tiger in a jar

2012-02-28T09:30:00.003-08:00

When Rubi approached us about making a hair tutorial video with her we found ourselves envisioning the over and under cadence of braids set to sunlit gauzy curtains. The idea was less of a how-to and focused more on the feel of a slow-paced afternoon, peeking in on pretty tresses being done up. We hope it inspires a few to try their hair up in braids or rag curls, and we also can't help but think it gets a few of us excited for warmer weather with plentiful sunshine and a need to wear such dreamy dresses.

flowers and a feature

2012-02-23T10:17:00.008-08:00

We have had a few vases of flowers in our house lately and it is amazing what cheer they bring to our space. Even in their waning state they take on a new form of beauty-which incidentally makes me feel much better about getting older.

On another cheery note we are featured on Amanda's lovely blog today as part of her My Better Half series. Amazingly we had a great time shooting pictures for it, not common with us behind the camera folk. We are excited to get to know other couples through this great series!

there and back again

2012-02-13T11:28:00.000-08:00

Last week we went on a whirlwind trip to San Francisco; being back now it all feels like a one crazy busy dream. We had a few shoots that we are excitedly editing right now (more to come soon), and lots of meetings with fantastic people that made us even more eager and excited about what we are doing.

We also went on a few involuntary walks (thank you SF towing companies) that slowed us down a bit and helped us soak in the sights of the city. Lesson learned: a sunset is a great way to find the silver lining on a not so great situation.

making a space

2012-01-30T09:27:00.000-08:00

One of our favorite aspects of making a film is setting up the space where the story takes place. For this room we had visions of sunlight, lots of green, and pretty little details. Aside from it being a bit chilly (our poor girls in their little white dresses!) we loved being in this room and had a really hard time taking it down when the shoot was over. We also had to take the plants back, but I am hoping that hanging ivy finds its way back into our home around Valentine's Day if my constant hinting proves to be successful.

pesto

2012-01-19T22:39:00.000-08:00

We recently had the pleasure of making a recipe video that let us collaborate not only with Kinfolk, but Heidi Swanson and Etsy as well. We loved trying out this simple and meditative recipe, and of course we enjoyed eating it with a steaming bowl of gnocchi at the end. (Truth be told we filmed the steam and ate it room temperature, which we are happy to report did not tamper with the tastiness one bit.)

Also we are so excited for this. Pretty girls. Pretty hair. Pretty plants.

fig + fauna farm

2012-01-12T21:51:00.000-08:00

Staying at this farm and watching our food go from buried garden greens to bright gems on the kitchen table was an experience we would love to have every day. There really is not enough good we can say about creating that meaningful relationship with your food, and we were able to watch Megan and her family do this so beautifully.

a year of thanks

2011-12-30T10:09:00.000-08:00

Matt and I honestly have no words for how grateful we are that our little business has made it so far and touched so many people-all in just a years time. We are humbled that every day we are able to work together; brainstorming, creating, and digging into our minds for new ideas, and then bringing these ideas to life.

We wish we could gather all of you around a table-we would talk eagerly of what inspires us, what makes us stop and pause. Of course there would be food there, possibly a fresh baked loaf of bread with crust ready to be cracked open. For now though our tiny space could not accommodate such a gathering, so we are grateful that instead you let these videos inside your spaces, and in this way allow us to connect with so many of you.

thank you.

honey harvest

2011-12-20T10:19:00.000-08:00

We are happy to finally be sharing the honey harvest video made for Kinfolk that we mentioned here in August. Although months have passed and it has been quite some time since we have spotted a bee busy about his work, watching this video brings the hum and heat of summer back.

winter time

2011-12-08T21:12:00.000-08:00

We spent some time up in the mountains last week and as we were there the most lovely fog/snow descended upon us. Amazing how things like clouds and snow, as big and grand as they are, can appear so suddenly and do their silent work of changing landscapes.

