Tell a small story that tells the big story - that is the idea behind each real stories segment. This video is a test pilot for an institutional marketing strategy that relies on the stories of extrodinary individuals as a means to communicate branding. Currently Wesleyan University is featuring this video on their homepage as part of an overall effort to boost their web presence with multimedia storytelling.

Real Stories - Wesleyan from Reckoning Studios on Vimeo.

December 2009

charity: water

When Tonic.com asked Michael Trainer and I to cover the latest charity: water fundraiser gala, we jumped at the chance. The event was spectacular and we watched as this remarkable non-profit smashed through its stated goal of providing clean drinking water for over 1 million people in Africa. I love how they seperate out their operations fundraising from their public fundraising - this means that 100% of the donations they receive from the public go directly to installing wells in Africa.

October 2009

The Dogs

When your friend gets married and decides to dress his wedding party like the gangsters in Reservoir Dogs, you have to make a video.

TheDogs from Adam Barton on Vimeo.

October 2009

Human Services

The Human Services Council is an umbrella organization that works to support hundreds of service providing non-profits across New York City. Given the recent financial downturn, many of these organizations have been forced to cut staff while simultaneously serving an increasingly needy population. I teamed up with Pro-Media Communications and directed this 5-minute short that highlights the work of a nurse in East Harlem. We wanted to present her story to help people understand the importance of Human Services in these increasing challenging times.

September 2009

The Last Crop

THE LAST CROP tells a personal journey of a family caught in the middle of a delicate interplay between urban and agricultural space in California's Central Valley. The film follows Annie and Jeff Main, owners of a small organic farm, as they try to remain viable in a rapidly changing and highly competitive agricultural environment. Directed by Chuck Schultz of Blueprint Productions, THE LAST CROP is still in production as the story continues to evolve. I came on board in the spring to cut a 20-minute “first act” as well as a trailer (posted below). Chuck is currently showing the 20-minute cut at private fundraiser and screenings while periodically shooting in California and Brooklyn.

The Last Crop new 3 minute trailer from Chuck Schultz on Vimeo.

August 2009

H.A.A.R.M.

The H.A.A.R.M. attack ads are a part of an initiative by the labor union SEIU (Service Employees International Union) to raise awareness about the new healthcare reforms that the Obama administration is currently trying to push through. Directed by funny-lady Negin Farsad, these little shorts poke holes in the arguments being made against healthcare reform with an absurdist and wisecracking tone. I served as the director of photography and editor on the project.

July 2009

Soul of Steel

Anima D'Acciaio (Soul of Steel) is my latest collaboration with director Dan Leeb of Cinecycle. It profiles the work of legendary Italian frame builder Giovanni Pelizzoli aka "Ciocc" - a staunch advocate of hand craftsmanship and quality building. Below is a trailer that Dan put together to promote the film as it tours around with the International Bicycle Film Fest. We had the pleasure of working with Simone and Amedeo Pace of Blonde Redhead on this project as they composed an original score for the film. I shot some second camera and handled the editing and post production - my second consecutive edit in a foreign language.

Anima D'Acciaio Trailer Ver5.1 from Cinecycle on Vimeo.

May 2009

China's Unnatural Disaster

On May 12, 2008, a major earthquake struck Sichuan Province in China. HBO's Sheila Nevins dispatched the director/producer team of Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill of DCTV to go and document the events that followed this disaster. Over 70,00 people died - 10,000 were children who were crushed while trying to flee their school buildings. It became quickly obvious that shoddy construction and local government corruption had contributed to the deaths of so many of these children. China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province is a film that documents the parents of dead children after this tragedy and their quest for understanding and government accountability.

In May and June of 2008 I was hard at work for Jon and Matthew as an associate editor on a basketball film for ESPN. Just before returning to the States, Jon and Matthew were surrounded by 30 police and arrested - however they had had the forsight to ship out their footage the day before. When they did return they were unable to find editors able to speak the Sichuan dialect. So they asked me to join up with Dr. Ming Xia - a native of Sichuan and professor of Chinese Politics at CUNY - and we began a 6 month process of putting together this film.

Editing this film was a trying experience but I am pleased that it is finally done and can be shared with the world - I hope it makes some kind of a difference for the people of China. The film premiered on HBO on May 6th, 2009 at 8PM. Below is an interview with directors on Democracy Now.

March 2009

Laura's Song

Earlier this month I teamed up with Director Marques Green (www.quefilms.com) to DP a music video for hiphop artist Donwill. We did it gorilla style - all over Brooklyn with just an HVX 200 and a couple lights here and there. It features Jasika Nicole of the TV show "Fringe" and was picked up by several top hiphop sites including Okayplayer and 2dopeboyz.

February 2009

Cinecycle

A few weeks ago Dan Leeb of Cinecycle posted to Vimeo his latest tribute to urban cycling. This past fall he and Bill Winters shot this piece over the course of a week using a Varicam, some very nice lenses, a van and a three-wheeled work bike. Dan and I then spent several weeks editing the footage and developing the score with composer Alan Wilkis.

The resulting short became part of a marketing campaign for Hutchinson - a leading bike tire maker based in France. It will also play in this year's International Bicycle Film Fest. The file posted to Vimeo - www.vimeo.com/2989396 - allows for HD playback so I've included it below even though it is already a featured part of my edit reel. The response it has gotten online has been awesome - thanks to everyone who watched it.

It's Your Ride from Cinecycle on Vimeo.

February 2009

Charlie Rose Tomorrow

Last year I shot and edited several segments for "Charlie Rose Tomorrow" - a series run by producer Charlotte Morgan at the Charlie Rose Show. Below is an example of one of these segments - a piece about a painter who prefers to do things the old way. For more check out - www.charlierose.com

february 2009

Date Farmers

The Date Farmers are two artists from the Cochella Valley of California. Current TV was making a short film about them last year and asked me to cover their first openning in NYC. This piece was produced by Gavin Heslet and aired last fall.

winter 2009

Change!

Amid the inviting sounds of hissing radiators and still cloaked in an Obama related euphoria, I feel it is a fitting time to relaunch NativeResonance.com. Originally created as an online portfolio of my work in documentary film, this site will continue to be exactly that. However my hope is to make it a more dynamic page on which I can easily post works in progress, link to collaborations, and repost other peoples work that I admire and feel is reflective of my own personal goals in creating non–fiction video content.

These goals, though broad, are rather simple: Make work that does more good than harm. Strive for truth. Tell stories that engage an audience as entertainment but leave them with something more — a thought, a feeling, an action — that might possibly make the world ever so slightly better.

It's naïve to think that making a well–intentioned film will do anything to make change. It's also naïve to think that just because the number of screens capable of showing videos is growing that more and more people are watching. The competition for eyeballs and attention spans has never been fiercer. However I think the key to success is the same as always — tell a really good story and make it resonate with your audience.

I hope that with this website I can present not only the skills I have to offer but also the purposes with which I hope to use them. All the best in 2009 and beyond.

Adam