Last week when I posted the broadcast commercial for REI that I recently directed, I promised a behind-the-scenes vid. So here ’tis — the focus here on the epic aerial shots we nailed using a remote-operated RC helicopter flying an onboard camera, curtesy of our friends at FreeFly Cinema. Hope you dig it.
Also–since a lot of y’all have been asking via social channels–I figured I’d give a second-by-second, shot-by-shot breakdown of the entire :30 sec spot… on how we got each clip so you can see all the different mechanisms and techniques that went into the production. I’ll let your imagination run about how we actually pulled off some of this stuff up at 12,000 feet at single digit temperatures, and feel free to ask the how/why we did what we did questions below.
Shot by shot breakdown:
:00-:01 Racked focus onto talent as they approach chairlift dismount
:01-:02 Skier operated steadicam shot
:02-:03 Jib/crane tracking shot
:03-:04 Handheld close up of talent operating ski binding, snow level
:04-:07 Combo of handheld & steadicam shots of talent beginning hike
:07-:08 Overhead aerial with RC chopper (**see video)
:08-:09 Handheld close ups on talent
:09-:11 Combo of longer shots, locked off on tripods
:11-:14 Combo of handheld & steadicam shots of talent socializing
:14-:15 Locked off wide shot, masked sky movement sped up in post
:15-:16 Steadicam shot w lens flare of talent preparing to descend
:16-:17 Jib/crane shot w lens flare of talent preparing to descend
:17-:18 Close up, talent operating snowboard binding
:18-:19 Close up, talent dropping skis, prep to descend (voiceover starts)
:19-:20 Combo handheld & steadicam & closeups of talent prep to descend
:20-:21 Handheld zoom in as talent pushes off to descend
:21-:24 Hero overhead aerial shot with RC chopper (**see video), speed ramp to show talent covering distance, heading into sunset
:24-:30 Motion graphics closing bumper with voiceover
:30 Out
Here’s the spot again below if you want to play it a few times and follow along with the shot-by-shot breakdown. Hit me up with questions – will try to get back at ya.
Big thanks again to everybody who worked on the shoot. Everybody was super-pro, including the talent. (One of the many reasons its awesome to have a very authentic client like REI that uses real, qualified talent…) Hope you dig the BTS chasejarvis RAW heli-video. Music for the RAW is by Pete International Airport (here on iTunes). Music for the spot is from We Are Augustines (avail here on iTunes). Big ups to both acts!
I have a question; Chase, how is it that you and your team can consistently blow my mind with all this incredible knowledge sharing! Love it! hahaha.
Also…how close to the original shot list is the final breakdown listed above? Did you set out a shot priority first to determine how long to spend getting each shot – or were you at the full mercy of the conditions and just decide in post/edit?
peace.
TTF.
These were shot over the course of a number of days…primarily on two days, with a number of weather days playing havoc on us in between. If you search “diary of a shoot” on the blog, you’ll get the play by play.
regarding the order of shooting, it went pretty much according to shot list, although, since we had specific sorts of light that we needed, we were a bit constrained by time of day, for shot order. So, in short, YES we had a specific priority order of shoots… and some storyboarding going in (with a little flexibility to add some shots as we saw fit…) and with the closing shot and immediately adjacent shots getting the most epic of attention. We also shot on a few diff locations throughout and needed to be very careful of where tracks could/could’t go based on where following shots would happen, etc. It’s all VERY VERY carefully managed.
Mom, I just found what I want for Christmas!
That’s super legit! I wonder how much one of those things cost!
Cool toy 😛 Produces some really nice pictures 😀
Awesome stuff, always a good day when a new Chase Jarvis video comes out! Have a great Christmas and New Year 🙂