Tuesday, April 29, 2014

We've Got Game!

Clue: This popular arts organization will be highlighted as one of the categories on this Wednesday's episode of Jeopardy!

If you answered "What is Norman Rockwell Museum?" You are correct! If you also guessed that yours truly was responsible for landing the Museum on the popular, nationally syndicated TV game show, you have made it to the bonus round, my friend!

This is "Jeopardy"... live from Norman Rockwell's studio!
Photo by Jeremy Clowe for Norman Rockwell Museum. All rights reserved.
Last summer I was watching the show at my local gym, and noticed that the next category was "Walt Disney"—I took note, since we were showing an exhibition at the Museum on the art of Disney's Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs. The clues in this category were unique, since they were filmed on-location at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco; that had me even more intrigued, since they were the ones who had organized our summer show. 

So I reached out to the Disney Museum, to see if they might have a contact at Jeopardy that I could try and get in touch with, and pitch the idea of a category on "Norman Rockwell." As I explained, the nature of Rockwell's illustrations; inspired by history, current events, favorite pastimes, and art; and the way that the artist's popularity has endured over the years made it seem like the perfect idea for a category—I was happy to hear that the game show's producers agreed.


Sarah Whitcomb Foss and Jimmy
McGuire, members of the "Jeopardy!"
Clue Crew, observe Rockwell's
"Golden Rule" at Norman Rockwell
Museum, December 2013.
Photo by Jeremy Clowe for Norman
Rockwell Museum. All rights
reserved.
Last December producers and members of Jeopardy's Clue Crew visited the Museum and filmed several segments in the Museum's galleries. The clues, which I helped create, were staged in front of many of Rockwell's iconic paintings from the Museum's permanent collection, and in the artist's original studio. It was a very professional crew that visited that day, and the production was quite streamlined (I only wish that Alex Trebek, an apparent art-lover, could have made it out to Stockbridge). I learned a good deal watching the crew, and conferring with the show's dedicated researchers. 

So this Wednesday, April 30, I get to see how this entire shoot, which I helped coordinate, plays out in the context of the show (I can already hear the theme music). This is actually the first of several categories filmed at the Museum that will air over the next few months. As they say, "check your local listings"... 

And if you can't wait until Wednesday, check out this interview I conducted today with WAMC Radio. Let me know what you think of the show, and how many questions you get right at home. Cue the theme music, Alex...

Related Links (updated 4/30/14):

Jeopardy! website

"This Is... The Norman Rockwell Museum To Be Showcased on JEOPARDY!" WAMC Radio, April 28, 2014 

"Rockwell Museum to be featured on 'Jeopardy'," Schenectady Gazette, April 30, 2014

Saturday, April 26, 2014

History Lesson

Making history: Wendell Minor and David
McCullough at the opening of "Wendell Minor's
America," November 9, 2013, Norman Rockwell
Museum. Photo by Jeremy Clowe for NRM.
All rights reserved.
It was last August when I first wrote about my afternoon filming Wendell Minor in his studio, and promised more details here about the production of the video for the artist's exhibition at Norman Rockwell Museum. Time flies, huh?

Wendell Minor's America has been on view since November, and the Museum has hosted many related programs and events, including a well-attended exhibition opening. Pulitzer-Prize winning author, David McCullough joined us for the first weekend, offering eloquent remarks at the opening and a talk the following day. A friend/collaborator of McCullough's over the last few decades, Minor has created cover artwork/designs for several of the author's bestselling history books, including 1992's Truman (Minor's striking portrait of the 33rd President is on view in the exhibition). I met McCullough before the opening, and was impressed by his firm handshake and thoughtful commentary; he was also kind enough to take part in a press interview I set up that evening. You can view a portion of it here, which I filmed, on the fly, with the Museum's DSLR camera.

Wendell Minor, "First Flights," 2009. ©Wendell Minor.
All rights reserved.
I continued to land decent press for the show and the exhibition video was completed, despite some of the usual obstacles. In order to complete the film in time for the opening and not interfere with my regular duties of managing the press department, I put in a lot of extra time (gratis) outside of regular work hours—transcribing, researching, digitizing and editing. Was it worth it? Of course... I care about the quality of my work, and there's no way around it when you are a one-man band (that applies to both videos and facilitating press requests, apparently). There were, however, unnecessary incidents that continued to pop up, and made me yearn for the chance to work with a partner who truly understands and supports what it takes to make finely crafted, creative productions. By the time of the opening I was exhausted, but mostly satisfied with the way I worked through this latest process.


Wendell Minor, "Heartland (Red Barn Flag)," 1989.
©Wendell Minor. All rights reserved.
There was unfinished business though, and that's why you haven't heard much more about the video until now. 

Prior to last summer's filming, my instinct was to hire an outside lighting assistant, since there is so much more to concern yourself with during a day of shooting (and I could always use the help!). I had, however, previously filmed in Minor's studio (for my 2007 documentary, Drawing Inspiration), and remembered a decent amount of natural light coming in from the artist's window. Since there were concerns about costs, I thought I would just rely on this natural light instead of the skills of an outside professional... ugh... a decision I came to regret.


Hard at work in Wendell Minor's studio.
Photo courtesy Stephanie Plunkett. All rights reserved.
CTSB-TV has continued to be a great resource for me, and the Sony NXCAM I borrowed for the shoot was great. There is a nice clarity to the picture and sound produced on this model, and I know I could continue to get wonderful results. There is, however, a learning curve, and when I returned to watch my footage, I realized that it was overexposed in a few different sections, due to my "brilliant" idea to shoot directly facing the window. 

