At Mikooka, we have over 13 years experience filming live music and dance performances. We have worked with several international groups, including Nouvelle Vogue of France, 2Cellos of Croatia, and others such as Yemen Blues and Hadag Nahash of Israel. We have covered a wide variety of shows, from small gigs with a single camera to large venues with 16 cameras of coverage. Even in our narrative films such as “DUET” and “Professional Cuddler,” music is always a central element of our storytelling—whether the characters are musicians or the music itself is a character as part of the plot. We're currently working on a feature documentary, a coming-of-age story of three displaced girls in Uganda, Germany, and Colombia with a shared passion for music; the story unfolds scenes with Latin hip hop, Arabic belly dancing, Afro beats, and handmade tribal music instruments.
Whereas a film production often requires years of planning, however, live performances allow for a freedom and creative spontaneity that's unlike anything else. “Filmmaking is so much about planning, breaking a three-act story into a long production shoot where the scenes are shot in a non-chronological order requires a ton of thinking and puzzling... To balance these creative challenges, I used to take my camera to jazz clubs at night and collaborate with the musicians jamming there. I literally need that to survive as a filmmaker: Live music helps me let go and surrender to the moment and then later, when I’m back on set, I can improvise better, too.” Mika says, adding, “I am always looking for more collaborations and inspiring connections with musicians.”
At Mikooka, we have over 13 years experience filming live music and dance performances. We have worked with several international groups, including Nouvelle Vogue of France, 2Cellos of Croatia, and others such as Yemen Blues and Hadag Nahash of Israel. We have covered a wide variety of shows, from small gigs with a single camera to large venues with 16 cameras of coverage. Even in our narrative films such as “DUET” and “Professional Cuddler,” music is always a central element of our storytelling—whether the characters are musicians or the music itself is a character as part of the plot. We're currently working on a feature documentary, a coming-of-age story of three displaced girls in Uganda, Germany, and Colombia with a shared passion for music; the story unfolds scenes with Latin hip hop, Arabic belly dancing, Afro beats, and handmade tribal music instruments.
Whereas a film production often requires years of planning, however, live performances allow for a freedom and creative spontaneity that's unlike anything else. “Filmmaking is so much about planning, breaking a three-act story into a long production shoot where the scenes are shot in a non-chronological order requires a ton of thinking and puzzling... To balance these creative challenges, I used to take my camera to jazz clubs at night and collaborate with the musicians jamming there. I literally need that to survive as a filmmaker: Live music helps me let go and surrender to the moment and then later, when I’m back on set, I can improvise better, too.” Mika says, adding, “I am always looking for more collaborations and inspiring connections with musicians.”
Eyal Vilner Big Band
Numerous live studio recordings for this awesome NY based 16-pieces big band
2016
Eyal Vilner Big Band
Numerous live studio recordings for this awesome NY based 16-pieces big band2016