I have been a huge fan of graffiti art for as long as I can remember. Urban style art has had a big influence on my style as an artist. I have always been drawn to the organic quality of using spray paint and other actual paints in my projects. When the eye catches a single paint drip or inconsistency in the texturing it makes it that much more real feeling.

When I started to draw and create graffiti art it was never to “mark my territory” but always as a way to express myself. Doing research and learning about the culture behind the style has opened my eyes to really two different types of graffiti artist. One is the gang / territorial type — which is really where graffiti started. And the other is a pure art form for expressing one’s style. It is really interesting to look back on some of the early styles of graffiti and the ways in which it has evolved. It has now taken over clothing styles and moved into characters and actual objects.

Graffiti to me isn’t just writing on a wall or tagging a train, it’s a style that can be represented in the way a certain line curves on a shirt or an edge of a letter. I have been a huge fan for about 15 years now and my love continues to grow and evolve with the artists that are making this new and innovative art.

This time of year, as back to school sales are in full swing, and the nights begin to get cooler, it seems we are all trying to eek out those last few days of carefree outdoor grilling. But if you are like me and grill year round, end of summer is just another excuse to use your favorite marinades.

But Before you light the propane consider this.

It’s always best to splurge on hormone free, grass fed and free range cuts of beef or chicken. Not just because it’s politically correct, but because it tastes so much better.  But as in all things, the best things in life have an irony to them… that’s why, if you are a COKE addict like me, even the healthiest cuts of meat get the COCA COLA treatment.

For years, many restaurants have used Coke inspired marinades in their dishes. My family taught me the value of its use in cooking as well. Over the years I’ve compiled a selection of my favorite recipes. Hopefully these can be added to your personal collection.

COCA COLA BARBECUE SAUCE

Cook 1 chopped onion and 2 chopped cloves garlic in 2 tablespoons butter until soft.
Add: 2 c. ketchup
6 oz. Coke
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. Mustard
2 tbsp. Vinegar
Simmer 1 hour or until thick.

SOUTHERN BARBECUE SAUCE

1 (18 oz.) bottle barbecue sauce
1/4 c. molasses or table syrup
1/4 c. Coke
1/4 c. minced onions

Combine all ingredients in heavy pan; heat slowly. Do not boil. Makes a sweet tasting sauce for barbecue chicken or beef sandwiches. For a really southern style sandwich, try adding cole slaw on top of your sandwich.

BAKED BEANS

3 cans pork & beans, drained
1 c. Coke
1 c. ketchup
1/2 onion, chopped
2 slices bacon, cut up
1/4 c. sugar

ENJOY!

Snacks make me happy. While struggling to come up with my blog post, I kept reaching for my new favorite office snack, pumpernickel pretzel sticks, finding comfort in their crunchy saltiness. While stuffing my face, I was hit with a stroke of blog-writing genius – I would take a survey of what people eat for snacks during the day here at Viewpoint. I committed to my decision and never looked back.

Here’s the research:

We fall into two categories – Those who go only to the office provided snacks (granola bars, peanuts, rice krispy treats, chocolate, pita chips, bugles) and those who bring their own (fruit, yogurt, cheese sticks, almonds). Rice krispy treats are a favorite across all departments. Cheez-its are also popular. Half of all producers have candy more than two years old in and around their desk area. Everyone wishes there was more fruit available. Also, the design department does not enjoy bugles.

Now that you’ve learned a little bit about our snacking habits, I thought we’d play a little game to see if you can match the following Viewpoint employees to their snacks of choice. Try your luck!

A. cheez-its, sun chips purchased in bulk, wasabi peas

B.  apple, goatsmilk yogurt, mixed nuts, gluten free candy bar, bananas, almond butter.

C. cheez-its, peanut butter twist things, saltwater taffy, old peppermint candies

D. Reception area chocolate bowl (does not keep snacks at desk due to fear of creepy crawlies with legs and/or tails)

E. pirate’s booty, soda, trail mix, snacks packed by significant other

1. Matt the Controller

2. Dana the Producer

3. Jon the Editor

4. Joseph the Creative Director, Design

5. Dave the Director of Composite/Edit

In conclusion, I found that no one got annoyed when I interrupted their workday to ask about snacks. In fact some people seemed to enjoy talking about snacks. Therefore, snacks must make other people happy too. So, happy snacking!

Answers!:

A) 4  B) 5  C) 2  D) 1  E) 3

Sure most days are just like the last, but come weekends, vacations and bright, sunny days life doesn’t get any better than being out on my bike.  On these days its not about molded carbon fiber and deep section wheels, it’s not about getting your heart rate as high as you can or fending off the lactic acid as long as possible, and I don’t think its about the spandex either.  On these days its about enjoying yourself, enjoying life, and enjoying the synergy between two of the most efficient machines on earth.  So lets skip codecs and frame rates and check out blue sky and back roads from some of my favorite rides and races this past year.

