We recently produced a series of lifestyle photography images and a web-based commercial for a local yoga instructor, lucid dawn, to be used to promote her yoga studio. We began by scouting two unique locations near our studio in Berkeley. We decided to continue on the theme of our previous work for yoga teachers- the city yogi. The concept behind this work is that yoga will give you peace of mind no matter where you are. We see a lot of fitness imagery in ideal, natural locations, which doesn’t necessarily speak to the reality of what many of us living in a metropolitan area deal with on a day to day basis. With this idea in mind, we decided to shoot lucid against an urban backdrop. One of the reasons Lucid came to us was because of our studio’s ability to capture great still photography and video content in one place.
By doing some decent legwork in pre-production, we were able to color-coordinate Lucid’s outfit with our location to create an eye-popping final image to support our concept. We also knew that shooting had to begin around 4pm to get lucid’s shadow in the right place on the wall. The pose was also an element we took into consideration. We flipped through multiple yoga anatomy books and picked a pose we thought would work well aesthetically with the shadow element. Two octaboxes and the ringflash were used to light our subject, and powered to balance the nautral light to keep the scene organic. We also shot Lucid in a variety of poses and expressions to give her variety in the edit process.
We then headed to our second location, in Oakland, to shoot motion for the web commercial. Keeping on our theme, we decided to shoot lucid against the flow of rush hour traffic. This was an idea that we worked on during the pre-production process. Although the piece was meant to be short, we wanted to reveal the fact that lucid was amidst a turbulent setting. With this idea in mind we knew that capturing a lot of great tight shots was a necessity. Shooting the grass also contributed to the overall concept. The results are above. Enjoy!
Here at Corduroy Media, our team specializes in producing powerful photography from concept to completion. Our San Francisco Bay Area studio provides creative direction when it comes to visually illustrating an idea, whether the results are to be applied in the commercial, editorial, corporate, or non-profit domains.
For a recent project, we wanted to communicate the idea “The Power of Electricity.” Beyond powering our televisions or appliances, electricity has the capability to connect people throughout the world and bring today’s online technology and educational tools to those who have little. To illustrate this concept we started with a shot of pier 5 in downtown San Francisco. To get the lights nice and bright, we exposed for 13 seconds.
We then went about casting our model. We decided during concept that we wanted a woman holding a light bulb with a look of hope in her eyes. Kellie McLennan is a local model who also poses at the Academy of Art University. We thought she would be a perfect fit for the concept. We used an octabox as a high key light, a ringflash for fill, and another octabox for an edge light. Again we used a slow shutter speed (1/8 second) to get that light bulb bright and provide some orange glow to Kellie’s face.
We then went about composting. Using the magnetic lasso tool, we selected Kellie as best we could. We then refined our selection in the quickmask mode, and plopped in our model onto the pier. We then used the blur tool and feather to soften our edges. We were really happy with the results!
The Corduroy Media team recently shot some test footage of the beautiful Sequoia trees found in the Oakland hills. Having this treasure trove of natural beauty so close to our urban environment is a true gift and we wanted to pay tribute with a short video. We began by meeting at our Berkeley based production studio at six a.m. to load our grip truck and shoot the time lapse of the moon we see in reverse at the end of the video.We then headed up to the hills and released our new piece of equipment, the dana dolly on the streaming morning light. We also used the gopro HD Hero to capture footage shot from the grip truck. Here are a few shots from behind the scenes:
Music: All Through The Night/Emancipator
The average American is inundated by media messages constantly. Whether it is electronic billboards, facebook targeted ads, or the television commercial, there is an ongoing competition for our attention. The non-profit world faces a similar dilemma. The need for donor support is unwavering and the causes are many. Thus there is a specific need to communicate to potential supporters the impact and mission of today’s non-profit in a visually effective and concise way.
In the midst of the media landscape, there are a few programs that stand out. NPR’s This American Life, HBO’s documentary films, and The Moth live storytelling podcast all are examples of radio, television, and web based media that has a devout following and turns people to tears on a consistent basis. While the programs named above all have different stylistic treatments, the common thread is the emphasis on the craft of story. Once a viewer gets emotionally invested through a strong story, their attention will be held until the very end. The following building blocks are common story-telling elements used in both radio and film:
- Anecdote- The sequence of events in its purest form. By beginning our story with an emotional sequence of events we will draw in viewers instantly. The anecdote also brings momentum to a story, so the viewer feels they are going on a moving train that has specific moments in time and an ultimate destination.
