Thanks & a DVX Demo Reel three years in the making

[Scott W. Smith]

Though I've been a member since 2005, this is my first post and I really should start with a giant thank you to Barry, Jarred, Noah and the entire dvxuser community. When I bought my DVX100A years ago I turned to this site for great tips and advice. Though I had been producing and directing for many years I hadn't shot on a regular basis since my Eclair NPR 16mm days just after graduating film school.

To make a long story short the DVX changed my life by opening up many doors as a one-man band on many productions. In 2005 I shot a documentary in Russia, Jamaica, and South Africa, and in 2006 my DVX took me to 26 states shooting various projects, and in 2007 my highlight project was shooting from a seaplane over the Amazon River holding my trusty DVX that has opened so many doors. Last year I began shooting with the HVX as well.

There is a two minute demo reel on my company website River Run Productions (http://www.riverrun.tv) showing footage I've shot over the last three years. I think all these shots were in the states and there are a couple multi-cam Beta SP shots included, but I wanted to encourage anyone starting out that armed with a DVX camera, tips from this website and a lot of time behind the camera you can do some fun work.

I thought of all of this today because of Super Tuesday. Back in November I got a call to tape six presidential candidates at an event. As I shot just ten feet from the next potential president I just had to smile at the opportunities those little Panasonic cameras had given me.

Thanks again to those who've answered all our basic, complex, and sometimes urgent questions (even if we're not posting).

Scott W. Smith
www.RiverRun.tv

[Barry_Green]

Glad to hear it! This is what it's all about; I know sometimes people want to think we're here just to argue about which camera is better, or which 35mm adapter is better, but when it all comes down to it: we're here to help guys like you launch your careers. Thanks for letting us know how it's been going!

Was that Waimea falls in the demo reel?

[Scott W. Smith]

Wow, my first post and I get a reply from the guru himself. Your books have been all over the place with me. Very helpful, and a great use of downtime on the road. My copies are all marketed and beaten up--just like they should be. (Especially if you're coming from a film background Barry's book will be a great help in understanding the technical side of shooting digital.)

Waimea Falls? I know it wasn't Cedar Falls, Iowa. Waimea sounds right. It's up by the North Shore on Oahu. That shoot in Hawaii by the way is a great example of shooting as a one-man band with the HVX. The client would have never paid for a two or three person crew. Now I've done several projects with them using the same style of storytelling.