We Are Shouting

MSR | Wherever There May Be

Becker — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:33:41 +0000

Nothing makes me happier than being in the backcountry with good friends. So getting the opportunity to make a promo piece for one of my favorite gear brands of all time while hiking through Glacier National Park was one of those moments where things really felt like they came together.

We shot this video over 4 days in Montana. I wanted to do something that would highlight the products without being overly promotional. I see a lot of gear ads that have people telling me why something is great. That works for plenty of products. But from an aesthetic standpoint, I’m more interested in showing how products help create moments. After all, a stove is just a stove. But being in the woods with your friends and having a light piece of trustworthy gear to cook that AMAZING top Ramen that you all share around the fire while forgetting about your sore feet–THAT is what we remember. In terms of technique, I used a small kit to shoot. Although it doesn’t feel small when you haul it up a mountain. The hardest part was hiking up the steeper parts while holding the StediCam. Otherwise, we had a 5d, a 7d, a GoPro Hero HD, a small tripod, and small led panel light. Special thanks to Charlie Lane, Todd Gureckis, Mark Burmeister, Megan Bailey, and the rest of MSR. More at cascadesigns.com/msr.

And for fun, here’s a few shots from our January trip to Big Bend, with a few more MSR items. Desert campsite pre-run coffee power chug modeling by Dr. Todd Gureciks.

Japan Social Forum Portraits at iLeap

Becker — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:15:58 +0000

I did a photoshoot of the most recent group of delegates taking part in the 2012 iLEAP Japan Social Forum here in Seattle. Each person pictured is in some way working on rebuilding Japan after March earthquake and Tsunami.

And Izumi, who is one of the program leaders.

World AIDS Day | PATH

Becker — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 19:30:12 +0000

Here’s a piece I did for PATH about some of their work on HIV/AIDS and TB. When people approach me about projects where the footage has already been shot, often times on a cell phone or flip cam, I usually say no. But I’ve been wanting to work with PATH for a while now. It’s an opportunity to actually use my MPH in global health for a great organization. I’m very happy with the final product.

Global Education Is.

Becker — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 18:18:06 +0000

This one was fun to make. We shot it over two days in a windowless room at Microsoft during Global Washington’s annual conference. Settings like that are not easy to work with, so I tried something different than the standard testimonial video. Thanks to everyone who was involved.

Corporate Documentary | Harbor Wholesale Summit

Becker — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 21:10:04 +0000

I’ve recently started collaborating with Incite Partners, a brand strategy company in Seattle. Video production is one of their core capacities, so my work with them has been as a director. It’s nice to have other people handle the production so I can focus on the creative. This piece is for Harbor Wholesale, a new client for Incite. They’re a food distributor in the PNW. They’re a family-owned business and were really great to work with. We Are Shouting is really about socially motivated work, and normally I wouldn’t post about this type of work. But In talking with Harbor’s 36 year old CEO, it’s clear that he’s interested in ways that their company can help support the movement toward healthy alternatives in convenience stores. As someone with an MPH who studied diet and physical activity, it’s very encouraging to see a company move in this direction.

Occupy Seattle in Photos

Becker — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 23:28:34 +0000

In NY last week I wandered through Occupy Wall Street at Zuccoti park. It was a disjointed encampment of semi-homeless gutter punks, unemployed young activists and unions, all standing for a different cause. But now, more organized, similar groups are popping up in cities across the country, including Seattle. Here are some shots.

50/50 Premiere | Will Reiser in NY

Becker — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 15:05:41 +0000

Will has been a close friend since we met at Hampshire College. Years later, we roomed together in LA, and worked on an HBO comedy special. While we lived together, he started writing the script a film that will be released this Friday. We spent countless nights after work walking around our neighborhood, sitting in our apartment, talking about the characters, the plot, the themes of the film. It’s really inspiring to see something that was an idea for a movie turn into a major motion picture. After reading countless iterations of the script, I finally saw the finished film at the US premiere this past Monday in NY. I laughed, I cried, and then I laughed some more. There is something very surreal about having seen Will’s vision for the characters, including his own, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, brought to life. The film is a deeply personal work for Will that recounts his experience with Cancer. It was inspiring, and I could not be more proud.

We hung our for a bit in his hotel room the next day between press engagements. Here’s a portrait.

50/50 Opens Friday. Go see it.

Hood to Coast | Nuun

Becker — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 18:55:14 +0000

Hood to Coast: a 200 mile relay race of 15,000 under-slept people into punishing themselves. That should be the tag line for this beast.

Do I look naked under this StediCam? (Photo by Kelly)

Don’t get me wrong– I love challenging myself with endurance activities. But I don’t get the appeal of staying awake for two days, riding around in a cramped van, eating only cold snacks. Which is how our shoot documenting the Nuun Hood To Coast Relay teams went. Except add the following: a wicked sunburn, riding a bike down the Mt. Hood Highway with one hand while filming using a Go-Pro attached to a broom handle, riding a longboard across the Hawthorne bridge holding a StediCam, trying to run after really fast girls with a StediCam through crowds, drinking enough Red Bull to make my heart hurt (physically, not emotionally), and MORE!

But all in all, it was a blast. I’m not complaining, and the product we were able to create made everything worth it. Last night I had dinner with a really talented director / producer from Seattle named Matt Daniels. He mentioned that one of the reasons he likes filmmaking is the sheer physicality of it. And I couldn’t agree more. The soreness, the exhaustion, the broken thumbs– at the end of the day, I do love the challenge.

So check out our piece for Nuun. And congrats to all the lady-runners. You guys are some impressively tough ladies.

iLEAP Fellow Portraits | Outtakes

Becker — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 17:11:03 +0000

My new office mates are social entrepreneurs from all corners of the world. I shot some portraits of them. Here are the outtakes.

iLEAP: US-Japan Social Innovation forum

Becker — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 18:10:48 +0000

Paul Hawken says: “If you look at the science about what is happening on earth and aren’t pessimistic, you don’t understand data. But if you meet the people who are working to restore this earth…and you aren’t optimistic, you haven’t got a pulse.”

I spent a good part of this past week shooting stills and video, and editing together a piece for iLEAP’s US-Japan Social Innovation forum. The forum brings together young leaders working on rebuilding Japan in the wake of the March earthquake and Tsunami. They were a great bunch of people, and I look forward to working with them again when they return in December. Here’s a blurb about the program:

“The US-Japan Social Innovation Forum is an investment in rebuilding Japan through energizing civil society, empowering emerging leaders, and forging global partnerships of mutual support between American and Japanese civil society.” (more)

Check out The video

And the stills.