We were introduced to the world of Gator Wrestling through the great people of GATORLAND in Orlando Florida. What we didnt know was that we were going to actually get a chance to meet legends, the men of men, that you dont usually get to see once we began our journey. We came across the Legends of the sport in Jonathan Cattail and the Legendary Gus Onebear. I mean that name alone stands as a small glimpse into the bigger world that we want to explore and show the world.

This project has recently taken to INDIEGOGO.COM to see if people want us to dive deeper into the project, and with your help, WE CAN!

CLICK HERE to check out our project and any help would be appreciated!

This was a a fun process that I definitely learned alot from and enjoyed every moment.

BREAKDOWN

So how this all came out was just a fortuitous circumstance that PlayWryte added me on facebook while I was itching to do a music video. I had worked with Fetus Productions/Broadside Productions editing music videos for Luke Leanord such as Inferneon “GRAVEN IMAGE” and The Absence “ENEMY UNBOUND”, (Side Note : Just actually saw ENEMY UNBOUND for the first time online, looks like whoever uploaded did it wrong… shouldnt be squashed into that 4:3, but what can you do…) and then came in to do final editing/fix sync/color correct/add graphics to Beebs and Her MoneyMakers “HAND OUT” . Doing all of those really made me want to explore into music video territory, So when PlayWryte said he was looking for to do a video, we began a dialogue.

PlayWryte sent me his track for “FIGHT CLUB” and I listened to about 3 different versions as he fine tuned his sound, and instantly knew what kind of video this was gonna be. It wasnt flashy, It wasnt about anything other than the artists message. So I felt it needed to be black and white, with the focus being just a man in the city, a street poet of sorts. I then came up with a style sheet and sent it off to him. (see below)

I honestly went right to looking at the one video I know really was created to just give off a hip hop vibe that was more about the artist then the flash, “99 PROBLEMS”. The feeling of the video leaves you feeling like you just went through and received your dose of hip hop, without being bashed over the head. That mentality is what I was going for, PlayWryte agreed so I moved into preproduction.

Preproduction consisted of me bringing in my UPM Dantina Claire, who since acquiring her services for my short film ACTRESS has become my go to for any production, I honestly have never met someone who can get things done as fast or as good as she does, and you never have to ask more than once. Confidence in your people is a great thing, and she is a great up and coming talent that is a blessing to whatever production she is on. She finds a way to get me whatever I needed, whenever I need it. This shoot required the locking down of a location, and she got ON-LOCK skate shop of downtown Orlando to let us shoot, and she never even broke a sweat. Then on to location scouting for the rest of the shoot, which as stated, was going to be in downtown Orlando. I got with another talented filmmaker Adam Johns to come on board as a additional camera that I knew I could trust shooting additional angles while I focused on my own, as well as helping me with location scouting.  I spent a weekend downtown taking pictures of various locations, which then brought to Adam who joined me on a another weekend outing downtown to do test footage of shots for me to be sure of framing and color correction. Shot on T2i 50mm 1.4 and 25-70mm 1.4. Editing Final Cut Pro. Color Correction Magic Bullet (see below)

Once all this was complete, and PlayWryte agreed to everything, we set a weekend downtown to complete the video. (SIDE NOTE: This is Florida, it was July, IT WAS HOT AS HELL) Dantina made sure all locations were secured, as well as making sure I was getting my shots and keeping the crew hydrated and as comfortable as possible. For the actual shoot, I decided to use the 5D for the main camera, and the t2i for a secondary camera/slow motion camera that would be manned by Adam.   I brought on the talents of Andrew Sankovich to do my steadicam work. Andrew has become the go to guy for Steadicam as he makes a name for himself. His dedication to getting the shot right was key, especially in the ridiculously hot weather, If you have ever seen a steadicam rig, its not small.. or light so Andrew was a soldier. Day 1 consisted of Andrew doing all moving performance shots based on locations I discovered prior. The 2 locked down performance shots in 2 separate locations were then knocked out and it was on to day 2. Day 2 was the skate shop location shoot as well as the alley and walking shots. I tried to get these done as soon as possible because the heat was definitely a little bit on the unbearable side. I am very lucky to have had such a great crew and an artist who didnt get frustrated in the heat.

After all that was locked down, I got cranking on a teaser for the video SEEN HERE. I really wanted to make something that gained attention, and believe an edit such as shown could really do that. Then it was into editing mode. I really got into the video and made sure that It felt paced correctly, as well as creating a feeling that you were following the artist. I then brought in the graphic talents of Miguel Reyes to give me a slick title sequence for the video. PlayWryte would come in for routine milestone check ups, a final fine tooth inspection to make sure all lyrics were in sync, and then we were done.

I have really appreciated PlayWryte’s professional demeanor through the whole project. For a young up and coming artist I believe he really has a focus you dont see in many young rappers. I am excited to see where how his future continues to grown, and can only hope that a video by me can assist him in that adventure. Thanks again to my whole crew! You guys have been awesome! On to the next project!

