Time is the indefinite continued progress of existence and events that occur in apparently irreversible succession from the past through the present to the future. Time is a component quantity of many measurements used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change of quantities in material reality or in the conscious experience.
May 31, 2012
“Loaded like a freight train, Flyin’ like an aeroplane, Feelin’ like a space brain, One more time tonight” (Guns N’ Roses)
I shot Phantom Flex footage with Kyle Baldock for Unit and Monster Energy yesterday at Warner Brothers Studio on the Gold Coast. It was an extravaganza of large proportions to say the least. A custom made jump, amazing lighting all put together in the studios largest sound stage. Allan Hardy from Unit did a great job with the set up and I am looking forward to seeing the final edit and roll out of the project.
Kyle was great to work with. His talent is undeniable. It was amazing to watch the ease that he has in the air and his technical ability. It was a long day of shooting and he was positive and willing to shoot on request until the end. This portrait was the last thing I shot all day and it pretty much summed it up, well for me anyway.
The first time I saw Jonathan Boulet play live was the first time I had heard his music. I was on holiday with my family at the Peats Ridge festival and the performance stood out for me amongst the many sets we watched. They were tight, the 3 drummers made for a thumping live sound and the energy on stage was very up.
I recently had a chance to work with Jonathan on his film clip for the first single of the yet to be released new album, This Song Is called Ragged. Directed by Peanut, I shot Red and Phantom Flex on the set that he had built and the outcome looks pretty amazing.
I had a chance to go see him play live again last night and his performance didn’t disappoint. The new songs he played have a whole new feel with the familiar style of his previous album and filled The Studio at The Opera House well. It was a great show and I wouldn’t hesitate to go see him again in the future.
Hopefully the new album does well for him. Thanks Peanut for the hook ups on the door as well. You can watch the film clip here.
I can’t even remember what year it was that I last rode a snowboard in Australia. It was obviously a long while. I am looking forward to taking the kids this year hopefully and I will once again get a chance to slide down the mountain.
Today I witnessed snowboarding of a different kind. The Staveley brother’s, (Cam pictured), where on hand to test the indoor rail set up at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre for the Snow Travel Expo. The two youngsters tore the rail apart, sat and ate some jelly snakes, and then attacked it again.
Not my cup of tea when I think of snowboarding, although it should be fun to watch as a bunch of groms take the set up on tomorrow, without a single flake of snow in sight.
Days in the sun with my youngest are a special thing. We both enjoy where we live and the things available, especially the local skate park. He loves riding his little red pedal bike in and around the bowl and I get a chance to have a roll as well. There is a pretty solid crew that skate it daily and it’s epic that the young fella gets to soak it all up. He likes his skateboard, although it’s harder than his bike, so he usually favours the pedal power.
It’ll be interesting to see if he takes to the maple like I did when I was young.
Watching Andrew Mooney at one of his local breaks today pulling into eight foot mutant waves, I couldn’t help but feel that there is an injustice being served by an industry on the brink of extinction. His raw talent was awarded sponsorship a few years back when he was picked up by Quiksilver. Kurt Jacobs, the then team manager, and I were having a meeting in his Sydney office and he showed me Moon’s reel. It was packed with crazy aerials, big and heavy tube riding, and peppered throughout with a bunch of skateboarding. You could tell from the tape that he was an all-round freak and had the makings of a free surfing super star. I agreed that not signing him would be a massive loss and we were shooting for Quik on the south coast of NSW within a few months.
Moon Dog flourished under his new backers and his diversity was rewarded. Over the course of the next few years he graced many pages and covers of major surfing publications the world over. His talent in all elements shining through. Then seemingly for no reason, he was gone. The backing from his major sponsor came to a halt, and his career, based on free surfing not contest results started to dwindle. Not because of a lack of talent, but for the lack of whatever was going on with the powers that be at his major sponsor.
Although Mooney is not alone in this scenario, it is disappointing to see that someone of Andrew’s talent and commitment can be overlooked by sponsors. He is working hard and and surfing great, and who knows, a couple of lucky breaks here and there he could be back on the bandwagon in no time.
Mother’s Day brings families together. It’s a great day to share stories and hang out. We talked today about many and varied things, one of the subjects being film and the good old days of manual cameras. Graeme, my wife’s step father, has a bunch of old slides that he keeps in a plastic bag and we talked of the days when film was a standard medium used in all photographic equipment. His photos were quite good. Well composed and exposed and of his travels as a young man around Australia. His memories of these events, etched in his mind, and also recorded in the physical form of 35mm transparency film. It was great to hear his enthusiasm for the medium and his wanting to reconnect with the art form.
We had three generations of the girls in the house as well today and shared an amazing meal, home cooked by the elder of the three, as well as a few games of cards and some mucking around with the grom’s. It was great to hang out and watch the kids enjoy their grandparent’s and vice versa.
