The latest production reel from the company I run with Neil Losin at Day's Edge Productions. Enjoy!
Neil and I applied for a National Science Foundation Grant to create a television hour about how new species are born. We got the grant (NSF CRPA)! In the last year, we have spent five weeks in the Solomon Islands creating a film about the NSF funded Research of Dr. Al Uy, a professor in the Biology Department at the University of Miami. This is the teaser to that film.
SNOWS OF THE NILE - THE FILM
Snows of the Nile is our award-winning film about our grueling expedition to document the disappearing glaciers on top of Uganda's Rwenzori Mountains. Find out more about our project here.
Watch the film HERE.
On an filming expedition to a remote part of the Solomon Islands, Neil & Nate learn from locals what it takes to make a fire in the rain, using only wood.
Film by: Days Edge Productions (daysedgeproductions.com)
Facebook: facebook.com/pages/Days-Edge-Productions/132249730176458
Music:
"Maybe" by DoKashiteru
"Clade Connection" by Morgantj
"Fishes in the Sea" by: Scomber
"Quittin Time" by Patrick Lee
Thank you so much to our Sponsors:
JAG35 (jag35.com/)
ThinkTank (thinktankphoto.com/)
The National Science Foundation (NSF.gov)
Footage captured while filming Islands of Creation, an NSF-funded film following the research of Dr. Al Uy, who studies how new species are born. Islands of Creation is coming soon.
A short film I produced with Neil Losin for the WWF about ranching, conservation and the Nebraska Prairie Chicken Festival.
Neil Losin & I visit a Puerto Rican cave reputed to be the home of 300,000 bats… and a healthy population of boas that specialize in hunting the bats! If the rumors were true, we wanted to see the snakes in action and capture this unique behavior on film.
In which Nate loses a bet to Neil regarding the caloric content of a Snickers bar, and hilarity (and science!) ensues. Music by Podington Bear (podingtonbear.com/) and Dan Warren (danwarren.net).
NOTE: The "Calories" listed on food labels (Calories with a capital "C") are also called kilocalories (kcal). One kilocalorie or one Calorie is equal to 1000 "calories" (with a lowercase "c"). A single calorie (lowercase "c") is enough energy to heat up 1 *gram* of water by 1 degree Centigrade. Yep, it's confusing. Outside the US, most countries use kilojoules (kJ) as the standard unit of energy on food labels. 1 kJ = 4.184 Calories / kcal.
The way our bodies burn calories is not as straightforward as you might think. In this short video, we didn't have time to get into all the details, but if you want to learn more, read this fantastic blog post by David Despain:
evolvinghealthscience.blogspot.com/2013/02/calories-arent-right-on-labels-and.html
UPDATE: We won the Jury Prize in the WWF 50th Anniversary Video Competition! This short film was created for the WWF's 50th anniversary short film competition: "Life. Nature. You. Make the connection."
We often forget that we are a part of nature. If we could remember this simple fact, perhaps we would be more inclined to protect the plants, animals and environments that share our planet. This film is about breaking down the distinction between the man-made world and the natural one. Connecting with nature in this way can profoundly change our world view, and might just inspire us to appreciate and take care of our amazing world.
If you enjoy this film, please click the "like" button in the top right corner of the screening area.
Film by: Nate Dappen & Neil Losin
Music by: Dan Warren (danwarren.net)
Sound by: Jeremy Siege
On an filming expedition to a remote part of the Solomon Islands, Neil & Nate learn from locals what it takes to climb Coconut trees. It's safe to say that not all adventures end well for everyone.
Film by: Days Edge Productions (daysedgeproductions.com)
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Music:
"Snowball" by Moby
"Clade Connection" by Morgantj
"Fishes in the Sea" by: Scomber
"Quittin Time" by Patrick Lee
Thank you so much to our Sponsors:
JAG35 (jag35.com/)
ThinkTank (thinktankphoto.com/)
The National Science Foundation (NSF.gov)
Footage captured while filming Islands of Creation, an NSF-funded film following the research of Dr. Al Uy, who studies how new species are born. Islands of Creation is coming soon.
