Vacation, Filmersblog style

 

A taste of paradise

Filmersblog is on holiday!  In filmers' mecca, the US of A! But as we all know, no filmer is ever truly on vacation… The framing, shooting, thinking and researching continues. I will try my best to post here as regularly as possible but hope you will forgive me if I don't make it every day due to lack of an internet connection, alcohol poisoning and/or sunstroke.
Here's a toast to all the shooters, filmers, videographers and photographers in the world! And to peace in our time.

Dust and fingerprints nearly killed me...

SONY EX1-R/AUTOCUE COMBINATION

So I had kind of a bad start yesterday: our soundguy had gallstones and there was no time to replace him. My client rented an autocue (a device that scrolls text before your eyes so you don't have to memorize text) and spent the evening before assembling it and preparing the text. Working with an autocue was new to him -and me, for that matter. We had 12.000 words of presentation to pack in a single day of shooting. And four locations in a beautifully renovated farm to do so. The talent was a Dutch speaker doing commentary in English on philosophical debate. This was no 60 second weather forecast...
I had a lot to consider: a wireless lavalier mic, a wired mic on a stand, directing, lighting and operating the camera. We were shooting with heavy sunlight pouring into dark interiors. The neighbours were screaming at their horses and riding motorcycles. The autocue broke down several times, for no apparent reason.

Zacuto EVF review

SALESPERSON DOING WHAT SHE DOES BEST

Andrew Reid from EOSHD has done a thorough review on the Zacuto EVF. I wanted to ask why he chose the Zacuto over the SmallHD DP4 (especially because he already owns the SmallHD DP6) but you have to register to be able to ask a question... I don't want to register!! Open up the response-box, Andrew! I still lean towards the SmallHD DP4 because of the bigger screensize. (And I don't own a Z-Finder...)

Where is my soundguy? Gallstones!

What are the odds that your soundguy has an attack of the gallstones the night before a very busy shoot? One in a million? Well, I won the lottery today...
Also, the autocue doesn't seem to work as should be expected and we have to go back the rental shop to pick up an extra mic and softie. That's at least an hour right off our precious shooting time...
But the show has to go on, as they say. To call it off is not an option. Wish me luck and I hope to be able to send you some 'live' photomaterial later on in the day.

The importance of furry things

yellow: the last color on earth for a softie

When I was employed by broadcasters I worked with camera crews on a regular basis. The 'softie' has always held a special place in the crew's gear-bag. The 'furry' is placed on a microphone on top of a boompole and dampens the sound of the wind.
Children and animals love the furry because it's soft and cuddly. And so does the crew. It is often referred to and has nicknames such as 'Muppet', "Moppy', 'The Hamster', 'Pussycat' and 'The Beaver'... (I didn't make that up, the crews did)

THE BIG FURRY

Now I'm mostly shooting as a one man band and I have used 'the fur' often on my camera mic when shooting outside. But only a few years ago did I learn about the softie for lavalier mics. I had always used the foam covers but noticed that they would do very little to reduce wind noise. As a result, I would avoid doing interviews outside with my lavalier mic. But then I discovered the mini-softies. They run around 25 bucks and they are worth every penny. They make the difference between poor and professional sound. (There's even one you can stick on DSLR's!) Make sure you get a good one, though. They look simple but a lot of thought has gone into the design and the materials being used. Rycote makes good softies but I'm sure there are others.

THE 5D FURRY!

I have a shoot tomorrow and much of it is outside. It is supposed to be summer but here in Amsterdam it is windy and rainy. Where would I be without my tiny windjammer? What the world needs is more soft and furry little things...

A FURRY FOR EVERY SKIN COLOR?

Overwhelming interest in lens-adapters from Middle East!

There has been an incredible surge in blog-visitors from the Middle East, practically doubling my visitor numbers! And it has been consistently growing for the last week or so. Apparently my article on lens adapters has really touched a nerve with our friends in Quatar, Palestine, Saudi-Arabia, Jemen and Iran, to name just a few...
Granted I did a pretty good job on analyzing the pros and cons of various lens-adapters on the market and I really nailed this topic from a user-perspective, but to think this subject would be my top article of all times..?! A writer can only dream of such success! I hope that my new-found guests will continue to visit my blog, even if I discuss topics other than lens-adapters.
In conclusion I would like to share with you an important lesson learned from this story: don't ever underestimate the power of a professional salesperson...

