Acme Studios Llama Party

Some images with Pierre, the famous llama at the Acme Studios Llama Party with our friends at Skypie Studio. Acme Studios specializes in props and set design.

Thanks Acme Studios for hosting such a fun party!

NYC Independent Film Festival - Films - Antarctica

Check out this interview I did for my Antarctica film premiere next week. Below are some excerpts and the full interview is here: https://www.nycindieff.com/film/antarctica

Interview by Kerby Pierre. 

KP: Thank you Reuben for taking the time to answer some questions for us. Your film is very unique. What inspired you to film this exotic short?
RH: I had a strong feeling that visiting Antarctica, my final continent, would be a significant life experience. I wanted to memorialize the journey in a special, meaningful way. I was inspired by Ron Fricke’s time-lapse work in Samsara, and the one second a day sequence in the movie, Chef.

KP: The film shows NYC, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Antarctica. Why did you choose those five locations?
RH: The film begins and ends in NYC, which is where I live now. Argentina is where we embark on the Antarctic expedition ship, and I also wanted to visit the Salar de Uyuni (salt flats) in Bolivia, and photograph the Milky Way rise above the Atacama Desert in Chile, one of the driest places on earth.

KP: Of all the vast landscapes of these five diverse countries how did you narrow it down to two minutes?
RH: It was incredibly challenging to film every single day, especially on the boring days where not much was happening, such as travel days or days at sea. I really had to reach and try and find beauty in the mundane, and editing it down to just one second a day was extremely difficult. There are a lot of beautiful shots that didn’t make the final cut.

KP: What do you want the audience to get from this beautifully shot short?
RH: There is beauty everywhere, even in the mundane. Antarctica, the largest wilderness area in the world, transformed and forever changed me. Never in my entire life have I been in such close proximity to so much wildlife and such raw, untouched beauty. It humbled me because it is like no other place on earth. I hope these images will have a lasting impact and inspire others to protect and safeguard the future of our planet.

BEAUTY, BALANCE, AND GRACE | World Premiere in Paris, France

My film Beauty, Balance, and Grace featuring JR and NYC Ballet principal dancer Lauren Lovette, will premiere at the Paris Short Film Festival in Paris, France on 5.5.16 at 10 PM. I’m very excited to take this film out into the world and hope you can join me at the Paris screening in a few weeks!

Tickets and info here: http://www.psff.eu

Trailer coming soon…

Join me next week for the world premiere of my film, ANTARCTICA, screening at the NYC Independent Film Festival on Wednesday, April 27th at 4:15 pm.

Trailer: http://reubenhernandez.com/antarctica-trailer

Tickets and info: https://www.nycindieff.com/session/art-experimental-films-sessions-1

I look forward to seeing you there!

A Time-Lapse Rocket Ride to the Top of 1... - The New York Times | Facebook

My New York Times video was one of their most popular videos this year. Full article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/20/nyregion/on-time-lapse-rocket-ride-to-trade-centers-top-ghostly-glimpse-of-doomed-tower.html?_r=0

The Moment Light Begins

Directed and edited by Reuben Hernandez
Produced by Andrew Klein and Reuben Hernandez
Commuter - Andrew Klein
Boss - Kevyn Dillow
Voice-over by Jason Perry Stevens
Color grade by Chetan Patel
Music by Tony Anderson
Production assistants - Effie Speridakos and Zanni Watkins
Special thanks to Ira Lippke Studios and Greg Bujak
“Let the beauty of what you love, be what you do.” - Rumi

Several months of blood, sweat, and tears went into this video, not to mention broken equipment, reshoots, a near disaster on the Williamsburg Bridge, and multiple 5 am call times. It’s also interesting to note that both Andrew and I have similar stories, 5 years apart. I hope you enjoy this video and that it inspires you in one way or another. Andrew and I fly to Africa in exactly 2 weeks…

All My Best,
Reuben

A short and fun 25 second slow motion GoPro test clip from PMT Dance Studio’s Urban Renewal All Styles Battle featuring:

Push
Lil B
Firelock
Ida

As expected, the GoPro really doesn’t perform that well in low lit conditions, especially at high frame rates; all of the sequences in this clip were filmed on the GoPro HERO3+ Black Edition at 120 fps. However, I was able to get some shots at angles that I normally wouldn’t be able to get with a traditional camera. I’m doing a series of tests before embarking on a major GoPro multi camera project. Stay tuned for more to come… Enjoy!

