Merge Studios

Video: Flip in a Huey Helicopter

Sean Tucker — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:34:51 +0000

Guy McDonald (Good Hope FM DJ) was given a flip in a Huey helicopter, sponsored by Cadbury SA. I was asked to go along for the ride and shoot a ‘dream coming true’. The heliport is at the Waterfront in Cape Town and the trip is run by Sport Helicopters who take visitors on what they call a ‘Combat Mission’. This means the pilot throws you around like the helicopter is just a toy, but what a rush. Amazing experience! I shot the interview stuff with my Canon HXA1s and Rode NTG1. The shots in the Huey are from my Canon 550D with Sigma 10-20mm. The external shots of the Huey are stock footage from the Huey Company themselves.

Huey Helicopter Ride with Guy McDonald from Sean Tucker on Vimeo.

Video: Lonehill Estate Behind-the-Scenes

Sean Tucker — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 15:42:04 +0000

Stimorol have sponsored another local band to produce a top quality music video, and I was asked to shoot a behind-the-scenes for the project. We spent the day running around Soweto with the guys, shooting on the street, in the salon, and eventually on someone’s roof. It was great fun and the final product from Pilot Films looks brilliant. Check it out here. I used my Canon HXA1s with the Rode NTG1 rifle mic for all the interviews, and my 550D for all the cut-aways. Hope you enjoy.

Behind the Scenes with Lonehill Estate from Sean Tucker on Vimeo.

Merge Videos were amazing! They were EVERYWHERE! Like Peter Parker shooting Spiderman. They captured some awesome memories and all the different aspects of the shoot which we will cherish for a long time.

Nathan Ro, Lead Singer for Lonehill Estate

Video: MyLife MyAfrica in Zandspruit

Sean Tucker — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 19:44:56 +0000

My Life My Africa are doing some amazing work among the young people in Zandspruit squatter camp, Johannesburg. I shot this video to be used at the launch of their new project in a month’s time, and to be taken around local companies in order to get funding for their future work. I shot mostly with my Canon 550D, switching between 50mm 1.4 lens and the 18-55mm kit lens, then using my Canon HXA1s for the interview shots because of the better audio quality.

MyLifeMyAfrica in Zandspruit from Sean Tucker on Vimeo.

Merge Studios – with their personalized service, professional approach, and their ability to see into our minds-eye to deliver exactly what was on our heart – have made us see ourselves, our work, and our organization in a brightly new and positive light. It may be different for you, but Merge Studio’s involvement with My Life My Africa Children’s Foundation has played a pivotal role in carrying our organization to the next level.

Philen Naidu, Founder of My Life, My Africa.

Video: Silvermine Road

Sean Tucker — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 09:19:39 +0000

Noordhoek to Westlake in 1 minute. This was just a quick project I did on the way back home from my mom’s. I set my Canon 550D, with the 18-55mm kit lens, on a tripod in my passenger seat, and drove the Silvermine Road, in Cape Town, on a blustery, rainy day. This is the timelapse of that drive. The music is “Deeper” by Delirious.

Silvermine Road from Sean Tucker on Vimeo.

Photos: Fincham Family Pics

Sean Tucker — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 09:26:42 +0000

I was recently in Pietermaritzburg for some work and was asked by some old friends to take some family photos for them. It’s actually the first time I have done a family shoot but I think the pics came out ok. I just told Craig and Robs to hang out with the kids as they normally would and I shot around them. There are some really nice moments in here. I used my 550D and changed between my 18-55mm kit lens and my 50mm 1.4f canon lens.

Photos: iThemba Kids

Sean Tucker — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 09:32:32 +0000

I was up in Kwa-Zulu Natal recently, shooting a promotional video for the iThemba Projects guys. Hopefully the video will be online here in a few months. Whilst I was running around shooting I snapped off some stills of the kids whose lives are being improved by this amazing program. These are some of the shots I took. I used my Canon 550D with the 50mm 1.4 lens.

Video: Winetasting

Sean Tucker — Sat, 22 May 2010 10:52:19 +0000

At the moment I wait tables some evenings at The River Cafe to make ends meet, and recently they organised for us all to be taken on a wine tour of the Constantia Valley. I used the opportunity to get more familiar with the video on my 550D. I shot on 720 at 50p which gave me great control for the slow mo stuff. I used the 50mm 1.4f and the 18-55mm kit lens for some of the wide angle stuff. The soundtrack is “Good Life” by One Republic.

More 550D testing: Winetasting from Sean Tucker on Vimeo.

Video: Stoan and Speedy

Sean Tucker — Mon, 10 May 2010 09:38:03 +0000

Stimorol recently flew me up to Johannesburg to cover the ‘behind the scenes’ of Stoan and Speedy’s new music video, ‘Neva Burnout’. We did most of the shoot in and around Soweto, ending up in a nightclub near Woodmead late that evening. I used my Canon HXA1s and my Canon 550D alternately throughout the day, and I was happy with the results except for the slightly dissappointing grain from the HXA1s under low light. The music video itself was shot by Pilot Films, who do some awesome work. Check out the final video here.

Neva Burnout: Behind the Scenes from Sean Tucker on Vimeo.

I’ve been consistently impressed by Merge Studios, not only by their quality output, but also their ability to generate such quality at such short notice and thoroughly deliver on demanding briefs. I will continue to use the multidisciplinary skills offered by Merge Studios for a variety of viral media in the foreseeable future.

Doug Place, Senior Brand Manager, Cadbury South Africa

Video: Fresh Breath Police

Sean Tucker — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 09:39:39 +0000

Cadbury hired me to put together this fun little video of the Clorets 2pc activation on the streets of Cape Town. The idea behind it was to pull people over and check the ‘freshness of their breath’. When they came up short they were given a Clorets and all was well:) It was a clever, fun idea for a campaign, and I was able to play around with it a bit and give the final video a ’70′s cop show’ feel. I shot in and around Gugulethu, using my Canon HXA1s with basic UV filter and Rode rifle mic.

Clorets Fresh Breath Police from Sean Tucker on Vimeo.

Photos: River Cafe Staff

Sean Tucker — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 11:09:26 +0000

I wait tables at The River Cafe in the evenings to make ends meet through these financially challenging times. Recently I took my camera to work to snap off some portraits of some of the people I work with every week. I shot with my Canon 550D and a 50mm 1.4 lens. I crunched them in post, and converted to black and white because I really liked the light in the room, and it lent itself to this high contrast look.