Lonely City

The plan was for an early morning city shoot. I packed my car at midnight and headed off for the core of downtown Toronto. On the way I picked up Warren who is a resident downtowner so he could take me around to some great locations.

It was late but I was juiced to shoot this project. It has been on my mind for awhile to do something like this. Sleep deprivation is OK when you get to shoot.

I ran around all night lugging my tripod, my trusty Canon 5D mk2, an 85mm, 50mm and a 17-35mm lens.

It was a very serene feeling to be in these places that are usually full of people. How peaceful it was being surrounded by only these large buildings and courtyards. I wanted to capture the city in its serenity. A place that most people see as a very busy, hectic, and at times chaotic place. I wanted to show that there are moments where this concrete jungle is at peace.

At the end of it all (4am) Warren and I, with a rumble in our tummies, ended up at Frans on Yonge and College (known for their amazing breakfast 24hrs a day).

Thank you to Warren for being the guide and spending a very late night or early morning with me to get these shots. Please leave a comment and let us know what you think. 

Shoot Off - The Beaches

There is always something incredibly soothing and relaxing when going to the beach. It is particularly appropriate  to find themselves there on a hot Summer day, as Keith, Stan, and myself (Josh) visited the Beaches on Lakeshore to film our second Silverpoint shoot-off. 

If you're a little behind and are asking, "what is this so-called shoot-off you speak of?" I urge, beg, you to check out our last shoot-off post at Kensington Market where you'll get the details and origins of the shoot-off. 

In any case, the three of us were ecstatic when deciding upon the location. What could possibly be better than visiting the beach on a beautiful Summer afternoon, and shooting no less. Personally the beach and making videos has been two loves of my life - and have spent many a hours doing both. However, mixing the two as we found out was not as easy or relaxing as you think. 

I had soon realized that a typical day at the beach usually consisted of swimming trunks, a cooler of cold refreshing drinks, and a dip in the lake. However we found ourselves fully clothed; dark shirts no less, carrying camera equipment; in Stan's case lugging a  30 pound shoulder mount setup while dragging his feet in the sand, and worse, no refreshing ice tea in our hands; as we needed one to steady the camera and the other to focus. Please excuse yourself if your answer to the hydration problem is auto-focus; BLASPHEMY! *sigh, if only we had three hands - or Jenn our Intern. 

I know I know, you're sitting in your office with 100 emails waiting in the inbox, while Nancy from HR is hanging over your desk telling you about her lame weekend, and im complaining about going to the beach. It was in any case the incredible fatigue and dehydration that at least Stan and I suffered, which may have been the result of our "not so happy" pieces? Keith as always though was smiles from ear to ear as he would be happy shooting in middle of the Gobi desert, with no water, as so long as he has his camera - our fearless and energetic leader.  

Nevertheless, at the end of the day, while sitting at the restaurant patio and talking about our experience that day - it was still another GREAT day of shooting. In the end the experience produced three very unique pieces, pieces with a style and feel perhaps not usually associated with the beach on a sunny day. sorry, no Beach Boys in any of the videos.

*Lesson of the day: When shooting in hot weather - bring a camel back backpack! Cause you'll need water and both your hands.  

Anyways, here are the rules for this week... 

1. All footage must be shot at the Beaches and the park surrounding the beach
2. All footage must be shot in 1.5 hours 
3. No swimming with the camera 

Joshua Chan
Equipment: Canon 7d, Canon 28-135mm f/ 3.5-5.6, Manfrotto Monopod

Keith Chang
Equipment: Canon 5d Mark II, Nikon 85mm 1.4, Manfrotto Monopod, Zacutto Z-finder

Stan Yamashita
Equipment: Canon 5d Mark II, Cinevate Core Package, VariND

Please leave a comment and tell us what you think! 

Spex (Busker) Drumming on Yonge St.

Bumped into Spex, a local up and coming beat making artist from Markham, Ontario. He was on Yonge Street in his usual spot Buskering (the act of creating and performing music in a public space typically for money). Anyways, I caught him and another famous street drummer, Mike at the end of the night playing their final set. Upon chatting with him, Spex informed me of the controversial sound pollution law which preventing him and other buskers from playing amplified music. Months ago in fact, Spex received a ticket and a fine for playing his electric guitar on the corner of Yonge and Dundas; inhibiting him to do what he loved, creating music and entertaining the many fans and onlookers which had gathered outside Eaton Center to watch.

PETITION TO AMEND BUSKER MUSIC BY-LAW

CITY OF TORONTO BY-LAW

The by law says that City of Toronto does not allow sound systems of any kind whether it be amplifiers, boomboxes, speakers, etc...while a busker is performing their act. The reason for this is because they believe the music is too loud for people when the come to watch the show, or too loud for people that pass by the show. If the by-law officers catch buskers using sound systems during their performance, they have the right to seize their equipment and write the busker or buskers a ticket. 

I produced this video in support of all the street performers out there. Lets support all the talented artists out there trying to make a living.

Please goto this facebook link and support the Buskers.

Petition to amend Busker music by-law on Facebook

Also please check put Spexs youtube sight. He is an extremely talented artist and some of his stuff will blow you away. specifically, check out his itouch drummer - organ donner remix - AMAZING!

Spexs Youtube Channel

Also, please leave us a comment on your thoughts on buskers and the law against amplified music. 

Shoot Off - Kensington Market (Video)

Kensington Market; Toronto's free spirited, some say bohemian cultural district, located west of Spadina Ave and south of College St., became the first of many Silverpoint Media Shoot-off locations. What is a Silverpoint Media Shoot-off? I’m glad you asked. 

Each Silverpoint Media Shoot-off will consist of a unique focus, including a set of rules and guidelines which must be followed by all participants. While following the guidelines, each cinematographer will put their own creative take or spin on the set topic at hand - delivering a uniquely original piece representative of each individual’s artistic perspective. Apart from the opportunity to spend a beautiful day out of the office, eat delicious food, and continue the ongoing team bonding present day-to-day at Silverpoint Media; our goal is to experiment, hone, and perfect our skills as filmmakers by doing what we love best, filming. 

Here are the guidelines this week...

1. All footage must be shot at Kensington Market
2. All footage must be shot within 1 hour 
3. Meet at the end of the hour for milk and cookies

That’s it! Simple eh? Here are the final videos from the 1st ever Silverpoint Media Shoot-off at Kensington Market. Enjoy!

Keith Chang 

Equipment: Canon 5d Mark II, Nikon 85mm 1.4, Manfrotto 561BHDV Monopod

Joshua Chan
Equipment: Canon 7d, Canon 28-135mm f/ 3.5-5.6 

 Stan Yamashita 
Equipment: Canon 5d Mark II, Canon 24-70mm 2.8

Lesson of the day: Always bring an ND filter when shooting outdoors during the day, or say bye bye to your shallow depth of field.