Boat Safety begins not with oars, but with determination and courage. Each vessel, port and starboard, must be deemed seaworthy. Each sailor in aforementioned vessels employ must be judged by a court of the deep seas as being buoyant and intrepid. For every barnacle accounted, there must be a jib, pulley, and aft. When the nigh winds howl at ye wooden leg, a boat safety expert must welome them not with merely a grimace, but a defiant scowl, your good eye glistening with the grit of the anticipation of battle. To safely maneuver a boat from one channel to another strait, from these waters to those shores, from bay to bight to tomorrow’s evanescent anchorage, a true practitioner of boat safety must muster an unparalleled depth of knowledge of all things life preserver, choke, and mast. Unto each sail, may ye flap in safe waters, and unto each mooring may ye sway in safe harbor, for where the creed of boat safety travels, thereunto all men shall be safe boating.
All posts in Cinematography
Jimmy Fallon Makes Blake Shelton Try Sushi
I really enjoyd working on this digital short that I helped shoot for the The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon – Directed by Dan Opsal and created by an amazing crew, this shoot was a lot of fun to be on.
Both cast and crew were laughing the whole time, and the edit came out funny and seamless. Not bad for a day’s worth of work by some very talented people!
Rad Dads
Fathers day is almost upon us, and in true media fashion so are father’s day videos. Here’s one I am thirlled to say I had the good fortune to work on as cinematographer. These dads look super sweet in drippingly smooth 180 fps, frolicking with their daughters near the Brooklyn waterfront.
Shot for Refinery29 and directed by the always talented Kirk Larsen, this video was a pleasure to work on and twice the pleasure to watch!
U2 Busks in NYC Subway in Disguise
This shoot was an incredible prank of epic proportions. During their week with the Tonight Show, rock legends U2 decided to busk in the NYC subway in disguise, and we filmed it! A sound like you’ve never heard on a subway platform, U2 exploded their dulcet tones onto an unsuspecting and mind-blown audience.
When they removed their costumes and Jimmy came out as the announcer, a curious audience became a wild one and the rest of the 15 minute concert became an impromptu, energy-fueled rock fest. 5 DSLR’s, 3 Iphones, 1 GoPro, and one pair of spy glasses (and an amazing audio mix) attest to that – click play!
Jack Black and Jimmy Fallon: More Than Words
Having the opportunity to work for the Tonight Show occasionally is a true pleasure, but on days like this one it is also an honor. Jimmy brought in Jack Black to recreate, frame by frame, the music video of “More Than Words” by Extreme
I was lucky enough to film one of three cameras, and watch true comedic genius unfold at a stone’s throw. Check out the video for the original song to see how detailed and awesome this recreation is – all it’s missing is Jack Black’s tongue twistingly hilarious stank face.
I Hate Being Single Season 2 Ep4:
Rob Michael Hugel makes web series like a popcorn maker makes popcorn, but instead of popcorn they are 8-10 minute mini masterpieces of ironic comedy and brooklyn-warped giggles. Of course with cinematography by moi.
Here, in episode four, Rob hangs out with a friendly dude who lives a super relaxing lifestyle outside of Williamsburg – wait, what’s the catch? Press play to find out!
I Hate Being Single S2 Episode 3:
Rob Michael Hugel don’t stop, won’t stop, and don’t even know how to begin how to quit! And I can’t stop filming it! Cinematography by me on this RMH gem from season two of I hate being single!
Here, in episode three, Rob dates a sassy woman with a mysterious job that holds juicy surprises. After you finish reading this fortune cookie description, please watch to learn more and also to laugh!
I Hate Being Single S2 Episode 2: Marriage Meat
I’m super excited that new episodes of I Hate Being Single (season two) are being released. The brainchild of Rob Michael Hugel and featuring cinematography by yours truly (me, duh!), this show is not only funny but also super-duper fun! Here’s the link to episode one in case you missed it!
Here, in episode two, Rob has a hallucinatory episode during which he just nearly gets fake married? What the WTF does that mean, you ask? Only one play-button way to find out, my friend!
Who Are You? – As seen on MTV’s Made
Two years ago I filmed a short episode of Rob Michael Hugel’s webisode I Hate Being Single that was intended to air in an upcoming episode of MTV’s Made. The episode was put on hold and then never aired sadly…until last week! Out of the blue comes our short, resurrected from the grave and on national television! Yahoo!!!
Filmed on a chilly Williamsburg day in 2012, this short is a sweet exploration of puppy love gone wrong, and done so right. Sometimes you have to learn the hard way – no – wait – every single time. Great work Rob! Can’t wait for season two, filmed last winter and coming out January 2015 to an internet near you!