- Reflection- Without moments of reflection our anecdote means nothing. Throughout major turning points of the story, we will ask our subjects how the felt, and what they thought at these moments in time. This tool essentially tells the viewer, “This is why you are listening to this story.”
- Question/Answer- Throughout our piece we will be creating a series of questions and answers within the viewer’s head. For example, if our subject were going to be evicted, we would start with a sound bite like “I was counting up quarters and it didn’t add up. As my hands begin to shake, I looked around my apartment and began to weep.” This is much more effective than beginning with “I was broke and going to get evicted.” This style begs the question- “why were you counting quarters?” We then provide the answer through the anecdote. By withholding information thoughtfully we create a story that has a journey.
Here’s a sample of a short piece Corduroy Media produced that uses some of these techniques -
- Sean Donnelly
Oakland City Hall, 1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Oakland, California 94612
Tuesday, March 29, 2011 | 2:00 PM | Sgt. Mark Dunakin Rm. 1st FL.
Come help defend the Oakland Film Center…
Bay Area film and video industry professionals please come out to support The Oakland Film Center. Next Tuesday March 29th, a sub-committee of the Oakland Redevelopment Agency is going to vote on whether or not to approve an amendment that would preclude the requirement that any future development of the Oakland Army Base include the Oakland Film Center.
Oakland City Council Agenda (03/19/11)
An Agency Resolution Authorizing: (1) The Agency Administrator To Negotiate And Execute A Second Amendment To The Exclusive Negotiating Agreement (ENA) With AMB Property Corporation/California Capital Group (AMB/CCG) For A Development On The Former Oakland Army Base (“Base”) To: // … (C) Elimination Of The Requirement To Accommodate The Oakland Produce Market And The Oakland Film Center As Part Of The Development;
What does this mean? The 30 plus independent businesses that operate out of the Film Center may be displaced during future development and the hundreds of independent producers and production companies that rely on those businesses will have to look elsewhere to service their productions. Every major city in the US has a film center why not Oakland?
What can you do? Come out this Tuesday, March 29th at 2pm, to the Oakland City Hall and tell the city council why we need a permanent home for the east bay film industry. If you are an independent producer, director, dp, gaffer, location scout or PA and have used one or more of the businesses and/or facilities at the Oakland Film Center to do your job come and let your voice be heard!
From Oakland to Alameda; Emeryville to Berkeley, the east bay is home to some of the finest independent media makers the bay area has to offer. Let’s stand together to keep our industry, our jobs and our passion here in our own backyard!
Carl D. Brown
Executive Director
Corduroy Media
Always looking for new ways to build community and meet creative folks in the film and video industry last year I joined BAPVA, Bay Area Professional Videographers Association down in San Jose. The group was great! Talented producers, engaging and informative speakers and presenters. There was only one problem. It was in San Jose and I live and work in Oakland.
So I decided we need something similar here, in the east bay. A community group of professional film and video producers living and working in the glorious and diverse east bay. So I put the word out, found some other filmmaker’s that were interested and held our first meeting late last year. A smashing success, we had 8 pros, pizza and beer… and everyone was interested in doing it again….
Then the holidays hit and the blessings of a lot of work was hitting me and everyone else… The result was we had quite a lapse until early this year when I reached out to Michael Coleman and some other local filmmakers to re-vitalize the idea. Together we gave it another shot and had 20 people show up at the first event at Actual Cafe in Oakland.
Fast forward to June, we are holding our 3rd event at Expressions College on June 17th with DP, lighting designer and educator Bill Holshevnikoff. The event is co-sponsored by The Oakland Film Office and we are expecting a great turn out. We are already planning our July event and look forward to providing more opportunities to learn, network and grow the filmmaking community in the east bay.
Join Us on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/reqs.php#!/event.php?eid=125106617517944&ref=ts
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=113493211996732&v=app_2344061033&ref=ts#!/group.php?gid=113493211996732&v=wall&ref=ts
More about the Group:
East Bay Professional Filmmakers Meet-up is an opportunity for professionals who are shooting digital, DSLR, film, editing, motion graphics, and sound in the East Bay to get together and discuss latest projects, trends, technology, and to meet others in Northern CA!
