Friday, November 30, 2007

Smooth Feather Headquarters- Middlebury, Vermont

So recently a few people in the Smooth Feather posse, Sean Goodwin, Seth Herman, and myself all decided to hunker down for a couple months and crank out some Smooth Feather magic. :) Sean pulled some strings to get an amazing house in the cozy town of Middlebury. We're super excited for this amazing opportunity of creative collaboration and when we're not working on projects we will surely be tearing down the slopes of the glorious Green Mountains. So with that said, if anyone finds themselves anywhere near Middlebury you're more than welcome to drop on by. We've got working space upstairs and a screening theater in the basement :).

In other news, if anyone is near Dartmouth NH this weekend there is a great "Lose the Shoes" soccer tournament which is being held by Grassroot Soccer. Following the event there will be an awards dinner as well as a screening of Lusaka Sunrise. The soccer is from 12-4 and the dinner is at 6 in anyone is interested in attending.

For the next few weeks we're working on finishing up the editing & scoring of our next film "Joe's Journey". We'll soon ship it down to our main man Jay McKay in NYC whom I'm sure will create an amazing score for the film. We'll keep you posted as to when it will be released online.

Seeing as though it always seems complete to post a video as part of the blog,... I thought I would pass on this hilarious clip that our good friend Justin McLennan took while hiking in Peru a while back. He couldn't figure out who was yelling until he came across this little guy :) Happy Friday!


Monday, November 12, 2007

Margaret Mead, Couch Surfing,.. Generosity :)

Last night Jenny Douglas and I were part of the Margaret Mead film festival and it was a fantastic event. Jenny spoke to the crowd of 200 about KarmaTube and rocked the house. I told a few stories of Smooth Feather and the best question came from the crowd at the end. One gentlemen asked, "So Silas, how do you afford your apartment?" I smiled and responded with, "Currently I don't have an apartment :)" I have a feeling I may have been the first filmmaker at the festival without a home. Although these days my home seems to be defined by the many glorious couches & kitchen tables that have been generously offered to me over the past months.

Speaking of offerings, a recent friend of mine Laurie Meadoff made an offer to Smooth Feather that was over the top! I recently got together with Laurie at her production house NextNext Entertainment in Manhattan . Their work is fantastic and their latest project called Hometown Baghdad, is an online documentary series about life during wartime. If you haven't seen it, you should definitely check it out. At any rate, last Thursday we were sitting at her beautiful office in midtown and I began to explain the spirit behind Smooth Feather Productions and how we all resonate with giving with no strings attached. And at the end of the conversation Laurie says with a smiles, "well, we've just had a few people relocate and we've got some extra office space if you'd like it." A ridiculously generous offer! :) So now the Smooth Feather posse may be meeting up for a bit at W 38th on the 18th floor! :) The joys of the gift economy.

And if that wasn't enough, Laurie then offered her expertise to help distribute "Back in Life" to many of her network connections at MTV, VH1, HBO and the like. My only request was that we give it away to the networks at no cost, with no strings attached...well one string attached...that no adds interrupt the films :)

In other news, we just re-cut an old promo video for CouchSurfing.com over the weekend. 6 Years ago Casey Fenton and I put together a video in my backyard in Maine when CouchSurfing was only a crazy idea in Casey's head. Today the site has over 350,000 members world wide and been featured in the NY times and covered by NBC nightly news. CouchSurfing is an amazing worldwide network for making connections between travelers and the local communities they visit....and its free:)

Due to some copyright issues of a Sublime song we used 5 years ago I offered to recut the promo piece for CouchSurfing and add a bit more flare to the video :)

Feel free to check out the promo here.



Big Smiles from NYC,...next Couch...The home of the Jones Street Boys!

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Bill Clinton Meets "Lusaka Sunrise" Cast


Completed at this time last year, "Lusaka Sunrise" continues to generate amazing energy in all directions. Bill Clinton recently met up with Victor Mawere in Lusaka and partook in a few Grassroot Soccer games highlighted in the film. Read more about it here.




