This is something I have been thinking about for a while now. What do I want to do with Ruscher Visuals? There was a time where I wanted to take a large investment (including all of my time) and see what I could do on my own and for a while I did that. But then I started freelancing for a company called 522 Productions and things changed. I found a company in which I could not only be myself but do what I love to do. They were working projects I wanted to be a part of as well as having a team that I wanted to be on. It wasn’t long until I was brought on full time.

Before I go into more detail I want to say something to my current clients and the weddings I have this summer. I am 100% committed to what we have started. I am extremely passionate about video production and will put everything I have into those projects. All this means is that I am not taking on any new jobs other than being hired as a camera operator. My current position at 522 Productions, along with being a ‘soon to be’ husband, have not only taken up my time but given me new inspiration. It is a great thing and I couldn’t be more excited about what is to come. I will still be available for hire but only on weekends and only as a steadicam op, camera op or director of photography. I simply do not have to time to take on new editing or producing jobs. The best email to reach me is ruscher.r@gmail.com and I will continue to keep up the Vimeo page with my personal projects. I encourage you to check out what I am doing on the 522 Productions’ Blog.

I love what I have done on my own and all the things I have learned from my freelance career but, 522 has pushed me to a whole different level and I want to put everything I have (including time) into this company. At age 25, I have used every camera system possible which is something I didn’t think would be possible, especially when not in LA. I have talked to, met up with, drank with, and even had dinner with some of the most reputable people in the industry. I want to put all of this into 522. The number 1 reason is because I believe in the mission and talent of the company. The creative team is like nothing I have seen before. Everyone is rooting for each other and loves to see each person succeed. They are so talented and it is a challenge to stand out and feel valued. An amazing way to push myself to be the best I can be.

Be sure to check out 522′s Youtube Page. My Twitter will still be my own thoughts and include tons of information on gear (and the Washington Capitals) and it will be the best way to reach me (along my personal email ruscher.r@gmail.com). 522 has their own Twitter as well and you can check it out here.

At 522 we create a wide range of videos including recruiting, promotional, commercial and documentary. It is at an amazing quality and I am so proud to be on this team. Feel free to email me at rruscher@522productions.com with any questions about 522 or at ruscher.r@gmail.com for anything else.

Thank you so much for those that have helped me get to this point and supported me along the way.

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My name is Rob Ruscher, and I am obsessed with video production. Plain and simple. I am passionate, professional, and skilled. I work hard and continue to grow in this field by reading, doing, and socializing with like minded professionals.

Along with taking the occasional side project, I am the digital marketing strategist at 522 Productions. We have a lot of cool things happening on the blog so be sure to check that out. During productions, I get to fill my passion by working in the camera department as a director of photography and camera operator. To continue my growth, I have even started training the art of steadicam operating.

My knowledge of gear, camera systems, and editing continues to grow as I am able to learn from many professionals in the field. I continue to learn new and effective ways to tell the story which makes me a better shooter and a great person to have onset.

Rates
The simple fact is that every project is different. Some jobs require me to bring a ton of gear (both of my own and rented), an assistant, or just myself. The quickest and easiest way to see what I would charge for your project it to contact me. I am available for hire as director of photography, camera operator, assistant camera and a few other crew postions.

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As an individual, I offer my professional services as a Director of Photography, Camera Operator, Glidecam Operator, Assistant Camera, Editor and Colorist.

My fiancée, Jessi Adams handles all the photography and does an amazing job. I can answer basic questions through my site but I recommend contacting her directly.

As a team, I bring in professionals who specialize in the very job I need them for. If your project needs more than just a one-man-band, I will take care of getting the right people to create a professional video for you.

I also offer wedding services and you can find more on that here.

Rates
The simple fact is that every project is different. Some jobs require me to bring a ton of gear (both of my own and rented), an assistant, or just myself. The quickest and easiest way to see what I would charge for your project it to contact me.