Amazing GH2 hack footage

The latest Panasonic GH2 patch seems to be able of some awe-inspiring stuff. The Vitaly team has been able to pump up the bitrate to a dazzling 50 MBP/S (factory bitrate is 17 MBP/S at highest setting!) and GOP3 ('Group Of Pictures.' To put it simply, the shorter the GOP, the better the quality (and less efficient) Is what they say...) Check out this footage, which is compressed for Vimeo and not even at 1920x1080! Original footage is said to be twice as good-a number of people compare this to RED 4K footage.
Not bad for a €800,- body... Aren't we having fun?

GH2k hack - 50mbp/s GOP 3 from BC Olejniczak on Vimeo.

Odd Sony camera repair...

THE TIEWRAP SOLUTION

Today I received my EX1-R from the Sony repair service. I had busted my camera after it dropped 5 feet from my bicycle unto the pavement. The bill was €600,- and the Sony repairman came up with this remarkable solution: three tiewraps to hold it together! Do you think I should file a complaint? Or write them a letter to tell them their service guy deserves a Nobel prize?

I'm kidding. I applied the tiewraps myself, as a temporary solution. First I unscrewed the little screws on the handle, looked if there was anything crooked inside and then gently pressed the handlebar together while tying the tiewraps. It works! The 'record' button functions again, the zoom lever recovered and dust and moisture are kept outside. Great work, if I say so myself. This solution will keep me in business until after my upcoming 2 camera-shoot this week...

In my book, the invention of tiewraps is way up there, along with the Wheel and the iPhone lens-adapter ;-)

BEFORE

AFTER

Greatest hit? My entry to the 10.000 viewer challenge!

A little over a week ago I challenged myself to make a clip that would reach 1000 viewers in a month, 10.000 in six months. I was going to be a hog for numbers. No artistic pretentions. SCORE is the motto. But discretely. No porn, no violence. So that leaves dogs: one of the top attractions on YouTube. Guaranteed to be a box-office succes.

Help me reach my goal: send this video to friends, family and acquaintances! And if you hate dogs, send it to your enemies!
Don't just sit and watch (cranck up the sound)- be part of history! (ok, that's way over the top but I really like the sound of it)


The 10.000 viewer challenge! from Filmersblog on Vimeo.

Flycam: destructive style

I thought this would never happen to me and I have been so fortunate ever since I bought my first 'pro camera', a Sony PD 150 around 10 years ago; but now my Sony EX1-R smacked into the pavement, cracking the handle and opening up the electronics inside, exposing it to dust, moisture or worse...
First damage assessment: top record button doesn't function, LCD screen is off-level, viewfinder is cracked, zoom-controller kaputt.
On the positive side: I can still shoot video. Both the other record button and zoom lever function 100%...

The camera and bag flew out of a crate on my city bike when I hit a pothole in the road and basically got crushed under its own weight. (It didn't even occur to me I was insured against damages until a passerby asked me about it... I always bought insurance against theft but it's a complete gear insurance.)

Timing is not too great: I have a 2 camera shoot coming up in a few days. Maybe this is a Higher Force telling me to start shooting professionally with my Panasonic GH2?

CRACKED HANDLE

CRACKED HANDLE, RVERSE VIEW

CRACKED VIEWFINDER

CRACKED HANDLE, OTHER SIDE

 

MY BIKE WITH CRATE

Superb, free tutorials on Color Correction in FCP X

This appears to be the week of the freebies: free editing software, free FCP X tutorials and now some really great free Color Correction lessons for FCP X. Color Correction and Color Grading, I should say.
This colorist, Denver Riddle (great name!), has produced an 11 part video tutorial to correct and alter the look of your footage. I watched two so far and his videos are clean, concise and attractive. The fact that they are short also really works for me. Tutorials longer than 7-8 minutes make me feel drowzy and want to 'escape the classroom'... Call me superficial or lazy but I can't help it... Denver Riddle's approach is perfect for people like me. Take a look and judge for yourself.


