Spring Has Sprung

Shooting In Ruth's House

The other night we were shooting a commercial in the Bronx. For a more ethereal feel, there was some clever camera work done by suspending the lens underneath a 12'X12' balloon. We also had a mini helicopter to fly the camera around the stadium. As always, Gus and I found the best vantage point was from the home team dugout.....

First From Haiti

Sam C has arrived in Port Au Prince with some cash we all helped raise to help the guys we worked with rebuild their lives. Sam has sent back a few pictures so far..... It looks like he met everyone in a restaurant and that they had some fun. Old man Donald is still looking as mischievous as ever while big Joe has married and his wife is expecting their first child in five days! Congrats.

Springtime in Brooklyn

Finishing up a two week stint in Brooklyn and I visited the new park on Pier 1 south of the Brooklyn Bridge. Still very much a work in progress but you can see the formations of small canals and vast lawns. The trees are bursting and tulips everywhere.

The Secret of Her Picture

I went to the movies last night with MR to see an excellent Argentine thriller, "The Secret of Their Eyes". Lots of twists and turns. Several endings that keep one guessing although I figured out the last surprise. Some great camera work also, featuring a chase through a soccer stadium.
As a pre BDay present, MR gave me my favorite picture from her recent gallery exhibit of Mongolian pictures. The whole show along with stories of the subjects can be seen here

ID

The mini bush with the pink flowers has been positively ID-ed by GT as Orchid Rockrose. About a third of the bush died away during the unusually cold winter.... but what was left has grown and blossomed beautifully. It's just sad that it only flowers for about 4 weeks.
The tea tree bush has riotous clumps of redness. Very showy in the sunshine.

Lilac

WL sent some pics of a few new blooms in the front. The lilac is coming to life as are the manzanita and an aromatic sage, both with small white flowers.

London Shoot

I came across a site yesterday that had a bunch of footage we created from our Earl's Court shoot last year. The car company's vision change shortly after the filming ended and our "lifestyle" scenes never made it into any broadcast commercials. A British design company, Broken Antler, has edited several pieces to discuss the design and technological aspects of the new XJ. It was the first time I saw our footage. Not too shabby.

Gaffer63: All That Glitters

Gaffer63: AJ Directs

Weekend Dog

Seven waiting for treats to be bestowed.

New Blooms

The unknown mini shrub in the front began to bloom last week. The flowers are super delicate, open up flat and only last a day or two. But with each branch having two or three buds, the show should last a week or so.

No Summer With Josh

On Saturday I was to be flying to Mexico City for a three month shoot with Josh Brolin. But Universal Pictures pulled the plug on "Cartel" this morning after budget concerns and a wave of under performing (ie flopped) adult themed films.
Read more if you wish here, here or here.

At Rest

Every evening the hummingbird who has adopted our front yard comes to a rest for 2 or 3 minutes. I've never seen one sit for so long. He tends to like the very top of the Tipu tree, on a branch void of leaves. He sits for a few minutes and then zooms away.

Backyard Blooms