Mike Wilkinson is an award-winning video director with his company Wilkinson Visual, currently based out of Lexington, Kentucky. Mike has been working in production for over 10 years as a shooter, editor, and producer. His passion lies in outdoor adventures, documentary filmmaking, photography, and locally-sourced food and beer.
A while ago we posted the video Dream Music Part 2, which has since blown up and become a huge hit online. Marc Donahue, one of the co-creators along with Sean Michael Williams, shot me a link to their behind the scenes reel, which shows timelapses of timelapses, using various setups with their Dynamic Perception Dolly kit.
What do you do when the product you are trying to sell is an entire state? When that state is Colorado, it's not hard to find majestic scenery to showcase the state in it's grandeur. Director Tim Kemple, in collaboration with Forge Motion and Karsh/Hagan, crafted a series of spots for the state of Colorado, all being set to music by the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. This making-of video takes you through their process of crafting these ads. Click on the full post for a few of the final commercials.
Shane Hurlbut was asked by Canon to produce a short film with the new Canon 1D-C. This past week at NAB he debuted this short, "The Ticket" in full 4K glory. Shane sings the cameras praises, and is equally impressed by the simplicity in it's workflow, which he discusses in his blog post here. Hit the jump for the short film and tell me what you think of the quality. It's hard to tell just how high quality it is on the web, but I think it looks impressive nonetheless!
We’ve featured slow motion videos before, and this one is right up there with the best in terms of it’s motion rendering. Shooting with a $500 Canon 550D/T2i, Sacha Powell put together this powerful video using Twixtor to slow down some of his shots. It really goes to show that you don’t need the most expensive gear to make amazing visuals. You'll want to watch this fullscreen.
Red Giant, the plugin supergroup that is responsible for filter packs like Magic Bullet Looks, Trapcode, and PluralEyes, has recently announced a new plugin model, Universe, where new and updated filters will be provided to members at low to no cost. If you're a motion graphics designer, or love sweetening your video edits with funky filters, check out the video and see if Universe is for you.
Corey Rich's work spans both photography and video, often using Nikon DSLRs to capture both. His projects take him to hard to reach places, and being able to manage his gear in both modes quickly, enables him to come away with great images. In this video, Corey explains his choices for gear and shooting style on a climbing trip in Pakistan.
Cinescapes Collective is a Saskatchewan, Canada based production group that has been putting together unique documentary content that has a dramatic and cinematic aesthetic. Their most recent short tells the story of Kessler, the creators of popular video production gear like sliders, cranes, and now motion control products.
Turning the work you do on a personal project into something that makes you money isn't a new idea (just ask stock shooters.) However, the forethought required to concept a personally fulfilling shoot or production that will also have the chance to generate some income can be tricky to figure out. This past weekend I had three shoots, and they were all because of one personal project I created a month ago. And I actually planned for this to happen.
As someone who has owned countless backpacks, both for photography and for trekking, I can tell you that fit and comfort are second to none when deciding what pack to purchase. My partner sometimes struggles when selecting a pack, as her options can sometimes be limited depending on the brand. F-Stop Gear has taken notice of this very thing, and is testing the market with a Kickstarter fundraiser to create a camera backpack that is built for the body type of women.
In the last few years, us earth-bound humans have been blessed with stunning still images and breathtaking timelapses that were taken in outerspace. Veteran astronaut-photographer Don Pettit was at the recent SXSW event, and spoke about the challenges of capturing images in space.
The ever popular Loka and Loka UL were favorites among many outdoor adventure photographers and filmmakers I know, including myself. With F-Stop Gear's recently updated line of Mountain Series packs, the Loka has been reborn and is now known as the Ajna. I've been using it for the last few weeks and discovered some surprising details about it.
I'm definitely NOT a studio photographer, but I respect and understand why for a urban running photoshoot like this one, it can make things a whole hell of a lot easier by doing it in the studio. Steve Brown shares some insight into his process in this behind the scenes video.
In this video, Daniel Norton of Adorama takes you into his studio, showing you how to set up for three different lighting scenarios, with the ability to change from one to another at the flip of a switch. This is great for if you have extremely limited time with models or actors and need alternate looks or options between them.
This short but awesome behind-the-scenes video from Adrien Veczan shows his setup and technique for capturing a product photo of a bottle of cranberry vodka. Check out the video and then read on to hear a little bit more about his approach and method, which utilizes different lights to paint different parts of the bottle for his final image.
Lofoten, Norway has been getting a lot of attention in the last few years, and rightfully so. Known for its incredible mountains, open waters, and unspoiled lands, it has quickly become a favorite for photographers looking to capture dramatic landscape images. Australian filmmaker Michael Fletcher took two trips here recently and came away with a fantastic aerial film, captured during the season of the midnight sun.