Portions from my interview about Batkid Begins that we filmed at the Warner Bros. Leavesdon Studios when I was in London are now available on IMDb. Check it out here, just a short 2 min clip.
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi4196249625?ref_=ttvi_vi_imdb_1
Batkid Begins opens in San Francisco, New York City and Los Angeles on June 26th, and opens Nationwide in July 2015. Advance Tix available now via http://www.batkidbegins.com.
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Monday, June 22, 2015
Trek Bike Demo Comparison: Remedy 9.8 vs. Fuel EX 9.8
Yesterday I went to the most epic of all demo bike rides, as my fave place City Cycle in Corte Madera hosted a Trek Factory Demo event at China Camp State Park, my favourite mountain biking spot in the Bay Area!
Last November I posted some thoughts about the Fuel EX 9.8 here, after riding it around Tamarancho: http://jutanclan.blogspot.com/2014/11/bike-demo-trek-fuel-ex-98.html
In that post I was also on the fence about whether the Remedy or the Fuel EX would be right choice for me. And I tell ya, I went into this demo ready to try each bike on the same trail, one after the other, full-on expecting the Fuel to be the winner. I was pleasantly surprised that the Remedy came out swinging, and I think I will actually go with the Remedy when I finally buy my new bike. Here's more details... but first, a look at the two bikes I demo'd this weekend.
Yes, they are both gorgeous beasts ready to be unleashed on the mountains of Northern California. They are also the price of a small car, so... yeah... I am going to get one of these but not a model this fancy. These are both Carbon Fiber frames, thus the high cost -- I will be getting an Aluminum version instead, perhaps the nicest Aluminum one (best components) just below the Carbon frame, as it's a big jump in cost to go from Aluminum to Carbon. Buying right below that threshold will save a lot of money (almost 1/2) and still yield an epic new ride.
Now for some more details about the two rides.
The first ride I did was on the Remedy.
I was expecting a few things on the Remedy ride. I figured that I would be a bit nervous of the roots and rocks and not super confident on the ride, as usually the first time back on a trail I am a little more cautious than the 2nd time. I also figured I would get tired quickly on the uphill, as people had told me that the Remedy climbs hills a lot slower than the Fuel given it's more of a "Downhill-friendly" trail bike.
To my utter surprise, neither of these two things were true. I am *so* glad I tried the bikes in this order -- just by chance -- as it totally was different than what I was expecting.
First off, I found I was zooming up the hills on the Remedy. Maybe it's just because I was excited to ride or my legs were well rested, but I found I had no problem scaling the hills and I enjoyed it immensely without feeling like I was pumping all my energy into the bike shocks or the weight of the bike.
Next, I found I had a lot of confidence (much more, in fact, than I did on the 2nd ride with the Fuel -- utterly surprising). I saw big rocks and rolled right over them as if this was a 29er bike. I had no problem with most things I might second-guess in other cases. The mid-trail section and downward section of this hill were a total delight -- fast, exciting, and smooth as silk with these beautiful shocks. I loved it, every single minute. The Remedy just slayed the hills with grace and beauty like only a thoroughbred stallion like the Remedy could!
On the downside, I did find I had a little more trouble cornering on the Remedy than I did on the Fuel -- this could easily be because it was my first of two rides on the hill -- I tend to have more confidence with handling the switchbacks on the 2nd run... and on the first with the Remedy I did walk a few more than I would have liked.
This Remedy was also a 17.5" frame (rather than the 18.5" frame they had for the demo Fuel). I am VERY clearly a 17.5" frame. I have ridden both, but now I tried one after the other, it does not feel "close enough" or "the same" as I had felt. I am definitely much more comfortable on a 17.5", the handlebars are way too much of a stretch on the 18.5" while the 17.5" feels very relaxed and comfortable.
Interestingly, I felt at first when getting on the Remedy that I might be a bit "too close" to the handlebars, and also that the seat had a bit of an odd angle (it's a little more of a "Downhill" trail bike than the Fuel is)... but I got comfortable on it pretty quickly and it was a breeze.
The Remedy overall felt very "relaxed", a laid-back fit, and like a "real mountain bike". Biking on this reminded me of biking on Duthie Hill Park in Washington -- it just made biking so damn fun and exciting and enjoyable. I loved every second. What an awesome bike.
I asked the guys after if I was dreaming it or were these handlebars a little wider than the Fuel? They said, yes, in fact they were a bit wider. That kind of grip is necessary when you have more travel on the front shock as the Remedy has. It did definitely feel that way -- both in that cornering was a little harder for me to figure out, and that it felt like I was driving a real machine here rather than a sort of "nicer version" of my current hardtail bike (as I felt with the Fuel). I also asked why it felt so much smoother and softer on the bumps than with the Fuel, and they said this was also expected. The Remedy should have "plushier" shocks as compared with the Fuel, as it's more "Downhill" of a trail bike. Ahh. Very nice. Presumably the tech from Trek had correctly tuned the shocks to my weight... but I felt much more comfortable on the Remedy than the Fuel, significantly so.
I finished the ride and it was epic. Then took a short break and got ready for Ride 2 on the Fuel EX.
For the Fuel they only had the 18.5" frame available. As I mentioned this was immediately uncomfortable as compared to the 17.5" frame Remedy I had. The seat was also slightly too high so I lowered it with the dropper post a little, but that I only helped a little -- the handlebars were just too far from me and it was not nearly as comfortable right off the bat compared to the Remedy.
This is also a beautiful bike as you can see, but when I compared it side-by-side to the Remedy, the Remedy won.
