Last year was the first “Masters in Motion”, an event designed to educate and inspire across all levels of filmmaking and was absolute riveting. I was lucky enough to be there as a speaker so was able to watch and absorb all the amazing information and take part in the hands on portion. This year it’s slightly later in December due to the US elections but it’s in Austin so not cold at all and my dear friends Cristina and Jon have outdone themselves with the line up, it’s even better than last year with some returning faces like myself, Joe Simon and Vincent LaForet. With additions like Alex Buono, Shane Hurlbut and loads more this is a ridiculously amazing 3 day event and not to be missed. It’s also BLOODY fun. Each night is a party (although I have to admit I didn’t party much as I was knee deep editing my Redneck Hippy piece I had shot on Epic which I was using as part of my presentation).

I will be doing a session on marketing yourself and getting yourself noticed and a hands on session about “the interview”.

This year I will also be without moustache as Movember will have just finished…Jon Connor, co-founder has written this excellent break down as to why you should come. I hope to see you there!

Space is incredibly limited and it’s already 75% booked up so don’t wait too long! You can book by clicking here…

It runs from the 3rd to the 5th of December.

Masters in Motion 2012: Don’t Miss The Event of the Year!

 

We are a filmmaking team based out of Philadelphia whose work spans many genres from documentary to commercial and everything in between. We are firm believers that in order to maintain relevance and to continue to evolve that it is important to assume the role of a life-long student. The reason the event is named Masters in Motion is not that we consider ourselves “Masters”, quite the opposite in fact. Our goal is to continually strive to “master” our craft and it is our hope that others will continue to join us on this journey. We have noticed a growing trend that we have dubbed “anti-social” media. Too many people are using Twitter as a platform to argue over camera specs or to tear down others work instead of focusing on the important things. Our goal is to get back to the original social networking. Putting faces to names and building legitimate relationships in a down to earth environment devoid of egos or internet posturing.

 

Last year’s inaugural event was a huge success that resulted in the genesis of a tight knit community of like-minded creatives. Many of us have stayed in contact and have gone on to work with each other on various projects. The event itself is positioned to be more then a workshop. It’s designed to be an experience. It’s one part lecture based presentations, one part hands-on sessions and a healthy heaping dose of networking. There’s an old saying, “Opportunity doesn’t knock twice.” We don’t think it knocks at all. If you sit at home on your couch waiting for work or opportunities to come to you, well, you’re going to be waiting a long time. The biggest difference between successful people and those who aren’t, is simply showing up. Masters in Motion is a great opportunity to get outside of your comfort zone, to challenge yourself, to rub elbows with people in the creative field and get motivated. We’ve set up this years event to cover the entire process: from commercial pre-production, quoting, creative development, story construction, lighting, sound design, color,strategic marketing in the digital era and developing an effective demo reel to stand out in a saturated market. There is a constant battle between maintaining artistic integrity and making a living. We believe attendees will leave with the knowledge and inspiration to do both. Masters in Motion is designed for anyone who wants to take their productions to the next level.

 

For this year’s Masters In Motion we’re headed back to the great city of Austin, TX. This town is not only the self proclaimed “live music capital of the world” but it also features a bustling nightlife and it’s home to one of the best filmmaking scenes in the United States. In addition to over 1700 live music venues, it is also the host of festivals such as SXSW and Austin City Limits.

 

Heralded as “One of the 10 Best Theaters in the World” by CNN International, “Coolest Movie Theatre in the World” by Wired.com and “Best Theater Ever” by Time Magazine, holding the event at The Alamo Drafthouse, again, was a no-brainer. Out of any venue we have ever thrown an event at or attended, this is hands down the best. From food and beverage service right from the comfort of your seat, to the location on downtown Austin’s infamous 6th Street, it’s the perfect setting for an immersive 3 day experience.

 

We’ve put a lot of time, thought and effort into the line up and schedule. We feel extremely lucky that we were able to get all of these speakers in the same place at the same time. If you are reading this we assume you know who Philip Bloom is already. We’ve become good friends with Phil over the years and are thrilled to be able to bring him back to Austin for this. His background and extensive knowledge are always invaluable and his entertaining style of presenting information has always made him an audience favorite.

