Transients Fun Facts

1. 95% of the film was shot in Redlands. The two major locations were Ford Park and Prospect Park.

2. The original script was written in the winter of 2007 and was five pages long.

3. The film is dedicated to Paul Longmore, a disability rights activist and scholar, who passed away in August 2010.

4. Percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie inspired the character of Sal, played by Douglas Ridloff.

5. Teal Sherer, actress, producer, and activist, was director Rhianon Gutierrez's first choice to play Sandrine.

6. One major scene in the film involves a silk routine performed by aerialists Jennifer Bricker and Nathan Crawford.

7. There were nine deaf women who were involved with the production as cast or crew members.

8. The character of Sal was first written as a musician, but later became a musician and ASL poet.

9. The film was shot over a period of ten months: five days in 2010 and four days in 2011.

10. The film is open captioned by our editor, Alex Lotz. He also did the captions for the videos on My Gimpy Life's YouTube channel, created by Teal Sherer.

11. The film was shot on the Canon 7D.

12. The role of Gabe, played by musician and actor Marco Aiello, was written specifically for him. He also composed the music for the film's score.

13. The poster image includes teacups hanging from trees. Director Rhianon Gutierrez cites Alice in Wonderland as one of the inspirations for the film's design.

14. The entire film was shot in the daylight, on location. Only one scene used some artificial light.

15. Several of our crew members make cameo appearances in the film as festival goers.

16. Half of the crew are alumni of Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, notably director Rhianon Gutierrez, co-producers Eric Soth and Mike Cox, editor Alex Lotz, and production designer Andrea Mgebroff. Other crew members are graduates of the film schools of USC, the American Film Institute, Southern Methodist University, and Ryerson University In Toronto.

17. The director's favorite shot occurs at the 1:45 mark in this exclusive sneak preview of the opening: http://vimeo.com/32699003.

18. The film was partially financed with money from the Loreen Arbus Focus on Disability Scholarship given by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Foundation for the director's undergraduate thesis film, "When I'm Not Alone" (2009).

19. The film features a stilt walker, played by Stina Pederson. Her character was inspired by athlete, model, and speaker Aimee Mullins.

20. The final scene in the film contains an art piece inspired by environmental artist Andy Goldsworthy.

21. Douglas Ridloff, a native of New York City, was the only actor who auditioned via Skype. The rest auditioned in person in Los Angeles.

22. A sculpture inspired by the giant spider sculpture in the National Gallery of Art's sculpture garden in Washington DC makes a brief appearance in the film.

23. Musician Collin Martin taught actor Douglas Ridloff how to play the djimbe drum for the production.

24. Yes, there's a shot we did in the water. It was scary, and it made the final cut.

25. Sound mixer Leonardo Nasca and actress Teal Sherer previously worked together on the hit web series "The Guild".

26. There were eight interpreters on set at different times throughout the production.

27. There's a documentary that's being made about the making of "Transients", titled "M.O.S.".

28. One of our crew members, Bill O'Neill, is an Emmy award-winning cinematographer. His nephew was a student of the director's mother. They discovered this connection after he had joined the production as Key Grip.

29. It was a family affair. The director's family was involved in the production, and the lead actors' partners were involved as cast or crew members.

30. The director celebrated her birthday on set in 2010.

31. The filmmakers believe in authenticity in casting. All roles that have a person with a disability are played by a person who has that actual disability. In addition, many of the featured artists and extras are Deaf even though their characters are not defined as hearing or deaf.

31 Days of Transients Fun Facts!

It's the Holiday Season, so we decided to give our fans a little present each day - a fun fact about Transients! We are posting these fun facts on our Facebook and Twitter pages. They may be about the story, our cast and crew, sources of inspiration, and who knows what else? When those 31 facts are finished, we will post them all on our blog for those who may have missed them the first time around!

Happy Holidays!

Rhianon and the Cast and Crew

Transients Opening Sneak Preview

TRANSIENTS is open captioned and is currently being sent to festivals to premiere in Spring 2012.

