When is an island not an island?
May 17, 2013
What strikes me is how symbolic these rocks are, and how fragile. … More When is an island not an island?
Adventures in radio
May 15, 2013
Today I’ll be on the radio promoting My Shanghai and our Kickstarter campaign! Join us at 4:30pm PDT on W4CY.com with host Dean Piper on his show, “Adventures of Pipeman.” My Shanghai gets its first 15 minutes of fame on internet radio. Thanks for listening! phw
Street cred
May 12, 2013
Back My Shanghai on Kickstarter as an Associate Producer or Executive Producer and be included in the IMDb credits. You’ll not only increase our chance of success but add to your own as well. … More Street cred
Shanghai dollar days
May 10, 2013
Too bad we can’t take Shanghai dollars. At least not like the fiver you see here, which came out of Virginia’s scrapbook. Before that, I’m sure, out of her mattress. Shanghai in the 1930s was safe enough for the Brits in the International Settlement, but you still had to keep a reserve of cash under the … More Shanghai dollar days
The drive is live, thank you
May 2, 2013
The countdown has begun! Our Kickstarter campaign launched today — The drive is live on this very exciting link! — which, if all goes well, will raise $20,000 for the My Shanghai budget. We’ll use the money for sound editing and mixing, color correction, and an original score by Jonathan Geer. Whatever is left over will help … More The drive is live, thank you
Trailer accompli
April 27, 2013
At last, the demo is done. The promo is ready. Trailer accompli. I’ve posted it on Facebook too, so if you haven’t come and liked our page, this would be a good time! It’s also a good time to mention the Kickstarter launch sometime in the next week. This will provide My Shanghai the level of polish … More Trailer accompli
The B-17 in my neighborhood
April 11, 2013
It’s a small building across the parking lot from the only B-17 bomber in my neighborhood. … More The B-17 in my neighborhood
My stepfather, the spy
March 30, 2013
“I knew he was a very big shot,” Virginia said, “and if he was arrested, that would be the last we’d see of him…”. … More My stepfather, the spy
Postcard from the night
February 27, 2013
Postcards are the indie filmmaker’s small poster and giant business card, all in one. … More Postcard from the night
The power of ten
February 1, 2013
It’s one thing to engage in the life of a fictional character, but a real one? That’s golden. … More The power of ten
A cold day in Shanghai
December 7, 2012
“It was December 7th for you, December 8th for us,” Virginia McCutcheon says of the day war broke out in the Pacific in 1941. The following is an excerpt from interviews with filmmaker P.H. Wells in June, 2012. VM: The Japanese cruisers and navy were all around Shanghai, and they started to shoot the guns up. We all … More A cold day in Shanghai
Of guests and geysers
October 5, 2012
And once in Wyoming, the blue mountains, green pines, yellow aspens, bronze meadows, orange lichens and turquoise geysers left their indelible marks on me. … More Of guests and geysers
The magic zap tool
August 23, 2012
I don’t know how to say this without sounding like a geek, a noob, or both. I don’t care. I’m happy. I’ve just captured a noise print. CAUTION: This article is rated T for Techie. May contain explicit references to recording devices, digital nonlinear editing, waveforms and gaffer’s tape. My smile is about sound editing, … More The magic zap tool
Fencing lessons
August 8, 2012
Six-foot-three, looks to swoon for, a Distinguished Flying Cross. All he lacked was an epée. … More Fencing lessons
Seeing the world in 20/20
July 28, 2012
I’d like to think I’ve been nicer to my eyeballs the last few years — more veggies, less UV exposure — but what about the long hours staring at computer screens? TV? Things in print? … More Seeing the world in 20/20
Seeing the world in 16:9
July 18, 2012
I’ve been going through all my digital photos and cropping them to 16:9. What started as a routine task is now a mission. I have about 400 still photos from the shooting of My Shanghai, taken with my Canon T3i and Joan & Ron’s Nikon. Most are for our general amusement, but some could be … More Seeing the world in 16:9
To the vault
July 4, 2012
Yesterday I took my hard drive to the vault. I hadn’t visited my safe deposit box in years. Couldn’t remember exactly what was inside… passport, birth certificate, car title? No, they’re still in my old gray file cabinet, awaiting transport before the house burns down. But now I had this precious digital media. Four-plus days … More To the vault
Unscripted
June 28, 2012
To date I have about 20 hours of interviews, dialogue and action to transcribe for My Shanghai. The transcriptions are the written record of the video clips and other audio. I could hire someone to do it, but there’s no better way for it to soak in than to do it yourself. Then you can … More Unscripted
92 and counting
June 6, 2012
Virginia McCutcheon’s story spans three continents and most of a century. Join us for a sip of champagne and follow the making of My Shanghai, a documentary of love, art and survival. I wish I’d met Virginia sooner. We have a family tie, but her stories hadn’t traveled my way. Now I feel very fortunate to … More 92 and counting
My Shanghai: the Film 