High Caliber Films

2012-01-23T14:30:00.001-05:00

Well I haven't posted in a long time. The project is coming along. Have spent a lot of time "facing off" with my computer screen. Still far from done but its finally shaping up. Just wanted to say "Thank you everyone for your support!"

Spin grindstone, apply nose

2011-10-06T10:27:00.002-04:00

I often feel like I need to put on a pair of boxing gloves before entering the edit room. tough going but at least its progress...

Happy Holidays to Meat Eaters and Vegetarians Alike

2010-12-08T09:12:00.001-05:00

storyboard for Remagen Quarry battle.

2010-11-20T18:08:00.004-05:00

storyboard for Remagen Quarry battle. I so need more corkboards this size!

first rough edit in progress

2010-10-08T10:01:00.006-04:00

Computers are great but sometimes they lack the speed, deftness, and infinite possibilities of a pencil and paper. I have covered a wall in corkboards and am now trying to get my first (very rough) rough draft pinned to it. Its far from over, but at least its a start!

.

2010-09-20T10:53:00.001-04:00

Remagen bridge in tidioute PA - after action report

2010-08-10T15:18:00.020-04:00

What could I say except that the Remagen bridge event in Tidioute Pa was one of the best living history events I have been to - bar none! I found it to be just about everything I was looking for. The bridge in Tidioute even resembles the Ludendorff Bridge over the Rhine, which the event centers around.

As Steve Leiss remarked "this is great, where else can you camp right by the Alleghany river in the mountains of pennsylvania?" And he wasn't kidding, as opposed to the oppressive heat that most of us had been enduring, it was nice and temperate at the campground. We could literally see the river from there - which hopefully didn't make the kayakers and innertubers exceedingly nervous when reenactors test fired their weapons near the shoreline.

Presently, only 250 reenactors are allowed in (but I bet they change that later because of popularity). I was one of those lucky few. Armed with my camera, I got to ride in on a vintage 1941 truck and was dropped off in a remote end of a stone quarry. There was no armor but folks brought out all the fun toys; heavy machine guns, mortar crews, bazooka teams, motorcycles with sidecars, and of course the ubiquitous jeep. During the battle the pyrotechnics team lobbed "rounds" into the sky where they left their white, billowy, signatures and alerted us all with a distant "BOOM" which ominously resonated off the nearby mountain range. The battle lasted only a few hours which I thought was great, not too little & not too much.

After the private tactical, we had a few hours for R&R before the main event. Once again, armed with my camera, we all piled into the 1941 truck. Unlike many events which shuffle you off to an obscure place, we headed right straight into the town. We were dropped off in a street lined with eager, enthusiastic, spectators. (someone suggested that several thousand were in attendance) We took our positions and the battle began with a nice little touch, civilians, something you rarely see at a reenactment, but obviously existed at the real event. They did what I would have done; they beat a hasty retreat to avoid the crossfire.

After that, it was "trigger time"! The American forces slowly advanced and the German forces returned fire and fell back. It was deafening at times but it was thrilling playing out this drama in an actual town, in front of the spectators who seemed to be loving every minute of it. The German forces retreated across the bridge and took up defensive positions to destroy the bridge and cut off the Americans. Heres another one of those wonderful things about this event, there was an entire pyrotechnics team for the "blowing the bridge" segment. When crossing the bridge, I saw wires and fireworks left and right. I thought to myself "Now that is one hell of a lot of fireworks". Once they went off, I knew I was right! I've yet to see a pyro display even half as good as this. At one point, the entire middle of the bridge was obscured by smoke. Gradually the silhouettes of GI's began emerging into sharp focus and then the most fierce fight began. (the German forces were ordered to fight to the death). Eventually the GIs took the hill and the battle ended. The crowd, who lined the hill, the streets and everywhere they could fit, went crazy!! They sent up a cheer that I had yet to hear at a public battle. Afterwards there was an palpable excitement in the air. I saw reenactors entering local stores where they were greeted, one and all, with gratitude, enthusiasm, and sometimes even a free coffee. During the ride back to camp, townsfolk were tossing us bottles of water to quench the thirst we'd built up. They shouted praise to us and could not have been more supportive. One reenactor, John Veglak, remarked that "to be period correct, they should have been throwing wine bottles instead" which got a pretty good laugh from me.

Once back at camp, gear off, it was time to get some of those "refreshments" that John mentioned. And that was an easy task since the restaurant/bar was right next to camp! needless to say, the rest of the night went well.

Yesterday I opened my email and...

2010-05-28T08:44:00.010-04:00

I was thrilled to receive my very first Movie donation yesterday. It was twenty-five dollars so, no I'm not rich quite yet. :-)
Nevertheless that donation will help get me to the next shoot.
And, in addition to the pragmatic concerns, when you work really hard on a project, its so rewarding simply to have someone give a vote of confidence for what you're trying to accomplish. They picked out a specific photograph as their gift, so I know that they liked that as well. That feeling never gets old. I really think this project is worthwhile and I'm tickled to know that someone else does too.