Masters in Motion – Day One from Preston Kanak on Vimeo.

Masters In Motion – Day Two from Preston Kanak on Vimeo.

Masters In Motion – Day Three from Preston Kanak on Vimeo.

 

Along with Phil this year we are happy to have:

 Shane Hurlbut, ASC will be presenting “Act of Valor: A Case Study in Out of The Box Filmmaking” and doing a hands-on session on “Storytelling with Light”. 

The American Society of Cinematographers recognized Hurlbut after his first feature film “The Rat Pack,” directed by Rob Cohen in 1998. Over the course of the next decade Hurlbut lensed seventeen additional features including “Terminator: Salvation,” and “We Are Marshall,” directed by McG, “Greatest Game Ever Played,” directed by Bill Paxton, and “Drumline,” directed by Charles Stone III. The highly anticipated “Act of Valor,” directed by Scott Waugh and Mike McCoy, details the covert operations of the US Navy SEALS. The film was shot primarily on the Canon 5D Mark II camera and was the first HDSLR full-length feature released by a major studio.

Hurlbut balances shooting features with commercial work, using his diverse skill set to maximize short form campaigns. His credit list includes: Marines For Us All, Case IH, Game of Thrones, Visa, Coca-Cola, Verizon, American Express, US Navy, Discovery, Big Love, and Deadwood. Hurlbut has also worked with music legends The Rolling Stones, Nirvana, and Smashing Pumpkins. He is signed as commercial director with Bandito Brothers.

 

Vincent Laforet will be presenting “Deconstructing the Demo: How to Stand Out in a Saturated Market”.

Vincent, a three-time winner at the prestigious 2010 Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, is a director and Pulitzer Prize–winning photographer who is known for his forward-thinking approach to image-making and storytelling. In addition to having been commissioned by just about every important international publication—including Vanity Fair, The New York Times Magazine, National Geographic, Sports Illustrated, Time, Newsweek, and Life—Vincent is considered a pioneer both for his innovative tilt-shift and aerial photography and in the field of HD-capable DSLR cameras. In fact, his short film Reverie, the first 1080p video shot with a still camera, was viewed more than 2 million times on the first week of its release in 2009. Vincent is a member of the Director’s Guild of America and a DP with Local 600.

 Alex Buono will be presenting “Visual Story Construction”.

Alex’s early post-collegiate years were spent on the camera crews of studio films including Twister, Conspiracy Theory, and Armageddon, learning from top ASC cinematographers and personal mentors including Conrad Hall, Don Burgess, Dean Cundey and John Schwartzman. Soon after, Alex became a full-time cinematographer of indie films, music videos and as the Director of Photography for the Saturday Night Live Film Unit. In 2003, Alex received an Oscar® Nomination for the short film Johnny Flynton, which he photographed and also produced. Alex repeated the dual role of cinematographer and co-producer on Green Street Hooligans, about London’s football-gang subculture, which won both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the 2005 South By Southwest Film Festival. Following, Alex wrote, produced and shot the documentary feature Bigger Stronger Faster*, which premiered in competition at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and was picked up by Magnolia Pictures and distributed worldwide. In 2009, Alex’s 10th season with Saturday Night Live marked his first experimentation with the DSLR format, shooting the show’s title sequence and most of the season’s commercial parodies with the Canon 5D MKII and 7D. Alex continued his experimentation with DSLRs as the 2nd Unit DP for the ABC drama series Detroit 187, and later for the NBC pilot Chicago Fire. Alex also shot the network debut of the new Canon C300 for an SNL commercial parody, and has continued to use the C300 for his work at SNL, where he recently wrapped his 14th Season with the show. Alex is a member of the International Cinematographer’s Guild, the International Documentary Association and the Writer’s Guild of America.

Ian Vertovec will be presenting “Color”.

A Chicago native, Ian Vertovec studied photography at Southern Illinois University before transitioning to producing, directing, and editing the PBS syndicated news magazine “alt.news”. Along with co-producer Michael Cioni, Ian won a combined four Regional Emmys for his work on the series from 1999 through 2001. He later went on to co-found PlasterCITY Digital Post in Hollywood with Cioni in 2003, and helped build the company into an industry leader in file-based post production, ranging from visual effects to digital intermediate. At Light Iron since 2009, Ian has worked on dozens of music videos and commercials, with his most recent feature colorist credits being “Odd Thomas” from action maestro Stephen Sommers and “The Lords of Salem” from horror visionary Rob Zombie. Ian’s collaboration with Director David Fincher & DP Jeff Cronenweth on “The Social Network” and “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” has been recognized with two consecutive ASC and Oscar® nominations for Best Cinematography.

