This is Not Art 2015 Video /  by Stephen Roberts

Continuing along the lines of the post I did a month or so back about TiNA, I thought I'd bring to light a video I shot for the creative agency 'Headjam' for the 2015 version of this event. If you aren't, quite up to speed on the 'This is Not Art' Festival here is a bit of background info:

This is Not Art (TiNA) celebrates Newcastle as a first rate creative city.
Now in its 19th year, the festival has become an integral part of Newcastle’s arts calendar as young people from around the country converge on the city over the October long weekend to share ideas, meet like-minded creative and potential collaborators, and test work in a safe and supportive environment.

TiNA is produced by Octapod, one of NSW's leading regional arts and cultural organisations in partnership with longstanding co-presenters National Young Writers' Festival (NYWF), Crack Theatre Festival and Critical Animals. With a focus on engaging with the local community, activating multiple venues across the CBD and blurring the boundaries between writing, performance, visual arts and critical thinking, TiNA 2016 offered an array of workshops, panels, installations, performances and special events for those interested in exploring experimental and thought provoking contemporary arts.

My friends over at 'Headjam' essentially did all the branding for the festival including print media, online, the app, video and it was my job to be across the festival for the entire long weekend attending and documenting various parts of the festival, especially highlighting attendees interacting with these points of branding whether it be the festival guides, the app, a-frames, merchandise etc. So check out the video, most of the content that isn't animation or cg was shot by yours truely.

Facon Book 2: Gemma Sanderson /  by Stephen Roberts

Over the past few months I have been back shooting with my good friends over a Facon Magazine. We have been extremely busy getting together all the content for the second issue, which included myself (and other videographers when I wasn't available) shooting a truckload of BTS content. The first issue launched with International mega star Samantha Wills on the cover and Issue 2 called 'The Influencer' issue took a slightly different path and showed off some of the big name influencers Newcastle has to offer featuring the likes of Natasha Beyersdorf, Tim Robbards, Bryce McIntosh, Carly & Tresne to name a few to go alongside model, cover star and Australia's Next Top Model winner Gemma Sanderson.

So take a look at the video we put together for the Gemma Sanderson Photoshoot day:

 

 

 

The lightning Furies /  by Stephen Roberts

I was recently at the This is Not Art Festival for 2016 (TiNA 2016) to cover a number of events and to shoot videos for various different clients. But there is one I want to draw your attention to today because it was just so left of centre and so much fun to shoot. It was a video for a group called 'The Lightning Furies'. This is the blurb from the event page to give you an idea what they are all about:

The Lightning Furies is a bike gang of tough women and non-binary folks. When they take to the streets, children wave, drivers get out of the way, and lycra-clad cyclists choose a different route.
When you sign up to be a Lightning Fury, you’ll make bike accessories, learn percussion, and take on a secret gang identity. Clad in pink, gold and black, the Furies will hit the streets, pedaling through Newcastle in a cacophony of bicycle bells, a rush of handlebar tassels. Learn to be your bravest self, ride in a pack, and smash the patriarchy with boots and glitter.
Participation in this work is for women, transgender and non-binary folks. Non-participants can see the Furies from the street (the route will be advertised closer to the performance).
BYO bicycle, or borrow one for the ride. Places are limited to 20 so sign up now.

So myself and fellow camera operator Andy, had to figure out a way to capture 'The Lightning Furies' in action as they rode around the streets of Newcastle, the foreshore and east end as a massive group of bad-ass females. The logistics of doing this on a small budget was almost impossible, as the best way to do this would be to have camera operators strategically placed all around the course and this would end of costing big $$$ very quickly. A second option would be to try and ride a bicycle whilst holding a camera and filming at the same time, very hard and more likely very unsafe for myself, other road users and the general public.

A simple solution was eventually devised from which the idea came from a discussion with a motion graphics designer colleague. He suggested that I get a motorbike with a side car I could ride in, which was a bit far-fetched to be honest but it eventually led to the idea of engaging a local Newcastle Rickshaw company called Rickshaw Revolution to pull myself and Andy around in whilst we got the shots of the gang we needed. A massive shout-out must go to Blake Forrester from Rickshaw Revolution who jumped onboard straight away without hesitation and is currently crowdfunding a project here in Newcastle involving revitalising a building called the 'Lynch's Hub' and turning it into a coffee shop and bike workshop. So cool. Check it out here https://pozible.com/project/lynchs-hub-1

So we mounted some go-pros on some of the bikes of the gang and myself and Andy rode around in the rickshaw getting all the shots we needed. Check out some of the shots below. And check out the video soon.

