Emma Berg - Before and Afters

In our last post we debuted the final Emma Berg fashion piece.  With any video project there are always a number of steps along the way to reach the final finished motion piece.  One of the last is the color work or grading, which takes place after the edit or picture has been locked down.  Color and the creation of custom palettes for our imagery is something we spend a great deal of time finessing.  As we merged into the world of motion and film we quickly learned that color is a major step in the process, one that was much more complex than the workflow we've established for our still imagery.  Through collaboration and much conversation with people on the film side of the business we've worked to connect with "colorists," people who specialize in the color correction of film.  We've met some great people, many of which have spent years refining their craft.

The grading for the Emma Berg piece was masterfully done by colorist Sue Lakso of Crash+Sues here in Minneapolis.  During a working session with Sue, she was able to match the raw edited footage to the colored still photos we provided.  As you will see, the difference between the colored and uncolored footage is quite dramatic and emphasizes how important this final step of the process is for any motion project.

We appreciate the expertise of Sue Lakso and the collaborative spirit of everyone at Crash+Sues to help us realize the full potential of the final color work for our project.  It's one more example of how much broader and deeper the pool of collaboration exists when working in the realm of motion and film.
 

Emma Berg - Before and Afters

Emma Berg - F/W 2012 Video Premiere

While new lines are rolling out in New York, London, and Milan, it's also a big week for fashion here in Minneapolis with an ever-growing buzz amid creatives and designers alike.  MN Fashion's "The Shows" gets underway tomorrow, showcasing Spring/Summer 2013 collections from a number of local designers.

We are always on the lookout to partner and broaden our visual experiences in both the world of stills and video.  While we at JCP aren't typically riding along the front lines of the world of fashion, our latest video collaboration provided an opportunity to work closely with one of the city's most active, respected, and influential designers, Emma Berg.
  
Premiering online via the JCP Blog, the video will officially debut on the big screen this Thursday evening as a part of Minneapolis-St. Paul Fashion Week and MN Fashion's "The Shows,"  just before Emma and her Spring / Summer 2013 line hit the runway.  Shot this past Spring, the video highlights Emma's Fall / Winter 2012 line.  A common theme in her design work is the use of color or the lack thereof depending on the season and her overall vision for the collection.  The juxtapositions of her bright whimsical Fall / Winter 2012 line paired with the mute, stark backgrounds in the video emphasize Emma's creative design sense creating a playful, yet sophisticated darkness evident in many of her collections.
 
As stated in the preview post, this was an idea brought to life through the collaborative efforts of the JCP team, Grant Whittaker and Emma Berg.  Eric Schleicher / Filmerkid joined as assistant camera and JoLynn Garnes handled the edit paring our visuals with a haunting audio track by Marijuana Deathsquads. Sue Lakso, of Crash & Sues, came on board as the colorist and Danny Schmidt created the graphics closing the video.

Described as a "style-savvy art maven," Emma Berg has carved out a unique niche in not only the realm of fashion, but also works closely in the promotion and introduction of emerging artists through her website MPLS Art.  Like all of our creative endeavors we are excited and proud to have a wealth of talent so close to home to reach out to as we ourselves work to further evolve and grow.    

MN Fashion Week runs from Sept. 23rd – 30th.  Once again, be sure to check out the latest from Emma Berg this Thursday, Sept. 27th.  Events to be held at the Grain Belt Bottling House in Northeast Minneapolis.  Doors open at 6:30.

Produced & Directed  - Jonathan Chapman
Art Direction & Styling  - Whittaker Style
Editing – JoLynn Garnes
Assistant Camera – Eric Schleicher
Production – John Fontana
Talent – Arquette / Vision
Music – Marijuana Deathsquads
Graphic Animation – Danny Schmidt
Colorist – Sue Lakso / CrashnSues
Special Thanks to the Ritz Theatre

Emma Berg - F/W 2012 Video Premiere

Emma Berg - F/W 2012 Video Preview

My ideal as a designer is to appeal to the woman who is driven by the creative side of life or at least has a strong appreciation for it. -Emma Berg

This past spring we had the privilege to work with fashion designer Emma Berg on a motion piece showcasing her Fall / Winter 2012 creative collection.  The still imagery featured offers an early glimpse into the visuals we came away with.  The project came about through discussions with Grant Whittaker who describes himself as a “Fashion and Creative Catalyst.”  We had been in talks with Grant for a few months about possible opportunities to join efforts. Our backgrounds in the creative community are somewhat different, however we embraced this aspect with mutual respect for the work we’ve both created as well as the relationships and network we are always working to expand.  Partnering with Grant, and eventually Emma, opened the door to something refreshingly foreign, as our experiences have been somewhat limited in the world of fashion.  It was a great opportunity with unique challenges; the type of project we are always on the lookout for as we work to refine and expand upon our visual experiences.

