our blog - ZWFILM

Make Incredible Videos Your Customers Will Love

ZWFILM — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:10:01 +0000

Are you thinking about making a video for your business, or starting fresh with an old one? We recently launched a new eBook called The Video Production Checklist: How to Make Incredible Videos Your Customers Will Love, and it can help you.

This eBook is built especially for a few groups of people. It might be for you if:

You're considering making a new video for your business or non-profit
You're unhappy with the results you've had so far with a video that you released recently, or
You're doing okay with some videos that you've made so far, but you want to re-target and re-launch them to take things to the next level

The eBook is a step-by-step checklist to make videos that build trust between you and your customers.

Making videos is relatively easy these days. Consider YouTube: as of this writing, 4 billion hours of video are watched each month on YouTube, alone. Amazing, right?

Clearly, everyone is watching videos online, but few are taking that next step to create content that attracts customers.

Anyone can make a video in a matter of minutes, but few people will make videos with a target audience in mind.

What's the key difference between most business videos and the select few which attract customers or otherwise make a difference to the audience?

That's the core question that I've been asking myself since I began making videos for a living in 2006. Since then, I've made many videos for local and national brands, alike, and seen some of them sky rocket in popularity while others garner a more limited viewership.

By studying these differences, I've developed a video production checklist for making videos that align with your business' values and that communicate directly to your intended audience.

“Making videos is more than marketing – it’s about building trust with customers through visual storytelling.”

I created this checklist because I believe that making videos is more than marketing – it's about building trust with customers through visual storytelling. I have seen videos enrich customer relationships for many businesses and organizations. It's my hope that this checklist helps you to understand the video production process better, to become a more informed video client and to make more profitable decisions when it comes to video marketing for your business.

If the video production checklist sounds like a good fit to you, go get the full details on the eBook here: How to Make Incredible Videos that Your Customers Will Love.

Questions? Comments? What are your burning questions about video production?

Behind-the-Scenes Timelapse : A Day On the Set of Parallax

ZWFILM — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 17:42:23 +0000

Short films create a great framework for indie filmmakers to experiment and try new techniques. I’m a fan of short films, both making and watching them. I look to them as a filmmaking sandbox of sorts, where we get to play with the same creative elements and constraints as marketing videos, but simply in a different context.

Last summer I spent a couple weeks filming PARALLAX, a short western written/directed by my friend Meredith Mantik. It was an adventurous production, and made even more so due to disagreeing weather and wildfire delays – we were filming in the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs when the Waldo Canyon fire began.

This behind-the-scenes (BTS) timelapse gives a look into the day when we shot the audition scenes that take place within the movie. I asked some of the crew and cast to chime in on the day, too. Here are their thoughts on PARALLAX:

Enter Meredith

PARALLAX is 26-minute Western about modern-day filmmakers Cameron and Bernadette who come to the West to restore the Western genre. But first, they need the perfect cowboy. Enter Wayne, who's exactly what they wanted, and more...

This was one of the most fun production days since we weren't pressed for time and weren't under the threat of fires, flood, hurricanes, etc. After Zach and Ryan rocked the lighting, we shot three different scenes (hence the MANY different set-ups) with Kaleb Rittenhouse (Cameron), Samantha Steveson (Bernadette), and Jeff Bosley (Wayne). It was also a blast to have local actors, friends, and supporters contribute to the opening audition scene. –Meredith Mantik

Enter Jeff

I remember very vividly going into audition for PARALLAX just looking for a fun acting role. I walked out with an overwhelming sense of losing the role. Man was I wrong.

9 months later and still rocking post-production, PARALLAX exemplifies true passion when a group of like-minded filmmakers get together. This time lapse epitomizes how that passion can create an unforgettable project. People that love to work, will do anything on set. You will see lead actors hanging lights, directors providing craft services, sound guys helping with shots and actors driving an hour, on faith, for a 5 second cameo…you name it, we helped do it.

If there is anything to be said about the two and a half minutes of footage here, the take away would be how truly amazing a project can be with the collaboration of equally passionate people. I will never forget any day of filming ‘Parallax’.