Credits:

Starring:
Teal Sherer as Sandrine
Douglas Ridloff as Sal
Marco Aiello as Gabe

Director/Writer/Executive Producer: Rhianon Gutierrez
Executive Producer: Loreen Arbus
Executive Producers: Helen Walter, Thomas Nederostek, Michelle Christie-Adams
Producers: Catherine MacKinnon, Michael Cox, Eric Soth
Line Producer: Eli Steele
Director of Photography: Kimby Caplan
Editor: Alex Lotz
Sound Editor: Harry Cheney MPSE
Production Designer: Andrea Mgebroff
Art Director: Candace Jade Lewis
Music: Marco Aiello

Redefining disAbility Event: What Was Said

Photo credit: Rhianon Gutierrez.
Shot on an iPhone, with some help from Instagram.

Last night, I attended an event at the Creative Artists Agency called "Redefining DisAbility". I interacted with familiar and new faces. I saw people that I hadn't seen since I was a student at Chapman and others that I hadn't seen or spoken to since I buried myself in post-production for Transients. I was glad to see my friends and make new connections and discoveries.

I sat in the front row so that I could lipread and listen to all the panelists. It was wonderful. When my friend tapped my shoulder and pointed to the large white screen behind the panelists, I saw that they also had real-time captioning (CART). I was stunned. This was an event where there was no deaf or hard of hearing panelist. I did not request the captions. Someone somewhere knew that they were important at an inclusion event. Whoever that person was, I like the way that you think. I always tell people that we need people in the disability advocacy field to recognize that discussions on inclusion should include CART and not just interpreters. People should have the freedom to choose which access option they want. Thank you for giving me that freedom to use CART when I missed something a panelist said.

My favorite part of the evening was when the panelists shared their personal stories. They were funny and heartbreaking. People with disabilities are often called "inspirational". Teal Sherer of The Guild and My Gimpy Life (and Sandrine in Transients) shared how she hated being called that because it wasn't earned. Robert David Hall (CSI) spoke of how there were only two types of roles for disabled people in the 1980s: the inspirational disabled person or the angry disabled person. Hall is a series regular on CSI, where he plays a character who is three-dimensional and interesting. He's been on the show for years.

Christopher Thornton (Sympathy for Delicious) was once told that he "wasn't convincing as a disabled person" because he had occasional spasms (from his spinal cord injury) during his audition. He remarked that he wasn't sure whether he should be offended or see it as a compliment. Actor's Studio-trained Eileen Grubba (Hung) told of how she had the door slammed in her face numerous times because she "walked funny". She shared how these experiences have enriched her drive as an actress and an advocate for more inclusion of people with disabilities in the media. Her most important advice was to parents and creators to remind them to continue to be encouraging to young people with disabilities because they deserve a chance in media. She wasn't the only one offering words of encouragement.

"I want to see that percentage of people with disabilities have a shot," said Robert David Hall. "Fight fear and ignorance."

"Bullying hurts and it kills dreams," said Glee's Lauren Potter to much applause.

Danny Woodburn, famous for being on Seinfeld, said "Each of us has to have the courage to speak up." Danny was one of the wittiest and most articulate panelists.

Eileen Grubba concluded, "We need to stand up, write roles for each other, no longer accepting that 20% of our world is shut out of entertainment."

Events like this reinforce my purpose as a writer, director, and producer. I wrote Transients to give a voice to people with disabilities behind and in front of the camera. It's not going to be the last one.

-Rhianon Gutierrez
Writer/Director, Transients

Introducing...Transients' Official Poster!

Designed by Ray Gutierrez. Copies will be available for sale soon.

