Aubin Pictures receives National Endowment for the Arts grant to support the post-production and distribution of HERO

We are thrilled to announce that Aubin Pictures has received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in the amount of $50,000 to support the post-production and distribution of How to Become an Extreme Action Hero! We are honored to be among the 817 nonprofit organizations nationwide to receive an NEA Art Works grant, a program which has contributed $26.3 million in arts funding nationwide. Read the full press release here.

This generous donation from the NEA means that we have now raised a third of our budget. This amount is a combination of our successful Kickstarter campaign, individual donations and foundation support, including from Chicken & Egg Pictures and the Lambent Foundation. We ask you to consider joining the community that has embraced How to Become an Extreme Action Hero thus far. Click here to learn more.

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STREB from a new perspective

My name is Richard; I am the new intern at Aubin Pictures. I am just beginning to get used to the flow of things here. I like to draw, animate, watch movies, and socialize with people. I am overall a cool, go-with-the-flow kind of guy. The staff is currently working on their latest project How to Become an Extreme Action Hero. It’s a documentary film about an action architect named Elizabeth Streb. An action architect is someone who plans out what and when actions will happen for a performance or any event where movement is required. Recently, I watched the trailer for this film multiple times. When I saw it for the first time it made me want to jump off something and land on another thing.

In the trailer, Streb focuses on her view of action. You can pull that view from the following quote: “Anything that’s too safe is not action.” With that being said, it brings up the question “what is action”? Action can be anything that is dynamic and gets someone pumped up to do things. An example can be found in movies. If there is a certain movie that shows drastic change and gets people pumped and makes them want to do the things shown in the movie, then some might consider that to be action.



As I began to learn about Streb’s view of action and the form of dance in this film, my interest in action began to increase. Even though I haven’t seen the full movie yet, the film pulls my interest because it shows an extreme point of view. I also saw some clips of the STREB performances. They make me want to challenge some of my body’s limits and faults. In a sense, these performances remind me of an action movie. I’ve always enjoyed action movies and things where the person’s life is on the line and they need to do a certain thing to prevent their life from being taken. These performances remind me of an action movie because at anytime during these performances something can go wrong and the performer’s life could be at risk.

When I think about these risks I start thinking about the stunts in action movies. Sometimes I even think about the risky things that the characters in the movies have to do. For example, in the movie Dark Knight Rises, Batman had to move the time bomb away from Gotham to avoid catastrophic destruction. It makes me think about the risk that the stuntman, the movie character, and the STREB performers are willing to take to fulfill whatever purpose they need to. This purpose varies between these three persons. The stuntman’s purpose would be to pull off a certain action to make the movie look more realistic, while the movie character’s purpose would be to save the world from evil overlords threatening the earth with world domination, and the purpose for a STREB performer could be anything from just entertaining people to facing fears.

Typically in action movies, there are explosions, guns, death-defying stunts like hanging off of 20-story buildings, and many more things, which most people might say are generally dangerous and formidable. These things bring me back to the thought of the risk the stuntmen, and movie characters take to do the stunts. It also brings me back to the quote: “Anything that’s too safe is not action.” With free falling from skyscrapers and fights and stuff, these things make up action movies and separate the genre from the other types of movies. STREB, although it’s considered to be dance, has actions that separate it from the typical dance we normally see.

I personally don’t see STREB as dance mainly because it doesn’t have some of the typical things you’d normally see in a dance performance. For example, no collective body movements that are synchronized to a song or anything like that. I to this day cannot determine what STREB is. I actually thought it was a training session for stunt doubles, with the falling, running, and hanging off of things and I still consider it to be that. But I guess that question will be answered in this film. With the falling, jumping, and walking down buildings from the rooftops, this separation from the norm is a big portion of what grabs my interest in both STREB and the documentary.

An Intern’s Farewell Address

Aubin Pictures and its missions seem tailor-made for me: a not-for-profit organization and documentary production company which aims to create and promote films about relevant social issues, such as gender relations, and reproductive rights. I am a film major with a minor in women’s studies, and a specific interest in documentaries, which spawned at the age of 15 when I first saw the Maysles brothers’ Grey Gardens. I admire and deeply respect all of the work that Catherine Gund and Aubin Pictures have been both responsible for and involved with in the past, and I am honored to have had the opportunity to work on some of these projects, but am most grateful to be able to call myself a member of the Aubin Pictures family.

Director Catherine Gund congratulates STREB dancer Cassandre Joseph on One Extraordinary Day, photo by Shane Dempsey.

In the Gender & American Popular Media class I took last spring, women’s roles in the media and the effects of those roles became a major and recurrent discussion topic. It is my opinion that one of the most pervasive obstructions to gender equality in the United States lies in the confining, stereotypical representations of women that dominate films, television and other media forms. Nearly all of Aubin Pictures’ films focus on girls and women making a difference in the world, including and especially its current production – a documentary titled How to Become an Extreme Action Hero, which explores the life and art of extreme action choreographer Elizabeth Streb. Unfortunately, most American production companies, and all of the larger, most influential ones tend to produce based on patterns of mass consumerism as opposed to morals, ethics and the benefit of society. There are very few women in positions of power in this country, and the women who actually are excellent role models for young girls are not promoted nor shown on television nearly as often as reality TV stars, pregnant teens and drug addicted starlets with too much plastic surgery.

