Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Casey Tibbs, Paralympian and Natural Born Hero

Casey Tibbs and Mark Schulze at Olympic Training Center, Otay Mesa, California - Photo by Patty Mooney

Casey Tibbs & Mark Schulze at Olympic Training Center, Otay Mesa, California - Photo by Patty Mooney


Prior to the 2008 Beijing, China Olympiad, I had the opportunity to videotape Casey Tibbs, the Paralympian, at the Olympic Training Center in Otay Mesa. It's amazing how developed the area is now, as I remember shooting off bottle rockets there 30 years ago when it was just dirt, sagebrush and the occasional roving border patrol agent.

Casey was a very down-to-earth guy who spoke of his "disability" as an "opportunity." I enjoy working with such positive people. Casey at the time was about to head over to China for the Paralympics, and he was dedicated to working out as much as possible, while balancing a life with his family and his work in the Navy.

I later learned that he had won a gold medal in Beijing in the Men's 4 x 100 m relay as well as a bronze medal in the Long Jump.

If you are interested in learning more about this inspirational man, follow this link:

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Life at the Landfill

We've been shooting landfill footage for Allied Waste Services over the last couple of years, including timelapse footage of landfill excavation and lining. It's quite an intriguing topic, especially if you have ever wondered where your garbage ends up, and how it is managed. My wife, Patty, wrote a story about this at her blog. Check it out!

Adventures at the Landfill by Patty Mooney

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Covering the San Diego Wild Fires


Covering Evacuees at Qualcomm - Photo by Patty Mooney


Our hearts go out to our "mates" in Australia right now, for they are suffering through some devasting wild fires. We can also commiserate, having been evacuated from our home once, and returning with relief to find it still standing. After suffering a drought for 20 years or so, we San Diegans are now used to enduring an elongated "fire season" every year now, from summer through autumn.

In 2001, Extra called on me to document footage of the evacuees at Qualcomm Stadium. Look at how brown the air is. The air is thick with burnt ember particles and face masks are
a must.

Good things eventually do sprout from the devastation, such as tender green shoots in the ground heralding new life, and people experience a new awareness and gratitude for what they have. We all continue to learn that this life is fleeting and it can all be gone - up in smoke - tomorrow.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Shooting a Commercial with Olympian Swimmers, "Pre-Michael Phelps"

The Crystal Pyramid Productions video production team shot a commercial for Games 'n Flix a couple of years ago, starring Olympian swimmers Brad Schumacher, Gabe Woodward and Lenny Krayzelburg.



Mark Schulze with Brad Schumacher



Photographs by Digital Still Photographer, Patty Mooney.


Here's the commercial:




Friday, February 13, 2009

Covering the San Diego Comic Con For a Decade

Me and the Klingon - Photo by Patty Mooney




Me at the Marvel Booth - Photo by Patty Mooney

My crew has been covering the San Diego Comic Con (Comic Book Convention) for a decade now. It has grown from a fledgeling convention of around a thousand participants to a huge venue with around 115,000 attendees. The Comic Con has become a Hollywood satellite featuring celebrities from A, B and C lists who come to publicize their movies and projects.


My partner, Patty, has written up a couple of blogs on this. To see photos and learn more, check out:

Week of the Hotties - Part One (the hot guys)
Week of the Hotties - Part Two (the hot women)

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Roger Hodgson Concert for the Benefit of Firefighters of 911

Me Documenting Roger Hodgson - Photo by Patty Mooney

Just after 9/11, Roger Hodgson played at a concert here in San Diego to benefit the firefighters who had risked their lives performing their jobs at Ground Zero, 9/11. My wife, Patty, was on the stationary camera. She posted a music video:

Roger Hodgson - Take the Long Way Home




Monday, February 9, 2009

Julie Foudy, Soccer Champion


An Interview with Julie Foudy on the USD Soccer Field - Photo by Patty Mooney

It was great to have the opportunity to shoot an interview with Julie Foudy, premiere soccer player, back in the day (2001). Unfortunately, San Diego's ladies' soccer team, The Spirit, had to vanish due to limited funding and lack of corporate sponsorship.

What was cool about this particular interview was that the key message concerned the efforts of the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) to keep stadiums smoke-free by not advertising or selling tobacco products at any games and by encouraging fans not to smoke in the stands or concourses.

A second message addressed young girls, encouraging them not to start smoking. "We would never be able to run around a field kicking a ball for 90 minutes if we smoked," said Julie. "Smoking's not cool, and it's not glamorous."

Julie was fun to work with. She was very down to earth, a really good person and a great sport... even with a 2K light in her face.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Blue Skies and Monsters of Motocross

A perfect day to shoot Motocross rider, Mike Cinqmar, in sunny Southern California. I'm a mountain biker myself, and enjoy the adrenaline rush of highspeed downhill technical riding. But what these guys do is really incredible. Following them with a video camera can be quite the challenge.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Aerials Over La Jolla


One of our clients needed some aerial footage of the La Jolla coastline. It occurred to me that it would be much less expensive to go up in a hang glider than in a helicopter. And at Torrey Pines novices can hang glide in tandem with instructors. So voila! I went up with my Sony PD150 and got one of the thrills of a lifetime along with some outstanding stock footage. Photos are by my wife, Patty Mooney.

Preparing for take-off

And we have lift-off!


Airborne!

A view from the sky

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Wedding Crashers Bridesmaids

Crystal Pyramid Productions' broadcast video production crew shot interviews of the bridesmaids from "The Wedding Crashers" for AMC's "Sunday Morning Shootout." Sound Technician, Patty Mooney, and Director of Photography and Videographer, Mark Schulze, have fun with the bridesmaids.

Monday, February 2, 2009

An Encounter With Weird Al Yankovich

While wending our way through the San Diego Comic Con crowds, I spotted Weird Al Yankovich, who was kind enough to stop and grant an interview for Electronic Playground. That is M-TV's Julie Stoffer laughing in the background. Photo by Patty Mooney.