Organizations - Sample Videos
Charlotte Viewpoint...
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• Total Paint - Carl Plansky
What first caught my eye was his generous layering of paint – hills and valleys of vibrant colors. You can see what I mean in the opening shots of my latest video "Total Paint." Carl Plansky the abstract expressionist who stretched canvas with the de Koonings, Grace Hartigan, Milton Resnick and Joan Mitchell died in 2009 at the age of 58, leaving over 400 unsold works in his studio. Maybe Carl's paintings are so thickly textured because he had an unlimited source of paint. He established Williamsburg Handmade Oil Colors, a prestigious paint mill. Larry Elder, Founder of Elder Gallery, has mounted the largest exhibition of Carl's creations – over 120 – in Charlotte through December 10th. Along with commentary by Larry, Carla Hanzal, Curator of Contemporary Art, at Charlotte's Mint Museum tells a poignant story about Carl and his faithful dog Betsy who inspired the painting "Solitary Tree" now in the Mint Museum's permanent collection.
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• Making a Mascot
For over a month I hung out at the Grey Seal Puppets studio with my video camera, documenting the step-by-step process of Drew Allison and Cheralyn Lambeth creating a mascot, a dog character, for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department. Grey Seal Puppets has been creating fantasy characters for over 30 years. Along with puppets, Grey Seal has created high profile mascots for the Cartoon Network, the New Orleans Hornets, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, and the Charlotte Bobcats. This has been an enjoyable video project for me. Drew and I worked together for 15 years before I moved to New York in 1998, so being surrounded again with puppets brought back lots of memories.
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• Dilworth Art Sculpture Project- Part 1: Up and Running
Sometimes a great story is right under your nose, in this case, under my feet. A main thoroughfare through my neighborhood was recently resurfaced. Tons of streetcar rails and spikes dating from 1891 were unexpectedly exposed. Once connected to downtown by this city's first electric streetcar, Dilworth is proud to be Charlotte's first suburban neighborhood. To commemorate Dilworth's 120th anniversary my neighborhood association has launched a grassroots campaign to create a public art sculpture. I thought it would be fun to document the year-long process in a 4-part series.
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• Creation
of a New Mythology
The Firebird, Niki de Saint Phalle's popular mirrored mosaic sculpture
that welcomes visitors to the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art with
open arms (wings?) now has company. Five more of Niki's sculptures
have taken up residence on The Green, directly across from the museum.
This video features Bechtler's President and CEO John Boyer who
reveals what it takes to transport and install over 3 tons of outdoor
sculpture.
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• Snagglepuss Makes "The Predator"
Voted best local gem in Charlotte Magazine's 2011 BOB Awards, Snagglepuss describes itself as "the no holds barred music carnival of North Carolina!" "The Making of 'The Predator'" is a behind-the-scenes look at their first music video currently in production.
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• FrankenBikes
A group of young guys in Charlotte's Plaza-Midwood neighborhood
ride bikes of their own making. They collect discarded bicycles,
chop them up, and weld the parts back together to create extraordinary,
one-of-a-kind bikes, some of which are tall enough to put the riders
literally heads and shoulders above the traffic. But it's not all
done for amusement. "Team-RAD" as they call themselves,
also donates time and money to help less fortunate neighbors and
children own bikes of their own.
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• What
If? The Making of VaudeVizual
The term "black light" is an oxymoron but not in the experienced
hands of Omimeo, Charlotte's professional mime theater company. Omimeo
uses black light, technically known as ultraviolet light, in "VaudeVizual" its
first show exclusively for adults. What you don't see is as important
as what you do see in this show, thus the striptease act, one of
15 vignettes performed under invisible black light. My video, "What
If? The Making of 'VaudeVizual'" takes you backstage and behind
the scenes to witness the give-and-take process of creating a magical
theater experience.
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• Vanishing Victorians
Now you see them, now you don't. But it's no magic trick. One by
one, dozens of Victorian style homes and civic buildings vanished
from the Charlotte landscape over the past 100 years. They gave way
to the high-rises of uptown that we know today. Marvel at the architecturally
beautiful buildings of 1905, and discover how photographer Dennis
Nodine was able to rephotograph each building's site from the exact
spot where the original photograph was taken.
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• A
Second Home: Charlotte's Burgers & Joints
My niece was so upset about the closing of her favorite local restaurant
a couple of months ago, she started a blogging campaign in protest.
I was curious to find out why she and hundreds of others reacted
with such passion. I discovered that Charlotteans are loyally passionate
about their local eateries. Some even consider them a second home.
Visit 3 long-standing local restaurants, where the food consistently
says "comfort." Tom Hanchett, Historian with the Levine
Museum of the New South also provides insightful comments.
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• A
Victim of Our Own Success
1958 was a banner year for commerce in downtown Charlotte,
NC. The intersection of Trade and Tryon Streets bustled with activity.
Then came the malls, and everything changed forever. Architectural
historian David Erdman tells the fascinating story of the ups
and downs of shopping, dining and entertainment in a by-gone era.
Charlotte Chamber...
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• Behind
the Scenes- Charlotte Chamber 2009 Meeting
The Annual Meeting of the Charlotte Chamber is a big event that
takes over 7 months of careful planning and preparation to produce.
My friend Ken Akers has been the Chair of the event for 17 years.
He invited me to tape the final 2 days of putting it all together.
This short video will give you an idea of the energy and hard work
that goes into making this Annual Meeting a success.
Historic Charlotte...
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• Save Our Signs
Every sign tells a story. Celebrating eclectic and iconic signs in and around Charlotte, NC, this colorful video features commentary by Zeke Foard (SignArt), Chuck Richards (Reid's Fine Foods), John Nichols (The Nichols Company) and Diane Althouse of Historic Charlotte, Inc,, the organization behind the Save Our Signs project to help restore and preserve a vanishing Americana.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission...
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• If These Bricks Could Talk
The oldest standing Fire Station in Charlotte, NC was built in
1909. Like all great old buildings, this
one's full of interesting stories that remind us of our link to
the past. Vivid commentary is provided by Ted Alexander (Preservation
North Carolina), Diane Althouse (Historic Charlotte), Charlotte Fire
Chief Jon Hannan and retired Fireman, Jim Jamison.
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• Fire Station 2 From a Dog's Point of View
When he heard I was producing a video about Fire Station 2, Drew
Allison of Grey Seal Puppets volunteered his time and talent to
perform his Dalmatian puppet for the camera. This short segment
was meant to be a part of "If These Bricks Could Talk" Time
restraints prevented that. This is a fun piece that certainly stands,
or should I say, sits on its own.
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• A Second Story with a Happy Ending
On November 15, 2010, Fire House #2 was reborn. Rescued from the brink of destruction, the 100 year-old building will see new life as home to a Spa/Salon.