If you’re into British bands like Radiohead, The Verve, Blur, Coldplay, Travis, and Pink Floyd, but have never heard of Elbow, today is your lucky day. Blake and I have been huge fans of Elbow since their first album, Asleep In The Back, came out in 2001, and I have seen them in concert seven times. The band playfully refers to themselves as “prog without the solos”.
The band recently performed their critically acclaimed fourth album, The Seldom Seen Kid, live at Abbey Road with the BBC Concert Orchestra. I have been to many concerts over the years and there is currently no better band to see live (okay, except for Radiohead). Guy Garvey’s voice is always on point and the band is as tight as it gets. Here are a few clips from the BBC performance. Be prepared to have your socks knocked off:
Also check out their video for GROUNDS FOR DIVORCE, a rockin’ song and the first single off The Seldom Seen Kid:
-keith
Filed under: Uncategorized
When The Ultimate Filmmaker Competition asked us to start a Twitter account, I thought I’d need therapy. The good people at The Filmmaker’s Alliance explained, “it’s one of those things that every filmmaker should be doing for self promotion and building your audience”. Well now that Keith and I are on Twitter (follow us here), I can definitely see the value of this 140-character medium, mostly because I discovered my old friend and collaborator Dave Hayman’s feed.
Dave produced my two most important student films, Becoming Mighty and Unfurl, before transitioning into Music Supervision at Vapor Music. It was eight long years before we worked together again, but he was in the perfect position to help us acquire the music for COMBAT ROCK. Dave was always a music fanatic, obsessed with Neil Young and The Tragically Hip as I remember, and now his Twitter feed is one of the best sources of new music I’ve found. He has almost 2000 followers already. We’ve embedded his feed along with ours on the left side of this site, and you can follow him here.
Here is the trailer for my first collaboration with Dave in 2000.
We look forward to collaborating with Mr. Hayman on our first feature film, THE SKYLARK!
- blake
The amazing Alan Poon became a New Yorker in a puff of smoke last spring, and today he will hop on his winged moose and head back to Canada. His name is all over this blog, and for good reason. Not only is he an amazing filmmaker, but he is one of my dearest friends.
Alan and I were freshman roommates at York University in 1997. One year later, he transferred to Ryerson, but those nine months we shared in the same dry prison (dormitory) solidified our friendship. He went on to become a Cinematographer and Director who has collaborated with Keith and I on our last three films. Most recently, he was the Director of Photography on our short film COMBAT ROCK, and is now helping us finish our screenplay for THE SKYLARK, which he will also shoot.
Last year, Alan directed a music video for The Bowerbirds, which was honored by Spin Magazine as one of the top 20 videos of the year. I could go on and on about Alan’s work, but I’ll let it speak for itself.
I’m also excited to share that I have the inside scoop on Alan’s newest project. He’s in mid-production on a stop-motion music video for the song “Marching Through Your Head” by Zeus , which he is co-directing with photographer and miniature-set-builder, Adam Makarenko. Here are some never-before-seen photos from this amazing project.
More on this video to come, so stay tuned.
Alan Poon, coming to a city near you… if you live in Ontario. 
-blake
One of our favorite albums from 2006 is Midlake’s The Trials of Van Occupanther. I was thrilled to hear that they finally announced a release date for their follow-up album and tour. Here’s a snippet from an interview last year with Stereogum.
“We didn’t know exactly what we wanted, but we know we didn’t want to make the same album as last time. We could have made 10 albums with the amount of time we’ve spent, but that doesn’t mean they’d be saying anything great,” says McKenzie Smith.
So, what sort of music can you expect from a Midlake record? Perhaps the new album cover will give you a hint.
Midlake’s last album was, for lack of a better term, Classic Rock Revival at its best. Their lead singer Tim Smith, says he was listening to a lot of Neil Young, America, Joni Mitchell, and Fleetwood Mac while he wrote it. Here’s an interesting quote I found of Tim’s, this one from early in the band’s career.
“We don’t want to get called a Radiohead rip-off band. I think Radiohead is a lot closer to my natural tendencies as a songwriter than a band like, um, Jethro Tull. I listen to way more Jethro Tull than I do Radiohead these days, but I could write 10 Radiohead songs before I could write one Jethro Tull song. I want to sound more like Jethro Tull, but I just can’t. That’s a big struggle.”
