April 25, 2011

Time runs out for Coca-Cola Museum

The Schmidt Coca-Cola Museum is Elizabethtown, KY has closed its doors in preparation for auctioning the collection of Coke related memorabilia. The family owned museum was home to over 80,000 items valued at more than $10 million.
I used my Sony PDW-700 XDCAM-HD camera to create video news releases that highlighted the prized items to sold at auction to collectors over the next few years.
One of my favorites was this 1893 clock which promoted Coca-Cola as a "brain tonic".
Visit the website and see samples of the videos here.

April 6, 2011

Louisville man's ABC News Interview mentioned by President Obama

Rob Honegger and I have done dozens of interviews for ABC News over the years, but this one was a memorable one. Taxpayer J.T. Henderson's comments in a Jake Tapper story on the impact of the 2011 Federal Budget battle was mentioned specifically by President Obama in a news conference just hours after the story aired.
And you thought only people over age 70 watch the Network news!

March 4, 2011

DP for cable network TLC's English Royalty specials

In preparation for the royal wedding of Prince William, cable network TLC produced two hour-long specials: Royally Astounding: 30 Days of the Monarchy and Wild About Harry: Journey to Manhood. The shows' producers brought their own Sony EX-1 XDCAM camera and hired me to DP the interviews with Sarah Ivens, author and former editor of Britain's OK! Magazine. The former Londoner now lives in the U.S., and has a wealth of knowledge about the Royal family.

March 3, 2011

DP for J.R. Ward's book promo of Lover Unleashed

Eagle Video's Rob Honegger brought me in again to DP the shoot for author J.R. Ward's promotion of her new book, Lover Unleashed. It is the most recent installment of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series for the #1 New York Times bestselling author. As always, Ms. Ward was fantastic to work with. This was a Panasonic HVX-200 shoot on P2 cards. My good friend Joe French covered audio duties. See the video here.

February 23, 2011

DP for Religion & Ethics Newsweekly at Abbey of Gethsemani

Correspondent Judy Valente returned to the Abbey of Gethsemani to profile Brother Paul, whom we had met while shooting a 2008 story on Thomas Merton. Brother Paul is a published poet, accomplished photographer, and long-time monk at the Trappist monestary in Central Kentucky. The man sleeps outside in a wood shed every night of the year. No kidding. It's a wonderful place to come for a retreat, if you need a chance to escape the hussle and bussle of modern life. See the story here.

February 13, 2011

Nicaragua shoot for Hand in Hand Ministries

Producer Kathy Francis and I went on a week-long trip to Manaugua, Nicaragua in Central America for an upcoming promotional video for Hand in Hand Ministries.
They seek to make a difference in the world by providing shelter and education to the poorest of the poor in Nicaragua, Belize, and Appalachia. I used my Canon XH-A1 HDV camera as a balance between image quality, size, and risk of equipment loss. We had an armed guard with us, if that tells you something about the risk part.

January 29, 2011

DP for Majestic Eagle Productions' project for UofL Ophthalmolgy

Producer Tammy Wells of Majestic Eagle Productions selected me as DP for a promotional video for the University of Louisville Ophthalmology department. Locations included surgical suites, exam rooms, and lecture facilities at the downtown campus. We used my Sony PDW-700 XDCAM-HD to provide the crisp images that would reflect the quality of care provided at this well-known research institution. Can you tell that I'm a proud UofL alumnus? (M.B.A., Class of 1991) Visit the website here.

January 20, 2011

Companion DVD for Confessing the Beatitudes

Professor and author Margaret Aymer leads discussions on the Beatitudes in this Bible Study produced by Presbyterian Women. As with any scholarly interpretation of Biblical texts, Aymer was insistant that readers consider the context of when and where the verses were written. She was a joy to work with, and I learned a lot too! I served as DP and video editor to assist the publishers in creating an accompanying DVD-video study guide, the first of its kind for the long-running Horizons collection.

December 3, 2010

Chicago's Open Road Tolling system

The Louisville and Southern Indiana Bridges Authority is looking to Chicago's Open Road Tolling (ORT) system for its model of how to allow vehicles to breeze across two proposed Ohio River bridges while still paying tolls. My assigment was to document the efficiency of Chicago ORT and edit a b-roll package for the Louisville media market. The goal was to replace the perception of toll-booths with that of fast moving, toll-paying traffic. Visit the website and see the videos here.

