Captain's Blog

The Blizzard of 2010 Video

2010-03-10T16:48:00.003-05:00

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.

2010-02-19T06:24:00.000-05:00

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

2010-01-22T13:23:00.006-05:00

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

2009-12-24T10:56:00.004-05:00

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

2009-12-23T22:57:00.003-05:00

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...

2009-12-14T12:40:00.005-05:00

... 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

2009-12-09T23:23:00.004-05:00

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

2009-12-09T23:13:00.002-05:00

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!!!

Goodbye Alaska!

2008-07-20T18:46:00.004-04:00

My time here in Alaska is coming to an end. It was a fun adventure and I am glad to have shared it with my two new traveling buddies Elizabeth and Jandiz. I am already beginning to feel the hot NY summer and am actually looking forward to it after weeks of cold grey rainy days. There was a chance I would return here in a couple of weeks, but that isn’t looking like it will happen so I have been cut loose and am attempting to get home on my own. If you happen to see me on the side of the road please stop and give me a lift. I have beer.

I am a Salty Dog

2008-07-18T23:32:00.003-04:00

We recently landed in Homer, AK which is the last stop on our tour of Alaska. We didn’t waist much time and headed to the “Salty Dog.” The place looks like something out of a Scooby Doo cartoon. I met a few locals and sampled the local brews. The local brewery bottles their brew in empty Sobe bottles. Pure Genius. I know what I am telling Scott next time I am at the Captain Lawrence Brewery.

Spit Will Work in a Pinch

2008-07-15T16:45:00.002-04:00

That’s according to a drunken fisherman in Sitka who gets all MacGyver when he forgets his moisturizing hand lotion after a long day in salty seas. Recently I was in a pinch as I was rigging a C-Stand and didn’t have a sandbag to counterweight the light. Fortunately Dan came through with a cinderblock that got us out of the pinch. A cinderblock will work in a pinch.

Learning to Fly

2008-07-12T04:06:00.002-04:00

WOW! What a day of flying! We had to take 3 flights in order to get to a place that isn’t that far from where we started. That’s enough flying to turn Jandiz upside down. First we had a 6am flight from Sitka to Juneau on a Boeing 737. The flight lasted a whole 27 minutes. By far the shortest flight I have been on that actually landed where and when it was supposed to. We picked up passengers in Juneau and continued on to Anchorage in the same 737. In Anchorage we deplaned the 737 and switched airlines to one that had service to Kodiak on a Dash 8. This is where things got interesting. If you fly out of Anchorage on a small prop plane THERE IS NO SECURITY. That’s right – no TSA, no metal detectors, no x-ray machines, no nothing. Nada - zilch. You check in at the counter as usual, get your boarding pass, go down the escalator, and you are at the gate. All you have to do is show your library card and your boarding pass and you are good to go. The ironic thing is that from the moment you enter the terminal to the time you pass through the gate, a woman on a loudspeaker keeps repeating that the terror alert is code orange.

Speaking of flying, I have an interesting flight coming up next week. I’ll be flying from Kodiak to Dutch Harbor. The interesting thing about flying into Dutch Harbor is that THERE IS NO AIRPORT. Their “airport” is actually an emergency landing strip with a large mountain at each end and water on the sides. That design allows the pilots to have a large margin of error. This landing strip also intersects with the main street in the town, so when a plane is landing or taking off they have to block off Main Street - railroad crossing style! Wait, don’t go surfing for porn yet, there is more interesting info about flying into Dutch Harbor. You see, no airport means no instruments so everything is done visually. Not too big of a deal on a clear day, but in Dutch Harbor it rains at least 280 days out of the year and is cloudy for the remaining 85. So, as the pilot approaches the landing strip he radios to someone on the ground and asks if they can see the runway. This “someone” is usually a high school student on summer vacation or a retired WWII vet. If “someone” can’t see the runway the pilot will either circle and wait for the strip to become visible, or turn around an go back to the airport of origin in hopes of trying again the next day. Well, more variables = more exciting travel = more attendance at AA meetings for The Captain. Cheers.

A Drinking Town with a Fishing Problem

2008-07-10T15:28:00.003-04:00

That about sums up the scene here in Sitka. A typical day for me begins with waking up at 8:45am, showering, walking down to the hotel conference room and shooting interviews in a dark room for 10-12 hours. Then we grab a quick dinner and head to the bars where we get assaulted by fishermen. The fishermen like Elisabeth and Jandiz but they REALLY like me. I never expected this. I feel very womanly even though one of the few women in this town told me that I am “oozing with masculinity.” It is getting weird here. Next town please.

Alaska Photo Album

2008-07-09T12:51:00.003-04:00

Well, I am having a blast here in Alaska with the lovely Elisabeth and Jandiz. I just uploaded a photo album that I will be adding to as the trip progresses. You can check it out here:

Bill's Alaska Photo Album

Well, I have to run and get some sushi. Enjoy the photos!

Greetings from Sitka, Alaska!

2008-07-08T13:03:00.002-04:00

Long time no blog. Things have been really busy since returning from China, but I have been a bad Captain and not blogging. I apologize to everyone who has been sitting at his or her computers anxiously awaiting a new blog post. I know there are many of you ;)

Anyway, I am on a new adventure. I am going to 3 towns in Alaska for a new project. Right now I am in Sitka, then off to Kodiak, and finally Unalaska. Sitka is an interesting place. It is ALWAYS cloudy and rains several times per day. It is a fishing town inhabited with mostly….fisherman. There are more mustaches in this town than women. When I showed up with my 2 female co-workers the female population doubled. It makes for a very interesting bar scene to say the least.

As soon as we landed we hit the trails and went on an awesome hike. The above photo is from the first moments of that hike. I have several more photos, so please stay tuned!

Ladies & Gentleman…“Douglass”

2008-03-17T10:26:00.006-04:00

While Mr. Ma held it down in the electrical department, my 1st AC “Douglass” had the camera department in tip-top shape. Now, I have a confession to make. His name is not really “Douglass.” I wish I could tell you his real name, but I can’t pronounce it let alone spell it. That’s why I pulled an Ellis Island and re-named him “Douglass.” I chose “Douglass” in honor of the famous camera assistant Douglass Hart. I think he liked the name. I hope it sticks. Here are a few interesting facts about my boy Douglass:

-- I met Douglass because my original AC dropped the camera in the middle of a busy intersection and broke it in half (he felt bad about that)

-- Douglass worked on a National Geographic documentary in Northern China about grave diggers and had to sleep with corpses

-- His favorite video cameras are the Panasonic HDX900 and Panasonic Vari-Cam

-- He is 1 of only 6 people in the world to stand on the roof of “National Stadium” in Beijing

-- He can open a bottle of beer with chopsticks:

-- He eats grasshoppers:

-- of course he is an awesome AC who busted his ass for me. I can’t wait to work with him again. Thanks Douglass!!!!!!