I doubt anyone but Radiohead can write 10 Radiohead songs, but I’ll give Tim the benefit of the doubt. If any of Midlake’s influences peak your interest, check out this music video for one of my favorite songs off their last album.
While surfing the internet today, I also stumbled across this low-fi EPK (Electronic Press Kit). It was especially cool to find because Keith and I wrote an EPK into THE SKYLARK to establish our fictional band of the same name. We use it as a storytelling device similar to the newsreel in Citizen Kane or Pixar’s UP. (That’s right, I just compared our film to Citizen Kane and Up.)
There’s some inspiring reference material in here, but be patient; there’s a 30 second countdown at the top.
Midlake’s The Courage of Others will be released February 2, 2010. I’m ready.
-blake
Blake and I were feeling drained and beginning to doubt our work as we approached the tail end of another two-day, twenty-hour writing session yesterday when we received this message by an industry professional who was asked to critique our short film, COMBAT ROCK:
“This magnificent coming of age tale is an American original. Nostalgic, yes! Entertaining, yes! Pop Art, yes! But here’s a film where every element comes together and soars with a vibrant, new emotional basis. This film’s artistry is based in its uncanny ability to sustain itself just outside the knowable “drama” at the film’s heart (the passing of the mother character). So by not focusing on this “drama” or a knowable trajectory, the film not only stays well away from becoming an average coming of age tale and avoids what could transform itself into simplistic “melodrama”. What COMBAT ROCK eventually establishes itself as is a film with a whole world of original ideas about life, growing up and provides us with a glimpse of the way huge life changes mysteriously come into our lives when we are too pre-occupied with little obsessions to understand or even see their importance. This is a beautifully shot, edited, acted film with a strangely (and memorable) emotional dexterity about it. Bravo!”
Needless to say, we were overwhelmed and instantly re-energized. This came to us when we really needed it. I should add that the author of this review has been kept anonymous to Blake and I because he or she is part of a panel of judges at a competition. Well, whoever you are, thank you for your kind words. There’s much more to come!
-keith
The shoot went great, despite some terrible weather. In fact, although the rain forced us to change locations a few times, ultimately it (and Alan’s crazy skills) made the footage look spectacular. We started out in Strawberry Fields and then moved to a few other locations around the park. Along the way, we saw a couple who had just become engaged, two Russian men sparring in the rain, and a holy cross on John Lennon’s Memorial… And no religion too?
A few pics:
-blake
Tomorrow Keith and I will head into Manhattan to do a video interview for the semifinals of The Ultimate Filmmaker Competition. The interview, along with a sample of our work, will be available online next month. Our friend and collaborator Alan Poon agreed to shoot the interview, and so the three of us met last night in Williamsburg to discuss the style of the piece. We’re going to approach it as a mini-documentary and shoot in and around Central Park (an integral location to our film). This will be the most screen time I will have had since my dad bought his first video camera in the mid-80s, when my brothers and I had mullets, so I’m a little nervous.
-blake
John Lennon Memorial in Central Park
Filed under: Uncategorized
For those of you always looking for an influx of new indie music, I want to share Luisterpaal, a foreign website that posts new albums weekly. Did I mention it’s FREE?! I found out about the site from my friend Richard, an actor and fellow music junky. Thanks Richard. Check it out and let me know what you think.
-keith
In keeping with the theme of collaboration, one of our favorite artists and inspirations, Andrew Bird, recently sat down with his violin to improvise with the wonderful St. Vincent.
For those of you not familiar with these artists, the Washington Post called Andrew a “former child prodigy violinist-turned-chamber pop star”. You may have also heard his violin stylings in the popular 90s Jazz/Swing band the Squirrel Nut Zippers. It came as a shock to me recently when I noticed Andrew’s picture in the booklet for the CD “Hot”, which I bought in High School. While known for being a violinist and an amazing whistler, Andrew Bird also plays guitar, mandolin, glockenspiel, and is one of my favorite vocalists.
Here is an amazing solo performance by Andrew Bird set against the stained glass of a church, courtesy of Pitchfork.
Andrew performed four more songs in this set. See the whole thing here.
