christopherhunt.

Pictures from my two favorite short films of 2009. The first set...

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 11:55:29 -0600

Pictures from my two favorite short films of 2009.

The first set is from my short called “Arbuckle Country”. This nature short was shot during the summer, in the blistering heat at the Chickasaw National Recreation Area. I need to thank my wife - and Bunee Tomlinson for all of there help with the shoot. I could not have done it without them. You can watch the film HERE.

The second set of pictures is from my latest short - a portrait of my son Sullivan. It was a blast to make - and I really appreciate everyones kind words. I hope to create a lot more of these sorts of films - so if you - or anyone you know is interested in producing something like it - please let me know. We can make it happen. Check out Sullivan’s film HERE!!!

I want to post some of my favorite screen grabs from 2009....

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 13:13:43 -0600

I want to post some of my favorite screen grabs from 2009. These pictures were taken directly from commercials I shot - or from a few of my short films. I had a very exciting year. Getting to meet so many nice interesting people was really a highlight. I want to thank everyone that has assisted me - or inspired me. Really there are too many people to name.

I am very excited about all the possibilities 2010 brings.

I look forward to doing even better work - and really doing some special projects. It has been so much fun being able to share my work with friends, family, colleagues, and clients!!

In the spirit of the Holidays - I wanted to spread a little...

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:04:57 -0600

In the spirit of the Holidays - I wanted to spread a little cheer. Back before I entered the wonderful world of video - I was a music guy. I had the pleasure of working in New York City as a recording engineer - at Manhattan Producers Alliance.

One of my gigs was a Christmas Album - which was quite fun. The group was called Happy Hour Brass Quintet. They were a group of very accomplished musicians and the project turned out to be one of my most fun times in the studio.

I wanted to provided a few of the songs here for you to check out - hopefully adding to your holiday cheer.

My responsibilites on the project were recording engineer and producer. The musicians are: Luke McDonald, trumpet - Michael Gorham, trumpet - Euan Harvey, horn - Henry Henniger, trombone - Ben Berlien, tuba.

Sleigh Ride

Deck the Halls

Jingle Bells

Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer

** If you can download these tunes please feel free - not sure if you can or not. I am in a hurry and have to hit the road for the holidays, so I don’t really have time to mess with it. If you would like these - shoot me an email, and I will try and hook you up.

I hope everyone has a Wonderful Holiday - and a very Merry Christmas!!!

My first “kids” short film - featuring my son...

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:40:00 -0600

My first “kids” short film - featuring my son Sullivan. This was truly a pleasure to make.

We shot for a couple of hours over 2 days at the Botanical Gardens here in OKC - and Mesta Park. It was pretty crazy chasing the little guy around. He is fast!!!

This piece is a taste of what I hope to be doing for families all over the region starting in January. Appletree Films for Kids - will allow parents to have professional films made of their children - that are fun to watch - and the entire family can enjoy. I will be releasing more information soon on the complete details of what the Kids project will consist of - but I am super excited to get started - and the response I am getting from families has been great!!

If you are interested in booking - please don’t hesitate to get a hold of me via email or by phone. appletreefilms@gmail.com or 405.633.3779. We are working on the website now - and hope to have something up within the next couple of weeks!!

—-

Obviously with this film - we went for more of a vintage look. I thought it fit the song (which is great btw - Atlas Sound, Walkabout) - and was something I really wanted to push myself to do.

For all you tech geeks out there - this was shot on my canon HV30 using the Letus 35mm adapter. I needed to use the small camera - because this was such a run and gun “gorilla” style shoot. The HV30 was perfect for that. I hope to climb aboard the 5D bandwagon soon… but honestly this camera has served me really well.

I really hope you enjoy this - it was great fun to make!

culligan commercial. Happy with the way this turned out. It was...

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:13:25 -0600

culligan commercial.

Happy with the way this turned out. It was a lot of fun to make - and I really appreciate everyone that agreed to be a part of it.

I was really happy with the way the shots turned out - everyone looked great. I also had a blast creating the ID page. hope you like it.

I shot the ID page for an upcoming series of commercials I am...

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:51:51 -0600

I shot the ID page for an upcoming series of commercials I am doing for one of the Culligan dealerships here in Oklahoma.

Last night I destroyed my dining room - and converted it into a make-shift television studio. I shot it up against a white linen at 60 fps. I used the Letus Elite - with a NIkon 50mm F2.8.

I am very happy with the results - and thought it came out quite nice…

I captured a couple of screen grabs from my upcoming short -...

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:36:53 -0600

I captured a couple of screen grabs from my upcoming short - featuring my son. It is taking on a vintage feel. And I really like the direction.

I have begun with dabbling with a little color correction - even though the edit isn’t completed. I couldn’t help myself. I find it inspiring messing around with different colors and feelings. I find myself wanting to shoot some more - to really wrap the whole film up - and put a nice bow on top. I think it perhaps needs it.

