This was a spec ad I created for Cabot Creamery. After reaching out to them, they kindly sent me a box of cheesy goodies to work with. As a longtime fan of Cabot — especially their sharp cheddar — it felt like a natural fit. In fact, I named my production company Sharp Cheddar Films as a nod to both my love of (Cabot) sharp cheddar and my passion for filmmaking.
The creative goal was to blend a classic, elegant black-and-white aesthetic with a bold, retro color film look. I wanted the camera movement to feel smooth and cinematic, so nearly every shot was done using a motorized slider or Dana Dolly, with a few gimbal and tripod shots mixed in. On set, I monitored everything using a black-and-white LUT from Adobe Premiere’s FilmConvert plugin to maintain tonal consistency.
For lighting, we primarily used bounce techniques. Our main source was an Aputure 600x bounced into a 4x4 bead board, occasionally softened further with a 4x4 quarter grid to create a book light. We also used an Aputure 1200D with a Fresnel attachment to light backgrounds and add separation.
The spot was filmed over two days at Lumiere Studios in Burlington, Vermont.
Produced by: Sharp Cheddar Films
Directed by: Michael Fisher & Ashton Harrewyn
Director of Photography: Ashton Harrewyn
Gaffer: Michael Fisher
Editor: Ashton Harrewyn
Color: Ashton Harrewyn
Staring: Morgan Bouloy