Topo Designs
Tivoli Audio
Andrew + Carissa Gallo
Ori Love
Brooke Shaden Current Favorites
Andrew Wilding & George Augusto’s ANIMA
Despite my lack of good form on posting regularly (I need to fix that), it is very rare for me to share short films that I discover on the internet, just because there are few worth sharing. 3 years ago, I caught Andrew Wilding’s PIANO MAN on Vimeo and I was instantly a fan of his creativity and photographic language. The sad part is, Andrew didn’t post anything else since…until now. ANIMA is a bit more arthouse-rounded than PIANO MAN, but it’s also so incredibly simple, original, and tasteful in so many ways. As a cinematographer, I envy the color palette and seasonal inspirations. As a storyteller, it’s quite an inspiration to let go of exposition and allow the mind, eyes, and ears to put together the messages being shared. Enjoy ANIMA. Show Andrew and his collaborator George Augusto (whom I think I actually know through 3rd party acquaintances…weird) some love.
Grizzly Bear – Sleeping Ute
AMERICAN SHUTTLE
My newest film out of AFI has arrived.
A smalltime escort driver with big dreams for his future encounters a chance to do something good for someone else.
-AFI CYCLE 3, GROUP 7D-
Directed by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer
Written by Amy Whittenberger
Produced by Brett Myer
Cinematography by Justin Kane
Production Design by Nicholas Donovan
Edited by Jonny Converse
Please pardon the poor compression quality of this file. The original version is crisp and noise free.
Try to imagine it that way.
Blackberry Song
Here’s a nice collaboration between me and my homie, Maya Eslami. She wrote it, I shot it.
16mm Kodak 7219 @250ASA
ON HOLD
Looks like a Monday to me.
So Outta Reach
Winter Gallery – Where Have I Been?
I think I should just find a way to connect my Instagram to the Peace. Makes sense, right? In the past few months, I’ve shot 2 films and have traveled home to the Bay. Other than that, just a bit of partying, some nice time with the lady, and some damn good food.
Bon Iver – “Towers” Video – Future Ideas
Now this is what I call a visual reference for something special that may happen in the future with a known collaborating partner from the past. Look north and it might happen…minus all of the zooms, of course.
ABOUT FACE
ABOUT FACE, AFI Cycle 1, Cinematography by Justin Kane
Puppy love can be a dangerous thing.
Checking in from AFI land to give a special update on my newest cinematography venture. I completed my first AFI Cycle film, titled ABOUT FACE, directed by Daniel Kragh-Jacobsen.
Story Within a Frame: Defining Moments
The New World, 2005
A single still image can tell an entire narrative for the thousands that follow.
It’s officially been a month at AFI, and so much has been covered already. This week we will finally call action on our Bootcamp shoots and I think it’s safe to say that all fellows are ready to crush it. So what have we done in the meantime? Lots of administrative orientations, course introductions, and bonding within our disciplines. It’s amazing how close I feel with my fellow cinematographers already. So many different walks of life, yet with a very similar point of interest. One big happy family!
And now back to the post:
One particular exercise that I really enjoy is titled, “Story Within a Frame”. It is what it is: We have a cutline, drawn from a fishbowl, telling an event or emotion in first person. From there we must design and shoot a still that tells as much of that story as possible. We have 3 sessions in the exercise. The first is pairing with our directors, the second with the production designers, and finally one with the screenwriters. So far we have completed the first two. It’s a teamwork exercise. Getting to know one another in the creative zone is the best way to form successful communication and collaborative vision in our cycle films down the road. And it has been great. For me the first round proved to be the most challenging. I won’t go into detail, but my director and I didn’t dig deep enough into our story, and the audience was left questioning it’s point. For the second session I went too literal, and the floodgates opened with great constructive criticism from the group. I’m quite confident that I’ve learned the over/under of the assignment (I’m somewhat rusty with school assignments like this…it’s been a few!) and I know that the third session coming up will be better. I’ll find a nice middle-ground to engage meaning behind my frame.
So…This assignment has inspired me to dig up a few still frames from some great films that do justice to fulfilling a story within a frame. It’s really amazing how much meaning can be packed in to de-mystify (or mystify) these images in context to the films they are taken from. Yet at the same time, they can tell so much on their own, apart from the film. Think about the things you see in the frame. What are they doing? Where are they going? What emotions do we get from it? Is it familiar? What ideologies can we automatically identify? Time to define these moments.
Children of Men, 2006
The Thin Red Line, 1998
Never Let Me Go, 2010
Schindler's List, 1993
La Haine, 1995
The Diving Bell and The Butterfly, 2007
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, 2008
The Road to Perdition, 2002
2001: A Space Odyssey, 1968
Black Narcissus, 1947
Badlands, 1973
There Will Be Blood, 2007
Solaris, 2002
The Godfather, 1972
The Assassination of Jesse James by The Coward Robert Ford, 2007
PEACE INVISIBLE 