So the eternal debate for people who love film, the debate of “Is film dead?”  Well I discovered this little device last year call the LOMOKINO and it definitely makes me believe that film is alive. It is essentially a little hand-crank film (keyword:FILM) camera.  It takes normal 36 exposure 35mm film that you would put into a film camera, and lets you shoot like back in the days of old. You get this great almost 2:55:1 aspect that gives you about 80-90 frames of joy. It is probably the most fun I have had in a while with a camera. There is no setting up the shot, you just kind of fine the place you want to shoot, or just have it with you at all times… and crank away!

Below is the first rolls of film that I shot and scanned. I used a combination of 400 /800 iso color negative and slide film. I have discovered I love the colors of slide film, but I appreciate the muteness of color negative. Just so I don’t waste film, I have to admit I do keep my t2i with me to essentially use as a light meter, because I don’t want to waste it!  The process definitely takes longer than anything digital you would do now, but there is something about it that is just so beautiful and majestic. Take a look and enjoy!

Here is the final video for Time is Everything. It was about an 8 hour shoot. Luke James Leonard, my D.P. did a fantastic job lighting as well as being camera on this project. We had met previously and discussed the look I was going for, and day off, he just came in and knocks it out the park. Adam Johns was there to keep everything moving, Dantina Claire helps keep me organized and logged the footage, as well as made the BTS you will see below, my go to guy for everything production is the always clutch Mike Martinez, and we had the help of some new guys coming up in the business Tyler Suggs and Zachary Mills – definitely appreciate all the help fellas.

We shot on the Canon 5d Mark II with the Canon 70-200mm while being attached to a mini jib. I storyboarded out a series of 7 shots that we just knocked out.  Sadly, I was in communication with what I felt was going to be a great opportunity for a clothing company to use this as an exposure for both them and PlayWryte, which was the original intention for the colors of cyan and purple that are mixed in the video.  I was using this for the purpose of matching the vibe the clothing brought. After they dropped 2 days before filming, I decided to just keep the idea, as well as the kicker of purple light that hits PlayWryte.  Just another one of the moments that you always hate to say you learned from, If its not in your hands, its not real yet, always remember that. Other than that, the shoot went as smoothly as possible. I give props to PlayWryte, no lipsync – When he was out there, he was performing. Every take was the full song, no breakup.  After a couple takes, you could tell the guy was about to pass out… but all I had to do was ask “One more?” and he was ready to go.

Editing was fun, I had sent PlayWryte an animatic of what the video was going to look like prior to shooting, which already set the tone for how it would be edited, so the beginning stages were easy. I decided to add in the film “grindhouse” look in the end for flavor. The actual idea for the “fire hands” was PlayWrytes. I honestly had no intention of doing it, but once I saw how the video was going, he said it was something he wanted, so I figured why not.

The whole video was a fun 3 week process that myself, the crew and PlayWryte were pleased with. Below is a BTS (Where you can see me performing the song for a bit) that gives you a glimpse at the day.

This is the teaser for my newest music video for PlayWryte.

I will do a full write up on the video of the process and what we used to light/shoot with once the video is up.

I get asked all the time, what are some of the things I like to use when I edit. Well one of them just so happens to be my own pack of personal lens flares that I create myself.

So now I have made it so other people can use some of the same flares I personally use. Head over to VideoHive and check them out!

http://videohive.net/item/real-lens-flare-pack-1/1772552

So today is UPDATE DAY!

First things first, I am going to give some insight to some projects that are already done.

As of yesterday, Captain Fin won BEST DRAMA at the Salute Your Shorts Film Festival. This film has been making its way through the festival circuit, and the conclusion of its run will be at this years 2012 Florida Film Festival for where it was selected as a winner of the Enzian Brouhaha Film Festival. It has been a great film that everyone that worked on is proud of, and I am looking forward to seeing it on the screen in April.

Actress is in Audio Post as of right now, as well as the titles and and credits that are being masterfully crafted. I am really excited to get this one out. I have already had the trailer in some film festivals to great response, as well as the internet community. Soon this film will be hitting the ground running in film festivals around the country, and hopefully we have another hit on our hands.