Annie Clark was a member of The Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens‘ touring band. She is a multi-instrumentalist who now performs under the moniker St. Vincent. Here is the full story of her and Andrew Bird’s collaboration, courtesy of La Blogotheque (translated from french):
“It was an evening in which there was one of those moments when the situation escapes us, where the artists take the wheel and give more than what we would have dared to ask. We had tried to push St Vincent and Andrew Bird to play a piece together; they had spoken vaguely about a rendition of Dylan. Then Annie arrived and Andrew, who was supposed to leave, remained. He sat down at the other end of the piano, his violin in hand, and improvised on each of Annie’s compositions. At that moment, we were not organizing a concert within a special framework, we assisted… jellyfishes… of pure creation… in charming duel.
Some weeks later, Andrew Bird announced that St Vincent would be the opening act for his United States tour. In Paris, some lucky devils knew where they had met.”
Here is a clip from that first meeting.
The rest of this amazing 30 minute video can be seen here.
-blake
Well, we finished our two-day writing extravaganza and Blake and I think it went pretty well. We ended up working for about twenty hours in two days. Needless to say our brains are a little fried. We rewrote all of act one and started to break down act two. There’s still a lot to do before our deadline, but Blake and I are confident we’ll have something special by then.
I’d like to give a shout out again to the amazing Alan Poon for giving us a hand both days (day 1 in person, day 2 via speakerphone.) We’re slowly building a collective of young and talented artists, which is very exciting for us.
To celebrate, here are two videos by another collective, Broken Social Scene. They’ve been around for a little while, but they remain one of my favorite bands. Most of their members are in other bands and this group is like a revolving door for talent. I’ve seen them several times and it’s always exciting to see who’s going to show up. Oh, sweet collaboration!
If that female vocalist sounded familiar that’s because it’s Feist!
Enjoy.
-keith
Thank you all for your support yesterday. Keith and I put in around a ten hour day. Our friend Mr. Alan Poon showed up to help for a few hours. We moved slowly but surely through the script and made some exciting changes. Each of us drank a LARGE coffee and about a half bottle of wine. These are the tools of the trade.
Day 2… Gotta run.
-Blake
UPDATE: pics
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- Hard at work
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- “there or their?”
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- Like brother like brother
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- The Skeksis drain my essence
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- Alan does his best Steve Jobs impersonation
Starting this afternoon, Keith and I will begin a final page-by-page rewrite of THE SKYLARK by locking ourselves in my office for two days. We’ve pumped out more drafts than we care to count, and we believe the script is ready for the final push. In one month, we’ll be submitting the finished work to The Ultimate Filmmaker Competition for the semifinal round.
We’ll keep you posted on our progress and coffee consumption. In the meantime, click here for an excellent video interview with Writer/Director Darren Aranofsky. He discusses the screenwriting process while sporting an awesome Brooklyn accent and a sweet mustache. He discusses something called “the muscle draft”, which I believe is the secret to prolific writing of any kind.
-blake
Check out this intense studio performance by Brooklynite Trixie Whitley with Brian Blade.
Amazing vocalist, amazing drummer, but who is that burly guy dancing awkwardly beside them? That’s legendary musician/producer Daniel Lanois. The man has worked with everyone from Bob Dylan, Brian Eno, and Peter Gabriel to Ron Sexsmith and Emmylou Harris.
“He started his production career working in his own studio with his brother Bob Lanois in the basement of their mother’s Ancaster, Ontario home.”
Perfect.
Our film THE SKYLARK is very much about the value of the artist as producer. Daniel Lanois is a shining example. Last month, USA Today had a great article about how more and more musicians are producing their own work using little more than a Mac.
“Veteran producer Tony Berg (Bob Dylan, Squeeze, Aimee Mann) says 80% of the acts he works with now record music at home, with software such as Logic and ProTools.”
What a wonderful world… Check out the rest of the article here.
-blake
Filed under: Combat Rock, Photos, Video | Tags: Alan Poon, Blake Hamilton, Damian Ziemkowski, Keith Hamilton
While Keith and I wait impatiently to release our new short film COMBAT ROCK later this month, we decided to post some other goodies.
UNFURL was my thesis film at York University in 2001. It holds a special place in my heart as it marks my first collaboration with Keith (he starred in the film and helped with rewrites) and my good friend Alan Poon (Cinematographer Extraordinaire and former Cleveland Brown). The film was also produced by David Hayman, who later served as the Music Supervisor on COMBAT ROCK, courtesy of Vapor Music Group in Toronto.
