I've continued working with Bad HERØ Productions when film shoots come up, but I've been so busy editing for various projects that I keep forgetting to update the blog. Maybe that means it's time for a personal assistant...
Recently, Bad HERØ Productions participated in Splatterfest - a horror short film festival. Their production "The Spectral Shutter" won for best suspense. One of my antique cameras made its acting debut as a central prop. My only regret is that I was otherwise engaged and had to leave the set before they filled the tub with blood.
Lately I've been working with Bad Hero Productions - local filmmakers - helping out on set and capturing some behind-the-scenes action during their short-film shoots. They've been a pleasure to work with, and there will be more to come:
Earlier this month, I got to do the video work for a fashion show in Salt Lake City. It was a fund-raising event and quite the experience. They had multiple designers, food, and music. Enjoy a few snippets from the night!
In my video class, I was asked to create a 30-60 second clip with cuts, synced to music and without a storyline. Since I couldn't go off of a story, I picked the song I wanted first - Boy With a Coin by Iron and Wine - and the visual of the spinning bottle came to mind. I then grabbed a good friend and we started recording her doing all sorts of random things.
So, as you might know, I took a little detour from straight-up photography and decided to do video projects last semester. This is the short film I worked on for the Philosophy and Film class. Contrary to what the title may suggest, the course was very hands on and threw us straight into production training. That said, it is still the first film I've ever shot or edited.
As it happens, my 5d Mark II shoots HD video as well as still photographs. Though I've studied photography for several years now, and owned my 5d for a year, I had not yet gone beyond mere tests of this newfangled functionality when the semester began. My best (and only) work beyond simply turning ON the video function was a dorky music video combining stills and video that I took when some girls pulled a prank on the guys we know.
But don't worry, I dove in head first to cinematography this semester and hit the bottom with a reassuring thud!
I took one class where we did a crash-course in movie production by making short films. I was lucky enough to work with a talented child actress who is familiar with film work, and had to put in hours of work editing that I never expected. In the end, we turned out a good little product considering none of my classmates had ever produced a film, and hopefully it will be posted in the next couple of weeks.
Meanwhile, in my advanced digital photography class, I decided that since I was working on a short film I was more than qualified to play with video for my final class project. I mean, a two-month project? One simple music video? Of course I could handle that... single handed...
In the end, every plan I tried to make collapsed. Since it was not a group project like the short film, I was left to location scout, direct, produce, decorate, shoot, and edit, only having hands on board to help the day of the shoot. Were it not for the generosity of those who showed up to help, I'm not sure how it all would have turned out.
Many thanks to The Indecision for participating in the circus and volunteering their time and talents. The song War Wounds and the recording are theirs, all original, and a part of their album you can listen to and purchase here.
Below is the end result! My second real video (first flying solo), shot on two 5d Mark IIs, and edited in FinalCut Pro!
P.S. The online video is low-res due to difficulties uploading. The actual video is HD.