Silence and Stillness - A Composer's Experience on Transients

Silence and Stillness
By Marco Aiello
Composer and Actor - Gabe
September 2011 

Last year, a filmmaker wrote a part for me in her film, “Transients”.  The film was about a deaf musician and poet and his interaction with a paraplegic sculpture artist at an arts festival.  I played “Gabe”, the musician's best friend and I also wrote the music and songs for the film, one of which we perform live in one of the scenes.  Two of these songs appear on my new album (“In Pictures” and “Transient”) due to be released in November 2011.  The lead actor in the film is a deaf actor.  The director is deaf.  The DP is deaf.  And about half the crew was deaf.  Being on that set changed my life.  The first thing I noticed being around deaf people is that they are the absolute best listeners.  When deaf people communicate, they aren’t hearing - but they are receiving.  On set, there were about a dozen different ASL interpreters – so those of us that didn’t know sign language could still communicate with those that were deaf.  Imagine that, there I was, a musician, singer and songwriter – someone who is not only dependent on SOUND, but someone who had built much of his artistic identity around it.  Musicians tune in so deeply into sound textures, harmony, scales, notes – things being in “key”.  And hear I was acting in & writing MUSIC for this film – a film where most of its artists, crew, actors and audience would never hear what I was sonically creating.  At first, this came with enormous challenges.  How could I get the lead actor to play a drum in time?  Half the time, I can’t even get hearing drummers to play in time!  How would I write music that was true to the project and these beautiful people?  How would I write music that honored what I was experiencing?  I started by throwing traditional rhythm out the window – adding extra beats and taking some away – focusing more on the feeling.  Then I realized I could do away with song structure all together; and finally, melodically, I began to feel my way around new territory – sometimes it didn’t make any musical sense at all – except that it did because all I had left was a FEELING.  The space between notes became infinitely more important than the actual notes.  Silence and Music are not separate at all.  They are like PB&J.

On that set, I had a conversation (via interpreter) with Lauren Ridloff, a deaf woman who was the wife of Doug Ridloff, the lead actor.  She began to tell of her father, a songwriter, and told me that I reminded her of him.  He had passed away.  My first feeling was sadness, and I thought: “How would I feel if I had a daughter who could not hear my music?”  But as Lauren continued, I was flooded with unexpected emotion and clarity.  She began to describe how she would sit for hours with her father while he wrote and played music, how her favorite thing in the world was to watch him perform, how she felt that she only really got to know him deeply and spiritually – through his music.  She continued about her passion for music in general, her favorite artists (Paul Simon was one) and how connected she felt to music.  I want to be clear.  This is someone who was born profoundly deaf.  She has never experienced hearing in the way that we have – in her life, she has never heard a sound.  And yet, I knew absolutely, that her experience of music was just as powerful, connected, authentic and inspired as mine.

Something in my heart integrated and locked in to place in such a way in these moments.  Something fundamental inside of me shifted.  It was information I already understood mentally – but this moment was an accelerated enlightenment.  Sound does not actually matter.  What we see with our eyes does not actually matter.  Nothing that is physical and tangible actually matters.  There is a spirit inside of us – a force – and although it is something we cannot understand, it is something we can allow to lead us, our lives, and most importantly, our expression.  When we honor this, something gets communicated that is bigger than any of our normal senses - it is the vibration of spirit.

I have spent so much of my life focusing on the wrong things – namely, concerns such as is my voice strong enough?  Am I singing in pitch?  Is the music original enough?  Is it a “good” song? Etc. Etc…  All these are distractions from what I have always known – that all of this makes up about 1% of what is actually going on during artistic expression.  When we are connected to spirit, we are infinite and we transcend pitch, sound, tone, range.  I am not saying that as a singer I should completely throw those out the window – only that they require a very tiny amount of my focus.  When I am in the flow and inspiration comes through me – those things work themselves out without my attention.  They are just mechanical processes…  As such, they are useless without the creative intelligence behind them.  Have you ever heard a technically perfect singer who is soul-less – and you were not moved?  Conversely, have you ever heard a less technically proficient singer who nonetheless had some quality that moved you to tears?

Since then, every time I sing or play guitar, I imagine that my entire audience is deaf.  It immediately snaps me back to the heart of the matter – that my job as an artist is to express from the depth of my soul – and to forget about "how I sound" – that's all ego.  I pray each time that I will be carried.  I surrender to the creative intelligence and constantly work to turn off my brain – that useless voice that overwhelms me with judgment or contrived problems.  This is why I practice meditation – so that I may more efficiently access this better way to reach those that would humble me and witness my artistic expression.  So that my heart can clear a path.

