Hatch Makerspace at Watertown Free Public Library

Here it is, the final cut of the Hatch Makerspace web video. You can read more about the production process in my early blog post here. I added some shots using a Sony Rx10ii, specifically shots at the Watertown Library and all exterior shots.



Learn more about Hatch:
Hatch by WFPL on Facebook

Hatch Meetup

The Arsenal Project

Watertown Free Public Library

Hatch Community Makerspace

I started this project for Hatch Makerspace in Watertown, Massachusetts.

We shot most of the interviews on Canon Rebel DSLRs.

A screen grab from the T4i with 50mm f/1.8

 A wide view of the lighting and camera setup

Edwin, the camera operator, is an old friend from UMass Amherst.

Picture Profiles on the Rebels were set to STANDARD (-2,-2,-2,0)

A grab from the t3i with 55-250mm @ f/4.5

Here's where we ran into a bit of trouble. The t3i began to overheat (my guess) and would no longer turn on after 2.5 hours of interviews. Luckily, we had backup cameras on hand. At first, I put my PXW-X70 in place of the t3i. I knew it would be extra work to make the images match because of very different sensors and codecs. But, I went with it... at first. Below is a sample image from the X70 ungraded and another version that was adjusted with Davinci Resolve Lite 11. I'll have to take another pass on it to make the green background match the yellow/green in the DSLR footage.

Screenshot from Sony PXW-X70 ungraded

Adjustments to skin tone, slight softening, and darkened background via power windows

We had to take a break, and I decided to switch to a 5dmkii which, as luck would have it, was also on hand. It turned into a good experiment in testing the compatibility of all three cameras. The image below is from the 5dmkii with STANDARD PP to match the Rebels.

The 5d2 color, DOF and skin tones matched the Rebels much better than the Sony, as expected.

I felt confident swapping the cameras because I knew I had the consistent coverage I needed on the t4i. This one interview is a fraction of the scope of the project, and I could edit around any potential image compatibility problems. Next visit to HATCH will be to gather b-roll of the community space in action.

MOE Fencing Tournament

X70 on the right and a Flashpoint 300 on the far right. Jeff (center) is directing and interviewing, while Todd (left) runs b-cam. 

The scene from behind the camera.

 Screen grab from the 1280X720 proxy file.

Friend and colleague Jeff Palmer invited me to shoot with him on a documentary he's making about the MOE Fencing club in Somerville. More of a relaxed and creative problem solving sort of shoot than a tightly scheduled affair, which I really enjoyed. I got a chance to really put the Flashpoint LED to use, and was very pleased with it. The NP-F batteries I'm using are a bit sketchy. They only seem to work so long as the light is set at half brightness or lower. That's what you get with generic third party electronics, I guess.

Jeff interviews one of the young fencers.

 The Flashpoint 300 with it's tungsten filter created a warm highlight. The house lights were used as key lighting for all of the interviews.

The X70 was set to custom picture profile with cinematone1 gamma, elevated black gamma, and custom color correction to enhance skin tones. These settings and more are available thanks to the X70 user group on Facebook.

The LED that is stationed camera right produces a nice catch light in the subject's eyes.

American Library Association: Libraries Transform

La Gondola Providence Web Video

La Gondola RI from Adrian Atwood on Vimeo.

More FLIR on Boston Harbor

Another shoot on a boat. A much smaller vessel this time, and much rockier. It was beautiful day on Boston harbor for a demonstration video for FLIR's navigational software. It was quite a challenge to keep the camera steady. A tripod is almost worthless when the horizon keeps shifting, and the engines vibrate the floor so much that the image is fuzzy. Luckily, I brought my shoulder rig, and did my best to keep 'er steady. 

August Expansion

August started off mildly, but towards the end things really started to heat up. Boston Open Screen returned, and I sort of fell into being a part of the coordinating team. Which is something I'm really excited to be a part of!



My freelance videographer account with StudioNow finally got some attention, and I've been on two small business profile shoots.






I finally got around to wrapping up an edit on a web sitcom with some old friends, and it's a welcome reminder of how silly video production can be.



Thanks to a friend in the Open Screen gang, I've started producing videos for FLIR.

CQTR Graphics

Groupon Video Assignments

As a New Leaf Productions employee, I occasionally get assigned smaller, one man shoots. Last spring, I got two of these shoots for small businesses looking to create video spots to promote Groupon deals. The two videos below were shot on Canon 5d mkii's, with 24-105mm L lens.

June 1 - June 8, 2015: Crunch Time!

Tipping point! I saw this coming, and now it's here. My hard drives are full, my gear cases are crammed and I'm shooting nearly every day. It's a dream come true.

Friday June 5:

Early morning NLP shoot in Ipswich, MA. Two camera DSLR setup to capture an interview with a Betterlesson Master Teacher.

Later that day, I swooped back into Boston to shoot an interview for the Wexler Oral History Project. This shoot was the maiden flight of the new Sony PXW-X70. 

Saturday June 6th: 

Cambridge River Arts Festival during the day. I'd already taken the X70 out on practice runs, but this was the first in broad daylight. Things I learned to appreciate about this camera: built in ND filters and 1 stop of negative gain.

Saturday night over in Allston, I shot a live performance for my friend's band, Calvinball. Another voyage with the X70, and a real lesson in the XAVC-L workflow in Davinci Resolve. 

Meanwhile, I've been editing last month's shoot with photographer Eric Frazer. I'm putting together a highlight video of a fashion shoot at his studio.

Artist Profile: Iansanity

   Ian is one hell of an artist. A visualmancer, if you will. I met him during an employment stint at Brighton's Cafenation. He managed the kitchen there, as well as the art displays in the cafe. Always friendly, always warm, he was great to work with and great to know. Luckily, he lives in the neighborhood, so it wasn't hard to get a hold of him when I had the inspiration to shoot a video for him. I'd paid attention to his artwork through Facebook, and wanted to spotlight his work and practice my craft. 

   I interviewed him in his studio, and shot some b-roll while he painted there and at a live paint event in Allston, Ma. The primary camera was my Canon t4i, backed up by the versatile iPhone 4s camera. The audio was captured on Ian's iPhone 6. Lighting consisted of one softbox kit as key, and for fill, a work lamp that Ian had in his studio.