Eric Holder on the bomb threats: “It is a sign of the times” For most politicians and their surrogates, the final days leading up to the midterm elections are all about routine campaign activities, like knocking on doors and making phone pitches to voters. But for Eric Holder, a Democrat and the Attorney General under…
Author: Jessey Dearing
Starbucks: Hot Java Cool Jazz
Every year, five Seattle high school jazz bands are selected to compete at The Paramount. The event is hosted by Starbucks and 100% of all ticket sales from the concert go to the performing school music programs. Since 1995, Hot Java Cool Jazz has raised more than $625,000 for local school music programs. In 2018, I…
Education Week: Changemakers
When Teresa Garcia moved to Washington state from Arizona, she expected to have a tough time navigating the bureaucracy of a new school district—especially since her children needed specialized services and she was still trying to master English. But she quickly found a powerful and reassuring ally within the Federal Way school district near Seattle: Trise Moore,…
VICE: This instrument turns brain waves into music
Most people play a musical instrument with their hands or mouth. But Dr. Thomas Deuel, a musician and neurologist based in Seattle, has built one that you can play with your mind. He calls it the encephalophone, which more or less translates to “brain instrument.” The thing looks like an electrode-studded swimmers cap with wires…
VICE: This navy midwife has delivered 5,000 babies
David Loshbaugh is Commander in the United States Navy serving in an elite unit. One of 30 active duty midwives in the ranks, Loshbaugh serves his country every day — by delivering babies. Check out the published story on Vice News Tonight. Role Director of Photography Full Credits Producer: Amanda Pisetzner This segment originally aired…
VICE: This app will pay anyone to shoot news videos
Americans’ trust in news media is at an all-time low. But local news is the source people trust the most. Now there’s an app called Fresco that could complicate that. Local news stations around the country are using it to outsource the gathering of news footage to anyone with a smartphone. VICE News’ Elle Reeve…
Great Big Story: Rescuing Cats from Super Tall Trees
As professional arborists, brothers-in-law Tom Otto and Shaun Sears are quite adept at climbing trees. The cats that they rescue are not. And with a plethora of trees—and cats—around Seattle, they decided to put their off hours to good use and return scared, stuck kitties to their worried owners. Working completely off donations, these two…
IM/PERFECTION
Immigrating from Japan to Honolulu, Hawaii in 1961, Hitoshi Hida struggled to learn English as he excelled in math and painting during high school. Abandoning his desire to be an artist, Hida pursued a career in architecture. With the advent of three-dimensional renderings, Hida, 72, is one of only a handful of designers in Hawaii…
GREAT BIG STORY: Hard Ship
Three paralyzed men take up one of sailing’s most grueling challenges—a 750 mile race to Alaska through some of the most treacherous and remote waters on the planet. With no motors allowed and many miles from any help, the competition can be too dangerous for the world’s most fearless sailors. This team is out to…
Newsweek: One Carefree Night
The township of Manenberg stands twelve miles outside of Cape Town, South Africa. Formed under the apartheid regime in 1966 as a neighborhood for “Colourdes,” the South African word for citizens of mixed race, Manenberg lives under a legacy of racism defined by gang warfare, unemployment and drug addiction. Life as a gang member often…
WSJ: Redeeming Lost Veterans
James Lindley makes sure the unclaimed remains of dozens of indigent veterans are laid to rest with military honors they earned as young men and a dignity that eluded them at life’s end. A former marine, he finds shelter from his own wartime demons by tending to those left behind. Check out the full story…
GREAT BIG STORY: The West African King in Canada
Eric Manu lives in Langley, British Columbia. He’s a landscaper. But across an ocean, he’s also a king. Manu is the chief of his community in Ghana, but he returned to work in Canada to help raise money and supplies for his people. Check out published story at Great Big Story. Role Director of Photography…
Not My President
This is an observational film of the peaceful protest of more than a thousand Seattleites who marched through the city the day after Donald Trump won the presidential election. Thousands of people in cities across the nation took to the streets, a sign to Trump and to the world, that the next administration will have…
RAINIER
Lauren and I wanted to play with a few new things in video so we took our cameras with us camping at Mount Rainier National Park.. Something we usually avoid because we typically treat the outdoors as our break from filmmaking. It turned out to be a lot of fun and a relief to throw…
Minerva Institute: Visionary Futures
Visionary Futures is a short film created for the Minerva Institute to profile students who receive financial assistance. The film is used to engage the support of philanthropists and inspire them to continue to donate and fund the work of the Minerva Institute in providing equal access to to quality education. About the Film The Minerva…
Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion
A conversation between a recovering addict, a Seattle police officer, and a case manager on their experience as some of the first participants in an innovative harm reduction program. The Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) is a harm reduction program started in Seattle. Instead of incarcerating low level, repeat drug offenders, LEAD is a pre-booking…
NYTimes: Shirley and the Bodybuilder
Martin Luther King Addo is a two time former Mr. Ghana champion bodybuilder. Shirley Friedman is a 90-year-old native of Brooklyn. This film is about how Addo’s small business gym in Lower Manhattan is bringing confidence and mobility to the elderly community of Southbridge Towers. Read the full story here. Role Director of Photography, Sound, Interview Editor: John M….
