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JCP Travel Map

Explore the work of Jonathan Chapman through featured locations.

UCare

UCare, like all healthcare insurance providers nationwide has been gearing up to embrace the changing healthcare laws.  Initio brought us on for a two-day production, capturing a series of lifestyle visuals for UCare's new enrollment program titled "UCare Choices."  Produced just outside the Minneapolis metro area we were presented with four individual concepts to shoot.  Like most of our projects these ideas are loosely scripted, allowing us freedom to work spontaneously and to capture moments that naturally unfold once our talent is interacting amid the location or scene.  Shown are some favorite selects as well as several final images that are currently featured on billboards, buses, online, as well as in print-ads.  In addition to stills, motion clips were captured throughout each of our four scenarios.  The :30 edit shown was produced by JCP to provide the creative team a sampling of the varied motion elements we came away with.  It's exciting to see many of these shots running on T.V. as part of the broadcast arm of this campaign.

A shout out to the creatives at Initio and UCare who were exceptional to collaborate with in addition to our producer Matthew Slimmer and the regulars of our production team.  The fact that our shoot ended with the crew taking turns cruising the lake on our client's jet-ski wasn't a bad way to say thanks and call it a wrap.   Work hard and play hard, especially mid-summer when production takes you to a cabin on a lake with good friends and great clients in tow.

Memory

MEMORY is the latest short from JCP; a story that explores the relationship between a young couple amid the natural environs of Los Angeles' Runyon Canyon. The location was chosen for the varied terrain and unique proximity within the city. An early rise with crew and talent in tow, the project was very loosely scripted. Direction was subtle and while we had tech-scouted the afternoon and evening prior, much of what we thought might unfold, vastly changed once we were on location with the subjects interacting and the camera rolling. 

Edited by Nathaniel Schmidt, the visuals are presented as a non-linear narrative leaving room for interpretation by the viewer. Schmidt states “The goal was to evoke pure natural emotion without a script. Creating a subtle story gives the viewer an interpretational meaning to take away. We aren't telling the viewer what to feel and think, rather giving them the ability to make a human connection. Some will love it and some won't care for it. That's the beauty of the creative process.”

We are always working to evolve and refine our storytelling skills. Conceptual projects such as MEMORY both fuels and inspires myself and the crew, which we rely on for day-to-day commercial production. From the early studio discussions, to location, to working in the edit suite, something new always comes about while retaining a common thread to our process and visuals.

Produced and Directed by Jonathan Chapman
Production / location / talent coordination - John Fontana
Edit - Nathaniel Schmidt
Director of Photography - Jonathan Chapman
A/C - Patrick Meehan / Nathaniel Schmidt 
Gaffer - Tim Olsen
Digital Tech - Peter Hunner
Talent - Tearra Rosario / Shawn Maguire
Location - Runyon Canyon, Los Angeles Ca.
Color Grading - Jonathan Chapman 
Music - "24fps" - The-Candlepark-Stars

This blog post was drafted at 35k feet careening West over the Atlantic Ocean. On board, myself, John Fontana, and Eric Schleicher, all feeling a bit ragged and weary from another round of shooting for McDonald's. This particular voyage took us to Germany, Spain, and England where in addition to shooting at some of Europe and the UK's newest McDonald's restaurants, allowed time to appreciate the finer elements of travel abroad. Oktoberfest in Munich, paella in Spain, and cask drawn ales from various cities in the UK are a few highlights. It's personal projects such as MEMORY that pave the way to clients and projects of this nature. It's a constant hustle, but a rewarding one that broadens our scope and keeps us doing what we do.