Blues on the Boulevard

April 2nd, 2009


There are two things I love the most about being a part of Hemmings House pictures. The first is that we are a group of young guys running our own business, doing what we love and earning a living.

The second is that we ALWAYS end up shooting the coolest gigs and no matter what you specialize in, you always play a major role in every production. This most recent one was no different. I think Greg said it best today when I heard him say: "This concert doesn't have a director, it was directed by Hemmings House Pictures!".

Another live concert. Seems to be our bread and butter. There is nothing else I would rather be shooting. I love it so much! This time it was for the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra, occompanied by Matt Andersen and "Les Muses".

It was also nice to get out of the editing suite. The last few weeks have been very stressful. I am currently in crunch time editing 6 episodes for our latest TV series "Kardinal Sinners" at PowerPost in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Dealing with

the broadcaster and working through technical issues has been trying at times to say the least. So this shoot would be some welcome creative release that I was really looking forward to.

So when I heard we were going to be shooting a 7-camera setup, it made me all warm and excited! Steve and Greg did a great job in pre-production and lined up, what I think was our best shooting team ever.

We had six Sony PMW EX1's and one Ex 3. On wide on the balcony we had Alastair Meux. A guy who has more experience than everyone at HHP put together. Steve was on a 16 foot dolly behind the back row of the crowd for one of my favorite concert shots. When it tracks the back of people's hands and heads with the stage in the background. Such a cool shot!

Our veteran comedian, Mike Burchhill from IVS was with his 10 foot jib on stage left, while our new friend Michel Caissie from CBC in Moncton shot with his 18 foot jib just off stage right. Lauchlan was hand held, Greg on the monopod and I was on the Glidecam. Lock, Greg and I were responsible for covering the close-ups around the stage. Backstage we had our buddy James Shaw from Red Fish audio with his 24 track audio setup. Nothing is more important when shooting music (or anything for that matter) than to make sure your audio is stellar. Lastly we had our unsung heroes: Our Production Assistants: Tim Maloney, Nick LeBlanc, John Phillips and Nick Foster. These four guys were amazing! Without them we would have been in big trouble. They busted their asses all day and were so crucial to making this whole thing come together so smoothly. Big props to them!


I had a blast operating the Glidecam 4000. It had been a while since i've used one, so the night before the concert I was going up and down the halls of our hotel shooting James and Mike drinking beers to get some practice in, while taking frequent beer breaks myself. Then basically had it on from sunrise to sunset the day of the show, making sure I was as comfortable as possible with that thing on. Glidecams or Steadicams are my favorite types of shots. I love the three dimentional effect they give. There aren't too many big budget movies or television dramas that don't use one these days. Can't blame em. Im really pumped to have this thing around now, im going to be using it a lot.

The shoot went really well. It was light beautifully as well, which is always crucial. It was also a little stressful shooting with so many EX cameras cause we didn't have enough SxS cards to go around. Our PA's were working overtime making sure we all had fresh cards to shoot on...hence why they were heroes! Don't think we missed a second of the whole shoot....literally. The great thing about shooting with the SxS cards and going tapeless is that you never have to stop your camera to switch a tape. When one card is done, it automatically

records on the next one, meaning you don't miss one second of the show. This was always a minor issue with tapes. The future is here and the future is tapeless shooting!



Everyone really rocked this shoot though. It was different shooting a big orchestra like that. Normally we only have to worry about covering a band of four or five, but in this instance the were more than 80 people on stage! It was tough to decide who gets the closeup time.


Having two jibs is just way too cool! I can't wait to see how it turns out. I'm jealous I don't get to edit this one. Just thinking about cutting such cool looking footage gives me butterflies. It's a beautiful thing this business! As much stress, frustration and heart break that comes along with it, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!

There are thousands of people who would kill to be in our shoes, doing this and getting paid for it. No doubt its hard work, but is it ever work if you are doing what you love?

Which reminds me...it's officially two years since I started with Hemmings House Pictures with Greg in his basement. Now two years later we have an office in Saint John and Halifax and and a team that has grown 5 times over! Let's just hope our good fortune continues...

Cheers.