Yesterday I wrote about the challenge of balancing a unique, signature style as a visual artist with authentically communicating the brand of your client. B2C studios (e.g. wedding filmmakers/photographers, etc.) will tend to benefit greatly from putting their style first. B2B studios (e.g. commercial photogs and video producers) have a more complicated task at hand. […]
Whose Brand Does Your Work Project? Yours or Your Clients?
I recently put the finishing touches on the promotional film for Shawn Reeder Photography. Shawn is an amazing photographer specializing in the Yosemite and Sierra mountain region. Shawn is one of those people who exudes this amazing sense of peace and generosity. He is Zen personified. It’s an undeniable and 100% sincere aspect of his […]
Film Editing Tips – There’s a Reason They Call it “Cutting”
Did you ever stop to think about all the filmmaking terms we use nowadays that harken back to the good ol’ days when “films” were actually shot on film? (Uh, wait. They’re still shot on film. Hmm?) Did you ever stop to think about all the filmmaking terms we use nowadays that harken back to […]
Effective Use of Photographs in Video – Beyond the Ken Burns Effect
With the advent of “Fusion,” many photographers are adding video to their repertoire of services. There are few definitions for this term fusion. One of the primary ones is “the combination of stills and video.” (The irony is, filmmakers have been doing this for decades, but ever since HD DSLRs hit the scene, people are […]
Getting the Most Out of Your Muse
This past week people really seemed to connect with the back and forth correspondence between me and my Muse that started Wednesday with my series of letters to her, then ended Thursday with her frank reply. I think it struck such a chord because as creatives, we’ve all been there. In all seriousness though, if […]
Top 5 April Fool’s Videos of 2011
Okay, here are my top five April Fool’s videos from 2011.
Photographers Need to Take Audio More Seriously
In just the past few days I’ve seen some videos created by photographers that, as a filmmaker, caused me to cringe. It’s one of the biggest, if not the biggest issue photographers-turned-filmmakers have. Crappy audio. This is an issue I’ve addressed a number of times before. So I sorta feel like a broken record. But […]
Crossing the 180 #28: Drea Cooper of California is a Place
One of the hottest film series on Vimeo is a set of short documentaries about interesting people in California. California is a Place looks at the lives of a wide variety of characters: from a washed up used car salesman, to a couple of die-hard patriots risking life and limb to protect our borders from […]
Blockbuster Video and a Fatal Lesson About Ignoring the Signs
In the past few weeks, I’ve seen something that 15 years ago I would never have dreamed would be a reality: Blockbuster Video stores with “Store Closing” banners hanging out front. What in the world happened? There was a time when Blockbuster was the “king of the world.” They were to small mom and pop […]
Photography is Headed for an Industry Storm
At the end of Jim Cameron’s sci-fi thriller “Terminator,” Sarah Connor the reluctant hero (played terrifically by Linda Hamilton), the mother of the savior of the world, is sitting in a jeep at a Mexican border gas station, looking solemnly towards the hills. Her face is wrought with sadness and anticipation. The wind blows. A […]