scottaudette.com

State of Florida Vs George Zimmerman: Day One of Jury Selection

Scott — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 18:24:52 +0000

2012 Tampa Bay Storm Arena Football TV commercial

Scott — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:14:22 +0000

Client: Tampa Bay Storm
Agency: FKQ
Producer: Kevin Colber
Director: Scott Audette

Julian Newman, the 5th Grade Basketball Phenom

Scott — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:07:00 +0000

Downey Christian high school varsity basketball player eleven year old Julian Newman participates in friday evening pickup basketball games at Downey Christian School in Orlando, Florida February 22, 2013. REUTERS/Scott Audette (UNITED STATES)

This series of images is from a pretty cool package I worked on in February for REUTERS. Read more below:

(Reuters) – At 4 feet 5 inches tall, starting point guard Julian Newman stands waist high next to other players on his Florida high school basketball team. But his talent towers over the competition.

A video of Newman’s game highlights and dribbling stunts posted in December on YouTube went viral, currently logging nearly 3 million viewers.

Julian, who is only 11, leads the state of Florida in assists per game this season and ranks fifth nationally, according to Maxpreps.com, which maintains statistics on high school sports. The pint-sized prodigy easily shoots three-pointers from the longer-range NBA line and was invited to show off his skills at halftime during an Orlando Magic game.

“He was born with a God-given gift. He was born with that passion and that drive. And he stayed focused to get where he is today,” said his coach and father Jamie Newman.

While others watch in wonder, Julian remains grounded.

“It’s something I love to play and really have nothing better to do than get better at basketball,” he said on Friday when asked what basketball means to him.

Right now, at 70 pounds and wearing a size 4 shoe, Julian’s modest frame is swallowed up by the smallest available varsity basketball uniform. To keep it from falling off during play, he tightens the shoulders of the jersey with a girl’s hair tie, and rolls the waistband of his shorts.

His father said doctors think Julian will top out at about 5 feet 10 inches, which is short, but not unheard of for the professional basketball player he aspires to be.

At 5 feet 3 inches retired point guard Tyrone ‘Muggsy’ Bogues is the shortest ever player in the NBA and scored more than 6,800 points over a 14 season career that ended in 2001. Another point guard, Anthony ‘Spud’ Webb, measured only 5’7″ yet played 12 seasons in the NBA before retiring in 1998 after amassing more than 8,000 points, even winning the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 1986, despite being the shortest contestant.

Newman said Julian’s talent became apparent at age 4 when he outplayed 7-year-olds on league teams.

“He was real small. But he could still weave his way in and out and score. So we knew at that time if he keeps this up he’s going to be a terrific player, maybe the best ever,” Newman said.

Although both parents, well under 6 feet tall themselves, played high school ball and Newman has spent his career coaching high school teams, Newman said they weren’t pushy parents.

“He was the one pushing me to train him more,” Newman said. “He sleeps with the ball. He’s gone to the bathroom with the ball. Every time we go on a vacation we have to find a basketball court for him. If we go to the grocery store he’s dribbling the ball. No matter where he goes, he has his ball.”

Julian transferred from public schools, which don’t field basketball teams for the elementary grades, to Downey Christian School in Orlando this year after Newman got a job as the private school’s head varsity basketball coach.

Newman put Julian on the high school team, which ended last season with a 3-18 record, but this year stands at 20-5 with two games remaining.

Julian said his favorite player, and the one he models himself after, is 6-foot Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul.

“He’s an all around player and he can pass, shoot, dribble. He’s kind of like me, that’s why I like him. I try to do the moves he does and play like him,” Julian said.

Other than basketball, Julian said he likes reading and math at school, and hanging out with friends in his free time.

“We mostly play basketball,” Julian said.

Eleven year old Julian Newman participates in friday pickup basketball games at Downey Christina School in Orlando, Florida February 22, 2013. REUTERS/Scott Audette (UNITED STATES)

Warrior Hockey: Zdeno Chara Krown 360 Helmet

Scott — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:28:55 +0000

Client: Warrior Hockey
Producer: Kevin Colber
Director: Scott Audette

Princess For A Day with Disney On Ice

Scott — Thu, 16 May 2013 00:23:55 +0000

Disney On Ice, For A Day Foundation, and the Children’s Cancer Center welcomed five very special little girls undergoing cancer treatment for a day of pampering with manicuring, make-up and ball gowns at the Tampa Bay Times Forum today. It’s was nice to see five little girls get to be children again.

