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About Me

Lucent Productions is an freelance video production company focused in action sports but with additional experience in a wide range of video production from commercial to wedding videography.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

2010 Year in Review

As 2010 comes to a close, I'd just like to thank all my friends, family, and everyone I've had a chance to work with for such an awesome year! Especially my fiance for putting up with me spending literally HUNDREDS of hours planted in front of a computer screen. "Want me to get your headphones?" is a phrase I heard quite often in response to me scrubbing a timeline with the speakers blaring (if you're an editor you know what I'm talkin about!)

2010 brought me to some familiar places, but more importantly I was also able to add a few new pins to my 'where i've been in my life' map! The following are some of my highlights and favorites from 2010.

1. Valparaiso Cerro Abajo Urban Downhill Race
First up is probably one of the most memorable trips of my lifetime...so far. Not only because my fiance and I have never been to South America, but more importantly because of the emotions (good and bad) that went along with the trip. I met some amazing and genuinely nice people, saw probably the craziest race of my life, and survived one of the largest recorded earthquakes in history. I might not make it back to Valparaiso this year, but you can bet I'll do my best to visit my Chilean friends at some point again!

Valparaiso Cerro Abajo Urban Downhill Race - More Mountain Bike Videos



2. Dave Smutok Bike Check
I didn't choose this video based solely on its riding/editing value, but more because it involved Dave Smutok. Over the past few years, Dave and I have worked closely due to my involvement at Highland Mountain Bike park and we've developed an awesome friendship and filming relationship. What I love about shooting with people like Dave is that he never complains when I ask him to hike back up and ride a section a second and third time, and he appreciates the artsy fartsy video shots (I'm pretty sure Dave is a video nerd at heart). I definitely look forward to working with Dave and the rest of the crew at Highland in 2011!

Dave Smutok Bike Check - More Mountain Bike Videos



3. 2010 US Open
What I love about the US Open is that it's one of the few times during the race season that I can be guaranteed to see some of the global riders I'm met over the years. Hanging out with good friends always cancels numerous hikes down a mountain with my 60 yr old knees!

2010 US Open of Mountain Biking - More Mountain Bike Videos



I also had the pleasure of shooting for the boys at Evil again, which I am always pumped on due to the fact that Steve Smith and I are pretty much long lost best buddies. We share an affinity for The Wedding Singer and various other movie quotes so we instantly hit it off back in 2009. Luke is just as laid back and easy going as Stevie so we fell right into our groove quite effortlessly. I wish these guys the best in 2011!!

Evil Bikes - 2010 US Open - More Mountain Bike Videos



4. Hold On Loosely Tour
At the US Open, Aaron Chase approached me about shooting the Hold On Loosely Tour. I was a little apprehensive since I would be getting my motorcycle license a week before the trip started, but those fears quickly diminished the second we got on the road. I could write a whole blog post about this trip, but I'll just let the video do all the talking! Hands down my favorite road trip to date!

Hold On Loosely Tour: Episode 1 - More Mountain Bike Videos



Hold On Loosely Tour: Episode 2 - More Mountain Bike Videos



5. HMBP Ayer Academy
If you ask people that know me well, they'll tell you that I'm still a kid at heart despite almost being 30. That's probably why I had such a blast shooting with the Ayer Academy campers this past summer. It's really awesome seeing kids progress and increase their riding confidence in such a short time! Highland is stepping it up for the 2011 Camps and I'm REALLY excited for what we have planned video wise!!

HMBP Ayr Academy: August Camp Video - More Mountain Bike Videos



6. Highland Training Center

If you can't tell already, I spent quite a bit of time in NH this year shooting at Highland. The drive never gets easier, but the second I pull into the parking lot I always get that same feeling of excitement and urgency. Over the course of the summer, Mark and I logged footage to document the construction of the Highland Training Center. This facility will continue to play a HUGE part in the mountain's success for years to come!

Highland Mountain Bike Park's HTC - More Mountain Bike Videos



7. Bean Snowboards Build Video
This one barely squeaked in for 2010! My good friends at Bean Snowboards are hustlin' harder than ever to get boards out for this season. They recently teamed up with some local artists to lay down some amazing limited edition boards. I was on hand for a day during the build process and was able to document some of the action. It was my first real go with my DIY pocket slider, pretty pumped on how it turned out! We plan to work together on a few more things over the winter, so stay tuned!!

Bean Snow presents... "Part-A" build sesh from Bean Snowboards on Vimeo.



Thanks again to everyone's support in 2010. I am eagerly looking forward to what 2011 holds in store for Lucent! Happy Holidays and we'll see be seeing you in the new year!

Friday, November 19, 2010

A big generalization

I was cleaning up in my basement office today and remembered that I still have the first MiniDV tape I ever shot mountain bike footage on, circa 2001 if my memory serves me. As you can see, I was either really lazy when it came to labeling my tapes with useful information, or I didn't think I'd be filming much 'bike stuff' so one tape was enough to hold it all.



