#and a cool electrician who did us a huge favor

[alirhi]

Finally caught somewhat of a break. I'm in a tremendous amount of pain even with my meds, but it's been a good day overall.

A few weeks ago, we had a small electrical fire in our bathroom, only we didn't know that's what it was at first. It tripped the outlet on the house, which shut down power to the camper and killed the fire before it could really catch. This happened every time we tried resetting the outlet and plugging the camper back in, until finally one of us was inside while the other fiddled with the power and loud buzzing was heard and bright blue light from sparks/flames was seen and we went "oh. okay, no touchy. got it." So we've been without even the minimal power we had for some time now, just one extension cord run from the house, through our kitchen window to a power strip we used to run lights, the space heater on colder nights, and charge electronics. It fucking sucked. We ended up putting the small appliances in storage, since we couldn't use any of them. no power to the outlets, and nowhere to put them near the power strip.

So anyway, that sucked ass, but we got through it, and a few days ago we talked to someone outside the entrance to Walmart who was asking for donations to help the homeless. I told him "sorry, we're in the same boat" and he asked if we need help. Sis and I explained the situation we're in the best we could, asking if he knew any electricians who would be willing to help for free, and he took sis's number and said he'd put out feelers online. Said he was pretty connected.

Dude wasn't kidding. The NEXT MORNING, someone called, and she was texting with him and setting up a time for him to come out and take a look. This afternoon, he replaced the bathroom outlet and faulty wiring that was causing the fire, cleaned out the crappy paper insulation that was feeding said fire, and was kind enough to do it all for free. He then gave me a quote for the cost of installing a 30amp outlet on the house so we could fully power this damn thing and have things like a working fridge and running hot water. It'll be insanely pricey, but when he broke it down for us, I realized he was still giving us the steepest discount he could. We'd mostly be paying for the (holy shit expensive) wire. Absolute sweetheart, as is the man outside Walmart who put us in touch with him. I'm so glad I didn't just scoot by with a "sorry, not today" when he asked if we wanted to donate.

Sis also found a baby garter snake in the yard today with a crushed tail. He still gets around okay and the injury seems to be low enough that his organs are functioning pretty well (he peed on her hand lmao and chugged water when we put some out for him; I've never seen a snake drink before and that was cute as hell).

We called a wildlife rescue that's going to take him tomorrow and see what they can do to help him, so he's resting in a fish tank with some paper towels and the little bottle cap full of water. Absolutely enamored with lil sis lol. He was scared at first, which makes sense; poor thing was trapped, injured, and these huge stompy creatures were hovering over him and touching him. But then she got him free of the dirt and grass he was caught on and he slithered all over her arms and shoulders. kept trying to go up her sleeves to hide lol. I asked to hold him before he's gone (originally she was going to drive him to the rescue while I waited for the electrician, but it was too far away and she didn't want to drive alone) and he wasn't having it. Wanted to stay with her.

Even after we got him in the tank, he stuck as close to her as he could. While she was standing nearby talking to the friend who loaned us the tank, he was nestled in the corner under the towels, when we got him inside and she sat by him, he smooshed up against the side she was sitting at and kept trying to climb out to her. Now she's in her room (opposite side of the camper from the seat she'd occupied) and he's hanging out on the side of the tank closest to her room. Every time she gets near or walks by, he follows her the best he can. it's fucking adorable. Wants nothing to do with me, but that's okay. He's still cute and sweet and I hope he makes it through the night and they can help him tomorrow.

I'm so grateful we were even there for sis to see him trapped. We never go into friend's yard if we can help it, but she's got baby chicks and said we can play with them if we want, so naturally we both booked it over to the coop to see the cute fluffies lol. and there next to it was this poor little guy stuck and hurt and dehydrated and probably scared to death.

I feel so blessed that someone was able and willing to help us, and that we're able to help this little snake. I just keep praying... Mother above, please let him be okay. He's such a wee babe.

