When director Scott Waugh called me to shoot the video for the Act of Valor credit crawl song “For You” by Keith Urban, I was excited to have the opportunity to get the whole Elite Team back together. It was equally exciting to hear Keith Urban’s amazing song, which supported the story perfectly.
Adapting Act of Valor for a Music Video
The concept was to shoot Keith Urban and his band on the same dry lakebed that the Navy SEALs used for recon during the film. This would be the start of intercutting Act of Valor footage with Keith Urban’s performance. When Scotty and I discussed the look and feel of the video, we immediately looked at each other and said, “anamorphic on mixed platforms.”
The Canon C300 had just come out, and we wanted to use this tool in First-Person Cam mode to resemble the shooting style of the film, as well as the Arri Alexa with C series Anamorphics. We thought it was timely that we started with the infancy of the Canon 5D on Act of Valor, and now we were embarking on a new journey with the infancy of the C300.
This project also gave us the opportunity to launch our new production arm at Hurlbut Visuals with behind-the-scenes of what it takes to shoot 6 different platforms in a 10-hour day and have them intercut seamlessly.
On a side note, I want to personally thank you for all of the comments in support of this movie. The Elite Team and I are touched by the overwhelmingly positive response.
BTS video credits:
- Produced and directed by Julien Lasseur
- Edited by Vashi Nedomansky
- Camera Operators – Nick Kramer, Julien Lasseur
- Sound – Brad Flick, Gene Martin
- Original Music – Vashi Nedomansky
- Stills – Doug Leigh
- Produced by Hurlbut Visuals
- Special Thanks to Jacob Rosenberg
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About Filmmakers Academy Cinematographer Mentor Shane Hurlbut, ASC
Director of photography Shane Hurlbut, ASC works at the forefront of cinema. He’s a storyteller, innovator, and discerning collaborator, who brings more than three decades of experience to his art. He is a member of the American Society of Cinematographers, the International Cinematographers Guild/Local 600, and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Hurlbut frequently joins forces with great directors: McG’s Netflix Rim of the World and The Babysitter, plus Warner Bros. We Are Marshall and Terminator: Salvation; Scott Waugh’s Need for Speed and Act of Valor; and Gabriele Muccino’s There Is No Place Like Home and Fathers and Daughters. His additional film credits include Semi-Pro; The Greatest Game Ever Played; Into the Blue; Mr 3000; Drumline; 11:14, which earned Hurlbut a DVDX nomination; and The Skulls. Notably, his television credits include the first season of AMC’s Into the Badlands.
Filmmakers Academy Premium Camera Courses
- Camera Blocking & Composition
- Film and Camera Theory
- Camera Exposure-False Color
By Shane Hurlbut, ASC
Director of photography Shane Hurlbut, ASC works at the forefront of cinema as a storyteller, innovator and discerning collaborator, who brings more than three decades of experience to his art. He is a member of the American Society of Cinematographers, the International Cinematographers Guild/Local 600, and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