We are hoping for more snow-bearing clouds, but down in the valley this time; it is time to change the ground from green to white. We are looking forward to the upcoming Kinfolk magazine that will help us celebrate this change. We were happy to contribute to the magazine about things that are beautiful and meaningful to us. We can't wait to see what others have to say about this time of year.

royal weekend

2011-12-02T12:57:00.000-08:00

Looking forward to this weekend and cookie decorating with a dear friend of ours. We like to use royal icing, which if you haven't tried before I suggest giving it a go (although it can be rather finicky until you get the hang of it). It feels like you are working more with paint than frosting, which to be honest makes it hard to eat our cookies because we are so attached to our creations. (Of course that ends when we are working late at night and sugar is the only thing that will keep us going...)

past cookies//watching this movie while we decorate//recipe and tips for royal icing

onblonde

2011-11-23T10:22:00.000-08:00

Last month we spent a few days out in Florida working on a few promotional films for Onblonde (previously featured here), run by an amazing young couple who are full to the brim with inspiration. They have the most beautiful pet spa and shop, but what really blew us away was their farm tucked away from the city, where they board and train dogs. We ate unbelievable meals there every day, mostly picked fresh from their garden. We woke up to birds chirping and a constant breeze through the curtains, not to mention we were constantly surrounded by the most lovable pack of dogs. We felt like we were in heaven!

We hope our films convey even just a hint of how it felt to be in such a beautiful and inspiring environment. We also wouldn't mind feeling a bit of that Florida sun again too!

holiday gathering

2011-11-21T02:47:00.000-08:00

We are excited that we can finally start talking about some of the projects that have kept us soooo busy lately! We were involved in the Anthology Gift Guide this year, contributing a recipe video for Mulled Cranberry Cider. (check it out here) In the process of making this video we began to imagine a perfect little holiday gathering-one that in involves winter hair pieces, record playing, and of course sipping hot cider.

Our brother-in-law, an insanely talented stylist, put together these amazing outfits and also effortlessly whipped these girls hairdos up in a matter of minutes-it was amazing to watch. We also put together hair pieces that we imagined could be easily pinned into the hair of each girl as she came in the door.

We figure a good gauge as to the enjoyment of this party is that although ours was a faux one, we still found ourselves having a ridiculously good time. Leaves us imagining how fun a real one would be....

(by the by-if any of you are dying over the deer broach featured around :58 you can find it here.)

bread

2011-11-14T00:13:00.000-08:00

We had no idea making bread would be so addicting-now we can't stop baking up these pretty loaves. We feel lucky our work includes perfecting the mix of flour and water-a process that never ceases to amaze us.

missing this place

2011-10-26T13:35:00.000-07:00

We are, as usual, running about finishing up things but I just couldn't wait to show you a few images of where we have been these past few days. We had a job in Florida (with these amazing people) where we stayed at a family farm and spent our days knowing that this would all feel like a dream when we came home. We found friends here, petted dogs to our hearts content, and found ourselves completely taken with this magical place. We have so much more to say about our little trip-but for now we hope this will do.

In Search of Love

2011-10-19T20:27:00.000-07:00

We are wrapping up a set of projects we have had on our plate for the past while-it feels good to see all the ideas and concepts we have been working on come to life. We especially enjoyed working with a couple from Hong Kong who have such a sweet story of how they met-we were really touched by it.

all Hallows

2011-10-03T08:23:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks for us have been a blur, and we just barely slowed down enough to realize we are well into our favorite month. October is a breath of fresh air, a change of color, and it also includes our favorite holiday-Halloween. Unfortunately we have checked our schedule and it looks like we are going to stay busy busy all month, which means no Halloween creations for us this year. Boo. (The sad boo, not the ghost boo.)

In hopes of making us feel more festive, we gathered a few goodies we have done in the past.

Black and White cookies//skull in a box//Bloody Jack

soundtracks

2011-09-27T13:01:00.000-07:00

Quite a bit of our time is spent looking for songs to go along with our videos, and I must admit there is something fantastic about having to look up good music all day. Admittedly, there would be something more satisfying about these finds if it involved going to an actual music store and pushing through stacks of music, but bless technology I suppose for saving us lots of time...

These are a few I found recently that I keep finding myself going back to.

bella cucina

2011-09-21T16:24:00.000-07:00

"In the end, I have learned that it is the meal, simply prepared and honest in its integrity of ingredients, preparation, and presentation that makes for a soulful food experience." -Alisa Barry, Bella Cucina

This is our dream client. Her food feels meaningful and familiar, in a way that makes a fancy dinner feel so approachable. We are over the moon that this weekend we get to make a feast from all of her lovely ingredients. Wishing we could have you all over for dinner to share in it!

meals

2011-09-16T12:23:00.000-07:00

When we get busy the first thing to go are our meals. We start to have cereal not only for breakfast, not only for lunch, but heaven forbid, dinner too. Bless Matt for pulling us out of that rut yesterday and making us an egg, bacon, and avocado sandwich for lunch. A meal that can't be eaten with a spoon was just what we needed.

