Our experience producing and directing fictional scene work

We may be an advertising production company by nature, but on our own time, we are huge movie buffs. We have always believed that this passion for cinema has made our commercial work better, so now we wanted to take that to the next level. This meant taking the opportunity to explore narrative filmmaking. This personal project felt creatively expressive, while also enabling us to expand our video production skill set. We are firm believers in professional development through independent projects and this felt like an opportunity for exactly that.

We reached out to our capable acting contacts, Samantha Gracie and Bayleigh Pelham, and got to work on planning for the day. Once a scene was chosen, and a time solidified we were ready to experiment and enjoy the process.

For this shoot we ended up filming this scene in my living room. Along with having the right set decor already in place, it also has a large north facing window that we were able to use as our key light. Beyond that, we set up an Aputure 30.0 light and bounced it into the ceiling behind the scene. This allowed us to lift the light levels within the room without having the scene look over lit. We also used an existing practical, a table lamp, as a bit of an edge light for one of the characters on the left.

All of this was to accomplish lighting that would read as early to mid morning during a weekday. The story called for an emotional confrontation, and so we weren’t looking for bright sunlight streaming in as that wouldn’t have matched the narrative. Instead we wanted the lighting to be subdued, creating more of a mundane, but anxious feel. This approach also complimented the colour scheme of the set which is of course a bonus visually.

Shooting multiple angles and multiple takes means we had to be hyper aware of continuity, eye lines and framing. This is really where we learned the most. Tracking the framing while being aware of the actors performance calls for a keen eye. With some experimenting and solid rehearsals we were able to work our way around some framing obstacles and had a pretty smooth day of shooting.

It was such a treat for us to have a chance to work with real actors, professionals who have committed their lives to performance work, it was a completely different vibe and energy that we fed off of. Samantha and Bayleigh have been studying acting together for 3 years and have so much experience working together in scenes like this, that it made the actual filming very easy. As cool as this was, it was even cooler that it took us out of our comfort zone and made the collaboration so fun and satisfying. We can’t wait to work more like this.

Our crew for this was very small. I was directing, Mark Archibald was the other camera operator and DOP, and we had Josh Owen doing audio. Josh is an extremely accomplished audio tech among other talents, we couldn’t have done it without him. We were also lucky enough to have had an 2nd year NSCC photography student, Rix Mascarenhas, doing assisting and some camera operating.

Overall, we had a great experience working on this. With thorough planning, a committed team and great gear we got through this shoot with little to no issues. In fact,  I think we did 3-4 takes max for each framing, and most of those were for safety and because we were really enjoying watching the actors work. I don’t think this will be the last of this kind of work you see come from JIVE Productions.

Why is photography & video content so important in the day of social media?

Make it stand out

Visual components can drive traffic, interest and sales.

Visual advertising content has always been important, but it has taken on an entirely new life since the emergence of social media. So much of marketing and advertising are now taking place on social media and aside from twitter, almost all social media platforms rely heavily on visual components to grab the attention of the user. Instagram, Pinterest, Tiktok, Newsletters, Facebook & Facebook ads absolutely call for enticing, attention catching, curated, visual or video content. If you don’t have it, you get lost in the algorithm and your message never makes it out of the gate. This truth has continued to evolve, and now even more than still imagery, video content is being rewarded with views and engagement. In fact, video content is climbing heavily in the online circulation, almost 90% of top tier content is now in video form… up from 80% in the past few years.

All of this to say the obvious - the game is constantly changing, and if you want to stick out, you have to keep up. How do you do both of those things? You make sure you are equipped with tons of quality visual content, both still shots and video, to ensure you can post consistently, while always pushing the truths about your product, brand and services. This can be a lot of responsibility for the individual, and that is where we come into play. Trusting professionals who have made it their career to create polished, thought out and well executed visual content will mean you are ready to face the tough asks social media platforms call for. 

The reward? If done correctly and consistently, embracing visual content will lead to more traffic coming to your platforms, and from there your website. It will up your engagement, lead to more followers, likes, shares and revenue while also solidifying your place in the algorithm that is social media.

We don’t say this without having lived it. We know first hand how quality visual content can lead to business when executed consistently. Recently we have experienced our own growth since our 2021 social media makeover campaign began. Let us take you down the same road and help you succeed with quality visual content - the new must have for marketing yourself appropriately.

Restrictions are lifting, let's help you be top of mind for travel destinations

Alright, who is ready to start travelling again? We know we are - and we assume all travellers have been daydreaming of the day they can move freely throughout our country and world again. It’s been a hard year, and many have felt cooped up while trying to remain safe - and they will be more than ready to book when given the green light. For accommodations, resorts, and destinations, now is the time to start thinking about how you can be top of mind when the public sets out to book their summer vacations.

With vaccinations being rolled out faster than ever, and provinces coming together to maintain numbers, it looks hopeful that we will be returning to some version of normal within the next 6 months to a year, with slow improvements paving the way. That makes right now an incredibly important time to begin planning your marketing and social content to ensure your domestic and international clients know you will ready to accommodate them when the time comes.

It’s also important to note that with the ever changing restrictions, travel patterns are going to shift and change. Travel will inevitably thrive locally and inter provincially, while international travel remains on hold. This creates a unique opportunity to really market yourselves to your local travellers, creating powerful campaigns to demonstrate what you have to offer as they begin to plan their summer trips.

That’s where we can help. JIVE photographic has 25+ years experience working primarily with advertising and editorial clients to achieve the client’s message in both still photography and video, communicating it through a unique aesthetic style. We, just like you, have had time to take a step back and really hone in on our expertise, and we are ready to step back in the ring and help you prepare for the surge re-openings and normalcy are bound to bring. 

