We filmed and edited this piece over the last two weeks for Leman Manhattan Preparatory school in NYC. Very cool school, and we were thrilled to take on the challenge of “telling their story” to a broader audience of prospective parents and students.

We filmed on location, in the school’s art room, on the 22nd floor, overlooking Ellis Island.

This was shot on 3 Canon 5D cameras with Carl Zeiss CP.2 lenses, and the Kessler Cineslider. On sticks we had the 85 prime and the 35 prime, at f4, and on the kessler cineslider we opted for the Canon 70-200 f2.8 IS. The IS makes a HUGE difference when trying to get smooth shots. It’s tough work for the operator running on the slider though, as they’re working the entire time!

Color correction was a snap, as we used the cinestyle technicolor setting on all three cameras, and simply had to boost saturation and lower the blacks in post.

The CP.2 lenses were a JOY to work with, and I’d rent them again in a heartbeat.

Special thanks to lensrentals.com for an affordable service, and to my crew: Shaun Clarke (DP), Matthew Hashiguchi, Ian Wexler, Lee Strauss and Kristal Williams.

Participatory Chinatown is a 3-D immersive game designed to be part of the master planning process for Boston’s Chinatown. Players assume the role of one of 15 virtual residents and work to complete their assigned quest – finding a job, housing, or place to socialize.

Matthew Hashiguchi and I were asked to create this short doc for a presentation to Boston’s City Council and for the White House. I shot with an EX1/Letus Extreme and a Zeiss 85mm f1.4, and Matthew was shooting on a Cavision rig with a 7D, Canon 50mm 1.8, 70-200mm 2.8, and a 20-55mm 2.8.

The development was funded by a grant from the MacArthur Foundation.

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.

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