Look I can see my house from there

A couple of shots from a recent project filmed on an Arri-Alexa with Tilt-Shift Lenses with cinematographer David Rom. It was great to experiment with the Lenses and to create the miniature effect optically instead of in post. They can be difficult to focus but great fun to play and experiment with. Music: Anywhere Anyone by Dntel

Inside Out – Booze Free Christmas – Directed by Robert Samuels

I’ve always greatly admired the titles work of the legendary Saul Bass & creating this trail for Inside Out I was fortunate enough to be able to create a work in the style of the original Ocean’s 11 and a raft of cartoons and TV shows from my childhood like Bewitched & the Pink Panther. It was great to work again with Dan Sollis at Digital Distortion and the illustrator Paul Middlewick & we’re very happy with the result. To see more of Saul Bass’ titles work, check out the excellent movie titles stills collection

Creative/Director: Robert Samuels
IIlustrations: Paul Middlewick
Animations: Dan Sollis at Digital Distortion
Sound Design: Scott Marshall

I’ve always greatly admired the titles work of the legendary Saul Bass & creating this trail for Inside Out I was fortunate enough to be able to create a work in the style of the original Ocean’s 11 and a raft of cartoons and TV shows from my childhood like Bewitched & the Pink Panther. It was great to work again with Dan Sollis at Digital Distortion and the illustrator Paul Middlewick & we’re very happy with the result. To see more of Saul Bass’ titles work, check out the excellent movie titles stills collection

Technical: 16.9. Duration 60”. HD. Colour 5:1 Dolby E

Tomorrow Calling, is a series of talks and think-tanks hosted by Red Bee Media.  The brief was, to create an exciting online teaser video for the launch of the event.  At the end of the video a button appears, which links to the Tomorrow Calling website. The Rocketman would like to thank everyone involved.

The Bottle Shot

Movie Magic Spoiler:  As so many people have asked: “How did we manage to make the bottle to roll forwards and backwards?”  Well, we didn’t reverse the footage or use fishing wire – although we definitely considered it.

Three finest minds in any disused underground pumping station in Hammersmith pondered: the Rocketman, Ed Rutherford and Sean the Gaffer (All available for pub quizzes).  After several minutes of head scratching at the recce. Ed came up with the genius idea to use two leaf blowers to blow the bottle.  I wanted to use a wind machine but a leaf blower considerably more directional.  Choosing a heavy wine bottle we were able to blow the bottle both ways, past Lilly and Mycal the actor.  Look at Lilly.  She doesn’t even react to the leaf blowers off-screen. That’s screen acting.

Technical: 2.35.1 Duration 1.34” HD. Colour

Disguised as a trailer for teen horror vampire trailer The Hunting Moon is a viral for the Gates Foundation charity Malaria No More UK. When viewers visit www.thehuntingmoonmovie.com and hit ‘reveal the killers’ a second abbreviated video will play revealing the killers not to be something from a horror film, but mosquitoes carrying the deadly Malaria parasite. The campaign was featured on David Beckham’s homepage, seeded across the internet and has reached 19 millions people worldwide.

Special thanks to: Everyone that made this possible for such a good cause. In particular Mike Skrgatic at Time Based Arts, Tom Lindsay and Ross Hallard at Trim, Max Herman, Tom Joyce & Factory Sound. To see it in context with the reveal visit www.thehuntingmoommovie.com

WINNER: GOLD – Promax BDA Europe 2011, BRONZE – Creative Circle Awards 2011

Special thanks to: Natasha Preville, Bhavna Patel, Paul Ostwind, Steven Turnbull, Colin Wadworth, Alan Fowlie, Marija Curic, Alison King & Mark One

Production company: Pulse Films
Writer & Director: Robert Samuels
Producer: Thomas Benski
Director of Photography: Sarah Bartles-Smith
Cast: Saeed Jaffrey, Howard Lew Lewis, David Yip, Niall Greig Fulton, Jenny Foulds & Paul Conway
Editors: Tom Lindsay & Ross Hallard
Colourist: Jamie Wilkinson
VFX: Paul Dixon, Kristian Bjureby, Dan Sollis, Davide Pascolo, Russell Millard, Melissa Butler Adams, Aeon Henderson, Adam Gascoyne & Simon Hughes

Music: Max Herman
Sound: Soundelux & Crossfade
Technical: 16:9. Duration: 10 minutes. B&W.
Funding: B3 Media & UK Film Council

WINNNER: Deffie Award – Best International Short Film, HDFest, Los Angeles 2006. NOMINEE: Ascent Media Award – Rushes Soho Shorts Film Festival, London 2006

Acquired for worldwide broadcast by CANAL+ & screened all across Europe & Africa

WINNER: Special Mention of the Jury – Arcipelago Festival of New Images – Rome 2004. NOMINEE: Selected as only one of 12 films internationally for the Triggerstreet.com Budweiser Discovery Award at Tribeca Film Festival – New York 2005