24 Hour Film Race: Growing Over You

If you've followed my work at all, you know I love when I get to be the set photographer for film projects, no matter how big or how small. There's something very magical and unifying about working with a film crew, and inevitably the people you work with become an extension of your ever-growing film family. That's why the 24 hour film race is something I look forward to every year, and last year's was by far our best one yet.

If you aren't familiar with how a film race works, the concept is this: write, shoot and edit a film with several requirements (a specific line of dialogue, a chosen prop, and a theme) that are announced at the start of the competition. Given that all this would normally take weeks or months to complete, it's quite the ambitious undertaking. Despite the rigorous schedule, it's always fun and inspiring, and often brings out the best of our creative abilities. 

We may be exhausted at the end of it all, but it's the most fun I've ever had intentionally working myself to the bone and combating the sleep that threatens to invade. Many cups of coffee and red bulls later, I never cease to be amazed by what we've pulled off and how we've managed to bring it all together, and I think that's why I love it so much. Sometimes you need to do the work for the love of it and nothing else, and being able to focus on creating beautiful imagery without working through client concerns or deadlines or bottom lines is a much needed rejuvenating process as an artist. 

"Ella" Production Stills!

It's been a little while since Hollow Tree Films finished filming for the 24 hour film race, but I wanted to share some of our official promo stills! Starring Michelle Jones, Ellyse Burnett, and Brandon L. Cabrera, "Ella" explores how the choices we make can have huge ramifications, and how tenuous relationships can become. While we only had one full day to develop a story and bring it to fruition, I think we did a pretty solid job and produced something we could all be proud of. Already counting down to the next Hollow Tree Films production!

"They Hunger" Proof of Concept Production Stills!

I've been waiting to share these images for a little while now, but I just received the green light from Hollow Tree Films, a co-producer of the project, and am so excited to finally unveil a few of the production stills from the Proof of Concept project we shot! Not only did I have the pleasure of working with such talented actors and actresses, but I was also fortunate enough to work with some of my favorite crew, and I am already counting down the days until the next project. Starring Alyssa Kempinski, Lauren A. Kennedy, Russell West, and Gabryal Rabinowitz, I can't wait to see where this project goes and hope to work on more of it soon!

Actress Alyssa Kempinski as Parker  in "They Hunger" Proof of Concept                                                     © 2014 A. Meadows Photography

Actor Gabryal Rabinowitz as Ezra in "They Hunger" Proof of Concept                                                   © 2014 A. Meadows Photography    

Actress Lauren A. Kennedy as Robin in "They Hunger"  Proof of Concept                                                 © 2014 A. Meadows Photography

The 24 Hour Film Race!

As is typical of artists/creative people, we always look for new ways to push ourselves to the limits, to inspire our creativity, and to challenge ourselves in new and exciting ways, and this weekend was no exception! From 10pm Friday night to 10pm on Saturday, Hollow Tree Films competed in the 24 Film Race, and I was elated to work on it with them! 

The Film Race is certainly a refreshing way to spice things up; we take the entire film process, from conception and script-writing to filming and editing (a process that normally takes weeks to months, depending on the size of the project) and make the whole thing happen in under 24 hours! A tad bit stressful, with many cups of coffee and a lot of exhausted bodies after, I think we made a pretty spectacular short, and I can't wait to see how it fares in the competition.

Regardless of if the film wins anything from the Film Race, it was more fun than I've had in a while, and the best all-nighter I've pulled in quite some time with some of the most fabulous people I know! 30 sleepless hours later, these are some of the Behind The Scenes shots I took over the course of the project. More to come soon!

"They Hunger" Behind The Scenes

This weekend, I had the pleasure of photographing on set to develop a proof of concept project called "They Hunger," which I hope comes to fruition because the script is absolutely fantastic! Both Brandon Taylor and Brendan Steere, two fabulous filmmakers and close friends of mine, are heading the project, and I can't wait to see what they can do. I'll be posting more on the project as things progress, but keep your fingers crossed for more good news on this front!

I don't think there's anything quite like working on a film. I love it more than words can describe, and I deeply cherish getting to work with such talented and spectacular people. I wouldn't trade it for the world, and I can't wait for the next project to start. They are some of my best friends, and working with them never feels like a job, but rather a wonderful way of life. I can only imagine where the world will take us.