Diary of a San Diego Video Crew
Lessons in Photography
I am no Henri Cartier Bresson or Annie Liebowitz; however, photography has been intrinsic in my life since I was a wee child. And I still have my original camera, the Brownie Hawkeye, sitting on a shelf in my office. I use photographs to accompany articles and press releases that I write about video production here in San Diego. I’ve had good success in getting many pieces published over the last couple of decades.
The Punisher
in 2004, just after “The Punisher” hit the theaters, Automat Pictures hired the Crystal Pyramid Productions crew to videotape interviews of comic book artist, Tim Bradstreet, who draws “The Punisher,” and Thomas Jane, who starred in the 2004 movie “The Punisher” as Frank Castle. Lions Gate wanted to create a Special Feature for the movie DVD called “Drawing Blood – An Interview with the Cover Artist.”
The Renaissance of Poetry
A teacher’s encouragement can light the candle that guides their student for a lifetime. My passion for poetry steered me towards college where I signed up for a poetry course with Carolyn Forché. The 24-year-old Carolyn, a brilliant poet, was about to achieve poetic fame by winning the Yale Younger Poets award with her book called “Gathering the Tribes” in 1975.
VHS Video Content
Much to the chagrine of many younger video consumers and social-media influencers, VHS producers of yore are not dead. And the content we produced is not free to be pirated at whim. As per the United States government, “As a general rule, for works created after January 1, 1978, copyright protection lasts for the life of the author plus an additional 70 years.”
Whatever Makes You Happy
Happiness is the end goal of most humans. “Whatever makes you happy!” is something my dad always used to say as I was growing up. Along with “That’s better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick” or “You can be right but you can be dead right.” It’s funny how those little adages can stay with you for decades.
The Westgate Hotel San Diego
In San Diego Southern California signs of Winter are subtle indeed. We have a few trees and plants that blaze orange and then drop their leaves in the Autumn. But we don’t get any snow except in the nearby mountain town of Julian where they serve the most wonderful apple pie a la mode. The Westgate Hotel has nurtured a tradition of Christmas tree lights, nutcracker ballet dancers and mugs of hot cocoa.