The crystal-clear waters of Ibiza and Formentera are legendary, drawing millions of tourists to these Spanish Mediterranean islands every year. What most visitors don't realize, though, is that the sparkling turquoise water, rich marine life, and spectacular beaches all owe their existence to an underappreciated organism: Posidonia, or seagrass. A unique flowering plant that lives entirely underwater, Posidonia is a critical component of the Mediterranean's marine ecosystems. Without it, the islands wouldn't be the same! Produced with Neil Losin, Joris van Alphen & Amanda Miesnieks.
See Spanish Version Here: vimeo.com/74840204
| WINNER of the 2011 NESCent Evolution Film Festival |
Small island environments can be unforgiving, and their inhabitants have evolved extraordinary adaptations to survive the harsh conditions of island life.
Mediterranean island lizards have evolved the ability to drink nectar, and eat flowers and fruits. This adaptation not only allows them to survive in harsh island environments, but their interactions with plants have forever changed these island ecosystems. However, this isn't the only dietary adaptation of island lizards…
"Cold-blooded Cannibals" -- filmed, written, and edited by Nathan Dappen & Joris van Alphen; narrated by John Astbury -- illustrates the amazing adaptations of these remarkable reptiles.
Produced by Days Edge Productions (daysedgeproductions.com) & Joris van Alphen photography (jorisvanalphen.com).
Filming assistance from Ryan McMinds, Hannah Peck & Marina Knize.
Filmed on a Canon 5D Mark II and Canon Rebel T3i.
UPDATE 6/26/2011: Cold-blooded Cannibals won the NESCent Evolution Film Festival! See all the entries here:evolutionvideo.wordpress.com/2011-entries/
WINNER of the 2011 Animal Behavior Society Film Festival (Non-commercial division).
A short film about Nate Dappen’s research on how males and females coevolve together. Nate is working on his PhD in evolutionary biology at the University of Miami, Florida. He studies sexual coevolution and color evolution in the Ibiza wall lizard (Podarcis pityusensis).
Film by: Nate Dappen & Neil Losin. Additional photography by Joris van Alphen. Narrated by John Astbury. See credits for music.
To learn more, visit daysedgeproductions.com/
In late 2012 Neil and I submitted this video as an application for a $25,000 Stay Thirsty Grant from Dos Equis. We were chosen as finalists by Dos Equis, and the public voted online and made us the winners of the first-ever Stay Thirsty Grant! Dos Equis flew us to New York, where The Most Interesting Man in the World presented our award. Our trip to Uganda's Rwenzori Mountains happened in January 2013, and a film about our expedition is currently in post-production, and will be released later in 2013. To watch the resulting film visit www.snowsofthenile.com
WINNER in the Independent category of the 2013 Cyberscreen Film Festival. Screened at the Science Online 2013 conference in Raleigh, NC.
In 2009, scientists did something pretty amazing: they "cured" colorblind squirrel monkeys using gene therapy. In this short film -- with the help of some pretty enthusiastic monkeys -- Nate Dappen explains how color vision works, and how researchers were able to give colorblind monkeys functional, human-like color vision.
Produced by Neil Losin and Nate Dappen (Day's Edge Productions; daysedgeproductions.com)
Music by Dan Warren (danwarren.net) and Podington Bear (podingtonbear.com)
Research featured:
Mancuso, K., W. W. Hauswirth, Q. Li, T. B. Connor, J. A. Kuchenbecker, M. C. Mauck, J. Neitz, M. Neitz. 2009. Gene therapy for red-green colour blindness in adult primates. Nature 461, p784-787.
Special thanks to Monkey Jungle (monkeyjungle.com) for letting us film their squirrel monkeys!
In this segment of “Field Vision” my friend Joris van Alphen (jorisvanalphen.com), another biologist and phenomenal photographer, helps me catch juvenile lizards to find out how often adults are attacking juveniles.
Dr. Alan Dappen, founder of the award-winning telemedicine practice Doctalker, talks about the philosophy behind telemedicine and what makes Doctalker different.
