Anthology, body

It's been long overdue and I will update this post later with the story behind this collaboration with Old Earth, but for now I hope you enjoy "Anthology, body".

Anthology, body from Don Ford on Vimeo.

Sobering Perspective

For several years now my Uncle Steve has wanted to document the memoirs of his Stepfather, my Stepgrandfather, for the family legacy. Last weekend we got together and finally video taped my now 94 year-old Stepgrandfather, Arthur Rhyne. Though he is technically my Stepgrandfather I have always known him as Grandpa and always will. I never knew my real Grandfather because he died well before I was born. My Grandpa Art has always been there, always the soft-spoken one overshadowed by my blunt, outspoken and always opinionated Grandma Lou residing together over at 347 Washington Street in Wilmette, where I’ve spent nearly every Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter since I was born.

Even though he’s been a part of my life since I was born It wasn’t until the idea of documenting his memoirs did I realize just how little I really knew about him. He has had an incredible life. To put things in perspective, he was three years old during World War I. Now I was excited to be able to hear these stories, but I also felt guilt that it was only through video taping him that I was going to discover things I have neglected to ask him over all the years that I’ve known him. The real tragedy was once my Uncle and I started taping we discovered that time and age had indeed caught up and was affecting my Grandpa’s memory more than we had anticipated. It was crushing to me because I realized that I had lost my opportunity to hear my Grandpa, in his own words describe his life to me. He was clearly confused at times; names, dates and important events did not come easy. My Grandpa has seen so much and the cruelty of old age and time has decayed much of his memory of it. All that seemed left was fragments of events and places and they sometimes became mixed up and jumbled in his answers. It was heartbreaking to see my Grandpa sitting slumped back in his armchair struggling and fighting, trying mightily to remember the life he lived. It was both frustrating and sad.

Though it may have been too late to get what my Uncle and I wanted for the family legacy on tape, I think the stimulation was good for my Grandpa. It was a nice break from the routine for him. Though it was upsetting to see my Grandpa struggle I still felt good that I was able to spend some time with him beyond the usual family gatherings and holiday events. Through it though, I realized that I have taken his time for granted. He’s always been around. He's always been a part of what's so familiar to me about going over to 347 Washington. I’ve always shaken his hand and asked him how the Cubs or Bears were doing, but now suddenly the reality that he wont always be around is setting in. It’s made me realize that the people in our lives are so important and that I do not want to take anyone for granted. I am reminded that no matter how busy I am I should always try to make time for my family and my true friends because time really is precious in this world.

"Electra Glide In Blue" The Last Ride

As long as I remember my Dad has had his 1969 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide motorcycle. I grew up riding on the back of it. Over the years the novelty has worn off and I could never ride it myself because I'm just not tall enough. I know my Dad's hope was to pass it down to me or my brother but unfortunately reality sometimes changes things. Life sometimes turns out differently than you expect. That certainly is true for my Dad. For many years my Dad used to say, "this year I'm going to do it, I'm going to sell it". But he never did, and I never thought he would. But he finally has stayed true to his word and took it for the final ride last Saturday. My Dad and that motorcycle share so many memories so I decided to shoot a video that could encapsulate that. I think I was successful in creating a very intimate feel. It is the last look at a prized possession, from my fathers eyes.

Synopsis: "Electra Glide In Blue: The Last Ride" is the depiction of a man's final moments with a sentimental machine. It is a tribute to a father, a hero to his sons. It is a homage to a rugged and masculine America of the past. It is the last ride on a rolling American sculpture, a relic that holds memories of the childhood of two son's and the blossoming and the failure of a marriage. It is a piece of iron and steel that holds so much and has survived the good and the bad. It is the "Electra Glide In Blue", and after four decades of life together the man takes it for one last ride.

Electra Glide In Blue: The Last Ride from Don Ford on Vimeo.