Then again - we shot exclusively at the park - and I wonder if mixing in a couple of new locations would be confusing. I really don’t think so - but it is a decision I will need to make. It’s okay though. I am not really under a lot of hefty time constraints for this.

I hope you will watch the completed film. I look forward to wrapping it up.

a couple of screen grabs for an upcoming christmas commercial. ...

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:37:03 -0600

a couple of screen grabs for an upcoming christmas commercial. I can’t believe I am already editing this stuff. this year has flown by.

** commercial is for Oklahoma Recumbent Road Bikes located in Lexington, OK.

In January - I am making the plunge, and starting a new company...

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:06:02 -0500

In January - I am making the plunge, and starting a new company - Appletree Films. Appletree will specialize in wedding and children films. (more on the kids stuff later).

I am very excited about this opportunity - and really could not have asked to have better people around me, and supporting me. I have very high hopes for the company - and hope to produce a product that people will really enjoy - and most importantly actually watch!!

We have completed the design process of our logo. I could not be more happy with the results. I think the design hits the mark, portraying what kind of company we are, and want to be.

The wedding film industry is changing. No longer is it just 3 cameras locked down during a ceremony - and you see this boring “word for word” recap of your day. Today - these films can be works of art, totally capturing the emotion of the event - in a fashion that is truly cinematic. Appletree Films expects to bring this experience to its clients, and create films that can be enjoyed for years to come.

If you, or anyone you know is having a wedding in the coming months - please let them know about Appletree Films. Right now, I am offering an insanely great introductory rate - something that if you can take advantage of - you should. It want last long.

Again — I want to thank my family for their support in this new endeavor - and I am so excited to get started.

A screen grab from the upcoming commercial for...

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 12:07:46 -0500

A screen grab from the upcoming commercial for “RENT” produced by the Pollard Theatre in Guthrie, OK.

This is untreated - and I’m honestly not sure if it will make it into the spot, but I really like the shot. I have really enjoyed playing around with the macro lately.

Nikon 50mm f1.4 macro - Panny HVX200.

I just had a spare moment during a shoot, to point the camera in...

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:09:51 -0500

I just had a spare moment during a shoot, to point the camera in a different direction, and capture this beautiful butterfly, and tiny caterpillar.

Lens - Nikon 50mm f1.4 macro
HVX200 with Letus Elite.

music - “rainy embrace” from the soundtrack pro collection. :)

So I had just a brief minute during a shoot today to grab a...

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:00:27 -0500

So I had just a brief minute during a shoot today to grab a couple of macro shots of a little caterpillar and butterfly. The College I was shooting set up a garden in the common area to attract these creatures. It was pretty neat.

I love using the macro lens. Don’t get to do it enough. Anyway here are a couple of screen grabs from what I was able to get.

This was shot with a 50mm f1.4 Nikon macro - and my Dinosaur of a camera - the Panasonic HVX-200!! Yes - I haven’t hit the DSLR game yet. And oh by the way…the HVX performed fabulously today - even in some pretty low light conditions. The downside - by the time you add the Letus and Small HD monitor to the rig - it is one heavy sucker!!

more photography from midwestmedia. shot digitally - edited to...

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:24:00 -0500

more photography from midwestmedia. shot digitally - edited to look more like film.

Video

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:53:38 -0500

I love twitter. I really do. I have got to meet some great...

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:28:00 -0500

I love twitter. I really do. I have got to meet some great people through this online resource, and have been able to talk and view work of people that I otherwise would never have been able to know.

So - one of my twitter friends - @the_director (Rob Imbs) - asked me and @MF Films (Mario Feil) to do a little color work for him, just for a little fun.

Here are a couple of screen grabs of the initial look. I guess this was shot on tape (not sure what that is!!), and frankly it kinda looks like ass. But that’s okay. It’s exactly what Rob is going for. It’s a bit of a retro-pop piece…

So Rob & Mario - let me know if you like these pics. We can change.

So I just got done creating a new commercial for the Pollard...

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 17:06:00 -0500

So I just got done creating a new commercial for the Pollard Theatre in Guthrie, OK. As always it was a lot of fun, and it’s always a pleasure to work with real actors.

So on this production, we all had our idea on how this thing would turn out, and it was all well and good, but perhaps a bit boring.

I got back in to the edit bay - and thought - wouldn’t it be nice to use the actual actors running through their scenes, rather than just a voiceover guy telling you to come to the Pollard to watch a play. I thought the performances were quite nice, and I really felt like it would lead to a more interesting piece.

I am so thankful the folks at the Pollard let me scrap the approved script, and let me go in a different direction.

The audio was picked up from the on board mic on the HVX200. Had I known we were going to actually use the live sound, I would have recorded it differently. It turned out pretty good though…and after some EQing…it worked.

I wanted to give this more of a “movie trailer” feel, so I used the 2:35 aspect ratio, which really lent itself to the feel I was after. I love ultra wide screen stuff!!