Minerva Institute: Active Learning Forum
Active Learning Forum: A New Way to Learn is a film created for the Minerva Institute that tells the story of the impact that the Active Learning Forum has on student learning and professor instruction. We explore not only the depth and breadth of the platform tools, but also highlight the real relationships that develop both…
Global Immersion: San Francisco
Founded in 2014, Minerva Schools is designed around a new vision of higher education that combines a reinvented curriculum, rigorous academic standards, innovative technology, and an immersive global experience. Students study in seven different cities over the course of four years, including San Francisco, Buenos Aires, Berlin, and Mumbai. This short film is the first…
36 Hours: Paris
Think Left Bank, and the Latin Quarter and the Eiffel Tower spring to mind. The Right Bank, which is twice the size, has no clear identity. There are, in fact, many Right Banks. I’m pleased to share the another episode of 36 Hours, a video travel series for The New York Times. Read the written article here. Role Cinematographer Full…
36 Hours: Pittsburgh
Beyond Pittsburgh’s pretty downtown, transformation and momentum reign, with former industrial areas giving way to restaurants, shops and art venues. I’m pleased to share the another episode of 36 Hours, a video travel series, that I’ve been filming for The New York Times. Read the written article here. Role Cinematographer Full Credits Producer: Fritzie Andrade Cinematography: Jessey Dearing and Andrew Hida Sound: Louie Alfaro…
36 Hours: Savannah
Yes, there are lots of live oaks and lovely squares, but Savannah also has a lively bar scene, innovative restaurants and a rich, storied past. I’m pleased to share the another episode of 36 Hours, a video travel series, that I’ve been filming for The New York Times. Read the written article here. Role Cinematographer Full Credits Producer: Fritzie Andrade Cinematography: Jessey Dearing…
36 Hours: San Luis Obispo
Wine, California cuisine and the great outdoors await visitors to bucolic San Luis Obispo County. I’m pleased to share the another episode of 36 Hours, a video travel series, that I’ve been filming for The New York Times. Read the written article here. Role Cinematographer Full Credits Producer: Fritzie Andrade Cinematography: Jessey Dearing and Max Cantor Sound: Louie Alfaro Editor: Will Lloyd
36 Hours: Key West
Ernest Hemingway’s favorite pastimes — catching big fish, eating well and drinking hard — still define the island’s appeal, with the added attractions of countless water sports and gorgeous sunsets. I’m pleased to share the another episode of 36 Hours, a video travel series, that I’ve been filming for The New York Times. Read the written article here. Role Cinematographer Full Credits…
36 Hours: Palm Beach
Palm Beach may be known for its extravagant mansions, tony retailers and fancy nightspots, but it also has its own brand of small-town charm. I’m pleased to share the another episode of 36 Hours, a video travel series, that I’ve been filming for The New York Times. Read the written article here. Role Cinematographer Full Credits Producer: Fritzie Andrade Cinematography: Jessey Dearing…
36 Hours: Koreatown
As the most densely packed part of Los Angeles, Koreatown is also one of the city’s most strollable, with Art Deco buildings, palm-lined streets and East-meets-West restaurants. I’m pleased to share the first of several films that I’ve been shooting with The New York Times on a video travel series called 36 Hours that began last…
The James Irvine Leadership Awards
I’m happy to share four stories I worked on in December for The James Irvine Leadership Awards. The awards recognize and support individuals who are advancing innovative and effective solutions to significant issues in California. This years winners are working to stop child sex trafficking, provide college education to inmates at San Quentin, close the education gap for Latino parents…
Migration west
