For Now...

Well, I officially closed the book on the train documentary yesterday, and as always, a sense of relief takes over, but I know what lies ahead for me in the upcoming days: a void that will no doubt have me searching for a new project to tackle. I have already been approached about a few big projects, but I haven't attached myself to anything yet.

It's not that the projects don't interest me; I'm pretty sure it has a lot to do with the fact that I can't remember the last time that I just sat back and enjoyed life in the moment--with nothing calling me in the back of my mind.

For now, I'm going to rest easy.

For now, I'm going to continue working on Ryder's Batman Fortress in the backyard.

For now, I'm going to enjoy my trains in the garden.

For now, I'm going to continue loving my camera and working on being a better filmmaker, but without deadlines (Get ready Josh and Chloe).

For now, I'm going to make silly music videos with my computer (Only my Facebook hommies get access to this party).

For now, I'm going to sit back and ponder the next phase in my life--from the top of Ryder's Fortress.

A Revolution in Shaving Gel: Calling All Men!

[As I was looking through my files I stumbled on a letter I wrote to Clinique a few years back and I feel that it still has relevance today. This is for men only]



Dear Clinique,

I am one of the many pseudo-metro sexual males (although I’m not exactly sure how my sexuality plays any part in the advancement of my personal skin care, particularly the ghastly act of applying a razor to my stubbly face every morning in order to shave off unwanted hair follicles with your wonderful Shaving Gel for Men) who treasures his anti-gravity eye cream, face scrub, moisture surge, and after sun shave balm—to name a few.

Unfortunately, though, there is minor glitch in the way you pack the shave gel. Let me explain: In no scientific manner—for I am a lover, not a mathematician—I have calculated the approximate loss of shaving gel over time and it is absolutely astounding.

For example, every morning I apply one pump-action squirt of shaving gel to my face, and the very next morning, you’ll never believe what has mysteriously escaped the container without any help? Another squirt—Yes! It is unbelievable to me, too. Somehow or another it just seeps out into the cap and forms a hardened aloe crust around the dispenser, which I have to run under hot water and then scrape off every day.



That means, that in all actuality, I am really applying two squirts a day; although, it’s really only one squirt, which means, on average, 30 extra squirts a month, 360 extra squirts a year, 3,600 extra squirts every decade and if I live to be 72 (which in some scientific circles is considered to be the average male life expectancy), that’s 13,680 wasted squirts I have to look forward to over the course of the rest of my life. If, for some reason, I decide to take my lovely wife on a date and wish to shave again that day, you can only imagine how astronomical the numbers might rise—remember, I’m a lover, not a mathematician.

I realize that for the number crunchers this is perhaps a glorious error in engineering, for it forces the consumer to purchase more shaving gel, which in turn I suspect will cause your stock prices to rise, but I am certain your company is one that operates on more than just some fiscal bottom line; call me old fashioned, but I believe that there are a few companies still in existence that believe in the real bottom line: customer satisfaction.

(Why just the other day one of my students was presenting a research paper on animal testing in the makeup industry, and it was hardly a shock when she described Clinque as the “true purveyor of excellence” when it comes to refusing to test on animals. She said high and mighty things like, “Say no to Maybelline!” and “Thank you Clinique for caring!” You would have been quite proud.)

So, do what is right and can only be right: Consider packing your Aloe Shave Gel for Men in a manner that doesn’t shave unnecessary seconds off my life each morning. After all, if I live to be 72, and I spend, let’s say 30 extra seconds every morning having to clean the cap, I will have wasted approximately 9 ½ hours of my life cleaning a cap when I could have been spending time with my lovely wife who got me hooked on your products in the first place.

[I never received a response.]

Children and the Power of Art

[my little girl deep in thought]

Last week, as part of an upcoming PTS-sponsored arts contest at school, I took Madeleine to Los Angeles in search of BEAUTY. This year's theme is "Beauty is..." and one of the categories is photography.


(I wish video had been on there, but she loves photography just as much as video.)

As we journeyed about throughout our day, I started thinking about the power of art and how the current cutbacks in schools at the state level is all but diminishing the arts.

