CROSSING THE FINISH: ATHLETE Director Dave's Blog

With only a few hours of sleep after last night's midnight screening of The Orphanage, I struggled to get up early to catch my next film at the New York Film Festival -- American artist-turned-director Julian Schnabel's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le Scaphandre et le Papillon). By the end credits, I was glad I got up early. For me Diving Bell is probably the best film I'll see this year. It's that good.




The picture is based on the real-life memoirs of Jean-Dominique Bauby, the editor of French Elle magazine, who suffered a massive stroke at age 43 and was left completely paralyzed. The only way he could communicate with others was by blinking his left eye which is how he composed his memoir.




The film is incredibly moving, inspiring, and at times very funny. Schnabel uses many innovative and creative camera techniques to help us feel what it is like to be in Bauby's "locked-in" state. Diving Bell comes out in December but in the meantime check out the trailer.

DLM

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Posted by DLM at 11:45 PM | Permalink

Just caught the midnight screening of The Orphanage (El Orfanato) at the New York Film Festival. And all I have to say is it really creeped me out (in a good way). The film is directed by first-time Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona and produced by Guillermo del Toro, director of last year's amazing Pan's Labrynth.




It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year and has been generating a great deal of buzz with subsequent screenings at the Toronto Film Festival and last week's Fantastic Fest. In fact, it was just selected as Spain's submission for best foreign language picture for next year's Oscars.




Well, the hype is definitely justified. It's a smart, scary, and heartbreaking ghost story that takes place in an old orphanage in modern-day Spain. The film is filled with tense moments. There's one scene that caused the entire theatre to jump.

Yup, I'll be sleeping with the lights on tonight. The Orphanage comes out at the end of the year in the US. Check out the creepy trailer on the film's Spanish site.

DLM

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Posted by DLM at 03:15 AM | Permalink

For those who follow this blog or have watched the Plum TV interview, you know why I decided to make a film about everyday athletes. But very few people know the story of how I got into filmmaking. I've always been a fan of cinema since I was a kid, but never actually considered being a filmmaker.




One day in early June 2006, a co-worker by the name of Nicole Bettan handed me a camcorder with footage of a company event that she had shot. She asked if I was interested in editing the video since I was "a creative". The last time I used a camcorder was sophmore year in high school for a final project in Shakespeare (Mr. Barmore was very cutting edge).

By that afternoon, I had discovered how much I enjoyed working with video again -- cutting it down and piecing together different clips to form a scene. There was something very satisfying about it. This eventually led to the purchase of my first camera (HD), then video editing software. And six months later, those clips along with footage I shot with my camera became our first film (which we screened for our lucky colleagues).

It was this act of generosity -- allowing me to borrow and use her camera -- plus helpful advice from her husband Dan (whose family founded video equipment retailer Videoguys) that kickstarted my foray into filmmaking.

The moral of the story -- share your passion, interests, and knowledge with others. You never know who you might influence.

DLM

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PS - Nicole also happens to be a very talented glass artist. Check out her work at Fat Cat Glassworks.

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Posted by DLM at 12:05 AM | Permalink

Filming on ATHLETE wrapped this morning at my final race, the Finger Lakes Triathlon in Canandaigua, NY. I am going to miss filming the athletes at their marathons and triathlons but I won't miss the traveling, the plane/train/bus delays, or getting little or no sleep while on the road.




The next six to eight months will be a completely different creative process and experience as I spend most of my time on ATHLETE in the "editing room". Attempting to piece together something compelling and entertaining from nearly a hundred hours of footage will be a daunting task, but I'm up for it. It can't be as miserable as waiting in line for a New York-to-Boston bus at Port Authority at two in the morning.

Or can it? We'll find out soon enough.

DLM

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PS - Special thanks to Linda Miller, race director of Finger Lakes Triathlon, for her help this weekend.

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Posted by DLM at 12:10 AM | Permalink

I've been to my fair share of conferences, especially when I worked in the Bay Area during my "Silicon Valley days". Plenty of technology and Internet get-togethers. But I have never attended a film conference before. Until today.




I spent my Sunday at the IFP Filmmaker Conference in New York City. It's a week-long event that features a series of panel discussions with some of today's top filmmakers, industry executives, producers, and distributors in independent filmmaking. My first day was filled with back-to-back sessions focusing on topics ranging from post-production strategies to understanding today's film festival landscape.




But the highlight of the day for me was getting to meet musician Moby, whose music will be featured in ATHLETE. For many, Moby is best known for his electronic, techno sound and his 1999 hit album Play. But what many may not be aware of, is his contribution to film music. His songs have been featured in some of my favorite movie soundtracks including Michael Mann's Heat and Miami Vice and this summer's action hit The Bourne Ultimatum directed by Paul Greengrass.




