Articles by Timothy K. Melchior on ArticleSnatch.com

The Caribbean Cha-Cha

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400

When you are shooting on location you must always be open to the serendipitous event. (This applies to any vacation as well as filming on location.) By this I mean: have a definite plan, but be alert for those golden opportunities that might present themselves along the way. The key to this openness is to be absolutely locked down in your prep. Only in this way can you have the freedom to know how much leeway you have for “audibles”, those deviations from the plan that sometimes yield the best shots in the film. This prep often includes a scout. I do this whenever possible. If there is one thing I’ve learned about locations, it’s that nothing is ever what you expected it to be. The idea is to be prepared down to the last detail and then be completely flexible. I learned about these two seemingly contradictory things on my very first major film shoot. I was hired by Princess Cruises to make a promotional film to be shot mostly in the Caribbean, starting with the major port city of Charlotte Amalie on the island of St. Thomas. **End Summary** Topics: Caribbean]]> Princess]]> Princess Cruises]]> cruises]]> location]]> filming]]> shooting]]> Timothy K Melchior]]> Tim]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Watch Cha-Cha here . Timothy K Melchior, TheTravelographer , works at The Association , in Burbank, CA.

The Thousand-Dollar Lunch

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400

One of the perks of being in the Cruise Line Video Production Business is lunch. Sometimes this can be a hurried sandwich grab and some chips, but not usually. Not if you time your shooting script right. Everyone has heard stories of fabulous wrap parties where tables full of food and drink get consumed and everyone has a real good time. Well, some of those stories are true. I always used to give my crew the best wrap dinner I could, and since we were often in some exotic port or city there were usually plenty of choices. Once I treated them to a “wrap spa” overnight experience in Nagasaki, Japan, including twenty-course gourmet dinner, bottomless Sake cups, massages by blind people and soaking in the natural hot springs of a three hundred year old resort. But that was just taking our reward for a job well done. Easy to pull off. A great lunch in the middle of a shoot in the middle of the day is a much more subtle and refined art. Possibly my best one ever was the Thousand-Dollar Lunch in Venice, Italy. **End Summary** Topics: Venice]]> Italy]]> cruise]]> location]]> video]]> gondola]]> cruise line]]> pasta]]> grand canal]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Timothy K. Melchior, The Travelographer , works for The Association of Media Producers in Burbank, California.

Sailing the South Seas

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Ever since I read James Michener’s book, Tales of the South Pacific, I’ve dreamed of living amongst the waving palms and sugar sand beaches of the South Seas. In my youth, this dream actually drove me to move to Hawaii for a while where I settled down with a sweet girl of Hawaiian-Chinese-Filipino descent. Her name was Nani Houmaniwanui Pahia. It took me weeks to be able to pronounce her last name. Through Nani I got a glimpse into Polynesian culture few Hoales (outsiders) ever get. Her mother was pure Hawaiian and Nani knew lots of songs and stories her “aunties” (pretty much every older Hawaiian woman on Oahu) had told her. I loved Nani and the warm clear water and the rolling surf, the slack key music and the rainbows and the fish. I even got to like the poi and the poki, a ceviche like dish of octopus/squid,/rockfish/whatever we would buy and enjoy with a couple of Primo beers. Alas, after about a year in Hawaii my mainland motor just started revving uncontrollably. I guess I got what they call “Island fever” and I just had to go. **End Summary** Topics: travel]]> cruise]]> ship]]> sail]]> Tahiti]]> Bora Bora]]> Society Islands]]> South Seas]]> South Pacific]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Timothy K. Melchior, The Travelographer , works at The Association in Burbank, Ca. Here is the Star Flyer Slide Show he made.

Tied Up in Taiwan

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400

So there we were, in the Grand Hotel in Taipei, using a child’s wading pool to catch the water our shirtless production manager was pouring down his back so we could get a light reading in the candle-lit room. Unexpectedly, the room service boy walked in and we could tell by his horrified expression that we had exceeded his wildest nightmares of gay-porno-Hollywood-wierdo-filmakers abusing the sanctity of his beautiful hotel. Obviously, it was all just a cultural and technical misunderstanding, but we could tell by the fear in his eyes that he was ready to bolt for security. How we got to this point is an interesting story. Back in 1995 we were asked by Duty Free Shoppers to create a spectacular wall of video that would captivate free-spending Japanese visitors and entice them into the DFS store. We were to spare no expense, which meant 35mm film, Taiwanese movie stars, fantastic locations, helicopter aerials, etc. We came up with a proposal to create a stunning visual montage of nightlife, high end products, and, we were instructed, some golf. **End Summary** Topics: travel]]> Taiwan]]> Taipei]]> location]]> production]]> photography]]> film]]> sensual]]> shooting]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Timothy K. Melchior is a writer/director/producer at The Association . His personal website is The Travelographer. Watch the Taiwan film here .

