Nathaniel Hansen – Filmmaker Blog

Six Friends: A Conversation

By nathaniel | March 31st, 2010

I was asked to DP and help edit a short documentary based on six conversations with the producer’s friends. She’s an undergrad at Emerson College, so I have to first of all give her props for having the courage to seek me out and ask me – I’m not sure I would have been so bold at 20. She (Elizabeth Charles) wants to be a producer, and so far she’s on the right track.

We shot and cut the project in one day, due to schedule, and because the competition she entered it in had a deadline of the same day we were able to film. It was a bit rushed in the edit, but overall I think it turned out. I’m not crazy about the music, but it was provided by the contest organizers.

Shot in a small dorm lounge with EX1, Letus Extreme, Zeiss 85mm f1.4, a Lowel kit and my Mole Richardson tweenie kit. I enjoyed lighting this piece as it was a challenge given the space.

Posted in Documentary Film | Leave a comment

Hanging Cleats 30 Second Commercial for 2010 World Cup

By nathaniel | March 17th, 2010

hangingcleats.com is a non profit organization dedicated to providing access to sports, specifically soccer, to youth who live in high risk areas around the world. Their founder contacted me after viewing some of my documentary work, and asked if I would be willing to shoot a short commercial that would air during the World Cup.

I thought a lot about what the commercial should be, and in the end came up with three strong ideas. Logistics, budget, and timing forced us to pick the third idea, but looking back, I’m of the opinion it was the better idea all along. It’s simple, direct, and invites the viewer to interpret the work.

I collaborated with Jerry Thompson on this shoot, and we decided to use his Canon 5D and his arsenal of L-series Canon lenses. We used the 50mm f1.2, 70-200mm f2.8, and the 16-35mm f2.8.

The music (to which I’m still trying to get the rights) is placeholder for now, but is the song Zeyphr by the excellent Scott Morgan (AKA Loscil) who scores for documentaries and games, as well as has several terrific albums out. Hopefully I can secure the rights.

It was great to have him there to guide me through the post production process, and a short commercial like this was a great test to get a feel for the Canon workflow. I’m really happy with the outcome, and I hope you like what we came up with. Enjoy.

Posted in Commercial Film Production, Commercials | Leave a comment

Kickstarter, Fundraising, and the Future of (truly) Independent Film

By nathaniel | February 25th, 2010

I came home Sunday afternoon to find, waiting patiently in my inbox, an email from Kickstarter.com:

Hi Nathaniel –

[your project] sounds great. Welcome to Kickstarter.

Let your community, your audience and your network know about your project. The lion’s share of your funding will come from them. Spread the word!

Rewards are just as important. Offer something of real value, and consider something more intangible, more about an experience. That will have an enormous impact. Three or four reasonably priced rewards is ideal (think of it as S, M, L, XL). Take a look around the site if you want some inspiration.

And finally, include a video. It’ll drive home that this is a real person doing this.

Good luck!

Whaaaa! This is what I had been waiting for!! I was elated for the remainder of the day. Instead of waiting around for an invite from a stranger, I decided to email the staff to see if I could get the ball rolling. I had spent all day on the Friday before building a website for the upcoming project, and had sent it off with my proposal to kickstarter at 2am.

Come Sunday afternoon, I was surprised how fast they responded. The excitement hasn’t worn off – but the sheer realization that the heavy lifting is now begining has officially pushed down on my shoulders. It’s just the beginning, and we haven’t even launched our project yet.

New Documentary Film Website - Screenshot

Kickstarter.com is an interesting model for independent filmmakers like myself who tire of competing for studio dollars or scrapping for a bad distribution contract. The key (I think anyway) to running a successful project is networking. This sounds obvious, but for me and our team, I think that it’s time to capitalize on our social networks (both on and offline) to make something we’re passionate about and make something we believe people will want to see. We also think they’ll enjoy it.

I’ll be keeping an active journal of our fundraising activities, both here and on the acutal film website. As I navigate the somewhat chartered waters of crowdsource fundraising, I hope to become something of an expert so to continue in my efforts to make interesting documentaries. Stay Tuned!!

Posted in Documentary Film, Film Fundraising | 3 Comments

World Cup Commercial

By nathaniel | February 11th, 2010

I was recently asked to direct a commercial for a non-profit that does educational outreach through football (soccer). I’m really excited about this project, not because of the exposure it will get because of the venue (the 2010 world cup!), but because if the powerful message I’ll be able to help craft for this great organization. I’ll be sure to post as things develop, but it should be an exciting month and a half, to be sure.

Posted in Commercial Film Production | Leave a comment

Jeffrey – A Documentary Short

By nathaniel | February 4th, 2010

Jeffrey was introduced to me by my colleague and friend Nicole Prowell, who produced this piece.

BACKSTORY:
Jeffrey is a former professional boxer and a trainer at “the ring” boxing club in Boston. He has a compelling story, and an amazing life vision which anyone who views can learn from.

