“I have had the pleasure of working with Martin Vavra & Galaxy Sailor both as on camera talent (Rose’s Commercial, 24Hr Horror Festival) and he has booked many of the Vault Management clients as well. Martin is very focused and incredible to work with in any capacity on set. I know we have always been pleased with his product and I would recommend him to anyone looking for a real professional for Film or Video.” March 1, 2011
Michael Fox, Owner/Agent, Vault Model & Artist Management
“Martin is great. He’s focused, creative and produces excellent results. Not only is he personable, knowledgeable and reliable when it comes to film making, he’s very clear and driven towards what he wants the goals he wants to achieve. I couldn’t be happier with his work.” February 21, 2011
Top qualities: Great Results, Personable, Creative
John Jenne
“I had the privilege of working side by side with Martin on a feature film last year. He was always working hard at whatever task was in front of him. No matter the situation, he was always eager to find solutions and find them quickly. A true pro. I learned a great deal from him and recommend him highly.” February 21, 2011
Top qualities: Great Results, Personable, High Integrity
Jason Freeman
“Martin was wonderful to work with in that he is not only creative and competent crew member, but he brings and infectious joy and energy to any project he is involved in. He truly loves his work, and that dedication shines through and shows in the finished product.” February 21, 2011
Christina Kortum, Owner, Ravenous Studios
I am faltering on my blogging. Must. Step Up.
OK, so as a recap to the last two weeks, and in sticking with the nomenclature of my blogs, there is communication between me and the Earth2World Network. SWEET. First off, if you don’t know, Earth2World is part of the future. It is one of a few places that is reaching out and creating content for the internet in the same vein that TV was reaching out to radio audiences oh so long ago. They are creating interesting and unique content for viewers online. I was on one such show a month ago called Have You Heard? With Byron Beck.
Now, some of you probably don’t know this, but three years ago I was going to try my hand at online content shows, such as these. I had been a watcher and follower of Cali Lewis and her show, Geek Brief (she is also a Portland native, though living in Texas right now). She started, with her husband, a show in their kitchen about gadgets and technology. They had a huge following and corporate sponsorship that they built up over a couple of years. Geek Brief, which was featured on Mevio, ended awhile back due to marital differences, but came back with blazing guns as GeekBeat.tv. For awhile this was on a “channel-esque” location known as Revision3, but has such a following that she was able to cut out the middle-man, as it were.
Anyway, I create EcoPortland.org, a website that was to be a 5 minute show two or three times a week, and it was to feature eco-centric businesses and individuals in the Portland-Metro area. I shot a few of the episodes on my own, and the people who were guests loved the idea and the drive. But, alas, I was a lone camera man at the time and had to abandon the show. It was too much for me to do all by myself and try to make money to keep the lights on. The other day, I decided to crash the set at Earth2World, since they had been such a nice place to be. While I was there I decided to take the chance and pitch my show to the Producer, Trudi, and see what she thought. Now, this was a long shot in my head because Portland, as many places I am sure, has people full of ideas but no follow through. The pattern seems to follow conversationally like so:
Someone: “Hello, I am so-and-so, nice to meet you Martin. What do you do?”
ME: “I work in film and video.”
Someone: “Oh, that’s interesting. You can do that for a living? Oh hey, I have this great idea. You should film it.”
ME: “Hmmph. What is your idea.”
Someone: -Insert terrible idea-
ME: “HMMMPH”
Someone: “That’s a good idea, right? You should do that. I can paid for that, right? I could probably do what you do.”
So saying that you have an idea to me and others like me is like pouring water on a Gremlin and feeding us after midnight; we spontaneously spawn evil little, stabby things that want to poke your eyes out. Needless to say, I was willing to say that I had this idea because I actually have episodes and a website. EcoPortland went beyond concept and went into production. Not very far, but it went into production. So at least I have tangible goods to show that it is not just a concept.
In the end, EcoPortland is a go. It is being picked up by Earth2World pending the filming of the episodes (which only makes sense that a finished, HD product be put on their doorstep).
So, onto other things, such as the weird idea that Tennessee is rescuing anything but NASCAR from the evil trenches of a library siege. The folks over at io Studios in Nashville have been kind enough to over book themselves and are in need of an editor for one of their big projects. There desperation is so ripe with stench that they scraped the bottom of a barrel and found my clinging on to a food particle. Actually, I just know someone there, and they gave me a call. So with any luck, I shall be off to Tennessee for a few months to work as a contract, in-house editor.
I recently did someone edit work for Spitball Media in Portland as well. It’s pretty awesome. Great folks, great work, fun times. I start doing more with them next week.
