Camera:

Canon XH-A1

Editor: Final Cut 7

Graphics: Photoshop CS5

Primary Role: Producer

Sun Sounds of Arizona is a local non-profit that provides access to printed materials, primarily periodicals and local newspapers, that the visually impaired otherwise wouldn't have access to. I was asked to lead a team of two photographers and one editor to produce a 5-7 minute promotional video for the organization. For this, we used a documentary-style approach and gathered interviews from listeners of the service as well as volunteer readers.

As this was a group project, production came with compromises, even though I was the producer. The introduction is not as unique as I had wanted it to be. My vision for the intro was to open on a first-person POV shot of everyday life with an emphasis on reading things like the newspaper. The rest of the group decided against it and we went with a more generic-style opening. I guess you can't win them all.

In the end, Sun Sounds was very happy with this video, and it will be used to engage potential donors and volunteer readers.

Cameras:

Canon T2i

Canon XH-A1

Editor: Premiere Pro CS5

In 2009, I covered the Arts and Business summit hosted by the Flagstaff Arts and Business alliance for NAZ Today. It was at that summit that I learned how interconnected the art industry is with the local economy - that the arts mean business. Since that summit, I've noticed that a rising number of galleries in downtown Flagstaff have been closing their doors. This project is an attempt to overview what exactly is changing in the art industry and what the future of art in Flagstaff is by talking with local business owners, art leaders, and artists about the state of the art-based economy, business strategies, and the importance of the First Friday ArtWalk.

(Watch in HD!)

Cameras:

Panasonic HMC-150 (x3)

Editor: Final Cut 7

Every other fall, the merchandising program at the NAU School of Communication produces a fashion show featuring local designers alongside student designers. I first participated in documenting this event in 2008 under poor lighting and audio conditions. This time around, in 2010, the venue, and thusly the production quality, changed for the better. This 42 minute program was filmed in HD on Panasonic SD-card-based cameras. For this production, I served as one of the camera operators and the editor. Original shooting date was in November, but it was only recently completed because it was done pro-bono.

(Give the video a few minutes to load to start; Total file size is 300 MB. Resolution is 720p.)

Cameras:

Sony DSR-250

Sony PD100 equivalent

Editor: Premiere Pro CS5

This is a two-camera edit of the tuxedo fashion show number from the Bridal Spectacular's January 2011 show. The addition of the second, handheld camera wasn't planned, and the second camera was in full-auto mode. While it's not perfect, the shakiness kind of adds to the energetic nature of this particular song. Unfortunately, trying to correct the sometimes over-blown images from the second camera didn't work out, so it's there as it was. Also note that I'm running the front-of-house camera and managing the projector feed at the same time, hence the strange panning at the beginning.

Camera:

Canon Rebel T2i

Editor: Premiere Pro CS5

"Sedona Sky Drive" is a video that I recorded while driving from Sedona to Flagstaff, Ariz. on highway 89A. A rising trend on the internet is taking driving videos like this one and mirroring the top half of the frame on the bottom. This simple transformation eliminates the road, for the most part, and makes the visuals surreal beyond belief. The original inspiration for this video came from "Tokoyo Sky Drive," which is embedded below.

For "Sedona Sky Drive," pick your own groovy music to play while watching!

Sedona Sky Drive from Kyle Anderson on Vimeo.

Cameras:

Sony DSR-250

Editor: Premiere Pro CS4

Below is the second advertisement I produced for the Bridal Spectacular bridal show in Las Vegas. I've worked for the Bridal Spectacular since I was in high school, and I've been filming the fashion shows for a couple of years now. The show is put on twice per year at the Cashman Center convention hall. For more info on the show, check out their website.

Related video: Bridal Spectacular - Twilight Fashion Show

Cameras:

Canon XH-A1

Canon Rebel T2i

Audio Recorder: Zoom H2

Editor: Final Cut 7

I've always had a curiosity toward amateur radio. It probably stems from my dad's lectures about electricity, given to me in my early youth. (Since then I've annoyed my friends with them.) In spring, I checked out a ham radio field day in Doney Park, Ariz., and found it intriguing, so I decided to focus a documentary on what some would call a dying hobby.

What I found during the making of this video is that ham radio is not dead. In fact, it's well alive and has found its place in the public service field. Ham radio operators work to coordinate relief efforts for natural disasters, such as the recent Schultz fire in Flagstaff, the tornados in Bellemont, etc. On the side, ham hobbyists help provide communications for various events, including marathons.

Northern Arizona is a great venue for marathons. Trails and scenery are vast, readily accessible, and close to great towns and cities. The Coconino Amateur Radio Club regularly helps provide communication for these marathons. Most recently, they worked with The Grand Canyon Marathon, a combination half and full marathon that runs along the south rim of the Grand Canyon and continues along a forest service road to Tusayan, Ariz. at the IMAX theater.

