Back in October 2011, the Young Survival Coalition (YSC) and Liv/giant held a contest that challenged young breast cancer survivors to design graphics for a special-edition Liv/giant Avail road bike. The winner’s design would be applied to a bike, the sales of which would benefit the YSC.  Emily won that contest.  Here, we’d like to share with you the inspiring piece that came out of filming and photographing her story.  We simply had the privilege of capturing it.

For more on the YSC and their fundraising rides, the Tour de Pink, CLICK HERE.
For Emily’s blog of her cancer experience and designing the Avail Inspire, CLICK HERE.

Through our lens, Miceli Productions is sometimes lucky enough to capture moments of community spirit. We always try to take the opportunity to share these moments with others and showcase the programs that we think make a difference in people’s lives. Recently, we had the privilege to be asked to photograph the graduation of the first Southington YMCA LIVESTRONG class.

The Southington YMCA was one of 16 YMCAs in the nation to receive a grant to implement the program as a result of the 2011 LIVESTRONG Community Impact Project, an online community voting campaign. LIVESTRONG at the YMCA is part of a multiyear collaboration between YMCA of the USA, the national resource office for the Y, and the Lance Armstrong Foundation, the organization created in 1997 by the cancer survivor and champion cyclist to serve people living with cancer and empower communities to take action.

LIVESTRONG at the Southington YMCA is a FREE twelve-week, small group program designed for adult cancer survivors under the guidance of specially trained health and wellness staff. The program is designed to help those affected by cancer gain strength, endurance and function lost through treatment and to gain emotional support and self esteem.

Over the years we’ve been in business, we’ve donated our time to many great projects – but the most moving have been the Survivor stories that we have captured. It’s a special thing to bare witness to the strength these Survivors demonstrate and for them to share that struggle on camera with the world.  In our community, many cancer survivors are fighters.  And those that aren’t fighters can become fighters because they have the strength and support of our community, of their caregivers and, most importantly, of fellow Survivors.  The LIVESTRONG program at the Southington YMCA “focus[es] on the whole person not just the disease. LIVESTRONG at the YMCA helps cancer survivors move beyond illness to wellness in spirit mind and body.”  And that’s something we definitely get behind and support.

The YMCA is able to make this program free of charge because of the generous contributions of donors.

To support LIVESTRONG at the Southington YMCA
contact Linda Prus at (860) 426-9531 or at livestrong1@sccymca.org

To watch an excerpt of Miceli Productions 2009 Relay For Life film on The Power of Community CLICK HERE or to find out more ways you can support cancer survivors go to 2012 Southington Relay For Life or find a LIVESTRONG event near you.

This weekend March 30 – April 1, 2012, Mike Miceli and his brother Jason Miceli are attending Startup Weekend Stamford at the Stamford Innovation Center to develop their new app TripShow. TripShow automatically pulls all your photos and videos together and then segments them according to location and time frame. It can add dynamic music based on the type of trip and creates title slides showing each day and location of the action, all automatically. TripShow will even add “motion maps” showing where you went and mix them with your media. Just choose your trip’s date range and presto – a story-driven video masterpiece!  Turn your mobile device into a virtual videographer.

Want to know more?  SIGN UP NOW and help us spread the word!

We first met Shane in September to talk about the preliminary script he had written with Heather MacDonald, a mutual friend.  Right from that first draft, we wanted to work with him to make his vision for this song come to life.  We spent a few months in pre-production – scouting locations, hiring designers and crew and contacting several experts to give us the details we needed to make this come together.  This production had a lot of moving parts – multiple locations, props, costumes, several actors and extras, green screen shoots, voice over recording, After Effects editing, sound track editing and a cameo by Director of Photography Mike Miceli’s ’89 Mustang Convertible (which Mike and Shane promptly took out for a spin after the shoot, top-down in January.  Brrrr.)

Ultimately, we filmed in 7 locations over 4 days, including Grove Street Cemetery in New Haven, Waterbury Train Station, Waterbury Hospital and Mary Our Queen Church in Southington.  Some of the footage is actual footage taken by soldiers in Afghanistan, a true reminder to us that the battles our service men and women fight overseas are indeed real.

Through overcoming his own life struggles with cerebral palsy, Shane felt inspired to raise awareness for America’s wounded soldiers that come home struggling to move forward, past their own injuries, just as he has had to do.  We hope you take away his message that “[W]e all have challenges and it’s easy to get discouraged sometimes.  In spite of that, we all must find what we’re meant to do and walk through our own fires in order to fulfill our purpose.  This song echoes that message that no matter how rough life gets, and no matter how much pain and sorrow we have, our spirit—who we are inside—cannot be destroyed.”

