Basterds on the run

Photo Credit
Nicole Onorelia Lamb

Another proud day for us at JDKnight Films we picked up acouple awards for one of our music videos at the Sacramento Music and Film Festival.  El Basterdo by the Vintage Vandals  won  Best "Out of Program" Music Video and Best Music Video. 
 We are so honored there was a lot of good videos this year. I hear it was a close race. Great job everyone who submitted a video! Thank you to Tony and Nate for putting on a great festival.  Thank you to the crew... Sean the DP, Tammy the AD and Molly our grip. And  Erick Lee our drone pilot he did a great job fighting the wind. Thank you to The Vintage Vandals for trusting us with their song and for putting in the work to help pull this video off.  

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Share your photos you never know who might see them

I was going though a hard drive over this last weekend and found a folder of photos I shot back in May and the Sacramento Music Festival.  I went as a spectator but I did bring my camera to shoot the Nickel Slots, they happen to be playing on the same stage as EVE6 and Everclear. so I thought I'll grab a few shots of them as well.

At my day job I produce promos and commercials and I happened to to the ad for the festival. At the show I ran in to one of the organizers and he gave me VIP tickets.  so I was lucky enough to get front and center for the headlining acts.

Check out the albums from those shows here
EVE6
Everclear

So just the other day I posted one of the photos of Max Collins the lead singer of EVE6 on Twitter. He started following me and re tweeted the photo... I sent him the link to my Smugmug album and said he could use the photos. He said he liked them and shared another photo.

I know your not supposed to give you photos away for free use but I'm never going to sell these so I figure share them and if they get me a little exposure that works for me.

On a side note, when I first moved to Sacramento in1998 I was trying to teach myself how to play the bass, I gave up and got into photography but one of the only songs I learned was Inside Out by EVE6 I wasn't good but I could play along with the CD.

Christmas in July

Hey all,  July is almost over and here in Sacramento we have weather in the 90s but we are talking Christmas.  The guys in The Nickel Slots asked me back to work on some behind the scenes promotional videos for the Christmas LP they are working on.

I spent Saturday at Pus Cavern studios watching the recording process... It was fascinating. Thanks to Joe Johnston who was nice enough to answer all my silly questions about the studio.  I think most Sacramento bands who have "made it" recorded there at some point. It was cool to watch the microphone placement and how the band records in different parts of the studio.

I came back with Christmas tunes stuck in my head but it was worth it I got a lot of fun interview footage and behind the scene video for a project later this year..

I did a 3 camera shoot all by myself, and got to put some new gear to the test and for the most part I was happy with the footage I came back with. although I did learn how far I could push some gear in low light. but over all I'm pleased and can't wait to finish up the video.

The Nickel Slots are releasing 4 holiday songs 1 original and 3 standards done in their Americana style.
Here is a look at a teaser video I did for the band.

The Guys in The Nickel Slots are at it again!

We here at jdknightfilms.net are proud that another one of are videos is being promoted nationally. Thanks to The Nickel Slots for believing in our work and getting it out for the world to see...

Press Release:

July 7, 2015 (Nashville, TN & Sacramento, CA) — The Nickel Slots, an alt-country, Americana-styled roots rock band out of Sacramento, California announce the release of their second nationally promoted music video, “On the Wall.” This video is a throwback to early-‘80s MTV music videos, set to a rockin’ song about a beloved guitar.

The band is again partnering with Nashville-based video promotion company Visual Image Marketing, which earlier this year promoted their music video “The Devil’s Chain Gang.” That video garnered airplay on major Country music video networks including Heartland TV, ZUUS Country, CMT.com, and Australia’s CMC TV and various other music video shows across the US, the UK, and Europe. The new video “On the Wall” can be viewed here:http://bit.ly/onthewallvideo

About the video:

Lead singer and acoustic guitarist Tony Brusca wrote the song about a guitar hanging on the wall, sung from the point of view of the musician for whom nothing is going right without it. He desperately needs to get the guitar back into his hands. The video is a joyful homage to some of the band’s favorite MTV videos of their youth, featuring energetic live performances in whitewashed rooms.

About the band:

The Nickel Slots’ high-energy alt-country/Americana music takes you on a journey through hard times and desperation that always carries hope that better things are just around the corner. With influence from early roots Americana music as well as a touch of rebellious ’70s punk, The Nickel Slots draw the line that connects Johnny Cash to The Clash. From the sentimental folk tune to the foot-stomping, raucous sing-along, their alt-country rock songs bring you back to a long-lost memory or shared experience of pain, joy, heartache, love, hope, and redemption. Their music has been called Americana with attitude, where country, rock & roll, and punk meet.

