I’ll Follow the Sun: On Location in Weehawken
My goal is to film the sun rising over the iconic New York City skyline.
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My goal is to film the sun rising over the iconic New York City skyline.
Friends, after 10 years of writing this page, it's time to bid a fond farewell.
The month starts with an up/down one-day trip to Seattle to visit wonder kid Adam and my new 3D 4K P2.
This is my new "edit suite." I really call it an edit room, as "suite" sounds pretentious. I'm just simple folk. "Room" will do.
I started filming the construction of the brigantine Matthew Turner way back in 2012. Now it’s finally going to be launched. Exciting! I have...
My New 4K Rig Only a month ago, 4K was a total mystery. What to buy? Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, Sony? It’s scary when you’re...
Every week for TCN9 I film the Caper Cops. It’s a direct steal of the American Keystone Kops, but this is Sydney, Australia, in...
Out of bed at 4 a.m.; 90 minutes later I arrive at SFO. I’m going to Seattle. SFO has just three domestic terminals. I’m...
Holidays are a drag. Where to go? Book the hotel. Book the flight. Rent the car. Then, oops, it all falls apart. Why? Because...
1. Bad Zipper – Fun Wedding In the photo, a very young Stefan is pretending to monitor the sound. On my left is school...
We’re here at San Francisco’s Exploratorium to see Dutch artist Theo Jansen’s Strandbeest exhibition. One of his many kinetic sculptures struts its stuff. Jaw...
Ever walk away from your real-world obligations and just have fun? Be warned… I’m co-owner and CEO of Molinare, the largest video facility company...
FYI: The world has changed. The movies you see at the cinema are no longer projected from 35mm film. Instead, the moving images are...
Working as a cameraman for director Ken Russell was scary. One mistake and you’re out. Pity the poor PA who quipped that a shot...
Yay! I’m back at BBC Ealing. I’m so happy! I run up the stairs to the room with all the FOMs. “Hi Fred, hi...
My four-month holiday relief job at the BBC is over. One more visit to say goodbye to my FOM, Fred. “You heard? He burnt...
I am employed at BBC Ealing Studios as a cameraman. Well, that’s what I thought until I met my FOM, film operations manager Fred,...
I’m working for ITN, the news station owned collectively by the UK commercial television stations. No, “working” is the wrong word. ITN is a...
My artisan wife, Tricia, has made a quilt out of linen scraps. She brings it home. “I should have filmed you making it.” “I...
Here’s My First Acceptance Congratulations! Your New Media submission, “We Built A Ship” (17-minute version), has been officially selected into the 7th Annual New...
It’s 2009. I’ve got to tell you, we are running out of money. My corporate video business is on the wane. I save money...
1870 • Caught in the Act Let’s start our story in 1870. In England, parliament passes the Education Act providing free schooling to children...
Dear Friends, In February’s Production Diary, I wrote about how my TV studio in London had been “transmogrified” into a bells and whistles 3D...
It’s been a tough time here at Chaos Manor. I finished my 90-minute 3D ship documentary. Did I leave out quotes around the word...
Fifty years ago, I was a boy with a Bolex—just one camera. On the way to work, I’d walk past Miller’s garage. I’d wave...
“Alan, are you afraid of death?” asks the Buddhist monk at Odiyan Retreat Center. Alan is the founder and guiding light of the tall...
What is Apple up to? On their web site there’s a story about the movie Focus. In the middle of the OMG isn’t FCP...
The Matrix Remember when Neo and Trinity rescue Morpheus from the agents and escape in a ’copter? They look down and pow! There it...
We all love Larry Jordan, don’t we? Larry is an industry guru—was an editor, now an Apple FCP X and Adobe trainer. We meet...
I wrote about my new Sony PXW-X70 video camera—you know, all the facts and figures stuff that Digital Video’s Ned Soltz is so good...
We leave Robert Altman’s yacht and walk to the Hôtel Majestic Barrière in Cannes. David sees the concierge and tips him 200 francs. “Bonjour....
It’s May 1972. I’m at Nice airport in the south of France. “Stefan, what are you doing here?” Behind me is the towering figure...
Adam and Eve No, not that Eve. I mean the one before the new year. Today is New Year’s Eve 2013 and it’s my...
July 14, 1995. Tricia and I arrive at Bordeaux airport. André, the local ICI rep, is there to meet us. He takes us to...
I started with a Bolex 16mm camera. Over the years my Bolexes were accidently smashed or stolen and replaced, but effectively I owned the...