3 things I want to say.

Thanks

“Western Wandering” was given the Filmmaker’s Choice Award in this year’s Wyoming Short Film Contest. It is truly an honor to receive this award. I am extremely excited to see the film reach an audience. It is also an amazing honor to have the respect of my peers. It was an amazing experience making the film and I am happy that others are enjoying the product of it. The award included $5000. I can assure you that this money will be well handled towards filmmaking in the future. My passion and life is making movies, and gaining funding is always a huge achievement. Making films certainly isn’t free and this will help substantially. Thank you everyone for the continuing support. Filmmaking can be exhausting, and having such a great support group has gotten me through all of the long nights piecing footage together. The most incredible part of this contest was how the whole community across Wyoming came together to support independent filmmaking. The prize money is great, but the true reward is everyone coming together to support all of the films being made here. My goal is to be the best that I can in this amazing community. Here is a link to view Western Wandering. It is also being entered in a number of film festivals worldwide, so check back to see where it’s playing next! http://www.wyomingshortfilmcontest.com/VideoContest/1198276/About

Look forward to “Energy! O Energy!”

EOE is very close to being completed! It has been quite the journey coast to coast, and it is finally coming towards the final cut. As for seeing the film, it will be put into film festival limbo until the fall. We will know more about screenings as submissions unfold.

Summer!

Finally, summer is here! I’m excited to be finishing up EOE and looking forward to a summer of film production. Burning Torch Productions has projects lined out in Wyoming, New York, Boston, and New Zealand. There are a lot of very exciting things in store for the summer and next year. Please keep emailing us with your comments! It’s great to hear from everyone. Thank you everyone for being a part of this journey we call life. Until next time, I’ll be out there documenting it.

Mark

Thanks for Watching

It seems that filmmaking and self-promotion often go hand in hand, and I don’t like this.  Making films is not about popularity, but rather providing people with something they can enjoy.  The only problem is that in order to allow others to see your product, you often have to fight your way through a swamp of other content.  Everyone is making movies about everything these days.  It’s getting harder and harder to get your material seen.  Is this a bad thing though?  If I said it was bad, it would be hypocritical because I just said that my goal is for the audience to see pictures that they enjoy.  So what if these pictures aren’t mine?  At the end of the day, I love being a part of the experience of film, whether it’s making the movies or watching them.

One of the benefits of the saturated modern film atmosphere is the amount of incredible films being made.  There was a time when only certain people could create media.  With computer and camera prices dropping and the quality rising, it’s easier than ever to shoot and edit a film.  Now more than ever, filmmaking is accessible to a huge number of people, and this is great.  There’s something unexplainable about the power of a great film that transcends the filmmaker behind it.  The only time I would ever want one of my films to be seen over another is if it has that indefinable power to captivate the audience and allow them to experience something.  I would never make a film just because I enjoy it.  I would always make a film that I believe has the potential to offer something to others that they don’t already have.

Self-promotion can easily fall into the question of, “what can I get from these people?”  My question is, “what can I give these people?’, and that’s what’s important to me.  As soon as I have nothing more to offer my audience, I will stop making films.     A film is more than moving pictures of a screen.  You can’t separate the audience’s experience from the art of film.

The reason I am writing today is to tell everyone thanks for being an audience, and I hope to continue giving you what you want in a film.  The future is a very uncertain place for a filmmaker, but as long as I have an audience that cares, I’ll still be here making movies.  The short film “Western Wandering” is doing very well in the Wyoming Short Film Contest, which is due to each one of you.  There are some amazing films in the contest this year and it’s been a privilege to compete at the same level as them.  At the time of writing this, there is still one more week to vote.  Thank you so much for all of your comments, votes, and support.  If you haven’t seen any of the films, you’re in for a treat.  And as far as the motive behind the competition, it couldn’t be better.   The $25,000 must be put towards making another film in Wyoming.  It seems like a win-win for film gurus.   You get to see all of the amazing competition films and then the best of the best gets the opportunity to make another film for us to enjoy.  Click here to watch and vote for this years entries.

Western Wandering Short Film

From the desert to the runway

From the desert to the runway.  I tried to think of a witty quote to open with but this is all that came out.  Last week I traveled with Burning Torch Productions from the high altitudes of the Colorado Rocky Mountains to the debts of Canyonlands National Park in Utah and to the 2012 Runway Show in southwestern Wyoming.  Looking over the pictures, I’m realizing just how diverse the week really was.  When you put snow next to sunbaked desert soil, the snow feels colder than ever and the soil seems that much hotter.  When you wander through the most desolate wilderness in the lower 48 and then go to a fashion show, the solitude of the wilderness is the purest you’ve ever felt and the people of the fashion show are the most inspiring.  The power of film is in the tool of juxtaposition.  Placing diverse images side by side brings a sense of power that can’t be experienced any other way.   Capturing and compiling these images is my passion.  The diversity of everyday life is one of the only true beauties we can experience.  Everything else slowly fades and becomes average.

