Michael Thanhouser's Blog

Drama Dogs finished!

2010-10-09T11:23:00.000-07:00

Ta Da!!!!! It's finished!

Drama Dogs Trailer from Michael Thanhouser on Vimeo.

So You Wanna Be A Gangster?

2010-06-23T11:41:00.000-07:00

So it’s been a while since I have posted on the blog but hey I have been busy. How busy you ask? Well Lets see… Finished collage WOOHOO!!! Put on a film Festival, and most importantly been making movies. I have spent the last few weeks filming a group of ex-gang members in Oxnard that are putting on a play about the gangster life and healing powers of Jesus Christ. The whole experience of filming these pious players of the stage has taken root in my heart and is opening my eyes to the power of religion. Not to long ago I watched Ingmar Bergman “The 7th Seal” a great euro-classic about a knight returning home from the crusades that is searching for the meaning of life as he plays chess with Death himself. There is a part were the knight is confessing in a small church in a plague ridden town and says

“We carve an idol out of fear, and call it god.”

WOW Deep! The film just said what I have thought of but been unable to put into words all my life!

Keeping this quote in my mind I went to the Victory Outreach Church in Oxnard to document the play for the first time and WHAMMM!!!! Everything changes!! At the church I saw a miracle, ex-gang bangers praying for Jesus and worshipping the lord. Here I was surrounded by a group of people that at one point in their lives would have robbed me and stolen everything I have if the opportunity had arisen. Yet now they were coming to me with open arms wanting me to hear their story of how they turned their life around with the help of Jesus. I heard all the horrors these people went through.
“My little brother was shot and died in my arms.”
“I was addicted to heroin and had sores all of my body”
“I sold Meth to my dad.”
I also heard the turning point,
“I found God.”
“Jesus saved me.”
“I was saved by my Homie on the streets.”
Everyone had a different story of hatred and vice that only led down one road, yet there was a fork in the road that they all took and were now on a path to prosperity.
Now on a mission from god they are telling the story of the gangster lifestyle and party scene and the path it leads to through the medium of drama in “So you Wanna be a Gangster” The cast of the play feels right at home playing the part since they draw from past experiences when they are on stage.

The whole experience has changed me. I am a person of fact, with that said I don’t believe in god, but I now believe in the healing powers of religion, and the members of the Victory outreach church in Oxnard is my case study.

Photo: One of the actors’ poses for a portrait outside the Isabel Junior High School in Santa Paula Ca. before going on stage. © Michael Thanhouser 2010

Pheonix!

2009-10-31T19:16:00.001-07:00

Spent the week in Phoenix visiting my mom and god-sister Laura. Had a great time eating great food, buying super-cool sun glasses, reliving my childhood through a waterside. I also did some underwater photography in the pool at the hotel and at the house. over all i had a great time and I cant wait to spend time with them again.

ps.

These photos are from Laura's camera and she took some of them.

i have a website now! opmediadesign.com

2009-09-28T13:10:00.000-07:00

I Phone camera Love X2

2009-09-17T10:55:00.000-07:00

IPHONE CAMERA LOVE!

2009-09-13T11:06:00.000-07:00

April

2009-07-18T23:33:00.001-07:00

Animals were always present in my childhood; my brothers and I had almost every animal you can think of as a pet. Lizards, rats, fish, tarantulas, even a freshwater eel by the name of “noodle” lived at 705 NW Albemarle terrace. Yes we had just about every animal you could think but to me the dogs in our family were not just pets, but extended family members.
Throughout my childhood I had the pleasure of sharing a house with five different dogs, and each one of them touched my life in a different way. Some provided companionship while other provided something more. April was my families second Dog. She was a beautiful Black Lab that always protected and cared for our family. We would treat her like a member of the family, my dad would always take her on jogs around the neighborhood, they would run up and down the hills of north-west Portland some times all morning long. One time a burglar broke into our home and April chased after him before he got a chance to steal anything. A day later April came back home with the thief’s hat between her teeth, that hat became her favorite play toy. April always loved the Beach. Every time when we went to the coast we would always bring April, she would run and play in the water without a care in the world.
As the years passed April became less active, she no longer went on runs with my dad and spent most of the day lying in the entrance hall waiting for someone to pet her. One day the front door was left open and April got out. We were not worried at first because she knew her around the neighborhood. When she did not return after a few days we started to get worried. My brothers and I peppered the streets with Lost Dog flyers and made calls to the local animal shelter telling to keep an eye out for her. A few days later, a neighbor of ours that lived two blocks down hill brought her back home. She had fallen down one of the steep hills that are common around the area. The neighbor found her limping past his house took her in and nursed her back to health. Soon after we took her to the vet and found out that she was going blind. Knowing that April’s life was coming to end we decided to take her to the beach one last time. It was strange seeing her at the beach in her old age. All though she could hardly see anymore, you could tell she knew were she was and felt happy, Shortly there after she died.
I remember the day she died so vividly. I was at home watching Scooby do of all things and my mom came in and told me that April could no longer move. I went to the library were I found her lying by the back door. She had wet herself and did not seem to notice or even care. My mom told me that it was time to put her down. As I looked in April’s sad white-eye’s I could tell that my mom was right. I gave April one last hug, pet her belly and scratched her ears and went back to watching the crime solving K9 and his band of hippies. I then started to cry. About a week later my dad came home with April’s ashes in a Jar and an engraved marble headstone. That evening my family gathered in the backyard and buried our beloved friend.
At the end of July of 2009 my family and I moved out of our home 22 years. It was a very stressful time for my brothers and I. packing up our childhood and shoving things in to boxes took a toll on all of us. My God Mother and Sister realized and how much help our family needed and gratefully put in as much free time as they could. One day, towards the end of the move, Laura found an old photo of April at beach and posted it on FaceBook. I took one look at the photo and feel in love with it. I got a HI RES version of the photo and Played around with it Photoshop. I found the photo of April so Iconic of her, walking on the beach, headed toward the picturesque Haystack rock. She Just Looked so Peaceful to me.

