Shooting a branded video during a pandemic
Branded video during a pandemic: I shot a few different things during the pandemic, but this particular shoot with Hannah Nieves stands out the most. The high-key lighting and stylish SoHo backdrop gave me ample opportunity to get nothing but great footage.
Hannah chose the location for her shoot herself: Blank Studios, located in the fashionable SoHo neighborhood in downtown Manhattan. On the day of the shoot, the skeleton crew arrived; unfortunately due to the pandemic we had to have a crew of three people including myself. Hannah has been in the studio for a while at this point already - enjoying a photoshoot with super talented photographer Nicole. Hannah and Nicole were just taking a few last photographs when our team arrived. While the ladies were finishing up, we set up the lighting and the camera equipment. Once Hannah was ready, we started shooting the B-roll. The shot list consisted of ideas such as: Hannah working on her laptop, Hannah talking to a client during an in-person meeting. Hannah walking down some of the picturesque cobblestoned streets of SoHo, or Hannah hailing the classic yellow NYC taxi cab. These shots would be later used to help tell the story of what the Hannah Nieves brand is all about.
Later in the afternoon, we set up to film the interview. We had a colorful list of questions ready at hand; these were co-created with Hannah beforehand, so she could make sure her glowing personality and brand message got across in the video. Hannah went over these questions multiple times herself, and knew exactly what she wanted to say during the interview. This made the whole interview a much smoother and faster process. This practice also helped Hannah feel prepared and confident. She is an expert in what she does, and we must say it was an easy and very enjoyable job capturing Hannah’s personality and the exciting business she has built. In the end everyone was happy.
Screengrabs:
New purchase | Pentax 645 | medium format film camera
For years I’ve been taking photographs with a few different 35mm cameras. Usually snapping away with my trusted Pentax K1000, that I first found when I was a teenager in my grandparents basement. I always wanted to shoot in a larger format, but it wasn’t a priority to purchase a medium or large format film camera when cinematography was my main focus.
That all changed this past Christmas when I purchased my first medium format camera, the Pentax 645 from KEH.com (amazing website) I’ve carried it all over Manhattan snapping photographs of various things. The shutter is incredibly loud, so when I take a photograph on the street everyone in the immediate vicinity can hear it go off. I love it!
Here are a few photos taken from my first roll of 120mm.
The DJ is here : Featured on the Front Page of Reddit.com
Behind the scenes for The DJ is here: For the entire year of 2019, I was searching for a subject for a mini documentary. First thing I did was create a paper advertisement that read, “Looking for interesting subjects / stories for a mini documentary.” I taped the paper advertisements all over my neighborhood in NYC. Then, I anxiously waited for all the amazing stories to come flooding in. A few days went by, then a few weeks and eventually nothing interesting ever came.
Out of the blue, my Dutch filmmaker friend Constant Van Hoeven sent me a text message about a great subject where he lived in upstate New York. Rene Sanchez, a local man who played ‘70s & ‘80s roller disco music for everyone at a local park for free almost daily. In his youth, he enjoyed roller skating and became quite good. Unfortunately, after an injury he was never able to roller skate again. You should really watch the film before I give away the entire storyline!
The project was shot on my Sony FS7 camera and Sigma Art series lenses. Additionally, I rented a Dana Dolly from Du-All Camera in Manhattan. The whole documentary was shot in a span of two days:
The first day, I conducted the interview and asked Rene about his roller-skating life and what led him to come to the park and play music for everybody.
The second day was shot about three weeks later. At that point, I knew what kind of shots I wanted to capture based on the interview. I filmed B-Roll of Rene at his home reminiscing over his roller-skating youth, talking about the accident that forced him to stop skating, and ultimately finding a new passion in life.
Often, I find myself wondering why I was so lucky to find such a great honest story. I must have a lucky camera!
