Argentine Productions

Argentine Productions Travels the Great Lakes for National Park Service

2011-07-12T13:34:00.130-04:00

For one of our newest projects, Argentine Productions is producing a series of 5-minute pieces on invasive species in the Great Lakes region for the National Park Service and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

The stories highlight the impact of invasive species, volunteer efforts, and what anyone can do to help prevent the spread of non-native plants and animals. The crew traveled more than 2000 miles in 10 days, shooting stories at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Apostle Islands on Lake Superior, and Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan.

Last week, the Leelanau Enterprise ran this piece about the project at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

API in the News

2011-02-22T11:22:00.001-05:00

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently ran a feature article on our work with the National Park Service.

Click here to read it in full.

2010 CINE Special Jury Award

2011-02-13T13:20:00.001-05:00

We are honored that Keeping Order: A Fort Orange County Record received a 2010 CINE Special Jury award for best entry in the Arts & Exhibits Programs category!

Check out Crailo's website for more detail on the exhibit.

In The Works: Mammoth Cave

2011-01-24T21:33:00.002-05:00

Jeff Garton and Sound Recordist Mark Adelsheim record archaeologist George Crothers

One of the very cool projects occupying our time these days is the production of a variety of media elements for the new visitor center at Mammoth Cave National Park in south central Kentucky.

It was incredible and challenging shooting in the world's longest cave. It was also one of the most technically and logistically demanding filming experiences we've had to date.

We're filming the Cave survey team traversing a deep pit in a 2-camera shoot

The new visitor center at Mammoth will be three times the size of the older structure and our work will be featured in several locations throughout the park, which sees around 400,000 visitors annually.

You can scroll through some of our behind-the-scenes shots below for a closer look.

Shooting at River Styx

Peter with Jackie Wheet

Interviewing Jackie Wheet- a member of the cave survey team

Cave survey team members examining a bat

Lowering a light kit into the Bottomless Pit

DP Jeff Garton in safety harness shooting Cave Survey team rappelling down bottomless pit

After the shoot: Crew members carried 4 carts of gear (including 20 car batteries)
out of the cave and up the stairs @ the Ruins of Karnak, seen here.

Crew photo with Cave survey team

Manassas Battlefield in 3D

2011-01-05T15:46:00.003-05:00

Editors Per Argentine and Matt Conrad work on producing a 3D anaglyphic slide show for the visitor center at Manassas National Battlefield Park.

Shooting at Craters of the Moon

2010-10-21T20:28:00.003-04:00

DP Jeff Hogan filming the lava flows at Craters of the Moon

Last week our team was shooting rocks underground at Mammoth Cave. This week, Peter and Jeff shot footage above ground for a new HD geology film for Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve.

Their trip even included shooting in a cave again, although this time, it had “skylights”, from where the lava ceiling collapsed. At Mammoth the production team conquered the stairs of the Towers of Karnak, carrying equipment up several flights of metal staircase.

At Craters, the crew conquered Inferno Cone, carrying gear up the cinder cone at some 6,000 feet of altitude.

View from on top of Inferno cinder cone

Craters of the Moon is an expansive area consisting of lava flows and cinder cones created from volcanic eruptions through fissures in the earth’s crust as recently as 2,200 years ago.

Jeff and AC Drew Rush with a jib shooting rafted lava known as the Monoliths

It’s a spectacular, bizarre landscape, where you can see the lava flows frozen in time. The more time Jeff and Peter spent there, the more they saw in the rock.

In Memory of Wes Skiles

2010-07-28T16:50:00.002-04:00

Our team was saddened last week to learn of the tragic death of Wes Skiles in a diving accident off the Florida coast.

I never met Wes in person, just over the phone, but I was really looking forward to working with him and learning from him on an upcoming shoot at Mammoth Cave this October.

Wes had a passion for caves that went beyond photography--evident by the title of his company, karst productions.

His recent work will be featured in next month's National Geographic magazine. His beautiful work for the environment is a great legacy.

Here's a very nice tribute to him.

We extend our deepest sympathy to his family.

