Coffee Roasting in Blackball – West Coast, New Zealand

Here’s a wee vid I made about a roastery in Blackball featuring master roaster Will Cleaver.

It was a pretty spur-of-the-moment thing and on account of the burning questions you’ll no doubt have about it, I’ve created some FAQs below.

FAQ

Q: Some shots suggest you’ve gone to a bit of trouble to get B-roll etc – was this like a ‘commercial’ shoot?
A: Great question. No, we were holidaying in Blackball and I snuck out on a few mornings and evenings to shoot some local scenery in this iconic town for a bit of fun & practice. I’ve used a few of those for B-roll.

Q: So it wasn’t a commercial shoot?
A: No, in fact, I wasn’t sure if we were actually going to make a ‘video’ from the roastery footage. Again, mostly shooting for fun & practice and seeing how it turned out. Why do you keep asking that question?
A: Well, I quite like the video but I did notice some technical imperfections including the audio which is a bit subpar in places.
A: Good spotting. Yes, being on holiday etc I lacked some key bits of gear and Will wasn’t mic’d up so the audio is a bit rough. Lighting was pretty challenging also. If we were actually doing a ‘proper’ shoot, there would have been a lot more preparation gone into the whole thing, some more work in post, and some of that footage probably wouldn’t have made it into the final cut.

Q: Ah okay. Are you happy with what you’ve made though?
A: I think the natural and confident way Will explains his craft carries the whole thing along. There’s a bit of a story there and that’s always a key element. So, despite all the rough bits, I actually quite enjoy watching the video.

Q: Okay great, thanks for answering my questions. Do you think you might tidy it up a bit more and post a sort of ‘directors cut’ at some point?
A: Thanks for asking those questions. As Carl Jung used to say, ‘The ability to ask questions is the greatest resource in learning the truth.’ As for revisiting the video down the track, that might be fun. There’s always things you see that you’d like to change and improve. We’ll see if time allows. (I wouldn’t call it a ‘directors cut’ though – sounds a bit pretentious.)

Q: Got it. Oh,I almost forgot to ask, what’s Will’s coffee like?
A: Great! Check out the latest happenings on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/blackballroastery/