I felt right off the bat as well that this bike felt a little more "upright" than the Remedy. I was sitting up taller, and it felt almost immediately as if I "knew" this bike -- it felt very familiar. It kindof felt a lot like a nicer version of my current Gary Fisher Hardtail. In a way, that was nice -- this bike felt like an old friend who I knew well and I understood how it would approach the trail. But, on the other hand, it felt like I was getting "a lot more Bike" out of the Remedy. The Remedy feels like a "mountain" Mountain Bike, whereas the Fuel compared to it feels like just a pimped-out version of what I already own.
This is an odd realization to come to after my glowing review of the Fuel from last Nov, but I do feel like comparing the one against the other on the same hill and one after the other was a great call and allows me to fine-tune my feelings about each model. Also, in Nov I rode a 17.5" Fuel so that probably made a difference too. I was keen to come away from this bike demo with some decisions made, and the fact that I want a Trek 650b Full-Suspension 17.5" bike is now obvious.
The Fuel as I mentioned was a little better at cornering than the Remedy (but perhaps that was due to this being Ride #2 of the day). I also felt the seat/position significantly more uncomfortable than the Remedy -- the seat was a little high, but even after lowering it a bit this felt like a stretch. This is partially due to the 18.5" over the 17.5", but also perhaps related to the geometry of the bike a bit.
The other thing that was surprising to me was how I second-guessed myself a few times on the Fuel. I skidded to a stop a few times before some tree roots and rocks which I easily just rolled over in the Remedy. This is perhaps one of the biggest wins for the Remedy over the Fuel: I was more confident on the Remedy. This means that biking will be more enjoyable, and I will also grow more and try more challenging trails if I have a bike that can handle it better.
Caveats
The Remedy drove a lot better/smoother than the Fuel, and I wonder also if that had something to do with the wear-and-tear on one vs. the other. Seems unlikely as Trek would want to put their best foot forwards with their demo bikes.
When I buy one of these I'm going to get the Aluminum over the Carbon, so that will add a bit of weight. I suppose that adds to the argument that the Remedy will be harder to bike up hills, but hopefully it's roughly the same as the Fuel but with more downwards fun and flexibility.
Summary
I went into the day assuming the Remedy would be too hard to pedal up the hills, and it was not. Turns out that it felt basically the same as the Fuel, but just a lot more comfortable, and opens up more opportunities for more challenging trails like Downieville and Tahoe. The Remedy has more travel than the Fuel, so the guys said the Fuel is good for "around here" but you'll feel like you've run out of travel if you take it to another spot.
Given the absolutely stellar performance of the Remedy yesterday, I am pretty sure that is going to be my new steed. Now to wait for a good price :)
Last November I posted some thoughts about the Fuel EX 9.8 here, after riding it around Tamarancho: http://jutanclan.blogspot.com/2014/11/bike-demo-trek-fuel-ex-98.html
In that post I was also on the fence about whether the Remedy or the Fuel EX would be right choice for me. And I tell ya, I went into this demo ready to try each bike on the same trail, one after the other, full-on expecting the Fuel to be the winner. I was pleasantly surprised that the Remedy came out swinging, and I think I will actually go with the Remedy when I finally buy my new bike. Here's more details... but first, a look at the two bikes I demo'd this weekend.
 |
| Trek Remedy 9.8 27.5 (MSRP $5829.99) |
 |
| Trek Fuel EX 9.8 27.5 (MSRP $5459.99) |
Yes, they are both gorgeous beasts ready to be unleashed on the mountains of Northern California. They are also the price of a small car, so... yeah... I am going to get one of these but not a model this fancy. These are both Carbon Fiber frames, thus the high cost -- I will be getting an Aluminum version instead, perhaps the nicest Aluminum one (best components) just below the Carbon frame, as it's a big jump in cost to go from Aluminum to Carbon. Buying right below that threshold will save a lot of money (almost 1/2) and still yield an epic new ride.
Now for some more details about the two rides.
The first ride I did was on the Remedy.
I was expecting a few things on the Remedy ride. I figured that I would be a bit nervous of the roots and rocks and not super confident on the ride, as usually the first time back on a trail I am a little more cautious than the 2nd time. I also figured I would get tired quickly on the uphill, as people had told me that the Remedy climbs hills a lot slower than the Fuel given it's more of a "Downhill-friendly" trail bike.
To my utter surprise, neither of these two things were true. I am *so* glad I tried the bikes in this order -- just by chance -- as it totally was different than what I was expecting.
First off, I found I was zooming up the hills on the Remedy. Maybe it's just because I was excited to ride or my legs were well rested, but I found I had no problem scaling the hills and I enjoyed it immensely without feeling like I was pumping all my energy into the bike shocks or the weight of the bike.
Next, I found I had a lot of confidence (much more, in fact, than I did on the 2nd ride with the Fuel -- utterly surprising). I saw big rocks and rolled right over them as if this was a 29er bike. I had no problem with most things I might second-guess in other cases. The mid-trail section and downward section of this hill were a total delight -- fast, exciting, and smooth as silk with these beautiful shocks. I loved it, every single minute. The Remedy just slayed the hills with grace and beauty like only a thoroughbred stallion like the Remedy could!
This Remedy was also a 17.5" frame (rather than the 18.5" frame they had for the demo Fuel). I am VERY clearly a 17.5" frame. I have ridden both, but now I tried one after the other, it does not feel "close enough" or "the same" as I had felt. I am definitely much more comfortable on a 17.5", the handlebars are way too much of a stretch on the 18.5" while the 17.5" feels very relaxed and comfortable.
Interestingly, I felt at first when getting on the Remedy that I might be a bit "too close" to the handlebars, and also that the seat had a bit of an odd angle (it's a little more of a "Downhill" trail bike than the Fuel is)... but I got comfortable on it pretty quickly and it was a breeze.