Full Sail University began their Hall of Fame in 2009, prior to me joining the team. I came along shortly after the event took place and was tasked with creating a video that encompassed the feel of the day. I was told one thing: “We want to call it Hall of Fame : The Movie.” So I compiled all the footage I could and created this.

The following year I took the reigns on editing five out of the six graduate profiles for the event. You can view them all HERE

After those profiles I created another video – a sequel if you will – for the 2010 Hall Of Fame. This time we wanted to give it a real “epic” feel. Our Platinum Video team (Tracy Wiu, James Donmoyer, Andrew Sankovich, Tom Carrigan III and our boss Bruce LeClaire) set up and shot a full-on award welding scene. The team cooked up this concept far in advance and I storyboarded and edited it with the help of Platinum’s motion graphics and design guru/Art Director Todd Kinley. Check out the video below:

In addition to the Hall of Fame projects, I like to take opportunities to create things that provide a punch for certain Full Sail degree programs. This video was originally intended for a limited use promo tool that eventually went on to become a full purpose tool for the Film program. The movie TRON: LEGACY had just come out, and that was the basis for the opening logo I created.  That theme was enhanced by using an original composition intended to have a similar feel to the music from the TRON soundtrack

And then there are the commercials. My first pass was with the Creative Minds campaign:

which then lead to a full-on production with cinematographer Steve Cambell. This shoot was a great learning experience and was a blast to be a part of because of the use of ARRI’s new ALEXA camera, which is an amazing machine. Commercial below:

Just recently, we worked with the amazing creative team ROYALE. That commercial will be hitting the airwaves soon enough. I definitely enjoyed being on set with Royale Creative Director Jayson Whitmore, seeing what was shot, and then viewing the final product; I’m amazed by the world that that company can create.

So needless to say, it has been a fun and exciting two years, and I figured I would share it!

This is the trailer for a short film called “CAPTAIN FIN” that I had the chance to edit throughout this year. It is directed by the very talented Kevin O’neill, and was a real pleasure to craft. This is the first project that Kevin and I have worked on together but it definitely has built a solid foundation for future projects as we both respect the others eye and ability. With some beautiful acting by Steve DuMouchel and Spencer Locke (Resident Evil 3, Monster House), this film really stands as a powerfully emotional short film. We were very excited that it entered and won the Enzian FILM SLAM film festival, as well as an official selection at the 15 Minutes of Fame film festival where it also won Best Florida Film. More recently it was accepted it was an official selection into the CENFLO film festival on SEP 2-5. So if your gonna be around for that you should check it out.

*EDIT*

pretty much as I get the banners… im just going to keep posting them below!

The thought process behind this teaser was
A- Make something that looks intersting
B- Show off the Actors who really make the film what it is
C- Have a unsettling moment.

The actual film doesnt look like this, but I do believe that I accomplished all the goals I set for myself. It was actually made completely in After Effects, with additional audio and trimming done in Final Cut.

So Big things coming up in the next months. We have the finishing up of a great short film called CAPTAIN FIN directed by Kevin Oneill of Olive Ranch Road Films. I am editing the project and am in the last stage of audio and tweaking and that should be out soon. The movie is a fantastic display of the acting and directing talent of the people involved, and Id have to say its a pretty good edit as well . It has Spencer Locke in it, as well as Steve Dumouchel and they both do a amazing job in such a short time. I am also attached to be supervising editor of his newest film THE BOUT, about a young MMA fighter whos fight is as much on that mat as it is off. It truely has been a pleasure working with Kevin.

I was brought on to do some cleanup, color correction and add some comic book graphics for the music video for Beebs and Her Money Makers that was directed by Luke Leanord. I collaborated with a great motion graphics and 3d artist Miguel Reyes. Miguel is also a young up and comer as well and I have work with him on projects and he always finds a way to impress me more and more each time.

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I also have been working on a feature film that I cant talk about due to… that paper I signed that says I cant talk about it. But It has been a great experience as well, and hopefully you’ll be seeing the work I did on it here in the future as well. I also shot/edited a reality tv pilot for a great company recently and I cant go into to much about that as well, BUT the team is amazing, the shoot went swimmingly and the results are pending!

Then there is my short film ACTRESS. I wrote this not too long ago right after I wrote a western that has gotten a ton of attention called REDEEM and and action script called DANGERCLOSE. I started writing it a year ago, and wasn’t until I saw THE BLACK SWAN that I realized how I could make it. I wanted to explore the inner turmoil that a young actress goes through, but still being tasked to perform like nothing is wrong. The script has also made its way around and has gotten great traction, with funding being provided by Alex Camman at Arconis Films and bringing on the talents of Luke Leanord as my Director of Photography. I have also been blessed with the presence and hard working ethic of Dantina Claire, who has been a great right hand through the whole project thus far. Due to schedule conflicts we are still in the audition process, you can visit http://actressshortfilm.wordpress.com for audition information.

So all in all Ive been busy busy busy…. and that’s not including my ACTUAL job I work on at during the day making awesome with the great peoples of Platinum Creative. 2011 is the beginning of a good era!