If you were involved in, went to cheer someone on, refereed in, volunteered at, DJ’ed, BBQ’ed, witnessed your best friend get dunked on or have some great pics or video get back at me.

My family and I just got back from Alberta on Tuesday. Although we didn’t end up with as much time as maybe we would have liked to travel we were able to get to Waterton Lakes National Park. We had visited the park a year ago. At that time the sun was shining, the snow was almost melted and it was very bright and warm. This year, the road heading up the mountains was closed, the air was cool and there was a haze of clouds and blowing snow over the mountain peaks. I was able to grab just a a few photos from down below.

I just came across Phil Strahl’s twitter feed. He is the Senior Colourist at Red Bull’s Media House and everyday he tweets helpful hints about common colourist problems. You can follow him on @philstrahl.

Phil Strahl, C.S.I.‏ @PhilStrahl 2h2 hours ago

There are some stories that I think should be told and some histories that should be recorded and archived. That is what led me to begin “Breaking Ice”, The Birth of a Canadian Surf Culture. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to dig into a project like that. Freelancing, teaching, and raising a young family takes up an incredible amount of time. Anyone who has ever made a documentary knows the work and care that needs to go into the process to make something that does your subject justice.

Well, here I go again. I’ve started the process of researching the over 40 year history of the Black Invitational Basketball Tournament in Halifax. This is a daunting task but I believe that this story should be told. I’m asking anyone out there that has information, contacts, or has played, coached, organized, refereed, volunteered and even spectators to let me know if you are interested in talking with me over a coffee.

I’d like to build a series of video short stories as teasers in hopes to eventually find funding to help this project come to life. I look forward to hearing from all of you.

Testimonials are a great add on to any company website. Video testimonials are even better. Seeing someone who is completely satisfied talking about their experience working with a fantastic company speaks to your audience. It reassures them you’re the right choice.  If you’ve done great work and clients would like to recognize you for that, give us a call. We’ll bring the lights, camera, microphones and even a teleprompter if needed.

With a little time off over the weekend I went back to revisit my final documentary project at Vancouver Film School from 2005. It’s a short doc called “Bleeding Blue Walls” that I co-created with Rosan Sashida Duffour. It’s a historical piece about the history of Canada’s oldest blues bar The Yale. My favourite part is still the narration by the late, great Jack Velker. Enjoy the watch!

The Documentary: East Side Till the Grave

Introspective yet vibrant and provocative, East Side Till The Grave offers a glimpse into the world of 25-year-old African-Nova Scotian rapper MAJE (mah-jay). Through MAJE’s story, the film touches on obstacles within the hip-hop and rap community in Halifax, and the genre’s influence on the city’s culture.

 

The Documentary: Live On

In 2012, 15-year-old Olivia Jollota passed away from an accidental prescription drug overdose. Her mother, Dale, tells Olivia’s story to illustrate the dangers of experimenting with prescription drugs and to ensure others do not make the same mistake.

The Team: Jessica Hirtle & Delaney MacKay

Jessica Hirtle is a fourth year journalism and international development student at the University of King’s College. She is interested in making documentaries about social justice issues. Her story “From print to paywall” is published in J-Source. Hirtle will be interning with filmmaker Teresa MacInnes at Sea to Sea Productions in April.

Delaney MacKay is a fourth year journalism at the University of King’s College. She enjoys writing stories about cultural and social issues. MacKay’s story “How can journalists regain society’s trust?” is published in J-Source. In April, she will be interning with CTV Atlantic.

The Documentary: 9-0-2 Dodgeball

https://vimeo.com/blog/post/staff-pick-premiere-skateboarding-on-frozen-sand

I was looking for some creative inspiration on Vimeo yesterday when I came across “Northbound”. Jørn Nyseth Ranem’s short film about skateboarding the frozen sands of Norway’s Lofoten Islands is beautiful and authentic both in subject matter and execution. The article attached to the short film is a great read about his process. Enjoy something a little different and have a great weekend.