This was one of those last-minute unplanned experiments that turned out pretty nice. I have a friend with a nice home furnishings store called the Country Squire and he’s never had any video of the place.
I decided to shoot some stuff with my Canon 7D and Glidetrack and see if I could throw something respectable together in a few hours.
I got some really nice tracking and sweeping shots with this setup. In fact, every single shot in this video has some GlideTrack element in it. It’s a great tool for video.
I shot this time lapse on a recent trip to my parents’ place in Central Pennsylvania. Living in Philadelphia, I never see this kind of sky. We have so much light pollution that it would be impossible to get this kind of shot.
This was shot over a 5-hour period with the Canon 7D using an intervelometer set for repeated 30 second exposures. I just let the thing run overnight and by 6am the battery was dead. Huge bummer because it was just starting to get light outside. I’ll have to try it again sometime now that I have a better grasp of what I’m doing.
This was a really rewarding Super Bowl for me. I had a ton of fun shooting for Showtime last year but most of game day was spent off the field as I ran around getting shots of the Lonbardi trophy, championship merchandise and other behind the scenes stuff.
Rob Parker and Nick Kolias shoot during pregame (photo credit Joe Thiel)
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This year NFL Films thought enough of me to assign me as the “A” camera for the Disney commercial that they’ve produced for the last twenty-odd years. It’s the 3rd time I have done the Disney shoot but I have never been the main ground camera. Even so, I managed to get Heinz Ward on camera when he was the MVP of Super Bowl XL in Detroit.
Disney commercial crew (L – R) Jerry the security guy (Tampa), Nick Kolias/sound (Seattle), Rob Parker/camera (Philly), Kevin Young/Disney producer (Orlando), Bob Hitchcock/Disney runner (Orlando), Jim Scully/production ace and life line (Chicago). (photo credit Pat Maher)
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This game was close until the end and that makes for some interesting tension in the Disney realm. No one was sure who we’d be focusing on until there were just a few seconds left in the game.
As the final seconds were ticking off the clock, we got word that we’d be going for Drew Brees. My soundman Nick Kolias and our security guard Jerry grabbed my shirt and we sprinted for Brees. I knew it was going to be an absolute scrum and it didn’t disappoint.
To my absolute elation, our runner Jim Scully had beaten us out there and was holding Brees by the waist, guiding him to us as best he could. Jim told Drew we were the Disney crew and Brees agreed to deliver the lines just as soon as he hugged a few guys and delivered the first official sound bites to the League reporter who was standing with us.
Getting into position, ready for Brees to deliver the line. (screen grab credit Carl Koster)
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By this time the scrum was thinning a bit and it became easier to get our bearings. Brees was facing my camera as he finished with the League reporter. I yelled, “Drew, I’m goin’ to Disneyworld!” He repeated it. “Say it again!” I yelled. “I’m goin’ to Disneyworld!”
What a pro. We had him do Disneyland as well and he delivered it twice with gusto.
We wrapped up by shooting some shots of Brees celebrating and hoisting the Lombardi trophy.
The footage from my camera, two other ground crews and a few CBS cameras was digitized into the editing system on location and the final product was prepared for broadcast.
Back in the film days, the Disney commercial always aired the following day. Then when they started shooting video, the commercial would air just after the game ended. That proved to be too much to tackle and now it generally makes its debut on SportsCenter on Monday morning.
I was killing some time this afternoon in Fort Lauderdale and decided to try to get a time lapse of the bridge near my hotel. I grabbed my trusty 7D, my intervalometer and my sticks and headed out back to see if I could capture the bridge as it opened for large boat traffic.
It was very windy which makes for fast-moving clouds but that also means that the image alternates between sunshine and shade. The bridge cooperated and opened after 5 minutes of shooting!
Do you remember when gasoline was $1/gallon? I know, some of you geezers remember when it was 50 cents. Today’s video is from 1999 and the gas pump shot confirms it.
As I was going through some old tapes, I came across one of my favorite stories from my days working in TV news for FOX in Philadelphia – Y2k preps. It’s funny how crazy some people were getting over the overhyped computer glitch that some said could send us back to the stone ages.
It’s fun to watch this video more than decade later. Presented by Tracey Matisak, produced by Mary Fay and shot and edited by Rob Parker. Enjoy!
I shot this time lapse with the Canon 7D. I was hired by O’Keefe & Associates to shoot the second camera for a two camera interview for ESPN’s Outside the Lines program.
I set the 7D to shoot 1 frame per second and created a movie using QuickTime to generate a 30fps image sequence. The lens is one if my favorites, the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8.
The Crew: Denis O’Keefe (DP), Kevin Trainor (sound), Rob Parker (2nd camera), Jeff Sicile (PA).
Today I was part of a three camera remote show for Comcast SportsNet. Host Neil Hartman interviewed this years’ inductees, all Philadelphia basketball legends. From left to right in the photo: Neil Hartman, Speedy Morris, Rollie Massimino, John Cheney.
Bellevue Communications group hired me to do some lighting for a media event at the African American Museum in Philadelphia. They decided to have the press conference in the exhibit area just off the lobby. The existing lighting in there is rather dramatic so I tried to make the extra lighting blend in.
Citizens Bank announced a donation of $25,000 and Mayor Michael Nutter was on hand as well.
I made the trip to Hershey for the PIAA State Championship game between my alma mater, Selinsgrove High School, and Manheim Central. I was able to get onto the sidelines to get some great stills and video. I used the Canon 7D to shoot some really amazing footage as the Seals took the lead late in the game and won the state crown.
Now you can relive the final moments as I saw them from the sidelines and on the field. You won’t see this on TV!
I recently dropped by Joe Hand’s Boxing Gym in Philadelphia to test out a new piece of video gear that I am really excited about. The Glidetrack SD is a nifty aluminum slider for small video cameras. It allows you to get cool tracking shots that can take your videos to the next level. I have never had such a simple and relatively inexpensive piece of video gear add so much polish to my videos, right out of the box.
I was fortunate to drop in on the workout of Kenneth Weister, a 32 year old personal trainer/fitness consultant and amateur boxer who has won some city championships including the 2007 Philadelphia Golden Gloves Championship. Ken is a few fights away from turning pro and I’m happy that he allowed us to take a few shots of him.
Shot on the Canon 7D with a Canon 17-55mm f/2.8, a Nikon 135mm f/2.8, and a Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8. Glidetrack SD. Music: “The Boxer” by ParkerDigital.
