Chop Shop Studios

We've moved...

2007-02-19T23:20:00.000-05:00

...to a new location:

chopshopstudios.wordpress.com is our new nifty blog locale.

Please come by to see our new work, read about our new adventures, or catch up on some fabulous film recommendations by the one and only Human Film Library, Austin.

Cheers!

What we're working on now...

2007-02-12T21:41:00.000-05:00

This month we have begun working with the Century Council.

Starting with their 2006 Year in Review DVD, and ending with a nice fat photo slideshow, we here at Chop Shop are excited about embarking on a new project.

What we especially enjoy about End of Year videos is the chance to dig into another company to learn about what they have to offer. The Century Council does not let us down. With programs such as Girl Talk, Ask Listen Learn, and B4U Drink, it's exciting to be part of the solution.

At the Cinema | The Queen

2007-01-18T08:36:00.000-05:00

Inspired by the Golden Globe awards, last night I attended the 5.15 screening of The Queen with my parents at the AFI theatre. What a glorious theatre!

The only time I had been in the large cinema at Silver Springs before was at Werner Herzog's presentation of his new documentary, Grizzly Man, and of course at the time, all I could focus on was Herzog's stories of bar brawls in Bavaria and the greedy legal system in the US.

Last night, however, I was free to admire the architecture of the AFI's large cinema and the comfortable VIP chairs which gave my very tall father plenty of leg room.

The movie itself deserves equal praise. A solid story that span the few days following the death of Princess Diana was built from a strong, straight-forward script, excellent performances from Helen Mirren and Michael Sheen, and was rounded out with a sprinkling of actual news footage.

Afterwards, I was surprised with stories from my parents about their friendship with Tony Blair and the time they had tea at the Palace with the Prince and Princess.

Overall, while you might not be treated to soup, tea, and entertaining stories of the English Royalty after, I highly recommend attending a screening of The Queen before it leaves the theatre.

Robert Altman

2006-11-21T20:54:00.000-05:00

Film director Robert Altman passed away last night at 81. His films include MASH, The Company, Short Cuts, Gosford Park, and most recently, Prairie Home Companion.

He directed 87 films since 1951.

We would like to encourage everyone to get out and watch one of his films to pay homage, as well as to see a great master of dialogue at work.

Really pay attention to the way his camera flows between conversations. The way his characters never quite finish their thoughts, before another conversation has been introduced. And above all, enjoy his wonderful ensemble casts. A good director knows how to cast his films. Altman was fantastic when it came to casting.

So here's to an amazing career, Mr. Altman! Three Cheers!

Join ONE

2006-10-28T00:23:00.000-04:00

ONE

LOST

2006-10-20T13:27:00.000-04:00

This is our first film. We shot it in Seattle back in August of 2003. It stars Jaime Roberts, Hana Lass, and Caitlin Clouthier. All the music is by John Osebold.

It is the story of a young composer, living in a world where music is not allowed, seeking out someone who can understand her.

to see a higher resolution of the film, click here.

Paper Snow Doll

2006-10-02T07:25:00.000-04:00

Paper Snow Doll is a short film we shot in Seattle on July 19, 2005. The test was to see how much power music and editing had over a very simple story line.

This is our experiment.

music by:John Osebold | cast: Lathrop Walker & Caitlin Clouthier

PARK(ing) Day!

2006-09-11T12:48:00.000-04:00

On September 21st (or possibly Sept 24, depending on schedules) Chop Shop Studios will join in the fun and help create a PARK in a metered parking spot, somewhere in Washington, DC.

Check out ReBar's website to learn more about the project: www.rebargroup.org.

Austin and I will be sure to post more information on how you can get involved in the District's own version of PARK(ing) Day! Stay tuned!

Scotland Tales

2006-09-10T21:54:00.000-04:00

Austin returned last week from Scotland having spent his time shooting the latest epsiode of NightHawk, "KnightHawk". Here he is perched on top of Arthur's Seat, scoping out the landscape for the next shot and looking overall very directorial.

Reggie, Tom, and Austin managed to entice enough talented actors from the Fringe Festival to round out the rather large cast of "KnightHawk" and from the first few peeks of the footage, I must say this is one which will top the rest.

(Photos compliments of Lindsay Clipner)

Boehner-Kennedy, Saving Lives!

2006-09-07T17:16:00.001-04:00

On Tuesday, Emily commenced editing this year's video for the Boehner-Kennedy Dinner, a fund-raiser which gives support (financial and emotional) to the Center City Consortium, a program designed to serve the District's neediest children.

The video focuses on the fourteen schools (St. Thomas More and Our Lady of Perpetual Help, to name a few) it has made significant changes to - including entire reconstruction of major pieces of each building, such as the library, the cafeteria, even turning parking lots into playgrounds.

The District's poorest children need a foundation to stand on, and the Boehner-Kennedy Dinner aims to make that foundation strong.

Furthermore, some of the children interviewed are so damn cute, we'll have to post a piece of the video. Maybe submit it to Cute Overload.

