Hero Productions

New Brand, New Site!

2011-01-03T20:18:00.000-08:00

www.coldtwelvemedia.com from Andrew Zaragoza on Vimeo.
Formerly Hero Productions

Cold Twelve Media

www.coldtwelvemedia.com
Hello and let me introduce you to the new site, ColdTwelveMedia.com. With the launch of the new site, comes the new brand that I will be filming under which was formerly Hero Productions, now, Cold Twelve Media. I'm very excited for the change, a change in which I knew was going to come one day, I just wasn't sure when. If you were to Google "Hero Productions", my blog would not be first on the list, and it would be followed by many many other "Hero this and that's" of the world. I knew I had to make a change. So with the praise and help from the Cold Twelvers I adopted the name and became a part of the Cold Twelve family.
What started off as just a hobby to film drifting while my track car was out of service, turned into quite the side job. I'm proud of what I did with Hero Productions and putting myself on the "media map". Hey, Googling popular terms like "Hero" and "Productions" and having my old site be second on what pops up is pretty cool in my book. Still, the name and what I did with Hero Productions was not unique enough to separate myself from every other "hero" or every other production company on the web. So in comes the new excited, happy and healthy baby that is "Cold Twelve Media". I can't wait to make this thing grow into something bigger than I could have ever imagined when I started Hero Productions.
I thank everyone that was ever a part of Hero Productions, especially those that closely followed the old blog. Hopefully I did something to catch your attention then, so much so that you will follow me here on this site and watch Cold Twelve Media grow in 2011. Big thanks to the Cold Twelvers themselves, E.C, Monsrock and El Rob, guys I can't wait to build even more this year. I wouldn't be here with out Vchi Studios for picking me up and letting me be apart of that empire. And last but most certainly not least my family and my fiance who is seriously my back bone when it comes to all this.
I can't promise anything, but I'm not getting any younger and I don't plan on keeping my day job much longer. What that means is more time dedicated to filming and editing to bring you the highest quality entertainment you've ever seen.

That would officially be the cheesiest post I've ever made and it will be the last. Save it because you won't see it again. Happy new year and lets make 2011 one to remember.

Sincerely,
Andrew Zaragoza

Cash Dreed - Get the Green$

2010-09-26T21:30:00.000-07:00

Extremely fun shoot. A 2 day shoot starting out in mid town Sacramento, Ca with the talented nor cal MC's , El Rob and Monsrock, or better known as Cash Dreed. Day two was back in south Sacramento at the home studio of Monsrock. After a few takes, these guys looked like they've been in front of the camera for years. All in all, I think this turned out quite well considering this was my first official music video.

The entire video was shot on a Canon T2i, 18-55mm kit lens, 50mm Nikon, 28mm M42 prime lens and edited with Final Cut Pro. I finally got a chance to use my newly purchased Indislider Delux mini, and despite all the negative reviews online, this slider worked out great! The pistol grip was a huge help as well as the added base legs. The only issues I had were my tripod wasn't sturdy enough for me to pull of clean slides and when I placed it on a desk, button mashing made it vibrate quite a bit. If you don't mind putting in some work to get the shot you want, I do recommend the indislider.

The "Get the Greens" single is dropping sometime in October. This is only the first single, you can bet you will be seeing much more from Cash Dreed and Hero Productions VERY soon.

Enjoy the Cash Dreed - Get the Greens official music video!
Cash Dreed - Get the Greens

All Star Bash X

2010-07-15T23:39:00.000-07:00

Video Here:CLICK HERE
Please continue on and read more about this event!

This year's All Star Bash did not disappoint. I hope in this video you can get some sense of the speeds these drivers are hitting, the angle they're getting, and how close they're getting to each other! Just Drift really knows how to throw a "bash" and Ziptied, as well as their peers, really know how to drive. I said it this time last year, All Star Bash is the best drift event anyone can attend in the entire United States. A year later and I still stick by that statement. The people on and off the track make this quite the amazing experience. I must thank Charlie, Just Drift Staff, Drivers and all the station workers who helped make this possible.

All Star Bash is an invite 2 day extravaganza. The best of the best come out and show off their cars and show off their driving. Amateur to semi pro to full on professional drivers were on display. The event itself isn't like that of any other. Its just one big party on and off the track. The first day is on Streets of Willows at Willow Springs raceway, this continues on through the night for the Team Tandem Competition and on the second day drivers are allowed to hit Horse Thief Mile, a mountain style course. Although there is a competition at night, the main purpose of this event is to have fun. I think I speak for everyone in attendance when I say we reached our goal. Even those who had car issues can agree we had fun. Drivers helping other drivers in fixing their cars or fixing their problems on the track, ASB is just a great environment all around. I wish everyone could experience All Star Bash. If you were sitting on the fence of going this year, you missed out! When the next ASB arrives, don't miss your opportunity, you must go.

With the addition of my new Canon T2i, I was able to run two cameras at the same event for the first time. David Perez did and exceptional job, even though he had never even touched a Canon HV20. The image quality is very noticeable, but I think it worked out well. The extreme winds made audio from three sources (Canon T2i, HV20 and Zoom H2) unusable. A higher end wind screen for the H2 is definitely a must after this. Luckily we have the great sounds from the .Label Media Group. El Rob, E.C, Monsrock, and Elephant Gun came in BIG with the soundtrack to this years ASB-X. If you like what you heard, most of their music is down loadable FOR FREE. Just visit The .Label Blog and have a listen and down load what you like.

