On Sunday April 19th I spent the day in-studio Directing two Motion Creatives. The projects are co-productions with Lithium Studios. Huge thanks goes out to the crew. I’m really excited about the post-production work-flow for these pieces. After we collaborate with our Editors, I will be handling the Colour Grading of the final pieces myself. Its interesting to note that Colour Grading systems such as Final Cut Pro’s “Color” are making it possible for those with Photoshop and RAW Processor backgrounds to transfer their skills to polishing the aesthetics of Motion Projects just as finely as you would a Photograph. Very exciting times. The below behind-the-scene pics are by Photographer Carmen Cheung.
Today I swung by the film set of Jennifer Kassabian’s new project “The Only” to shoot some promotional photos. Here are some of my favourite pics from the day.
Last week I was asked by the News Photographers Association of Canada to answer a Q + A for their profiles on photographers section. The NPAC site is a great resource for Canadian Photographers – so I was more than happy to comply. Here’s a link to the Q+A.
Today we wrapped the first of four creative motion projects that I’ll be directing over the next week. Three of the projects are being shot on the RED ONE Camera System. The fourth project is a stop motion project being shot with a DSLR. Here I am mocking out a shot with Cinematographer Dan Grant and Assistant Director Darrell Faria. Photo by Arash Moallemi.
I’ve spent the last three days shooting Stills for the University of Toronto, as part of an upcoming campaign. One of my last locations of the three-day shoot was the helipad atop St. Michael’s Hospital in downtown Toronto. I worked along side Lithium Studios that was shooting a commercial for U of T.
I’m really enjoying shooting with my Casio Camera. It’s poor resolution at 300fps – but great for mocking up projects and presenting a moving shot list to a Cinematographer. I have several high-speed projects in the works right now, and being able to communicate visually in slow-motion with the camera department is proving invaluable. As a Director/Photographer working with a Camera Team I want to be on the same page visually – the Casio is one more tool allowing me to do this. Here’s a quick clip from a work in progress that I’ve mocked up on the Casio at 300fps.
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I was on assignment for Report on Business Magazine a couple weeks back with writer Mark Schatzker. We made alot of location stops that day – Mark’s story was about looking good on the cheap – a guide reflecting our current economic climate. Here’s one of my favourite images from the assignment – Mark getting his hair cut.
I spent monday at Westside Studio. Last week I met with Photographer George Simhoni to talk about the Canon 5DII, and in general about how still and motion technology are merging. Monday was a gathering of like-minds for a studio test of the Canon 5DII – a wide array of image-makers and support crew that all are interested in how still imaging systems and motion image systems are beginning to intersect. I think photographers and those that work with the moving image have much to learn from one another. As someone who works in both these fields, I’m really encouraged to see how ideas and tools from both media are crossing over sparking new ideas and new takes on old methods of production.