George Burton Quintet LIVE at Smalls ~ Stuck in the Crack from Boat Safety Films on Vimeo.
George Burton Quintet LIVE at Smalls ~ Stuck in the Crack
Last May I had the great pleasure to direct a three camera shoot for the explosive pianist George Burton. Set at Smalls Jazz Club, one of New York’s most famed and dynamic jazz rooms, the George Burton Quintet played with energy and gusto.
This was the first song of the night, written and arranged by George. Entitled “Stuck in the Crack”, the song explodes out of the gate as the band members show off their chops and chemistry in a dizzying display of musical synergy.
House of Cue Cards
As always, it is a pleasure and a treat to film for the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Here’s a fab little sketch I worked on earlier this month parodying the popular Netflix series House of Cards. Jimmy plays the role of Frank Underwood, and hilarity ensues. Click here for part 2 of 2 to see the dramatic conclusion!
George Burton Quintet live at SMALLS ~ Us from Boat Safety Films on Vimeo.
George Burton Quintet Live at Smalls ~ Us
Recently I had the great pleasure to direct a three camera shoot for the explosive pianist George Burton. Set at Smalls Jazz Club, one of New York’s most famed and dynamic jazz rooms, the George Burton Quintet played with energy and gusto.
This was the third song from the second set, written and arranged by George himself. Entitled Us, the song weaves pensively in and out of sine curves of emotion.
I Hate Being Single in Tribeca Film Festival!
Brainchild of Rob Michael Hugel, the hilarious web series “I Hate Being Single”, which I had the pleasure to film, is now featured in the Tribeca Film Festival’s online offering HERE. A tale of missed connections and the search for love set in modern-day Williamsburg, IHBS serves up equal portions of irony, spot-on improvisation, and quirky Seinfeld-meets-Curbed story lines.
The episode featured in the festival is is EP 1 of Season 2, but you can see all of the IHBS catalogue (season 1!!!) and more HERE on their youtube page. Don’t forget to check out the instagram feed as well for continual updates and behind the scenes moments. Super fun you guys!!!
Wastepaper Basketball
It’s been an exciting transition recently as the Late Show with Jimmy Fallon has become The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. It’s always a pleasure to be on shoots with the talented comics and crew there, but this one was a new level of fun.
Featuring LeBron James as “The Accountant”, and spoofing a retro video by Kurtis Blow, Wastepaper Basketball crumples all previous standards in comedy/basketball spoofing and deposits them neatly into the nearest rubbish bin. I gleefully operated one of the cameras.
#Hashtag2
This video is the second installment in the very popular Hashtag series (see Timberlake) that I was fortunate enough to shoot for the newly christened Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
Featuring Jonah Hill of cinema fame, this incarnation of Hashtag also guest stars a very famous surprise cameo at the very end. Watch all the way through to find out who, and don’t forget your popcorn tub!
#Hashtag with Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake
Among the multitudes of shoots I’ve done, this one in particular stands out as possibly one of the most fun times on set…ever.
With direction from Dan Opsal and funny language from Mike DiCenzo, Justin and Jimmy drip with pure comedy juice. The only thing funnier than watching the cut of this skit was actually being there to see it behind the camera. And yes, the cookies were #delicious.
Change Generation | Skylar Tibbits from BFD Productions, LLC. on Vimeo.
Self Assembly Lab
Earlier this summer I had the pleasure of shooting in Boston with long time collaborators BFD Productions. We visited Skylar Tibbets at MIT and learned more about 4D printing.
What is the 4th D? Time. Materials that change over time. Structures that are programmed to mutate and self assemble. Amazing. See the original article on Fast Company here: http://www.fastcoexist.com/3017126/change-generation/new-mit-3-d-printing-innovations-create-printable-objects-that-assemble-th
Joking Bad (Fallon Breaking Bad spoof)
Last month I had the pleasure of operating camera for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon’s Breaking Bad spoof: Joking Bad. Shot over a period of several weeks, this epic goof was a true pleasure to work on.
Written by Dan Opsal and Mike DiCenzo, and directed by Dan Opsal, Joking Bad pays serious attention to sets and costumes in creating a side-splittingly accurate comedy-world depiction of Fallon’s Walter White. Keep an eye out for the real Breaking Bad cast cameos!
Change Generation | Super Sprowtz from BFD Productions, LLC. on Vimeo.
Super Sprowtz
Some vegetables are green, some are orange, and some vegetables are six foot tall and memorize dance routines…wait…what?!?
Last spring I filmed this short for BFD productions for one of their ongoing series for Fast Company. Led by Radha Agrawal, Super Sprowtz is a vegetable puppet troupe that claims to “change children’s health one vegetable at a time.” Click HERE for the full article.
