'night ride' video accepted into new york bicycle film festival
As of March, I've officially wrapped up a commercial for the Macneil Bike Company entitled 'Night Ride'. This is a 2 minute piece that showcases flatground bmx rider Travis Collier and his experiences riding in the city at night. Seems to be getting some great feedback, and has recently been accepted in the the NEW YORK BICYCLE FILM FESTIVAL. If you're in New York from June 16th - June 20th, please check out the festival.
urban deer documentary
in progress
As of May 2010 I've been in preproduction working on yet another one of my annual short films. With growing concerns in regards to the overwhelming urban deer population, this film touches once again on the co-existance between human society and nature. The love/hate relationship between urban society and deer is more then apparent in places like the Sunshine Coast, and I plan to spend the Spring and Summer exploring these stories through the people that take residence along the enchanted shores of Pender Harbor.
This piece will be shot entirely on the my HPX170 Panasonic camera + 35mm lens adapter and it was my first time testing this camera setup outdoors. I took the opportunity to shoot throughout one of the Sunshine Coast's FIRST sunny weekends of the year and the camera did not disappoint. The footage is stunning.
'THe great blue heron of stanley park' slated for knowledge network
I completed “The Great Blue Heron of Stanley Park” in September of 2009. This has been an ongoing project for me and required time over and above my full time contract camera work. A labour of love, this six minute video portrait showcases the life of a bird species that has chosen to exist (and thrive) seconds from one of the busiest urban settings in Vancouver, BC. Another instalment in my urban nature repertoire, I am excited by the footage! The film is slated for broadcast on the Knowledge Network over the next few months.
Special thanks to Sarah Keenlyside for her dedication to the process of piecing this story together, Robyn Worchester of the Stanley Park Ecology Society for her commentary, and George Faulkner for his online editing contribution.
Josh Dueck is a dedicated paralympic skier based out of Vernon B.C. Over the course of the winter I was involved in shooting a short documentary directed by Murray Siple and Christian Begin, about Josh's life as a sit skier. Recently the film has been showcased during the popular event CONTAINR, and it will make it's television debut on the BRAVO network.
This short film was directed by Jason Crowe of 'Two Birds and a Stone Productions', and I had the invaluable experience of working along side both Jason and 35 year television cameraman/ DOP Rick Smalley. Rick has shot hundreds of tv dramas and documentaries and so it was an incredible experience working under him as the sole cameraman. Special thanks to the cast and crew for making it all come together.
All footage was shot on a SONY XDCAM HD PDW-F350 shoulder mount camera.
high definition camera upgrade
After 4 years of successfully making a living shooting projects on my Canon XL2 (among other rented HD and SD broadcast cameras), I have recently purchased and am now able to offer a camera kit which includes the Panasonic HPX170 HD camera, an SGBLADE 35mm adapter kit (with CINE follow focus), matte box, plus a complete ZACUTO rod and shoulder mount setup.
My Canon XL2 kit is still available in my arsenal of cameras/accessories which means that I am now able to offer both High Definition solid state technology plus Standard Definition tape.
"MAPPING AND MARKING" artworks VIDEO PORTRAITS for the city of vancouver
I was contracted to shoot eight short films that preview the work of a number of Vancouver artists invited to showcase performances and installations throughout Vancouver during the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Artists were asked to explore the notion of “Mapping and Marking” as a way of encouraging exploration and involvement with the city, its inhabitants and the ecological, economic and social processes that shape Vancouver. In this preview, artists are asked to share their inspirations, the process of their art and their connection to the winter games.
A special thank you to Producer/director Sarah Keenlyside for the opportunity to capture these stories. The films will be shown on Vancouver’s Knowledge Network over the next few months.
CROWS ON THE KNOWLEDGE NETWORK
I produced, directed and shot ‘Crows’ during the better part of 2006. Because I was employed in full time production at the time, filming meant nights and weekends spent following the life habits of a local roost of corvids in Burnaby, B.C. The short film produced from this shoot has now found its way to a number of international wildlife film festivals and college libraries.
On September 12, 2009, ‘Crows’ made its television debut on Vancouver’s Knowledge Network. Special thanks go out to 7th Art Releasing for their distribution support and to Nicole Audy at Knowledge Network for guiding me through the process involved in airing a short film for television.