In our Silence and Stillness, there is so much power.  We should honor it more – much more – and I am grateful to have learned this from my friends in the deaf community. Thanks to Rhianon Gutierrez and everyone who worked on "Transients" – this film will forever hold a place in my heart.

“When you become aware of silence, immediately there is a state of inner still alertness.  You are present.  You have stepped outside of thousands of years of collective human conditioning.”  – Eckhart Tolle

Photo of Marco Aiello Courtesy Ray Gutierrez, Strange Beautiful Art.

Summer Poster!

Meet Collin Martin - Music

Collin Martin has studied music for a majority of his life. He started piano lessons at the age of 6 and still actively plays today. Collin found his love for percussion in high school and continued his percussive studies at Chapman University. It was during his undergraduate studies that he also found a love for composition, which led him to pursue a Master's degree in Music Composition from California State University, Northridge, and an MFA in Musical Theatre Writing from New York University. In addition to composing art music, Collin has a passion for musical theatre and hopes to center his career on the creation and production of new musical theatre in his community.

Meet Andrea Mgebroff - Production Designer

Andrea Mgebroff is an artist and freelance explorer hailing from Portland, Oregon. Known in her youth as an aspiring musician, painter, and entomologist, Andrea continues to seek out vacant lots and fledgling meadows on most weekends. Recent purchases include a new tent, a magazine (Life - May 1963), and a small flowering succulent in a classic terra cotta pot. Andrea is proud to be blood type A - Positive. A recent graduate of Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, she is currently causing trouble in a South California suburb.

Meet Melanie Reese - Zoë / Artists Coordinator

Melanie Reese is a recent LA transplant from Portland, OR and is thrilled to be part of the "Transients" team. Although first and foremost a trained and working actor, her endeavors expand far beyond. She's worked as a costumer for various productions and has designed clothes for two fashion shows, including the YWCA's Dress for Success Fashion benefit she co-created and produced in Seattle. She worked as 2nd AD for the upcoming feature film "The Humdrummer" and worked in the art department and as an actor in the upcoming short "The Price of Ashes". She has been involved in various local theatrical productions, such as the original ensemble-created show "F*ck Me Love Me Leave Me". She is part of SETheatre in Santa Clarita and was recently seen in "Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All" and the original production "Wacademia". She can be seen collaborating with the performance group Opera del Espacio and the rock band New Planets.

Transients Artists Shoot

Transients artists shoot from May 27-29, 2011 in Ford Park and Prospect Park in Redlands. Thanks to the amazing artists who shared their talents up close for the film:

Jennifer Bricker and Nathan Crawford
Tiffany Brooks
Daphne Gabriel
Tracy Kiggen
Cindy Marie Jenkins
Jeremy Lange
Heather Leah
Paulina Logan
Larry Marino
Stina Pederson
Claudia Maria Schmidt
Kim Smith
Brendan Weinhold
Daniel Wilson

All photographs by Ray Gutierrez: www.strangebeautifulart.com.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Transients Wine Tasting and Sneak Preview

We've got some exciting news.  We will host a Wine Tasting and Sneak Preview on April 2, 2011, where our guests will be able to see some selected scenes from the film, enjoy live music, wine, appetizers, and a silent auction.

We'll be having it in the beautiful city of Pasadena at one of the locations where the film was shot. 

We hope that you will join us for the afternoon of April 2nd, from 3:00-6:30PM.  There will be ASL interpreters and CART provided, and the scenes will be captioned.  Tickets are $55 a person, $100 for couple.  All proceeds will go towards the completion of Transients, which is still in post-production.

Please click to download the flyer.  If you plan to attend, please RSVP to transientsfilm@gmail.com or leave us a message on our Facebook page. 

See you there!

TRANSIENTSFUNDRAISERFINAL.pdf View this on Posterous

LATEST TRAILER!