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For the past two years I have been training with the Glidecam and recently, I have been investing my time and money to master the art of the Steadicam. The reason is to continue growing in this field and to add more value to the 522 Creative Team. Although the Glidecam is a great tool, it does not compare to a full Steadicam rig.

Here is a test I did with the Steadicam Pilot. I called up our art director Chris Jurchak and he was all about putting something cool together. There are a few handheld shots in there as well and can be pretty easily separated from the smooth steadicam shot.

A Night in Old Town – Test Footage from Rob Ruscher on Vimeo.

Please contact me if this look is something you are interested in for your next project. I will be honest in my skills and abilities to make sure I am able to produce the scenes exactly the way you want them. Stay tuned as I am working on a Steadicam reel to showcase my talents.

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SPKSMen Making of Hoodie from Rob Ruscher on Vimeo.

There is a lot of my work as a Director of Photography and Camera Operator that lives on other webpages. If there is something on my site that you don’t see, please Contact Me to see if I have an example of it elsewhere. I have also set up a Portfolio on Vimeo to see more of my work.

The Most Amazing Race 2011 60 Second Spot from Rob Ruscher on Vimeo.

Heather Byrd Promo Video from Rob Ruscher on Vimeo.

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The following is the gear I own which will serve most purposes. For those projects that require more or even something different, I have my go to rental house.

Be sure to check out my Gear Review Videos

Camera:
Canon 7D

Glass:
Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 Lens
Sigma 30mm f/1.4 Lens
Nikkor 85mm f/1.8D Lens

Light Craft Workshop Fader NDs
Bower Nikon to Canon mount

Rigs and Accessories:
Glidecam 2000HD
Marshall 5″ Monitor
Ikan DSLR Flyweight handheld rig
Custom Straight Rig with Monitor
Compact handheld rig with Z-finder
Manfrotto 503HDV tripod
Zacuto Z-Finder jr.
Dfocus Follow Focus and Dfocus Gears
Jag35 Battery for camera and monitor

Audio:
Samsung Zoom H4n
Azden SGM-1X Shotgun Mic
Sennheiser EW112-p G3 Wireless Lav
Rode Video Mic Pro

Lighting
Customized for each project

Post Production:
Custom Built PC with Adobe CS6 Master Suite
Apple MacBook Pro
Apple FCS 3

*Disclaimer: I am an official affiliate with B&H Photo Video. I only recommend products that I have used. Through the years I have always bought from B&H due to their low prices, excellent customer service, and ease of use on their site. *

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A full reference listing is available upon request.

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“In the video business it’s better to like the people you work with and Rob is that likable type of guy. I could go on and on about his attention to detail on shoots or his calm presence with clients, but Rob has a shooting style all his own and knows how to get large projects done on time and on budget. It’s always a pleasure to work with Rob!”

Chip Dizard
Producer and Teacher
http://ChipDizard.com

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“Rob Ruscher’s work is not just work to him.  It’s his passion.”

Nick Artman
Marketing
Homeland Oxygen

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“I had so much fun doing the video for the home page. Thank you to Rob Ruscher who filmed and produced it for me. He was so incredible to work with and so talented. Not to mention a lot of fun. I can not wait to work with him again in the future!!! So much fun and energy went into the video. So much of me.”

Michele Katsalas
Photographer
http://michelekats.com/

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“Rob Ruscher provided excellent videography for The Salvation Army’s 2010 Most Amazing Race in Pittsburgh. This event is new for our organization and it was really important for Rob to capture the excitement and energy of a younger, adventurous group of racers. His footage captured perspectives from a distance while showcasing our beautiful city as well as getting good close-up shots of actual race participants. The interviews of racers and our Salvation Army divisional leaders was excellent. Rob also provided great video editing following the event to ensure I was pleased with the results. And I am still smiling!”

Melissa A. Wagner
Divisional Director of Fundraising
The Salvation Army Western Pennsylvania Division
http://www.salvationarmy-wpa.org

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“Thank you Rob for all your hard work and professionalism. Mmax Productions was thrilled with your filming,editing and directing.The one thing that sticks out most about Rob is that he treats you like you are his only concern. You never feel like he is too busy or as though you are bothering him. You are a talented young man Rob. You and your crew exceeded our expectations. You are on our contact list for future filming needs!”