Throw Back Thursday - Blue Door Fashion Video /  by Stephen Roberts

At the back end of 2015 my friends at Facon Magazine invited me along to a fashion shoot they were conducting with one of their major sponsors on location in the cafe/restaurant in the heart of Newcastle: Blue Door. Located in prime real estate right next to the Civic Theater it is a go to place for many locals around town. It was a very delicate balance between having the space we needed to conduct a photoshoot but at the same time the business needs to trade to make money.

Take a look at the final results below in a 30sec behind-the-scenes video I created:

The Heat is on... /  by Stephen Roberts

Recently I attended the 'Winter Heat Festival', this was another in the long list of events I have covered this year. This was the second year the festival was put on and this years event was absolutely choc-a-block with people. With an event like this I would usually go in with my camera, tripod and a shoulder bag that carries some lens, camera batteries etc but this event had so many people that using a tripod was practically impossible, such was the popularity of the event that there were large bottlenecks at points throughout the Honeysuckle precinct where activities such as the 'Southern Deadly Sins Fire Show' was on.

Besides the night including lots of fire and fire pits to keep people warm, there was plenty of activities on to keep everyone entertained including the Silent Cinema hosted by Meet Restaurant, the Silent Disco where you had the choice of a couple of different channels from various dj's playing, and the kids play area full of inflatables and activities to keep them occupied. 

In the end it was a fun and exciting night. Check out the highlights below. Filmed and edited by yours truly for my good friends at Enigma Communications

The Roost Creative secret project /  by Stephen Roberts

I thought today I would touch on an almost secret project I have been working on of late with the members of the office I work out of called: The Roost Creative. And if you are a creative looking for space to conduct your business out of you can check out the website at www.theroostcreative.com.au.

Below are a few stills taken from the some of the video that has already been shot.

Intrigued? 

You won't have to wait too long to see the final video. Keep your eyes peeled, it'll be here soon.

Australian Tennis Ace Alicia Molik Comes to Town /  by Stephen Roberts

Not long ago, retired professional tennis player and former world number 8 Alicia Molik came to Newcastle to play some exhibition tennis against some local businesses and celebrities to help raise money for Lifeline Newcastle. This event was put on by the great people at ANZ who were the ones donating $500 for every point won against Alicia and it was hosted by the wonderful folk at the Hunter Development Corporation who allowed Honeysuckle to be the venue for the massive pop-up tennis court, down there among some of the thriving cafes and restaurants.

It was a beautiful sun bathed day, and the crowds that attended the event were great. Some of the high profile people playing included the likes of Max & Karsten from 'The Block', local politician Karen Howard, and some of the boys from the Western Sydney Wanderers Football team who were up here to play against the Newcastle Jets.

In the end $50,000 was donated to Lifeline Newcastle and below is a short video showcasing what went on.

Enjoy!

Evolution SurfAid Cup 2016 /  by Stephen Roberts

I thought I'd touch on a video I completed recently for the Charity organisation SurfAid (www.surfaid.org). These guys are a tremendous organisation that are helping to bring the bare basics such as clean drinking and food water to remote villages in the Mentawi Islands of Indonesia.

These guys hold an annual event each year in Newcastle and various other locations in Australia and around the US (Margaret River, Bondi, Malibu) which runs in conjunction with Surfest, where local businesses who have raised funds for the Surfaid Charity compete in a knockout style surfing competition with a winner crowned at the end of the day. Each team gets to have a pro surfer on their team to help and the business who raises the most funds gets first pick, all the way down to the one who raised the least who gets last pick. Over the course of the 5 years it has been running here in Newcastle, they have had a whole host of top professional surfers give up their time for the event including the likes to Matt Hoy, Travis Lynch, Tom Whitaker, Ryan Callinan, and two time world surfing champ Tom Carroll.

This is the second time I have put together a video for the event which this year raised over $80,000 for the charity. This year the brief of the video was slightly fine-tuned to have a less surf-orientated video and one that focused more on the people involved with the event and the businesses which helped to raise the money. In the end it was a super fun video to be involved with and one that I believe does the event and the organisation justice. Check it out below:

 

Fletcher Building Group Video /  by Stephen Roberts

Peter Bader, MD of Apollo Kitchens

I was recently in Sydney to conduct a number of interviews with companies that are apart of the 'Fletcher Building' group. Fletcher is a NZ based company and they wanted to talk with a number of their members to gather feedback on how things are going, strengths, weaknesses, what they can do better etc. 

