IN[FOCUS]

Event filmmaking is all about the storytelling. The stories that we tell are all made up of smaller story sequences. When shooting a story sequence, one must anticipate the action. A good storyteller will be on their toes all day.

Questions to consider while shooting…

• Where’s the action headed?
• Where do I need to position myself to be in the right spot?
• What shots do I need to shoot to get me from point A to point B?
• What do I need to shoot to get the most story out of this scenario?

As you are shooting, one must constantly ask themselves, “Does this tell a story?” If it doesn’t, move on to something that does. You only have so much time during a live event shoot to get what you need. Don’t waste time shooting things that don’t matter.

While practicing effective story shooting you’ll come to realize that you’ll actually shoot less and edit less, but your films with be richer than ever before. Stay alert and focus on what matters.

I’d love to hear some of your thoughts on how you achieve the most story from your shoots. Please comment below.

Jet

Jet Kaiser saved up enough money to by his first camcorder at the age of 14 and he's been creating films ever since. He eventually created the Indianapolis-based, Jet Kaiser Films where he collaborates his with his lovely wife, Dani. Together they produce cinematic, story-rich, "motion pictures for those in LOVE™ "

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Branding… It’s who you are and what you are about. It is what defines your company and separates you from your competition. Your branding is what attracts potential couples to you. Do you have your best foot forward? Is your branding consistent? Are you maintaining your brand the way that you need to be to make sure that the best representation of your work is out there?

Today’s post focuses on a checklist of items that you need to keep maintained in order to make sure that potential brides are seeing the best that your brand has to offer.

TarynP

Taryn Bills attended Arizona State University and graduated Cum Laude from the Walter Cronkite School of Broadcast Journalism. She worked in community relations at the Phoenix NBC affiliate, then moved on to an account executive position for Infinity Broadcasting where she discovered her passion for Sales and Marketing. After 3 years she left radio for a 3-year stint in pharmaceutical sales, during which time she and her husband started Serendipity Videography. She has served as the sales and marketing director of award winning Serendipity for 6 years as well as with their baby sister company Simply Cinema. When she is not busy growing her own businesses, she offers marketing and consulting services for various companies who need assistance in growing their brand and increasing their sales.

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Hey everyone. How goes it?

Today I’m going to talk about two features on Canon’s EOS line of cameras that can bring your footage to the next level. Most shooters (at least the good ones), know how to white balance their camera. But many people think it ends there. Not so fast, my friend! These cameras come equipped with additional features that allow you to fine tune your camera’s output. These features are the WB Shift and the custom picture styles.

I talk briefly about both of these features in the video above, but a few things to note about each. The WB shift allows you to go beyond the Kelvin temperature setting, but rather adjust the white balance on a 4-color axis. This is extremely helpful in shooting situations where the lighting is not optimal for filming (basically every wedding you film!) By incorporating this feature into your shooting techniques, you no longer have to shoot and pray you can fix it in post. It allows you to take full control of your camera, and be extremely meticulous about what your shot looks like.

The other feature are the picture styles that come with your camera. While I will normally not change this setting throughout the day, it is just another way to customize the look and feel of your image directly out of the camera. This can be extremely helpful when shooting something like a same-day-edit, where you know that time just does not allow for thorough color grading. You can change these settings to fit your taste, and cut down on your editing time for the SDE.

Furthermore, by shooting with a more flat setting your image will have a higher dynamic range and allow you more leeway when working in post. In the video I mention the custom picture styles that can be uploaded to your camera via the EOS utility on your computer. A tutorial covering the details of that can be found here: http://www.vimeo.com/7256322

As always, I encourage questions/comments…I’m eager to hear your experiences and offer any advice I can. Holler at me on twitter. @erickmetz

Love you.
Eric

Eric Kmetz

Eric Kmetz is the lead filmmaker for Epic Motion, based in Detroit, MI. Named one of the 2010 EventDV top 25 filmmakers, Eric has been a full-time wedding filmmaker since 2009. In his spare time he devotes himself to being as kmawesome as legally allowed. Furthermore, 83% of people agree…he's the bees knees. True story.

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