When I launched this tumblr, I wanted it to be the website for my professional videography. But then the name didn’t make much since, especially when potential wedding video clients land on this page.
So, last week I officially launched Wayfare Films, a more appropriate entity to house my professional videography.
From now on, I intend to rebirth RudeBro into what it was a few years ago - a collection of the rudest and most egregious content on the internet. Stay tuned!
In Ezra Stoller’s photographs, buildings are pristine machines from a utopian future, just as their architects envisioned them.
It’s been more than a month since returning from our road trip, but for some reason it felt like years had passed. The more I watch and reminisce through these footage as I edit them, the more distant these memories feel. Heck of a trip!
Ever since driving through Louisiana, we couldn’t help but quote random Waterboy lines. Every time we drove past a swampy-looking area, we’d always shout in unison “MUD DOGS! MUD DOGS!” And this carried over to the largest swamp in the Americas, the Everglades. I’ve always wanted to ride a fan boat, and reciting lines from the Waterboy hyped me up bad. So we looked up the highest rated Everglades fan boat alligator tour and shot there straight from Miami.
New Orleans is by far my favorite city in the entire road trip. Santa Fe is a distant second. NOLA really lived up to its nickname, the Big Easy. There was an easy atmosphere on the streets and among the people. As long as you have liquor in non-glass or nonmetal container, you can sip your drinks on the road. And boy, did we fully take advantage of this rule with our road beers.
A few months back I went with a few friends to the Stanley Kubrick Exhibit at LACMA. Although people had labeled him a control freak, I’m a big admirer of his work and his perfectionist passion for film. It’s been inspiring to read about him on IMDB and various publications, but the exhibit offered much more. It proved that a man can never go too far into the darkest corners of human nature and present these discoveries on the big screen.
Miniature set for 2001: Space Odyssey
Mannequin/milk dispenser in A Clockwork Orange
Looking through the legendary Zeiss 50mm T* .70
Before we departed Miami, we ventured to Little Havana. My fondest memories of this place had been from shooting up gangstas and stealing cars in GTA: Vice City. Even this was a decade ago in college.
The real Little Havana felt nothing like the one in the game. Maybe because it was the day after New Years, the streets were fairly empty and half of the shops were closed. Yet there were still buses full of tourists unloading at the cigar and souvenir shops. The shops had numerous Scarface memorabilia. I suppose the movie solidified the town a Miami landmark.
The friendly owner of Los Pinarenos Fruteria saw one of our bros walking past his shop and quickly greeted him with a handshake and guided him into the shop. He served us damn good cups of Cuban cafe leche. The bros got fresh made tamales too. Unforgettable.
Although Cuban cigars are still banned in the US, Little Havana had a joint that sold freshly rolled cigars. We got a good look at the cigar rolling process as an elderly amigo picked out the good leaves from a batch and rolled patiently with his firm hands.
We found out after the fact that Cuban ice cream is delicious. The only thing I can say is… til next time!
With all the footage I’ve shot during the road trip, editing all of them into one film would be over 10 mins, which would be pretty damn long for people to sit through.
Hence I’m putting together multiple episodes that feature different themes and moods. I think they could be more illustrative of what and how we felt at different moments of the trip.
Here’s part 1 chronicling our adventures in some pretty darn cold places. In Santa Fe it was 27 degrees, but we saw people jogging in shorts outside. I watched them with admiration and shivers. All of us caught a cold after leaving Florida, but got somewhat acclimated to the cold as the trip went on. Having lived in Cali for so long, the cold weather got me a bit homesick. Despite the cold, we pretty much saw blue skies the entire way back. The kindness from the folks we met along the way and knowing that we’ll be back in sunny California kept our hearts warm.
This blog had been neglected for a while because of business school papers and travels. I’ve taken a road trip across America and back with two buddies: 15 days, 7500 miles, and +10 pounds (ate nothing but BBQ and Southern fried food, and drank as much local brews as I could). The trip has been extremely rewarding. Met a ton of very nice folks, checked off numerous states and cities to visit, and had a number of pleasant and unpleasant, memorable encounters. Here are some pix posted to my flickr. And below are some highlights:
TX State Capitol Building
San Antonio Riverwalk
We’ve finally settled on the storyline and genre of Beware Fashionable Women’s music video. It’s going to be a neo-noir set in West Los Angeles. Be on the look out for some sleuth action and low-key lighting. Can’t wait to get this project rolling because the storyline is off the hook!
At the mean time, I’ve rediscovered Keith Keniff’s tracks thanks to a fellow GH2 advocate’s video and I’m totally digging them, particularly this one which he record with his wife under the band name Mint Julep.