Happy weekend!

light

2011-09-09T13:56:00.000-07:00

Loving the September light that comes streaming into our place now. Also, the peaches are ripe and ready to be canned, and tomorrow we are going to do just that. The polaroids are of us picking up peaches a few years ago-look at those happy faces!

Thanks to forme-foryou and Got a Girl Crush for featuring us on Friday Bits. Thrilled to be amongst such an amazing group!

(The painting is a thrift find I just couldn't do without. Wonder who the visionary was who slapped on such pretty colors...)

fall cakes

2011-09-07T10:43:00.000-07:00

As any who works retail knows you very much spend time thinking, working, and planning for the season you are not currently in. Sometimes it can really throw you for a loop-like this video did for us. We were in the middle of summer with our house smelling of spiced pumpkin cakes and bare twigs were everywhere. It had me wishing there were leaves outside to crunch and cider to be sipped. Hooray that fall is finally really upon us!

Thanks to Styled magazine for letting us be a part of your beautiful fall edition-check it out here.

simple space

2011-09-01T13:48:00.000-07:00

Lucky Matt, he got to spend some time at this lovely cabin nestled in a vineyard while he was in San Francisco. To me this pretty much epitomizes the beauty and calm of simplistic design, along with a few quirky touches. I particularly like the dresser with a missing drawer used to store books-which now justifies so many furniture purchases that I would have otherwise said no to. (missing drawers? no problem!) Also, it seems to me that each piece could tell a story and would feel more like old friends rather than places to sit or beds to sleep on.

If you want to see more images of the cabin check them out here.

update: we realize we were naughty and didn't give credit to those responsible for such an amazing place. (thanks for filling us in Alice) The house is the Chalk Hill Residency at the Warnecke Ranch which you can read more about here.

honey

2011-08-24T12:11:00.000-07:00

We did the most amazing shoot this week for Kinfolk and we are still just reeling from it. Sarah and David so graciously let us witness the beautiful process of harvesting honey. It is seriously stunning. Aside from it being a stunner to look at, the honey tastes so darn good. We got a bottle when we left and we have somehow worked honey into every meal we have had since. (We are having hot dogs tonight-pretty sure the honey run will end there.)

the garden

2011-08-12T10:13:00.000-07:00

While working in the garden recently, we were reminded of the energizing nature of working with our hands (our very dirty, soil covered hands). The process of furrowing, watering and weeding seems to mirror very well what we are trying to do with our lives. Out with the unnecessary and the distractions. Nurture and tend to what we find most important. Allowing this to become something tangible that we can give to others.

dinner and a movie

2011-08-09T14:02:00.000-07:00

Last night we did a quick video with friends. A lot of time was spent standing on tables and eating a delicious faux dinner. Of course this was all followed with a real delicious dinner and tasty ice cream too.

snacks

2011-07-28T23:16:00.000-07:00

Some snacks from this week:

roasted cauliflower and balsamic vinegar

apples and peanut butter

truffles with almonds and pink salt

We get very snacky when we work. Having the kitchen so close (about 5 steps) makes it hard to resist trying new combinations.

Ellie

2011-07-26T01:06:00.000-07:00

(lovely lady found here)

smitten

2011-07-18T15:30:00.000-07:00

These are a few outtakes from our video for Kinfolk magazine. We have a few summer picnics in our future and we are dying to take this salad. We found the recipe here, where we find ourselves wanting to make pretty much every recipe we read. We are thinking this might be next.

candlelight

2011-07-15T00:08:00.000-07:00

Spending the evening in candlelight, and maybe by the fire, with no tv, talking, telling stories, letting the lit-up world go by without us, expands the hours, and alters the kind of thoughts and conversations we have.

I have noticed that when all the lights are on, people tend to talk about what they are doing-their outer lives. Sitting round in candlelight or firelight, people start to talk about how they are feeling-their inner lives. They speak subjectively, they argue less, there are longer pauses.