Every day on PARALLAX was different and chaotic, but within that chaos was the comforting constant that we all loved our time on this film. –Jeff Bosley

Looking Ahead

There are some moving parts pending (music and sound design), but it’s looking like PARALLAX will be released the summer of 2013.

Stay tuned and check out the movie’s IMDb page for more details on the movie.

Special thanks to Andy Rice for lending his musical talents to this behind-the-scenes timelapse. Check out more of his music at soundcloud.com/helicase. And thanks to Colorado College for giving us access to Studio B in Cornerstone Arts Center to film these scenes.

Hiring : Production Office Internship

ZWFILM — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 22:32:37 +0000

ZWFILM is hiring. I’m Zach and here’s a brief intro about my company:

ZWFILM develops, produces and distributes stellar web videos and commercials. Our goal is to help customers engage with brands, and help our clients turn content into results-driven videos. We’re hard working and driven – no micromanaging here. Looking for an alternative to corporate internships? Want to work for a company that encourages independence and creative thinking? Go ahead and continue reading...

The role: Production Office Intern in Colorado Springs

Research online for projects and shows
Format and publish blog articles
Update freelancer database
Organize media and harddrives
Do general office errands

This is an unpaid, part-time position in our production office (downtown Colorado Springs) requiring 10 to 20 hours per week for a period of 8 weeks.

The position is open to current college students and recent grads. And it starts immediately.

There will also be opportunities to work on set during shoots. We are a production company, after all. ;-)

I’m looking for someone who’s eager to learn and comes equipped with solid project management skills. My ideal candidate will be excited to learn the in’s and out’s of the production business by working with me during various phases of our production process.

Minimum requirements:

Highly competent in: online research, blogging platforms, managing tasks
Good writer / communicator (bonus: excellent email etiquette)
Highly developed attention to detail

Highly desirable qualities:

Adaptable, committed and disciplined – you're upbeat and proactive with a "can do" attitude.
Compassionate and candid team member – you care about telling people's stories and find joy/beauty in the relationships between people.
Resourceful, collaborative, creative

So, why ZWFILM?

You get to learn – a lot. You will get to see what goes into running a lean production company – shooting videos is only a portion of the work. You’ll be given responsibilities and be more prepared if you ever want to venture out and produce videos on your own.

Grow. Want to explore editing, scriptwriting or shooting? I am all about exploring: getting people doing the work that they enjoy and love.

Are you who we’re looking for? (yep, almost a Star Wars reference there...)

Please complete the application form below. Deadline to apply Friday, February 8, 2013 @ 11:59PM MT.

The application window has closed. Thanks for your interest.

A Speedy Turn-Around for the Craft Lager & Small Batch Festival

ZWFILM — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 21:05:44 +0000

An outdoor, one-day, multi-session event, the Craft Lager & Small Batch Festival needed a :30 sec TV spot to run locally in Colorado Springs to promote its 10th annual event. Not only is the Fest one of the top 10 in the US, it was founded with the principle of creating an event to benefit local open space and parks, host a fun event for the community and support the wonderful art of craft brewing. They've even added small batch micro-distillery samplings in recent years – super cool!

The timeline for project was a quick one – we needed to produce and deliver the spot within a week for the client to be able to run it locally during the week prior to the Festival.

The goal for the spot was to appeal to craft beer fans in an artful way. Plus, we wanted to showcase the value of the experience that festival-goers get for a ticket price that's relatively higher than other local beer festivals.

After designing the strategy for the spot with the client, we wrote the script and after some revisions locked it within 2 days. The client had some footage from the previous year's Festival, so we integrated the event footage along with our table-top footage that we produced especially for the spot. The mix of these two kinds of footage created the artful blend that we were going for – an experiential view of the Festival plus clean, high-end beauty shots of a tasty lager in a Craft Lager glass.

We turned around the spot within 6 days for it to run on Comcast's targeted zones in the Colorado Springs market.

Enjoy the spot and keep the event in mind for next year!

