Welcome to the VELFILM blog!
My name is Vadim Elkind and I am a freelance filmmaker and photographer living in Denver. This blog contains the latest news and information about my media projects, photography, travel stories and other creative pursuits.
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Category Archives: News
A sneak peak into the future of VELFILM
- A sculpture by Gonzalo Lebrija created for the Biennial of the Americas in Denver. I admit that it has very little to do with this blog post, but it’s pretty bad-ass, don’t you think?
As I mentioned before, I am in the process of transitioning VELFILM into a full-time media production business, which is tentatively scheduled to launch in late August – early September. Even though I haven’t been able to update this blog as frequently as I would like, there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes at VELFILM. You could say, I’m lining up my ducks :)
Many of my friends and colleagues have asked me what I will do after I quit my day job (which is set to happen in less than two weeks). My plan is to take some much-needed time off to relax, recharge, clear my mind and renew my energy. Perhaps, I will do a little bit of local travel. It would be nice to enjoy the rest of the summer without being subjected to any important responsibilities or obligations.
Then, in September, I plan on diving into freelancing full-on.
The primary focus of VELFILM will be affordable video production for small businesses, non-profit organizations and educational institutions in the Denver Metro Area. I have already done a number of such projects on the side and I would like to expand this aspect of my business.
In addition, I will be offering photography and videography services to local artists, musicians, fashion designers and other creative personalities, as well as to clubs and organizations that deal with the arts, culture and entertainment. Nightlife events, concerts, film festivals, sci-fi and entertainment conventions, performances, fashion shows, art exhibits and so on. Having a strong appreciation for art and entertainment, it is my passion and desire to support and showcase the local creative community.
Finally, depending on availability, I will shoot weddings, parties and other private events.
In the coming months, I plan on revamping this website with an updated portfolio and demo reel, as well as creating branding across all social media networks that is more consistent and, hopefully, a little bit more polished.
So, stay tuned – exciting times are ahead! Feel free to leave comments or suggestions, and please – spread the word to anyone who may be looking for affordable video production or photography services in the Denver area in the near future :)
Also posted in Personal Development
Tagged freelance, Photography, velfilm, video production
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Updates from the last couple of weeks
It would be redundant to proclaim how happy I am that Obama won this presidential election, how inspired I am by this historic event and by the renewed hope in our misguided and troubled nation’s future. It will be a long and difficult road to recovery, I have no delusions about that. However, if Obama can deliver on even half of the things he says he will do, I think we’re on the right track.
I was at Governor’s Park Tavern, surrounded by a crowd of cheering, clapping, teary-eyed people watching the events unfold live on big-screen TV’s. I wish I had brought my camera, as it was quite an emotional night.
Meanwhile, in sad news – Michael Crichton, one of my all-time favorite science fiction writers (the author of such masterworks as The Andromeda Strain, Jurassic Park, Sphere, Timeline and Prey, among many others) has passed away. First Clarke, now Crichton… Is Death taking away all of the great sci-fi writers while going through some sort of alphabetical list? Sigh.
Halloween was fun. I went to the Curtis Hotel Halloween Bash with Stephanie and Yev. I dressed up as the Masked Stranger, Yev was a hippie and Stephanie decided to prey on the innocent flesh as my Zombie Girlfriend. Unfortunately, I hardly took any photos that night, as there was already enough mayhem and debauchery without having to bother with the camera. The event was sold out, and there seemed to be more people than would normally be advised to fit into the venue of that size. It was insane.
Did I ever mention that Silent Bob is one of my heroes?
Damn hippies! Actually, I was just jealous because I thought that costume would fit my personality much more.
Stephanie with Creepy Zombie Ballon Eye Boobs.
I don’t know who this girl is, but her costume blew me away, as I’m a big Fifth Element fan.
Also posted in Nightlife, Personal, Photography
Tagged Barack Obama, election, halloween, Michael Crichton
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My photos are featured on Metromix.com!
A quick update
I know, I know, inquiring minds want to know: where did Vadim disappear to? The short answer is – nowhere :) VELFILM is undergoing some upgrades, which will consist of a newly redesigned and updated website (it’s coming really soon now, really), as well as some equipment upgrades behind-the-scenes. But fear not, yours truly has not been idle in the camera department, either. Here is a little something from an impromptu personal Halloween photo shoot:
Also posted in Photography
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What's for dinner?
I’ve been spending less time online these days, hence the lack of recent updates. It seems that real life has taken over the majority of my free time, but in a good way. I suspect this will subside as autumn approaches and I will find myself spending more time inside my apartment and less time on bike trails, at art festivals, in parks and coffee shops.
The First Annual Russian Festival video is now complete. All I have left to do is burn it to a DVD and print out the sleeve jacket. Amazingly, I actually managed to get this project completed before my upcoming vacation, which was a feat in itself. I’m not great with deadlines, especially the self-imposed ones, but this time it seemed to help. Also, instead of the originally planned 15-minute video, the final running time clocked a whooping 55 minutes. I think, I may edit a little 2-3 minute promo for my portfolio when I get back and throw it on YouTube. Wel’ll see.
My website needs some some serious updating and re-designing in order to make it a little bit more professional and up-to-date. I’m planning on starting this project next week, although it will probably take a while.
Last, but not least – a couple of major lifestyle changes are just around the horizon for yours truly. Firstly, I’m considering becoming a vegetarian. I already eat very little meat (only poultry and fish), and I’m thinking of cutting chicken out of my diet altogether and switching completely to soy-based alternatives like tofu. I will probably still eat fish and dairy products. Seeing as how I’ve already been on this path for quite some time, the transition shouldn’t be too difficult. I’m feeling pretty good about this.
The second major change is that I’m finally ready to make The Switch. I know, I used to make fun of Macs just like many other people, but I have seen the light. My PC is starting to show its age (I’ve had it for about 3 or 4 years). I have performed several upgrades since I first bought it, such as getting a new graphics card, widescreen monitor and several external hard-drives. And, while this machine works okay for most things, I’m starting to have a bit of trouble with it when it comes to high-end projects like video-editing and photo manipulation. I’m experiencing more and more frequent system crashes, freezes, and sometimes even Blue Screens of Death. The most frustrating thing is that it always seems to happen when it’s in the middle of something important – rendering or exporting video, for example. I’m just fed up with Windows. I’m sick of having to re-format my hard-drive and do complete system reinstalls every time my computer starts to experience problems. I want a computer that will work without hassle, that won’t slow down to a halt everytime I load a new piece of software on it; that won’t be plagued by endless spyware and virus attacks. I want something that will just WORK, with very little or no tweaking required on my part. And it seems that the new iMac may just be the thing for me. No clutter, beautiful design, a large 24-inch LCD screen, all-in-one slim frame. It looks like a damn work of art, and it actually has the power inside to match the looks. So yeah, I’ll be making the switch as soon as the new version of OSX comes out, which should be by the end of October. There is a reason why Macs are the preferred systems among many professional graphic designers, video editors and photographers. THEY JUST WORK! Sure, there isn’t as much of a variety of software options for Macs, and they’re generally not machines you would want to use for hardcore gaming, but everything I use regularly on my PC is available for Macs, which are mainly video editing and photo manipulation programs. And that is all I need. It is ridiculous how much time I’ve been wasting on my PC just trying to get things to work, installing/uninstalling software, messing with drivers, settings, anti-virus programs, and so on. All this time (many, many hours) – wasted, while I could have been using it for something productive, like actually WORKING on my creative projects. So, this is it. If everything they say about Macs is true (and, it looks like it is), I’m very excited for this big evolutionary leap in my personal computing.
Also posted in Personal
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