I drove to Tusayan from Flagstaff on the afternoon of the 5th to meet with the radio club and the rest of the marathon folks. With video production, to make a shoot go smoothly, you need to have everything planned out well in advance. I was honestly worried about this one since I knew very few details until the afternoon before the race. Thankfully, the safety coordinator and the club were able to help me set up a time table for shooting locations that fit the approximate schedule of the runners. This was a challenge, since I wasn't allowed to drive along the rim, but it was all figured out.

When planning, I did know that spending the night in Tusayan was the most convenient and cheapest way to get to the pre-setup rendezvous at 5:30 a.m. Unfortunately, my blankets failed me, and as the van filled with cold (i.e. below freezing) air, so did my bed. I slept a total of 2.5 nonconsecutive hours that night and begrudgingly drove to the local gas station to get an energy shot.

On meeting the radio club, I was given a portable scanner and plugged it into my audio recorder and a magnetic antenna for the roof of my van. (Having never had an antenna on a vehicle, this thrilled me to no end.) By 6:30, the crew was ready to caravan to the canyon. Sunrise was looming. This is where the documentary opens.

The bulk of the marathon lasted until about 2 that afternoon. By then I had a minor sunburn, but I didn't care. The views, the people, and everything about that morning was spectacular. I was told a story about a blind woman who ran the marathon's first event in 2008, and again this year, who ran with her service dog, a golden retriever. It was stories and people like this that made this shoot tremendously exciting. Everyone was friendly and just there to have a good time.

Events/shoots like this one are really what make me happy in life. Opportunities to be creative and capture stories and retell them in an exciting way give me such a rush. While I was in Tusayan, I decided to take advantage of the dark night sky. Below, after the documentary, are two star-scapes I took the night before the marathon. The first is a 5 minute exposure, the second a 7. Click them for more detail, and note the red and blue blotches in the backgrounds. No, that isn't camera gain/ISO noise. (Shot them at ISO400.) Those are distant stars and galaxies. Truly awe-inspiring.

Coconino Amateur Radio Club at The Grand Canyon Marathon from Kyle Anderson on Vimeo.

(Watch in HD!)

5 minute exposure at ISO400, f/5.6. Click to enlarge.

7 minute exposure at ISO400, f/5.6. Click to enlarge.

One of this year's class assignments involved taking a movie and making a trailer out of it. I decided to use one of my favorite films, "Good Night and Good Luck," a story about Edward R. Murrow's fight against Senator Joseph McCarthy's unconstitutional investigations and prosecutions in his crusade against communism. (I also used a sound byte from the film in one of my DJ mixes here.)

I made a point to not watch the original trailer before editing this, so I had nothing to go off of or bias my editing decisions. After putting my trailer together, I watched the official one and thought it didn't suit the subject matter of the film at all. The soundtrack and editing style is implying action, as if Murrow and McCarthy were going to duel it out old school style outside of CBS news or the capitol building, whichever is most convenient. But this film is nothing of the sort. It's a somber drama that, while suspenseful, has no semblance of action at all. Though, it was fun to compare what clips I did and didn't use, as well as the pacing. My version is much slower than the original's, which I suppose is a subconscious attempt at matching the film's style.

My version of the trailer:

Original trailer:

"Good Night and Good Luck" on IMDB

Applications:

Adobe Photoshop CS4
Premiere Pro CS4

The nature of student news means people move in and out rather quickly, usually within a four year time-span. As such, things change rapidly semester to semester, including the graphic design of the show. I was asked to come up with a new visual theme for the program, as there was little consistency between all of the graphics. Here is that redesign, which is implemented in Chyron, Keynote (for full page), and Final Cut. Note that the text on many of these are missing; this is because the text is inserted in the Chyron. A full show is posted at the end with the final graphics/text.

1 Talent Lower Third

2 Talent Lower Third

Over-The-Shoulder (OTS) Box

(Left & Right, Full Box and Aplha Channel Logo)

Upper Left Bug (Typically used for "LIVE" text.)

Full Page Graphic Background

And here's a director's cut where the theme is used.

Format: VHS Capture

Editor: Premiere Pro CS4

In the style of Everything Is Terrible, I've been starting to capture and edit old, crappy VHS tapes. The first VHS tape I captured and edited was Debbie Family History, but the content of that tape wasn't terrible; it was antique.

"ABS/SIR: How They Work for You" was found in an industrial vehicle, faded and neglected. It was made in 1995, and was meant to serve as an "edutainment" piece on how anti-lock breaks and supplemental inflatable restraints (SIR, or airbags) work. The first part about ABS was average and boring, while the part about SIR was, well... Take a look for yourself: