I MADE IT!

So I have to say I am more than a little proud of myself after yesterday...I don't think things could have gone much smoother honestly. So I woke up at 4am to get myself all ready and collected to leave by 7am (I know I take forever to get ready). So Druid Hill Park was easy to get to but was packed due to the big marathon race they had there. Then it didn't help that once we got there we walked to the opposite side of the park and almost didn't make it to the spot on time, it was intense but we got there. The engagement was awesome and was really cool to capture video and photos from. After that I got back home and prepped for my 2pm gig which was all the way up at the studio I rent out in Forest Hill. The client got there on time and did her video all in one take which we ran through a few times to get different angles. It was cool for a promotional video and has a nice quirky feel to it which is what the client was after. Once I got back from that I wasn't feeling too hot and had quite the stomach ache for some reason and that persisted up until I left for the last gig which was at Pier Five. I have to say it was my toughest gig just because of the fact that I had stomach issues and my lack of sleep was catching up to me. However I pulled through and before I knew midnight had come and I was all done. I took over 500 photos last night which is about an average of 100 per hour and after reviewing a lot of them this morning I have to say the vast majority I like, unlike that last event I did, but I have improved dramatically since then.

Random Movie Fact: In the 2002 film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, as the Orcs have black blood, it was only natural that the inside of their mouths should not be pink but black as well. To achieve this, the Orc actors had to swill a liquorice-based mouthwash prior to each of their scenes.

Thanks for the support,
Daniel Hess

Apologies

My apologies, I was gonna be on a serious roll there for posts for a while but things got a little screwed up when my picasa photo album reached its maximum capacity. So now I am stuck at a crossroads which is either start paying for extra data to post photos up or get a separate Smug Mug account just for my photography, or my third option get a full time website (which I have to do). I think what I may do is get a Smug Mug to put my photos up on, get my website up which will be able to direct everyone to my blogspot, vimeo, smug mug, and facebook all rolled into one nice package. That way people can have a one stop destination to few all of my content and if they want to get deeper immersed into one or the other just go to those pages. Now just to have some money to do it all and maintain the websites. That is where I have been on the matter, now just time to execute.

Otherwise it looks like today I have two gigs, both photo related: a birthday part and a studio photoshoot. It will be nice to be double booked again and I am looking forward to both. I also have a lot more photo stuff going on including what looks be my first triple booked day in a while. Wish me luck.

Random Movie Fact: In the 2012 film Wreck-It Ralph, Disney first began developing an animated film about the world of video game characters in the 1980s. At that time the project was called "High Score" and in the 1990s was titled "Joe Jump." In the 2000s, when the movie was finally pushed forward, the first two months of story development focused on Fix-It Felix Jr. as the main character.

Thanks for the support,
Daniel Hess

This Past Week

So this week has had its share of ups and downs, which seems to always be the case. I would have been posting up more this week because I had the free time for sure but I have been going through a lot of personal stuff (long story) that has been distracting me from writing. But I digress, the meeting on Monday went really well, I showed up professional attire, great attitude, we had an awesome discussion, so I was really proud of myself and it was a great learning experience. I haven't heard back from them and it is now Saturday, so I am almost confident they ended up going with a different company but we are young and I can see how they could of gone with a more established production house. It was an honor in itself to be considered among the big dogs around the state so I am happy just to have had the opportunity. In other events in my part time job with Render Perfect we did a cool green screen shoot which was a nice experience since I am still getting green screen lighting down to a science and we also had a shoot at the newest Goodwill store with a professional grade Jib, which was cool to see in action.

As far as today I have a meeting at 11:45 with a photo client (finalizing the contract and all that) as well as probably helping with some family business. We have a lot of great stuff coming up I have just had to get over my personal problems, which I am slowly doing...

Random Movie Fact: In the 2011 film A Dangerous Method, Christoph Waltz was initially cast as Freud, but dropped out in favor of Water for Elephants. Had he stayed, it would have been his second collaboration with Michael Fassbender since their work on Inglourious Basterds. Christian Bale was also considered for the role.

Thanks for the support,
Daniel Hess

Huge Meeting

Today is going to be a big day for us at TTP. We have a huge business meeting with what could be our first big corporate client. Corporate video is usually something that I tend to stay more away from, not because I can't do it just because it doesn't have much appeal to me. However this client proves to be an exception to that case by actually having some really cool stuff going on as a business. It is a unique opportunity for us as a production company and I just hope everyone will be thinking good thoughts today for us. Wish us luck...knock on wood!

I will posting up photos from the charity event we did on October 27th as long as the company receives the raw photos today, if not I will wait for them to get the materials.

Random Movie Fact: In the 2012 film Moonrise Kingdom, Laura Bishop shouts at various family members through a bullhorn. The idea came from co-writer Roman Coppola's childhood, as his mother Eleanor Coppola used a bullhorn in a similar fashion.