The Remedy overall felt very "relaxed", a laid-back fit, and like a "real mountain bike". Biking on this reminded me of biking on Duthie Hill Park in Washington -- it just made biking so damn fun and exciting and enjoyable. I loved every second. What an awesome bike.
I asked the guys after if I was dreaming it or were these handlebars a little wider than the Fuel? They said, yes, in fact they were a bit wider. That kind of grip is necessary when you have more travel on the front shock as the Remedy has. It did definitely feel that way -- both in that cornering was a little harder for me to figure out, and that it felt like I was driving a real machine here rather than a sort of "nicer version" of my current hardtail bike (as I felt with the Fuel). I also asked why it felt so much smoother and softer on the bumps than with the Fuel, and they said this was also expected. The Remedy should have "plushier" shocks as compared with the Fuel, as it's more "Downhill" of a trail bike. Ahh. Very nice. Presumably the tech from Trek had correctly tuned the shocks to my weight... but I felt much more comfortable on the Remedy than the Fuel, significantly so.
I finished the ride and it was epic. Then took a short break and got ready for Ride 2 on the Fuel EX.
For the Fuel they only had the 18.5" frame available. As I mentioned this was immediately uncomfortable as compared to the 17.5" frame Remedy I had. The seat was also slightly too high so I lowered it with the dropper post a little, but that I only helped a little -- the handlebars were just too far from me and it was not nearly as comfortable right off the bat compared to the Remedy.
This is also a beautiful bike as you can see, but when I compared it side-by-side to the Remedy, the Remedy won.
I felt right off the bat as well that this bike felt a little more "upright" than the Remedy. I was sitting up taller, and it felt almost immediately as if I "knew" this bike -- it felt very familiar. It kindof felt a lot like a nicer version of my current Gary Fisher Hardtail. In a way, that was nice -- this bike felt like an old friend who I knew well and I understood how it would approach the trail. But, on the other hand, it felt like I was getting "a lot more Bike" out of the Remedy. The Remedy feels like a "mountain" Mountain Bike, whereas the Fuel compared to it feels like just a pimped-out version of what I already own.
This is an odd realization to come to after my glowing review of the Fuel from last Nov, but I do feel like comparing the one against the other on the same hill and one after the other was a great call and allows me to fine-tune my feelings about each model. Also, in Nov I rode a 17.5" Fuel so that probably made a difference too. I was keen to come away from this bike demo with some decisions made, and the fact that I want a Trek 650b Full-Suspension 17.5" bike is now obvious.
The Fuel as I mentioned was a little better at cornering than the Remedy (but perhaps that was due to this being Ride #2 of the day). I also felt the seat/position significantly more uncomfortable than the Remedy -- the seat was a little high, but even after lowering it a bit this felt like a stretch. This is partially due to the 18.5" over the 17.5", but also perhaps related to the geometry of the bike a bit.
The other thing that was surprising to me was how I second-guessed myself a few times on the Fuel. I skidded to a stop a few times before some tree roots and rocks which I easily just rolled over in the Remedy. This is perhaps one of the biggest wins for the Remedy over the Fuel: I was more confident on the Remedy. This means that biking will be more enjoyable, and I will also grow more and try more challenging trails if I have a bike that can handle it better.
Caveats
The Remedy drove a lot better/smoother than the Fuel, and I wonder also if that had something to do with the wear-and-tear on one vs. the other. Seems unlikely as Trek would want to put their best foot forwards with their demo bikes.
When I buy one of these I'm going to get the Aluminum over the Carbon, so that will add a bit of weight. I suppose that adds to the argument that the Remedy will be harder to bike up hills, but hopefully it's roughly the same as the Fuel but with more downwards fun and flexibility.
Summary
I went into the day assuming the Remedy would be too hard to pedal up the hills, and it was not. Turns out that it felt basically the same as the Fuel, but just a lot more comfortable, and opens up more opportunities for more challenging trails like Downieville and Tahoe. The Remedy has more travel than the Fuel, so the guys said the Fuel is good for "around here" but you'll feel like you've run out of travel if you take it to another spot.
Given the absolutely stellar performance of the Remedy yesterday, I am pretty sure that is going to be my new steed. Now to wait for a good price :)
Monday, June 15, 2015
Advance Tickets for Sale for Batkid Begins screenings (SF, NYC, LA)
Available NOW on the Batkid Begins website are tix for SF, NYC and LA opening weekend! Please help us sell this out! The more folks who go opening weekend, will help the film go to more and more cities, and help us spread this message of hope, compassion and community service wider and wider.
Order your advance tickets now: http://batkidbegins.com/
*Note: a portion of the proceeds of Batkid Begins will be donated to The Batkid Fund, a charity set up by Miles Scott (Batkid's) family, which benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation and 4 other charities.
Order your advance tickets now: http://batkidbegins.com/
*Note: a portion of the proceeds of Batkid Begins will be donated to The Batkid Fund, a charity set up by Miles Scott (Batkid's) family, which benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation and 4 other charities.
Friday, June 12, 2015
WIRED Cover Story: The Untold Story of ILM, a Titan That Forever Changed Film
MAN. It is an absolute honour to work inside these hallowed halls :)
My epic workplace, ILM (Industrial Light & Magic, visual effects division of Lucasfilm) is the cover story of WIRED this month. Check it out here:
http://www.wired.com/2015/05/inside-ilm/
My epic workplace, ILM (Industrial Light & Magic, visual effects division of Lucasfilm) is the cover story of WIRED this month. Check it out here:
http://www.wired.com/2015/05/inside-ilm/
Tuesday, June 09, 2015
EXCLUSIVE: New Batkid Begins clip: "When You're Tired, You Can't Stop"
EXCLUSIVE to Mike Jutan's World blog!
