Brands have continued to invest in video storytelling as a way to reach audiences with messages of authenticity, stewardship and cultural relevancy. This collaboration between Yeti and Vice Sports is another strong example.

Yeti has really gone full steam with sponsored videos as a way to elevate their brand and align it with their audiences values. Being a premium brand, their product quality goes hand-in-hand with their brand perception. They want people to know they’re as good of a company as their products.

But along with that, specifically with this video, it is providing voice to a story not typically approached and a voice to a community that isn’t typically given a voice in an environment such as this. It lifts up a person who has worked hard for what he’s earned.

It’s a fantastic piece of documentary style filmmaking. I love the cinematic, beautiful western shots that visually embed a deep sense of place that goes beyond just what you’re seeing (I love this shot). The cinematography and editing are just as outstanding.

As a Sacramento and Northern California videographer and filmmaker, this is the type of work that inspires me. The story. The visuals. The results.

 

Vox is producing some awesome videos right now (check out their new series on Netflix) and one series I really enjoyed was Borders. It’s hosted and filmed by Johnny Harris, who travels the word to tell stories associated man-made borders. First off, can we call this a dream job?

It’s informative, entertaining and innovative. I love the use of graphics in video and transitions, as it carries a travel vlog style, but with more substance than you may usually find in one of those. The drone shots are outstanding, offering great visual variety to the story.

As a filmmaker in Sacramento, I travel all across the United States to produce videos as well, so I found it particular interesting to see what equipment he carries with him. I’m always trying to refine my kit.

I stumbled upon this video after reading this article on the Compton Cowboys. It’s a fascinating story about men from Compton finding an outlet in an area where the struggles of life can be all-consuming. The Q&A is also really good.

The commercial above is so well done. Going through the comments (which is always dangerous on YouTube) some people thought it was all fake, like there really can’t be cowboys in LA’s inner city. That’s what makes their story so special. That it’s so unimaginable, it makes people wonder.

This is the type of work I do as a video producer and storyteller in Northern California, finding unique stories that enhance messages. I love the grittiness of the film, the visual contrast a direct representation of the inherent contrast in the story. I love the authenticity of the shots in the bar, with people laughing and hugging. People were asking for a documentary on the group, and I’m hoping there’s one in the works too.

 

As a video producer based Sacramento and a nearly life-long resident of California’s Central Valley, I’ve had the opportunity to capture a lot of stories with animals – especially horses. One of my most recent videos focused on a breed of horses that lived on an island for over a century, and not researchers at UC Davis are trying to save them. Check out video and story (which I wrote) here.

Naturally I was pulled to this Wall Street Journal video, as it talked about a rural lifestyle that I love to film and photograph. It’s a news video that I would call a mini-doc, focusing on the plight of a cattle rancher having to deal with regulations. It’s a story that puts a face to a problem that has two very distinct sides, showing a human side of the issue. This is a topic that brings out strong opinions, but I think the video does a good job of navigating that in it’s reporting.

It’s wonderfully shot, full of strong visuals and interviews.

From the description:

Wayne Hage may be the last cowboy in his family, ending a tradition of cattle ranching that started during the Civil War. The Hages have been fighting with the federal government over grazing rights on Nevada public lands.

Don’t miss a WSJ video, subscribe here: http://bit.ly/14Q81Xy More from the Wall Street Journal: Visit WSJ.com: http://www.wsj.com Visit the WSJ Video Center: http://wsj.com/video On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/wsj/videos/ On Twitter: https://twitter.com/WSJvideo On Snapchat Discover: http://on.wsj.com/2ratjSM

THE PATH OF GREY OWL. from GOH on Vimeo.

I must have watched this video five or six times consecutively. It’s shot wonderfully, in a way that makes me feel like I’m just wasting my time shooting, while at the same time inspiring me to pick up my camera film everything around me.

The use of audio is worth noting as well. You should just watch it already.

From the description:

“The question is not what we get out of nature, but what can we give back to nature.”

