Monthly Archives: March 2014
My Guest Post on the Xrite Blog!
In January, I was asked by Xrite to do a guest post about the ColorChecker Passport. In February, I sent them an article, and now in March, they posted it! I was very excited to write it. The truth is, creating the content only took about 15 minutes because using the CCP is so easy. However, I wrote the article three different ways and revised it a few times and then just decided that how I write is what I sound like. So I sent it over. Above all, I just tried to keep it real. No deception, in fact I should say just in case, that I was asked to write the article after my former boss, Photographer Mark Wallace, asked the folks at Xrite to send me a CCP (for free). Writing the article about a product that I love was the least I could do. Finally, without too much more blabbering, here is the article:
Matt Madrid Freelance Video Production
Today I made this little ad for myself while working on some of my animation skills. I found a free, royalty-free, licensing-free template online, and added, removed, and adapted some of it’s content. I learn a lot from working with well-made files. I believe I could now create this entire thing form scratch if I needed to. Someday I hope I can create some content to share with the world in the same way.
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2014 Ostrich Festival
Yesterday my wife and I went to the Ostrich Festival in Gilbert, AZ where we saw two ostriches in a fenced in area and not much else. It basically was the State Fair, minus the art, plus rumors that their would be a lot of ostriches. We did have a great time, we just happened to be there in between Ostrich themed activities, on the last day of the festival. As I walked around with my camera, not quite sure what to take pictures of, I had the thought Why did I even bring this camera, this place looks like any other carnival and now I have to carry it around all day. Then my wife said something to me that seemed so normal, but for some reason it just really helped. she said, Aren’t you going to take any pictures? to which I replied, I don’t know, maybe. The she just said, Why don’t you take a picture of that? and she pointed to a huge swirling carnival ride. So I did, and just like that, the “I don’t know, maybe” phase was gone. Here is that picture:
Huge Swirling Carnival Ride/Creative Slump Breaker
It was weird just suddenly feeling much better about taking photos once I had started. It sort of spoke to me in a way that Mark Wallace used to bring up in some of the videos I made with him. If you don’t know what to take pictures of then just start taking pictures, once you have something captured it is much easier to think about it in different ways and go from there. I actually really like the picture above. I’m really glad I took it. I can’t believe I almost walked right passed it without even a glance.
I feel like if I try and read to much into this right now, I will force a blog post out that just becomes rambly, so I will leave you with my aforementioned paraphrase of Mark Wallace musings, and then show you one more picture I snapped of a guy from the BMX Freestyle Team that was performing at the festival.
BMX Freestyle Guy/Not an Ostrich
Land of the Blind – Capstone Film Project
I wanted to make sure that I had something posted in each category as I began setting up this blog and I thought that a good fit for this category would be my final film project from when I attended ASU. I wrote, directed, and produced this film during my last year right before I graduated in May 2011. I took a lot of time and a lot of money and I’m nearly done paying off the loans I had to take out to make it. I had help from so many wonderful friends and fellow film students, and so much support from my then girlfriend and now wife, and my family. I loved this project and still do.
PS. This video is posted on my editors vimeo page, that is why is says Frankie Mendoza instead of Matt Madrid. Frankie is awesome.
Click “VIMEO” in the bottom corner to watch it on Vimeo is it’s HD glory.
Caleb Frieze @ SoZo
I just wanted to share a couple of photos I snapped at the SoZo Coffeehouse when Caleb Frieze played a show on February 21st. My brother, Andrew, played the Cajon for his show. I always thought it was pronounced Cay-Jun, but apparently is Ca-Hone. I don’t know the language of origin but I’m guessing it’s South American Spanish or Portuguese. Anyway, the show was great and I recorded some video as well, but I am turning it over to Andrew and Caleb so they can use it on their own Youtube pages. Maybe I’ll post one soon.
Caleb Frieze
Andrew Madrid
Caleb Frieze
Freelancing Advice
How appropriate. On my last day at work, before beginning a period of self-employment, fstoppers posted THIS article with advice for freelancers. The article focuses on helping those who operate outside of normal working conventions to keep structure in their lives. After all, it is really easy to be lazy and spend every day fishing with Ron Livingston when the only thing on your calendar is the date. I’ve been worried that I will have a hard time keeping myself to a schedule, and I found the advice helpful. I could say that I posted this link so that everyone would see it and be inspired but the truth is, I saw it and I was inspired and that is what matters to me right now. I think I am mostly just sharing this because of the incredible timeliness of them having posted it. It was like the universe was saying, “You got this… but just in case, here.” So to anyone reading this I say, “I got this, but just in case you need it too… here.”
Matt Madrid 