Using the New Canon EOS 7D for Run-N-Gun Commercial Production

Like many video producers and shooters all over the world, I have been fascinated by the depth of field and image quality of the new generation of DSLR still cameras with full resolution HD video. Running a small video production company in the Bay Area, I am always looking for new tools that allow me to offer my clients the highest production quality for their dime. So far, this camera definitely has allowed me to do that. Last week I just finished our first promotional/commercial shoot with the 7D for a new Bay Area bag maker; Mission Workshop to launch their new line staring The Vandal.

This piece was shot in a single day with a production crew of two, myself shooting, and a production assistant/camera assistant Johnny Carroll. We had no-script, no  shot list and virtually no pre-production planning (which I don’t recommend). The client, Mission Workshop, was on a restrictive budget and super short time-line in order to get the video done for the launch of their new website. Considering the lack of pre-production time and the 48 hour turn-around, I am happy with the overall look and feel of the video. ( In following posts I will talk about my camera set-up and post-production processing).

Check out the video below:

Here are some behind the scenes photos of the shoot day. Photo Credit: Evan Dudley

Carl Brown works with Producer Ocean Macadams on a Digg Dialogg’s Interview with Arnold Schwarzenegger

For ten months last year I worked with MTV’s Choose or Lose Campaign covering social and political stories that affect the youth of California. Along with winning an Emmy, one of the great pleasures of this assignment was working with Ocean Macadams. Ocean, the former VP of News and Docs, was my editor. He reviewed, provided feedback, and approved my stories before they went to web or TV for broadcast. His feedback and support helped me grow as a producer and content creator.

Last week I received a call from Ocean who was just wrapping a CNN/Digg interview with Arnold Schwarzenegger and asked if I would be available for a rush post-production job to create a teaser and wrap-up of the interview for Digg. After shuffling some work for another client, we spent 15 hours the following day at the Corduroy Media post-production studio creating the two pieces for Digg.

Ocean was great to work with and really created an atmosphere of collaboration. Here are the two spots that we created for Digg Dialogg.

Digg Dialogg Teaser with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

Digg Dialogg Interview Wrap-Up with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

Interview with Exorcist Father Gary Thomas for 16×9 Canadian News Show

The above video spot from 16X9 news features an interview and B-roll that Erin Beach and I (Carl Brown) shot with Exorcist Father Gary Thomas. While we offer full production services, from concept development, to shooting, and post-production, as media production becomes more decentralized we are also available to shoot on contract as we did for this production.

Carl Brown and Erin Beach Shoot an Interview with Exorcist Father Gary Thomas for Canadian TV News 16:9

It is not everyday that I get a call to shoot an interview with an exorcist, in fact this was a first. Working with producer Erin Beach from Kickflip Media, we drove down to Saratoga last Friday morning and found a very modern, sun washed, Catholic church. Far from giving us the creeps it was a pleasant place with California grapevines surrounding the property. As we parked we received a warm welcome from several elderly parishioners who had nothing but great things to say about their priest Father Gary Thomas, who happens to be a trained and practicing exorcist and the subject of Matt Baglio’s new book “The Rite”.

“Father Gary Thomas was working as a parish priest in California when he was asked by his bishop to travel to Rome for training in the rite of exorcism. Though initially surprised, and slightly reluctant, he accepted this call, and enrolled in a new exorcism course at a Vatican-affiliated university, which taught him, among other things, how to distinguish between a genuine possession and mental illness. Eventually he would go on to participate in more than eighty exorcisms as an apprentice to a veteran Italian exorcist. His experiences profoundly changed the way he viewed the spiritual world, and as he moved from rational skeptic to practicing exorcist he came to understand the battle between good and evil in a whole new light. Journalist Matt Baglio had full access to Father Gary over the course of his training, and much of what he learned defies explanation.” Random House Press

Father Gary was very easy to work with, not creepy, and gave a very good interview. I guess after the likes of Fox News and other broadcasters following him around since the release of the book he has got some good practice. 16:9 plans to use the interview that we shot as the base for a ten minute segment on modern day exorcism. The show will air on Canadian television on Sunday May 24th. It will be available a few days later on-line at Globaltv.com. However, if you live outside of Canada then you will need to watch via their video podcast. I will also post the segment here on the Corduroy Media News Blog.