With out a doubt my favorite place to ride is Maine, specifically my soon-to-be annual ride from Boston to St. George via Kittery.  These pictures from last September’s ride include some odd Americana, Hamilton’s homemade mac and cheese pizza (uber-carbo-load), my second favorite Arbys (exit 6 off 295 in Portland), and some of my favorite views of mid-coast Maine, the Camden State Park and Mt Battie, a pretty tough climb with a small, but creepy, tower at the top and view that more than makes up for the 15 minutes of suffering it takes to get there (note: you can always drive to the top).

Below and left is a shot from the 2009 TD Bank Mayors Cup, a crit style race around and around Government Center here in downtown Boston.  It features blistering speeds, one of the biggest purses and most of the biggest names in US pro cycling.  The 2010 Mayors Cup is Sunday September 26 and I highly recommend checking it out!  You have no idea how excited I am for this and how badly I want to qualify for it in 2011.

The other two don’t look very cool but they are, trust me.  First is a snowy Juniper Swamp Rd in Shushan, NY.  It’s a 300 meter dirt road climb averaging about 15% grade and it’s the first climb that separates the men from the boys in the Tour of the Battenkill, a gorgeous race around the Battenkill river in April.  This coming weekend is the Tour of Catskills, just south of Battenkill, which features the Assault on Devil’s Kitchen.  This is well over a mile of 15-20% grade and after climbing it this past Memorial Day I realized that biking can actually be a miserable activity, a la 20 minutes with your heart rate at about 185-190 bpm, but the rest of the Catskills are so beautiful it makes up for it so I’m including it here anyway.  There is also a fantastic gas station/deli/bakery called Angela’s on route 23 in Acra… I highly recommend the apple pie, they weigh about 15 pounds.

Next is a horrible photo of a pair of cool arch suspension bridges along the Hudson Mowhawk bike path in Albany, maybe the best bike path in the northeast.  After that is single rainbow which I saw on June 5 after racing around Lake Auburn in Maine… definitely a pot o’ gold at the end of that one., and by pot o’ gold I mean a barbacoa plate at Loco Cocos in Kittery.

And now we head to Connecticut.  First you will see a Doogies two foot long hot dog with the works which I annihilated after racing in East Hartford.  It was incredible, Hartford not so much.  Also incredible was this cumulus cloud I saw the same day on the way home.  It was pure white and gold and was amazing with the blue sky behind it.  In film and photography they call this the golden or magic hour.  Stamford on the other hand is a great little city I was able to visit for some biking three weeks ago.  Among its numerous attractions is this totally groovy disco ball/5 foot tall cat.  Not worth going just to see it but say your going for dinner at Tarry Lodge and want to stop nine miles north to check it out I’d say, “Do it up!”

The marsh below is located in Dover, the next town over from where Viewpoint Creative is located and where I grew up, on my favorite road to ride on in New England.  From July to September you can see the purple loosestrife in bloom.  Despite being a non-native and invasive species, the rich, concentrated color is always something to look forward too.

And last but not least is my favorite llama.  He lives on Old Sudbury Rd in Wayland, which happens to be an amazing road to ride on around 6:30AM just as the sun is coming over the trees.  He’s always just sitting there soakin’ it in, livin’ the dream.

Oh the places I’ve been this year thanks to my bike.  It wasn’t all about hi tech materials and fancy gear, maybe it really was about the spandex, but mostly it was about being outside in the sunshine or snow, enjoying life and seeing the unique sights and treats New England has to offer.

Foley.  Axel Foley.  The hero of the “48 Hours” movie franchise.  Played by Eddie Murphy.  He is not the topic of this discussion.  Sorry to disappoint, but before you turn off your computer or close this page, hear me out about the real Mr. Foley, and his contribution to modern cinema and the sound track of your favorite film.

Most people in our business have heard of the term Foley, or the expression “to Foley something.”  The term Foley can best be described as “the art of matching live sound effects to the action of the motion picture,” and is named for Jack Foley who was a sound effects editor at Universal Pictures in the 1950’s.  Footsteps are the most common Foley effects and I’ll list a few more to satisfy your curiosity.

