High highs, low lows

Between demands made by your employer, instructors, friends, family, and candidates for your heart – it’s necessary to sit back, take a breather, and ask yourself what you really want.

I discovered High Highs through another great post by the guy who writes for everythingwehear. Seems like it’s where I’m getting my music fix these days.

I’ve had this song on repeat, regardless of my mood, over the last few weeks. As I look ahead towards a few changes (travels in the spring, a move at the start of summer, and whatever else may come along), I can’t help but reflect on the many that have shaped my last year. I lost a best friend (what usually happens when a relationship ends), said farewell to a roommate of 4 years, went back to working under a roof, learned how to shoot and edit, and embraced being independent and alone, again. Whatever stage you’re in, I think you’ll enjoy this.

Where Are’ll The Chicks At?

So I’ve noticed something. Maybe it’s something that has always been transparent, but it never really bothered me until now.

When I meet people in this industry (video production, filmmaking, media, whatever you want to call it), I add them to a mental rolodex – noting what they’ve done, what they’re doing now, and what they eventually want to do. Many of the small, boutique production studios in SF are run by…dudes. There are some cool dudes I know – dudes I can hang out with and simultaneously admire for their work – who are super talented, creative, socially aware, and just have good taste. How many of the studios I’ve heard about or have browsed online are run by chicks? I hate to say it, but I’ve yet to come across any (beside my employer, Joyus – but even with Joyus, a large portion of the videos we produce are geared towards fashion and beauty). Not to say they don’t exist up here, it’s just that I haven’t met any in this category.

There are a bunch of organizations, groups, cliques – things like Cinema Speakeasy (just the SF chapter is run by ladies), BAWIFM’s chicks chat – but most of these are purely women in media or video production meeting once a month or putting on weekly events, not actual production studios cranking out work.

I have yet to meet a female videographer/DP/cinematographer. Even in most of my classes and factoring in all of the freelancers I work with at Joyus, they are generally dudes who do the shooting. Why is that?

Now, I’m no feminist. I date dudes. I crush on dudes. I have nothing against them (besides the fact that they can eat way more and stay thin, whereas we work our asses off not to teeter over our daily average), but I would love to see more ladies take the reigns and do the actual shooting. Even some of my fella students sort of have guys standing behind them, telling them what to do with the camera (from what I’ve observed).

So, I bought the canon 5D a few weeks ago and have been running around SF shooting random things. No, my framing isn’t perfect, I still take a few clumsy minutes to figure out the lighting situation everywhere I go, you can tell when watching the raw footage that I’m still not familiar with constantly pulling focus…but it feels really good to just go and shoot.

There’s an event I’m interested in going to this Friday called House of Pong. When I first read about it on Urban Daddy, I wanted to register to play. But, I gave it some thought, and in my head arose this visual – slow motion ping pong, closeup tight shots of the action, sweat flying off foreheads, sporty headbands soaked with determination, young and old locals duking it out (with the possibility of a Susan Sarandon cameo – she apparently showed up last time and endorses it)…Why not go and shoot a video for them? I wrote to the guys who run it, Erik Petersen and Rodney Fong, and heard back from them the next day. He was stoked and comped my ticket. Friday after work, I’ll be heading over to this crazy Fisherman’s Wharf location (no-man’s land) where they will be holding this invite-only event and shoot until my one and only 32GB card fills up. God speed.

Duh.