'88 at Va Beach

2010-05-26T11:52:00.004-04:00

This sucker was so loud that it cuts the sound out completely for the actual report, the echo is actually what you hear.

Dauntless Torpedo Plane - flyby

2010-05-24T13:07:00.005-04:00

This guy was my favorite! Pilot had a blast that day and so did we.

After Action Report - Va Beach Airshow

2010-05-24T09:37:00.019-04:00

just got back from Va Beach Airshow. Another great event, it was 360˚ of living history. That includes overhead, as the museum's large collection of aircraft took off, buzzed overhead, and landed close enough to the camp that you could see the pilots face. (and to get a great picture) The motor noise buzzed and rumbled throughout the show. Its a noise that you can really feel in your chest and makes you wonder how intense the takeoff experience had to be for the deck crews on carriers. The museum even has a flying PBY, a elgantly beautiful aircraft which does not ever look as though it should stay aloft due to the slow speeds it seems to cruise at. Of course this ability is what made it a great ocean rescue and recon plane... but wow, its just unreal to watch.

Not all of the excitement was in the air. Our Allied War correspodent group was oddly placed in sort of a "battle of the Bulge" formation, surrounded on three sides by Axis reenactors. Upon discovering our perimeter, the German forces advanced upon us, armed with exotic and surprisingly tasty mixtures of Booze which caused heavy casualties the next morning.

The crowds were great and enthusiastic and the weather was good until the last afternoon when rains grounded the planes. We stayed a bit late to watch a german unit fire a few blank shells from the museum's '88 gun. Luckily for us, about that time the skies cleared up enough that a few planes went up again and we got sort of a "private show" when a Dauntless, and a P-51 each buzzed the airfield as we eagerly watched and soaked up the experience in the hopes that we could take it home with us.

.

Contax is out of the mold!

2010-05-19T22:04:00.002-04:00

I did it again1 I covered a vintage camera in goo ... and pulled it back out again all squeaky clean. I never get tired of making molds. Do you remember the first time you ever made a xerox? Its kind of like that... but in 3D

new pix are up!

2010-05-14T14:25:00.001-04:00

New Hand colored B/W photos are up!
click here

new disguise cam on the way

2010-05-12T19:14:00.000-04:00

I should be pulling a Contax out of its mold by Friday. That means that Axis reenactors (as well as Allied) can now have a disguise cam for point shoot cameras. pix and prices to follow. stay tuned! -edg

does anyuone have an extra Half Mil I could borrow to buy a tank?

2010-05-01T12:13:00.003-04:00

and does anyone remember this movie?

2010-05-01T11:50:00.000-04:00

2010-04-30T09:38:00.005-04:00

I recently supplied a Toymo-35 for Lynchpin Pictures short film "Common Ground". Looks pretty good from the stills but I can't wait to see more. Toymos are now available, prices vary from $180-$360. Holler at me if you've been thinking about a Toymo or if you want to de-farb your point-and-shoot with an Argus disguise cam.

animation test

2010-03-24T09:57:00.001-04:00

this is just a short animation test I shot yesterday
I just wanted to try out the character.
can you tell what he's doing?

Goooooood morning Fort Indiantown Gap!!

2010-02-11T14:25:00.006-05:00

Can you still feel the cold?
Friday morning.

argus disguise cam

2010-01-20T15:44:00.003-05:00

At long last, and after many long pauses, I've finally completed the Argus disguise camera!!
With FIG rapidly approaching, I have a thousand things to do.
If you want to see it in action and up close, come see me at FIG!
See for yourself its pretty great. At least i think so ...but I bet you'll agree.
Hope to see you there.
-edg

For anyone into aircraft, Here's a free screen saver. Enjoy.

2009-12-23T10:24:00.003-05:00

If you click on it you can see it full size HD resolution...
cheers

reenactor music video (not mine)

2009-12-19T10:09:00.002-05:00

Ok I did not shoot this. kinda wish I had though since the guy who did, did a great job! Check it out you may see some familiar faces.

almost there!

2009-12-07T20:22:00.006-05:00

I have the on/off control, the shutter control, and I just have to finish the zoom control and "Voila, thats it!"

*yesterday & today, I had to put off work on Argus to get other work done - but hopefully tomorrow!!

more interference from the flu (ug!) but Im back on my feet and working today on the final piece of the puzzle. finished model soon!

OK I got a rocker switch going. so I figured out *ALL* the controls now and Its on!!!
NEW video and prices forthcoming!!

2009-12-07T12:40:00.001-05:00

Okay, Ive put this off long enough. Today is the day I finish the Argus disguise cam and give it controls. After I do, Ill be able to quote accurate prices for folks since I'll (finally) know how much work is involved...

PS I'll Post a video when its complete. Check back soon!!

and this is a pic of ... what?