A new clip from Batkid Begins, entitled "When You're Tired, You Can't Stop"
A beautiful moment between Batkid and Batman (played by Eric Johnston on the Batkid Day in San Francisco). This clip also shows the reveal of my character, the nasty Penguin, kidnapping Lou Seal (the beloved Mascot of the San Francisco Giants). The chase begins...
Courtesy of our good friends at Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema.
Catch Batkid Begins in limited theatres on June 26!
Tuesday, June 02, 2015
Batkid Begins: Classroom Study Guide by SFFS
The excellent "Schools at the Festival" program from the San Francisco Film Society put together this excellent PDF about Batkid Begins, with discussion questions and study topics for gradeschoolers (Grades 5-12). Excellent material for classroom use.
Check it out here:
http://filmed.sffs.org/film-ed/lesson-library/sffs-viewing-guides/batkid-begins-sffs-viewing-guide
My favourite part:
3) Describe EJ and Mike Jutan, the guys who play Batman and The Penguin.
• What kind of people are they?
• Are they like other adults that you know?
• In what ways are EJ and Mike like children?
• What can we learn from EJ and Mike about the relationship between childhood, play and creativity?
EJ had a hilarious comment about the third point: "I bet Sue and Michal have some good answers for that one" hahaha ;)
Check it out here:
http://filmed.sffs.org/film-ed/lesson-library/sffs-viewing-guides/batkid-begins-sffs-viewing-guide
My favourite part:
3) Describe EJ and Mike Jutan, the guys who play Batman and The Penguin.
• What kind of people are they?
• Are they like other adults that you know?
• In what ways are EJ and Mike like children?
• What can we learn from EJ and Mike about the relationship between childhood, play and creativity?
EJ had a hilarious comment about the third point: "I bet Sue and Michal have some good answers for that one" hahaha ;)
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Batkid Begins: Official Warner Bros. Trailer
1,007,074 Views of the Batkid Begins trailer views in 21 hrs... Totally nuts.
And totally how Batkid stuff rolls in the public conciousness :)
I am so damn excited that Warner Bros Pictures are sharing our story far and wide... And hoping this excitement and interest will lead to this movie getting a wider and wider release.
Can a movie change the world?? Not exactly. But people watching this movie might change this world, using this beautifully crafted, honest, passionate movie as a little extra inspiration...
Batkid Begins opens in select theatres (San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles to start) on June 26, 2015.
Monday, May 18, 2015
Batkid Begins: Full res Warner Bros. official movie poster!
Hello all!
Batkid Begins excitement continues to roll as the days barrel towards June 26th, the initial release date for the documentary in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York City.
More release dates to be announced. I will post them when I get them from our PR agency. Watch here for more details, and feel free to follow me on Twitter if you don't already: @jutanclan
For now, here's the FULL RES version of the epic new Batkid Begins poster by New Line Cinema/Warner Bros. Very exciting. I LOVE the new logo. :) Click to get the full-res image, and feel free to repost. The 2nd one is size for Instagram.
Enjoy!
Love,
Penguin
Batkid Begins excitement continues to roll as the days barrel towards June 26th, the initial release date for the documentary in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York City.
More release dates to be announced. I will post them when I get them from our PR agency. Watch here for more details, and feel free to follow me on Twitter if you don't already: @jutanclan
For now, here's the FULL RES version of the epic new Batkid Begins poster by New Line Cinema/Warner Bros. Very exciting. I LOVE the new logo. :) Click to get the full-res image, and feel free to repost. The 2nd one is size for Instagram.
Enjoy!
Love,
Penguin
 |
| Download here: http://www.mikejutan.com/batkidFullSizePoster.jpg |
 |
| Download here: http://www.mikejutan.com/batkidInstagramPoster.jpg |
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Comments on the excellent SF WebFest entries
Hi all,
I was one of the judges for the inaugural San Francisco Web Film Festival happening June 5-7 at the New People Cinema in San Francisco, CA. We have completed our judging and the Official Selections have been announced!
A few comments about some of the excellent submissions, and my thoughts on the quality of web series in general.
I judged across 7 different categories for SF WebFest and categories particularly impressive to me were "Emotions" (Drama), "Facts" (Documentaries), and "Kids" (Children's Shows). The quality and production value of the entries were astounding. I found most Dramatic entries had interesting shooting techniques, intriguing storylines, and stellar cinematography. "Whatever, Linda", "The Banks" and "Status" all blew me away.
The Documentaries had a lot of heart and soul, particularly "Street Cuts" and "Dress Up! with George B. Style". George's enthusiasm and dedication made his show a pleasure to watch. "Street Cuts" is a brilliantly executed concept, skillfully edited, and a perfectly structured webisode. This series, in particular, is a shining example of what the democratization of filmmaking and distribution has done -- increasing the ability for artist genius like this to be unleashed in a powerful, moving, and high-quality, bite-size package.
The Children's Programming was also of specific note. The international entries from Canada were easily TV-quality already -- from hilariously intriguing and silly scripts to a comedy series for kids aiming to encourage cooking and baking at home with their parents, entries like "Ruby Skye P.I." and "Ty the Pie Guy" demonstrated how the platform of internet distribution is going to completely alter the landscape of children's programming going forwards.
Thank you to all the organizers of SF Web Fest, and I hope attendees of the festival in June enjoy the entries as much as I did.