Here it is...our latest trailer!  The film is still a work in progress...be sure to follow us and show your support for the film.  We are working towards an early July 2011 release date in Los Angeles.

Be sure to watch it in HD: 720p or 1080p.

The Department of Justice: Proposed Rulemaking on Movie Captioning

Movie captions matter to us on the Transients team--not just for our cast and crew, but also for our audience.  We want captions to be more visible in theatres and in other media formats.  Check out director Rhianon Gutierrez's blog on the Department of Justice's proposed rulemaking on Movie Captioning--read and take action!  Thanks all!

Why Captions Now?
© Rhianon Elan Gutierrez
January 5, 2011

On December 14th, I saw Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan with my two friends at a theatre in San Francisco. We were celebrating our last week of the semester together at San Francisco State. The film was not captioned, but I still went because I really wanted to see the film. For the most part, my cochlear implant assisted me as I lipread Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, but the process was equally exhausting and nauseating without the captions. I had to ask my friends to clarify some details for me when the film was over. I’ve been doing this for years. I’ve long made the choice to pay to see films in theatres with or without captions because of my passion for film and my desire to socialize. I’ve gone to the movies less as I’ve gotten older and I’ve tried to restrict myself to foreign films because I know that they will have subtitles.

As a child, I was drawn to the power of an actor’s expression and a film’s overall imagery. I’ve known that I wanted to be in film ever since I was three years old. Today, as a filmmaker, I love the collaborative process of filmmaking and I love seeing how my audience responds. I caption my films so that I can make them accessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing, but even while my films have been accessible at film festivals, other films have not. As an advocate for captions, I speak about the benefits of captions not only for those who are deaf or hard of hearing, but for those who are learning English and those who are trying to improve their reading skills. I do this so that people can see the universal benefit of captions. I want to see the films of my peers, not struggle to appreciate and critique their work because I miss the intricacies of the dialogue or because I can’t see the film at all.  I should be able to watch a greater selection of quality captioned films, wherever and whenever. 

I write about captioning often, but I'm writing about it again because the issue of movie captioning is coming to light with the final Department of Justice hearings on January 10th in San Francisco. The rules are proposing that 50% of theatrical films will be captioned five years from now, with 10% per year over a period of five years. Is this acceptable? Why or why not? In considering our answers to this question, we must be realistic. Captions should be universal with so many technologies and resources that are out there. We have open captions, rear window captions, real time captions, and even iPhone caption apps. On their website, the Department of Justice is asking us to respond to 26 questions; the first question is about the 10% over five years. I urge you all to read the questions carefully and to respond to them as they have affected you or a person you know with a hearing loss. At minimum, respond to the first question, but be detailed. The next questions discuss captions in large theatre chains and smaller independent theatres; the amount of screens that offer captions; and the technologies and training required for operating the necessary equipment. I encourage you to be honest but to also be realistic. Frame your argument well and show the DOJ why captions should be universal.

I spoke on December 14th at a televised meeting of the San Francisco Mayor's Disability Council, which you can access with captions and ASL interpretation here.  My part begins at 57:00.  I was also interviewed by Raphaella Bennin of KPFA radio in Berkeley; the interview can be found here.

I love watching films as much as I love making them, but I appreciate films and the team behind them more so when they are made accessible with captions. I’m doing my part to let the DOJ know that captions matter to me.  I hope you will do the same.

Here's what you can do:

According to the DOJ, written comments must be postmarked and electronic comments must be submitted ON or BEFORE January 24, 2011.  Comments must be identified by RIN 1190–AA63 (or Docket ID No. 112).

To file comments electronically:
1. Check out the Fact Sheet about the Proposed Rule on Movie Captioning.
2. Click on www.regulations.gov.
3. Enter Docket ID: DOJ–CRT–0112 and click "Search".
4. Click on "View by Docket Folder".
5. Click on the little blue "Open Docket Folder" on the right of the orange title of the proposed rulemaking. 
6. Click on the blue title of the proposed rule to open the HTML version of the proposed rule with all the 26 questions lined out.
7. At the top of the page, you will see an orange bar saying "Submit a Comment". 

