Homo File

We’ve watched Seth Eisen’s Homo File: Chronicling the life of Samuel Steward develop over the years. Steward, a 20th century college professor, author, tattoo artist, and sexual rebel, laid early tracks for LGBTQ activism. And what a fascinating life he led! Have a looksee!

Written, designed, and directed by Seth Eisen

Embodiment Project

Other than "WOW!", what can we say? Nicole Kalymoon's Embodiment Project has been making some serious waves in the Bay Area dance scene and beyond. Check out this video as a preview of what is to come from these fierce artists. And then get your butt to dance class!

Music: A Tribe Called Red "Ndn Stakes (feat. Sitting Bear)"

Videography: Rising Star Productions and Loren Robertson Productions

Edit: Loren R. Robertson

Artistic Director: Nicole Klaymoon

Musical Director: Valerie Trout

Cascada de Flores - "Radio Flor"

We had the privilege to capture this beautiful show at Berkeley's wonderful music venue, Freight & Salvage and then worked with the musicians to craft a highlights reel to promote the show for future touring opportunities.
Enjoy a few moments with these charming and talented folks:

Arwen Lawrence: lead vocalist, dance, and rhythm guitars
Jorge Liceaga: lead guitars, voice, lead actor
Saul Sierra-Alonso: double bass, leoncita, chorus
Marco Diaz: trumpet, piano & chorus
Brian Rice: percussion & chorus
Nicole Fuentez: camera
Eric Koziol: camera

SAID SHE - Yolande Snaith

We've had the privilege of working with long-time University of California, San Diego dance professor Yolande Snaith over the past several years, in particular following the creation of her solo dance theatre work One Hundred Feet, a piece she made as she turned 50 years old.

LRP was commissioned to produce a short film about Yolande and the making of the work - a portrait of sorts. It's a beautiful ode to an accomplished choreographer/performer and holds the sentiments of all aging artists.

Worth a watch!

Choreography and Performance design: Yolande Snaith

Video Projection design: Natalia Valerdi

Lighting design: Wen-Ling Liao

Sound design: Nick Drashner

VIDEO TIP: Work Sample Compression For Uploading to Grant Application Websites

Sometimes grant applications accept links to video work samples, while other times one is required to upload a video file to the grantor's application website. Here's a step-by-step process to create the proper sized .MP4 (one of the appropriate file types for uploading to the web) while keeping as much quality integrity of the video as possible. **Note: Often there is a total upload limit, which means there will be some math to do on your part - see step #4 below

 

These steps apply to exporting an HD video file from both iMovie and Final Cut Pro

1. File - Export using Quicktime Conversion

2. A "Save" box opens, under "Format" choose "MPEG-4"

3. Next to "Format", Press the "Options" button

4. Fill in the following settings (from top to bottom)

File Format: choose MP4 (not MP4 (ISMA)) Video Format: h.264 Data Rate: enter 5000* Image Size: choose 1280x720 HD [leave "Preserve aspect ratio..." unchecked] Frame Rate: choose "Current" Key Frame: keep "every" checked and enter "30" frames

* This is the number that you will need to adjust to get the file size you want. Say you are uploading two 5min excerpts and are given a limit of 250MB total. That means they each will need to be under 125MB (totaling 250MB). After you enter this info but before saving, look at the bottom and there is a file size approximation in KB.

Use google to figure the long KB number translated to MB. For example you can enter into a google search "274989KB in MB" and it will tell you the conversion - in this case the file is a little more than 2x too big.

Adjust the Data Rate number - in this case, cut it in half and a little more, say 2200, and the File Size approximation is now 124839 KB which = 124.839 MB (a little under 125MB limit!)

The idea is to get as close to your given limit as possible, as that will make the video file of the highest quality working with the file size constraints.

 

5. Press "Video Options..." and choose Encoding Mode "Best Quality (Multi-pass)" - press OK

 

6. OPTIONAL for highest audio quality (do this step before doing your Data Rate math): Navigate to the Audio tab and change Output Sample Rate to 48.000 KHz

 

7. Press OK and then save

The compression may take several hours. Then you can upload the .MP4 to your online grant application!

[These are essentially the best settings for making video files to upload to Vimeo and Youtube as well, but entering the Data Rate between 5000-10,000.]

 

 

Happy grant writing and receiving!

 

Want more of these tips?  Sign up for our Monthly E-Bulletin!

Here-Now: A Call to Action

For the Bay Area folks, here is a panel discussion put on by Emerging Arts Professionals on the "State of the Network: Tactics Towards Action" with Michelle Mansour, Executive Director, Root Division;  Lex Leifheit, Executive Director,SOMArts; Ramekon O’Arwisters, Social Practice Artist – Facilitated by Melonie and Melorra Green, African American Arts and Culture Complex. Worth a watch/listen if you are producing art of any kind in the Bay...

NOMAD: The Blue Road

We had the honor of documenting Dance Monks' NOMAD: The Blue Road, a site specific performance ritual journey that followed the path of Strawberry Creek in Berkeley, CA, which is now mostly underground. With renowned local and international artists, it was a beautiful response to California's current drought and water crisis as they invited the audience to walk in remembrance of our vital and absolutely necessary relationship to water - something we often forget.

Take a look into this journey!

Collaborating Artists: DANCE MONKS (Rodrigo Esteva, Sebastian Esteva & Mirah Moriarty), NAKA Dance Theater (Jose Navarrete, Debby Kajiyama and Kevin O’Connor), PURI Project (Dohee Lee & Adria Otte), Jennifer Curtis and Pauchi Sasaki.

International Guest Dancers: Cristina Lopez, Veronica Santiago, and Manuel Fajardo

Community Performers: Marielle Amrhein, Wei-Shan Lai, Christine Beggs, Sophie Stanley, Erica Weems, Utam Moses, Ruth Kaplan, Kiplinn Sagmiller, Victoria Ayres, Todd Brown and Melanie Cutchon.

Musicians: Dohee Lee, Pauchi Sasaki, Jennifer Curtis and Adria Otte.

Pointing Twice

We enjoyed capturing a one time performance at YBCA in San Francisco of this unique music/dance collaborative performance by Polish composer Jaroslaw Kapuscinski with Korean guest choreographer Young-Doo Jung and Canadian instrument designer John Granzow, who custom-built a gramophone for the piece! The piece is inspired by Anton Webern’s 1934 masterwork Concerto for Nine Instruments and features San Francisco Contemporary Music Players and conductor Steven Schick.

Check out the highlights:

 

Push Dance Company and the Shipyard Project

Captured some of PUSH Dance and their collaboration with the 3rd Street Youth Center to continue exposing and unpacking environmental and health issues for Hunters Bay Point and its Naval Shipyard - specifically from the perspective of it's youth. This is important for all San Franciscans to know about and listen to!

Check out the short documentary "Leftover from the Last":

And we're excited to capture their upcoming performance of Point Shipyard Project this coming weekend at the Museum of African Diaspora - MORE INFO HERE