I was one of the judges for the inaugural San Francisco Web Film Festival happening June 5-7 at the New People Cinema in San Francisco, CA. We have completed our judging and the Official Selections have been announced!
A few comments about some of the excellent submissions, and my thoughts on the quality of web series in general.
I judged across 7 different categories for SF WebFest and categories particularly impressive to me were "Emotions" (Drama), "Facts" (Documentaries), and "Kids" (Children's Shows). The quality and production value of the entries were astounding. I found most Dramatic entries had interesting shooting techniques, intriguing storylines, and stellar cinematography. "Whatever, Linda", "The Banks" and "Status" all blew me away.
The Documentaries had a lot of heart and soul, particularly "Street Cuts" and "Dress Up! with George B. Style". George's enthusiasm and dedication made his show a pleasure to watch. "Street Cuts" is a brilliantly executed concept, skillfully edited, and a perfectly structured webisode. This series, in particular, is a shining example of what the democratization of filmmaking and distribution has done -- increasing the ability for artist genius like this to be unleashed in a powerful, moving, and high-quality, bite-size package.
The Children's Programming was also of specific note. The international entries from Canada were easily TV-quality already -- from hilariously intriguing and silly scripts to a comedy series for kids aiming to encourage cooking and baking at home with their parents, entries like "Ruby Skye P.I." and "Ty the Pie Guy" demonstrated how the platform of internet distribution is going to completely alter the landscape of children's programming going forwards.
Thank you to all the organizers of SF Web Fest, and I hope attendees of the festival in June enjoy the entries as much as I did.
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
"BATKID BEGINS Is An Awesome Display of Human Decency"
Thank you Screen Invasion for another epic Batkid Begins review!
http://screeninvasion.com/2015/04/batkid-begins-awesome-display-human-decency-diff-2015-movie-review/
Really exciting when people "get it", you can hear the theme "click" at a certain point in some of the reviews like this great one:
http://screeninvasion.com/2015/04/batkid-begins-awesome-display-human-decency-diff-2015-movie-review/
Really exciting when people "get it", you can hear the theme "click" at a certain point in some of the reviews like this great one:
"As the film begins to mine this tremendous outpouring of support it takes on an air of poignancy I wasn’t expecting. Why did this strike a chord with so many people? What about this wish brought so many people together? More importantly, what meaning does this day have for those that participated in it?"It's so satisfying that people are feeling the meaning of the day, and thinking more deeply about what it represents. This is so cool.
Tuesday, April 07, 2015
'Batkid Begins' June 26, 2015 Theatrical Release Date!!!!!
Just heard from our EP that this is for reals!!!!!!!!! Holy moly.
As The Hollywood Reporter writes: "'Batkid Begins' Doc Gets Prime Summer Release Date" -- couldn't agree more! This is incredible. What a great time for the release and I hope this means lots of families are able to see this brilliantly-crafted Documentary.
I am soooo excited for more folks to get to enjoy Dana and Kurt's truly beautiful film, and to see a whole bunch of behind-the-scenes of many, many, many hardworking people in San Francisco and well beyond putting their heads and hearts together to make a difference in a young boy's life.
The film so perfectly captures the spirit of the "Batkid Day" in San Francisco. It's so epic that more people will experience firsthand how we all felt that day: how much damn fun it is to donate your time and energy to making your local community shine... and how those kinds of selfless community service projects can be a truly powerful inspirational and world-changing force for good.
Kapow!
Press:
As The Hollywood Reporter writes: "'Batkid Begins' Doc Gets Prime Summer Release Date" -- couldn't agree more! This is incredible. What a great time for the release and I hope this means lots of families are able to see this brilliantly-crafted Documentary.
I am soooo excited for more folks to get to enjoy Dana and Kurt's truly beautiful film, and to see a whole bunch of behind-the-scenes of many, many, many hardworking people in San Francisco and well beyond putting their heads and hearts together to make a difference in a young boy's life.
The film so perfectly captures the spirit of the "Batkid Day" in San Francisco. It's so epic that more people will experience firsthand how we all felt that day: how much damn fun it is to donate your time and energy to making your local community shine... and how those kinds of selfless community service projects can be a truly powerful inspirational and world-changing force for good.
Kapow!
Press:
- The Hollywood Reporter: "'Batkid Begins' Doc Gets Prime Summer Release Date"
- Variety: "‘Batkid’ Documentary Coming to Theaters in June"
- ComicBook.com: "Batkid Begins Gets June Release Date"
- Deadline Hollywood: "‘Batkid Begins’ Documentary Set For Summer Release"
- Caped Crusades: "Batkid Begins Opening In Theaters June 26th"
- Entertainment Weekly: "Batkid Begins gets a summer release date"
- The Celebrity Cafe: "Warner Bros. releasing 'Batkid Begins' documentary this summer"
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
You need a "side hustle"
My buddy Andrea just posted this article, and I thought I'd re-post it here. This rocks:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/danny-rubin/9-reasons-why-every-twent_b_3605590.html
This is a cool little concept which I love: a "side hustle". It's promoting the importance of having projects "on the side" from your job, things like volunteering, working on an iPhone app, writing a blog... (hey, or why not all of those things?!)
As a man who loves the side projects, I really like the phrase "side hustle" -- it rocks. It's something that really helps inspire me and push me to challenge myself outside of my day-to-day job. Even with a demanding job and an inspiring job (like I am so lucky to get to do every day), it's still super epic to come up with something that matters and cruuusssh it on the (late late) weekday nights, or on random weekends... I love it. Do all the things!