The highlight of the event for me is something I didn't think I would see so soon. Three maniacs from Nor-Cal go to So-Cal compete in the biggest event of the year and come home as winners of the Team Tandem Competition! I was amazed at how well everyone drove, but especially Ryan Kado, Yee Xion, and Julian Jacobs. In the video you can see how fast and how close they are to each other on almost every run. I'm extremely proud of these guys on the inspiring win down at Willow Springs. At the end of the video, you can see just what an amazing event ASB-X is. Where else will you find that many cars, on track, drifting at high speeds? NO WHERE! Direct from Ryan Kado, "If you are going to go to one drift event in your life, make sure it is All Star Bash". Couldn't agree more.

I hope you enjoy the ASB-X montage. I had some computer problems, but nothing as major as I had thought. Took much longer than expected, but during the editing phase of this video, I shot two more events and found my self back logged quite a bit. Thanks to everyone who made this happen, BIG thanks to David Perez for filling in as my second camera man, you have quite the artistic mind. I can't wait to work with David again. I wish I could say it is time to sit back and relax, but I'm off to edit some more footage. What am I saying, I love doing this! I GET to go edit some more! Follow me on twitter at twitter.com/localstreethero and receive all the latest updates on videos as well as when they are released.

Thank you for watching,
Andrew Zaragoza
Hero Productions - Vchi Studios

Bart Series Beat Battle: Oak Vs S.F

2010-06-24T23:21:00.000-07:00

Click Here to watch Bart Series Beat Battle Video
A very exciting event put on by Phillip Drummond and Beats Rhymes & Life, and a very enjoyable Friday night at Club 6 in downtown San Francisco. I had only heard of this beat battle a few hours before I set sail towards the bay with Monsrock to meet up with E.C, but I'm glad I had my camera ready to shoot whatever came my way. Prior to this event, I had never been to a beat battle in any way, nor have I really shot in a night club setting. Two new experiences and I enjoyed every bit of it

Phillip Drummond hosts many of these events, and his experience was apparent. There was rarely a dole moment the entire night, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and I got plenty of good footage. Hanging out with my .Label mates was fun, watching them battle it out with some of bay area's finest, was even better. I really didn't know what to expect and no disrespect to everyone there, I really wasn't expecting much. As soon as that first beat dropped by E-Train, I instantly knew this was the real deal. Producer after producer, great beat after great beat, I really started to enjoy myself after a few beats. No doubt there was a lot of talent inside Club 6 that night, I really wanted to be on par video-wise with what I was hearing. The audio was challenging, but the low light setting was really the biggest hurdle here.

Using only my Canon T2i, SpiderBrace and Zoom H2, the low light was a big problem. Early in the video, you can see even trying to get a decent white balance setting was difficult. I actually ended up using a few different ones until I got the picture to look good on the LCD screen. Once I got back to editing, I had to do a lot of color correcting. I used my 50mm Nikon Nikkor the entire night set at F1.4. Trying to use the kit lens was way out of the question. So much so I didn't even bring it. I might have gotten away with the popular Canon F1.8 prime lens, but the ISO would have been through the roof. ISO's did vary through out the night, but there was no way I was going to get around introducing "gain" in the picture. If I wasn't trying to conserve battery life on the Zoom H2, the entire show would have gotten great sound. The quality of these recorders is amazing, I highly recommend Zoom products, and if on a budget, the new Zoom H1 packs a huge punch in a small body and very affordable price of only $99. The SpiderBrace is an awesome product for this type of situation. A tight space full of people and not really knowing what to expect, its great to be versatile and mobile.

Phillip Drummond can throw a great event, and as good as his shows are, he's even better as a person. Very nice and easy to work along side with. If you are in the bay area and want to experience some real underground hip hop, stop by philthybeats.com and see what Phillip has in store. I hope you enjoyed the video and to those who participated. GREAT job and keep making beats. Eat sleep beats.

-Andrew

Studio Sessions Part 1 - Fresco, El Rob. & Monsrock (Cash Dreed)

2010-05-30T18:47:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, Hip Hop does live here in the Woodland/Sacramento area. I was invited to the "Detox Box" by the very talented producer, Monsrock, located in south Sacramento this past week. I've been listening to Cash Dreed (Monsrock and El Rob) since I recently started working with E.C (See previous work with E.C here) and I've instantly become a fan. Especially since both originally resided in my home town of Woodland, Ca. We'll be working side by side from here on out and I couldn't be happier. All three of these guys have equal or more talent than most musicians you hear on a day to day basis. This is just a start, but "Studio Sessions" will be an on going documentary leading up to shows, album releases and much more. If you like what you see, subscribe on youtube or vimeo to follow us climb our way to the top. If you don't like what you see, give it another shot and see if you like it. If you don't like it after all that, I'm man enough to sit here and say, watch it again and again until you like what you see.