I would characterize myself as an adventure filmmaker.  It has taken me to the far corners of the earth to capture some of the most obscure and intense moments.  Balancing “getting the shot” and my safety is more or less a common equation in my daily life.  One might ask, how could the excitement of this ever fade?  It doesn’t fade.  It just loses perspective.  Sometimes you have to juxtapose experiences in your own life rather than just watching them on the screen.  My method to bring back perspective into my daily life is by diversifying how I can experience my passion.  Shooting extreme sports isn’t my passion.  Shooting life is my passion.  This past weekend I shot a fashion show.  The excitement and energy surrounding the event was incredible.  Shooting high fashion and glamour has always been part of my excitement towards filmmaking, but juxtaposing it with shooting the loneliness of the desert or the risk of extreme sports makes it one of the most exciting things on earth. Here’s short clip to give you an idea of what it was like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWlLL2DJxic

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The Art of Finishing Something

This week was the host to quite a few finish lines in my life.  I finished the short film “Western Wandering”, I finished a fashion show promo video, and I finished my master’s degree in communication and journalism.  On one hand it’s a huge relief, but on the other hand, finishing something doesn’t always mean that you’re less busy.  In my case it just means crossing things off the top of a list and moving other things from the bottom up higher on that same list.

Even though I’m just as busy, there’s still a value in finishing a project.  A professor once told me that the worst finished project is better than the best incomplete project.  Finishing films is one of the hardest things I struggle with every day.  It’s not because of the work involved, but rather knowing when to let go.  My advisor Conrad Smith told me the other day that “Energy! O Energy!” has enough footage to edit for eternity.  He’s right.  The struggle is knowing when to stop, and realizing that you finally have what you want.  The footage has been shot and the story is in place.  Now it’s just a matter of finding what I want to use and using it.

I just finished my MA degree and a common question I’m being asked is, “what’s next?”  I wish I knew.  Like I said before, just because you finish something doesn’t mean that you’re done.  Right now I have a number of other films on the burner, and EOE is hopefully going to be complete by the end of May.  But then what, more school, projects to pay the bills, a feature film?  My answer is, all of the above.  Living is learning, which means that I never plan on being finished with “school”.  Who says the projects that pay the bills can’t be fun?  As for another feature film, there will be plenty of those as well.  The past few films have been low budget and made with the resources that I have.  These films were made out of pure passion and very little else.  My goal for the next film is to take the idea of passion, and combine it with the resources of a well-funded film.  Hopefully this is a recipe for a film that can reach a large audience and make a difference.  “Come on kid, that’s just crazy.  Do you really think you’re going to change the world?”  If I had a penny for every time I heard this, I’d have enough money to change the world.  It doesn’t bother me though because my idea of changing the world is different from that of the people who say this.  If someone watches “Western Wandering” and feel the emotions and the experiences of the adventure, that’s all I can ask for.  We tend to focus on the huge concepts and ideas in the world, but what about the individual moments?  The huge concepts are made from each individual moment.  If someone experiences one of those moments though one of my films, what more could I want?  Remember, knowing where to stop is the hardest part of finishing.

3 different things to do in Wyoming

In the winter….

—I’ve decided to let a friend, Royer C., write a few guest posts to keep things interesting while I’m busy working on projects.  He has a slightly dry sense of          humor so take everything with a grain of salt and enjoy!

Mark            -

If you’re from Wyoming then I’m sure you have had this experience.

If you’re not from Wyoming then you’re probably wondering where it is.  I would give you directions but it wouldn’t really make sense unless I knew which way you were coming from.  So just take my word for it, Wyoming exists, just like Timbuktu and Transylvania.

This is how it usually goes down.  A Non-Wyomingite meets a Wyomingite.

The Non-Wyomingite says, “So what do you do there?”

Wyomingite- “Umm, well.. aaaa, there’s lots of cool things like…”

And then you’re put on the spot.  What do you say? What is there to do here, especially in the winter?  Rather than coming up with some outlandish ideas about what you could do here that no one would believe anyway, I’m just going to show you a few pictures, compliments of Mark, about what people actually do here.