NOW for the projects in the works for this year.

So we are getting into full preproduction swing with FAUXTOGRAPHY. I have been collaborating with Story Producer/Writer Sean Kantrowitz who together, we are going to bring a comedic web series to life that we really think you will enjoy. I have read and reread the script Sean has written, and it makes me laugh every time so I really feel we have something special on our hands. We begin casting February 25th. Below is the info.

I am also working again with upcoming rap artist PlayWryte for a new video early march. We had a great experience last time, and he came to me with another track that I felt I could bring to life. More info and a BTS on this early March.

Now this is a fun one. I great friend of my Rev.Jay Leal – C.E.O of Rebel Rev Industries, wrote a script a while ago that I really enjoyed.  This one has always been a project that I have been wanting to get started but the chips just never fell into place until now. Leal has decided that he is going to Produce this film, because like myself… we really think this is something that people will enjoy.  Its a fantastic script that I will, if all goes according to plan, get to shoot on film. The feel is very southern goth macabre meets 1950′s style… and I believe getting back to the grainy film routes will really bring it to life. Casting information on this to come soon.

There is actually 2 more projects that I am eager to get out involving musicians…both done, but I cant talk to much about it yet. Believe me, when it comes out, you will know! Check back in next week when I give my thoughts on the under use of Canons more affordable T2i.

This is part one of the ACTRESS Behind the Scenes. This is a quick montage of stuff that was the shoot. I personally can say its nice to know Ive lost a ton of weight since then haha. This really shows a glimpse into all the hard work this crew put in. Thank you Adam Johns for the BTS

So I recently was sent to Aspen, Colorado for the 2012 Winter Xgames. I was sent as a team to represent Full Sail University as a sponsor for the Xgames.  My job was to shoot and edit live in the booth, using the same equipment and software that the students of the Digital Cinematography Online Degree would get as a part of their tuition to the program. It was a great experience, even though a very COLD experience. Some days we were waking up and starting our day in 1 degree weather… and for this Florida Boy, that was something else.

SONY NEX FS-100

Working with the FS-100 is a fun experience. If your familiar with the GH2, HPX, HVX cameras and the like… then it wont feel too foreign. The form factor of the camera definitely does take some getting used to.  With it coming bare, and needing to be assemble for the needs (audio mount, Monitor magnifier as an eyepiece, extremely wierd side handle that if your left handed kind of leaves you S.O.L) it made the initial set up a little annoying, as well as the fact of the monitor being on the top of the camera, leaving you to always having to being looking down or at eye level with it. The weight of the camera is less than other cameras in its class, so that made carrying, panning and tilting with the fluid Manfrotto tripod extremely easy. The kit lens of 18-200mm is extremely useful, just wide enough to get that nice angle distortion, and long enough to make most vantage points effective, of course the speed of the lens is to be desired… 3.5-5.6 really doesnt give you much room for light, but its a great lens for multipurpose. The SQ mode to quickly put you into 1080p 60 frames was extremely effective and what I feel is something that really puts this camera above others in its class. My purpose for this was fast paced action sports shooting, and having those options is a must, especially at 1080p… unlike 720p that most cameras drop to when doing 60 frames.  As for the menus, adjustments and what not, there were all easily found and workable. This camera does definitely take some getting used to, but once you do, you see that it is a very effective camera, with great versatility. For a more in-depth review you can vist http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/26/sony-nex-fs100-review/ and learn more. Below are some still from the video

CONTOUR ROAM HD HELMET CAMERA

Another new piece of equipment I had the chance of working with was the Contour HD helmet camera, a fast delightful competition to the GOPRO series. MODEL  – Shaun Moore

This camera is a great comparable device to the GOPRO. I would say the image quality is on par, but I would say GOPRO image stabilization is a tad bit more advanced. That access to the footage, and the one-touch record switch made it much easier to work with then a GOPRO, as well as a laser guide to make calibrate the angle and POV of the camera. All in all, I believe it is a cheaper alternative to the GOPRO for the person wanting to use it for surfing,biking, any sporting and not looking to fork out the extra 100-200 dollars. I know Shaun, who used it while snowboarding, said he would love to have one for his bike-riding, wake board riding purposes. More on this camera here http://contour.com/products/contour-roam

So these were just some of the fun new gadgets I got to work with while out in Aspen. Feel free to contact me on any questions for either. Hopefully soon I will be able to have something that shows the actual video footage from both.

