We Shoot With Panasonic GH Cameras

The new Panasonic GH4 has been announced and it shoots in 4K. All three of our feature films have been shot on the Panasonic GH cameras. The first was Men of La Mancha shot on the very first DSLR Hybrid for video, the Panasonic GH1. I was one of the first people in the US to get the camera as a friend in Canada sent it to me (they got it first). Then The Wild West of Namibia was shot on the Panasonic GH2. Now our third film soon to be released, The Wild Coast was shot on the Panasonic GH3. The GH3 is an amazing camera. The image is superb. The GH3 has been out only one year now and Panasonic launches the GH4 that doubles the resolution to 4K. I am very happy to have stayed with Panasonic all these years (even in the face of jeering by full frame Canon types). This new 4K camera is simply outstanding. Going to save my pennies so our fourth film, or charity videos, can be shot on this camera. Here is a video shot in the Yucatan with the camera. Even viewing on a standard 1080p monitor you can immediately tell how crisp and simply amazing the color and resolution is.

Side note: YouTube now streams in 4K! Totally under the radar, all the news is when will Netflix stream in 4K (to some households with the House of Cards series) but here YouTube already offering it. Make sure to adjust settings in the player to view full 4K.

Mike Ross Updates

Mary Catherine P., a friend of Mike Ross (featured in the film Men of La Mancha) is organizing a ceremony in March of this year (2014) to dedicate a soup kitchen in Mike's name. The soup kitchen is part of the Newman Center at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Mike volunteered at this soup kitchen for the entire time he attended university here which had a big impact on the entire operation and those volunteering, as well as those served. Congratulations to Mike and thank you to Mary Catherine P.

Mike Ross in Monterrey, Mexico during MLM shooting

Mary Catherine P. also has allowed me to publish the note she sent me about her thoughts on our film Men of La Mancha. Here they are:

"Your movie Men of La Mancha is awesome! I cried for pretty much the whole film, it took me all day to watch.  To see Mike again was very touching and so very real.  I would watch a part of it then have to pause, then watch a little bit more, then pause.  It is a GREAT film.  Thank you for capturing Mike in his element :)   Like I mentioned in the article, Mike really never told us that he did this [film trip to Central America highlighting charities], now that you have it documented the whole world can see it.  I really believe that this will impact so many people's lives.  I also enjoyed how you captured Mike's mannerisms and things that he would say, that only Mike could.  That brought great laughter through the tears :)  It makes me smile and so happy that I was his friend.  He was indeed a great man.

Actually I started watching the film again a couple of days ago.  I wanted to share it with some friends of mine.  I'm in a community theatre group and our latest production is called "50 Years of Broadway".  Our theatre is celebrating it's 50th anniversary.  The show is complied of musical bits from about 25 different broadway shows from the past 50 years.  One of the shows that we pay tribute to is Man of La Mancha.  To be honest, when I first watched your film, I didn't understand all the tie-ins.  Now it is so clear and that is why I wanted to watch the film again with a new set of eyes.  The two gentlemen that play Don Quixote and Sancho do such a great job singing "I am Don Quixote and I like him" from the musical.  So I am going to share your film with them."
-Mary Catherine P.

The Wild Coast progress

I have been furiously editing away while also working to make a living as a freelance lawyer. I am nearly finished with the edit. The film is about 55 minutes. There are times when it is very emotional to edit, even though the Jonestown events happened 35 years ago, splicing some of the disastrous images with music is sometimes overwhelming. I found fantastic music on the Music Bed, finally making the purchase of 10 tracks there today that I have been testing out for the past 8 weeks. I have also been digging and digging for royalty free images and studying fair use defense in copyright for several clips and images I am using in the film. I have even FBI released photos and military released photos as well as historical photos. I can't wait to publish the film right here. It won't be long.

My stomach just churns listening to the Jim Jones Death Tape, editing images of the 900 dead on the ground, with a piece of haunting music in background. You can listen to the track, Belka (by Spirit of Spain) I chose for the dead of Jonestown at the Music Bed here. I hope in the end people will see this movie is redemption also, as the story of Papillion overcomes all repression and pain.

Devil's Island, French Guiana

Maroons, Suriname

Shot-out plane, 1978, Jonestown, Guyana