While filming a commercial for the powerful and efficient MetroVac Air Force Commander, a lightweight and portable pet hair dryer, Ellenbogen Creative Media got to work with some new gear and some very special talent: a slow motion camera and our new furry pawed friend, Prima! Let’s also not forget the very talented human actors on set that day as well, Cathy and Dylan!

Working with any type of animal can be a real hassle, but with the help of expert pet trainers, Ron Watson and Apryl Lea of Pawsitive Vybe, Prima was everything but a prima donna. Prima was on point and had high spirits throughout the entire shoot. She played in the sprinkler, rolled in the mud and especially enjoying being pampered with the Air Force Commander!

Focus Media has been handling the advertising and public relations needs of MetroVac for years and brought Ellenbogen Creative Media into the mix to work on their video productions. Director of Marketing Services for Focus Media, Bridget Clark, directed the shoot. “This is one of many videos we’ve collaborated on and it may well be one of my favorites! We had it all…dogs, kids, hired talent, specialty gear and even menacing clouds! We wanted to highlight the power behind this product and the only way possible is to show it in action. Bring on the dog!”

Metrovac has an incredible line of commercial vacuums and dryers available, and the Metrovac Air Force Commander, available in several new colors, is a stand out amongst pet owners! These dryers work so fast, the hardest part of the shoot was keeping Prima wet enough for continuity! No matter where the scenes moved, the dryer was easy to relocate due to its small size and its surprisingly low weight. Even six year old Dylan had fun with it making sure to test each speed level on his own hair!

Knowing the Air Force Commander’s potential, we knew ordinary camera shots wouldn’t be enough. We brought in the big guns with the Black Magic URSA in order to capture amazing slow motion footage. Which Director of photography, Zoltan David, loves the impact of slow motion in video, “I loved working with the URSA. It really makes a difference to the end product when you can incorporate images that are different or unexpected. Slow motion shots of a dog shaking and being dried off …where water is slowly spraying off of them looks phenomenal!”

What also looked great were the jib arm shots from above the action. Ellenbogen CEO, Jeremy Ellenbogen, always pushes for the extra-ordinary, “If we have access to the tools…we should use them. Create shots that are appealing to the eye and show the product in action. Anybody can point a camera and shoot…it’s what you do with the camera that makes the difference. It’s an art…and we have very experienced artists at Ellenbogen Creative!”

Just your typical Wednesday at Ellenbogen Creative Media!

Recently our crew put on their ten gallon hats, rustled up their equipment and moseyed on out to the Rocking Horse Ranch in Highland, New York.  When they arrived they lassoed two wranglers and “Trigger”, the equine leading man, in the corral for a horseback riding safety video shoot. Fortunately for everyone involved, our crew left their six-shooters at home and shot the video with a SONY EX-3 camera.

The wranglers demonstrated the proper way to mount and dismount a horse, as well as how to control a horse while walking on a trail.  The video will be shown as a tutorial to all the cowboys and cowgirls waiting in line for their turn to ride.

Luckily for the Rocking Horse Ranch the Ellenbogen Group does not believe in the old saying, “never work with animals and children.”  Along with the usual hazards of working with horses (mainly avoiding the “land mines” they leave behind) there was a specific challenge during the shoot.  Audio & Sound Technician Brian Dyke explains, “Being that the shoot was entirely outside, we didn’t have to use lights but we did use a reflective board to brighten up some of the shots.  I learned the hard way that horses are attracted to movement and light when I was moving the reflective board for a shot.  I turned around and 6 or 7 horses were sneaking up on me; it looked like a very slow stampede.  Needless to say, from that point on I was very aware of my surroundings.”

Despite starting an impromptu horse parade the shoot got a resounding YEEHAA!  The Ellenbogen Group looks forward to showing up to the next showdown.

A Cut Above The Rest

One of the more recent, and exciting, projects we’ve been working on for the past few months here at Ellenbogen Creative Media is a series of instructional videos for Milady, a part of Cengage Learning. For those that don’t know, Milady is one of the world’s largest education publishers for the beauty and wellness industry. We were very excited to be a part this prestigious project.

When we went into contract last summer to create the next set of videos for their ‘Turning Trends Into Money’ series, we put our ‘A Team’ into place and began the critical pre-production process. Extensive planning was needed to coordinate everything from talent casting, location scouting, and salon equipment acquisition to crew and gear preparation as well as craft services arrangements! Production Coordinator/Producer, Amanda Popovich, took the lead on this end. “It really is amazing how much behind the scenes work goes into one production…let alone a three day shoot on location in New York City with a crew of five! Fortunately, our team here has a great working relationship and with everyone pulling together, doing their part to perfection…it becomes a seamless production with a very happy client!”

Suzanne Mulroy, Video Product Manager for Milady, couldn’t agree more! “This was the first project we worked on with Ellenbogen Group. New vendor relationships can be hard, trying to feel each other out, see how the team operates and hope it’s a fit. And it was! The team on-set was great to work with, very professional and eager to please. As for the post production process, we couldn’t be happier with the results! Alex knew exactly the look we were aiming for and delivered high-energy, informative videos!”

Senior Editor, Alex Pearson, has a special connection to the ‘Turning Trends Into Money’ project. “Working with Suzanne was awesome! We were given an edit schedule with definite deadlines…I only missed one! Suzanne was completely understanding. I mean, I tried to edit in the hospital when my twins were born…but my wife requested I stop! I even wanted to name them Carlos and Berry [The lead stylists in the videos], but my wife said no.”

Ellenbogen Group CEO, Jeremy Ellenbogen, is proud of what the team delivered. “Spending three days on set in NYC with the area’s leading stylists, Carlos Cintron and Berry Bachen, was a test to our creativity, professionalism and dedication. And we shined! We also learned a lot about hair! You should check out the videos…they’re really good!”

Our crew used Sony EX3 and Canon 5D Mark III DSLR cameras, KinoFlo Diva lights, Dana Dolly, 3 monitors for client viewing, wireless audio rack, and a Black Magic Atem.

As the video quickly becomes the preferred communication method, Milady hopes to use Ellenbogen for all their East Coast video production projects, and we welcome the opportunity. This current Ellenbogen project is Coming Soon to the Milady Education Network (www.miladyednet.com).