Archive for the ‘stuff I recommend’ Category
Posted on May 24, 2010 - by Jennifer
I’m woman 214…
My talented and amazing friend Andrea Leoncavallo, a freelance photographer and documentary filmmaker in Portland, Oregon recently photographed me for her yearlong series “She Inspires 365″ in which she challenged herself to create 365 portraits of women which would be revealed on her blog, one each day. Andrea describes the project as “a space for recognizing the natural brilliance of women” so I was really honored to become woman 214!
http://www.lionhorseproductions.com/?p=2076
Andrea and I met many years ago when she joined the staff of Video/Action, a not-for-profit production company in Washington D.C. dedicated to telling the stories of those whose voices are rarely heard (the founder, Robin Smith, is woman in the series). I was the Senior Producer at the time and we had a small staff, limited resources, and numerous deadlines. And we felt an enormous responsibility to the very courageous people we were working with who shared their often painful stories, on camera, in order to help others. So, bringing a new person on staff was always challenging and a little nerve-wracking. You can teach someone how to book a crew or put together a production schedule. You can help them write interview questions. You can suggest how they might find a story arc. But , in my view, you cannot teach someone how to make a woman feel supported as she describes years of abuse or how to make a father who has lost his daughter feel comfortable speaking about the night she was murdered. That ability is something that comes from within, a genuine desire to listen and to create a safe space for people to share their stories. And, while I am always flattered when I hear Andrea refer to me as her mentor, I believe this is a gift that she always had and that, perhaps, I simply helped her access. And she brings that same gift to this amazing photographic series, putting her subjects at ease and inviting them to share. The results are really lovely – by turns funny, and whimsical, and magical, and wise and inspiring. We had a blast during our photo shoot which basically just involved me babbling (semi-coherently) about why I practice yoga and then doing a short practice for Andrea to photograph. So, go check it out and feel the power of 216 women and counting…
Posted on May 11, 2010 - by Jennifer
Kentucky Derby Museum’s “Countdown to Victory”
So, I must admit that other than occasionally raising a mint julep with friends during NBC’s broadcast of the Kentucky Derby, I did not know much about horse racing or the Kentucky Derby specifically until I was hired by Cortina Productions to write films for the newly re-opened Kentucky Derby Museum. The museum was damaged last year by flash floods but, with some of that trademark Kentucky spirit, they took advantage of the opportunity to update and expand, adding new films and interactive exhibits. To learn more, read the USA Today article at:
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2010-04-24-kentucky-derby-museum_N.htm
My work was on the “Countdown to Victory” films which take visitors behind the scenes during the 30 minutes just prior to the start of the race. The short films give you a variety of perspectives on the action from the jockeys playing ping pong to calm their nerves, to the grooms trying to calm the horses as the crowds swell, to the bugler who practices 2 hours a day for the 30-second Call-to-Post, to the “horse identifier” who risks her fingers checking each horse’s mouth for an identifying lip tattoo. Each person has a unique perspective but they all share a passion for the derby. I had always assumed that horse racing was an insular world, limited to a privileged few. But, I learned otherwise in making these films. Each owner, trainer, jockey, or groom and the many staff that support them seemed to have a unique and compelling story about how they got to the derby, from a jockey fighting back from a spinal cord injury to race again to a lifelong school principal living out his dream to own a Derby horse.
You can check out the Derby Museum website at:
Posted on May 11, 2010 - by Jennifer
“Science Storms” Exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry
I recently worked with Cortina Productions to produce films for an exhibit called Science Storms at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. The exhibit opened in March and it has apparently been a big hit, especially with meteorologists! To see Good Morning America’s Sam Champion visit the exhibit, click here:
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/inside-science-storms-exhibit-10268445
Science Storms reveals the science behind seven natural phenomena—lightning, fire, tornados, avalanches, tsunamis, sunlight and atoms in motion and the museum describes the exhibit as “a perfect storm of physics, chemistry and curiosity.” You can learn more about the exhibit at
http://www.msichicago.org/whats-here/exhibits/science-storms/
As the producer , what I enjoy about the films is that the scientists reveal what drives them to study these beautiful and sometimes dangerous phenomena. So, in addition to learning how tornadoes or form or what fire really is, you also learn what drives these adventurous (and sometimes mad) scientists to sit under moving avalanches or try to stop light. It helped me appreciate that science is not just gathering data or formulating equations; it’s a creative process fueled by both investigation and imagination.
Posted on December 7, 2009 - by Jennifer
Move over, U2! Theo Red is here.
Fortunately or unfortunately, if you live in the United States and someone says, “Name a great Irish band”, chances are you will say “U2”. And if they say, “Name another”, you will say “Umm…err”. It’s tough for Irish bands to make a name for themselves outside of the UK or Europe and it’s even tougher when they don’t have the support of a major label behind them. But, next time you’re in search of something different for your iPod, consider up and coming Irish artist Theo Red’s latest album “Get What You Came For”. It’s a little hard to describe this album because it’s not quite like anything else out there. The Irish Times calls it “whip smart rock” and the London Daily Telegraph calls it “ a heavyweight collection of dramatic art rock songs”. I call it a perfect blend of a big, dramatic, occasionally even driving sound with candid, intimate lyrics. And that juxtaposition really works. So, songs like “This is Not an Emergency”, “Screw”, and “Ido’s Dog Fight” are all fixtures on my running playlists but they are also the soundtrack for quieter moments. Another thing I appreciate about this album is that, in a sea of rock irony, songs like “Trust the Pilot” and “Hello Tokyo” are sort of islands of heart-on-your-sleeve. Theo writes about love, sex, drugs, faith, and loss without emotional distance or ironic self-awareness. There is some clever wordplay but Theo’s voice and his heartfelt musings draw you in rather than holding you at arm’s length. Theo Red’s sound makes you want to move but the lyrics make you want to linger. Either way, you get what you came for.
Check them out at http://www.theo.ie/ and download the album from iTunes
Posted on November 20, 2009 - by Jennifer
Big fan of new Pranamaya Studio online courses
This is a shout-out to Pranamaya, who produce and distribute high quality yoga DVD’s ( Paul Grilley, Sarah Powers, and Jill Miller’s among others) and are now offering online courses. http://www.pranamaya.com/online-courses
You go to the website, create an account, and buy a class or workshop from the instructor of your choice. You can instantly stream the video you have purchased. And it goes into your account so you can log in anytime and stream any of your courses an unlimited number of times. Anywhere you have an internet connection, you have an instructor at your disposal. Right now the offerings are limited as they test market the idea. But, I think demand will be high and more courses will be available soon (please! please!) Delivery is instant, the media production values are high, and Pranamaya can, no doubt, produce these courses much faster and release them more frequently then a fully-packaged DVD. Instructors can also target specific topics (like the shoulder stand workshop being offered by Grilley) without having to produce a full DVD around them. And you don’t have to pack DVD’s when you travel. Instead, you just connect to the internet and an online yoga library awaits!
