The Beginning
Michael Kovach started filming whitewater kayaking videos using a small waterproof camera. “ I could get close to the action and not worry about getting my camera wet, since it is waterproof”.
That camera died snorkelling in Saint Maarten. This inspired me to look around for a camera and I found one on Kijiji. It was a used JVC semi pro camcorder. It was horrible in low light so I traded it for a Panasonic GH2 Micro 4/3 camera and system. This is where my love of film making really start to happen. The image quality was so incredible! I started shooting everything. My first REAL film was a short I shot on a lunch hour. It turned out really well. After this, I shot a cooking video of my wife making a french breakfast. I opened a Vimeo and YouTube account as a repository for my videos. I now have over 70 or 80 videos on line for folks to enjoy. I shot a few charity events for practice and I volunteered at Roger TV to get exposure to the industry.
Real Estate
My Wife and I put our home for sale and I shot a video for the realtor, of our home. The realtor liked the video and shared it with her colleagues. I then received a call from a local interior designer Sylvie Roth of Roth Designs. Sylvie liked my video and she asked if I would be interested to shoot a special of their custom designer home. This place was beautiful and full of unique art and furniture. The film turned out beautiful and I used the film to showcase my talents as a film-maker. The film received many views on You Tube and Vimeo and soon other realtors were interested in my work. Since then, I have shot several homes and we have sold them all!
One of my favourites was a farm in Belmont. This was a beautiful 1.3 million dollar home and the film came out wonderful. This one is showcased on my site.
I continue to craft my films one at a time and they keep getting better. I strive to make the shots as interesting as possible to keep viewers watching. This is important to get people interested in the property. I really enjoy shooting real estate. Each home has unique features to exploit.
Wedding Films
While cursing through Kijiji adds, I saw an advertisement for a DSLR shooter. I contacted the person who put up the ad and met Greg Idasz of AV Artisan wedding films. I told Greg I loved shooting and I wanted to make some money. He asked me if I wanted to shoot this weekend! I shot a ceremony with Greg for free to prove I could shoot. This paved the way for a whole summer of wedding films! It was a really good learning experience to shoot under pressure. I made a few mistakes, but Greg was patient and was very helpful to show me a lot of cinematic techniques. I will continue to shoot weddings as I enjoy the work. You have a lot of creative freedom shooting. The couples just trust us with their event and we make the most beautiful wedding films I’ve seen.
AV Artisan’s site is here if you want to see some of the films
http://www.avartisanproductions.com
Documentary Films
I really enjoy shooting documentary/News stories. I shot and edited several shows on Roger TV over the last few years. Some of the shows I have been involved in are :
Amazing Kids - Shoot and edited stories on local kids and their many talents
Newsmakers- A Rogers TV news show. Shot ENG and edited B-Roll
Neighbourhoods - A Rogers TV show on the different areas of the city and the homes within the city’s areas. Shooting and editing
Vito's Circus- A Comedy show on Roger TV- Shooting
EcoVox - assistant editor
Doggie House Calls- A show like the Dog Whisperer ,only local. Multi cam shoots and editing
LDNONT- A show about the Twitter community in London Ontario-TV operator, Graphics, floor manager, Audio Engineer
High School Project - A reality show following Beal High school students as they create the set, audition and finally perform the "Adams Family" at The Grand Theatre in London, Ontario. Shot and edited
Zorba- A musical Comedy filmed at The Palace Theatre- DP and Editing
Corporate Films
I have started Corporate Films. I find this really rewarding and I enjoy putting a story together for clients using visual storytelling. My clients include Public speaking events, Concerts, Theatre, Industrial for GM division, Shell Manufacturing Centre, Adidas, accountants, Realtors and the list goes on.
Where to from Here ?
My plans include as many variety of shoots as possible. I hope to build Spectacle Cinema to the point where I can sustain myself full time and have an employee or two to help with events. If you have an event or idea, wedding, or anything that can use a visual story, let me know and I will make it happen.
Thanks for reading!
Mike
Michael Kovach started filming whitewater kayaking videos using a small waterproof camera. “ I could get close to the action and not worry about getting my camera wet, since it is waterproof”.
That camera died snorkelling in Saint Maarten. This inspired me to look around for a camera and I found one on Kijiji. It was a used JVC semi pro camcorder. It was horrible in low light so I traded it for a Panasonic GH2 Micro 4/3 camera and system. This is where my love of film making really start to happen. The image quality was so incredible! I started shooting everything. My first REAL film was a short I shot on a lunch hour. It turned out really well. After this, I shot a cooking video of my wife making a french breakfast. I opened a Vimeo and YouTube account as a repository for my videos. I now have over 70 or 80 videos on line for folks to enjoy. I shot a few charity events for practice and I volunteered at Roger TV to get exposure to the industry.
Real Estate
My Wife and I put our home for sale and I shot a video for the realtor, of our home. The realtor liked the video and shared it with her colleagues. I then received a call from a local interior designer Sylvie Roth of Roth Designs. Sylvie liked my video and she asked if I would be interested to shoot a special of their custom designer home. This place was beautiful and full of unique art and furniture. The film turned out beautiful and I used the film to showcase my talents as a film-maker. The film received many views on You Tube and Vimeo and soon other realtors were interested in my work. Since then, I have shot several homes and we have sold them all!
One of my favourites was a farm in Belmont. This was a beautiful 1.3 million dollar home and the film came out wonderful. This one is showcased on my site.
I continue to craft my films one at a time and they keep getting better. I strive to make the shots as interesting as possible to keep viewers watching. This is important to get people interested in the property. I really enjoy shooting real estate. Each home has unique features to exploit.
Wedding Films
While cursing through Kijiji adds, I saw an advertisement for a DSLR shooter. I contacted the person who put up the ad and met Greg Idasz of AV Artisan wedding films. I told Greg I loved shooting and I wanted to make some money. He asked me if I wanted to shoot this weekend! I shot a ceremony with Greg for free to prove I could shoot. This paved the way for a whole summer of wedding films! It was a really good learning experience to shoot under pressure. I made a few mistakes, but Greg was patient and was very helpful to show me a lot of cinematic techniques. I will continue to shoot weddings as I enjoy the work. You have a lot of creative freedom shooting. The couples just trust us with their event and we make the most beautiful wedding films I’ve seen.
AV Artisan’s site is here if you want to see some of the films
http://www.avartisanproductions.com
Documentary Films
I really enjoy shooting documentary/News stories. I shot and edited several shows on Roger TV over the last few years. Some of the shows I have been involved in are :
Amazing Kids - Shoot and edited stories on local kids and their many talents
Newsmakers- A Rogers TV news show. Shot ENG and edited B-Roll
Neighbourhoods - A Rogers TV show on the different areas of the city and the homes within the city’s areas. Shooting and editing
Vito's Circus- A Comedy show on Roger TV- Shooting
EcoVox - assistant editor
Doggie House Calls- A show like the Dog Whisperer ,only local. Multi cam shoots and editing
LDNONT- A show about the Twitter community in London Ontario-TV operator, Graphics, floor manager, Audio Engineer
High School Project - A reality show following Beal High school students as they create the set, audition and finally perform the "Adams Family" at The Grand Theatre in London, Ontario. Shot and edited
Zorba- A musical Comedy filmed at The Palace Theatre- DP and Editing
Corporate Films
I have started Corporate Films. I find this really rewarding and I enjoy putting a story together for clients using visual storytelling. My clients include Public speaking events, Concerts, Theatre, Industrial for GM division, Shell Manufacturing Centre, Adidas, accountants, Realtors and the list goes on.
Where to from Here ?
My plans include as many variety of shoots as possible. I hope to build Spectacle Cinema to the point where I can sustain myself full time and have an employee or two to help with events. If you have an event or idea, wedding, or anything that can use a visual story, let me know and I will make it happen.
Thanks for reading!
Mike