Donnybrook Production Services

I’ll have a chance this weekend to check out the latest feature film offering from a good buddy of mine, and local Philly Philmmaker, Ben Hickernell. ‘Backwards’, the rowing inspired offering which makes expert aesthetic use of Philly’s own Boathouse Row, stars James Van Der Beek and Writer/Producer Sarah Megan Thomas in the lead roles.

The film, which opened locally last weekend to moderate reviews, offers a glimpse behind the curtain at the world of Women’s Olympic Rowing, and the sweat equity endured by athletes competing for spots on the official US Rowing Team.

While the reviews may be so/so, I’m confident that the rowing scenes themselves will look great.  DP Harlan Bosmajian was our Cinematographer on the film, and was assisted by Key Grip Nic Reader, of Expressway Grip fame.  The boat rigs, which were custom built for the project, were painstakingly crafted especially for the film by Nic and his Best Boy Zac Rubino…and they allowed for some fantastic camera placement that I look forward to watching on the big screen.  And who knows, maybe the ‘Beek himself will make an audience appearance.

It’s been a fun year so far, and I’m coming off of a particularly busy stretch. I’ve just finished up a campaign for the South Carolina Ports Authority, with Director Josh Mawer, which witnessed filming stops at the Fuji, GE, & BMW plants…all of which rely on the SCPA for logistical advantage.  The project was shot over the course of several trips to the Charleston, SC area this summer, and took full advantage of some homegrown SC production crew.

The spots were lensed flawlessly by DP  Justin Berrios, and the production’s RED Epic package was rented locally through my new best friends over at Osprey HD. Lee Dashiell & Co are a great bunch, and they have a ton of quality work to their name…be sure to look them up if you’re ever in need of high end production support below the Mason-Dixon!