New Yorker

I need to start creating again or I think I am going to go crazy. I watched a film called Southern Belles this evening and it really made me nostalgic for the south, like I had been when traveling from Orlando to Raleigh, and from Raleigh to Memphis making a friends undergrad thesis film which eventually inspired my undergrad doc The South Lost The Civil War.

When the film department screened our films a friend of mine mentioned I should make my film into a series of films about places, using the same model as The South. Traveling right now is not an option so I am left with Brooklyn, which is interesting in itself. I’d like to focus on my neighborhood and the dynamics of being a New Yorker. Does one have to be born and raised in New York to be a true New Yorker? Can transplants become New Yorkers? Will I ever be a New Yorker?

So why am I not shooting this film? I think because I am hung up on cameras and formats I do not have access nor monetary resources to use. I should get over it and just shoot with what I have.

UCF film alumnus and crew make pilgrimage to Utah, record a podcast and realize a dream

The Central Florida Future, the student newspaper of UCF where I graduated undergraduate wrote up an article about the film THE ATTIC DOOR and the story behind the podcast series BEHIND THE ATTIC DOOR.  Check it out!

When cameras began rolling on The Attic Door, writer-director Danny Daneau broke ground in a classic movie-making place.

The southern steppes of Utah have been the life and death of countless Hollywood western film shoots from the John Ford era to Indiana Jones.

During the summer of 2006, the UCF entrepreneurial digital cinema alumnus and a predominantly UCF-graduated crew made their pilgrimage and left their mark in the mythical red clay.

Additional cameras were rolling behind the scenes as Daneau and his crew shot the independent feature film. These belonged to Roman Safiullin and Chris Walker who produced, filmed and edited Behind the Attic Door, a podcast series walk-through of the film's production phase. The podcast series was posted on the film's official site - www.theatticdoormovie.com.

Known for its catastrophic weather, the Paria region of Utah was once inhabited but the town of Pariah was swept away in a flash-flood. The film crew was no luckier as the podcast series captured tribulations of shooting on such a remote site.

"There is a point where you're into the film and you have to move forward, you have to rely on faith because you can't see what the end is going to look like," Daneau said. "You're at the whim of elements you can't control."

Of the seven podcasts, episode five told of the precipitous "Monsoon Season" that the filming crew was caught in. Barely able to maneuver the dry land to begin with, the crew took a chance in setting shop after a full night's rain turned the streets of nearby Kanab into rivers.

"The production faced a halt it couldn't afford and Danny showed courage and dedication in deciding to go for it," UCF cinema studies graduate Walker said.

Producer Erica Harrell also praised the director's ability to lead.

"His calm demeanor really helped set the tone for the entire shooting process," said Harrell, another UCF Film graduate who moved to Los Angeles after scoring internships and finally a job.

Before Harrell produced The Attic Door she had produced Acts of Mercy, a feature film written and directed by Laura Lopez, Daneau's fiance. Lopez also graduated from the UCF Film program.

Nothing trumped the first day of shooting, though, as a generator that powered all the lighting equipment caught fire and fried under the scorching desert sun.

"In the morning of the first day of production, the first assistant director Cory Johnson took me aside and told [Chris and me] not to film while main production was filming," UCF alumnus Safiullin said. "Naturally, we didn't follow his directions."

Continue reading HERE.

Behind The Attic Door - Episode 7 - End In Sight

Behind the Attic Door - Episode 7 - End in Sight from The Attic Door on Vimeo.

Behind The Attic Door - Episode 6 - Something Amazing Happens

Behind the Attic Door - Episode 6 - Something Amazing Happens from The Attic Door on Vimeo.

Behind The Attic Door - Episode 5 - Monsoon Season

Behind the Attic Door - Episode 5 - Monsoon Season from The Attic Door on Vimeo.

Breaking 10,000 Views

My short documentary Put The Fun Between Your Legs has broken 10,000 views on youtube!  Crazy.

Behind The Attic Door - Episode 4 - A Tale of Two Friends

Behind the Attic Door - Episode 4 - A Tale of Two Friends from The Attic Door on Vimeo.

Behind The Attic Door - Episode 3 - Caroline and Darrell

Behind the Attic Door - Episode 3 - Caroline and Darrell from The Attic Door on Vimeo.

The South Lost The Civil War

I am proud to present my last film made as a student.  This film is the product of a year long documentary workshop at the University of Central Florida, working closely with my professor Dr. Lisa Mills and other classmates to craft something personal and special.

