Another Clncut Product

Another CLNCUT Product is the blog of E. Joseph Torres, II. Get to see a different side of CLNCUT as you can follow along with his various creative endeavors as well as his journey to explore the new world of HDSLR cinematography. Be sure to read his "about me" section to get a better understanding of why he chose to create this blog.

Pandora’s Box & the 7 Deadly Sins

   

I had the opportunity to help create a concept video to promote an upcoming interactive art show in Los Angeles, “Pandora’s Box & the 7 Deadly Sins”. It was a chance to try working with black & white footage to create dramatic images that support the theme of the show. To work under the pressure of uncertainty after you lose your location and model the eve of the shoot day, even with all the planning we did beforehand, there is something quite gratifying about taking what you have in front of you, and being able to pull it off in the clutch. All in all, it was a great experience to work with Agapito Doronio of Collective Aesthetics and Angel Payne of Media Inceptions.

     Los Angeles, the city I was born in, the place I was raised in, the town I love.  There’s no place like it anywhere in the country.  So much going on and such diversity makes it so special.  When I heard about The 1881 Project collaborating with The Blvd. Hotel & Spa in Studio City as well as Alex Garcia representing The Collective Aesthetics through Proto, I was definitely interested to see what I would run into.

     Artists were called on to create mural renditions that would describe various and famous boulevards of Los Angeles in their own eyes. Then, after all the entries were narrowed down to eight, they would spend a weekend at the hotel creating and painting the mural that would be submitted to the hotel to be displayed for people to enjoy in the hotel gallery.  Fantastic idea.  The winner would receive various prizes which included an iPad and hotel stay & cash prize.

    I decided to check it out and document the contest and talk to these artists that were chosen.  I got a chance to meet eight completely different personalities with different styles and approach to their art.  Totally representative of what LA means to a lot of people including myself.  It was a fun weekend, and I wish the artists luck to whoever wins this thing.  Check out the video I put together of I what I ran into that weekend.

An Extended Ride-Along with Endo Customs

     I am currently and will continue to collaborate with Bobby Endo of Endo Customs and this time I am getting the chance to help create a series of video “look-books” that showcase his uniquely designed cycling apparel kits.  I cannot get into too much detail as to the theme of these videos quite yet, but all I can say is that I’m really excited about the progress and direction this particular project is going to go.  Working with Endo Customs has been an enjoyable experience so far…. It’s an awesome and gratifying feeling when you can be on the same page creatively.  Expectations just begin to seem a lot more exciting as opposed to nerve-racking.

     I went out on a warm Sunday morning that extended into the late afternoon.  I haven’t had the opportunity to shoot moving objects from a moving vehicle before, so I figured that this would be a great learning experience…. I was right on the money.  Before the first Endo shoot, I’ve only had the chance to shoot “event coverage” for other people, like following along with Collective Aesthetics at their shows and documenting their art process (which btw is an ongoing project).  Don’t get me wrong, I truly still truly enjoy watching and documenting the artistic process live and on the fly, but there is something a little different about having a planned video shoot.  Afterall, I’m still trying to master this new craft… I’m having fun while doing it, and that to me is the most important thing.  

     Even if there were many challenges that reared it’s ugly head like being able to keep everything exposed relatively close as we were fighting time in a race to utilize as much sunlight as possible, keeping steady as well as safe while shooting from the back of a truck, and most of all staying low key as to not attract too much attention, still wouldn’t be able to detour the fact that it was extremely fun. Planning the shots are key to a smooth shoot. Seriously, planning the shots ahead of time are key to a smooth shoot.  Did I mention, the thing about planning? Good. Thankfully I remembered that.

     Special shout out to Endo Customs once again for giving me the opportunity to continue to try new things, and a big thank you to my buddy Irwin who was there with me all day and provided a B-Cam for the spot (next cerveza’s on me, dude).  Once again, stay tuned for the end result of the second installment of many more videos to come. Cheers.

I had the opportunity to work with Bobby Endo of Endo Customs and got a chance to get an intimate look into the brand and custom works that are happening everyday in a small factory out of Los Angeles, CA. He believes:

“In an endless stream of innovation, Endo Customs invites you to become a part of our movement as we aim to emerge as a hub of collaboration and inspiration.”

The experience itself was so gratifying since I got the chance to shoot, direct, and edit the piece myself. He was very open to the idea of giving me creative control of this first of many video pieces we’ll be working on together. The idea was to create an introduction to the brand, follow along with the production process, and especially to get an intimate look into the creative force behind Endo Customs. Stay tuned for the next video to drop soon, there are some exciting ideas just around the corner.

Desire to Inspire

It’s comforting to know that after a couple of months of what seemed like an endless amount of tests being thrown at me which challenged my ability to move forward, I was able to get back into the saddle and started creating once again.  There were many events which took place that preoccupied me to the point I felt like I had fallen off the path of where I wanted to place myself creatively.  No matter. I’m determined to move forward and now that things have settled down in my personal life, and things have gotten better, I now feel that there’s nothing that can stop me because I have piece of mind that the giant burden of worrying is off my shoulders.  I truly am thankful to God for the way it turned out and am now excited about the future.

When someone has passion, it can be so obvious that it can be contagious. I have been very fortunate to have started working with Bobby Endo of Endo Customs.  Owner, Creative Art Director, and overall passionate force behind one of the most stylistic cutting edge Cycling Kit brands that is about to blow up the scene.  Something about the way the designs are made, the uniqueness of the designs, the fact that it is hand crafted quality material, made me levitate towards being part of his “movement”.  I have spent a lot of time talking, brainstorming, and exchanging ideas with him and trying to see if we would be able to come up with a series of “video campaigns” which would help push the brand as well as promote it.

My services would be to provide the cinematography and post editing of a package of videos that help introduce the brand and shop, provide a video “look book”, and highlight the custom aspects of Endo Customs.  The first video to drop will be the introduction to the brand, process, shop, and custom kit making.  I truly believe in his vision for what he sees as something the cycling world needs.  We’ve gone through the first run at the video and am now tightening up the cut.  I will post my cut very soon, so stay tuned.

In an endless stream of innovation, Endo Customs invites you to become a part of our movement as we aim to emerge as a hub of collaboration and inspiration.

Desire

      

“Desire makes everything blossom…. Possession makes everything wither and fade.”

     I picked up some freelance work for the hip hop artist better known as JNatural who wrote & co-directed with Eric Heights.  I’ve worked with her before by editing a short video for her enhanced CD for her last album Love Is on Hiatus.  This time, she reached out to me for some help on some open credits animations as well as end credits for her short film, Desire.  I haven’t really done any motion graphic work in awhile, but who am I to not accept the challenge and turn some work down.  The short film is in the final stages of post-production so I’m excited to see the final product.  I’ll insert a link to the trailer and keep you up to date on it’s release.

Desire Trailer