-Jeanette Winterson, "Why I Adore Night"

An idea that that insists upon gathering those close to you and testing the shadowy influence of candlelight. Inspiration for such gatherings can be found in Kinfolk magazine-which comes out today! When we got ours in the mail we felt like kids poring over every page-we kept pointing to beautiful images or reading passages out loud to each other. We are excited to have our video included in the online version of the magazine-check it out here.

(quote via le projet d'amour)

picnic

2011-07-07T23:03:00.000-07:00

We have a friend who gives shockingly good gifts. For our wedding (almost two years ago, time flies!) she gave us this amazing picnic kit, complete with all the necessary items for a successful picnic. (suspenders! dreamcatcher! keds!) Now we just need to whip up a few deviled eggs and some lavender lemonade and we will be ready to go.

light to dark

2011-06-30T01:00:00.000-07:00

Pretty roasted nuts for an upcoming video of ours on kinfolk. But even more than pretty, those roasted nuts taste like heaven.

mirror mirror

2011-06-28T10:41:00.000-07:00

Just popping in to say hello.

Today we are baking up some treats for a new video and looking forward to meeting new friends tonight.

exploring

2011-06-24T05:59:00.000-07:00

Working from home Matt and I tend to see waaay too much of our own four walls-so every now and again we find it necessary to go exploring. The other day we walked through the campus building that is right next door to us. It is a theater building of sorts, I think mostly for kids, and we were loving every bit of it.

dreaming

2011-06-17T00:56:00.001-07:00

For the past two summers we have gone to Portland (the first time was our honeymoon), but this year we felt like we better stay home. We hope to be filling up our summer with film projects, which fortunately we feel is a pretty good trade off. But we do find ourselves watching this video from time to time and wishing we were there right now. Big sigh.

a treat

2011-06-15T17:28:00.000-07:00

We have been dying to have a nibble of Mast chocolate ever since seeing this glimpse into their beautiful world of chocolate making. We were beyond excited to open up a package the other day and find this lovely bar of chocolate, and bearded men to boot! Thanks you two for this thoughtful gift, and thanks for letting us a be part of this beautiful project.

weekend plans

2011-06-10T02:04:00.000-07:00

Things we are looking forward to this weekend:

-family time at the zoo

-celebrating a birthday

-warmer weather

-the prospect of wrapping up a few projects

-walking to the frozen yogurt shop that just opened up down the street

By the by, one of those projects we are finishing up is for this upcoming magazine, which we think is going to be just fantastic. The team working on the magazine are all over the moon talented, check them out here.

upgrade

2011-06-08T00:02:00.000-07:00

Our "happy mess" has been upgraded to sheer bedlam.

(Thank heavens the weather is behaving now, it gives us a reason to leave this mess and get a slurpee or two.)

#7-take breaks

2011-06-06T02:52:00.000-07:00

Lesson we learned this weekend: sometimes you need to step away, take a breath and start over to get things the way you really want them.

Excellent advice found here. #20, check.

our space

2011-06-03T06:43:00.000-07:00

The words "home" and "office" apply to the same space for us. While we are filming you could also throw in "production studio", which in the end makes for a rather mish mash collection of decor. It leaves fancy pillows meeting first class mail and important papers tucked in amongst our china and glassware. We like to think of it as one big happy mess.

simon

2011-06-01T23:09:00.000-07:00

dapper fellow found here

the dance

2011-05-30T20:33:00.000-07:00

We tried to use reason, we tried to muster strength, we really tried to say "no, we don't need to buy this." But there she was with her feathered armor, her dainty painted nails and her perfectly pink lips. How could we pass up such a beauty? Easy, we didn't.

the beauty of creation

2011-05-26T08:38:00.000-07:00

There is something beautiful about the baking process. The way flour feels in your hands or the sound of eggs cracking on the edge of a bowl. Baking is a gathering of interesting materials, a mixed medium art piece of sorts, that ends in a cake instead of a canvas.

If you want to try this cake for yourself (which we highly recommend) follow the recipe below:

a day at the office

2011-05-20T12:07:00.000-07:00

One of the more entertaining things about watching films is the "how'd they do that?" thought that goes through our minds when seeing something fantastic. But even when we know how filmmakers do things, it's always fun to watch the process for inspiration and a good laugh when we see how similar problems can be on set.