We paired up Emma’s fashions with two models amid various Minneapolis locations ranging from the Ritz Theater to Harriet Island.  The stark, muted environments provided a welcome contrast to the vibrant colors of Emma’s Fall/Winter 2012 collection.  The backgrounds also highlight her sense of “sophisticated whimsy with dark undertones” - a common theme in Emma’s fashion work.  This juxtaposition of bright colors against the neutral textures may seem counter-intuitive, but works nicely with her style and is a thread that runs through her upcoming collection as well.

We are excited that our video will be hitting the big screen at MN Fashion’s “The Shows” on the evening of September 27th.  The video will introduce Emma as part of her upcoming Spring/Summer 2013 runway show.  In Emma’s new line for Spring/Summer 2013, which may have people thinking about radiant colors, Emma has moved in the opposite direction working in a more monochromatic palette reflective of her personal interpretations of current affairs in the domestic political arena.

We’ll be debuting the video on September 24th, here on the JCP Blog.  There’s a fine list of contributor’s that we look forward to recognizing and thanking.  Just like a show, this video and the collaboration around it is another opportunity for Emma, Grant, and ourselves to influence an audience, further introduce our work, and exhibit how we all continue to evolve in the creative community.
 

Emma Berg - F/W 2012 Video Preview

The Prairie House

My family and I have an annual trip, four years running, to a friend's cabin near the Hayward Lakes area of Wisconsin.  Time away from the city, gathered with friends and family at the lake is a welcome addition to summer.  We're certainly happy to have friends who generously extend invites, as this is something I have memories of and feel fortunate to share with my own kids.  One year ago this past Labor Day weekend had us cabin bound with a slight detour in our accommodation plans.  During this visit we would spend the weekend at "The Prairie House," an adjacent property near our friend's cabin that is described in the following words:

"The Prairie House, circa 1800, is located among ponds, streams, small waterfalls, and butterfly gardens.  This natural animal and bird sanctuary is surrounded by 16 acres of wavering prairie grass and wildflowers, located in the quiet isolated center of 360 acres of northern Wisconsin pine forest.  Created for solitude, harmony, history, and romance." 

This property is owned by our friend's brother Jim, who is not only a kind and generous man, but also has fine taste in design and building.  The Prairie House is a retreat of sorts, a place that invites you to take a step back, a place where time seems frozen in an era where simplicity was less about fashion and more a product of making the most of what your immediate environment had to offer.  Bearskin rugs, oil lamps, fur traps and pelts on the walls; we spent the first few hours as if in a museum--amazed at the time and thought that went into recreating the past.  

While our kids spent their time chasing through grasses, dipping toes in the front porch pond, and wrestling vintage candies from each other, my wife and I relaxed and enjoyed this little voyage to the past.  The images above capture a little slice of our time in the early 1800's and were passed along as a thank you gift.  A gift of visuals I happily spent time shooting.

The Prairie House

The Pines: "All The While"

This past Saturday the latest JCP motion collaboration took flight premiering on the big screen at the Square Lake Film and Music Festival amid an intimate backdrop of musicians and filmmakers alike.  We were fortunate to have the opportunity to debut the video at the festival as The Pines were on site and closed out the festival as the headlining musical act.

As highlighted in the preview post the project was concepted and produced in partnership with Eric Schleicher / FilmerKid and Tony Franklin + T.C. Worley of Royal Antler. 

A big thanks to David and Benson of The Pines, Red House Records, and Paul Creager of The Square Lake Film and Music Festival.  We would also like to thank Moore Creative as well as martinpatrick3.

In collaboration with The Pines, we are excited to share the official video for "All The While," from their latest album Dark So Gold. 

