This, That and The Other Thing

In the edit suite...

Prepping for photoshoots in Tennessee...

And a new project on the horizon...

Poolside

On assignment...















From the LAST RESORTS Collection

Skate Boys

New Orleans, LA - on assignment

2/22

For Christine, love Owen

Swinging...

It has been a week of ups and downs and getting wrung and spun but it's ending kinda' nicely.
New FIELD TRIP! season 3, episode 1 completed, TERRA FIRMA lifts off, GROW! keeps on keepin' on and the assignments are rolling in... so yea, it's been a week and we are jazzed.

In the Edit Suite...

Screens blazing, slicing and dicing and lashing the pieces together.

#MONKEY!

Inside joke- you'll have to ask...

Field Trip! Season 3 Begins

On location with Robby Astrove filming the first episode of FIELD TRIP! Season Three.

UpDate: Edited episode here > CLICK ME

It's Chinatown Jake...

Los Angeles, CA
Film stock: Kodak Portra 400 NC - 35mm

In 2000 when we were just setting out as photographers we captured this image (on film!) in Los Angeles' Chinatown.

It took us two hours.

We were working on a story about Los Angeles in a day.  For the evening shot we chose The Old Chinatown Central Plaza because it was still intact and had a nostalgic feel to it, the rest of the area having fallen victim to the Asian globalization of Chinatowns everywhere.  

We wanted to convey the magic glow of neon lights and colorful lanterns at that moment just past twilight  when the sky is still blue, but dark enough to let the lights pop. 

We arrived early to scout and then secure our spot on a bench so that we could sit while we waited and waited and waited.  The sun took forever to set, the lights were not going on and it started to get chilly.  But still we waited.  Finally the moment arrived and since we were shooting film we didn't have the million chances that digital affords, we had the one moment to get it right.

Even though we shoot mostly digital now it was our years of shooting film that have most informed and influenced how we shoot.  To this day whenever we find ourselves waiting for the perfect moment we still turn to each other and say "It's Chinatown Jake."   A reference to the last lines in Roman Polanski's 1974 film, Chinatown.

Valentine

When you do what you love it doesn't seem like work.
When you do it with someone you love, every day is Valentines Day.



Words + music: Owen
Video still images courtesy Creative Commons

Chill

Hangin'...

Sweet Peach

Sweet piece on SWEET PEACH Blog today featuring stylist/interior decorator Anna Forkum of Nashville (with photos by yours truly). We've worked with Anna on many (many) magazine assignments. Her eye is unique and, with her keen sense of original style, balance, and color, mixed with her sly sense of humor, it's a pleasure to shoot with her. Knowing Pam, (we we're profiled on SweetPeachBlog) we sent some photos of Anna's home and a link to her design site knowing she would get "Anna's vision" immediately.



LINKAGE: 
SweetPeachBlog.com

AnnaForkum.com

#IceStormATL

8PM...ish - Sounds like we might be in for some weather.

9PM...ish - The Mayor just phoned.
Wanted us to know it "could be a catastrophic ice storm of historical proportions and could we please stay off the streets."
I assured him we we're ready, had milk and bread, and would ride it out.
He said, "god bless."
I said, "thank you Mr. Mayor for calling" and hung up.

Christine giving me a look- wants to know why I'm talking back to a recording...

GROW! UpDate...

GROW! continues to screen around the world-
Kicking off 2014 are two film festivals in February in BC-

PLUS: New DOWN + DIRTY GROW!

For all GROW! news go to the GROW! Blog
To watch GROW! now go to growmovie.net

On location...

...with Scott Arrington filming an episode of "Field Trip" for Georgia Organics.

...and that wraps up Field Trip! Season Two.
We thank all the farmers who shared with us their time, energy and expertise.

Watch: Hand Tool Maintenance

Last Resorts...

Washington Inn, Downtown Oakland, CA
From the "LAST RESORTS" Collection

On the beach...