This video has been around, but we just saw the behind the scenes and thought it looked like a really fun shoot. breakfast + slo-mo + destruction = good day of shooting

a pause and a beat

2011-05-18T08:56:00.000-07:00

In between takes we sometimes need to review the script and perfect our mirror portrait skills. But mostly we need to grab some snacks and fire up the tunes to dance a little and get the blood pumping through our bodies. Some "dare you not to dance to this" remixes found here.

an appetizer

2011-05-16T09:07:00.000-07:00

Chocolate, flour, butter, vanilla, these are a few of our favorite things. There is nothing quite as fun as a new baking challenge, especially when that challenge deals with bringing the baking process to life on film. Stay tuned for our new baking adventure with a fun new recipe to boot!

mary

2011-05-11T09:58:00.000-07:00

(lovely lady found here)

to the books

2011-05-06T12:30:00.000-07:00

The internet is a wonderful place to gather ideas and find really good inspiration. But some days a trip to the library or used book store is the perfect remedy for the "I have seen this a million times" internet inspiration block. And by the by, the warm weather is creeping back into our lives and a good walk in the sun seems to invigorate the creative mind.

Bless you Mr. Sun.

roy

2011-04-28T06:44:00.000-07:00

We got a call to film a 95 year old man read the poetry he has written over his lifetime. Little did we know that when Roy sits in a chair and begins to read, he isn't Roy anymore, but a master poet.

dean + ayumi

2011-04-06T12:36:00.001-07:00

There is nothing more exciting than getting an email from someone who wants us to do a video for them, especially when it is for a meaningful event like a wedding. We just finished up this video for a lovely couple who will be married this month.

Congrats to Ayumi and Dean!

days are meaningful events too!

a tribute

2011-03-21T07:53:00.000-07:00

The house on 264 is filled with so much history and so many memories. (not to mention treasures untold) Now that the last of many who lived here has gone, things will begin to change. But before they do, we are spending a few quiet moments capturing the house as it is now, hoping to preserve the memories that will slowly fade over time.

soapylove winners

2011-03-14T13:12:00.000-07:00

The winners of the giveaway are Tub-Time Treasures and That Kate.

Thanks for playing!

bernard

2011-03-09T20:50:00.000-08:00

(independent gentleman found here)

soapy giveaway

2011-03-09T09:29:00.000-08:00

We have almost finished a fun promotional video for Soapylove, a fantastic soap company with hands down the most adorable soaps we have ever seen! We were like little kids at christmas when we opened up our box of goodies for the shoot-and don't even get us started on the smells!

We don't want to be selfish with all of our goodies, and what better way to share than to have a giveaway! We will be giving away two gift sets -so leave a comment and we will draw the winners on Monday, March 14th.

Good Luck!

can we be friends?

2011-03-03T07:55:00.000-08:00

In the midst of mine and Julie's new obsession with baking, we have really taken to some fantastic bakers in Brooklyn. Julie had known about them for a while but we really didn't understand what amazing recipes they had in their books until we started to bake out of them. The presentation of their baked goods is one to be inspired by. And to make things better we found their YouTube page which contained this little gem.

Maybe we have more in common than a love for baking...

sweet inspiration

2011-02-22T13:29:00.000-08:00

When making movies about things that don't necessarily happen in real life, like dinosaurs working as lumberjacks and cupcakes decorating themselves, you need inspiration from places where those type of things exist everyday - the archives of Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies.

As a kid my brother and I memorized the entire "Skeleton Dance" and performed it frequently for my parents. Our interpretation of the "squiggly" part was one to behold, and might be on home video somewhere.... Julie recently came across one of our new favorites, "The Cookie Carnival" The gingerbread man's make-over for the cookie princess is a pretty fantastic scene and will probably inspire some new ideas for upcoming movies.

So if you ever need a creative way to fold your sheets or put away the dishes, might we recommend Silly Symphonies?

an interview

2011-02-16T07:33:00.000-08:00

We want to thank perfect laughter for doing a great little post about us. They emailed us with questions about what we do and how it is to work with your spouse. They have other great interviews and a really well put together site. Go check it out!

gordon

2011-02-16T07:26:00.001-08:00

(dashing fellow found here)

memories

2011-02-14T07:21:00.000-08:00

I think for most of us, home movies can be an instant remedy for anything that brings us down. The memories recorded on film remind of us of our bad haircuts, our amazing styles and the people we may have wanted to become.

