New Video In the Works!

Two of my favorite things are Ultimate Frisbee and Kids... Fortunately, Portland has a strong enough ultimate community large enough to host a youth league for kids that are just getting into the sport!

Mike Moren, of Tire Fire fame, has taken up the task to organize and run this Youth Ultimate Camp for kids ages 9 to 14 to come out and familiarize themselves to this fantastic game! Being an algebra teacher, Moren is no stranger to teaching kids something new. It is quite a spectacle to witness as 20 or so pre-teens, with some guidance from volunteers, really pick up this game quick! I'll be the first to admit; Ultimate ain't easy!

Modern Portland has decided to capture this exciting event in a brand new, full length (for MP, anyway) video feature!




The video will include interviews with Moren, the volunteers, and a few of the young participants as they each share their experiences with the camp, the other kids, and the sport in general. This is going to be a good one!

I actual imagine the video ending up being very similar to one I did with Skyd Magazine about the San Francisco Revolver... That particular ultimate team won club nationals last year which qualified them to represent our country as Team USA for the Worlds Championship in Sakai, Japan this year. It actually already happened, and spoiler alert; we won gold :-)

Here is the full video I shot on location... Enjoy:




So that has me pretty pumped for this Portland Youth Summer League video! One more day of shooting tomorrow, and then it's on to Post-Production in the editing room!

Chasing Sarasota Premiered!

Hello all you lovely MP Blog Followers, you!

For those who are more aware of behind the scenes/side projects that I participate in as Modern Portland, you no doubt were as excited as I was for the World Premiere of the Chasing Sarasota documentary! Here is the trailer for the less informed:




Basically, I've been assisting Matt Mastrantuono, of Blurred Lens Production Fame, in his film capturing the 2011 ultimate frisbee season of the team, Portland Rhino, on their quest for a national title! The filmed premiered last month at the Bagdad Theater in Southeast Portland. Here are some stills I took of the fun-filled evening:

Manning the merch table!

Keith and Kelly excited for the movie!

Getting ready to premiere!

Melius, Rio, Fish, and Milkshake: The stars of Chasing Sarasota!

The awesome marquee at the Bagdad Theater

Me with the brains behind the science!

Timmy in his usual get up...

Best part about all of this? I put together a video of the night! I don't spoil anything about the ending but here it is! Modern Portland Captures the Chasing Sarasota World Premiere:

A Lot Going On!

As the title of this entry hints, so many things are happening right now!

Here is the Skyd Article I wrote after my trip to Philadelphia. For those not familiar with this particular adventure, my friend Matt over at Blurred Lens Production (the guy working on the Rhino Documentary, Chasing Sarasota) was requested by Elliot Trotter of Skyd Magazine to cover the new AUDL team, the Spinners', tryout process. He was super busy wrapping up editing on the doc, couldn't do it, and immediately recommended me! I accepted instantly and before I knew it I had a plane ticket with my name on it that would get me to the other side of the country! Here is the video I put together in all of it's glory:



I think it's great! And feedback (on production) has been 100% positive! Which is great, but they are also mostly comprised of my friends :-P I am proud of it, though. I worked really hard on it & I feel you can tell.

The exciting thing about doing well on this story is that Elliot wants me to do something more with Skyd! It's really a dream come true; combining my love for videography with my favorite hobby, Ultimate. I'll be contracted for the next five months to edit 5 videos a week. Content (video, animation, script) will be provided, so that means I can stay in Portland and do the work here! I'm pretty stoked.

Me after getting the email about becoming employed by Skyd.  Bless my little heart.

With all this craziness & having all these new responsibilities I've barely had time for more personal projects like graphic design and, of course, the Modern Portland project. Speaking of which! Here is what is going on with that wonderful video series.

So official... haha! Basically, with so many other projects in the air, a job, and time contraints & requirements for both, I've had to put MP on the backburner for at least a couple more months. I'm lucky to have finished the first series when I did with so much going on. It was a lot of meeting the right people at the right time, but I need to concentrate on tasks more immediately important.

It is by no means a completed project - it was designed that way. There is a large part of me that cannot wait to get going on more niche subcultures in the city! But I cannot pass these opportunities up... it's video news coverage for the sport of ultimate for goodness sakes! Not to over-simplify but for those that even remotely know me that's basically summing my existence up in eight words!

