Thursday, June 24, 2010

City of Lakes

About this video:
"What happens to a dream when it becomes reality?

Does it still exist somewhere, in some ethereal place, waiting to come to fruition again?

Could a fictional narrative capture an emotional state, and the true meaning behind a real, live event with more drama and conviction than a traditional documentary?

These were just some of the questions that arose when I took on the “CITY OF LAKES” project late last year. First, it would become an unprecedented attempt to combine a fully scripted, produced film with Melissa & Samir's real, live wedding, with the intention of creating one, seamless film. Second, the live wedding and production would be shot entirely on-location in Udaipur, India over a period of nine days. Third, our skeleton crew would consist solely of live event filmmakers from across North America, who would shoot the live wedding events and production simultaneously & exclusively on DSLRs, the Canon 5D MarkII and Canon 7D.

“CITY OF LAKES” is as much a story about what it means to return to the birthplace of one’s ancestors, as it is an exploration of the Hindu faith, and the rituals of a Hindu marriage. Central to this is the Ganesh puja, which in simple terms, is a prayer over a fire believed to invoke the spirit of Ganesh, a great deity and protector, who can remove all obstacles from one’s path. The puja is performed several times in the film and carries great significance to the plot and characters in both literal and metaphoric ways.

Melissa & Samir had always dreamed of being married in India. We hope this film helps them cherish that dream. But it could not have been without the acting talents of Anubhab Saha, Sharon Chawda and Rushad Rana, who were consummate professionals and a joy to work with. It also could not have been without the support of our sponsors: Canon, who provided two pre-production 7Ds and a host of L-series lenses; Tiffen, who provided all of our lighting; and Cinevate, who sent us much needed gear and sponsored an incredible behind-the-scenes campaign viewable at Cinevate.com.

The challenges were immediate, abundant and frequent. At times, we were certain the film was destined for failure; I often wondered if the film was too ambitious to execute. But what resulted was due in no small part to a crew made up of live event filmmakers who deal routinely in making the spontaneous appear staged. We're proud to share Melissa & Samir’s ‘hybrid’ feature, “CITY OF LAKES,” which hopefully achieves more than a documentary, and perhaps at the same time, more than a scripted film.

There is a final question we hope you’ll find difficult to answer as you watch our film. In more ways than one, try to answer:

What is real?

Thanks for watching,
-Kevin

Pacific Pictures presents “CITY OF LAKES”
Starring Melissa Kumar, Samir Shah, Anubhab Saha, Sharon Chawda & Rushad Rana
Written & Directed by Kevin Shahinian
Produced by Kevin Shahinian & Patrick Moreau
Line Producer Pravin Thakur
Director of Photography Patrick Moreau
2nd Unit Director Joe Simon
2nd Unit Steadicam Casey Warren
Film Editor Kevin Shahinian
Jib Operator Chris Geiger
Set Photographer Amish Solanki

"CITY OF LAKES" The Feature from PACIFIC PICTURES on Vimeo.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Rocket II Trike, Pure Madness!



A sculptor by trade, Frogman Tim Cotterill brought his trike design to Blastolene, the same folks who built Jay's Tank Car. Now the powerful and eccentric Rocket II Trike is on the road, powered by a blown Hemi V8, which generates over 1000 hp.
www.jaylenosgarage.com

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Domingo 6/6/2010, Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival (9)

195... Porsche 2400 Super

Foram 520 fotografias e video clips feitas em dois dias. Muita coisa não consegui fazer, como dados e datas de todas as máquinas.
Alguem saberia me dizer o ano deste Porsche?



Domingo 6/6/2010, Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival (8)

1917 Hall-Scott, The Four.
by MoVilla

Monday, June 7, 2010

Domingo 6/6/2010, Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival (5)

The Coolest Form of Transportation. Ever.

Photobucket

Photobucket

Domingo 6/6/2010, Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival (4)

Caroll Shelby Replicas
by MoVilla

Domingo 6/6/2010, Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival (3)

1963 Corvette Grand Sport
by MoVilla

Domingo 6/6/2010, Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival (2)

Black Beetle
by MoVilla

Domingo 6/6/2010, Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival

1970 Camaro Chaparral by Jim Hall
by MoVilla



Estivemos neste fim de semana passado no tradicional autódromo de Sears Point (Infineon Raceway), California para acompamhar o Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival, edição 2010.
Este ano contráriamente ao esperado, houve um número bem menor de participantes do que o esperado.
No entanto, Clássicos bastante especiais estiveram presentes em quantidade suficiente, para manter o nível de emoção e adrenalina lá em cima.

Na medida do possível, sempre que a disponibilidade de tempo permitir vamos pingar fotos e vídeos neste espaço.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Tramontana R - Exotic Supercar from Spain.



It's exclusive, it's custom, and it's a hybrid of a Formula 1 racecar and fighter jet, powered by a twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V12 that maxes out at 720 hp! Named for a strong, mystical wind that blows into Spain from the north, this wild new Spanish supercar is finally headed for American shores.

Há quase um ano atrás havia mostrado aqui as fotos deste Tramontana R, um exótico supercar espanhol, de meros 720 HP.
Agora com o Jay Leno test driving o primeiro deles à chegar aqui no USA, eu não poderia deixar de postar o vídeo.