And now – my RANT section. Please be advised, I am about to rant. I like to rant. If this ranting could effect my prospects for being hired, please don’t read any further so that I may work. This is in accordance with Martin’s Personal Rules #721. Sometime I will list my rules of life (at least the top 10).
So, Portland bikers. How you doin’? Not good the last few days. Three deaths. Three injured. We have had a little car rally happening with a few bikes caught in the middle. It seems three riders were on a rural road at night with no lights, no helmets, and no reflective gear and were hit by a truck. The drive was not impaired in any way before the accident. I am sure he will need therapy after this. One person died, the other in critical care, and one went home with scrapes and bruises. Another accident was on Highway 101 (the NARROW, SCARY, TWISTY coast road for those of you not in the know). A log truck hit a cyclist. One accident occurred where a former U of O football player was riding his bike on a section of road in Portland known for being a bad place to ride a bike. No bike lane. Heavy traffic. Poor visibility. He rode anyway and suffered a broken clavical and a few other broken and scraped places.
Now, I just started commuting on a bike a month ago. When I was only a driver, I saw bikers AND drivers breaking the law and irritating each other. Let me say that again – BOTH PARTIES WERE DOING THINGS BAD AT TIMES. Pedestrians too, but I am going to leave them out of this equation. Since I started to commute, I have been appalled by the number of bicyclists I see being stupid, reckless, and violating laws. Why? I have no idea other than stupidity, entitlement, or just plain ignorance to what they are supposed to do.
(This section with directions will only make sense if you live here, geographically) Take for instance my ride last week. I was going from my office on NW 17th and NW Raleigh to NoPo. In my journey I go east on Lovejoy, to Williams, to Ainsworth, to Denver, to Buffalo St. At William and Broadway, The traffic is one way going west bound, but the right TWO lanes have the ability to turn right to either enter I-5 or (for the inner most right lane) I-5 and/or Williams. There is a bike lane on Broadway that has its own light, signaling the ability to safely cross the Williams intersection continuing in a west bound manner on Broadway. So this fucking stupid ass hipster on a fixy riding west bound, who had already blown to fucking lights while I was sitting there waiting for the lights myself, road out into the intersection where he clearly and plainly had a RED LIGHT. It was a big, red, lit up bike. The light is the shape of a fucking bike. It’s red to stop, green to go. It’s a fucking lit up bike that stops you from running into traffic that, when given their green light, can go straight or turn right into two different areas. This fucking ass clown of brainiac blew the third light, in a row, and road out into traffic, where they all slammed on their brakes to keep from hitting him. Oh, did I mention he had no helmet? No helmet. You know, I realize the law doesn’t say you have to wear a helmet, and people like to make their own choices. I get that.If a brain isn’t smart enough to protect itself, especially when it plans on doing STUPID SHIT, then you are probably off to a bad start.
Now, if that fuck nut hipster douche bag no talent ass clown had been hit by a car, the BTA of Portland would have been all up in the car drivers grill. How do I know this? I know this because they are defending the guy who was riding in a section of road that had no bike lane and was hit. Portland is one of the most bike-friendly places. If that guy was on the sidewalk (which is legal in Oregon if no bike lane is present) or went one block over in either direction, he would have been on a bike approved road.
Look, we can argue all day about cars off the road for environmental reasons and I will most likely agree with you 100%. We need less cars on the road, better efficiency when they are on the road, and have people live closer to where they work so that commuting doesn’t continue to be the trudging death march to the ‘burbs. But bikers have to play by the rules. They also have to play by the physics of the universe. I watch too many bicyclists wander out into open intersections that they CLEARLY had to stop for. I get hesitating at a stop sign, because on a bike you don’t have to “get going” action as a car, and you need momentum to make a bike work. But at least hesitate and look. I see people blowing light, blowing stop signs, weaving in and out of traffic. I watched a fucker cut through someones lawn to beat a traffic signal and cut around some cars. Not even their own lawn. What the fuck, asshole?
Bicycles should be policing their own. We should be keeping people in check. If you are going to argue that cars are the nuisance, you better keep your house in order, at least to a better degree. Bicyclists in Portland are entitle fuck-wads. Not all the time. Most aren’t at all. We all know, however, that loud, stupid minorities make themselves seen are given iconic status for the majority. That sucks. We can’t let those idiots take the podium. If they do, it turns into a Teaparty situation, where a few stupid, ass-like, dipshits making noise get all the attention and deviate from the real problems and the real issues and the real solutions.
Yes, you there, you stupid ass-clown hipster that blew a stop light and nearly caused three cars to wreck because you felt it was ok to blow a stop light because you were entitled to wander into an active intersection. I am comparing you to a Teaparty member. I did it, and I feel good about it.