I met Mike and Nate about 6 years ago in Lincoln, NE when Mike had a studio there.  They were both then and still are very well known for their role as two thirds of the band Bright Eyes.  Many years before we even touched Pre-Production of Lovely, Still (I’m talking maybe 4 or 5 years ago) Mike and Nate signed on to score it.  Being a Bright Eyes fan I was very eager to work with these two geniuses.  And Geniuses they are.  No bullshit.  Let me break it down.

MIKE MOGIS

For starters, look how bad ass Mike looks!  We recorded the entire score in his amazing studio behind his house.  While Nate is very quiet, Mike is always full of energy and talking at the speed of a brain- which creates this amazing dynamic between the two.  Mike has produced some of the most amazing records and most notably created the sound for a lot of the Omaha music scene.  The guy works like an artist and really allows the creative thoughts to flow.  Every day he had a new idea and something groundbreaking to share.  As well as working with Nate composing – Mike also recorded and mixed the score.

Mike has a new band he is in called Monsters of Folk with Conor Oberst, Jim James and M. Ward.  Check them out HERE.

NATE WALCOTT

Working with Nate Walcott blew my mind.  To see him at work was like watching…  Well, I didn’t really see him at work.  But I can imagine it was really intense and similar to that movie Amadeus.  You can hear Nate’s work in all of the arrangements on any of the Bright Eyes records.  The last record, Cassadaga, was my favorite in regards to showing off Nate’s distinctive craft.  His sound and use of melody are truly unique and his talent as a musician and composer make me go weak in the knees.  I can honestly say working with Nate was a complete honor.  One of my favorite memories of shooting Lovely, Still was when he came to set.  He was getting the vibe and energy of the film so he could begin writing the score.  It was our last day of shooting and he ended up staying all day and night (A whole 20 hours) until we wrapped at 9 in the morning.  At that point I really felt he was part of the team and new anything he wrote would be perfect.  And it was.

Enjoy.

A sneak peak of Mike and Nate’s work on Lovely, Still.

THIS WEEK:  Sean Kirby (Seen to the right of Martin and Adam wearing a pink hat)

Job on Lovely, Still: Director of Photography

While in pre-production of Lovely, Still I spent a lot of time watching different reels for DPs.  It was hard for me to find someone who truly used the camera as a visual tool and altered reality with their eye.  I found out right away that a lot of the Indie DP’s reels I watched had a very real/documentary style.  I wanted my film to have a very visual and painted look.  A place you want to be, but know doesn’t exist.  A world imagined – No real products will ever show up and the town it takes place in is completely fictional.

When I saw Sean’s reel I was completely blown away.  He used light and shadows excellently and I was excited to see what he could do with color.   A lot of the ideas on the LS visuals were to use the concept of a “Christmas film” as a tool to spread colors and lights throughout frame.  Sean invented a piece of equipment where we could actually light the actor’s face with Multi-Colored Christmas lights.  The results were beautiful.

The other rad thing about Sean is that he used to be a fine art painter, then after going to college for it, he up and changed his mind and decided to dedicate his life to film.  How sweet is that?  You can see it when you work with him.  The guy really paints with light and I am proud to say he is my collaborator and friend (He wore a pink hat for like a week during production to bond with me – See above.)

Here is his website.