Film Festivals: Where is Radioactive Veteran showing (so far)?

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I always envision updating this site regularly but it just seems to fall by the wayside all too often.  But I am taking a second today to just share our poster for the movie coming out.  It premieres out west in UT and here in the east in VA this weekend!

If you happen to be a doc movie goer or know someone who is then here is a current list of where Radioactive Veteran has been accepted and is showing:

http://www.skylineindiefilmfest.org/

http://docutah.com/

http://www.fullbloomfilmfestival.com/

https://filmfreeway.com/festival/FilmSPARK

http://www.indigomoonfilmfestival.com/

I was hoping to make it to the premiere out west at DocUtah but funding and timing were an issue for me.  Luckily the Director, Mark Wampler will be in attendance.  However, fate played a tricky hand and the Skyline Film Festival will be showing it this coming Friday at 9 PM.  That gives Producer, Brad Bethel and Assistant Producer (Me), time to drive way on up there to finally see this thing live along with an audience.  Winchester, VA here we come.

We are of course very excited to see what other movies are there and I am certainly looking forward to seeing what creative ideas can get flowing for the future.

Again I just have to say how fortunate I feel to have been included on this project.  From the first conversation to where we are now, I am very proud of how this all came together.  I don’t ever hide the fact that I have not been making movies or editing video for that long…compared to so many others.  So for me to have been in on the ground level on Radioactive Veteran gave me a chance to see how a movie can be made from cradle to screen.  It takes a lot more than I would have thought…that is for sure.  And there are so so so many moving parts.  So much communication at a high level is required.  It’s a literal interpretation of “it takes teamwork to make the dream work”.  I don’t throw around catchy phrases like that unless I am trying to be sarcastic…usually.  But in this case it’s just so true.  Making something like this takes a team where everyone puts in their best.

I am just such a lucky guy to have landed in such a great project.  Anyway…you MUST see this movie!

RV-Laurels

Summer Storm

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I don’t get the chance often to create from a totally creative perspective.  You know…just something to mess around with for fun.  When you are paying bills with video work you do end up surrendering a lot to what makes the client happy, it’s inevitable.  Also, after you start doing paid work it’s hard to find the time and motivation to work on something purely for enjoyment.  Also there is the risk of creating something that isn’t shiny, perfected and may seem amateurish to others.

But tonight I FINALLY put aside some time and put together some fun footage that I had on hand.

Here it is…then more story to follow below after the video.

Summer Storm from Charles Morris on Vimeo.

I first recorded the lighting night shots perhaps…last summer?  I was at home, and already a fan of night photography so thought I could capture some lightning if I just set up my camera for an extended period of time…and then slowed down the footage to grab stills of lightning in action.  Instead though I have been at work scrubbing through the 30 minutes of footage for nearly a year…pulling out blackness to only leave the lightning portions remaining.  Right away I realized that if I just pulled out all the blackness, there would be no lightning.  If it was all light, there would be no way to tell when the flashes were, it would just be like some sort of crazy daylight.  I ended up trying to balance it out with equal dark and light…then I time compressed it.

Focus was also an issue.  It’s hard to focus when there is only lightning flashing. So, it’s a bit off.

For the daylight video, it was just taken 4 days ago, when there was a HUGE storm here in my area.  My daughter and I were out at this perfect sunset watching/stormcloud watching spot…a local secret spot for photographers (and I am still not going to name it!)  Sadly I didn’t have my camera with me that day…as we had no idea such a wild storm was brewing.  I have to say that when we got there it was just in time to witness the most intense real life cloud movements I have ever seen.  Even though the footage you saw in the video was time compressed…about 8 minutes down to 40 seconds or so…the video feels the way it felt in real life.  The clouds were moving so fast and the colors were so intense. I have never seen anything like it.

Back to cameras…all we had on us was my daughters’s iPhone 5.  I set it down propped up against my sandals on the side of the road, from two different angles.

About 5 minutes after the footage ends, the daylight stuff, it was storming so hard that people had to stay inside the building nearby for nearly 45 minutes due to lightning and rain.  It was awesome.

It only occurred to me later to tack on my beloved night lightning footage to the piece.

When the editing was done I wondered about music.  Add in someone else’s audio from storms?  Wind sounds?  U2’s Bullet the Blue Sky?  I am very careful about copyright stuff though so searched for something else.  My son mentions these guys who make Youtube videos/musical compositions named Derek and Brandon Fiechter.  So I looked them up and found this video.

I liked it…dropped it in and that magical thing happened where, with no editing at all…it somehow appeared synched to my footage.  I emailed Brandon and Derek to ask them their permission to use the song and within 10 minutes they graciously agreed.