This was fun, and I can’t wait for the next production. The Pollard Theatre is going to be putting on RENT. The direction for the next commercial is going to be realy cool, and different. I am ready to go shoot that thing now!!

In the meantime, have a look, and let me know what you think. Thanks again.

My son sullivan is sick today. I feel bad. He normally never...

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:30:43 -0500

My son sullivan is sick today. I feel bad. He normally never gets sick. We have been very lucky so far, and for that I am grateful.

His mom - had to take him to the doctor - and of course, had to wait around for over an hour to actually get to see someone. I wish doctors would value other peoples time like they value there own…but I digress…

So I shot this little short of him a couple of months ago, right after I received the Letus Elite 35mm adapter. Again - I used the HV30 for this. I was just messing around, and didn’t want to risk trajedy with the HVX200 out on the lake.

So - Sullivan, I am thinking of you today, and hope you get feeling better. I love you.

I just finished doing a short called - the petroglyphs - which I...

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 11:32:41 -0500

I just finished doing a short called - the petroglyphs - which I used the HV30 with my Letus Elite attached. It was a nice set-up because we did a lot of hiking, so having a nice lightweight option was really good. And, considering it was vacation, I didn’t want to have to deal with tripods, monitors, and the like.

I was a little concerned after shooting for a couple of reasons. One — it was all handheld, so my footage was pretty darn wobbly. I ended up really exploiting this fact in the edit - even using some footage that I never thought would make it into the final cut.

two - it was so hot, we didn’t stay real long. just couldn’t do it. For example, I was using a rock to balance the camera, and act like a makeshift tripod… Well when I put my hands on the rock, it was like putting them on a stove. It burned. again — leading to shaky footage.

So this was not a proper set-up. Not in the least. But sometimes we have to make due with what we got.

I got back into the edit suite -and really want to convert the footage to 24p. I tried using Cinema Tools - but after a little bit of research I realized that it doesn’t like HDV footage.

Philip Bloom - cinematogrtapher extroidanare - helped with a fix. I used a free program called “JES Deinterlacer” to convert the footage to ProRes 422. After converting the footage to ProRes - I then dumped it into Cinema Tools to convert to 24p.

Worked like a charm. One thing I did notice was that my footage was more washed out and flat after taking it through this process. I really don’t know why, and it could definitly have been due to user error. I didn’t care much because I knew I was going to grade the film with Magic Bullet anyway.

If you are working with the Canon HV30, or any other HDV camera and want to convert to 24 frames a second - give the JES Deinterlacer a try. It’s free.

You can watch the petroglyphs by clicking HERE.

This is a new short of mine I created after a trip to the...

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:59:26 -0500

This is a new short of mine I created after a trip to the petroglyph national monument in Albuquerque, NM.

It was so hot. I thank my wife for letting us take the trip. We hung out for a little over an hour.

This was shot on a canon HV30 and my Letus Elite. I traveled light on this one - just handheld with the camera and letus - and a bag of lenses.

I just used to lenses on this short. 50mm f2.8 and a 55mm macro f1.4. I found focusing on the HV30 tough - especially outside. It worked though, and I came home whith some interesting shots.

I just really was after the vibe of the place with this short. The petroglyphs are the drawings that are believed to be written into the stone from ancient people. I wanted to capture the sense of a different world — that once had life - and now did not.

This was a bit of a stretch, because less than 5 minutes away, there were some fine residential neighborhoods! :)

Anyway - we really enjoyed our trip to New Mexico. Great People!

Jessica and I just got back from a much needed vactation. We...

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 17:18:00 -0500

Jessica and I just got back from a much needed vactation. We traveled from Oklahoma City due west - on I-40 - to Albuquerque, NM…then on up to Denver, CO.

We had a great time - and being back in civilization this Monday has been a bit of bummer. haha.

I did some minimal shooting while we were gone. I brought my Canon HV30 - and attached the Letus Elite to it. I did not bring a monitor, or tripod, as I knew the purpose of my trip wasn’t really to film.

But, I couldn’t resist - and my wife was nice enough to let me break the camera out a couple of times.

The area I was able to shoot the most at was the Petroglyoph National Park in Albuquerque. This place was pretty cool, although I don’t recommend shooting in the middle of the day. You could boil eggs on the rocks. No lie.

I didn’t really have a proper shooting set-up, and time was limited, but I think i was able to capture some pretty cool stuff while I was there. Aside from the heat - shooting conditions were ideal. I am going to do just a very quick short out of the footage I shot. nothing major.

I felt like the canon HV30 was very hard to focus outside. Maybe it was the combination of the Letus, but focusing was a bit of a chore. I had a very cool little handheld setup though - and it payed off. We probably walked about 3 miles!! My wife is such a trooper.

I wanted to shoot more in Colorado - but the weather really didn’t cooperate. It rain most the time we were there, and it just didn’t work out. I will have to go back soon, as they have a plethara of beers that I really enjoy!!

Anyway — I hope to be able to edit some tomorrow, and post online. Above are a couple of screen grabs from the trip.