Lowepro Fastpack 350AW Quick Review

I’ve been using the Lowepro Fastpack Video 350AW bag now for a few weeks and I’m really liking it so far.  It has more than enough room for all of my main equipment when out shooting video.  The separation of compartments for audio and video is the thing I like the most about the bag.  It even has a handy compartment for a 17″ MacbookPro!  I can fit my Canon 550D body with 24-105mm f4 lens attached, Tokina 11-16mm, 50mm, 24mm, video light, GoPro, Rode Mic, LCDVF in the video compartment with a little room to spare, whilst in the top compartment you’ll find my Tascam DR40, audio cable pouch with Sennheiser radio mics, Headphones, cables & batteries.

When fully loaded this bag weighs a tonne.  It has waist & chest straps to help spread the load away from just your back though.  One of my only quibbles of the bag is that when it’s only your back you’re supposed to be able to sling it round off one shoulder for quick access to the camera.  I don’t find this is the case as the zip appears to open from the opposite side that is natural to me as a right-hander.  I’ve heard only people mention this in their reviews too and it’s slightly annoying.  Otherwise this bag is a great all-round solution to carrying kit on the move.

 

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15th January 2013 By themotionfarm In Photography, Technology, Video Production /  

St Austell Brewery ‘End of Year’ Video

In the weeks running up to Christmas I did some video work for St Austell Brewery.  They wanted to create an animated video that showcased their achievements both internally and within the community in 2012.  I was commissioned to film 8 clips of various groups associated with the brewery holding up pints of Tribute in a toast to the audience.  It was a fun project which was filmed in about 2 and a half days.  There was a lot of driving as I had to be in Exeter & Westward Ho! in Devon on 2 separate days for 2 separate conferences, and also down to the Pandora Inn at Mylor on another day.

I decided to use the 10ft jib for most of the clips as this would give the clips a bit of life instead of a static or sliding shot.  For the shot at St Columb Distribution Centre I used the Glidecam.  The media designer at the brewery did a fantastic job putting the final animation together.  Have a look…


 

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3rd January 2013 By themotionfarm In Cornwall, Film, Video Production /  

Hub Awards 2012 Filming

The business community in Cornwall is a thriving one which is evident from the fantastic array of talent on show at this year’s Hub Awards 2012.  The 5th annual event took place at the Atlantic Hotel in Newquay where 5 awards were up for grabs on the night, including: Best New Business, Best Online Strategy, Entrepreneur of the Year, Employee of the Year and Hub Contributor of the Year.

   

We were again commissioned to film the awards ceremony and the general atmosphere of the night.  Tom from Paramore Productions helped out to make sure everything was covered.  We produced an Intro film with an Olympics theme that was projected onto a 100″ screen.  The film seemed to go down well with rapturous applause and laughter.  Later in the evening Great Britain Para-athlete, Melissa Reid, delivered a great inspirational talk which had many parallels with Cornish Business – thoughts like going with your gut instinct come to mind.  We filmed low-light GV on Canon 550D’s handheld with 50mm 1.8’s and recorded the awards ceremony on a Sony VG20 from the back of the room.  We also setup a softbox light kit for the interview area which looks pretty nice I’m my opinion.  See for yourself…

Congratulations to Cake Top Characters for winning Best New Business, Cassie Lawrence for winning Entrepreneur of the Year, Watergate Bay Hotel/Fifteen Cornwall for winning Best Online Strategy, Hannah Jewell for winning Employee of the Year and Mark Smith for winning Hub Contributor of the Year.

 

 

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2nd December 2012 By themotionfarm In Cornwall, Events, Video Production /  

Filming For J V Energen

We’re currently working on a promotional film for JVEnergen, an anaerobic digestion energy plant utilising waste food products to generate gas & electric for the national grid.  The plant is located next to the town of Poundbury, a new urban development by the Duchy of Cornwall in Dorchester.  The video is to be used to explain the various on-site processes of getting the waste products from the land to the national grid by means of Anaerobic Digestion, by using state of the art equipment never seen before in the UK.

   

We traveled up to Dorchester at 6am and arrived at 9am for a full day’s shoot.  We were given a tour by one of the farmers and then set about following each step of the process with our cameras, filming interviews with the staff as we went.  The time seemed to fly by and we didn’t even finish filming until dark.  It was an interesting day, I even feel like I learned something!

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6th November 2012 By themotionfarm In Video Production /  

HUB Awards Intro Film

Last year I was kindly invited to produce the Awards Night Intro Film for the Cornwall HUB, a Cornish Business Networking Group in Cornwall.  The video was a big success on the night and got the room excited about the evening ahead.  It also had a positive response post-event when it was posted on the Hub Awards website.   That’s why I didn’t hesitate to agree to producing this year’s awards film.  The Hub Awards 2012 takes place at the Atlantic Hotel, Newquay on 29th November, we will also be there to film the event.

   

So far we’ve had a couple days filming down at Carn Brea Leisure Center in Redruth with various Hub committee members taking part in different sports to commemorate the Olympics year.  Our hope is to create an exciting 4 minute video that celebrates Cornish Business through sport.  We still have a few remaining filming sessions before the editing can start, but so far the video is ticking all the right boxes.

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26th October 2012 By themotionfarm In Cornwall, Film, Video Production /