SW Michigan Tourism — Commercial

The nature of this business often involves a great deal of travel, so I was excited to get to produce a project in my own backyard! Director, Kyle Bainter, and I welcomed the opportunity to encourage tourist activity in beautiful Southwest Michigan where we both live, and worked with the agency and client to identify which tourist attractions to feature. Then we discussed the game plan with DP Spencer Meffert and decided that the most efficient way for us to manage the logistical hassle of location hopping would be to shoot almost entirely on a Steadicam with the added Arri Trinity Rig (the first 5 axis hybrid camera stabilizer that combines classic mechanical stabilization with advanced active electronic stabilization). The Trinity Rig (used in the filming of 1917, which claimed an Oscar for best cinematography) worked flawlessly and we used it for nearly every shot.

The 30 second commercial shot over the course of three days: two with full crew and principal talent, and one for drone work. Our greatest challenge was to feature fall colors because the autumn weather hadn’t gotten cold enough for the leaves to turn. We waited as long as possible to film our drone shots, but unfortunately a cold snap came so fast that we didn’t have much of a fall that year. Cue Nolo Digital, a Post-Production Color Grading House based in Downtown Chicago. Kyle and I sat in to watch colorist Ellliot Rudmann meticulously enhance the commercial by editing tree leaves into perfect fall hues, capturing every detail right down to leaf colors in window reflections. I remember Kyle joking that we didn’t even need to film at the correct time of year anymore–we could just hire these guys to color correct for any season!

My wedding and honeymoon took place during the last two weeks of prep, and the day after our return from Italy I went straight into production. Due to this logistical challenge, I front loaded as much of the pre-production as possible so I could relax and enjoy our honeymoon, but my lovely wife graciously supported me taking a few meetings during our vacation. The schedule and demands of this career can be hard on families and relationships, and it takes a lot of sacrifice to create the art we make. So a big shout out to all the amazing cast and crew who worked tirelessly at each location to make it happen. I was honored to play a part in showcasing the beauty of SW Michigan to the world.