Lead singer and acoustic guitarist Tony Brusca writes songs that tell unique stories and has a knack for connecting with audiences. Bassist and mandolin player Paul Zinn’s backing vocals add an extra dimension to Tony’s melodies and his bass lines just can’t sit still. Christopher Amaral, The Nickel Slots’ versatile drummer, lays down train beats and adds distinctive power to the band’s sound. His brother, award-winning electric guitarist Steve Amaral, throws down tasteful licks that dance across the line between rock and country.

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Website: http://www.thenickelslotsmusic.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thenickelslots

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/…/art…/the-nickel-slots/id374094727

ReverbNation: https://www.reverbnation.com/thenickelslots

CMT Artist Page: http://www.cmt.com/artists/the-nickel-slots/

Don't forget to play

When you're in-between gigs don't forget to play. Bring a camera everywhere and shoot. Have some fun, shoot the stuff you want to shoot not just the video your clients want to shoot. Remember why you got into this business.

At work things have been very uniform lately and I have been itching to be creative, just to get out and play with my cameras. So this 4th of July I brought a couple cameras to the family firework show, and threw together a fun little video... It was a fun little shoot and edit.    Enjoy!   

The video's don't have to be perfect, it's a chance to try new things that you may not want to try on a paying gig and you could end up with a new trick in your arsenal or at least a nice little video for your family.

Lucky vs. Good

I have been in a dry spell on what to write on this blog.  Then I saw this meme on Facebook and it got me thinking.

image from Facebook

Richard Sharp and I Covering
a wildfire near Chico CA

 When I was a news photographer and I got compliments for doing a good story I would say "I would rather be lucky than good"  Now looking back on that I disagree with that saying. If I was "lucky" enough to be at the right place at the right time, it would have not done me any good if I didn't have the skill or the knowledge to know what to do.

Does luck exist? I'm sure it does, but you still have realize when opportunities present themselves and grab on and work hard for what you want...

I have worked in TV news since 1995, most of that time as a news photographer. I got tired of that and wanted to move on in to a different aspect of the TV/film industry. The luck part of the story there was a opening in our creative services department. From there it was all me.  I set out and made my own promo demo reel.  This was not my training but I wanted to make the change, I wrote, shot, and edited promos from scratch. Were they great? not really but my now boss saw the potential and the effort I put into the reel, I believe that that's what got me the job over the actual spots.

Luck can open many doors but it's your hard work will allow you to succeed

When do you start promoting your project?

Before I cast the first stone I have to say I have been guilty of building up hype for a project before it's finished and this rant is NOT aimed at anyone in particular...

I have stopped "promoting" unfinished projects until I can see how they turn out. Now every now and again I might post a behind the scenes photo or say something on social media about a fun, cool project I'm working on but I don't want to over promise anything any more.

 I get it people are excited they are making a film, but please wait until its done to promote it. I have worked on projects where we were asked to share and promote and add a "buzz" about the film, but when it's released and it's horrible, or it doesn't get finished. and it makes me a liar.

There is a fine line of being excited and talking about your film and prematurely promoting your film.  All I ask is at least wait until your have an edit and really look at it with a critical eye and then promote the hell out of it if you honestly like it. Like I said I have gotten caught up in the excitement of making a film, but I have learned just because it get's made doesn't mean it's good and I have plenty to prove that. If you make a bad film it's ok we are all learning if we were all awesome at making films we would all be in Hollywood. at least learn from your mistakes and make your next film better than your last.  You're only as good as your last film, and I use that as motivation, I want my best film to be my last film and if it's not I really feel it.

That being said idknightfilms.net has a real cool, fun project in the works, that we are excited to share with the world. That's all I'm going to say about that.... We will promote it closer to release time after we are happy with the project... so stay tuned!

Get out and shoot you never know what might happen.

It is so easy when you are hired to go out and shoot for a scheduled production, but what about the times in between?  I have been saying I need to go out and shoot more stills, I have a bunch of good ideas but instead of getting out of the house I will let almost anything get in the way... Am I lazy? That may be a small part of it. Another part may be that I feel guilty if there are other things around the house that needs to be done.

I live in northern California so many beautiful places to shoot. I just need to get out and do it.  Last year Tammy and I took off a week from work and made a point to take some day trips just for photos. On one of the days we drove to Bodie Ca and we got a ton of beautiful images How can you go wrong with a ghost town in the eastern sierras?  Then we took a day and took shot around Sacramento, there can be a lot to shoot in your back yard. Also took a trip to the bay area and was able to explore Oakland and the Marin headlands overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge  .... That was a great week and I came away with some great photos.

One of the interesting things that came from the trip was a friend of mine saw a couple photos on Facebook. Her boss tasked her with putting art on the walls of a brewery tasting room. She asked if I had any prints of if I wanted to sell some photos.. I was a little shocked but said yes... I spent the next week editing photos and printing them out and looking for frames. Now I have the photos for sale hanging in a public place. The first photo photo I sold was this one "Old Car in Bodie".  Now this is hanging on someone's wall.