#life shit #ali rambles #today was a good day #snek #lil snakey #cute #baby danger noodle #and a cool electrician who did us a huge favor #but guys omg this snake is SO CUTE #okay #shutting up now #lol

[portfolioshowcase]

Interview, Autumn Durald - A Transforming Force

Hey, Autumn! Are you having fun shooting a western film? 

Unfortunately the western I was supposed to shoot at the start of the year was pushed. When we do start shooting it will be a wild ride. 

Are you doing things differently with this project or there are significant changes to how you shoot?

The short film has the same storyline so we already had a test run at the visuals. On the short film, I shot 35mm anamorphic and I flashed and pulled the film stock. I plan on doing that as well for the feature along with some other tricks.

As the imagery should tell the right story, and each story has it's own look, Do you think it's possible for a Cinematographer to have a particular visual aesthetic?

When I first started out I didn’t use to subscribe to this theory, however, I do now. I find that people often tell me that there’s definitely a particular visual style in all of my work. Which made me think more about other Cinematographers work I love, and now I can see why someone would say that. Every story has its own distinctive look, but a DP definitely brings their taste and eye to each project, and if you have a strong one then it shines.

How do you translate the combined vision of the writer and the director - on film? Have there been times when you went a little too adventurous?

All of my feature work, now six features have been with writer-directors. This makes it easy when talking to the director about the vision since he/she also wrote it. I wouldn’t say I’ve ever gone too adventurous, nothing the director and I didn’t dive into together. On the Arcade Fire “porno” music video/documentary film I shot for director Kahlil Joseph in Haiti we definitely did some adventurous things, but he is a very adventurous filmmaker so it’s par for the course when you shoot with him.

Do you feel that the courage to allow the moments of the characters and the overall atmosphere to be raw, not just as a form of a mental stimulation but more visible is something that makes increases the viewer's investment into the film? Can it increase the emotional magnitude of the film? 

Some stories should be told visually with a lighter touch, then the characters stand out the most. It’s not our job as Cinematographers to take our audience out of the story by showing how flashy our work can be or how cool our framing is. If our choices don’t suit the story and add depth to the emotional quality of the scene then we aren’t doing our job correctly. I don’t think an image has to be handheld and only naturally lit to feel realistic or raw. If those qualities are appropriate then great, but I do think you can manufacture a realistic tone through lighting it and keeping the camera more still.

When you are shooting, do you ever think about whether you would want the audience to be an experiencer standing by or let's say a third actor in the film? How do you experience the movies or photographs you reference to or enjoy?

Definitely depends on the project. I’d say for Palo Alto it was important to express intimately what these teenagers were going through and have you feel like you were a part of their world. We also chose not to shoot it in a gritty handheld doc style. I don’t think the camera work or look has to be loose for audiences to feel like they are apart of the scene. Gia and I favored a much more considered camera style and dreamy visuals, and we knew our audiences were sophisticated enough to relate. 

Coming back to your process, can you talk to us about how you transform the use of light according to specific scenes and according to the nature of the film? Can you please share with us some of your experiences over the years shooting and working with light? 

When I was at AFI (my graduate film school) my focus was always more lighting driven. The DPs that inspired me to choose Cinematography as a career had a very strong sense of light in their work. Gordon Willis, Harris Savides, Conrad Hall, and Michael Ballhaus. Sadly none of these DPs are with us anymore but their work is incomparable. So I made it a point early on in my career to learn lighting and what a gaffer does, and what they do well. I find the technical aspect of lighting intriguing and early on I always paid attention to what my gaffers and electricians were doing on set. When I read a script one of the first things I can visualize is how the light falls in the space or scene. I’m not sure why that is or when in my career this happened but it's something that becomes apparent first. After discussing the look with the director this definitely evolves, but I start from there. If it’s a period piece there are already some limitations set in stone depending on the genre. I favor using hard and soft light together in a scene. And most importantly where the light comes from should serve a purpose.

