Schmatta: Rags to Riches to Rags - Teaser

I had the opportunity to cut a teaser for the upcoming feature documentary Schmatta: Rags to Riches to Rags in which I assistant edited and did research for. If anyone has the privilege to enter the tents at Bryant Park for this weeks September Fashion Week, you will see a promo I also cut specifically for the tents, but who gets into these things anyways?

(CLICK THE LINK IN THE VIDEO TO SEE THE FULL FRAME)

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.

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.  

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.

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.

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.