I never thought about selling photos, but this led to me starting a  Smugmug account. Its a good site that will let you host albums of your photos with watermarks and copyright protections. it will also let you set your prices, they take care of the printing and the shipping. Everytime I get a image I'm happy with I upload it to the page and hope someone else will like it to. It's a good site for photographers, check it out and make sure it's right for you. http://www.smugmug.com/

So give yourself assignments or carry your camera with you everyday just get out and shoot you never know where it may lead.

Don't miss a really cool Opportunity be ready!

I got a phone call from Chris Ameral The drummer from The Nickel Slots. He tells me that They get to open for Bob Seger at Sleep Train Arena on Monday (3-9-2015) thanks to the music video we produced for them and asked me to be their band photographer and document the day. Of course I said yes. 

So what happened was, Bob Seger had to play a reschedule show here in Sacramento, the band who was touring with him could not make the date due to scheduling.  Bob's people called a radio station in town (98 rock) and the sent off links for a handful of local bands, but it was the music video for The Devil's Chain Gang that pushed The Nickel Slots over the top and onto the stage.

 Video of 98 rock DJ's talking to Steve about the show

The show was great! The Nickel Slots knocked it out of the park! They put on a great show for a sold out arena. Bob Seger's people were super nice and accommodating, at one point they said our group was part of the family.  Joe, the guy who's in charge of  video production for the tour gave us the footage from the big screen displays for the band to use, and now they have great content for their social media outlets...


It was a great day had by all it was probably the closest I have come to being a rock star. I was very happy for my friends and I was honored to be there and document it for them.

Thanks to KCRA 3 for doing a story on The Nickel Slots check it out here
The Nickel Slots on KCRA 3

Bands and other artists should have promotional material available, you never know what doors could open because of it....We at JDKnight Films will work with bands to produce high quality affordable music videos for bands and performers.

Balancing your freelance with your day job

I like my job, I like having a paycheck every 2 weeks and I like all the benefits that comes along with that job. I also like to freelance it fills a void that my job may not offer and puts a little extra cash in my pocket but it's not a stable income. Knowing this I am not real aggressive about looking for freelance gigs. I have been lucky to have some nice clients fall in my lap. I'm sure I could do a lot more if I got out there and marketed myself. I do let my freelance clients know I do have a day job so that comes first but I'll do everything I can to work with their needs.

I'm a big believer of not letting freelance work get in the way of your day job, but sometimes a good opportunity shows up short notice and it's hard to say no. When that happens what do you do? Do you beg for the day off? Do you call in sick? Do you make up something to get out of work?

This is what I did
I got a call from the client (time.com) they wanted me to shoot a few interviews and some supporting video for a story they were working on. It was a Thursday and they wanted to shoot on a Tuesday.   Holy cow! I need to get a day off and now! What do I do? Do I say nothing and call in sick or do I just ask for a day off with short notice.  I walked into my boss's office and told him I was sorry  for the short notice told him what I was doing and how good of an opportunity shooting for Time was he agreed and granted my time off.
I know that I don't have to tell my boss why I need the day off but being straightforward worked for me and I do believe that because I was honest with my boss it allowed me a little more freedom when it came to asking for time off.
If I would have called in sick and did the shoot I could not have told anyone I work with about how cool it was to be asked to shoot for Time.com.

It's always better to be truthful and keep your trust with your boss and your clients.

What Camera Should I Buy?

It might surprise you I get this a lot. "You're a photographer what's the best camera? What should I buy?" The first question I then ask is...How much do you want to spent?  and what kind of shooting do you want to do?

I will say this mostly it's not the camera that makes a good image it's the photographer. If you know what you are doing you can take a good photo with a cheap camera, and if you don't you can take a bad photo with an expensive camera...

                                                     A LITTLE TEST
All 3 photos are taken with 3 different cameras.
Can you find the photo taken with the cheapest camera?
Does it matter if the image is good enough?
Does brand matter?

                                                     

My answer is no. The only common thing with these photos is me. One was shot with a $300 camera one with a $2500 camera. It's all about the photographer. No one knows what you shoot with or cares if it's a good photo.

So what camera should you buy?  I would first figure out how much you want to pay, and then get online and do your research and get the camera that best fits your needs in your price range.

What kind of photos do you want to take?
are you just going to use it for snapshots of your kids? Are you shooting action? or landscapes? do you want to shoot video with you camera?

Find your budget and find a camera in your budget that fills your needs. If you have never picked up a DSLR before and you have a budget I would not run out and buy a $5000 camera, and on the other end if you have a photo shoot for a client I would NOT use a point and shoot camera.

And remember the best camera is the one you have with you

Stop talking and Do It!