"Lusaka Sunrise" will also be screened this Sunday at the Margaret Mead Film Festival in NYC. The event is held at the American Museum of Natural History and begins at 4:30 on Sunday. Myself and Jenny Douglas will be there as part of a panel discussion focusing on user generated content in relation to the internet. It should be an amazing event and it would be great to see all of you there. I'm sending big smiles from the wild city of NYC. -Silas
P.S. Our Smooth Feather Powerhouse Composer Jay McKay, finished the NYC marathon in glorious form today. :) You're the man Jay.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

"Lusaka Sunrise" airing on ZNBC

We just recently got amazing news that Lusaka Sunrise was aired on ZNBC to thousands of viewers in Zambia, Africa. Both Ebby and Victor were invited onto the Kwacha Good Morning show and talked about their work of using the power of football to educate youth in Zambia about HIV/AIDS. This is an amazing milestone for "Lusaka Sunrise" and it's so exciting to see that the films powerful message is spreading to those most effected by HIV. Feel free to watch Lusaka Sunrise here and if anyone has any feedback regarding the film, feel free to shoot either Ebby or Victor an email in Zambia. I'm sure they would love to hear from folks across the ocean :) Ebby: ebbymka@yahoo.com, Victor: maweretj@yahoo.com.

Friday, September 28, 2007

BACK IN LIFE

Here is our most extensive Gift Economy Film as of yet,...after over 300 hours of shooting, editing, scoring and polishing, we present to you.... Back In Life. :) We hope you are as inspired as we are . This weekend we are printing out our first set of 100 DVD's that we plan to send to other quadriplegics that have recently been injured. We'll be sure to keep you updated as things develop with the film. All the best from San Fran, -Silas

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Signing in from California

Currently I’m posted up next to the gift economy wild man Nipun Mehta who got me into this crazy lifestyle a year back. :) We’re both at his folks house in Santa Clara where we each took part in a weekly Wednesday night meditation. Every Wednesday for the past 10 years Nipun’s folks have opened their home to anyone who wants to take part in an hour of meditation, followed by a small discussion, and then a glorious meal. It was so powerful to be in the presence of such amazing service and loving people.

So I’m planning to be out in the bay area for the next month or so working on developing the online infrastructure of Smooth Feather with Nipun. We’re developing some exciting ideas that will soon allow others to get more actively involved with future productions.

In regards to the latest Gift Economy production, two weekends back we offered our service in Cape Cod to the amazing reggae band John Browns Body.


It was a weekend of frisbees, flip flops and sun on our shoulders. :) JBB played two sold out shows at the Beach Comber and on the second night we showed up with the cameras rolling. The show was fantastic and the band was clearly touched with our no strings attached offer.

To view the film click below.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Signing in from Cape Cod

Currently I'm out by the edge of a road in Cape Cod barely holding on to a stray wireless signal :) So i'll make this short. Last week was very amazing. I spent 8 days at a summer camp called camp TLC (Teens Living a Challenge) www.jdaf.org which is available for teens living with HIV/AIDS. We had an amazing screening of Lusaka Sunrise www.lusakasunrise.com and the week as a whole was unbelievable. I hope to upload some of the video and photo's taken from the week very soon. We even created a 6 minute murder mystery short :)

Yet before the week at TLC, I spent an afternoon with my amazing Uncle Henry Hagerty who is a actor/filmmaker in NYC. Over a glorious Thai food dinner on the upper west side we talked about the gift economy. While walking back to his apartment we both realized that one of his most powerful films was in fact created completely in line with the gift economy's principles. Everyone was volunteer, they worked with what was offered to them, and they focused on the power of a small 6-minute message.

So with that said, Henry was floored to add "Easter Clearing" to the Smooth Feather Line up. We're honored and excited to help spread this film's inspiring message.

Click below to view the film before its online release through Karmatube.org.



And if anyone is in Cape Cod, the Smooth Feather Studio, (my laptop) is set up in Harwich until tuesday of next week.

Also our after effects powerhouse Zach Graber www.zgraber.com, has volunteered to create an intro graphic for Smooth Feather. We're very excited to see what he comes up with.


Big Smiles,
Silas

Sunday, August 12, 2007

The Jones Street Boys


This film is hot off the gift economy press! 6 months ago, 2 friends and I saw The Jones Street Boys play in Brooklyn and they rocked the house. After they released their album "Overcome" we were inspired to offer our services. :) So in June, Myles Jewell and I headed out to their CD release party with HD and 16mm Cameras Rolling.