Attend a fight night at your local drinking establishment.  This is always exciting and offers great family entertainment for all ages (over 21 or sometimes 18).

Watch as the snow piles up and make bets on how many people will get stuck in the parking lot after fight night.

Watch as a local building is demolished and compare the hits from the wrecking ball to last nights hits in the bar fight that erupted after fight night.

Hopefully this gives you some ideas on how to spend your time or what to say the next time an outsider asks you, “so what do you do there?”

–Royer C.

Help Mark’s photos find a Home!

With me trying to focus on my photography and filmmaking, Carrie has taken the role of Supervising Editor of the photography department of Burning Torch Productions.  Carrie has been working behind the scenes for quite some time now.  I’ll let her tell you what she’s been up to.

–Mark

Mark has been taking photographs ever since I have known him, and even before we met he was capturing the beauty of every day life with his camera. He doesn’t leave the house without a camera in hand and after all of these years of the images living on his hard drive, I’ve decided it’s time to give them a new home.  His collection of photographs has not gone unnoticed, which is the reason for the new Burning Torch Productions Photography website. For some time now, friends, family, clients, and fans have been complementing Mark on his stunning photos and requesting a venue to purchase them as art for their homes, cabins, and offices. In response to your requests, I have put together a website devoted completely to Mark’s photos.   http://markpedriphotos.weebly.com/

This website has a gallery of his best photos for sale, as canvas or paper prints, organized into categories: cityscape, landscape (alpine, desert, and ocean), western, wildlife, lifestyle, still life, and black and white. There is also information about custom prints, additional photography and video services, and much more. This site showcases Mark’s unique talent with a camera and I’m sure that you will find a piece that will look amazing in your very own home. Please check out the site and browse through the photographs, and don’t hesitate to send us your comments and ideas about the website (you can do this by using the “Contact Us” tab on the site).  He is constantly taking more photos and I’m constantly updating the site so it never gets stale.  I wouldn’t recommend something that I didn’t believe in.  My house is full of some of Mark’s best gallery wrap canvas prints.  Let me know if you want to see what some of these photos look like once they’re on the wall!  I hope you find something you like and if not, Mark is always taking custom requests!  I will be handling all of the orders and custom service so please don’t hesitate to ask questions:)

Carrie

Long days and long nights make for short lives?

Have you ever heard this saying?  Probably not, because I think I just made it up. It’s been quite some time without any updates and although it feels like just a few days have passed, it’s been over 3 weeks!

So where I have I been? I’ve been locked in my house trying to edit a number of different films.  The first one you are familiar with, “Energy! O Energy!”  It has officially hit the 1-hour mark and is nearing the completion of a rough cut.  The second film is something brand new that I haven’t told anyone about until now!  I stumbled across this link about a week ago and knew that I had to make something.

http://www.wyomingshortfilmcontest.com/VideoContest/1198276/About

It is a short film competition hosted by my home state, Wyoming.  The requirements are that each film must be less than 15 minutes and feature Wyoming as a major character.  This is when “Western Wandering” was conceived.  “Western Wandering” is a story about discovering what truly defines the state of Wyoming.  It is within days of completion!  I’m just working on one of the last songs and it will be ready.  The competition officially starts on April 5^th. Part of the judging is based on viewers’ ratings so make sure to check out some of the great films in the competition this year.  If you find that you like my film, please support me by voting!  This competition is a great way to encourage filmmaking in such an amazing state.  The winner will be awarded $25,000 to make another film in this beautiful state.  So if you like what you see, vote and just maybe, it will give that person the opportunity to make another amazing film for your viewing pleasure!

Governor Matt Mead

If the suspense of what Governor Matt Mead said in our interview the other day has been building for you, I am here to offer some relief for your anxious mind.  I entered this project without the slightest idea of where it would take me.  I have been from the middle of the desert in Wyoming to both coasts of the US to the Governor of Wyoming’s office.  The most recent addition to my adventure in search for the best type of energy led me to meeting with Governor Matt Mead in Cheyenne, WY.  Energy is a huge topic in Wyoming and if you live here, you know that it’s everywhere!  Is that a good or bad thing?  You tell me. 

For my visit with Governor Mead, I was primarily interested in how energy and politics interact.  Everyone has stereotypes of politicians.  Whether it’s simply not liking them, or feeling like they just talk without ever saying anything, people have their opinions.  My goal for the interview was to free myself from all of the stereotypes that I have ever heard about politicians, political ideologies, and government in general.  I wanted to have a conversation without expectations, and let the situation speak for itself.  In doing this, I was rewarded with a very straightforward and fascinating conversation about energy with the Governor of the number 1 energy exporting state in the nation, Wyoming. 