Can you share with us the experiences you went through in order to widen your vision, your imagination and your dreams? Is it exhausting to spread your wings in a society as it is?

The two most important things a good DP should draw from is her/his sense of taste and their confidence. When you have a good sense of taste and the confidence to carry it out that’s where the images speak for themselves. It can be exhausting at times to get the projects you want to shoot. This career has a lot to do with determination and patience. Since Palo Alto, I get offered a ton of coming of age films. That is not the only story I want to tell or can tell. So it takes some work convincing this industry that you can shoot a variety of genres. Putting in that work can be exhausting but you’re a better DP for it. I wrapped a film called Teen Spirit last summer, it was an amazing experience and probably the film that most widened my vision and imagination. The film turned into something so special that I couldn't’ have predicted that when I read the script. Those are the most enlightening experiences, when you work your ass off, along with your team, and your directors' vision shines and they ultimately put together a good film. Those experiences can be few and far between. That’s when you feel your wings spreading when everything just comes together and you're proud of the final film you shot. Finding directors to work with that inspire you and you trust to tell great stories is one of the most important things I’ve learned making films.

Do you feel as more women come into filmmaking, they are going to bring an entirely new perspective to it and ultimately inspire a life from the heart than the mind? 

The best and most successful films ultimately all come from the heart. That’s why you feel so emotionally connected to them. Female filmmakers started making films in the late 1800’s. It’s only now we’ve decided to shine a huge light on the subject. If audiences were paying attention, female told stories and perspectives have been out there for a long time. Now this current light on female filmmakers is allowing more women opportunities which are allowing more of those stories to be told. Hopefully, one day making it more of an equal landscape, mainstream films directed by women and men. Instead of what we’re most used to seeing at the box office, female and male stories told by men. I appreciate both perspectives, I think it’s fascinating to watch a female protagonist directed by a man and then see one directed by a woman. This diversity is what makes filmmaking so fun. You don’t need to be a male to tell a mans story and vice versa. Just because I’m a woman doesn’t mean I can’t shoot a masculine film. One of my favorite lensed films is BLOW,  I remember the first time I saw it I looked up who the DP was. I was so delighted and inspired to see it was shot by a woman. Ellen Kuras is one of the reasons I thought I could even do this job when I finally decided to pursue it. Great cinematography or filmmaking shouldn’t see gender.

Before I ask you the last question, can you tell us, how would you compose silence? 

Not sure how I would go about that, but if I was brainstorming a way to do it, I would start by sitting in a room with a Rothko painting.

Lastly, what would you suggest or share with other cinematographers?

Find your own sense of visual style and taste and run with it. Great work comes from the soul and only you can tell that story. Don’t be too concerned with making everything so precious in the frame. When you do that it tends to draw you away from the actual story and also the other artists making the film with you. You learn more about your style, the way you shoot and telling stories by all your mistakes. Take those mistakes and learn from them, don’t forget them. I am fortunate enough to do this as a career and I love my job, but this job is nothing without the people I work with. Filmmaking is a team effort and without that support, we as DPs can’t carry out our vision. Always appreciate your hard working crew and figure out the best way to lead them. And last but not least, for all you girls who want to be DPs but are discouraged by the lack of diversity in the industry, just go out and do it. There shouldn’t be anything stopping you. If you have a unique perspective and can create beautiful images, that is enough to get your foot in some door. I hope seeing more female shooters now is a testament to that. 

