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THE INSTRUMENTAL CHEMIST

(Documentary trailer, 1 minute. Full film – 1 hour)

In the first half of the 20th century, innovators combined electronics with chemistry to make new measuring instruments that extended our senses into the world of minuscule molecules—into the chemical domain. In the hands of many researchers, scientists, and engineers, these electronic chemical instruments changed our world. At the dawn of this instrumentation revolution entered a crucial scientist-entrepreneur: Arnold O. Beckman. Throughout his life, Beckman developed a multitude of innovative scientific instruments. He built a thriving business that made those instruments readily available for use in industry, Nobel Prize–winning research, and life-saving medicine. Later in life he donated much of his fortune to advance science. His legacy is not only in the instruments he created but in how those instruments continue to expand our view of the world.

Director: Glenn Holsten
Producers: Mariel Carr and Chayne Gregg
Director of Photography: Phil Bradshaw
Editor: Greg Heller

THRESHOLD

(Documentary sizzle reel, 9 minutes. Full film – 1 hour)

We’re living in a time of grave environmental uncertainty, and the devastating effects of climate change are all too familiar. Extreme weather, catastrophic wildfires, and damaging droughts affect every aspect of our lives and reach every corner of the planet. Climate change threatens our homes, our food supply, and our jobs. Though the dangers are clear, solutions can seem out of reach. There is, however, hope from history. A handful of environmental success stories from the last half century counters this narrative of impossibility and provides a message of hope, determination, and action.

Director: Glenn Holsten
Producers: Mariel Carr and Chayne Gregg
Director of Photography: Phil Bradshaw
Editor: Greg Heller

DEATH AND TAXIDERMY

(Short documentary, 23 minutes)

Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of stuffing animals. The compulsion to keep animals intact after death goes back to ancient Egypt, where animals of all description were mummified. Though the methods and motivations have changed, the desire has remained pretty constant. This video won second place in the 2016 Raw Science Film Festival category of “professional documentary longer than 10 minutes.”

Directed, produced, and edited by Mariel Carr
Director of Photography: Mariel Carr
Animator: Jacob Rivkin

A CONFUSED WAR

(Short documentary, 26 minutes)

VISIT THE FILM’S WEBSITE – www.aconfusedwar.com

Richmond, California has long been one of the state’s most dangerous cities. In 2007, this city of 100,000 logged 47 homicides, one of the highest murder rates in the country. But by 2012, that number had dropped from 47 to 18. This short documentary examines the city’s bold, controversial, and surprisingly successful efforts to tame the violence. Published on Al Jazeera America, March 2015.

Directed, produced, and edited by Mariel Carr (née Waloff) and Rachel Waldholz
Director of Photography: Mariel Carr (née Waloff)
Sound Recordist: Rachel Waldholz

WHERE HAVE ALL THE TRAILERS GONE?

(Short documentary, 19 minutes)

What do Hurricane Katrina and North Dakota’s Bakken oil field have in common? The answer, it turns out, is the same toxic trailers. Ten years after the storm people are still living in the notorious formaldehyde-laden trailers, often very far from New Orleans and often with no knowledge of their toxicity. Published with accompanying article and interactive map at Grist.org, August, 2015.

Directed, produced, and edited by Mariel Carr
Director of Photography: Mariel Carr
Reporter: Nicholas Shapiro

YOUNG AND POSITIVE

(Short documentary, 12 minutes)

This short documentary follows Breiyana Pointer and Joelle Lord, both in their twenties, both living with HIV. Highly active antiretroviral drugs have turned HIV, once a death sentence, into a chronic manageable disease. But many people living with HIV, particularly the young, don’t take their medication properly—despite grave consequences for themselves and society. Produced for Distillations video.