Bad Influence

Folks, I must make a confession... I have an addiction.

Last summer, after hearing so many people rave about AMC's critically acclaimed TV series, Breaking Bad, Sarah and I decided to give it a shot through the "binge viewing" experience that is Netflix. I should say "new" for us, because we have only just signed up for the service after finding it hard to locate older movies we were interested in viewing. As it turns out, we have ended up watching more TV shows than movies through Netflix, and AMC's creative offering might be the best that I have ever seen.

"Breaking Bad" promo with left to right: Aaron Paul
and Bryan Cranston. Courtesy AMC.

For the uninitiated, Breaking Bad tells the story of Walter White (played by the brilliant Bryan Cranston), a struggling high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. Facing financial troubles and a new child on the way, Walter despairs about how he will provide for his family once he is gone. During the same time, his brother-in-law Hank (Dean Norris), a DEA agent, brings him along on one of his drug busts, and it is here that Walt conceives the idea of producing methamphetamine as a way to make money. In an added twist, Walt's former student, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) is spotted during the bust and coerced into helping his teacher with his scheme. The two become big-time players in the Albuquerque, New Mexico drug scene, producing a nearly pure crystal meth, known for its unique blue color, and attracting an increasingly complicated and dangerous lifestyle unbeknownst to their families.

I knew this show was going to be different from the very first episode−not just for its unique anti-hero/villain story, but also for its high-quality writing, acting, and artistic flourishes, including some gorgeous cinematography of the New Mexico landscape. But the high point is Cranston, who brings such a rich, nuanced performance as Walter White. You really don't know whether to sympathize with or hate him... five seasons in it feels like a bit of both. During the series, Walter also adopts the alter ego "Heisenberg,” a nod to German physicist Werner Heisenberg, famous for his "uncertainty principle,” which seems entirely appropriate to describe this show that has kept us nervously glued to the screen.

As you may have heard, tonight they are airing the final episode of the series, and there is an incredible amount of anticipation out there− I hear it from my friends and in the media (Conan O'Brien even had the show's cast on his program last week for a full episode devoted to the series). I am amazed by the phenomenon (of a show that wasn't even on my radar a year ago), but it is truly deserved.

Earlier this year I wrote about TV shows in a somewhat rambling blog post, inspired by our new HD TV set (sorry about that one). What I was trying to express was the idea and desire for strong storytelling in motion pictures. The irony is, as a frequent video producer, I rarely watched TV− I found most standard network shows rather insulting, and hardly inspiring. Now I'm learning about this new "golden age" of television, lead by such innovative cable series as Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, Orange Is The New Black... etc. We don't have anything higher than basic cable, but Netflix is giving us the opportunity to discover what the fuss is about. Kevin Spacey, star of the newly recommended House of Cards, was interviewed recently about this "binge TV viewing" phenomenon, and made the point that it offers viewers the chance to watch these shows like they might read a novel (yeah, don't get Sarah started!).  

Bryan Cranston is Walter White
(aka "Heisenberg"). Courtesy AMC.

I have to say, I find Breaking Bad on the level of a good novel, and certainly better than most movies I have seen recently. There is an obvious care and creativity (lacking in most big-budget Hollywood movies), and satisfying in its use of a "slow reveal"...letting us learn about the characters in a gradual fashion. In contrast, How I Met Your Mother, another one-time favorite that is ending this year, has become unwatchable. Through Netflix I am sad to witness how this once clever sitcom has evolved into caricature and slapstick... is this what happens under the influence of network TV, ratings, and continuing past your expiration date? So far, BB’s quality has remained consistent all the way through—maybe stopping while you’re ahead isn't a bad idea.

Closer to home, I learned some exciting, related news this week: motion picture company Pacifica Ventures, which produces Breaking Bad, has made a proposal to build a $68.9 movie studio right here in Schenectady. That would be unbelievable on so many levels... with the opportunity for film production resources right here in my town, and a likely boon to the area's economy— on that note, New York Times has an interesting story today about how Albuquerque experienced just such a boon, during the years that AMC's hit show was in production there... right down to local businesses selling "blue meth" candy and cookies, and tours of the locations where the show had been filmed. I think Schenectady would be a great choice... the recent feature The Place Beyond the Pines was filmed here, and that was done in the same edgy/artistic way as BB, and also utilized the surrounding town as a character in itself (yes, my friends and I did a tour of its various locations around the time of its release). Schenectady also has an interesting history in relationship to the arts and media—apparently WRGB-TV, celebrating its 85th anniversary, was the first TV station to ever start broadcasting in the world.

