Using the "world's smallest HD drone," Robert McIntosh filmed Muscle-Up, a short that flies (seemingly) effortlessly over and around Southern California's famous Muscle Beach first thing in the morning. Impressively, it was all shot in one take.

At the Los Angeles Drone Film Festival in December, his short won in two categories: Made in LA and Best in Show. According to a friend of his, McIntosh received a a $23,000 drone for the prize.

To stabilize the raw footage, which as you'll see below wasn't all that smooth, he used ReelSteady for Adobe After Effects. Read the rest

Cult Nation gathered up a fascinating collection of vintage photos from Lowrider Magazine and personal collections that show how influential Latina gangsters were on style and culture in Southern California. The look, the poses, the Germanic blackletter font still used widely, and the camaraderie are consistent in every shot. Read the rest

Xeni speaks with the stars of Love & Mercy about the music and magic inside Brian Wilson's mind. Directed by Bill Pohlad with a score by Atticus Ross, the film opens Friday, June 5, 2015.

My friend Sean Bonner just pointed me to a wonderful music history project, put together by Brian Stefans: at lapostpunk.blogspot.com, an MP3 compilation of post-punk and experimental pop music in the Los Angeles area from the mid-seventies through the mid-eighties.

I kind of think of this as a portrait of the city at the time more than a collection of tracks that will change the world (though more than a handful I think are unfairly neglected). I’m wondering if someone like Rhino Records would want to do a Nuggets-type collection from the period? They already have one of Los Angeles from 1965-1968 called Where The Action Is.

Incredibly comprehensive. What a labor of love. There's a Volume one, and a Volume two. Read the rest