Category Archives: music

film, film making, music, photography, random thought

we are the swarm

unfortunately, i wasn’t able to make it down to austin last week for sxsw.  however, all was not lost.  dallas reaps some of the benefits of south-by simply due to proximity.  so, when andrew bird came to town sunday night, i got a little taste of what makes the annual music showcase so special.

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haley bonar opened for andrew, and brought a fresh, poppy, singer-songwriter sound.

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andrew bird just might be the most talented musician i have ever seen live.  it seems as though he thinks in terms of rhythm and sound textures.

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and his lyrics are so technical and scientific, i sometimes feel that i’m in a trippy, high school biology class.  it’s great.

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i tried to shoot some video, but handheld proved to be less than ideal.  regardless, here are a few short clips i strung together…

all images © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2009

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film, film making, music, photography, random thought, travel

up on a mountain

here’s a quick preview of a new film i’ve been working on called the mountain.  just like the other short films, it’s basically just moving versions of my landscape/ nature imagery, put to music…  i’m still very new to this.  i hope to grow and become more sophisticated in my attempts at filmmaking.  but if you like this kind of thing, please check out the film chronos.  it has provided great inspiration for me, and it is a fantastic example of how a film of this sort should look.

these particular clips were shot in telluride this past week.  however, the rest of the film is shot in locations all over the world.  locations include (or will include) big bend, wyoming, california, spain, lebanon, kenya, ethiopia, and hopefully many more.

i don’t plan to have the mountain finished anytime before the winter of 2010, but i’ll continue to release little previews like this one.  let me know what you think…

thanks so much for watching!

 

music:  “up on a mountain” by the welcome wagon

 

all images © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2009


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family, music, photography, random thought, writing

flat people?

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flat people is bob guittard.  bob guittard is my brother-in-law.

a few weeks ago i was contacted by a photo editor to shoot a band in the area.  he said he liked my work, and thought i’d be good for this project.  and then came the kicker;  he said, “i’d like you to shoot a band called ‘flat people’.”

i laughed, thinking this was a joke put on by a family member.  “yes,” i said.  “flat people is my brother-in-law.”

“good,” he said.  ” then you probably work well together, eh.”

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in line with the name of the band, i came up with the concept for this shot.  and thanks to my friend, master retoucher, and coincidentally flat people band member, warren barry, the photo-illustration would be my favorite of the shoot.

enjoy a track from their debut album…

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from left to right: warren barry, zech lumpkin, bob guittard, graham cathey, rich williams

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all images © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2009

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film, film making, music, photography, random thought

white rock lake

i shot a new film recently.  and though i am still learning adobe after effects and final cut pro, i can’t help but edit and put these things together to share with all of you.  so i am still just using elementary software, and i feel very limited by it.  but i hope everyone enjoys none-the-less.

white rock lake is a small, man-made slough in the heart of the dallas metroplex.  it is to dallas, what central park is to new york… though not quite as pretty.  but maybe just as dangerous after dark.  

white rock is home to many thousands of migratory birds, and during winter, giant flocks of egrets and pelicans call this area home.  

for best results, watch the film in “hd”…

 

** so, i also have much to learn in regard to compression and video output.  as a consequence, the film can be choppy at times.  please forgive me, and as soon  as i figure out how to fix it, i will.  thanks so much for visiting…

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film, film making, music, photography, random thought

snow day

i bought a new camera the other day.  it was a very exciting day, because along with shooting stills, it can capture 1080 hd video.  

since i was little, i have wanted to make nature documentaries, and more recently, i’ve been interested in feature film as well.

so, a few days ago, as i started this post, dallas had a rare cold snap, and we were given a decent amount of snowfall.  it is a very welcomed sight here.

a short film was the result of some test video that i shot on our brief snow day.  it’s the first of (hopefully) many short nature films to come.  who knows… i’ve got a few ideas for longer fiction pieces as well… (i’ve already got the filmmaker’s ego – notice the gratuitous use of my name in opening and closing credits)

for optimal viewing, be sure to click “hd” in the upper right-hand corner.

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