About Us
Sinnott Productions is a creative story-telling team. We specialize in creating concepts and developing creative projects in a variety of mediums. We are television and film producers with an eye for social media.
Sinnott Productions owns its own high-definition video equipment. We’ve invested in special low-carbon L.E.D. lighting in order to produce images that closely emulate natural light and allow actors (most of our actors are non-professional) the least intrusion as they become our characters. Vintage microphone collection and wireless lavaliere or boom mikes.
Sinnott Productions specializes in creating characters in reality or semi-reality projects.
No project is too small for our attention. Please contact us to discuss it. Initial consultations are free.
Interview With Kevin Sinnott, principal of Sinnott Productions:
JV: How did you get started in the business?
Kevin: My dad was an amateur filmmaker. He pointed to his extensive film and audio recording equipment and warned me never to touch it. It was all I needed for inspiration.
JV: There are lots of production companies. What do you do differently?
Kevin: There are lots of companies. Many are great if you have all the ideas and simply want them to execute them. We’re different in that we excel when we’re contacted when someone wants to communicated but isn’t sure what or how. The difference starts with when we come in.
JV: How has high-definition changed things?
Kevin: It is an interesting time period. First, there’s never been such a great advantage gear-wise. Video is out there and affordable that does a good enough job to effectively replace film making dramatic home DVDs. I didn’t say it is identical, but it is competitive. Second, there’s been a jump in low-resolution viewing through the internet. The Web is where much viewing is done. Like a lot of consumers I have a high definition playback rig in my home, but I end up really watching more on my laptop. It’s like eating in a formal living room versus the kitchen. I like the informality of the kitchen. When we’re really friends, we get invited to eat in the kitchen.
JV: I get the analogy but what does this mean for a client?
Kevin: It means you want to invest in both, and work with a company that understands both. We understand both. If I wanted to put it bluntly, I produce for the web with an eye on potential high def and even blu-ray distribution. I plan the meal for the kitchen and we can always move into the dining room.
JV: Why did you choose HDV as your high definition acquisition method?
Kevin: To our clients and investors, it makes little difference. To the audience it means none. Frankly, I shot with the P2 (Panasonic) format and I really liked the look. But, the work flow was terrible and kept us thinking about it instead of the art. Meanwhile, I like Sony gear. I’ve owned enough of it to grumble about minutiae, but Sony cameras always follow a mindset that allows you to create with it.
JV: Is HDV as good as P2?
Kevin: They both have problems. I wanted tape as a storage medium. It’s really more robust. We have things we shot twenty plus years ago we accessed recently and the images hold up and effectively look as good as the day we shot them. Meanwhile, HDV is compatible with Blu-Ray, which I determined early was going to be the winning home format. And, the cost of cameras is low enough that I could buy two.
JV: Why do you shoot a lot with two cameras?
Kevin: Two camera shooting is so freeing that I highly recommend it even when clients think they don’t need it. They say, “I can repeat my demo” or “I can do my performance twice and you can move the camera and intercut, can’t you.” Of course we can, but there are unnerving little things, mannerisms that will never match when piecing together two performances from a single camera shoot. Sit in an edit room for an hour and you’ll see. Two cameras offer a real luxury. Big budget feature films have gone to two cameras. Has reality TV spoiled us? I think it’s more than that. I think single camera shooting is claustrophobic. It requires extra lighting and shooting considerations, but we’re getting it down to where it’s seamless for the client. I watch Food channel stuff done with one camera and it bores me. I want to scream out for two cameras. Take a look at our American Youth clips (add link) and you’ll instantly see what I mean. The spontaneity is captured and it just looks like a real TV show. A side effect is it saved so much time in production and editing the second camera and operator cost became free.
