This month we had the pleasure of talking with Wayne Shepherd. Even more fortunate is that Wayne is in town for a brief stint. Although Wayne has an office at Videobred, his home base is in Redondo Beach, CA. There he runs At The Post Productions and has done quite well for himself. Wayne has an impressive resume, working on movies like 300, Pleasantville and The Tourist, to name a few. It is always a pleasure to have him around. Below is a photo of Wayne and Dave Krieghauser, from back in the day.

1. When did you work at Videobred and what did you do here?

May 1985 – Summer 1991. I performed every job at one time or another while at Videobred but I started out making dubs then progressed to a production assistant in the field but ended up as an editor.

2. What is your job now, and what do you love about it?

I’m the Visual Effects Supervisor for my company At The Post. Even after 25 years I still love what I do, the technical and creative challenges are different of most every project and that keeps the mind fresh.

3. What is the most important thing you learned while work at Videobred?

This is a tough question, I value so much of my experience at Videobred and tell people constantly. One of biggest things to for me has been how to run a creative business, a company made up of artist. I’ve seen many companies try to force a corporate structure on an industry that in my opinion needs to breathe on it’s own and have room for people to grow. Dave, Bob and Dennis, with their guidance, let us all find our own way. Beyond that, the technical skills of filmmaking have been invaluable to my career.

4. What is your drink of choice now and what was it then?

Today: Bombay Sapphire and tonic with a lemon. Then: I believe it was Tanqueray & tonic.

5. What movies have you seen lately?

21 Jump Street, Project X, Safe House and Wanderlust.

6. Your favorite piece of technology?

AutoDesk Flame, Visual Effects Compositing System.

7. What is your biggest Louisville guilty pleasure?

It use to be White Castle since I’ve lived west of the Mississippi for 18 years but if I think about what I really miss the most it would have to be the people.

8. Craziest thing that happened on a shoot or in an edit?

It was the time kkjhoiwennnosi sdfwoinmms, slkdjfoiiier loeik;m,mzj!!!!!! Wow, that was crazy. (censored)

9. Advice to incoming interns or anyone who wants to work at Videobred?

My advice is to work hard, absorb every bit of information in as many areas of the business as possible and take advantage of each opportunity that crosses your path. An advantage I realized later was my wide range of experience at Videobred became extremely valuable, today people tend to be more specialized, an editor just edits, a 3D animator just animates, etc. If you’re trying to light a visual effects scene in the computer, the practical lighting experience on-set becomes a valuable asset and that carries over to many other positions.

Great advise, thank you. To find out more or contact Wayne check out these links.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0791891/

http://www.atthepost.net/

Eric Stemen comes to us from a land down under.  Well, he was born there anyway.  A son of an Army officer, Eric has spent time in Australia, Portugal, Ohio, Mississippi, and Alabama.  After relocating for the last time to Kentucky, Eric began getting his feet wet shooting wedding videos with Jamie’s (Pence) father in Elizabethtown.  “He was definitely a mentor to me.  I watched him and learned a lot, and knew that’s what I wanted to do.”  With a deep interest for cars however, he originally received a degree in Automotive Technology.  After working as a mechanic for a year but still taking classes in television production, he realized that he could marry his love of cars and love of shooting and editing together.

Eric went on to Western Kentucky University where he received his degree in Television Production.  After graduating in 2009, he interned on Ft Knox shooting video for their ROTC program.  It was there that he was able to put Final Cut to good use and really start to get deep into editing.  Eric joined Kertis Creative shortly after where he headed projects for Desert Sun Auto Group and Mavia.  You can check out some of his animation work here: http://mavizon.com/  or his documentary for Desert Sun here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmgAtBUmbyA

After 2 years with Kertis, he was approached by Jamie to join our team.  Eric had met Jamie and was eager to get behind Jamie’s belief and vision in the video industry.  He was excited about the opportunity to stretch his creative legs.

In his spare time, Eric puts his love of shooting and editing together creating videos for Auto and BMX crosses.  He is also mountain bike enthusiast so chances are good you can catch him in his favorite spot, Cherokee Park.  What you won’t catch him doing however is rooting for UK or UL basketball.  Because, and I’m not kidding, he doesn’t watch sports.  Sigh.

That’s okay, Eric.  We’re still thrilled to have you here.  Welcome!!

-Rebecca

In this post, our intern and Harry Potter expert, Rachel, will share her experiences from opening night.