November 18, 2010

CBS Early Show's Dave Price "No Way Home" in Cincinnati, Ohio

While on his trek from Alaska to New York City, with only a cell phone and $50 in his pocket, Dave Price made a stop in Cincinnati, Ohio. The odyssey ended up creating a heart-warming awareness for the need to donate winter coats to charity.
Rob Honegger and I had a brutal 3am call time for the HD live shot.
I suppose they don't called it the Early Show for nothing.

October 16, 2010

NBC's Biggest Loser Coach Mo Follow-up

Biggest Loser returned to Louisville for a "where are they now" episode featuring Mozziz Dewalt, aka Coach Mo. The Coach has kept the weight off and continues to be active in his community... from coaching a youth track team to serving as the spokesman for the local diabetes association. DP Rob Honegger used my PDW-700 and I was the audio engineer. XDCAM-HD 422 is the format of choice for Biggest Loser.

October 10, 2010

Did I mention my teleprompter is really cool?

My Telescript Fold-N-Go teleprompter system got a real workout doing political ads
this Fall. It's only partially true that every candidate that used it lost their election.
Here you can see it mounted on Kentucky Grip & Lighting's Fisher dolly.
(I have also mounted it on jib arms.) It's really easy to set up and even easier to operate it. Give me a call if you ever need one in the Louisville area.

August 26, 2010

The Nate Berkus Show

Boy, people really love XDCAM these days. The Nate Berkus Show requested the
PDW-700 for a multi-day shoot in which they transformed the home of a father of 4 who recently lost his wife to illness. "Team Nate" was wonderful to work with, and they truly went above and beyond to help out the family. I hope his show is a huge success!

August 21, 2010

The Walking Dead writer Robert Kirkman interview for AMC

My PDW-700 was a perfect fit for AMC's behind the scenes interview with
The Walking Dead writer Robert Kirkman. DP Tim Michaels and I interviewed
Kirkman at his Kentucky home. Check out the interview here.

July 25, 2010

2010 Presbyterian Youth Triennium Highlights

Where do you find over 5000 Presbyterian Youth in the heat of the summer?
Purdue University, of course! David Williamson and I survived production of our 4th Triennium Highlights Video. (We had also produced the '95, '98, and '01 editions.)
The XDCAM-HD 30p workflow was perfect for capturing the 5 day event.

July 17, 2010

Lebowski-fest for ABC's Nightline

The Dude abides. Without a doubt, this was one of the more fun shoots of the year. The annual Lebowski-fest celebrates the Coen brothers cult-film The Big Lebowski. Hundreds of participants dress up as their favorite characters and take over a local bowling alley! The idea originated in Louisville, but has now spread across the country.
Watch the video here.

June 29, 2010

Haitian Relief Video for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

I used Adobe After Effects' 3D camera movement to give life to still images depicting the Presbyterian Church's relief efforts in earthquake devastated Haiti. The video was seen at the bi-annual General Assembly in Minneapolis, where thousands of Presbyterians gathered to discuss and decide their mission priorities.

May 18, 2010

Tea-Party Senate Race Victory for ABC's World News Tonight

Anyone for tea? Rob Honegger and I used the PDW-700 for ABC Network News coverage of the surprising Tea Party victory in Kentucky's Senate primary race.
Rand Paul handily defeated the Republican establishment candidate and celebrated at this victory party at a Bowling Green, KY country club... Did I say country club?

May 1, 2010

Kentucky Derby 136 for Fox News Channel

Despite the forecast of thunderstorms, over 155,000 race fans attended Derby 136. Their dedication paid off, as the sun emerged over the sloppy track just as the
horses entered Churchill Downs and the crowds sang My Old Kentucky Home.
Fox News correspondent Courtney Friel and producer Samantha Lamarca were a joy to work with as we covered the Kentucky Oaks, the Barnstable Brown party, and the Derby. Unfortunately, neither Rob Honegger or I picked the winner, Super Saver.

April 29, 2010

Walt Disney Studios' Secretariat Press Conference

The Kentucky Derby Museum was host to a press conference featuring Diane Lane, star of the upcoming film Secretariat. My job was to cover the event for Walt Disney Studios using the PDW-700. We chose the highest resolution XDCAM format, XDCAM HD422 in 1080 60i at 50Mbps. The film trailer looks fantastic. I can't wait to see it in Fall 2010.

April 17, 2010

Kentucky Derby Festival's Thunder Over Louisville

As usual, over 700,000 spectators enjoyed the largest annual fireworks display in America at this year's Thunder Over Louisville. I covered the behind the scenes action for FreshAirFlicks and Zambelli Fireworks International. If you've never seen it in person, mark your calendar for next year. It's like the Grand Canyon, no words or photos do it justice. What the heck, stay for the Kentucky Derby while you're here!