Self Portrait Series

Getting geared up for Coachella with a rooftop hair cut. That’s how we roll in NYC!

Empire State of Mind

Concrete Jungle Where Dreams are Made

Exactly 4 years ago, I left my native California and embarked on a 9 month journey around the world, in pursuit of adventure and the human story. I hopped on a plane bound for South Africa and Mozambique, and then took a 15,653 mile road trip across North America. I sold my car upon arriving in NYC, and haven’t looked back ever since. #neverstopexploring #roadtrip #canigraduate #wanderlust (at New York City)

Self Portrait Series

Going Up, a self portrait inspired by @laurenfarmer. I love these handmade Rag & Bone boots! #ragandbone #raleighdenim (at Williamsburg)

Here are some photos from a collaboration I did with Juliette Donatelli for Harare, a NY based fashion brand.

Photographed on location in NYC,  © Reuben Hernandez

A photo of JR during the first day pasting at the NYC Ballet. It has been an absolute blast documenting such a prolific and influential artist. The second night of the NYC Ballet Art Series featuring JR is this Friday, February 7th. The art exhibition is open to the public from 10 - 5 until February 8th.

When it snows, I like to go outside and levitate

Part of my ongoing Self Portrait Series

Pasting in progress #JR #NYCBArtSeries #JRNYCBallet (at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts)

I’m happy to be a contributor to this short film about JR’s global art project, Inside Out, in NYC. For more info visit http://insideoutproject.net.

Local Natives (at Terminal 5)

This is Anne B., a yoga instructor in NYC. I met Anne over 12 years ago in London and now is she living out her dreams and passions in NYC.

“Let nothing dim the light that shines from within.” - Maya Angelou

Why I Decided to Work for Myself and Move to NYC

A lot of people ask me why I decided to move to NYC. Ever since the first time I visited NYC, I told myself I had to live there. I was incredibly inspired by everything it had to offer, and it became a long time dream of mine. I’m actually back in CA writing this, and a lot of people ask me if I like NYC and are surprised when I say I absolutely love it.

Now that I’ve lived in NYC for nearly 2.5 years, I’ve realized that it has allowed me live the lifestyle I want to live. Don’t ask yourself what kind of job you want, but what kind of lifestyle you want to live. When I was working full time in CA and only had 2 weeks of vacation each year, I knew I had to figure out a way to get more time off each year. And the way to do it is to work for yourself. Thankfully, NYC has given me the opportunity to make a living doing what I love to do. On top of that, I’ve been able to take off around 2 months each year, which has been absolutely fantastic. My first year, I spent over a month traveling through Egypt, Jordan, Malta, and Italy. Last year I spent 6 weeks in Australia and New Zealand, and checked 4 things off of my bucket list. This year I spent a month filming in London, South Africa, and India and I’ll be living in Paris for a month in the fall, which has been another dream of mine. As great as NYC is, it’s also great to take regular breaks from the chaos and the hustle and bustle. But I’ve truly been able to thrive in NYC and live out my dreams, as cheesy as that sounds. I was even able to pay off my last college loan this year and become debt free finally (a long time goal)! I encourage my CA friends to join me in NYC and I think they’re sick of hearing it. Honestly, I truly think they would enjoy and love it.

NYC is an incredibly dynamic, creative, exciting, and fun place. There is never a dull moment and it will never cease to amaze. Last month I had the opportunity to meet my favorite artist, JR, at Times Square. I joined his global art project, Inside Out (the largest participatory art project in the world), and pasted a large 3 ft X 4 ft portrait of myself on Times Square. I saw one of my favorite documentary films of the year at TriBeCa Film Festival, Cutie and the Boxer, and met the main characters afterwards. They are such a cute couple! New Yorkers are working on all sorts of exciting projects all the time. I have a friend filming a documentary about break dancing in the developing world, and he’s been following incredible stories in places like Yemen and Uganda. I have another friend doing photography work in the Arctic and Antarctica. Hopefully I’ll be joining her in Antarctica in Feb 2014!

NYC is home for now, indefinitely. I can’t say for sure where I’ll be in 5 or 10 years. But for now, I’m very happy, content, passionate, and extremely grateful. Let’s grab a cup of coffee together in NYC or Paris!

Carpe Diem,
Reuben

NY, I love you and you never cease to amaze me #nofilter (at Esquire Building)