I stared down at the holiest sight I had seen in several months: a ticket to the 12:30 3-D showing of the final Harry Potter movie on opening night. I could not decide if I was overwhelmingly happy or overwhelmingly sad. The conclusion of the Harry Potter phenomenon was only a couple of hours away, and it was sure to be rad, but a huge part of my childhood was going to end along with it. I decided to ignore the negativity and enjoy my night. The sadness could wait. I climbed in the car with a few crucial friends, two hours before show time, and prepared myself for one of the greatest experiences of the summer.

We arrived at the theater, and it was not any surprise that the parking lot was almost completely filled. We managed to find a spot in the very back of the lot and made the trek up to the building. We discovered a line that completely circumnavigated the entire building. About halfway around the line, I spotted none other than Videobred’s own Brian Cunningham, fake wand in hand. After exchanging a few words with Brian, I continued on my way. As my group ventured on to the back of the line, I thought to myself that if Brian were to have a real wand, it would definitely have a core consisting of unicorn hair.

We finally reached the back of the line where my group of friends merged with fellow VB intern Gina Durkan. There was some Red Bull and Death Eater symbols involved, but our time in the line was short-lived because we plotted a way to skip the line and wait inside the theater’s bar. Once we were in, we indulged in their special “Harry Potter drink,” which looked really green and awesome, but tasted disappointingly bland.

The theater was already packed by the time we got there, but managed to find seats in the second row.  Disclaimer: After a couple of “Harry Potter drinks,” 3-D film looks about ten times more awesome, so I recommend that to everyone.

As for the movie itself,  it was action-packed from the first minute, but if you haven’t read the book or seen the other movies, then you will be completely and utterly lost. However, since I know the book by heart I was able to know exactly what was happening when it was happening, what parts they changed, and what parts they left out completely. I won’t give away too many of the details, but the movie is definitely worth the time and money, especially if you see it in 3-D. It’s not exactly cinematic gold, but I’d definitely classify it as cinematic silver.

Using the Canon 7D and a lens that can create the softest depth of field you have ever seen, the interns learned about differences in apertures, exposures, shutter speeds, and ISO values. Sure, it was a lot to take in and it is possible that a review will be necessary, but still it was covered. So have a look and be sure to let us know what you think on the Facebook page.

Interns Rachel Shulhafer, Gina Durkan and Barrett Dennison produced, shot, and edited their short video in less than a week. With each having a different strongpoint, they were able to learn from one another and gain experience in their areas of interest.

Rachel came up with the idea based around Archie while dozing on and off during the NBA Finals. “I fell asleep, dreamt about bacon, and that’s how it came to be,“ she said. “It was an ‘ah hah!’ moment.”

Barrett was behind the AF100 camera and was also the voiceover as Archie. He feels like this first project was a large step in the right direction for him and his partners.

“Once upon a time, I was a lone wolf in search of an opportunity to learn,” Barrett said. “I came to videobred an infant with a mere glimpse of what production offered me. As my fellow interns and I conspired to create our first commissioned work, I found my pack, each person with their own set of skills, personality, and courage and we pursued what I think was a great learning experience.”

The last step in their adventure was the editing and final touches. Gina had experience in post production so she put her skills to work.

“It was cool that everyone at Videobred was constantly supporting us and willing to do whatever we said to help with the project,” she said. “’Twas like having infinite power.”

With the help of the VB team and the amazing Archie, our interns successfully passed their  first project.

“The three of us are very efficient and we are going to make even better projects because now we know what’s up,” Rachel believes.

Looks like we will be putting them to the test. Stay tuned for more great work from the wolf pack!

In a very close second place, Matt Krupp had us all laughing with his truly Brutally Epic tale of UofL football tailgating and a legendary keg stand. Matt gets two tickets to his pick of any UofL game this season, while the Cats girls will be cheering on their team this Saturday. Everyone is welcome to join the videobred crew for tailgating on Saturday. It promises to be epic.

Congrats to all the winners! Here’s a story from those girls in blue before you watch their video on the facebook page here.

Once upon a College Gameday in the Commonwealth, some crazy Cats fans ventured from Possibility City to Rupp, ran into a hunky camera man named Raph, and asked “What would John Wall do?!?!” Their fairy fan-mother, Vic, appeared who was college buds with Chuck Hayes and happened to be in town on this NBA All-Star weekend. Fan-mother was dressed to impress and convinced Chuck to get VIP passes for her fanatical fans where they rubbed elbows with former Wildcat hoops royalty. And then at the stroke of midnight, footballers Turtle and Randall Cobb appeared (despite surely being carded at the door). Photo ops, fist pumps and vodka-crans (courtesy of VIP) ensued. They all lived happily ever after, laughing hysterically and questionable “professional” ladies attempting the splits on the dance floor.