The Legend of Mr. Ma

2008-03-08T16:18:00.005-05:00

Every now and then I have a brush with greatness. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does incredible things happen. On my latest project “Disciples” I had the opportunity to work with a gaffer named Mr. Ma who is one of the best, if not the best in China. It means something special when you are #1 in a nation of 1.5 billion people!

My first experience with Mr. Ma was over the phone. I was talking to my producer who was talking to a translator who was talking to Mr. Ma. We were discussing ways to light a basketball court in a gym we were about to shoot a scene in. Originally I wanted to blast large lights through the windows and create shafts of sunlight on the court. Unfortunately Mr. Ma said this was impossible because he didn’t have enough crew budgeted to pull it off. So, I went to my plan B which was to hang an array of space lights to the ceiling and simulate typical gym lighting. Mr. Ma seemed to like this idea, but he had a problem – a big problem. You see, space lights are tungsten balanced (orange like a light bulb in a house lamp) and there were large windows in the gym with daylight coming in which is blue. Normally you try to keep the colors in a scene the same and Mr. Ma told me, “It is illegal to break the laws of color temperature.” Personally I break the laws of cinematography often, but I guess it is rare to do this in China. I am an American rebel!!!!! I wasn’t sure how to handle the situation so I responded by saying something like, “OK…can we PLEASE hang the space lights from the ceiling?” I could hear a lot of discussion happening in Chinese. They came back to me and said, “Mr. Ma has agreed to break the laws of color temperature as long as you grant him permission.” I immediately said, “PERMISSION GRANTED!” The scene ended up looking sweet even though some laws were broken.

That experience was just a warm up for the ultimate challenge Mr. Ma and I had to face. We had to light an entire stadium for the final event of this show. I ordered so many lights the Chinese crew laughed at me. Yeah, they actually laughed and had to ship lights in from other parts of the country. There was a lot of drama, but I am not going to bore you with the details. The bottom line is that at one point we were down in a hole and Mr. Ma was able to work some magic to pull us out of the hole and make it look super sweet. The 2 photos posted here were taken under our lights. Special thanks to photographer extraordinaire Davi Russo for the photos. You can see more of his stuff at www.davirusso.com

Final Transmission from Asia

2008-03-06T15:20:00.001-05:00

It is 4:13am on Friday March 7, 2008 in Beijing. It is my last night in Asia and I can’t sleep. There are all sorts of emotions flowing threw my body. It has been an absolutely amazing experience – one that I will never forget until the day I die. It began with my vacation to Thailand on December 27, 2007 and is ending today at 5:40pm when I take off for New York. I have made many new friends and strengthened my relationships with old ones. I have had good times and fortunately not many bad ones. I am excited to go home, but sad to leave. I had never been to Asia before 12/27/07 but I hope this is the beginning of a new era in my life that includes frequent visits here. I have many more photos to share and stories to tell, so please keep checking back to the Captain’s Blog. My next transmission will be from NY!!!!!

Special thanks to Chow Chow for the above photo. Way to go my man!

MMMMMMMM grasshopper!!!

2008-03-05T07:22:00.004-05:00

Lunch is served!!!

Confucius says...

2008-03-04T11:17:00.002-05:00

Or at least that's what they say at the urinals in this 4 star rated toilet in Beijing.

Thailand’s Favorite Shopper is now China’s Favorite Shopper

2008-02-28T09:47:00.000-05:00

Well, it has been an interesting couple of weeks. Right now I am back in China after a brief visit to LA to shoot some stuff for this show I have been working on since January 8th. I have been away from Aleksandra for so long that I decided to fly her out here to Beijing for a visit. It has always been her dream to go to China and now it has come true, thanks to me. Who’s the man????? She wasted no time and got right to the shopping. I came home from work the day she arrived and the minute I walked into my hotel room, she was sitting there with a large bag and said, “I bought all this cool stuff!!!!” She had just landed two hours earlier!!!! I am glad to know that nothing has changed in the couple of months I have been away. When she walks through the hotel lobby the Chinese women in the gift shop get these huge similes on their faces and bow to her….that’s right, they bow to her every time she walks through the lobby.

Yesterday I had the day off and we decided to go visit The Great Wall. I had high expectations, yet this trip exceeded them all. The Great Wall is REALLY amazing. I was blown away by the breathtaking vitas and really soaking in the history. Meanwhile Aleksandra was……Shopping!!!! Yes, that’s right. Even at the Great Wall of China shopping came to Aleksandra. She made friends with these two gypsy ladies that shadowed us the entire time hoping to sell us stuff that we don’t need at super inflated prices. Their strategy was flawless and Aleksandra dropped some serious greenbacks on tapestry, books, and of course a t-shirt that says, “I Climbed the Great Wall of China.” In my opinion she should have a t-shirt that says, “I SHOPPED the Great Wall of China” but I guess they didn’t have those because she certainly would have bought one, or two, or three!

I am Tired

2008-02-13T10:24:00.002-05:00

Yeah, I haven't been updating lately because I have been working my butt off and I am absolutely beat. Fear not, I'll be posting something interesting soon. Time to go back to work :(

Back to “The Land of the not so Free”

2008-02-04T19:49:00.000-05:00

I have just taken an intermission from packing for my second trip to China. This time I will be in Beijing, which I heard is even more polluted than where I was on my last trip. Yes! At least my company booked me on Continental airlines. You gotta love the Boeing 777 and if the SUPERBOWL XLII CHAMPION New York Giants fly Continental then it is certainly good enough for me. I am taking my last look at Wikipedia because it is one of the many things in the PRC this is censored. Speaking of censorship, you might find this interesting. Here is a short list of things I cannot photograph:

images of Mao Zedong
laundry
the Chinese flag
shirtless men

That’s no joke. I can’t shoot that stuff. As I perused wiki I found this interesting article on the 2008 Chinese winter storms.

