CROSSING THE FINISH: ATHLETE Director Dave's Blog

What a week. Exhausted.




Spent the last few days filming a short film for a fashion client (which features a cameo by a pretty cool cat).




Having only worked on a documentary (ATHLETE) prior to this, I never fully appreciated why feature length films have such large crews. Now I know. Without them, visions and ideas only live on paper.




A lot of work and a lot of fun. I'm sleeping until Monday.




Zzzzz.

DLM
athletemovie.com

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Posted by DLM at 12:59 AM | Permalink

By the way, a note about the photo featured in GD USA. If you look closely in the background, you'll notice posters for a fake movie called "The Magnificent Thirty".




The posters feature images of 30 individuals I've enjoyed working with at Yahoo! and on my film ATHLETE. My way of saying thanks. Plus it would've been impossible to get everyone together for a group shot.




Since the article was about my dual roles as Creative Manager for Yahoo! and director of ATHLETE, I wanted to visually capture those two worlds of graphic design and filmmaking. And what better medium than the movie poster.




The next step was to find a background for the posters. So for weeks, I went around NYC searching for the ideal spot. I looked at everything from movie theatre houses to construction sites to graffiti-laced walls in the alleys of SoHo.




But the idea of having to deal with crowds and the weather during a shoot, and obtaining the appropriate permission was too much. So instead, I decided to recreate a section of a construction wall and plaster it with my own graffiti, ads, and posters. And we ended up shooting the photo on a rooftop in Chelsea.




The end.

DLM
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Posted by DLM at 02:47 AM | Permalink

Last November, I received an email from Gordon Kaye, editor and publisher of GD USA magazine, with a subject line that read: "Person to Watch". I read the email and then forwarded it on to a colleague at the office. Is he asking if I know any good candidates? Or is he actually referring to me?! After hearing a loud shriek from a nearby cube, I knew it was the latter.




Pretty surreal. On the one hand I'm estactic and incredibly honored and humbled to be a part of the 45th annual PTW issue. But on the other hand, it's quite a responsibility. It's one thing to win an award for what you have already achieved, it's another to get a distinction for what others think you will achieve. No pressure.




Well if anything, I can always look to past recipients of this honor for some encouragement and inspiration. They have included the likes of Milton Glaser, legendary designer behind "I Love NY" (the logo, not the show), Stefan Sagmeister, the acclaimed Austrian designer whom I wrote about earlier this month, Deborah Adler, the SVA grad who helped develop the Target ClearRX bottle, and Tsia Carson, co-founder of design firm Flat, which produced five of the last six ING New York City Marathon ad campaigns.*

You can read the article in its entirety on gdusa.com and check out the other 2008 recipients, who are doing some incredible stuff.

Thanks to Gordon, Rachel, and the entire GD USA staff for everything.




Lastly, thanks to everyone who was nice enough to pose for photos with the magazine in hand. Most of the people you see above are actual strangers I came across on the streets of NY (and in a few shops and restaurants along the way). What a great, diverse group of people -- from Curtis at the newstand, to Ricardo at the bodega, to Scott at the barbershop. Who says New Yorkers are not nice?

DLM
athletemovie.com

*Fun fact: one of the partners at Flat, Petter Ringbom, taught me InDesign at NYU back in October 2004. I remember this very clearly because I was training for the NYC Marathon at the time and had a 20-mile run after one of his classes. It hurts just thinking about it. Good times.

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Posted by DLM at 12:45 AM | Permalink

Finally picked up a skateboard which I'm going to use for that client shoot. It's been over 20 years since I last skated. Boy have things changed. The boards are so much lighter. Even the art work on the decks are far more intricate and detailed than what I remember.




I used to own this giant blue and red board with a ninja on it that weighed a ton (similar to the one pictured below).




So it was only natural that I continue the tradition of choosing skateboards with a Japanese warrior theme. I ended up getting a Paul Rodriguez Samurai deck by a company called Plan B. It's a stunning piece of work.




Thanks to Joe at Concrete skate shop in NYC for the board.

DLM
athletemovie.com

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Posted by DLM at 01:41 AM | Permalink

ATHLETE subject Artie and other members of the Achilles Triathlon Club are featured in the current March issue of Triathlete magazine.




I got to spend some time with the team while filming Artie last year and they're a great group of people. They definitely deserve the spotlight. Congrats guys.




