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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

HEIDI KLUM - SHOT ON EPIC/SCARLET

Nick Morrison

Nick Morrison

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Hey guys, here's a Heidi Klum spot shot on Contax + Epic + Scarlet. For Runway S13!!

Hope you enjoy!!


HEIDI: Shot on Epic + Scarlet, on Contax 50 1.4, 135 f2, 80-200, + one shot on Sigma 18-35!
TIM: Shot on two Scarlets, on Contax 35 1.4 and 50 1.4
BTS SHOTS OF HEIDI: Shot with Nikkor 200 f2

Used Classic Soft 1/4 on Tim, 1/2 on Heidi.

There are some stills shots from the print campaign mixed into edit, which we didn't shoot.

The mobility of the REDS and the compact, tiny size of the Contax glass was a major advantage on these run and gun setups.

CREDITS:
Director: Nick Morrison & Steven Mosley
Producer: Nick Morrison
DPs: Brendan Stumpf & Jay Gillespie
Gaffer: Drew Verderame
Colorist: Jake Blackstone
Editorial: Lifetime In-House
 
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Chris McKechnie said:
Nicely done Nick. Loved the edit. Keys looked good. Nice idea to use the soft filters on the talent.
Click to expand...

Thanks Chris! Yeah, this was one of the first jobs where we shot everything, and left post to the client. All my clients are good friends and colleagues, and this spot was brain child of one of Lifetime's most talented, young and upcoming promo producers. It was great to play a new role and basically setup the "look", and let client go back to edit and chop it all up into something amazing.

I'm realizing my role is expanding these days. I don't have to do it all anymore. Sometimes clients will have a great idea, and just want my team and I to quickly go in, shoot it and "make it look great". All these shoots were literally last minute, 48hrs notice. There was no time to rent gear, or anything. We stuff a 15 pass van with gear, and at this point...bring everything we need with us (grip, camera, filters, etc).

Grade was done by Jake Blackstone, who is a genius.

We turned heads by wrapping with Heidi by 7pm, and delivering GRADE ONE LIGHTS the next morning...at 9am...in three formats: MXF, DNX HD Qts, and PRO RES Qts....No one had ever delivered GRADED DALIES that fast (ie overnight).

It's fun figuring out all these production puzzles, and settling into new roles.

And again...thanks for the feedback Chris...means a lot coming from you!!!

best
 
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Nick Morrison said:
Thanks Chris! Yeah, this was one of the first jobs where we shot everything, and left post to the client. All my clients are good friends and colleagues, and this spot was brain child of one of Lifetime's most talented, young and upcoming promo producers. It was great to play a new role and basically setup the "look", and let client go back to edit and chop it all up into something amazing.

I'm realizing my role is expanding these days. I don't have to do it all anymore. Sometimes clients will have a great idea, and just want my team and I to quickly go in, shoot it and "make it look great". All these shoots were literally last minute, 48hrs notice. There was no time to rent gear, or anything. We stuff a 15 pass van with gear, and at this point...bring everything we need with us (grip, camera, filters, etc).

Grade was done by Jake Blackstone, who is a genius.

We turned heads by wrapping with Heidi by 7pm, and delivering GRADE ONE LIGHTS the next morning...at 9am...in three formats: MXF, DNX HD Qts, and PRO RES Qts....No one had ever delivered GRADED DALIES that fast (ie overnight).

It's fun figuring out all these production puzzles, and settling into new roles.

And again...thanks for the feedback Chris...means a lot coming from you!!!

best
Click to expand...

It's well deserved Nick, especially with such a short booking/turnaround. Being able to fulfill a wide range of roles is one of the many things I love about our industry and it seems like you excel in all areas, directing, shooting, editing, etc.

Sometimes, like you said, clients just want you to make things look amazing, and they take care of the post. Other times, you're in charge of the whole kitten-caboodle, which is my fav!

Though I have to admit, sometimes, it's really difficult giving your footage off to a post-house/client with whom you've never worked with. You give them amazing footage and they edit/grade it into garbage. It's great that you and your team were able to provide a first pass grade so they had an idea as to what look you were going for, which makes all the difference in the world. It's also nice when the post team can be on set with the director/DP so they can see first-hand how things are supposed to look.

The goal for any project/film is to make it look cohesive. Like 1 large crew collaborated and was in charge of the entire production, from concept to post. This promo was exactly that. :thumbup:
 
Chris McKechnie said:
It's well deserved Nick, especially with such a short booking/turnaround. Being able to fulfill a wide range of roles is one of the many things I love about our industry and it seems like you excel in all areas, directing, shooting, editing, etc.

Sometimes, like you said, clients just want you to make things look amazing, and they take care of the post. Other times, you're in charge of the whole kitten-caboodle, which is my fav!

Though I have to admit, sometimes, it's really difficult giving your footage off to a post-house/client with whom you've never worked with. You give them amazing footage and they edit/grade it into garbage. It's great that you and your team were able to provide a first pass grade so they had an idea as to what look you were going for, which makes all the difference in the world. It's also nice when the post team can be on set with the director/DP so they can see first-hand how things are supposed to look.

The goal for any project/film is to make it look cohesive. Like 1 large crew collaborated and was in charge of the entire production, from concept to post. This promo was exactly that. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Thanks Chris, really appreciate the kind words. Yes, this spot felt VERY COLLABORATIVE!! I know my clients very well (the line btw friend and client can get blurred at times), and because I was (and still AM) a promo producer, I have an intimate knowledge of what they need for edit. I just translate it for them on set with all my gear.