Galloping horses: Banging empty coconut shells together

Punching someone: Thumping watermelons

High heels: Artist walks in high heels on wooden platform

Bone-breaking blow: Breaking celery or twisting a head of romaine

Footsteps in snow: Squeezing a box of corn starch

Thunder: Flapping an aluminum sheet

Bird flapping its wings: Flapping a pair of gloves

Grass or leaves crunching: Balling up audio tape

Some of these recording techniques are common sense: such as walking on a wooden platform, whereas footsteps in snow may come as a bit of a surprise.  My first job out of college, I was an assistant engineer at a now defunct recording studio in New York City.  On one of my first projects, I was able to do some Foley for a Showtime promo.  The next week I did some more Foley for National Geographic.  I had seen my destiny, I was to be a world class Foley Artist in LA, and rule the world!  Needless to say that didn’t happen, as I realized that a lot of the sound effects I wanted to make where available on CD and now computer audio file – which is a beautiful thing and one of the most important tools to a sound designer.  Foley is not dead, it’s just more refined and specific: clothing rustle, writing with a pencil, the shake of a horse’s saddle etc.  It also gives your production a level of uniqueness and character.  Check out the two videos:  one shows how Foley is still used today, and the second shows how a modern sound effects library is developed.  Enjoy!

Vegetable Violence from tim prebble on Vimeo.

I’ve noticed over the years that what I thought was the norm for Customer Service is anything but.

In the good old days, we were taught that simply answering the telephone was done with a smile on your face and that that smile was felt on the other end. Now I’m finding that I can’t even get a smile when standing in front of someone that is about to take my money.

Another thing that was emphasized: treating the people with whom we work that same level of Customer Service that was delivered to our customers. We even tried to carry it into our personal relationships. (that wasn’t quite as easy). But when you think about it, don’t they deserve that courtesy as much?

My present position places me at the front door (literally) of Viewpoint Creative. I love being the greeter, it’s like I’m entertaining in my home, love that too.

The challenges are few but can be fun. When someone is trying to sell products or services, but wants to circumvent me, the gatekeeper.

There is that stern “Put me thru to ……”

Or when asked what company they represent “it’s a personal call”

Knowing that they are just trying to make a living like everyone else, I try to gently extricate what they are trying to accomplish. It’s like playing Oprah.

I believe that it all comes down to being considerate of your clients, vendors, co-workers, family, friends – how about everybody, even those you don’t know.

About those drivers that don’t use their directional signals… Maybe they aren’t standard in the newer cars, or it is just too hard to talk on their cell phones and push that little lever that may warn the person behind them that they are about to make a turn… I can’t imagine that these same people are in positions of Customer Service – oops maybe they are the same people that took my money without a thank you or a smile.

With the invention of the technology age where everything is needed quickly and can be delivered yesterday, I miss the romance & suspense of shooting on film.

My first job in this business was at a film company that was producing a comedy short for HBO. From paying the “fishermen” on the Niagara River on the seedy shores of Buffalo, NY for their sad looking fish to use as props, to walking the seawall to obtain other props and storing them for 3 days in my parents garage, I fell head over heels in love with the process and subsequently the industry. I mean, who wouldn’t?… especially when my mother opened our garage door and caught a whiff of my new found, stumbled into career.

After standing in the river for 2 days of filming and getting to do every job on the set other than starring in the piece, I was given the task to splice the film, number & bin the scenes. I painstakingly spliced the film apart and hung the strips in the can, all neatly arranged, ready for the editor to begin the cut the next day. I arrived extra early that next morning eager to start. I opened the door shocked to find the film was gone. The building’s cleaning people had thrown the film out thinking it was garbage (maybe a commentary on the content!). Why was I upset and the editor seemed so nonplussed?. Who knew that print wasn’t the only copy of the film? I was so shocked that people would think we actually numbered our garbage. But what I remember most was a feeling of a strange sadness that the film was just plain gone.

I had caught the infectious bug of this business that summer and had fallen completely for the allure of film – organic, grainy, sensitive, flaky – a lot like real life. There was an aura around shooting film: the texture, the feel and protocol on the set or by the Steenbeck; being a part of a huge collaboration and hearing the set call to roll sound… roll film… mark it…and ACTION is still quite an experience.

While celluloid was the industry standard forever, many feet of film later in my career, it is no longer so as video and then HD has taken the business by storm. Progress? Maybe. But by shooting on digitbeta, you missed out on the exquisite anticipation of waiting a week for your footage to return from its’ trip to be developed, wondering what it was that you actually shot.

You don’t get a call from the film lab that your film has been stolen out of the courier’s car for the spot you had to edit that weekend when you shoot on P2 cards. You don’t get to put that film up on the telecine and figure out how you will edit around the buckshot scratches when you shoot on DVC Pro.