Healthcare in Southern Colorado: CSHP Patient Care Compass

ZWFILM — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 05:20:21 +0000

Early this spring we completed a series of TV and web spots for one of our newest clients – Colorado Springs Health Partners. We're very proud of the final product that came from our collaboration with the folks at CSHP. Our approach was to create a series of spots as part of a campaign centered on CSHP's new branding "Patient Care Compass." The messaging focuses on introducing CSHP's new branding through their innovative approach to healthcare for individuals and families who are seeking an integrated system with high quality, comprehensive and accessible healthcare services.

In short, our goal was to showcase the strong relationship that CSHP's doctors have with their patients because of the cutting-edge technology that they have at their fingertips.

We shot the spots over 2 days and brought along our behind-the-scenes guy for the ride, so watch out for a look behind-the-scenes of the CSHP spots in the future. Go and subscribe to our Insider Newsletter to get updates first!

CSHP "Climb Those Mountains"

CSHP "Rewards"

CSHP "Feel At Home"

ZWFILM + Comcast Spotlight

ZWFILM — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 22:14:23 +0000

We're excited to announce that ZWFILM is one of Comcast Spotlight's preferred production vendors in the Colorado Springs television market. You probably know Comcast for their television, internet and phone services. Comcast Spotlight is their advertising division. This partnership presents an exciting opportunity for us to expand and bring even more value to the services that we offer to our family of clients. We're psyched to join forces with the local Comcast Spotlight team and, together, raise the bar for locally-produced commercials in Colorado Springs.

Science is Sexy

ZWFILM — Sat, 19 May 2012 22:29:01 +0000

Here's a glimpse of our setup shooting some tabletop footage for a recent video called "How to Pipette Properly" – that's a mouthful! Now, who says science isn't sexy?

Keep creating! -ZW

First. Promotion. Ever. 50% Off for Small Business

ZWFILM — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 01:44:19 +0000

Small Business Owners: You don’t need me to tell you that video is everywhere on the web, or that it can be a powerful tool for you to engage your customers, fans and followers.

Like any production company, we’re in the business of making videos. Promos, series, customer stories, spots – it’s all become web content.

I founded ZWFILM in the spring of 2008 with the core mantra to produce videos with voice, to create videos with the audience in mind: to motivate and inspire them. To produce a successful video, it’s always a balance between being visually compelling and striking a chord in your story that resonates with your viewers.

From the outside, video can feel intimidating and expensive.

For many small businesses, hiring a professional video producer is out of reach because of the expense. They may try a DIY approach to produce videos themselves, but not having any experience with video production and how to express through visuals and story makes it exceedingly difficult to succeed.

I’m a huge advocate for locally owned businesses. Sure, I’m biased since many of our clients are small businesses, plus I’m a small business owner myself. But there’s more to it than that – to me, there’s this innate magic that’s in the air at local shops, a blend of passion and the desire to make something truly special.

Right now you might be wondering, “so where’s this promotion that the post title suggests?!” Well, here we go...

I’m lowering the cost for any business or organization to successfully enter the world of video.

Meet Local Infusion. It’s a new web series that runs on Infusion5, our web television network that produces shows about the creative people behind businesses. Each episode of Local Infusion gives viewers the chance to step inside their favorite local businesses and learn something.

Until January 15th*, 2012 you can get 50% off an episode of Local Infusion for your business. And the price? It’ll normally be XXX, but with your 50% discount, it’s only XXX. Plus, there's no pressure to produce your episode immediately – we'll produce it between now and June 2012.

UPDATE: The discount for one episode is over, but some awesome news is in store! We've extended the discount for a package of 2 Local Infusion episodes for the foreseeable future. So this means that one episode is at its normal price of $979, but you can still get a package discount with a set of 2 episodes for $1470.

I always strive to make video as affordable as creatively possible, along with squeezing the most value out of it for each and every client of ours. I’m excited to offer Local Infusion episodes, not only as a very affordable solution for any business to start using video, but also as a tremendous value because of our production quality and distribution strategy through Infusion5.

Here’s the bottom line: you’ve heard that video on your business’ website is valuable because it converts website visitors into customers. But there’s way more to it.

