My First Slow Motion Test

I recently watched the video above, shot by Diego Contreras, and it really lit a fire under my ass. Contreras shot this with a Canon 7D, a couple non-Canon lenses, and edited/colored it using Final Cut Pro X. In other words, the total cost of the software AND hardware for this video was probably under $2500. That is insane. There is no longer any real obstacle preventing someone from creating something beautiful. All you need is a little bit of cash, the will, and the skill.

I’ve had difficulties making slow motion look good in the past, but decided to give it another try. I borrowed my friend’s Nikon D600 (my Canon 5D Mark II can’t shoot in 60 fps) which had an 85mm f/1.8 lens. Then I went to Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market and shot a bunch of footage over the course of an hour. I shot the footage at 60fps (720p), then slowed it down to 24fps in post.

I’m pretty pleased with the results, but here are a few lessons I learned while shooting this, and how I plan on doing things differently the next time around:

For a video such as this, the music is critically important – I tried to find something I could use legitimately, but it’s a huge challenge to find something great and cheap. I have literally spent hours browsing the Vimeo Music Store in search of some hidden gems, and it is tough to find something that will work.

Instead, I opted to use a track off of an album by AnnaLivia, a music group I did some photography for back in Boston. They graciously gave me permission to do this. In the future, I’ll probably try and secure permission from other local groups to use their music in my videos – it’s free publicity for them and allows me the option to use some great-sounding stuff. I also may try Premiumbeat.com, whose music I tend to find pretty decent but pricey.

Faster cuts – While I liked a lot of the motion and faces I was able to capture, I do think this video moves a bit too slowly if you’re not as enamored with the composition as I was. Next time around I think the cuts will have to come a bit faster. More shots, more edits would probably give this video some better energy.

More time spent on color correction – This being a quick test. I threw together a couple of quick presets and applied to all my clips at an attempt at doing a “vintage-y” look. Next time, I will try to massage each clip until it pops just right, and make a better attempt at matching all the clips together.

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I’m also open to hearing your thoughts. Let me know what you think!

My First “Music Video”

A friend of mine in Seattle recently released a new EP and asked me to shoot a simple music video for one of his songs. I use quotation marks in the title of this blog post because while this is technically a “video,” and there is technically “music” played during it, I didn’t really do any editing and the video doesn’t tell a story, as conventional music videos do.

On that note: not to sound all sour grapes-like, but I do think that the new world of music we find ourselves in demands a different set of aesthetics when shooting music videos. Giant record companies can still spend millions making music videos for their big-name stars, but that’s a brand-building exercise and not necessarily something they hope to recoup their costs on. Nowadays, you have a a musical landscape that consist of thousands of DIY-ers, such as myself and yespser, the person in the video above. I think trying to play the same game as the big boys will only result in something that looks like a cheap also-ran. Instead, my goal is to figure out what looks good using the camera equipment I have and play to those strengths, rather than adhering to an outdated format.

All that being said, I was quite pleased with how this video (the first of four we already shot and that are already “in the can”). The video was shot using a handheld Canon 5D Mark II (50mm f/1.4 lens). Sound was recorded live separately using a digital recorder that is just off screen, then synced up later in post.

I’ve decided that 2013 is the year I’m going to learn some of the basics of videography and non-linear editing. Keep an eye on this space for more details as I undertake this journey.

Six Months In

It’s been awhile since my last update, and I definitely feel the impact of my absence from the blogging world. I love writing, but these days I’m just so exhausted from all that life demands that I can’t really muster the energy to write something intelligent on a regular basis. But I’m grateful that the recent break has allowed me to recharge and rethink what’s important to me.

One thing I have kept up is my 1 Second Everyday project, which recently passed the six month mark. I thought I’d update the video to celebrate the occasion. It was also cool to see this video mentioned in a Fast Company post about the 1 Second Everyday idea.

The one thing I’ll re-iterate about the continuation of this project is how simultaneously challenging and yet gratifying it continues to be. It is challenging because it has become quite difficult to continually try and find new and interesting things to shoot, especially if my routine has been pretty similar for many days in a row. Conversely, many of my friends now “get” what the project is, and so are much more forgiving these days when I whip out the camera and ask, “Can you be my second for today?”