Here is the trailer for UNFURL (music by Arvo Part):
In addition to posting COMBAT ROCK in its entirety, we will soon discuss the process of making the film. But what is COMBAT ROCK about you ask? Without giving too much away, it’s a companion piece to THE SKYLARK. In the short film, we go back in time and tell the story of our main characters buying their first record as children. So it’s basically what The Muppet Babies was to The Muppets Take Manhattan, except with a little more melancholy and a lot more awesome music (The Velvet Underground, The Clash, and more). Here are some frame grabs:
More on COMBAT ROCK to come…
- blake
Here’s a band I’ve just added to our ever-growing soundtrack wishlist. I listen to tons of music, especially while I’m writing, and once in a while I come across an album that really excites me. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros’ UP FROM BELOW is one of those albums. A collective of approximately 11 members led by front man Alex Ebert, the former lead singer of Ima Robot, this music is epic and fun. If you’re into bands like Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene and The Polyphonic Spree, this one’s for you. Stand out songs include 40 DAY DREAM and HOME.
Here’s a clip of them performing at the REGENT:
and on LETTERMAN:
It’s inspiring to see these artists having so much fun together.
Buy this album now! You won’t be disappointed.
-keith
Anyone who attempts to use a violin bow on a guitar is okay in my book. Anyone who makes beautiful music with said violin bow in a living room and posts it on youtube is worthy of praise and adoration. Here is Leif Vollebekk looping guitar riffs and singing his heart out in front of a mint green wall and a floor lamp.
By the way, for those paying close attention, Canada is 2 for 2 on this blog. Both Patrick (below) and Leif are natives of our neighbor to the north. It also just so happens that I am a graduate of York University in Toronto, and that my first year roommate, good friend, and Director of Photography, Alan Poon introduced me to Mr. Vollebekk’s music. Check out Alan’s brilliant work here and more of Leif’s music here.
Happy Halloween!
- blake
Our first post and it’s a big one! THE SKYLARK has been selected as a semifinalist in The Ultimate Filmmaker Competition. This is the first year of the contest organized by the Filmmakers Alliance in Los Angeles.
Winner of the competition receives:
- A FULLY PRODUCED FEATURE FILM with a cash production grant of at least $200,000 and resources totaling in excess of $500,000.
- A Major Festival Premiere.
- Simultaneous theatrical, cable, retail and online distribution.
- Development, production and distribution guidance, support and mentoring.
- Production software.
- A Canon HD Camera.
We were one of about a thousand original entrants and are now in the remaining twenty-five! For round one we submitted a one-page synopsis of THE SKYLARK along with an essay on why we’re filmmakers. The field was then narrowed down to two hundred for the quarterfinals. At that point we submitted a treatment, a sample of our previous work (our short film COMBAT ROCK, which we will post here in its entirety very soon), and the first ten pages of our feature script.
For the semi-finalist deadline (Dec. 7), Blake and I will submit our finished screenplay along with an on-camera interview. Our short film and interview will then be posted on the website (above) where the public will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite entry. One of five finalists is chosen via online voting while a panel of industry professionals picks four additional finalists.
Blake and I are thrilled to have made it this far, but now we want to WIN! So check out our entry and VOTE! We’ll alert you as soon as the site is up and open to public voting.
In the meantime, to start this blog off right, here is an amazing street performance by Patrick Watson, an artist whose music is one of our current inspirations.
If you are not familiar with La Blogotheque’s Take-Away Shows, boy are you missing out! Check them all out here:
Cheers,
- keith
My brother and I thought it would be interesting to generate a blog as we finish development of our first feature film. THE SKYLARK is about a brilliant young musician struggling to survive after losing his older brother/band-mate in a tragic accident. Because music is so integral to the story, it presented us with a great opportunity not only to discuss our process as filmmakers, but also to share the songs and artists that inspire us.
Keith and I were raised by two hippies, and while the music of their generation will live forever in our iPods, what we’re really passionate about is the constant flow of great new music. We’ll post our finds, if you’ll hit us back with yours.
Our hope for this blog is that it will engage young filmmakers, inspire us, and help spread the message and music of THE SKYLARK.
-blake
“Music fills the infinite between two souls.” – Rabindranath Tagore