2013 World Quidditch Cup Sweeps Through Orlando

Scott — Fri, 03 May 2013 22:46:49 +0000

UCLA’s Missy Sponagle is tackled by the University of Texas’ Kody Marshall during their match at the Quidditch World Cup VI in Kissimmee, Florida

Univeristy of Texa’s Simon Arends (L) rides his broom during their match at the Quidditch World Cup VI in Kissimmee, Florida

UCLA’s Brandon Scapa (R) reacts to play alongside teammate Zach Luce during their match at the Quidditch World Cup VI in Kissimmee, Florida

Bowling Green State University’s Sam Roitblat leaps into the air after advancing to the semi-finals during their match at the Quidditch World Cup VI in Kissimmee, Florida

A member of the Loyola University quidditch team scores on UCLA’s Tiffany Chow during their match at the Quidditch World Cup VI in Kissimmee, Florida 05

Univerrsity Of Texas’s Austine Monroe is stopped by the UCLA’s Zach Luce and Missy Sponagle from scoring during their match at the Quidditch World Cup VI in Kissimmee, Florida

University of Texas’ Sarah Holub (L) and Koday Marshall embrace after winning the Quidditch World Cup VI in Kissimmee, Florida

A snitch holds on to his tail after losing it during at match at the Quidditch World Cup VI in Kissimmee, Florida

Taylor Swift at the Tampa Bay Times Forum

Scott — Fri, 03 May 2013 22:28:03 +0000

BTS Tampa Bay Storm Video Open: We Make It Rain

Scott — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 23:41:23 +0000

From the illustrious words of Fat Joe, “Better grab an umbrella, I make it rain, I make it rain.”

4West 4East for the Tampa Bay Storm

And rain it did. Just a few weeks ago, with the help of a rain tower, a kick-ass crew and fellow producers Kevin Colber and Brett Nehls, we tackled a video production for the Arena Football League’s Tampa Bay Storm that just debuted tonight.

This video will be serving multiple purposes, from introducing the team on game nights to regional commercial spots.

After developing and pitching the concept in early January 2011, we jumped head first into producing this video. We were working on a pretty constrained budget for this job, but we were intent on not letting this stop us. Our concept was to show the Storm as this unstoppable force of nature and this required two things: shitloads of rain and overcrank.

Fortunately for us, Kevin recently purchased Panasonic’s hot new AF100 and this made our choice of cameras easy. The AF100 shoots 1080p 60 frames, and that’s just what the Dr. ordered. It also allowed us to use the full complement of Canon lenses I already own. We ended up primarily working with the 24-105 f4, 70-200 2.8 IS II and the 300 2.8 IS.

Our completed rig included a Zacuto baseplate with rods, Cinevate Durus follow focus with gears and the Redrock Micro microMattebox. All chosen for there proven success with us in the past.

After all the camera decisions were made, it was crew time and here’s where the really important decisions got made. First, Kevin brought in Stan Kozma to be our Lighting Director. Stan’s years of expertise made a production of this size a dream. After just one meeting with Stan, I knew we’d made the right choice. Next up was electric & key grip. Sunwolf Productions, with gaffer Greg Wolf and best boy electric Seth Floyd, was a dream team to work with. We rounded out our crew with grips Jim Warney and Barry Lopez.

Completing our team on this production was Marlene Forand. She handled all the makeup special effects on the players and oversaw the Tampa Bay Storm dancers’ look.

Because of the wet nature of this shoot, we had to build our set outside. Fortunately for us, the Tampa Bay Storm play at the St. Pete Times Forum, providing us with the ideal outdoor plaza location to shoot. So on a Monday at 4 p.m., we kicked it off by the rolling out of part of the Storm’s turf and 10 hours later we wrapped. Most of us stayed pretty dry on a cool March evening … except for the 11 Storm players and dancers who withstood being deluged with fake rain for three hours. They were a total class act, and we really couldn’t have done this without their positive attitudes.

We then placed this project in the hands of VFX/Editor Brett Nehls. Brett nailed the look we were going for perfectly.

We are extremely proud of this project. This is the first project for Kevin and I under our new flagship company, “4West 4East.” We are very excited to show you all this video.

