All things film, video, music, social media & my personal rants.
A few months ago, I shared a short documentary film I produced that focused on South Florida indie rock band Honeyvoid. Part of that shoot included filming a few live music sessions. So allow me to present Honeyvoid performing their original song “There You Are”, recorded live at OnStage Studios in Boca Raton (special thanks to my daughter Miranda for handling “Camera #2” duties).
Enjoy (and stay safe out there!)
Here’s a short documentary film I produced about the band –
The Coronavirus pandemic has been tough on us all – some far worse than others. So first of all, I hope this post finds you all doing well – keeping your heads above water and finding ways to make the most out of what has been an unusually challenging time.
Like many of you, I found myself with far less to do and far fewer places to go when the shutdowns began in March of 2020. After a few months, I found myself bored a good portion of the time and for a creative person like myself, that ain’t good. Gotta keep the saw sharp, you know? But what to do?
Then I came upon a Facebook post from the lead singer of a South Florida based indie rock band that compelled me to reach out to her. After a listen to their terrific debut album on Spotify and an initial chat that revealed a rather remarkable past, we decided to move forward with a short documentary video where she would share her story and I would profile the band through a series of live performances. I mean, I needed something to do and this sounded like fun.
The singer’s name was Sammy Jo and the band is called Honeyvoid. I started taping interviews with her and her fellow bandmates this past summer and we wrapped up a series of live tapings in the fall. What I found myself with was Sammy Jo’s haunting story of drug addiction, depression, and her journey to recovery (not to mention the band’s bassist Jonathan) and how music played a role in their respective “salvations”.
And then there are the band’s live music performances which are pretty dynamic.
I was really just looking for something creative to do and what I ended up with is something very special – with some very special people. In this time of Coronavirus, Sammy Jo’s story reminds us that there really isn’t a hole deep enough that we can’t crawl out of if we really want to. It’s a short film I’m very proud of.
Additional music for the film came via audiio.com – a relatively new (but really great) resource for filmmakers looking for cinematic music and sound effects. More on them in a future post…
The Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance (of which I’m a proud member) is the primary economic development organization for Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County. Let’s just say they’re a pretty big deal. Now for the past several years, I’ve produced videos of all the Leadership Award winners for the Alliance’s Annual Awards Dinner. It’s a celebration of the past year’s accomplishments as well as a time to honor outstanding members of the Alliance’s various councils.
Well, this year was a little different.
That nasty Coronavirus really screwed up 2020, yes? And because of that nasty virus, many annual events were cancelled this year. Cancelled in the sense that where there used to be a gathering of several hundred people in their best outfits lining up at the open bar and noshing on a dinner of steak or lobster with a side of asparagus, we now have “virtual” events where people can attend via the internet sitting at home in their pajamas eating a platter of cheese and crackers.
It’s a different world we live in now. But keep your heads up, people – we’re gonna get through this.
Now with all that’s been going on, there were still outstanding members of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance worthy of honoring at this year’s event (which was held virtually on December 2nd). And in a world that’s been turned upside down, the perspectives of this year’s honorees were like no other year. With Covid affecting every aspect of our lives, this cross section of business and community leaders shed a very bright light on how the Coronavirus has affected South Florida.
And yes, for the fifth year in a row, I was contracted to produce the videos (every precaution was taken on every shoot to limit the risk of Covid infection). Being a member of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, it gives me the opportunity to really get to know and engage with the movers and shakers in Broward County. But this year’s videos were truly eye-openers. Check them out…
As the primary economic development organization for Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance focuses on creating, attracting, expanding and retaining high-wage jobs and capital investment in high value targeted industries, developing more vibrant communities, and improving the quality of life for the citizens of Broward County. Learn more at www.gflalliance.org
I don’t do a whole lot of music videos but when I stumbled upon South Florida’s own Honeyvoid, their dynamic lead singer Sammy Jo, and their excellent debut album, I felt compelled to reach out to the band and explore the possibilities of working together. Part one of that process is this live acoustic performance video I shot and edited of their original song “Icarus”. There is more to come, including a short documentary story about the band and Sammy Jo’s battle with addiction and depression, so stay tuned. Enjoy the video – and let us know what you think of it, yes?
