samuel aaron bennett: director / composer / dp / editor

Roles: Director • Co-Director of Photography • Editor • Music Composer • Colorist

Helpouts connects people who need help with people who can give help in real time, over live video. Maybe you want to pick up a new skill, like playing the guitar. Maybe you want to take on a project, like building a new deck. Or maybe you need a little advice on what to wear to that big job interview. With Helpouts, you can connect with someone who has the know-how to lend a hand, across a number of topics. Find out more at helpouts.google.com.

This was my first time working with Google, and it was an awesome experience. I was fortunate to be able to write the music as well. All in all, it's a great project to be a part of, and I can't wait to see the future of this platform.

Roles: Co-Director, Director of Photography, Editor, Colorist

This is a PSA for the Northshore Animal Leage America. The Mutt-i-grees® Curriculum is an innovative PreK-Grade 12 program that builds on children’s affinity for animals and highlights the unique characteristics and desirability of Mutt-i-grees®, or shelter pets. The Curriculum teaches social and emotional skills and is unique in its bridging of humane education and the emerging field of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL).

It was a pleasure working alongside friend and talented actor, Renée Felice Smith, with two of the most unpredictable and challenging subjects, Dogs and Children. But, I must say, it went smoother than expected. Everyone had great patience and work ethic, and the results are the best we could have hoped for! So far, this spot has aired on national television to over 45 million viewers.

Roles: Director, Director of Photography, Editor, Colorist

This is a Day-In-The-Life video created for Under Armour. It follows Tommy, a basketball player who, despite never making it as an NBA star, feels his life is defined by the sport. It's a great example of perseverance, and staying true to your passion, regardless of fame and fortune.

The video was shot in Los Angeles, over a day, and ultimately produced in order to inspire the UA brand with real-life athletes.

Roles: Writer, Director, Director of Photography, Editor, Music Composer, Colorist

Duet is a charming little messaging app that brings the romance back to one-on-one communication and helps you remember to "Do things with people you love."

With about a month of brainstorming ideas, I drew out the storyboards for what would be the video for Duet. It was shot in 14 locations, with 27 actors.  As for music, I decided to write a small piano piece to accompany the mood, then arranged around it with banjo, percussion, trombone, and a rhodes piano.

This was a great project to start off with at Crush + Lovely, and it was especially enjoyable to explore different ways to achieve the more challenging shots, including using a skateboard as a dolly for any scenes with motion.

Roles: Writer, Director, Director of Photography, Editor, Colorist, Gaffer

Baked by Melissa asked me to create a short video showing off the new augmented-reality feature of their iPad app. It's called 'Magic Cam'. The video is shot in First Person Perspective. I lit it in a way that created a small space of focus, so the edges trail off into darkness, but the colors are welcoming. It's short, simple and fun, and was a blast to make!

 Roles: Writer, Director, Director of Photography, Editor, Colorist

This was a big vision with a small budget. When I first heard the song "Oak", it reminded me of a music box, which is where the rotating motion came from. Everything else grew from imagination and lyrical themes from the song and album (i.e. the writer). With help from Jon Rick (These Animals Guitarist), and the rest of the band, we constructed a 20-foot wall on wheels attached to a camera platform which would rotate, to give the illusion of a moving floor. It was certainly one of the more exciting projects I've ever had a part of, not to mention the members of the band are some of the best people you're likely to meet.

Roles: Director, Director of Photography, Editor

Meet Ogel, Rocky MMA, and Make it Snappy, the three prolific maker brothers on DIY.org. They've earned dozens of Skills and made 100's of projects.

Music by Ratatat "Montanita"

Roles: Director, Director of Photography, Editor, Colorist

Facebook asked me to create a piece that explored their internship program, as well as the overall working environment at Facebook HQ. It was a wonderful experience alongside a great team. And man, what a place to be.

Roles: Director, Director of Photography, Editor, Colorist

Skillshare is a global community where you can learn real-world skills from incredible teachers. These are Teacher Stories: Testimonials from teachers about their experiences using Skillshare as a way to work professionally.  

Avi Flombaum | Chief Product Officer at DesignerPages.com

"I had this really weird epiphany where suddenly the college dropout was now a full-time teacher."

Avi teaches "Be One of the Cool Kids: An Introduction to Ruby on Rails:" http://skl.sh/qYqSwY

Roles: Director, Director of Photography, Editor, Colorist

Shot on a whim at 6:00 a.m. on Adam's (singer, guitarist) roof in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, NY. The Light is available on Swear and Shake's first full-length record, Maple Ridge. Available here:http://vibedeck.com/swearandshake/map...

Roles: Writer, Director, Director of Photography, Editor, Music Composer, Colorist

Sad Little Men is a short film I made while still in school. It was a great experience that helped prep me for future work. This is the trailer.

Roles: Writer, Director, Director of Photography, Editor, Music Composer, Colorist

Mine is an app that allows users to selectively share their online and offline purchases with their friends on the network, and those friends can then click through on the shares to learn more or to purchase the items for themselves.