Get your copy today. The profile is on page 43 (Artie is third to the right in the picture). Big thanks to athletes Carrie and Kellie for spotting the article (eagle-eyed twins).

DLM
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Posted by DLM at 03:19 AM | Permalink

Four-time Ironman Champion Chris Lieto was in Jacksonville earlier this week. Athlete Kellie was there and sent over a recap and some cool pics of the event (thanks Kel):

What do you get when Trek Store of Jacksonville, Velocity Multisport Coaching and the HammerHead Triathlon Club put on an event? 4 x Ironman Champion and top American Chris Lieto! Many people turned out on February 6th to hear Chris Lieto talk about how to successfully reach your goals as it relates to a grueling event such as Ironman. He was motivating and inspirational and his passion for the sport was evident.




A few things Chris said really made me think and inspired me. One was around your goals, whatever they may be, they should "stretch" you. They may seem unrealistic and people may laugh when you tell them but unless you take on more that what you think you can do you will never really know what you are capable of.




The other was around motivation; we must have firm resolve, persistence and tenacity to reach our goals. Once you have defined your goals you must work hard and never let up. You may be competing against those that are more talented but it is motiviation that will almost always win.




His speech brought to mind a quote I have always really liked and tried to incorporate in my life..."What would you attempt to do if you knew you would not fail?" - Robert Schuller

He also spoke about the balance between training, family, friends and everything else life throws your way. He has 12 events on his 2008 calendar. The only Ironman this year, Hawaii. I have a very sneaky suspicion this year he will break the tape.

--Kellie

DLM
athletemovie.com

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Posted by DLM at 12:42 AM | Permalink

Another "only in New York" moment. A snowboarding competition called Street Sessions was held in the middle of Union Square, admist traffic and the evening rush hour. Totally rad.









You can check out the highlight video on streetsessionsnyc.com.

DLM
athletemovie.com

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Posted by DLM at 12:05 AM | Permalink

Mark your calendars and set your DVRs. CNBC's next hour-long special is on Nike, which should be a good one. These CNBC specials offer viewers an in-depth look at industry-leading companies. Past shows have featured NASCAR, McDonald's and Levi's. Swoosh! Inside Nike airs next Tuesday at 10 pm.




DLM
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Posted by DLM at 10:38 PM | Permalink

This week is Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York. I got to check out my first fashion show ever today (with real supermodels!). A lot of fun. Kind of like theatre meets commerce. I spent the afternoon in a giant tent in Bryant Park capturing footage for a client project.




Even though this was the first fashion event I've filmed (and a completely different subject compared to the world of marathons and triathlons), I felt pretty at ease. I think if can you get through filming an entire Ironman or all 26.2 miles of the NYC Marathon, you can pretty much filming anything.




But that's not to say today was a walk in the park (no pun intended). You still have to bleed and sweat to get the shots.




DLM
athletemovie.com

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Posted by DLM at 12:19 AM | Permalink

It's been almost 20 years since I've lived in a city that won a Super Bowl. The last time was in 1990 when my favorite team growing up, the Niners, won their fourth title against the Broncos ("Montana to Rice!"). From what I can remember, the City by the Bay was electric after their win.




But I don't think it ever got as wild as tonight's post-game celebrations in NYC. I witnessed the mayhem on 3rd Avenue in Midtown as Giants fans flooded the streets and stopped traffic to celebrate their team's Super Bowl XLII (42) victory.




Toilet paper in the air. Trash cans on the ground. It was madness (in an exciting way). Can't wait to check out Tuesday's parade. That should be like Thunderdome.




DLM
athletemovie.com




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Posted by DLM at 01:33 AM | Permalink

Tonight was the opening night of acclaimed Austrian graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister's exhibit, Things I Have Learned in My Life So Far, at the Deitch gallery in SoHo. The exhibit coincides with his soon-to-be released book by the same name.




Sagmeister is known for his award-winning album covers for bands like the Rolling Stones and the Talking Heads. But he's also known for being a graphic designer who goes beyond the usual posters and web sites to find innovative ways to convey his ideas.

Such as a wall of bananas with a message about self confidence.




The exhibit includes a host of photos and installations that feature mantras of the many things Sagmeister has learned in his life so far.




It even has a window display with messages written in steam by special guest designers who stop by each day (tonight's first guest was Milton Glaser).




If you're in NY, it's definitely worth checking out. You'll find it in the building with a giant inflatable monkey on the rooftop.



DLM
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Posted by DLM at 12:14 AM | Permalink