At the same time, I actually have fond memories of browsing through all my previous seconds, remembering many of the key moments of this crazy year of my life. I wouldn’t trade that memory preservation for anything, even though this project is getting more and more difficult for me to muster the will for every day.

I should also note that I’m glad to witness the rise of Cesar Kuriyama, who’s helped me with my own project and who’s single-handedly pushed the 1 Second Everyday idea into popular culture. His Kickstarter for a 1 Second Everyday app recently succeeded with flying colors and I can’t wait to see the final product!

Thanksgiving 2012 – Seattle Edition

I remember distinctly the moment it hit me — the magnitude of the changes my life had undergone over the past 12 months. I was in a taxi hurtling dangerously through the streets of New York on a crisp fall evening in September, having just flown in to support the launch of Nokia’s new Lumia 920 phone. And as the cab weaved and dodged through the smattering of hapless pedestrians on the Upper West Side, I took a moment to reflect on how crazy everything had become. Just days earlier, I’d been in a recording studio in Los Angeles to record the first few episodes of The Tobolowsky Files for Public Radio International. Now, on behalf of Microsoft, I was about to partake in an event with hundreds of the world’s top tech press. A year ago, these weren’t events I could have truly fathomed.

In fact, a year ago, things overall weren’t looking that good for me. I was temporarily living with my parents after a major job offer had fallen through, and I was about to graduate from Harvard into a pretty uncertain future. While I still don’t think my future is written quite yet, I cannot be more grateful for how the past year has unfolded.

Mostly, I’m just thankful for all of the unique experiences I’ve had. In the past six months alone, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting so many amazing people in Seattle; of collaborating with a storied radio producer for Public Radio International; of working in the office next to one of the most talented PR people in the tech industry today; of being part of one of the world’s largest technology companies as it’s released some of the most important products in its 38-year history; of seeing my brother get married; of witnessing old bonds of friendship reaffirmed and new ones formed; of performing with Stephen Tobolowsky at the Moore Theatre to an audience of over a thousand people; of falling in love; of partying on Sarah Silverman’s rooftop deck; of seeing The Shins perform live as the sun set over the gorgeous mountains of Central Washington; of taking in the immense beauty of that place they call the Puget Sound. Even when times are tough, I cannot find it in me to complain with all of the blessings in my life.

It hasn’t all been easy and fun. In fact, a lot of it has been stressful, intense, painful. And looking towards the next 12 months, I can already predict there will be great difficulties ahead, professionally and personally. But even if my life went completely down the toilet right at this moment, I’d count myself lucky for everything that has happened. And I’d hope that somehow, somewhere along the way, I’d been able to pass at least a small smattering of that happiness to those who’ve crossed my path.

Happy Thanksgiving.

18 for 18

A super cool guy at Microsoft (whose work is tangentially related to mine) just announced he was leaving today after 18 years at the company. I was really moved by his going-away e-mail, which featured the following list:

18 for 18 – Life lessons from a “lifer” at Microsoft
1995 Sometimes people just needs a chance to prove themselves.
1996 Quitting just because you may fail isn’t an option.
1997 Being good at something has value whether you get paid well or not.

1998 You have to work your tail off to get what you want.
1999 Sometimes failure is a better teacher than success.
2000 People are more than just what they produce.
2001 Having kids shifts your priorities.
2002 Not everyone has your back. (The bus hurts when it runs over you.)
2003 Listening is undervalued but you should do it anyway. It makes you wiser.
2004 Sometimes you have to force yourself into a new situation order to grow.
2005 Working for an idiot is really, really hard.
2006 Stand up for yourself but don’t compromise your integrity to get ahead.
2007 Hire people more talented than you.
2008 If you stay in one job too long you could become irrelevant.
2009 Never burn bridges. You don’t know who you will work with again. (Plus it’s stupid.)
2010 A rising tide really does lift all boats.
2011 Be kind, be direct, and speak truth.
2012 If you leave with friends, you have accomplished much.

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Don’t know what trajectory my career may follow, but I can already tell these lessons will be helpful for me.

Thoughts on the Tobolowsky Files Live at the Moore

Nine months ago, Stephen Tobolowsky and I took the stage at the Neptune Theater in Seattle to perform The Tobolowsky Files live. It was a sold-out performance, and every seat in the 850-seat auditorium was filled. We were given 10 tickets to distribute amongst local friends. We didn’t even fill all the slots.