Watch via The Pines YouTube channel here ->

Produced and Directed - Jonathan Chapman
Editing / Second Camera - Eric Schleicher
Location Sound / Production - John Fontana
Story development / Camera - Tony Franklin, TC Worley / Royal Antler
Male Talent - Jon Walburg / Moore Creative
Props & Wardrobe - martinpatrick3

The Pines: "All The While"

Schwinn: Life's A Ride...

 

Bicycling and all aspects of it seems to be enjoying a renaissance of sorts including riders, places to ride, and how people enjoy their time on two wheels, not to mention the vast options of brands, builds, accessories and apparel.  The bicycle is definitely on the list of things we seem to take for granted since it has had such a presence in our everyday lives.  It's hard to imagine a time when it was a fairly new invention and everyone was interested in having one.

Our involvement with Schwinn Bicycles came early in 2012 through a request by the agency Boom Island to shoot lifestyle based stills and motion imagery on location in San Diego, CA.  The project encompassed settings in the urban heart of the city, residential areas, country touring and off road trails in the foothills with a variety of talent portraying the range of Schwinn riders and bicycles available to the public.  The week of production went by quickly capturing both stills and video of each proposed scenario.  Our DP, Alex Horner was brought on to capture motion visuals, doing his best to mirror and augment what was being directed for the still portion of the shoot.  Together as a team we covered off on a lot of scenes building a substantial pool of assets to build on the Schwinn library.  

The brand and name Schwinn has an interesting backstory.  One of the early leaders and standouts of the time, Ignaz Schwinn created a dynasty with his namesake, which remains a popular brand to this day.  Ignaz was a German immigrant with a background in mechanical engineering who happened to settle in Chicago before the turn of the century.  With additional financial backing from a fellow German immigrant, the Schwinn Bicycle company was founded in 1895 on the cusp of the great bicycle boom in the US.  At one point Schwinn was one of 30 factories building bicycles in Chicago trying to capitalize on the growing demand.  The opportunity to become an institution was within reach and they made it happen creating a lasting legacy which has endured to this day.  

We've been staying busy near and far shooting both still and motion based projects.  Last week we were out in San Francisco working on a video project for Target involving their C9 line of active wear.  This week we have been dividing our time between domestic animals and their owners for Purina and an agricultural project in the fields of rural Wisconsin in collaboration with Colle + McVoy.  Keep an eye out for future posts revolving around these shoots and more.

Schwinn: Life's A Ride...

Traditional & Tactile Pt. II - Cold Side Silkscreen Printing

The second half of our two part series "Traditional & Tactile" takes us to the North Loop of Minneapolis.  We were greeted by a penguin graphic logo and a handshake from Paul our contact as we entered Cold Side Silkscreen Printing.  Paul led us into his office where we discussed his involvement in the business and walked us through the silkscreen process we were about to witness. 

Descending an ancient wooden staircase, our feet landed in the basement where the screens were ready and waiting for further inspection and preparation before making the first test run.  Shimmering and translucent the screens floated by as they made their way upstairs for the operator to begin the process.  He taped off the sides and locked them down into position on one of several octopus-like arms jutting out from the center core.  With the screen in place, and palette knife loaded with thick titanium white ink, the first part of the t-shirt making process was ready to begin with the inking of the JCP badge logo.

An earlier conversation with graphic designer Jason Braun led to re-purposing the JCP badge logo and a few other existing graphic elements to devise an original t-shirt.  What better way to complement our first traditional & tactile letterpress experience with that of a custom silk-screened t-shirt bearing the logo and graphic elements of the JCP brand.

Cold Side has been in business since the mid seventies.  The environment has a laid back vibe which is a welcome nod to the era in which they began.  They always seem like they are up to something interesting and can accommodate just about any silk screen request for custom t-shirts.  

We'll be on the road next week, hitting the streets of San Francisco for Target.  The project is motion based and will have us running multiple cameras: chasing bikers, runners and walkers as well as dropping in on a staged soccer game and outdoor yoga session amid a backdrop of the Golden Gate Bridge.  It'll no doubt be a fun hustle and another interesting collaboration.

Traditional & Tactile Pt. II - Cold Side Silkscreen Printing