The AO Blog
It’s Science, Dude
This is the story of three people, all amazing athletes with big dreams, who came together to create scientifically-backed, healthy, delicious "real food bars" for the snacker and the athlete. Together, Jesse, Lauren, and Steph created Picky Bars. Their mission statement is not to eat extremely healthy, filling foods every day, but to live life to fullest, and to give your body the clean nutrients it needs to live that life. We loved creating this video for Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Oregon about Picky Bars, not only because it is a direct result of Jesse obtaining his MBA at the Lundquist Center, but …
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Connecting with Local Public Artist
Earlier this week, the AO Team met up with local public artist and Lane Community College professor, Lee Imonen. In October of 2014, his 2005 War Veteran piece was put on display at the LCC campus and caught our attention. In talking with Lee, he explained that the piece represents the experiences of returning Iraq War Veterans and the limited services that are provided to them upon their return home after active duty. As seen in the photos below, the metal human body mold creates flawless cement figures that represent all people going into war. Many of these people return as a crumbling, …
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InFocus 2015
InFocus is a conference for filmmakers by filmmakers. InFocus has yearly conferences bringing studios and filmmakers from around the world together to learn and share with one another. This event is for the filmmaker who cares more about authenticity, investing in others and doing kick ass work, rather than looking cool in front of their peers. The AO Team was first invited to New Orleans, Louisiana in 2014 to present on the subject of Freestyle Cinema. We shared our knowledge and our internal systems of capturing and creating cinematic films in documentary-type environments. In 2015 we were excited to return and travel to …
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Oregon Loves This Game
This was a personal project filmed by Ryan Rossman and Ryan Welch using the RED Epic Dragon with the Canon CN-E 35mm and CN-E 30-105mm lenses. It is meant to highlight how so many kids grow up being Oregon Duck fans, attending exciting games at Autzen Stadium, rain or shine, and watching their beloved Ducks play on TV. This video captures the essence of what it is like for kids to look up to these Oregon Duck football players, and to pretend that they are on the same grand stage that is Autzen Stadium. We hope you enjoy this video just as …
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The Warrior’s Bridge
In early October, we traveled across the country to North Carolina to meet with the passionate and motivating duo, Scot Spooner and Amy Tucci Jones. When we heard about their foundation, The Warrior's Bridge, we knew we wanted to get involved. The Warrior's Bridge website is finally up and running, and we made a video to introduce the world to this incredible organization. We hope to inspire others to support this cause.
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“I can do anything I want to do”
Those with special needs can be themselves and go on adventures with this amazing foundation. Trips Inc. provides all-inclusive, organized, chaperoned trips for people with special needs. Their trips range from experiencing the wonders of Disneyland, to venturing into the great outdoors. Their ultimate goal is to make the travelers feel independent and to have experiences like anyone else. It was a joy and a privilege to be able to travel with the group, and to see how Trips Inc. is touching these people's lives. We made a video for Trips Inc. that really shows what their company is all about, and …
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Law and Military Art
Tattoos can be one of the most meaningful forms of art. Many law and military personnel, as well as veterans, go to Scottsdale Tattoo to remind themselves of the meaningful lives they live, and to honor those they've lost in the line of duty. "It's there with them for life. People obviously are interested in tattoos and they ask about it. And it gives them a reason to bring up that person's name and tell them the story of what happened, and what that person meant to them," one of the parlor's owner says. It was impactful to see the tattoos that law and …
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Ben Lunak
Relationships are a huge part of what we do at AO Films. We love telling meaningful stories and the bonus is the relationships we get to build along the way. We were reminded of the importance of these connections this week while filming in Arizona. Nine months ago, while in Arizona filming for a Life of Duty documentary, we met a young veteran named Ben Lunak. He came to dinner with one of the principals of our story and we were amazed at what he told us. He is a Marine, and lost his leg in Iraq in 2005 when an …
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Spokane SWAT Sizzle
The only sounds we could hear were boots on the ground, the crackle of radio, fire power, and yelling. We received the opportunity to film the Spokane, Washington SWAT team's training session last May. We got quality B-roll of the team in action, so we thew together this sizzle reel. It was surreal to be in the middle of a training session, because it felt so realistic. It put us out in the field. We put together this sizzle reel to showcase the life of these brave men and women, and to give the everyday civilian a taste of what it is like …
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