05. FCP X Color Grading Tutorial: Setting Exposure from Color Grading Central on Vimeo.

Nice Lady does Nice Job! on SmallHD DP4 review

What a relief to hear a lady do a technical review. Gadgets and electronics seem to be an exclusively male universe so hearing a nice lady from Nice Lady Productions do a review on the SmallHD DP4 monitor/electronic viewfinder is refreshing!
Obviously I wouldn't even mention it if Nice Lady was Nice but ill-informed. But that's not the case. She seems to know what she's talking about.
I've been looking at a new monitor for use with my DSLR. My Lilliput monitor is not for use out of the house,  I want to be able to judge exposure on my monitor and I want peaking. So the hunt is on for a monitor that has these features. I've zoomed in on two monitors that fit the picture: the Zacuto EVF and the SmallHD DP4. They're both quality products, from what I've seen and heard. But I really like the extra screen-inch compared to the Zacuto EVF. Ever since I'm wearing reading glasses, I can use every inch I can get...
This video makes me lean towards the SmallHD DP4. Nice Lady is very positive about this little device. (you're not affiliated to SmallHD, are you? And I know I shouldn't be asking but... I tried finding a photo of Nice Lady to see if she's Nice-looking as well... but to no avail... Can we see what Nice Lady looks like- please?)


SmallHD DP4 Monitor Review from Nice Lady Productions on Vimeo.

(who wants to) turn your iPhone into a DSLR

 If you own an iPhone 4, you can use this crazy adapter to mount your lenses and get incredible quality photo and video. At least that's the idea. This is so silly. If I am going to bring one or more lenses, I might as well bring my camera body and blow the iPhone to smithereens, quality wise.

I mean, I am a gadgetfreak, and I have a soft spot for fruitcakes, non-conformists and everyone who thinks 'out of the box'. So I like the fact that this crazy idea has materialized. But can you imagine going through the trouble of mounting the adapter, attaching the lens, bringing a tripod (to get that steady shot, especially with your nice telelens), taking the shot, breaking down your gear and uploading the photo (because that's the main advantage over a DSLR). It goes against anything that mobile photography stands for: quick, lightweight, unprententious, painless!
Not to mention the fact that you can't even answer a phonecall. I can just imagine missing out on that big assignment because that 100mm lens prevents your ear from reaching the speaker... Try explaining that to your client.

3 hours of free FCP X tutorials

If you're not charmed by the Beta edition of the free editing software Lightworks or you bought Final Cut Pro X in a whim (like me) or you just like to nose around in this new software, there is some pretty extensive training for the software that won't cost you a penny!
Izzy Video has produced a series of video tutorials that will get you familiar with the basic functions of FCP X. 26 chapters in all! The tutorials are clear and to the point and make me want to go and use the software. For $37,- you can download 2 GB of practice material so you can edit along with Izzy but you can manage fine without them. Great work, Izzy.

The free alternative to FCP? (or Premiere, Avid...)

Now that many of us are forced to learn new skills to edit video, the market is completely open again. Delve in and learn FCP X? Move to Adobe Premiere? Switch to Avid? No matter what decision, FCP users are going to have to spend some money and start from scratch. We can start all over again and there really is no compelling need to even stay with Apple hardware...
But do we really have to pull out are wallets again? Maybe not. I'm surpised I haven't heard about this before but there is some amazing open source (ie FREE!) editing software that has very professional features. It is called Lightworks and it has been used by a professional editor on the magnificent 'The King's Speech', a film that was nominated for an Oscar and Bafta award. 

It is still Beta, and you have to register before being able to download. For the moment it is Windows only but if you run bootcamp (Os X and Windows both installed on a Mac) that shouldn't be a problem. I just downloaded and when installing it one of the first options was to use the FCP keyboard layout as default. That made me feel welcome! Here's the first in a series of tutorials (by the same producer) that gives you a nice idea how the editing software looks and performs.

Try out sensors and field of view

The list of sensor sizes for DSLR's and videocamera's just keeps growing and growing and it may be hard to decide what sensor best fits your needs. Because: how do all these different sensor sizes affect the picture you're shooting? We all know that the bigger the sensor, the better in low light and the better the ability to get shallow depth of field.
But how about field of view? How much of this beautiful landscape do I get in the picture when using a camera with an APS-C sensor (Canon 550D/T2i/60D/7D) compared to a camera with a Micro 4/3 chip (Panasonic GH2) when using a 50mm lens? And at 20mm or 100mm? Well, here's the tool to find out for yourself. Choose a camera, choose a lens and see what the result is.

