I have been working for the past few weeks with Andrew Flanagan (Writer) and Greg Cobain (Director) to refine the edit and construct the website. Its getting very close now, with lots of exciting developments on the horizon. I am honored to be valuable part of the team in these early days, helping to define to the series and contribute my skills to getting the show off the ground.

“STRIDE . InSTRIDE Production Stills. Website coming mid next week.”

From STRIDE.InSTRIDE, posted by Andrew Flanagan on 11/23/2012 (12 items)

Generated by Facebook Photo Fetcher 2

Remember to hit the gear icon to watch in HD 720p or 1080p!

A few weeks after uploading photos from the Edwardian Photo shoot that showcased my sisters Costuming skills, I was contacted by independent musician Ebed Susilo. He loved the photos and knew I had the ability and the aesthetic to create his video based around his idea for a ‘period,’ Sense and Sensibility inspired music video.

I was at first unsure about how to reconcile the seemingly disparate elements (Modern song, period but not historically accurate costume, heart in a cage and themes of unrequited love) but am very happy with the story i designed and the final video. I chose to treat the story and the shoot day like I was making a silent movie and I think the vaudeville inspired acting along with the vintage film look really plays on the strengths of the elements and passion Ebed brought to his project.

I hope you find it cliche, absurd and ridiculous in all the right ways that make it funny and entertaining.

Enjoy.

So I missed last weeks roundup…but i wasnt napping! It didn’t take long for me to fall out of my weekly commitment did it? But now I’m back with exciting news for the past couple of weeks and the week ahead. Forgive me if you can.

Last week was spent in a tight daily loop of editing pictures, sound and colour grading the stride trailer through a bunch of different versions, each with its own energy and pacing, but each telling a slightly different story and hinting at different elements of the series. One felt too rushed, another felt too romantic but five days and as many versions later, i think we have got the mix just right. The near perfect cocktail of what is to become a hit TV show…I have no doubt. A really balanced piece of work that builds subtly from some reflective back story that sets the main character on his journey, hints at some secrets, danger and drama contained within Season 01 all the way through to an amazing ‘trip-of-a-lifetime’ adventure where Jack truly does “discover the man he will become for the rest of his life.”

I have had an extremely positive review with Writer and Director with very minor pace alterations and both were on board with my direction and creative decisions. Happy Days.

No idea when all of this will be publicly released, but it will be coming soon!

In other news, I am looking forward to shooting a music video this coming weekend for Ebed Susilo’s new track “Sunshine.” Its going to be a very interesting juxtaposition of unrequited love, rococo-esque costumes, a plush heart in a cage and pop/dance song. Thus is the elements, themes and concept i have to work with. I think I have a really nice story in mind, but only time will tell if I can channel Ebed’s creative energy into a love story. I’ll let you know after Sunday!

Jake Edgleys vids will have to wait indefinitely to be released…but im not allowed to say why…yet.

This was a rather simple setup for me with a locked off camera and one take as the Edgley’s jammed in the garden, recording live. I have alot of fun this past few months working with Jake on his music videos, so lots more are on the way in the count down to his official EP launch entitled ‘Feel This Way’ on the 17th November 2012. Enjoy.

Its been a massive week this week with the majority of my time being dedicated to shooting the series trailer for STRIDE. It was great team of people and I am proud to be a part of the early stages getting this project happening. We had a pretty tight schedule over two and half days with some very late nights and mornings before sunrise. But it was all 100% worth it.

Check out my Facebook page for updates, details and photography captured on set…Full image set wil be posted here shortly. (and yes, that is me in the gutter…Almost anything for the perfect shot)

Jake Edgley was also on the radar late last week with a quick shoot of some cover music videos for his website with his sister Gigi Edgley. Pretty chilled vibe and lots of fun.

Jake has also confirmed the official launch of his EP entitled FEEL THIS WAY which means that full videos should be released soon and an awesome gig is on the way with Jake’s band at the Beresford on the 17 November. See you there!

Thats all from me..meeting a new client tomorrow night will be creative and inspiring (look out vaudeville) and then its time to tie up loose ends and dive into editing STRIDE!

This is a condensed premise to give you a taste of what the new TV series, STRIDE, is all about. Andrew Flanagan has been working the script fort he past year and now production is set to move forward, shooting in Australia, Europe and Asia through April 2013. First of the rank was a teaser trailer to indicate the ‘flavour’ of the series. How it should feel to the audience. Experiment with music, camera technic, edit style and colour grade, working relationships and character development. Last week I had the pleasue of editing and colour grading the test footage and intercutting some gorgeous imagery captured by Andrew when he travelled around the world last year.

The footage was shot early morning on a grey, overcast day which resulted in a very blue colourcast on the footage. The brief was to give this a warm, golden sunrise feeling that matched the footage of Venice in Summertime. I accepted the challenge and am really happy with the look I was able to create.

Before:

After:

I sliced up the soundtrack and looped in the opening instrumental portion of the song to allow enough time for the voice over and did a bit of virtual dj-ing, really pumping up the vibe toward the end of the teaser. It is goose-bump inducing. A near perfect combination of music, dialogue, colour, edit pacing and gorgeous imagery. Unfortunately I can’t show the finished teaser, but here is a first look.

I had a presentation meeting with Director Greg Cobain and the teaser was a huge success! So much so that i will shooting the full drama trailer this coming weekend…So more news about that as it unfolds!