From where I stand, the roots of any business are in relationships. Video can be another tool for you to nurture those relationships, with your customers, employees, vendors, colleagues...anyone!

And why would you want to be part of a web series on Infusion5? Because it’s simple and awesome. Here’s why...

Most business videos have two natural weaknesses.

Often times, they’re boring. Creating an entertaining experience for your audience when you’re just talking products and services is tough.
Your audience is limited. The only people who will ever see the business videos are those who are already looking for your products/services.

Say hello to Infusion5 – it’s built to produce and distribute entertaining, informative videos about businesses in a familiar, consumable format: web television. Your episodes are carefully crafted to engage and encourage our audience to look to your business as a leader in your industry.

Everyone that’s clicking around the web expects richer, more engaging content. Give your customers the chance to have more reasons to like you, to rave about you, to buy from you because you’re creating value for them through video.

So what’s next? I want to hear from you. Call and talk with me about your business – 719.357.9224 – or email me directly through the form below.

Here's to celebrating and supporting small business! I look forward to your success with video.

– Zach Wolfson, Founder of ZWFILM and Infusion5

*Here’s the fine print for our first ever promotion:

Episode must be produced by June 30, 2012.
Limit 3 episodes per business to start.
An episode is approximately :60 to :90 seconds long.
50% payment due upon booking our services.
Additional travel fees apply for businesses outside a 40 mile radius of Colorado Springs.
We guarantee your satisfaction with our service.

Online Video Streaming Vs. Traditional Television

ZWFILM — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 01:33:52 +0000

We're huge fans of online video. Sure, we're biased – we produce online video content, and even web television series. But we're also consumers of online video, and we love having the choice to consume quality content whenever, wherever and however we want. So when the fun people at Wistia, an online video hosting company, published a fantastic infographic that puts online video streaming viewership head-to-head with that of traditional television, we loved getting to see some interesting data from Nielsen visualized. What say you? How do you consume your video content? We'd love to hear what you think.

Infographic by: Wistia

On the Set - Colorado College's "Favorite Places, Familiar Faces"

ZWFILM — Thu, 26 May 2011 00:11:40 +0000

We recently completed production on a series of five videos for Colorado College in Colorado Springs, CO. I was very excited to work with CC's Office of Annual Giving again – the last project that we produced for them was the "Price of a Slice" video series.
We spent the day interviewing a number of alumni who were planning their class reunions for homecoming this fall. It was great fun to talk with alumni who are so proud to represent their classes – they ranged from celebrating their 5 year reunion to their 50 year reunion! Being an alumnus of Colorado College myself, I felt particularly honored to get to talk with so many amazing fellow grads and hear their stories.

The theme for CC's Homecoming and Parents Weekend this year is "Favorite Places, Familiar Faces." The videos that we produced are going to be used to encourage alumni to join in on the festivities at homecoming this year, especially if they're celebrating a milestone year. Plus the videos will also serve as a fund raising tool to rekindle alumni's connections with their college.

Our creative concept for the videos was in tune with the vision of the homecoming theme, focusing on the stories of each person during their time at CC, along with where each of them are now because of the education and opportunities that CC afforded them.

I always strive for the visuals to inspire and support the story that we're telling. So for these videos white limbo served beautifully to create a clean look between each interview (25+ of them), and it would also further bring the focus onto the alum talking because there's quite simply nothing else in frame. Add to the white limbo, the direction for each alum to talk directly to the camera and we had a beautiful look for a series of videos striving to create an emotional connection with the alumni watching.

With the production of any video, there's a necessary balance between visuals and story in order to create the most engagingly-possible experience for the viewer. This is always a truth in filmmaking to me – the sum of attractive visuals and well-told stories will always result in an engaging viewing experience.

Thanks to CC's Office of Annual Giving for giving us the opportunity to serve them again!

New look to our website (again)

ZWFILM — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:31:26 +0000

You've probably noticed a new design and layout to our site – so what do you think?

We're very pleased with the decision to make the change, and if you visited our site toward June of last year, you may be thinking, "didn't they change the look of the site less than a year ago?" Well, yes, yes we did. But let me explain a bit...