After a long night in the west and a very drowsy sleep on the flying tin can back home, my daughter and I braved the local shopping mall in an attempt to get something special for Mother’s day. It’s not the easiest thing buying gift’s. Especially when your that washed out and tired from a lack of sleep that you forget your wallet. We ended up getting it all sorted and heading home for another amazing sunset off the deck. Home made cards and breakfast in bed is in the books for the early hours of mothers day, followed by a family outing somewhere the kids can enjoy.
Steve Hooker jumped a qualifying height today at his private facility in suburban Perth. I was fortunate enough to be shooting high speed footage on the Phantom Flex at the event and got to watch as he cleared the 5.72 metre height and hopefully qualify for this years London Olympics. It was quite a show really. A hand picked crowd, 6 competitors, and Red Bull’s awesome production value adding to the drama that was possibly Steve Hookers 2012 Olympic dreams realised.
It was an awesome day to be involved in. All aspects of it were carefully planned as far as production goes, and my hat goes off to the team at Milk Money Films for sorting everything out and running a truly professional gig. I also got a chance to catch up with a few legends in my field that are based over here in the glorious western state, as well as one notorious still’s photographer that will remain nameless…. You know who you are Watto… It was an amazing day indeed.
All that is left to do now is finish all the work we need to do and stay up watching Rage’s tribute show to MCA until a super early flight back home. Kinda like the old days, except I didn’t have to sneak out of my mums house to watch Rage, and I have kids of my own. Wow, how life roll’s on. Thanks Milk Money, thanks Red Bull, thanks Rage, today was awesome.
Traveling on planes can be stressful. It can also be strangely relaxing. Sometimes life seems so hectic that flights that are longer than 4 hours offer a chance to completely unwind. Sure there may be delays, issues checking in, uncomfortable seats and a plethora of other equally testing elements to air travel, but when it comes down to it, once you are in the air you can literally switch off if you want. I guess having spent a fair bit of time on planes over the years, the novelty of it all has long ago worn off. The longer the flight, the deeper I sleep these days. The anxiety I used to experience being in the air a thing of the past.
On this flight I am headed to Perth to shoot super slow motion footage on a Phantom Flex with Steve Hooker. I don’t know a great deal about Steve. From the things that I have heard he has had his trying times with his chosen sport after the ultimate success of a Gold Medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He has been training at a purpose built compound in Perth, and quite possibly he will make an attempt at qualification whilst we are there. I am uncertain of all details, although that is what I am hearing.
I am at the airport with Kara and Josh who are working for the production company that are overseeing the film project, and amidst all the holiday makers, life relocaters, business travellers, cheap flight junkies and whoever else will be on this time traveling virgin, we have over 4 hours to take the opportunity to leave any work issues behind and shut down for a bit.
Andy Wigan works in the same offices where my dingy little studio is situated. He is Managing Editor of what is to become Australia’s premier motocross magazine, Transmoto. We have been working together a little lately as my new film company was involved in a project that Transmoto had collaborated on with JDR Motorsports. The project spanned a few different mediums and has just recently run it’s course with the latest instalment of the magazine.
I met Andy whilst he was working at Emap or Mason Stewart Publishing, one of the two, some 18 years ago. I had always wanted to get involved in shooting more bike action as it seemed like a very dynamic sport with endless lighting situations and set ups. I never really got around to any of it until recently and it’s been great. Working with Andy has been great, he’s always enthusiastic to get things happening, and he even ran one of my shots in the mag from a first attempt a few months back.
He spends a fair bit of time dedicated to making Transmoto what it is and it shows in the quality that he and his team (his dog included) are releasing every month. Hopefully I get more opportunities in the future to contribute to what he has created. Time will tell.
Its been a long while since I have hung out with Peanut. There was a time, many many moons ago that we would hang, skate, party, shoot and basically have a hell time, but those times faded as we grew up and drifted every which way but loose. We have always remained mates, although the times we saw each other were few.
We have recently collaborated on a music video of his conception and direction, (the pyro reference will be apparent upon its release) and had a chance to re-live the good old days, sans skateboards, camping out in a remote sand mine in country Australia. Stories were told, plans where hatched, and amongst the fire, smoke, beer and stew we found ourselves right back where we left off.
We got the chance to hang and skate again today and Peanut recounted a story from his move the night before where he threw a box of random stuff out, only to have a bad feeling, peel it all out from under the other rubbish and find a few sheets of old slides I had shot about 16 years earlier with him. Needless to say that the saving of a little piece of history, and the amazing autumn weather made for a great little shred at my local skate bowl.
A couple of days ago MCA passed away and it was saddening news that the music world, and the world in general had lost such a talented and dedicated human. I have been a fan of the B’Boys for many many years now and have had all the albums back on repeat ever since hearing the news.
One of my Son’s favourite songs is Intergalactic, and after hearing the news, I bought the film clip off iTunes and we rocked out in front of the TV. It has been on loop since, and anything that has any relevance to that clip, e.g. Robots, has a connection to the Beastie Boy’s for him. Hopefully he carries the enthusiasm with him throughout his life, and then the Beastie’s music will live on with him as well. I know that some songs bring back some amazing memories in my life, I hope that he can say the same later in his life.