Martin O'Connell, Co-owner of AWJ Civil

This meant talking to some of their Australian based companies and clients located in Sydney to get their views on everything and then all shot material was sent back to NZ to be edited into a video along with the footage from their NZ based talks.

It was an awesomely fun day with myself in control of camera and most technical things like lighting and sound and my producer Crystal in control of clients, admin, times, locations etc. Everything ran smoothly as it was beautiful prepared by the production team at 90 seconds tv back in NZ. 

David Hanson of Axis Metal Roofing

We conducted three separate interviews with members of the Fletcher Building group and we got to shoot in some great locations including a construction site with AWJ Civil , on the factory floor with the MD of Apollo Kitchens and in an office with a representative of Axis Metal Roofing. All completely different locations, all requiring different set ups, all having to produced on the fly as these locations were not seen beforehand.

The only downer of the day was that hectic Sydney traffic. At one point it took close to an hour to go less than 10km closer to the CBD of Sydney. It was crazy!

Chinese new year 2016 /  by Stephen Roberts

Chinese new year has come and gone again for another year, and this year I had the absolute pleasure of being able to put together a video for a Newcastle based media agency, to showcase the event put on down at Honeysuckle in Newcastle.  It was an awesome day put on as an initiative of the Hunter Development Corporation and the turnout was massive. Especially since the day started out under some threatening looking weather. But it turned into beautiful evening and night and it was great fun to be able to capture all the different festivities going on from the fireworks, to the dance performances, singers, and of course the Chinese lion dancers .

So check out the video:

Samantha Wills - Facon Magazine Photo Shoot /  by Stephen Roberts

A happy snap of myself along with the make up artists, Samantha Wills, director Lara Lupish and photographer extraordinaire Matt Briggs, in the dune buggy riding out to the location.

Recently, I had the pleasure of producing some behind-the-scenes content for a newly launched fashion magazine called Facon. For this launch issue they went all out, with Australian born, New York based fashion model and self made entrepreneur: Samantha Wills as the cover model.

Myself in action with my trusted Canon C100 Cinema camera, capturing the moment as director Lara Lupish chats with cover model Samantha Wills

This was a stunning photo shoot held out on the Stockton sand dunes where we were beautifully looked after by the Worimi land council, who helped bus myself and the massive entourage that goes along with a massive photo shoot like this out to the location. In the end we probably numbered 20+ people with everyone from make up artists, talent agency people, Worimi people, grip people, vehicle drivers and every kind of assistant or helper you could think of.

To be honest it was a very hot sweaty day, and naturally I got sand everywhere and I was constantly freaking out about getting sand all through my equipment, but it was 140% worth it. Meeting these people, making contacts and friends out of it and obviously getting to shoot content for some kick ass videos. And here is the kicker: I get to do all this and have so much fun at the same time. 

So be on the look out in coming months for probably another blog post about this and most likely I'll feature it at some point as one of the highlighted videos on the website. But until then enjoy the photo below it is a taste of the beautiful landscape I had as my backdrop.

The location for the shoot. Photo taken at the precise moment I was conducting the short on-location interview for the Samantha Wills bts video. That is us on the right, with everything on the left of shot used as the backdrop of the interview.

Throw back Thursday - NDIS with Screencraft /  by Stephen Roberts

This week I was back doing a bit of shooting with the team from ScreenCraft. A Canberra based production company. In light of that, I thought I'd throw the spotlight on a project I completed with them last year when they came up here to Newcastle to shoot some content for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). These guys are a government preferred contractor meaning that when the government needs some media produced these guys are one of the go-to companies.

To check out Screencraft, led by their fearless leader Michael Fardell, have a squizz at the content on their website www.screencraft.com.au There is some super impressive stuff on there and the amount of production gear they have, makes the hardcore gear nerd inside of me weak at the knees!

With the NDIS being in its infancy at the time this was shot, part of it was to show how the NDIS works, what it is trying to achieve, and how that will help for the better some of the users and carers of the scheme. This involved meeting and filming with Michael who is an NDIS user and meeting with his family as well, to see how it has benefited them.

All the content in the video below was shot with a Canon C500, which is the top of the line cinema camera produced by Canon retailing in the vicinity of $20,000 AUD. And it really shows in some of the outdoor shots you see, where its dynamic range (the ability to hold the brightest and darkest parts together in one image) is absolutely astounding. (see image to the right)

In just the one day I spent with these guys, I learnt a hell of a lot. From the way they shoot, their workflows for doing things, the way the get the best out of their talent and just the way they handle and present themselves as a polished professional unit.

