Microphone Check

Sound acquisition for Shira Levin's short Upside Down. This scene is being shot in New York City's West Village.

Best 80's Films

Alright, this is a bit off topic, but I recently made an off-the-cuff comment about Do The Right Thing being one of the best 80's films and a colleague replied, "Are there good 80's films?" This set me off on a less-than-wise use of my time to compile the best 80's films and here is the list. Agree? Disagree? Did I leave any out? The top ten are in order. The top thirty are loosely in order. The rest are random.

Download Morgan's Best 80's Films as a .pdf HERE

Morgan’s Top Ten 80’s Films

Betty Blue (1986)

Wings of Desire (1987)

Blade Runner (1882)

Down By Law (1986)

The Shining (1980)         

Do the Right Thing (1989)

Brazil (1985)

The Blues Brothers (1980)

Scarface (1983)

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)

Top Twenty 80’s Films (because I can’t just live with 10)

Ragging Bull (1980)

Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982)

Akira (1988)

Caddyshack (1980)

Excalibur (1981)

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

Raising Arizona (1987)

Stranger Than Paradise (1984)

Fletch (1985)

The Breakfast  Club (1985)

Top Thirty 80’s Films (would include these)

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Gandhi (1982)

Cinema Paradiso (1988)

Dead Poets Society (1989)

Babette's Feast (1987)

Airplane! (1980)

My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

Platoon (1986)

Drugstore Cowboy (1989)

Honorable Mentions 80’s Films

The Princess Bride (1987)

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Ghost Busters (1984)

An American Werewolf in London (1981)

Broadcast News (1987)

After Hours (1985)

Poltergeist (1982)

Blood Simple (1984)

Aliens (1986)

Coming to America (1988)

Stand By Me (1986)

Back to the Future (1985)

Blue Velvet (1986)

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

The Dark Crystal (1981)

Highlander (1986)

Amadeus (1984)

Rain Man (1988)

Once Upon a Time in America (1984)

Clash of the Titans (1981)

Airplane 2: The Sequel (1982)

Mommie Dearest (1981)

Heathers (1989)

Ordinary People (1980)

The Elephant Man (1980)

Fanny and Alexander (1982)

The Killing Fields (1984)

Ran (1985)

Mississippi Burning (1988)

My Left Foot (1989)

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

Castle in the Sky (1986)

Dangerous Liaisons (1988)

Chariots of Fire (1981)

Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

Witness (1985)

Field of Dreams (1989)

The Color Purple (1985)

Paris, Texas (1984)

A Christmas Story (1983)

Tootsie (1982)

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)

The Mission (1986)

A Fish Called Wanda (1988)

Sophie's Choice (1982)

Red Dawn (1984)

Purple Rain (1984)

The Karate Kid (1984)

Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)

Robocop (1987)

Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)

Pee Wee's Big Adventure (1985)

National Lampoons Vacation (1983)

Labyrinth (1986)

Beetlejuice (1988)

No Lost Boys 1987

Neverending Story 1984

Say Anything... (1989)

Police Academy (1984)

The Outsiders (1983)

The Terminator (1984)

The Goonies (1985)

80’s Films I have not seen but are probably really good

Near Dark (1987)

Manhunter (1986)

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)

The King of Comedy (1983)

Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)

Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)

The Last Emperor (1987)

Das Boot (1981)

Au Revoir Les Enfants (1987)

Terms of Endearment (1983)

The Official Story (1985)

Salaam Bombay! (1988)

Kagemusha (1980)

A Room with a View (1985)

Time of the Gypsies (1988)

A Passage to India (1984)

Reds (1981)

The Running Man (1987)

Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)

Mephisto (1981)

80’s Films that will not make my list but my friends will be unhappy with my choices

Flashdance (1983)

Footloose (1983)

First Blood (1982)

Tron (1982)

The Untouchables (1987)

Big (1988)

Gremlins (1984)

Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)

Mannequin (1987)

The Little Mermaid (1989)

The Right Stuff (1983)

Die Hard (1988)

The Untouchables (1987)
Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)

A Quick Overview of Camera Stabilization

Morgan teaches video production and post production at Downtown Community Television (DCTV) in New York City. A student recently asked me about Steadicams®. I thought I would post some information here for her to retrieve.

From Wikipedia:

Steadicam is a brand of camera stabilizer mount for motion picture cameras that mechanically isolates it from the operator's movement. It allows for a smooth shot, even when moving quickly over an uneven surface. The Steadicam was invented by cameraman Garrett Brownand was introduced in 1975.

The Steadicam® website has sixteen different configurations for videocameras alone. A page to help you pick which model is best for you based on the camera's weight is HERE.

If you go to the B&H Photo/Video webpage you'd find many choices for DSLR camera stabilization:

Support Type

• Hand-Held (107)
• Shoulder (266)
• Cage System (200)
• Tripod-Based System (230)
• Body Brace Support (38)

Not all of these are steadicam systems but I think you're starting to see there are many options.

Beyond the typical steadicam support systems, gimbal systems are getting popular and affordable.

