Hawaii Tourism Authority–Kaumakaiwa
"I was approached by a Hawaii-based advertising agency called MVNP about directing a series of videos for the Hawaii Tourism Authority. Their concept was to feature native and local practitioners in short documentaries that explore various aspects of Hawaiian and local culture."
"We needed to film ten subjects on six different Hawaiian Islands in a short amount of time, so we were always up against the clock. There were numerous times where were rushing to get one last shot just before catching a flight to the next island. We tried to maximize coverage by shooting some footage on scout days, which helped, but there are only so many hours in the day. One upside about being pressed for time, though, is that it forces you to be very selective about which scenes and shots you choose to get. You have to sacrifice certain opportunities during production, but it helps in the edit room to not have excess footage."
"The cinematographer, Jeremy Snell, is also an accomplished portrait photographer. He's flown all over the world documenting indigenous peoples and practices in a style that is beautiful, authentic, and powerful. Our most useful references were photographs from his collection."
"We didn't want to let any stylistic or technical factors get in the way of our ability to capture real moments with our subjects. We used slow-motion very selectively and for the most part relied on natural lighting and negative fill. Aside from some simple compositing for night sky shots, our post-production approach was pretty straight forward as well."
"We shot on an Alexa Mini with Kowa anamorphics. We also used some modest diffusion here and there. I edited Kaumakaiwa, and the rest of the ten videos were split between editors Nick Stone and Deb Miller."
"We didn't want to let any stylistic or technical factors get in the way of our ability to capture real moments with our subjects."
"I loved being a part of this project. I was born-and-raised on Oahu, yet there were so many aspects of native Hawaiian culture that I was not aware of nor had encountered until this project. Everyone we interviewed welcomed us with warmth and candor and I really value the rich experiences this opportunity afforded us. Kaumakaiwa in particular show incredible strength and vulnerability. She walked on razor sharp volcanic rock, performed multiple takes without breaks, withstood the wind, rain, and chill, and chanted until she nearly lost her voice. She's a highly talented, dedicated and intelligent professional."