I'm just a guilty as anyone with this one... I have been talking about making a website for years. Heck I have been paying for the darn domain name for at least 4. Why didn't I do it sooner?  I was intimidated and didn't really know where to start. I even had a friend start to help (Thanks Jason Fong) but I felt I was wasting his time and never bothered him about it again. I even thought of paying of trading someone to do it for me.

I didn't want to do a template based site I wanted to do a big awesome original site with all the bells and whistles.   Did I need that? No.  Was it that idea that was hanging me up so I could not expand my brand? Yes.

So now I finally did it! I now have a website. Its simple and clean and does everything I need it to do. It tells clients about me and what I do. There is a place to show off videos and films I produce, a place to sell my photos and a home for this blog.

Check it out here jdknightfilms.net  Its still a work in progress and I'm sure there will be changes, I know of a few things I would like to add, but for now it's a start

The Devil's Chain Gang, the music video the keeps going

So about 2 years ago a friend asked me if I knew anyone who produced music videos. I had done a couple but nothing  really great, but I said I would talk to the band and see if it was something I could do.  So I went to see The Nickel Slots at a local club and they were great they had a very catchy americana sound, and as they played I looked around and almost everyone in the audience was singing along with the band's original songs. I thought I need to work with this band.  A few days later I met with Steve Amaral The lead guitarist and he gave me a CD to check out, It was great! It stayed in my car's CD player for several months.

Once the band decided on a video we got to work.  My first idea was big and epic and in the long run it probably would not have worked... We kept it simple. I was a little bummed that it wasn't a "big" production, but it turned out it was for the best.

Once we had an video idea where everyone was happy. I put together a small team of people  to pull off this shoot... My friend and co-director Sean Kime was in from day one, and then we brought in  Ryan Black as our director of photography and  steadicam operator, along with a few others to help with make up and lighting we were ready to shoot.

Our location was awesome, it was almost it's own character. We could not have built a set that good. The old hotel in Woodland Ca was a good find by the band. The only downside was we were shooting on the second story and had to run extension cords from the first floor to power our lights.

Sean and I tag teamed the video shoot where we leapfrogged from scene to scene so there was always someone working ahead.

I think so many things fell into place for the video. Good band, good song, good location, good concept and good crew.

When I got home after the shoot I was so tired, but as I started to load the footage to my computer I knew we had something great.  I got a second wind and stayed up until 2am throwing together a rough cut of the video, just to show the guys how their hard work paid off.  And between the rough cut and the final version there wasn't a huge difference.

Now I only thought the video would live on the band's website and I would submit to a couple film festivals. and then it would be done, and that was pretty much it. In 2013 the video played at the Sacramento Film and Music Festival, the video won 3 awards! Best Video Jury Choice, Best Video Audience Choice, and best Independent Video. The video also was accepted to The American Online Film Awards in New York City where it won best Music video from the US... Needles to say we are so proud of everyone's work.

Wait there's more, the band got a promoter for the video and it is now being see all over the world. It is being showed on Zuus, CMC in Australia,  and now it's on CMT.com and MTV.com

There is so much more I can write about this video.... I'll have to save it for another post.
I have to say that is pretty cool that so many people have seen and liked our video. Thank you to everyone who worked on the The Devil's Chain Gang  for putting your best foot forward.

Welcome to my my first blog post

First off I never thought I would ever want to write one. I guess I thought no one would care what I have to say. But I thought I would give this a shot and see where it goes.
I  am going to try to write at least one post a week. Most topics will be on working in TV and film, freelancing and cameras. I'm sure I will write a little about life as well.

I realized just the other day 2015 marks my 20th year in TV.  I have worked in the TV industry since 1995, I started at a station in Yakima Washington as a studio camera operator, from there I moved into the control room and became a technical director, and by the time I was 20 I was directing the 5-6 and 11pm newscasts.

Just before I turned 21 I made my first big life decision.... I was offered a job at UPN 31 (now CW 31) in Sacramento as a technical director for the show Good Day Sacramento. So we packed up my dad's truck and hit the road. Before I knew it I was in California away from family and away from friends... It was the scariest time in my life.

Shortly after the move I thought I was in over my head, So I jumped in head first and did OK. Three months after I got hired  the station laid off half of their staff. Luckily I got to stay. I did get bumped out of the technical director gig into a utility player, I would shoot, edit, mix audio, and floor direct, until a full time photographer position opened up. (I'll do another post on being a news photographer later on) After working for Good Day for 5 years I was offered a job at the markets #1 station I jumped on that in a heartbeat, and I have now worked at KCRA for 12 years.... The first 8 years I was a news photographer traveling all over the state and the country covering news.

Then about 4 years ago I made a big career change and left the world of news for the world of station promotion. It was a good change, the Creative Services department is more quality vs quantity, that was a nice change from the run and gun of news.

So I realize after 20 years of TV and film I may have some knowledge to share
Check out jdkinghtfilms on facebook and thanks for reading.