On Location:

Carl Brown and Corduroy Media to Shoot Promotional Video for Oakland non-profit

I am very excited about our up-coming production with Wardrobe for Opportunity. This Oakland based non-profit provides professional clothing for men and women that are starting a new career and may not have the resources to purchase a new wardrobe. Since 1995, Wardrobe for Opportunity has prepared more than 15,000 clients for success in the professional workplace. This week I was contacted by Sally Trautwein, Executive Director of Wardrobe for Opportunity. She explained that they are looking for a short documentary film highlighting their male and female client of the year award recipients to be screened at their yearly fundraising luncheon “Spring to Success.”

Using a documentary style we will use the personal narrative of the two clients as a window into the Wardrobe for Opportunity program. We hope to create a moving account of the “dress for success” concept and invest the audience into plight of the program.

Carl Brown & Corduroy Media Hired to Produce Weekly Web Show for GuitarTricks.com

I am very excited to announce a fun new project with the dedicated rockers at Guitar Tricks. Guitartricks.com is an interactive destination website that provides useful and super easy to follow on-line guitar lessons. All of the lessons are broken up into manageable byte-sized videos with corresponding sheet music and tablature. From Rock, to Blue Grass, to Classical, students at all levels can find lessons that teach everything from the basics to the super advanced. The founder and chief rocker of Guitar Tricks, Jon Broderick, contacted me and asked me to come into to the Guitar Tricks office and speak with his team about producing a new weekly web-show aimed at teaching guitar enthusiasts all over the web and at the same time spread the good word about Guitartricks.com. The show is going to highlight a different lesson or technique each week and once a month a new piece of gear will be reviewed and given away on the site.  That first pre-production meeting was a real success and we begin production next week. Keep your eyes peeled to youtube.com and Guitartricks.com to check out the upcoming show.

Carl Brown Produces/Directs Spoken Word Video for Yosimar Reyes

Yosimar Reyes; “for colored boys who speak softly”

I have had the pleasure of working with Yosimar since he was 16. Now, at 21, he is releasing his first solo book of spoken word poetry “for colored boys who speak softly.” This video is designed to help promote the launch of this first book. You can learn more about Yosimar and his new release at www.yosimarreyes.com.

African Great Lakes Initiative Documentary and Fundraising Video

I am very excited to announce that Corduroy Media will be producing a short documentary and fund raising video for The African Great Lakes Initiative in Kenya, Africa this August. As one of the Friends Peace Teams projects, the initiative teaches individuals and groups in conflict how to come to resolution non-violently. Using the Alternatives to Violence Project developed by New York Quakers in 1975 the initiative has programs in five African countries.

In 2007 Kenya erupted into ethnic violence after President Mwai Kibaki was sworn into office after a disputed election.  The government has estimated that over 500 people have been killed, over half being youth shot by police. Post-election violence has pitted the Kikuyu ethnic group, who’s members support Kibaki, against the Luo, the Luhya, and the Kalenjin, who support the opposition candidate, Raila Odinga. While the ethnic violence has intensified since the election in December of 2007, it can be traced to the beginning of British colonialism in the early 20th century.

We, Carl D. Brown and Gehry Oatey, will spend a month in Kenya with AGLI volunteer, Ann Dusseau, documenting Kenyan youth participating in and facilitating the AVP workshops. Over the next 6 months we will be researching the history of violence in Kenya and what solutions are offered by AGLI. I will continue to post updates about this exciting projects as details develop.

Carl D. Brown

Executive Director, Corduroy Media