Anywhoo…that’s the story.

Small World!

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So…today I am editing some photos for a client’s website.  Like this one…

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He needs some new headshots and when we made the video below…he asked me to snap a few shots.

He has just put his new site together and after I emailed him to confirm that they were waiting for him there in the Dropbox folder…I think “hey, I should drop by his site and take a look around.”

So I drop by to take a look.  Here…you take a look too.

http://www.risksandreligion.org/

Then I read to the bottom of the home page (as you may have just done as well) and saw the following:

“In a past life, Phil was a musician for Baobab and Crowdsource. One song ended up on a GoPro commercial (here).”

I click on the link to watch the following video:

First of all…what a fricking gorgeous video.  Secondly…my buddy Phil made the awesome music and though I knew he did more than talk about the end of the world…I didn’t realize that he was on that kind of level as a musician.  Well done Phil!  What a (humble) guy.  When I ask him about his musical past he only says “I used to play music”.

The reason my posting here is titled “Small World” is because in my other, non- video, life I have a part time job in an outdoor retail shop where we sell GoPro cameras.  We have a kiosk for GoPro with a screen that plays GoPro vids on a loop.  The video I have been watching now for over 2 years has this pelican in it!  All this time I have been watching a video that Phil helped make and I never even knew it.

That’s a small world!

Rad Vets To Premiere at DocUtah!

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If you follow my blog you are probably sorta tired of hearing about Radioactive Veteran.  I SWEAR to you that I am working on lots of other fun projects as well.  But just too tired to write about them…because I am working on them instead of writing about them.

I just posted yesterday that Radioactive Veteran got fully funded…right?  I mean, that’s good news.

Well tonight the producer, Bradley Bethel, group messaged us that our doc got accepted into DocUtah.  Is that fricking off the charts cool…or what?

Hint..the answer isn’t “or what”.

DocUtah is an international film festival.  That’s classy.  But you know what is even better?  It is in St. George, Utah.  St. George Utah is one of the primary towns affected by the very kinds of tests that Radioactive Veteran highlights.

As one local resident put it back in the 1950’s…

“I remember thinking that it was normal to see piles of dead lambs …”

Claudia Peterson

stgeorge

What could be a more fitting location to kick off  this film’s public entree?  I can’t think of one.

We hope you’ll come out and see it.  More details to follow once we know them on precisely what time of day the film will premiere.

Radioactive Veterans Gets Fully Funded

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Bradley Bethel (Producer) and Mark Wampler (Director)

I have been very fortunate in my short life so far working in video.  My first professional foray into the field resulted in being an Associate Producer of Radioactive Veteran, a movie about…well…just read my previous posts.  In short, it’s fricking awesome. It also just got fully funded to the tune of 10K on Seed & Spark.

The two guys above were part of the team that it wouldn’t have happened without.  I first met Brad in the video biz when he screened his movie Unverified here in Chapel Hill.  I was really impressed with it.  I had worked with him in another capacity outside of the video realm for a while…and was always hampering with notions that perhaps someday we could work together.  Now we have and it was great.

I met Mark when I heard he was looking for help with turning a whole lot of great information and footage into a full fledged documentary.

We met for coffee and…well…now it is fully funded.  It’s been a great process for me to watch unfold and I learned a lot.  Mainly what I learned is that it takes a team.  Also I learned that though there are many times when you are up against a deadline…the fact is that nothing really happens quickly.  There will be so many revisions and so many late nights and “last minute changes” and “it’s good…but how about we change this…?”

I am hoping to be able to attend some of the film festivals where this movie will ideally (fingers crossed) be showing.  If it comes to a town near you, check it out.  Especially if you know of any vets from the WWII era…it’s really a riveting look into their lives.

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Mission: Recycling Matters

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Recycling isn’t what you think it is.  It runs deep.  It is saving our planet.  And it is on the ropes.  Economically and politically we are in a losing battle with our excessive lifestyle.

For years I have wondered precisely what happens to a water bottle when it is recycled.  Where does it go?  Who takes it?  What is it turned into?

A few months ago I made a great connection with a local who, it turns out, is a high level expert on recycling of plastics…and waste management in general.  He mentioned that he is part of a group that is working hard to try to reinvigorate PET recycling here in the Carolinas.

 

I have teamed up with him and other associations to undertake capturing, in my own way, the story of plastics recycling.  The focus is here in the Carolinas but if one extrapolates the challenges happening here, as well as the successes, it is accurate to extend those conclusions nationwide, worldwide.

This kind of story is exactly why I got into video work.  I know that I say that about every project.  What can I say?  I love what I do.

