Four + One Blog

Where the search for a well-rounded existence can stretch its legs.

If you’re new to the blog, here are a few things to get you started. The game behind the name tells the tale of where the name 4+1 originated. You can listen to my appearance on The Quasi-Glamourous Life podcast to hear me talk about work. This blog is constantly in flux. Some of the early posts will give you an idea of what I'm into, my latest posts have tended to showcase my work. Shout at me if you want more of some and less of the other. Enjoy.

Night Becomes Day

In 2006 I directed a short film as my senior thesis at film school. The film entitled Night Becomes Day played at several festivals in 2007. I’ve had it around but was holding off on putting it up on the internet for one reason or another. Those reasons are now less important than my current [...]

Behind the Scenes: “The New Reliability”

All the elements are coming together nicely, we’re almost done with the edit. Then we’re just looking for client approval. Very excited. If I whet your appetite for The Black Keys with the teaser, here’s the whole song to enjoy along with some behind the scenes photos from our shoot, (click ‘em and they get [...]

Teaser: The New Reliability

Over the weekend we shot a tv spot on my new Canon 7D camera. The footage turned out great. I’m in the editing process right now, we’re recording voice overs this Friday. It should be all polished up in about two weeks.
I couldn’t wait to get a few of my favorite shots out there to [...]

Netflix – Making My (POPUP) Life Easier

There is a new series we’re starting here on the blog called “Mr. Grumpy Pants Has the Floor”. Written by Director of Client Services Andrew Pugmire, this series allows him to respond to all the things in the world that bother him. Here is the first entry:
Mr. Grumpy Pants is a name that was given [...]

Collaboration: All Talk, Little Walk

I love the movie The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. I think most people consider this ‘minor Anderson’ (which is just as snobby as it sounds), but I love it. It’s an adventure movie that features a rag-tag group of misfits that is past its prime but still searching for that great experience. What’s not [...]

18 movie experiences that changed me, part III

Read part I and part II of this series to read about movies from my adolescence and the early film school years.
Self-directed Pseudo Study Abroad (Paris for three weeks)
In the 2003-2004 school year a few of my fellow film students and I felt like we weren’t getting as much out of the available screenwriting [...]

18 movie experiences that changed me, part II

In Part I of this series I covered my adolescence (1993-1998) and movies 1-6 that changed me. Now on to my post-adolescence, covering approximately 2001-2004.
Movie Store Clerk/Film Student
In 2001 I went to college. I packed my bags into my old VW bug and hit the road. My school experience covered 5 years, and to be [...]

18 movie experiences that changed me, part I

I direct TV commercials for a living. I studied film in college, my short film played at several festivals. I’ve written feature-length screenplays (“I wrote a hit play!”). Movies have played a big role in my life. This is a list of movie experiences that impacted me at pivotal moments, in big ways. It’s not [...]