Gloria Alvarez-Pouleson
MMax Out Productions

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“Working with Rob was a great experience. I worked with him for a Grass Roots adventure racing event. He was very flexible and willing to do whatever it took to get the best shots. Rob is extremely passionate about his work and dedicated to producing the best final product that he possibly can for any client. Anyone looking to have video work done would be lucky to work with Rob.”

Jessi Adams
Photographer
http://jessiadams.wordpress.com/

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“Working with Rob was a delight. He was extremely accommodating to my schedule, and few in the field would stay up until midnight screen-sharing the editing process of the video to make sure everything is ready on time.

The work was extremely professional, and I appreciated him sending me everything in all the file formats I asked. I especially appreciated him going above and beyond and hosting the video on youtube for me.

The video was an introduction for a capstone engineering project, and the tired room full of scientists could not have asked for a better wakeup call than your commercial. I’ve been hounded by the engineering school’s professors for a copy of the video months after the presentation so they can display it in the Kim building (main
engineering building on UMD’s campus) after the wonderful reviews it brought amidst the presentation.

The price was extremely reasonable for the beautiful end result in my opinion, and I’ll be looking to him for future projects! Highly recommended!”

Vlad Lokshin,
UMD Engineering

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“Working with Rob Ruscher is an experience that everyone needs to take part in. If anyone at all is looking for any type of video work, Rob is the direction you want to head in. His mannerisms are nothing but professional and friendly. Rob does all types of video work, so if you are not sure Rob will do it! I only recommend Rob Ruscher for all video work.”

Andrew Morris
Photographer
http://morrisphoto.wordpress.com/

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Shane Hurlbut is one of the pioneering bloggers and information sharers. As far as professional cinematographers go, he is not only a reliable source but extremely passionate about teaching others. Just watching his work you can learn something. His blog is a site I visit daily due to the amount of quality information it contains and the detail he goes into. He is also very active on Twitter. Although I haven’t had the chance to meet him in person, I have been lucky enough to have a few conversations with him online and I am truly greatful. If you ever have the chance to go to an event where he is at, I would. Masters in Motion was a hit and everyone raved about how great of a job he did. I wasn’t able to go this year but hoping I get a chance next year.

I could go on all day about how great his blog is, but just see for yourself. He goes into amazing detail on how he lights scenes and the gear he uses and it is in a way that anyone can learn from. It is great to read a few posts and then apply it to your own project. For me, that is how the information sticks. Whether you are just starting out, or a seasoned veteran, there is something you will learn from his site. Lighting, cinematography and gear are all covered on his site which makes it even more kick ass.

As an ASC, Shane has shot some great movies. These are some of my favorites:

*Act of Valor
*Termination Salvation
*Semi Pro
*We Are Marshall
*Drumline
*The Skulls

He is currently working on the Need for Speed movie which looks amazing from the pictures he has been posting on Facebook.

I was shocked the first time he responded to a question I had on Twitter. Most times you don’t get a response from someone with so many followers. The one thing I have learned about Shane is how passionate he is about the filmmaking community. I asked him what inspires him and one of his responses was ‘young filmmakers.’ I couldn’t have thought of a better answer. He also recently helped me with my Demo Reel which was a huge help and meant a lot.

I suggest checking out his blog and you will soon see why his blog is worth reading everyday. I am hoping one day I can repay him. As I grow as a filmmaker my goal is to share my knowledge and help others in the field. Thanks again Shane and keep the information coming!

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I’ve had the opportunity to use and abuse the ikan D5w monitor and I absolutely love it. It’s well made, can use a wide range of batteries and has a ton of great features.

There’s a lot of monitors out there and it makes it hard to find the right one. You need to be sure that the monitor you purchase not only meets your needs now, but if you were to buy or even rent a different one. We all know that different projects require different cameras and there’s no point in buying a monitor for only one camera.

