Matriarch of the Condor Recovery

September 19th, 2011

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Jan Hamber has officially worked with the California Condor Recovery Program since 1976, seeing both heart-break and hope. Last week we had the pleasure of interviewing her the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum and recording some readings from early field notes. It’s an inspiration to listen to stories from someone who’s made a real difference in giving a fighting chance to a species on the brink of extinction.
http://condordoc.com/

The Portable Context

April 25th, 2011

Joe Andrieu approached me to help him communicate his company’s complex product to investors and tech executives. We had 5 days before a conference he wanted to screen it at, so we knew we’d need a lot of caffeine and a little humor to get us there. I even cameo.
Illustrations by Molly Hahn: onepluseverything.com
The Portable Context: portablecontext.org

Santa Monica

April 1st, 2011

Santa Monica from Bright Eye Cinema on Vimeo.

By the end of the process of shooting this piece for Santa Monica Visitors Bureau I was ready to stay for a vacation. The Farmers Market is the largest I’ve seen and I could have recorded the shapes and colors in every tent.

Behind the California Condor Reintroduction Program

March 7th, 2011

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Getting into the backcountry to record these incredible birds has been a highly rewarding experience. This California condor was recorded at Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge, where the US Fish and Wildlife team catches, releases, and monitors the health of the regional population. See more about the documentary project at http://shadowofthecondor.com

The Crocodiles of Kansas City

November 23rd, 2010

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In 1961 Pat Nichols’ son brought home a baby crocodile in a plastic bag.
By the mid-90’s Pat had established an add-hock sanctuary for well over a dozen adult crocodiles and countless birds at what became known as the Parrot Hill Crocodile Farm in Kansas City, Missouri. A colorful matron and maverick, she struggled to keep control of her bazaar and treacherous home, and protect its residents from the outside world.

In 1997 I was graduating from art school and needed some extra cash. “The Crocodiles of Kansas City” consists of recordings I made while performing my duties working for Pat Nichols. More recently I edited this documentary to encapsulate the experience and share an individual, the likes of which I will never know again.

“The Crocodiles of Kansas City” won Best Documentary: Heartland at the 2007 Kansas City Filmmakers Jubilee and recieved Best Of The Fest by the Kansas City Star.

Directed by Ethan Turpin
2006
Total run time: 22 minutes

DVDs available for $25 (US) – includes shipping and handling to anywhere in the US.

Email ethanseye@gmail.com to place an order.

Video Feedbackteria - Demo

February 7th, 2010

Video Feedbackteria - Demo from Bright Eye Cinema on Vimeo.

I’ve been experimenting with the classic set-up of video feedback, where a live camera is pointed at it’s own playback. A virtual tunnel of repeating frames results when one does this. By controlling the camera settings in very subtle ways I stumbled upon, and was able to isolate, some very rare effects. I’ve been pursuing the imagery and recently set up this arrangement as an interactive video installation for an arts fundraising event.

Alma Rosa Winery

June 10th, 2009

Alma Rosa Winery from Bright Eye Cinema on Vimeo.

Richard and Thekla Sanford own and operate a very special winery in the Santa Ynez Valley. Having studied Geography, Richard Sanford identified the unique site and began growing grapes in 1970. In 2005 they founded Alma Rosa with a commitment to quality wines made with organic farming practices. Produced by Ethan Turpin and Wendy van Diver.