In the last trip to my Grandparents house I brought along my new camera to get practice and to record some of the things about their house that I really want to remember when that house is gone. The creaky concrete stairway, the fog rolling over the green hills early in the morning and the mossy forest behind the house where many adventures still lay in wait. Not to mention to capture a little bit of my Grandparents personality for a reminder of what I love about them.

So, if you get a minute, tie a towel around your neck for a cape and think about the things or people that inspired you once upon a time. Then grab the camera and document it, you'll thank yourself later.

written in the stars

2011-02-11T09:16:00.000-08:00

The recent horoscope scare has given me a new found loyalty to my sign, true to my scorpio nature. What better way to celebrate our signs than to throw a party! Our party book had a great idea for a horoscope cake, a perfect centerpiece for a party full of fortunes and destiny.

bernice

2011-02-08T21:59:00.001-08:00

(fine looking lady found here)

gaiety guaranteed

2011-02-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

While thrifting over the weekend, Julie found a most amazing little book which contains some of the best party ideas we have ever heard of.

Some of our favorites include titles such as Hitch Your Wagon to a Star which revolves around horoscopes and futures and includes a game called Destiny Quiz.

Who wouldn't love a party based on the late 1800's? This party comes complete with cut out handlebar mustaches and stiff white collars "which will add distinction, if not comfort" as well as a "lousy play in one act" called Little Nell.

Some of the images are pretty fantastic as well.

This discovery should yield some pretty fantastic parties. So stay tuned, we will be throwing a party from this book post haste and we can't wait to share some of these ideas!

new friends

2011-02-04T10:18:00.000-08:00

We have had some happy chatter going on over here at TIAJ this week! We have connected with so many wonderful people and feel blessed for all the encouraging words we have received.

Here are some of the conversations overheard in the production studio:

"....and then for the nice things people have said, we can give them all a chocolate chip!"

"Do you really think they will visit again? I was really hoping to show them what I have in my backyard!"

"Darling, I don't know why they had to bite your cake. That's what you get for looking so tasty!"

We knew you were coming

2011-02-03T06:22:00.000-08:00

so we baked you a cake. Ever since we bought this amazing cake pan from Williams-Sonoma we have been obsessed with baking little villages, whether they be for Christmas or just to try some fun table centerpiece ideas. We were introduced to chocorooms recently and just had to add them to our newest village.

Below is the recipe that came with the pan. We thought we would share it with you because it makes for the perfect little cakes, crunchy outside and soft inside. (we are brownie corner people....) We used it for our valentine's cakes by doubling the recipe for a jumbo cupcake pan.

1 1/4 Cups (200g) all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

2/3 cup (155g) sugar

3/4 cup (180ml) milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

8 Tbs. (1 stick/125g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

Have all the ingredients at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and flour the wells of the pan.

Over a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and sugar. Using a handheld whisk, stir in the milk, egg, vanilla and butter, one ingredient at a time, until combined.

Bake about 35 minutes.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes, then invert the cakes onto the rack and let cool completely.

Our recent experiments in baking has left us wanting to start a bakery, although we may need a year in France to learn. But stay tuned, we will be sure to share with you our most recent attempts. If you're interested, the little circus people we used on the cakes can be found here.

much love

2011-02-02T10:47:00.000-08:00

Regardless of whether Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow or not this year (spring, you can't come soon enough!), Groundhog day has been good to us. We were fortunate enough to be featured on not one, but two blogs today for our videos.

Arbiters of wit?! Oh Kate, lets be friends.

Thanks Design*Sponge for letting us join your endlessly inspiring blog!

We also had Stanton and Rubi's wedding video featured on Wedding Chicks. We know there are others of you out there who, like us, want something a little different for their video. Contact us if that person is you!

bruce

2011-02-02T00:33:00.000-08:00

(fine looking fellow from here)

this old house

2011-01-31T20:42:00.000-08:00

When I was young one of my favorite things to do when we would visit my Grandmother's house was to explore her basement. There were so many mysteries to discover and fears to face. (like the giant poster of Mark Spitz and his 7 gold medals) When Julie and I were married we had the chance to move into the coveted "basement apartment", just down the hall of all the rooms of mystery, so of course, we took it.

