happy sauze d'oulx video production by Lightworks

Happy Sauze

The launch of Sauze d’Oulx Happy Video


Shot over five days in late April 2014 in the Italian alpine resort of Sauze d’Oulx as part of Pharrell Williams partnership with the United Nations International Day of Happiness 2014.

The video production involved over 100 people co-ordinated by co-producer, Jill Couzens, along with hotels, passes, venues and much more. My main tasks were directing, cinematography, editing and other post-production.

The weather changed pretty much every day during the shoot – from summer-like sunshine to heavy snow (by way of rain, of course!) creating its own problems that had to be overcome.

Of course, the main focus of the video is the people and they were unfailingly brilliant, helpful and ever-ready to make the video what it is.

Now we’ll be looking forward to International Day of Happiness 2015!


Technical

color grading the video in Davinci Resolve

Colour grading the video in Davinci Resolve

The video was shot using Visioncolor presets and edited in Premiere Pro CC and After Effects CC. Colour grading was done in Davinci Resolve using Visioncolor Osiris LUTs.

Further Information

Pharrell Williams website celebrating the ground-breaking video 24 hours of Happy can be found here.

More information about the United Nations International Day of Happiness can be found here and here

To get in touch about your video production needs in Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Italy or wherever – whether for tourism, business or charity, get in touch here for a chat.

Some images from the video can be seen here

Happy Sauze Video

alpine hapiness courtesy of Pharrell Williams

producing video in Italy here at the bar della seggiovia with dj ItaliaNoir

There’s been an outbreak of alpine happiness in the Italian ski resort of Sauze d’Oulx as we’ve been shooting the resort’s Happy video to help promote it in social media along with, of course, supporting the UN International Day of Happiness.

The video production team has included producer, Jill Couzens, who has been an absolute star in arranging, co-ordinating and managing which makes my job, dealing with the creative along with the technicalities in shooting the video, much easier.

Every kind of weather made an appearance – from bitterly cold blizzard conditions to bright sunshine by way of a little rain at lower levels. Being the winter season’s end was very useful in ensuring the “real” people working in the resort were available to take part – and take part they did with enthusiasm, energy and ideas.

More details soon – in the meantime here are a few screen shots to give a sample of La Vita Felice.

one of the video contributors to the video production Happy Sauze
one of the video contributors to the video production Happy Sauze
one of the video contributors to the video production Happy Sauze
video production in the alps of sauze d'oulx happy video showing premiere pro video time

Italy Commercial Photography

Photography commissions in Italy

photography in Italy, photographer in Italy, commissioned photography as well as weddings, property, events, chalet and hotel photography along with winter and summer brochures for tour operators from Piedmonte (Piemonte) to Puglia

A selection of images from previous photography commissions undertaken in Italy.

Commissioned photographic work, both editorial and commercial photography and video, is undertaken in Italy from the high Alps to Sicily (or Piemonte to Puglia), in addition to commercial photography in Devon, the South West of England and UK generally.

The images above are a small selection of (travel specific) images for tour operators and other clients along with general stock photography.

And now the test. Going in rows, from left to right, where are all these locations in bell’Italia?

1. Sorrento Coast
2. Sorrento Coast
3. Bressanone
4. Bressanone
5. Padula
6. Tuscany
7. Florence
8. Assisi
9. Bologna
10. Cremona (but could have been anywhere!)
11 Assisi
12. Assisi
13. Bologna
14. Turin
15. Isola Bella
16. Assisi
17. Assisi
18. Maratea
19. Orvieto
20. Bologna
21. Florence
22. Isola Bella
23. Lucca
24. Perugia
25. Tuscany
26. Orvieto
27. Tuscany near Pienza
28. Tuscany near Pienza
29. Bologna
30. Turin
31. Siracusa
32. Bologna
33. Bologna
34. Monreale
35. Turin
36. Ravenna
37. Ravenna
38. Somewhere in Umbria
39. Bologna
40. Bologna
41. Parma
42. Tuscany
43. Lucca
44. Valley of the Temples, Agrigento
45. San Gimignano
46. Lake Orta
47. Lake Orta
48. Lucca
49. Police in Umbria
50. Lucca
51. Valley of the Temples, Agrigento
52. San Gimignano
53. Pastoral Umbrian scene
54. Pastoral Umbrian scene
55. Lucca
56. Milan – fashion district

 

The Printer’s Art

selenium toned silver print of venice

venicepre

Is it Photoshopped? No. despite not going through Photoshop, many traditional silver-based photo prints did have alterations as this picture shows; highlights, shadows, contrast, burning-in and more – all the skills learned over time in the dark and, most, necessary adjustments from a negative or positive to craft the image.

Producing a monochrome photographic print today remains an enjoyable task, one where you can get your hands dirty and have a tangible, physical product at the end of it. Achieving a high quality print is still no mean feat. The picture above was a test exposure with comments and guidance notes for subsequent exposure/development written – even scrawled albeit artistically – in chinagraph pencil.

The paper used was Agfa’s wonderful Record Rapid which had a Baryta base and produced rich, warm blacks. The Online Darkroom suggests Agfa stopped making Record Rapid in about 2003. Apparently the original paper contained Cadmium which really isn’t something you want to be handling with bare hands. Regardless, the paper had a huge fan base and is missed.

This image was shot one early November day when the rain didn’t stop, it was cold and there was seemingly nothing that would entice you to photograph Venice, let alone be there. However, it is at times like this, when there are few tourists and everything seems to be against the photographer, that the real atmosphere of the working Venice can be felt.

Traditional photography using medium format and 35mm is one of the specialised services we are happy to offer clients in Devon and throughout the UK for specialised shoots, ad campaigns and more along with our digital work. Need convincing about the role of analogue photography in a digital age? Just have a look at the analogue work of celebrity and political photographer Platon…

The final print of this image can be seen in the Personal Work Gallery.