So, I guess these are all good reasons to get hooked (on TV) again... if my eyes look bleary, you'll understand why. All I ask is that you don't provide any spoilers on the final BB episode just yet... we have about a season of heart-racing stories to go, and I want to keep that element of surprise. Knowing myself, it's going to be hard to resist reading all I can before then about the show, but this "slower reveal" should provide a much better rush.

Related Links:

Official "Breaking Bad" site, AMC

"Breaking Up With 'Breaking Bad' Is Hard for Albuquerque," New York Times, September 29, 2013

"Point Of View: How So Many Rooted for 'Breaking Bad's' Walter White," NPR, September 27, 2013

"Race to End for 'Breaking Bad' Fans Who Got Behind," New York Times, September 27, 2013

"'Love affair' led company to propose film studio for Schenectady," Schenectady Gazette, September 25, 2013

"Breaking Bad" episode, Conan, September 23, 2013

"A Deeper Dive Into Television's 'Difficult Men'," NPR, June 30, 2013

(post edited 9.30.13)

Gorge-ous!

Ithaca's Buttermilk Falls... a must-see!
Photo by Sarah Clowe. All rights reserved.

In addition to visiting with friends and family, and enjoying various cultural activities, this month has been a great opportunity for us to hike around some beautiful areas in the Capital Region, Adirondacks, and Western New York. 

I've said it before... Scott E. Brown's New York Waterfalls: A Guide for Hikers and Photographers (Stackpole Books) is an extremely useful guide for telling us how to get there, locate and photograph the best views. Here are a few of mine...

In order of appearance:

Hadley Mountain, Hadley, New York
Buttermilk Falls State Park, Ithaca, New York

Taughannock Falls State Park, Ithaca, New York

Letchworth State Park, Castile, New York

All photos by Jeremy (and Sarah) Clowe. Canon EOS Rebel T3, 

EFS 18-55 mm, EFS 55-250 m. Minimal Photoshop color/light correction.

©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

airborne!

inside/out in the Berkshires... Photo ©Jeremy Clowe.
All rights reserve.

The week ended on a high note in the Berkshires... the Google Art Talk was a big success (so far, over 600 worldwide viewers), and there's already talk about the Museum getting involved with another one. For those who missed it, you can watch the archived talk (and even see a few minutes of me and my hastily tidied office at the beginning... lol) on YouTube.

Yesterday I spent part of the afternoon running around the Stockbridge Cemetery, taking photos for an upcoming TV commercial showing Halloween-themed events happening in Western Massachusetts. Sort of a bold way to spend Friday the 13th(!), but I came out alright... and so did the photos. Actually, I think I managed several rather eerie shots, which is what they were looking for (the Springfield visitor bureau representative sure was enthusiastic about the results). I'll see about sharing them at a later date.

Photo from "Dancers Among Us" by Jordan Matter.
©2012 Jordan Matter. All rights reserved.

Turning from the dead to the living, I thought I would take a moment to talk about a great photography book that is out right now called Dancers Among Us. Photographer Jordan Matter has taken some delightful photographs of dancers taking flight in everyday situations, and this collection is really a fun and inspiring collection for any coffee table (dance lover or not). The subheading for the book reads: "A Celebration of Joy in the Everyday."

Joie de vivre: Jordan Matter speaks in Blake's Barn,
Jacob's Pillow, August 23, 2013. Photo by Jeremy Clowe.
All rights reserved.

A few weeks ago, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in the Berkshires invited Mr. Matter to speak about his work and sign copies of his book in their Blake's Barn space (donated, in fact, by dancer Marge Champion, whose late son Blake had performed at the festival). A fan of his work, I decided to go check out the talk, and had the pleasure of chatting with Matter afterwards (my dancing wife and I now own an autographed copy of the book). I really enjoyed hearing his stories about getting involved with the project, some of the adventures/challenges along the way, and how he approaches his craft. It turns out that the affable photographer does little in the way of pre-planning the shoots, preferring to let the dancer and location inspire him on the spot. To me this seems like a perfect solution to overcoming intimidation or getting too hung up on the details of a work. His next project will be a book looking at athletes in similar situations.

