Cynematik

Phoenix has been a BLAST FURNACE for a few weeks now. The temperatures are hovering near 114° as the sun blazes like the tip of blowtorch. We humans cling to our air conditioned spaces and only venture outdoors if there’s a swimming pool within twenty paces of the door. Summer is the time to get things done in The Valley of the Stunned. Who wants to be outside?

So, no surprise, I’m heading north with my pal, Elisa, to spend some time cooling in the pines of Flagstaff. The altitude, the breezes, the smell of pine and a little time to focus on the trajectory of my life.

The last six months, we’ve been working on an exciting and compelling documentary. It’s on the establishment, expansion and exodus of the Mormon Colonies in Mexico. One of the major elements of the film is the influence of polygamy on the settlement of the desert southwest. I am amazed at how much of Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Texas and New Mexico was settled because of the Mormon effort to locate land where they could practice polygamy without governmental interference. Initially, the unsettled, undeveloped western territories were ideal but, then, the passage of several laws and increased efforts at prosecution pushed the polygamous Mormons south of the U.S. border. Those people who settled those colonies are the focus of this documentary. Looking forward to finishing it up and moving on to the next thing. Hope to use the time in the woods to find more clarity on all of that and what sort of film and animation projects come next.