Vimeo link:
Click HERE

Studio Sessions Part 1
I couldn't wait to get into Mons' studio and see how these guys get down. Fresco, a very talented artist, was first up. You couldn't meet a nicer person. Very easy to work with, he was not shy from the camera and lyrically sound. He seems to do a little bit of everything. We only captured one verse, but after one day of working along side Fresco, I'm really looking forward to hearing what comes from this artist in the future and I look forward to working with him again soon.

On deck was El Rob. Taking nothing away from anyone who needs more than one take to lay down lyrics on a track, but Rob does not need more than one attempt to nail a song. What you see in the video is what really happened. Monsrock made the beat on the spot, played it and Rob laid down the entire song in one try. He later laced the track with some doubles, but for the first take, there are no smoke and mirrors, and no editing involved. That was the real deal. To say the least, the song itself is quite impressive. Rob said he doesn't like to waste time, apparently, you can hold Rob to his word.

I Can't wait to film some more of these Studio Session videos. There are some big things on the horizon for Cash Dreed. I can't mention exact details, but know it is going to be good. I will make sure to keep everyone up to date with what is going on, but please stay tuned, you will definitely not want to miss out on what is coming.
You can find more info on Cash Dreed and E.C at coldtwelvers.blogspot.com
and cashdreed.blogspot.com
You can contact me here, or through email at LocalStreetHero@gmail.com
Thanks for watching and I hope you enjoy!

-Andrew

2010 TDPSC Round 1 Ver. 2.0

2010-05-25T17:08:00.000-07:00

With a new track that inspired a new video, but no new footage, I went back and did a super quick montage of the last video. Here is a simple, but awesome montage of the 2010 ThunderDrift ProAm Series Competition:
TDC Rnd1 Ver 2.0

As you can see, or in this case hear the music produced by E.C is nothing short of amazing. With this video, we some what resurrected E.C's "Brewer's Sessions Vol. 2" and brought a classic back to life. With such high demand, we have made this single available for all to download FOR FREE. CLICK THIS LINK and enjoy the complete song which features E.C, Dame-O-Supreme, Clev-R and Jhyles.

Thanks for supporting local artists!
-Andrew

2010 ThunderDrift ProAm Series Competition - Finally!

2010-03-16T19:21:00.000-07:00

First off, I am sincerely sorry for taking so long to complete this video. I set out to do more for this video than I've done in previous ones, and it really opened my eyes on how much work is really involved when multiple people are needed for a project. I never intended on taking this long to complete this video, but with busy schedules, music being produced, me trying new things, getting extremely sick, oh and dealing with the regular daily routine really dragged the project on much longer than expected. I can only hope the drifting community can accept this video for what it is, a big risk on my part for taking a totally different approach to it, and understand that it took many people to finish this project, all of which have had zero drifting experience prior to this. I joked around when I started this by saying this video would be broadcast ready. Meaning a 22 min video giving a network 8 mins for commercials. Well, I guess the joke is on me. I kept an eye on that, just teasing with the thought, and the final result actually came out just above 21 mins. I hope you enjoy the video, but I also hope you are interested in what went on in the making of this video. Whatch the video, and please return here to read up on what took place during the past few weeks.
Enjoy
http://vimeo.com/10221152

Music
I really wanted this to be a true independent video and using commercial music that I did not have the rights to would totally go against that. The first call I made was to the very talented Producer, Eddie Z. It was an easy decision. Not only is Eddie a talented Rapper and Producer, but he lives only a few mins away from me here in Woodland. He created the music so seamlessly. I gave him the mindset I had and a few "drift terms" and out came the "ThunderDrift Theme". Need I say more? I was ecstatic when I heard the first cut. Soon after, he quickly produced what I called "Bracket Beats", for the back ground music I needed. For more of Eddie Z's music, please visit his page at

I was pretty content with the music I had, but like a $20 bill next to a chip you find in your couch, EdotC comes out of no where with more music. Hailing from Alameda, EdotC blessed me with some of the nicest beats I've ever heard from a local underground Producer. I listened to his first album entitled "Fresh Brewed Music" and instantly fell in love with the track "EdStrumental". After I was given the green light to use the instrumental, EdotC passed along some randoms for me to use. In those "randoms" as he called it, I found another gem by the name of "Stop Hold" the remix from DBG featuring - Cash Dreed and EdotC and produced by Monsrock. I wish I had the excuse to play the entire track, but I only needed to loop the first 8 bars. You can find more music from EdotC, Monsrock and the whole crew at:
Be on the look out for a release from this camp coming this summer!

Sally Sidewayz
What can one say about Mrs. Sidwayz? Well fresh off the set of NBC's show "Trauma", Kenyon Page fit the character just right. Once Kenyon arrived back from Treasure Island where they were filming Trauma, we started talking about what direction we would go in. I don't know where I got the idea for a Drift enthusiast from Camden, but some how it worked. I remembered Kenyon holding an entire conversation in a British accent as if she had grown up in London, so I asked if she could pull off the entire video in that form. With no hesitation, she jumped right into character and got to work. Now, before this project, Kenyon knew nothing of drifting. No drift cars, previous movies, terminology, nothing. After a few scripts I wrote for her, she was able to get a handle on things and delivered a more than adequate performance. With Sacramento's own Lindsay Rickman lacing up Sally with the fresh wardrobe, Mrs. Sidewayz was set. A huge thanks to Kenyon for making time and jumping into a project with out knowing what to expect.