FCP-instructors on FCP X

I accepted an invitation from the College of Multimedia in Amsterdam to attend an informative meeting on FCP X. The College of Multimedia is a certified Apple training center, giving courses in the Final Cut Studio suite applications. (Luckily for them they also teach Adobe and Avid, among others)

The meeting took place yesterday. There were a lot of men and one woman, aged 70 plus(!). The instructor started out by saying that he did not represent Apple, he did not develop the new FCP and that we should not shoot the pianoplayer. He was like us, he assured as, and had gone through the same cycle of anger, frustration and disbelief. But then he started to take a look at FCP X and came to the conclusion that it wasn't all bad, that Apple developers had actually thought about this product! (duhh) "They just shouldn't have called it Final Cut Pro."
There was a sadness about the presentation. He was the last of the Mohicans. From a seasoned FCP trainer he has been stripped to an absolute beginner. Of course his mouth said maybe it wasn't all bad but the rest of his body and presentation spoke a different message. His colleague, who was also attending the meeting, was in a much worse state. As a teacher of DVD Studio Pro and Soundtrack Pro, the news of the applications being discontinued hit him like a hammer: "I am out of a job..." From one day to the next, his expertise was obsolete.
The unforgiveable thing was that Apple didn't even notify CMM to tell them about the new FCP X. They found out because students called them: "I have a course in FCP starting next week, will it be FCP 7 or X??" They were dumbfound. Nobody at the college had been prepared to answer that question...

The runthrough of FCP X features was informative. The group of FCP dinosaurs asked questions and most of them were answered. My last question was: "Are there any advantages to being a longtime FCP-user, when learning FCP X?" The answer, as Apple likes to call it, was 'revolutionary'.

Do try this at home!

I was talking about the 10.000 viewer challenge a few days ago and here is a video that has completely crunched these numbers. Yesterday around 4 pm I looked at this clip and there were 4500 views. As I am writing this, the counter has hit 122.500,-!
This video also completely exceeds the requirements I set for the challenge: this is lots, lots of work... I'd be curious to hear how long they prepared for this succesful run. Judging by the cheering at the end of the video, it must have screwed up quite a bit before they pulled this off.
You must be positively nuts to get this thing together. And very creative. Perseverant. Plus you need a lot of gorilla pods. We need more nutcases like this in the world! Do try this at home- and share it. (thanks, Neal, for the tip!)

Philip Bloom tests Birger mount

Looks to be a really great solution that many have been waiting for. If you own Canon (EF/EF-S) lenses you most likely cannot use them on any other camera than a Canon camera. What a shame!
But the Birger lens mount allows you to do what otherwise would be impossible: control your aperture on other camera's. Not only that, it also allows you to focus. And looking at the video, it does a great job of pulling focus.This is not a 15,- eBay adapter and don't bother looking for clones. The basic adapter starts at US $1285,- 

How come that everything that Philip Bloom produces looks nice? Even a short test in his kitchen with a nerdy electronic device is pleasant to look at. How does he do that? It's not just his knowledge or expertise, but also the very fact that he shoots these things from his kitchen, the aesthetics of the video, his good looks, pleasant voice and preoccupation with comic and action figures ;-). But enough praise for mr Bloom- take a look at this informative video.

A look at the Birger AF100 Canon Eos mount from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

8mm footage from 1940

Filming has been a family tradition. And this film shot (mostly) by my grandfather in 1940 testifies to that. Actually, this was one of the few times he was filmed himself because he rarely let others touch the camera. Below you see him sitting with his baby daughter on his lap and his son -my father- behind him.
My grandfather was know to carry his camera on every vacation and daytrip. I'm sure he drove his wife crazy, always pointing camera's at them and fiddling with equipment and gadgets. I follow in that tradition...
My grandfather died in 2001 at the age of 97. My father, who is now 76, is the little boy in the film trying to get his father's attention away from his baby sister.
The camera that shot this film is now in my possession. There is more footage that may have some historical value: my grandfather's sister died in a concentration camp and . I have been trying to get developed. But the only company that still does this -a small US shop- doesn't answer my emails. I'll bring the reel to the US this summer and see if I can get it developed there.

8mm footage from 1940 from Filmersblog on Vimeo.

