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@secroner
Wrapping "Moment of Clarity": Some Moments Behind-the-Scenes
Principal photography is finally wrapped on “Moment of Clarity”! This independent film began shooting in December around the Aliquippa and Anchorage areas outside of Pittsburgh, using a small crew of local filmmakers and an ensemble cast to bring the script to life.Here’s a collection of Behind-the-Scenes photos and shenanigans from the production! Keep an eye out for further information once the…
Casually Operating 3 Cameras at Once
Here are a couple photos from my wedding setup the other weekend. For this, I used a three-camera setup, all hooked through wireless video transmitters and into an ATEM for live video switching. Separate audio was recorded through a Zoom field recorder, sent from the live PA system. Redundant recordings were done via the Video Assist ISO and on each camera. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a power…
Music Video Animated Promo (Nephele - "Apples & Oranges")
A few years ago, I helped produce the music video "Apples & Oranges" for my good friends in the band Nephele. I had a lot of fun with the experience, since it was one of the first times I had gotten a chance to have full creative control over a music video shoot (though I was pretty green to the process). The boys in Nephele were very helpful and we shot some great content that I eventually edited into the full video that was published to YouTube.
At the time, I had the idea to add a cool, retro introduction to the video using motion graphics and a couple special effects. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, I had to scrap the idea. I was so very proud of the final product, yet still regretted missing the chance to tinker with some more involved effects for the video.
Luckily, I recently had the time to revisit my original idea and apply it to the footage from the beginning of the music video. You can now see the effects video in all of its "old school" glory on my YouTube page! Check it out and let me know what you think!
If you really dig the promo for the band and the song "Apples & Oranges", check out more music from Nephele on their YouTube (including the full "Apples & Oranges" music video) and wherever you listen to your music (Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, etc)! Special thanks to those guys for continuously being supportive with new opportunities to create content for them. I hope you enjoy this promo as much as I enjoyed creating it!
Follow Nephele here!
Keeping It Steady: Filming with a Gimbal (Highlight Reel)
As I look back at previous film and video productions, I was reminded of the challenge and the fulfillment of working with a camera gimbal. This camera technology has always been a bit foreign to me for the past decade. I have worked with several professionals that are well-versed in gimbal and steadicam systems, often in a supporting role, yet I have never had the opportunity to operate a similar system. Recently, I finally had the chance to work extensively with a camera gimbal.
For a quick and simple explanation, the purpose of a gimbal or steadicam is to smooth video footage while operating a handheld camera by compensating for the movements of the camera’s operator. There are several advanced gimbal systems that electronically calibrate and balance camera movement, which is mounted to the gimbal.
Last fall, I had the opportunity to shoot a short film for the 48 Hour Film Project in Pittsburgh. Our goal for the film was to shoot it entirely on a gimbal with the facade that the film is shot in a single take, meaning the camera moves with the story and characters in real-time. Think of how the movie Birdman (2014) was shot (and if you’ve never seen Birdman, do yourself a favor and add it to your watchlist). Our production team chose to adopt that sort of method of filming.
For our production, The Fatal Burden of Educating Children in the Time of the Undead (2023), I decided to use the DJI Ronin RS 3 Pro gimbal stabilizer paired with my Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema 6K Pro camera. Initially, it proved to be a challenge to understand gimbal calibrations, but our camera team was able to overcome difficulties and film a fantastic little film based on our own constraints.
I decided to put together a little highlight reel that shows off some of my favorite shots from that film, as well as footage that I shot for another project that utilizes the gimbal. Check out the video, which is now live on the Cipher Eye Media YouTube page! From my experiences I hope to produce more camera shots like this in the future and share more of my work with you!
That's Wrap for Fort Pitt Motel (Behind-The-Scenes April 13th and April 14th)
The second weekend of filming for the Fort Pitt Motel pilot has concluded and I’m excited to announce that we have wrapped production! Currently, Joseph Bucci is hard at work editing the footage, which will then be used to market the series to those who are interested in contributing in the production of further episodes.
I don’t currently have any new information about the project, but if you’d like to participate in a test screening, the production team is looking for volunteers to sign up! Please check out the link below for more information.
https://forms.gle/ht99aHgbEUswShBQA
In the meantime, check out some behind-the-scenes photos from April 13th and April 14th! I’m so glad that I got to work on this project as the Director of Photography and make something with a group of very talented filmmaking friends and colleagues!
2024 marks a new chapter in my creative journey, as I take the time to evaluate my career goals, my creative projects, and the time that I have available to me. During January, there were quite a few changes in my personal life that were both scary and exciting. As things calmed down and I have gotten a handle on adapting to those changes, I've begun to focus on a few items that fell lower on my priority list.
First, you'll notice that the website has had a giant overhaul from its previous iteration. I decided that it was important to consolidate and simplify both my portfolio and the content that I produce under the banner of "Cipher Eye Media". For this to happen, I chose to combine both of my websites. Going forward, both "Steven E. Croner" and "Cipher Eye Media" will be under the same house. They will only be separated by how I am producing or collaborating on content going forward.
For example, if I'm working on somebody else's project, it's not going to be "a Cipher Eye Media production". I am only part of a larger crew of very talented individuals and only play a very small role in that project. Content that I am solely producing, such as "Decipher the Media Podcast" will continue to have the "Cipher Eye Media" name attached to it. Simple, right? I hope so. Speaking of the "Decipher the Media Podcast", I realize that the podcast has been dormant for quite a while. I plan to bring it back and produce new episodes in my new studio with some new recording gear. I'll post more once I have an idea of when "Season 2" of the podcast is ready to drop!
While I've been spending time updating my website and showcasing new projects, I also posted a new highlight reel of my most recent work! All of the work in the reel is footage that I shot, and in some instances (like the podcast clips) produced myself! The reel also includes some shiny new motion graphics and logo designs that I recently created! Check it out and let me know what you think!
I'm very proud of the work I've done over the past couple of years and so lucky to have the opportunity to work with some many talented individuals! I hope to continue to produce more content like that in the years to come and create many meaningful relationships with fellow creatives! If you'd like to reach out to me about any collaboration opportunities, feel free to contact me on my website or email me at [email protected].