Last week while in Vermont, Myles and I had a chance to create a film for the Boys. Here's an email we just sent out to the crew.
__
Brothers of Jones Street!

After talking to John the other day on the phone the Smooth Feather Posse finally had a chance to start logging through the footage from your CD release party. And needless to say we've been cranking ever since :)... last night we finished a short film for "Last Time". I think you guys are going to dig it.

We've also created a webpage for everything to be viewed in both YouTube and Quicktime HD formats.



Thanks again for all of your musical inspiration boys and hopefully this film can help spread the good vibes of Jones Street.

In service,

The Smooth Feather Posse :)

--
Here are a couple responses from the band.
--
Hot Hot Hot! Man, thanks for your hard work and labor of love. That video looks absolutely amazing! We just played a show at the Living Room together and I talked to all the boys in the band about your video and we were unilaterally blown away. Literally, when the topic of your video arose in separate conversations, each person’s eyes lit up and each individual got really excited!

Really great work, and many many MANY thanks!
--
Holy crap Silas! This is amazing! Thanks SO much...
I love that graphic you made up with the video embed... is there any way to get me that code so we could embed that on our myspace page at the top? might be a good look...
You rule so much!
And once again, from the bottom of our instruments - THANK YOU times a billion twice...

Jonny and all of The Jones Street Boys

-Power of the Gift Economy- :)

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Smooth Feather Update

Since my last blog entry it has been….well… 3 months…..lol :) The reason for my literary absence is something that I was thinking about on a Burlington Vermont couch this morning at 8 A.M. listening to the rain. Then I got an email from my buddy Paul Damon which basically said, “people want to know whats up with Smooth Feather”. So Paul, thanks for the push brother man. :)
Making our projects transparent to the public is something that I’m working on. I feel that sometimes I enjoy being a bit under the radar and then letting the films speak for themselves. Yet these days so much of the amazing experiences I’m having are happening outside of the filming itself. So I’ve made a commitment to do 1 blog entry a week,… for whatever it is worth.

Yet first, I’ll summarize the events of Smooth Feather over the past 3 months.


___________LAKOTA PROJECT- May 22nd-May 29th>___________


Adam, Vena, Kendra and myself set out on a cross-country voyage to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in Porcupine, South Dakota. Two years ago, a Lakota Medicine Man by the name of Jim Miller asked me if he could assist him in making a film “to help heal his Lakota people.” Jim explained that in 2003 he had a vision of riding on horseback over 350 miles from South Dakota to Mankato Minnesota. Jim went on to explain that his vision was directly connected to the largest mass hanging in North American which took place in Mankato on December 26th, 1863. Under the direction of Abe Lincoln, 38 Lakota warriors we’re hung by the shores of the Minnesota River.

After having this vision, Jim decided that by reenacting this ride himself he could provide his Lakota people with a process for healing. In December of 2008, Jim is organizing a ride for reconciliation on horseback which will trace the 350 miles of his vision and honor the 38 Lakota warriors that were hung.

After spending a week with Jim and his entire family, Adam, Vena, Kendra and myself came away inspired and excited to assist in documenting this amazing event.

When I get back to NYC next week I hope to upload a couple clips from the footage we shot. Here is a shot of our great friend "Baby J" at Pine Ridge.


_____TIBET ORAL HISTORY PRJOECT- June 16th-July 16th_____

(This excerpt is from a journal entry from June.)
6/16/07- Currently I’m flying at 583 MPH at an altitude of 37,000 ft. just about to cross over into Pakistan. Looking up at the digital GPS map I just noticed that while I was sleeping we soared over Baghdad and Kuwait. A pretty intense flight pattern which will eventually bring us to Bangalore, India in less than two hours. For the next three weeks we will be living in a Tibetan settlement called Bylakuppe and will be interviewing Tibetan elders about their histories.