The 10.000 viewer challenge

Numbers can be fascinating, but they aren't everything. Actually, they can be quite silly. The highest ratings don't necessarily represent the best quality- they usually represent average taste. It's the power of the masses. Take the News of the World: one of the best selling newspapers in England. But it's pulp (non-)fiction.

If you want to make something extraordinary, it's best not to think about money or big numbers. Many great projects would have never been made if the motive was high ratings or commercial succes. On the other hand, because something is a succes, it doesn't make it bad or tasteless. Quality and popularity can live in the same house...

Ok, so far a few thoughts on succes, numbers and quality...

I want to start an experiment: I challenge myself (and you, if you'd like to join in) to produce a video that can generate 1.000 viewers in a month, 10.000 in six months. Vimeo and YouTube views combined. I will be a total slut for numbers. The ratings are the objective- not the content. Anything goes. (except for porn and violence, that's too easy) In my case, I have limited capacity/time to produce popular video. I am nearly consumed by my work, family, documentary and blog. How can I produce something that doesn't take up heaps of time and will generate a lot of traffic? I have a few ideas. As the blogger says: I'll keep you posted!

Review: Slik Pro 700DX

I've been using my new Slik Pro tripod now for more than two weeks and I've been shooting quite a lot with this setup, having a really good time.
I wanted a new tripod because I had been bicycling around town with my 550D or GH2 using a very lightweight Velbon tripod to shoot video. But the plasticky Velbon is really a photo tripod, only good for static shots and it doesn't have a bowl head for easy leveling.
I already owned a Fancier 717AH head (also known as Weifeng) that I bought to use with my Konova slider so all I needed was a set of legs. I decided to complement the head with the Slik Pro 700DX tripod legs and added the Manfrotto 438 ball leveler because I really wanted the speed and convenience of quick leveling.
For portable use this combination has really proven itself. First of all (and maybe most importantly), it has taken away my reluctance to go out and shoot because I needed to tug around a heavy, impractical tripod.

One armed bandit

This looks to be a nice single arm DSLR support rig: all aluminum and stainless steel, modular, lightweight and at $89,- very reasonably priced! I don't see a camera plate for the quickrelease plate so I'm curious how that works... I hope they don't charge 50,- just so you can mount your camera ;-)
This system has only been on the market for a few months so I'm curious about people's experiences. It's called the MagicRig which comes pretty close to Magic Spider Rig from GiniRigs. 'Magic' seems to be the 'magic word' when picking a name for a camera accessory. How about something more original, guys?

Panasonic GH2 hacked!

It was a matter of time and the time is now: the GH2 has been hacked. Programmer Vitaliy Kiselev has just got to work on the new firmware. Obviously it's still in Beta but he has managed to get these functions -at least partly- working:

• the 30 minute clip length limit being removed (for PAL versions)

• a PAL / NTSC menu function

• new audio bitrates

• AGC selection

• 720/25p, 1080/25p, and 1080/60p (the latter two currently freeze the camera)

If you want to be a Beta tester or want to help out with the development with a donation, here is the place to do so.

Exciting times- this is going to turn a great camera into a killercam! Power to the People! (didn't I use that slogan for a post a few days ago..?)

FCP X training

Ripple Training's Steve Martin

VS

Larry Jordan's Larry Jordan Training

I'm in dire need of Final Cut X training. I've managed to edit a quick, experimental piece in the program but to say I tackled the program is a bit of an overstatement... I'm now dealing with Events instead of FCP projects, although the term 'projects' is still used but it's part of an event. In the old days you could have dozen of versions of one sequence but now you can only have one sequence within a project. Why? Also, I cannot save my projects manually because FCP does that. I don't trust that. When I try to move stuff in the timeline it keeps jumping back by itself. It must be the 'magnetic timeline'- turn it off!

Ok, I'm being silly, stubborn and stupid and trying to force FCP 7 habits into FCP X. It will never work. Face it. And you don't want to figure everything out by yourself, you're not good at that. Buy training.

Basically there are two options:  Larry Jordan's FCP X training at $99,- for 11 hours. Or Ripple Training for FCP X at $39 for 5 hours. I am tempted by the much cheaper pricetag from Ripple. Isn't 5 hours of training enough? Ken Stone gave it a good review, too. But Larry Jordan is very good with tutorials and FCP. And he has a hypnotic voice. It's 11 hours of training- you can never get enough training with a new program, right? So I'm undecided...

