On Monday, I posted an interview with Art Streiber about shooting Wired’s first motion cover (for the September 2010 issue). Today, Adam Grossman of Good Dog Media, who served as DP and editor on the project, talks about some of the technical aspects, his views on the role of motion in the photography industry, and his longtime association with Art.
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Adam Grossman on the set of the Wired shoot. Photo by blakefarrington.com.
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Stockland Martel Blog: Art mentioned that you guys created a multi-camera setup for the shoot but discovered that a direct, static shot was best. Why was a static shot better?
Adam Grossman: It really came down to subjective or objective camera. By having Joel address the audience directly (subjective), the coverage from the other cameras (objective) took us out of the scene. Had we done a traditional objective treatment, the different angles may have worked.
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SMB: He also said you “cropped” the video. What does that mean, and why did you go that route?
AG: This was how several different shots were made out of one shot. Time was limited, and we didn’t have the luxury of doing several takes at different focal lengths. Because we shot HD and the final output is relatively small, I could enlarge the frame, crop, and recompose—rendering closeups and medium shots. Additionally, we shot against a white bg, making it easy to shrink the frame and expand the bg—rendering a super-wide shot.
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“The Wired shoot was different in that it was the first time that the motion component was primary material. It was not a behind-the-scenes treatment, so we had to approach it more like a mini-movie or TV spot.”
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SMB: What are some of the other motion shoots you’ve done with Art? And how did this one differ from those in terms of how you approached it and what you had to deliver?
AG: Art is really great to work with because he’s a brilliant photographer and a great collaborator. He sees the motion component of his shoots as a welcome addition, and we’ve been doing these for a number of years. One of the first shoots we did together was for Vanity Fair: a re-creation of Hitchcock’s North By Northwest shot of Roger Thornhill running from the crop-duster biplane—with Seth Rogen standing in for Cary Grant. It was a very funny shot, and Art went to great lengths to accurately duplicate the scene from the movie.
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Seth Rogen. Photo by Art Streiber for Vanity Fair.
Cary Grant in North by Northwest.
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The shot could have been done by Photoshopping the plane in, but Art wanted a truly authentic look and performance, so he chose to rent a Steerman biplane and actually redo the scene. It made for a great video because we got to clearly show how the shot was constructed using a real plane. Vanity Fair loved it and put it right up on their website. [Note: Art also re-created a scene from Strangers on a Train with actors Emile Hirsch and James McAvoy. Click here to see that image, plus others inspired by the master of suspense, in Vanity Fair's "Hitchcock Hollywood Portfolio" from 2008.]
We’ve been working together on shoots like this for years now. The behind-the-scenes editorial work often incorporates an interview, and we try to use the same portrait light for the interview in order to make the video segment tie in with the still imagery.
The Wired shoot was different in that it was the first time that the motion component was primary material. It was not a behind-the-scenes treatment, so we had to approach it more like a mini-movie or TV spot. At once, we had to plan and rehearse shots and leave room for improvisation. Joel is a vibrant and creative talent—we had to be ready to work on the fly in order to capture what he was giving us.
What started out as three segments turned into seven, and it was truly a team effort. Art and I worked in Los Angeles and delivered review cuts for [creative director] Scott Dadich, [photo editor] Carolyn Rauch, and [video editor/tablet asset manager] Viva Barrows-Friedman at Wired in San Francisco via the Internet. Once my part of the editing was completed, I sent a hard disk with the final cuts to Vision On in New York for color timing. Then the final files were sent to DigitalFusion in Los Angeles, where Hugh Milstein and Tim Wilcox added all the CGI components. It was a big endeavor, and there were a lot of late nights—but I had the pleasure of working with some really gifted people, and I look forward to doing it again.
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Art Streiber with an actor cast as the cable guy. In the story "Wired's Guide to Picking Your Perfect TV Setup," Joel McHale playfully recommends quitting cable. Photo by blakefarrington.com.
Wired used this photo by Art of McHale and the cable guy.
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SMB: For the sake of context, can you tell me a bit about your background, how long you’ve worked with Art, and your perspective on the role of motion content in the photo industry?
AG: Art and I first met while working on the student newspaper at Stanford 20 years ago. I majored in photography there and went on to get an MA in film production at USC. I worked in film and television as a director and writer for a number of years before starting my company, Good Dog Media (named after my good dog, Dexter), in order to focus on motion content for the Internet. I cover all aspects of of the process—from production to postproduction to Internet delivery—and I’ve enjoyed working with many top photographers doing editorial and advertising pieces for the major magazines. I look forward to doing more as the demand for motion continues to build through growing Web presence and the iPad.
I think the role of motion in the photo industry is at once supportive and synergistic. My passion for still photography led me to filmmaking, and my motion work is constantly informed by a foundation in photography. As still photographers branch out into motion—in order to meet industry demand or to expand their horizons—I think they will find it is just another component in their storytelling toolbox. When I’m able to help add that component to a photographer’s creative expression, I feel like the synergy is at its best.
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To see more of Art’s photos for Wired‘s September issue, visit “Wired‘s Guide to Picking Your Perfect TV Setup.”
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