This film follows world renowned Woodsman Ray Mears through the wilderness of Temagami, Canada as he explores the path of acclaimed author and conservationist Grey Owl (also known as Archibald Belaney). While Ray reflects on the landscape that shaped Grey Owl into the person that he was, Ray further delves into Grey Owl’s message about protecting our wilderness and why this is still so relevant and important in our present day.

For me, this is a piece that evokes my love for the natural world and wild country – an intimate portrait of the landscape and region of Temagami.

Produced in partnership by Northeastern Ontario & the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation.

For more information on Grey Owl, please visit: blog.raymears.com/2016/01/06/ray-mears-on-the-legend-of-grey-owl/

For your chance to win a trip to Ontario with Ray Mears as your guide, please visit: ontariotravel.net/contest

_ _ _ _ _

WINNER – Best Video Category, PDN Photo Annual Award 2016

_ _ _ _ _

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
Reel Paddling Film Festival 2016
Wildlife Conservation Film Festival 2016
San Francisco Documentary Festival 2016
Rochester International Film Festival 2016
ITSA Shorts Film Festival 2016
Chattanooga Film Festival 2016
Vaughan Film Festival 2016
Lakeshorts International Short Film Festival 2016
Great Lakes Environmental Film Festival 2016
Barcelona Planet Film Festival 2016

_ _ _ _ _

Starring: Ray Mears / Alex Mathias / Virginia McKenzie / Tom Saville

Director / Cinematographer: Goh Iromoto
Editor / Colour: Goh Iromoto
Assistant Editors: Nike Anderson Valeus / Courtney Boyd
Motion Designer: Jay Smith @ Upstate Post
Re-recording Mixer & Sound Editor: Joe Barrucco @ Timeline Audio

Traditional Drumming (Intro): Roger Assiniwe
Original Music (Ending Credits): “Spirit Journey” by David Laronde

Other Music:
“Where Is Hope” by Salomon Lightelm @ Musicbed
“Midnight” by Salomon Lightelm @ Musicbed
“We Are Infinte” by Salomon Lightelm @ Musicbed
“I Sought My Love Beyond the Hill, I Found Her Bathed in Waters Still” by Aural Method @ Musicbed

Additional Wildlife Footage: Hugo Kitching

Grey Owl Mississagi Historical Film Footage: Mary Whelan & Marlene O’Connor Depledge

Logistical Coordinator: Steve Bruno

Location & Guide Support: Gary & Joanie McGuffin

Special Thanks:
Temagami First Nation and Bear island
Jamie Saville
Smoothwater Outfitters
Temagami Canoe Company
Temagami Canoe Festival
Carolyn Laronde
Ontario Parks
Lakeland Airways

This film was produced in partnership with:
Northeastern Ontario
Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation

gohiromoto.com

 

I came across this on Short of the Week, which has an excellent write up on the short. You can also watch a behind the scenes video, which shows how much effort really went into this film. The film was partially funded through Kickstarter, with the creators also putting up a hefty chunk of change.

It’s a longer short and I did not watch it in one sitting. It’s a few minutes over 2o, which is a long time for a video being released on the internet. The film is extremely well shot, well acted and well edited. That is what won me over, and again when I watched the behind the scenes. It’s a professional film and that’s reason enough to watch.

Without giving too much away, I wasn’t sold on the storytelling aspect as much. There were times where I felt the length of the film and while I can really relate to the point the film is trying to make, it was just a little long to me. With that said, it’s a great short to watch and will make you think.