I shot this video very quickly because we didn't have enough time to set up our shots so I had to take them when they came. I didn't get everything I wanted out of the shoot but what found it's way into the video are some of the better moments. The wonky hand held camera was not necessarily my intention originally but I actually think it creates an effect as If we are witnessing the last moments of a mans prized possession from his own eyes. To help add a little emotional impact to the imagery I wrote song lyrics that encapsulated some of what was lost from the shoot. My friend Todd Umhoefer who fronts the band Old Earth wrote an original piece of music for the video and incorporated some of the lyrics. It's a very simple minimalist approach that I think creates a bittersweet mood. It helps add the emotion. It represents the feelings of a man giving something up that has always been there. Even though it's just a machine it holds decades of memories.

"Electra Glide In Blue":

Years gone by
many miles traveled
waiting quietly, waiting silently
two boys grown up
no woman by his side
time for the last ride
on his Electra Glide
-
Electra Glide in blue, you were true
Electra Glide in blue, show him the way
Electra Glide in blue, he loved you
-
Years gone by
many miles traveled
waiting quietly, waiting silently
memories from the past haunt him
reflected, gleaming back
time for the last ride
on his Electra Glide
-
Electra Glide in blue, you were true
Electra Glide in blue, show him the way
Electra Glide in blue, he loved you
-
Years gone by
many miles traveled
waiting quietly, waiting silently
his life reflected in your paint
his cry heard in your roar
time for the last ride
on his Electra Glide
time for the last ride
on his Electra Glide
-
Electra Glide in blue, you were true
Electra Glide in blue, show him the way
Electra Glide in blue, he loved you

http://virb.com/oldearth

Blue Lines Anniversary (March 15th-16th 2009)

March 15th and 16th of 2008 was the second and final weekend of shooting on my thesis project. Again my crew and I made the hour trek from Milwaukee to Kenosha early in the morning. We had some new blood on the crew with fellow MIAD river rat Corryn Cue, Milwaukee Firefighter Ben Lopez and all around good guy Jose Velez. They helped immensely on the following shoots. The plan was to shoot on the frozen lake and I was very worried because we had had a good thaw during the previous week. All the snow that had beautifully coated the ground was gone leaving a stark muddy mess. Thankfully the ice was still there and with my timid inspection and Ben's approval was deemed safe to operate on, thank god. The entire cast of main characters were all together on the 15th. Kevin Croak and Gary Kriesel joined Tom Lodewyck and Ty Sutherland who where veterans from the previous weekend, but March 15th was especially exciting because the man who muttered such memorable lines as "Your worthless and week" and "What are you gonna do with your life!" was going to grace the set of Blue Lines. A Veteran of such classic films and TV as Animal house, Buffy and Seinfeld Mr. Mark Metcalf was coming. The anticipation was great and there was a buzz of excitement among all the actors and crew. When Mark arrived it was almost like how his character arrives in the movie, almost out of know where. His presents was immediately felt on the set. Pictures were taken and the legendary stories of his past experiences were fascinating. All the actors crowded around as he described working on various projects such as Animal House. As this happened I busily set up the first shot with my crew, Rick Peneloza. We began shooting. It was amazing watching Mark deliver lines I had written. I loved every minute of it. We shot lightning fast, completing Mark's scene in about an hour and as quickly as he had arrived he was gone. It almost felt surreal. No one on the set will ever forget that day, I know I wont. He came, nailed the part, and then was gone but his presents was felt till the day was over.

March 16th we finished all shooting at the cabin with Kevin and Gary. The day went well, maybe too well. The next shoot was at 8pm on the south side of Milwaukee. Our location was a gritty nasty rail overpass. We all met up at my apartment before the shoot. Nathan Polzin who was the shooting victim in the scene was already there when we arrived. We got together quickly discussed the scene and Tom did a stellar bloody make up job on Nate and off to the tunnel we went. Ben Lopez the firefighter was going to meet us there. He had gotten the location for us and notified the proper authorities of our activity. We arrived at the location at around 8pm and it was bitingly cold. We began shooting the scene. Now one of the reasons I picked the location was it was usually very quiet and deserted, but for some reason this dead end street became like main street on a Sunday night after 8pm. The scene was violent and sure enough a passer by called the authorities on us so with in minutes of us starting the shoot the Fire Department arrived. Thankfully Ben was with us. He knew his fellow firefighters and sent them on their way. Soon after the Police arrive and again Ben saved the day. Without Ben's assistance we would have all been in big trouble. Once the frightening interruption was over we quickly finished the scene and called it a wrap on the film. Out of all the shoots on Blue Lines it was by far the least enjoyable but thankfully it was the last. It turned out to be a powerful moment in the film and I think the environment and circumstances of the shoot only added to the grittiness. The performances of the actors that night were stellar and Nate particularly impressed me with his commitment and enthusiasm even to such a small but important part. It all worked in our favor solidifying a powerful defining moment of the movies story.