To file written comments via Regular U.S. mail:
Disability Rights Section, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice
P.O. Box 2885
Fairfax, VA 22031–0885

Overnight, courier, or hand delivery: 
Disability Rights Section, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice
1425 New York Avenue, N.W. Suite 4039
Washington, DC 20005

Attend the PUBLIC HEARING on January 10th, 2011:
Location:
Marriott Marquis
55 Fourth Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
Time: 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. PST.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Today is the International Day of Persons With Disabilities.

It is a day where people with disabilities and their advocates can speak about the issues that affect people with disabilities and celebrate their achievements and abilities.

There are over 650 million people with disabilities all over the world (UN Enable).  They are the world's largest minority.

We are each guaranteed rights as human beings. Human rights are universal – they belong to everyone. Everyone has the right not to be discriminated against because of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, disability, and other factors.

The Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities was created by the United Nations in 2006, and it is the first comprehensive human rights treaty of the 21st Century (UN Enable).  It was first opened for signature on March 30, 2007.

The CRPD is a treaty (agreement) made in writing between countries.   Once a country agrees with a treaty, it signs it. When it becomes international law, it is ratified.  It will then be put into the laws of that country.

The CRPD says that people have the right to:
• equality before the law without discrimination
• life, liberty and security of the person
• equal recognition before the law and legal capacity
• freedom from torture
• freedom from exploitation, violence and abuse
• respect physical and mental integrity
• freedom of movement and nationality
• live in the community
• freedom of expression and opinion
• respect for privacy
• respect for home and the family
• education
• health
• work
• an adequate standard of living
• participate in political and public life
• participate in cultural life

What does a country need to do once it signs the CRPD?
1. Make rules and laws to ensure equality
2. Change unfair laws
3. Oppose discrimination against people with disabilities
4. Make sure that there is accessible technology, equipment, and information

To date, there have been 147 signatories and 97 ratifications to the CRPD.

There is also Optional Protocol to the CRPD.  According to UN Enable, it is an international treaty that "establishes two procedures aimed at strengthening the implementation and monitoring of the Convention...the first is an individual communications procedure allowing individuals to bring petitions to the Committee claiming breaches of their rights; the second is an inquiry procedure giving the Committee authority to undertake inquiries of grave or systematic violations of the Convention." There have been 90 signatories and 60 ratifications to it.

In the US, the national law that protects people with disabilities is the Americans With Disabilities Act.  In July 2010, we celebrated the 20th Anniversary of the ADA and honored all those who made it possible.   The ADA protects people with disabilities against discrimination in the workplace, transportation, school, health care, and public places.  As of today's date, the US has signed the CRPD but has not ratified it.  

References:
Americans With Disabilities Act.  <http://www.ada.gov>
UN Enable.  <http://www.un.org/disabilities>

Other resources:
Mobility International USA. <http://www.miusa.org>
Victor Pineda Foundation. <http://www.pinedafoundation.org>

"You Get Proud by Practicing" - In Memory of Laura Hershey

Laura Hershey was a Colorado-based writer, poet, activist, consultant, traveler, friend, partner, and mother.  She passed away on November 26, 2010 after a brief illness.  She is widely known for her work with people with disabilities, but she was also a passionate fighter for social justice.  She wore shirts that proclaimed her pride in being a person with a disability.

Photo credit: Denver Post file photo.

Both people with disabilities and Deaf and hard of hearing people too often feel isolated or ashamed of being different because of social systems and attitudes that have made them feel that way.  How can one get proud amidst all this?

 

You Get Proud by Practicing
© 1991 by Laura Hershey

If you are not proud
For who you are, for what you say, for how you look;
If every time you stop
To think of yourself, you do not see yourself glowing
With golden light; do not, therefore, give up on yourself.
You can get proud.

