by Dino Corvino on April 28th, 2008
[A note from Dino: Since this is the summer of Johnny Depp and films in Wisconsin, we wanted to highlight that a member of the CW community is shooting a film here in town. While it appears that the Wausau Film Festival might have died on the vine, it also appears that we have an active and passionate underbelly of scene shooters, and color saturators here in town. This post comes to us from Erik. Good on you Erik!]
I apologize for no commentary this weekend. We finished photography for Daily Routine, a quick three minute short from Stop That Nun that was entirely fun. Unfortunately with sweeps at the station and Microcosm now heating up big time, the turn around for editing that will be a bit long. Still big thanks to Chris Leslie who acted as both the star and producer of the piece, Brett Widmann and Seth Callaway, both of whom recorded our sound on site and Katrina Shankland who acted for us as well.
Speaking of Microcosm, the last auditions where this weekend and by far our most successful. Thanks to a good time frame we were able to get in contact with UWSP Theater faculty a bit and that resulted in many talented folks making their way out to read for us. I had a director’s favorite problem: too much talent to choose from. I did cast however, and as soon as everyone accepts their roles, I will post them up here for all to see.
And speaking of sweeps, this week I had a promo made for one of my pieces. Crazy, I know. They actually touted me as “award winning photographer Erik Cieslewicz” for commercials leading up to newscasts. It’s a little silly to be happy to see something like that, especially since I’m surrounded by people who are pushed daily in promotions, but still, I have to admit it was pretty neat. So I was able to do a pair of great sweeps pieces Thursday and Friday. Those will be up on the YouTube channel tonight if all goes well.
Commentary may go on a short hiatus, but will be replaced with information about Microcosm, including a call for background artists. I really hope to get a lot of Wausau community members in the film, so I’ll be giving dates, times and locations for people to just show up to and be in a movie. Pretty sweet, huh? We’ll even feed you if you show up on set. I realize that’s way cooler to hear if you’re in college or something, but hey, free lunch is free lunch.
This Friday my producers and I have a huge meeting with the City of Wausau and we’re really hoping they will be very accommodating to us. I really, really want to shoot in Wausau, but as a low budget film production, we will go where ever it’s cheapest! But having interacted with Mayor Tipple before along with Dennis Saeger, I have faith that Wausau will be as good to us as we plan on being to the city.
by Citizen Wausau on April 14th, 2008
[In this episode of Your Voice, we highlight the serialized tale from Alex. About the Roy's. Apparently there have been many Roy's, and they have all been significant for Alex. I like the serialization of the tale. It feels like we are learning something, at the same time as the author. Interesting use of a blog.]
(more…)
by Citizen Wausau on April 7th, 2008
[A Note from Dino: This week, we look to Mike Murphy from the Citizen Wausau community. Mike is clearly a blues legend in Wisconsin, having slugged it out for many years with little or no acclaim. He has been playing the blues longer than I have been alive, and has been doing a good job of it around the state. We are thankful that he joined the Citizen Wausau community, and hope that he blogs about his shows, and maybe adds some cool photos as well. Thank you all for submitting.] (more…)
by Citizen Wausau on March 31st, 2008
[A note from Dino: As spring springs on us, our thoughts take us away from the computer, and outdoors. To new hobbies, and to bikes, and camping. Well, WNRB is a community radio station, and while it might not be a Santa Cruz full suspension dream bike, it might be a hobby you're interested in. I have a feeling that it might be a little bit like Citizen Wausau, where it is what you bring to it a little bit. So, thank you to Tom Neal for this post.]
Saturdays are wide-open … ready for you to jump in and become a part of the community’s Saturday experience. I’m talking about hosting your own radio program on WNRB-LP (93.3 FM, Wausau). Time slots are open on Saturdays for people who’d like to bring their own personalities/musical tastes/viewpoints to the airwaves. Provide the spring/summer soundtrack for people outside washing their cars, or driving around with the windows down, or jogging with their radio headphones on.
Just think: Do an early morning wake-up show, maybe with acoustic alternative or folk music. Or a late-morning classic rock exploration of “B-sides” and deep album cuts. How about blues or classical music in the afternoon? Rule Saturday night with a party mix. Do a one-hour or two-hour show. Buddy up with someone and do a 2-person show.