This also sortof reminds me of a shirt my buddy Jahkeeli posted once:
So, like that, but minus the sleep part.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/danny-rubin/9-reasons-why-every-twent_b_3605590.html
This is a cool little concept which I love: a "side hustle". It's promoting the importance of having projects "on the side" from your job, things like volunteering, working on an iPhone app, writing a blog... (hey, or why not all of those things?!)
As a man who loves the side projects, I really like the phrase "side hustle" -- it rocks. It's something that really helps inspire me and push me to challenge myself outside of my day-to-day job. Even with a demanding job and an inspiring job (like I am so lucky to get to do every day), it's still super epic to come up with something that matters and cruuusssh it on the (late late) weekday nights, or on random weekends... I love it. Do all the things!
This also sortof reminds me of a shirt my buddy Jahkeeli posted once:
Sunday, March 22, 2015
From TED 2015: T-1000 does it again!
A great TED Talk was just posted to TED.com from the TED 2015 conference happening now in Vancouver, BC. Check it out: http://www.ted.com/talks/joe_desimone_what_if_3d_printing_was_25x_faster
This is a 3D Printing company who were inspired by the T-1000 robot in Terminator 2, and have made a 3D printer that is 25-100x faster than those currently on the market.
Looks like the T-1000 didn't just inspire my career... seems like this brilliant visual effect is still hard at work, changing the world for for the better :)
This is a 3D Printing company who were inspired by the T-1000 robot in Terminator 2, and have made a 3D printer that is 25-100x faster than those currently on the market.
Looks like the T-1000 didn't just inspire my career... seems like this brilliant visual effect is still hard at work, changing the world for for the better :)
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Batkid Begins: Opening Night at CINEQUEST 25
It's been a few busy weeks since the opening night of CINEQUEST 25, and I've just now had a moment to download my iPhone photos and drum up a few fun links to share from our crazy evening opening the Cinquest Film Festival in San Jose, California.
What an EPIC time. Sweet damn, was it ever epic.
We started the evening standing in the beautiful February air in San Jose, basking in the glow of the Marquee: "Cinequest 25 Film Festival", ready to head in and open the festival with Batkid Begins.
After a short wait, we all headed inside and began to crowd around the Red Carpet. We took some photos and a few of us did some interviews. That rocked. This documentary is such an excellent platform to further spread the message of banding together with other determined people to make your community a better place... I gladly took the opportunity to continue spreading our message!
I don't have the CBS 5 KPIX interview, but here's some video from The Daily Quirk of Patricia and I chatting about the Batkid day: http://thedailyquirk.com/2015/03/02/video-an-exclusive-interview-with-patricia-wilson-and-mike-jutan-of-batkid-begins-at-cinequest/
After some photos and chatting with some interviewers, we headed into the wondrous and beautiful California Theatre just in time for CINEQUEST founder Halfdan Hussey to introduce the 25th Season and our Opening Night Film: Batkid Begins.
The sold-out 1200-person screening was an amazing success and it was just a pleasure to watch it with such a large crowd -- a crowd much larger than anyone I'd seen it with prior (including Slamdance). People were incredibly gracious and kind afterwards and it was a really great experience.
After the screening, Cast and Crew all went up on stage and answered some questions.
And of course, back to the red carpet to fool around and have fun with the cameras, but also to do some more serious chats and take some more photos.
And that was that! An amazing opening night and a really stellar crowd of filmgoers. From there, we all headed over to the After Party at The Farmers Union. It was incredibly well organized, the food was glorious, the drinks were flowing... and most excitingly, the people were just SO jazzed about the message in the movie. That, to me, was the most exciting part. Lots of folks came up and were keen to chat, but not just to take selfies... but to actually chat about what the Batkid day means, if other cities could follow San Francisco's lead, how community service has been changed by social media. I had a stack of wonderfully inspiring conversations with inspired, smart, passionate people. Isn't that just exactly what the Bay Area is ALL about?!!
And then, of course, the After-After Party...
What an incredible evening and I am so grateful that CINEQUEST chose the film to open the festival. It was a real joy and a pleasure to be there and to take part, and the audience really was top-notch, as evidenced by all the conversations with folks afterwards. CINEQUEST, take a bow!
Sal Pizarro from San Jose Mercury News posted an awesome article following the evening (where he introduces me as "an exuberant engineer at Lucasfilm" -- haha): http://www.mercurynews.com/entertainment/ci_27597364/pizarro-batkid-begins-makes-cinequest-opening-night-wish?source=infinite
IndieWire also mentions the film: http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/cinequest-at-25-from-batkid-begins-to-barco-escape-20150227
And perhaps my favourite article was this review by Artsalot: https://artsalot.wordpress.com/2015/02/27/review-batkid-begins-cinequest/, showing just how much people in the Bay Area "get it", and understand exactly the message I think the movie portrays so powerfully. I love this city!
What an amazing and truly crazy time. I was so honoured to have been there with the (majority of the) cast and crew. What an experience to all have together as we continue to share this beautifully captured moment-in-time with the world. :)
Thanks again to CINEQUEST and to Dana, Liza, Kurt and Ian and the rest of the cast and crew for making this a night to remember!
To tie a bow on an already perfect gift... on March 10th, CINEQUEST announced some more epic news...
What an EPIC time. Sweet damn, was it ever epic.
We started the evening standing in the beautiful February air in San Jose, basking in the glow of the Marquee: "Cinequest 25 Film Festival", ready to head in and open the festival with Batkid Begins.