I was happy to help out editing and colour grading test footage for upcoming 13 part TV-series STRIDE (Written by Andrew Flanagan and Directed by Greg Cobain. The results are fantastic and was a big win for the early stages of production.

On the back of the teasers success, I have been booked in to shoot the official trailer for Stride this coming weekend! 3 full day shoots in a bunch of locations around Sydney shooting some of the pivotal, emotional and downright crazy moments from the series. Edit and Colour grade to follow…so look out for updates as the shoot unfolds. See you bright and early at 4.30am call this Saturday!

In between, I shot and reshot a conceptual music video for Jake Edgley’s emotional track “Hearted”. It’s looking very very nice now…A real testament to planning your shots and waiting for the weather to be just want you want to tell your story and set the right mood and atmosphere. In our case, cold, rainy and windy…the more London Feeling the better. And after our first attempt that was a balmy sun drenched afternoon (gorgeous for any other purpose and I certainly wasnt complaining ) we could not have guessed the extreme change a few days later.

On top of all this I have unfortunately had to decline a Motion Capture position on the new game ‘Whore Of the Orient’ due to scheduling conflicts with previously confirmed jobs! I have also cut a brand-new Cinematography Showreel to start promoting my work to production companies with the aim to attract creative work and helping clients tell their story with this powerful medium…I would love to hear what you think! All comments and any suggestions are welcomed and do feel free to pass it around.

So thats about it for now…Looking forward to the exciting weekend ahead!

(And thanks to Christina Ricci for her excellent performance as Wednesday Addams in ‘The Addams Family’

My goal from here on in, as i delve further into some pretty exciting projects is to post (at least) once a week with a general update as to whats going on behind the scenes and look forward to week ahead and see what exciting things are just around the corner.

See you here every wednesday night for a dose of news and inspiration!

(And thanks to Christina Ricci for her excellent performance as Wednesday Addams in ‘The Addams Family Values’

When i was asked to shoot my sisters costumes, the first question was, do you want to go modern or keep it period and traditional? Rochelle is studying costume design at Ultimo TAFE and her work is stunning! This is one of the plainer costumes in terms of fabric, but the style, fit and attention to detail is mind boggling for me. All undergarments including traditional corset, bustle and petticoat were made by hand and and she even made the hat!

“Oh, I dont mind…” was the response. “I trust your vision.” Dangerous words. “I just need a mix of full body shots and close ups of the details, happy days!” – No worries, that i can do, but I wanted a little bit more than documenting the costume and it’s construction. I wanted these photos to shine and connect with the viewer.

The best way, I thought, was to have the costume on location and construct a story that fit with the period nature of the piece. The costume is Edwardian, so turn of the century 1901-1920 and quite british in its feel. Rochelle told me it was a walking suit, so not particularly formal, just everyday wear for the period.

Centennial gardens first came to mind with its ponds, lawns and picturesque weeping willows. i though we couple shoot on location and it would feel like an English garden. However, wouldnt that setting be more effective with a young girl and her suitor, or two young women gossiping away from the eyes and ears of their noble fathers? Hmmm… So then I thought about a very atmospheric graveyard with a beautiful old church, St Stephen’s in Camperdown.

I was still undecided on the shoot day, but the weather was turning grey and looked a little uncertain but very moody, so church and graveyard it is. The premise: “A lone young woman, lost in thoughts at a future that could have been, if only her lover were here to share it.” Depending on each particular setup, we constructed little stories together. Outside the church and cemetery undertakers cottage called for a lighter mood. She is in white, so maybe she is attending a wedding, or christmas, maybe Sunday Mass? Some photos of the cottage appeared like she was leaving the house to run her daily errands, or posing with a newly acquired property.

Shanaye, Rochelle and my younger sister, modelled the costume and she looked great! Even though we were only shooting stills, these little stories helped us to get on the same page with the kind of shots we were aiming for and the feeling we were trying to reveal, which informed not only pose, attitude and emotion but the composition, angle and exposure of the shot as well. Its all in the eyes. It was a beautiful graveyard, but also quite sad with the number of families with young children laid to rest there, which really set the sombre tone for much of shoot.

I think the emotion is really clear, particularly in Shanayes pose and attitude. Her expressions are perfect, but its all there in the eyes. I think the sense of loss is really there. We are all extremely happy with the result and very cinematic. I can almost here the orchestra playing and a soft monologue….sounds like another project to work on! I cant wait!

For this set of images, Rochelle requested that they are representative of the actual colours of the garment with very little adjustment for folio. Natural colours are also important for Shanayes acting/dance folio, so although I am interested to possibly try a different colour grade, maybe make them look like prints taken in 1901, the natural colours are pretty powerful and removes the images from being too ‘emo,’ ‘goth’ or dissmissed as another piece of ‘dark art,’ which is not really the point of the project, or the feeling we want to convey.

To see all the photos, check out the projects page or click here!

It might be a little while until this full video is officially released with the EP launch, so here are some stills from the latest studio music video for “You’ve Changed” by Jake Edgley, to get you excited. I went for a gritty, monochrome look with Super 8mm film grain on this one and love the drama and power of black and white. It really connects with the stripped back acoustic mix by Sean Carey. Pure voice, guitar and piano gives it a real “unplugged” feel and I think adds a vulnerability and musicality that amplifies the raw emotion of the track….when you get to hear it. Hopefully the wait wont be long!

Hit up Jake’s Facebook page to keep in touch with the man and the music, vids, gigs and forthcoming releases!