Crew:

Director: Scott Audette
Producers: Kevin Colber, Scott Audette & Brett Nehls
Lighting Director: Stan Kozma
Editor: Brett Nehls
SFX Makeup: Marlene Forand
SFX Pyro: Bell’s Fireworks
SFX Water: Tom Pilgrim
SFX Stadium Lighting: Chuck Taylor
1st AD: Pierre DuCharme
Best Boy Electric: Seth Floyd
Key Grip: Greg Wolf
Grip: Barry Lopez
Grip: Jim Warney
Camera Operator: Kevin Colber
Still Photography: Brian Blanco & Mike Carlson
Production Assistants: Josh Boyd, Ryan Bushey, Brian Fink, Bryan Babcock, Pete Marinake.

Cast:

Newscaster: Shana Johnson
Tampa Bay Storm players as themselves
Tampa Bay Storm dancers as themselves

We want to give a special thanks to the following people:

John Franzone, Bill Wickett, Jim Robinson, Michelle Anderson, Coach Dave Ewart, Rhett Blewett, Jenna Lemons, JC Kent, Steve Butler, Kindra Ebanks, Jennifer Audette, Lori Colber, Underdog, Scott Iskowitz, Shana Johnson & the conversion crew of thew St. Pete Times Forum.

And some BTS photos from our production:

Adam Lambert and his glamorous glitter.

Scott — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 01:17:42 +0000

What do you want from me?

Musician Adam Lambert performs after the Tampa Bay Rays MLB American League baseball game in St. Petersburg, Florida September 18, 2010.

Glitter, feathers and fur. Three things that I never thought I would see in the middle of a Major League Baseball team’s outfield but American Idol’s Adam Lambert and the Tampa Bay Rays changed all that.

Just a few days ago Adam Lambert was photographed giving piggy backs rides to the paparazzi in Miami Beach. And it now seems that this unique expression of Adam’s has lead to a renewed interest in his concert tour.

The next stop for a galloping Adam Lambert was St. Petersburg, Florida with a post game concert at Tropicana Field. Most of the artists that come through for the concert series are ones whom celebrity isn’t flickering quite as brightly as in the past.

With the recent activities it only made sense for me to shoot this show. Not quite knowing what to expect and with a few pre-conceived notions I found myself quite blown away by the show. After just two songs I walked away having made some really nice photos due to Adam’s showmanship.

With that I’ve thrown a few up here for people to enjoy.

Space Shuttles, 5d Mark II’s and ipads, oh my!

Scott — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 01:35:46 +0000

The Space Shuttle Atlantis is seen on an Apple iPad while being viewed directly in the field near launch pad 39A. Photo by Scott Audette.

An Apple WiFi iPad, a Canon 5d Mark II with a WFT-4e II A, a three-year-old linksys broadband router, a first gen REV. A, a Sprint Aircard and some duct tape … watch out, Macgruber, you’ve got nothing on us. And what did all of the above give us? A camera that took wicked awesome photos on an iPad out the window of the Reuters trailer at the Kennedy Space Center and all from the comfort of the Hampton Inn in Titusville, Florida.

What’s the point? My cohorts Joe Skipper, Pierre Ducharme & Michael Berrigan and I have been running a system of cameras at the space center that allows us to get our images back quickly from cameras stationed around the launch pad. This has been fairly successful, but there is always room for improvement.

Since we first developed our system at KSC, others have joined us with their own image retrieval methods. One system in particular makes use of the Motorola Canopy with a laptop in the field being remote accessed. In all, it’s a very cool system but it has a huge power footprint. That system requires several large car batteries wired together to keep the system up for about 36 hours. And there is the laptop. It is always a possible point of failure any time you stuff a hard drive into a box out baking in the Florida sun. And then there is the cost.

Our first system was successful not just technologically buy by keeping the transmitting parts for use with TWO cameras under $600 per rig.

In 2009, Canon announced it would be refreshing its WiFi transmitter line to include “A” and also a revamped version a WFT-SERVER. Anyone who used the first version of the WFT-SERVER solution knows that it showed a lot of promise but was difficult to use. The idea behind it is when the camera and transmitter combo is in this mode you can access and control the camera via web browser anywhere in the world.

The first generation of the WFT-4E A included a more basic version of this application, but I could never get it to work on a network for several reasons. Probably the most important was that once the camera went to sleep the only way to re-establish its network connection was to physically turn the camera on and off. Clearly, this doesn’t work when you have a camera mounted in the field looking at a space shuttle moments before a launch. The other reason would be it was really difficult to get it to place nicely with most routers, making it near impossible to port forward traffic to it.