Yesterday was spent travelling to South Carolina to film in three different facilities.  I am sort of at a loss for words to say what it was like.  The recycling industry, when taken as a whole is overwhelming.  The amount of good that it can do, is palpable, but the amount of work it takes is staggering really…commendable.

Only 30% of goods that can be recycled here in the Carolinas are currently being recycled.  Yep…7 of your 10 pals are throwing away perfectly recyclable plastic.  This project is an attempt to turn that number up a bit.  Why not have everyone recycle?

The first thing to know about recycling is that it is an incredibly dirty business.  It’s also filled with fantastic technologies, progressive thinkers, and a lot of really hard workers on the sorting floors.

Anyways…my trip to SC was fruitful.  I have one more day this upcoming week.  I can’t wait to put together the footage into a shiny new video…and down the road would love to see it spun into a documentary.  This trip was especially fun because my daughter went with me as an assistant.  I gave her my Nikon D300o to play with and my 1.8/50mm lens.  She put it in manual mode and never looked back, manually focused everything.  Over the years I have taught her a bit about composition.  I hope you like the shots she took here…there are some really lovely ones.

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Filming in Ecuador Anyone?

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You know what I like about me?  I am humble.  No..really…I swear I am.  When someone presents a project to me that I know I can’t do, I pass it on…I work to find them someone who can do the job right.  Because videography is about telling a story that can change lives.  At least for me that is what it is about.  If you don’t know how to move in an environment correctly WITH your camera and so forth, then it hinders your ability to tell the story.

Recently I met someone who needs a videographer for a really fantastic project.  I am not qualified.  I have never filmed in a third world post earthquake zone in villages leveled near the equator.  Most haven’t.  But I know there are folks out there who have come a whole lot closer to it than myself.

So…it’s late, as usual but I wanted to get to the point and share this posting before I hit the hay.  Because there is a really interesting opportunity for someone here who has experience as a videographer, can speak Spanish..and who can travel comfortably in a third world environment.

Here is the information…

Seeking a videographer to help capture the realities of life in regions of Ecuador hardest hit by the two earthquakes this last April.  This is an updated and more fully fleshed out version of an earlier posting I made.  Please feel free to post and share to anyone or groups where this might find someone up for the project.
Here is the description of what will be going on while in country, written by the director of the project.

There will be three basic filming locations: 

1.City Quito, Province Pichincha, the capital of Ecuador.   

2. The fishing city Pedernales, Province Manabi, where 85% of the buildings are now destroyed. No electricity likely to be available; water, sanitation, roads damaged or distressed. 
3. Another small village 21 Kilometer north of Pedernales, on E15 highway,  away from the epicenter where we will be living –  Rio Cuasa Eco-lodge. Primitive living conditions, but not poverty.  I do expect electricity at times, but I expect solar power and batteries will be essential. I expect composting toilets or latrines, limited  hygiene and shower facilities.
Mission is to interview the people hardest hit by the Earthquake, to capture life before the earthquake and what they would like to see their fishing city  and coastal area to now become…The new normal, and their dream of what the city could become.  Also the mission  is to highlight and capture imagery of the damage done.
Interviews will most likely be Spanish, and/or in the native languages of the area.  I expect that very little if any English will be spoken. Therefore Spanish proficiency obviously sought after, but not required.  
This is a travel expenses only gig…straight pay isn’t part of this trip at this point.  
The project runs from June 20th through June 30th.
PM me at thevideoslab@gmail.com or here on FB.

Mucho Radioactive Veteran updates!

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The latest and greatest updates on Radioactive Veteran!

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If you are first time visitor to The Video Slab here is the latest…I am in the lucky position of being an Assistant Producer for a really powerful documentary film called Radioactive Veteran.  It’s been such a privilege to have this film come into my life.  That may sound corny…but this kind of story is exactly why I spent all those nights teaching myself video editing and filming in the first place.

We just received word (we=the whole team working on this) that this movie has been accepted as a work-in-progress screening at the Film Festival of Columbus!  Yes!

BTW…here is the FB PAGE for that festival.

Anyway, we are also in the midst of a fundraising campaign to aid us in helping the full length version reach it’s full potential in terms of production value.  We are using a service called Seed & Spark.  Out of the $10K originally sought we are already halfway funded!

Currently we are 54% funded.  It’s going really really well.

But if you haven’t followed us on Seed & Spark or would like to contribute, please consider doing so.  We could really benefit from people sharing the link and following our efforts with as many people as they feel comfy doing so with.  As of today we have 26 days remaining!

Here it is…Seed&Spark!

Also here are two other fun places to get info about this project.

A radio interview…at WHUPRadio.

And a news article…Jacksonville’s JDNews

Radioactive Veteran Crowdfunding Launch…And the crowd went (hopefully) wild!