Morning, on the beach, in Oxnard, CA

PIX-BOX

So that happened...

#snowpocalypse

On The Turntable

Working on new Promos and rockin The Chambers Brothers - Love, Peace and Happiness recorded live at The Fillmore East and in the studio w/David Rubinson producing- great stuff.

The Backstory - Terra Firma Poster Art

For the poster for our documentary Terra Firma, we really wanted a shot of the 3 women in the film together.  Since they lived in 3 different states this was going to be a challenge.  Yes, we could have used separate shots and somehow made them work through the magic of Photoshop, but we were holding out. 

The opportunity finally arrived in November for all of us to be in downtown Louisville, KY.  The event was the Empowering Women Veterans Conference where we would do a test screening for the 100 plus women in attendance followed by a panel with the women in the film and the two of us.

We asked Anna, Sonia and Althea to pack something ‘farmy’ to wear for the shoot and we dragged along a hoe, a pitchfork and a shovel for props, which caused more than a few heads to turn in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency.  We used Google Earth to scout a few locations near the hotel and kept clocking the weather as the time drew near hoping for sunshine and blue skies. 

No such luck.  As it turned out the weather was horrible – grey skies, flat light and freezing temperatures and we would only have a short time for the photo shoot because of all the conference activities, so the locations we had scouted were out. 

What to do when you’re stuck in the middle of downtown surrounded by skyscrapers???  We got the idea to go up to the roof and once we explained our mission to the gracious hotel staff they agreed to escort us up to the 28^th floor and on up to the roof.

Photo by Erin Raftery

As you can see it was cold.

Anna needed a little convincing to lose the hood.

Owen got it on the first shot!  Although we were up on the roof for about 30 minutes trying different angles and expressions, we discovered that the first frame was the one that really worked best.

But, the battle was only half over.  How were we going to make a photo of 3 women farmers on a rooftop in Louisiville work for the poster?

We thought about finding a photo of a farm to Photoshop them into but that didn’t seem right since it’s not just a film about farming.  It’s a film about 3 strong women veterans who have overcome hardships to survive, which is why we use the soldier’s motto of “Suck it up and drive on” at the beginning of the film.

Taking a cue from the “driving on” metaphor we decided on a road.  And as serendipity (something that independent documentary filmmakers rely on a lot) would have it, we had the perfect road shot to use.  The photo was taken a few years back while we were on location in Pensacola Beach, FL. and had some time to kill before the shoot.

We could have Photoshopped in some farm land to cover the sand, but we liked how the landscape looked similar to what the women had experienced in Iraq and Afghanistan.

More of Erin's Hotel Roof photo session shots

Inside Looking Out

639 W. Main St., Louisville, KY

Cross Section

On Assignment...

... on location with Lisa Kline Mowry and Sherry Hart.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot it's cold outside... but inside it's a well-oiled machine running smooth, hot, and fast, working out the kinks, cranking and cramming, pulling out the card tricks, auditioning pieces, and shooting it butch. Go!

Prop Philosophies: Lisa and Sherry in deep discussion about the merits of the Playboy™ Bunny trophy.


Yeah... we have all the fun.

Morning in the park...

anthonymasterson.com

MLK Jr

Martin Luther King Jr.
Sculptured Head 1965
7.25 inches in height
Artist: Owen Masterson


"In October 1964, Mr. King won the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolence. 
I was 9 at the time and I admired him very much."    O.M.  

Experimental Short

"Campfire"

Shot: 01/17/2014

Camera over cranked to 60fps

Playback at 24fps

Slowed playback another 30%

Music by: AMPULE

We have a fireplace in our bedroom (wood burning, thank you) that helps warm us on these winter nights. Staring into the dancing, licking, quivering, ever changing flames, we notice the almost trance-like calming sensation that overtakes us. The fire draws us in, captivates us and sparks our imaginations to wander.
Humans have been staring into fires for a hundred thousand years and you realize how connected we are to fire. It warms, it cooks, it protects, it entertains and it allows us to sit by it and contemplate everything, anything or nothing at all.
And it is a link to ourselves 100,000 years ago.
It was this connectivity that got us wondering about slowing down time and going back into our primal brain to stare at an ancient fire.

