Overseas Collaboration
Collaborating purely for fun should never be overlooked. A musician in the UK reached out to me on Discord asking if I had any unused footage that might fit his new ambient synth track and if I would be willing to turn it into a looping video. He said he really admired my work and would rather collab with me than use an AI service that just splices stock videos together which "feels so soulless," according to him. But instead of going through old footage, I took just 15 minutes out of my evening to shoot a few 60-second clips around my yard and neighborhood, cut them into 30-second chunks for looping, added a quick color and LUT pass, a VHS effect because it felt right for the song, then hit export. And he really dug it!
These frames were captured on my Lumix S5 with Lumix Pro 24-70mm f/2.8 and Moment Cinebloom 10% diffusion filter.
I connected with this musician through OPIA, an online community conceived by neoclassical composer Ólafur Arnalds. OPIA was designed as an environment that encourages experimentation and collaboration. It focuses on strengthening the scene where modern-classical music meets electronic and beyond. A three-pronged entity, OPIA is a travelling festival series, a record label and a community hub fostering a variety of conversations and initiatives. And often such initiatives are collaborations between members of the community itself; musicians and filmmakers, photographers and poets, illustrators and composers, the list goes on and on. OPIA is where I actually sourced two tracks for my award-winning short film, “Time is the Thief of Memory!”
Whatever creative field you're in, value your time. Charge what you are worth. But sometimes it's important to remind yourself why you got into this. For me, it's because it's just plain fun and a way to connect with others. Whether it’s your neighbor or someone across the oceans.
What I’ve Been Watching
Saint Maud (2019): It’s still October, so more spooky things! Over in The Nut House Discord server, we watched Saint Maud for our weekly Movie Monday watchalong, and it was one of the more engaging discussions of the year. Not only was this film a well-crafted slow-burn that relied on overall tension rather than jump-scares and gore, it sparked extremely lively conversations about how faith is portrayed in media. I always love seeing the many ways purely conceptual ideas can be transformed into visual manifestations. The film is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.
The Wild Robot (2024): I had myself a solo movie outing in the middle of the week to go see The Wild Robot at my local Alamo Drafthouse. This is a movie worth seeing in a theater due to its fantastic, emotional score and top-tier animation. Based on a children’s book series of the same name, this movie follows a lost service robot in its efforts to try and help anyone who needs it. But there are no humans to be found! Just woodland creatures. It’s a heartwarming tale of chosen family that’s perfect for all ages, even if there are some very dark parts in this movie. Check out your local theater for showtimes.
The Witch (2015): One of my favorite horror movies of all-time, The Witch, was the final film in Night School Bar’s three-night course on witches in cinema! I even have a Black Philip tee that reads “Live Deliciously.” As always, a great discussion was had following our viewing where we touched on faith, womanhood and the film’s allusions to famous fairy tales. I could watch this movie again and again. It’s just so rich for analysis and the visuals are incredibly striking. The Witch is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.
The Promised Land (2023): As I’ve mentioned before on this blog, we can learn a lot about history through film and television. Taking place in 18th century Denmark, this film follows one soldier’s journey to settle in an area of Denmark that no one believes is possible in which to thrive. The movie plays out like your standard historical epic, but done so in a moving and thoughtful way that has you debating whether the strife Mads Mikkelsen’s character goes through is truly worth it. But this area that was attempted to be settled now makes up the vast majority of the country, so there is plenty to contemplate knowing this! The film is currently streaming on Hulu.
Little Shop of Horrors (1986): Based off of the Broadway musical, which was based off of the 1960 film of the same name, this iteration is nothing short of iconic. That word gets thrown around a lot these days, but between the caricatures of characters and the legend Levi Stubbs of The Four Tops voicing the monstrous plant Audrey II, this movie is a laugh riot with some of the catchiest and absurd songs you’ve ever heard.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009): I’ll be watching a lot of food and beverage films for the month of November, and to prepare for that endeavor, I watched Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and recorded my reaction to it! Recommended by one of my internet friends over in The Nut House, I had a blast watching this movie. Not only is it hilarious, it also centers around the idea of not changing who you are to try and please everyone, as well as themes of greed and creativity. I’ll be dropping my reaction to it on The Film Nuts Podcast Youtube channel on Friday, November 1st. Be sure and subscribe so you don’t miss out!