Putting Sally Track side
From the video, you can see that I am no expert on Green Screen. With out the help of Franco "Steve" Leopold, the picture quality would not have been no where near what it is. Steve has been my mentor for a while now and is always willing to help. Normally, he is the one calling the shots and I'm just trying to listen, learn, and follow directions. This time around, I was behind the camera and the man in charge. Steve came through HUGE with help on lighting up the set for the green screen footage. Its a bit amazing how much ones brain can know. It seems that Steve can teach you anything you need to know when it comes to film making. He set up the lights, gave me a tutorial, and really helped this video get to the next level. Big thank you goes out to him for helping out with such a busy schedule.

Editing
This is the part I like. I have (almost) everything I need and its time to get to work. Text and intros are something I really wanted to pay more attention to. Its no secret, you can view any of my previous videos and see that my text effects and things of that nature are sub-par. I finally dipped into Apple Motion on this project, and what a program that is. I built the moving brackets and tandem titles in Motion. I know I know, anyone who has dealt with Motion is probably laughing at the fact that I am proud of those two Motion projects, but to me, they are MUCH better than anything I have made before which has opened up so many doors and the creativity will soon be spilling out of this computer. Other than that, it was a fairly easy edit. No quick cuts, no special effects, just a video showing you what is going on. Something I haven't seen since an old NCDA video from years ago. To the best of my knowledge, a drifting video with all this has never been made for NorCal Drifting. Although there are many parts that could be much improved, I can be proud that my name is on this one.

Here are some behind the scene photos

When in a pinch and in need of a sound booth, make your own:

The Audio work station:

Numerous cups of tea, chi and what not:

Green Screen Prep:

Sally Prep:

Filming Green Screen:

Would I do things differently? Maybe. Will the drift community approve? Possibly. Have I pushed NorCal up a few notches, Hopefully. Am I satisfied with the final result? Nope. I am my biggest critic. If I'm ever fully satisfied with any video, someone please shake me. I feel I can always improve on any video. Am I happy that I set out to try something new, and maybe succeeded? Absolutely. Some will love this, some will hate it, I can't please everyone, I can only try to put out the best product possible. I learned a great deal on this and I can only move forward. I do not regret any decisions made on this project, good or bad. I would not have been able to experience what I did had I taken the easy route. I left all the over used slow motion artsy stuff in the bag and tried to bring a broadcast style video for the world to see what a real grassroots competition is like. I can only hope that I've pushed the motor-sport that I love in a positive direction. If I've done that, all of this was worth it.

Thank you,
Andrew Zaragoza

Good things come to those who wait.

2010-02-23T00:00:00.000-08:00

This has been the longest drifting project I've worked on so far. Even longer than ASB last summer. Usually, I have everything I need right when I get home from an event, but for this one, I wanted to do more than just the regular "run of the mill" drift montage. I'm still waiting on paper work from ThunderDrift organizer Geoff Pitts, music from Eddie Z. and I still have more footage to shoot. So please be patient on this one, it will be a one of a kind video for NorCal drifting. I'm thinking about using a Twitter account as a bulletin board for the blog and to keep everyone up to date on what is going on over here. Be on the look out for that, but in the mean time....
Click the link below!
http://vimeo.com/9667321

Thunder Drift Jingle Bells Jerift Event 2009

2009-12-22T21:45:00.000-08:00

Thunder Drift is one of the very few organizations in the area that has held an annual full track event every year for the past three years. Each year seems to get better and better. The schedule was no different then previous years, open practice Saturday, Drift Competition Sunday. Only this year's Sunday Competition was a little different.

Xander Newell, seasoned Drifter/Judge, came up with a different type of competition that I feel made the day much more enjoyable, and probably one of the better events I've been to. Definitely the most exciting drift event to film since All Star Bash this past summer. The categories for winning prizes varied from "Longest E-Brake Slide" to "Milk Chocolate Award", which went to the whitest car that ended up the brownest.

Drivers knew where the judges were, but didn't have strict "drift criteria" to focus on. They didn't have to worry about scoring points and getting 1st place. Picture an open track event where there is no pressure, only pressure from yourself to push yourself harder, and at the end of the day, you get prizes for having fun. That is the best way I can describe it and I can tell by the driver's reaction to each award, they had a blast. I had tons of fun being there as well.

The sprinkling rain and fog made for a hard shoot. I faced similar conditions in Marina for UFO's event, but that was on a close skid pad. Trying to focus in on cars at far distances at much faster speeds was a little bit harder. Luckily, I didn't have to color correct as much in this edit, so I was able to release it sooner. I did not plan on using the award ceremony that I filmed in this video, but it felt like it went well and told a bit of a story. Shaky camera and BAD angle of the awards being handed out made me want to skip that, but I think I made the right choice. For future events, I will make it a point to place myself in a better position to get these types of shots.