It's only three minutes long... go for it.

AM.COM

www.anthonymasterson.com

New year- new photos- check it out-

Vid Project: ANV

Here is the edited video for Acta Non Verba: Youth Urban Farm Project 

See Thursday, January 9, 2014 Post for backstory... 

On Assignment...

... with field editor, stylist, writer Lisa Kline Mowry

There are few reasons to spend the day in a bathroom; some not so fun- but we get to hang out and take photos in some pretty smashingly beautiful ones.
Today is another one of those days: designed, light filled, amazing.

Shot #1 - Waiting for the water in the tub to reach the perfect level:

Lining up shot #5:

And you'll just have to wait till publication for a peek... maybe.

Project: Short film...

Good friend and farmer (and actor) Elliott McGann stopped by for dinner and a sleep over last night while traveling around the south on hiatus from his farm work in Connecticut.  Knowing his background as we do we pitched him the project we'd been working on and asked if he wouldn't possibly consider making a cameo appearance in it. After plying him with wine and song, card tricks and bad jokes he finally relented.

Thanks Elliott for everything you do-

Search LABELS: Trailer Project

In the Edit Suite...

Cutting a sweet promo for super woman Kelly D. "Fearnothing" Carlisle's organization "Acta-Non-Verba: Urban Youth Farm" in East Oakland, California.

Kelly is the Founder and Executive Director. Know this: she means business.

Filming (we don't dare say "shooting") in East Oakland presents some difficult challenges where many have guns and don't hesitate to use them. We found ourselves driving around the streets getting 'B'-roll on the receiving end of some awkward moments and looks. There was one especially tight moment when a car following us for a number of blocks, finally pulling up along side at the stop light and, though not looking directly at us, the two older folks in the rental car with the movie camera, let us know that they knew we were here, then slowly drove on. Was the word going out? And what was the verdict? Was it going to end badly?
It was tense but we had to get the... shots.

There is an oasis in East Oakland... discover it.

2014

... and they're off and running!

Assignments, GROW! interviews, TERRA FIRMA promotion gearing up, working on personal photo/film projects...

"And I'm leaning out my window sill digging everything, and you too."

Jimi Hendrix

Another year...

Well... another year has come and gone...

Cheers all,

Christine + Owen

Project: Short film...

Shooting
INT. CAR - DRIVING - NIGHT - Raining

Who is that mysterious woman?

Search LABELS: Trailer Project

Child's Play

The Backstory- Three Things Happened.

While we were filming GROW! in the summer of 2010 at the Swancy's Riverview Farm in Ranger, Georgia, two things happened. The first was when we met Wes and Charlotte Swancys' son Graham. The second was when we heard the wild screaming of their hungry hogs at feeding time. The sound of the hogs, if one didn't know they were happy and hogs, might bring to mind 'attack of the alien monsters.' It was a squealing, roaring, barking cacophony and sounded like the perfect noise for a horror film. A kernel of an idea was planted and then, just as abruptly, left alone as GROW! needed to be shot.

Returning in October to film more B-roll and interviews at Riverview, we shot late into the afternoon. As it is at least an hour’s drive back to Atlanta it was suggested that we spend the night and get an early start to continue filming the next day. Charlotte made arrangements for us to bivouac at their neighbor’s cabin across the road and that's when the third thing happened: we were introduced to a beautiful ruin of out buildings and a tumbling down farmhouse (and a most charming cozy cabin in which to spend the night).

We wandered the property, called Blue Fork Farm and considered it as a location for a horror/suspense/something/anything film- it was just so glorious in it's decline. We had to do something. Yes. Exhausted, we hit the bed and slept.

