CROSSING THE FINISH: ATHLETE Director Dave's Blog

The great country of the Netherlands has given the world clogs, van Gogh, Heineken beer, Philips Electronics, and even Chinese food fast (wait, what?). Yeah about that last one. A new Asian fast food joint called Wok to Walk just opened up near Union Square in the city. Normally I avoid restaurants with with the word "wok" in their name (Wok n' Roll, Born to Wok, or Wok on the Wild Side, just to name a few).




But interestingly enough, WTW is a popular and successful franchise founded in Amsterdam in 2004. Since then, it's expanded to Barcelona, London, and now New York City. The concept is simple -- choose a starch, a protein, and a sauce and they'll stir fry it in front of you. It's fast, cheap, relatively healthy, and surprisingly good. It's amazing no one in NY thought of this sooner.




DLM
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Posted by DLM at 11:45 PM | Permalink

I finally caught The Kingdom last week and have to say the title sequence -- which is rare to see these days -- is incredible. It fuses information design, graphic design, and archival footage to lay the groundwork for the picture and explain the longstanding history between the US and Saudi Arabia (film revolves around a fictitious terrorist attack that takes place at an American housing compound in the Middle East).



The sequence was created by the motion design agency PIC, which also worked on the impressive closing credits for The Bourne Ultimatum.

Here's a good article from EW.com on how PIC produced the opening credits (which took nine months).

DLM
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Posted by DLM at 11:51 PM | Permalink

After several months in the editing dungeon, I finally finished a rough cut of the first ATHLETE story line involving twin sisters Carrie and Kellie (one of four stories in the film). It clocks in at a whopping 59 minutes and 59 seconds. Something tells me, when all is said and done, the final cut will probably be about two and a half hours long. This is definitely evolving into something much larger than what I had envisioned when I started work on ATHLETE back in 2006.





I'm excited about how things are coming together, but there's still a lot of work to be done. In addition to editing the other three stories, I'll be spending the summer months filming several "action sequences" that will accompany each athlete's story.

DLM
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Posted by DLM at 09:22 PM | Permalink

I recently started taking up Bikram Yoga to try to regain some much needed balance (life in the editing dungeon can take its toll). Bikram, also known as "hot yoga", takes place in a room that's heated to a nice and toasty 105 degrees. Each session lasts 90 minutes. There are three rules to Bikram Yoga:

Rule No. 1 - You have to stay in the room for the entire 90 minutes (you can't leave and there are no bathroom breaks).

Rule No. 2 - You must give 110% in each class regardless of your skill level.

Rule No. 3 - You do not talk about Bikram Yoga (kidding).




So how did I fare in my first week?

Class 01: The stench and heat are pretty overwhelming (but I hear this is the norm in most classes). Generally not a heavy sweater, but I have beads of sweat forming on my shin in the first 10 minutes! I start taking seated breaks after 30 minutes. One hour into the class and I want someone to put me out of my misery. I'm dizzy, light-headed, and exhausted and only two-thirds of the way there. Eventually I make it to the end. I have a fever that lasts through the night, but feel pretty energized.

Class 02: Same misery. Except it gets progressively worse. Hands and feet start to get numb. Feels a lot like mile 18 when I hit the wall during the London Marathon in 2005. Everything is a blur. Minutes later...lights out. Note to self -- eat before class. But oddly, I feel energized afterwards, despite getting KO'd by the heat.

Class 03: Undeterred, I show up for my third class (well-fueled this time). Miraculously I make it through the full 90 minutes without a single sit-down break. And yes, energized afterwards. Spend the next two days walking around like Frankenstein (hamstrings very tight).

DLM
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Posted by DLM at 12:18 AM | Permalink

A friend's photo of me at Supreme skate shop in SoHo was recently featured on the retail blog Racked (sister site to Curbed and Eater). For those wondering why I was looking at skateboards, I'm currently preparing for a video project for a client. The shoot, scheduled for February, involves tracking shots on and around a fashion show runway. Translation: very tight spaces, which is where the skateboard will come in handy and serve as a makeshift camera dolly (the name's MacGyver).




Which board did I choose? I really wanted a black or red Supreme deck (ATHLETE colors) but they only had blue. The search for the right board continues. Stay tuned.
Thanks MF for the pic and Daniel Krieger and Leslie Price at Racked.

DLM
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Posted by DLM at 03:52 AM | Permalink

What do you get when you combine one of the NBA's best players, with an iconic sports brand, and the daughter of an acclaimed artist and filmaker? You get a pretty cool Nike video featuring Steve Nash directed by Julian Schnabel's daughter Lola.



Came across the video in an interesting article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal about pro athletes producing their own web content.

DLM
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Posted by DLM at 01:26 AM | Permalink

In the four years I've lived in New York, I've visited Brooklyn less than 10 times (twice courtesy of the NYC Marathon). Sadly, life for me revolves around a 5-mile radius. If I can't walk, cab or train it there in less than 10 minutes, "fuggedaboutit".




But tonight was an exception -- a release party for FADER Magazine's 51st issue at Studio B in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Cool place and very spacious (9,500 square feet). That's like the size of Jacob Javits Center. Huge.