My Mother

2009-07-17T11:43:00.001-07:00

4th of July hike on the Oregon Coast

2009-07-08T11:23:00.000-07:00

Movies on the Lawn

2009-05-24T11:01:00.001-07:00

The student NPPA chapter played the Classic children’s adventure movie “ The Goonies” last Thursday on the Lawn at the Brooks Ventura campus. It was great to just hang out with my fellow students eat pizza and watch a movie just for the pure entertainment of it. We did not talk about photo stories, spot news, or direct cinema; instead we cracked jokes and talked about out first time watching this timeless film, and for once I felt like I went to a “real” college. I wish that brooks would do more events like this in the future. Next movie on the lawn idea: “The Princess Bride.”

Protest at Notre Dame 5/17/09

2009-05-17T21:32:00.000-07:00

I came to Notre Dame not to shoot protesters, but to congratulate my brother on graduating. My brother Bill has always been a hard worker and I have always known that he was going to do great things. He graduated cum laude and won an award for best thesis and received a Fulbright Scholarship. He will be traveling to Nepal in September to teach English and will then join the Teach For America Program where he will be teaching English to under privileged. He was captain of the Notre Dame fencing Team and always puts others before himself.
With that said, I’m overjoyed that president Obama was his commencement speaker. Many people never remember who their commencement speaker was or what they talked about in detail after they graduate. Bill and everyone else who witnessed his speech in person, including myself, will never forget it. It was historical and I feel that President Obama handled the controversial topic of abortion extremely well. In his speech he mentioned that the Civil Rights Committee was as diverse as they come and were unable to get any work done or even get along till they realized they had the common interest of fishing. After an impromptu, twighlight fishing trip, the committee set aside their differences and worked to changed America for the better.
I feel that everyone should follow the example of the Civil Rights Committee: set aside your differences and find common ground. We may surprise ourself with what we have in common. Whether you're pro-life, pro-choice, gay or straight, you will have something in common. Whether it be a sport or hobby, a favorite TV show or movie, once you find that similarity you would be surprised what you could accomplish together.

May 17, 2009 Protesters say the president Obama should not deliver the commencement address at Notre Dame University on Sunday. They're upset over his views on abortion and stem cell research.

Police say 23 protesters marched to the Notre Dame campus Saturday and 19 were arrested for trespassing.

A key organizer of the religious protesters in interviewed by members of the media out the Notre Dame campus.

A group of protesters pray before marching on the Notre Dame campus including Norma McCorvey (center). Norma is best known for her legal pseudonym "Jane Roe" during Roe v Wade. Norma was later arrested for refusing to leave the Notre Dame Campus grounds.

A group of protesters pray before marching on to the Notre Dame Campus.

Eleanor Bradly is Arrested after refusing to leave the Notre Dame Campus.

An unnamed protester is arrested after refusing to leave the Notre Dame campus

Reading is Sexy

2009-05-10T18:08:00.000-07:00

Powell’s is one of the most popular destinations in Portland (both for tourists and residents), and there are plenty of reasons why. With more than a million volumes, it’s the biggest independent bookstore in the United States.

