Congratulations to Andre Mckenzie--March 2020 PFRE Videographer of the Month!

Congratulations to Andre Mckenzie from Toronto, Ontario who has won the March 2020 PFRE Videographer of the Month Contest! Here is Andre's winning video. 

This is one of the more unique real estate videos I've ever seen and I'm sure it will raise plenty of questions within the community.  I should note that when Andre first submitted this video I reached out to confirm that it is, in fact, a residential property at the top of the Shangri La Hotel in Downtown Toronto. What an amazing space.

Here's what Andre had to say about the project:

Thanks Brandon, and the community. I very much appreciate the recognition!

This was a really interesting video to work on, and also a fun one! My client, West Bank, is Canada's leading luxury residential developer based out of Vancouver. West Bank approached me to create a marketing video for two of their remaining penthouse suites at one of their most recent developments called, The Residences Above The Shangri-La. Each of these penthouses were selling for approx. $10 million dollars. The suites were spectacular and located on the top floor with an amazing rooftop terrace. Each suite was two levels and masterfully designed and decorated.

The suites spoke for themselves, so I felt that opting for a simple treatment of merging the elegance of ballet and beautiful music, with these amazing residences as the backdrops. Subtle, understated sophistication.

I filmed in both suites (which had been staged and dressed for me ahead of time) showcasing different elements from each, with choreography that gently touched on and highlighted different design elements. Landscaping on the terraces had not yet been completed, so my client had arranged for artificial greenery and foliage to be installed for the shoot.

I filmed on the RED Epic-W 8K with Cooke & Angenieux glass. The shoot was approximately 36 hours from start to finish (including 12 hours overnight), and 13 crew/talent. A full storyboard was created with two preliminary site visits and test shoots. I interviewed and screened over 15 male and female talents, hired a wardrobe stylist and hair/makeup artist, lighting grips, piano player, dance choreographer, set stylist, and a gaffer and PA. Music was purchased from the website MusicBed.

For the aerial shots, I actually had to hire a helicopter for an hour and a half, as I couldn't operate a drone in the downtown core of the city.

Editing and coloring took approximately 5 days, with 2 sets of revisions.

This was the largest production video I have done. It was a huge undertaking and the entire project took approximately 2.5 months. It was a great learning experience.

Thanks again, PFRE!

PFRE Videographer of the Month Winners:

• May 2020 PFRE Videographer of the Month
• January 2020 PFRE Videographer of the Month
• November 2019 PFRE Videographer of the Month