2008 Chinese Winter Storms

It looks like I am in for a great trip! LOL!!! Fortunately, the Chinese people I have met so far have been super nice and all of the American folks on this project have been extremely supportive and great to work with so it will be a great time - censorship and all. My next report will be from Beijing. Please stay tuned!

Home Sweet Home

2008-01-28T20:55:00.001-05:00

Well, I have been home from Asia for a few days now and boy does it feel good! You really learn a lot about the place you live after being away for an extended period of time and looking at it with fresh eyes. For example, the minute I walked into my apartment I was shocked at how clear atmosphere is. I could see small details on the White Plains skyline (yes, White Plains now has a skyline) and lights twinkling in the distance. THIS NEVER HAPPENED IN CHINA. The “polluted” air of New York is like the air at 6am on a spring morning in a remote area of Iceland when compared to China. The air in urban China is EXTREMELY hazy, smoggy, and polluted all the time. We showed some Chinese folks photos of the basketball courts in LA that we will be shooting on and they thought the blue sky was fake – no joke. He said the only time they ever see a blue sky is after a typhoon and within a few hours it disappears. Here is an example of a "clear" day in urban China:

Apparently I brought some of these delicious toxins home with me. Friday night I took a spin on the world famous booze cruise at Graham Hills Park. Towards the end of the ride I was climbing a hill called “friend” when the hacking cough began. Normally “friend” is my bitch and I climb her like a Valkyrie on her way to Valhalla. However, I only made it halfway up when I had to stop to cough up some delicious BLACK mucus. It was quite disheartening, but I settled my uneasiness by making a trip to Captain Lawrence Brewery and filling my growlers. God Bless America!

Homecoming

2008-01-22T13:17:00.000-05:00

Well, “Asia Part –1” is coming to an end. I have been here since December 27, 2007 and am finally coming back to NY for a week and a half. I will be eating lots of Veal Parmesan, mountain biking, editing a bunch of photos from Thailand and re-capping that trip. Then I fly back to China, China to Milwaukee, Milwaukee to LA, LA to China, China to NY. Somehow I have to stay sane and keep my lens in focus. Here in Shenyang I have managed to shoot a hip-hop freestyle basketball player who requires acupuncture for his bad hand, a team of players who live in a basketball concentration camp and get up at 5am every morning to jog around the city wearing balaclavas in – 35 degrees, and of course lots of strange food both living and deceased. I will certainly miss all the amazing massages I got here, but I am excited that my next transmission will be from West Harrison, NY WOOO-HOOO!!!!!

Cold + Cancer = Shenyang

2008-01-17T06:01:00.000-05:00

OK, so -15C isn't -60 Fahrenheit. That's what I get for using a calculator that was "Made in China." :o But the bad news is that it is -38C here, not –15 like I expected!!! I don't know what that translates to except - REALLY F-ING COLD. I also have a smoking hotel room and my flight was turbulent as holy hell. It was like being in a Baja racing car in the sky. I am going to bed and should have lung cancer in the morning. Cheers.

Greetings From the Land of Dim Sum

2008-01-16T20:57:00.001-05:00

Yes, I am in the city where Dim Sum (pictured above) was invented. Aleksandra and I are big fans for Dim Sum back in the states. Dim Sum means “snack” and is sort of like the Chinese version of tapas – sort of. You are usually seated at a large table in an enormous room that resembles a scene in a John Woo film. There are numerous little Chinese ladies that walk around with these rolling carts of food and try to sell you all sorts of stuff like shrimp dumplings, vegetables, beef, raccoon penis, etc… My personal favorites are the BBQ pork buns. They are not pictured above because they were in my stomach when I took the photo.

Well, I just received my "rake up call" and am about to leave the city of Dim Sum and fly to a city in northern China where it is –15 degrees Celsius. That translates to –60 in American. I can’t wait.

"Real" Chinese food is Yummy!!!

2008-01-13T16:29:00.000-05:00

The rumors are true. Chinese food in China is much different than the Sweet & Sour Chicken and Won Ton soup we Americans have learned to love. Take yesterday’s lunch for example. It started off with some live fresh water eel in a bucket. Click to play the movie.

Then we moved on to some exquisite freshly chopped dog face on a block.

For the main course I has some peppered carcass that was marinating on a hook on this street corner for 5 and a half days. With a meal of this caliber I didn’t have any room to squeeze in any desert. Aw, shucks!

China Day 1

2008-01-10T09:37:00.000-05:00

First, thanks to everyone who let me know that my posts to “The Captain’s Blog” are working even though I am not allowed to read them myself.

I heard from Aleksandra shortly after my last post. As I thought, she missed her flight from Tokyo to Newark. However, she seemed to be enjoying her hotel room and even managed to score some green tea ice cream. Green tea ice cream ranks second only to shopping on Aleksandra’s list of pleasures. I think I am in the top 10, but I can’t confirm that.

While Aleksandra was delayed in Tokyo, I decided to take a stroll around the neighborhood where my hotel is located. It is very clean and relatively quiet considering it is in the middle of a city of 20 million people. The first thing that caught my eye was this:

It is a condom vending machine located on the sidewalk outside of a small park. It appears to be made by a company called “Strong Man.” I can imagine many scenarios where this vending machine could become handy ;) Actually, I think I will lobby for one of these bad boys to be installed in the parking lot of Graham Hills (that’s an inside joke for the mountain bikers).

Speaking of bikes, the street I was walking down had a HUGE bike lane with a metal divider to separate it from the traffic. See below:

Biking is a MAJOR form of transportation here. I have never see so many people on bikes and every large building has literally hundreds of bikes lined up outside. Kudos to the Communists for their support of bikes ;)

After observing the condom vending machine and bike lane I decided I had done enough sightseeing for the evening and it was time for a drink. I popped into this little convenience store to buy a beer. As I perused their selection, something caught my eye. It was a short bottle made of smoked glass and a shape resembling a traditional whiskey flask. As it turns out, it is some sort of glutinous wine called “Black Fragrance” which contains honey, ginger juice, wolfberry and other “natural elements.” It is native to this part of China. I took the “Black Fragrance” back to my hotel room and did a number on it. I didn’t see any little green fairies like I hoped to, but I did see Mao Zedong give me the finger as he took a dump in my bath room.