Steeltown Entertainment Film Factory Semi-Finalist

2010-01-28T10:58:00.001-05:00

Argentine Productions Associate Editor Per Argentine is one of ten semi-finalists in the Steeltown Entertainment Project's 2010 Film Factory Contest!
More than 100 entries were submitted and reviewed by a panel of judges, which included both local and expatriate entertainment professionals interested in supporting a growing film economy in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
Per's screenplay, entitled Steeltown Blues, is about a 1940's steelworker, caught in the monotony and repetition of the factory, who yearns for something more to his life.
This Saturday, Per, along with the other semi-finalists, will have his screenplay read by actors from Carnegie Mellon University's renowned School of Drama. The readings will be followed by critiques from the panel, as they share their perspectives on what's necessary to turn a good script into a great movie!
The event will take place January 30th from 9:30AM to 2PM at the Rauh Studio, Purnell Center for the Arts at Carnegie Mellon University.
Panelists include: Joe Coyle, Actor Ocean's 11, Producer Can't Stop Dancing, Laura Harkcom, Writer-Producer, The Lost Room, Asher Garfinkel, President of Readers Unlimited and Author, Screenplay Analysis: The Art and the Businees, Bernie Goldmann, Producer, 300, Land of the Dead, and Minette Seate, Senior Producer, WQED Multimedia.
Congratulations Per!

API Productions Awarded CINE Golden Eagle!

2009-12-18T12:35:00.001-05:00

Argentine Productions is proud to report that two of it's productions, Family Ties and Keeping Order: A Fort Orange Court Record, have been chosen as CINE Golden Eagle Award winners! The CINE Golden Eagle is awarded to productions with stand-out excellence.
For over fifty years, CINE has recognized many celebrated films and filmmakers.
Family Ties features a candid conversation with six fathers incarcerated in the Allegheny County Jail as they reflect on their love for their children and the storms their behaviors have created in their cherished relationships. Family Ties also provides a glimpse of a father back in his family after six months in jail. His successful return to live with his mother and five-year-old son is filled with hopes dreams, and anxieties.
Keeping Order: A Fort Orange Court Record recreated a 17th century painting by Dutch artist, Jan Steen, literally bringing the characters to life.

Invigorating Museums Mid Atlantic Association of Museums Conference

2009-10-20T15:58:00.001-04:00

I just attended the MAAM conference in Saratoga Springs this week. Argentine Productions is a Bronze Sponsor of the conference. We're very happy to support MAAM and its work to educate and re-charge all of those involved in the Museum profession.
-Peter Argentine

Dispatches from the Future of Museums

2009-10-20T15:47:00.001-04:00

A new digest of articles about future challenges and strategies for museums is being sent out by the American Association of Museums. We are proud to be a sponsor of the premiere editions of the electronic version of this dispatch. We are constantly exploring new technologies, production techniques and interpretive theory to make the best media possible for Visitor Centers and Museums. If you would like to receive a copy of the Dispatches, go to http://multibriefs.com/optin.php?aam For an archive of past editions, go to http://multibriefs.com/briefs/AAM

If a Starfish Can Grow a New Arm, Why Can't I? Opens at Carnegie Science Center

2009-10-19T14:45:00.002-04:00

The Carnegie Science Center recently opened a new exhibit highlighting the amazing breakthroughs in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
We provided the media for two interactives. Real Stories, Real People are portraits of researchers, their work, and applications in areas such as treating combat wounds and growing replacement organs. Ask a Scientist has young scientists answering questions such as "Can I clone myself"? To read more about the exhibit check out: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/ae/museums/s_648215.html

17th Century Painting Brought to Life for Museum Video

2009-03-23T13:31:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we had a very interesting shooting day. Based on a 17th Century Dutch genre painting by Jan Steen that depicts a fight, we shot actors in costume re-enacting the scene according to a transcript of a court proceeding. The actors were shot against a green screen, so that we can use an effect to move them in and out of the painting.

It was a challenge to find a local actor with a Dutch accent, who also looked like one of the characters in the painting! Some of the props had to be constructed, including a table with rough-hewn legs, on which they played. I also built a backgammon set to match the one in the painting--it had to be much larger than usual.

It's very difficult when doing something like this to get the proportions and perspective right. We had it set up so that we could match the position of the characters on a monitor. For one scene, the actors started in their pose, then moved in reverse. In the final video, they will appear to move into the exact position.