So check out the video below.

The Headphone Project /  by Stephen Roberts

If you have been down Darby St lately you may have noticed a new installation out the front of 'McCosker Partners Chartered Accountants', you may also have noticed it looks suspiciously like a massive headphones...... well you are correct. It is a massive headphone and it is there to help local musicians as it is a giant amplifer/speaker that can be booked out and used to show off your musical talents. It is called 'The Headphone Project'.

 

Myself in collaboration with the team of people who brought this idea to life, are working to produce some media to let everyone know the story behind how and why this came together. What it took and also just to get word out about this great and unique installation.  

 


So it all started last weekend when we headed out to capture some of the musicians in action using the headphone. Darby st is a high traffic part of town with all the great restaurants and eateries that Darby st is known for literally right there almost surrounding the Headphone.  So any muso's using the Headphones have some prime real estate to have their voices heard or to make some cash busking. 


So keep your eyes peeled over the next few weeks or so as this video will be done and up around the web in next to no time. But in the mean time you can check out 'The Headphone Project' facebook page at www.facebook.com/TheHeadphoneProject

The Ballad of Les Darcy /  by Stephen Roberts

Back at the end of 2013. My friends Tom Arthur and Zac Garred (whom you may know as Levi Dunkleman from the American soap drama 'General Hospital') approached myself and a few other filmmakers about the opportunity to come on board for the production of a teaser based on the life of Les Darcy. This was to be used to try and gain funding for a fully fledged version of 'The Ballad of Les Darcy' and this week they have finally released it for the public to see. So feast your eyes on this wonderful piece of film. 

“​This week was the 98th anniversary of Les Darcy’s passing in Memphis, at only 21. Today we’d like to share with you our teaser, to our incredible donars this is for you. This is another device in our drive to making this film based on Peter Fitzsimons book, it is an allusion to Les’ story and a display of the talent around us. To those wonderful contemporaries we work with, this is a testament to your talents.

We hope you enjoy. Still much more to do but your continued support always brings us closer.”
— Zac Garred and Tom Arthur from EC/FC

So there may be some exciting things on the horizon in regards to this. But in the meantime take a look at this trailer in all it's glory:

"Being made perfect, in a small space, he fulfilled a long time." ECFC is proud to release the teaser-trailer for The Ballad of Les Darcy. Funded generously by supporters via Pozible, it aims to generate interest in developing a feature film based on the true story of a remarkable young boxing champion from Maitland, Australia, who put his family before King and country - and paid the ultimate price.

Throw Back Thursday - Newcastle Uni Electrical Engineering recruitment video /  by Stephen Roberts

At the start of 2014 Newcastle University released this video to help drive recruitment for their Electrical Engineering degree.

I am proud to say that I was able to work on this project. My buddy Gavin Blyth from 'Blyth Cinematic' and who is now part of the team at 'Eponine Films'  (who last year released the feature film 'Love is Now'), brought me on board as there were a number of key elements to this video that could not be done solo.

It was two fun days of shooting and meeting some of the awesome guys (and gals) who were studying Electrical Engineering. And the project was finished off with a couple of the students putting their electric motor bike through its paces  on campus (albeit, it was holiday time). This involved us going around and around one of the major car parks with a motorbike following a Subaru wagon with its back wagon door open and myself in the back trying to get some nice steady shots of the motorbike in action, it would have been quite an odd sight to anyone else who was on campus that particular day.

Sneak Peak.... /  by Stephen Roberts

 

Thought I'd give you a nice inside look at a video that is currently being edited. A while back (well..... quite a while back now) myself and a fellow colleague had the absolute pleasure and honor of having an on-camera chat with multiple Guinness World Record holder 'The Great Gordo Gamsby'.

This guy has traveled all around the globe performing his crazy stunts as a world renowned sideshow performer and believe me he does some insane stuff. So have a squizz at some of the photos in this blog post.

 

It was a very fun and interesting afternoon/night shooting this video. Although the location seems very alleyway/circus like (try the top picture), the fact is one of Newcastle's best restaurants is right next door and we were there just before starting having a feed. We had a chat to the owners and they were more than happy for us to film in the alley and to also borrow a powerpoint for our lights from them. The only real issues we encountered were just general public traffic - people walking through the alley and also just genuinely interested onlookers wondering what the hell was going on in such a nice part of town.