A couple of weeks ago, the New York Times published an article titled How Can Women Gain Influence in Hollywood?, which provided a disheartening, yet not so surprising statistic:

“For the top 250 domestic films of 2011, only 18 percent of behind-the-camera positions, including producer and director, were held by women. Hollywood is still mostly men making movies for men.”

Hero's camera-woman Esy Casey filming Elizabeth Streb and Anne MacDougal as they prepare for the performances on One Extraordinary Day[/caption]

The male gaze and its rampant influence over the media, and especially over the film industry is something I have learned about in classes and through readings, and have become increasingly fascinated and disturbed by. Thus, I was initially reassured by the female-run environment at Aubin Pictures, and came to be even more encouraged by the organization’s defiance of the aforementioned trends of the American media. This is a socially active production company run by award-winning women filmmakers that consistently provides important female perspectives that have otherwise been ignored. I also entered the Aubin Pictures office at a very significant and exciting time, as Catherine Gund was developing her most recent documentary How to Become an Extreme Action Hero.

I suddenly found myself involved and invested in a film about an innovative, creative, successful and powerful woman, being made by an innovative, creative, successful and powerful woman. I got the chance to work on a set- inside the Streb Lab for Action Mechanics (SLAM), where a female camera woman, Esy Casey, filmed Hero’s female subject Elizabeth Streb as a female sound person, Cassie Wagler, recorded her words, all under the direction of female filmmaker Catherine Gund.

I feel quite privileged to have worked on Hero, a film that will demonstrate to women and girls, young and old, that they do not need to exploit themselves, submit to men or conform to stereotypes in order to achieve success, fame or fulfillment. More films like this one need to be made, and more organizations like Aubin Pictures need to be formed to further progressive action for women’s equality and against the popular media’s perpetuation of negative gender representations. The inspiration, motivation and experience I have accrued since my start here will remain invaluable to me for the rest of my life, especially in my career endeavors which I hope will be centered in what I love- the film industry. I sincerely hope that I will someday be able to emulate Catherine’s integration of social activism, female empowerment and the influences of the film medium.

-Devin Leary

Women on the panel at one of Aubin Pictures' screenings of its 2009 film What's On Your Plate?, which featured many powerful and active women and girls: Producer Tanya Selvaratnam, featured interviewee in the film and Founder of Harvest Home Farmer's Market Maritza Owens, Kids' Movement Director at The Clinton Foundation's Alliance for a Healthier Generation Kimberly Perry, Jennifer Clapp from the office of Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer, and Nhumi Threadgill, who is featured in the film.

Diana Nyad: Proof That Age is Not a Factor in Extreme Action Accomplishment

At age 62, extreme swimmer Diana Nyad swam farther and for longer than ever during her fourth attempt to swim from Cuba to Florida. She swam in the company of sharks for 41 hours and 45 minutes, suffering 9 Box Jellyfish stings. After being lifted onto an escort vessel during a thunder and lightning storm, Diana fearlessly inquired: “When can I get back in? I want full transparency that I was out. But I have plenty left in me and I want to go on.” However, the experts on her boat refused to let her continue given the weather conditions, which were lethally dangerous to both Diana and her crew.

"The toughest athlete in the world is a 62 year-old woman."
- D.L. Stewart, Dayton Daily News

Nyad first took on the 103-mile (166 kilometer) swim at age 28 in 1978, but surrendered to exhaustion less than halfway through the journey. She made two more attempts at the epic swim in 2011, but multiple jellyfish stings and an 11-hour asthma attack put a stop to her efforts. Just days before her 63rd birthday, this was Diana's fourth and most successful venture through the stormy, predator-infested waters.

Diana Nyad was one of the first women to swim around the entire island of Manhattan. She remains the world record-holder for longest swim in the ocean, which she achieved by swimming 102.5 miles from the Bahamas to Florida. In 2011 Elizabeth Streb and her company honored Nyad with the STREB Action Maverick Award. The STREB website elucidates the strong correlation between the careers of Nyad and the star of our film, Elizabeth Streb:

"Diana Nyad and Elizabeth Streb - two brave women, over 60, pursuing feats that challenge our ideas of what is possible - inspiring generations into action."

Our Kickstarter Campaign was a Success!

Nearly two months ago, the HERO team here at Aubin Pictures launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for How to Become an Extreme Action Hero. Two days ago, our campaign successfully achieved its Kickstarter funding goal! The generous pledges of our backers and fans allowed us to exceed our set funding goal of $40,000 by over $600 (and counting)! Kickstarter has proven to be an excellent implement in generating awareness about our film and we are so deeply thankful for and encouraged by the support of our backers.We have completed our Kickstarter campaign, but the process of completing our film and bringing Elizabeth Streb's story and messages to a theater near you is far from over. We are still only in the early stages of production, so please stay tuned to the film's Facebook, Twitter  and to this website for further news on the project and information on how you can help! Although we have attained our Kickstarter goal, the production of Hero will still require more funding in order to be completed. Further donations may be contributed through PayPal and will go a long way in the making of Hero!

