Fall 2016: Cutting & Composing!

October 15, 2016

Greetings & Happy Fall!

Our edit is coming along nicely, thanks to the generous funding from the Graham Foundation. We are excited to announce that while Editor Yuki Kokubo and Co-Director/Editor Will Lehman are working on weaving the film’s visual arc, Andy Clausen, a top-notch musician and composer, is whipping us up a tasty soundtrack!

One of Andy’s many projects is playing trombone for The Westerlies, a brass quartet that envelopes listeners in the most exquisite sounds of original compositions and fresh takes on traditional tunes. The Westerlies are NYC-based, but originally hail from Seattle, WA and are often found taking their horn show on the road. We recommend taking a listen to their new, self-titled album where you can hear some of Mr. Clausen’s chops!

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We are 2016 Graham Foundation Grantees!

July 2, 2016

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We are beyond thrilled to announce that A City Traced is a recipient of the the Graham Foundation’s 2016 Grants to Individuals!

Founded in 1956, the Chicago-based Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts “makes project-based grants to individuals and organizations and produces public programs to foster the development and exchange of diverse and challenging ideas about architecture and its role in the arts, culture, who were and society.”

A City Traced was one of the 59 projects selected out of a pool of 640 submissions from individuals representing 42 countries. It is an honor to be in a grantee circle of architects, designers, curators, filmmakers, visual artists, musicians, and writers from around the world.

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ACT in 2015

December 27, 2015

There have been some mild shake-ups in the A City Traced world – Will moved himself to the wild and beautiful land of Oregon and Prudence (who is writing this blog post) has been working as a researcher on the funky finances of New York political campaigns. But, thanks to the help of old and new friends, ACT is well on its way to become a complete and awesome film and we can’t wait for what 2016 will bring!

Since the summer, we have been working with the amazing editor and film-maker Yuki Kokubo. She is relentless on guiding our story and we look forward to one day sharing the fruits of her labor! We cannot recommend enough her film, KASAMAYAKI (MADE IN KASAMA), a beautiful and mediative work on creativity and family after Japan’s 2011 tsunami:


Also, we have continued to shoot in Willets Point.. even on the night of Halloween aka Game Four of the World Series of the Mets vs the Royals. You can’t beat that hometeam exuberance!


Martyna Starosta has been amazing as our go-to cinematographer and I also had the pleasure to work with both artist Raoul Anchondo and artist/musician Raphael Peterson with sound. You can see Martyna and Raphael getting the roaring crowd at the end of the above Mets video. Check out some more production shots below:

Raoul Anchondo (sound) and Martyna Starosta (camera) in Willets Point in September 2015

Raoul Anchondo (sound) and Martyna Starosta (camera) in Willets Point in September 2015

Willets Point is still very much open! Come by and get your vehicle fixed.

Willets Point is still very much open! Come by and get your vehicle fixed.

Getting in close!

Getting in close!

Martyna Starosta (camera) and Raphael Peterson (sound) on Halloween/Mets World Series night!

Martyna Starosta (camera) and Raphael Peterson (sound) on Halloween/Mets World Series night!

Martyna and Raphael, at the 7 Train Willets Point station, capturing all of the pent-up fan excitement.

Martyna and Raphael, at the 7 Train Willets Point station, capturing all of the pent-up fan excitement.

I think I mentioned that Raphael is a musician, but did you know he also recently dropped a single? Take us out ShapeKing!


Happy 2015 and a Happy New Year from the A City Traced team!

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Radio Row Memories

February 10, 2015

Last Sunday, we had the pleasure to interview Ed Schneck about his memories of “Radio Row,” the neighborhood of electronics shops that existed in Lower Manhattan before the construction of the World Trade Center. His father, H.L. Schneck, opened up the first radio parts store on Cortland street in 1921. It was wonderful to hear about his father’s forays into the wild west of early radio and to also learn about the cornucopia of stores that existed in Lower Manhattan that reveled not only in technological innovation but fierce competition as well.

Here you can see Will wrangling audio cables while Ed Schneck patiently waits.

Setting up the interview

Every sit-down interview needs to be carefully set up and lit– the whole process usually takes an hour or more! Thank you to the amazing Patrick Brooks for your cinematographic expertise on the day’s shoot.

The Radio Row neighborhood’s original footprint was quite large:

A 1924 arial composite of the Radio Row neighborhood  with the footprint of the World Trade Center

This Radio Diaries audio piece gives a good feel for the sounds of the vanished neighborhood. There description states that:

in the early 1920’s, radio was a novelty. But within a few years, hundreds of radio stores popped up around Cortlandt Street in Lower Manhattan. There was Leotone Radio, Cantor the Cabinet King, Blan the Radio Man…The neighborhood became a bazaar of knobs, antenna kits, and radio tubes. It was the largest collection of radio and electronics stores in the world. But when developers planned the World Trade Center, Radio Row had to go.

 

And if your appetite has been whetted for more cacophonies of old New York, then this New York City in the 1920’s website is just what the doctor ordered as it is an “interactive exploration of the historical soundscape of New York City.”  Enjoy!

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A New Year’s Tour of a Changing Queens

January 14, 2015

Happy 2015!