This years annual event marks one full calender year since we lost a fellow drifter. David Andrew Kula participated in last year's Jingle Bell Jerift Event. A tragic accident following the event last year would turn out for the worst. No, it was not reckless driving or misbehaving behind the wheel. Kula used a pacemaker, but I'm unsure if that was determined the cause of death. Instead of focusing on our loss that night, I'd rather have everyone who knew David remember the time we had with him. From what I remember, he was a really chill guy. Didn't seem like anything could ever get him riled up. Real relaxed dude, and the drift world will miss you. Rest in peace, or better yet, Slide in Peace, friend.
-Andrew Zaragoza
Video: http://vimeo.com/8347246

Thunder Drift Mustache Style Full Track Drift Event

2009-11-24T21:06:00.000-08:00

You can't really get a grasp on how big Thunder Hill Raceway is until you try walking around the track. Even though I didn't reach every end of the track, the few spots I did venture out to, really left me winded after the long up and down hill walks. Made me wish I had left some equipment at home. After viewing the footage, I felt the angles I got were a little bland and dull, but hopefully at least the drift community can appreciate it.

The day consisted of a lot of good drivers on Thunder Hill's 15 mile course and a lot of great mustaches. Sorry, you won't see any in this video, but I wish I did capture some of the great staches that day. "Mustache Style" was just one of many fun themes Geoff Pitts can cook up. Drivers actually received a $20 discount if they came with an upper lip sweater. Mustaches only. All other facial hair had to be removed or drivers would not receive the discount. I wonder what Geoff will think of next. Be sure to check thunderdrift.com to see when the next crazy themed event will be.

I honestly had a rough day shooting. I've never been out on course with my camera before, I feel the some what boring footage shows that. I have to thank Geoff Pitts for the media pass that was provided to me. I feel this will give me the experience needed to film an event like this in the future. I hope you enjoy the video and please send me comments, positive or negative. You can reach me here, on vimeo or at localstreethero@gmail.com.
Video:
http://vimeo.com/7810774

Thanks,
Andrew Zaragoza

Andre Williams, Jingle Ball Star Search

2009-11-12T23:02:00.000-08:00

Video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6m90pOAm1U
Background info:
Its been a while since I've had something to post up here, I do apologize. I've been working with Vchi Studios and learning SO much. Filming different things than I'm accustomed to, but still enjoying every second of it. So much so that I've ventured on a solo project of my own. Filming, directing, editing, etc etc, the conclusion, I hope to do this for the rest of my life. I recently hooked up with the extremely talented Andre Williams to put together this gem.

Andre is not your average Joe. He has one of the best voices you will ever hear, but do not let that voice fool you. This artist can submit beautiful music, and put you in a submission hold. Andre trains and is a well balanced Jujitsu student. He trains along side professional fighter David Terrell in Santa Rosa, CA on a regular basis. In this video, Andre showcases some of his techniques, but we couldn't film all of them. You never know when an opponent is watching trying to get an edge. Even as good a fighter Andre is, when it comes to music, you really can see what a talented individual he is. To watch him pick up a mic, no warming up, no play list, nothing, yet still sing as if he had been doing it all night. Its seems so effortless when watching him produce such perfect vocals. I had some camera mic issues, but you still can hear how great of a singer he is.

Andre is competing in 107.9 The End's "Jingle Ball Star Search" competition. Out of 100 plus contestants, Andre has made it to the top 10! The voting has already started, but I wanted to help out a good friend. It pains me to see someone like Andre not being able to make music everyday because of not getting "that shot". We sought out to try and get Andre some exposure, let everyone know him a little better, and GET MORE VOTES! Hopefully after watching this, you will be convinced enough to log onto http://www.endonline.com/pages/5482860.php and register and vote for Andre Williams. He could use every vote possible. Please take the time to register and vote, maybe this could be Andre's big break and we can all help a local man come up in this music industry.

I had so much fun making this, I hope you all enjoy it. Again, please go to www.endonline.com and click on the "Jingle Ball Star Search" link. Or go to http://www.endonline.com/pages/5482860.php
Enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6m90pOAm1U

Misty in Marina- UFO Drift-O-Cross

2009-09-14T22:02:00.000-07:00

In an ever changing world, the one constant you can count on is, finger numbing, lip chapping, eye irritating cold weather in Marina, Ca. Great for engines, bad for filming. Very similar to the last time I was there, but slightly colder. The mist and wind made for a challenging edit, nearly every shot was bland and lacking true color. The past Three days I have been taking a crash course on Color Correction, something that has plagued me in the past. It was actually a good opportunity to break out of my shell and learn a little bit on the subject. All in all, I feel the picture quality is a vast improvement on what was originally captured, giving me some confidence in color correcting.

As for the event itself, one couldn't ask for a better set up than what Dennis and Peggy of UFO brought us. Splitting the day into two parts, $40 for either the morning or after noon sessions, or $70 for the entire day. The first half of the day had two separate courses that ran two cars at a time. It was all self governed, meaning drivers ended their run when they felt it was over. This is great for getting as many runs in as possible, and it also showcases the respect each driver has for one another. The second part of the day was one big course where drivers did their best in one consistent run. Everyone had plenty of seat time, and at $40/$70, how could you complain? Last time it felt as if the event had gotten to be a bit out of control, long lines, not much driving time. This time around, that was not the case. What seemed like more drivers, was actually much less hectic, and everyone received plenty of driving time, which is the main goal in a practice event like this. It was just an awesome day with a great vibe. You could see nothing but smiles in all of the drivers, everyone had a blast.