35mm

2009-05-10T17:58:00.000-07:00

The best thing about film is you get to lick it.

it is said that you should be in the paper only twice; once when your born and once when you die.... but I'm sure a few blurbs won't hurt now and then

2009-05-06T19:21:00.000-07:00

A bit of history

2009-05-04T21:19:00.000-07:00

In the year 2000 I was 13 and in the seventh grade. It was my first year of boarding school at The Phelps School in Malvern Pennsylvania In which I would stay at till my graduation in 2006. It was also the first time I looked through a Camera lens and saw the endless possibilities that photography could offer.

Baseball... Little kid style

2009-04-29T15:41:00.001-07:00

Fire on the Ventura Ave. on 10/22/09

2009-04-29T15:28:00.000-07:00

Trimming the Past

2009-04-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

Top Hat

2009-04-29T10:33:00.001-07:00

SHADY

2009-04-28T11:49:00.000-07:00

I once heard that’s a house without a cat is like a human with out a soul. After being a cat owner for almost three years now, I second that saying. I remember when I first saw my feline friend. He was locked in a bathroom at a friend’s house meowing his face off. I took one look at him and feel in love. At the time he was kitten, small enough to hold in one hand, so innocent I thought, boy was I wrong! I vividly remember him exploring every knock and cranny of my small studio apartment with wondrous child-like-eyes and with out hesitation going crazy and running laps around the house while biting and clawing anything that came near him. I still have some scars on my arms from some of shady’s most dangerous encounters. Yes my cat was crazy, and yes he still is. But at the same time he is the most loving creature on the planet. The first night he stayed with me after going crazy for almost 6 hours straight me jumped up onto my bed and slept on my chest. At that moment I could tell that he loved me, that he was thankful for me adopting him, and I was thankful towards him for being their for me. In the past two and half-years, shady and I have been though a lot. He lost his balls and I lost the woman of my dreams, yes times have been tough, but we have always been there for each other. Stating in July I will be doing an internship up in Portland Oregon for about two months. This internship will be a great experience for me but I’m unsure what to do with my buddy. Taking him up to Portland would be too traumatic for him and I cannot leave him all alone. I truly don’t know what to do with him. He has become more then just a pet to me he has become a friend that is always there for me and always willing to listen to my problems. I have thought about traveling the world once I get out of college, but what will I do with shady? I refuse to abandon him after all we have been though. I truly don’t know what to do, but I know that my decision will be in best in his best interest.

STOP

2009-04-28T11:48:00.001-07:00

photos i never liked but other seem to

2009-04-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

2009-04-28T11:34:00.000-07:00

I enjoy doing Layouts in Adobe InDesign. I recently made a 60 page playbill for the Ventura Film Festival. here is a Layout i did for class

Brothers

2009-04-28T11:32:00.001-07:00

Dave

2009-04-27T18:06:00.000-07:00

David McCoy died in September of 2008 due to decades of Cigarette Smoking. I had the opportunity to photograph Dave in the last Months of his life and witness his family dealing with this terrible burden.

More photos that have taken over the years

2009-04-27T17:43:00.000-07:00

Gauging Unplugged

2009-04-27T13:41:00.000-07:00

Here is the Poster for my Short documentary that recently screened at the Ventura Film Festival. also here is a link to see the film http://current.com/items/88876925_gauging-unplugged-revised.htm

synopsis:
A short film about "gauging" or lobe stretching and it's recent mainstreaming in the U.S. The trials and tribulations of this body modification expressed through the stories of a 17 year old girl (who is at 3/4ths of an inch) a 19 year old gauging veteran, and a 20 year old who decides to punch his cartilage to a size 2.

2009-04-27T13:01:00.000-07:00

2009-04-27T13:00:00.000-07:00

For those who nothing about me let me explain, I’m a student at Brooks Institute studying Visual Journalism, a combination of photojournalism and documentary film making. I will gradate in January of 2010 with a bachelor of fine arts. I have been doing photography since high school but did not start doing photojournalism till September of 2006. When it comes to photojournalism I enjoy doing multiple image story telling, picture stories & photo essays.
Recently I have put my still camera down and picked up a video camera. In more recent news I have just finished a four-month Internship with the Ventura Film Festival. A local film festival in which I had short documentary I made screened at. The internship it self was a wonderful experience. Not only was I working with a group of professionals that valued my opinion as a filmmaker, but also treated me as one of their own. The people I worked with enjoyed me so much that half way through the internship they made me a Board Member…. Needless to say I was overjoyed that my efforts gave such a great impression on them.
Currently I’m taking a class on corporate video and continuing to work with the Ventura Film Society where we will be screening films every Thursday in June though August at the Elks Lodge in downtown Ventura. Anyway enough chit chat, enjoy my blog and feel free to leave comments.

Michael Thanhouser