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First, watch the trailer…then come on back for some more…

 

The link you saw at the end of the video is listed below and takes you to the crowdfunding site, where you can contribute… but you know what…just wait.  Read on.

https://www.seedandspark.com/studio/radioactive-veteran#story

The more you work in video the more you realize that you can’t claim anything as your own.  Just like no millionaire ever made a dollar without all of the gears moving of every single person in their company working away.  Being part of a documentary is the same way.  I am super proud of the trailer you just watched.  Putting it together was a whole lot of fun and also had a lot of gravity wrapped into it.  It’s heavy stuff.  As the video editor, I could claim that “I” put it together because I did a lot of the edits and final cuts.  But you know…I really didn’t.  It was a team effort all the way around.  The footage you see there has been captured by 5 or 6 different people spanning the years 1953 to 2016.  The sound was offered up by two different musicians.  Final edits to the trailer were worked on by three different people.  Who gets final credit?

Who cares?

If you really care about the story, then the final credit should go to the people you are making the story about.  What matters is that the story is told well and in a way that makes people think, makes them change, makes them want a better world.

Creating a documentary isn’t like creating a commercial or a show.  It’s an art form.  And there is a canvas there that a whole lot of people got to paint on.  I was just one of them.  Am I proud to have been a part of the process?  Damn straight.  It’s a powerful story and it’s been great to move it along into the public eye in service to the literal Radioactive Veteran (Donald Guy) and his widow…and all of the hard work of Prof K and Mark Wampler.

If you love a powerful story and you want to contribute to making the world a fairer place…or if you at least want there to be more things around that can inform the public about wrongs so that they hopefully can be repaired…then you should seriously consider not just sitting back and watching this trailer.

You should really at least share it with someone who is a vet, or someone who knows one…or anyone who cares about doing the right thing and not losing track of how our country has forgotten to do so in the past.  Because making the world a better place is like making a movie.  It takes a lot of moving parts.  But if everyone works together, something beautiful can happen.  But it does take a contribution and giving what you can give at the right moments.

Radioactive Veteran is a powerful story that deserves a spotlight…with your help you can be a part of history.  To wit…”Between 1945 & 1962 there were about 550,000 Atomic-Veterans. That’s down to about 123,000 today & about 1,600 are dying monthly.”  Donald Guy was part of a story that has barely been told and it’s a story that we shouldn’t lose track of.

Okay, now go do your thing…contribute.

https://www.seedandspark.com/studio/radioactive-veteran#story

Video Release! Phil Torres’ Book-The End!

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I had such a great time working on this latest piece.  The subject, Phil, is such an interesting and compelling guy to listen to and watch.  When I was filming I was of course focused on making sure everything was working properly and keeping an ear out for background noise inducing machines, wind, etc.

It was only after I got home and started editing that I realized how inherently watchable Phil is on camera.  It was so much fun to watch I was cackling to myself.  The mission of this project was to help Phil create a meaningful explanation of his latest book,  The End.  Phil Torres is a very intriguing guy whose critical thinking is at the very edge of what humanity is up to here on Earth.  Google this guy…it’s worth a look.  Another of his many noteworthy sites is Risks and Religion.

The shoot itself was downright hilarious.  To those who are not videographers or sound techs, you would be surprised at how many everyday sounds infiltrate and disturb things when one is trying to make a video.   On the day of shooting we battled: Refrigerators, telephones, dogs barking, chainsaws, numerous airplanes, and window rattling wind.

I love the final product that resulted and couldn’t be happier with how it all came together.  Tantamount to completion was working with consultant Brad Bethel (@BradleyBethel).  He made the overall vision a breeze to keep track of and it wouldn’t have come together without him.

The biggest surprise of all though was in a local sound guy and musician named Saman Khoujianan.  We lost our original soundtrack person and needed a new one in a pinch.  Saman stepped up to the plate and delivered a home run in my opinion.  I was thinking along the lines of “somber piano with a building tension” but we gave him free reign to just do whatever occurred to him.  In an early response he mentioned using a vibraphone patch.  I read the email, bleary eyed late at night no doubt and chuckled as I said it sounded fine…because I had no idea what the heck he was talking about. I still don’t know what a vibraphone patch is, but if that is what he used for the original score, then I think I like them.  I didn’t think sound would have a place as a character in a promotional video for a book.  But Saman’s score is interactive, playful and sometimes I listen to it just to hear it all over again.

Anyway, if you can’t tell…I am very psyched to have had the chance to be a part of this little project and hope you like it too.  If you watch the video and enjoy it…and furthermore…if you find the subject matter Phil is speaking about tantalizing..then share this posting (or at least the video) with others who might enjoy it.