A little something...

Here is a poem I wrote for creative writing and the photo (not my own) that accompanies it:


Bubbles

Why do bubbles pop?

Because
we're not supposed to see them.

Bubbles are evidence
Of order and boundaries
Of science
Of truth
Little, round, near-perfect
(And sometimes actually
perfect) Spheres

They prove surface tension, friction
Gravity
Air is matter
And that beauty doesn't have to be divine
Rarely we get to see
Something like a bubble

Bubbles are planets

When's the last time you popped a planet?

My reel!

Here is my very first DP Reel. It comprises shots from videography class and shots from before learning how to use a camera well that I still like:

Adam Nunley DP Reel from UA, Telecommunication and Film on Vimeo.

All the things I've learned

Well, I don't know where to start. It has been an info-packed semester for me. I think that over the course of the semester I didn't realize exactly how much I was learning in videography. Looking back now, I would not want to be the less knowledgeable Adam Nunley that started the class.

I remember near the beginning of the semester when we watched the opening of The Professional. That example served to point out that every single visual element of a professional (coincidence . . . I think not) video composition is designed and well thought out. This idea and its many implications are the crux of what I learned this semester. People in general do not realize the tremendous amount of work that goes into making a movie. They assume that the relatively brief nature of movie scene implies a brief amount of time spent composing. This is, of course, absurd.

The truth is that the cinematographer is a vital and horribly underappreciated crew member. At the very least the class has taught me to pay more attention to the DP credit.

I've learned more, though. Our forays into lighting were a lot of fun and have made me much more comfortable with lighting equipment. There is still a lot to learn, of course, but I think now I can handle simple light setups. I can at least know when it does and does not look right.

An Awesome DP

I absolutely loved Edward Lachman's work on I'm Not There, the movie with six different actors playing Bob Dylan.

The cinematography matched the eclectic nature of the story. He used different kinds of film throughout. There are many color motifs. Some shots are black and white. In everything there is variation. This is an extremely visually compelling movie.

Some of the trailers do a pretty good job of showcasing Lachman's work...

I'm Not There - Theatrical Trailer 2 | Movies & TV | SPIKE.com

Lachman has been around the block and has been nominated for and won many awards for cinematography. Some of his other recent works are Far From Heaven, A Prairie Home Companion, Erin Brockovich, and The Virgin Suicides. He's been DPing since the 70's though, and I think his experience adds tremendous depth of imagery to I'm Not There. I have a hard time imagining someone young, like myself, who has been introduced to filmmaking starting with digital video, being able to create a work with such variation. I'm Not There does not have a "feel"; it has six, maybe more, "feels," and they are all excellent.

In an interview regarding Far From Heaven, Lachman said, "I wasn't locked into a signature. I could change radically, I was open to exploring visual grammar." Although he meant this to express why he was a good choice for that film, it absolutely applies to I'm Not There as well.

My Artist Statement

Here is my artist statement or statement of purpose...
Here's what I wanna do with my life:


In my life as a filmmaker, I hope, through education and explanation, to assist in uniting humanity so that we may form a common front against the phenomena that threaten all of us with suffering and pain. I envision a future world, one that I intend to help create, without the chains of corruption, bigotry, religion, and, consequently, war. My hope that such a future is possible stems from my earnest belief that the most beneficial course of action for every individual, including those who currently are more wealthy than the rest, is to unite in support of science and sympathy. However, our current global society is continuously plagued by racism, sexism, ethnocentricism, and classism, of which the direct effect is an unnecessary hindrance of scientific and philsophical progress. In this age of advanced technology that has the potential to feed, clothe, and educate every single human being, inequality and indifference exist solely because of ignorance, not necessity. It is his or her misconceptions that allow an individual to be comfortable with a life of superficial self-satisfaction and to believe that he or she cannot contribute to positive changes on a global scale. The truth is that humanity has a limitless potential for accomplishment, but only through unity. Achieving this is only possible with education, and for this reason it is education that I intend to further and promote in all projects, whether they be documentary or narrative.
Education is obviously best achieved through presentation of the truth instead of forced absorption of another's ideas. This is why, as an artist, I strive to allow those who experience my art to come to their own conclusions about how to apply, in their own live, the information contained. I realize that any form of expression is inherently biased, however, I whole-heartedly believe that this bias can be taken advantage of in order to promote shedding of bias, therefore lessening or removing altogether its effects and allowing the viewer to analyze the work of art on the same level, or, ideally, beyond the level, of the artist. This self-aware, self-referencing tone, that I find to be essential of anything that respects the viewer and necessitates his or her intellectual involvement, requires careful thought regarding the use of illusion, a fundamental trait of artistic work. In this spirit, that of Orson Welles (F for Fake) and Errol Morris (The Thin Blue Line), I hope to, as much as possible, include my audience as a character in my films, thereby forcing them to interact with the subject matter and encouraging sympathy for or understanding of ideas they may otherwise never consider.