My Spring Semester 2014 here at DSU
Heart Walk Foundation
This is a non-profit organization that
has been around for about ten years.
They are dedicated to helping the Quero people of Peru; rebuild their agriculture
and their history. About 10 years
ago their crops and livestock started dying off because of the freezing
tempters and mud slides, they were too poor to re build and when they
approached their government for help and support they were abandon. That’s when and why the Eichers’s Tim
and Penelope created the foundation, to help get the Quero people back on their
feet and to help them sustain a better life for themselves and generations to
come.
I
was asked by Penelope Eicher at the beginning of this semester to join them on an
n expedition into the Andes, to document the progress, success and needs of the
villages and the influence the Heart walk has had on helping the communities to
thrive. Yearly they will meet with
the Elders of the villages and Asses where the money is most needed and how
effective the year has been for the people. I accepted their invitation and have been working closely
with the Eichers since January to prepare for this trip.
In
mid February they hold an annual fundraiser and I was asked to help create a
short slide show with their existing pictures and footage that they might use
it to promote donations and awareness of their cause.
I
was able to complete a presentation for them to use but in doing this it made
me even more aware of the need for quality footage of their work most of what
they have is such poor quality. It
also inspired me to be a part of the film making and gathering of the
story on our expedition.
Because
the expedition does not take place until after this semester ends I will not
have the footage or a film to present until later in the year. We are scheduled to leave May 7th
and return on May 20th.
Just
the arduous process alone of finding the right equipment for sound, lighting,
cameras, solar power, data storage and transfer etc has been a learning
experience. We will be trekking
into remote villages that are about 15,000 ft up. The climate is cold and moist so that alone has its challenges. We will also be without access to power
for about 10-12 of the 18 days we will be there, so needless to say we had to
find ways to power all of our equipment.
Even then we are not guaranteed sun, it being their winter and they have
been experiencing a lot of snow and rain as of late.
I
have had to thoroughly go through a process to be prepared for this experience, from elevation training, immunizations, passport, travelers insurance, flights, to back up for our media
storage, gear, lighting, shooting scripts etc… Needless to say it has
taken a lot of my time, energy and money to get to the point of being ready to
go, I would say over a hundred plus hours of research weekly meetings,
correspondence, packing and training.
Ben Braten has been a huge help to me and a mentor to me in answering
any questions I have had. While I
have been working on this project I have also been working on three other
internships this semester. I
thought it might be fit to also include these since I have completed them.
The Sundance film festival 2014
I had the
opportunity to work through a company called White Rabbit Productions, and they
are affiliated with Starz and Vanity Fair network. I was hired for their Red Carpet crew. Each day we would get a call sheet in
the morning of the film premiers and the A list actors and actresses that would
be coming to the premier, we would assemble at Vanity Fair base camp where they
had turned a lodge room into a studio stage for live interviews, we would
discuss our agenda and then hit the premiers from one to the other interviewing
all the A list stars about the films they were a part of. I got to meet such a variety from Don
Johnson to Philip Seymour Hoffman, Kate Hudsen, Michael C. Hall, and Harry
Styles, to Kira Knightly.
I was in
charge of the DIT-Digital Information transfer and any other PA things that
were needed. It was defiantly a
different pace than I was used to with film. We would shoot and the footage and it was handed off to me
to trans-code and then off the editors at base camp where it was then
broadcast. It was very fast paced,
run and gun type production.
I met a lot of veterans of this industry and thoroughly enjoyed it. When I was done, the day I was going to
head home I was asked to stay on and PA for “The Dr. Phil Show” for a couple of
days, he just happen to be doing
an exclusive story in Kamas, Utah a little town right out of Park City, of
course I made arrangements so that I was able to stay on.
The
Dr. Phil show was like a well-oiled machine.
We didn’t know what the story was about until the 2nd
day because it was kind of under wraps and sensitive. We spent the
first day transforming a huge mansion into a TV shooting set. I was so impressed how well thought out
and planned they were, we shot everything we needed including B roll in those
two days and when we broke down the set it was as if we were never there. All in all I spent around 60 hours at
Sundance that week not including the drive time to and from Park City.
Don VerDean- Biblical Archeologist
My
third internship began when I got back from Sundance. It was with a director named Jared Hess the writer and
director of “Nacho Libre”, and “Napoleon Dynamite”. It actually stated late in December
when I was contacted by a friend of mine and he told that Jared and a couple of
the producers Dave Hunter and Jason Hatfield were in town and needed help with
location scouting. I got on the
phone with Dave Hunter and met them within the hour. They were super excited and energetic about this story the
Jared and his wife Jerusha had written, It is titled “Don Verdean- Biblical Archeologist” they had already cast; Jermaine
Clement, Sam Rockwell, Amy Ryan, Will Forte and Steven Park to name a few.
Beginning of
January they emailed me the script and some pictures of the exact locations and
vehicles, building and props they were looking for. They let me know they would be coming about a day ahead and
I hoped in their 4x4 truck and took them to all the places I had in mind. When we were finished Jared and Jason
called me and said they would like to hire me on as their locations assistant/fixer. I spent the next months permitting and
meeting with city, county, and state officials along with private property
owners. I learned a lot about what
is necessary in just location management as far as preparation and planning and
what legal needs they have in a big productions. Somehow I was able to work the permitting out, here in some
pretty locations on fairly short notice, I surprised myself, even the producers
were shocked especially that the BLM pushed the permits through. February rolled around and the whole
production came to town. For
a week I spent time on the set securing the location Staying from dusk till
dark making sure the set was as we found it, also hiring Photographers, security,
equipment, transportation, extras, sanitation, livestock including a camel,
sheep and horses and with their handlers.
I arranged vehicles, props etc. It was a big responsibility and a
challenge but it truly helped being local and knowing such a variety of people
here. Most of my connections were
glad to help out and it helped that the producers were willing to pay for the
help.
On
this I spent around 70 hours on set and at least 50 in preparation for this
production. It was a huge learning
curve but I learned so much. I
asked a lot of questions of everyone I came in contact with. They were supportive and excited to
share. It was interesting working
with all the different personalities on set and very interesting to se how each
department has its own crew and agenda, a little different then our production
where we all do a little of everything.
Needless
to say this semester has been full of opportunities and rich with experience
for me. All of the students in
this program have been so eager and willing to help when they could .
It’s
bitter sweet to be leaving this program it has been one of the best experiences
working with all of the students, staff and educators here at DSU.