Compositionally, I liked the set-up: Minor's easel, materials, and a glimpse of nature lurking beyond his studio walls—I felt it lent some visual support for the themes commonly featured in his work: history, science and nature. The problem came when the sun shifted in and out of the clouds, and the lighting changed just enough to make it hard to maintain a consistent tone for the video. If I had been more knowledgeable about the camera's functions, I might have better compensated for it, but in the end I learned a valuable lesson about filming directly towards a window (without any kind of filters, gels or methods to control the changing conditions—don't do it!). Thankfully, I was able to improve some of the footage in post-production.

Recently I added the "final" touches to the video, editing in some music for the intro and outro, and tightening up a few areas. It's always nice to revisit a project after the intense period that you are first working on it—I always seem to find areas where I can make improvements, benefitting from a clear set of eyes. So here, at long last, is the final exhibition video (my favorite part is around 10:12, where I filmed the artist working on one of his watercolor illustrations): 


This updated version is being sent along with materials regarding the exhibit, which we hope to travel; and my friends at CTSB will be airing the video throughout the next month, giving a final push to the show which ends on May 26. Wendell Minor as his wife Florence have also expressed their gratitude for the video, and I have plenty of additional footage that you might be seeing in some form or another in the near future.


"Wendell Minor's America" exhibition. Photo (and video)
by Jeremy Clowe for Norman Rockwell Museum. All rights reserved.
Needless to say, there have been ongoing challenges at work. I was feeling a little down about creative opportunities this past week, as I wandered back into the Museum's galleries. My mood began to change as I entered the Minor exhibition, and came across two visitors clearly enjoying the video, entertained and watching intently—as a creative person, that is all you can ask for... it certainly raised my spirits.

You can catch Wendell Minor as his wife/author Florence Minor at the Museum this afternoon (April 26), as they do a tour, talk, and book signing. This is followed by another visit on Saturday, May 10, as the artist joins bestselling author/collaborator Mary Higgins Clark (who has the #1 fiction book in the country) for another talk and book signing. Minor also has a new picture book coming out this summer, which looks at the life of artist Edward Hopper—coincidentally, this seems to dovetail perfectly with the Museum's own summer schedule, when we will be presenting The Unknown Hopper: Edward Hopper as Illustrator, a new exhibition that explores a little-known aspect of the realist master's career.


Photo by Jeremy Clowe for
Norman Rockwell Museum. All rights reserved.
And me? Well, I'm already busy getting the word out about the Hopper exhibition, and learning how to operate our own new Sony HD camera. Yesterday I worked on a little video greeting with our Director, which you will hopefully be seeing in the coming week. I am also making an effort to learn as much as I can this year about professional lighting for video and photography. In addition, there are the encouraging signs of a new national council and staff member, who both have a background and interest in video production. We shall see. In the meantime, I'll keep trying to do my thing, and take note of recent lessons. What do they say? Those who don't learn from history...

Related Link:

Wendell Minor's official website

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Local Roots Rock!

The North & South Dakotas... waking things up in Saratoga!
Photos by Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.
Things are starting to wake up around here after a long, harsh winter. This afternoon we had brunch and delicious crepes at a fine little cafe here in town (Tesoros), and made it to the Spectrum, our favorite movie theater, to catch the charming Grand Budapest Hotel (highly recommended!). To top that off, we said hi to Moses and soaked in the sun with a stroll around Albany's Washington Park. This weekend it sure has been nice to keep it local.  

To reinforce this theme, last evening we headed out to Saratoga Springs to catch a local band called The North & South Dakotas. We first heard the band on one of WEXT's live in-studio performances, and were quite impressed—the Dakotas have a lively Appalachian, bluegrass/roots-rock sound, with infectious tunes to match ("Troubles of Mine" is one of my early favorites). Last night's concert, held at the Putnam Den, was a CD release party for their newest album, Honey.

True blue: Zack Hay, founding member
of The North & South Dakotas.
And how sweet it was... the venue was inviting (with pool tables, atmospheric lighting, and a bouncer who looked like CeeLo), and the sound quality was good. Even before the show, lead singer Zack Hay made a point of introducing himself to me and Sarah, and by the time the band took the stage, it was evident that he had a pleasant stage presence and manner with the rest of the crowd. Eventually the venue felt like a right old hootenanny, with the audience tearing up the dance floor—as I expected, the band knew how to start a party.

Hailing from Saratoga, the North & South Dakotas were created in 2011 by Hay, guitarist Mark Retajczyk, and bassist Colin Hunt. According to their website, the band's harmony-rich sound "pays homage to the spirit of old-time American music, mountain folk traditions, and the golden age of the singer-songwriter." Their music developed further with the addition of Mike Graves (who seemed to be having a ball behind the drums last night), and Nayt Patenaude, who really sweetens the mix with his exceptional skill at playing mandolin and dobro.


Nayt Patenaude- music to our ears!
An older gentleman, who was to the side of us filming last night's show, turned out to be Patenaude's father, and we enjoyed learning a little more about the band's history, and his son's musicality (it really was a treat to hear him play). I'm really finding myself drawn to roots music lately, and feel so lucky that we have a band like the Dakotas in the area—we will definitely check them out again.

I have to say that things are looking up for "the 518"—I'm becoming more aware of the many talented artists and musicians in the area (thanks in part to WEXT, which is dedicated to playing local music), and there are exciting new venues popping up like the Low Beat (formerly Valentine's), which just held their grand opening in an area we have more than a passing fondness for (Albany's Central Avenue). 

Locally grown!
So the term "locally grown" continues to mark quality... it should be exciting to see what else comes to life in the months ahead.

Related Links:




*Special thanks to Zack Hay for letting me photograph the gig—we had a blast!