Brooks Institute Documentary Premiere: FROM WITHIN

Well, this evening was quite an unexpected treat for MDF and one that made us believers of the student film genre. We missed the first showing last Saturday, but had the opportunity to see the annual Brooks Institute student documentary tonight which premiered in Ventura, California. From Within portrays a Vietnam from a modern day (excuse our namesake's pun!) perspective while preserving the past from a culture still rising from the trenches. With captivating vignettes within the film ranging from seducing landscapes, heart-wrenching personal stories to the B-Boy's breakdancing battles. This doc promises to leave you with that someone's-doing-some-right-in-the-world feeling. So, hats off to the 10 Visual Journalism students and Professor Myers!

Lake Arrowhead Film Festival - Take 2

Because we just can't say enough of the Lake Arrowhead Film Festival, we decided it warranted a second post. First of all, the location of this film fest was quite gorgeous and the perfect place for some much needed fun for this crew. What we never envisioned was that such a great event would have us Lakeside and in the middle of the alpines. Water to the left, trees to the right and movies galore directly in the middle of this wonderful dog-friendly lodge (Romeo made us say that!). With a great line-up of films and documentaries and trips to the deer-antler-clad-chandelier-bar for some tasty eats in between showings, a great time was had by all. And for the record, we didn't dare go near the Sammy Hagar after-party, but from the looks of things, that crowd had a rockin' night. Guess we were a little off-kilter after unexpectedly seeing a thriller short that had us on the edge of our seats and the boss gasping so loud that the entire theatre heard her (hence, another trip to the antler-lounge for a martini break!).

Behind-the-Scenes Saturdays: Lake Arrowhead Film Festival!

The MDF crew has just arrived at the 12th Annual Lake Arrowhead Film Festival for Film, Television and Beyond. And let us tell you that it has been a beautiful day up here in the mountains and a great weekend for a film festival. So far, our little MDF sidekick, Romeo has enjoyed a nice walk along the Lake's edge and has endlessly tried to locate the tweeting birds up in the trees. Peaceful but fun, tonight's gala and tomorrow's line-up of films is looking great making it really difficult to choose which films to attend. Even Sammy Hagar, who is a local resident, is making his West Coast premiere of his film, 'Go There Once, Be There Twice' about a Mexican village, a cantina and a birthday bash. Of course he's hosting an 'After Hours Party' which sounds a little on the wild side , but we'll keep you posted.

It's LAUNCH time for Catherine Masi!

Officially launching tomorrow via our MDF Facebook page, this daydreaming, fun shoot was with the delightful, creative and talented Catherine Masi of Ciara Obscura. A clever and artful hair adornment and jewelry designer, Catherine was all aglow and illuminated our 12-hour, one-day shoot with her pieces, her wit, and her sources of inspiration. With her four-legged, BFF 'Mars' in tow for much of the day, this piece goes down in MDF history as one of the dreamiest pieces to date! Pulling us back to the days of taking chocolate milk breaks, laying in a meadow of flowers (so wanted to take a nap!) and staring at the ocean waves high above the Pacific in Santa Barbara, California, we were all ready to ditch our gear and head directly to the nearest artist's retreat by sundown. She was a natural on camera and taught us the art of enjoying the simple things in life like sewing by hand, watching ducks in a pond and doing what you love to do. Thanks for a great time Catherine! (Can we come back next Friday?)

Behind-the-Scenes Saturdays: Daybreak Shoot

These are the days that we curse the alarm clock and then quickly thank the sun for the beautiful morning light. And this was truly one of those days. After being the first ones in line and desperate for our morning cup of Jo, we continued on with our silent sunrise ride to our first location of the day.  After picking up our delightful client of the day, Catherine Masi of Ciara Obscura, for a mini-documentary, artist profile, we sluggishly made our way towards the sunrise. Still sipping and nursing our morning lattes ever so carefully while schlepping our gear through a nature preserve, we were officially awake. Heading back to our pre-scouted and perfect first shot of the day, dawn had officially greeted us! With the sun now descended upon us, we started this shoot high above the Pacific on the cliffs of Santa Barbara. Feeling the good JuJu and daydreamy vibe, we were quickly put back into a morning fog as an early-riser walking her dog quietly informed us of an impending tsunami warning coming our way via Japan. Trying to keep our spirits and minds in the right frame (pun intended!), we forged on with our daybreak shoot. Among us, dogs running amuck, people howling to the tsunami and kids chasing each other. And there we were, in the middle of a field of flowers having a chocolate milk break!

2011 SBIFF International Film Festival

What a great film festival this year in Santa Barbara! With hit movies like The King's Speech and a night with the entire cast, it made this year's SBIFF a blast! We tried to attend as many functions and movies as possible during the two week festival and ended up seeing some amazing documentaries and meeting some inspiring filmmakers. Our favorites and must-see recommendations are The Boy Mir - Ten Years in Afghanistan (Best Documentary Film Award), Finding Kind (Theatre Release May 2011) and Someplace with a Mountain(a definite must-see!).

Behind-the-Scenes Saturdays: A Beach Break

Sometimes, you just need to take a break from it all and stare at the sunset (it doesn't hurt to be a 5 minute drive from the beach either). Aaahhhh. Breathe.