Late last year, the GoPro media team issued a department-wide, 24-hour challenge: use one HERO4 camera to create something we have never seen before. Dubbed the GPOP (GoPro Original Productions) Challenge, team members had only a few restrictions: no specialty mounts (except DIY inventions), no more than one camera, and only one day to shoot.
The stunning videos produced are a reminder that simple things can be powerful beyond expectation, and that every moment can be transformed into a story worth telling.
This week GoPro is honoring three of the best videos to come out of the GPOP Challenge. We spoke with each of the producers to get the full story behind the inspiration and execution.
Skate production artist Tyler Johnson has some serious GoPro history. Nearly 4 years ago, at just 17 years old, he was offered a job after GoPro creative director Brad Schmidt tripped over his DSLR tripod at a Colorado carnival. Schmidt asked to take a look at what Johnson was shooting (killer night lapse, FYI) and offered him a position at GoPro on the spot. Johnson is also the editor behind GoPro’s most popular video ever – Fireman Saves Kitten - which has more than 26 million views.
The GPOP assignment didn’t come quite as easily, however. Johnson wrestled with a few ideas but none of them were “the one.” He knew he wanted something simple that everyone could relate to – something that would spark an emotional reaction like that to the "Fireman Saves Kitten" video. Genius struck in the moment Johnson recognized that GoPro had not done a family oriented video that focused on older generations, and the idea for "Grandma Flies a Drone" was born.
For the shoot, Johnson worked with his roommate’s Grandma, 91-year-old Els Van Boldrik, who lives nearby and spends her days gardening with her dog, Bill. To capture her outdoor routine, Johnson attached a spinny mount to a pair of headphones. The three-and-a-half-foot pole mount had a HERO4 camera on each end (for weight distribution) and spun 360 degrees to capture Van Boldrick’s activities and the yard’s landscaping. Johnson ended up loaning Grandma a beanie to wear during the shoot to help keep the bulky headphones and pole mount in place!
Johnson hopes that his video strikes a chord with viewers and encourages them to reach out and connect with their loved ones. “I’d love to see more GoPro users include their families in their everyday documenting and capture more stories across generations.”
- https://gopro.com/news/the-gpop-challenge-1-camera-1-day
