Skywatchers is a community arts program conceived and directed by choreographer Anne Bluethenthal of ABD Productions, in which artist facilitators and Tenderloin residents co-create performance while discussing world events, forging relationships, and celebrating life. We are so grateful to have documented the Skywatchers events since its inception in 2011 and to produce this short documentary. Check it out, and get yourself on their contact list to be a part of this community!
Healthy Dancer Video Series
LRP produced these short, instructional, and adorable films conceived and directed by Kendall Alway, DPT of the ODC Healthy Dancers Clinic with Kimi Okada, the director of the ODC school. In three brief videos, the cuties from the ODC Dance Jam demonstrate some endlessly valuable tips to staying well. Take a few minutes out of your day... for your health!
Food + Rest = Energy
Expert exercises!
Top of your game alignment!
ODC/Dance highlights
In 2014, the LRP team captured ODC/Dance and collaborators' creation of a piece called Speaking Volumes, a site-specific dance on Alcatraz Island, as part of the Ai Weiwei exhibit @Large. Loren also captured and edited highlight videos for ODC's Invention of Wings and Dead Reckoning during their 2015 home season, Dance Downtown, at YBCA.
Watch and be reminded of this stalwart company's capacity for exquisite production and the dancers' ability to evoke humanity from the simplest to most full bodied movement!
Speaking Volumes (Alcatraz Island, part of Ai Weiwei exhibit - 2014):
Conceived and directed by Brenda Way in collaboration with KT Nelson, Kimi Okada, and RJ Muna.
Invention of Wings (Dance Downtown 2015):
Director: Brenda Way
Choreographers: Brenda Way & KT Nelson
Sound Score: Olafur Arnalds, Ben Frost, Ben Juodvalkis
Visuals: Ian Winters, RJ Muna
Light + Scenic Design: Matthew Antaky
Dead Reckoning (Dance Downtown 2015):
Choreography: KT Nelson
Commissioned Score + Cellist: Joan Jeanrenaud
Percussion: PC Munoz
Light + Scenic Design: Matthew Antaky
Costume Design + Production: Liz Brent
VIDF 2015
Loren had the privilege of joining the Nel Shelby Productions team once again at the Vail International Dance Festival this summer as editor and videographer.
Here are a few highlights that Loren edited (and helped document)...
Highlights from one of the shows "International Evening of Dance":
Bill Irwin!!! (remember Mr. Noodle on Sesame Street?!) with Memphis Jookers:
Interesting insight into Balanchine's "Apollo" with Heather Watts, former NYC Ballet principal dancer who worked with Balanchine:
What's the 211?
Both movement and performance in Ingrid Graham's dance film "211" are exacting and yet tender. In just a few short minutes, the choreography and imagery speak of such human themes as duality, relationship, and struggle with some lovely dancing to boot! See for yourself!
Director, Producer & Choreographer: Ingrid Graham
Dancers: Cassandra Naud & Gina Vidales
Cinematography & Editing: Loren Robertson Productions
Composer: Yaw Anoff
Music Production: Way Deep
Post:ballet's Sixth Season
New highlight video for Robert Dekker's Post Ballet! Their recent show "Six-Pack", presented at YBCA last month, was bursting with creative movement invention, captivating characterization, and wonderfully masterful dancing. We applaud these stellar artists!
https://vimeo.com/135388536
Music by Kodak to Graph
Stay: Francis Bacon's paintings...Hope Mohr's choreography.
In Stay, Hope Mohr reimagines the geometry, isolation, and preoccupation with the human condition in the work of Francis Bacon. This fascinating production transforms static art into perfectly stylized choreography. See for yourself and watch the trailer!
Choreography: Hope Mohr
Lighting Design: David Szlasa
Sound Design: Theodore J.H. Hulsker
Costumes: Tiffany Amundson
punkkico: Untitled 1
Untitled I by punkkico (Raisa Punkki) is brooding, sensual, and revealing. We shot this at the SFIAF in May of 2015 in a space transformed by imagination. The experience is at once theatrical, formal, tender, and inventive.
Choreography: Raisa Punkki
Original Music: Mark Hertensteiner
Light Design: Allen Willner
Part of the San Francisco International Arts Festival
Dance for Every Child!
Longtime friend and colleague Nel Shelby of Nel Shelby Productions directed this new documentary: PS Dance, with Loren editing. It explores the holistic benefits of dance in the public school system, and it is bound to inspire, whether you are a dancer, educator, parent, or fellow human. Check it out on NYC's PBS Channel THIRTEEN and watch it streaming!
Produced and Directed by Nel Shelby
Photo credit: Christopher Duggan
Host: Paula Zahn
Consultant: Joan Finkelstein
Music Composition: Bob Novak & Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal
Funding: The Arnhold Foundation
Homo File
We’ve watched Seth Eisen’s Homo File: Chronicling the life of Samuel Steward develop over the years. Steward, a 20th century college professor, author, tattoo artist, and sexual rebel, laid early tracks for LGBTQ activism. And what a fascinating life he led! Have a looksee!
