20 Feb Herman Dune
Back in October I shot a little project for a group called dublab. dublab is a non-profit music and arts organization in Los Angeles. One of their projects is an ongoing series called “Vision Versions.” The basic idea is “a live set in an interesting Los Angeles location.” It’s a way of showing some of the hidden gems our city has to offer, while at the same time giving people a raw and intimate look at a band.
Several of my friends had shot these projects and I wanted in. My buddy Chris connected me with dublab’s producer, Frosty. I sent him a link to my site and it wasn’t more than a couple of days later he messaged me back asking if I wanted to shoot Herman Dune on the following Monday.
This was on Friday.
So I had a weekend to find 2 cameras, a crew, and a location…and I had $0.00 to spend. dublab had a few locations that were potentials..but none of these were actually cleared. I had some scouting to do. My first stop was Griffith Park. Actually there was a few potential locations there…using the satellite map feature on my iPhone, I was able to find the Old LA Zoo. It was a pretty interesting space, but not for this project.
The next stop was one of the 3 mini trains in the park. It seems pretty amazing, but there are three different places you can ride a miniature train in the park. This one last about 7 minutes and was probably a bit too noisy for a live set.
Train Town was the final stop. As I walked around I couldn’t help but think I’d seen this place before. It looked like a classic train station from Europe…or from the movies. It’d be really great to shoot something there sometime…get some big lights, pump out some steam and BAM! Movieville.
Of course, none of these places was cleared…and I didn’t have cameras…or a crew…but hey, I still had a day right?
I did however, have the afternoon off from work. So I had that going for me.
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By Sunday evening we had one locked location, The Bigfoot Lodge, and one potential location Train Town. My vote was for the locked location. Plus the record label was RIGHT across the street…and they had a small light package that we could use. My friends Josh and Rylan were both available to help with the shoot.
Now all I needed were cameras.
Luckily, I have some friends with cameras. My first thought was to shoot on the RED…but I could only find one of those. My second thought was to shoot on the HVX…which I found two of. But sadly, only one of the people had the equipment to record on HD. *sigh* well, at least the cameras would match.
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I got to the location early, so I wandered into the nearest grocery story – India Sweets and Spices. I headed straight for the drink section and picked out the weirdest looking soda I could.
With my cold drink in hand I wandered towards the LA River. Sections of the river are being restored. Sitting in the shade I relaxed and wind in the trees and the birds in the water. Really. It was surprisingly refreshing. I was reminded of when I studied at Columbia in Northern California. It was the first time I’d lived away from home and away from the water. In the mornings before class I’d walk down and sit by the lake and watch the ducks. It was so relaxing, and seeing the water, the reflections, and the birds reminded me just enough of home. I miss out on those little bits of nature often now…but as I was “forced” to wait, I now had the opportunity to enjoy this little bit of green.
The shoot went well. Herman and Nelson (?) were great sports. Josh, Rylan, and I set up the lights and moved things around quickly. It just over an hour we recorded 4 songs. As a ‘thank you’ for helping out I took them to a local sushi place that was still having “happy hour”…the food was great and the day was a success.
Here are some pics from the shoot.
You can watch all three songs here.
-Luke
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