The generosity and supportive action that made our campaign a success exemplifies the theory that drives Elizabeth Streb's work - that anyone can be an extreme action hero!

One Extraordinary Day in London: The Rundown

Before delving into the ground-breaking, jaw dropping events that the How to Become an Extreme Action Hero crew was privileged enough to both witness and film this weekend during STREB's One Extraordinary Day at the London 2012 Festival, we would like to thank all of our backers who have shown us such generous support since the launch of our Kickstarter campaign. With less than 4 weeks to go, we now have over 100 backers and are nearly 60% funded. In order to actually obtain the funding that has been so kindly pledged, however, we must fully achieve our goal of $40,000 before our deadline. SO we still need support! Please give if you can and help spread the word about our project, which became a whole lot more exciting and tangible this weekend!

On Sunday, July 15th, Elizabeth Streb and the extreme action heroes of the STREB company unleashed their art across the city of London - and the Hero crew was there to capture it all.

The day began at 7:30 am (London time) when 16 STREB dancers suspended themselves from the Millennium Bridge, creating a breathtaking bungee dance. The dancers dove until their bodies nearly grazed the waters of the Thames river, then lunged back up to the bridge's steel boughs in a piece titled "Waterfall." Later in the morning, Elizabeth Streb herself joined two dancers to descend perpendicularly down the facade of London's City Hall. The three extreme action heroes walked fearlessly against gravity from the roof of the building, down until their faces were inches from the sidewalk below their spectators' feet. For the next few hours, STREB performed in both Trafalgar and Paternoster Square with the pieces "Turn,"  "Ascension" and "Human Fountain." The dancers again fought gravity and other directional forces as they attached themselves to a revolving wheel, climbed and flung themselves from revolving ladders and dove from a scaffolding over 30 feet high, producing music and art from the impact of their bodies on the ground.

Speed Angels (London, 2012)​

Speed Angels (London, 2012)​

The STREB action specialists then dove into the evening with "Speed Angels": a performance at the National Theatre during which the dancers flew, twirled and tumbled through the air at the speed of gravity. The grand finale of One Extraordinary Day made history, dropped jaws and shattered previously established limitations and boundaries of the dance performance medium. In the dark of the night, the STREB extreme action heroes took over the London Eye - the largest ferris wheel in Europe, measuring over 500 feet high and more than 1, 240 feet in circumference - creating an awe-inspiring and unforgettable piece of action art.  For a full hour, the STREB dancers danced with the spokes and spirals of the immense wheel which was specially set to rotate faster than usual throughout the performance.

For one day, STREB took the Olympic City by storm, pervading its streets and performing historical works of art upon its landmarks. Streb and her troop of action heroes occupied places and spaces that have never previously had humans in them, let alone been stages for dance performance. After all the events had concluded, Streb herself proclaimed that her dancers had "cleared the city with action so the action of the Olympics could begin" - and we were there. The Hero crew filmed from exclusive all-access areas, capturing the perspectives of Elizabeth Streb and her dancers throughout this climactic day in their careers. Below, you will find photographs taken mostly by our director Catherine Gund while filming in London. To see more photos, please visit our film's facebook page.

All of this extraordinary action will provide just one portion of our film. Imagine what else could accompany it! Please, give what you can, donate now and help us bring the magic we have already recorded, and Streb's many extreme ventures that we plan to film in the future, to the public through our documentary.

 

New Information Revealed on "One Extraordinary Day"

"Elizabeth Streb’s company of daredevils will provide one of the big spectacles of the London 2012 Festival as they swoop and soar from the city’s landmarks — and she’ll be overseeing them like a guardian angel."

Although the time, location and almost everything else about STREB's performance at the Cultural Olympiad in London next month remains veiled with secrecy, the public will be relieved to find out that various forms of social media will announce the necessary details of the performance just hours prior to its occurrence on "One Extraordinary Day".

Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, has commissioned the STREB company to participate in the Olympiad this summer and these extreme action extraordinaires are sure to live up to both his and the public's expectations. Elizabeth Streb herself, known to scale the walls of buildings, and break glass with her body, says of the upcoming London event: "One Extraordinary Day is as far as I’ve ever gone. In some of the events we’re free-falling from 40 feet. It’s going to be the most dangerous thing I’ve done.”

Those in the know have been sworn to secrecy as to where throughout the cityscape Streb and her dancers will be staging their performances. All we can say is that somewhere, and at some point in time, a group of STREB extreme action heroes will emerge from London's intricate architecture and begin something extraordinary. Stay tuned to twitter, facebook, and even this website to be sure not to miss this event that Elizabeth Streb predicts “will on some level change everything.”