Outside of the box shoots

For some of the trailers we’ve made for the products at Orchestral Tools, we had a very specific concept that we thought was worth exploring for the product or sale.

For those trailers, we either shot things in our own studio to be the main course of the film or to support the footage from the recording sessions.

Here are some examples of trailers primarily shot in our very own studio.

GRIMM

For this product, the video concept was based on an artwork. 

We got flowers that would go well with the thistle and filmed them in an eerie way in order to create the vibe for the sample library. We combined that with some shots of the performers who recorded instruments for the library. It helped a lot that the hurdy-gurdy up close looks terrifying.

Konduit

With this product, the fifth installment of the FABRIK series, Cornelius (Creative lead for both library and series) aimed to encapsulate electricity.

And when it came to the trailer, we achieved this vision with a small Tesla coil.

We slapped on a macro lens on the camera and went as close as we could to fill the screen with electricity and movement. A half day in a controlled environment plus a couple of days in the edit, and out came a really cool trailer produced on a very modest budget.

Korven

For this product, the Graphic Designer at Orchestral Tools had made an incredibly strong artwork that encapsulated the vibe of the product. So when we sat down to think what the trailer could be, we already knew that the butterfly (which we baptised Miguel) would be involved.

When doing a bit of research about what the vibe could be for the trailer, I remembered the iconic intro sequence for the film “Seven”. Larissa had this idea of a typewriter being involved as well and we decided to go ahead with this pastiche / homage to one of the most horrifying intro sequences in cinema.

We got ahold of a typewriter and filmed all the elements in our studio in one afternoon. Our hand performer didn’t make a single typing mistake during the whole filming process! 

When put to the fantastic track by Friedrich Gattermann, the trailer basically cut itself.

MIDSOMMAR SALE

One of the things that makes Orchestral Tools stand out is that things always have a story. For this summer sale, we decided that the story would be “The terror of the longest day”.

“Where the sun never sets, the shadow is eternal” says the copy.

An obvious reference for the visuals was the film “Midsommar” by Ari Aster. We decided to lean into that concept and ordered some flower crowns to film up close and later burn, giving the trailer that tribal and primitive feeling.

Another example where thinking and planning something cool we could do well “at home” gives a nice handcrafted and authentic feel to a project.

Trailers primarily as an editor

For these trailers, I primarily acted as an editor; they were shot on location and my involvement started when I received the footage

Here is a selection of such projects:

Trailers I shot and edited

Whenever scheduling and budget allow, I love actually being able to go on location to film the recording sessions and instruments.

Here are some examples of trailers completed that way: