MOTION Services

Producer

At the heart of every production is the producer, the person responsible for how the shoot transpires in its entirety. On larger productions, production coordinators and production assistants may be necessary also. We’ll set up your shoot with the appropriate number of production personnel, according to its size and scope, in order to have things run smoothly for you from start to finish.

DIRECTOR

For larger shoots, it’s important to have a dependable director at the helm, someone capable of overseeing and steering the project’s creative decisions so that everyone stays on the same page and shares the same vision of the intended result.

Cinematographer / Director of Photography (DP)

The DP collaborates with the director to ensure that all lighting and camera decisions serve the overall intention and vision. The DP typically operates the main camera; on smaller shoots, the DP may direct the action as well.

Digital imaging technician (DIT)

For motion productions, no role is more essential than that of the DIT. A skilled DIT is well versed in correcting camera-related issues, overseeing checksum-managed offloading, livegrading primaries—global color and exposure adjustments—to build LUTs for the colorist, monitoring scopes to guarantee consistent image quality from start to finish, managing on-set audio sync, transcoding dailies, creating detailed reports, and maintaining verified backups. Needless to say, the certainty a top-notch DIT affords a project is immensely valuable.

Media Manager

When a DIT just doesn’t fit in the budget, then at the bare minimum, a skilled media manager is still necessary to properly handle checksum-managed offloading, create detailed reports, potentially transcode dailies, and maintain verified backups.

CAMERA OPERATOR / First Assistant

A skilled camera operator works alongside the DP and guarantees that all settings are correct, keeps framing consistent during motion shots involving the camera and/or the talent, operates a Steadicam rig as necessary, pulls focus, and/or all of the above, in varying combinations. The best camera operators and first assistants are nimble and attentive and can be relied upon to give solid reference input.

PRODUCTION SOUND MIXER / RECORDIST

For every motion shoot that has a sound component, it’s important to have on set an experienced, attentive sound person or team that uses state-of-the-art equipment and understands sound design intrinsically. Members of the sound team are skilled at capturing the high-quality audio they know will help bring the visuals to life. They also understand the need for exceptional sensitivity and professionalism in interacting directly with the talent.

VIDEO PLAYBACK OPERATOR

When needing a high level of visual consistency between shots in regard to matching object placement, framing, or blocking from existing footage, having a skilled video playback operator on set is a requirement. They are there to capture and log details from every take and immediately replay shots—even from multiple cameras concurrently—to ensure that everything is being shot correctly and what is needed for the storyboard has been or will be captured before the media has ever left the camera for the DIT or media manager.

EDITOR

Telling a good story is a skill. Telling a good story well is an art—the domain of a great editor. In addition to managing the video footage and audio tracks, a talented editor puts all the pieces together to create a cohesive story that fulfills the director’s vision.

COLORIST

Once the edit is locked, its up to the colorist to refine each clip’s final grade to match the shared vision of the director and DP with more finesse than a DIT can manage on set. Secondaries—localized and masked color and exposure adjustments—are too specific to the footage that actually gets used in the edit to be handled by the DIT on set, and fall into the realm of the colorist. Depending on the skill level of the colorist, they may also handle keying, merging of shots within the same frame, and basic VFX work.

STILLS Services

Photographer

For stills shoots, the photographer—the person in charge of the camera—seeks to make each image the best it can possibly be. Accomplished photographers therefore assemble seasoned teams with whom they can easily communicate their ideas and have them fulfilled, whose members know and trust one another and speak the same industry language. Such an artistic collaboration frees the photographer up to focus solely on the creation of each individual image in concert with the desired overall vision.

Digital Technician (digitech)

Akin to the role of the DIT for motion productions, the modern stills shoot cannot function well without a skilled digitech—the essential point person who skillfully manages the tethered camera connection, assures quality control for the thousands of files created over the course of a day, works with the photographer and the client to develop color styles, composites images quickly to ensure that all needed assets “fit” correctly and are ready for the retoucher, and confirms that all media are backed up throughout the day as efficiently and securely as possible.

Lighting Designer

The most successful shoots, whether of stills or motion, rely on a skilled lighting designer. This person works alongside the director, photographer, and/or cinematographer to build finessed lighting schemes, usually when the former are out of their element or simply want the expertise of a seasoned veteran on set.

Photo Assistant

Time is of the essence on all productions and, on stills shoots especially, it’s imperative to have one or more photo assistants on set who can take the photographer’s communicated ideas and translate them quickly and safely into a lighting setup that satisfies both the photographer and the client. When multiple assistants are required, the first assistant is responsible for leading the others in an effective manner.

Retoucher

After an image is created, there’s always the need to perfect it—to improve certain aspects and remove distracting elements. Through the masterful use of Photoshop and other digital tools a first-rate retoucher can finesse a sense of emotion and realness from an image while maintaining its original integrity and fulfilling its intent.

Other Talent

Streaming technicians, hair and wardrobe stylists, makeup and special-effects artists, manicurists, prop masters, set designers, and other support personnel are often needed on shoots. Canopy Consortium can recommend some of the best adjunct talent for a given project.