I had a great time filming these guys, a whole lot of great talent, as well as some less experienced drivers who where practicing the correct way. I always preach to new drivers how you gain so much more experience at one drift event than you would a whole year of street drifting. Not to mention, you keep your car, yourself safe, you stay out of trouble, and you don't hurt anyone. So watching some new drivers at this event was great and it helps the motorsport move in the right direction.

Dennis and Peggy where extremely nice in letting me roam where ever I wanted to get different angles. To the flaggers who watched over me as I was filming, thank you. I don't know when the next UFO Drift-O-Cross will be, but during a conversation with Dennis, there is a chance they will host up to five events next year. Something for everyone to look forward to. Hopefully by then my car will be running so I can take part in the tire burning festivities myself.

I did what I could to keep my hands steady in the cold, but I inevitably had to resort to my tripod. The entire day was shot in 60i at 1/250th shutter. The intro clips where slowed down with JES Deinterlacer. The quality is amazing when you take the extra time to use JES to slow down footage. The opening two shots speak volumes for people unsure if going the extra mile is worth it. I have finally found a fluid slow motion work flow and I could not be happier. I also went a head and tried some new things. It isn't that convincing, but I tried to create a triple tandem shot. I had fun with that and I'm happy with the results for now. Soon I hope to be able to make the shot so good, you have to ask if it was real or not. Another new addition to this video is we have a sponsor. Geoff Pitts of Thunder Drift, thunderdrift.com , and I have come to an agreement and he has sponsored this video to promote his up coming "Mustache-Style" Full Track Event on November 15, 2009. Visit thunderdrift.com for all the details on the epic event. What an awesome way to get those who are interested in drifting to see when the next drift event in the area will be. Thunder Hill is still one of my all time favorite venues to drift and I urge everyone to take advantage of the opportunity to drive there. It has claimed one of my engines already, but I still keep going back for more. Hero Productions will definitely be there doing heavy media coverage. If anyone would like to sponsor a video, or even just a section of a video, contact me at: LocalStreetHero@gmail.com. Most of these videos you see have been viewed anywhere from 2,000 to 10,000 and counting. Its a fast, painless, cheap, easy way to promote your event, business, or service.

I hope you all enjoy, and if there are any questions, just drop me a line on here, via email, on vimeo, in person, what ever! I'm an easily accessible person, reach out to me which ever way is best, I want to hear from you. Click on the video title to follow it back to vimeo to view the video in its best quality.

Thank you for watching,
Andrew Zaragoza
Hero Productions

UFO Drift-O-Cross Marina, Ca Sept. 12, 2009 from Andrew Zaragoza on Vimeo.

Just Drift/Ziptied All Star Bash 2009!

2009-07-31T17:03:00.000-07:00

If anyone is remotely interested in cars, motor sports, or action sports, it is a MUST to experience what is known as All Star Bash. I was thinking this was going to be the best non-pro event to attend, my thoughts quickly changed to the BEST DRIFT EVENT IN THE STATES, period. No big sponsorships, no TV cameras (except Hero Productions :-), corporate America was non existent. Only the people who have a real passion for the motor sport. It simply does not get better than this. The event took place at Willow Springs International Raceway on two separate tracks within the raceway. Drivers had a rare opportunity to drift on Streets and the second track for the event was the now legendary, Horse Thief Mile (HTM).

It was a last second decision to go. We looked at the clock as it read 12 o'clock and decided it was going to be worth it. Took off around 1am Saturday morning to get to the track early so we could start the day. The drive was exactly 6 hours, am I crazy? No. I had the same passion and determination as a driver and that carries over quite well into this realm. "You have to be working while the next man is sleeping if you want to get ahead". Words from my dad that have stuck with me my whole life. Driving through the night, no sleep, just to get to a drift event to film? Yes.

I knew the event was going to be "hot", but I didn't know it was going to be HOT. Temperatures were well over 100 degrees causing most cars to overheat and causing me to run the car parked with the A/C on full blast between filming. Even with the heat, drivers were still doing what they do best. At an invitational only event, everyone was trying to do their best and they did not disappoint. People from Socal to Norcal, Arizona to Washington, big ups to those from South Dakota to CHICAGO! Everyone showed up for this event. Its that big of a deal.

This is my biggest event to date. I still have very little experience, but that did not stop Charlie from Just Drift from granting me my media pass. I know it was nothing, but just as easily as Charlie said "yes" to my request, he could have easily said "no, we need experience". So I must give a special thanks to him, thank you Charlie. I hope this video can put me and Hero Productions on the media map. I normally publish videos in 2-3 days, this has taken me a full week of non stop editing. I feel it is by far my best to date and I can not wait to view the feedback and responses from everyone. I even got a hand from Corey over at coredesignz to help me with my logo for this one. Visit him at www.coredesignz.com

I had a blast. I've driven many events, spectated many, but non can compare to All Star Bash. I met so many cool people and finally put some faces to screen names and cars that I've seen on the net for years. I hope the tradition lives on and by this time next year, I can be posting the 2010 rendition of All Star Bash. I do hope you like what I have composed here. I knew I wanted to get this video out while the buzz of ASB was still apparent. Too everyone that was there, you guys were awesome! Next year I hope to meet even more of you crazy animals.

With that said, I present to you, Just Drift/Ziptied All Star Bash 2009 by Hero Productions!