Are Pistachio Nuts Safe to Eat?

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Pistachios have been in the news lately, mainly because of a Salmonella scare involving one of the processing plants in California. As most people know, Salmonella is a bacterium that can cause severe intestinal problems, fever and even death. So it’s natural to ask the question: Are Pistachio nuts safe to eat? In a word, Yes. Absolutely! Well, that’s two words, so in one word of teen-speak: Totally! How can I say this with all the headline-grabbing news seemingly to the contrary? Let’s review: The first fact that stands out in this controversy is that not one single case of Salmonellosis has been reported connected to the eating of Pistachio nuts. Zero, nada, zilch. So if you aren’t eating Pistachios because you are afraid of getting Salmonella poisoning, don’t be. With an annual consumption rate of nearly 300 million pounds in this country alone those are pretty good odds. (Actually, 300 million divided by zero is zero so they aren’t technically odds at all but you get the idea.) So what’s all the “scare” about? Here are the facts: In March of 2009, Kraft Foods discovered traces of Salmonella in their Trail mix. **End Summary** Topics: pistachio]]> pistachios]]> pistachio nuts]]> nuts]]> processing]]> Setton]]> Setton Farms]]> Salmonella]]> health]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Timothy K. Melchior is a writer/director/producer in Burbank, Ca. His personal website is TheTravelographer . His company website is TheAssociation .

Midnight Express-Oh!

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

So there we were, sitting outside the Turkish Customs Office in Istanbul drinking strong Turkish coffee with some swarthy guys who didn’t speak a word of English. My cameraman and I were waiting for Ali, our local guide/production manager/criminal, to finish bribing the authorities (or being paid by these same authorities to haul us off to some Midnight Express style prison where we would be ransomed off or left to rot if no one stepped up to pay the ransom.) Whatever. How we had come to this precarious state is an interesting story. When Princess Cruises launched Grand Princess, she was billed as “the biggest, most expensive cruise ship ever built.” We were assigned to sail with her on her Maiden Voyage from Istanbul to Barcelona and chronicle the trip (Oh, please don’t throw us in that briar patch!) as well as make a “Welcome Aboard” video detailing the various highlights of the ship. To this end we sent one crew to sail with the ship from the yard in Trieste to Istanbul and shoot what interior shots they could. We would follow with another crew and our models and meet up with the ship in Istanbul. **End Summary** Topics: Turkey]]> Istanbul]]> travel]]> cruise ship]]> Princess Cruises]]> Grand Princess]]> cameraman]]> location]]> aerial]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Timothy K. Melchior is a Producer at The Association . His personal website is The Travelographer.

The Secret to Getting Great Travel Pix

Fri, 22 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400

The Secret to Getting Great Travel Pix Shoot Like a Pro Even if You’re Not One By Timothy K. Melchior Travelographer Your goal as a Travelographer is to capture unique, beautiful, exotic, evocative shots of the various places you go. Right? OK. So here is the secret to doing just that! How to Take Good Travel Pictures I don’t consider myself a great photographer or cinematographer. My technical knowledge is very limited and my professional training is only one step away from zero. Still, I’ve made a living shooting films and videos and stills for a variety of clients, mostly travel related, for nearly thirty years. How have I done it? There is a secret to getting great location pictures that I learned from a real Pro at the very start of my career. This one tip let me shoot with confidence and make a career out of location photography. It was something I learned on my first professional shoot and never forgot. My First Professional Photo Shoot In 1979 I became a salesman for a small production company which specialized in multi-projector slide shows. These were very popular back in the day to communicate a corporate message. **End Summary** Topics: photography shooting video film locations shoot pictures pix professional photos shots travel pro t]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Timothy K. Melchior, The Travelographer , has produced over 500 films and videos for a variety of clients in various locations throughout the world. His company, The Association of Media Producers , is located in Burbank, CA.