#ryan koo

Michael Rainey Jr., Brian White, and director Ryan Koo on the set of “Amateur”. Denver, CO. Canon 6D, 70 to 200. 

Writer-Director James Strouse tells us about finding collaborators, and working with DPs and actors (hint: prepare with the former, improvise with the latter).

"... I believed I’d painted a convincing portrait of a rich world – the overall project was opaque when it came to matters of the heart. As a result it lacked emotional availability – the same emotional availability that has been missing in my own life at times, due to my own faults. (There are plenty of other issues with the script, but this was the global one). Ultimately, the Lab is all about dropping your shields and allowing yourself to be vulnerable: vulnerable to your material, to your experiences, to your weaknesses, to others."

There is beauty in sport, in competition, in teamwork. The freedom of the pitch, court, rink, or turf is unparallelled. Those moments when that feeling rushes to the crown of your head, ice cold, tingling...those moments are worth savoring and reflecting on. My playing days have left me, and I never made it to the upper echelons of sport - neither my ability nor desire were great enough for that. But the impact of sports on my life was in no way lessened. Athletics have provided me with friendships both temporary and lifelong, with people from all over the globe. Soccer brought me abroad, to Argentina and Europe. Pick-up basketball let me connect with hometown acquaintances who I never previously thought to befriend. Sports can be used to accomplish great things, and that is something we would do well to remember.