The Festival posts many of these "Pillow Talks," but I have not seen the lecture posted yet. I did find this fun clip of Matter working on a shoot up in the forests surrounding Jacob's Pillow itself (you get a sense for his outgoing personality here as well):

Meeting Matter at Jacob's Pillow, August 2013.
Photo ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

After the talk we stayed around to watch a dance performance at the venue's Inside/Out stage, where dancers literally perform against the beautiful countryside of the Berkshires. I started taking a few non-flash photos, but was asked to refrain by the Pillow staff... understandable, as they have it all very well-documented (photographers, videographers, etc.). I have documenting dance in the past... I'll have to see if I can find some of my work as I start to organize my old files here in the Electric City. 


Of course, I have also always loved dancing (indeed, Sarah used that quote that he dances "like no one is watching" to describe me at our wedding). The spirit of Matter's work reminds me that we should definitely look into taking some more classes soon. So on this Yom Kippur weekend I say "L'chaim!"

Related Links:

www.jordanmatter.com

Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival

Pictures For the American People

Photo of family taking part in this year's U.S. Naturalization
Ceremony, held at Norman Rockwell Museum. Photo by Jeremy Clowe
for Norman Rockwell Museum. All rights reserved.

So we continue into our next busy season at Norman Rockwell Museum. I have to say, the Fall is really a glorious time to visit the Berkshires— the colorful foliage is an artistic display in itself.

This past weekend I helped out with another U.S. citizenship naturalization ceremony at the Museum. This was our second time hosting (in partnership with the Berkshire Immigrant Center), and I'm really proud that we have gotten involved with such a significant event. It's hard to beat Norman Rockwell's artwork (in this case, The Four Freedoms) as an appropriate backdrop to welcome new American citizens; it's also inspiring to meet these individuals who have traveled so far (Pakistan, Ghana, Colombia, etc.) and worked so hard to become part of our country. With all the recent uncertainty about the U.S. economy and foreign relations (i.e. Syria), it is a reminder of how much the world still admires our country. And what joy on these new citizens' faces... I filmed and took photos of the event— you can view some of the latter on the Museum's Facebook page.

Visitors interact with the exhibition, "Norman Rockwell: Happily
Ever After." Photo by Jeremy Clowe for Norman Rockwell
Museum. All rights reserved.

This morning I'm helping to run our first live Google Art Talk. The online chat, which begins at 11 a.m. ET, will focus on Norman Rockwell's artistic influences— two of our curators will lead the discussion and I will be running their visuals for them. It looks really interesting, and I urge you to sit in or catch the recorded lecture, which will be archived on YouTube. I have spent the past couple months coordinating our involvement in this event; I learned about these new online art talks being held in Google Plus' Hangouts, and had approached the company about taking part. It's a live event, so hopefully it will go off without a hitch... similar to our involvement in the Google Art Project— read more about that initiative, which I also helped coordinate, here.

And speaking of technology, we had another nice article about our current initiatives, including today's Art Talk and our recent foray into QR code-enhanced exhibitions; I am quoted in this Berkshire Eagle article written by my friend/journalist Jenn Smith— I appreciated the mention of my video interviews, which are included in the exhibit.

Photo by Ben Garver for "The Berkshire Eagle."
All rights reserved.

Looking ahead, I'm getting ready to tackle my next exhibition video (Wendell Minor's America) and expand on some of our video production capabilities. In the meantime, I continue to play the part of spokesman— this week I conducted a tour and some interviews with travel writers visiting from Austria, and I have a short, live interview about the Museum scheduled for WSBS Radio this Friday, September 13, at 8:15 a.m. 

As if that wasn't enough, here is a link to a recent interview I gave to O Globo, a popular newspaper in Brazil. The article looks at the increasing popularity of Norman Rockwell, and the Museum's efforts to continue to spread the word about his art with an international audience. It's fun to see my words translated into Portuguese... heck, I'd be happy to travel to South America to take this global outreach one step further!...

Related Links:

Google Art Talk

2013 U.S.Citizenship Naturalization Ceremony (photos by JC), Norman Rockwell Museum Facebook page

"Culture a Click Away," Berkshire Eagle, September 6, 2013

"Retrato Do Século XX," Globo a Mais, August 16, 2013


"Pintura de ilustrador de revistas é a mais cara do acervo da Amazon Art," O Globo, August 18, 2013