It was the biggest video project that I took on this fall. SEXSE, which stands for Southeast by Southeast, was a promotional documentary that I shot for Medalta Potteries about a short-term residency featuring five Southeast Asian artists and their experience in Southeastern Alberta. The project centered around the cultural exchange, the variety of work, and the dynamic that was created by a handful of extremely talented artists coming to a place as unique as Medalta.
Creating this video was no small task - especially because I was working as a team of one. From interviews to candid shots of the artists working, from shared meals to public talks, I was in out of the residency numerous times throughout September building my video library. The real challenge was finding the common thread between so many creative voices, and then condensing that story into a short 8-9 minute piece.
I collected hours and hours of raw material, and had the privilege of listening to each artist talk me through their process and share some of their work. In the end, there was simply too much material to feature in such a brief edit, so the focus became strictly about the experience that the artists had shared. Things like the spoon competition quickly stood out as highlights.
By the end of this residency I came away with a pretty unique experience myself. As a fly on the wall much of the time, I got a rare glimpse at the creative processes of these incredible ceramic artists. Even better, I was able to capture and share it. These were some of the behind the scenes photos that I posted while the residency was still in progress.
Between a packed schedule and the giant task of organizing so much material, I'm happy that the finished video has finally surfaced. The weeks of hard work have paid off, and I think the video has a great nostalgic feel - showcasing the variety, chemistry, and creativity that went down at Medalta Potteries in Medicine Hat, Alberta in September.
Mike and I enjoyed the drive through the Columbia River Gorge on our way up to Multnomah Falls. This incredibly scenic area, not far from Portland, was an ideal spot to snap pictures, relax, and enjoy the natural surroundings. As it turned out though, Mike and I started up the long path to the top of the falls without really knowing what we were going to see. More on that to come. Here was the view from the bottom and from the bridge across the falls.
My tree last year (although still epic) seemed to be under an increasing amount of stress because of all the ornaments I had tried to hang on it. I've been collecting movie themed ornaments since film school, so the collection has been steadily growing. However, I knew that for 2013 an upgrade would have to be in order if I didn't want to come home to tree likely to fall over.
I live in a loft apartment with 12 foot ceilings, so I found a really nice 8 foot tree that fit the space perfectly. It matches the scale of the open concept a lot better than my previous tree did, and there's plenty of room for new ornaments now. As is always the case, my tree went up the first weekend of November and I've been digging the lights. The tree provides a perfect backdrop to my late nights spent editing as I'm still rushing to wrap up a ton of end of year projects. If it didn't seem so eccentric, I'd probably keep the tree up year round.
