BTS: Faster Fat Loss Fitness Shoot
There are some people who just have the “it” factor. You know the type of people I am talking about. The person who everyone gravitates to because of their personality, positivity and outstanding energy.
THE Shay Diggs is one of those people.
He and I have collaborated quite a bit over the last year or so. Every time we get together, I always have a ton of fun with the content we produce. So when an opportunity to work with a nutrition brand based out of Canada came up, we jumped at the opportunity. The brand is Blue Star Nutraceuticals and they offer a wide assortment of workout and health supplements. The opportunity made perfect sense since Shay is a fitness guru who operates his own gym in Buford, Georgia.
We were approached to shoot a series of videos as part of Blue Star’s Faster Fat Loss program, a High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)-based program. These follow-along videos typically involve a set of exercises focused on a target area. We shot 3 of the videos in total which was no easy feat as I am sure Shay would agree. Overall it took us about six hours to produce three of these videos and some additional introductory content the company could put on to their YouTube page.
In terms of gear, I decided to shoot with two cameras on tripods (Sony A7III & Sony A7IV) with a Sigma 85mm 1.4 Art and Sony 35mm 1.4 GM lens. These two focus lengths allowed me to capture both a wide, full body shot and a secondary tight shot for cutaways. When it comes to audio, I utilized the amazing wireless DJI microphones with a lavalier receiver attached to Shay and wireless RODE microphones attached to a RODE directional mic that we hung from a ceiling panel. For the most part, this setup worked great other than one workout which we decided to re-shoot because of the microphone dislodging and us losing the audio connection.
For the introductory shots, I threw the A7IV on to a Zhiyun Weebil 2 gimbal and grabbed footage of Shay walking in to the gym. And as an added bonus, we decided it would be a great idea to put Shay to work a little bit more and shoot a quick sizzle reel for the people.
Overall, it was a great experience. This was my first time shooting a video like this and it really opened my eyes to what it takes to put out an effective, easy-to-follow workout.