After spending three years in New York, I recently moved to Seattle with my partner, Lauren Frohne. The journey west was a long one involving multiple trips between Seattle and Brooklyn and a 10-day Southwest camping and hiking trip in the middle of driving cross-country. Though we officially moved Nov. 1, 2014, I have only spent about…
great california road trip #6
After a long day driving down cloudy route 395 the sun began setting low enough to shine under the clouds. Lauren and I saw a beautiful streak of light painted horizontally across the mountains to our East. As we were driving through Bishop, California, I excitedly turned down a side street and sped towards the…
Here is New York #8 – 09.14.2013
Lauren and I usually try to celebrate our birthdays by traveling somewhere nearby. For her birthday last September, we drove to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. We brought our bikes and stayed at an AirBnB. I’ve spent my whole life around large bodies of water, but the sheer volume of water flowing over the…
James Irvine Leadership Awards
This is Talking Eyes Media’s fifth year producing the leadership award videos for The James Irvine Foundation. These are documentary-style profiles of these winners and their organizations. We spent two days doing all the main interviews and then two days in the field with each subject. Two of winners from this year are posted below….
Trash Talk + Flatbush Zombies: In the studio
Converse hired Lauren and me to take over a series of short “In the Studio” films to accompany the release of the “CONS EP VOL. 1″ compilation, which pairs music artists to collaborate on songs for the album. We produced the shoot from beginning to end. The song in this video “97.92″ is produced by…
Automated Subtitles in Final Cut Pro 7
Over at Talking Eyes Media, we recently came across a useful subtitling tool using Final Cut Pro 7 and InqScribe, a transcribing software. Essentially, you can use InqScribe to subtitle a project, or a scene, and easily import those subtitles into FCP 7. There is a way to import these to Premiere Pro CC, but you have…
Traversing snowy New York City by bike
I’m one of the few souls in the tri-state area who lives in New York and commutes daily to work in New Jersey. The “reverse commute,” they call it. To get to work, I ride my bike from Fort Greene, Brooklyn, to Penn station in midtown. From there, I board a New Jersey Transit train…
great california road trip #5
Having never been to a hot spring, we made a stop after visiting Bodie at this undeveloped hot spring. We had the small pool to ourselves for an hour or so. The spring is surrounded by mountains and it was a wonderful way to relax before getting back on the road for a couple more…
RATKING + Eric Copeland: In the studio
This short was produced as part of an upcoming shoe release for Converse. I filmed the verité scenes and the tighter angle of the interview. Sarah Riazati is the director, editor, and animator. Ben Carey set up the main interview and lighting, and Lauren Frohne ran sound on the four mics. It was great to…
great california road trip #4
We took a slight detour off of highway 395 to visit the ghost town of Bodie. After driving down about 13 miles of dirt road we reached the abandoned town that is now minimally maintained by some sort of state parks organization. From what I gather, the town experienced a couple of fires, and circa…
Here is New York #6 and #7 – 07.29.2013 / 07.31.2013
Maybe I should start calling this series “Here is Brooklyn Bridge.” My regular bike route home brings me over the Brooklyn Bridge as the sun begins to set and I usually take a few minutes to take in the view and see what people are doing. The man was letting people carry, or wear, his…
great california road trip #3
We began one of our longer days of driving when we left Lake Tahoe. We drove south down Highway 395, which runs along the eastern side of the Sierras in the valley and high desert. The highway is surrounded by constantly changing landscapes and high mountains. You could spend weeks on this route and not…
Spilling Over: Three years on…
I just returned from filming in coastal Louisiana for Spilling Over, a documentary that I’ve been working on for three years with Lauren Frohne. Check out our latest update on the progress of the film and the last shoot.