Yearbook 2006 is live!

2006-08-28T08:44:00.000-04:00

Yearbook 2006, the Katrina website-documentary that Austin and I have been working on for the past two months, goes lives today! (read: Wrapping Up Katrina to learn more about our involvement).

Please check out: www.y06.org to see this amazing website! So many hands have been working late into the night to make this all come together. It was a real pleasure working with Josh and Jim Goldblum of BlueCadet.

We hope you enjoy Yearbook 2006!

Wrapping up Katrina

2006-08-21T17:43:00.000-04:00

This is our final week of editing "Yearbook 2006", a narrative/documentary website, dedicated to telling the Katrina survival stories of a few New Orleans high school seniors.

Josh and Jim Goldblum (of Blue Cadet) were the brains behind this operation, spending the majority of this past year documenting roughly 30 high school seniors at Franklin High in the heart of New Orleans.

Yearbook 2006 also features the beautiful photographs of Joshua Cogan, a truly talented photographer.

Be sure to listen to Morning Edition (NPR) on Friday August 25th to hear Josh Goldblum's interview!

We'll post up the link to the site when it goes live on the anniversary of Katrina, August 29th.

Scotland Bound

2006-08-21T15:57:00.000-04:00

Austin is off to Edinburgh, Scotland tomorrow (the bastard!) to shoot the fourth episode of NightHawk. Working title? "KnightHawk". We pride ourselves on our ability to really push the envelope.

Reggie Watts, the lovely creator of NightHawk and top-notch Comedian-Extraordinaire, is performing in the
Edinburgh Fringe Festival all month, so Tommy Smith (writer & co-creator of NH) and Austin are flying the friendly skies to take advantage of a fabulous city stuffed to the brim with starving actors.

Haven't heard of NightHawk? Be sure to catch one of Reggie's many stand-up shows to get a sneak peak at what Tom, Reggie, Austin, and I have been cooking up these days.

Jason Webley | Hey Ya

2006-08-10T17:28:00.000-04:00

We enjoyed shooting Jason Webley performance at American University in January almost as much as we enjoyed going out with him and a few fans to the cafe above Kramerbooks in Dupont Circle afterwards.

to view a higher resolution, click here.

Fringe Delights

2006-08-09T23:34:00.000-04:00

Last week Austin's plays closed the Capital Hill Inaugural Fringe Festival with a bang. Having sold out almost every performance, the actors beamed as we piled in an extra two rows of people at the 11am final showing of Short Works Exploring Dangerous Devotion.

They cheered, they laughed, they wept, and best of all - they stayed for the entire 45 minute performance featuring the works of Ionesco, Fornes, and Durang.

Austin directed (and Emily assisted) the short plays with the intention of getting back to the art of working with actors. Taking the time to really rehearse the shows was the main reason for signing onto this project (it certainly wasn't the money), and in the end it paid off. Working with celebrated actress Tina Renay Fulp was certainly one of the biggest of all the perks, as well as offering Emily the opportunity to learn how to silk screen t-shirts [one of her creations is featured on Katie Atkinson above] even if it was 2am when she finally got round to it.

Overall? We might not do it again any time soon, but it was certainly worth the two months of prep work, the nightly rehearsals in that stuffy sweltering church basement, and the countless late night walks arguing over book work when we saw the packed houses night after night. Congrats are in order for the excellent cast and crew of Short Works!

Dresden Dolls | Shores of California

2006-08-09T18:56:00.001-04:00

We shot this for the Dresden Dolls over at the 930 Club last May.

to view a higher resolution version, click here

Alphastates | Kiss Me

2006-08-09T18:56:00.000-04:00

The Alphastates, an Irish band we befriended while living in Dublin, asked us to shoot a music video for them. We had a blast filming this in Seattle with a very talented group of actors.

for the record: Catherine and the rest of the band refused to be used in the video as they had "a bad experience" on shoots with other directors.

To see a higher resolution of this video click here.

What We've Been Up To

2006-03-29T13:00:00.000-05:00

Here at the Chop Shop we've been busy little bees. So far this year, we've shot and edited live concert DVDs of the Dresden Dolls, Jason Webley, and the Alphastates. We shot Bright Eyes and The Faint as they passed through the 930 Club in Washington, DC. Presently we are editing a stand-up comedy show for the hilarious Reggie Watts.

In the meantime, we hope to find a spot in one of the many film festivals NYC has to offer with a few of the short films we've produced! Wish us luck!

The Low-Down

2006-03-29T12:25:00.000-05:00

It's nothing but laughs at ChopShop Studios. Laughs and a hell of a lot of work. At the moment, our focus is music. Live concert DVDs are a blast to shoot and edit, but music videos give us a means to stretch our creative mind-legs. Mmmmm...mind-legs. However, we are always available to shoot and edit just about anything.

Send us an email to spread the love: info@chopshopstudios.com

Cheers,
Emily Gallagher & Austin Elston

Welcome

2006-01-06T14:22:00.000-05:00

Welcome to The Chop Shop...prepare to be amazed!