Craig Berkey will be presenting “Sound Design”.

Craig is a sound designer and mixer based in Canada. Craig is a 3 time Oscar nominee. His credits include feature films like The Tree of Life, No Country for Old Men, True Grit, A Serious Man, and X-Men . He also has experience in television with shows such as Family Guy and Spawn. Craig’s vast experience and diverse body of work crosses many genres and is impressive, to say the least. For those filmmakers that want to take their sound to the next level, his vast wealth of knowledge and experience will be invaluable.

 

Joe Simon will be presenting “Creative Development of Commercial Work” and doing a hands on session “Utilizing Natural Light”.

Joe is a filmmaker, extreme sports enthusiast and co-founder of Mutiny Bikes, a BMX bike company and riding team. Joe’s true passion for filmmaking led him to create Joe Simon Films in 1999. His current cine-doc productions include HD, super 8mm and 16mm film. Joe’s international filmmaking work has earned him multiple awards including EventDV magazine’s “Top 25″ two years in a row. Joe’s latest endeavor, The Delivery Men, is a production company offering services from conception to delivery. He’s worked for clients such as Remington, The NFL, Etnies Shoes, and RedBull. His background spans many genres and that diversity combined with his talent as a filmmaker has made him one of the most in demand educators in the industry.

Konrad Czystowski will be presenting “Art and Science of Storytelling” and doing a hands on session “Maximizing Your Coverage”.

Konrad has taken the event filmmaking industry by storm in a relatively short time. He has been producing beautifully crafted images, crazy steadicam work and mind blowing Same Day Edits across the world. In his relatively short career, Konrad has shot and produced wedding films, national commercials, and promotional films for major tv networks.

His talents have been recognized when he was announced as one of the TOP 25 Hottest Event Filmmakers on the planet by EventDV Magazine, twice in a row. Konrad has travelled across five continents both shooting and sharing his knowledge and skills with the desire to see the event filmmaking industry develop and get the recognition it deserves.

Tatjana Greene will be presenting “Commerical Pre Production and Quoting” and doing a hands on session “Set Design”.

Tatjana has been creating ideas, designs and strategies for the cinema, advertising + design industries for close to a decade now. Having worked with clients and agencies in Dubai, Berlin, New York, San Francisco, L.A and her home base of Toronto, she has had her hand in everything from Directing commercials to designing brands; creating set design ideas to educating about business; consulting companies on their work to date and creating new directions for them.

Her expertise in branding and design has seen her speak and consult on the subject around the world from Australia to Paris and wide swaths of North America. She has become an in-demand voice on the scene, bringing with her award winning strategies and ideas she’s created along the way for such clients as Toyota, Nike, NFL Network, Callaway and Apple. She has also taken this big agency experience and applied it to her work with smaller film studios like stillmotion, FreshSox, MYW Films, Confetti, Threaded Films and many more.

Mike Sutton will be doing a hands on session on the Phantom Flex.

Mike has vast experience as a shooter and editor including dozens of commercials, music videos, movies, corporate and spec spots. He has developed a reputation as one of the top go to guys for advising on film/video and high-speed projects in New England with over 20 years in the business as a director of photography, A Camera Op, Steadicam op, shot rigger and editor. Mike also works at Rule Boston Camera.

Clients include but are not limited to: Viacom, Federal Bureau of Investigations, US ARMY, CBS, NBC, ABC, Warner Brothers, MTV, VH1, Showtime, CBS, FOX, The Discovery Channel, TLC, Miramax, A&E, Wax Trax Records, Caravan Pictures, Disney, Saatchi & Saatchi, McKinney & Silver, Kempertrautmann, Ford Racing, Audi and Jaguar Land Rover of North America to name a few.

 

 

 

Masters In Motion from Cristina Valdivieso + Jon Connor on Vimeo.