Adam DuBrowa shoots with a pair of Nikon D-3 full-frame SLRs. As a DP with a career emphasis on documentary production, he lenses assignments for National Geographic, Discovery Channel and Fortune 500 companies on expeditions in science, nature, weather and social endeavors. Shooting high speed sequences of the latest technologies aboard the F-22 Raptors, F-18 Hornets, stealth fighters, Blackhawks, Seahawks and a diverse fleet of FEMA disaster operations aircraft has also proven him an accomplished aerial cinematographer.
While documenting the
riparian corridors of California after severe winter weather caused flooding,
landslides, and mudslides to the region, my work took me to places in six
counties in advance of spring's bloom. I was to document the damages associated
with flooding, and the response to those communities and public entities that
were affected. In doing so, I grew a profound appreciation for the desert, and
the wildlife that live in the unforgiving dynamic environment.
I began to see things in my
steps in search of the water's source, high notes of nature, and witnessed the
gentle birth of the spring season. I saw nature coming out of its slumber, transforming
into spring, and I witnessed the sun grow the flowers, which grew the
pollinators, which grew the predators. I was inspired by the quiet, simple, and
beautiful world of the desert.
Adam is freelancing at Backyard Productions in Venice, CA and
completed principal photography on the feature documentary “Tapped,” an inside
look into the bottled water industry. His photography for a special National Geographic Society documentary on Grizzly Bear attacks comes out next
month. Currently, Adam is deployed on assignment photographing the Calexico,
California 7.2 magnitude earthquake for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Learn more about his documenting the damage, as well as the federal, state, and local response to the
disaster here.
What happens when an everyday slacker gets his helium
dose wrong? HELIUM MAN. Also the first narrative short by Backyard director
Nick Piper which recently debuted with rave reviews in the comedy genre at the
Beverly Hills Short Film Festival (and moving on to the prestigious Atlanta
Film Festival later this month).
Transitioning to shorts has been a long time coming for
the director who specializes in special effect commercials. But, it wasn't
until he had a dream based around the concept of losing gravity that gave him
an idea worth committing to.
"Stock markets were crashing, the world was
spiraling into a recession. What next?" he said, "No more
gravity?" It turns out that making one person float is a bit less
complicated than making gravity disappear altogether, and so the adventures of
Helium Man began.
For Nick, the easiest part was writing the story. On the
contrary, "Producing the bloody thing," he says in his 'Home of Chip
Butties' North England accent, wasn't exactly a walk in the park. Not to mention
organizing technocranes, multiple camera crews, a rigging crane (the same one
that made Tom Hanks weightless in Apollo 13), and nearly 100 extras.
"I'm getting a producer for the next one," says
Nick of the short which would have cost nearly $2M if it weren't for lots of
helpful folks in the industry who volunteered time and gear.
Gianna Todaro, daughter of long time Backyard freelancer Joel Todaro and his wife Krystyne, chows down in style sporting her Backyard Wear! Get it Little G!
Jeffrey Karoff is directing an HIV PSA awareness spot called, Get A Room.
"I wanted to capture that blush of first lust and the inappropriate public behavior that accompanies it," Karoff says of the PDA laden PSA.
With the technique, inspired by Hockney’s photo collages, every image is a paste-up of multiple, motion frames highlighting the ‘It’s only you and me, babe’ feeling of young lust.
Using the Canon 5D has proven to be the perfect tool.
"When I’m out there, I look like a still photographer. My location scouts consist of me setting up a tripod to see if anyone kicks me out. So far, I’ve been pretty lucky. It’s been a liberating job in that I am shooting this myself, often with one assistant,” says the director.
New York editor Brandon Beck will do the composites and editing. The project is shooting over a long time span – Karoff will shoot a scene or two a week, then send to Beck for assembly – and so the interaction is lively. What a luxury.
We at Swell make it our passion to take your project to the next level. We are firm believers that stock music most times does not achieve your artistic goals; at best it dilutes the vision your team has spent long hours perfecting. We all live, breathe, and sleep music, and would enjoy nothing more than to “add more cowbell”, on all musical creative levels, to your work.
Swell turns out cutting-edge tracks for an impressive client list (AT&T, Ubisoft, Pepsi, MTV, BET) on nationwide spots and on music videos for artists such as Beyonce, Common,and Ludacris.
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