Censored in China

2008-01-09T08:03:00.000-05:00

Well, after 17 hours of traveling and 1 landing at an incorrect airport (that was a blast) I have made it to Shanghai, China. I left Aleksandra sitting on a bench at an airport in Bangkok waiting for her flight that wasn’t for another 6 hours. It appears that that flight was delayed causing her to miss her connecting flight in Tokyo but I am not sure and have no way of contacting her. If anyone hears from her, please let me know.

Speaking of lack of communication, it appears that “The Captain’s Blog” is censored in China. I think that is awesome! I guess I am just too much of a wild free spirit for this country. FREEDOM - YEAH!!! CAPITALISM!!! I AM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN, CAUSE AT LEAST I KNOW I AM FREE!!!!! When I try to log on, I get an error message, so it could be an internet quirk, but for now I’ll assume it is censorship due to “Extreme Coolness and Freedom.”

Since I can’t read my own blog, can someone please leave a comment or send me an e-mail that they read this post? I think I am circumventing the system by posting through e-mail, but I have no idea if it will work.

Also, if there are no posts for say, 5 days, please call the US military to come rescue me. Thanks.

Thailand Photo Album

2008-01-07T23:24:00.001-05:00

Sawatdee Thailand! That means “Goodbye Thailand” in Thai. It was a wonderful trip and we are sad to leave. I will be posting a re-cap sometime in the near future. I have to make this post really short because we are being kicked out of our hotel room. I only had time to post 20 photos, but 20 is better than 0. They are all from our first day in Bangkok and the first 3 minutes of John and Paninat’s wedding. The link is below. See you all in China!

Bill's Thailand Photos

Vacation is hard work

2008-01-06T06:40:00.000-05:00

Since I arrived in Thailand it has been a non-stop barrage of sightseeing, shopping, wedding-ing, and TRAVELING. Holy crap. I have been on airplanes, trains, taxis, tooke-tookes (pictured above), boats, buses, and just about everything else EXCEPT a bicycle. Boo-hoo. I think the intense schedule took its toll on me. Last night I was on the beach enjoying an orange flavored hookah when suddenly I got hit with the Montezuma’s Revenge. I did an all out sprint to my room and haven’t come out in 17 hours. In addition to a visit from Montezuma, my body completely shut down. I couldn’t get out of bed and it was extremely difficult even walking to the bathroom. Every step took an incredible effort and my skin felt like it was on fire. This is the third time I got hit with this “extreme exhaustion.” It also happened to me when I was in Poland back in August and when I was working down in Virginia in the fall of 2006. When I get home I am going to have to get this checked out, but the good news is that I am feeling a bit better and I think the worst of it is behind me. I leave for my gig in China in 48 hours. Maybe I can get some rest when I go back to work. :~

Thailand’s Favorite Shopper

2008-01-03T01:01:00.000-05:00

That would be my wife. Aleksandra is in shopping heaven buying all sorts of “cool stuff.” In two days she will be adopted by The Thai Royal Family and given the title “Queen of Shopping.” We are with a bunch of other folks from the US who came over for the wedding and they are placing bets on how much Aleksandra will buy each time we enter a shop. This is not a joke – they are really doing this. So far the person with the highest bet has won EVERY time. Sounds like a good bet to me.

As I write this post from our hotel room, she is out shopping. It is the only free moment I have to work on some pictures to share with you. So, I am going to do that now and cut this post short…

Bangkok Day 2 – The Art of the Deal

2007-12-31T00:27:00.001-05:00

Well, I have spent 2 full days in Bangkok. It has been an interesting experience to say the least. Bangkok is a huge city without any emissions laws. All the pollution here has likely turned my lungs from a healthy pink, to something resembling an 18% grey card (there is my filmmaking reference for the day.) There are street vendors EVERYWHERE. These vendors completely over take many of the sidewalks and the only way you can pass is by putting your life at risk by taking a small detour into the busy street.

The cab rides have been quite interesting. You basically haggle with the driver over a price to take you somewhere. You come to an agreement, hop into the cab, and you are on your way. Suddenly he says something like, “Instead of pay me 100 Baht you pay 50 Baht. Must go somewhere else.” Then you say, “No, please take me to where I asked you to go.” Then he says, “No, must go here.” It took me two cab rides to figure out what is going on, but from what I can tell if the driver takes you to a shop he is in cahoots with and you buy something he gets a percentage. So, they just take you to these shops and the high-pressure salesmen try to sell you something. So far we have been taken to a jewelry store and a custom clothing shop. Of course my wife is a willing participant in this scam and ends up buying all sorts of stuff at these places. LOTS of stuff. Is it really a scam if you know they are taking advantage of you, yet enjoy the experience?

The first cab ride cost us about 35 bucks for a ring worth $2 and the one last night cost us about $100 because she bought a kimono. Granted it seems like a nice kimono. Aleksandra also has an interesting bargaining strategy. I ask how much something costs. They say 1,000 Baht. I say, “Are you kidding? That’s way too much. I will pay 500 Baht. That’s all we have.” Thai merchants LOVE to haggle. It is expected. That’s part of their culture. Immediately my wife interjects with her best Polish accent and says, “OK, 1,000 Baht. We have money.” I nearly spit up my Pad Thai as I look at her with a “WTF??????” look on my face and she says, “These people are poor. Let’s give them our money. Don’t be so cheap Bill.” Thai people LOVE my wife.

West Harrison -> Bangkok = 29 Hours

2007-12-28T13:36:00.001-05:00

That’s right. From the time I left my door to the time I arrived at the Twin Towers Hotel in Bangkok 29 hours of my life have passed. I actually feel pretty good, but I have a feeling the jet lag will rear it’s ugly head in the next couple of days. Bangkok is 12 hours a head of NY so I arrived here at 12:30am on the 29th, but it is 12:30pm on the 28th in NY. How was I able to manage such a long journey you ask? There answer is on the label of the medicine bottle sitting next to me. It reads, “Clonazepam – may cause drowsiness - ALCOHOL INTENSIFIES EFFECT.” That’s all I have to say about that ;)

Time to get some much deserved sleep in a real bed. I leave you with this photograph of the sun rising over Siberia – yeah, Siberia.

oops, can't load the photo due to technical difficulties here in Thailand. stay tuned

Laew phob gan mai

2007-12-25T22:14:00.000-05:00

That means “see you again” in Thai. And I will see you all again in 2008. But in a few hours I am making a 26 hour journey to Thailand. I am celebrating my 5th wedding anniversary with Aleksandra and going to our friends’ (John Roper and Paninat Indranak) wedding. It should be a grand time. As it stands now I will head to China from Thailand to shoot Nike content for the Olympics and Aleksandra will fly back home solo :( I will be in China for 2 weeks, fly home for 2 weeks, fly to LA for a week, and then out to China for 2 more weeks. Needless to say the first 2 months of 2008 will be quite an adventure. Be sure to stay tuned to The Captain’s blog because I will be sharing my experiences with you whenever I have an internet connection. And please post comments or send me an e-mail. I might get lonely over there! I miss my bike already.