Carts of darkness nominated for best cinematography
Among the list of nominations including Best Director (Murray Siple) and Best Picture Editing (Michael Brockington), Carts of Darkness has received a nomination for Best Cinematography as well. As the second unit cinematographer on the film, I feel honored to be recognized along side of 1st unit cinematographer Kevin Shepit, and of course a huge congratulations goes to DOP Christian Begin for his dedication to the visual style of the film. A special thanks should also go to Christian for trusting me to shoot some of the crucial cutaways throughout the production. Thanks Christian - amazing work.
I feel privileged once again to have had the opportunity to help shoot such a special piece of work.
Contracted by the Pacific Wildlife Foundation, I filmed their bird atlasing and marine mammal count in Bute Inlet, British Columbia, Canada in Spring of 2009.
With a team of leading bird experts, the process involved the examination of how avifauna changes as we progressed from the entrance, to midway and eventually to the head of the inlet. We journeyed on the 43 foot Ark Angel sailboat out of Departure Bay Charters and skippered by Rod MacVicar and Bev Ford. Once the sailboat was moored, we travelled by inflatable boat and kayak until able to go ashore and use logging roads and bushwhacked trails to locate, document and tally the bird and marine mammal species.
Watch for the video on B.C.'s very own KNOWLEDGE NETWORK. The video was recently picked up for broadcast and will air throughout the coming months.
DUNLIN BIRDS IN VANCOUVER, B.C. from Mike McKinlay on Vimeo.
Western Sandpipers in Vancouver, B.C. from Mike McKinlay on Vimeo.
EAGLE AMONG THE SWARM
In Spring of 2009 I was fortunate enough to capture some of the amazing behaviours and swarming patterns of the Dunlin bird. The footage was all shot in Boundary Bay, British Columbia and I am very pleased about how the images turned out.
Special thanks to Rob Butler and Ron Ydenberg of the Pacific Wildlife Foundation. Watch for this short film on the Knowledge Network, scheduled over the next few months. The video can be viewed in the Demo Reels section of this website. Click on the icon near the top of the page.
WESTERN SANDPIPERS 'FALCON EVASION'
Please also check out this footage of Western Sandpipers that I recently shot in late Spring of 2009. Each year thousands of these birds flock to Delta shores to feed in great numbers.
For the third year in a row, Timebomb Trading Inc. contracted me to shoot the entire annual ‘Wild in the Streets’ event in Vancouver, BC. Sponsored by the international shoe brand ‘Emerica’, the event takes place throughout downtown Vancouver, with the objective of celebrating the skate culture along with a number of cities all around the world on June 21st of 2009.
Fortunately for Vancouver this year, the entire Emerica shoe team from California chose our city for the day and joined the thousands of local skateboarders in the annual charge through the streets and popular skate locations. As usual, the event was a huge success with a large turn out!
Thanks go out to Judah Oakes and Garrett Louie for getting me on board once again.
Please check out the Timebomb site at:
http://www.timebombtrading.com/
As well as check out the Emerica U.S. site for full details on the video:
McKinlay's Wild in the Streets 2009 clip!
Epic landscapes and nature that surrounds Gold River, B.C. - Our latest location for interviews and narration with local Chief, Michael Maquinna.
'CEDAR And bamboo'
a DOcumentary for the Chinese Canadian Historical society
This work resulted in a film produced by Jennifer Lau and Gemini Award winning filmmaker Karin Lee. It was directed by Kamala Todd and Diana Leung and edited by Johnny Darrell.
Thanks go out to Kamala Todd for contracting me for this shoot, focused upon the relationship between Chinese Canadians and First Nations people in British Columbia.
The film marks the 150th anniversary of the Chinese Historical Society of BC and seeks to promote a deeper understanding of the inter-community histories and shared experiences of both cultures. The film is slated for international film festivals and television broadcast in the very near future.
I felt privileged to play the role as second unit cinematographer for Murray Siple's recently completed feature film for the National Film Board.
So far the film has been getting a great response from events such as the Victoria Film Festival, Hot Docs in Toronto, as well as a full week of showings at the Vancity Theater downtown Vancouver.