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| Here we gooooo!!! Batkid Begins kicking off the 25th CINEQUEST Film Festival! |
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| Bling |
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| Ted (who owns "the" Batmobile from the Batkid Day), arrived in style :) |
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| Welp, this is exciting |
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| M'lady |
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| Me, Rob (Animation), Jake (Cinematography), about to walk the red carpet |
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| Dana knocking interviews out of the park |
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| CINEQUEST Red Carpet |
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| Let the games begin! |
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| Me, talking animatedly about... something :) |
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| "Rock and Roll": Ted, Patricia and Me |
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| Patricia showing off the Bat-Clutch |
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| You know, doing our thing! |
After some photos and chatting with some interviewers, we headed into the wondrous and beautiful California Theatre just in time for CINEQUEST founder Halfdan Hussey to introduce the 25th Season and our Opening Night Film: Batkid Begins.
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| The opening night of CINEQUEST 25 |
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| OMMMGGGGG |
After the screening, Cast and Crew all went up on stage and answered some questions.
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| Cast and Crew on stage after the screening |
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| Sold out crowd! |
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| Woo! |
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| Cast and Crew |
.jpg) |
| Laughing with Patricia and Don |
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| CBS 5 KPIX interview with Patricia |
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| Looking on in awe at the living legend, Patricia Wilson :) |
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| A little blurry, but good :) |
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| Ommmggggg |
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| Selection of Batkid Cast and Crew: Dave, Dana, Me, Kurt, Naomi |
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| And... time for a beer |
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| Batkid Begins Cinequest Opening Night After Party |
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| ...and then Joe and I took a Lyft to a Jack In The Box drive-through for 2am dinner. Dave very psyched about the curly fries. |
Sal Pizarro from San Jose Mercury News posted an awesome article following the evening (where he introduces me as "an exuberant engineer at Lucasfilm" -- haha): http://www.mercurynews.com/entertainment/ci_27597364/pizarro-batkid-begins-makes-cinequest-opening-night-wish?source=infinite
IndieWire also mentions the film: http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/cinequest-at-25-from-batkid-begins-to-barco-escape-20150227
And perhaps my favourite article was this review by Artsalot: https://artsalot.wordpress.com/2015/02/27/review-batkid-begins-cinequest/, showing just how much people in the Bay Area "get it", and understand exactly the message I think the movie portrays so powerfully. I love this city!
What an amazing and truly crazy time. I was so honoured to have been there with the (majority of the) cast and crew. What an experience to all have together as we continue to share this beautifully captured moment-in-time with the world. :)
This was my third time seeing the movie in a theatre and I'm
still overwhelmed with feelings of "being there"-- it really does
transport me back to the big day and the visuals and editing and music
and sound effects and animation all play so perfectly together. I can't
imagine any possibility of anyone telling this story more eloquently
than Dana and Kurt did.
Thanks again to CINEQUEST and to Dana, Liza, Kurt and Ian and the rest of the cast and crew for making this a night to remember!
To tie a bow on an already perfect gift... on March 10th, CINEQUEST announced some more epic news...
Wahoo!!!The votes are finally tabulated…and the AUDIENCE WINNERS for Cinequest 25 are:
AUDIENCE AWARD: NARRATIVE FEATURE
Traces of Sandalwood
Director: Maria Ripoll
AUDIENCE AWARD: DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Batkid Begins: The Wish Heard Around the World
Director: Dana Nachman
Saturday, March 14, 2015
The rise of the driverless car
Absolutely fascinating. Didn't make the leap to this completely changing the parking lot industry too... Totally nuts. This is really a huge, huge, huge cultural and social change we are on the precipice of! http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2015/01/27/how-ubers-autonomous-cars-will-destroy-10-million-jobs-and-reshape-the-economy-by-2025-lyft-google-zack-kanter/
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Robert Downey Jr. gives young fan 3D-printed Iron Man arm
Man, the Avengers are rockin' it. First, Capn' is visiting children's hospitals, and now Iron Man is delivering Bionic Arms. :) Incredible...
http://www.cnet.com/news/robert-downey-jr-gives-7-year-old-3d-printed-iron-man-arm/
http://www.cnet.com/news/robert-downey-jr-gives-7-year-old-3d-printed-iron-man-arm/
Batkid Begins documentary to be distributed by New Line Cinema
INCREDIBLE news for the little-turned-big film about our little-turned-big Batkid day in San Francisco!!!!!!!
As per this article just announced on Variety.com:
Read more here on Variety:
http://variety.com/2015/film/news/new-line-nabs-batkid-documentary-distribution-future-film-rights-exclusive-1201451610/
and on The Hollywood Reporter:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/batkid-documentary-new-line-picks-780999
As per this article just announced on Variety.com:
New Line Cinema has acquired worldwide distribution rights to “Batkid Begins: The Wish Heard Around the World,” as well as the rights to adapt the documentary into a narrative film.I'm so excited and happy for the incredible crew and Mazel Tov to Dana, Liza, Ian, Kurt and the rest of the wonderful people who so perfectly captured the spirit of the Batkid wish in San Francisco, and the spirit of community service that us "cast" of Batkid day really believe in. So excited that this message will be spread!
Read more here on Variety:
http://variety.com/2015/film/news/new-line-nabs-batkid-documentary-distribution-future-film-rights-exclusive-1201451610/
and on The Hollywood Reporter:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/batkid-documentary-new-line-picks-780999
Sunday, March 08, 2015
Chris Pratt and Chris Evans in costume, visiting kids in hospitals
Wow. Super heroes being real-life super heros... I bet this meant so
much to everyone involved... well done guys, well done. Major kudos to
the brilliant people behind this awesomeness.
https://www.facebook.com/seattlechildrens/posts/10152695727277061
https://www.facebook.com/seattlechildrens/posts/10152695727277061
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Cinefex Blog: Inspiring ILM
The popular Computer Graphics and Special Effects magazine, Cinefex, just posted a great blog in their "Inspiring" series, featuring me and some of my colleagues from ILM. Check it out.
http://cinefex.com/blog/inspiring-ilm/
What drives people to work in the visual effects industry? The glamour? The technology? All those ravening monsters and exploding spaceships? Or is it just another job? In an ongoing series of articles, we ask a wide range of VFX professionals the simple question: “Who or what inspired you to get into visual effects?”Check out the article here:
Here are the responses from the staff at Industrial Light & Magic.
http://cinefex.com/blog/inspiring-ilm/
Monday, February 09, 2015
Biking Hawk Hill with my epic new Specialized Sirrus Comp Disc bike!