The South Lost The Civil War is something of a meditation on the south, heritage and belonging.  

The South Lost The Civil War from Chris Walker on Vimeo.

Thoughts on making a new film.

Since moving from Florida to NYC around four months ago I became fascinated with the dynamics of public transportation, especially the subway system.  Observing the interactions and mannerisms of the people riding the trains made me think of how this would read in a documentary.  In film school I came to the realization that I needed to be making documentaries, especially those of the direct, observational or vérité movement because they really are a reflection of my personality.

This project idea gives me concerns and challenges that I am unsure of getting over.  The subway is a very intimate space and the presence of a camera would shake such a space, to the point of disruption, therefor ruining any sense of truthful observation.  This leads to the choice of camera and how not to disrupt such an intimate space, at least as little as possible.  Even with the smallest of camera, can this really be accomplished?  The film could easily fall into voyeurism and lead to some ethical dilemmas of privacy and such.  

And then there is always the issue of releases and the general reaction of commuters with a camera pointed at them.  The more I think about this the less I feel the possibility of such a project.  Subway musicians are plenty and interesting in themselves, perhaps the film would focus solely on those people?  I can not see the film working without the relation of these musicians music to those riding the trains.

Behind The Attic Door - Episode 2 - The Old Frontier

"The red dirt gets in your blood." THE ATTIC DOOR crew arrives in Southern Utah to prepare for the production ahead.

Behind the Attic Door - Episode 2 - The Old Frontier from The Attic Door on Vimeo.

Behind The Attic Door - Episode 1 - A New Frontier

From The Attic Door website.

We are proud to present the very first episode of Behind the Attic Door.

Documentary filmmakers Chris Walker and Roman Safiullin have created seven episodes about a group of young filmmakers, on the verge of realizing their childhood dreams, who must journey to the desolate American West in order to realize their vision.

Please stay tuned to the blog every week for a new episode. Even more, help us spread the word. Link our video to other blogs, forums, and social network profiles (our facebook and myspace). Leave us reviews and ratings! Thanks for the unwavering support and we hope you enjoy.

Please check out our video profiles:

Behind the Attic Door - Episode 1 - A New Frontier from The Attic Door on Vimeo.

Resumé Update!

Resumé has been updated, check the link to the right.

In other news, I started my first day at Blowback Productions yesterday. Blowback has produced films such as Slam, Protocols of Zion, and my friend Ivy Meeropol's Heir to an Execution.

My day started off watching screeners of selects made for the two projects in progress, one a documentary about the failing garment industry in New York City and the other a verité documentary series on the current race and crime issues in Newark, New Jersey.

My duties include tape logging and production assistant work out in the field. The interns at Blowback are a direct part of the workings of the company and it is very exciting to be a part of.

Logging 136 Archival Film Clips.

Model?

A few months ago, walking down Bedford Ave in Brooklyn, I was tapped on the shoulder and asked if I could be photographed for a magazine.  I said sure and was brought over to a brick wall to have my photo snapped.  The issue's theme is Us Vs Them, the section I appear in is Brooklyn vs Manhattan, apparently looking at the differences in fashion (although Bedford Ave is so ever skewed).

I always joke about a possible career in modeling and it was funny this happened.  Just another NYC experience.

BALLAST

Its not often that feature films are set in the Mississippi Delta, where I shot my short documentary The South Lost The Civil War. The new film BALLAST, directed by first time filmmaker Lance Hammer follows a young boy drifting through the spare flatlands of a wintry Mississippi township and a middle-aged man sits in his rural home, frozen in grief after his brother’s suicide. These striking images set in motion a riveting story of three people trying to reposition their lives after experiencing a traumatic loss. Lance Hammer won the best director award at the 2008 Sundance Film festival for his assured hand with which he tells a delicate, quietly unfolding story using understated means and non-professionals from the Mississippi Delta.



Upon watching the trailer for the film, I noticed right off the bat that this film also explores isolation and a certain mood found in the color and tone of the film. The film seems quiet, meditative and spontaneous yet confined and even features long shots of trains, a theme used in my film. Ballast opens in NYC October 1st at Film Forum. This is a must see for me, and anyone for that matter.

