Reelife's Crowd Sourced Concert Film of Neil Young at Carnegie Hall 1/7/14 - Hitting the big time!

This has been a whole lotta' fun watching this concert film that I shot and edited with the help of some additional, incredible video and audio that I "found on the internet"… getting so much love...

I spoke with reporter John Jurgensen from The Wall Street Journal yesterday about crowd-sourced videos and the current state of online streaming, etc. and today I see that Slate has posted an article, and yesterday Steve Silberman from Wired shared the video… it's really fun to see the gospel of Neil being spread so far and wide.

Here's the Slate post

…and, well of course, none of this would be happening if Neil's performance wasn't so absolutely stunning in the first place...

So, here's the 2hr concert film… grab some popcorn and your beverage of choice… and enjoy!

Summer Reading

This video produced by Reelife back in 2007 for Pamela Thompson's Every Past Thing (Unbridled Books) features the author talking about her concept for the book... and it reminded me that it's time for some summertime reading...

If you're interested in buying the book, it's available on the Unbridled Books website

Ron Sims on the Future of Sustainability

Okay, so the word "SUSTAINABILITY" is totally overused, but,... here's a great lecture by Ron Sims, former undersecretary at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that puts it all into perspective and actually gives meaning to the word.

Reelife recorded the lecture for Lincoln Institute of Land Policy at the annual New England Smart Growth Leadership Forum on December 2, 2011, at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, The event was co-sponsored with the regional offices of HUD and EPA, and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston and its focus was the past, present, and future of HUD's Sustainable Communities initiative.

Mobile Studio: Now Available!

With our current heat wave, I'm really ready for the call to use the mobile studio (aka kayak) for a shoot... I'm just sayin... isn't there anybody out there who desperately needs a documentary of something river related? Anybody?

Higher Ground: The Fight Continues...

I'll be spending next Monday at the Cheshire County Courthouse in Keene, NH, documenting the trial and getting a summary of The Paper Services, Inc. fight against Algonquin Power and GZA and all of the powers that be… It's such a sordid tale, I can't even begin to try to explain the current status.

The mill owner, Gary O'Neal, has been dragged through so much legal ugliness and now is fighting an even more serious health battle… I wish this situation was headed in a very different direction…but maybe now there will be some good news about how things can move forward.

This video is the first of four shot by Reelife that try to tell the whole story...

William Tucker at The Oxbow Gallery

I had the pleasure of shooting this talk by famed British sculptor William Tucker at the Oxbow Gallery back in March... for more information on him, visit this website.

Premiere Night in Williamsburg!

A wonderful night at The Meekins Library in Williamsburg, MA, premiering the video "Cross Generation Conversations: A Living Archive of Our Town." Pass the popcorn, please...

A Star in the Making!

Spent Sunday morning shooting another video for the mighty talented 13 year old Emma Henderson. She received a call back from one of the Disney studio audition videos that Reelife shot and produced a few weeks ago. This second video may just get her the job! Really happy to see all of Emma's (and her Mom's) hard work finally payoff.

It's been great to see her develop as a singer... and wait until you hear her sing Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful"... she's the real deal.

Also, I just found out that she's come up with a stage name of "Emery Lux"... pretty bold move, I'd say.

Here's Emma's rendition of Dennis Caraher's song Crying in the Car...

Video Screen: Cross Generation Conversations

The video I shot of the fascinating cross-generational conversation held in Williamsburg back in February is beng screened next Thursday the 16th...

Storm Over Northampton Meadows

YouTube's "soundtrack enhancement" can really add some depth to already dramatic video (with bad original sound). I tried it on this video that I shot with my iPhone during the recent storm that crawled over Downtown Northampton... the wind-sound was really strong.

Documenting Another Land Policy Conference Keynote

...Documenting the keynote address at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy's conference taking place this coming Monday in Boston. The speaker will be Kathy Sierra of the Brookings Institution, and her topic is "Sustainable infrastructure for urban growth."

http://atlincolnhouse.typepad.com/weblog/2012/05/land-policy-conference-to-focus-on-infrastructure.html

Have Kayak, Will Travel

Nice article on visionary artist Samuel Rowlett in the Valley Advocate. Can't wait to hop in the water and document part of his trip down the Connecticut in my new production vehicle (aka kayak, see photo on left) on June 9th... I love my job...

Art in Paradise: Ramble On

Welcome to Village Hill!

Produced this promotional video for Village Hill in Northampton... an exceptional neighborhood offering the best of community life. The development offers a variety of housing options which incorporate green design and energy efficiency, whether LEED or Energy Star certified. And residents can commute car-free! While the Mill River, Mount Tom, and the Holyoke range stretch before you, it's just a short walk from downtown Northampton... pretty sweet...

Cross Generations: Hearing from Williamsburg's Oldest and Youngest Residents

Wrapping up production on Williamsburg's "Cross Generation Discussions" video... It was so great to hear and record the stories from our town's oldest & youngest residents, which illustrated the contrasts of life during the "pre-Facebook era"...

The video will premiere at The Williamsburg Historic Society's area on Memorial Day and will then be available for viewing at The Meekins Library, thanks to a grant from the Massachusetts Culture Council and the help of the town's Council on Aging and the Library.

The event, held on February 26, and was attended by about 20 people. "There were people there like Jean Hemenway, who is in her 90s and was the first selectwoman in Williamsburg. She talked about things like how she went to school in a fish cart," said Marie Westburg, director of the Council on Aging, said in an article in the Hampshire Gazette. "We are hoping to continue these conversations and will be applying for the grant again. It is a great way to mix the generations and celebrate and preserve the history of our town."

Reelife recorded audio and video of the event, which will become part of the living archives collection at Meekins this summer.

Monte Gets The Scoop!

Monte Belmonte getting the whole scoop ... on the whole love, from wrsi.com 's "Breakfast with WILCO," June 24, 2011, at The Solid Sound Festival, Mass MoCA, North Adams, MA... as filmed by Reelife Productions...

A Documentary in Progress That Needs Some Love!

A documentary production-in-progress that STILL needs funding... go figure...

It's a modern day tale about reclaiming our past... there is much more to the story...more to be told about the people, the families, the towns and the lives that have been affected by the decline of industry in this once bustling New Hampshire town and towns like it across the Untied States.

"Higher Ground" is the name of the documentary... this larger story that needs to be told. Reelife Documentary Productions has been working with former mill owner Gary O'Neal for a few years to produce this film and to help find a new use for this property and reinvigorate the surrounding economy that is so desperately in need of a new life.

Hey Hey, My My

Posting this video for two reasons... this guy rocks... and (oh yeah) I was the guy behind the lens...

Neil Young. Wang Center. Boston. Twisted Road Tour. April 2011.

Helping The Food Bank Spread the Good Word...

Here's a link to the promotional video I produced last month for The Food Bank of Western Mass...

Voices of New Farmers

Here's a promo that Reelife produced for Storey Publishing for Greenhorns: 50 Dispatches from the New Farmers' Movement by Zoë Bradbury, Severine von Tscharner Fleming, Paula Manalo... looks like very interesting reading!

A community of more than 5000 young farmers and activists, the Greenhorns are committed to producing and advocating for food grown with vision and respect for the earth. This book, edited by three of the group's leading members, comprises 50 original essays by new farmers who write about their experiences in the field from a wide range of angles, both practical and inspirational. Funny and sad, serious and light-hearted, these essays touch on everything from financing and machinery to family, community building, and social change.

Nice Spring Day in the Country...

Driving along in Chesterfield on this beautiful spring day and thought I'd shoot out the window of the car... Short but sweet, and shows what the Luma steadicam iphone app can do...