"of Feather & Brace"

"There is a passion for hunting something deeply implanted in the human breast." - Charles Dickens

Every year around this time as the air becomes crisp and colors fall from their lofty heights to the audible crunch beneath your feet, we know it is time once again for the age old tradition of hunting. It marks the passage of one season in time to the next for many who inhabit life in the Midwest.

Although we are from the Midwest, it's a far off assumption that we are all avid hunters and have knowledge that runs deep in this area. The subject of hunting and its importance to this region came to us in a roundabout way a number of years ago during the initial stages of casting for a print based project. We were in search of male talent during the height of hunting season and much to our surprise it was difficult to find men available for modeling via our local talent resources. Ultimately we did end up with our talent, but it was more of a process than we had anticipated due to the popularity of the hunting season.

To date, "of Feather & Brace" is one of the lengthiest projects we have undertaken, beginning as a kernel of an idea this time last year. It is also one of the most collaborative pieces we have been involved with. From beginning to end, this project has brought together several masters of their craft spanning the filming, on location sound capture, editing, grading, sound design, graphics, and animation of what would be the final piece "of Feather & Brace." While those of us involved are not hunters ourselves, we knew there was a visual story to tell as well as a level of passion and devotion that carries from one generation to the next. Nick Nalezny, our subject as well as the location he recommended could not have been a better fit for the narrative we set out to explore and document.

Editor Steve Shepherd "Shep" of Spotnik commented on the creative editing process.

"The footage really lent itself to a natural, gentle weaving. The opportunity to blend images in a classic way was evident when first seeing the dailies. Because of the strong point of view, and rich varied compositions, it was fun to play with the three different areas: Home Base, getting to "the spot", and being at the spot. Playing not only with the framing, but depth of the shots, letting some of the cuts (or transitions) happen within a shot through a focus shift or movement of a tree or person."

Through Steve we were connected with Oscar Oboza, an expert colorist at Pixel Farm who we were excited to hear was interested in working on the grading / coloring of the project. Oscar provided great insight and perspective, bringing the color to a point that matched the look and feel of the color we attained with the stills we had shot and colored for reference.

Once we had picture lock on the edit and the color work was underway, we connected with Dave Schroeder of Pilotvibe to finesse the ambient location and interview audio captured by Patrick Schaefer. Dave was able to shape the audio in his own unique way adding an ethereal element to the piece as a whole. The original music and reverberating narrative take this project to another level in terms of blending the visuals with the creative element of custom sound design. Eight Hour Day was once again tapped for the design of graphics and credits. Elemental Motion Media brought the graphic design work to life through animating the various components as they do so well.

Every element in the process of creating "of Feather & Brace" has been crucial to the overall final picture. We couldn't have accomplished this without everyone's involvement from concept to the finished project featured here. A heartfelt thank you to everyone we worked with.

We would also like to thank Tony Franklin for his insight, enthusiasm, and dedication to the creative process to help bring this idea from the sketch pad to the screen as a completed motion piece.

Enjoy and please spread the word of this project's launch. A behind the scenes edit is being cut and will be posted in days ahead shedding further light on our time exploring life through the eyes of those that carry on this fall tradition.

"of Feather & Brace"

Earnestine & Hazel's

The South- where roots, place, family, and tradition are the essence of identity. - Unknown

A few weeks back a project for Target's RED magazine had us traveling once again down to the Target House in Memphis, TN. No doubt it’s a favorite location to spend a few days working, as well as time experiencing this fine slice of southern living. While in Memphis, we were fortunate to secure access and spend an afternoon shooting stills + motion at the legendary Earnestine & Hazel's.

The passage of time leaves its mark on places we inhabit, and in turn upon those who inhabited these spaces. Earnestine and Hazel’s at 531 South Main Street in downtown Memphis, TN (having a colorful history as a sundry shop, bar, hotel, and brothel to name a few) is one of these places that has been around long enough to fill volumes with tales of triumph, defeat, jealousy, reconciliation, love won, love lost. It’s a breath of old, fresh air that circulates a certain mystique of smells, sounds, and visuals to all who enter the front door - the wealthy, the poor and everyone in between.

The building containing Earnestine & Hazel’s speaks for itself and the location made for the perfect setting for the test shoot we put together including two local models and a talented wardrobe stylist. Our talent Kaycee and Cassie were wonderful to work with and fit nicely within our vision of this project. Sona Amroyan brought many options for wardrobe and as a fashion designer herself, pulled a few original pieces from her collection to augment what we already had in mind. The still and motion visuals captured are different from what we have done in the past. We implemented a variety of light modifiers, which added to the overall look and helped us push this project in a new direction. The importance of testing is still paramount for us in an effort to create new looks and try out new ideas. There is no fail in a test only learning and building upon a foundation of the tried and true.

Enjoy a slice of life from a historical venue in Memphis, and be sure to check out the next post when we unveil the long awaited “Of Feather and Brace” a motion based tale of hunting one year in the making.

Earnestine & Hazel's

Land O' Lakes in PA...

"Farming looks easy when your plow is a pencil, and you're a thousand miles from the corn field." - D. Eisenhower

It feels as if we've been on the road more than in town these past few months. Travel has taking us nearly everywhere, from east to west and from urban to rural. A late summer project for Land O' Lakes via Colle+McVoy brought us to the beautiful countryside of middle Pennsylvania. We spent two days profiling two dairy farm families that have been associated with Land O' Lakes for many years.

We were tasked with creating stills with guidance from our art director Barrett Haroldson who designed the "Our Story," section of the Land O' Lakes website shown above. Despite the early mornings and late evenings the days went by quickly. Mike, Maria, and their four children were more than gracious with their time. Rural Pennsylvania could not have been a better backdrop to spend a couple of days. Work rarely seems like work amid environs such as this.

We have a backlog of new work and some interesting blog posts in line for weeks ahead. On deck, a lifestyle + fashion based project shot in a former Memphis brothel. The next JC|P Motion installment "Of Feather & Brace," will follow. A short narrative profiling the life of a hunter alone in the woods with his black lab, "Lady."

Land O' Lakes in PA...