Focus in post!

Need glasses? Soft lens? Accidentally bumped a button on your camera? Forgot your follow focus? Or you just don't have the slightest idea what or whom to focus on in the shot? No problem! Focus in post. Science fiction? Yes! But not for long, according to the guys from Lytro, a company dedicated to the development of a new type of camera that can calculate light coming from all directions. It's like having 3D-RAW video and it will allow you to manipulate focal point and depth of field in post production.
Absolutely crazy! And wonderful! I want one but only after I see it to believe it! In my opinion the promo video is off-target (should have waited for a Lytro camera!) but here you go.

Power to the people

CineCrowd is the first Dutch crowdfunding platform and my partner and I have talked to them about our documentary 'I am Innocent'. CineCrowd saw the trailer for our film and believed that it's ashame that this project is not finished due to lack of funding. CineCrowd wants to invest its efforts and network to enable the realization of this feature documentary.
After we met with CineCrowd it was decided to start a campaign to raise funds for our film as soon as possible.

2 portable jibs on the way

I finally ordered my 4 foot jib and ordered one for loyal blog-follower Neal as well. Since I am going to the US this summer I was considering buying it there and saving extra shipping $$$. On the other hand, I know it's called a portable jib but I reckon it's not that portable that I'd want to carry it around for weeks on my roadtrip along the East Coast... So I asked about shipment to Holland. It's $53,- to ship to Europe, which is $35,- more expensive than if I would have bought it in the States. However, when I teamed up with Neal-the-loyal-reader from Holland and combined shipping we were able to cut costs by another $12,- a piece.
So our order is in and when my jib arrives next month, I'll be just around the corner (Florida) from where it's sent...

3D: a new perspective

Electronics manufacturers have been prepping us quite a while now for the new generation of electronic equipment: 3D camera’s and TV’s. For us filmmakers this has considerable consequences: how do you shoot (for) 3D? What do you need, how do you prepare? En what to consider when on the set?

But the first question should be: do I even want to shoot in 3D? Why? What is the added value of 3D?

I recently saw the animated film ‘Cloudy with a chance of meatballs’ in 3D with my kids.  At first I was somewhat amused by the flying fastfood all around us but to say I was heavily impressed…  except for some visual trickery, what did it really add to the experience? You see one flying meatball, you’ve seen ‘m all and I found myself being increasingly annoyed by this repetition.. It certainly did not compensate for the equally annoying 3D glasses you have to wear all during the show. But the glasses will soon be history, I understand, and maybe 3D is the unavoidable future, just as HD replaces standard definition.

No sleep, no shot

Yesterday I had a job shooting a timelapse of a huge party tent being set up. I had to be somewhere 130 kilometers away at 7 AM. Which meant that I had to leave the house at 5.30 AM. Not my best time of the day...
So I go to bed early and at 11.45 PM, just after I fall asleep, I am awakened by a phonecall. The tent guy calls to say things are moving faster than expected. Could I be there at 5 AM?
So suddenly I have only 3,5 hours of sleep left and that idea keeps me wide awake. The more I look at the clock, the more awake I become. This stresses me out so much that sleep is completely out of the question. At 3.15 I get up and arrive at the place at exactly 5.01 AM. And what do I see? A big white, nearly completed tent! They started at 4 but didn't bother to tell me... All I can do is set up my camera and film them raising the last post of the tent. I feel utterly useless and am cold and hungry. And just as I think it can't get any worse than this, a giant shower pours from the sky over me and my camera. I have arrived in videoproduction hell...

ALL THAT'S LEFT FOR MY TIMELAPSE

Cool DSLR app

Don't you just love this idea- and this iPhone app looks great, too.
For 8 bucks you can buy yourself the Swiss Army knife of DSLR-shooting. (although certainly not limited to DSLR's). Main features:

• Electronic Slate
• Viewfinder
• Daylight hours
• Shot log
• Depth of field calculator
• Spirit level

There's more in-depth information at the website. It's a Beta-release; on the website a few functions are mentioned that may behave 'erratically' but the developer seems to be serious about fixing these issues. It's to his credits that he mentions the shortcomings.