Long before Jogs For Dogs ended up being one of the best clients to have worked with, I was left a somewhat vague voicemail about a potential project for some kind of dog running company. When Brenden left it, I thought maybe it was a joke, or at least I had a hard time taking it serious. He didn't tell me how he heard of me, and he seemed reluctant to tell me much about his business. In full disclosure, I kind of just went through the motions of corresponding & submitting a proposal, assuming it would be out of his budget, because after all, I perceived it as a dog running business.
Come to find out, this wasn't just a dog running business. It was a social network, of sorts, for dog owners & runners, and Brenden was in the process of refreshing his website & developing a mobile app to work in conjunction with the site. It also turned out that my normal rates were not out of his budget.
He wanted a high-energy edit featuring runners running dogs & using the new mobile app. He wasn't looking for something particularly informative, he just wanted something uptempo and engaging. He'd heard about me from Jared of 6th Ave Studios, who'd been working on the website & mobile app. I'd met Jared a few months prior at a New Years Eve party. Brenden liked (270) Seconds of Summer & thought some of that energy would be put to good use in the video he was looking to have produced for Jogs For Dogs. This was the outcome.
Almost everything went according to plan in the production of this piece, thanks in large part to Brenden! In many ways he's the ideal client. He trusts my creative direction & allows me to make a case when I need something & he maintains an open mind. When I told him I'd need to hire a second camera man & two actors, he was on board with that. When I suggested that we'd need an extra two hundred dollars for a music license, he agreed. He was prompt with payment & even offered to pay the full amount up front for the entire project. He showed many times that he trusted me & that was incredibly valuable.
The typography at the end was kind of a new thing for me. I'd wanted to learn how to mask text, and it took me almost a half day to research & figure out how to execute it. It's amazing how much you can learn from YouTube & Vimeo tutorials.
For second camera, I worked with Kevin of Yes And Video, who's always a pleasure to work with, as we're always in sync while on shoots. For talent, I found J'nisha Towne & Dja Soufka on the Northwest Film Forum Callboard. A great team of people to work with on a day with such perfect Seattle weather.
Good times.