Typically, Adorama is known as a trusted retailer that gives photographers and filmmakers access to the important gear they need to capture their work. This week, however, the company showed us all what it can do when the camera is put in their own hands by releasing New York Rhapsody, a short film written, directed, and edited by AdoramaTV's senior content producer Salvatore D'Alia.
The short details a day in the life of 3 different creatives, a wedding photographer, a filmmaker, and a musician, as they hustle and strive to bring their ideas to life in New York City. Set to George Gershwin's famous composition “Rhapsody in Blue”, the film dances to the rhythm of a city bursting at the seams with dreams, hard work, and creative vision.
Watch New York Rhapsody below.
D'Alia and cinematography Andrew Trost gave Adorama a behind-the-scenes look at the production of New York Rhapsody, detailing not only the physical and technological challenges of shooting in New York City but also the message they were trying to communicate to the world with this project.
"I wanted to show different phases and aspects of a life of a creator," says D'Alia. "The filmmaker is a young hustler juggling three gigs in a day (something I did multiple times at the beginning of my career), the photographer is a young mother trying to balance her love for photography with time with her daughter, and the musician is a Wall Street broker making a good living but craving for more time on stage."
Trost explains the visual approach taken by the team to ensure that each individual vignette came together to tell a unified story. "The approach to the entire piece was more important so it felt “whole” and composed. We tried our best not to default to anything too conventional with our framing. I think there are some inherent ways you can get a point or mood across, but everything comes down to finding flashes of a moment."
Credit: Cristina Santelises
New York Rhapsody has won numerous awards for its beautiful portrayal of the city and its creatives, including accolades from the Buenos Aires International Film Festival, European Cinematography Awards, Hollywood Sun Awards, Lost Angeles Cinematography Awards, Canada Shorts, and the Toronto Shorts International Film Festival.
"As New Yorkers continue to stay at home and have had to adapt to new routines, 'New York Rhapsody' is a beautiful tribute to the city that's an incubator of creativity and innovation." said Michael Amkreutz, CEO for Adorama. "This film is a love letter to our city and the creatives who are hustling, dreaming and creating every day, depicting the daily cycle of life, dreams, and their inevitable intersections."
Amkreutz continues, "Adorama is more than an equipment store, we're content creators at heart, pursuing creative projects alongside the communities we serve. Our understanding of the daily hustle of filmmakers, photographers and creatives serve as the foundation for everything Adorama does to inspire, educate and equip people around the world."
To learn more about the production of New York Rhapsody, head on over to Adorama's blog, 42 West, for D'Alia and Trost's interview.