P.S. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!

Life at 1,000 FPS

2007-12-19T22:00:00.001-05:00

I recently re-united with director and good friend, Daniel Leeb, of Cinecycle fame. Dan was hired to make more content for PUMA. For this round we were shooting a project with dancers from STREB. STREB is basically Cirque du Soleil meets Stomp with some Brooklyn flav-a thrown in. These performers are AWESOME! We shot a bunch of different stuff, but the highlight was shooting “Crash” at 1,000 frames per second. During the “Crash” piece a dancer (Fabio) jumps through a plane of glass. We shot this with the new Phantom camera that shoots 2K resolution at 1,000 frames per second. To put this in perspective, normal speed is 24 FPS and the faster you shoot, the slower the motion. So, a 5 second clip is turned into approximately 3 minutes. It is absolutely beautiful and I would love to share it with you right now, but I can’t post anything until the composite and edit are complete. For now all I can share is the production still above. So, please stay tuned to my blog for some slow motion goodness!!!

The Hottest Commercial on TV

2007-12-07T16:19:00.000-05:00

Well, that is a bit of an exaggeration, but my latest spot has been getting some serious airplay. It has been on ESPN, MSG, YES, SNY, and many other stations. Last night I was sipping a Murphy's and eating some nachos at Gordo's when all of a sudden it appeared on all of their TV screens. It was rad. The commercial is for Foot Locker's Zipways pants and features John Starks and Tyreke Evans. It was directed by my friend Sean Durkin and produced by Josh Mond. Joe "Laser Beam Focus" Anderson was the Assistant Camera. Here is a link to a very small version of the spot. When I get a better copy I'll upload the link.

If you feel compelled to rip your pants off after watching this spot you have my complete support.

Foot Locker Zipways Spot

Wake

2007-11-29T23:57:00.001-05:00

First, I want to apologize to all my fans ;) It has been forever since I made a blog post. However, I am going to make a strong effort to re-kindle this blog. There has been a lot of exciting stuff happening I want to share with you. Let's start off with -- Wake

This summer I was re-united with my friend from NYU Film, Mike Fiore. We shot this short film titled "Wake" in 10 hours on a Saturday at Fort Totten, Staten Island. We ate cold pizza for lunch and inhaled at least 3lbs of asbestos during the shoot. Ain't the film biz glamorous?

Well, here is a link to the fruits of our efforts. Bonus points if you can figure out the plot.
Wake -- (right click to download)

Beyond Beats & Rhymes on PBS

2007-02-19T11:02:00.000-05:00

The 2006 Sundance Film Festival Official Selection that I shot, Beyond Beats & Rhymes, will air tomorrow night February 20th 2007 at 10pm on PBS's Independent Lens. This is channel 13 for most, but check your local listings.

Click Here for the trailer:
Beyond Beats & Rhymes Trailer

Let's Ride!!!

2007-01-31T08:01:00.000-05:00

I apologize for the lack of posts here. Fortunately the end of 2006 was extremely busy for me and I neglected my blog. From now on, I’ll try to post at least once a month so please keep checking back. OK, now on to the good stuff. The weather here in NY has been incredibly warm up until about 2 weeks ago. It even hit 70 degrees in January! Viva el Nino!!! As a result, I have been doing lots of mountain biking. I have started to bring my camera with me on rides. I put up a new little site that contains all the media I am creating about mountain biking. The link is below as well as on the side bar. Please let me know what you think. LETS RIDE!!!

Bill's Mountain Bike Site

Panasonic Interview/DVD

2006-11-06T09:50:00.000-05:00

I was one of a handful of DP's interviewed by Panasonic about their High Definition camera, the Vari-Cam. They also included my 30 second spot for Puma titled "Messenger" on their demo DVD. The interview is on their web site. Here is the link:
Bill Winters Panasonic Interview

You can also get a free copy of the DVD here:
Vari-Cam DVD with Bill Winters' Puma Spot

BBR Screening @ The Burns

2006-10-31T09:59:00.000-05:00

As some of you may recall from earlier posts on this Blog, a film I shot, Beyond Beats & Rhymes, was in this year's Sundance Film Festival. A few days ago, Beyond Beats & Rhymes screened at The Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, NY. There was a Q&A with myself and co-producer/editor Sabrina Gordon following the screening. I'd like to thank everyone who came out to support the film and me. There are too many folks to thank individually, but you know who you are. Also, I have to give a shout out to Mike Heck for taking some great photographs. Beyond Beats and Rhymes will air on PBS in early 2007. I'll post the show times when they are announced.

LeBron James - Round 2

2006-10-04T22:16:00.000-04:00

I just returned from Cleveland where I was re-united with LeBron James and director Derek Cianfrance for another project. We were shooting advertising content for Sprite. They are making a new web site called Project 23-23 where people can log in and create a mix for the soundtrack to LeBron's new Sprite commercial. The 3 winners' music will actually be used when the commercial airs during the NBA all-star break. I'll post up and let you guys know when the site is launched so you can do your best DJ Tiesto impersonation and hopefully win the contest. Rock On.

Lately...

2006-09-25T17:02:00.000-04:00

GREAT news. I am proud to announce that my good friend Derek Cianfrance's short film titled, "Lately There Have Been Many Misunderstands" has won the 2006 Chrysler Film Project!!! The Chrysler Film Project is a competition for emerging filmmakers in which the winner gets a one million dollar production deal from Chrysler and Silverwood Films. Derek's feature film is titled Blue Valentine and will be shooting this winter. I am very grateful to Derek for asking me to shoot his short and am I looking forward to Blue Valentine.

