The year is coming to a close and we find ourselves finally able to exhale after an incredibly busy 2014.  We recently competed post-production on our final video series of 2014: Michael Hyatt’s 5 Days to Your Best Year Ever.

We produced the launch and course videos for this goal-setting program last year but this time around Michael and his team decided they wanted to take the production value to a whole new level.

For this year’s version of 5 Days to Your Best Year Ever we wanted the videos to have a relaxed, down-home vibe but to still be aspirational.  So, we spent a week filming at a beautiful, rural farmhouse outside of Nashville, Tennessee.  It was a great location that allowed us to create many different set-ups: on the porch, by the pond, at the horse barn, along a trail, etc.

Since the bulk of the videos had Michael teaching to camera, we hired a steadycam (MOV-10) for some stunning walk & talk shots.  A walk & talk shot is basically just that: Michael walking and talking while the camera either leads him or follows him.

Although the shots look beautiful, it takes a lot of effort to get everything to come together for each shot.  And because we were only using one shot for each teaching segment, Michael had to present all the material in each segment in one seamless take.  The reality is that it took A LOT of takes to get it right.  Sometimes Michael was perfect but the camera was out of position, or we lost light in the middle of a take, or maybe Michael flubbed a line.  It can be a lot to ask of a talent, but Michael pushed through and in the end I think it’s a stunning presentation.

On a side note: We’d also like to congratulate the Waterford Heritage and Agricultural Museum on receiving a hard copy of the award they won earlier this year.  Last summer we worked with WHAM to produce 3 short films, which together won them the Bronze in Interpretation Canada’s 2014 Awards of Excellence competition.  By the way, Gold went to the Vancouver Aquarium, so we’re in pretty good company!

I guess this makes it official. A certificate from @interpcan for our 2014 Award of #Excellence!!! @RaineyMedia pic.twitter.com/zBXQmxBsaQ

— WHAM (@WhamMuseum) December 16, 2014

Holly Mike