Here is a cool behind the scenes peak into a gimbal being used.

But they are not cheap. HERE is the least expensive model from Defy.

Finally, on Steadicam workshops: 2-day workshops cost $600. The workshop includes breakfast and lunch and attendees receive a Certificate of Completion and a Steadicam t-shirt. Learn more HERE.

Videomaker Interview's Final Resting Place

The 40-minute Videomaker interview with Nomadic Frames' Morgan Paar has found a permanent home. It should be able to be viewed here for all of eternity!

View it HERE.

Morgan's Interview Appears in Filmmaking Journal (without permission)

Morgan's interview in the Videomaker webcast was included in the most recent issue of The #Filmmaking Journal (Friday, March 14, 2014), without permission. I guess we don't own the content but I doubt very much Videomaker gave them permission to repost. Guess this is the way the world works in the Digital Age. More exposure I guess. It's all good with us.

HERE is a link to the issue of The #Filmmaking Journal

scroll down to "EDUCATION" to view.

Or just click HERE to see the webcast interview. Morgan comes in at 17 minutes.

Videomaker Conducts Live Skype Video Interview With Nomadic Frame's Morgan Paar

Wednesday afternoon at 2pm Eastern Time. Click HERE to watch live or watch the recorded segment.

Blog Post On Videomaker.com By Morgan

I wrote a blog post for Videomaker.com about a Panasonic press event I attended last Thursday. The press briefing showcased three new Panasonic professional cameras and a 4K production monitor that the company will unveil next month at NAB, the National Association of Broadcasters in Las Vegas.

Check out the posting HERE.

The New York Times Travel Show

Our first New York Times Travel Show was a great success. We meet so many tour operators, tourism bureaus and other travel professionals over three days. We also ran into fellow travel colleagues such as Bare Feet with Mickela Mallozzi who helped us with your pitch.  Now we need to weed through piles of business cards, fliers and pamphlets and contact all the organizations we pressed flesh with.

Harvest and Eat Seaweed with Ngobe Indians

Have you ever eaten seaweed? Have you ever harvested it? You can do this and so much more at Urraca Private Island. Van and I spent three wonderful days in this paradise with the owner Francine Roy. Check out our 4-minute video below.

A big thank you to Nuque Palacio, Elisia Mumani, Cecilio Mumani and Ignacio Bruce, four local Ngobe India's who took excellent care of us. I really wish we could have spent a few more days with you!

Emmmm... seaweed. Eat it, drink it or spread it on your skin.

Cecilio paddles me out to the seaweed farm in a traditional Ngobe canoe. BYOMS (bring your own mask and snorkle).

Check out the video at TripFilms HERE

Check out Urraca Private Island HERE

Edible Jungle in the TripFilms Newsletter

It appears we made the weekly TripFilms newsletter. Truly exciting as TripFilms has a wide following and it helps us get recognized. Thanks TripFilms!

view the TripFilms blog HERE

Eat Chocolate in Paradise [4-minute video]

Vân and I are honored to have earned our 19th Editor's Pick award and a Video Pick of the Week award from TripFilms.com with our new short doc Edible Jungle. This was the first piece entirely edited by Vân and I think you would agree that she did an excellent job. We are sending this short out to festivals right now.

view the video on TripFilms HERE

view the video on Vimeo HERE

In case you couldn't tell from this video, we absolutely loved our time at La Loma. I can't think of many of my friends or family who wouldn't love it as well.

Check out La Loma Jungle Lodge and Chocolate Farm HERE

Apple Nails It Again

What is more impressive than shooting a video in one day in fifteen different locations in ten countries? That is was all shot on an iPhone? No. Watch the minute and a half ad first:

I knew when I saw this commercial during the Super Bowl that it was a bit more than just a bunch of people shooting video with their iPhones. I should have known that it took hundreds of thousands of dollars. Much of this support gear (gear holding the cameras) costs tons of cash just to RENT! Then there are the professionals working behind them. Then there is Jake Scott, son of Ridley Scott, directing it. This is impressive. Apple nails it again. Not only making a great commercial but doing it in a... impressive way.

More about it at the No Film School website.

More from Apple here.

Shameless Plug for a Good Friend with an Excellent Book

If you are in Northern California anywhere near Monterey Monday, January 27th, do yourself a favor and go check out my good friend Stu Thornton speak about his new book about one of the most beautiful stretches of land and sea in the world. Stu is an excellent speaker and one of the funniest guys I know and this guy knows the California coast.



Monterey Hostel Potluck/Travel Program 
“Gems of the Central Coast”
With guest speaker Stuart Thornton 
MONDAY, JANUARY 27th
AT THE HI-MONTEREY HOSTEL
778 Hawthorne at Irving, New Monterey
Monterey CA 93940
Potluck at 6 pm, Program at 6:45 pm
For hostel info, call 649-0375.

Nomadic Frames Photo Used For Film Festival Campaign

The Real Food Media Contest used Vân Nguyen's photo of Morgan Paar for their Twitter campaign. Search #realfoodcontest to see the other photos.

Check it out HERE.