With permission from the family, Julie and I spend time cleaning parts of the house and discover some amazing treasures. Our favorite is finding old boxes and perusing the contents, sometimes of which we find vintage toys, tools, books and more. The house is filled with a wealth of treasures including some that are over a hundred years old.

Here are some of our recent finds......

a new wonderland

2011-01-31T12:39:00.000-08:00

We heard that the snow season is at the midway point and had to quickly look to spring party ideas to calm our freezing nerves. We are furiously drawing from last fall's Alice party for inspiration for a "Welcome Spring" gathering that involves us getting that fresh dirt smell in our noses and maybe a grass stain or two just to show our appreciation of it's return.

Another party involving a method of painting the roses red with your mouth full of Hawaiin Punch (see pictures below) could hopefully get a little dirt under our nails. We love you winter, but we're ready for a little party with fresh air and sun.

leona

2011-01-27T21:46:00.000-08:00

(image found here)

(By the by, isn't she the perfect mix of Harry Potter and Luna Lovegood? I always wanted them to get together, this only reaffirms that desire.)

paper works

2011-01-25T17:59:00.000-08:00

When building sets for projects we have used all sorts of materials and a good amount of paper. When I came across these amazing pieces of art, I was humbled to know there are some truly great artists who use paper in ways I have yet to discover. There are a whole lot more of these with some amazing behind the scenes pictures of how some of these masterpieces were built. So the next time I pick up a blade to cut out some paper, these little guys will be filling my head urging me to work a little harder.

short stories

2011-01-24T17:08:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, while I am perusing the web, I run across some fun images that usually inspire some unique short stories that I think would be fun to bring to life. Julie and I vow one day to write a children's book and it always helps to run into paintings or drawings of things that we haven't seen before as they open a whole new world to our minds.

I would think a story inspired by the picture above would have an opening narration like this: "Hidden amongst the tallest mountains in the world lived the tallest creature whom had ever existed. Having never known where he came from or what he was to become, Jorrp found purpose in befriending a flock of Ingleberry Bluecrows who were lost and believed to be extinct."

a few places to visit

2011-01-21T15:30:00.000-08:00

Sometimes when we travel, whether it's across the country or to the library, I like to watch for places that would be good locations to film something, anything. Other times, while watching films, I see places that are good locations which then become inspiration for places we want to visit. The above film is a combination of real places with computer animation. Lucky for us though, there is a website that lists the locations of some of the scenes in the film.

The film is 12 and a half minutes but is worth watching a little bit of. The cinematography of the architecture is outstanding and the colors are beautiful. I couldn't help being a little hypnotized while watching. If that should happen to you, consider yourself warned.

the backstory

2011-01-20T14:56:00.001-08:00

People watching may be one of the best sources of entertainment I know of. As I'm sure most of us like to do, Julie and I do our best to come up with stories of the people that stand out to us the most. This is an especially good exercise for creating characters for our movies.

(image via lookbook)

great showdowns

2011-01-19T18:57:00.000-08:00

Recently I came across some fun little illustrations from movies I've either seen or recognized. A guy known as Scott C., paints these little ditties and has created a series called "great showdowns" based on some of the best epic battles found in film. Check them out and see how many you recognize.

becca + josh

2011-01-18T20:22:00.000-08:00

I remember the first time I saw Becca she had just been hired at my work, and she was wearing the most amazing elephant necklace. Soon after we started carpooling and from then on I knew we were meant to be friends. (Lykke Li may have also had a hand in this friendship....)

Fast forward a few years and in steps a fine fellow named Josh who travelled the world with Becca. Not only that, but he makes some amazing videos to boot.

Matt and I were lucky enough to make a little wedding video for these two-which incidentally gave us a serious case of wanderlust. Must eat a bagel in Maine!

bake a cake

2011-01-09T19:27:00.000-08:00

diy valentine's cakes from tiger in a jar on Vimeo.

If you choose, Valentine's can be full of stuffed teddy bears, cheap chocolates and sultry saxophone music. May we suggest an alternative - St. Valentine's Carnival Cakes. Pretty sure these little cakes will win your loved one over, sans Kenny G.

stanton and rubi

2011-01-03T19:23:00.000-08:00

stanton and rubi from tiger in a jar on Vimeo.

