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Eric Bates

@ericbatesimages

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🇺🇸/🇨🇦Montreal-Based Filmmaker & Actor
-Represented by Davinci Talent (link below)

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Shot a #selftape today, thought I’d take you along for the ride!

This is a speed run, but this is my basic process:

1. Learn the script: get the lines down, but also understand who the characters are, what’s going on, what’s at stake, any turning points. They probably sent this scene to show some sort of pivotal moment, so I try to find that.

2. Find a reader. This is usually my wife, but I’m starting to build a bank of other people I can read with when she’s not available.

3. Set up lights. My setup often looks something like this, sometimes a brighter look for commercials. I work as a videographer, so I also have lots of lights. If it was just for a self tape I would have a cheaper/ easier setup. A window, for example.

4. Style for the character- wardrobe, hair, etc.

5. Film. My wife reads for me, and she is also great for directing and helping get an honest take out of me. I swear every comedy tape I’ve done where you can hear her laughing in the background I have booked.

6. Don’t forget to Slate!

7. Pull in the takes to Davinci Resolve. Choose favorite for each scene (usually the last one), clean up sound, do color, export in whatever format they want.

8. Upload.

9. Think about what you wish you had done better haha

10. What am I missing? by @ericbatesimages

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2 months ago

Hi! I’m Eric Bates, a Montreal-based actor, circus artist and filmmaker. This page mostly shows my filmmaking and acting work, you can see more of my circus content at @cigarboxjuggler and @cirque_barcode_circus by @ericbatesimages

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5 months ago

My happy place.

100% humidity, condensation dripping off the camera, fiddling with a bunch of gear to make the shot work, then watching a couple of climbers throw down below me in intimidating (but cinematic!) conditions. Can’t wait to share the images from this day.

Thanks to @chadsilva for capturing this one. by @ericbatesimages

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2 years ago

Just wrapped up another amazing weekend filming @genuineclimbing ‘s 7th ever free climbing retreat for women affected by cancer.

This was my second time filming the retreat, along with my amazing team @rylander_west and @stef_fournier28 . All three of us have been blown away by the strength, humility, and openness of these women, and by the transformative power of Genuine to bring a spark back into their eyes.

I feel immensely grateful to the Genuine team for trusting me and my team to embed with their participants and film these intimate moments of joy, vulnerability and change.

This is the sort of project that reminds me why I love documentary-style shoots. In my opinion there’s no better way to transmit what a great group of people are doing in their corner of the world to a wider audience.

I couldn’t do it without the participants’ and Genujne’s trust and courage, this is a group of women who (and I quote participant Krissi aka @cancerstomps), “want to live the hell out of this life.”

If you don’t already follow @genuineclimbing , go check them out and send some love their way. by @ericbatesimages

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12 days ago

This weekend, we hosted our 7th Genuine Climbing retreat, and it was an absolute joy and a true honor to witness the transformation of these women.

To say our retreats are about rock climbing minimizes so much of what actually happens here. Climbing may be the vehicle, but the true impact is watching women find their voices again, reconnect with themselves and feel seen in ways cancer may have taken from them.

None of that happens by accident. We take great care in building a team that is deeply connected to our mission and understands what our participants carry with them. We’re fiercely protective of the space we create and the people we welcome into it.

This weekend, @ericbatesimages @stef_fournier28 and @rylander_west who documented our very first retreat came back to capture how far we’ve grown and the individual stories of some of our participants. But calling them a “video team” doesn’t really do it justice. They’re part of our family.

They stay with us for the entire weekend, sharing meals, stories, laughter, and all the little moments in between. Their presence helps set the tone that every woman in our space is safe, seen, and heard. Their genuine connection to our mission and to the women we serve is part of what makes this community feel so special.

They are incredibly gifted storytellers, filmmakers, and documentarians, but what makes their work so powerful is the love behind it. Their joy, care, and humanity amplify everything we are trying to create. And even after the weekend ends, they stay connected, helping us carry these stories forward and keeping Genuine Climbing close to their hearts.

Thank you for being part of our family, for believing in this mission, and for helping us tell these stories with such care.

We love you so much. by @ericbatesimages

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13 days ago

From the short film GRACE IN THE STATIC that I produced and directed featuring @jakester1105 .

No AI was used- just artists working together to blend real circus, wind and rain with lighting and VFX work from a digital artist.

For this shot we needed careful coordination between DOP @kestagney and VFX artist @jordan.lavery to ensure the lighting in the scene would match the vision of the shot.

We shot clean plates of the set, with and without wind and rain, Jacob doing the handstand in wind and rain for reference, then with no rain for the sake of VFX, then Jordan scanned the entire set with his camera to rebuild or match parts if necessary. It was a great display of skill from Jacob as well as from the whole team to create a beautiful last image in the film.

Art direction: @laurabransonstylist

Grip + electric: @surf_spot_moderne by @ericbatesimages

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19 days ago

After almost 3 years of work on Silent Waters, the time has come to edit the whole piece.

Thanks again to Christine and her family, for trusting the process, and to all the first responders who gave their time being in front of the camera! 🙏

Thanks to Eric and Victor who helped on set ! 🙏

I can’t wait to show you the whole story of this short documentary, to help make a difference for those who battle PTSD!

If you want to support the film: silentwaters.ca taken in Ontario, Canada by @ericbatesimages

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24 days ago

I have so many examples of this-

A short film I shot in a hotel room with friends led to a feature film.

A short film I made alone in my apartment led to me getting an agent and then landing a role in a TV show.

A short documentary led to recurring shoots with one of my favorite clients.

Go make the thing, put yourself out there. It’s worth it.

Stepping stones. by @ericbatesimages

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a month ago

I just got the script coverage service from @al__horner of the @scriptapart podcast- what an insightful, kind fellow. I thought I’d share one concept of his that stood out to me from our call, but there was so much good stuff- I can’t wait to dive back into the next draft and make this script undeniable. #screenwriting #writing #filmmaking by @ericbatesimages

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a month ago

Episode 1 of Season 3 of Les Armes is out! It’s been so fun to be a part of this series and to work with this amazing team, looking forward to following it this season! by @ericbatesimages

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a month ago

True story.

Producing has taught me more about being a good freelancer than performing ever did- you get to feel what it’s like to be on the other side of the table and have to judge people based only on what they send you. It’s wild.

I got to see good and bad example of emails, headshots and more. And many great submissions that weren’t a good fit for reasons outside of the actors’ control. It taught me to put my best foot forward when cold outreaching, and to not take it too hard if someone else got the job.

What do you do to stand out? by @ericbatesimages

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a month ago

Notes/ my process: ⬇️

-Editing a self tape basically involves cutting the beginning and end of your best take. That’s it. Literally any program can do this, your phone’s photos app can do it. CapCut can do it. But I have big fingers and don’t like editing on phones, and this is my professional workflow for filmmaking so it’s what’s easiest for me!

-if I do multiple scenes I do them as separate takes, otherwise I don’t cut within a take in the edit: a whole scene plays out start to finish, I trim before it starts and as soon as it ends.

-I might do noise reduction if needed, usually only if im far from my microphone or the washer is running or something.

-I film in LOG on my FX3 which is a grayish look that maximizes my camera’s sensor but looks terrible. It is made to require color work after shooting. I use Phantom LUTs to convert the LOG footage to rec709 (normal color footage). This is one click for a self tape since it’s one shooting environment.

-There’s a free version, I’m not sure what the paid version has that the free one doesn’t… noise reduction? Magic mask? Not stuff you’ll need for a self tape.

-the app is called Davinci Resolve.

Drop any questions in the comments! by @ericbatesimages

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a month ago