Those may all sound like reasons to run far away from the spools and cores. But you may also miss those pure serendipitous moments. How did that magic hour sunset looked more stunning in the film room than on that beach? Or, how in your memory that shot was so crappy on the set, but magically became the money shot? How the river glistening took our breath away when we were shooting, but shocked you in the film room when you saw how stunning the Charles River looked?

The film camera company Arriflex has developed HD cameras that use all the lenses from their illustrious film cameras. A page from the “If you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em” book. HD and tapeless digital platforms have and will continue to revolutionize the way we shoot, edit and tell stories. With film, the big breaking news was when Kodak introduced a new stock. Now we will have 3-D television.

I knew I was hooked from the first minute- just like those ridiculous fish on my first job. Technology has made our business easier, and yet harder at the same time. Email, posting, ftp the final product- how’d we ever do it before?

I will continue to miss the tactile side of the business exemplified to me by film. Our current electronic revolution is exciting- but there isn’t a substitution for the tangible human interaction/collaboration- the warmth, the colors, the physical quality.

Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful, appreciative and in awe of the technology. Truth be told, just because the work can be done faster, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take that extra moment for a second, third or even fourth “take”. You never know when there’ll be a hair in the gate.

I don’t have much time to watch TV between work and 2 kids running around. But when I actually do sit down and watch television I often end up watching the Biggest Loser. After the final episode last season I wondered why isn’t there a show called the Biggest Saver?

In light of the current economic downturn and market volatility have any of us changed our spending habits? Our parents and grandparents generations were all about saving-saving for a rainy day and saving for retirement. Right now the average household carries 100 times more debt than their parents did. We got spoiled by the good economic times and took on too much debt (credit cards, large mortgages, etc).

But with so much financial uncertainty it becomes critical to look at spending habits and figure out if there are any places that can be cut. Questions to ask yourself are:
Am I living beneath my means and saving for the future? Am I socking away 15-20% of my salary into a retirement plan? Do I have that 6-9 month emergency savings account? Do I have a Roth IRA account as a means to also save for retirement?

I can hear the grumblings. I don’t have the extra cash to fund these types of savings.
Consider not stopping at Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks on the way into the office. Consider bringing your lunch every day and saving yourself close to $2,000 a year. According to Steve Ng, CFA at Woodland Investments in Boston, “If you were to invest that annual lunch savings of $2,000 in a diversified mutual fund and compound that over 25 years at a rate of 8% , you would end up with $146,212.”

Re-route the amount that you would have spent on lunch and have it taken directly from your payroll into your 401K, savings or mutual fund account.

Hey- I’m not saying you’ll become the millionaire next door over night. But what I do believe is that by examining your spending habits and planning for retirement you can gain more financial security.

As an art director/designer who has spent a significant amount of time working in both an office environment and at home, I’ve found that there can be many advantages to the latter. If you are new to the industry or making the change from full-time (in-house) to freelance, there are some very important things you need to be aware of. Based on my own experiences, I’d like to try and give you a general outline of the advantages, disadvantages, and (more importantly) how to deal with those disadvantages.

ADVANTAGES

COMFORT – The comforts of your own home make for a quite enjoyable working environment. It’s really great to be able to listen to whatever music you want, as loud as you want, whenever you want. Then there are things like getting to use your own bathroom rather than sharing one with an office full of people. And of course, nothing beats being able to work in your PJs!

MAKING YOUR OWN SCHEDULE – Dentist appointment? No problem! Although this will of course differ depending on whether you’re freelance or full-time (from home), there are many obvious bonuses when it comes to managing your own time.

NO COMMUTE – Not having to commute has the benefit of saving TONS on gas money, but the more valuable aspect of it is the time you save. In a city like L.A., where a 15 mile commute can take more than an hour, you can easily spend two hours of your day in your car. Not commuting means getting that precious time of your life back.

NO OFFICE POLITICS! – All the diplomacy needed to work in an office full of many different personalities, egos, and agendas can be exhausting and stressful. Working at home eliminates about 95% of those stresses.

NO OFFICE DISTRACTIONS! – This is my favorite thing about working from home. Working for a medium to large company (in an office) can be the biggest killer of productivity in and of itself. By the time you’ve driven to work, parked your car, walked in, poured some coffee, eaten a bagel, said “good morning”, checked your emails, and sat in on a meeting that you probably didn’t need to, you’ve already lost about 1 – 1.5 hours of your day. Then over the course of the day, you’ll need to answer questions your co-workers ask about things that aren’t quite emergencies (and could have been asked through an email and answered later). This causes you to break concentration for at least a few minutes and slows down the creative process. I sincerely believe that the general distractions of working in an office environment have the most detrimental effect to the creative process and productivity level.

