Nicole is a competitive fitness model who needed some updated images for her portfolio. We agreed that some action shots with a jump rope would be nice. To add some realism we figured there should be copious amounts of sweat. Rather than have her run on the treadmill for an hour while wrapped in cellophane, we faked it.
Ingredients: 1 part vegetable glycerin, 1 part water, a touch of green food coloring.
Mix the ingredients and spray liberally, dab with a sponge and you’ve just ran a marathon through the Nairobi desert.
September is the time experience the annual swift migration at Chapman grade school in Northwest Portland. Each evening thousands of Vaux’s swifts swarm around the chimney jockeying for a spot to roost. The boiler is shut off for a few weeks until the birds have moved on, dress warm kids!
I came to shoot still pictures but soon decided it would be a good opportunity to try out the video capability of my 5DmkII. After a late night crash course in 5DmkII video editing workflow I’m pleased with the results and excited about shooting more video. The footage can be a little rough as I was experimenting with the controls, not thinking I’d end up with something worth posting.
Shooting towards the end was in VERY low light. For all you camera nerds out there, my guess is the settings were around ISO 3200, f/1.4.
Lenses used: 35 f/1.4L, 70-200 f/2.8 IS L, 85 f/1.2 L.
This isn’t hot dogs and cotton candy on the midway. No barking carnies taking money from your little kiddies in exchange for highly flammable stuffed toys, not even close.
The Oregon Country Fair is a three day event that’s been held in the woods near Veneta, Oregon since 1969. It’s about hippies, philanthropy, music, vaudville, acrobatics, and lot’s of great food.
There are twelve stages, all packed with performances throughout the day so you need to be strategic about what you’d like to see. Of course you’ll have plenty of entertainment just standing along the trail as the parades, stilt walkers, dragons and fairies come to you.
A 70’s period film sets off with Bollywood junior artist Om Prakash who wishes to someday play a lead role. Through his zany onscreen antics he ends up meeting and being taken by film star Shanti Priya. One day Om eavesdrops on a tense conversation between Shanti and her producer Mukesh Mehra. He is crushed upon discovering she is secretly married to the rich man.
During the same meeting Shanti informs Mukesh that she pregnant with his child. Mukesh realizes her viability as a movie star has been comprimised and understandably decides to remedy the situation by burning Shanti alive on a stage set along with doting admirer Om, who tries in vain to save her.
In a wild twist of karmic fate, Om is reborn as the son of a legendary film star. He goes on to become a successful star himself and one night after receiving a lifetime achievement award he experiences the flashbacks of his past life and its tragic end. He soon vows to bring Mukesh to justice through song and dance.
Great Movie, Great Soundtrack with 32 star cameos IN A SINGLE SONG (beat that Hollywood!).
#2 Dola Re Dola from Devdas
Devdas is a young man who returns from law school to visit his wealthy family, but before stepping into his own ancestral home, Devdas visits Paro, his childhood sweetheart who has kept a flame alight while awaiting his return. Now that’s loving devotion!
A firestorm of jealousy is ignited as Devdas’ mother Kaushalya realizes she will not be the first one to lay eyes on her son after his many years away. Class differences and the fact that Paro is totally hot (hey, she’s played by former Miss Universe Aishwarya Rai) throws Kaushalya further into a rage as she successfully plots to publicly humiliate Paro’s family.
Paro’s mother retaliates by marrying her off to an even wealthier, emotionally vacant, not-hot older man with three grown children. Devdas argues with his family then runs off to a brothel, endears himself to one of the brothel ladies, then dies of alchoholism on Paro’s doorstep.
Oh well. At least the costumes, sets and choreography are incredible.
#3 Chaiya Chaiya from Dil Se
Young Amar meets mysterious girl Meghna, chases her across India to confess his love, gets beat up by her brothers and thrown in jail. He is released in New Delhi and beat up again before she comes to him. Meghna has two confessions for Amar. First, she also loves him (yay!), and tragically second, she’s a suicide bomber on a mission to kill the Prime Minister (buzzkill!).
Amar deftly recognizes the situation as being particularly awkward. In the end he announces that if she can’t come (away from the suicide mission) with him, she should take him with her (into that great mushroom cloud in the sky). Together, they detonate the explosives packed around her loving bosom.
I often wonder how many extras fell off the train.
The leading man in this film Shahrukh_Khan (the Tom Cruise of SE Asia) was also the leading man in the first two movies on the list. Curiously, the woman in the music video is not the person that plays the female lead in the movie.
#4 Sanobar singing Meri Beri Ke Bar
Not a movie but a track from a DVD found in a music shop in Bangalore. If it’s good enough to be my ringtone, it’s good enough to be on the list. I’m pretty sure I can see a midget’s hands peeking out from the mechanical bull.
#5 Bluffmaster from the movie Bluffmaster
Hip Hop video from a movie about a con artist who ends up being the one conned throughout the entire movie by his “bluffmaster” fiance.
Extra credit goes to the lead actor in the movie Abhishek Bachchan (Son of Amitabh Bachchan, the Sean Connery of SE Asia) who actually sings the vocals in this track.
Rumor has it that when Mr Bachchan married former Miss Universe Aishwarya Rai, there was a film playing in theaters that had a scene with her smooching actor Hrithik Roshan which was summarily cut from all the reels.
