For the last two and a half months, I have been working with an amazing director on an incredible commercial campaign. I have not been able to tweet or blog about this incredible experience because I have been under NDA. The director’s name is Gil Cope.
Director Gil Cope and DP Shane Hurlbut, ASC
I worked with him in the early nineties, when I was starting out as a gaffer. It was so great working alongside and collaborating with Gil after all these years.
The spots are all about innovation, exploration, community service and supporting veterans. We chose a very unique way to capture this. Each tool had its place in the storytelling process. We chose the Arri Alexa as our A camera, shooting with the Codex M recorder on Arri Raw, which was done for all of the intensive visual efx work we had.
Arri Alexa with Codex M recorder unit for Arri Raw (Photo by Jose M. De Los Angeles)
Our B camera was the Canon C500 capturing this on the new Codex S recorder in full Canon RAW.
Canon C500 with Codex S recorder unit for 4K Canon Raw
Our C camera was the new Canon 1DC 4K DSLR, which was used to get in very tight places and deliver unique angles.
Canon 1DC with Panavision Mount
All of the media was downloaded, conformed and transcoded by Light Iron Digital.
What a journey this has been, traveling all over the Northwest scouting, prepping and then shooting these spots.
Director Gil Cope (Photo courtesy of Patrick Posta)
It was a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with Gil, listening to his passion for his craft, his family, and his unique abilities as an amazing photographer, which is where he started – http://www.gilcope.com. Talking on the many four hour bus rides, we really came to understand each other’s interests as well as each of our commitments to giving back.
On one bus ride, Gil read a letter to me that a Marine had sent him after he shot his wedding. I was like, “WHAT, you do weddings?” He laughed and said that it was this amazing foundation that he and his wife Andrea had founded. It was a way of giving back to the many warriors in the military service who give their lives to protect us, so that we can have many of the freedoms that we love and cherish.
The letter from this soldier was so touching. It expressed how much it meant to him, his bride and his family to have had Gil photograph his wedding. Gil shared some of the photos, and they just blew my mind. Gil is not only a master at photography; he is also a PhotoShop magician. The way he treats his digital negative is incredible.
The Warrior Wedding Project
Browse through this man’s work. It inspired me, and I feel that it will do the same for all of you.
We are all on a mission to create, tell the best stories and become talented filmmakers, but giving back is also part of the creative process. At Hurlbut Visuals, my wife Lydia and I created this blog to inspire one filmmaker at a time, giving of our time and experience. We also regularly donate equipment and resources to projects like In True Fashion, a competition-based entrepreneurial program that builds self-esteem and work ethic in low-income students through hands-on participation. I served as an in-class mentor, and we donated camera gear.
The Hurlbut Visuals team has also supported documentaries like “Waiting for Lightning,” “Secrets of the Sweat,” “Marley’s Pit Stop Rescue,” “An Unbroken Chain” and “The Bottle School Project.” We’ve recently provided camera packages for the Right to Play psa, a promo shoot for the Branson Cares telethon, and the Paddle To Live Project with Lance Armstrong.
I encourage you all to make a difference like Gil has — support a cause, give of your time, change a life, shape a person. I think this process expands your vision and makes us better human beings.