Share The Streets

I've always attributed my introduction to filmmaking to the skateboarding videos I made with my good friend Matt Webster. We grew up together in south Florida and got into skateboarding around the same time, quickly realizing people were documenting their skating and producing videos. Our first few videos were shot with Matt's father's old VHS video camera, shoulder mount style; and edited with two VCRs hooked up together to a TV. Over the years we upgraded cameras and moved on to non-linear editing on our computers. Our biggest production, Share The Streets, was completed in the summer of 2006. Shooting lasted roughly four years with Matt and I living in Orlando. We premiered the video at Cinema Paradiso in Ft. Lauderdale, it will definitely stay with me for the rest of my life.

Below is a segment from the video, the introduction.

Returned

When I traveled to Mississippi to make The South Lost The Civil War I always felt the sense of leaving, returning home, at the time being Orlando FL.  Now living in Brooklyn, NY I feel like I couldn't be further from the south, the heritage I've so terribly dealt with; until my father found documents.  These documents show another heritage, a northern heritage.  It seems my fathers side of the family resided in North Brooklyn, just a few miles from where I now live.  The addresses show Greenpoint, a historically Polish neighborhood, and Bushwick which was once Polish and now predominately Puerto Rican.

Having always known about my Polish heritage, but never seeing the proof, the document, always gave me a disconnected feeling.  Today it feels different, living in New York City and still feeling like an outsider, never able to understand the life here, but having the proof of roots.

Notes

The South Lost The Civil War - A Selected Scene

The South Lost The Civil War - Selected Scene from Chris Walker on Vimeo.

In an earlier post I mentioned one of my favorite scenes from my last film, The South Lost The Civil War.  This was shot in the Mississippi Delta in March of 2008.  The themes presented in the film  offer a glimpse of life in an almost forgotten region of the country, a place I had not known, yet had so much history with my family.

This location took place in an old schoolhouse now used for community events such as weekend concerts like this.  

Sony EX1

I've been told time and time again, go HD.  If I want to be taken seriously as a shooter in this industry I need to step it up from my old 3chip Sony VX-2000.  Here is where the new Sony EX1 comes in.  This camera has 1/2 inch chips compared to prosumer 1/3 inch chips and is completely tapeless, recording directly to memory cards.  With the two slots available in the camera up to 70 minutes of shooting is possible.  My main concern for this is the way documentaries are shot, with higher shooting ratios and often distant, dangerous and remote locations where having a computer on hand to dump footage into would not be practical.  What I like about this dilemma is that the 70 minutes is in the highest quality 1080 resolution.  This camera allows lower resolutions of 480 and 720 resolutions and records with a Variable Bit Rate or VBR which allows for more definition in the areas needed, thus saving space on the memory cards.  The workflow excites me, dumping footage into Final Cut without having to deal with log and capture and the real time it takes to capture the footage shot.

I came across this on Vimeo, its one of my favorite examples of the quality of image this camera produces.

3 Seconds HD from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

Less than 24 hours later

I awoke to an email concerning my last post, less than 24 hours after posting, regarding my idea and treatment for the subway musician documentary.  Her name is the "Saw Lady" who plays the saw in the subway platforms of NYC.  She has apparently gotten some notoriety playing Madison Square Garden and currently on tour in Poland.  She came across my blog and is interested in the project.  This project even in the very first stages of development is shaping up to be a good one.

She even has a website.  I'm currently researching cameras and think I have one pinned down.  More on that in the future.

First draft of untitled NYC doc

Untitled New York Doc.
Treatment Draft One |August 6, 2008|

Focus

New York City, the busiest place in America. Many eyes witness and observe the immense buildings, people living vertical lifestyles. A city underground with subway tracks and platforms, musical performers beat drums made of buckets, strum their guitars in hopes for spare change. To the eye of a long time New York City resident, this is no such attraction. But to the tourist or recent transplant to the city, the street performer is a wonder all in its own.

This documentary will focus on the observations and timid eye of a recent transplant and focus mainly on the subway street performers who seemingly live down in the city below the city. What does this city look like? Feel like? An honest answer cannot be given by merely visiting and documenting what is seen. This film will give a point of view from a new comer, trying to understand and interpret a new culture.

The Demo Reel

Chris Walker 2008 Demo Reel from Chris Walker on Vimeo.

The time has come for me to post my freshly cut 2008 demo reel.  The footage is comprised of many documentary projects, some I have directed and some not.  Being in New York now has given me some ideas on my next short form documentary, following the mood, tempo and observational style of my previous film The South Lost The Civil War.  A new camera is coming soon as well, I plan on shooting the new project in HD, something that is new to me.