Interview with Autumn Durald Arkapaw

WWW.AUTUMNDURALD.COM

www.instagram.com/addp

Interviewed by The Portfolio

#Interview #Cinemtographer #Palo Alto #Untogether #One and Two #The Good Time Girls

[topicprinter]

So my wife and I opened up our first business two years ago, and eco friendly dry cleaner. We opened up in a brand new 7 story building with retail on the bottom and housing above. We signed the lease even before the building was finished being constructed. The other two retail renter are Starbucks and Roebuck’s.Since we first signed on we have a had a problem with the ac. Whether it is the wiring or the units themselves or what have you it turns out the two 10 ton units were never installed properly and the wiring was too small of gage to begin with on top of that. The landlord has been really cool about it all but his management company are being totall asses about it.We have been going back and forth for two summers about this, and they have come to a “conclusion”.Do I have a point/case here? Or should I just pay?All the other info you would need is in the email below.I am about to press send... should I?. . . . . THERE EMAIL -Hello YYYYYY,As you well know, it has taken some time to get to this point, but we have finally discovered what the issue is with your HVAC and how to correct it.The units that were installed by the builder require 50 amp power, however, 30 amp power was run to them instead. Had this issue been brought to our attention within the builder's warranty period, ownership would have been able to have that corrected by the builder at no cost. Since the warranty has expired these repairs must be made out of pocket. Ownership has offered to pay 50% of the cost of the repairs below required to get the systems up and running and you, the tenant, would be responsible for the other 50%. We feel that this is a fair and generous offer given that both the Landlord and Builder warranty have expired. Ownership has also covered all XXXX air Chief repairs costs up to this point as well as one other Team Electric invoice. Therefore your portion of total repairs will end up being less than 50% of the project total.XXXX Electric installation breakdown is as follows:Using empty existing raceways from roof to cleaners unit. On the roof - connect to the existing raceway and install new 100 ft emt on the roof to each AC unit. Connect to disconnects. Install a surface mount emt raceway from ceiling box to panels about 40 ft. Rearrange breakers and install new ones to make room for one roof unit (the one no one can find where it goes to). Total materials and labor - $4000.00**price does not include : Patch paint if necessary (ph level hallway)I hope that you will agree that this is very fair. Please reply to this email with your acceptance of the offer and we will make sure XXXX Electric gets back out there tomorrow to complete the work and get your HVAC system up and running. Feel free to call me with any questions.. . . . . .MY FINAL EMAIL-Hello XXXXX,I am glad that the cause of the problem has finally been pin pointed, although it is extremely disappointing it took this long to do so. I’d like to list the events in order that brought us to this point in time, as it is very relevant when you are talking about what is “fair”. Please keep in mind that during the summer it is an average of 95 degrees in our shop due to the hot steam from our pressing equipment and the hot air from our dryers, thus the working environment for our employees have been almost inhumane due to the heat. We are not a juice or coffee company that do not have to worry about these factors.-June ’17: when we took control of our space, we were asked if we could suffice with just one of the two electrical panels that were allocated to our unit. As a favor to XXXX we crammed all of our machines' electrical into one panel, not leaving any room for any additional breakers if we did one day decide to add another machine. This in turn became a huge problem and has led to us being without AC for going on 2 years, as the company hired to move the box mixed up wires between the two boxes (including the HVAC wires) that were located after 2 years when XXXX, the electrician, came out last week. -July/August ’18: we contacted management, ownership, as well as the builders about the issue with the HVAC and the wiring.  Please see attached, as the building did not receive final till April/May of 2018, therefore this should have been well within the builder’s warranty period.-Aug ’18: XXXX (the builder) finally comes to our space to locate the wires. He finds a set of wires and tells me he believes these set of wires are for our HVAC— as we soon come to find out, these were not in fact the correct wires.