This weekend Lofton Films, in partnership with Yene Fiker Publishing (Moses Haughton's Company) had a 2-day shoot at Laurel Senior High School.
First off, I want to say a huge "THANK YOU" to all my friends, family, and Moses' friends who showed up to give their support in shooting this weekend; 1st A.D. Navid Wlotzka, Mark Cooper, Andrew Breeden, Erik Miller, Ammad Khan, my brothers Matthew & Calvin Lofton, my father John Lofton III, Moses Haughton SR. ,Renita Haughton. I also want to give another huge "THANK YOU" to our 2 Key Grips - Alan Hervey & Jeff Callow; you guys did an amazing job! Roger Riggles and his assistant Crystal Sovoroski did an amazing job keeping those faces pretty with their expansive make up kits.
Also, Special Thanks to
RaffertyWeiss Media in Silver Spring for use of their facilities for the Casting Call! And a Special Thanks to Drew Barrow & Seth Mohlman for the use of their Indy Dolly & Jib Setup. You guys rock!
Through it's ups and downs, the shoot this weekend was an overall
success!Also, this weekends shoot is dedicated to Rebekah Pettit, daughter of our choreographer - Grace Kaye. Rebekah was in a severe car accident Saturday night and is currently in stable condition recovering from a broken clavicle and puffer knees. Grace Kay did a great job preparing the cheerleaders for the shoot and even though she was unable to attend the shoot her work
showed through in the end! Thanks again, Grace and remember Rebekah is in our thoughts and prayers as she recovers.
Now to the details of the shoot; Saturday we shot all the VERSE 1 INTERIORS and some of the CHORUS BAND footage. Sunday we shot all the VERSE 1 & INTRO EXTERIORS and some CHORUS BAND footage on the field.
This was the first shoot I have ever been privileged enough to work with a piece of equipment I have literally been salivating over for the past...well I don't even know how long! That piece of equipment; the
Letus Ultimate 35mm Adapter. Two words;
Freaking Amazing. We had a 24mm , 35mm, 50mm & 85mm Nikon Lens kit we rented from
Visual Edge Productions in Bethesda, MD. Many thanks to Chris Cardno for giving a detailed tutorial on the Letus before letting us leave with it!
When paired up with my Canon XH A1, in combination with the Nikon Prime Lens (AI) kit I rented, the resulting footage is literally
breathtaking. I'll try to upload some still-frames as soon as possible so you can all see exactly what I mean.
Another shout out I would like to make is to our ACTORS - You all did a
TERRIFIC job this weekend. I know I kept saying , "That's perfect, now let's do it again!" several times, but when I said 'That's perfect' ,
I meant it! After reviewing the footage, everyone looks great and I believe you will all be thoroughly pleased with the results.
Special Thanks to Mr. Dwayne Jones, Principal of Laurel High School in Laurel, MD for allowing us free reign of his school for a couple of days. And of course, Carlton Lomax, the building supervisor. You literally 'opened doors' for this production!
More Updates To Come Soon!!!