I’ve been producing videos for Nicklaus Children’s Hospital (formerly Miami Children’s Hospital) for over 12 years now. They were the first big account I landed shortly after launching my video production business in 2006. Over the years, I’ve been able to help tell many different stories that illustrate how remarkable this hospital is (nationally ranked in 5 pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report). I’ve been inside operating rooms (heart, brain and spinal, to name a few) and have interviewed doctors, children and their parents. But when I was contacted by the marketing department with a new video idea, I knew this project would be a unique experience.
The Coronavirus pandemic has affected us all since it put a chokehold on the world back in February. Nowhere was that impact felt stronger than on the world’s hospitals and medical staff. With so little information about the virus, no cure, treatment or tests available, and so much panic, hospitals everywhere were literally making things up as they went along. Every day was a challenge – even for the region’s most respected children’s hospital.
The idea for this video was to have a cross-section of the hospital’s medical staff share their experiences dealing with this pandemic – from its onset to where we are today. From the Emergency Room to the Infectious Disease Department, these are the stories of a hospital that was turned upside down by the Coronavirus. It’s also the story of how this very same hospital came together as a team to fight the pandemic head on.
Eleven physicians were interviewed (I shot and interviewed all but Dr. Valeron and all b-roll shots were provided by the hospital) and then it was time to edit one of the more important videos I’ve ever produced. Here it is – I hope you enjoy it. In the meantime, this Coronavirus pandemic is still upon us, so in the immortal words of Sergeant Phil Esterhaus, “Let’s be careful out there.”
NOTE: The video kicks off with introductions by doctors Maria Franco (President of the Medical Staff) and Chad Perlyn (Interim President, Nicklaus Children’s Pediatric Specialists). The stories start at the 2:20 mark. Enjoy…
Founded in 1950 by Variety Clubs International, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital is South Florida’s only licensed specialty hospital exclusively for children, with nearly 800 attending physicians and more than 475 pediatric subspecialists. The 309-bed hospital, known as Miami Children’s Hospital from 1983 through 2014, is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine.
Join me on Tuesday, August 18th as I’ll be hosting the next “Art & Chat” via Facebook Live
With the Coronavirus pandemic still upon us, many companies and organizations have moved their methods of communication to online platforms like Facebook Live and the popular ZOOM app. Fort Lauderdale based arts organization ArtServe has begun a series of online discussions called Art & Chat that features local artists and “art-trepreneurs” (did I just coin a phrase?) sharing their formulas for success as an artist. On Tuesday, August 18 at 6:00pm, I’ll be featured as a guest “chatter”.
I’ll be talking about the steps I’ve taken to grow and maintain my video production business since launching it back in 2006. I’ll also be turning the spotlight on the many clients who have supported me all these years, as well as my film projects and future plans. Your participation would be greatly appreciated so please consider joining in and being a part of the discussion. The chat starts at 6pm and runs until 7pm.
You can join in via Facebook Events > www.facebook.com/events or via ZOOM (Link HERE)
Hoping to see you there!
In the canon of #BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo films being promoted as must-see, allow me to introduce a dark horse. And when I say dark, I mean really dark. Writer/Director Jennifer Kent’s grim tale of revenge “The Nightingale“
Set in 1825 during the Black War (a period of violent conflict between British colonists and Aboriginal Australians in Tasmania from the mid-1820s to 1832), the film tells the tale of Clare, an indentured Irish convict servant for a British Army unit commanded by a Lieutenant Hawkins (played with unparalleled charm and menace by Sam Claflin). When Clare, her husband and newborn child become victims of an unspeakable act of violence by Hawkins, Clare sets out for revenge.
Her journey to track Hawkins and his men through Australian wilderness, however, requires a guide so she’s referred to an Aboriginal tracker named Billy (played by newcomer Baykali Ganambarr). Both want nothing to do with the other but Clare (played by a fiercely determined Aisling Franciosi) is assured by the townsfolk that she’ll never make it through the treacherous Tasmanian forest without a tracker and Billy is at least getting paid so an unlikely partnership begins. And it is there that director Kent’s revenge story really begins, but another equally unsettling story begins as well.