-Aug ’18: since we thought we had found our wiring per XXXX, we hired a reputable HVAC company to come hook up the units and pay out of our pocket. The technician is not able to fix the units due to ongoing problems from installation. We still have to pay the HVAC company $1,800 for their three days of time and labor. At this point summer is over and the air conditioning is no longer needed. -July, 2 ’19: I contact XXX from XXX and Co. about HVAC seeing as how it is summer again and we have exhausted our options and were looking for help. At this point XXXX informed me that we need to call an HVAC company to fix the issue (when I mentioned we already have) and on top of that we need to get insurance on our units immediately. I then had to contract ownership before being taken seriously. •“Upon review of your lease, I found that your warranty period has expired.  There was a period of 6 months from the Start Date where you could bring system malfunctions to our attention and it would be fixed by the landlord and it has been over 2 years. You are also required by the lease to carry an HVAC service contract to maintain the systems in working order, which was a condition of said Landlord warranty. “•“I'd recommend calling a reputable HVAC service company of your choice to make any repairs to the system.  Then please secure an HVAC service contract and provide me a copy of said contract as soon as possible.  Let me know if you have any questions.”•“what XXXX and XXXX have said, it appears there are two units within the suite, but I have yet to confirm. XXXX says that the second unit was not hooked up by the builder's electrician but the first unit was operational. The lease says that the Premises shall be delivered with the HVAC in good working order. It says issues with systems can be fixed by Landlord if brought to our attention within 6 months of occupancy start date.”July 29, ’19:  Three weeks later we finally get the first company, XXXXXX air to come look at our units. The technician comes, does not even get on a ladder to look at the units, just tells us that we are running the AC too cold and we should have it set to 75 and not 70, and then leaves. We then receive this update from Seana in regards to XXXX Air’s visit:•“for unit #1, I have scheduled XXXX air to come back on this Thursday between 12 pm and 5 pm to take another look.  They told me that if the unit is set too low, it will overload the pump and make it not work as well, especially in high summer temps.”-July 30: I have to contact XXXX and Co again and ask them to send the technician back out. At this point XXXX from XXX and Co informs me that she will not be sending anyone out until we can provide the service contract for our (not functioning units) before she will send someone back out. •“I've requested you send me your HVAC service contract repeatedly.  The reason I've made it a condition of putting your air conditioning unit #2 in operation is because that is what your lease states.  I sent you an email previously that had all of the pertinent clauses listed within it for your reference including the one that states that the landlord warranty can only be utilized by the tenant if the tenant holds a current service contract.”August 1 ’19: I again have to contact ownership to have someone sent back out because XXXX and Co is refusing. August 3 ’19: XXXXX Air returns, and once again the technician does not get on a ladder to look at the units, simply goes on the roof checks things out, then leaves without even speaking to us. August 8 ’19: I am contacted by XX from Moss and Co who informs me she will send out an electrician. August 9 ’19: the electrician comes and finds many problems, ultimately finds the wiring that we have been looking for for 2 years, and connects the equipment. August 10 ‘ 19: I contact XXX and Co. again as the units are still not working. August 13 ’19: XXXX Air comes back out, finally gets on a ladder and hooks up the wiring for the fau units. August 14 ’19: I have to contact XXXX and Co again as the units STILL are not working. August 17 ’19: the electrician returns and finds out the the original wiring from the roof to our unit was done incorrectly, and that the entire wiring needs to be completely redone. August 20 ’19: XXXX is back from vacation, and informs me that they now, after 7 weeks and FIVE different days of technicians coming out they have FINALLY found the issue, and we are sent this:•“Since the warranty has expired these repairs must be made out of pocket.  Ownership has offered to pay 50% of the cost of the repairs below required to get the systems up and running and you, the tenant, would be responsible for the other 50%. “In conclusion, we have brought this issue up to management, ownership, and the builder on numerous occasions, we hired an HVAC company on our own to come fix the issue. After having to fight tooth and nail just to get management to take us seriously and send someone out, after being told the front unit was already set up by the builders, after being told we need insurance on said units… Moss and Co is now confirming that the units were never given to us in working order but that they should have been per our lease, and that it was indeed the builders fault due to faulty wiring upon installation. Yet, we are to pay for half of the re-wiring job?It would have been nice if everyone took us seriously from the beginning so we could have had this resolved at the beginning of last summer, and not the end of this summer. Sure thing, send me the bill.

#/r/smallbusiness #reddit