Believe it or not, there is actually another exciting prospect on my horizon. The catch is that I can't talk about it... yet. I'll tell you that the KICKSTARTER for that particular venture is going to surface in the first couple days of April. I'll do another blog post when that is revealed. Until then? Speeeeculaaaaaaatiooooon! Heeheehee...

Thanks for reading! Until next time!

PDX Fact: The city is split up into FIVE quadrants (no, you read that right). They are Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, Southeast, and the ever-confusing, later-added North quadrant. [source]

Episode 1, "Portlanded" Status: Complete!

And here is the new and final part to the first episode! Watch & enjoy:



For people that have some catching up to do HERE is a link to the YouTube Playlist that plays all three parts of Episode 1: "Portlanded" :-)

I know it took a while to get Part 3 in this series uploaded and ready for viewing, but I feel I have some real reasons as to why. One being that, as mentioned in the previous post, I got a job. Yup! To continue living in this new place I am now calling home I was forced to do something to sustain myself. It slowed production down a lot. Mix that with some bad luck (rainy, rainy winter weather on my days off) and it put me way behind schedule as predicted.

Another point to address: Something a viewer might notice that has changed from my previous two installments: Advertisements. I caved. It goes back to necessity: I need to do everything I can to sustain myself. No need to be too proud to not take opportunities when they present themselves... aherm... So I signed up to monetize certain videos on my channel.

Onward & upward! (And always twirling!) I plan on doing the next two episodes on subject matter that I'm currently really into: Yarn (knitting, crocheting) & Gaming (of the board variety)! Trust me; there are subcultures in both of those fields, and they will blow your mind! Ok, but seriously, now that the first episode is finished up I plan on really taking this project into the meat & bones of my original purpose for it: To explore specific subcultures of this great city! I plan on getting right to work contacting stores, but first...

BIG NEWS! I had an another awesome opportunity fall come my way! I think most of who would read this know, but, just in case, I am getting flown to Philadelphia, PA to do coverage of the new AUDL team there! [Side Note: For those who don't know me, I am a big fan (and player) of Ultimate Frisbee.] I'll be doing a story on their first ever team tryouts! My buddy, Matt, over at Blurred Lens Production (yeah, the same guy doing the ultimate frisbee documentary on PDX Rhino entitled Chasing Sarasota) was approached by Skyd Magazine to do a video story on the Philadelphia Spinners. Unfortunately, he is extremely busy editing his full length movie and was unable to do it... so he offered up my name and before I knew it I had a ticket for Philly on Feb. 24th! Thanks Elliot Trotter for coordinating the flight & giving me a chance, and also, thank you Matt for recommending me!

I plan on updating my adventures via Twitter... but not my Modern Portland twitter - my personal one, found here.  Feel free to follow me to receive updates on what is going on. After all is said and done, I plan on updating this blog as well with my (mis)adventures in returning to journalism. Wish me luck!

To close this web log entry (besides with the always-loved Portland Fact) I need to thank a few people that helped me reach this "first episode" milestone: Firstly, the people that allowed me to put them on the internet for all the world to see. Marianne Richter from Part 1: The Newcomer, Kirstin Benson & Brad Washburn from Part 2: The Locals, and Karin & Donn Maier from Part 3: The Natives! What wonderful people that I simply cannot thank enough. Also, the people that got me in touch with my last two interviews; Suzanne Cohen and Mike & Mel Moren. My friends that helped me with production; Matt Mastrantuono, Emily Flanders, and Pete Overright. Finally, I'd like to thank my Mom for the support she continues to show me while one of her kids (me) does something crazy (this).

Stay tuned for more from Modern Portland! Don't forget to subscribe, like, & comment on the new video!

Portland Factoid: "Benson Bubblers (seen on the latest episode: The Natives at 0:29 into the video) came about when Simon Benson, a tree lumber baron and philanthropist, was walking through his mill and noticed the smell of alcohol on his workers' breath. He asked why they consumed beer in the middle of the work day and the workers replied that is because there was no fresh drinking water to be found downtown. Upon hearing this, Benson proceeded to commission 20 elegant freshwater drinking fountains, now known as the Benson Bubblers.

Beer consumption in the city reportedly decreased 25 percent after the fountains were installed." [source 1] [source 2]

The Space Between Part 2 & 3...

