A film set is a chaotic, fluid and high-pressure situation. Every member of the crew must be professional, creative, flexible, diligent and dedicated. Cameras can’t roll until the DP has prepared each shot to their satisfaction and inform the Director that the scene is ready to shoot. Every other department (set design, wardrobe, make-up, sound…) has done their job and the DP is the last person to take it all in and give the green light to start shooting.

I would like to share 3 BTS videos I edited for Shane Hurlbut, ASC during the production of “The Last 3 Minutes“…the award winning short film directed by Po Chan and one of the first films shot on the Canon 5Dmkii. I have edited over 30 Shane Hurlbut projects that he was the DP of and I know that his passion and willingness to share the knowledge he possesses is priceless. Watch the DP of over 18 feature films at work in the BTS videos below…

Shane Hurlbut movie posters of 13 of his films

13 of the 18 feature films by Shane Hurlbut

The narrative of watching an old janitor look back upon his life as he suffers a heart attack could have been told visually in many different ways. By picking the most evocative and emotional moments in his life…we learn everything about the character with almost no words spoken. This film is a journey that relies on the visual storytelling that Shane creates and it lives in total sync with the narrative that Po wrote. Together their contributions make for a fully realized vision that is greater than their separate parts. When all cylinders are firing and everyone is on the same page…the story has a resonance that is truly felt on the deepest level.

 

“The Janitor” BTS focuses on Shane and Po working out the visual angles and the lighting scenarios and how these creative decisions affect the story they are telling. It’s amazing to see what technical decisions are behind the final images.

 

“The Carnival” BTS focuses on Shane’s innovative and brilliant techniques of creating depth in a night time scene. He uses practical lights and a home-made motorized spinning contraption to emulate a carnival ride.

 

“The Baby Cam” BTS demonstrates how Shane depicted the point of view of a baby through low angle camera set-ups. It’s an immersive technique that puts the viewer right in the middle of the story.

 

These 3 behind the scenes videos give all filmmakers a detailed look into the depths of preparation and dedication that Shane Hurlbut gives every production he works on. He is a whirlwind of energy, ideas and adaptive solutions to whatever challenge is put in front of him. It’s been an honor and privilege to work and learn from him on all of our collaborations. I hope you enjoyed the BTS videos and can glean some knowledge from Shane’s trailblazing approach to filmmaking.

Here is the full short film “The Last 3 Minutes” that I edited for Shane Hurlbut, ASC and the Director, Po Chan.

 

The Hurlblog is Shane’s comprehensive website containing all his filmmaking experiences and reviews. Pure Gold.

My first blog post ever was for Shane and it turned out to be the Most Popular Post of All-Time on the Hurlblog and the #1 Google search result for “HD Color Correction”.

Until next time…

vashivisuals.com

@vashikoo