difficult things in news. When everyone involved is cooperative and happy to be there it makes complex work much easier. The shoot with Mayor Dyer this morning also went well. His "folks" were nice and he seems like a genuinely compassionate human being, though I could tell he's been snake-bitten by the media and as a result, his interaction with me was guarded.

Dear Mr. Gore is 90% finished so we sent it off to Sundance, what the heck. Sam Rivers just needs a few finishing touches and we'll be submitting that to the Florida Film Fesival. Rockwell draft one is going to be viewed by Stella and Chris tomorrow. We intend to submit to the first International Mobile Film Festival in Barcelona. I just really hope that SOME of my work gets into these festivals or I'm going to be out of a job in 3 years. The pressure is incredible. Sometimes I feel like I can barely hold it together.

I have to say I just adore my students. They truly inspire me. I got great projects from doc workshop, good treatments from capstone and the story class seems very engaged. I'm so lucky. What a great job. Loving it so much is what makes this "festival pressure" so damn unbearable. I think I'd better stop here.

Entertainment Value

2008-09-15T20:59:00.000-07:00

I'm kind of uncomfortable with the notion of "entertainment value." That was something the evil consultants talked about when they made their annual visit we all dreaded to the newsroom. However... I am attempting to make sure that my documentary, "Dear Mr. Gore" has some of this. I'm trying to be humorous and quirky. I'm not sure I can pull this off, but you never know unless you try.

From 8am to 3pm Saturday we shot and cut a segment I came up with purely in the attempt to add some "EV." It cut together well. It's short. It's cute. It will be interesting to see how people react.

David Fanning

2008-09-12T13:31:00.001-07:00

Thanks so much to Linda Chapin for treating me to a WMFE special event with David Fanning. His speech about documentary on television was very inspiring. It was nice to hear someone speak who still has faith that television can deliver excellent, important journalism. He believes Public Television is at a crossroads where it can provide the kinds of journalistic and thought-provoking programs that commercial networks cannot or will not provide.

Driving home, I had the idea that the next president should appoint an independent "Media Czar" to whip our corporate media into shape, since the FCC doesn't seem to be able to do that. This person would operate out of NYC and LA instead of Washington and would refuse to grant any appointments with special interest groups. CEOs would be told that in order to uphold the media's obligation to serve the public, profits of more than 10% would be deemed illegal. Would this hold up before the U.S. Supreme Court? Doubtful, but wouldn't it be fun to watch people like Murdoch squirm. I think the first Czar appointed should be Ted Turner.

A good week

2008-09-12T12:56:00.000-07:00

I made an extra effort to get good rest and be organized this week. It paid off. I hope I can keep it up. I felt like my classes went well Mon-Tues. I was thrilled to host the Capstone Documentary students in my new lab/office Wednesday morning. I like all of their topics, and as I would expect, they are very ambitious at this stage. The MFA students are fantastic. We are very lucky to have such interested, engaged and energetic guys starting their journey toward features here.

Last week I was worrying about not having time to work on my films now that school has started. I'm happy to report that this week I did get a good amount of work done. I've worked on the YCC budget and called a couple of the families to confirm their presence at the concert. I've got the stage setup worked out with the orchestra folks. Yesterday morning and this morning I got a decent amount of editing done on Dear Mr. Gore and Wally's Movie. Next week I want to start cutting the open to YCC. I really need a better title for this film.

I have a few papers to grade before Monday but it's not bad. I should have time to do some fun things this weekend. I'm dying to get outside... I've got cabin fever.

For next week: looking forward to the Q&A Wednesday night after I screen Who's Next at the Global Peace Film Festival.

New McElwee Book

2008-09-08T20:22:00.000-07:00

Since I wrote the review last week of the first book dedicated to Ross McElwee's works, I've been thinking a lot about the Southern film maker. The book contains segments of interviews McElwee has done over the years and an article he wrote for a Paris film maker magazine. He continually talks about the difficulty of WRITING his narrative tracks. It's a slow and laborious process for him. Anyway, the book is definitely worth reading and it's about time somebody wrote a book about McElwee. He invented the personal film genre. The book is called Landscapes of the Self: The Cinema of Ross McElwee.

How long should it take to finish a feature doc?

2008-09-06T20:33:00.001-07:00

I've been worrying a lot lately about when I'll finish any of these three films. A colleague reassured me this week by insisting that postproduction on any feature takes at least a year. That made me feel better, but only a little. Since school began I haven't sat down to do any editing but I have been busy doing little tasks that needed to get done, like having documents scanned, certain tapes dubbed, planning for the YCC concert and reconnecting with those teenagers. Coming out of a deadline-driven journalistic background I think I'll always feel rushed. I could go to the computer and actually finish the bicycle documentary in a couple of days with what I have, but it wouldn't be what I envision it to be. I just have to be more patient.

Cannot Sleep

2008-09-03T23:57:00.000-07:00

I woke up at 1:30am and could not get back to sleep because I'm so worried about not having time to work on my films now that school has started. The second week of school isn't even over yet and already I'm feeling overwhelmed and discouraged. I'm losing control of my days due to appointments, meetings, commitments, etc. I also feel like I'm back to carrying far too much heavy stuff around all day. My neck and shoulders really feel it when I lie down at night. I'm not eating properly, I'm not getting enough sleep at night, and I'm not getting enough exercise to ward off the stress. How can I get things back under control?

I'm shooting with Wally in the morning. I need to get pickups of him with his DVD. He also wants to talk to me about what he's discovered about "mining the moon." I feel like he wants me to continue shooting this film, but I feel like I have enough already. How do I disconnect from the main character in my film without alienating him? I don't want to hurt his feelings and I want to stay in touch but I cannot continue shooting indefinitely. I hope Erika gets the photo montage done soon. I need something to get me motivated to get back to the edit on this film.

Labor Day

2008-09-01T14:45:00.000-07:00

Focusing on what I did accomplish each day is difficult because instead, around 5pm, I tend to worry about what I did not get done. However, if I try to make a list of things I accomplished each day at the end of the day (without padding) I may be able to relax more at night and get the rest I need. So, here's my first list:
1). Wrote first draft of my first book review for Documentary Magazine
2). Authored DVD for a band that will work with me on the score of Dear Mr. Gore
3). Organized my classwork for the week into piles
4). Made a list of things to do tomorrow
5). Completed an equipment checkout list for tomorrow
6). Put my camera batteries on charge for tomorrow
7). Got caught up on emails

Oh yeah, and I almost forgot:
8). Started my blog