Through their harrowing journey, the story of the savagery by which Aboriginal people were stripped of their land during the atrocities of Australia’s Black War begins to unfold. The war claimed the lives of over 200 colonists and between 600 and 900 Aboriginal people, nearly annihilating the island’s indigenous population. The disdain and racism illustrated towards this population would rival any BLM movie out there today. A sobering reminder that it’s not just in our country that people of color have endured a long history of abuse and discrimination.
Director Jennifer Kent, who is Australian, put it this way in an interview with Vulture: “We have a population of Aboriginal people here who have been annihilated or have been in attempted annihilation. For me to go, Oh, that just upsets me to watch it. I don’t want to know about that. I’m not going to explore that — it doesn’t bring their story to life, it doesn’t promote evolution, it doesn’t promote change in our behavior.”
That abuse was also extended to women, though not with the same level of ferocity. Throughout the film, Clare is a constant target (and victim) of sexual abuse and violence. The lives of women in colonial society were apparently not worth much more than how many children they could produce and how well they can cook and clean a home. Kent: “I feel that women are very socialized to be dainty, and loving, and all those qualities; supportive, calm, mothering. We are more than that, so much more.”
Kent, who made her film debut with 2014’s psychological horror film “The Babadook“, seems to take a sinister pleasure in putting the female leads of her films through all sorts of traumatic hell and she raises the bar even higher in The Nightingale. But there aren’t any shadowy ghosts with long nails sporting top hats in her sophomore effort. The “monster” in the Nightingale is even more horrific – Sam Claflin’s Lieutenant Hawkins.
For anyone who’s seen Peter Greenaway’s 1989 erotic (and savagely confrontational) crime drama “The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover“, the brilliant Michael Gambon plays Albert Spica, a loud-mouthed, violent gangster who frequents (terrorizes) a fancy London restaurant with his entourage. It is a performance of unparalleled moral emptiness and brutality – the most loathsome character I’ve ever seen in a film (and yes, I’ve seen “Bad Lieutenant”). That was until Claflin’s Lieutenant Hawkins. The handsome English actor (Finnick Odair in “The Hunger Games”) brings equal parts charm and brutality to the role of Hawkins to create one of the screen’s most despicable characters. It’s a truly remarkable and disturbing performance.
Irish actress Aisling Franciosi is also more than up to the the task of delivering a bold, fire-eyed performance out of the fresh hell director Kent throws at our “heroine” Clare. Baykali Ganambarr (a traditional dancer making an impressive screen debut) plays the brazen tracker Billy with a just the right touch of indifference and seething anger, having lost many members of his family to the colonists. The pairing of Clare and Billy becomes the furious beating heart of “The Nightingale”.
It’s interesting what happens when two different people from two different sides of the world are thrust into each others’ lives by a similar yet very different injustice. It’s also interesting what happens when they take the time (or, in the film’s case, are forced) to listen to each other; to ultimately understand each other. It’s what makes “The Nightingale”, a very difficult film to sit through, ultimately worth watching.
As for Kent, she is a director to keep an eye on. She is bold, uncompromising and not one to pull punches. She delivers her fiery vision for The Nightingale not with a cold dish but with a hammer to the head followed by “Any questions?” She misses a few marks along the rigorous journey through the wildlands of Tasmania (beautifully photographed by Polish cinematographer Radek Ładczuk) but what she leaves you with when it’s over is enough to chew on for weeks.
And the possibility of what can happen when we take the time to listen to each other.
“I look at Hollywood cinema, I look at other places in the world, and cinema is so carelessly and recklessly violent. And that’s how we treat violence now: as an entertainment, as a stress relief”, said Kent in an interview with No Film School. “In this film, I can show the true impact of what it does to people. The film is heavy. But it’s heavy what violence does to people, and I think I wanted to make a film that makes that conscious, and makes people aware of the true implications, so that they can sit with it and feel it. It causes a lot of pain. Though I think ultimately for me, this film isn’t about violence, it’s about the love between two very unlikely people.”