You can watch "Lately..." by clicking on the link below:
2006 Winner - "Lately..."

Final Transmission

2006-08-22T04:59:00.000-04:00

This is my final transmission from Poland. It was a great trip despite the weather. We only had 4 rain free days out of 21, but I was able to get in 4 mountain bike rides and hopefully one more today. The trip has too many highlights to reflect on them all, but thanks to our friends & family for making us feel so welcome. I took about 1,500 pictures and will continue to update the photo album from home. I have begun to pack my equipment in bubble wrap (provided by Gerard’s dad) so it can be safely checked in. It is very fragile and expensive stuff, so I always bring it carry-on, but the Polish airlines have not lifted the carry-on restrictions. I am only allowed to bring my passport, wallet, and tissues on board. Nothing else -- not even a magazine. It will be quite boring without my iPod, laptop, and nothing to read, but as long as it is a smooth, safe flight I don’t care. I hope you all enjoyed wasting some time by reading this Blog and be sure to keep checking in because there are many exciting things planned for the fall. Peace out.

Back from the Baltic

2006-08-17T05:02:00.000-04:00

I just returned from the Baltic Sea. The trip was good despite all the rain. In the 2.5 weeks I have been here there have been 2 – yes 2 days without rain and one of those days was very overcast. At least the storm clouds provided some interesting skies for my photographs. In addition to seeing the beach, I saw Malbork, an amazing old castle of The Teutonic Knights, Gdansk – one of the coolest cities in Poland, and the EXACT place where World War II started. I took over 200 pictures and don’t have time to organize them all in my photo album now, but I did add 5 shots - two sunset shots on the beach, and three black & white shots from Gdansk. Enjoy.

Bill's Poland 2006 Photo Album

Off To The Baltic Sea

2006-08-11T08:57:00.000-04:00

Aleksandra, Gosia, Tomek, and I are heading off to the Baltic Sea for the weekend. We plan on seeing an old famous castle called Malbork, the city of Gdansk, and....the sea. It's been raining here EVERY DAY, so hopefully things will change this weekend. I also updated my photo album with new pictures from Lublin, Kazimierz, my magical bike ride, and others. There won't be any updates until next Wed. or Thurs. because I am leaving my computer at home. Enjoy.

Bill's Poland 2006 Photo Album

Magical Ride

2006-08-10T07:48:00.000-04:00

Aleksandra's cousin Pawel and I had a magical mountain bike ride here in Lublin. You can read about it here:

Bill's Ride Thread on WMBA Forum

Stormy Weather

2006-08-08T11:14:00.000-04:00

As you can see above, there have been may storms here in Poland, both outside and inside our home. However, I won't go into that now. The latest storm has just cleared and I am off to do some mountain biking with Pawel!!! I am very excited. I also added more photos to the album. Enjoy.

Bill's Poland 2006 Photo Album

Poland 2006 Photo Album

2006-08-05T11:03:00.000-04:00

Things are going well here in Lublin, Poland. I just made this little photo album that I will be updating every so often. Be sure to check it out!

Bill's Poland 2006 Photo Album

Czesc Polska!

2006-08-04T07:28:00.000-04:00

It was a safe trip to Poland. I am now ready to begin my three-week stay here. The flight was smooth. The LOT Boeing 767-300 was great, as was the free booze and my trusty new inflatable pillow. After we landed Aleksandra’s mom, Anna, and her stepfather, Tadzio, picked us up. They immediately took us to this great restaurant in the country between Warsaw and Lublin. I ate Pierogi (pictured above) and drank Piwo (Beer.) Aleksandra met this puppy that liked playing with her pants.

Then we went home and drank vodka.

Patty & Kevin

2006-07-28T08:46:00.000-04:00

OK, so this post is a little late, but better now than never. My family and I went down to Burke, VA the weekend of July 15,2006 for Patty Merida & Kevin Tracy's wedding. We had a blast. It was my first time being in a wedding party. I have known Kev and his brother Jim since the summer before kindergarten as well as fellow groomsman Patrick Hatcher. It was a great reunion to say the least. Some highlights of the trip were Jim's dog Achilles, his brand new son Joe, meeting the Merida family, Poo-Pa's nasal hair speech, Father Dan's mass, Jim's killer best man speech, the post wedding beer party in my parent's room, the one and only Uncle Jack, and of course paying a visit to Pat's Steaks in Philly on the way home. I hope to have this much fun at my wedding. Wait a minute - I am already married!

Links:
Bill's Pics
The Official Merida-Tracy Site

Diddy

2006-07-23T19:30:00.000-04:00

Friday night was a long one. I shot an extended interview with P. Diddy a.k.a Sean Combs. I got to Diddy's crib at 7pm and didn't leave until 7:30am on Saturday. We shot 65 rolls of Kodak Double-X B&W negative film. That's a lot of film - about 12 hours worth. Kodak was happy and we got some in-depth stuff with Diddy. It was a challenge for me to shoot a dark skined dude in the corner of 2 white walls, but I have been doing lots of praying to the film gods and hope that it comes out cool. I'll post up when I know when & where you can catch it.

The Stallion Has Arrived!!!

2006-07-04T10:04:00.000-04:00

After 10 months of waiting, my new road bike has finally arrived! Back in September I went to Smart Cycles in Norwalk, CT where the Italian master frame builder, Antonio Mondonico, fit me for a custom road bike. Antonio has had an amazing career making the finest steel frames, which have graced the podiums of The Tour de France and Giro de Italia. The closest I will ever come to standing on a podium is the steps of the old Millwood train station on the North County Trailway!!! Nerveless, I am really lucky to have this frame because it fits me like a custom suit and it is one of the last frames the master ever built - Antonio retired after making this batch of frames.

So, the birth of The Stallion went like this. Antonio comes from Italy to Smart Cycles to fit me. Antonio goes back to Italy and makes the gorgeous steel frame and fork. The frame was then shipped back to Smart Cycles and Alex sent it out to California where it was painted matte black with silver pinstripes. Then the frame was shipped back to Smart Cycles. Alex did another fitting session with me to get all the components set up correctly like the saddle height, handle bar height, etc... Then he assembled it and now I ride it!

