Just got back from a very successful speaking engagement for the Bay Area Professional Videographers Association (BAPVA). Many thanks to Jill Jaknow, Oren Arieli, Dan O’Hara, Chuck Savadelis, Ted Banucci, Michael Ryan, Mark Triolo and everyone else who made my visit so easy and fun.

Topics covered:
Creative camera technique for wedding shooting.
Post production: how to add that magic to differentiate you from the crowd.
Sales and marketing approaches.

Wow, what an amazing week! It started off with directing the legendary James Caan in a scene for an upcoming Bar Mitzvah concept video.

Two days later I am directing Paris Hilton.

And Sunday night it all culminated in shooting the 60th Emmy’s Governors Ball!

Somewhat surreal!

Did i say that I love my work!

Orlando, Florida
August 11, 2008 WEVA Wedding & Event Video Expo

http://www.wevaexpo.com/ceawinners.shtml

“Each year, WEVA invites members and non-members to enter their finest work in our industry’s most prestigious awards competition,” said Roy Chapman Chairman of Wedding & Event Videographers Association International. “The Creative Excellence Competition, in its 18th year, is once again open to all professional wedding and event videographers worldwide. It is a WEVA peer-reviewed competition and represents the highest awards honor in production achievement in our industry. There is always a new panel of judges every year, and each year brings a fresh opportunity for new productions to be honored. All videographers are encouraged to enter their best work!”

david robin | films won Gold in two categories:

Short Form Wedding Production
Photo Montage Production

Since 1994 we have won an unprecidented 25 Creative Excellence Awards, and continue to have the headache of where to put them. Seriously we are truly honored as competition gets stiffer and stiffer each year, with much amazing new talent emerging around the world.

Here are some photos of DR accepting the awards:

Here is our latest promo, highlighting some of our After Effects work.

Here at david robin | films we rarely talk about our production equipment. For one thing it can be really boring. We are storytellers, and can successfully recount our tales with any kind of recording camera.

However, this one is really special.

Not only is this camera full HD, has superb fujinon optics, records at many different frame rates including 1080 24P, 30P, & 60P, but it is also completely tapeless. It records images onto a brand new card system developed by Sony and Sandisk.

So what does this mean to you the client?

Well, stunning images that look the closest to 35mm film as I have ever seen. Phenomenally low light sensitivity, that virtually eliminates the need for any camera lights. It also gives us the ability to shoot, edit and deliver in HD, with the end product being a Blu-Ray DVD Disc for you!

I’m very excited!

WEVA Expo 2008

Excited to appear in a workshop alongside two great friends and extraordinary videographers, David Hohenthaner and David Williams.
Just recently, I flew David Hohenthaner from Tampa to Los Angeles, to help shoot Paramount Pictures President, Brad Grey’s daughters Bat Mitzvah. It was a joy working with him and the event was off the hook. A big thank you for taking the time to loan your expertise and flying across country to help me out.

As you can see from the poster below, i got inspiration for the workshop from a very silly movie.

May 2008

I was invited by the IVA (Illinois Videographers Association), along with renowned East Coast Event Filmmakers David Williams and Steve Fowler, to give a workshop in their fabulous city. Other speakers from the area, on the agenda were Keith and Jennifer Andersen and Chris Chibucos. I had a terrific time, and thank you to all for your warm midwestern hospitality. Can’t wait to do it again!

Please click on the thumbnails to enlarge.

LIQUID Beckstead was designed with the intention of offering a unique service to professional photographers. A solution for them to truly stand out from the rest. david robin | films had already achieved great success incorporating this technique into its work, so we decided to join forces with one of the greatest photographers on the planet DAVID BECKSTEAD. LIQUID Beckstead was the result. So in association with Dynamic Video (our representation outside the Los Angeles area) here is the result. ENJOY!

LIQUID Beckstead

“In a deep sea of photographers, how are you going to rise out of the water and be different? Seeing for the first time, my best images turned into a 3D presentation, felt almost ‘liquid’ to me. Like a river it moved so beautifully! I knew I had a ticket to DIFFERENT! I had no doubt brides would be ’stunned’ by this and pay anything to get a “liquidshow” for themselves. Talk about a striking way to show off my art! Hand crafted, one image at a time, over many hours of work; liquidshows are not for every photographer. Most will not pay for this kind of workmanship. But that leaves the field wide open for you! At your studio or on your laptop when a bride first witnesses your liquidshow she will instantly know that you are unique, book you on-the-spot and pre-pay for a liquidshow.”

“You got to get your tube and float down this river!!”

David Beckstead

10 Things You Didn’t Know About David Robin

1. Grew up in London, England. Moved to Los Angeles in 1981. Secretly wishes he would have moved to New York first.

(a) The house i grew up in. (b) The day I left for America. (c) Visiting NY for the first time.

2. Absolutely loves to travel, however, hates flying. Has been all over most of the world, with the exception of the Far East, Australia and some of northern and eastern Europe. But hopes to visit them in the, not too far, distant future.

Rome: The Spanish Steps.

3. Up until age14, had an awesome Marvel Comics collection. Sold them all to pay for a new sparkling red drum kit.

My latest DW kit. My dream come true!

4. Played drums for the English new wave band “Toyah” who achieved success in Great Britain.

http://www.orbit.force9.co.uk/behindthelake/html/musicians3fdr.htm

I’m the one 2nd from last on right.

5. Avid collector of Jazz, fusion, Progressive Rock and Pop CD’s currently approaching 5000.

6. Has a lovely wife and two teenage Sons, 17 and 18 yrs of age.

7. Watches every movie possible via Netflix. But will go to the theater when a really good movie comes out.

8. Secretly loves American Idol, and tears up when a good one is voted off.

9. Loves contemporary art, and would collect it, if he could afford it.

10. Wicked dry British sense of humor, and loves a great cup of Tetley’s English Breakfast Tea, or PG Tips. With milk and sugar, of course!

Orlando, Florida, Jan 21, 2007 — The top 25 videographers in the world were honored this evening by EventDV Magazine at the 4Ever Group Video 08 educational conference in Orlando’s Wyndham Resort.

“I want to thank my entire team for putting our name on the map for the third year in a row. I also want to thank all the professional videographers around the world who voted for me for this great honor.”

david robin

Press Release:

MADISON, WI–January 21, 2008—Today EventDV magazine unveiled the 2007 EventDV 25, and David Robin of david robin | films was named to the list as one of the 25 hottest and most influential event videographers in the business. The honorees were announced in the February 2008 issue of EventDV, and were recognized on Monday, January 21 in a special awards presentation during the opening night gala of the 4EVER Group’s Video 08 convention in Orlando, Florida.

“As the event video industry’s one and only all-star team, the EventDV 25 gives us the opportunity to recognize those videographers who are wielding the most influence today, through their innovative work, educational efforts, and outreach to other videographers,” said EventDV Editor-in-Chief Stephen Nathans-Kelly. “To make sure we recognized the right people, we turned the selection process entirely over to the ‘fans,’ and let our readers pick the team. Over the two-month online voting process, the readers cast well over a thousand votes, and our all-star team emerged.”

In addition to voting for their selections, readers had the opportunity to defend their choices with a brief description of their chosen candidate’s merits. Of David Robin, voters wrote, “He has set a standard that will keep the rest of us reaching for a long, long time.”

EventDV, the Authority for Event Videographers, is published monthly by Information Today, Inc. and read by over 27,000 event videographers and independent video producers around the world. For more information on EventDV, visit www.eventdv.net.