2009-11-02T12:26:00.002-05:00

Ok, this is *not* my halloween costume. (though maybe it should've been) Its a sign that Im getting closer to finishing the Argus Disguise cam. All I have to so now is measure for control buttons and build those in, touch up the paint job, and voila! it'll be ready.
-cheers!

2009-10-31T13:13:00.000-04:00

Last night I saw this film "The Way We Get By" for the second time. The story revolves around three "greeters" old folks (some vets) that go to the Bangor Maine airport to greet and welcome troops home from overseas duty.

On veteran's day, it'll be shown on PBS's program entitled P.O.V. Put this on your calendar! Its free so any one can watch it ... and its really, really, good!

Last night I got to meet the filmmakers and enjoyed speaking with them very much. This is one of those films (like mine will be) that got made because these two filmmakers simply had a passion for the story. They spent three years working on it. Additionally, they did most of it *without* funding and in their spare time when they weren't working at their full-time jobs.
Take the time and watch it this veterans day. Thank me later.
-cheers.

New Disguise Camera - Argus C3

2009-10-28T13:33:00.008-04:00

I just pulled the prototype for the Argus Disguise Camera out of its mold this morning. These "Disguise cameras" will fit a variety of digital cameras.
(In fact, it should fit *all* digital point and shoot cameras).

Nobody wants to see a digital camera on a tactical that supposed to take place in 1944. You can de-farb your impression with one of these cool gadgets.

Im going to install a camera in it, and then I'll work up prices. Since its a lot smaller, it'll undoubtably be more affordable than the Mitchell that's currently available. When ready, the Argus Disguise Cam will be available for purchase from my Etsy page (see my Etsy link on this page).
Cheers.

Found this at the UNC library...

2009-10-19T18:39:00.003-04:00

All I know is it wsa sent to an allied soldier in 1940. does anyone have a clue about anything more?

2009-08-24T21:02:00.005-04:00

MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2009
ORANGE COUNTY FARMERS MUSEUM AND D-DAY OHIO

Sunrise, Conneaut

Hi everyone,
Just got home last night at 1am.
I'll be posting more new videos and/or photos soon.
It may take me some time, but keep checking, they *are* coming!
thanks for your participation.
-edg

After Action Report - F.I.G. '09

2009-07-28T09:06:00.024-04:00

I arrived at Fort Indiantown Gap late Wednesday night, there wasn't much happening. Not many arrived yet, only one other G.I. in my barracks floor so I pretty much had the luxury suite. Thursday morning, I spent quite awhile just bundling up for the cold I anticipated.I donned (count 'em) three pair of long johns and two pair of socks. Later I left the barracks looking for food and coffee. Coming from NC, the chilly Pennsylvania air was quite a shock. I stopped by the press center and was introduced to some new faces already in the WarCo outfit. I received my first photo assignment, and accompanied FIG organizer Dave Schott to the radio station for some candid shots of him organizing things. "Click, click", I had the shot and was done! I hovered around the press center until evening I went to the Paper Dolls costume party. I was surrounded by happy faces, accordion music, and great costumes! Had no costume of my own but got some *great* shots of others. I got to sleep *late* that night. The "pinup girls" decided to make a surprise visit to our barracks so everyone stayed up pretty late.

Awoke Friday morning, repeated the "bundling up" procedure although it was easier this time because I went to sleep still pretty bundled up. Without benefit of any coffee, I hustled outside and got shots of "K-company" in formation while Shell (Lt. Hyatt) interviewed K-company troops preparing to go out in the field.

After the assignment was over and I was properly caffeinated I went back to the Press center and discovered Don Sweet had a genuine portrait studio going there. And heres the kicker, it was 100% period authentic. Photos were taken with a vintage Argus C3 on Black & White film, then developed in a makeshift darkroom in the back while people waited. It was a blast, and just like the ww2 signal corps guys, everything had to be done "by the seat of our pants". The highlight of the experience and my "moment" was trying to heat up developer so that we would be able to actually develop in the cold cold climate. I can only imagine what the fellows in Europe had to contend with, in order to do their job.

After hours of taking pictures, I took a break from the portrait studio and went thru the flea market. I wished I had more money to spend. On the way back, I got some off the cuff shots of guys doing drills in between the barracks since nobody was allowed out on the icy field yet. That night, after a little more celebrating, I fell asleep the moment I hit the bunk.

Awoke Saturday and went back to the portrait studio. I thoroughly enjoyed working with Betsy, Bill, Don, Shell, and the two Brittneys. It was hectic but it was a great experience that I wouldn't trade.

Finally packed up my gear Saturday nite and 6am came way too fast. I hitched a ride out to my car on the icy but extremely convenient "tractor taxi" and after a short brisk ride, I got my car packed up. Wishing it weren't over already, I headed back to warmer climate. In Virginia, I took a break from driving to got out of my car and ate my lunch sitting on the hood. It was the first time in days that 3 pair of long johns had seemed excessive.

-edg