Here is a short commercial we made for DocTalker. Doc Talker is the award-winning family medical practice where the medical team talks directly to the patient, 24/7 -- nights and weekends, too.
Find out more about them online at: doctalker.com
Our first paid job! We produced this short video for Backyard Naturalists, an organization that works with children to inspire a lifelong love of nature, through programs that integrate science, art, and technology. To learn more about their mission and programs for kids, visitbackyardnaturalists.com
Featuring: Nate Dappen, Neil Losin, and Amanda Miesnieks
Narrated by Ugo Nwadike
Music by Dan Warren
We are on an expedition in Ibiza and Formentera to create a photographic book about the Ibiza Wall Lizard. That means we have to drive, hike, wade, swim or boat to small islands throughout the archipelago to capture the diversity of colors and behaviors of this amazing species. This short film is the first of several video updates about our adventures here in Spain's Pityuses Archipelago.
Film by: Neil Losin & Nate Dappen
Featuring: Nate Dappen, Neil Losin, Liz Losin, & Amanda Miesnieks
Additional Photography by: Liz Losin & Amanda Miesnieks
Music:
Riding the Banshee - by Dano (danosongs.com)
Let Me Be: by SJ -Album: Coffee (sjacoustic.com)
That Is All: by SJ -Album: Coffee ( sjacoustic.com)
facebook.com/sjacousticmusic
About a week ago, our friend Joris van Alphen flew from Holland to visit us in Formentera. Together, we spent the last week intensively creating media. Neil and I always joke with one another about the differences between our photographic styles – Neil is technical, precise and patient, and I’m, well… less patient. The fun thing about having Joris photographing alongside us is that he has a style that’s unique to us and we all really learn a lot when were working together.
We all get a lot of questions about our photography, so while Joris was here in Formentera, we decided to create a short film to answer some of those questions. We hope you enjoy it!
FIlm by: Day's Edge Production & Joris van Alphen Photography
Additional Photography by: Amanda Miesnieks
Music by:
Summer Camp Slow by: Dan Warren (danwarren.net)
Almost Good Enough: SJ (sjacoustic.com)
Fresh Soul: SJ (sjacoustic.com)
Favorite Photograph - VJ Memes
On the final week of our expedition to the Piytusic Archipelago to photograph the Ibiza Wall Lizard, we attempted to reach the summit of Es Vedra, an 1100-foot-high pinnacle of rock off the southwest coast of Ibiza. Es Vedrà is home to one of the most spectacular populations of Ibiza Wall Lizards in the entire archipelago.
Link to the Gigapan image captured at the summit of Es Vedra:
gigapan.com/gigapans/7d8ab166f654e76d860f6ae408ae7efe
Film by Neil Losin and Nate Dappen, with additional photography by Amanda Miesnieks
Music generously provided by Dan Warren (danwarren.net) and SJ (sjacoustic.com)
Note: The island of Es Vedrà is off-limits to the public. For your own safety and the safety of Es Vedrà's natural inhabitants, do not visit Es Vedrà without a research permit from Reservas Naturales des Vedrà, es Vedranell i els illots de Ponent.
Nota: La isla de Es Vedrà está fuera del alcance del público. Por su propia seguridad y la seguridad del ambiente natural de Es Vedrà, no visite Es Vedrà sin un permiso oficial otorgado por las Reservas Naturales des Vedrà, es Vedranell i els illots de Ponent.
During our month-long expedition to photograph the Ibiza wall lizard, we took thousands of photos on dozens of islands. Lizard color often differed dramatically from one island to the next, even when islands were only 10 meters apart! We wanted to capture that diversity photographically. In this final video update, we show you how we managed to document that diversity, and wrap-up what has been an incredible month of photography and adventure.
Film by Neil Losin and Nate Dappen, with additional photography by Amanda Miesnieks, Liz Losin, and Joris van Alphen (jorisvanalphen.com)
Music by SJ - "Almost Good Enough" & "I Am" on the album Coffee (sjacoustic.com); and the FCP library.