Music Video: Photo Essay

New experience for me last week... I helped out with the production of a video in Joshua Tree. A place I enjoy visiting in the shoulder seasons and winter for climbing and shooting stills, but in the dead of summer it is a different experience entirely. Temps crested 115 and during shooting (a 17+ hour day) it was at least 110. Drone buzzing, two expensive Sony A7r cameras rolling, a Harley and a classic 1970 Mustang, makeup, wardrobe, actor, band members... making the most of each minute tos shoot and running from location to location in heat so intense I swear it melted the earwax in my ears and still having trouble hearing.

It was great to document with stills and see the processes of so many talented folks. Breathless Will Falize of BluHannah Films who served as the production manager, director, director of photography and first camera, to Tiki and Johnny of Piel (definitely give them a listen through their website, they rock) living their parts, to watching Lila Baghzouz work her cinematic magic, Jonathan Hedrick the actor crushing his scenes so smoothly on the Harley despite his shoulder skin blistering beneath the leather in the unforgiving sun, the makeup artist Kelsea and wardrobe and PAs etc expressing their expertise into a collected synergy - and of course Derrick the drone master that nearly bought the farm with heat exhaustion moving toward heatstroke... must have been his extracurricular skateboarding between scenes... Oh, and of course assist Mari who saved more than one crew member from crippling heat headaches and muscle cramps...

It has me inspired to think with more motion in mind and the layers that filming can bring as opposed to just stills... New adventures to be had for sure...