It’s easy and it’s a gas. A fun sideline/hobby for your life. Takes about 10 minutes to learn the ropes in the studio. Pay is $0 … it’s an all-volunteer station. Studio is on 6th Street on Wausau’s east side at the Wausau Area Hmong Mutual Assoc. offices. Contact me here if you’re interested (there are also open slots on weekdays). And, of course, tune in for my show, Roundtrip, Thursday nights 7-9 for music you just won’t hear on any station in these parts.
by Citizen Wausau on March 27th, 2008
[A Note from Dino: I know typically we pull a post from the Community on Monday for Your Voice. We felt that this was such a welcome addition that we would put it up here in a timely manner. I have personally pledged to take public transit to and from work each day, all month. What will you do? What commitment can you make?]
Hi,
The Commission for a Greener Tomorrow was established in the summer of 2007 by the City of Wausau to encourage greater awareness of sustainability issues in the Greater Wausau area. Volunteers staff various teams dealing with issues ranging from waste and recycling to transportation, locally-produced food and clean water. The goal is to reduce waste, promote healthier lifestyles, adopt more environmentally-friendly practices and also capture cost savings where that is possible, too.The objective of the Commision has been to enhance all the wonderful things that are already happening in Central Wisconsin in relationship to “sustainability” NOT reinvent new projects and activities! The Commission members have been working very hard to identify what is happening, We know we still have a way to go — but it is a wonderful start!!
The Commission for a Greener Tomorrow has decided to challenge people in Central Wisconsin to observe “Earth Month” in April to participate in their own way. “The Earth Month Challenge” was created to be a month of education, celebration and action for the natural world in which we live ,” explains Commission f– The Commission hopes to set an example for people and businesses how simple lifestyle changes can make a difference. Earth Month opportunities have been listed on the commission’s webpage and they include everything from using eco-friendly fertilizer to green up lawns this spring to taking a walk around their neighborhoods.*
So, take the Challenge— make your pledge at www.gogreencentralwisconsin.com
Kelly
by Citizen Wausau on March 24th, 2008
[A note from Dino: If the purpose of CW is to celebrate Wausau, and I am not saying that is the point, but if it is, the Wausau Film Festival is an amazing thing deserving of our attention. A film festival is a monolithic undertaking, and James Rubino is out there on his own taking this on. We felt it was important enough to bring to the front of the line, in the hopes that you will add your expertise to what he is working on. Film, movies, cinema, culture, it all matters. It adds to the quality of life, it creates the discussion. Thank you James.]
To make the festival work, their are two major tasks.
1) Get the word out to filmmakers.
2) Get the word out to the audience.
Getting the word out to filmmakers starts well ahead of the festival. To get the word out I use many online outlets to advertise the festival. Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter to create a cohesive publicity presence online. For fun I tried the Google adwords radio advert service. They accepted the professional ad I made in my dorm room on a $15 mic and rolled up sock-pop blocker and it was aired in the Park City, Utah the last weekend of the Sundance Film Festival.
To get the word out to the audience includes elements of all the above plus some modest media coverage.
Their are some sponsors interested but I worry that sponsorship would influence the festival away from the idea of filmmaking as entertainment that the festival started with. If you are seriously thinking about being a sponsor tying your message and business activities into supporting the entertaining aspects of filmmaking (or storytelling) is paramount.
If their are any brand managers or marketing buffs out their that want to build the festival let me know. I love the work but do not have time to put in to the details of the festival. I am also in need of a Technical Supervisor to ensure that all the lights are in synch with the sound. Last year I was able to do all of this on my own but given the current circumstances, this year it’s a little more difficult.
by Citizen Wausau on March 17th, 2008
[A Note from Dino: We find this post in the blog started by Erik. It is a fascinating look at Central Wisconsin from the point of view of a successful photo journalist (though that might not be the right job title). His blog is open, and amazingly self-critical of his work and the subjects he looks at. I really enjoy getting a behind the scenes look at what this fascinating job is all about. Thanks Erik. Thanks to you all.]
Name: The Culture of Snowmobiling in Wisconsin
Air Date: 2/4/08
Reporter: Mikel Lauber
The Story – Searching our archives for snowmobile deaths related to alcohol, Mikel was able to uncover a local man that tragically lost his life on the trails and his last stop was a bar. Chad Laffin was a a new husband, soon to be new father, and outdoor sporting enthusiast. We were fortunate enough that one of his best friends in outdoor sports was Randy Curtis, who is a member of a snowmobile club and gives talks on the dangerous effects of alcohol on the trails.
Erik’s Notes – Curtis is one hell of a spokesman for snowmobiling and other off roading sports. He’s eloquent while still being conversational, and moreover he is completely honest when he speaks. People like Curtis are a great reminder that a majority of snowmobilers are responsible enthusiasts, and he was great to talk with.
