San Francisco to Dubai to Dar Es Salaam, 22hrs of flying and over 10,000 miles. You can’t get much further away from San Francisco than Tanzania in distance and in some respects, life. It was a trip of a lifetime and I’m looking forward to editing the main documentary however in the meantime I’ve put together a quick trailer to wet some appetites.

Over the last year it has been a slow migration from my traditional camcorder(XH-A1) to shooting 100% Canon DSLRs but it has happened. Bob Davis and I shot all of our footage on the 5D & 7D. In post I went for something a little non traditional in terms of this type of video, we went with a little more of an urban edge. Hope you like.

From the onset of working with Graphistudio I had  hoped to eventually make it to their headquarters in Italy, to see their factory and of course the elusive castle that I’ve heard so much about. So you can imagine I was pretty excited to get the call to go out and create a promo for them this summer. It was an incredible trip. The food alone was worth it with three hour meals, I ate more prosciutto than should be legal. I did find time however to shoot a bit.

It was a tall order to fly to Italy, shoot a factory, a castle and interview various people in hopes to create a promo video that wasn’t about any one person or product but a whole company and its culture and passion. I quickly found there was no shortage of passion in Italy which in turn inspired me further to create this profile that I hope communicates Graphi’s enthusiasm and dedication to their product and customers.

Special thanks to the Graphistudio team, Keith Thompson and of course Jim and Katarina Garner.

It’s been an amazing year with so many people and places responsible. Our next trip seems a fitting wrap to the Lorimerworks 2009 schedule, AFRICA.

Nov. 2-12, 20o9: One team, one purpose . . . to document the work of Thirst Relief International and show how life saving Bio-Sand Water Filters and wells can save lives! Jim Davis-Hicks will lead the documentary expedition of Bob Davis, Kenny Kim and myself, Anton Lorimer into Tanzania to film, photograph and tell the story of people like pastor Mwambungu who makes a living building and installing thirst relief filters while caring for the needs of his fellow villagers. See how one filter, one well, one person can impact the lives of so many.

Detail: 5 days of shooting, two cinematographers(Bob Davis and I), photographer/Blogger(Kenny Kim) and a guide(Jim Davis-Hicks, Founder and President) Primary Cameras: 5D MarkII, XH-A1 Post production: Lorimerworks

Earlier this summer I had the pleasure of making the drive down to Santa Barbara to shoot a promo for a friend and great photographer, Art Suwansang. We had a great time, shooting everywhere from the Mission Santa Barbara, to an urban setting(as urban as you can get in S.B) to cliffs overlooking the ocean. Shot on both my conventional Canon camcorder and the 5D MarkII. Thanks Art for trusting us with your promo!

Greetings from Venice, Italy!  We arrived in Venice to start another exciting project with Graphistudio.  We are here to capture quintessential Italian style, craftsmanship & beauty,  everything that is Graphistudio.  We are looking forward to visiting their new factory and headquarters in Maniago, just north of Venice.

Venice also represents romance and for us that is especially true since this is where I proposed to Abby 9 years ago in the Campo de San Sofia.  We enjoyed our first day here wandering the narrow streets, eating in a cozy trattoria and talking late into the night.  It’s been an amazing first day!  Here are some pictures:

Attempt at a self portrait

A pretty typical view of Venice at night

View from the Rialto bridge.

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of going to Tampa to take on a project in a new industry. A promo for The Eye Clinic of Florida. Though the Ophthalmology industry was new for Lorimerworks the type of promo I put together was not. We relied heavily on the story via testimonials and used vivid imagery to help the story along. Along with this promo we also put together two 30 second spots for television.

Thanks Dr. Mahootchi for the opportunity!

What do you get when you take Bob & Dawn Davis, 3 days in Chicago, an airstrip, bi-planes, helicopters, and models?  You get the Davis Love Story Workshop.  Lorimerworks shot the Vegas Love Story last year and again was invited to document Bob & Dawn’s latest workshop and it was exhilarating to say the least.  Bob & Dawn took the attendees from classroom, to the streets, to the tarmac, where they shared insights about photography, from mastering shooting techniques to the business end of things.  Bob & Dawn continue to inspire and Lorimerworks was thrilled to be there to document it. Stay tuned for the promo later this summer.

Thanks for everything Bob and Dawn!

Well Paris came and went and as all good times seem to do, it went quick. But not before the fam and I got a good taste of Paris and the French country side and certainly not before   we shot an amazing promo for Laura and Paul Eaton. Thanks guys for making it an awesome experience! Some things I won’t soon forget: Seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first  time, shooting at the Louvre at night, the many carousels my daughter had to ride, Omaha  beach, the 16th Century Chateau we stayed in, the food and wine and the list goes on. Till  next time France.

Over the last few months, for whatever reason, I’ve started to receive emails and calls from fellow videographers inquiring about some of the equipment, software or process I use to produce our videos. After typing a few long emails and talking cross country a few times I thought it would be a lot easier to just make a few blog posts about that very topic.

My disclaimer The equipment I use is not necessarily the best nor have I tested a variety of products. What I use simply works for me.

Camera: Canon XH-A1

With the recent exception of the 5D MarkII, everything I’ve shot is on the XH-A1. In the right conditions it has served me very well. I especially love the 20X zoom. The long telephoto allows me to squeeze some shallow depth of field out of the camera (I do not use a 35mm lens adapter). You’ll often see me shooting from a distance because of it. The truth is, most cameras on the market right now are awesome and have the ability to capture great footage.

Wide angle adapter: Century Optics .6x

On the opposite end of the telephoto spectrum I use a wide angle converter. In my opinion you can never have a wide enough shot in some locations. The Century optics adapter I use unfortunately is not a zoom through however I save some weight because of it and I love the bayonet mount.

Stabilizer: Glidecam 4000

I use the Glidecam 4000 without the vest and arm which means I hand hold the the camera and sled. The Glidecam, my camera and wide angle adapter produce very acceptable traveling shots(when balanced correctly). I shoot on the Glidecam in very short bursts, usually 10 seconds or less which is why I’m able to hold it by hand. I found the vest and arm too limiting for my typical run and gun style of shooting where I’m constantly moving between the stabilizer, a tripod (Manfrotto sticks with 503 head) and going completely hand held.

Camera: Canon 5D MarkII

We are just starting to produce videos using the MarkII. There are tons of write ups on the video capability so I won’t reinvent that wheel. I will say that along with the stunning image quality, it will give us the shallow depth of field that’s so hard to obtain with the camcorder. So far, it’s a great supplement to the XH-A1 and as a primary camera.

That’s a quick run down of some of the major equipment I use to capture footage.
Of course, to produce a finished product there are many more tools involved, perhaps I will blog about them in the near future.