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I'm in a trio called Stone Company. We launched an album right as the Covid Shutdown was starting...our time could not have been worse, but we still got a pretty good response from our fans and supporters. This video was taken from scratch footage I shot while we were making the film. I didn't think I'd every use the footage, but it came in handy for this project.
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In 2019 I was hired to direct this film of a dance choregoraphed by my Alissa Schirtzinger Baird. The film was screened at a Creative Arts Academy Benefit Concert in December 2019. This short film trailer is a collaboration with my friend Mike McTeer. We teamed up one day while and Cathie McCormick and Bonnie Dunn were firing their Raku ceramic-ware to document their process, honor their creativity and highlight their ongoing annual collaborative exhibition called "Women Who Play With Fire". The full length film will be screened in August of 2020. 2017 Arches Director's Choice Award, Utah Dance Film Festival
FILM DESCRIPTION The Grand Canyon is typically recognized as a spectacular landscape of light and space. Most people visit to catch a sunset or witness the extreme distance beyond its rim. This film is about the canyon being a landscape of time and motion. No part of the canyon is at rest and every element is in constant motion. Even the old walls of the canyon are moving on a geologic timescale. This performance filmed in real time and timelapse at Angel's window, expresses many of these movements found above and below the canyon rim. The duration of the actual performance was over 40 minutes during which time the performer moved approximately 2 inches every 6 seconds to create a total of 30 seconds of timelapse video. This video and other realtime footage edited to varying speeds was used to create this film. The film is monochrome to better help the viewer focus on the motions of the canyon without the distraction of color. DANCER/CHOREOGRAPHER STATEMENT "With the world moving so fast and everything right at your fingertips, the idea of slowing down to reflect natures speed perked my curiosity. To feel the texture of the stone under my feet; the wind push against against my body; the ants discovering the crevasse of my toes; the trembling of my limbs; and to look over the abyss of the Grand Canyon’s extraordinary North Rim gave me the deep sense of spirituality. Mother nature enlightened my soul about patience, acceptance, and discovery which I tried to reflect within my movement." -Alissa Schirtzinger Baird
"Windows of Time" was composed for "Canyon of Motion", a dance film project I produced and directed in collaboration with my sister-in-law and accomplished dancer/choreographer, Alissa Schirtzinger-Baird. We wanted a piece of minimal, ambient music representing immense time and space. The film won the Arches director award at the Utah Dance Film Festival.
2017 Audience Choice Award winner, Utah Dance Film Festival
FILM DESCRIPTION The true motion of clouds is almost imperceptible. Timelapse photography reveals their motion is quite complex; like dancing. They roll and twist, rise and fall, shrink and expand, appear and disappear. Virga is a tiny reciprocal act of acknowledgement, imitation and appreciation for this aesthetic natural wonder that has been occurring for over 4 billion years. This performance took place during monsoon season on a plateau near Kanab, Utah. While being filmed in real time and timelapse, the performer, Alissa Schirtzinger Baird, moves at a speed similar to the perceived motion of clouds, approximately 2 inches every 6 seconds. DANCER / CHOREOGRAPHER STATEMENT "I was intrigued and eager by the challenge to dance as slowly as a cloud. What I didn’t expect was the absolute feeling of serenity. Just as the wind moves clouds, I was inspired to feel the wind and reflect it’s touch. To discover how a small initiation reverberated into every inch of my body was so powerful and a lesson in the unification of mind, body, and elements." -Alissa Schirtzinger Baird Kanab Clouds from Joshua Baird on Vimeo.
Kanab Clouds from Joshua Baird on Vimeo.
After buying an iphone, I decided to play with the timelapse function. I taped it to a tripod and took it outside on a cloudy day and hit record. The tape gave out a couple times during one of the most epic cloud formations, but I kept the footage in the reel. It was too amazing to cut out. I ordered an iphone tripod mount the same day. This video inspired me to ask my sister in law Alissa if she was interested in being filmed while dancing at the speed of a cloud. She said yes, drove down that weekend and we filmed "Virga" that very Saturday, and "Canyon of Motion" on Sunday.
HANDS-ON-LEARNING IS THE BEST!: Kanab Nativity Restoration from Joshua Baird on Vimeo.
A group of Kanab High School students help restore a community nativity set. The set was purchased by funds raised by Kanab citizens over 33 years ago. The set will be on display through the month of December on the lawn of the LDS church on Highway 89, a few blocks South of Highway 89A/89B junction. 