All my DP's step into our "system" at this point (RED + Contax + Many 77mm Filters + Grip Package), and just intuitively "know" what to do. All the gear is super organized, and well laid out. It's plug and play, but in a way that gives everyone lots of creative freedom. At this point, I'm bringing 3 cases of lenses, a healthy collection of filters, and a grip package that gives us diverse options on most local NYC jobs. It's liberating really. And my crew are so in sync, we can accomplish a lot in very little time.

But again, as you say, it comes down to teamwork. My clients and I go way back. I've been in edit for 10 years, producing spots just like THEM. I have a strong idea of what they need, and can help them translate their needs onto set. Honestly, they are often so busy trying to figure out what they need talent to say/do, they don't have time to sweat everything else. We take care of that.

And yes, delivering graded dailies is a big plus. It sets up my clients to be broadcast ready instantly. This spot made air with our dailies grade intact! This workflow saves my promo clients so much time. Promo is so fast paced, there's rarely time to go back and grade the final, putting lots of onus on the dailies looking optimal.

Again, thanks for the kind words...really, really appreciate it!
 
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Nick.
Collaborating on your various projects can be challenging, which at times may require some fast thinking, but they are always fun!
I think it may worth mentioning, that in the context of such quick turnaround of the next morning best light dailies, the colorist (me) is on the opposite coast in LA, while the actual material and the deliverables are on the East cost in NY. Also, it may be worth mentioning again, that the delivery of best light dailies IS routinely the final grade.
 
jake blackstone said:
Nick.
Collaborating on your various projects can be challenging, which at times may require some fast thinking, but they are always fun!
I think it may worth mentioning, that in the context of such quick turnaround of the next morning best light dailies, the colorist (me) is on the opposite coast in LA, while the actual material and the deliverables are on the East cost in NY. Also, it may be worth mentioning again, that the delivery of best light dailies IS routinely the final grade.
Click to expand...

It needs be said that I can't do these jobs w/out Jake! In fact, his presence in LA on West Coast time in a huge advantage for us. I can get back from a shoot late...and we can start grading that same night if we need to.

Having Jake help us create a "look" on every job has been unique and fun! He's become an indispensable member of our team, along with our DP, Gaffer, etc. Together, we work as a collaborative unit, and can create, bold, fun choices clients are likely to remember.

On low budget shoots, grading dailies may seem like a luxury, but for me it's important part of our workflow. I want our clients to have the best, and I want them to grow with me. For me, graded dailies has become a key component of our work, ensuring clients save time...AND are broadcast ready as soon as they enter edit.
 
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Great work.

I take it you guys are using remote grading, but in terms of handing off dailies, are you piping all the media to Jake directly? How much footage are you generally sending and what sort of transfer times are you looking at to get your rushes over to him in LA from New York?
 
Craig Parkes said:
Great work.

I take it you guys are using remote grading, but in terms of handing off dailies, are you piping all the media to Jake directly? How much footage are you generally sending and what sort of transfer times are you looking at to get your rushes over to him in LA from New York?
Click to expand...

Hey Craig! Yes, we are remote grading. It required a sizable investment on my end, as I had to essentially build a grading suite that rivaled Jake's in LA, but it's been worth it for me as a director/producer, where the "look" we deliver to my broadcast ciients means everything to me.

We have various workflows, depending on schedule.

1) If we have time, I copy all the media to a drive, and fedex it to Jake the next day. Then we are truly REMOTE GRADING, and both our Resolves are in-sync using the same media (we make sure to work off exact same project, and tether the Resolves together).

2) When I'm strapped for time, Jake just uses "team viewer" and logs into my computer, and "SKYPE GRADES" (our term for this lower rent style of grading). Jake controls my Resolve through team viewer, and can do a very basic set of dailies that way. He's not as fast, and needs to rely on me sometimes to give him feedback (I monitor on a 17" Flanders 10bit), but so far it's worked surprisingly well for these super fast turn-arounds. Heidi was actually graded this way...so...that's proof it works!

But Jake is MUCH faster, and has noticeably more flexibility, when we do it the proper way and work off matching media.

Hope this helps!
 
Nick Morrison said:
Hey Craig! Yes, we are remote grading. It required a sizable investment on my end, as I had to essentially build a grading suite that rivaled Jake's in LA, but it's been worth it for me as a director/producer, where the "look" we deliver to my broadcast ciients means everything to me.

We have various workflows, depending on schedule.

1) If we have time, I copy all the media to a drive, and fedex it to Jake the next day. Then we are truly REMOTE GRADING, and both our Resolves are in-sync using the same media (we make sure to work off exact same project, and tether the Resolves together).

2) When I'm strapped for time, Jake just uses "team viewer" and logs into my computer, and "SKYPE GRADES" (our term for this lower rent style of grading). Jake controls my Resolve through team viewer, and can do a very basic set of dailies that way. He's not as fast, and needs to rely on me sometimes to give him feedback (I monitor on a 17" Flanders 10bit), but so far it's worked surprisingly well for these super fast turn-arounds. Heidi was actually graded this way...so...that's proof it works!

But Jake is MUCH faster, and has noticeably more flexibility, when we do it the proper way and work off matching media.

Hope this helps!
Click to expand...

It does help, and the SKYPE GRADING makes sense on the turn around (and was what I figured had to be happening). Good to know that this sort of workflow is workable in a pinch.
 
Craig Parkes said:
It does help, and the SKYPE GRADING makes sense on the turn around (and was what I figured had to be happening). Good to know that this sort of workflow is workable in a pinch.
Click to expand...

Haha. Yes, it is certainly workable in a pinch. Jake doesn't like it too much, but SKYPE GRADING does work. But again, nothing beats the real thing..and sending him a drive. Even then, we communicate on Skype (for sometimes LONG stretches, as we go through an entire shoot).

Best.
 
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