TECH:
I filmed this piece on a Sony EX1 with a Letus 35mm Adapter and a Zeiss Planar T* f1.4/85mm prime lens. Final Cut Pro and magic bullet looks.

Posted in Documentary Film | 5 Comments

Exposure – Documentary Filmmaker as Entrepreneur

By nathaniel | January 27th, 2010

In addition to making media for a variety of mediums, over the last 6 years I’ve been actively involved in search engine marketing both professionally as a consultant and personally with my own pet projects. While it’s true that there are some tried and true methods to achieve a particular rank in a Google search, sometimes it’s just plain dumb luck that catapults your website to the first page.

As of this morning, I have just received some of that good fortune. This website that you’re reading, www.nathanielhansen.com, now ranks on the first page of Google for the search term “documentary filmmaker,” just a few spots down from one of my favorite documentary filmmakers “Errol Morris” whose work you can view here.

I have designed this site as a space to showcase my more personal and passionate projects which consist mostly of documentary short films and two upcoming feature length projects. To be successful as an independent filmmaker you have to be entrepreneurial. It’s no longer just enough to produce a film and release it to a festival. From the very start, the web in all it’s iterations must be part of the equation, and so must the project itself – it must be able to transcend traditional media boundaries and be portable to a variety of mediums (digital and analog).

In the coming weeks, I’ll start writing more about my two feature projects (as well as my shorts) so that I have a record of sorts to look back on in a few years. each project is unique, and involves so many components that are becoming fluid and natural to me, I’m hopeful that my experiences will be of use to those just getting started.

Posted in Documentary Film, News | Leave a comment

Studio Shoot

By nathaniel | January 14th, 2010

I was fortunate enough to direct a shoot for studioCase out of Manhattan, and their client Johnson and Johnson. We had a great time at National Boston studios, who were amazing, and Jesse Hubbell did an outstanding job as our all around grip/lighting expert. While I can’t talk about the content of the shoot, I can say that it looks to be a very interesting product and certainly one that will change they way people think about J&J.

While I’m not able to post any video from the shoot until they launch this spring, I can provide some excellent behind the scenes photos taken by one of our crew, Bartholomew Singer, who was running the teleprompter. I always enjoy a set where everyone is cool, calm, and collected and feels comfortable enough to chime in (from the PA all the way on up). The shoot was seamless, from location, crew, food, hair/makeup, talent, client, everything went well. Enjoy the pictures!

Charlie/Johnny Depp Stand-in - On Audio

The White Box

Prompter

Me trying to look serious

Kristal Williams-Rowley ... an AMAZING producer on this shoot and a very talented filmmaker in her own right

.

The Thinkers (from J&J)

Manning the Camera

Jesse - the studio manager and all around good guy

Art Director from studioCase, Jeff Jeppesen, with the talent

Trying to look "directorial"

...

Jeff, a long-time friend, is laughing behind my back

The final look

Posted in Commercial Film Production | 1 Comment

Dreams DO Come True…with some persistence

By nathaniel | December 14th, 2009
Filmmaker Philip Bloom

Filmmaker Philip Bloom

I thought I’d take a few minutes and type out my tribute to Philip Bloom as a way of saying “thanks” for some amazing work and to congratulate him on his recent success.

I’ve been following fellow filmmaker and blogger Philip Bloom for a couple years now. Ages ago I stumbled into an interesting blog while searching for affordable 35mm adapters and he had a post on his website reviewing two of the market contenders (both of which at that time were pretty much brand new – the brevis and the letus). He owned them both, and had sample footage of both. He wrote at length about their pros and cons. What an amazing resource!

What really got me though, was his sample footage. Here was a guy after my own heart shooting stuff I had previously only imagined – and he was shooting on gear that was within the realm of affordability! Cheesy as it sounds, it was nothing short of a revelation to me. So I emailed and picked his brain about lenses, cameras, rigs, etc, and he sent patient and detailed responses back. What a champ!

At the time I was living in Las Vegas, and every year I would head down to NAB (more out of tradition than it actually being a good show – it’s pretty much the same crap year after year – and I’ve been going for the last 6) to check out the latest wares. He posted on his blog that he would be in town if anyone wanted to hookup (he’s from London – I appreciated the effort to head to the middle of the desert), so I shot him a response and long story short we got together with some other guys downtown, and then the next evening I showed him a great place for a time lapse (the EX1 was just out) on top of the Red Rock Casino’s parking garage. The entire valley is in view from there. It was short and sweet but certainly good times. I joked with him that he should write a book or do tutorials or something, because the content was very valuable and absolutely worth paying for (Philip, if you’re reading, you can make the check out to Nathaniel Hansen).

