The Banff Centre recently got in touch looking to do a short documentary on the Da Ku Cultural Centre located in beautiful Haines Junction, YT. The building represents more than just a museum or a place for tourists; as Chief Smith states, it's a place where "we can go to reconnect with who we are as Champagne Aishihik & Southern Tutchone people."
Cody Coyote Music Video
Cody Coyote, a First Nations Hip Hop artist based out of Ottawa was in the Yukon last week to shoot his new music video "Northern Lights" with local collaborators Vision Quest. We decided on a concept that would show the beauty of the North (Cody had never seen a real mountain before coming to the Yukon) and highlight some of the Yukon FN youth in their traditional regalia. Our first location was Emerald Lake (a 45 minute drive from Whitehorse), known for the emerald-like soil that shimmers below the surface. I suppose it could just as easily be called "Northern Lights Lake" as it fit pretty nicely with the title of the song. Here are a few BTS pics from the shoot. The final video should launch in a few weeks.
***An article on Cody Coyote for CBC News "Aboriginal hip-hop artist Cody Coyote visits Yukon for music video shoot": http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/cody-coyote-yukon-video-aboriginal-hiphop-1.3604571?cmp=abfb
****Interview with Dave White for CBC Radio: https://soundcloud.com/cbcyukon/coyote-brings-urban-indigenous-hip-hop-north
Together Today
These past few months I've been working on a short commemorative video for Aboriginal Affairs here in Whitehorse. They wanted a video that would celebrate the 20th and 40th Anniversary of some key documents that helped pave the way to Yukon Land Claims and First Nations Self-Government. They also wanted it to instil a sense of pride and inspiration. This was definitely one of the more complex projects that I've worked on; not necessarily from a technical aspect, but more due to the political and bureaucratic elements that go along with a project of this nature. In the end, I think it turned out pretty darn good!
You can check it out here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB11J3KAfcQ&feature=player_embedded
