Friday with Fellow Filmmakers

Last Friday afternoon, I met up with fellow filmmaker Andy Poe of boulder mountain filmworks in Raleigh, N.C. We met at a filmmakers networking event held at Trailblazer Studios in early December 2010.



Triangle folks met at Trailblazer Studios to chat about filmmaking in December 2010.



As usual I was one of the last to leave the networking event because I'd been running my mouth too much. I had accidentally left my big, knee-length Chicago coat behind. I had to retrieve it from the large, dark stage at the back of the Trailblazer Studios which had previously been bright, and full of conversations and introductions. The building had become cold and creepy since it emptied out. 

I was afraid to go into the pitch-black studio because I'm terribly clumsy and would most certainly break something expensive while stumbling around in the dark. I was also scared. The atmosphere had changed so drastically that it felt like the beginning of a horror film: a happy idiot willingly enters a dark room and gets gruesomely murdered by some treacherous, evil thing. Such a death would have been too scripted, and I could not let that happen.

So I turned and asked Andy to lend me some brave assistance. He used his cell phone to help me find my coat in the dark, and I've been forever grateful.

Andy loves telling unusual stories. He can do the corporate web video, but seems especially attracted to a project that will get him outside or on an adventure. It reminds me of the adventurous girl I faintly remember being; the one who was always out sailing, swimming, hiking, or camping.

Andy works out of Brite Spot Collaborative, which is a coworking space similar to Designbox (where I was lucky enough to work for about 30 days thanks to Jon Williams of shovemedia). The collaborative space is close to downtown Raleigh (off of Peace Street, a few blocks from Glenwood South), and is home to a few filmmakers.

Andy introduced me to David Iversen and Mike Garske, and we watched a joint demo reel. Beautiful footage, I must say.  (You, too, can watch it here.) Talking to people who are passionate about their craft is incredibly rewarding. We are all nit-picky because we want to show our best work. Those are great people to hire, for sure.

Here are some photos of the Brite Spot space ... makes a girl dream, eh?

Sound booth

Edit bay

Lighting studio (foreground) and meeting space (in background)

After we watched some of their work, Andy and I walked down the street for a beer.

Have I mentioned how much I enjoy locally-brewed beers? While Andy and I chatted on the patio, I sipped on a seasonal ale from Mother Earth Brewing. As luck would have it, my fellow ComedyWorx improvisers walked by and I got to say hello. Stuff like that makes me feel like I'm in a small town, which makes me quite happy.

To say the least, last Friday started the weekend off right. Chatting with fellow filmmakers is delightful. I need more conversations like this because it helps me stay energized, enthusiastic, and optimistic.

Making a film--no matter the length--is a challenge. It's really wonderful to talk with others who are passionate about what they do, and want to do it really well. I absolutely love this collaborative form of art.

The past year has been especially tough, and I needed a little uplifting last week. Working on a project as big as Abandoned Allies is challenging for so many reasons. It was wonderful to drop the tough act for a while, and confess how tough it is to fellow filmmakers who understand.

The weekend was packed full of film-related goodness. More on what happened later. Thanks, always, for the encouragement, my friends. Talk to you soon.

Great Links
Brite Spot Demo Reel
Andy Poe: boulder mountain filmworks
David Iversen: One Stop Web Video
Mike Garske on Vimeo