Features Not Included:
Although the D5w doesn’t have HDMI loop through, it does have SDI loop through. Not a deal breaker, but if you are always going from camera monitor to client monitor this is something to consider. If you own a Black Magic box, this won’t be an issue. For an additional $150 you can get a 1.4″ larger screen, and HDMI loop through. This is the D7w. Pretty good deal but I am a fan of the smaller monitors since they can be used for more compact setups.

What’s Included:
First thing I noticed was the price point. Through ikan, you can purchase this for $1199.00 Like I’ve said in my other posts, with ikan you don’t just get a product, you get a kit to go with it.
Here’s what you get:
-Monitor
-AC Adapter
-DV Battery plate of your choice
-Eyelash*
-Hot Shoe Mount

*The Eyelash is not a sunshade. It adds a little lip to keep light out of the monitor. If shooting in broad day light you will want the D5w Sunhood.

Other than an articulating arm and batteries for the plate, this gives you everything you need to get out and start shooting. Although an articulating arm isn’t needed, I highly recommend picking one up.

Waveform and False Color
I’ll start with my favorite features/options first. I am a big fan of using false color when lighting a subject, especially for interviews. But when I work on green screen, nothing compares to a waveform. Editors have preferences on where they like the green to hit and without a waveform I’d have no idea how to do this. Not only does the D5w allow you to see the waveform in full screen, but you can split the waveform, RGB parade, and vector scope along with your image into fourths. Awesome feature and the only thing better is that you can have it take up the bottom of the screen while your image takes up the rest. When setting up for green screen this is HUGE. EX3 is the camera of choice for myself and 522 Productions for green screen. I love having a personal monitor then looping SDI to the director’s monitor. No more running back and forth from the large monitor to camera to make sure the green screen is at the perfect level. Having the ability to go between these features is sure to cover all your needs when making sure you have proper exposure for any scenario.

RGB Parade and Vectorscope
Once you have proper exposure, it is time to get the correct color balance. Same as coloring in post production. There is plenty of information online on how to read vectorscopes and RGB Parades so I won’t go into much detail about that. I tested the accuracy of them by shooting various scenes and then uploading them to the computer and bringing them into both Premiere CS6 and Davinci Resolve. I was pumped (but not surprised) to see that they matched up perfectly. Learning how to use these tools makes this monitor even more powerful and a step above the rest.

Peaking:
The peaking on the d5w has a two versions. A colored peaking where you can actually change the color (I like red best) and one where the image goes black and white and the sharp images shows in the chosen color. It is great for interviews and tight shots. When you go wide, it is hard to show what is in critical focus. For those shots, I use the pixel in pixel option. Unlike other monitors, you can actually move around the screen while in it.

The Screen Itself
With a 1280×800 resolution, this screen produces clean, crisp images. I noticed the color was slightly different then what the LCD on the 7D showed and a little flatter, but when bringing in post, I didn’t see much of a difference. With any monitor you will want to play around a bit before taking it on a paid project. Knowing the ins and outs will help on set and insure you get the best possible image to your editor and colorist. I am really happy and feel this is a very reliable monitor.

Final Thoughts:
This monitor is great for a single monitor onset, personal monitor for a camera operator and even for an AC as a focus puller. The physical features make it great buy and will allow you to use on various camera platforms. The size and weight make it easy to add to a hand held rig, tripod rig and even for a Glidecam.If you have any questions on the monitor let me know and be sure to check out ikan for more on this monitor and others.

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Rob Ruscher 2013 Demo Reel from Rob Ruscher on Vimeo.

Please enjoy my Demo reel for 2013. It highlights various projects that I have shot. Feel free to contact me to view additional examples or with any questions you may have.

I am a director of photography, assistant camera, camera operator, editor and producer available for hire. Although I specialize in camera operations, I also work as a media manager and digital imaging technician.

References and resume are available upon request.

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