With the release of this new transmitter, that is no longer an issue. Thank you, Canon! When the camera wakes up from sleep, it will automatically reconnect to the network and allow you to access it. And it is much better now about working with a wider range of routers.

Now the fun begins. In early April, I was going to be covering the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery STS-131 with commander Alan Poindexter running the ship for REUTERS. (I had to mention Dex, as he stars in one of my earlier remote camera films.) Anywho, back on point, I had the idea of trying this new camera transmitter combo out in the field for the launch. Fortunately for me, we have ethernet cable maker extraordinaire Michael Berrigan, our Editorial Field Specialist, at each launch to help facilitate our IT needs. And the guy is a whiz.

My original plan was to try this rig on a Cradlepoint router. Unfortunately, after spending the afternoon the day before remote-camera setup with the excellent support staff at the 3gStore.com, we couldn’t get all the pieces to work.

On a fluke, Michael decided to try one of our older linksys broadband routers and, incredibly, got it working. There are a few things that have to go right for it all to work, including the router must port forward correctly AND since Sprint doesn’t have a static IP address option, you must use a dynamic dns service. I know most IT guys are probably reading this right now going, “That’s easy.” In a normal application, I would agree with you. In this, it wasn’t and required some workarounds.

Unfortunately by time this was all set up, the day was late and it was going to be impossible to put out in the field for this mission. So, we decided to make this our test and see how long batteries lasted, make sure we could hit the camera, etc.

Hello iPad. That night, as we do most nights, the wire service photographers gathered in the lobby of the Hampton Inn for some adult libations. This particular night, Stan Jirman, who works for Apple, showed up with his just-released Apple iPad. Like just released, as in 48 hours before! On a fluke, we decided to see if we could hit the camera that was pointed out the window of our trailer and voila! We could control the camera using the iPad from the hotel lobby! The best part … the camera was connected to the Internet using an aircard and because the hotel WiFi is so bad we were using a Sprint MIFI for our iPad connection. You should have seen the faces in that lobby when I told everyone what we had just done. Priceless.

Jump ahead with me to the most recent launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis in May 2010. Michael and I decided we had to get this camera combo out in the field for launch and to see again if we could control the camera remotely, like from dinner, on an iPad and of course get a launch photo out of it. We placed this camera out on Beach Road, which is just to the east of launch pad 39A, for a side angle of the shuttle.

This was our last camera of the day to set up and when we were done it was off to dinner in Titusville, some 25-plus miles away. One of our goals was to be able to control the camera at dinner via Michael’s iPad. Geeky, I know. But it’s OK to embrace your inner nerd. 3 … 2 … 1 … 1 … 1 … 1 … OK, things didn’t go quite as planned. It seems that this launch was going to be a very popular one with the masses and all the wireless carriers were experiencing some sllloooowwwwwwdowns, starting about the time we tried to access the camera. Not ones to be dissuaded, we gave it a few more minutes and then there she was in all her glory: the space shuttle Atlantis at sunset over 25 miles away. We were then able to change the ISO of the camera, shutter speed and take a photo, all on the iPad — albeit very very slowly — from dinner. We weren’t expecting this slowdown at all, as during our testing it was fairly fast, but we were still pretty stoked at how cool this was.

Next up: Would we be able to get a picture during tanking of the shuttle the next morning? At this point, I accessed the camera with with my Macbook Pro. Again, it worked as expected and we were able to grab a picture from the camera and send it to our clients worldwide.

The big test. Our normal live camera system sends photos to an ftp server at REUTERS as the files are shot. During launch, our cameras are sound-activated and because of that we have no control over the volume of images being sent on the Sprint network. Any network congestion can cause this to take as little as a few seconds a photo or could be much longer. Using this setup, our hope was to be able to go in after launch and pick just the photos we wanted directly from the camera.

The launch into the beautiful blue Florida skies went as planned and so did this test. I got back to the trailer from my shooting location about 15 minutes post launch and was able to access the camera immediately. I quickly pulled down two images from the camera, one of which you can see below, and sent them to our clients. This is the actual transmitted photo.

All in all, I was pretty happy about how it all worked out. It was amazing be able to control the camera over the iPad, no doubt. But the best part was being able to directly access the remote camera and retrieve the images post launch without having to have anything but the camera, transmitter and Internet connection in the field.

We also took a few minutes to shoot a little video documenting the event. My buddy Bob Croslin shot a video of himself doing this on his computer at home and blasted it on youtube. So, he might take a little mocking in the video….just saying. Enjoy the video. It’s spectacularly bad.