Untitled PDX Comics Doc

Following the tape review

I am keeping a "tape diary" on Mediated Worlds as I review my interview footage from last summer. You can track those entries here.

Initial progress note, summer 2009

With the academic year at Western Oregon done, I am able to turn to substantial work on the documentary. The approximately nineteen hours of tape I recorded last summer have mostly been logged, there's about four hours left to go, and I will start reviewing tape next week. I will post progress reports here throughout the summer and more wide ranging discussions of the project on Mediated Worlds.

Oregon 150 short

The short doc I made for Oregon 150 is now up at blip.tv. You can also see it on YouTube.


Interim project

As you can see, there haven't been any updates since last fall, mostly because there hasn't been much to report. Reviewing and logging footage from the summer continues in fits and starts, and I hope to move onto additional photography this coming spring.

In the meantime, as part of the Oregon 150 program at Western Oregon University, I am working on a short culled from the footage from last year's 24-Hour Comic Day at Cosmic Monkey. The screening is scheduled for noon on Friday, February 13 in Hamersly Library room 107 on the WOU campus. Look here for additional information as a I complete that project.

Primary interviewing finished

Last week, I wrapped up the primary interviews for the film. In all, I have some nineteen hours of footage from the summer that will be the platform for shaping the narrative, and guiding the rest of the shoot. The final documentary should be an artistic expression of the relationship between people and place. What I've learned from my subjects is only the first step towards finding and developing that expression. First, though, is the necessary work of logging all of that tape. I want to thank everyone who participated. I also want to thank all of the people who worked as crew: Anne-Marie, Tanya, Alex, Danny, and Charley.

I've been blogging informally about the production at Mediated Worlds.

Interviews begin

Yesterday, the first interviews for the main part of the documentary were recorded. Thanks to Paul Guinan and Shannon Wheeler for their time and to Kaebel Hashitani for letting us use The Sequential Art Gallery for the afternoon. I also got to welcome Tanya Schiller and Danny Sprinkle to the crew.

UPDATE: more about this stage of production on Mediated Worlds.

Invitiation to participate in web survey

If you are an active member of Portland, Oregon's comics community, as a writer, artist, publisher, librarian, store owner, critic, event organizer, or however you see your participation, take a few moments to complete the following survey, which asks questions related to your perception of Portland. The information gathered through the survey will help to shape the production of the documentary.

Go to survey. UPDATE: the survey has been closed. Thanks to all who participated.

If you have questions, comments or concerns, contact me via e-mail or at 503.838.8296.

Stumptown shoot

Continuing with our accelerated production schedule, Anne-Marie, newly added production intern Alex Kunkle, and I spent the better part of Saturday recording footage of the Stumptown Comics Fest. We focused on the exhibition hall, but also shot segments of one of the festival's many panel presentations (the one we were at focused on the business of comics for independent creators, publishers, and store owners). I was also able to introduce myself to a number of people who I hope will participate in the film. More than anything, I'd like to think that we were able to capture the energy of the event, and will be able to represent the variety of exhibitors and attendees.

From here, I should be able to return to pre-production research, and am particularly looking forward to getting the survey circulated.

I want to thank the Stumptown organizers and volunteers, and especially Kip Manley, for working with us and giving us access to the fest.

Production begins

Anne-Marie and I spent the weekend getting footage of 24-Hour Comic Day at Cosmic Monkey Comics on NE Sandy. In all, we shot close to three hours of tape, including overnight time-lapse footage (1.5 second every 15) of the artists' table.

I was also able to attend an organizing meeting for the Stumptown Comics Fest, which happens at the end of the month, and the main reason that I've begun production this soon - before I have crew and collaborators together and a clearer sense of direction regarding specific themes and subjects. Still, I know that having footage of important community events like 24-Hour Comic Day and Stumptown will be useful, even necessary, and so we've started on the fly.

Read more about 24-Hour Comic Day at Leigh Walton's blog. Leigh works for Top Shelf Productions, co-sponsor of the event. He graciously gave us an interview, as did Andy and Adam, co-owners of Cosmic Monkey and excellent hosts for the weekend. I also want to thank all of the artists who worked through us looking over their shoulders.

UPDATE: I have an extended post on the weekend over at Mediated Worlds.

Call for participation

As part of the pre-production for the documentary, I will be distributing a survey regarding perceptions of Portland. There is a web-version of the survey and an electronic/hard copy version. If you are a comics writer, artist, publisher, critic, historian, shop owner/worker, librarian, or would consider yourself an active participant in Portland's comics culture or "scene," and would like more information or are interested in participating in the survey, please contact me: Shaun Huston, hustons@wou.edu.