I have found how hard it is to break through the industry in this city and in keeping my mind sane will be making this film on my own, with sights set at festivals (although I have seemed to not enter my previous film in a single festival).  I hope to expand on my voice I think I have found in making The South.  Look out next week for a posting of one of my favorite scenes in the film.

CITIZENshift

Today I received an email from the National Film Board of Canada.  It seems they have started a new socially conscious content website.  

"We are compiling media about cycling issues and social change - in a dossier called Critical Mass: Wheels of Change. I saw your short doc on Youtube (Put the Fun Between Your Legs: Women Who Ride) and loved it!! I immediately thought that this video would make a great addition to our Critical Mass: Wheels of Change dossier."

This is very exciting because this is first hand the future of filmmaking and relaying ideas to the mass public, best of all it is completely participatory.

Check out the site!

Outside Orlando

The most integral aspect of documentary filmmaking is getting to know your subject(s), really getting to know them.  Spending time together, without cameras, gaining trust, forming relationships.  Roman Safiullin did this when he shot his film, Outside Orlando.  The story goes back two years ago.  We had shared an intro to production class at the University of Central Florida.  He saw my attention to detail in my editing and it stuck with him when a year later he asked me to edit his Documentary Workshop film about the homeless of east Orange County, FL.

Roman began volunteering with a group of young people whom I and my friends started called East Orlando Food Not Bombs, a horizontally structured anti-war, anti-racist, anti-sexist and anti-capitalist organization dedicated to the redistribution of food with the mantra "Food is a right, not a privilege"  This is where Roman met his subjects and spent time with in their camps in the woods surrounding suburban east Orlando.  Completed in the Spring of 2007, the run time is 7 minutes as screened at the UCF end of the year film screenings.

New York - Before the move

I was a little worried about moving to New York.  Would I be able to settle in?  Would the pace be too fast?  Too much?  As I type this in a cafe in the lower east side of Manhattan I have to say that I feel as comfortable as ever.  I feel like I live here already.

This is my best friend Matt.  We grew up together on the same block in south FL.  We are walking through Williamsburg Brooklyn.

Making a Monster?

In the summer of 2007, myself and a creative partner of mine, Roman, where brought on one of the first Master of Fine Arts feature films to be made from the new program at the University of Central Florida.  Director Danny Daneau, while in pre-production, approached us in hopes of creating a web-based episodic documentary series to be aired on the production's website.

 http://monsterintheattic.com/

Roman and I spent two days driving from our home Orlando, FL to Kanab, Utah, a small town in southwest Utah.  Upon arriving we spent about a month with the crew in the Perry Lodge Hotel where we all slept and lived, and our two locations, the Heritage House and the Paria desert.  This is the largest project both Roman and I have ever encountered, with over 50 hours of footage we face the challenge of honing in on the themes of the footage and creating short episodes, keeping an audiences attention to continue watching as the series develops.  This is something independent feature films are utilizing in the marketing stages of filmmaking and is certainly the future of film marketing.

We are currently finishing up with post production with an expected premiere early July.  You can see a teaser trailer here or on the production website.

my life and The Smiths

It is terribly difficult to try and describe myself without explaining the music I listen to.  We listen to music because of the emotional connection made between listener and sound, much like the emotional connection made between two people.  But can this be substituted?  Like thousands of other introverted, quiet, shy and emotionally wrought individuals around the world, The Smiths have struck a chord deep into our hearts and minds.  People often do not understand the unbreakable connection to this music, Morrissey's poetry, Marr's riffs.  It is even troubling for me to express with words.  There is no denying the importance of this band in my life, since I started listening five years ago, it has truly shaped the individual I am, for better and for worse.  I have no regrets.

film, love, and Ross McElwee

It was fall semester, 2007, when I was first introduced to a filmmaker whom I immediately came to be informed, influenced and relate to.  His name is Ross McElwee and the film was Sherman's March.  McElwee had set out to film a documentary about the route General Sherman took through the south during the civil war and too see how the south is still effected by it.  What happened along the way changed the film entirely, McElwee began to film the women he had met along the way and documenting the failures of his love life.  This struck me because of the way I felt, and still feel, about the lack of a relationship, a companion even, and the toll it takes on my ability to express creativity.  