To this day, I'm still pretty bad about labeling tapes. Compound that with the tapeless workflow of the 7D, I'll pretty much be spending all winter organizing my archive of tapes and hard drive files.

Friday, October 8, 2010

D.I.Y. - Budget Pocket Slider!

I'll be the first to admit that I hate spending money on some things. I refuse to pay more than $25 for a pair of jeans, or blow a couple hundred dollars on dinner at a restaurant. But when it comes to camera gear, I usually don't bash an eyelid at dropping $300 randomly for some new toy for my cameras.

There are many low-budget sliders out there for your average prosumer/freelance videographer like myself. But when I say low-budget, I'm talking in the range of $300 for the slider rail and a carriage to hold the camera. After realizing that a handful of the companies selling budget sliders get their parts all from IGUS, I was hellbent on saving money and doing this myself!

First up, I had to source out the rail and carriage parts. IGUS has recently realized that many camera junkies want this system, and actually have a section of their site dedicated to 'camera slider' packages. It actually proved cheaper to buy it from Amazon.com instead of directly from IGUS themselves. Here's a link to the camera slider system I purchased.

Next was to find a low budget fluid video head for the slider. Thanks to my new favorite website Cheesycam I was able to pick up a decent fluid head for cheap.

The slider system and the video head showed up within a few days of each other, so then it was on to complete the build!

Here's the list of EVERYTHING that is needed to complete my version of the slider:


- Power drill
- 3/8" drill bit (another small bit as a pilot hole will be helpful too)
- Tripod QR plate
- 3 Brass Pan head Slot Screws 1/4-20 X 3/4"
- 2 1/4-20 Washers
- 1 1/4-20 Jam Nut
- 2 Rubber 1/4-20 "Well Nuts"
- 3/8" slotted pan head bolt (not 100% sure on the pitch)

First step was drilling the carriage. Here's a better look at the pan head bolt used for mounting the video head. (This bolt came with the video head I bought)


Next I mounted the Tripod quick release plate using one of the Brass Pan head slot screws, two 1/4-20 washers, and one Jam Nut.

Underside w/QR plate.


Top view of the rail. I used a Jam Nut because of its lower profile which will give clearance from the carriage.



Next was to mount the video head to the carriage system with the supplied bolt, and then slide the carriage onto the rail. Then attached the whole system to the tripod via the QR plate. Almost done!





Now since the carriage moves SUPER easily along the rail, any slight tilt of the rail will send your precious camera right off the end! To solve this, I used a "Well Nut" (found in the specialty bin at Lowes) at each end, attached by one of the brass panhead screws. It is a rubber cylinder basically, with the metal threads on the inside for the screw to thread into. I wanted something soft to cushion the carriage and I think this works PERFECT (and cheap)



And now you're done! Here's how it currently looks!



The rail system is 1000mm long, which i think works fine for dolly moves with the 7D (time will tell). Any longer of a rail and the system no longer becomes 'portable', which was my main goal. For the studio setting, a long rail and two tripods would be really nice.

Price breakdown for parts:
- IGUS Camera Slider system: $92.99 after shipping
- Video head: $80 via eBay.
- Pan Head Screws (2 packages of 2): $2.60
- Washers (package of 16): $1.18
- Well Nuts (2): $2.78
- Manfrotto QR plate: $14.99

Grand total: $194.54
Not bad considering some sites sell just the rail + carriage for upwards of $250. I bought most of the nuts/bolts in packages of 10+ so you could prob squeeze a few more dollars in savings if you bought just a few individual. But its always good to have backups!

Lucent Productions is not held liable for any injury to your person or camera from following these steps. If you poke your eye out our drop your camera off your slider, I am not responsible!

Special thanks to Brandon Turman and Spomer at VitalMTB for information provided for this project!

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Hold On Loosely...but don't let go.

Earlier this summer I got a call from Aaron Chase asking me if I had a motorcycle. At this point I had JUST bought my first motorcycle and had signed up for the weekend long beginner motorcycle course. I asked why, and then he filled me in on what would be my most epic mtn bike road trip I've been so far in my life. I say 'so far' because I'm hoping next year is even more crazy ridiculous.

Chase and Highland Mountain Bike Park dirt-master Dave Smutok rounded up Cameron Zink, Adam Hauck, and the cape boys Clint McMahon and Mike Kent for a 9 day road trip through New England. The only catch is that we were all going to ride motorcycles the ENTIRE trip, with a rented box truck as our 'support vehicle' carrying all the bikes and gear.

Our first leg of the trip started up with a 150+ mile rip through VT backroads to Kyle Ebbett's house, where everyone shredded his amazing backyard setup and private dirt jump line in the woods down the street. After a night of partying and letting loose at Ebbett's house, we woke up early the next day and headed straight over to Knight Ide's house, home of the IdeRide camps! We spent the first night filming/riding his personal indoor skate park, and then woke up early for an epic day in his backyard wonderland. After a LONG day of throwing down, we were back on the bikes Friday afternoon for the straight shot back to Highland.

Saturday was our first 'relaxation' day so we ripped up to Laconia to check out the infamous Bike Week festival. Thousands of bikers, beers, and beer babes. That's all I have to say about that.

The rest of our trip consisted of ripping anything and everything Highland Mountain Bike Park has to offer. I have filmed a lot of the trails and spots there but I don't think I can ever get sick of it!

Now for the videos. Chase has the vision of doing a 'Casino' style video with narration by Cam Zink himself. The premise behind the story is that Chase, Smutok, a & Zink were a group that randomly met up with the 'city boys' Hauck, Clint, and Mike. At first Chase and co. were open to them, but soon realized they were nothing but show boaters trying to steal the limelight. After a failed attempt to take em out, the city boys fool Chase into thinking it's all the beef has been squashed....or so they think.

Part 1:

Hold On Loosely Tour: Episode 1 - More Mountain Bike Videos



Part 2:

Hold On Loosely Tour: Episode 2 - More Mountain Bike Videos

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Time Lapse

Hey folks, sorry for the HUGE lapse since the last post. With a full time job, part-time job of Lucent, and owning a house I feel like I rarely have a free second to update this blog (AND not to mention work on the website).

Anyways, lets start off with oldest to newest updates!

This past February I flew down with my gfriend to Chile for a half-vacation, half-filming gig to shoot the Valparaiso Urban downhill race, as well as a local downhill race up in the Andes in La Parva. As you all know, Chile was hit with one of the largest earthquakes in history...and I was still there for it! I had an amazing/crazy time while we were in Chile (earthquake aside), we met some amazing people while we were there and I can't wait to see them again this winter!

I had planned to shoot two videos, one of the urban event, and one for the downhill, but the dh race was cancelled due to the earthquake, so I made a second video from the extra footage from the trip.

Check em out!

Valparaiso Cerro Abajo Urban Downhill Race - More Mountain Bike Videos



Chile Numero Dos: Terremoto! - More Mountain Bike Videos




While in Chile I shot a bike check with Kona Clump Team Member Graham Agassiz. If you look closely, you'll see the fingerstache tattoo he acquired one drunken night in Chile!

Graham Agassiz Bike Check - More Mountain Bike Videos




Next up on the list was the Rye Airfield Big Wheels Redux comp. A local rider tried his best to revive the ol' skool Big Wheels comp, unfortunately there was a small pro turnout (is mtb park dead?). Regardless, the boys from the cape threw down for everyone at the park and it was still a good time!

Rye Airfield Video Action - More Mountain Bike Videos



If you live in the Northeast (or on the east coast for that matter) and you haven't been to Highland Mountain Bike Park yet, GET ON IT!! I am shooting all of Highland's Promo material this year and I can't be more pumped! Mark and Smutok (and the rest of the crew) are on point to deliver yet another amazing season with many new improvements to keep every pumped and coming back again and again.



Last on the list of video updates is the good ol' US Open!! Headed down to the dirty jerz once again to cover all the action for VitalMTB.com. Even though it felt like attendance was down this year, a large pool of international riders were drawn to the event, all hungry for the tasty prize money!!

2010 US Open of Mountain Biking - More Mountain Bike Videos



I also shot once again for Evil Bikes to provide coverage of team riders Stevie Smith and Luke Strobel. Stevie is always a blast to hang out with, crackin jokes and always laid back which my job that much easier. This was my first time working with Luke Strobel but I hope it's not my last!

Evil Bikes - 2010 US Open - More Mountain Bike Videos




So what's on deck you ask?

- I returned last week from a 9 day roadtrip with a handful of pro rippers. The contents and filming of this trip are a little under wraps at this point until video is released. Keep an eye out for a release after the Claymore Challenge!!

- I'll be up at Highland Mountain all summer shooting promos and updates, and hopefully make it to a few more events this summer.

- Lucent Weddings is booking more weekends and I can't be more pumped! We have 2 weddings this fall, and currently 2 weddings for next spring. Book now or forever hold your peace!

- New threads. World Cup racer/artist/friend/goofball Micayla Gatto has been commissioned to design some new tees for Lucent. Hopefully have them in time for summer, with some hoodies for those chilly fall nights around the fire!

Thats its for now, this is probably the longest blog post I'll ever do, and hopefully keep everyone updated more frequently. I say that every time, one of these days i'll keep that promise.

Over and out!
- Justin

Friday, April 9, 2010

Lucent Weddings - book now!

I've recently uploaded some additional wedding sample videos to the Lucent Productions Wedding blog. Check it out here! Lucent Weddings

Lucent is able to work with any budget you may have, feel free to contact me at justin@lucentproductions.com for any quotes and to check availability.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Go Green!

About a month ago I traveled up to Putnams Ski shop in Portsmouth, NH to shoot a few quick vids for Green Wax.

First up is a quick How-To on waxing a snowboard!



Second is a quick Testimonial for the guys at Green Wax




I also picked up a Vholdr ContourHD helmet cam this past summer. I've shot a few things so far, and recently started shooting some snowboarding footage. I whipped up a quick pistol grip for a different perspective other than strapping it to the goggles.