Governor Mead was very personable and addressed each of my questions with concern and accountability.  If you think that politicians can only waltz around a question without actually answering it, then you’re in for a treat when you see Energy! O Energy!  My goal for the film, since day one, has been to be as direct and objective as possible.  You’re probably saying, “well, why in the world did you bring politics into it then?”  I can only tell you so much but in short, sometimes political issues aren’t really political at the heart.  We’ve made them political in the way that we’ve handled them.

Overall my visit with the Governor went very well.  We had an intelligent conversation about energy and that was my goal.  I can assure you that people from the entire political spectrum will be in the film and I hope that we can see past the political stereotypes to see what’s important, the situation at hand.  Don’t get me wrong, I am not campaigning or promoting anyone with this project.  I’m just not leaving anything out.  What’s worse, a lie or only half of the truth?  I’m avoiding both.  As Marty stated previously, whether you’re Democrat or Republican, conservative or liberal, that’s not the issue.  If political stereotypes interfere with how you make decisions and think, then that is the issue. 

 

“Rather than being driven by politics, lets be driven by the best idea available.”

                        Matt Mead

 

What is the best idea available?  What is the best type of energy? 

 

Going Out

The weekend started Friday by working on the story structure for EOE until 3:30 am.  The next morning came much too early and was followed with more progress on EOE.  With all of this work, I have been neglecting from my leisure time and haven’t stopped to smell the roses.   Saturday night I decided to take a break from editing and I went out.  I didn’t “go out” in the way that you may think.  “Going out”, to many people means going to the bars.  “Going  out” to me means venturing out into the world to experience something great.  The traditional expectations of going out seem boring to me.  I don’t like limiting my experience based on what’s popular or easy to do.  Whether it’s a bar or simply walking down the street, going out is an opportunity to experience the uniqueness of each moment in a setting outside of your house.

I took a drive around town just to see what was happening, to see what I wanted to do while I was out.  Living life means opening your self up to the spontaneity that it may bring.  Saturday night it brought me to the University of Wyoming campus.  It was freezing, the wind was blowing, and I was completely exhausted from the last few months of editing and shooting.  That wasn’t what was on my mind though.  The moon was low in the sky, spilling perfectly balanced light onto the symbolic Bucking Horse bronze sculpture of Wyoming.  I found my experience for the night.  At first I just looked at the scene and then decided to take a few photos to share the experience with others.  Here are a few shots of “going out” this weekend.  For me, it was incredible.  It gave me a well-needed break and reminded me that simply opening your eyes to the everyday beauty of living can be the inspiration that can’t be found anywhere else.

Mark

Energy and Politics

If you’re anything like me, all those lovely pictures of a snowy Park City in that last post distracted you. Winter in the West can be rough, and it can definitely cause some chaos around town… especially a ski town hosting one of the largest independent film festivals and celebrating the first good dump in FOREVER. But, for those of you that made it past the slideshow and read those last few sentences, you know that Mark had an interview with Wyoming Governor Matt Mead. So lets pick up where Mark left off, on the issue of politics. Well, politics and energy.

The day I’m writing this is not only the day Mark had the interview, but it also happens to be the day of the State of the Union Address. If you watched it, you will have noticed that about 15 minutes were devoted to the discussion of the future of our nation’s energy. I guess this whole energy thing is a pretty big deal…  According to our President, it’s one of the 5 biggest issues facing the United States right now. But let’s put the ultimate future of America and the human race aside for a second and ask a more simple question: How political do you think the issue of energy is? Are there sides? Do your political opinions influence the type of energy production you support? In an earlier post Mark replied to the criticism that he was “green” or an environmentalist (re: liberal) because he rides his bike. After getting to know Mark, you would soon realize that he rides because he loves it and couldn’t care less about what political stereotype is attached to pedaling a bicycle.  It’s funny how political lines can get drawn anywhere, even the type of transportation you choose. (For the record, I know lots of liberals that drive big honkin’ trucks for one reason or another; I also know a staunch Republican that drives a hybrid.) So, are solar panels Democratic? Is natural gas Republican?

Mark has approached this movie with what I consider to be a devout stance of neutrality. But that brings me back to my point; his neutrality towards favoring one type of energy resource has by default required him to detach himself from the political spectrum. I for one am extremely interested to hear what Governor Mead (R) has to say about energy in Wyoming. Maybe Mark can chime in here and talk about his interview… or maybe you’ll just have to wait and see it in the film.

Marty