Zach Lower
Posts: 1,031
Followers: 33k
Zach Lower (1993-present) is a British born filmmaker, known for his captivating mobile media content. Zach got his start roughly 10 years ago on the outskirts of Brighton UK, where he grew up, making edits of his friends’ BMX tricks. This hobby turned into a career, and his learn as you go attitude turned Lower into a professional freelance videographer.
The whole process of filmmaking brings Lower a lot of joy; capturing moments is his way of appreciating them. Zach’s popularity grew through his #MyDailySnippet series on Instagram, where he posted a new video everyday for over a year.
With the completion of each new job, Zach invested in his equipment. Once he had all the gear he needed, he invested in travel, venturing to a new place every month; to stay inspired and make the kind of work that he wanted to get hired to produce. This can be linked to Daniel Palmer’s take on the experience economy. You go somewhere because there is a particular you want to take (Palmer, 2013).
What is the title of the video you have chosen to analyse?
Lower. Z, 2019, ‘Untitled’, video, via @zachlower on Instagram
How was the video authored?
The video I have chosen to analyse is an untitled Instagram video of Lower with friends on a summer evening on the Pier of the seaside town of Brighton, UK. The video includes portrait and scenery clips simultaneously.
Lower records most on his work on a DJI Ronin + Sony A&S + 702 Bright. He explains that even though the size of the 501 is perhaps better for the Ronin, ‘[he] feels so much more confident shooting with the 702 because [he] can see the image and how everything is looking’ (smallhd.com, n.d)
By reading through replied user comments on his Instagram, I have found that Lower edits his videos on Adobe Creative Cloud. This can be highlighted through the preset ‘filters’ he uses to change the colour of the clips; to give it a ‘vintage’ aesthetic. Moreover, he cuts and pastes short clips with the Video Cutting tool to create the narrative in which he desires. The video also includes still and moving shots. There also appears to be some transition shots to add a cinema style aspect. Lower also interlays backtracking into his work, by using the song ‘I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself’, by Dusty Springfield. One could argue that lower has a ‘smaller’ Instagram following of 33k followers; therefore he is more likely to have edited this video himself.
image credit: https://www.shopmoment.com/momentist/zach-lower
How was the video published?
This video was posted on Instagram respectively. Lower uses Instagram as his creative portfolio, and showcases his work in a professional setting. The video was posted on the 21st of December 2019 and currently has 7,920 views.
Travel = content, and Lower’s upload schedule is clearly dependant on where he is in the world. It appears that he uploads on average three times a week, and as his bio states: ‘I make videos, sometimes daily sometimes bi-monthly’, so it is unclear whether Lower feels pressure to remain consistent with uploads on SNS.
How was the video distributed?
Zach Lower currently has 34,900 followers on Instagram, which is a generous reach for potential business and partnership opportunities. His bio also includes his business email for further communication. His timeline and Instagram existence dates back to June 2012.
Lower’s instagram is currently set on public, which means that anyone can share, comment and engage with his work.
Lower also appears to cross-platform distribute, through a personal Facebook and Youtube account. Lower however has no personal website. Therefore it is clear that Lower uses channels such as Instagram to whole heartedly showcase his videography work.
References:
Behind the Screens, nd, ‘Zach Lower | Freelance Filmaker’, website, viewed 14th February 2020 <https://www.smallhd.com/community/portfolio/zach-lower>
Boosted, nd, ‘Meet Filmaker Zach Lower’, blog post, viewed 14 February 2020 <https://blog.boostedboards.com/meet-filmmaker-zach-lower/>
Palmer, D 2014 ‘Mobile Media Photography’, in The Routledge Companion to Mobile Media, (eds) Goggin G., Hjorth L., Routledge, New York pp. 249–55.