I concur.
“The Nightingale” is currently available for streaming on Hulu
For those of you that follow my blog, you know that I’ve been a volunteer at VACC Camp going back 8 years now. I’ve filmed it and I’ve photographed it and I’ll be back this Spring for the 2020 edition of the camp. For those of you who don’t know, VACC Camp is a free week-long overnight camp in Miami for ventilation assisted children (children needing a tracheostomy ventilator, C-PAP, BiPAP, or oxygen to support breathing) and their families. Overnight campers come from throughout the United States and internationally.
South Florida families and youngsters from local residential care facilities join in as day campers. The unique camp, hosted by Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, is a life-changing experience for not only the special needs campers but the many young volunteers who give up their Spring Break in South Florida to be of service to the camp.
I’ve completed a short video that better illustrates what this camp is all about and I’m also in the process of editing a feature documentary film about VACC Camp that I’ve been working on the past four years (hoping to have it completed by the fall). Enjoy the video – and please feel free to share it. For more information or to donate to this truly remarkable camp, visit vaccamp.com.
I’ve been producing videos for Nicklaus Children’s Hospital and the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Foundation for over 10 years and in that time I’ve been fortunate to help tell so many remarkable stories and Mayra’s story is no exception.
Mayra is a two-year-old girl who was born in Guatemala with a case of cloacal malformation, a rare developmental disorder that affects nearly one in every 50,000 babies. Mayra’s life was at risk due to impending renal failure and the lack of resources at her hospital in Guatemala. Mayra’s mother had no choice but to leave Guatemala and travel thousands of miles to Miami where she was admitted to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. Under the care of the hospital’s Colorectal Center, Mayra underwent an extremely complicated surgery.
What happened? Watch the video below to find out…
Consider making a donation that could help save the lives of children like Mayra. Visit nicklauschildrens.org/mayra
National Philanthropy Day is a special day set aside on the fifteenth of November. The purpose of this day is to recognize the great contributions of philanthropy—and those people active in the philanthropic community—to the enrichment of our world.
National Philanthropy Day was originally conceived of and organized by California tax lawyer Douglas Freeman in the 1980s. His lifelong work has revolved around advising high-net-worth individuals and families, public and private foundations and nonprofit institutions – with an emphasis on philanthropy. His efforts led to then President Ronald Reagan proclaiming November 15th National Philanthropy Day®.
The Association of Fundraising Professionals was officially chartered by the state of New York on June 21, 1960 (it was originally called the National Society of Fund Raisers). Its goal was to aid, unite and promote those individuals engaged in the profession of fundraising. By the end of 1965, NSFR had almost 500 members from 26 states, including Hawaii; and by the end of 1999, membership surpassed 22,000 members in 157 chapters.
Today, the Association of Fundraising Professionals advances philanthropy through its 31,000 members in more than 240 chapters throughout the world. AFP has inspired global change and supported efforts that have generated over $1 trillion. AFP’s individual and organizational members raise over $115 billion annually. Which brings us back here to Miami.
This past November 12, the Miami Chapter of AFP celebrated their 34th National Philanthropy Awards Luncheon. The event honored Morgan Stanley Wealth Manager Richard Bermont, the law firm of Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff & Sitterson, P.A., the Green Family Foundation (a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting social programs that positively impact global health and alleviate poverty), arts advocate Sarah Arison and teenage environmental advocate Oskar Garcia.
Now, when I’m hired to produce honoree videos for a business or organization, it’s usually a video of the honoree. But the Miami Chapter of AFP does things a bit differently. Their honoree videos consist of community and business leaders speaking on behalf of the honorees. It’s an interesting twist and one that has served them well for the past decade.
So here are the videos for the 34th edition of the Miami Chapter of AFP’s National Philanthropy Day Luncheon. Special thanks to event coordinator Arely Ruiz of ArelyPR and 2019 event Chair Jaime Bayo, Director of Corporate Relations at Pérez Art Museum Miami (where these videos were filmed), for their support and assistance in making these videos possible.