I find myself going back over footage to test different processing methods quite often.  1% improvement every day.

A still from an outtake during a rock mv shoot. 

With the current state of affairs, I'm finding it a bit tough to keep level. 
I'm definitely optimistic, but the background noise has me noticeably uncomfortable. 
Headaches, Lack of sleep, chest tightness, it's almost like catching background radiation. 
​It's strange though because in all of this I find myself wanting to make even more art. 

The times when things are off center, when the world is seeming like a big unclear mess, it all makes me want to say something. It makes me want to do something. 

Manikk Realm itself was born out of a time like this. 
Reaching in to the depths of the ether and pulling out something. 
Reality , truth , or insight, I'm not quite sure. All in all it's become my fingerprint. 

The truth of the world is that all is guided by thought. The diet, the intake does a lot for us. 
The mind leads the body, the food , is the fuel. So no matter what you're going through in times like this, 
remember, you can choose your perspective on the matters that surround you. Even if you're getting hit by this background radiation, remember your agency. 

(P.S. , here's an image of Bowser in his favourite spot. ) 
​

Some stills from an unreleased / canned project.

Today I found a post in a FB group with someone who was upset that volunteer crew wouldn't do tasks that they were delegated. 

The key point that they missed was incentive. I'll outline my response here: 

"They don't owe you anything, and you didn't pay them. Unless they really care about the project as much as you do (which is next to impossible) , they won't often be motivated to stick with you over the long term.

Pay people. Hire them properly. Or give them a solid incentive to be there. Also in your comment you said You have the passion. That doesn't mean anything to them. Your passion has nothing to do with another person's commitment when they'll be spending money to work with you.

You can't get mad when you don't give them enough value first. Think of them, not you. "

__

This is a simple thing, but hard for people to get over. 
You need to give them a reason to go through it. Production is never easy, but they need to be given something of value. Sometimes its money, an amazing project that will let them grow and have a ton of fun, etc. 

Think of them, not you. 
​

New places with good company. 

In curating work, and in developing art it's often that we think of the far future. Be it a result, some specific desired outcome that hasn't yet come to pass, or a sequence of events sparked by today's action. A key though is to never forget that we've only ever got the present moment in our grasp. If you can understand that you can of course plan ahead but properly indulge into the current moment and in turn very likely achieve the outcome that you seek. 

Put simply, stay present. 

Tech Specs : 
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6k
ISCO Red 2x Anamorphic
Nikkor 50mm f1.8 Taking Lens
Rapido Tech FMJ and FVD 16A.
Shot at full sensor 6k.

I had an interesting conversation with a group yesterday about the journey of healing vs maintaining and cultivating new relationships. In short it really comes down to caring. Caring enough to understand yourself and be 100% real in that. Even if that means you need to take a solo training arc.

(Shot from a music video visualizer) 
Kit used : - > ​https://www.manikkrealm.com/kit.html 

One of the more challenging things to attain is a peaceful , unfiltered self belief. It's not a matter of capability going into the future, but the ability to just accept that you're already "it". We're conditioned to seek a reflection to quantify our validity, but I don't entirely believe that it's necessary if one's motivation comes from another place.

I think it was in some table talk with a couple of business owners and rappers, but the idea was about setting different benchmarks. Personally the act of creation is completion. I learned this when painting and drawing back in art school. Essentially the piece should be finished at each stage. If you can attain this both in craft and in mind, then you'll be pretty much okay. 

Along with this post I'm sharing a bit of art that a friend and I made. It started off as a vague idea for a visual paired with a song, and then turned into something a little more. I listened to the track and storyboarded something. Aside form visuals I spend a lot of time dancing. Finding that it's a more comfortable way of expression, I choreographed a sequence of movements to represent the words of the song but also the flow of emotion. 

There are two versions. One initial and one secondary that links in spoken word as a character piece. 
The artist Desiire shared his mind state at the time. 

A year ago things were a little simpler, but this year is much clearer. 
Shot on 35mm / Kodak Gold 200 / Nikon F3 / Nikkor 50mm f1.8 

Kit:
ISCO Red 2x
Rapido FVD-16A and FMJ
Nikkor 50mm f1.8
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6k
​

Red ISCO Anamorphic 2x
Taking lens: Nikkor 50mm 1.8
Camera - Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6k ​

​Testing lenses and looks with my nephew.
Red ISCO Anamorphic 2x
Taking lens: Nikkor 50mm 1.8
Camera - Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6k (3.7k anamorphic mode) 

Walking around the city for the first time in a while. 
​Fuji X-T3 , Tokina 11-16. 

Testing a new anamorphic lens with my nephew.
ISCO Red 2x
Nikkor 50mm f1.8 Taking Lens
Rapido FMJ and FVD
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6k
#horror #cinematography #blackfilm ​

Today I assembled a blended anamorphic kit. 
ISCO Red 2x
Rapido FMJ, and FVD
​Nikkor 50mm F1.8 as a taking lens.

More to come.
Also for a full gear list , click here  ​www.manikkrealm.com/kit.html

I've recently learned what I can and can't be casual about.

When I was a teenager I heard someone much older say, there comes a point when you have to start narrowing things down. At first I thought that I could do everything, but in time i learned that it's not entirely about your wants, it's just a matter of needs.

In time I started to see that there were things that I couldn't live without, and others that gave me no energy. Among the things that I did enjoy,  a few things turned into more of an obsession. I'd find myself nerding out over image making a little more than normal. Drawing, painting, taking photos, and cinematography really stuck and I'd find myself thinking about those things on my free time. At that point it all made sense. 

There comes a point where you'll no longer be casual about a few things. A casual participant doesn't dig deep into technique, or persist to break through fringe obstacles. A casual participant doesn't study for fun.

Lately I've been thinking about the grid. The grid being the ideas that keep us on the tracks that we're moving along. 
I've been trying to figure out better ways to break patterns and make new ones. Is it rewards, is it schedules and charts, is it accountability partners? 

So far it seems to be hinged on a need. Any wants that happen to be around just don't have the same gravity. They lack the same pull. The question then becomes, how does one develop a need. Is there a rational process that one can take to shift ideas from one category into the other? 

It's like walking into a mansion and turning on lights to guide myself along the way. In part I'm already where I need to be going, in part I'm catching up to myself. 

​-MANIKK-