Studio Blog
Welcome to the Demand Studios Blog – a resource for writers, contributors and freelancers alike! Come here for answers to your questions, Studio news, writing tips and more.
Video Spotlight - 5 Questions with Nathan Boehme
In this week's Video Spotlight, we're looking at the work of LA-based filmmaker Nathan Boehme, fresh off a shoot for a Demand Studios content partner, ModernMom.com. Click the image below to take a look at some of Nathan's Modern Mom content.
H
ow long have you been a DS filmmaker? I joined Demand's community of filmmakers in late 2006, so I didn't come in exactly on the "ground floor," but I probably wasn't too many floors above it.
You recently produced videos for a Demand Studios partner, ModernMom.com. What was it like working with Hollywood-level talent as your Experts? I was pretty nervous on my first day because I knew that I was going to be working with people like Brooke Burke who have established careers in the entertainment industry. In short, it seemed like I was going to have to work extra hard NOT to make a fool of myself. Fortunately, all of the nervous worrying melted away after spending just two minutes talking with Brooke. She's easily one of the most kind, easy-going, and accommodating people that I've ever worked with... famous, or otherwise.
Some of the videos were standard how to style videos, but I also shot some interviews with Brooke and friends of the site. They were supposed to be sit-down-style, back-and-forth interviews where they'd chat back and forth about their experiences with motherhood. We all collaborated on the "look" and "feel" of the video, and decided we'd shoot hand-held, and just the let the cameras roll. One take ended up being over twenty minutes long, and the conversation ended up covering a wide range of topics from the daily struggles of being a single parent, and raising kids after going through a divorce, to the public perception of celebrity moms and dads, and how the kids interpret the sometimes negative "coverage" of their parents. Really raw, unfiltered stuff. They also talked about their day-to-day lives as mothers, and joked about more common problems like "lack of sleep," or "time to yourself," or the lack thereof. The final cut of the video, as it stands, runs about six minutes long, and feels very organic to me... kinda like you're sitting right there in the room with them, which is what we were all hoping for.
I shot all of these videos on my trusty Canon XH-A1, recorded the audio with an Azden SGM-2X shotgun mic, and edited them using Final Cut Studio.
What is your favorite part of the production process, and why? There are things that I love about every aspect, from the writing all the way through to the final cut... and I suppose that all of those things really boil down to ONE thing, which is crafting the "story." I love getting lost on the creative side of the fence. I love being a part of that process from beginning to end. This goes hand-in-hand with my second favorite part of the production process, which is collaborating with people who feel the same way.
What was your first filmmaking job? My first "professional" shoot ever was a music video for my brother's band. We wanted to shoot in a coffee shop, but there weren't any in town that would allow a bunch of kids to use their place of business as a set. So, I ended up using the fellowship hall of our old church as a soundstage, and built a full-scale, semi-functioning coffee shop set (complete with movable "wild" walls) right in the middle of it. The end result was amateur at best, but I don't think I've ever felt more proud in my life.
What attracts you to filmmaking? That's a difficult one to answer. Reminds me of that scene at the end of "Almost Famous" where William asks Russell, the guitarist, "What do you love about music?" Russell repositions himself in his chair, looks William in the eye, and replies, "To begin with.....everything."
Nathan Boehme is a Los Angeles based writer, director and editor. As a tenured Demand Studios creator, he now spends the bulk of his production time creating premium content for Demand Studios partners and advertisers.
H
ow long have you been a DS filmmaker? I joined Demand's community of filmmakers in late 2006, so I didn't come in exactly on the "ground floor," but I probably wasn't too many floors above it.Some of the videos were standard how to style videos, but I also shot some interviews with Brooke and friends of the site. They were supposed to be sit-down-style, back-and-forth interviews where they'd chat back and forth about their experiences with motherhood. We all collaborated on the "look" and "feel" of the video, and decided we'd shoot hand-held, and just the let the cameras roll. One take ended up being over twenty minutes long, and the conversation ended up covering a wide range of topics from the daily struggles of being a single parent, and raising kids after going through a divorce, to the public perception of celebrity moms and dads, and how the kids interpret the sometimes negative "coverage" of their parents. Really raw, unfiltered stuff. They also talked about their day-to-day lives as mothers, and joked about more common problems like "lack of sleep," or "time to yourself," or the lack thereof. The final cut of the video, as it stands, runs about six minutes long, and feels very organic to me... kinda like you're sitting right there in the room with them, which is what we were all hoping for.
I shot all of these videos on my trusty Canon XH-A1, recorded the audio with an Azden SGM-2X shotgun mic, and edited them using Final Cut Studio.
What is your favorite part of the production process, and why? There are things that I love about every aspect, from the writing all the way through to the final cut... and I suppose that all of those things really boil down to ONE thing, which is crafting the "story." I love getting lost on the creative side of the fence. I love being a part of that process from beginning to end. This goes hand-in-hand with my second favorite part of the production process, which is collaborating with people who feel the same way.
What was your first filmmaking job? My first "professional" shoot ever was a music video for my brother's band. We wanted to shoot in a coffee shop, but there weren't any in town that would allow a bunch of kids to use their place of business as a set. So, I ended up using the fellowship hall of our old church as a soundstage, and built a full-scale, semi-functioning coffee shop set (complete with movable "wild" walls) right in the middle of it. The end result was amateur at best, but I don't think I've ever felt more proud in my life.
What attracts you to filmmaking? That's a difficult one to answer. Reminds me of that scene at the end of "Almost Famous" where William asks Russell, the guitarist, "What do you love about music?" Russell repositions himself in his chair, looks William in the eye, and replies, "To begin with.....everything."
Nathan Boehme is a Los Angeles based writer, director and editor. As a tenured Demand Studios creator, he now spends the bulk of his production time creating premium content for Demand Studios partners and advertisers.