The making of Blue Lines is a defining moment of my life, the lessons I learned from making it have helped me immensely and made me a better filmmaker. It was also one of the great experiences of my life to work with such a wonderful bunch of people. It made all the difference and I truly hope to work with all of them again at some point. The cast and crew are forever connected by the experience of making Blue Lines, and I know I say it a lot but I can never thank everyone enough. Blue Lines will be seeing festivals soon, I promise.

SPIRIT LAKE

Spirit Lake: Shoot Three 3/9/09 (Two for the crew)

Today we shot a great scene out in the Wisconsin countryside. Our crew went AWOL on Joe and I. Actually they went on spring break so some went home and others were utilizing the time to finish their senior thesis projects. I know how that is, I was there only a year ago. So it was just Joe and I. The morning started with a bit of a hiccup when I realized, only after we had driven the 30mins to our location I had left my tripod in the trunk of my car back in Milwaukee. It pissed me off but I took the blame and became a human tripod. Despite my oversight we once again got some amazing footage. So far this film is looking gorgeous. It was fun filming the "Duplimax" car against the amazing country location we found. Location scouting is so important. The car looked oddly out of place cruising through the snowy cornfields. All in all it was another successful day.










Spirit Lake: Shoot Two 3/6/09 ("If you're comfortable with it?")

So after two weeks of what felt like forever we finally got our second day of shooting successfully completed on the film. I didn't sleep well at all the night before, I was up till around 3am. I woke up in the morning feeling drowsy and kicking myself, but once we started rolling tape the adrenaline took over. Filmmaking to me is like getting a jolt of cappuccino. It just hops me up. It was a gorgeous day all day, temps were in the 50's. We were kinda hoping for cold stark and snowy but the weather's been so nice the past couple days the snow is all melted away. That didn't discourage us though, instead we followed Clint Eastwood's motto to "forge ahead". It was a pretty simple day and only required the DP (me), director Joe Shakula, actor Nate Polzin and the amazing Duplimax car (Joe's "Duplimaxed" Scion). We shot a bunch of nifty car shots with my trusty car mount in Bayview. Then around 3:30pm we headed over to our apartment location where Carl a really cool landlord gave us full access to his gorgeous building, and boy did we take advantage of it. What followed was quite hilarious. The scene required Nate to dangle from a third story window and drop down to a balcony below and then to the ground. We were all a little leery of the stunt. Joe exclaimed, "do it only if you're comfortable with it Nate?" I laughed and Nate poking his head out of the window paused for a moment and then said, "Fuck it!" and proceeded to scare the shit out of all of us. Carl even asked, "Is this all necessary?", yet he was truly impressed as he then discussed how doing "stuff" for real is why films made in the 1970's are so much better than films made today, "with green screens and all that crap..." Obviously we all agree with that sentiment, otherwise we wouldn't be doing it. Joe and I thought it was real funny watching Nate dangle dangerously from a third story window. We were laughing cause it was definitely a little crazy, but Nate is even crazier for doing it. It's all real, it's all Nate and it's going to make people laugh with fear just like Joe and I because they'll know it's real too.









