Jonathan Chapman: On Target in San Francisco
For photographer Jonathan Chapman, the “logistical challenges” were part of the fun.
Award-winning advertising/consumer strategy agency Knock Inc. contacted Jonathan Chapman, Minneapolis-based photographer and emerging cinematographer (film / motion now comprises almost 50 percent of his business) for an estimate on a 10-minute “day in the life” video “from the athlete’s point of view,” to promote Target’s “C-9” active wear line.
Jonathan immediately recognized the immense challenge of a weeklong shoot on the streets of San Francisco – and rose to it.
“The ‘point of view’ video brought an exciting element involving the mounting of several cameras, as well as bringing on a Steadicam operator for the first time,” Jonathan says. “Shooting in San Francisco also added to logistics, as well as excitement and interest.”
The technical requirements, including mounting and directing four cameras trained on the same subjects/action, were not unfamiliar to Jonathan and his crew. But “capturing energy and emotion” from these varied POVs proved difficult.
“We captured eight different sporting activities over four days, all edited as if they took place over a single day,” Jonathan notes. “The transitions between activities were the greatest logistical and creative elements to coordinate.”
Considering factors like location permits, managing the talent and coordinating a sizeable crew, “the producers really earned their pay for this production,” Jonathan adds. And the artist himself was able to advance his cinematography skills to new professional levels – the best possible result when logistical challenges are answered.
“This project really highlighted the value of bringing on specialists, such as our Steadicam operator,” he notes. “There is a greater level of collaboration on the film / motion side of the business.”
The final video was “very well received” by both Knock and Target, Jonathan adds. It’s currently running in the San Francisco City Target store – but you can check it out here, along with other samples from Jonathan’s growing video library.
Click here to check out more of Jonathan’s work.