Here are my pictures of The Stallion:
Bill's Mondonico Pictures

Bold Moves

2006-07-02T08:40:00.000-04:00

Well, if you have been reading this blog you know that I have been shooting a series of 50 short documentary films for The Ford Motor Company. All the content will be broadcast on Ford's web site and a new film will be released every week. The first film was launched a few days ago. Here is the link:

Ford Bold Moves

WMBA Fat Tire Festival 2006

2006-06-28T12:30:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago the Westchester Mountain Bike Association held their 14th annual Fat Tire Festival at Blue Mountain in Peekskill, NY. It was a really fun day. I went on 3 great rides and took lots of pictures and video. The slow race, bike limbo, and raffle were particularly fun. I won a water bottle, Cannondale cycling socks, and a bitchin' Crank Brothers hat. Here are some pictures:

Fat Tire Festival Pictures

Casa de Clinton

2006-06-28T12:27:00.000-04:00

Well, I know it's been quite some time for a blog update. Things have been busy and unfortunately my small digital camera is busted. That said I have a bunch of updates to share with you so keep checking in. I recently did a shoot with Bill Clinton at his house in Chappaqua and a shoot with Brett Ratner for Mercedes Benz. Clinton was very rushed during the shoot, but he calmed down when we wrapped and was very proud to show off his Samurai sword. OK get your head out of the gutter, it wasn't made of flesh, it was a real sword that some high-ranking Chinese official gave him on a visit to China. He also had lots and lots of books. There was a bright yellow one that caught my eye. I went over to check it out and low and behold it was "Impeachment for Dummies." I think that is awesome. Unfortunately there is no picture of me and the Pres. I am very disappointed.

Concept Vehicles

2006-05-01T08:51:00.000-04:00

Had another good week in Detroit. Not as much adrenalin as doing 145 in a Shelby, but saw some exciting new stuff on the test track. First I saw the Ford Reflex, which is a new Hybrid concept car. I loved this car and would certainly buy one. It looks cool and gets 65mpg. It's half Diesel and half electric. It also looks like a "future car" from the 1980's. Ford is still working out the kinks so; it only drove for 30 yards then pooped out.

Also got up close & personal with the Ford Super Chief. This thing is a MONSTER. It is a huge pickup truck that runs on 3 types of fuel and had a 10-cylinder engine. I guess it should run on 4 fuels, because it ran out of gas as we were driving it around the Ford Rouge Plant! Again, it is just a concept, so they need to work out the kinks, but both vehicles are really cool and hopefully they will be produced and still have all the characteristics of the concept vehicles.

Unfortunately, my small digital camera is busted, so there aren't pics of me with these vehicles, but I pulled some images off the net so you can see what I am talking about.

Ford Reflex

Super Chief Exterior

Super Chief Interior

MOTOWN!

2006-04-24T22:14:00.000-04:00

Well, I am getting ready for my 2nd trip to Detroit in as many weeks. Last week I got to do 145mph in the 2007 Shelby Cobra Mustang at the Ford Proving Grounds in Romeo, MI. IT WAS AWESOME!!!! I also pulled several G's on the skidpad! WOW! I want this car. I will give a fully detailed report with photos, but for now I leave you with this photo I took in the stall at the Detroit International Airport. It is brillant advice.

Breakin' da law, breakin' da law...

2006-04-13T09:17:00.001-04:00

MayhemMaybe and I hit the trails the other day. It was glorious. I guess I was riding too fast to see this sign. I love downhills!

A real life poop shoot. This is what The Taco Shack's Tijuana Torpedo will do to ya!

(click images to enlarge)

My New Car

2006-04-05T22:38:00.000-04:00

First, I must apologize for not updating my blog in quite some time. Things have been very busy and my computer time has been limited. However, I will do my best to try and get at least one update posted per week. That said, today was a big day. After 14 years with my trusty Plymouth Laser, I finally broke down and bought a brand new 2006 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited Wagon. Let me tell you, this thing is awesome. It has many features of an SUV (All Wheel Drive, large cargo space, high ground clearance) but rides like a car. It also gets 28 miles per gallon as opposed to the single digit numbers you get with large SUVs. The car feels really solid and well made. Now I just have to decide if I am going to get a roof bike rack, or hitch bike rack. I am leaning toward the roof rack system for various reasons, but haven't made a final decision. Here are a few quick shots I took today in Valhalla after bringing the car home from the dealer.

The Captain "Knows Menopause"

2006-03-09T23:44:00.000-05:00

Wow. It's been a great 2 weeks. I was shooting a commercial for an NBC Poker Show in Las Vegas with Phil Hellmuth, a short film "SAG CORPS" for my new friends Adam Wiesner and Juan Reinoso, and shooting elements for a soon to be released web site "www.knowingmenopause.com." Knowing Menopause was produced by my buddies at Radical Media and directed by the one and only Paul "PBoz" Bozymowski. Knowing Menopause is clearly going to be the Citizen Kane of menopause web sites. After listening to hours and hours of doctors and women speaking about menopause, I have had two hot flashes and a new found appreciation of my good ole' twig & berries.

One of the highlights of shooting the Citizen Kane of menopause was working at Silver Cup Studios. Silver Cup is one of the coolest places in the world. I treasured every moment I spent in that place and soaked in the atmosphere. So many amazing films have been made there and presently "The Sopranos" are using many of the stages for their primary interior locations. I also ran into my friend Greg who was gaffing a Sunny Delight commercial and Jesse (the editor of "SAG CORPS") who was working on an antiseptic commercial. It is so cool to hang out in the halls and see all the activity going on including James Gandolfini chillin' next to a 10k.

Once again, I couldn't have done it without my dream team crew lead by Jake Sauerbrey, Mary Billyou, and Owen "The Magician" Holland. Thanks so much for your help guys! You are the best.

Setting up the big green screen for the virtual room

P. Boz

Mary getting in a round of pool at "The Bada Bing Club"

The Captain waits for some much needed psychotherapy

A Weekend for the Ages

2006-02-26T23:09:00.000-05:00

This past weekend is one I will never forget. It was the world premiere of "The Emerald Diamond." I have a million things to say, but can't because I am totally speechless at the moment. The best I can do is give a HUGE thanks to everyone who came out to support the film especially the folks who came from far away lands. It was a very touching moment. Best of luck to John on his 20 city tour. I will be giving updates on this blog and you can get the latest "TED" news at www.irishbaseballmovie.com

Here are some pics from the premiere:

The Emerald Diamond World Premiere

Let's Get This Party Started!!!!