The personal story of Chad Laffin is heartbreaking. Throughout most of my life I used to see people that died in situations like this as old people, people that had experienced more of life than me. Chad is making me realize more and more every day that these are kids. This man saw less of life than I did and now he will never see more. And all because of a poor decision on night to mix two of his favorite hobbies.
My heart truly goes out to his wife, who spoke to us over the phone, but did not want to go on camera. Even two years later she still bears the cross that her husband left for her. Curtis is dead on that people just don’t think of the friends and family they leave at home when they put their lives in danger like this. How anyone could be against legislation that works to deter people from this type of activity is beyond me.
The denial that we got over this was almost sad as well. We got a call from a relative of Chad’s that screamed at us about he was not intoxicated when this happened. She refused to believe Mikel when he told her it was on the DNR web-site and that the Marathon County Corner confirmed that to him. She yelled at us for attacking the culture and other such things. The media is often given a bad rap for the ol’ saying “Don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story.” But many people that gave the station feedback on these pieces wouldn’t let the truth get in the way of them being rational.
This is my second favorite piece in the series.
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/0HvvZooqWgs" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]
Commentary – 0:00 – Bad move, Erik. I should have started with video rather than just the guy talking. In a controlled environment, like a cinema, you can start raw and open with a person talking to the camera because you know exactly how it will be seen. But on the news this is just one of many stories that gets mixed into the broadcast. 0:00 – Further, I really like this interview shot. If there would’ve been a way to get that glare off of his glasses, it would’ve been perfect. But we were interviewing him in his garage. Windows are the bane of any photographer’s work, so I needed to frame them out. Sadly this meant he needed to be facing one. That’s photojournalism for ya. 0:17 – I am holding the camera on the side of the snowmobile while riding up top. Thankfully Mikel is still driving here. This shot was pretty neat, but it put snow on the lens quickly. 0:21 – I really like sloppy focus when it means something. Random rack focuses can do anything from portray a state of mind (in this case intoxication) to reminding the viewers they are watching something that was shot, not seeing real life. It’s very handy. Unfortunately not everyone at the station agrees with me and I have been forced to remove it from some of my packages. Luckily Sue and Mikel gave me the freedom to do what I wanted. 0:42 – I remember when I first started at the station I would just lay out a still image and leave it at that. I was afraid that the Ken Burns effect would be too “distracting” or not “news enough.” Then one day I asked Alison if I could do it because I really wanted to for some story. She told me that I really should and that the only reason no one did at the station is because no one knew how! I use the Ken Burns effect very often in this package. 1:02 – There’s that graphic again. I really do not like the look of the official station graphics. In the ride along piece I started doing my own. 1:27 – That’s an ATV rider, not a snowmobiler. I just thought I should point that out because another thing I learned was that there is some bad blood between snowmobilers and ATVers for a variety of reasons. 1:39 – This is to separate sound bites from the same guy, you can tell because when he starts talking we’re in a medium close-up and when we come back to him at 1:42 it’s a medium shot. Some people will edit in a quick white flash or something when they put two sound bites together, but I prefer to cover the jump cut with some b roll. 1:53 – I’d seen this type of cut away shot for interview on CBS 5 out of Green Bay. Since I had time I decided to grab it. I’m still a little iffy on this shot. I think it works well here, but I don’t think I’ve used it since. 2:26 – This change over to black and white was very serendipitous, in that the dissolve makes it look like the image is jumping a little bit. A hiccup in the video. This has to do with the way Avid Newscutter does key framing and then how it reacts when one splits up a clip on the time line after doing so. That’s a lot of technical jargon that basically means: originally I just wanted it to go to black and white, but I ended up getting that cool hiccup when Avid wasn’t like Final Cut Pro, which is what I’m used to cutting on. I like it quite a bit.
Closing – This is a powerful piece and Curtis has a great line with: “Who’s gotta pay?” A lot of people told us that this is a “touchy subject” and we were reminded of a amount of money that tourism brings in via snowmobiling. But Curtis brings up a great point, someone has to pay. Will it be a loss of money at a business, or will it be the loss of life by a family?
by Citizen Wausau on March 10th, 2008
[This post comes to us from one of our newest bloggers, Alex. While he is new, he is surely becoming one of our most prolific. This post highlights young love, and we think it is a good tale. We hope you enjoy it.]
March 6th, 2008
I was talking with a virtual friend today. Virtual in that I know virtually nothing about this person, yet for some odd reason have absolutely no problem telling them anything. Anyway, after the conversation was over, I felt compelled to write something about my first. No, not that first, but close. It’s my first love, that rara avis, the girl that started the proverbial ball rolling.
