Duck Camp | Outdoor Good
April 4th, 2025
Concept
Inspired by Duck Camp’s “Outdoor Good” mantra, this spot aimed to show how a true hunter values the journey as much as the hunt. At the heart of our story, we wanted to completely immerse the average person into the world of duck hunting — the early wake-up, the grueling set-up, but more importantly, the camaraderie, the technical experience/gear required, and the undeniable beauty of the Texas outdoors. Given it was the final day of duck season, we wanted to pay tribute to a great season and get hunters, experienced or not, a reason to look forward to the next one.
This spot, directed by Harrison Chiu, tried to be as authentic as possible, letting the duck-hunting experience lead the creative. By capturing this group of hunters doing what they love, where they love, and with whom they love, a universal feeling we all can connect to, he felt that things would fall into place naturally. Sometimes the best moments come whenever you step out of the way.
Director of Photography Adam Eurich’s visual inspiration made for an inherently beautiful pallete to the entire spot. Lucky to have a beautiful sunrise and clear skies, Adam ran two handheld cameras on vintage, square-front Lomo anamorphic lenses. Extensive prep from our DoP and his camera team allowed us to capture plenty of great footage while keeping up with the changing sun throughout the day.
Tone & Feel
In the pre-production phase, when thinking about what was possible, the creative team including producers Addie Scott Irwin and Will Coons felt that this spot would benefit from a few key stylized shots. Those included wides and tights of our subjects heavily silhouetted from the sun, whip-pans for key transitional moments, and textural shots that allowed us to move throughout the edit as the light changed.
Outside that, we shot tons of coverage of the entire group, letting the sport inform our frame and movement. While doing so, we made sure to capture the charming moments between our group of friends, their changes in intensity, and ultimately their joy for doing what they love. As mentioned earlier, the sport and the sheer nature of it, drove the tone throughout the entire day.
Production
After a long process of location scouting, we were able to source an epic location that gave us everything we were looking for. The shoot day itself was during a historic freeze in Central Texas, with temperatures around 10 degrees around our 4 am call time. For a project that required this much out of the crew, a lot of heavy prep was required, including dressing the part for both the ducks and the knee-deep water. With live guns on-set, animals around and above us, and freezing temperatures, we were presented with all sorts of limitations that don’t often exist on a “regular” shoot, but our crew never wavered.
Post-Production
Editor Will Coons brought his very best to this edit. By implementing his own style and taste, Will created a real rhythm within the piece, and his creativity provided many solutions throughout the process. We especially like his use of seamless transitions, textural elements, and the gravity he brought to key moments in the spot. Will has become a trusted editor for our team, and we are excited about our future collaborations.
Arthur Garibay did the color work for this piece. After initially going for a more vibrant look, Arthur and Harrison decided to scale things back a bit and try for an elevated, natural look. Combined that with a grainy finish aiming to bring a sense of ruggedness to the piece, we are so happy with the final result and can’t thank Arthur enough.
Joseph Kennemer led our sound design for this piece. Joseph elevated the piece in all the right ways, fully immersing the viewer in the experience and world of our story. We are grateful to Joseph for what he brought to the spot, and we can’t wait to work with him again soon.
It was a joy to work with Duck Camp in filming this spot, and the Salado Team extends its gratitude to everyone involved for braving the elements to create such an immersive and motivating spot.
For more information on the shoot or general inquiries, please get in touch with addiescott@saladopictures.com
- The Salado Team