Der Hirt

Project Overview

Der Hirt is an Austrian winery, or heurigen as it’s called locally. It’s situated in the north of Vienna, in the picturesque wine region of the 19th district. The wine you drink is grown only a stone’s throw away. It has a unique vista overlooking the vineyard and down to the river Danube.

In 2021 I initially photographed the venue when it first opened. The photos were used on their social channels and website. Later in the summer of 2023, I created a brand film (or Image Film as it’s known in German).

Planning

I produced a director’s treatment to articulate the idea I had for the film. The story of friends meeting for dinner on a sunny summer’s day. Rather than just putting a lot of visuals together to show everything, the storyline gave the video context. It helps the viewer to connect with the characters and imagine themselves there.

Shoot Day

The shoot day was at the end of August, on a 36 degree day. We were filming outside in the heat for 11 hours. It was a long, exhausting, but rewarding day.

In total, throughout the day, there were 18 people / actors, 6 staff members and 2 crew members, a production assistant and myself. I wore many hats, director, producer, cinematographer, editor. Besides the technical work and creative visuals, my top priority was ensuring everyone was comfortable (not overheating), knew what was happening and most of all were happy. As happy actors make great visuals.

The day was a great success and I feel the results speak for themselves.

Besides the main shoot day, I visited Der Hirt 4 other times. To film the jazz band and to capture B-Roll for the drone and ground in different lighting conditions. Early morning, afternoon, sunset and evening.

Post-Production

The post production process took 2 days in total. The output from this project included the main brand film, 10 short form vertical videos for social media and 60 photos again for social media.

It always takes time to find the right music. For this project, I found the perfect piece relatively quickly. I then worked with the track’s musician to layer in the saxophone audio, matching it to the video so it appears as if the Jazz musician is actually playing it.