While working on pushing my skills and learning new techniques when it comes to lighting, shooting and editing – which is an ever changing playing field – I also maintain a healthy diet of branding and marketing. In my opinion it is essential for a business owner to at least be aware of the basics behind branding and marketing so he or she may better understand how to reach the desired audience. As an entrepreneur, I'm always striving to educate myself in business strategies that can help me be more efficient and effective in my work, both for my clients as well as for my business. So over the past few weeks, I began to wonder, "if someone arrives at our website and doesn't know what ZWFILM is or does, what will their first impression be based on the site's homepage?"

My impression was that they would get two main points – ZWFILM produces videos, and some guy named Zach is a part of the company. Additionally, there were an immense amount of images and links to choose to click on, plus a number of blocks of text here and there. In some ways, the homepage was overwhelming to navigate.

With the change in design and layout I ultimately wanted to minimize the number of choices that visitors make when they land on the homepage. Plus, I wanted to immediately take them to the areas that I think will interest them most – our portfolio or to request a project estimate. I really like the cleaner, yet more colorful look of our new site design and layout; it lends itself to easier navigation for you as well as a style that complements our content, be it media or blog posts.

At this point we are still ironing out some bugs here and there (deadlinks, etc.), so if you experience any site errors while navigating the site, or stumble across a bad link, please let us know.

Thanks, and we hope you enjoy the site.

2010 + a reflection on 2009

ZWFILM — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 02:46:00 +0000

I'm amazed at how quickly January and February flew by. It's almost March and so far this year has been very productive on multiple levels – through new projects as well as through new business relationships. A bit of a reflection on 2009 seems to be in order, but I'd like to keep looking forward and also touch on what's in store for 2010. Allow me to set the stage for 2009 by sharing some events that I consider to be highlights of my production career thus far:

With the company of my friend Ian Ware, I directed my first thriller short film; we premiered it to a packed theatre in December
I shot a product film for a Denver startup company at the Denver International Airport
I worked on my first network TV show when I traveled to Wyoming to work as a grip on a show for the Discovery Channel
Two short films (Chasing Yesterday and The Toast) that I edited on for director Junior Michael Ray were accepted and premiered at the Trail Dance Film Festival; Chasing Yesterday was awarded the best historical short film of the festival; and I now have an official IMDb page
When the Biggest Loser came to Colorado Springs to shoot an episode, I worked as an assistant cameraman
The Colorado Springs office for the American Diabetes Association hired me to direct a promotional film for their StepOut walks
And, I started to travel on more shoots when I shot a couple customer stories in Kansas City and Atlanta

And all of that happened in just my first full year working as a freelance filmmaker and running my production company full-time. So, what's in store for 2010? A fair bit has already happened in these first two months of the year. I have plans to expand ZWFILM's services to offer more to local businesses and provide a powerful way for them to connect with their customers online. And, I have a major addition to ZWFILM in the works, but for now it needs to remain my secret project...

I'm extremely grateful for the opportunities that have come my way and I'm excited to make things happen this year. I'll continue to post updates here on the ZWFILM blog as things come together!

-Zach

"Dark Cotton" – the premiere screening event

ZWFILM — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:32:35 +0000

It's official – the premiere screening of DARK COTTON is Friday, December 11, 7:00PM-9:00PM @ The Colorado College Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center Screening Room, in Colorado Springs, CO.

The event is free and open to the public. Donations will be accepted to be put toward film festival entry fees during 2010.

The night will will be one full of independent film – featuring trailers from other Colorado-produced productions, the premiere screening of Dark Cotton and we'll wrap the night with a Q&A session with the cast/crew of Dark Cotton.

We're also going to be doing a live stream of the event online for anyone and everyone across the world who will be unable to make it in person to the screening. The live stream audience will be able to watch the film simultaneously with the in-theatre audience, in high-definition quality. There will also be a chat room through which the live stream audience will be able to interact and engage directly with the in-theatre audience and the Dark Cotton cast/crew during the Q&A dialogue immediately following the premiere of the film. For more detailed information, go to the ZWFILM » Live Stream Event webpage: »http://www.zwfilm.com/live

The event is presented by ZWFILM and Wings Caught Fire Films, and graciously sponsored by the Colorado College Film Union.