Thank you to our Cast, Crew and Consultants.  We appreciate you getting behind this project and making it a reality.  Special Thanks to all of the following:

Shane Michael Taylor
Peter Schutz, playing the role of John
Logan Miceli, playing the role of young Shane
Justin Soccodato, playing the role of young John

David Stickney, Commander, Bravo Company
Nick, Fox Company, Connecticut Army National Guard, Southington Readiness Center
Rev. A. Waine Kargul, Pastor, Mary Our Queen Church, Southington, CT
Matthew Burgard, PR Specialist, Waterbury Hospital

Jessica D’Addario, Make-up & Hair
Matthew Smart, Costume Designer
Brian Chawner, After Effects Artist
Brian Byrne, Camera Assistant & Post-Production Editor
Alicia Millane, Set Photographer & Production Assistant
Jason Facey, Miceli Productions Intern

For more about Shane Michael Taylor visit www.WarriorCowboy.com
CLICK HERE for Behind the Scenes: Filming Shane Michael Taylor’s Music Video “Warrior Cowboy”

Shane Michael Taylor
Photo by Miceli Productions HD

Quadriplegic Country Artist Storms Onto Music Scene
Debut Single Inspired By America’s Wounded Soldiers

Nashville, TN—To raise awareness of the plight of America’s wounded soldiers, country music artist-songwriter Shane Michael Taylor has announced “Warrior Cowboy” as the first single from his debut album I Will Stand. The song, penned by Taylor and two other Nashville songwriters, was inspired by him seeing a news segment showing the struggles, courage, and sacrifice of U.S. soldiers and the battles that they still face when they return home.

Born with cerebral palsy and sentenced to life as a quadriplegic, Taylor has a special appreciation for those who overcome great obstacles in life. He has worked hard to shatter physical and emotional roadblocks that he encountered on is journey to fulfilling his ultimate dream of becoming a country artist by utilizing a team of Nashville’s finest vocalists. He is living proof that challenges and despair can be conquered by utilizing our minds to their greatest potential.

Video Airs on Better Connecticut March 27 at 3 PM

The television premiere of the music video for “Warrior Cowboy” is set to coincide with the digital release of the single on March 27, 2012, when Taylor will make a live appearance on the WFSB-CBS talk show Better Connecticut where he will discuss overcoming challenges and unveil the music video. Taylor chose this song to be the first single because of its message. “We all have challenges and it’s easy to get discouraged sometimes,” he emphasizes. “In spite of that, we all must find what we’re meant to do and walk through our own fires in order to fulfill our purpose. This song echoes that message that no matter how rough life gets, and no matter how much pain and sorrow we have, our spirit—who we are inside—cannot be destroyed.”

Taylor explains, “The video takes it a level deeper and tells a specific story about a soldier and his brother and shows how they both fight their own internal and external battles, but their spirits stay strong throughout. Because I could relate to the challenges of wounded soldiers and their families, I felt that it was my duty to help raise awareness for these guys and gals.”

To listen to the song, please visit: www.WarriorCowboy.com
To view the video on Miceli Productions’ Channel, CLICK HERE.

So tell me, I really need to learn from you…. and know that I’m listening….

Check out the new sound of singer/songwriter Aaron Fry, a local Connecticut musician.  Miceli Productions HD got together with Aaron to film and produce the debut music video for his single “Just What I’m Missing”.  We filmed at the historic town green in Lebanon, Connecticut on one of those wonderful, bright, sunny fluffy-cloud days.  Special thanks to our make-up artist Jessica for doubling as a model during the shoot.  And additional special thanks to the the Governor Jonathan Trumbull House and Wadsworth Stable Museum, owned and operated by the Connecticut Daughters of the American Revolution, who graciously allowed permission to film on the property.

To listen to more Aaron Fry, go to aaronfrymusic.com

… I saw you and you never looked that mad before, and now I know just what I’m missing….yeah, now I know just what I’m missing….

To see more of our music videos,
go to Miceli Productions’ Music Video YouTube Playlist HERE.

A few time lapse video tests with our GoPro HD Hero2.  Enjoy!

Clip 1: Southington Sky
Clip 2: Leaf frozen in pool ice
Clip 3: New Haven Harbor

When you’re the only game in town people know to call you.

But when you offer a service that many others offer (such as video production) it can sometimes feel pointless to add yourself to the infinite number of online listing opportunities or service finder directories.  Over the past year as Miceli Productions has grown and focused on SEO (search engine optimization) efforts, we’ve made it a point to be listed anywhere we can.  Some services stand out more than others.

ThumbTack.com is a way to find and book trustworthy local services.  The website offers matchmaking/concierge type features for free to its members.  We use it and we’d like to suggest it to you as well.

CLICK HERE for Miceli Productions’ comprehensive listing on Thumbtack.com, complete with Q & A about what you should know before hiring a video professional.

Jess works on actor Peter Schutz

Depending on the size of a project, we often work with other artistic professionals and we’d like for you to meet them.  So we asked our make-up artist Jess a few questions.  She’s got a “real” day-job, but she loves the artistry of face-paint.

1) What’s your professional and educational background?
“I started playing around with make-up color at a very young age.  When I was child all of my Barbies and Dolls were covered in make-up and nail polish.  When I became old enough to wear make-up I became obsessed with it!  I was always asking my friends if I could do their make-up or give them make-overs starting at age 14.  Of course, at that age it was wasn’t something I took seriously but I seemed to have a knack for it.

