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Words of thanks from the black sheep (filmworks ;)


This fall has made me feel very grateful. I know it’s Thanksgiving and you are probably overly tired of hearing “What are you thankful for?” But wait…just one more, from your favorite black sheep filmmaker. I am grateful for the obvious things like my family, my health, my friends, my clients, my country, having a roof over my head, shoes on my feet and running water. All of the aforementioned bring so much to me, that I can’t quite comprehend my good luck.
I just returned from POSH, a retreat for female filmmakers in Scottsdale, Arizona. POSH was started three years ago by two friends of mine, Jennifer Moon of Northernlight Filmworks and Reagan Zuguelter of Studio Z films as a way to bring female filmmakers and photographers together for continuing education, networking and FUN. I have attended two POSH events, last year in Cancun and this year at the Valley Ho in Scottsdale. WOW! These uber talented ladies astounded me with their creativity, technical abilities and unabashed willingness to share all of the above. There were no “stupid” questions and the playing field was level. There were female filmmakers/photogs who were brand new to the video biz and those with 20 years of experience. We learned the “WHY” of lens choice, how to improve our branding and how to Glidecam like a ninja. We filmed with Amina and Joyce of Stillmotion, delved into corporate filmmaking AND learned to Glidecam with Cristina Valdivieso. Marketing and streamlining our work flow were deconstructed with skill and infectious energy by the amazing Meg Simone. Lens Pro to Go’s Meg Rodney brought tons of great lenses and other techie goodies for us to play with (she also sings a mean Bohemian Rhapsody karaoke style)….and that’s just a smattering of our “celebration of cinematography”;) We even did Yoga every morning! Each presentation was inspired and the round table discussions that followed left us with so many new ideas to bring our businesses and ourselves to the next level. We learned, hiked, shared and partied hard. It went by too fast. It made me realize what great female filmmaker friends I have and how lucky I am. The POSH experience made me grateful for all that I have and I that I can share. I have the best job and the best clients who become friends. I also have filmmaker and photog friends who inspire, challenge and LIKE me. After being in the wedding video/event filmmaking industry for 20+ years I still love what I do. Continuing educational retreats like POSH are a big part of that. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to the organizers, presenters and attendees.
Here’s a few pics from POSH 2012, and a link to their site for anyone who wants to join in the festivities for 2013. POSH
I’m also posting the video that I created (with the help of the amazing Yone Hauseman) for a contest to win a seat at POSH 2012. I won! Many thanks to all those that voted and supported me and beoucoup thanks to Don Pham of DP Slider, who sponsored the contest. Yes, every POSH needs a little black sheep…filmworks that is!
Happy Thanksgiving to all! Cheers!

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Blog, blog black sheep…

http://vimeo.com/11448386

Lots of sunshine, laughter and yarmulkes at this Shenanaganza…Jeannie and Ari gave us a few ideas, such as their appreciation for the Guy Ritchie movie “Snatch”–we took it and ran with it! They let us pick the song, so “I want you to” by Weezer was the natural choice. Jeannie and Ari loved it, we love it, hope you do to!

On a different note, it’s May. Really?!  I know they say that as you age, time seems to speed up, but this is ridiculous. It seems like just yesterday I was at In[FOCUS], a top-notch event filmmaker get-together held in Austin at the end of January. The creative energy was amazing, and I had a great time catching up with old friends and making lots of new ones. I can’t wait until the next filmmaker events, such as the POSH event (a cruise to the Bahamas for female filmmakers!) and IN[FOCUS] 2011.

We have been very busy here at black sheep. Besides creating “Snatchified” previews like Jeannie and Ari’s, the spring has been a whirlwind of weddings, films for non-profit organizations, and learning how to use my latest baby, my Canon 7D.  We are also in the process of re branding.  Don’t worry, the black sheep is here to stay, but the word “video” is out.  We are now black sheep filmworks, with the blessing of the wonderful John and Jenn Moon of Northernlight Filmworks (http://www.northernlightfilmworks.com), who are top event filmmakers based in Indianapolis.  In trying to find an available URL, the word filmworks popped up, and I liked it, but it rang a bell.  Oh yeah, Northernlight Filmworks…after contacting the Moon’s they said ‘go for it, we like the sound of black sheep filmworks’.  They create amazing films, and are a source of inspiration for me and many other event filmmakers.  Thank you to John and Jen for being so generous and sharing with me.

I will keep you posted on the re brand.  This blog is new, and should be easier for most because the clips are in Flash posted on Vimeo.  We are working on a new website, and some great new black sheep are on their way.  We are creating a wedding sheep, a corporate sheep, and a blog sheep.  Just you wait!

Enjoy this latest preview, it’s pretty fun.

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