If you're on Facebook, RSVP to the event here, and become a fan of ZWFILM on there while you're at it! » http://www.facebook.com/zwfilm

Dark Cotton – the premiere Friday, December 11, 2009, 7:00PM-9:00PM Colorado College Cornerstone Arts Center Screening Room Colorado Springs, Colorado

Map (it's #80) » http://www.coloradocollege.edu/welcome/campus_map/

"Dark Cotton" Teaser Trailer

ZWFILM — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:51:06 +0000

We're very proud to announce the release of the official teaser trailer for our short film Dark Cotton.Starring: Mark Jeremy Mitten, Christine Mascolo, Jonah Lujan, Darden A. Poling, Jessica Caver, Kerma MartinWritten by: Ian C. Ware Directed by: Zach Wolfson Produced by: Katie Bibee, Zach Wolfson, Ian C. Ware, Joe Sarmiento Music by: Brenda ElthonSynopsis: A young man driving down a dark road late one evening has his life changed forever when he accidentally runs over two children. Stuffing them into his trunk, a grim adventure ensues when the children start to reappear in the young man’s life.

"Dark Cotton" update, more still frames

ZWFILM — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:26:42 +0000

October has been one of the busiest months for me in the past year, which is an excellent thing; I'm certainly not one to complain! It's been a fantastic month, but I didn't make enough time to post an update about Dark Cotton, plus more still frames from our second and third shoot days! Thanks for your patience and I hope you find the still frames well worth the wait.

Friday, August 7 and Saturday, August 8 were our final two shoot days. They were a couple very long days, but time very well spent, and full of beautiful performances by the cast and crew. I'm in the midst of post-production and getting a tight rough cut together. A teaser trailer will quickly follow, as well.

So, that's plenty with the update – onto the still frames! Please note that these frame grabs are ungraded, compressed for the web and watermarked. To learn more about the film, check out the Dark Cotton project page.

Enjoy, and more updates to come soon!

-Zach

"Dark Cotton" wrapped shooting + behind-the-scenes photos!

ZWFILM — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:01:58 +0000

We wrapped shooting Dark Cotton almost 3 weeks ago now, on Sunday, August 9. Even though this update is overdue, I still wanted to share some details about the production, how the shoot days flowed, the cast/crew dynamic and, for those interested, the gear we used. Plus, while getting post-production into gear, cast/crew have been sending me their behind-the-scenes photos from the shoot. I've picked out some of my favorites, based on shoot location, for your enjoyment. The attitude held by both cast and crew on set was phenomenal. Everyone continuously maintained a supportive, creative space with each other. The shoot days were certainly long, and though expected, it can wear down even the best of us after a while.

-Z

"Dark Cotton" – Behind-the-Scenes

Motion Design Reel – first demo reel out the gate

ZWFILM — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:44:18 +0000

So, here's my 2 cents on demo reels.

There's a style and art unto itself when it comes to putting together a demo reel.

What song do I want to use? It must be entertaining and fun to listen to, have an attitude and edit points, support the visuals both instrumentally and rhythmically, and accelerate the demo's story to the point where we want to see more.

What do I want to show you, for how long, and when? Choosing which shots or edited clips to share, plus when to use them with the song – it's fun. Plus, how much of it do I let you see? Even if a shot or edited clip is a favorite of mine, I may end up axing it in the end if it doesn't lend itself to the sum of the rest of the reel. Sometimes losing that one shot makes all the difference. Then again, sometimes bringing it back and placing it somewhere entirely differently makes all the difference, too.

How long do I want to entertain you with my demo? Just long enough for you to feel something – just short enough for you to want to feel more.

Now, here's the my demo reel story.