2006-02-25T10:03:00.000-05:00

Last night Boru Vodka hosted a press party at The Pig 'n Whistle in NYC to kick off the premiere of The Emerald Diamond. John Fitzgerald was celebrating his birthday and a bunch of guys from the team just arrived from Ireland. It was a great warm-up for today's main event. Here are some pictures:

Pictures From the Press Party

The Journal News

2006-02-24T13:06:00.000-05:00

On the eve of the premiere of The Emerald Diamond, it appears that "TED" Heads are taking over Westchester County. There is an article about the making of The Emerald Diamond in the Sports section of today's Journal News on page 7c. I will have a scan of the article posted soon, but for now here is the link. Unfortunately for all the ladies there is no picture of us on the web site.

Lights, camera, play ball!

Thanks to all who bought tickets to the SOLD OUT premiere! If you don't have tickets and still want to party, you are welcome to come to The James Joyce Saloon in White Plains, NY tomorrow after the screening. I think we'll be there around 5pm.

Rippin' @ Sprain

2006-02-15T08:45:00.000-05:00

Fortunately I was able to get a ride in a couple of days before The Blizzard of '06 at Sprain Ridge Park. Fellow "TED Head" J. Lovely just bought a new digital camera and wanted to try it out on some action. I think the pictures came out........very Lovely!

"Times" for TED!!!

2006-02-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

After two and a half years of numerous trips on I-95, several trans-Atlantic flights, and one emergency landing in Dublin, it is finally time to enjoy the fruits of our labor. The Emerald Diamond "TED" is premiering on February 25th 2006 @ The Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, NY with an after party at The James Joyce Saloon in White Plains, NY!!! There is also an article about the film in today's New York Times sports section. Here is the link:

It's a Whole New Ballgame in Ireland, and a Movie, Too

The film is going on tour in theaters across the country starting in March, courtesy of Boru Vodka. So, if you can't make it to Pleasantville on the 25th you may be able to catch TED in your town. For more info and the screening dates you can visit the official site here:

The Emerald Diamond - Official Site

Day 1 of principle photography in Providence, Rhode Island. If only John Fitzgerald knew the wild adventure he was getting himself into.

FedEx Kinko's

2006-02-07T23:37:00.000-05:00

I just did a shoot for the new FedEx Kinko's commercials. It was directed by Honest, which is the directing team of Cary Murnion and Jonathan Milott - two of my favorite dudes. We were doing a shot looking straight down at a photocopy machine. The budget was tight, so putting the camera on a jib was out of the question. However, we had nothing to fear because Owen Holland was on our team! He built this SWEET rig out of two High Boys, some wood, clamps, a Hi-hat, and of course, the Arri 435. Nice work Owen! Another highlight of the shoot was Mary's acrobatics when changing mags! Thanks to the crew: Jake Sauerbrey, Mary Billyou, and Owen for doing a terrific job and making it happen. You guys rock!

Wide shot of the setup

Owen & his rig

Rig

Mary chillin'

Here is a link to the final product:
FedEx Kinko's

Web Site Update

2006-02-06T09:20:00.000-05:00

I updated my web site this weekend. I re-encoded all the video clips with a new codec that yields larger files, but dramatically improves picture quality. I also replaced my old Battlegrounds clip with the opening to the latest season which features Lebron James. I am getting some weird digital artifacting so I'll fix that soon, but I think it still looks much better than the old clip that was actually a VHS dub that was recorded off of my cable box! Let me know what you think.

BillWinters.net/Reel

Sundance Film Festival 2006

2006-01-31T23:00:00.000-05:00

I just got back from the 2006 Sundance Film festival in Park City, Utah. I was out there promoting a film in the festival that I shot called "Beyond Beats and Rhymes" which was directed by Byron Hurt and produced by Sabrina Gordon. The film did extremely well, drumming up lots of buzz and press. It was sold out every night and received numerous standing ovations. Congrats Byron! Unfortunately, it was in a category called "Spectrum" which disqualified it from winning any awards (including cinematography!) but it was a great experience anyway. Here are links to some the media coverage and a few photos from the festival. "Beyond Beats and Rhymes" will air on PBS and be screened at other locations, but no dates have been locked in yet. Be sure to check back. Enjoy!

MTV

AOL Video

Newsday

RottenTomatoes.com

Me, Aleksandra, Byron, and Sabrina

Pannel Discussion

Chillin' in The Filmaker's Lounge

Aleksandra Jumps

Driving West on I-80

2005 - A Retrospective - THE END

2006-01-24T23:22:00.000-05:00

OK. I am getting depressed re-living 2005 so this is my last post on this thread. On with 2006! Here are some random 2005 photos:

The 5 Boro Bike Ride - New York, NY - Possibly the best day of the year

Shooting "The Emerald Diamond" in Belfast, Northern Ireland

Anna & Aleksandra in Poland

Lublin, Poland

Drinking with Polish dudes in Lublin, Poland

My Baby, my Santa Cruz Blur on its first ride - Ninham Mountain; Carmel, NY

Me and Derek Cianfrance shooting a Nike promo with LeBron James in Akron, OH

Shooting "The Sim's Life" with Will Wright - Oakland, CA

Shooting "The Sim's Life" - Mojave, CA

Me, Aleksandra, Mom & Dad @ Aleksandra's 30th Birthday 1920's Costume Party - Thornwood, NY

2005 - A Retrospective - Winter

2006-01-20T23:10:00.000-05:00

Aleksandra and I on Jan 1, 2005. Our first meal of the year is at Minando!

Photo Shoot with Natasha

Ameritrade shoot with Tom Shillue

Me, Fitz & Cormack Elkof after a shoot for The Emerald Diamond in Yonkers, NY

2005 - A Retrospective

2006-01-20T21:35:00.000-05:00

This blog thing seems pretty neat. I didn't have one last year so I will recap 05' with a few highlights and lowlights. Actually, maybe I'll just relive 2005. I'll only Blog the good days and forget about the bad ones. 2006 is going to be perfect.

Relief

2006-01-20T20:55:00.000-05:00

Today I quit the gym and drank a six pack when I got home. I feel better already.

My First Post

2006-01-19T22:41:00.000-05:00

This is my first post to the Blog. Cool...