During this time I was in search of a topic, an idea for my documentary workshop film.  After seeing this film in class and once again later that night I knew I needed to make a film that explored my feelings about the south and how empty I felt.  The next semester I set out to make my film, The South Lost the Civil War.  I traveled with my grandmother to the Mississippi Delta, the flattest area of Mississippi with roots in rich cotton plantations.  My grandmother was born there, raised and attended college, but left for Florida when she married soon after college.  Our family had owned slaves there and my feelings toward this have always been filled with guilt and shame for the south.  Upon visiting and shooting my film, a greater confusion and isolation engulfed me.  Unlike Ross, I had met no one of my age, let alone female.

UPDATE

I found some clips of Sherman's March on youtube. First is the first few minutes of the film, followed by a segment entitled This is Pat.

zoned out

During my four years at UCF, I became sort of the unofficial video documenter of an organization I belonged to, Students for a Democratic Society.  When I begun to hone in on documentary filmmaking my junior year I had all of this footage at my disposal.  

This film, Zoned Out, documents the trials and tribulations of a radical student organization and their fight for free speech on their college campus.  The film is 35 minutes, the longest film I had ever made.  I hope you enjoy.

put the fun between your legs.

I made this short documentary for a women's studies class last semester.  We where assigned to do a social change project, this is what I came up with.

resumé

Chris Walker 

210 Humboldt St, Apt. 25 Brooklyn, NY 11206 

Phone: 954.907.6165 Email: SDPChris@gmail.com 

American Civil Liberties Union – 2007-2008, Shooter/Editor
• Shot and Edited Speeches, Presentations and Conventions for Web
• Freelance Based

“The South Lost The Civil War” – 2008, Mini DV, Short Documentary
• Director, Cinematographer, Editor

“Behind the Attic Door: The Making of The Attic Door” – 2008, Mini DV, 

Produced by Danny Daneau and Erica Harrell, Episodic Documentary Series
• Co-Director, Cinematographer, Editor
• 2008 Sundance Film Festival Filmmakers Forum

“Put The Fun Between Your Legs” – 2008, Mini DV, Short Documentary
• Director, Cinematographer, Editor
• Featured on CITIZENshift, National Film Board of Canada

“Outside Orlando” – 2007, Dir. Roman Safiullin, Short Documentary
• Editor

BEACON TV – 2006-2007, Editor
• Logged and Captured News Style Footage
• Made Selects, Edited Feature Packages and Promo Spots for Broadcast
• Worked Directly with Producers

Other Professional Experience:
PA: “The Nowhere Kids” – 2008, Dir. Eric Juhola, Short Film
Sound Op: “Jean d’Arc Goes To Memphis” - 2008, Dir. Kate Shultz, Short Film
Cinematographer: “Young Radicals” (Pitch Reel) – 2007, Dir. Ivy Meeropol, Doc.
PA: “Love In The Time Of Rarebit” – 2006, Dir. Craig Weinstein, Short Film
PA: “Melissa With A Heart Around It” – 2006, Dir. Andrew Gay, Short Film
Sound Op: “I Am Afraid of Witches” – 2006, Dir. Erin Mosura, Short Film
Sound Utility: “A Memoir To My Former Self” – 2004, Dir. Jamie Babbit, Short Film

References: (Contact Info by Request)
Randy Stulberg - Associate Producer, Brooklyn Independent Television
Jeb Brunt - Producer, BEACON TV
Ivy Meeropol - Director, The Hill (2006), Heir To An Execution (2004),

Equipment Background:
Cameras: Sony PD-150 Mini DV, Panasonic DVX-100 Mini DV, And Sony DCR-250
Mini DV/DVCAM
Non-linear Editing: Final Cut Studio 2, Avid Systems
Proficient in Macintosh and Microsoft Platforms, Microsoft Word, Excel and
PowerPoint. Heavy experience with Adobe Photoshop, After Effects, Premiere as well as
Final Draft.

Education/Internships:
University of Central Florida – BA, Cinema Studies, Minor in Sociology, 2008
Blowback Productions - Intern, 2008
BEACON TV – Post Production Intern, 2006

hello.

I've been putting off the first post of this blog.  But here it goes.  I would like to first say that this blog will be the home of my creative endeavors, my résumé and artistic statement, a place for people to look at my work and hire me.  I am a documentary filmmaker, documentarian if you will.  I am fascinated with observing everyday normality and documenting people and places photographically and cinematically.

More will be added to this blog, organically, such as my thoughts on leaving Florida for Brooklyn, NY and being a very recent college graduate.  So welcome, I hope you come and visit again.