Today’s audience depends so much on visual content with a story telling approach. Using still photography, video and drone footage we can help you demonstrate why your audience can trust you to give them an incredible experience. 

With extensive experience shooting for tourism we have become veterans at deducing what you want to show that represents the experience you can give. Check out some of these examples of the work we have & let’s chat about what we can do for you.

Lilacs Music Video

With this many years in the business, we are always looking for ways to challenge ourselves and further push the limit of what we as a production company can offer to our clients. Recently, we had the opportunity to do exactly that, when we were brought on to help produce a music video for Samantha Gracie, a local singer/songwriter.

Up until now, we have had very limited experience shooting music videos, which is why this project excited us so much. Even with our enthusiasm, we knew we had to cover all our bases twice to make sure that inexperience didn’t cost us on the day. Thorough planning was going to be our insurance policy and clear communication on deliverables was going to set us up for success.

Like any project, we toyed with many different visions. We allowed open conversation and encouraged all ideas to be vocalized. This led to authentic progression, and allowed for important issues to be addressed. These types of conversations actually led Samantha to change the song she wanted the video centred around as she started to feel her dream for the video could become realized. This song meant something to her, and when we heard it, everything seemed to click. A song about grief, and profound love touched us all, and we wanted to give it visual life. From there we had weekly calls leading up to the shoot to continue to iron out the scheduling, wardrobe and talent needed. This kept everyone informed and excited for shoot day.

Once the story board was made, the song was solidified and the shot list was created, we began scouting locations and talking time constraints. The nature of this video would need one location that could double as present day footage and flashback footage. Time wise, we would need to be able to shoot with full light, sunset, and blue hour (the hour directly after sunset). In the end, these needs lead us to decide on shooting at Conrad’s Beach, NS. At this location we could capture all three times of day with little travel, and would work perfectly with our timeline jumping. Days before shoot, the team and Samantha checked out the location, took reference photos and even further tightened our timeline for the day. The success of this one day shoot absolutely depended on understanding what we were up against when it came to the sun setting.

On the day, we felt excited, confident and ready to go. We were lucky to have almost perfect weather (a bit windy for our talent!) and a spectacular sunset. This sunset was what most of the production was relying on. It’s a song about love, loss, and memories and as visual artists we knew lighting would be the key to driving these messages through. It was the change in light, the moving into sunset, and then dusk, that really helped tell the story. Now the rest was up to us.

We moved forward using natural light almost exclusively, (only adding a reflector board for a bit of return on a few occasions.) and shot with our newly acquired Sony A7SII, on our Ronin 2 Gimbal, and our new Sony 16-35mm Cine lens. We must say - the A7SII blew us away with its dynamic range RAW profile. With all the planning that had gone into production and this reliable gear we were able to accomplish the entire shoot in less than 4 hours. 

It is always very humbling to be around gifted performers, and in this case we were working with a multi-talented performer in Samantha Gracie. Samantha had just recently written and recorded the song, so her delivery was heartfelt and authentic. Being a part of another artist’s process is inspiring, and opened new avenues for us production wise. As always she was a dream to work with and we felt like it was a total collaboration. 

Being able to accomplish this shoot with such a small team, during COVID times is something we are very proud of - and we can say, we love the final product. 

We can’t wait to work on more projects like this and continue growing our skillset.

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Important links

Lilacs will be available on all digital platforms for purchase and streaming and will be released to commercial radio.

Lilacs Pre-save Link

Lilacs Official Music Video (Youtube)

You can also check out Samantha’s recent acting accomplishments on revry.tv (The Influencers) & Netflix (Hometown Holiday)

Samantha Gracie Social Media:

Instagram: @samanthagracie

Tiktok: @samanthagraciexo

Facebook: Samantha Gracie

Youtube: Samantha Gracie Music

IMDb: Samantha Gracie

Newsletter May 2021

As I sit here with my coffee in hand, in the midst another lockdown, I unexpectedly feel gratitude. This year, as trying as it has been, has highlighted community, commitment and resilience. We have felt these sentiments around us, holding us up above water, and so we feel inclined to return the favour and showcase some of the incredible Atlantic Canadian businesses and brands we have worked with recently. Our interest is to continue to find ways to elevate this community - whether it be through the work we do, or through finding meaningful connection through the arts. Take a look at who we've been working with below, as well as a new segment of our newsletter where you can find my personal recommendations for film, music and other art forms.

We recently had the honour of putting together this video for Surette Battery Company Ltd. Surrette Battery has been a life source for the people of Springhill, and is the only independent battery manufacturer in Canada. This family run business is thriving and we’re thankful we got to help them tell their story. Big thanks to Skyline Studios for collaborating with us on this one and to Haylo Branding & Marketing for bringing us in on this project.

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Maritime Gourmet Mushrooms Collection

JIVE was recently short listed for the Communication Arts Photography Competition for this series of Maritime Gourmet Mushroom shots. We were honoured to be recognized by an internationally representative jury of creative directors and photographers. 

This collection of shots inspired us to learn more about fungi and mushrooms - what we discovered was their incredible potential to be a sustainable material that could change the face of fashion and even the way we build structurally.

One of my greatest personal joys is immersing myself in the world of film. This year there were two stand outs among the films I experienced. First, "Nomadland" lives up to the hype - Best Picture winner at this years Academy Awards, "Nomadland" is an absolute must-see. Frances McDormand is a special actor - she embodies such a presence, such charisma. Incredible film. "Minari" follows a Korean family who moves to Arkansas in search of the coveted American dream. This film is easily one of best I have seen all year and Youn Yuh-Jung was well deserving of her Best Supporting Actress win at this years Academy Awards. It will remind you of what truly makes a family and you will leave touched and moved. I would love to know what you think of either or both of these films - never hesitate to reach out with your opinions of recommendations.