I have been extremely busy since the last installment of Modern Portland! To make this a simpler read, and for fear of making this entry too long, I will divide updates into incremental "GOOD NEWS" and "BAD NEWS" blurts:

GOOD NEWS: Part 3 of Episode 1 (Portlanded) is in production! I have found a lovely couple that work at a rather prestigious K-12 school together. They are 50-something's (or close to it), empty nesters, and they have lived in Portland, OR their whole lives! That is huge! I was extremely worried I would not be able to find them! Luckily, I made the right contacts and asked at the right times :-)

BAD NEWS: This next video is going to take me a while to produce. If I get it down before January that would be miraculous! 2011 is winding down but everybody, including myself, just seem to be getting more and more busy! Another factor as to why the predicted delay in the next release is because....

GOOD NEWS: I got a job! It was not as difficult as I thought it would be... I went through a temp agency provided by a good friend. She had some inside contacts at this place and put in a good word for me. In turn, I received an opportunity to interview at one of the more desirable businesses the temp agency works with. This means I will be able to sustain myself for just that much longer here in the NW. By the way, the job is full time.

BAD NEWS: I got a job! And it's full time. I am finally accepting how little time I am going to be able to invest into this important, personal project. Well, not that I'll be putting less work into each episode - I'll be spreading equal amount of work over more time to ensure the quality of each product I churn out.

GOOD NEWS: On a more personal note, I have finally found a place to start calling 'home'. Before, the place I was staying at was very temporary in my mind. about 80% of my things remained packed for the two months I lived in Portland. The house is still in SE and I am rooming with two young men with similar interests as me. Overall, I'm finding myself feeling more comfortable under this roof, and I now am inclined to start on other, not so long-term, projects.

BAD NEWS: None actually! That's about it as far as updating whoever reads this thing on where I'm at in my little pet-project! Well, there's also this next part:

GOOD NEWS: My friend over at Blurred Lens Productions finally released the trailer for his documentary he's been working on for a full year which he has entitled CHASING SARASOTA! I mention this because it has been a fun thing I have stumbled into helping with since I've arrived in PDX... The full length documentary follows the local elite ultimate club team, PDX Rhino, through their 2011 season highlighting the ups and downs of playing in one of the most difficult (read: competitive) regions for the sport in the world. Here is the aforementioned trailer:



Please watch, comment, like, share... all the normal things you do with my videos! My prediction that this will be a huge leap forward for shedding some light on an otherwise obscure sport - A.K.A. A HUGE DEAL!

HERE is the Facebook page - LIKE IT. HERE is the Twitter - FOLLOW IT. Matt has become an invaluable resource for me and a good friend: Helping him out is helping me.

And a little bonus! Even though I came in late in assisting in my buddy Matt's excellent project I still managed to get a shout out on the Skyd Magazine's "Chasing Sarasota" director interview! I suggest you read the whole thing; it's great... but if you're not into that, my mention is about half way down the page towards the end of the interview. Thanks for the credit, Matt - even for as little as I did :-)

WHEW!

With a final score of GOOD NEWS [4] to BAD NEWS [2] I'd say that things are going pretty well in this little slice of heaven :-)

Portland Fact: Portland resides in Multnomah County, OR, and even though it is the smallest county in the state it is also the most populated! [source]

Part 2: Ready for Viewing!

And here it is:



Whew! That was a lot tougher that Part 1... It was a good 'tougher', though :-)

I definitely had to power through yesterday to finish editing this piece. I will have to be more conscious of audio while out on the field. Other than the obvious problems that were detailed in my previous post, I discovered that the wireless mic I borrowed from my friend, Matt from Blurred Lens Production, was much more sensitive than my wired H1 Zoom rig. Of course, I could not have guessed that would happen but I should have at least noted that something was amiss from my first failed interview with Brad and Kristin.

Brad and Kristin were the couple I needed for this installment. I believe that they did a great job of representing the average PDX couple: They do cool things, have unique jobs, raising a family, very realistic.

Part 3 will begin sometime next week. Unfortunately for me, I have caught my roommate's head cold that he had just gotten over yesterday. It's a terrible feeling - being sick when you know there is so much to be done. Just have to power through like most everything...


Portland Fact: The mayor of Portland, Sam Adams, won his four year term in 2008 by receiving 58% of the vote while up against 12 other mayoral contenders... pretty convincing victory, if you ask me! [source]

Part 2: In Progress...