April 5, 2010

ABC News at Butler University during NCAA Championship

Rob Honegger and I were on-location for ABC News at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse the night of the NCAA championship game. The gym was the setting for the "Milan Miracle", when a small town team won the 1954 Indiana state championship and inspired the movie Hoosiers. Unfortunately, Butler University was one shot short of performing their own miracle and lost the title game to Duke by 2 points.

April 3, 2010

CBS Early Show at the NCAA Final Four

Here's what the Butler University mascot thought of Michigan State's chances in the Final Four! The pic was taken during a CBS Early Show remote at the Final Four in Indianapolis. Host Chris Wragge and celebrity chef Tim Love cooked up some fan-inspired dishes during the segment. The mascots of the Final Four teams stopped by to eat the scraps. Blue, the Butler bulldog, just wanted to eat the Spartan hat.

February 4, 2010

JR Ward's The Black Dagger Brotherhood promotional video

The historic Seelbach Hotel's Rathskeller Room proved to be a fitting backdrop for a promotional video featuring paranormal-romance novelist J.R. Ward. This P2 format shoot was directed by Jonathan Jacobson. Tamara Lee (Make-up), Kevin Van Bakel (Audio), Joe French (Data Wrangler/Grip), and myself (DP) rounded out the crew. The author is best known for her #1 New York Times Bestselling vampire romace novels.

December 2, 2009

Honeywell Star Trek shoot for Louisville's Code 3 Productions

Captain Kirk, Bones, Sulu and the rest of gang were all on deck for green screen shoot at Steve Staley's Studio One in Louisville. The project was Honeywell's annual sales meeting's video feature, produced by their New York based corporate video staff.
Josh Grimes of Code 3 Productions brought me on to do sound and provide gear support. These guys went all out with uniforms, phasers, and Spock ears!

November 17 , 2009

Jamie Oliver's Kitchen on Good Morning America

Celebrity Chef & Author, Jamie Oliver appeared on ABC's Good Morning America to promote his upcoming network series on helping Huntington, West Virgina residents to adopt healthy eating habits. Jamie's Kitchen taught over 1000 locals how to stir fry like a pro. Our ABC crew included Rob Honegger, Tim Michaels, Kevin Van Bakel, Kevin Scalin, and myself. ABC News is a big fan of the Sony XDCAM HD PDW-700.

November 11, 2009

Britain's National Geographic Channel at UPS Worldport

Anglo Filming Ltd. of London used Mark Crowner Productions to support its shoot at Louisville's UPS Worldport. Worldport is the UPS central sorting facility for worldwide overnight shipping. National Geographic was exploring the importance to society of jet aviation. DP Chris Purcell used a Sony EX-1 XDCAM and the new Canon 7d to capture the HD images. As usual, UPS was a wonderful host.

October 9, 2009

George Lucas Foundation visits Jefferson County Public Schools

Edutopia, the George Lucas Foundation's website, was in town to profile the "Care for Kids" program of Louisville's county school system. Rather than bring in an entire gear package from the West coast, the Edutopia's staff hired me to provide everything but the camera. In addition, I served as field audio for the project.
See the web clip here: http://www.edutopia.org/louisville-sel-schools-that-work#

September 18, 2009

NBC's Biggest Loser visit to Louisville

Eagle Video's Rob Honegger hired me to do sound for Biggest Loser follow-up profile of Louisville native "Coach Mo". It was a long, difficult day... mainly due to the stress Coach was under due to the death of his father the night before the shoot. But, he insisted on pressing forward despite his grief. He's genuinely great guy, and an inspiration to the local kids he works with in his youth programs.

August 11 , 2009

CDC "Smoking Cessation" project

ICF Macro hired Mark Crowner Productions to shoot a profile of a UPS corporate sponsored smoking cessation program. We used my Canon XH-A1 HDV camera in
16x9 SD 30p. UPS does a terrific job in supporting their employees efforts to give up tobacco. The CDC estimates over 400,000 deaths from smoking related diseases each year. Don't wait, quit now!

July 22, 2009

ABC News: Wolf Dog Snatches Baby

This was a wierd one. A wolf-like family dog grabs an infant new born and runs off into the woods with him. Just in case it turns into a Lifetime Channel movie, I won't ruin the story for you, but all works out happily in the end. My favorite part of the day was seeing Eagle Video's Rob Honegger doing his "doggie cam". I did sound, and had a tough time getting a wireless on the dog. The things I do for money astound me.