Written, designed, and directed by Seth Eisen
Embodiment Project
Other than "WOW!", what can we say? Nicole Kalymoon's Embodiment Project has been making some serious waves in the Bay Area dance scene and beyond. Check out this video as a preview of what is to come from these fierce artists. And then get your butt to dance class!
Music: A Tribe Called Red "Ndn Stakes (feat. Sitting Bear)"
Videography: Rising Star Productions and Loren Robertson Productions
Edit: Loren R. Robertson
Artistic Director: Nicole Klaymoon
Musical Director: Valerie Trout
Cascada de Flores - "Radio Flor"
We had the privilege to capture this beautiful show at Berkeley's wonderful music venue, Freight & Salvage and then worked with the musicians to craft a highlights reel to promote the show for future touring opportunities.
Enjoy a few moments with these charming and talented folks:
Arwen Lawrence: lead vocalist, dance, and rhythm guitars
Jorge Liceaga: lead guitars, voice, lead actor
Saul Sierra-Alonso: double bass, leoncita, chorus
Marco Diaz: trumpet, piano & chorus
Brian Rice: percussion & chorus
Nicole Fuentez: camera
Eric Koziol: camera
SAID SHE - Yolande Snaith
We've had the privilege of working with long-time University of California, San Diego dance professor Yolande Snaith over the past several years, in particular following the creation of her solo dance theatre work One Hundred Feet, a piece she made as she turned 50 years old.
LRP was commissioned to produce a short film about Yolande and the making of the work - a portrait of sorts. It's a beautiful ode to an accomplished choreographer/performer and holds the sentiments of all aging artists.
Worth a watch!
Choreography and Performance design: Yolande Snaith
Video Projection design: Natalia Valerdi
Lighting design: Wen-Ling Liao
Sound design: Nick Drashner
"Seed the Spring" at CounterPulse
At the end of every year we work with cutting edge arts org CounterPulse and their marketing/outreach team to create a video using LRP's performance documentation from throughout the year as part of the annual appeal process. Here is 2014's video! (and we are loving their new logo!!!)
Rocked by Women
Check out the highlights of Sarah Bush Dance's Rocked by Women, performed at Dance Mission Theater in San Francisco:
another Post:Ballet goodie
just had to share another sizzle from Post:Ballet's season!
VIDEO TIP: Work Sample Compression For Uploading to Grant Application Websites
Sometimes grant applications accept links to video work samples, while other times one is required to upload a video file to the grantor's application website. Here's a step-by-step process to create the proper sized .MP4 (one of the appropriate file types for uploading to the web) while keeping as much quality integrity of the video as possible. **Note: Often there is a total upload limit, which means there will be some math to do on your part - see step #4 below
These steps apply to exporting an HD video file from both iMovie and Final Cut Pro
1. File - Export using Quicktime Conversion
2. A "Save" box opens, under "Format" choose "MPEG-4"
3. Next to "Format", Press the "Options" button
4. Fill in the following settings (from top to bottom)
File Format: choose MP4 (not MP4 (ISMA))
Video Format: h.264
Data Rate: enter 5000*
Image Size: choose 1280x720 HD
[leave "Preserve aspect ratio..." unchecked]
Frame Rate: choose "Current"
Key Frame: keep "every" checked and enter "30" frames
* This is the number that you will need to adjust to get the file size you want. Say you are uploading two 5min excerpts and are given a limit of 250MB total. That means they each will need to be under 125MB (totaling 250MB). After you enter this info but before saving, look at the bottom and there is a file size approximation in KB.
Use google to figure the long KB number translated to MB. For example you can enter into a google search "274989KB in MB" and it will tell you the conversion - in this case the file is a little more than 2x too big.
Adjust the Data Rate number - in this case, cut it in half and a little more, say 2200, and the File Size approximation is now 124839 KB which = 124.839 MB (a little under 125MB limit!)
The idea is to get as close to your given limit as possible, as that will make the video file of the highest quality working with the file size constraints.
5. Press "Video Options..." and choose Encoding Mode "Best Quality (Multi-pass)" - press OK
6. OPTIONAL for highest audio quality (do this step before doing your Data Rate math): Navigate to the Audio tab and change Output Sample Rate to 48.000 KHz
7. Press OK and then save
The compression may take several hours. Then you can upload the .MP4 to your online grant application!
[These are essentially the best settings for making video files to upload to Vimeo and Youtube as well, but entering the Data Rate between 5000-10,000.]
Happy grant writing and receiving!
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5th Season for Post:Ballet!
Check out this promotional edit we put together following Post:Ballet's "Five High" at YBCA in San Francisco!
So gorgeous!
A Purple Wedding!
A peek into the wedding of some friends and Bay Area theater beloveds, Darl Andrew Packard and Matisse Michalski:
Here-Now: A Call to Action
For the Bay Area folks, here is a panel discussion put on by Emerging Arts Professionals on the "State of the Network: Tactics Towards Action" with Michelle Mansour, Executive Director, Root Division; Lex Leifheit, Executive Director,SOMArts; Ramekon O’Arwisters, Social Practice Artist – Facilitated by Melonie and Melorra Green, African American Arts and Culture Complex. Worth a watch/listen if you are producing art of any kind in the Bay...