I've been working on my demo reel for a few years now. Truth is, I had gotten hung up on my questions and thought about it too much. Plus, I'd find a song that I really liked but it wouldn't work out in the edit after I'd cut it up and down to the length I wanted. A couple weeks back I heard a fantastic song during a :30 teaser for the next season of House. The song was Grounds for Divorce by Elbow. The song felt great to me for my motion design reel – it has attitude, great rhythm and pace, and is damn fun to listen to. Plus, I knew I could distill the song down to a :60 edit, keeping in mind that I didn't want to go over a minute with my motion design work; I simply haven't done enough motion design work to cover more time than that. And, remember, I want to leave you wanting more.

Surprisingly enough my motion design reel is the first one out the gate. No worries about having to wait much longer for my cinematography and editing demo reels...they'll come soon enough.

Enjoy!

-Zach

"Dark Cotton" shoot day #1 – still frames

ZWFILM — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 11:19:16 +0000

On Saturday, August 1, we had our first shoot day (of three) for the production of our next short film Dark Cotton. The day was fantastic, though we had a late start and a couple unexpected coordination snaffu's – the big one being our production coordinator getting a nail in one of her car's tires while running to the local hardware store to get a couple high-powered spotlight torches. Outside of the obvious, how/why do you think we used them?

Though we pulled trigger a hour later than planned, we were able to maintain the schedule such that we wrapped the day only an hour behind, as well.

Enough talk about running late though. Here are many, but not all, of my favorite frame grabs from Saturday's shoot. Please note that these frame grabs are ungraded, compressed for the web and watermarked. To learn more about the film, check out the Dark Cotton project page.

Enjoy!

-Zach

Jail Cell

Apartment

"Dark Cotton" shoot locations

ZWFILM — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 07:42:47 +0000

We've been busy scouting and securing locations for our upcoming production of our next short film Dark Cotton. Here's a gallery of the photos that I took during scouting. Watch for more soon.

"Dark Cotton" Cast Bio's

ZWFILM — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:05:32 +0000

We recently held a casting call for our next short film Dark Cotton. Some great talent showed up and here's everyone that we cast, along with their short biographies and links to their websites. To learn more about the film, check out the Dark Cotton project page.

Mark Jeremy Mitten

Mark Mitten is an actor and singer-songwriter in the Denver area. He has appeared in independent films, commercials, student films, as well as contributed voiceover work in animated videos and short stories. Mark is currently working on several independent film projects for release in 2009. He shall be seen in the lead role as Charles Holton in The Tarryall by Film Forge Studios, a feature length western. Mark has also accepted the role of Homeless Roy in the webisode internet comedy series The Organization, written and directed by Cougar Littlefield and Joe Movik. He also has main roles in Bison Pictures’ Big Cities and Little Towns and Political Justice! by Andrew Gingerich, Exploding Goldfish Films. Learn more about Mark.

Christine Mascolo

Christine decided to pursue a career in acting at the tender age of 9. After a couple of months of intensive training, she emerged as the “no. 1 pick” in their showcase of 15 aspirants, with ages ranging from 8 to 19 years old. Talent scouts described her as “a beautiful, really interesting actress… strong, confident… wise for her years.” A prominent Los Angeles casting director simply calls her “a natural.” Since being discovered, Christine has taken acting in stride, knowing that all good things take time. Whether she finds Hollywood at the end of the yellow brick road remains to be seen. For now, Christine is happy where she is and is well-grounded by the loving support of family and friends. You could say she is your typical pre-teen, besides the fact that she carries in her pocket a professional headshot and a resume – with an impressive and steadily-growing list of credits at that! Learn more about Christine.

Jonah Lujan

Jonah lives in Lakewood, Colorado and has been acting a short time. Some of Jonah’s projects include the play, Six Impossible Things before Breakfast, based on the works of Lewis Carroll, and the short film Tribe by Troy Horne and Elizabeth Karsell Horne. Jonah studies acting and voice over at Audition Better acting school where he acquired his first acting job in a commercial advertising the school. Jonah also loves to dance and has two years experience in Mexican dance and one year of hip-hop. He plans on continuing with Mexican dance and wants to take on the challenge of ballroom dance. Jonah’s plate is very full but he loves acting and hopes to soon be part of a Hollywood production. With his talent and determination, Jonah should never have to hold out his plate, and utter the words “Please sir, may I have some more?” Learn more about Jonah.

