LOS ANGELES – His name was Frank Dymock, and for years he sharpened ice skates out of his garage for families free of charge. Brent Foster, director and cinematographer for Foster Visuals in Wallaceburg, Ontario, grew up in the same town and thought Dymock was an amazing character. Foster planned to capture his story on video, but Dymock became ill and died in late 2014 before Foster had a chance to profile him.
Dymock’s death prompted Foster to launch “While I’m Here | The Legacy Project,” a self-funded series of profiles of unique and selfless individuals. “I started this project based on that regret and the realization that stories like Frank’s shouldn’t wait,” Foster said. “I decided to dedicate the project to Frank, and tell stories while people are still here and doing great things.”
With three profiles already shot posted to www.whileimheretheproject.com, Foster has found his subjects through “research and a bit of good luck.” His first subject, Thomas Weller – also known as “The San Diego Highwayman” for his work rescuing stranded motorists – was someone Foster met during his time as a journalist for the Los Angeles Times. He discovered another character in an amateur YouTube video, and found a third from a list of award nominees posted online.
Foster has added a nomination form to the Web site to keep the project moving forward. “We’re not interested in finding stars,” Foster explained. “We’re looking for everyday people who are doing extraordinary things.”
A high-end corporate video production house, Foster Visuals focuses on storytelling videos for companies including Nike and VISA. The company also offers aerial cinematography through its sister company, UP Aerials. Legacy Project shoots are scheduled between paid jobs, and Foster and his team spend a few days with each subject. Footage has been shot using a variety Canon, Nikon, and Sony DSLRs, but all three shoots have included at least three of the company’s five Zylight F8-100 LED Fresnels.
Foster first used the F8-100 on an outdoor location shoot last year. When he able to use a standard 14.4V camera battery to run the light, he was impressed. When the water resistant (IP54) light continued to operate in the rain, he was sold. “Just the strength of the lights and the amount of power you get with a V-mount [battery] on location was huge for me,” he said. “It really is priceless.”
The daylight balanced F8-100 quickly became Foster’s light of choice on location. He said it delivers consistent color quality, and the spot and flood controls, barn doors, and eight-inch glass lens provide excellent control. The “Flat Fresnel” collapses to four inches thick, and Foster uses Zylight’s custom travel case, so he is much more confident flying with Zylights than HMIs. “To know they’ll be fine and not take up a lot of cargo space is a real plus,” he added. “My wife has been trying to get me to sell the HMIs because we don’t touch them anymore.”
Available in tungsten or daylight, the fully dimmable F8-100 draws 90 watts, but has close to the light output of a traditional 1000-watt Fresnel. Its LED engine with quantum dot technology provides a cooler, more energy efficient light than traditional Fresnel instruments. It only The F8-100 has a high CRI (Color Rendering Index) as well as a high TLCI (Television Lighting Consistency Index) for consistent, high-quality color reproduction. The F8-100 offers full DMX operation and ZyLink wireless technology to easily link multiple Zylights for simultaneous remote control.
ABOUT ZYLIGHT LLC
Founded in 2003, Zylight LLC is the leading manufacturer of intelligent LED lighting instruments for the film and video production industry. Every model in its easy-to-use lighting system produces fully calibrated bright white light, while some also provide a spectrum of adjustable colors without gels. Full wireless control and DMX integration are included, and AC or DC power options are available. The Zylight state-of-the-art LED system is truly the most unique and flexible lighting system on the market today. With more than 50 dealers worldwide, Zylight continues to develop innovative LED lighting solutions to help make your job easier. More Than Bright–Zylight. Find out more at www.zylight.com.
