Blog of DP & Editor Simon Dempsey

Grade: before & happy ever after….

Simon Dempsey — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 15:16:37 +0000

I’m working on some footage right now that has great scope for stylised treatment.
I’m working on Magic Bullet Looks – absolutely love it!

If Apple ever get their act together and re-design the GUI on ‘Color’ it might just compete with MBL as a grading platform for Final Cut, but until then….

A Northern Weekender

Simon Dempsey — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 15:17:56 +0000

My GoPro HD will soon be going through some serious paces (more to come on that!) – for now, I have been taking it of the lid a bit more to get some great fly-over shots while riding – one of these days I’m actually gonna head out to a trail centre WITHOUT my bike, and just my camera – so much scope for some lovely footage in some of these spots….

Love this.

Simon Dempsey — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 17:53:59 +0000

What story are you telling?

Where GoPro Goes…

Simon Dempsey — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 16:43:14 +0000

All sitting snug together on a production line, each GoPro camera dreams and aspires towards what it will become, what it might see, what it will be exposed to in a lifetime… ..I can’t help but wonder what this little guy will have thought – “Maybe I will be a surf-cam, or even a bike-cam would be pretty cool, a good life. I could provide for my family and be a proud GoPro dad…“

Little did he think he would be put through this…..!

[GoPro wing-cam is now in therapy.]

Nike Zooms Spot

Simon Dempsey — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 17:21:39 +0000

In October of 2010 I have the monumental honour of jumping on a shoot with Escaped from LA Films, in Portland, Oregon. These guys not only produce outstanding work, but they are hands down the nicest folks I’ve ever work with!

I blogged about this shoot at the time actually (you’ll see the BTS shots further down), this is the final edit. The talent, Don Colliver & Scott Engdahl were phenomenal – such funny and talented guys! Once the shoot was done we shot some improv. stuff in the car on the way back to Portland – a documentary about Zombie-Busters. I’d love to see how that turned out.

In the meantime, here is the finished spot:
http://vimeo.com/17352553

Nike Zooms

Air SyncHD – under $200!

Simon Dempsey — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 18:53:55 +0000

I am really interested in this system as a cheap and non-wifi based means of sending a reference signal to a director on set. The wifi-based systems look fantastic, but are a whole lot more pricy ($1200 upwards), and of course if you are outdoors or away from a network, well, they won’t work!

Here is a demo video to explain all….

GoPro Hero HD debut….

Simon Dempsey — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 20:16:52 +0000

So being a keen mountain biker, and a happy snapper, the combo between the GoPro Hero HD and my new Specialized Enduro bike was a warm & fuzzy combo for me. One sunny Saturday afternoon a few weeks back Mrs. D kindly offered to accompany me up to Stainburn for a wee two-cam test shoot – below are the results…

That time of the Year….

Simon Dempsey — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 20:04:28 +0000

I actually shot this for fun about this time last year (2009) – having just visited the German Market again this year I thought I’d throw it up on here…

Last Minutes with ODEN

Simon Dempsey — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 19:59:45 +0000

This is without a shadow of a doubt one of the most moving short films I have ever seen. Beautifully shot, totally discrete and powerful in expressing the story.

You might cry.

Kona Blue, Goooood Coffee

Simon Dempsey — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 19:06:42 +0000

I am currently working on a short film for a new (and outstanding!) coffee company based in the midlands (uk). Kona Blue are a small independent, that means they actually care about the quality of the coffee they serve.

[note- One of these days I will write a blog about why I have grown so far removed from high street coffee chains, particularly the once-idealistic Starbucks]

Anyway, this has been one of my favourite gigs in recent months, well, it was always gonna be right? Making a film on a 7D about the art of fine espresso – Hello? I shot the segment on the espresso mostly myself, and then my DP buddy Zsolt rolled in to shoot he remainder around the store. The full film will be ready in a couple of weeks and will then be projected in a decent sized area of each of the three KB stores.

Kona Blue Coffee, the Z doin' his thing

In the midlands? Find your nearest store on their site: konabluecoffees.co.uk

The current films is this guy: vimeo.com/15461964

I’ll post the final piece in when all chopped …

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Shot on a Canon 7D
Glidetrack used in parts
Lit with a Ikan LED
Glass: Canon 50mm f1.4 mostly, Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 also