Last night, we did a packed show at the Moore Theatre in Seattle. This time, we brought 35 people with us, a testament to how drastically my life has changed in just the past 9 months. I was grateful to see so many of my awesome local friends and colleagues in the theater last night, cheering us on and enjoying Stephen’s wonderful, powerful, moving storytelling. I will never forget last night for the rest of my life.

Walking onto stage in front of 1,110 people, almost all of whom are there because they are fans of something you helped to create: there’s nothing else like it. Thanks to everyone who came, to Stephen for being his usual amazing self, and especially to Adam Zacks, the man with the plan, for making it happen.

Experimenting with Music

The 1 Second Everyday project continues! This past month was marked by thousands of miles of travel, plus my dear brother’s wedding. The numerous shots of planes are meant to convey what an intense month it was, but by using them, I was unable to use any other seconds from those memorable days. Quite the conundrum, and one of the limits of the project (i.e. conveying two ideas from the same day). Another limit is trying to convey the momentousness of a wedding using only one second. I wish I could’ve “borrowed” seconds from other, more boring days to use instead, but I do ultimately feel that that ends up betraying the spirit of the project.

I also tried something new: adding music to the proceedings. Some observations on this:

I agree with an earlier observation I blogged about that music totally sets the mood for the entire video, regardless of what the mood for these seconds actually is. While each second differs dramatically in tone, the music sets a single tone for the entire thing.
The video with no music is able to convey a sense of momentum, just by the perpetual, continual change of the sound of each 1-second clip. It takes us inexorably into the future. The video with music is unable to do this quite as effectively, but it feels like it conveys an entirely different type of momentum altogether.
In general, I think the type of music you can use for this situation is either really pensive/somber, or really upbeat and happy. Anything in between (e.g. hip-hop, folk music, etc.) just feels “off” to me, but your mileage may vary.
The track I used was Dave Porter’s “Matches in the Pool,” off of his Breaking Bad soundtrack. I recorded a podcast about the Breaking Bad soundtrack that you can listen to here.

I’m undecided as to whether the final video will include music, so I’ll most likely still end up producing two versions of it. Your thoughts are welcome.

On the Possibility of a Sane Wedding

I still remember the day when I was sitting in church in Lexington, MA and Pastor Chuck Lowe gave a sermon in which he commented on the out-of-control cost of weddings. When did it become acceptable in our society to spend $10,000 on a big, lavish, one-day party? Has it ever occurred to anyone that there are better uses of that money? Like, say, a down payment for a house? Or to be even more radical about it, a better way for that money to be used to serve others?

Turns out Pastor Lowe’s $10,000 quote was a bit premature. The average wedding in the United States costs about $25,000 these days. This level of a price tag is no longer treated as a luxury; it’s simply expected.

In the midst of all this, my brother and sister-in-law decided to go a different way for their wedding this past weekend. They decided that they’d try to do their wedding in a way that was sane, cost-effective, and utilized the considerable talents of their incredible group of friends. They minimized costs in every single way possible, but always thoughtfully, never carelessly. Jessie, for instance, hand-made all the gorgeous bouquets for herself and her bridesmaids. They asked a few favors from their friends, each of whom graciously pitched in to make the wedding an amazing production. The result was not only a wedding that cost well under $6,000, but one that felt like it was a collaboration, as opposed to a show. The feeling of, well, love that permeated the entire day was palpable and truly memorable.

I’ve been to many weddings. I’ve photographed them, performed/sung at them, given speeches at them. And you know what? I couldn’t tell the difference between any of those weddings and the wonderful ceremony and celebration I witnessed this weekend.

I’m not trying to say that you shouldn’t pull out all the stops for your own wedding. By all means, do whatever your heart tells you. But most people who are getting married feel like they HAVE to do things a certain way, that society is pressuring them, their families are pressuring them, their inner selves are pressuring them them. All I’m saying is, it is possible to take control. I could not be more proud of my brother and his new wife. Because this past weekend, they showed that you can still have an amazing, beautiful, and (most importantly) sane wedding on your own terms.

In doing this, they inadvertently demonstrated that truism that the Beatles crooned to us so many years ago: All you need is love.