Last Sunday, Will, Dan and Prudence documented a walking tour given by Jack Eichenbaum in Willets Point, Queens. The weather was cold, but the sun was out and it was interesting to hear the story of Queens’ agragian past as we strolled through the manicured Flushing Meadows Park and potholed and flooded concrete of Willets Point Avenue. The tour was part of the opening day of the Queens Museum’s Reviewing Renewal, a series of events, organized by 596 Acres, that examines the impact of past and current Urban Renewal plans on New York City.

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A more robust description of the tour can be found in “A Look At Willets Point Before Demolition & Redevelopment,” a report by Curbed reporter Evan Bindelglass. Mr. Bindelglass also took copious photographic documentation, including images of our crew in action!

For example, the intrepid Dan can be seen crouched dangerously close to an ice-pothole in the left foreground (the towel is draped so he can see the screen of the video camera):

Photo by Evan Bindelglass / Curbed

Meanwhile, Will stood tall with the monopod as the rest of the tour group did their best with the “walking” part of the tour:

Photo by Evan Bindelglass / Curbed

After the shoot, the crew gathered at the Queens Museum cafe to recoup and download footage. Our Co-Producer, Claire, was very helpful with the transferring process. Here you can see Will, Claire, and Dan troubleshooting while the Unisphere looks on:

Transferring footage after a shoot with the Unisphere gazing on, Queens Museum

On the whole, a good time was had by all! And the ride back on the 7 train was a wonderful finale.

Riding the 7 train back from Willets Point, Queens

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day

March 23, 2014

The parade may have passed, but for those who missed it, here’s a bite-sized serving that Will shot and edited in 2009:


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A New Year and a Look Back

January 23, 2014

Happy New Year! The last half of 2013 was quite busy for ACT – we interviewed several planners, workers, urban historians, business people, social theorists, and others who have an influential role in shaping New York City.  Thanks to our entire production team who have made all of these amazing shoots possible!

While we still have a few more shoots to go before we wrap production, we’ve been gearing up for editing in these early weeks of 2014 and we can’t wait to delve into our trove of material!  An exciting part of this process will be digging through the many photo and video archives of the city, which will help bring the stories we are weaving to life – especially because we are in conversation with animators!

Here is a look back on some moments, made possible by our awesome crew, from the last six months of 2013:

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Will adjusts the camera angle while Tunisia Mitchell, our Production Assistant, sits in for our interviewee, Mr. Felix Rohatyn. June 2013 at Rockefeller Center.

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Dan Fridman adjusts the boom stand while Will temporarily sits in for our interviewee, lawyer Stanley Geller. We put mylar film over each window pane so that the outside buildings wouldn’t be blown out from over-exposure. August 2013

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Prudence slates the beginning of the interview with the Queens Borough Office Director of Planning and Development, Irving Poy. September 2013

Martyna Starosta focuses in on some City Council action. September 2013

Martyna Starosta focuses in on some City Council action. September 2013

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What the interviewee sees: Will and Fivel Rothberg set up a shot at Good Jobs New York in Lower Manhattan. October 2013

Dan Fridman works his lighting magic on a drop-down ceiling in preparation for our Seth Pinsky interview. December 2013

Dan Fridman works his lighting magic on a drop-down ceiling in preparation for our Seth Pinsky interview. October 2013

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Seth Pinsky, former head of the NYC Economic Development Corporation, is interviewed by Prudence in a conference room generously lent by the Cooper Union’s Alumni department. October 2013

Abe Ariel adjusts the camera for our David Harvey interview. December 2013

Abe Ariel gives us that sweet shot for our David Harvey interview. November 2013

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Prudence at the New York City Economic Development Corporation Office, in Lower Manhattan, after a Industrial Development Administration hearing. December 2013

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Recording the sounds of the city, with a DIY belt clip

August 7, 2013
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Martyna and Douglas capture the moving image; Will reaches in for that sweet, sweet sound

In order to extend our audio range as we do more and more shooting outside of our more controlled interview setups, we recently started using a boom attached to an external audio recorder, in this case the Tascam DR100 mkII.

Not having any kind of belt clip, our first time out it sat in a bag, along with the mic cables.  We quickly learned that this was not the way to go, since you couldn’t read any of the panels, and the gain knobs were easily shifted when coming in and out of the bag.  So, we came up with a down and dirty, yet functional solution: we fashioned a belt clip out of materials scrounged from the miscellaneous tray of our toolbox: a 1/4″ screw used to stabilize the motor of a ceiling fan during shipping, a steel bracket, a key ring, and a small carabiner.

Turned out to work pretty well–quick access to meters and controls, with the cables hanging nice and easy!Tascam Clip

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Video Profile: Juan Francisco Useche – Irca Metal Spinning

July 29, 2013

 

One of the goals of A City Traced is to highlight some of the manufacturing businesses that make up New York City’s diverse economy. Juan Francisco Useche founded Irca Metal Spinning 35 years ago and is still creating lighting fixtures for the city to this day.

We wanted to excerpt some longer takes from the day we spent filming with him and this short video was born. I hope that you enjoy his spinning as much as we did!

Thank you to Dan Fridman and Martyna Starosta for filming.

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Springtime in the Archives

April 2, 2013

We’ve spent the past few days researching at Cornell Library’s Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections in beautiful, misty Ithaca. Our eyeballs and fingers have gone over boxes upon boxes of early planning ephemera, notes, letters, and schemes.

Here’s an example of a 1920’s glass negative: a photo of the majestic Woolworth Building (with the colors inverted in photoshop). You can see the East River, and the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridge behind.

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