MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: One day to film a quick kickstarter video for some very noble people trying to save a landmark movie theater in Bradley Beach, NJ. You have a few hours and must start tomorrow. This message will self destruct….
Needless to say, I love a challenge, and movie theaters, so this seemed like a home run opportunity. How’d I do?
We could all use them. Thankfully, every year most of us get one at the end of the summer. Except me of course.
While most Americans were drinking it up, swimming, and stuffing their face to celebrate Labor Day, sadly, once again I was ‘laboring’ at The Headliner on the Jersey Shore, shooting celebrity guest DJ Brooke Evers slay the summer of 18. Poor me…
The key to any story is the flow, especially on a platform like Instagram. My team at Edit Cellar created this social media weapon for a real estate agent I was working with to purchase a home. I had known him and his mortgage partner for many years. They wanted to do something different, like a day in the life.
After hearing the initial idea and getting them to give me a list of bullet points, I came up with a script. They then educated me on some lingo and we made a few technical tweaks. Then, we were ready to rock. The client secured the cast and locations. It was my job to put it all together.
Luckily, I had help from a great team.
In the beginning of the year, I got to work on an amazing testimonial project. Most times, I find testimonials lack engagement. Unless they are genuine, interesting, and somebody important, they tend to be ignored by audiences. We all rationalize in our head ‘that’s probably their friend, etc.’.
With LifeAce, it was different right from the jump. Founder Mario Canta had a legacy of clients that were interesting, renowned businesses, well established in their fields, and even famous in one case. More importantly for me, each of these clients presented a genuine story of how Mario and his team at LifeAce had impacted their lives through life insurance.
There were no prepared statements, or coaxing. We just simply turned on the camera and let these clients pour their hearts out. Each of their stories was genuine, and unique. The variety of personalities and trades was incredible. It was amazing how impactful decisions such as life insurance can be on you & your families financial well being.
One of the pure joys of being in video production is how you get to learn the ins & outs of many different industries. I certainly learned an immense amount about life insurance through our work with LifeAce, and they have my recommendation should you need a guaranteed policy for life!
After the success of the National Bagel Day Commercial, with over 1.7 million views, the Bagel Nook invited us back to create a video for their latest crazy concoction: The SMOREO Collection.
‘Spaceshippin’, by Water 4 Mars, an official selection at the 2018 Garden State Film Festival.
I wrote & directed this music video / short film after my very first listen to the song in Water 4 Mars’ magical basement studio known as ‘Sri Lanka’. At the time, the political climate was heightened on all sides post election, and I imagined the youth needing a spaceship to escape this world to live free among the aliens as the melody invaded my inner ear.
For a sneak peak during the making, check out our last vlog for some behind the scenes action.
Shot on the Red Scarlet w at Hill Studios in Paulsboro and on location in Neptune City, NJ., we get insight into the process from myself, production designer / Art Director Kevin Boylan, set construction/dresser Ben Laffoon, the band’s Tim Jones & Channel Jamil, choreographer/lead alien Carlos Cordova, and finally DP Rick Cook (well sort of through grip/gaffer Evan Butler).
Don’t miss the end – a wet, wild ride of greatness as we strive to #makevideosgreatagain
A quick review on the GH5 about true 24 frames, variable frame rate issues, 10 bit codec issues, the manual focus assist options, and the speed booster XL canon mount.
UPDATE: There is a workaround for the metabones speed booster issue mentioned above. See the comments below or search ‘GH5 + METABONES FIXED’
Also, the Full frame MF Assist was on all the GH cameras, but the quality level has improved tremendously, probably due to the increased megapixels.
This weekend, I attended the 15th Annual Garden State Film Festival in Atlantic City, NJ to see our two entries premiere.
Low & behold, we are super proud to announce our spot for ‘Gravity Training Zone: Transformation Specialists‘ won for best ‘Home Grown Commercial’.
It’s was quite an honor to be awarded with celebs like Richard Kind & Sally Jesse Raphael clapping for you. I’d also like to thank Gravity Training Zone who put their faith in the team at Edit Cellar. You can check out the spot below…
