Trend in Single Model Fashion Movies

I’m seeing a trend in sexy little short fashion films featuring/promoting a model as the main subject. BTW, I’m not going to label stuff on the PCN site as NSFW because you (our readers) are professional photographers and filmmakers who typically don’t work in cubicles with someone watching their every online move.

So enjoy these two shorts as inspiration. This first one that I came across a while back is interesting to me because it looks like a scenario where stills and motion were being shot simultaneously. … Continue Reading

Cool Australian Short Filmed with 5D Using Time Lapse Techniques

This Australian short was filmed using the Canon 5D MKII and mixes live action with time lapse photography. It’s got really beautiful imagery and pretty good story telling so I enjoyed it immensely this morning – even if I’d like to see a tighter edit. Thanks to Ryan Koos from NoFilmSchool.com who plucked this gem out of the Vimeo wasteland and brought it to my attention via his RSS Feed. Enjoy:
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2010 Retrospective – Articles You Should Have Read Pt 1

Wow, it’s almost the end of our first year of blogging here at PCN. To celebrate, we’re going to take a look at some of the articles you might have missed if you weren’t following us from the beginning. This first one is actually split into three parts and is an interview with Seth Epstein who shot a Suzuki Motorcycle advertising spot using Canon 7D cameras. He was kind enough to share the whole process from pitching the client and storyboards to preproduction, production and through to post. I’ve never seen this much detail about creating a commercial before and it really is a must read.

Canon 7D Suzuki Spot by Seth Epstein – Pt 1

The Suzuki project was interesting because I played the roles of agency and production company. I was approached out of Japan to develop a spot for the European market based on some previous work. Additionally, the budget was tight, so they needed someone who has worked on the entire life cycle of campaigns…. from inception to delivery… which i have done a ton of when I owned FUEL, a motion graphics house, way back in the day.

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Behind the Scenes of Drifting Car Spot

I found this link in my email inbox this morning and thought the video was worth sharing. The piece is being shot with Canon DSLRs on Cinevate support rigs.
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Snehal Patel Shoots a Music Video With Available Light

Snehal Patel sent me a link to this music video he shot with almost all existing light.

The story is that I called Samrat up while he was visiting LA and asked him if he wanted to make a music video in his spare time. This video was filmed by myself and international cinematographer Peter Holland. We used a Canon 5D on loan from Canon and nothing else. The only lighting we used was an Arri 300w in the apartment scene. Everything else was filmed with available light. I wanted to see how much the camera could be pushed. I wasn’t bothered by grain or noise in the image as long as the story was clear. There was no crew and no other equipment. Just the camera and an interesting idea.

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PSA/Viral Video Workshop at Helms Studio

Fresh off PhotoCine Expo where we saw the latest gear and were inspired by an amazing group of like minded people, Lou and I are diving into a Helms Studio workshop in Culver City.

The Next Step: Building a Director’s Reel with Your dSLR

Saturday, October 2nd – 9:30am-4pm
Get Moving, as in get your pictures in motion. So you have a dSLR Camera that can shoot video, now what are you going to do? Join Lou Lesko and Michael Britt as they take you down the path to producing a Public Service Announcement, one of the ways to get your video skills noticed, and to benefit the world.

Lou will start the day off sharing some of the techniques for writing a treatment, a skill that is becoming required for photography assignments as well. After writing a treatment, Lou and Michael will transition into story boarding, pre-production and production. This will include sticking with your story boards, the mechanics of your video capabilities and finally touching on post production options. They will bring everything together by shooting parts of a PSA to show you hands on what it takes to produce and create your own piece.

Don’t let the term PSA scare you away. Your two options for reel building are PSA/Viral Videos or low budget music videos. Music videos may be more sexy but viral videos can lead to better paying advertising gigs. With the internet it is easier than ever to get your video in front of the right audience and go viral in the process. Check out Zack Seckler’s FStop Magazine interview with author and commercial director Thomas Richter: … Continue Reading