My Trip to Maryland

I just came back from Maryland. Had a blast down there, I always do. Got some good practice in with the new camera which was great. I'll throw some of it up here in a few days. It's really difficult to take bad shots with this thing.

While at my all time favorite bar, Cancoon Cantina, I came up with a movie idea. It will most likely be a romantic comedy set in and around a country bar. Why? because I'd like to have an excuse to go back again, and while sipping a beer, looking out at the line dancers in front of the main stage, slow dancing to some good country music, I realized that there is something romantic, something very deep and pure about a slow line dance.

I nearly shed a tear thinking about it. The cowboy boots, and hats, and the women in their dresses. There is something nostalgic about it, which I think would make for an interesting story. We'll see what comes of that.

In the mean time, here is a country song I was just turned on to.

Clonehunter (North American) Trailer

Here is a trailer I cut for an independant film called Clonehunter. The film is directed by Andrew Bellware, a brilliant no budget filmmaker who looks great in feathered masks.

Andrew composed the music, and Ben Thomas, the clonehunter himself did the VO. I simply edited the piece. It's very exciting for me as it is the first time my work will be viewed in such a large, professional capacity.

Clonehunter Trailer (N. America v3) from Ralph Boswell on Vimeo.

It's Here, It's Here, It's Here

My camera came in today. Thank you very much Adorama. You not only saved me the embarrassment of explaining to a client that I can't make her promotional video because my camera is backordered; you also got the camera to me in enough time to bring it to Maryland and this weekend so I can figure out how to use it.

I shall have to leave work early so I can go pick it up before catching my ride down south. I'm so excited, I can't stop smiling, and people at my job are giving me strange looks.

Something to think about. When in history did it become a bad thing to smile at work? If I had to guess, some guy was probably smiling right before he lost his mind and started streaking through the rows of cubicles.

Low/No Budget Films

I found this while cruising through YouTube. Just goes to show you what you can do with a lot of ambition and very little money. Rock on guys.

The Pieces Are Coming Together

I received a large package from UPS yesterday, I bet by now you can guess what was in it. It was everything for my camera rig, except the camera and the shoulder mount. Very exciting stuff, although it's a bit of a tease. I sat and played with my new toys for about five minutes before a thought set in. All of this nifty stuff is useless without the camera.

However, I had to call Adorama Customer Service today to correct an issue with billing (they were very polite and helpful, and quickly solved my problem) and I found out the camera is shipping today, which, if the accessory package is any indication, means the camera will be here tomorrow. If that should be the case, I'm hoping to pick it up before heading to Maryland for the weekend. That way I can learn how to use the darn thing, and shoot some test footage of my buddy and I riding ATVs.

Super excited!

The Road

So I popped a copy of The Road into my DVD player last night, and much to my surprise, I stayed awake into the wee hours to finish it. Now I should explain this a bit. I generally do all my movie watching late at night, as this is when I get the time to relax. Generally, I will start a movie around midnight, and make it about half way through before I start passing out. I then resume the movie the next night. Few and far between are the movie that keep me up for the whole film in one sitting.

The Road is about a father and son traveling through a post apocalyptic world trying to survive.
I expected the movie to be good, but HOLY CRAP. Cinematically, it was beautiful. The set designer and CGI artist really did a great job of putting together a post apocalyptic world. The interaction between the young boy and his father is at times uplifting, tear jerking, and gut wrenching. The dramatic scenes truly had me on the edge of my seat. Movie trailers say that all the time "it'll have you on the edge of your seat" but this really did.

My favorite part of the movie was the consistency of the theme. For the Save the Cat readers out there, I can't remember where it was stated, but there was a constant theme of humanity. The loss of humanity in the cannibalistic survivors, the struggle of the father to maintain his humanity via caring for a protecting the boy, and the boy himself, an innocent, who despite being born in this waste land, is a constant reminder of the world that was. As the dad (Vigo Mortensen) begins to lose his kindness, becoming hardened by the world around him, it is the boy who reminds him that they are the "good guys", preventing him from becoming blood thirsty like so many of the other survivors.

All and all, top notch flick. Definitely give it a view.

Camera En Route

Well I've done it. I place the order for my camera rig last Wednesday. The order for the camera and the lenses didn't go in until Friday due to the shop being closed, but the IndiSystem Ultra Compact shoulder mount should be here any day now. I imagine I'll be running around pretending the camera is attached when it gets here.

I'm really not sure when the camera and accessories will arrive, as the camera is still backordered, but let's keep our fingers crossed. I'm sort of scheduled to shoot a promo video a week from Thursday, and it would be great to have the camera and the extra lenses available for use.

No matter when it gets here, the first item on the to- do- list is to read the manual and go shoot some test footage.