film shoot : pilot me

i was too busy trying to keep my kids from falling off a cliff to capture any good photos from this shoot, but here you can see a bit of the grandeur of the location.  it was filmed at the highest point of the island. the kids & i had great fun dancing to their practice sessions. 

: here's a little iphone video glimpse of practice :

film shoot : the original spacefan

it was so surreal seeing this song josh wrote for my dad, transposed & performed by five incredible accompanists by firelight by the sea.  jon put his headsets on me so i could hear the full sound, & i lost it.  thank you for choosing this song for this project.  this was an incredible tribute to my dad.        

family time on mayne island

josh had a 5 a.m. shoot for the song "never have i found" in a misty field as the sun was rising.  before he went back to bed for the morning, we enjoyed some seaside family rock-skipping, tree-climbing, & creature-finding.  the kids are content for hours toodling about at the water's edge.

: josh got to wear his favorite hat for the video :

: i love that furrowed little brow :

: heron is a collector :

: heron, our expert tree-climber :

: shepherd, blonder by the day :

film shoot : ulysses

josh & jay, sound & camera crew were ferried out by raft to this tiny island off the coast of mayne island to shoot a performance of "ulysses".  i was able be out on the boat with one of the filmers while emma johnson watched the kids back home.  thanks emma!  i was so glad to be able to be present for this shoot.  it was epic!

film shoot : little blue

(photo by katrina or andrew)

on wednesday morning we filmed "little blue"-- a josh + michelle duet for our daughter heron.  i got to sing the "dum-dum-dums" & play the glass xylophone/aquarion.  we were backlit in a grove of alders.  the setting was so idyllic.  i think it was one of the sweetest moments of my life.  

: katrina loading the rolleiflex film for some portraits :

: jon setting up sound :

: the "aquarion" :

: practice :

mayne island, days 1 & 2

filming of the musical performances began yesterday, with the three most rigorous days ahead.  but before the hard work started we enjoyed a couple of days of family time on the island.  

: whale-watching :

: early evening at water's edge :

filming begins

filming has begun!  we're now on mayne island, in canada, filming "the sea in between".  part of the documentary project involved filming us at home in portland, and on our roadtrip + ferry trip out to the island.  so andrew ellis, head cinematographer, flew out three days early to be with us in our home, getting to know us, interviewing us, & filming our daily life.  we're such private people in a way, & certainly not accustomed to cameras, so it was difficult in a way, & strange, to be sure.  all our conflicts + kisses/diaper changes + morning devotions on film.  but andrew is really good at what he does; he set us at ease, & was able to capture some really beautiful moments on camera, that, outside of this documentary even, will be family treasures for a lifetime.

: andrew filming josh, heron doing what she does :

: these kids aren't shy with strangers :

after several days of being under the lens, josh & i snuck away for a friday night date with our friends the vanderpools.  we returned home, & (unexpectedly) it was my turn to be interviewed!  

: after three days of filming, we started the roadtrip :

: (the next day) breakfast on the ferry :

: filming at sea :

we have been on the island since sunday, scouting out locations for the shoots, getting to know the johnsons, waiting for the accompanying musicians to arrive (tomorrow) from new york (along with jay from indiana), & having a wee family vacation by the sea.  they'll film three songs each day for three days, then end with a performance of josh & the orchestra on sunday night--a concert for the small community of mayne island.