After many months of research I decided to go with the epic 2015 Specialized Sirrus Comp Disc bike!! It is a "city" or "fitness" bike, and I've also seen it referred to as "flat bar road" bike. It is totally awesome and I am already loving it.
Uggggh it is soooo aweeesooome.
The weight of the bike is really light and it's really fast. The 700cc x 30 tires have an incredible amount of "pick up" compared to my old mountain bike. I am really happy with how fast it can accelerate, and also how it can crush the San Francisco hills. The 2 x 10 gears are working out well so far, even for some crazy hills.
Here are the specs!
To really give this a test, I decided to go with my buddy Alex over the Golden Gate Bridge and all the way up Hawk Hill in the Marin Headlands which is a big climb. Even crazier, we decided to go DOWN the other side of Hawk Hill which is one-way, but super steep. As these were brand new brakes I took it slowly, but in the video you'll see Alex just flooring it down the hill. :)
I could have never done that ride before on my 26'er mountain bike. This bike really allows me to do harder, steeper, longer rides like this one. I wasn't sure if it could handle this as well as a road bike, but I found it really did. Super awesome bike. After the long ride, we stopped in Sausalito for ice cream, obv.
The other cool part of the ride is Alex was testing out his new gimbal stabilizer for his new GoPro camera. It makes for some really smooth video (and you can really see the difference when you compare the video from Alex's bike with the video from the GoPro mounted to my helmet). The stabilized footage looks amazing. Check out an edited clip of some of the bike highlights here!
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| Sweet ride, bro |
The weight of the bike is really light and it's really fast. The 700cc x 30 tires have an incredible amount of "pick up" compared to my old mountain bike. I am really happy with how fast it can accelerate, and also how it can crush the San Francisco hills. The 2 x 10 gears are working out well so far, even for some crazy hills.
Here are the specs!
The Sirrus Comp Disc with Fitness Geometry provides flat bar handling so you can ride faster on longer rides, yet be stable and quick in town. The hydraulic disc brakes mean you'll have confidence to ride regardless of the weather or what you're carrying on your racks.
- New E5 Premium Aluminum frame w/ Fitness Geometry built for speed and versatility
- FACT carbon fork w/ Zertz provides lightweight and smooth handling
- Specialized Espoir Sport Reflect, 700x30c tires for performance and visibility
- Specialized Body Geometry Targa, lock-on grips w/ integrated bar end for no-slip performance
- Tektro Gemini, hydraulic disc brakes for maximum stopping power
- Shimano Tiagra, 10-speed derailleur for plenty of gearing options
- Body Geometry Targa Sport saddle w/ steel rails for all conditions comfort
- Compatible with Specialized Plug + Play Fender Set
Technical SpecificationsFRAMESpecialized E5 Premium Aluminum, fully manipulated butted tubing w/ smooth welds, internal cable routing, tapered/integrated headset, fender/rack eyeletsFORKSpecialized FACT carbon w/ Zertz, alloy steerer/crownHEADSET1-1/8" sealed Cr-Mo bearings integrated w/ headset, 15mm alloy cone spacerSTEMSpecialized Comp Multi, 3D forged alloy, 4-bolt, 12-degree riseHANDLEBARSSpecialized flat, 6061 double butted alloy, 10-degree backsweep, 4-degree upsweep, 31.8mmTAPESpecialized Body Geometry Targa, lock-on w/ integrated bar endFRONT BRAKETektro Gemini, hydraulic disc, resin padsREAR BRAKETektro Gemini, hydraulic disc, resin padsFRONT DERAILLEURShimano TiagraREAR DERAILLEURShimano Tiagra, 10-speed, long cageSHIFT LEVERSShimano Tiagra, 10-speedCASSETTEShimano Tiagra, 10-speed, 12-30CHAINKMC X10, 10-speed, reusable Missing LinkCRANKSETFSA Omega, forged alloy, 50/34PEDALSSirrus, 1.5mm Varus angle, nylon body, symmetric alloy cage, low profile bearing system, toe clip capableFRONT WHEELAXIS 1.0 DiscREAR WHEELAXIS 1.0 DiscFRONT TIRESpecialized Espoir Sport Reflect, 60TPI, wire bead, Double BlackBelt protection, 700x30cREAR TIRESpecialized Espoir Sport Reflect, 60TPI, wire bead, Double BlackBelt protection, 700x30cSADDLEBody Geometry Targa Sport, steel rails, 155mmSEATPOSTAlloy, 2-bolt, 12.5mm offset, 30.9mm, anti-corrosion hardware
So yes, this is amazing.SEAT BINDERAlloy, 31.8mm
To really give this a test, I decided to go with my buddy Alex over the Golden Gate Bridge and all the way up Hawk Hill in the Marin Headlands which is a big climb. Even crazier, we decided to go DOWN the other side of Hawk Hill which is one-way, but super steep. As these were brand new brakes I took it slowly, but in the video you'll see Alex just flooring it down the hill. :)
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| At the top of Hawk Hill |
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| Yuuuuppp |
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| A very important part of the ride |
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