Imagine a world without the arts, a world without a place to nourish one's untapped creativity. Now, more than ever, do we, as parents, need to take it upon ourselves to enlighten our children to the beauty around us. More importantly, we need to expose our children to various methods and means in which our children can express themselves in a creative manner.



[my little guy on location]

Recent research suggests, that "when children begin school, their level of creativity is evident and often flourishing. By the time they reach the fourth grade, however, they have become more conforming, less likely to take risks, and less playful or spontaneous than in earlier years. These trends continue throughout the school years and into adulthood."



[another famous photographer we brought along for the fun ride]

Unless we are content with a world of conformity (based on standardized testing and fill-in-the-bubble thinking), today's children must be afforded the chance to develop their creativity in an effort to reach their full creative potential--not only for the sake of their own development but for the development of humankind in general.

Up on the Football Field...

Above my desk I have a framed newspaper article that I wrote ten years ago when I was a newspaper reporter. It's about a wonderful place called Camp Laurel. Located in the San Bernardino Mountains, near Big Bear Lake, it is a year-round camp for children living with HIV and AIDS. It's a story that is near and dear to my heart, and one that I have discussed a while back, but I can't help but coming back to it from time to time.

The short time I spent covering this story left me with years of reflection and both wonderful and disconcerting thoughts, to the point that tonight I find myself still thinking about the little girl who refused to go and play with the other children.

We were up on the football field when I noticed that a young girl--she was no more than eight or nine--was seated a hundred yards away from all the action. I decided to approach her and ask her to join in the games, even though I wasn't really a part of the games, since most of my job as a reporter just entailed observing and asking questions--especially after the helicopter stunt I pulled.

When I asked her why she wasn't playing, she said, "Just because," but that wasn't good enough for me. There was a real reason, one that forced me to keep asking the same question a little differently each time. Finally, I said, "Come on, I'll go play with you. Let's go." The reply she gave me will stick with me for the rest of my life. She said, "Why bother, I'm just gonna die anyway."

Not even ten years old.

Eventually, we walked hand-in-hand to the football field, but I, too, still find myself wondering the same question many of you are probably wondering, and the answer is, I don't know. I just don't know. Who knows, maybe one day we'll cross paths.

As you start your week, I encourage you to take a moment to cherish the beauty of each moment you share with those you love.

CLIMBING WITH ZEN

CLIMBING WITH ZEN from onward films on Vimeo.

I have worked on several projects this past year, and all have provided me with so many cherished memories, but the short film I recently shot with Zen was perhaps my favorite--mostly because I think I really connected with this piece on a deeper personal level.

For more than a year, I had wanted to film a young boy climbing to the top of the mountain. I have always been drawn to the metaphor of climbing a mountain, not to mention a love I have for hiking and climbing mountains (that I am currently trying to reconnect with).

In so many ways, I saw my own childhood in Zen that day, and it just reminded me of how short our life is and how the decisions we make when we are young are so detrimental, so powerful--even though we don't necessarily know it at the time.

Life is a great mystery. Childhood is a wondrous mystery, and that is exactly what I wanted to achieve in post-production. This could have very well been a short 2-minute film, but I wanted to purposely stretch it out, to stay awhile. I wanted to see the bugs and the coyotes and I wanted to highlight those things we no longer pay attention to as adults.

I guess you could say I was just trying to relive my childhood through my camera. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed shooting it. Zen was such a wonderful actor. Truth be told: He was just being himself (with a little direction), and his dad Greg went along as well. He second shot for me and I'm pretty sure he had just as good a time.

Earthy Beginnings Rock Star Shoot

EARTHY BEGINNINGS ROCK STAR SHOOT from onward films on Vimeo.

Sometimes, you just have to grab a camera and a small crew and have some fun. This commercial was actually a collaborative effort with Guissell from Earthy Beginnings. I really liked the concept of what she was trying to accomplish with her business and thought, hey this would be cool to mix our two passions.

No shoot would be complete without the help of a ton of people working behind the scenes, so take a moment to check out the credits. While everybody helped make this shoot a success, and I am thankful for the time they put into this event, I have to give huge props to Felicia "Memes" Warder and Patti Benash who in the final hours worked hard behind the scenes to make so much happen. Thank you ladies!