Jessica Caver

Jessica Caver is a native Coloradan who has always had an interest in all things creative, from vocal performance, drawing, painting, dancing, and even knitting. However, Jessica finds the greatest passion in acting. Jessica has trained in many areas including on camera acting, stage acting, improv comedy, voice over work, and print modeling to name a few. She has also performed in the Bas Bleu Theatre with the improv group "Poultry in Motion." More than anything Jessica really just enjoys her work of sharing creativity and emotion with others. It is this energy and sincerity that catches and holds the attention of audiences. Jessica holds a Bachelors degree in Anthropology from Colorado State University and enjoys spending as much time as possible being active in the Colorado outdoors. Learn more about Jessica.

Darden A. Poling

His name is Darden Poling – a 22 year old aspiring actor looking to get into film. In a way, he always knew acting is what he wanted to do. Ever since he was a young boy, Darden acted out every movie he ever watched. His life hasn’t been a fairytale by any means, but that has helped shape his understanding and skills in the profession. Over the years Darden has taken a few classes, been in local productions and worked in a couple of films and trailers. He is looking to expand his horizons by enrolling in acting school in Portland, Oregon. Going wherever life takes him, on this endless adventure on the stage, because as James Dean once said “Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today…"

Kerma Martin

Kerma almost qualifies as a native Coloradan having lived in Colorado Springs since 1985. She has had an interest in physical fitness for the majority of her life. She has earned her first degree black belt in Kempo Karate, runs, hikes, skis, rides horseback and loves anything that has a connection with the outdoors. In fact, Kerma is a leader in the largest meetup.com group in Colorado Springs, the Outdoor Club of Colorado Springs. When it comes to acting and modeling, she first acquired an interest in 2004 and has been in commercials, a short film, hair shows and has done some promotional modeling. She has always maintained an interest in all things creative – from drawing, painting, cooking, to sewing. More than anything, Kerma simply enjoys people and honest communication. Kerma holds an Associate of Science degree in Secretarial Technology from Northern Montana College and is now a retired medical transcriptionist after owning her own business, North Springs Transcription. She now runs boot camps in a local park for her business Royal Pain Workout.

our blog - ZWFILM

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Behind-the-Scenes Timelapse : A Day On the Set of Parallax

Enter Meredith

Enter Jeff

Looking Ahead

Hiring : Production Office Internship

ZWFILM is hiring. I’m Zach and here’s a brief intro about my company:

The role: Production Office Intern in Colorado Springs

So, why ZWFILM?

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A Speedy Turn-Around for the Craft Lager & Small Batch Festival

Healthcare in Southern Colorado: CSHP Patient Care Compass

CSHP "Climb Those Mountains"

CSHP "Rewards"

CSHP "Feel At Home"

ZWFILM + Comcast Spotlight

Science is Sexy

First. Promotion. Ever. 50% Off for Small Business

I’m lowering the cost for any business or organization to successfully enter the world of video.

Online Video Streaming Vs. Traditional Television

On the Set - Colorado College's "Favorite Places, Familiar Faces"

New look to our website (again)

2010 + a reflection on 2009

"Dark Cotton" – the premiere screening event

It's official – the premiere screening of DARK COTTON is Friday, December 11, 7:00PM-9:00PM @ The Colorado College Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center Screening Room, in Colorado Springs, CO.

Please donate $ to help us maximize the reach of DARK COTTON

"Dark Cotton" Teaser Trailer

"Dark Cotton" update, more still frames

"Dark Cotton" wrapped shooting + behind-the-scenes photos!

"Dark Cotton" – Behind-the-Scenes

Motion Design Reel – first demo reel out the gate

"Dark Cotton" shoot day #1 – still frames

Jail Cell

Apartment

"Dark Cotton" shoot locations

"Dark Cotton" Cast Bio's

Mark Jeremy Mitten

Christine Mascolo

Jonah Lujan

Jessica Caver

Darden A. Poling

Kerma Martin