Rising early and grabbing the still camera, we took scouting shots of the tobacco barn, the old house and assorted angles of the location then headed out across the road to continue filming GROW!

Sometime in December, losing our minds with GROW! trying to get some kind of cut we could call final, we came across thescouting pix of Blue Fork and it all started to come together:

Graham had, since first meeting him, been seared into our imaginations as a film character of mysterious, diabolical powers and we really wanted to put him in a movie. Then there was the pig’s screaming noise (monster? aliens??) and lastly, the beautiful ruined, crumbling farm; what did it all mean? How did the pieces fit together? We knew we had to do a film.

The Swancy’s, being the cool folks that they are agreed to let Graham be in our as yet to be conceived production.

Then, we realized we needed a few other characters and asked Russell Cook (who with his wife Cameron and their band "Little Country Giants" had supplied the music for GROW!) if he and their daughter Frankie Lee would consent to be in the film that was now beginning to take shape in our minds.

Next came the location… Would the owners of Blue Fork Farm, Andy and Ana Bailie be willing to let us film on their property?  A nice leap of faith for a couple who barely knew us or knew what we were planning to shoot. 

We heard "yes" across the board. OK. All we needed was a script. So we knocked together a story line of sorts, Owen developed a shot list and storyboards and Christine wrote some dialogue.

Good to go.

For the past ten months we had been filming and editing GROW! and if you have seen it you know it is a light filled, sun drenched feast for the eyes. We sorely needed to get out of the edit suite and get a visual cleansing so we opted for a de-saturated and darker look for this project. We secured December 30th, 2011 as a shoot date. Early that morning we brought along a loaf of bread, peanut butter, jelly, our espresso maker and a 6 pack of Guinness, (that was our Craft Service) and hit the road and headed up to Ranger.

The day was perfect: overcast, dreary. The leaves had abandoned the trees. Blackbirds swarmed and screeched.

We had limned out the general story to the cast and let them pick their own wardrobe; as you can see they did a sweet job. Wes drove his pickup truck over for "The Man" to drive and we were rolling.

We didn't tell Graham and Frankie exactly what it was about; we didn’t want to confuse their young minds with the nuances of filmmaking- so when Russell walks up, we told them to "stare hard at him like you are reading his mind."

Well that worked. Actually everything worked. And then it got even better.

After we finished filming and the kids were eating PB&J's and the adults were slamming espresso and quaffing Guinness, Frankie asked what we were going to use for music in the film. Hmmm, hadn't thought about that. “I’ll write a song for you if you get me paper and a pencil” she said. Russell smiled, we smiled and Christine ran off to get the requested materials. Frankie began humming to herself and proceeded to scratch out a tune. After about fifteen minutes she announced she was done. Oh, well in that case...

So we rolled sound not knowing exactly what she had confected. Frankie started singing and we were just blown away. Russell, a songwriter of immense talent and experience was blown away (and a little proud). It was one of those moments when you go weightless and cannot believe what is happening.

And that was a wrap.

We cut the film, it won Best Directors Short at the Atlanta Horror Film Festival, and we laughed about how sometimes projects almost put themselves together. Sweet serendipity.

Online Theatre: Watch it now > CHILD'S PLAY

Little Surprises

With over a thousand of our images in stock at Getty, it's still rare to just run across one in use even though they are in play everyday worldwide, so when looking at the morning news on Huffington Post and one pops up, we shouldn't be surprised but we are.

Oh and then there's this...

... good times.

Quiz Q: Who was the hand model?

It was twenty years ago today...

San Francisco. Dec 7, 1993.

Photos: Beverly Parsons

Terra Firma Poster Art

Official TERRA FIRMA web site: terrafirmafilm.com

On Assignment...

In Atlanta - December 3rd & 4th with stylist/author Lisa Kline Mowry at the St. Regis Atlanta.

Can't show you a pic of the shoot but here is one of the always amazing Power Trio:

... and thx l.k.m. for the sweet fetish! c+o