Check below for the most recent festival dates:
Kimberly Film Festival - Oct. 11th
Halifax Atlantic Film Fest - Sept. 14th
Calgary Film Fest Sept. 24th
Shortlisted:
Rossland Mountain Film Fest
Cork, Ireland
Sheffield, England
Melbourne, Australia
Whistler Film Festival
Vancouver:
UBC Oct. 7th
West Van Library TBD
North Van Library TBD
As of 2009, Carts of Darkness has officially been released on DVD. Check this link for details...
THEATER WORK IN VANCOUVER
For the past three years the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company has contracted me to shoot theatre rehearsal performances and promotional vignettes. Originally produced in collaboration with Digi Harvest Post Productions in 2007, the quality web videos are now co-created with the help of Producer Sean Sullivan of Bombshelter Productions.
Other theatre companies are now a part of our Vancouver theatre production client base, with the addition of Bard on the Beach and the Touchstone Theatre Company. We look forward to consistently delivering quality footage to all of these theatre groups, for both web and television b-roll coverage.
Van Eyk Olivier Directed and Produced this commercial for the MIKU Japanese restaurant in downtown Vancouver, BC., bringing me on board as jib arm cam operator. This offered an opportunity to experiment with dynamic moving cameras in a large space such as the MIKU venue. Preceding the MIKU shoot was an earlier jib arm contract working on a full length promo for the Vancouver Arts film school in Gas Town. The footage looks spectacular.
WORKING WITH THE PACIFIC WILDLIFE FOUNDATION
Thanks to Rob Butler and the Pacific Wildlife Research Centre I have had the opportunity to direct and shoot a series of video pieces that showcase eelgrass – a form of plant life currently damaged and in need of restoration along the coastlines of BC. The videos help to raise awareness of this ‘marine life dependent’ plant form.
I became an Associate with the PWLF in November of 2008 and have now extended my work with the foundation, shooting a series of videos that highlight marine birds and mammals. Working with researchers currently involved in environmental restorations like the eel grass project has been truly inspiring and I feel privileged to be a part of this association.
Click on the link to see the first of four video installments..
http://www.pwlf.org/videos/eelgrassvideo.htm
the unnatural history of stanley park
I was pleased to donate ten minutes of edited wildlife footage to the Vancouver Museum’s ‘Unnatural History of Stanley Park’ exhibit from September 2008 to February 2009, celebrating the park’s 150th birthday.
I have spent many hours in the park, filming for my urban wildlife repertoire, so I had lots of footage to choose from! The video images were showcased in an interactive gallery in ways that reinforced the fragile beauty of this incredible rainforest.
Check out www.vanmuseum.bc.ca for more details.
Also check out the latest article within the pages of BEYOND ROBSON, where writer Sean Orr eloquently describes the importance of this pristine green space. Thanks for posting my video!
Markered camera work for "50 CENT" gaming cinematics.
ghostbusters gaming cinematics
This was work contracted with Rainmaker Entertainment during the Spring/Summer of 2008. I worked as a Previsual Cinematographer for the newest Ghostbusters video game, slated for distribution in 2009. Directed by Kody Sabouin and co-directed by Ben Burden Smith, we pieced together the specific camera moves and setups for the cinematics throughout the game. The process involved the use of markered video cameras, motion capture, motion builder and 3D story boards that supported animators in the creation of realistic scene development and characterizations. Because Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis provided the true voice characters, we were inspired to stay true to the original film’s visual style and aesthetic.
COMMERCIAL WORK WITH BREAKFREE PRODUCTIONS
Throughout the summer I was fortunate enough to work with a local Vancouver production house, Breakfree Productions. As jib arm camera operator, I had the awesome experience of working with Van Eyk Olivier (Producer/ Director) and Creative Director Greg Gillespie. One of the projects I was especially excited to work on was a commercial for the Canadian Foster Family Association. I was very excited to be a part of it all, and I look forward to working with Breakfree again in the future.
Check out the Break Free website at: http://www.bfreeproductions.com/
Please also check out the link to editor George Faulkner. George works closely with Breakfree - editing and DVD authoring many local B.C. video productions. Projects we've had a chance to collaborate on include a promo for the Steve Nash Sports Club, as well as the most recent Kwantley University fashion show.
MAcneil bikes
Travis Collier is one of the top BMX flatland riders in the world. I managed to get a few days of filming in with this guy, and some of the footage has ended up on the following MacNeil Bikes Ad. I've also had the pleasure of shooting more of Travis for a recently completed WE THE PEOPLE video. On shelves at your local bmx shop.