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

Getting To Know You

Left to right: CTSB host Olga May Millgan, cameraman Leo Mahoney,
and the J. Clowe Experience at Norman Rockwell Museum.
Photo ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

This morning found me back in front of the camera, doing an interview with TV host Olga May Milligan for her CTSB-TV program, Getting To Know You. Conducted at Norman Rockwell Museum, I filled her in our latest programs and exhibitions, including Howard Pyle: American Master Rediscovered and Norman Rockwell: Sports! For the latter exhibition, we have Rockwell's old bicycle on display, and Milligan actually remembers seeing the famed artist ride it around town back in the day, as a break from working long hours in his studio. Olga is a sweet lady of British origin (she even brought me a wedding card!), and she was joined by my buddy Leo Mahoney, who is the station manager at CTSB, where I work and volunteer part-time. The show should be airing in the next few weeks and might even be available online--details to come.


I certainly feel comfortable in front of the camera... and on stage. Last night while I was running the treadmill at my gym, I happened to catch the new ABC-TV show Trust Us With Your Life, which reunites many of the old improv players from Whose Line Is It Anyway? On this new show, hosted by actor Fred Willard, comedians Wayne Brady, Colin Mochrie, and Jonathan Mangum act out scenes in the life of guest celebrities. Last night's premiere featured tennis star Serena Williams, and there were some hilarious moments recreating a time when she broke a piggybank as a child--I saw many similarities to the games I perform with the Royal Berkshire Improv Troupe, but the "this is your life" element was a fun twist. The show looks very promising... I found myself grinning on a number of occasions while watching--Brady and Mochrie, in particular, are hysterical-- very quick and smart--there was one great scene where they lie on the floor, and the camera made it look like they were playing tennis... funny, clever stuff. jack and Kelly Osbourne (Ozzy's kids) were the celebrities featured in the second half-hour.


Watching this show makes me anxious to get back to performing with RBIT again... during our last show, one of the young kids who helps us out with tech learned about my wedding and honeymoon... he became very concerned, wondering what I was going to do because I have a show next Friday, July 20? Bless his heart. I won't be joining them, but you can indeed catch RBIT next Friday at the Spectrum Playhouse in Lee, Massachusetts, or this Friday, July 13, at the Freightyard Pub in North Adams, MA. And don't worry... the J.Clowe Experience will be back... performing seems to be in my blood... bloody good, that!


Related Links:


"Trust Us With Your Life" official website
www.ctsbtv.org
Royal Berkshire Improv Troupe