I went away to college and continued to do make-up for my roommates and friends while obtaining degrees in communication and business with a minor in public relations.  I have been working in the Insurance Industry for over 10 years now and a few years ago I found myself really missing the excitement of giving someone a makeover.  I missed being able to make someone feel good about themselves just by applying make-up.  My friends were still coming to me for tips on skin care and make-up application so I decided to take a second job selling Mary Kay Cosmetics and Skin Care.

I started my Mary Kay business in 2010 and have attended numerous training seminars and conferences on product application and color technique.  In March 2012 I will be completing my certification in Airbrush Make-Up application.  Airbrush make-up has become my latest obsession so I decided to buy an airbrush machine and get my certification.  Airbrush can be used for both make-up application and spray tanning.”

2) How did you get into make-up consulting?  And why?
“A close friend talked me into make-up consulting.  After years of friends and acquaintances asking me to help them with make-up eventually, through word of mouth, people I didn’t know were asking my opinion or asking me to do make-up for an event.  It seemed to make sense for me to take my passion for make-up and skin care to the next level and invest in my own business.”

3) You seem to really like the artistry.  Would you consider this an art form?
“Like most make-up artists I use make-up to bring out someone’s natural beauty and I am a firm believer in “less is more”.  However, I also love to use make-up to express what I’m feeling.  On a day I’m feeling moody or dramatic I’ll wear darker eye colors but on a day I have lots of energy or I’m feeling motivated, I’ll wear a bright lip color.  For me, make-up is not only about enhancing one’s natural beauty, it’s a way to express my emotions.”

4) What have been your two favorite clients?
“Right away a bride I did make-up for named Amy comes to mind.  I started working with Amy about 8 months prior to her big day and Amy had adult acne.  Amy was tomboy who admitted she knew nothing about make-up.  She was really concerned about covering up her acne for her wedding day.  I suggested we try treating her acne instead of covering it up.  Amy was very skeptical that her acne could be successfully treated.  We tried several different skin care regimes until we found one that worked for her and after about 3 months her acne was mostly gone.  When her wedding day came around her skin looked flawless and we were able to focus on using make-up to bring out her eyes rather than cover up her acne.  Amy went from being so self-conscious and not wanting her picture taken to loving her skin and being photographed.  She has been married for over a year now and still contacts me regularly for advice on her skin and make-up.

Another favorite client was also a bride, named Kate.  Kate was very self-conscious about the dark circles under eyes.  I gave Kate an under eye serum that helps treat dark circles and puffiness.  She used the serum twice a day for a month.  The day of her wedding her dark circles had gotten considerably lighter.  Kate loved wearing lipstick so I used a vibrant red lip color which brighten up her whole face (and matched her cool shoes!).  After the ceremony Kate called me in a panic because she cried through the entire ceremony and now her eyes were puffy and red.  She left the concealer I had given her for touch-ups in the limo so I told her to get two spoons from the restaurant, run them under cold water and put them over her eyes for a few minutes.  She texted me about an hour later saying my trick worked perfectly, her puffiness was gone and her waterproof make-up was still intact.  She couldn’t believe how many little tips I had taught her and how beautiful and confident she felt just from a little eye serum and lip color.”

5) What’s your favorite product/tool and why?
“I have to pick just one??!!  My personal favorite product is my eye brightener.  I work a lot and as a result I’m sleep deprived!  I put a little eye brightener in the corner of eyes every morning and it really makes my eyes pop and it brightens up my face.  You would never know I didn’t sleep the night before.  I don’t leave my house without it on!”

6) Give us the one tip you’d like everyone to know…  For general everyday makeup or for film makeup….
“When doing make-up on yourself or on someone else just pick one feature to accentuate and focus on that.  When I’m doing someone’s make-up I find their best feature, whether it’s their eyes, check bones, lips etc., and that is where I draw attention.  Only stick to one feature, otherwise you’ll end up applying too much make-up.”

Thanks for talking with us Jess!

CLICK HERE if you’d like to contact Jess for her professional make-up expertise or to check out her professional Mary Kay Cosmetics page.

A first look at some of the footage for Shane Michael Taylor‘s debut music video WARRIOR COWBOY.

Day 1 of shooting we covered three scenes involving only Shane, two of which are in this video.  We continued principal photography mid-January with additional cast and crew.  By the time we wrap filming, we will have shot in 6 locations, including Mary Our Queen Church, Waterbury Hospital and Waterbury Train Station.

The video is actually a short film involving two brothers.  Shane, the younger brother, has cerebral palsy.  And John, the older brother, has taken care of Shane for most of his life, acting as protector and provider, especially since the loss of their mother many years ago.

The brothers are grown now, and John feels he needs to follow his desire to enter the Army, forcing Shane to deal with feelings of abandonment and solitude.

Keep watching for more behind the scenes footage and sneak peaks as editing and post-production continue.

For more information on artist Shane Michael Taylor
and to listen to the song CLICK HERE.