I won’t mention any names. You know who you are. Name dropping would just be wrong and uncomfortable, or for that matter just downright wierd (yes, I know this is spelled wrong, there is a method to my madness dear broccoli lovers). So names aside, let me say she was one unique little gal.
I was a sophomore in high school, and she was a senior. Need I say more? For a young man of sixteen, this is equivalent to floppin’ a royal flush … twice in a row. Fittingly, she was blonde, and had what was a smoking car at the time. It was one of those really weird Subaru’s they came out with in the late eighties, when Subaru decided to morph their all wheel drives with some kind of futuristic sports car looking thing. Regardless, I pretty much thought it was perhaps the coolest object on the entire planet. Now I know this all sounds shallow at this point, but hey I was sixteen. I will make up for it in the near future.
Firstly, to bring everyone back to earth while shedding a little perspective, this story doesn’t take place on the football field, or during the prom, but rather in that pit of popularity known as the high school band room. At this time anyway, there hadn’t been an avalanche of girls showing interest in me and I’m not sure that this one really did either, but I assure you I was going to give it a Boy Scout try despite the consequences.
The whole “how we met” part gets a little muddled at this point, and in general my memory is fair to middling at best. But, in the grand scheme of things I suppose it really doesn’t matter. What do matter are the lessons she taught me, starting with the most important one. Look for a girl with brains.
Don’t take that the wrong way; she was a great looking girl. Outside of that, she was extremely intelligent, unusually witty, and equally creative. We used to spend inordinate amounts of time sitting in her basement watching Monty Python and listening to the Nylons. To this day I cannot listen to a Nylons song without starting to tear up.
New found emotions like these are quite powerful, and they made lasting impressions on me long after we had parted ways. I received my first love letter from the aforementioned female. I kept it for probably ten years or so, until I lost track of it. It was the kind of letter that really tugged at a young man’s heart strings. She told me, “when I saw you my day brightened like a thousand suns had spawned from one.” To this date, that is one of the most romantic things anyone has ever said to me. Coincidentally, I then proceeded to parlay that line into many a one night stand, and possibly (gasp) may have even used it to rope in the current and permanent love of my life. Once again, I say thank you.
So, if you’re out there, three cheers for all of the above. I hold those memories in the highest regard, and truly value that brief moment in time we got to share. You were instrumental in forming my belief in romance. You were my first love and my first heartbreak. Sorry about that whole puppy thing.
by Citizen Wausau on February 22nd, 2008
(Note from Dino: This week we find a selection from Billie. Billie has a blog in our community titled, “A Stable Personality: A Life with Horses“. It is a fascinating group of stories so far, and we encourage Billie to keep writing. Her voice is valid, and should find its audience in a place like Citizen Wausau perfectly. I have known her for a while now, and honestly as a non-country fellow, the whole world of horses seems absolutely alien to me. We hope Billie keeps writing, as we hope you keep writing.)
Yesterday dawned cold windy and bitter here, but I had grand plans for the day.
I rode the fancy, imported Dutch horse!
It had been almost 8 years since I last was able to ride a horse trained and capable of competing at the international level. Horses of this caliber often cost (literally) more than a house, so it is no small wonder that I do not own several myself. If a lotto windfall were to come my way I would think about buying one, but instead I am in the process training my own.
Let me backtrack and mention that with the weather and footing being such as they typically are in the winter, I had not been on any horse for several months. The last time I rode was the beginning of November.
My friend that had traveled with me climbed aboard the horse and warmed him up while I gave her a mini lesson and filmed her riding. Then, it was my turn! I giddily climbed aboard, adjusted the irons (the things your feet go into on an english saddle – called stirrups on a western saddle) and set off.
After a couple of minutes where he and I got to know one another at the walk, trot and canter, I decided to try some more advanced movements. We started with simple lateral movements – leg-yield at walk and trot. It went well, he moved forward and sideways by simply following the direction of my hips. So, I tried some shoulder and haunches in exercises…things I am teaching several of my own horses… I was easily able to position his body parallel to or at an angle away from the wall with very subtle shifts of my weight.
So, we tried the ultimate of the laterals – the half-pass. This is a hard movement, where the horse must be bent from head to tail around the rider’s inside leg, then moves sideways and forward in the direction of the bend while crossing all four legs underneath the body. It felt spectacular! Upon viewing the video, perhaps it wasn’t too spectacular, a little bit lackluster, but I don’t care! It was very uplifting just to know that I remembered how to correctly ask and execute this difficult movement.