I think that makes it visit numero ocho. I'm on a roll.

DLM
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Posted by DLM at 01:07 AM | Permalink

Outside of ATHLETE, I've been involved in pre-production on a video project for a client in the fashion industry. I've spent the last month getting familiar with this new world that involves runways, hemlines, and handbags. Up until last month, my knowledge of fashion was limited to my role as a consumer (sneakers, jackets, dress shirts, and the occassional watch; you get the picture). By spending a great deal of time checking out various fashion sites online, I discovered a gold mine of video content that is very creative, well-produced, and compelling (not how you'd describe most videos on the web). Here are some fashion sites with video content worth checking out (and require the latest version of Flash): -louisvuitton.com (zoe cassavettes) -gucci.com (david lynch) -prada.com ("shoes - transporter" is my favorite one; if the show unwrapped was directed by ... -katespade.com -dknyjeans.com

Posted by DLM at 12:53 AM | Permalink

Back in 2006, I worked on my very first short film that featured a bunch of people from work. One of the guys in it was Pete Chelala, who's got a personality the size of New York (state). We screened the film for a few hundred co-workers and his scenes always drew the biggest laughs (laughing with, not at).

Well, I wasn't surprised to learn he and a friend just produced a video to promote his latest venture, gourmetdude.com, which will be an "online virtual cookbook for the everyday person. With How-to-Videos that are simple, to the point and inspiring coupled with some videos of old fashion culinary entertainment."





The clip was recently featured in the culinary section of New York Magazine's website. Dude!

DLM
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Posted by DLM at 06:10 PM | Permalink

Last month I got an IM from a friend asking if I'd be interested in filming a wedding. Initially I didn't know what to think. A wedding? What do I know about weddings? But the more I thought about it, I realized a wedding is not that different from a marathon or a triathlon. You have participants who likely have interesting stories to tell. And an event that has a start, middle, and finish.




Ultimately, I agreed to take part in making a short film because I liked the idea of working in a different genre than ATHLETE (a love story). Sometimes being completely outside of your comfort zone is exciting.




The wedding was tonight and covering it was hard work (not used to filming in a suit). But luckily it was no where near as tough as filming an Ironman. In the end I was glad I took part in it. A great couple with a great story.

Thanks Holly and congrats to J + R.

DLM
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Posted by DLM at 03:04 AM | Permalink

I'm probably the last person you'd ask about the latest cell phone trends, gizmos, or gadgets. Afterall, I just discovered text messaging a year ago. In fact, I'm still using a Motorola Star-Tac (that's a joke).




A friend just picked up the new Verizon Voyager which comes with "the Internet"! Not the text version that I had on my phone a few years back, but actual Web pages. It can even display the Flash site for some film about everyday athletes.




DLM
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Posted by DLM at 12:12 AM | Permalink

After having Lynchberg Lemonade for the first time at that GQ/Jack Daniels event last year, I've been hooked. Those who've been reading this blog are probably familiar with my new-found fondness for Jack Daniels and lemonade (not that I'm walking around carrying this stuff in a monogrammed flask or anything). Tonight I had a Lynchburg Lemonade at Soho House in the city. Not as sweet or tart as the one's from that GQ/Jack Daniels event , but still pretty tasty.

Posted by DLM at 11:11 PM | Permalink

The first time I heard of pop artist Jeff Koons was on the Sundance Channel show "Iconoclasts". Since then I've been a fan of his work. They're kitschy, bright, and bold pieces (and often larger than life).




He's probably the first fine artist I can actually identify with -- in terms of his visual style, incredible attention to detail, and professional background. Early on in his career, Koons worked in the corporate world as a commodities broker on Wall Street and dabbled in art on the side (sounds kind of familiar). And eventually developed a following and became an artist full time.




Koons spoke at The New York Times' Art & Leisure Week tonight. A great hour where he talked about his career, the meaning behind his works, and the big risks he took early on (almost filed for bankruptcy on a few occassions).




DLM
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Posted by DLM at 12:01 AM | Permalink

After seeing this video on Theme magazine's blog, I'm going to add "learn how to rap" to my list of resolutions this year. Enjoy.


DLM
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Posted by DLM at 04:15 AM | Permalink

A year ago today I celebrated the new year on the edge of the earth in Patagonia, Argentina. No Dick Clark, fireworks, or bottles of bubbly. Instead, heavy rain, 30-mph wind gusts, and a crowded tent.

A few days later I contracted giardiasis, a water-borne illness that you really don't want to experience on the edge of the planet. From then on, I spent the remainder of the expedition hiking and running into the bushes (or behind boulders) every five minutes or so.

For food, boullion cubes in hot water (and three cans of Coke near the end, which was an epic mistake). Not exactly how I had envisioned using my vacation time. So if you have trouble keeping your resolutions this year, just think of this story. No matter what, it can't be as rough as having "beaver fever" in the Andes. Happy New Year.

By the way, here's a never-before-seen video of that trip (minus the suffering). For those in a hurry, skip to the eight-minute mark to experience New Years, Patagonia style.


DLM
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Posted by DLM at 02:23 AM | Permalink