A certain passion project is returning.

We were introduced to the world of Gator Wrestling through the great people of GATORLAND in Orlando Florida. What we didnt know was that we were going to actually get a chance to meet legends, the men of men, that you dont usually get to see once we began our journey. We came across the Legends of the sport in Jonathan Cattail and the Legendary Gus Onebear. I mean that name alone stands as a small glimpse into the bigger world that we want to explore and show the world.

[vimeo vimeo.com/28171085]

This project has recently taken to INDIEGOGO.COM to see if people want us to dive deeper into the project, and with your help, WE CAN!

CLICK HERE to check out our project and any help would be appreciated!

So my first official directed music video is finally coming out as of tonight.  If you read my earlier blog post you know it is for artist PlayWryte’s single “FIGHT CLUB”.  Now if youve seen the very fast paced teaser, you might be in for a little suprised as the actual song is not very fast, it is actuality quite slow, but a slow teaser would be a boring one .  Anyhow, Below I am going to post the video, and then go into some details of the process.

[vimeo vimeo.com/27793985]

This was a a fun process that I definitely learned alot from and enjoyed every moment.

BREAKDOWN

So how this all came out was just a fortuitous circumstance that PlayWryte added me on facebook while I was itching to do a music video. I had worked with Fetus Productions/Broadside Productions editing music videos for Luke Leanord such as Inferneon “GRAVEN IMAGE” and The Absence “ENEMY UNBOUND”, (Side Note : Just actually saw ENEMY UNBOUND for the first time online, looks like whoever uploaded did it wrong… shouldnt be squashed into that 4:3, but what can you do…) and then came in to do final editing/fix sync/color correct/add graphics to Beebs and Her MoneyMakers “HAND OUT” . Doing all of those really made me want to explore into music video territory, So when PlayWryte said he was looking for to do a video, we began a dialogue.

PlayWryte sent me his track for “FIGHT CLUB” and I listened to about 3 different versions as he fine tuned his sound, and instantly knew what kind of video this was gonna be. It wasnt flashy, It wasnt about anything other than the artists message. So I felt it needed to be black and white, with the focus being just a man in the city, a street poet of sorts. I then came up with a style sheet and sent it off to him. (see below)

I honestly went right to looking at the one video I know really was created to just give off a hip hop vibe that was more about the artist then the flash, “99 PROBLEMS”. The feeling of the video leaves you feeling like you just went through and received your dose of hip hop, without being bashed over the head. That mentality is what I was going for, PlayWryte agreed so I moved into preproduction.

Preproduction consisted of me bringing in my UPM Dantina Claire, who since acquiring her services for my short film ACTRESS has become my go to for any production, I honestly have never met someone who can get things done as fast or as good as she does, and you never have to ask more than once. Confidence in your people is a great thing, and she is a great up and coming talent that is a blessing to whatever production she is on. She finds a way to get me whatever I needed, whenever I need it. This shoot required the locking down of a location, and she got ON-LOCK skate shop of downtown Orlando to let us shoot, and she never even broke a sweat. Then on to location scouting for the rest of the shoot, which as stated, was going to be in downtown Orlando. I got with another talented filmmaker Adam Johns to come on board as a additional camera that I knew I could trust shooting additional angles while I focused on my own, as well as helping me with location scouting.  I spent a weekend downtown taking pictures of various locations, which then brought to Adam who joined me on a another weekend outing downtown to do test footage of shots for me to be sure of framing and color correction. Shot on T2i 50mm 1.4 and 25-70mm 1.4. Editing Final Cut Pro. Color Correction Magic Bullet (see below)

[vimeo vimeo.com/27794286]