Just Drift/Ziptied All Star Bash 2009 from Andrew Zaragoza on Vimeo.

Feeling the heat at Thunder Drift!

2009-07-21T16:00:00.000-07:00

Its been 7 months since the last time I paid a visit to Thunder Hill in Willows, Ca. Enough time to forget exactly how hot it can get. Having the hot sun beat down on you with only a hat for shade, it can be unbearable for some. Only few can take it, luckily, I love to film or else I would have packed it in early. I miss driving drift events, but with every event I film, I enjoy being part of the media more and more. I took this opportunity to play with a few settings on my camera, as well as test out my new Velbon UP 40DX II, which I HIGHLY recommend for anyone who shoots similar footage. The mono pod allows you to be very mobile. I was running up and down the skid pad, jumping on barriers with ease. Get one, you will love it. I recommend this particular mono pod because it has a smooth tilting head. That is a huge advantage over other stationary mono pods.

The video itself is not the most exciting one. I was not able to get many angles, its just a big square skid pad, 4 corners, basically 4 angles. Not only was there minimal spots to shoot from, but there were not many drivers. I don't remember what the exact number was, but it was very few as you can see from the video. Good thing the drivers were good so I got some great footage. A bitter sweet moment when I filmed the collision with the wall, we hate to see it, but at least we got the shot. The video was shot in 60i HDV. I moved away from shooting 24 frames per second in this video, it seems like shooting 60 frames makes for a cleaner look for fast moving objects. I tested out many different shutter speeds, from 1/8th to 1/2000th. The majority is in 1/100th, the others will be for testing that I might post up soon. This day was meant to fine tune some settings and do some experiment's before All Star Bash in Socal next week. Be on the look out for that one! For now enjoy what I have so far, and please comment with anything that's on your mind after watching this video. Follow to vimeo for the best quality by clicking on the title. Any questions, email me at localstreethero@gmail or post here or on the vimeo page.
Thanks,

Hero Productions
Andrew Zaragoza (Local Street Hero)

ThunderDrift 7-18-09 Thunder Hill Willows, Ca from Andrew Zaragoza on Vimeo.

Just Drift - Willow Springs International Raceway - May 30th 2009

2009-06-02T21:00:00.000-07:00

Woke up Friday morning to go to work at 6am ready to get the weekend started. Little did I know that the next opportunity I would have to actually sleep would be 48 HOURS LATER. Normally one wouldn't complain about having a quote "really long weekend", but this was the exception to the rule. Sitting back after it was all said and done, after all the editing was finalized and I can watch the video, I guess it was worth it.

Loaded my friend's car up on my trailer and left Woodland (near Sacramento) around 8 PM. Only 3 hours later than planned. Drove to Salinas, loaded my friends truck and prepped everything for the following day. We got no sleep through the night and left at 4 AM, only an hour later than planned. We drove all morning only to take wrong turns here and there and finally made it to the track at 10 AM, about 2 hours later than planned. This was only the beginning.

As I start to set my Camera up, I realized I had left my tripod at home. Huge let down. I came all this way to forget a very intricate part of my arsenal. I'll now make a check list for future filming so I don't forget anything important. I was now going to have to rely on the top handle that my father and I made, even though when we made it, it was designed to be used with the tripod. I had never shot with it before, but by the end of the day, I had mastered the art of the top handle. Not so much, but I got by ok.

The entire day I shot in PF24 HDV, which would later be converted into 24P. I used Tv mode with the shutter speed at 500. I didn't think to switch it up, I wish I did just to see what looks better/worse. Of course, the project looks better than it does on vimeo, but I think it looks great. Here is the video, please follow to vimeo to view in its highest quality:

Just Drift - Willow Springs International Raceway - May 30th 2009 from Andrew Zaragoza on Vimeo.

I love the "Pleasantville" effect. I just had to try it out. I did not want to over due it, so I figured the intro would be best fitting. I had to adjust some colors, but not much. Only one car looks a little pink-ish as opposed to its red actual color, but I can live with that. I set the White Balance myself at every different angle. I think it vastly improved the color of the shots and made for less headaches when editing in post. If you have any questions, please post them here. Any productive criticism, please post here. I do appreciate every comment I receive, from praise to despise.

Thank you and Enjoy,
Andrew Zaragoza aka "Local Street Hero"

28th & B Skate Park, Sacramento CA

2009-05-31T19:28:00.000-07:00

Now with the RAM upgrade, HDV footage was not going to be a problem, so I went out to the 28th and B Skate park, or EPIC Skate park, in Sacramento to get better footage than a YMCA soccer game (lol). Again there were a couple things I still forgot to do, but the montage was a much better video than my previous ones. Color Correction, White Balance, Sound, and better filming were areas that hurt me this time around. Even with a few obvious mistakes, the reaction I got from the video were all positive. I'm really looking forward to filming more skate videos, I just need to learn how to skate so I can film some good lines and not fall and break something. Here is the montage, be sure to follow to vimeo to view in its best quality:

28th & B Skate Park Sacramento, Ca 5/2/09 from Andrew Zaragoza on Vimeo.