This video should hopefully be finished and up on the site here very shortly. It was one I had been itching to do but just hadn't had the time. So keep your eyes peeled, crazy content coming soon....

New website landing page! /  by Stephen Roberts

Short and sweet this one!

Check it out if you haven't already but I have slightly re-jigged the website. When you first get to the website there is now a nice landing page outlining what my goals are in creating media for you and your brand. This also uses some some stills lifted from various projects as a rotating background, giving you an idea of some of the projects I have been on over the last few years.

or alternatively you can see it by going to: www.beautifulmotionpictures.com

 

Throw Back Thursday - gemma ward in summer wonder by country road /  by Stephen Roberts

Thought I would take this chance to go back and post a bit about some of the projects I have been involved with over the years in different capacities, so you can have an understanding of the breadth of my work, skillset and just some of the fun adventures I've had the absolute please of working on.

First up: 

Gemma Ward in 'Summer Wonder' by Country Road We celebrated our 40th birthday with iconic Australian model, Gemma Ward. Travelling to the northern beaches, we paid homage to the quintessential summer holiday of sun, sand and sea, where traditions are built and memories are made. Directed by Jessie Oldfield and Adam Murfet.

This project was the very first time I had the pleasure of working with Melbourne based media agency:  'C-KOL' short for 'Certain Kind of Light'. They were coming up to the Hunter to shoot an online TVC for iconic label 'Country Road' for their summer 2014 campaign. This campaign also marked the return of Australian model and new brand ambassador 'Gemma Ward' who was returning to the game after some time out to start a family.

This was a multi-day shoot shot on an Arri Alexa XT with a set of Zeiss prime lenses and due to the locations, lit with alot of natural light both bounced and diffused. This was a large project involving about 20 crew including producers, clients, talent and both directors. Myself and a number of the crew members were Newcastle and Sydney based which was a help to the Melbourne based guys. This was a top of line silkly smooth run project that a far as I could tell ran without a hitch. So well in fact there was time for a lunch time dip at the beach.

Take a look at the final product.

PRD EasyMove TV Commercials /  by Stephen Roberts

So lately if you are a cricket or tennis fan (come on now, who isnt?....) you may have seen a few new commercials in between overs or during breaks for a company called 'PRD Easymove'.

A while back I had the chance to be involved with the shooting of a couple of television commercials for the good folk at PRD Nationwide. PRD are a good client for my friends at GMRX Media and therfor I have shot a decent amount of content for PRD over the last year or so. They wanted to produce a couple of commercials to introduce and raise the awareness of the new business they had launched called 'Easymove' which is designed to take the stress and hassle out downsizing your home or possibly your loved ones home.
 

My role on this production was as 1st AC, Sound man and all round nice guy! Being only a small crew (we numbered a whole of 4 people including make-up and a producer!) meant wearing a couple of different hats to make sure everything ran totally smoothly. Fortunately everything was well prepared in pre-production and it ran like a well oiled machine.... (to use a nice cliche!).

The whole production turned out very well. There were a number of shots that used the Camera Crane and that also required exact movements to get right, but in the end it was all worth it. Overall there are 2 different TV commercials with a 15 sec and a 30 sec version of each meaning 4 PRD Easymove commercials playing currently into homes everywhere.

2015 off to a flyer! /  by Stephen Roberts


2015 has only just begun, but Beautiful Motion Pictures is already up and at it shooting content. I like to think I tackle any project like that kid running down stairs on Christmas morning at 5am to open his presents whilst everyone else peacefully sleeps. I really just love what I do and I believe it shows

 


So recently the good folk from an agency in Melbourne called 'The Facility' got in contact with me. A client of theirs was currently promoting 'Somersby Cider' and they had an event they wanted covered out in the Vineyards in the Hunter Valley. How could anyone say no? 

 


They had a nice old Bedford bus decked out in Somersby branding and it was fitted out as a bar where they had a couple of lovely ladies serving customers some refreshing 'Somersby Apple Cider' at Harrigan's Irish Pub late afternoon and into the evening. It was an awesome project to be involved and the Bedford bus was continuing on a tour to a few more destinations around Newcastle and the Hunter including Maitland and Hamilton. 

I'm not sure of the final destination of this video, so It may or may not pop up here but anyway as you can see from some of the awesome stills I lifted form the video I took on the night, it will be a truly great video. If you like what you've seen, please don't hesitate to have a chat with me, all my details are on the 'contact' page.