All About Me

Where did you come up with the idea?
I had made a similar piece when I was in graduate school for graphic design in which I took photos of other people and put them together in a film. I then started to wonder what it would look like if I used photos of myself... and three years later I had this film.

How do you keep yourself in the same position in each frame?
I use a digital camera that has a flip-out screen so I can frame myself in the photo, and then just hold the camera at arm's length and shoot. After I download the photo to my computer I use a photo-editing program (Photoshop) to carefully adjust each photo so that the eyes always appear in the exactly the same place. Then I bring the adjusted photo into an animation program (After Effects) to put them in sequence in the film.

Did you ever miss a day?
I tried to build the daily photo into my routine so I wouldn't forget to take it every day, but I'm human and occasionally I still forgot. Now after 3+ years it's as much a habit as brushing my teeth in the morning.

Are you going to keep taking photos?
Yes! I'm still taking a photo every day and plan to keep going forever. I'll be making new versions of the film periodically, so check back.

Where's the music from? Can I buy it anywhere?
The music was composed specifically for this film by Nathan Melsted (www.myspace.com/nathanmelsted).You can buy it on iTunes, Rhapsody, Napster, and eMusic.

Can I upload this video to my website?
If you'd like to be able to show people my film from your website, you can use this code which will post a still image from the film and link directly to the film on Atom:
<a href="http://www.atomfilms.com/contentPlay/
videoAutoPlay.jsp?id=me&refCode=&brand=filmmaker">
Me<br><img src="http://cdn.shockwave.com/images/
large/picon_af_me_lrg.jpg"></a>

Can I get a copy on DVD?
I can't make the film available on DVD at this time, but since I've been getting requests I've been thinking about making it available in the future. Check back for updates.

You've inspired me to start taking a picture of myself every day/ I started something similar a few years ago, but have since stopped.
I think it would be great to see more people make films like this. Start a film, or pick up your old project, and drop me a line when you have something put together. I'd love to see it.

I'm a composer/screenwriter/photographer and would love to collaborate on a project with you.
Although I'd love to drop everything and keep working on more films like this, I'm still working as a graphic designer on other projects right now. Please stay in touch, though, as I'm always interested in seeing other people's work.

Are you familiar with the work of the artist Tehching Hseih? Have you seen the movie Smoke?
I actually wasn't familiar with Tehching Hseih's work before I started getting comments from people telling me to look at his One Year Performance series, specifically the one from 1980-1981. Thanks to everyone who pointed out his work. Yes, I have seen Smoke, and it's a great film. For those who haven't seen it. Harvey Keitel's character, Auggie, takes a photo of the same street corner outside his shop every day. I won't ruin it by describing it more — just watch the film!

Would it kill you to smile?

> back to ahreelee.com/me