Thanks for the support,
Daniel Hess

Zach

So I have been sitting on these two photos I took of my friend Zach for a while now, I put them up on our facebook page but I kept forgetting to put them up on the blog until tonight. I like the nice use of black and white in them and that is thanks in part to the fact that he was wearing a white shirt. He was on the computer at the time rapping away so that is why his mouth is open, on the one which to me is the only issue with the photos. Otherwise I think they are very solid photos. Also it is or at least was his facebook profile picture which always makes me feel more confident in my work. Check it out and enjoy! More photos soon to come.

Random Movie Fact: In the 1995 film Friday, the neighborhood where the film takes place is the same street where the film's director, F. Gary Gray, grew up in South Central, Los Angeles. Principal houses that were used for filming were houses of old friends of the director. The scene where Deebo punches Red into the air is the house that F. Gary Gray grew up in.

Thanks for the support,
Daniel Hess

Photo Portfolio 2

Here is a new photo portfolio of all of my best work. Remember if you would like to book a photo session feel free to call us at 443-683-1185 or email us at totonyproductions@gmail.com

Thanks for the support,
Daniel Hess

Random Photos of the Day

Today I went around my yard and took some random photos, I hope you enjoy them. Let me know what you think.

Random Movie Fact: In the 1999 film Anna and the King, 3 months into filming an outbreak of Japanese encephalitis hampered the filming. Some sets had to be relocated because they were too close to pig farms (the main source, transmitted by mosquitoes). All the cast and crew were given a vaccine by the set doctor, and some sets were sprayed with insecticide before crew turned up to start filming.

Thanks for the support,
Daniel Hess

Three Beers Later!

So without any further delay may I present to you the official music video for Three Beers Later by Wesley Spangler. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Three Beers Later from Daniel Hess on Vimeo.

Thanks for the support,
Daniel Hess

Moving Visuals

I am really excited these days, I see a lot of opportunity for video work coming up for To Tony Productions which is pretty awesome. It was fun to focus a lot on photography for a while and really helped me to expand my thoughts for unique video shots but it is time to get back in the drivers seat for some video projects. I see potential for two music videos, a promo video, and possibly even a video that will play out more like a commercial. I don't know a lot is on my mind so I hope that I can accomplish all I want to and not have anything fall to the wayside. Next month and this month for that matter I see good things, lets work together and make it all come true.

Random Movie Fact: In the 2004 film Taxi, almost all shots in which you see the taxi or other cars in the street, or car stunts performed in the streets, were really filmed in Los Angeles, not New York.

Thanks for the support,
Daniel Hess

Music Video Deal!

So To Tony Productions is partnering up with [kp] mag (another local production company) to give away a music video at a next to nothing cost. However we are looking for a truly awesome and great band to do this video for. This is a huge deal and just because the cost is severely reduced does not mean that we will be cutting corners on the video end, we want to make something amazing! So if you are a band or know a band that would be interested please email us at totonyproductions@gmail.com, send us a little bit about your band and also any samples of your bands work would be awesome. Thanks in advance and remember this is a one time deal only so don't delay in sending an email.

Random Movie Fact: In the 1998 film Bride of Chucky, when Jennifer Tilly is dancing for Chucky, there is a brief appearence of the top of one of her nipples. This is revealed in the DVD commentary by Jennifer herself.

Thanks for the support,
Daniel Hess

So...Hey!

Long time no post from me, sorry on that. I have been drained trying to get myself caught up on all kinds of different projects. Currently I have been working a production company based in Towson, Md on Tuesdays and Thursdays so I am still getting used to that. Also I am getting the music video finished up for Wesley Spangler entitled Three Beers Later, I am all done the color correction and editing...as far as right now I am just waiting for final approval from him. Also I have another client who I did a big photo session for like two weeks ago and I am still waiting on the photos to edit from him. Also I did a shot with a local budding model last Sunday which I will start editing after I get a list of favorites from her. I have been fully immersed in all things video which is great in some ways and also not so great in others, but at the end of the day I am happy to be working.

Random Movie Fact: In the 2005 film Domino, thanks to Gusmano Cesaretti, Michael Mann's regular collaborator, Tony Scott managed to get on screen real-life gang bangers from 18th Street Gang in East Los Angeles.

Thanks for the support,
Daniel Hess

Brittany and Keith

So this weekend I offered two free photography sessions, one completely outdoors, the other completely in studio. The person originally scheduled to do the studio photography actually cancelled on me (crazy right?) anyway, two friends of mine from high school managed to come up last minute to take some photos. The first set I did with them are posted below for your consideration. Let me know what you think.

Random Movie Fact: In the 1999 film The Green Mile, originally, Tom Hanks was going to play the Old Paul Edgecomb but the makeup tests didn't make him look credible enough to be an elderly man. Dabbs Greer was cast instead as the older Paul Edgecomb.

Thanks for the support,
Daniel Hess