This is the latest from our "little movies for big events" series. It was the final movie we made in 2010 and we are pretty pleased with it. We hope this coming year we can experiment with more ideas and push ourselves creatively. So buckle up kids, this could get crazy.

behind the scenes

2010-12-29T22:52:00.000-08:00

we've been working on a little project the last few weeks and decided to take some pictures of the process. we found that we didn't have everything we needed to complete the shoot so we had to get creative in building our sets. we thought it would be fun to share how we decided to rig some of it up.

what's up doc?

2010-12-09T13:07:00.000-08:00

stop-motion has always been fun to me....... at least to watch. it takes an amazing amount of focus and patience (this is something I need to learn) I always told myself that I would only feature films that were real on this blog, not anything animated. well, you just can't pass up really fun little films, like this:

Dr Knowgood: Lion's Pride from Arnold Zwanenburg on Vimeo.

a little video

2010-11-22T20:16:00.000-08:00

a music video for sufjan stevens' song "all for myself"

(a combined effort by me and julie)

All For Myself-Sufjan Stevens from Matt Walker on Vimeo.

tis the season

2010-11-18T21:09:00.000-08:00

a beautiful little video shot in a snow globe.

Christopher Smith - Gently Gently from Boompa Records on Vimeo.

I've got a fever

2010-11-17T21:25:00.000-08:00

get ready for this little video, it's a doozy.

I want some of these toys....

2010-11-16T17:37:00.000-08:00

this music video is a great combination of cool nick knacks and stop-motion. really quite cool.

a favorite

2010-11-15T17:17:00.000-08:00

This has set the bar for what I would like our music videos to be like.

Cocorosie-Lemonade from [PIAS] Recordings on Vimeo.

weekend movie review

2010-11-14T20:47:00.000-08:00

I'm always interested in films that are quirky and try to bring something new to the table. We saw this trailer and thought this might fit the bill.

I have a difficult time watching movies with subtitles as I pay a lot of attention to detail and sometimes lose dialogue over trying to see the beauty of the cinematography. So sometimes I have to watch the film twice to capture the film as a whole. Since this film is French, stop-motion and the dialogue sometimes quick and witty, I would recommend following the aforementioned procedure to fully appreciate the humor.

While the animation is not anything like the talents of the Brothers Quay or Jan Svankmajer, the somewhat rough stop-motion technique matches the pace and crazy story line of this film.

on fire

2010-11-12T17:44:00.000-08:00

fire, passion, cinematography. beautiful.

Burn Ignite :: Ride :: feat Steve Berra (OFFICIAL HD) from Burn Ignite on Vimeo.

let's go swimming

2010-11-11T19:15:00.000-08:00

the water looks a little suspicious but maybe that's why it's so beautiful.

EXPO Water city from martin de thurah on Vimeo.

you can do it

2010-11-10T12:21:00.000-08:00

this is an inspiring film that should make us want to pursue our dreams.

The Mast Brothers from The Scout on Vimeo.

little movies sale

2010-11-09T12:29:00.000-08:00

UPDATE! We have sold out all of the remaining films. But if you are interested in getting one of these unique movies, let us know!

We are more than happy to announce that we have 5 little movies for sale at $350 a pop!

Turns out we are in love with making these movies and we want others to share in the joy.

That sounds like a win-win if you ask me!

// HOW IT WORKS //

The deal goes like this—you contact us via my email if you are interested in getting a movie.

If you are one of the ~~first five~~ next two you get it for the super fantastic price.

(hip hip!)

We will then email you all the details and particulars

and schedule when you would like to have your movie done.

We are not going to take payments until the week we start working on production for the movie—

which will take us one week to complete.

Not only are these great for the love stories in your life—

holidays, birthdays and just any days deserve a little movie.

These make great presents too, and just in time for the holidays!

(check out our little movies here and here)

now and again

2010-11-08T16:43:00.001-08:00

I tend to see a lot of outstanding things when I look for inspiration. I have decided to share some of those things as they might inspire someone else.

a new idea

2010-11-07T20:45:00.000-08:00

One morning I had an idea for a different way to do big event videos. I talked with Julie (my amazingly ingenious right hand creative partner and wife) about this, and with her help, made a few. Here are a some examples...

If you would like one, let us know.

dirk and maren from Matt Walker on Vimeo.

stuff we did from Matt Walker on Vimeo.