You do not need
A better body, a purer spirit, or a Ph.D.
To be proud.
You do not need
A lot of money, a handsome boyfriend, or a nice car.
You do not need
To be able to walk, or see, or hear,
Or use big, complicated words,
Or do any of those things that you just can’t do
To be proud. A caseworker
Cannot make you proud,
Or a doctor.
You only need more practice.
You get proud by practicing.

There are many many ways to get proud.
You can try riding a horse, or skiing on one leg,
Or playing guitar,
And do well or not so well,
And be glad you tried
Either way.
You can show
Something you’ve made
To someone you respect
And be happy with it no matter
What they say.
You can say
What you think, though you know
Other people do not think the same way, and you can
keep saying it, even if they tell you
You are crazy.

You can add your voice
All night to the voices
Of a hundred and fifty others
In a circle
Around a jailhouse
Where your brothers and sisters are being held
For blocking buses with no lifts,
Or you can be one of the ones
Inside the jailhouse,
Knowing of the circle outside.
You can speak your love
To a friend
Without fear.
You can find someone who will listen to you
Without judging you or doubting you or being
Afraid of you
And let you hear yourself perhaps
For the very first time.
These are all ways
Of getting proud.
None of them
Are easy, but all of them
Are possible. You can do all of these things,
Or just one of them again and again.
You get proud
By practicing.

Power makes you proud, and power
Comes in many fine forms
Supple and rich as butterfly wings.
It is music
when you practice opening your mouth
And liking what you hear
Because it is the sound of your own
True voice.

It is sunlight
Wen you practice seeing
Strength and beauty in everyone,
Including yourself.
It is dance
when you practice knowing
That what you do
And the way you do it
Is the right way for you
And cannot be called wrong.
All these hold
More power than weapons or money
Or lies.
All these practices bring power, and power
Makes you proud.
You get proud
By practicing.

Remember, you weren’t the one
Who made you ashamed,
But you are the one
Who can make you proud.
Just practice,
Practice until you get proud, and once you are proud,
Keep practicing so you won’t forget.
You get proud
By practicing.

Evelyn Glennie

I first saw Dame Evelyn Glennie in Thomas Riedelsheimer's Touch the Sound.  I was profoundly affected by the film's images and the words of Evelyn.  Though I am not a musician, her vision resonated with me in ways that no other artists' had.  The first time I saw her perform was at UCLA's Royce Hall in December 2007 with my good friend Christina.  The second time was at DC's Kennedy Center during the International VSA Arts Festival in June 2010 with my actor, Douglas Ridloff.  I insisted that he come with me to see her perform because she inspired the character of Sal. 

After her amazing concert, Doug and I stood in line to meet her and have her autograph a CD.

Thank you, Evelyn, for challenging the world to rethink how we experience sound.

Be sure to watch her TED video; English captions are available.

Andy Goldsworthy

Land art by Andy Goldsworthy, one
of the artists who inspired Transients.

"Movement, change, light, growth and decay are the lifeblood of nature, the energies that I try to tap through my work. I need the shock of touch, the resistance of place, materials and weather, the earth as my source. Nature is in a state of change and that change is the key to understanding. I want my art to be sensitive and alert to changes in material, season and weather. Each work grows, stays, decays. Process and decay are implicit. Transience in my work reflects what I find in nature." 
~Andy Goldsworthy

Creating the flower circle.  Photo by Jocelyn RC.

Sandrine (Teal Sherer), the environmental artist.  Photo by Jocelyn RC.

Sal (Douglas Ridloff), the musician.  Photo by Jocelyn RC.

Word Art

Sal and Sandrine character profiles, Word Art Style.

The Team Behind TRANSIENTS

A film is just as important as those who made it possible. Our audience will have a unique and valuable glimpse into the process behind TRANSIENTS. Above is the trailer for the upcoming short feature documentary, M.O.S., directed by Josh Kun and Zara Ahmed, who followed the TRANSIENTS team during the making of the film this August. The trailer was edited by Mike Cox, who is co-producing both TRANSIENTS and M.O.S.

M.O.S. website design by Jules Dameron, ASL Master for TRANSIENTS and co-producer for M.O.S.