Video Production
I learned video production by just doing it. I loved movies and video, so I learned the tools. I started in the old school, shooting and cutting on gigantic ¾” video tapes at Austin’s access television station in the mid-90's. As digital video evolved, I learned and worked primarily in these formats:
- Documentary
- Event Video
- Web Promo
- Music Video
Video is storytelling. Fancy graphics and big budgets aren’t
as important as narrative, emotion, and conveying meaning.
Documentary
I love documentary because it shares real stories. Coming from the world of poetry slam, which features creative non-fiction and the performance of identity, there are many threads that connect that flavor of storytelling to the documentary experience.
Probably no surprise that the first doc I worked on was about slam:
Event Video Production
In today’s media-rich world, getting great video coverage of your event is a necessity to effectively tell your story after the show. Sharing the live experience with your audience through video allows them to stay connected to you and helps you spread your impact and grow your reach. Extreme effort and commitment go into producing events. Don’t put all that love into the show and walk away with nothing but a few minutes you shot on your iPhone.
If you’re looking for a big, expensive army of a crew to come shoot your event, I’m not your guy. I specialize in small, covert, cost-effective teams that capture your event seamlessly and carry forward the energy of the live show. I also have years of experience shooting as a one-man-army, and am quite comfortable flying solo.
Too many events get ruined by a video crew that arrives late, throws up a bunch of blinding lights and messy cabling that blow the vibe of your show, and then generally stands around in the way. Working with a videographer that also has many years of experience producing his own events can make a huge difference.
Sample videos:
Web Promo Videos and Video Blogs
Here’s a video I shot with
Ernest Cline, author of the New York Times best-seller Ready Player One, announcing the contest to give away a DeLorean. Plus, a previous video blog entry
Ernest and I did (shot 100% with a Flip video camera), showing off some of his
new Ghost-busting gear for his fans.
Both these videos link out to Ernie's blog, which is awesome. If you haven't read Ready Player One yet, let's get on that:
Music Video
I grew up on MTV, back when they actually showed music videos. I remember spending long hours into the night, watching endless streams of images as the new form of music videos took shape.
Here’s a video I directed and produced for Austin hip hop godfather NOOK.
This one is a blast from the past. It was the first music video I worked on, providing the location and helping out on set. The video features my pal Wammo doing “There is too much light in this bar” for his first record on Mercury / Mouth Almighty. The main performance shots also feature some of the best existing video of the Electric Lounge. Spoiler alert: I ended up doing a cameo towards the end of the song. Nice suit, eh?
