The Blizzard of 2010 Video

Back on Feb 25th we had a bad storm here in NY. The unique thing about this snow is that it was very wet and heavy. It stuck to the trees and ended up doing severe damage due to the excessive weight. However, it was absolutely BEAUTIFUL so I decided to go out and take a few random shots that are all within walking distance of my home. The video starts the evening of Feb. 25th with the beginning of the storm then transitions to the following day. I should have used a tripod and done color correction, but then I would be working! In case you are wondering the answer is YES. I love the show Sunrise Earth! I also love where I live - so lucky to be connected to nature. I haven't owned a video camera since 1998 and am excited to make more home movies in the near future. This is also my first time trying out Vimeo - so far so good!

Link to Blizzard of 2010 video on Vimeo

An Interview with Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorcese.

I was lucky enough to shoot an interesting interview with Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorcese. Currently it is running on AMC and is online. It is short, so in case you miss it on TV you can see it here:

DiCaprio and Scorcese on AMC

15 Frames of Fame

Pardon the interruption of my Africa stories, but holy crap I just got like totally famous! They say everyone gets 15 minutes of fame. Well, it looks like I only got about 15 frames, which is approximately 1/2 second but I'll take it. NBC is playing the behind the scenes footage of a commercial I shot for Jerry Seinfeld’s new show “The Marriage Ref” in heavy rotation. Last night it was on during Jay Leno’s show. If you look carefully you can see me lying on my belly on a sheet of ice in –15 degrees lining up a shot of Jerry’s shoe. OH the glamour.

I think the difficult conditions were worth it though. The clips from the spot look good and it will be a fun piece. Jerry and Tom were real troopers to be out there for hours in loafers and thin jackets. The other troopers were the awesome crew including my man Claire Popkin - camera assistant extraordinaire, cool as ice director Christian Charles, and the legendary Bob Fisher. Thanks to Jay Lavely a.k.a. Jay Lovely for the use of his lens and polarizer which were on the camera 90% of the time. With all of the traveling I do, I hope I won’t need a marriage ref anytime soon.

Here is a link to the video:
The Marriage Ref - Fishing Shack

Overcoming the Elements

Boy, my past few shoots have involved really difficult conditions. -15F in Minnesota, general cold/snow in NY and 34 degrees with a constant non-stop sideways rain for hours and hours. You can see me making the best of being wet, cold, and miserable while standing on a 12 foot ladder with an Arri 416 under some bead board for a small amount of protection. The irony is that my family never encouraged me to go into the family business so I could have a comfortable white-collar job with good pay, benefits, and a cushy warm cozy office. Now look at me. LOL! On my next gig I will be sleeping outside on the ground in climates ranging from tropical to sub zero frozen ground. Stay tuned for details about that one!

Success in the Cold

Well, the shoot went really well and no one got frost bite - even Jerry Seinfeld and Tom Pappa who were running around in dress shoes and Brooks Brother's suits! Those guys were super great to work with as well as the awesome crew. Special thanks to Clair Popkin for the photo. More details to come!

It's a Tad Chilly...

... in Duluth, MN where I am heading now to shoot ice fishing. It is a promo for a new network show. It should be fun, but with a high temp of 8 degrees and a low of -15 predicted I hope neither the cameras nor I freeze. On a positive note we will be flying into the Richard L. Bong Airport. Hopefully Richard will give us a warm welcome.

Apple of my Eye

I have been lucky to do a bunch of work with Apple this year. This past spring they sent me around the world shooting profiles of people who develop apps for the iPhone. It was yet another amizing life experience. Thanks to this job I got to learn the RED ONE camera and also helped spread the swine flu from San Antonio to Paris and Toyko. Well, perhaps it wasn't me personally who spread it, but we'll never know ;) This video premiered at the WWDC in June and launched the new iPhone 3Gs. It was directed by 2 of my favorite dudes in the universe - Pete and Luke McCoubrey. Rock on fellas.

iPhone 3Gs 2009 WWDC Apps Video

Like a Phoenix Rising from the Ashes

Well, it has been over a year since my last blog post. The main reason for this is that I have been keeping in touch with people via Facebook instead of this blog. HOWEVER I have decided to resurrect The Captain's Blog and start posting again! Most posts will be very brief, but some will be more detailed. The main thing I want to do is just get it going again. So here we go!!!