The video will start as a frozen picture in a picture frame for the newly renovated Crailo State Historic Site, a museum of Colonial New Netherland history in the Upper Hudson Valley. http://nysparks.state.ny.us/info.asp?siteID=7

Lincoln Interactive Screen Shot

2009-02-26T16:12:00.000-05:00

Film & Video Treatments

2009-02-26T15:59:00.000-05:00

I was recently asked to contribute my thoughts on why treatments are helpful for documentary. I don't always use them--it depends on the project and approach. Here's what I wrote:

Writing a treatment is a way to envision the program and its structure, based on your current knowledge and what you expect to happen in the field. It allows you to share your creative vision with the D.P., Animator, Production Manager, Editors, and other crew so that they can begin to contribute to that vision. Writing the treatment will force you to think through the elements of production—is a special rig required, a second unit, aerials, or a creative shot to bridge to the next scene. Once you’re out in the field, it helps to remind you of key elements that you need to help structure and convey the story. That all being said, it’s important to not be a slave to the treatment-- to take advantage of the serendipity of the moment, the wonderful things that often occur on camera that can’t be planned. It’s a bit like the improvisation that is used with some comedy films—provide a framework for the actors and let them run with it.

The importance of the treatment can also vary with the kind of project that you’re producing. For example, a project with lots of animation or CGI will require a stronger foundation than one that is more dependent on a more verite approach in the field.

Directing Mister Rogers in the field

2009-02-26T15:41:00.000-05:00

One of the great fortunes of my life was getting the opportunity to work with Fred Rogers. In the last few years of production, I had the privilege of directing his remote visits outside of the studio. I have 4 children, and I like to think that I can relate easily to young children. But it was always humbling to see how Fred could see things through a child’s eyes. He would point out concerns with shots and script points that I would never have considered, but once pointed out, seemed self-evident.

Shooting with Fred was a bit like reverting to the 1950’s in terms of production. He preferred to shooting things as they happened—no shooting out of order to make it easier for lighting setups. He was concerned that the emotion of the process would not be right. The takes were long and continuous, no quick cutting. The pace was slow and relaxed. It often made the shooting process more difficult, but it was directly connected to Fred’s approach to children. The style created a feeling of authenticity, trust, and relaxation for his younger viewers.

Margy Whitmer was the Producer of the shows on which I worked. She did all of the worrying about details and logistics for Fred—that’s what a Producer does. After a scene, Fred would often stop to chat with onlookers, and a crowd would soon build around him. Margy was incredibly diplomatic in trying to break Fred away, and move him to the next shot location, to keep the crew on schedule. Can you imagine trying to make Fred hurry, or keeping him from talking to children? It was a tough job and she did it sweetly.

One of Fred’s mentors was Margaret McFarland, a child development specialist at the Arsenal Family and Children Center. I met her at her home once, as part of a research interview for the film “Spirit of Pittsburgh”, about the city's transformation in the last 50 years. She spent as much time asking about me and my family, as I did about her, and she made some profound observations. She is one of the few people I have met who seemed to embody the concept of a “self-actualized person”.

I often ran into Fred in the hallways of WQED, where I worked in the 80’s in national production. Family Communications, www.fci.org, his production company, leased office space and studio facilities for his production there. When I had my first child, I asked Fred what is the most important thing you can do to raise a healthy child? His response: “Love your spouse”.

People often asked Fred to have a picture taken with him. He might agree to that, but he much preferred taking a picture himself of the families or person requesting a photo. The photo by Fred would show up a few weeks later with a personal note from him. Two of the best photos of my family were taken by Fred.

Recent HD taping at White House

2009-02-26T15:36:00.000-05:00

Last week we taped remarks by President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for a new edition of “Where History Lives”, produced for the White House Historical Association www.whitehousehistory.org. We taped the President in the Oval Office on President’s Day, so that day will always be memorable for the production team. We also recorded footage in HD (on P2) of the newly renovated Green Room. No matter how many times we have been there for filming, there is always a sense of awe in being in the rooms, and standing where so much history has taken place.

Emancipation Day at Lincoln's White House

2009-02-26T13:08:00.000-05:00

The Lincoln virtual White House web experience that we produced for the White House Historical Association is now live at www.whitehousehistory.org . We created it with the collaboration of Todd Waits and his team at Semiotic Technologies www.semiotictech.com. Here are some links to articles and blogs about the game:
Pop City - Wander the Lincoln-era White House on a big day in ...
Pop City - http://www.popcitymedia.com/

“Website allows virtual visit into Lincoln’s Life” by Marylynne Pitz, Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09055/951140-42.stm

Pittsblog: Pittsburgh Gaming, Not Gambling
By Mike Madison
Pittsblog - http://pittsblog.blogspot.com/

Visit Mr. Lincoln’s White House Online
http://lincolniana.blogspot.com/2009/02/visit-mr-lincolns-white-house-online.html

B log - L ebo - http://bloglebo.blogspot.com/

If you’re interested in a discussion of the project development and coding, visit Stephen Calender Programming Blog
Stephen Calender Programming Blog - http://www.stephencalenderblog.com/