A short piece I made for Denver United Church about an awesome Christmas party they threw on December 12, 2011. Shot on the Canon 5D mark ii. Music by”House of Soul”, http://davelemieuxandhouseofsoul.com/
The low light conditions made this shoot a bit of a challenge. I was never below ISO 1600 and often shooting at around F2, making keeping focus a trick. Additionally, the fluorescent light wasn’t conducive to beautiful skin-tones… but such is life! I had a great time shooting it and this video will help support the future ministries at Denver United alongside CMI.
This is the first blog post in a series of x blog posts
Amongst the varied types of projects I work on, I have the pleasure of working with a diverse group of corporate clients on a regular basis. Each client has different takes on the type of content they prefer to use. Some relying heavily on photos and graphics, others are interested in shooting relevant b-roll, some want stock footage, some want staged material… the list goes on. But the cornerstone of most corporate videos is the interview. It is a simple, fast and (deceivingly) easy way to deliver information, add personality and emotion to a message, and engage an audience interested in your topic. The interview permeates many varieties of video, so it is absolutely critical for producers/videographers/filmmakers to master the it. I’ve spent the last 6 years shooting professional video content of all types, much of that interviews, and I’d like to spend the rest of this post sharing some of my best practices I’ve learned and discovered along the way.
There are a few necessary conditions for an interview to really take off.
1. They have to be comfortable
2. They have to be passionate
3. Sometimes surprise
4. They have to be honest
If these conditions are in place, we have the opportunity to capture some great stuff. So the interviewee is there in front of the lens… They’re now at the mercy of the questions. There are no hard and fast rules here. Sometimes the simplest yes or no question can lead to an intimate insight. Often, a well phrased and relevant question falls flat. If you have an infinite budget and time, it’s best to do a heck of a lot of research on your interviewee, the subject(s) they’re speaking to, the context they’re talking in, etc etc. It’s immensely helpful to meet beforehand. A phone conversation can do the trick, but I’ve learned that you can’t replace a casual face to face. My goals in these early meets tend to vary depending on how media-ready the interviewee is and the type of content we’re after. On a recent documentary project for a non-profit, much of the project centralized around the hardships that the interviewee had experienced. We spent 3 days getting to know each other before we shot the video. The emotion and vulnerability that was expressed in that interview is what really sells the story. Yet it wouldn’t have been emotionally possible without making the investment of time with the interviewee, building trust and ensuring that I was treating the hardships with the required attention.
In corporate videos, there often isn’t much time to establish a relationship with the interviewee. Instead of days or hours, some instances only allow for minutes before the camera begins to roll to develop a bit of repor. The attention has to shift to becoming acutely aware of who I’m speaking with and their role before stepping foot in the room. Seems like such an obvious point, but it’s surprising to see how many interviews I’m a part of (maybe just shooting, not organizing) that are missing this piece.
Occasionally, I’ve run into the situation where another interview needs to be taped (or captured…) last minute. No prep, no meets beforehand, just start rolling.
In the next blog post on this series, I will be discussing specific questions I try to ask for almost every interview.
James Drake is a Colorado DP living in Denver, Colorado and shooting beyond. He’s shot for broadcast television, short and feature films, commercials, and more.
2011 Reel
James owns a Red Epic package, a Sony EX1R, Canon DSLRs, and various other cameras and is familiar with many more.
To see a list of what James has been working on recently, click here.
Save Our Youth is a mentorship organization based out of Denver Colorado. They do amazing work.
This has been one of my favorite projects… EVER. Working with Jorge (the star) has been a real treat. He was brave and shared his story so that others may be interested in helping kids in similar situations.
From their website, saveouryouth.org
Save Our Youth transforms the lives of at-risk youth through mentor relationships providing the skills for success in educational, emotional, and spiritual development.
Short piece shot and edited for the good people at Suss Buick GMC The video will be showcased on their website (though I think they’re still working on the new updated version)
We shot the project over 2 days in a variety of locations around Denver.
It begins on the coast of California, finally ending on the East coast in Georgia.
2605 miles.
10 states.
Zach Crees is a burn tech and surgical assistant inspired by stories like Don’s and will ride his bike across the US to raise funding and awareness for burn survivors starting July 2011.
This video features Don Keller, a triumphant survivor of a fire that has found inspiration through cycling.
You can give to the Burn Unit by visiting this link
Shot on the Canon 5D Mark II with Technicolor’s Cinestyle picture profile.
Accellos has fantastic Warehouse Management Software that helps large warehouses management a vast number of SKU’s and varying product. They wanted a video to show off some of their hard work, so we flew into Seattle to create a client case study on Norvanco.
It was great to see the video found it’s way onto the front page of their website!
Erik, my primary contact at Accellos, also wrote a generous endorsement which you can read here.
Terralux is a company doing big things in the LED lighting space. This short piece looks at some key pieces to how they plan to revolutionize the lighting industry.
180 is a ministry dedicated to breaking the chains of addiction in the lives of men. 180 is an effective and comprehensive Christian faith-based solution to life-controlling drug and alcohol problems to help men become healthy individuals and productive members of society.
One of a series of videos I was hired to put together for ATA Clothing, a company with the motto “Express Yourself, Change the World”. They do just that by selling t-shirts that relate to each organization. The 180 shirt will be coming out soon on ATA’s website, ata-clothing.com
Shot on the legendary Canon 5D mark ii.
The Breaking Out Foundation is a 501(c) 3 corporation founded on Christian principles. It was created for the purpose of providing a program that will motivate and inspire at-risk youth to establish career goals in both the entertainment and sports industries, and to provide them with the guidance, education and training to pursue those goals and realize their dreams.
In this video, Michael Franzese explains his hopes for the upcoming Breaking Out program in Denver.
Launching soon!
This is one in a series of video I made for ATA clothing in their mission to help nonprofits in Denver. Soon ATA will sell the Breaking Out t-shirt on their website, ATA-clothing.com
The Snowmass Balloon Festival. Totally cool experience in the stunning Colorado Rockies. I was privileged to go shoot this piece and absolutely loved the experience. Save the date next year, this is a festival worth going to!!!
Shot on the Red Epic.
I have some killer “night glow” footage that I will post (sometime soon).