Spirit Lake: Shoot One 2/21/09 (Ten Hours to Bring us Together)


Well it is a week since we quite literally broke the ice on a new Wisconsin based feature film titled "Spirit Lake". I am acting as the Director of Photography as well as an associate producer of sorts on the Studio Bib Simmons production. I say broke the ice because we filmed for 10 hours strait in chilling wind, blinding snow and frostbite inducing temperatures. Considering those condition plus filming on the frozen surface of "Devil's Lake" so many things could have gone wrong. But something amazing happened. Everything went right! As filmmakers know that doesn't happen often. I still ask myself why and how. It is not that I don't have confidence in the seemingly fearless director Joe Shakula, or the super powered duo, Erik Holman and Nathan Behmlander who made up the crew, or myself, it's just that when your making a movie on a frozen lake in the middle of a blizzard, "shit happens". But oddly it didn't. The cameras worked well for 10 strait hours, after weeks of rehearsals the chemistry of Nathan Polzin and Martin Kraszewski was truly solidified on that fridged day. For the actors there was no time to think about the acting because it was so cold. I suppose it was similar for the crew as well. No time to think just time to do. For all of us, it was a truly bonding experience. We were all in Jack Frost's playground together and we weren't leaving until we got the shots or died due to fatigue or frostbite. It also helped that the six of us had shared a two bed hotel room the night before. I never thought I'd be sleeping in the same bed with my crew mates and actors. That's real bonding. I think it should become a ritual before every shoot:) Just kidding. So everything came together. It has happened before and I hope that this continues. There was a sense of urgency and everyone had their eye on the goal. I still believe the unforeseen can happen, but dare I be cliche, I hope "the magic" that has seemed to take hold of "Spirit Lake" caries us through.


SPIRIT LAKE Teaser Trailer (Life) from Don Ford on Vimeo.

Blue Lines Anniversary (March 8th-9th 2009)

Today, March 8th 2009 is special. It's a landmark in my life, it's day one of filming on my MIAD senior thesis film Blue Lines. One year ago today, it was a Saturday and Rick Penaloza, Ross Edwards, my brother James and myself piled into the Chevy Impala and left the Milwaukee apartment at around 7:30am. I remember it being pretty cramped as the guys in the back seat were sharing space with filmmaking equipment. It was snowing hard that morning and we got on I-94 towards Chicago. I remember the trip on I-94 being quite treacherous as a matter a fact I remember quite vividly a car passing us going under an overpass and loosing control right in front of us. The car hit a patch of Ice and began to loose control. He got sideways and nearly brushed the center concrete divider before straitening out. It could have very well ended the whole film right there. After that I was a little worried that my actors might not make the trip. Thankfully everyone did make it. March 8th 2008 was the first day I met Mr. Tom Lodewyck. We had hit it off well over the phone, the guy could read my mind. I remember arriving at the Lily Lake Lounge and I saw the ultimate badass step out of his red Taurus. Camo pants and I remember thinking that guy is really tan. Next I met Mr. Ty Sutherland. He came strolling up the gravel driveway all smiles. I shook his hand and then we started to set up for the first scene in the kitchen. Ross made some kick ass coffee and my brother kept things loose with his usual awkward humor. After some set up time we got right to shooting, and pretty soon day one was completed. Tom and Ty were wonderful to work with, Ross and Rick my crew were my backbone, and our only casualty was my brother who went home sick. But that's ok because he was just being a slug anyway. We wrapped weekend one with success and now it was time to look forward to weekend two starting March 15th. A legend of acting would appear and steal the show. Stay tuned for my March 15th anniversary update.

BLUE LINES Trailer (Cross The Line) from Don Ford on Vimeo.

My Thesis Writing

I was recently going through a bunch of my past writing and I enjoyed looking back on it. I know most people have never seen any of it because it was all class work while I attended The Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. I'm going to post a few. Most of them deal with the experience of putting together my thesis film "Blue Lines" as well as film making in general. It's an interesting incite into my thought process and my influences. If you dare to venture that far go ahead and read on.

My Thesis ("A Work in Progress"): "a Work in Progress" Screenplay

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Theses Academic Work

A Cinematic Quest: En 404 a Cinematic Quest

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Academic Work

Past Present Future: En 404 Past Present Future

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Academic Work ebook peace

Influences: En 404 Influences Final Draft

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Other Academic Work

My Thesis Project: "BLUE LINES"


BLUE LINES Trailer (Cross The Line) from Don Ford on Vimeo.