From the description:

Check out the making-of featurette: vimeo.com/68030822

Official Selection of the Raindance Film Festival and the Napa Valley Film Festival.
‘TABLE FOR ONE’ tells the tale of Philip. His life is in limbo…romantically, professionally…emotionally.
Today is a bad day. He comes home to find his world turned upside down and is taken on an unexpected journey of self-discovery.
Production Company: WORK
Director: Jesse Coane @jessecoane
Producer: Nick Read
Written by: Alexis C. Jolly
Director of Photography: Donavan Sell
Production Design: Katrina Schissel
Costume Design: Annie Rothschild
Casting: Kristen Beck
Original Music: Little People
Sound Edit & Mix: Joel Raabe
Ryan Pratton as Philip Cole
Format: RED Epic
Duration: 23 minutes & 3 seconds
table4onemovie.com
facebook.com/table4onemovie
twitter.com/table4onemovie
shortoftheweek.com/2013/06/11/table-for-one/

I’ve been addicted to Casey Neistat’s YouTube page lately. He is an excellent storyteller, which overwhelms the tools he uses to create his videos. He uses point and shoot cameras to record, sometimes HDSLRs, nonetheless he has a very raw style that comes across as honest rather than unprofessional. In fact it doesn’t get much more professional than Casey who has recently shot for Nike and reached over 9 million views as of this writing. Just further proof that it is the storyteller, not the tools that make content work.

This video here is a quick profile on the man by Zir Zameen. Be sure to check out Casey’s YouTube page. (Yes, I linked it twice in this blog, because it’s that awesome.)

From the description:

Casey Neistat has been hired by prestigious companies like HBO and Nike. Earlier this year, Casey took the budget Nike gave him and traveled around the world without consulting Nike first. But, he came back with one of the most successful videos to date, an accomplishment that Nike was more than pleased with. Amidst all of this success, Casey still considers the more difficult moments in his life to be the most valuable.

I watched this video on No Film School. This is very impressive. I always try to minimize ambient noise, but a lot times, it’s out of my control. I’ll get cars, cell phones, elevator dings and anything else popping up on my audio tracks. This tool is powerful. It might not rival Pro Tools or something like that, but it’s still impressive.

 

I just stumbled onto ISO1200 a few days ago, and I have been reading it constantly for the past few days. Part of shooting is constantly reading and watching. For me, it’s important to know what’s out there. It is amazing to me how rapidly this industry is changing, it seems like everyday something new is out or there is a new way to do something. Sometimes those things work and sometimes they don’t, but it’s worth looking into. Also, I actually had to sign a contract when I began working at my job that I would stay up-to-date with technologies related to my position.

Anyways, I watched this Adobe Lightroom tutorial on ISO1200  by Serge Ramelli and thought you should to. Enjoy and I hope you learn something from it.

From the description:

In this tutorial, I will show you my full workflow from A to Z on how to get back all the colors of an early sunset and make a landscape pop.

We are going to use Lightroom only tools.

Also, if you’re looking to jump onto Adobe Creative Cloud, they’re offering 40% off for those upgrading from CS3-CS6. Found on No Film School who has several videos on the various applications you get with CC.

 

If you are shooting on Nikon’s new D7100, there is a firmware update available. This is what it will correct:

• When images captured using a flash in Manual or Repeating flash flash mode were played back with the “Overview” display enabled, flash output level was displayed in the flash compensation portion of the display.  This issue has been resolved.
• When the AE/AF lock button was pressed with Special Effects mode enabled, Selective Color selected, and the view magnified with selective color options displayed in live view, the image did not change while live view was active.  This issue has been resolved.
  An issue that caused the Viewfinder Virtual Horizon to freeze when certain operations were performed has been resolved.
• When images captured with white balance bracketing enabled were played back, a white balance fine-tuning value of 9 (steps) was displayed even for images captured with a fine-tuning value of 10 (steps) applied.  This issue has been resolved.
• An issue that prevented cursor movement when certain operations were performed in calendar playback mode has been resolved.
• The size of some text displayed in calendar playback mode has been modified.
• Display of focal lengths in 35mm [135] format recorded in image Exif data has been corrected.
• With movie recording at 1920 × 1080/24p in M exposure mode, subject brightness did not change, even when shutter speed was adjusted.  This issue has been resolved.

Instructions and the download is available here: https://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/18539