Fast forward 2 years. Bloom is still cranking out work (honestly, I don’t know where he finds the time) and I’m all geared up and out shooting, but now living in Boston. Bloom’s work is taking off and he has a virtual following online. To say he’s busy would be an understatement. And this is where the story gets interesting and starts to sound like a script…

His website brings in thousands of requests for “more information” and he misses an email from Lucasfilm LTD producer Rick McCallum and a phone call from head of post production Mike Blanchard. Turns out they’re fans of his work and want some advice on an upcoming project (!) (This is the part where I would think to myself “Oh Crap. I don’t know what the heck I’m doing.”)

He heads out to Skywalker Ranch, ends up screening his work for Lucas, Quentin Tarantino (who happens to be there for a meeting) and a slew of ‘behind-the-scenes’ geniuses whose names you wouldn’t know but whose work sits in homes around the world on every DVD shelf.

It really is an amazing story, and I encourage you to check out his work and read about his incredible experience here.

I share this story not because I can say, “hey, I hung out with that guy once” (even though it’s kind of fun to say it), but to say that this is an amazing age we live in where a talented filmmaker can have a humble website (it’s come A LONG way since I first stumbled into it) where he posts his short videos and musings gets noticed and ends up hanging out with some of the greatest cinema talent of our day.

Thanks for sharing the post (it made my day) and for all your work Philip – and most of all, thanks for inspiring me to get up, get out, and get shooting.

Posted in News | 2 Comments

Lilah – A Documentay Short

By nathaniel | December 3rd, 2009

BACKSTORY:
Lilah is the 4th piece in my short documentary profile series.

Lilah is a psychic, about 55 years old, who has lived within the same 2 block radius in downtown Boston her entire life. Her neighborhood once rife with crime, drug abuse, strip clubs and prostitution, is now home to luxury high-rise buildings and multiple college campuses. Her business and home, and a few of the other area taverns and restaurants, are the last of the “old time” holdouts.

The idea of interviewing a psychic interested me early on in this project, as I pass several on my walking route each day. I worked up the nerve to buzz the psychic on the 2nd floor of one building in particular, and was immediately buzzed up. There I met Lilah who was very, very reluctant to be interviewed. I was quickly informed that 1-2 times each month she is asked for interviews by students, newspapers and magazines – and she turns them all down. I took my time, didn’t push, and enjoyed a 30-minute conversation about nothing much at all. I showed her the piece I did on Pat, whom she knows. At the end, she agreed to see me the next day but wouldn’t allow me to film her face. I reluctantly agreed. I suppose I could always film her hands?

The next afternoon, I showed up at the appointed time, and we discussed my approach and how I thought the interview could best reflect her story. After 15 minutes of visiting and some gentle persuasion, she agreed to let me film her – face and all. We chatted for a little over an hour, and the final piece is my impression of that time, boiled down to 5 minutes.

ARTISTIC STATEMENT:
This being the 4th in my profile series, I needed to ensure that it could stand on its own apart from the other three, but could also push the boundaries of the project. My approach to these profile pieces has been consistent, methodologically speaking: present and confirm a stereotype within the first minute and then break down that stereotype to reveal the human story.

Maintaining a consistent “look” trajectory while at the same time allowing for each piece to live and breathe on its own has been challenging. It’s difficult to know what might be perceived as gimmicky and what will genuinely add to the story. Shallow depth of field, natural lighting, hard edits and jump cuts, extreme close ups, color grading, musical flow, all seem to be emerging as a part of my personalized style. This was true for my piece on Lilah. This combination of elements is not unique, but I believe I’ve employed it in a way that helps me tell compelling stories with my signature embedded.

TECH:
I filmed this piece on a Sony EX1 with a Letus 35mm Adapter and a Zeiss Planar T* f1.4/85mm prime lens. I opted for a simple 3-way color correction in Final Cut Pro instead of magic bullet looks (my usual choice). The natural light turned out beautifully and very much reflected the mood of the room, and the interview.

Posted in Documentary Film | 2 Comments

Ron – A Documentary Short

By nathaniel | November 12th, 2009

This is the third documentary short in my profile series. I came across Ron while walking through the Boston Common near Park street. He was articulate, thoughtful, and a pleasure to talk to – and he agreed to an interview.

He was working, and agreed to the interview if I promised to keep it under 10 minutes. This was difficult, as it takes me a while to get going and it’s almost impossible to get to “that place” in an interview when you’ve only got a couple minutes.

The edit was very difficult for me, but I found the footage of his conversation interesting. I had left the camera rolling while I was doing something else. For me, the conversation represents a tiny crack in the presentation. It gives the viewer a peek at his real life however dramatic or mundane.

As a stand alone piece, I feel it holds its own but has a different feel and cadence than the other two shorts I’ve done in the series so far. It’s more real, somehow, and less moving perhaps because it’s so normal. As apart of the series though, Ron occupies a significant space. I see Pat and Gilbert as bookends, and Ron’s interview is almost a breath of fresh air by comparison.

I filmed this piece on a Sony EX1, with a Letus 35mm Adapter, and a Canon L series 24-70 f2.8 lens. The project was color treated with magic bullet looks.

Posted in Documentary Film | Leave a comment