Watch three breathtaking documentary shorts from filmmaker Gary Yost. Gary is a photographer and videographer based in the Bay Area. All three of the shorts highlighted feature magnificent Marin panoramas requiring the utmost technical precision.

Marin County Firefighters: "Always Prepared" Watch now on Vimeo

Three years ago I made a short film about what it's like to work up in the fire lookout on the East Peak of Mt. Tamalpais. The majority of a lookout’s day is spent in watchfulness while listening to Marin County Fire dispatch sending firefighters on calls. As I became more and more familiar with what I was hearing, I began to marvel at how our first responders are instantly ready to help anyone in trouble… and there were plenty of emergencies on that radio. Car and bike accidents, structure and wildland fires, medical emergencies and more… there are a constant string of crises that firefighters have to respond to FAST.

Is your video project speaking clearly to your audience?  Come to Work-in-Progress Wednesdays and receive feedback by an industry pro.

Hollywood film editor, author, and educator Gael Chandler will facilitate this FREE forum, to be held every other month. “Consider it a free focus group,” says Chandler, who will critique sample clips representing three short-form or two long-form projects during each two-hour session.

Short-form projects should be between 8–10 minutes long. Long-form projects should be no more than 20 minutes.

You don't need to be a CMCM member to attend a Work-In-Progress session. You don't even need to be working on a project! If you're interested in presenting a video clip for feedback, email a brief description of your project no later than Wednesday, August 26 to jill@cmcm.tv.

Sessions: Ongoing; every other month.

Date: Wednesdays, September 2 (6:30 - 8:30 PM)

How long have you been a member of CMCM?.

2 years

The Title of Your Marin TV Series:.

Musical Medicine with Soleil Dakota

In a nutshell, describe your CMCM series:.

Each show I perform an original song and interview a special guest.
I choose a song related to the topic of my guest interview. The show
is inspiring, educational and entertaining.

Where were you born? .

I was born and raised in South Dakota

What is/was your occupation? How long have you been in this profession?

My profession is songwriting. I have a catalogue of songs I co-wrote with Grammy Award-winning producer Narada Michael Walden. Artists I’ve written for include Diana Ross, Al Jarreau, Ray Charles, and others.

What inspired you to produce your own TV series?

I became a member of CMCM because one of my mentors planted a seed. He said, “Soleil, go to your local public TV station and sing to people and your life will change.”

What is your favorite part of TV production?

The actual live taping is the most fun.

What is your least favorite part?

CMCM’s new equipment is here! Register for the August Basic Field Camera Production workshop and get your hands on a Sony PXW-X70 Camera, Manfrotto MVT502AM Tripod, Manfrotto MVM500A Monopod, Sennheiser MKE600 Shotgun mic, Rode M1 Dynamic mic, Sony UWP-D Wireless lavalier, Sony UWP-D Wireless handheld mic, and more.

Hurry! Registration is limited to 8 students.