Then I became greedy and decided to work a little bit on flying changes of lead. (This one is harder to explain, but essentially it the horse is at the canter which is a three beat gait where the inside foreleg lands the furthest forward at the end of the sequence of footfalls, in the moment of suspension they rearrange all four legs and land placing them with the opposite inside leg in the leading position – sort of like skipping). B.C, the horse’s owner had mentioned that Nizelster Boi ran away with her when she tried for changes, so it was not something she had been working on.
I developed a super, collected canter, did a circle to counter canter, took the diagonal and asked for the flying change from left to right… and got it! The horse was straight, maintained his rhythm and balance and did so without any hesitation. Super fantastic! Until I tried it in the other direction.
I chose too steep a line when asking for the right to left change. He changed late behind, kicking up his hind legs a bit then in the next instant slipped on his left front leg. I thought I was going down, but he rebalanced, took another stride and found a little patch of ice near the arena door. We slipped again and I really thought I was going to bite the dust. Fortunately, I stayed in place, rebalanced myself and tried to cope with a horse that was indeed running away with me. It seemed like forever before I got him back on my aids and not in a panic, but there we were. The next 10 minutes were spent working on relaxation in the horse.
I did ask for the counter canter again, but didn’t go for any more changes. Perhaps next time.
We finished with some passage (trot in slow motion with lots of suspension) and half-steps of piaffe (trot in place) and half-priouettes.
All in all, it was a fantastic ride that allowed me to once again believe that as a rider/instructor I actually do know what I am doing to a greater degree than I give myself credit for. It was very gratifying to work on the upper level movements again, and to realize that I do indeed know how to ask for and execute them.
The downside is that I am incredibly sore today. My back, shoulders, upper arms, abdominals, seat bones and upper thighs ache. It was a workout!
This morning when I went out to do chores at home (with my brain full of possibilities for Mirelle and Duncan’s training come spring) I noticed that one of the automatic waterers had frozen yet again. If I am not mistaken, it is the fifth time already this winter. So, I went to the house, turned the water off, took apart the frozen bits, thawed them back in the house, reassembled, and nothing. Went through the process again and behold! It worked. I need to run more insulation out there this afternoon in hopes that I can prevent this from happening yet again. Cold days are yet to come.
The girls up front have begun a campaign to destroy the new loafing shed that we built them just over a week ago. They are bored and chewing at the wood. It looks as though we have been invaded by very large beavers. Horses are quite destructive little creatures.
by Citizen Wausau on February 8th, 2008
(Note from Dino: From time to time we find posts on the Community blogs that we think are great and deserving of your attention. We hope to make this a regular Friday feature, but really we hope for a lot of things. This post is from Tom Neal’s blog “Nealistically Speaking“. Thanks Tom!)
This may come out of left field, but so be it. There was a band from Texas called Timbuk 3. They had a fairly major hit with “Future’s So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades.” Good, catchy tune. I went to see them at a club in Fort Worth. The band consisted of a guy who played guitar and harmonica and sang and his wife who also sang, played guitar and mandolin and violin … and their third bandmate was a boombox that served as their drummer/rhythm section. Quirky. Novel. Minimalist. Sort of weirded me out that they were accompanied by a machine. But, over the years I’ve seen all sorts of inhuman accompaniment … synthesizers, drum machines, effects loops, and the like. These have usually served a rhythmic support or aural atmosphere function. Not really my cuppa, but fine.
I like to go out and see local talent; I enjoy even the most basic, but honest, musician. But (you’ve been waiting for this), I have a gripe. What’s with the “solo” performers you see around town that sit down with a guitar, sax or other instrument and then flip on the karaoke machine or CD player or laptop that plays full musical backing (guitars, bass, drums, keyboards, horns, whatever) while the “solo” performer sings and plays along? I find this an affront to the whole concept of live music. Maybe people enjoy hearing Margaritaville or Twist and Shout delivered in this manner, but it makes me cringe. I actually feel somewhat embarrassed for the performer. You know, I would rather hear that sax player doing an intimate, heartfelt solo show or the guitarist/singer fumble his way alone through Norwegian Wood than be subjected to the prerecorded, amplified glitz.
Really, unless you’re presenting a comedy act, leave the karaoke at home and just bring your instrument and your passion for music with you. Let me know what your musical personality is, with all the flaws and shortcomings … and the style that’s uniquely “you.” Don’t give me a clone frontman backed by an invisible band. If you need backup support, find a fellow musician to work with. Maybe just a basic rhythm guitarist or somebody with a snare drum and cymbal or a keyboard plunker. Keep it simple. Keep it real. Then you’ll be more apt to keep people’s attention, instead of serving as background music to the venue’s shouted conversations.