DISADVANTAGES (and advice on dealing with them)

ISOLATION – There are 2 types of isolation when working from home as a creative. The first is just general human isolation, which would tend to give most people a slight to moderate case of cabin fever. The second is creative isolation. Not having other designers and art directors around means not having anyone to quickly brainstorm with or bounce ideas off of. You often find that you’re in a tight creative bubble.

ADVICE – If you have a good bookstore nearby, go there and browse through any type of art-related or even non-art-related books. This can be a great source of ideas and inspiration and gets you away from the computer desk as well as out of the house. The internet can be an even greater source of inspiring material. Build up a good list of design/inspiration websites and blogs to help feed your daily brain cravings. Last but not least, don’t be afraid to get on the phone with a colleague, friend, or even a client and toss some ideas around (provided it’s not an inconvenience for them).

BOOKEEPING – Most of us creatives are not entirely ’switched on’ when it comes to things involving numbers. Working from home presents a laundry list of business related hurdles to jump over.

ADVICE – Get yourself a good accountant/tax advisor, even if they just help show you the ropes a bit and then help out every now and then. If you’re full-time working from home, there’s less to worry about than if you’re freelance, but it’s a smart move either way. If you are freelance, you’ll really need to do much more research beyond what I’m offering here when it comes to being self-employed.

MOTIVATION – Simply put… if you’re the type of person who will be tempted by the couch and television or a BBQ next door, you should probably not work from home too often. It takes a lot of discipline and a strong work ethic. There are so many temptations that will try to pull you away from your work.

ADVICE – You absolutely will need a single room in your house or apartment to be designated as your office/workspace. I strongly advise against having a workstation in your living room or, even worse, your bedroom. You need to be able to step away from home and step into work and when you’re done with work, step back into home. It is so important to keep those 2 parts of your life separate for your motivation’s sake as well as your sanity’s! Also, keep your workspace CLEAN and NEAT. A messy office is a motivation killer in an office environment but it’s even more so at home. Lastly, if you live with a roommate, family member, or significant other, they need to understand and/or be made aware of the fact that when you’re working, you’re not available. If they need something or have a question then they should email you about it just as they would do if you were working at an office.

COMMUNICATION AND DELIVERY OBSTACLES – Not being on-site means it’s more difficult to contact someone about something very important as well as to deliver final artwork, project files, etc.

ADVICE – Get the fastest internet service you can get. Probably 90% of all correspondence will be done over the internet. Also, create an instant messaging account if you don’t already have one since many people in this industry communicate over instant messaging. A web cam is also a great tool for communicating with colleagues and clients (we designers like to explain ideas with our hands). Most importantly, be available! Answer your phone, reply to emails and instant messages, and don’t be M.I.A. It is a luxury to be able to ignore an email or phone call if you’re in a creative groove, but you don’t want to get a reputation for being hard to get in touch with.

I hope this gives you at least a little bit of insight. Working from home can bring your productivity and creativity to a whole new level. You just need to look out for (and figure out how to deal with) the pit falls.

When DVD overthrew VHS, many believed that it would be the definitive format for home entertainment.  When Blu-Ray first released, some people believed that the DVD days were soon to be over… but are they?

If you are not feeling satisfied with the single layer encoding of your favorite movies, Blu-Ray may not always be the right answer.  Here are a few issues that you should consider before putting your DVDs in the dust pile.

Is your television HD?

The first thing you want to make sure of is do you have a high definition television?  If you have an old CRT standard definition television, you wont notice any difference in quality at all.  You will get access to the interactive content associated with Blu-Ray… but the picture quality is what makes the format the most beneficial.

Your Movie Collection

If you are an avid movie fan, look into your favorites and see if they are available on Blu-Ray yet.  If they are available be sure to go to web sites such as Highdefdigest.com to find a review for the disc you are looking for.  Some movies, especially in the earlier years of the Blu-Ray format, were just re-encodes or up-converts of the previous DVD transfers.  Not every movie gets the gorgeous restoration treatment that The Wizard of Oz and the Godfather series received. So be careful.

Other Benefits of Blu-Ray Players

If you have purchased a high definition television, make sure the Blu-Ray player you do purchase had HDMI output.  Most Blu-Ray players, such as the Playstation 3 system feature up-converting abilities, that will make your standard definition DVDs look their absolute best.  This is always something to look into before spending money on Blu-Ray upgrades.

As far as which Blu-Ray player to purchase…make sure you do your research and see what people have to say about it in the consumer reports.  I personally recommend the Playstation 3 as a Blu-Ray player because there are constant software updates, and it also functions as a video game system and as an amazing media center.