Since ATHLETE is a film that deals with motion and emotion, it's really important to have music that reflects this. And I think Moby's distinctive beats and use of strings and piano will really bring out those two elements in the picture.

DLM

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Posted by DLM at 12:01 AM | Permalink

Just got back from Cut&Paste NYC, an annual digital design tournament held in the city (think Iron Chef for graphic designers). The premise is simple -- contestants square off in three rounds with a specific design theme (secret ingredient). And instead of Cuisinarts, cutting boards, and sauté pans, combatants use Wacom digital tablets to illustrate and Photoshop their creations in each round lasting 15 minutes.




It was definitely interesting to witness graphic design -- something I associate with work and often taking place in a cubicle -- being featured as a spectator sport. Tonight's event was judged by some A-list design talent including legendary graffiti artist Futura, who designed Lance Armstrong's 10//2 icons for Nike and the 2005 Tour, and Jeff Staple, founder of Staple Design, who is also a frequent Nike collaborator.

Since launching in New York three years ago, Cut&Paste has expanded into other major cities around the world including London, Tokyo, Sydney, and San Francisco. Check out their site for a complete list of tournament dates and locations. You can also watch live webcasts of each event online.

Pics from tonight are on Flickr.

DLM

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Posted by DLM at 12:30 AM | Permalink

Have a co-worker who is out of the office? Want to tell him or her how much you miss them? Don't give flowers, pastries or a greeting card. As Emeril says, you need to take it up "another notch!" You need to pimp their cube homey. In just five easy steps.




Look at the joy and excitement on my co-worker's face as she walks into her newly refurbished cubicle. Another happy makeover.

DLM

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Posted by DLM at 12:20 AM | Permalink

Believe it or not I've never been to a film festival before. But since working on ATHLETE I've wanted to attend at least one as a film goer to experience what it's like. I was supposed to go to Tribeca earlier this year but couldn't make it because -- you guessed it -- I was on the road working on ATHLETE.




But with filming set to wrap in a few weeks, I get to finally check out my first festival, and it's a big one -- The 45th New York Film Festival. There are three films I'm really excited to see. The first is a Spanish film called The Orphanage (El Orfanato) and it's produced by Guillermo del Toro, who directed the amazing Pan's Labrynth.

The other two films are Julian Schnabel's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and Cristian Mungiu's 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days which won this year's Cannes Film Festival awards for best director and best film, respectively.

Apparently I wasn't the only one who was excited about the festival. Shows went on sale Sunday morning and I stood in line for four hours to purchase my tickets. But I can't complain. I hear it's part of the festival-going experience, after all.

DLM

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Posted by DLM at 12:30 AM | Permalink

Filming on ATHLETE began a year ago today in New York's Central Park. Looking back it's been an extraordinary 12 months. Many highs and lows. Many hours spent on the road and at races. Many sleepless nights thinking -- about the story, the athletes, the camera angles, the story, the opening sequence, the music, the story, and a million other details.




Despite what sounds like cruel and unusual punishment, working on this documentary has really been a thrilling challenge. To mark this special occasion, here's a behind-the-scenes look at the making of ATHLETE, year one.

Enjoy!

DLM

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Posted by DLM at 12:20 AM | Permalink

The title of this blog should really read -- "One of the Best Films I've Ever Seen". The film is The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen). It's a German picture set in mid 80's East Berlin -- before the collapse of the Wall -- and revolves around a prominent writer and actress couple, who are being spied on by the secret police.




That's a very simplified description of Lives, but it is truly a stunning and moving picture. It's one of those films, like Amores Perros, that remind you how amazing cinema can be.

What's remarkable is that it was only made for $2 million by first-time director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. Incredible. Oh and it won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film earlier this year. Unglaublich.

Definitely check out the trailer and reviews for Lives. It's out on DVD.

"HGW XX/7"

DLM

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Posted by DLM at 11:08 AM | Permalink

I don't follow college football but this headline on the homepage of Yahoo! caught my eye today -- "Appalachian State's stunning win at Michigan could be the greatest upset in football history."

Really?!




Then I watched the highlights on ESPN. Wow. Talk about defying definition.

DLM

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Fun fact: I stayed at the Broyhill Inn on the Appalachian State University campus while filming in Boone, NC earlier this year. Impressive campus.

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Posted by DLM at 02:01 PM | Permalink

Came across this ad while running at the gym the other night. It's a brilliant commercial for the upcoming Komen Race for the Cure in Central Park. It shows the many reflections of a female runner as she makes her way to the park for a run. The message is powerful -- when you run in the race, you do it for everyone who has been affected by breast cancer.




The commercial was created by the ad agency Strawberry Frog. You can check it out on KomenNYC.org or on Strawberry Frog's site.

DLM

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Posted by DLM at 01:25 PM | Permalink