We set out to make Pony Excess look like nothing the viewer
had seen before - I mean we've all seen thousands and thousands
of "talking heads" interviews in our lifetime, right? To reach
that goal we utilized everything from achieving close to the shallowest
depth of field possible to using kino bulbs naked from their
casings directly in frame... but it all began (and ended, frankly)
with the EyeDirect. Everything else we did was to augment the
immediacy that the EyeDirect delivers right out of the box. Speaking
for myself and the entire Pony Excess team, we couldn't have been
happier with the results.
... the audience took notice too! I can't tell you how
often I am told of just how much a part of the story an audience
member felt as a result of the direct address achieved by the
EyeDirect.
The EyeDirect is a filmmaking marvel. I've always been
a proponent of the idea that a truly great invention or advancement
is one that has a beauty in its simplicity that is so plain to see,
and a result so extraordinary, that one can't help noting, "why
didn't I think of that?" It's not often you get the chance to
utilize such a tool in its infancy, and to do so with the EyeDirect
was an honor... and it seemed like everywhere we had people cooing
about the EyeDirect and lamenting that they hadn't thought of it
first.
The ability to just slap this puppy on and have a
one-on-one conversation with anyone, with sincere eye contact -
leveling that truth that can only come with direct eye contact -
will make anyone a better documentary filmmaker. The interviews I
shot before I began using the EyeDirect don't even compare. And with
the speed and ease of use, now the question really becomes, why
would you NOT use the EyeDirect?
Thaddeus Matula, Director,
Pony Excess is a 30
for 30 ESPN film
