Here’s a piece I was proud to be involved with, for Kuweni Serious – which involved persuading random strangers on the streets, at work and at home to stop for a minute and stare at the camera (and in the case of one waitress, asking her boss for permission to stop working for a minute).

Everyone was generally very nice about it. This is also the first time I got to fiddle around with the Canon 7D, which is all kinds of awesome!

CREDITS
Produced/Directed by Mbithi Masya and Jim Chuchu for Kuweni Serious. Edited by Mbithi Masya. Narration by Bill Sellanga, words and music by Jim Chuchu.

Here’s a newly finished video project – the latest Just A Band music video for their single, “Ha-He”. I got a lot of help with this one (more on that later), specifically Mbithi Masya‘s help with directing and editing, and the usual chipping in of friends.

[UPDATE: 25TH March, 2010] So, wow! That didn’t go like I expected: 32,000 YouTube views in a week and the resulting “Makmende Phenomenon”, Kenya’s first viral phenomenon, articles in the Wall Street Journal and interviews for CNN – this has been overwhelming! Thanks, everyone!

It was great fun creating our vapid spoof action-hero type based on things we remember watching like Tahamaki, Chuck Norris films and Bruce Lee’s Enter the Dragon – in which angry men walk around beating truth out of hapless people.

The subtitled ‘dialogue’ consists of phrases lifted from various sources – particularly my favorite mind-bender: Waking Life.

Cast: Kevin “K1″ Maina, Patricia Kihoro, Mbithi Masya, Kibugi Wamae, Mugambi Nthiga, Renee Sewe, Kwame Oddenyo, PA Okaalet, Kevin “K2″ Maina, Moses Wataka, Lucille Kahara and Diana Nduba.

Additional Credits: Edited by Mbithi Masya and Jim Chuchu. Many thanks to Penya Africa, Njoki Ngumi, Lucille Kahara and Rachel Gichinga for all the help with styling/catering/transport.

I shot Dela’s first single promo for the song, “Ulivyo” from her debut album “Paukwa” last year – just before the Christmas break – and I was worried about how tired everyone was, but I guess it turned out OK. Black and white is fun, and the cast were very helpful (Kule would tell us things like, “It would be better if I was standing here”).

As always, I’m happy to hear what you lot think. I’ll upload the HD version at some point.

My thanks to the Penya team, the cast and to Lucille Kahara for allowing us to mess about in her house, and for getting props and catering (she’s awesome!). Thanks to Mbithi Masya, the problem-solver and man who keeps everyone sane on the set – indispensable. The people from the Kenya Grip Company remain the best light and grip people I’ve ever worked with (do I sound like I’m plugging them?).

Here’s an alternate logo-free cut of the TV ads I created for the Kinanda Arts Festival late last year (December 12th). The ad was shot at the Uhuru Gardens Memorial Park, and it stars members of Ma3 (the band). They created the music on the set, which was nice to witness.

I remember not being happy with the initial footage we shot, until an accidental underexposure gave us the idea to turn all the characters into silhouettes, just like the statues in the park. This is probably the first proper TV ad I’ve shot, and it was art directed by the ever-fresh Mbithi Masya.

I shot this one sunny afternoon at the Arboretum with the help of Nynke Nauta, using a script that was written by Lisa Forsberg (who also directed “Laazizi”, Sauti Sol’s first video).

The boys are always fun to work with – it really was a sunny day, with very loose shooting, the dancing kids just happened to be passing by and they came up with that dance on the fly.

Here’s the first video from Just A Band‘s coming-soon second album – 82. Shot it two weeks ago (had fun using a dolly for the first time – the Kenya Grip Company, very cool!), quickie edit and grading.

What say you?

Finally finished editing the Stan video (see “It’s A Wrap”), and here it is:

It’s a pseudo-homage to all the sci-fi dramas with hokey computer interfaces I watched when I was tiny and impressionable (read geeky jokes about computer usability representation in movies here and here – I only broke a few rules, ha!), and it’s my first time to actually TRY and include some sort of mini-narrative within a 3 to 4 minute promo.

Does it work? You tell me – feedback is always welcome.

Big thanks to Lisa Forsberg and everyone at Penya Africa for throwing ideas at me over a 3-day shoot (whew!) and to Stan, Wangeci and the rest of the cast for being cool about wearing costumes and running around looking serious.

I forgot to post this rather sketchy animation I did for TRNSMSSN. Accompanying track from an unreleased Just A Band demo – “The Light Fantastic”.

A bird? A plane? A carbon-neutral F-16 disguised as a friendly-alien-carrying UFO? Who knows?

Here’s another piece that showed at TRNSMSSN – “2012″; a piece that was inspired by the hardcore photographs that Boniface Mwangi (who makes us studio guys look like wimps) took of the violence that happened in Kenya after the 2007 General Elections.

I’m of the feeling that we haven’t learnt much from what happened (we still have internal refugees two years later), and there’s a general feeling that when we go back to the polls in 2012, it’ll start all over again because the people in charge (“Honorables” Kibaki, Raila and their friends) didn’t lose any of their family or property in the violence, they don’t see what the big deal is.

I fervently hope not. Fingers crossed?

Here’s the video I was talking about earlier – finally up on YouTube. First time working with a prime lens and available light only (who needs lights? Ha!).