More about Bill:
Bill Holshevnikoff – An award-winning Director of Photography, lighting designer and educator, Holshevnikoff has been lighting and shooting broadcast, corporate and documentary programming for over 25 years. He has created stunning lighting and imagery for clients such as Ritz-Carlton, Marriott Resorts, National Geographic, Four Seasons, Mercedes-Benz, Infinity, Cisco Systems, and for numerous television networks throughout the world. Holshevnikoff recently completed a new National Geographic special tracking the humpback whale’s migration from Hawaii to Alaska.
East Bay Professional’s Filmmaker Meet Up #3
I began working in video production, and ultimately started Corduroy Media, because I saw the power of media, specifically film and video, to educate thousands of people simultaneously. Knowing that not everyone had access to the video production tools needed to unlock this power, I wanted to create a company that empowered all people to tell their story.
While this mission has grown to include small businesses, corporate clients and non-profits, Corduroy Media is still dedicated to empowering each one of our clients with the tools of digital video production. One of our clients that uses digital film to educate youth is Connect Ed, The California Center for College and Career.
Corduroy Media has partnered with Connect Ed to create over twenty short educational documentaries for their Connect Ed Studios education portal. Each one of these short films was designed to support the Connect Ed curriculum that simultaneously prepares students for college and career. While each piece varies from A Day in The Life, which focuses on careers such as a Swat Team Member or Emergency Room Nurse, to Career Portraits, which highlight individuals working in the fields of Medicine and Science, the goal is the same; to provide young people the inspiration and education needed to enter any field.
This educational documentary series is designed to introduce students to a variety of career fields by highlighting individuals working in those fields. It also gives the students a good idea of what skills and education are needed to enter their desired field. All this is done while each documentary supports the standards based Connect Ed curriculum.
While I get great satisfaction out of all the projects we produce at Corduroy Media, working with Connect Ed on their Educational Documentary Series is a real joy. Not only do I get to use the great power of video to teach the next generation I get to learn about each individual and career that we highlight.
Below is an example of one of the many documentaries that we produced; Day in The Life of a SWAT TEAM Member.
Like many video producers and shooters all over the world, I have been fascinated by the depth of field and image quality of the new generation of DSLR still cameras with full resolution HD video. Running a small video production company in the Bay Area, I am always looking for new tools that allow me to offer my clients the highest production quality for their dime. So far, this camera definitely has allowed me to do that. Last week I just finished our first promotional/commercial shoot with the 7D for a new Bay Area bag maker; Mission Workshop to launch their new line staring The Vandal.
This piece was shot in a single day with a production crew of two, myself shooting, and a production assistant/camera assistant Johnny Carroll. We had no-script, no shot list and virtually no pre-production planning (which I don’t recommend). The client, Mission Workshop, was on a restrictive budget and super short time-line in order to get the video done for the launch of their new website. Considering the lack of pre-production time and the 48 hour turn-around, I am happy with the overall look and feel of the video. ( In following posts I will talk about my camera set-up and post-production processing).
Check out the video below:
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/7675849 w=480&h=270]
Here are some behind the scenes photos of the shoot day. Photo Credit: Evan Dudley
[slideshow id=3386706919819755935&w=426&h=320]
For ten months last year I worked with MTV’s Choose or Lose Campaign covering social and political stories that affect the youth of California. Along with winning an Emmy, one of the great pleasures of this assignment was working with Ocean Macadams. Ocean, the former VP of News and Docs, was my editor. He reviewed, provided feedback, and approved my stories before they went to web or TV for broadcast. His feedback and support helped me grow as a producer and content creator.
Last week I received a call from Ocean who was just wrapping a CNN/Digg interview with Arnold Schwarzenegger and asked if I would be available for a rush post-production job to create a teaser and wrap-up of the interview for Digg. After shuffling some work for another client, we spent 15 hours the following day at the Corduroy Media post-production studio creating the two pieces for Digg.
Ocean was great to work with and really created an atmosphere of collaboration. Here are the two spots that we created for Digg Dialogg.
Digg Dialogg Teaser with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/4966097 w=480&h=270]
Digg Dialogg Interview Wrap-Up with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/4966476 w=480&h=270]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tduMTesmMQ&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1]
The above video spot from 16X9 news features an interview and B-roll that Erin Beach and I (Carl Brown) shot with Exorcist Father Gary Thomas. While we offer full production services, from concept development, to shooting, and post-production, as media production becomes more decentralized we are also available to shoot on contract as we did for this production.