So how I got to this seat on the plane is quite an interesting thing. And how I got here seeing as though we recently switched Smooth Feather over into the gift economy is even more interesting. :) Two months ago my good friend Jenny Douglas (Karma Tube Founder) asked if I might be willing to lend some gift economy service to a woman named Tashi Chodron who is working on a project regarding Tibetan Elders. I agreed to help Tashi with editing 7 hours of interview footage into a 7-minute promotional piece that would be shown at the Tibet House on May 17th. The goal was to create a short film that would provide a feel for what the Tibet Oral History project was all about. Below is the film we created.



On May 17th the above film was shown at the Tibet House in Manhattan as part of a fundraiser for the Tibet Oral History Project. Before the event Tashi casually mentioned that it would be great if I spoke a bit about Smooth Feather/ the gift economy before showing the film that we put together. I happily agreed and wasn’t fazed by it until I read the program for the evening. The two acts to go on before me were:

-Speech by Former Representative to the Dalai Lama, Rinchen Dharlo
-Musical Performance by Tenzin Kunse (who recently Opened for the Dalai Lama at a sold out Madison Square Garden)

Needless to say they both rocked the house and then the mic was passed to me. :) It was an amazing honor to follow such a high caliber introduction.

After the Premier Tashi and the Tibet Oral History project invited both Jenny Douglas and Myself to travel to Bylakuppe and join 1 of the four filming teams.

Here are a few still photos taken in Bylakuppe by one of Smooth Feather's top photographers Sean Goodwin.





Video from Bylakuppe will soon become available through the Tibet Oral History Project. www.tibetoralhistory.org


_________________JOE DAMON PROJECT_________________

(Here’s an excerpt from Joe’s Blog)
We had a very successful event, Friday, July 27, on the lawn, at our home, (in Connecticut) commemorating the premiere of a documentary, chronicling the life of a Traumatic Brain Injury patient, me, in this case. According to the forecast, there was the threat of a thunderstorm, but good luck prevailed and the weather remained perfect all night, highlighted by the moonrise of a nearly-full moon. With approximately 80 people in attendance, the film lasted about 20 minutes. Preceding the documentary, we showed Joe’s Progress, which Lynn had compiled of photos that she had taken, or, that she found in her collection, and following the documentary we viewed another documentary, also filmed by Silas Hagerty, chronicling the struggle of a quadriplegic, named Zack.

*Joe's 18 Minute Documentary will be released Online by the end of August. Stay tuned.


___________________ZACK’S PROJECT___________________

This film is just about to hit the airwaves. When I first made a list of people I wanted to offer my services to back in April, my good friend Zack Weinstein was one of the first names on the list. 2 years ago Zack broke his neck while playing around on the Saco River in Maine. Zack is now a quadriplegic and paralyzed from the chest down. Over parts of May and June I spent time with Zack up at Skidmore where he is now back at school. We are currently polishing a final cut of the film and we have an orginal score from Smooth Feather composer powerhouse Jay Mckay. :) Get ready folks. It should be available online within the next two weeks.

Here's a film still from an interview with Zack.

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Getting to know Joe


Last week was the first time that I’ve ever cried while giving an interview. Since leaving the boys at 84 North 9th Street in Brooklyn one month ago, the “filmgrimage” :) has brought many powerful moments. For the past 8 days, I had the incredible honor of spending time with the Damon family in Connecticut. One year ago my buddy Paul Damon from UVM sent me this email from Italy.

Silas,
Sorry I didn't tell you before I left Vermont…my mom called me at 4:50am as I was about to go off to fedex,
dad was in a drug induced coma and on a respirator, he is off the respirator and breathing on his own despite his broken ribs, (he hit the equivalent of an 18 wheeler truck), also they have stopped the drugflow and now we are seeing if he comes out of the coma in a timely and natural manner. it is scary. so anyways
i can't type anymore right now, I don't know what to say , just have to wait, but tonight was better with my mom, grandmom and sister, better spirits than last night , so that is good
thanks dog
love paul

Since this email 15 months ago, Paul’s father Joe has been struggling with a traumatic brain injury, and continually works towards putting the pieces of his life back together. Making a film about this emotional subject brought all of us to tears at different points.

Getting to know Joe was so amazing….:) I think I’ll let the footage speak for itself.

Here are a couple excerpts from the video we shot last week.