I've dropped hints in the last couple days that I had hit some snags filming part two of episode one. Here's what happened:

To start, I was being way too picky about my time frame. Both for when I wanted the second installment to be released and the personal time frame of the subjects I was looking to interview. Once I relaxed on both of those points things went a lot smoother.

I came across a couple (through a friend of a friend of a friend (!)) that fit the bill perfectly; established in PDX, young children, have jobs, have awesome hobbies, etc. They live in North Portland so it's been taxing to find my way out there - definitely least familiar with this quadrant out of all of them! My new phone has been extremely handy in these instances! It really has replaced my old GPS, so I'm thankful for that.

Admittedly, the first interview with them was scheduled for disaster, and it's mostly my fault. The wife/mother has been excellent on communicating with me and recognizing what I need from her. I was spoiled with Marianne being my first interview subject; she and I already had a great rapport and I had plenty of time to explain to her exactly what I needed. With this new couple I only did email. It would have been smarter to have a sit down with them first, you know, get to know them.

Here's what went down: The interview was set for a couple days ago after they both got off of work. They wanted to meet me in this beautiful park up in North Quadrant at 5:30pm. Checking a few weather website I found that the sun was supposed to set sometime around 6:10pm... that was my first anxious doubt I had for this one; running out of sunlight. Oh well, I was just glad to finally have the next part rolling! I get there early hoping against hope that they would show up early. They showed up exactly when they said they would (which is fine) and darn it if they didn't bring the whole family! Even the dog! So I had those distractions to fight. Reminder: This is all going on in my head - these people I was meeting up with for the first time could not have been more friendly and forgiving!

What followed was a mess of distracted microphone attaching, distant small talk and an obviously ill-prepared question lineup from yours truly. I had picked up a second wireless mic from a production buddy of mine who was generous enough to offer his equipment to me as long as there were not schedule conflicts. The mic I borrowed was beautiful! So nice! While I use my archaic set up that honestly probably cost the same amount (wish I had thought that through) I fumbled making sure the one I was not familiar with was in working order that I flubbed up and didn't even turn MY OWN lav mic on! But don't worry - my H1 Zoom got all 16 minutes of the interview from inside the husband's/dad's pocket...

After the interview was over, and I was sweating a little because I didn't exactly get what I was looking for on top of being distracted by the dog chasing squirrels, the oldest daughter running off and playing on the playground without supervision, and the 9-month-old bursting into tears at the end, I admitted that his microphone was not on and asked if we could reschedule... I'd ask right then and there but the sun had already set. Have I mentioned how amazing these two people are? Because they immediately started working with me to schedule a Saturday morning interview!

Incredible. I would like to thank Portland in part for the ability to harbor such nice, grounded people such as these two.

Just so the day was not a complete wash, I followed them back to their beautiful little house and witnessed a slice of their home life; they cooked dinner, showed me around the house, allowed me to film the kids playing - it was superb. There is one shot where they are all sitting around the dining room table and laughing whilst eating a frozen pizza. I know this will be my money shot to end the middle chapter of the first episode on.

I am in communication with both the husband/dad and wife/mother now. It will make things easier for when I get their individual b-roll. Some things I brought away from my first experience with an outside interview case are not to get too flustered. Meet them first and develop a relationship (time permitting). Personalize questions more! And, most importantly, start with a clear idea on what the episode is going to be about!!! I foolishly went in thinking I was going to wing some parts of it without knowing the circumstances of what will be happening during the actual interview! Now I know better... logged for next time.

Blanket statement: I will be concentrating more on having a family in the city of Portland and why it is a good place to raise your children. Whew! Glad I got that out there!

Some foreshadowing: I am in talks with my next potential interview subject. Part three might be released in a more timely fashion than part two has been. I can hardly believe it's been two weeks since the first episode premiered! Time flies when you're living your dream :-)

PDX Fact: The city of Portland has nine sister cities spread out all around the world! They include Ashkelon (Isreal), Kaohsiung (Taiwan), Ulsan (South Korea), Mutare (Zimbabwe), Guadalajara (Mexico), Khabarovsk (Russia), Sapporo (Japan), Suzhou (China), and Bologna (Italy)! Sister cities are partnerships between two different cities with similar standards in geographically and politically distinct areas to cross promote cultural and commercial ties. Don't forget that PDX has a "Friendship city" relationship with Tallinn (Estonia) too! How pleasant :-D [source]