sets + lighting

i have been interested in set design for what seems like my entire life. i enjoy the ability to 'create ambience' using minimal props, good lighting and a creative spirit.
i recently attended a lighting workshop offered by reel women, an austin-based group dedicated to "a permanent support system for women at all levels of experience in the film and video industries". i have participated in community theater on and off for many years, creating of sets of varied sizes and scales.

[i was first struck by the power of color + lighting in the whitney museum of american art in new york city, when i was age 8: a narrow diaphanous yellow hallway constructed of sail cloth, about 10 feet in length -- the short trip through it was inspiring.]

post-production

knowing your post-production capabilities seems key in any successful filming effort. i am still discovering the many nuances of capturing footage that needs little editing. so until then, i am focusing on learning the basics of imovie + final cut.
the ongoing process of learning all of the different film editors [imovie, final cut pro + after effects] is a whole lot more fun than html: much more visually and creatively rewarding.

[to my analytical + artistic satisfaction, i am always learning something new.]

'fashion victims'         blue poodle productions    ©2002

i was the production supervisor (crew of 30) for fashion victims, our entry in the 2002 48hr Film Project. our short won "Best Editing and Sound" for the Austin portion of 48hr Film Project.

we had an awesome crew who created three major sets for our short 5 minute film – the party scene was by far, the best set. needless-to-say, our camerman was amazing – shooting in some of the worst of Austin weather. and our editor, incredible – pulling together our final film in half an afternoon.

'mother's day 2k+1'         a. strauss    ©2001

i created this movie using editDV [pc dv editing] before acquiring the imac. all of the footage was shot by my father on a bell and howell zoomatic 8mm camera. i transferred the footage to dv by filming it "on screen" from an 8mm projector's output. the refresh rates aren't quite sync'ed correctly, but i liked the effect it added: 'old movie ambience'. when time permits, i am planning to re-transfer the 8mm to dv using better techniques and remake the film with adobe premier.

[the transitions are a bit rough, but the sentiment is sincere.]

'no flamingos'         t.l. davidson & c. wagner    ©2001

[my friends] teresa and carol worked quite hard on this film. i believe that they truly captured the feel of [south] austin, texas. their hard work payed off: their film showed at SXSW 2002 and the 2002 Dallas Video Festival Texas Show Collection. they did their post-production with editDV [pc dv editing], now they have seen the light and are working completely on the mac platform.

[it was their effort that first peaked my interest in film media.]

'sport : man in action'         t. l. davidson    ©2001

sample footage from the best talent in the business. testing the many options offered with the sony dv camera and vaio image editing station. not bad for a 'random' movie shaker program.

[done with the sony vaio movie shaker with "all options on".]