Once all this was complete, and PlayWryte agreed to everything, we set a weekend downtown to complete the video. (SIDE NOTE: This is Florida, it was July, IT WAS HOT AS HELL) Dantina made sure all locations were secured, as well as making sure I was getting my shots and keeping the crew hydrated and as comfortable as possible. For the actual shoot, I decided to use the 5D for the main camera, and the t2i for a secondary camera/slow motion camera that would be manned by Adam.   I brought on the talents of Andrew Sankovich to do my steadicam work. Andrew has become the go to guy for Steadicam as he makes a name for himself. His dedication to getting the shot right was key, especially in the ridiculously hot weather, If you have ever seen a steadicam rig, its not small.. or light so Andrew was a soldier. Day 1 consisted of Andrew doing all moving performance shots based on locations I discovered prior. The 2 locked down performance shots in 2 separate locations were then knocked out and it was on to day 2. Day 2 was the skate shop location shoot as well as the alley and walking shots. I tried to get these done as soon as possible because the heat was definitely a little bit on the unbearable side. I am very lucky to have had such a great crew and an artist who didnt get frustrated in the heat.

After all that was locked down, I got cranking on a teaser for the video SEEN HERE. I really wanted to make something that gained attention, and believe an edit such as shown could really do that. Then it was into editing mode. I really got into the video and made sure that It felt paced correctly, as well as creating a feeling that you were following the artist. I then brought in the graphic talents of Miguel Reyes to give me a slick title sequence for the video. PlayWryte would come in for routine milestone check ups, a final fine tooth inspection to make sure all lyrics were in sync, and then we were done.

I have really appreciated PlayWryte’s professional demeanor through the whole project. For a young up and coming artist I believe he really has a focus you dont see in many young rappers. I am excited to see where how his future continues to grown, and can only hope that a video by me can assist him in that adventure. Thanks again to my whole crew! You guys have been awesome! On to the next project!

Well, as most know, by day I am a video editor for Full Sail University In-House Creative team Platinum Creative. It’s been a little less than two years since I joined the video portion of the Platinum Creative stable, and so much awesome stuff has come out since then.

Full Sail University began their Hall of Fame in 2009, prior to me joining the team. I came along shortly after the event took place and was tasked with creating a video that encompassed the feel of the day. I was told one thing: “We want to call it Hall of Fame : The Movie.” So I compiled all the footage I could and created this.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbSQPqeaSBs&feature=relmfu]

The following year I took the reigns on editing five out of the six graduate profiles for the event. You can view them all HERE

After those profiles I created another video – a sequel if you will – for the 2010 Hall Of Fame. This time we wanted to give it a real “epic” feel. Our Platinum Video team (Tracy Wiu, James Donmoyer, Andrew Sankovich, Tom Carrigan III and our boss Bruce LeClaire) set up and shot a full-on award welding scene. The team cooked up this concept far in advance and I storyboarded and edited it with the help of Platinum’s motion graphics and design guru/Art Director Todd Kinley. Check out the video below:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AoeBjJD_LI]

In addition to the Hall of Fame projects, I like to take opportunities to create things that provide a punch for certain Full Sail degree programs. This video was originally intended for a limited use promo tool that eventually went on to become a full purpose tool for the Film program. The movie TRON: LEGACY had just come out, and that was the basis for the opening logo I created.  That theme was enhanced by using an original composition intended to have a similar feel to the music from the TRON soundtrack

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjJQZtMwwl0]

And then there are the commercials. My first pass was with the Creative Minds campaign:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=ieqI4Dh-VMI]

which then lead to a full-on production with cinematographer Steve Cambell. This shoot was a great learning experience and was a blast to be a part of because of the use of ARRI’s new ALEXA camera, which is an amazing machine. Commercial below:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbFx6zsR_-I]

Just recently, we worked with the amazing creative team ROYALE. That commercial will be hitting the airwaves soon enough. I definitely enjoyed being on set with Royale Creative Director Jayson Whitmore, seeing what was shot, and then viewing the final product; I’m amazed by the world that that company can create.

So needless to say, it has been a fun and exciting two years, and I figured I would share it!