Gospel of Force

GOSPEL OF FORCE from onward films on Vimeo.

This short film was a major labor of love, one that I pondered for a good year prior to shooting it. The content is fierce and tragic, yet powerful (I believe) in its stance against the vicious cycle of force. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed creating it and working with the wonderful cast and crew that helped put it together.

Earthy Beginnings Commercial Shoot

Three locations, four super-cool little boys, one set of drums, two guitars and a stand-up bass were the perfect ingredients for a clothing commercial shoot yesterday.

A few months ago I hooked up with Guissell over at the eco-friendly children's clothing line Earthy Beginnings and we decided to put together a rock and roll commercial for her Musician's Corner Collection. With my desire to showcase the art of childhood, it just made perfect sense that we work together.

I was drawn to Giselle and her clothing line by her cool story and the fact that she wanted to use her artistic abilities to make a difference in the world. Here is part of her story, in her own words:

"My Peruvian grandfather, a musician himself, always believed in the importance of having an artistic outlet regardless of where you stood in life. Earthy Beginnings is exactly that, a new artistic outlet that was brought to life by my new chapter named Emmanuel. Designed with our children in mind, this line is a mix of eco friendly fabrics & innovative artistic designs serving as an eclectic alternative in kid's clothing. It is for the modern and artsy parent who is also environmentally conscious."

I can't wait to share the commercial and the rest of the pictures from the shoot.

Zen and the Art of Climbing a Mountain

A few weeks back I had the amazing opportunity to shoot a short film with Zen. For some time, I have always wanted to take a young guy to the top of a mountain with a rough script and concept and then see what happens.

I have always been drawn to nature, whether it was just simply climbing a mountain or getting lost in the poetical worlds of the Romantics. At the top of a mountain I feel alive; more importantly, I feel a deeper connection to God. Climbing is such a spiritual experience for me and so I wanted to tap into the innocence of a child and his dreams and stick that alongside a climb to the top of a mountain.



[Zen and I at the top of the mountain]

Climbing to the top of a mountain is an obvious metaphor, and I see the same connection between what a child has to do to reach his or her own dreams. I remember struggling as a child to figure out what I wanted to do and how I was going to get there. Half the time I was just running scared. Fortunately, I had enough wonderful people to guide me along.



[Finding time to mess around with my iPhone in between takes]

I hope to release the short film in the next month, so stay tuned. Hope you enjoy the pics in the meantime. In closing, let me just say that we're never too old to climb mountains.

We're never too old to climb mountains.

Madeleine my Little Photographer

My six-year-old daughter Madeleine loves taking pictures, so we decided to dig up the old Canon Rebel collecting dust in a cupboard. Her eyes lit up when she saw the camera.

The past few weeks, I have been taking her out to various locations and letting her shoot wild and free. I just want her to have fun and embrace her surroundings through the lens. She loves going off by herself and taking in every little detail around her.

When we get back home we download the images and I have her pick the ones she wants to keep and I try to offer a few suggestions here and there on how to get better images on her next shoot.

A few days ago we talked about focus and how to get sharper images and so the next day, BAM! The problem was fixed. She is such a quick learner. Today, we went to a new favorite spot of mine and took pictures. I watched her as she set up her brother Ryder and went about having a little photo shoot with him. She was so calm with him and aware of his needs. She told him to watch out for ants and to smile only if he felt like smiling.



The shot above is her favorite shot (and mine too). What you see is straight out of the camera. I refuse to edit anything of hers. She will learn one day I suppose, which is why I keep all her photos and film footage. I can't wait to see her final cut of the Electric Light Parade she shot at Disneyland.

I have to confess that a year and a half ago, Madeleine took a shot of me in front of our house with the Canon 5D and I entered it in a contest. Out of 426 photographers, most of whom were professional photographers, she was one of the twenty who won.

Her prize was a $150 gift card to Bath and Body Works. We let her spend it freely as she wanted. I never saw so much Tinker Bell lip gloss and Cinderella nail polish in my life.

One last picture: She told me to act angry and then jump as high as I could. Even though I look constipated, for some reason I really like this shot?