Although when you watch in "HD", it still seems to lack the true "HD" feel. When I first got my Canon HV20, I wasn't planing on using HD, now that I'm using 60i, I feel that it is not good enough. So the next step is filming in 24P. Think of those daytime soap operas and the way they look. They're high produced projects, but still don't look like full on movies. They look extra clean and crisp. That is how I'm hoping my next project will look when I film in PF24 and remove whats called "pull-down" and edit in 24P. Don't worry, you don't need to understand everything, you just have to sit back and enjoy.
The next project was filmed in socal yesterday (may 30th) in PF24 so we'll see how good it turns out. Be on the look out for that video real soon. Thanks.

I guess I can edit HDV Footage - YMCA Soccer Game

2009-05-29T15:34:00.000-07:00

After doing hours and hours of research and taking advice from other Mac users, I went ahead and tried to film and edit HDV video. I had plans on going to my nephew's soccer game, so I saw this as a great oppertunity to see what I can do. I filmed in HDV - 60i. I wasn't planing on sending this highlight reel to ESPN, so I caught some simple footage to see if my MacBook could handle the bigger, more complexed HD files.

It is said that laptops are not made for editing HD footage, who ever said that did not own a Macintosh. I was able to capture and edit the footage with ease on my stock White MacBook. Although the 1gb of RAM could not handle special effects, I could still edit the footage with out long render times, or any hiccups in between. Here is the soccer game I filmed to use as my test subject. Follow to vimeo.com if you want to view in its highest quality:

Asa's Soccer Game from Andrew Zaragoza on Vimeo.

After coming to the realization that I was going to have to upgrade my 1gb of RAM, I quickly ordered a pair of 2gb Memory RAM sticks and installed them. The process took me 5 minutes and cost less than $50. Post a comment if interested in where I got the hardware and how I did it.

At this point my Mac was even stronger, faster, and ready for more. The next video will again test my machine's power.

My first Drifting Video - UFO's First Drift Event, Marina Ca

2009-05-28T18:16:00.000-07:00

The epitome of what is known as a "bitter/sweet" moment. Although I was beyond excited to use my video equipment for the first time, knowing that I was not going to take part in a drift event was a tough pill to swallow. I guess its what old veterans feel when they're forced into retirement, they don't want to sit on the sidelines. Fortunately, I have gotten over that feeling and now I've realized I can still enjoy the motor sport that I have loved for so long, but in an equally enjoyable, and a MUCH cheaper alternative.

Let the unprepared rookie get to work. For some, the next few statements might seem a little off the wall. When I went to film this event, it was officially the first time I had ever used my Canon HV20, a Tripod, multiple lenses, an external microphone, a lens hood, and headphones to check my sound levels. I stayed pretty much in one spot the entire event, never set my white balance and completely ignored the barrel distortion I was getting with my Wide Angle lens. Live and learn. I shot the entire day in Standard Definition, not knowing I was capable of editing HD. I later found out that was not the case, but we'll leave that alone for now.

As soon as I captured all the footage onto my Mac, I was astonished at how fast and efficient my machine was for video video editing. The entire project was completed in 4 days! A project like this would normally take me weeks if not months to complete on my PC. This was also a first for me. I had just switched over to Mac from PC, and to this day, I'm still learning more and more on Final Cut Pro every day. Looking back, I see many problems filming, as well as many problems editing. I'll let you decide what you think of the video. Watch here or click the link at the bottom entitled "UFO Drift Event in Marina, Ca", you can also read the original excerpt from when it was posted:

UFO Drift Event in Marina, Ca from Andrew Zaragoza on Vimeo.

My inexperienced shined through in this gem, but I'm glad I have something to look back on as I fine tune my skills. Let me know what you think!

Introduction - READ FIRST

2009-05-27T22:35:00.000-07:00

Trying to get started in this foreign world of blogging. I'm using this mostly as a way to keep track of my videos and my progression through film and editing. It is by far the funnest hobby I have gotten into. Film and editing that is. I've been drifting for the past 6+ years, but I'm currently in the process of buying a house, so that has since stopped. Although it is depressing, selling car parts and saving for a house will pay dividends in the long run. Luckily, I've found something that has grabbed my attention far more than drifting.

The most enjoyable aspect of film is, it is as great as you want it to be. A mentor of mine always tells me, "Editing is what ever you make it. There is no right or wrong way to making a film, do what feels right". If someone absolutely hates a video I make, there is a great chance someone else will absolutely adore it. I've never been blessed with the skill to paint a beautiful portrait, or having a creative mind to scribble out a master piece, so being able to create art through film and video editing is amazing.

So far the tools I have acquired to create my Sistine Chapel are as follows:
Canon HV20 HDV Camcorder
Velbon Video-Mate 607 Tripod
Rode VideoMic Microphone
Tiffen Telephoto Lens
Merkury Optics Wide Angle Lens with Macro Lens
Multiple lens filters and Hoods
A home made top handle my dad and recently I made
And I just purchased a Velbon DL-11 Tripod Dolly that has not even been shipped yet
And my beloved MacBook with Final Cut Pro 6.0, the greatest thing ever invented.

I have 3 current videos I will post soon. I can already see some form of progress from the first to the most recent. If there are any question, you can ask me directly at localstreethero@gmail.com
Hopefully this will be something you will be interested in to check back from time to time. Be ready for HD videos, as well as some photos for I might jump into that realm someday.

Thank you,
Local Street Hero
Andrew Z.