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behind the scenes

David Jagoda

It’s been a manic September/ October for us; constantly pitching and shooting everything from TVCs to corporate content.

The funny thing is, we all strive for the sexier bigger budget TVCs but every now and again a small corporate job with a microscopic budget comes along and reminds me why I got into film-making in the first place.

We’re talking about a 2 man crew, small lighting kit, 2 cameras, one for the action, the other for B-Roll, a gimbal, a slider and sticks. It was the very definition of guerilla film-making. Robert Rodriguez would have felt right at home.

I directed and camera assisted for Rob. Rob, lord of the multi-taskers, got into character very easily as he played Producer, DOP on two cameras, grip, gaffer and still managed to also do sound. And with no money for the obligatory drone shot we improvised by using a forklift and a cage attached to a pellet to hoist Rob in the air to capture the money shot.

We had the perverse honour of capturing the very last Victa Mower coming off the assembly line at their now obsolete, Moorebank facility. Like many good narratives there has to be a little redemption at the end. And yes in few weeks time we’ve been invited to shoot the very first Victa coming off the assembly line at their new plant in Hemps Creek. Ah, the circle of life!

Victa

And to top it off we were only informed of the shoot the day before whilst on another shoot. So, yes there was plenty of adrenaline going on as well as us being forced to wing it at the shoot without a recce. Sometimes we forget what it’s like to make decisions on the run. It becomes an exhilarating experience and can emancipate you as a filmmaker.

However with no time for playback on the day we just had to wait, like the good old analogue days to see the rushes the next day.

This week’s question of the week is:

When was the last time you got your grass cut…with a Victa mower of course?

 

 

It’s first thing in the morning and I’ve just turned on my computer with coffee in hand and the 1st email is from DJI informing me of their newest gimbal, the, Ronin S… Hmmm looks interesting let’s take a look…

As we know gimbals over the past 5 years have become a main player in the cinematography world, just about ever set you turn up will have one in play. They come in all sizes and from several companies.

DJI in my book has become one of leaders in this Technology and the Ronin S has really come in with a bang for your buck Just over $1000.00. Designed in a single-handed form factor for DSLR and mirrorless cameras.

The detachable, modular design of the Ronin-S makes it easy to fit inside a backpack on your travels and operating the Ronin-S is easy and intuitive to setup with Auto Tune directly on the gimbal for optimal torque control. Powerful, high torque motors actively stabilize your shot when mounted to moving platforms at speeds of up to 75 kph. Wow!

Focus better on your subject with the easy-to-control Focus Wheel. When a compatible camera system connects to the Ronin-S, you can pull focus via the included cable. An optional external motor can also be added, bringing broader compatibility to all lens types while enhancing precision control.

DJI Ronin S

The Ronin-S’s innovative framework elevates camera payload above the roll axis, making the camera’s built-in display obstruction free and always in your line of sight. In addition to providing an unobstructed view, the angled roll motor allows for more space to balance bulkier setups.

Well yes I went out bought one, downloaded the app and put my DSLR camera on and away I went, yep that easy… And glad I bought mine when I did there is now a worldwide shortage and the Ronin S is in high demand so check your local stores…

Check it out here, https://www.dji.com/ronin-s?site=brandsite&from=landing_page

 

 

We Are Content are in the process of overhauling our website and naturally, we came to the discussion of what pieces of work we should include on the amended show-reel video and which ones come off?

I feel like the match committee of a footy club deciding who comes into the team and who goes out. Like the coach, it’s the creative director who has to make the final call. But unlike a coach, I don’t have to explain my decision face to face with a player who is pretty dirty with the decision.

I think I’ve worn out that footy analogy pretty quickly. Forgive my indulgence but as everybody knows, spring is here and that means footy finals, hay fever and overdosing on antihistamines is upon us.

Anyway, I digress. We stumbled across a 30 sec TVC we’ve been itching to put on the reel but hadn’t been able to because even though we shot it over a year ago the client hasn’t put it to air yet.

Originally, we were asked by Scotts to come up with 2 spots for their Lawn Builder Weed Feed Green Up. In other words weed killer.

The brief was a juicy one and single minded. The problem that had to be solved was that weed killer is poisonous and every spring many people in the course of weeding, inadvertently poison themselves. But Scotts Weed Feed Green Up already had a solution and that was it’s patented applicator which makes weeding the garden simple and safe.

Using that age-old motivator, ‘fear’, we showed the exaggerated lengths people go to avoid getting covered in poison. The original idea was to lower a guy in an ‘Exosuit’, a robot-style dry suit into the shot.

Exosuit

 

This eventually became the ‘Frog Man’.

Frog Man 2Frogman video

The second character was always going to be ‘Decontamination Man’ but what was he going to wear? Initially I opted for the retro futurist heavy-duty green Hazmat suit that looked like it was designed for an early James Bond film.

Green hazmat suit

 

Unfortunately, most of these suits only exist in the United States and our budget didn’t stretch that far. We ended up mixing and matching various Hazmat suits that ended up working perfectly for the idea as per the script.

Exosuit BackExosuit Front

 

You can view the final video here.

The question I want to ask you is – do you think the campaign suffered because we didn’t push the idea to its original absurdist level?