I got to ride along as the art instructor on this San Juan river trip with Kanab High school students. Every teen should have the opportunity to go on a trip like this without it breaking their parent's bank account. Students were so engaged, observant and attentive. They were much more inclined to take an interest in subjects like botany, poetry, watercolor and conservation in this environment than they would ever be in a classroom.
crowdengine booth video from Joshua Baird on Vimeo.
I really enjoyed the challenge of designing Crowdengine's tradeshow booth. It was a little like painting a giant painting. I based the design on the idea of fractal geometry. No matter what your distance is from the design there is something legible and informative. The large C/C logo is most visible from a distance, then the icons, then the title & subtitle, then the icon descriptions and finally the background. Crowdengine designs crowd funding software. Their website is crowdengine.com
K-Town Plaza is a teen-friendly, outdoor rec. center where teens can spend time, be safe, be active, be productive, and have fun. K-Town Plaza is designed to solve 3 major problems facing teens in the Kanab area:
1. There is no place in the community for teens to hang out that is safe, wide open, and far from residential housing. 2. The old skatepark is in really bad shape and needs to be relocated. 3. El-Ball, basketball played on an 8 ft. standard, is a highly popular sport in the community. The basketball standards at K-Town Plaza will be adjustable and designed for slam dunking. Go to megaslamhoops.com for more information. 4. BONUS: K-Town Plaza also incorporates a shaded gazebo where teens can hangout, do homework, and eat food. This gazebo would also act as a stage for concerts and dances. We're hoping to include a filtered wifi port as an incentive to keep the area clean and in good shape. The Cove Events Complex from Joshua Baird on Vimeo.
I was hired by Kane County, Utah to develop this sketch to help visualize a possible layout for a Kanab events center. The idea has since been scratched, and moved to a different plot of land.
Architectural renderings are really handy for this process; it's nice to work through the logistics of a project in an animated design, rather than build the whole thing, and discover major design flaws after the fact. ...and yes that's a statue of Elvis.
More than 40 Kanab High School Students have restored their community’s life-size nativity set over the past several months.
The Nativity project was directed by the school’s art teacher, Joshua Baird. Baird says the set would cost approximately $6,000 to replace, but was only about $600 to restore. Ultimately though, Baird says this endeavor was more valuable than any savings. Go to KUER.org to read more.
Video was an essential component to the Kanab Skatepark compaign we initiated in around 2011. I learned alot while making these videos. They were essential to the compaign's eventual success.
The film below is just a simple explanation of what K-Town Plaza might look like within the confines of the 100x100 ft property boundaries the city was willing to donate to the project. This was before cell phones were used to capture and share video. I mounted an old canon camera to a stop animation mount to make this video.
I had some students throw this video together in an effort to get as many students involved as possible in the project. We burned this video to DVD and sent it out to businesses to raise money.
This animation was curcial in helping people visualize how the plaza might look. We later pitched the idea to the city council to remove the redundant street on the East side of the property. They initially rejected the idea, but only a few months later, we noticed it's removal. We're super glad they got on board with that idea and embraced the idea of connecting the Plaza concept with Jacob Hamblin Park to the East.
Virtual Tour of K-Town Plaza from Joshua Baird on Vimeo.
According to ARC (American Ramp Company) K-Town Plaza is the first skatepark they know of to incorporate a pump track around its perimeter. No one knew what a "pump track" was at the time so I made this video to demonstrate the idea.
K-Town Plaza Update: What's A Pump Track? from Joshua Baird on Vimeo.
I didn't make this film, it was made by Alon Karpman. It does a great job of showing the construction process. Lots of great shots here...
I'm not totally sure who made the video below, but I think it was a former student of mine, Jake Clayson. It shows what the skatepark looks like today. Every time I drive by I see kids all over it. The folks on the committee and I couldn't be happier with the final results. We could not have make this happen without the support of local families, business and politicians.
Nathan Forbush, a former student, entered Kanab's guerrilla film-making competition, Little Hollywood Shootout. He asked if I would score his film. Nate only had a few days to make his video, and I only had a few hours. Nate won 1st place in his category!
Another early film. I think this one was made on a DSLR before I understood the relationship between f/stops and depth of field...
This was one of the first films I ever made. It was filmed entirely on a handheld Go Pro with no LCD display. I'm not sure if I was aware of warp stabilizer at the time, apologies in advance for the shakiness!
My friend Laurel Anderson and I made these videos to promote a local festival of arts, culture and landscape. I learned a ton about production, interviewing, editing and so much more. I love working with Laurel, she's always the consummate professional. Another friend and talented musician, Arvel Bird, allowed us to use his music for these videos free of charge.
Arvel's website: arvelbird.com |
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