A few cents for smooth pans

An oldie but goodie. Never seen it before. Should also great in combination with a slider so you don't get those jerky starts or stops.


Rubber Band Tip from Braxton McCarthy on Vimeo.

A documentary masterpiece

I saw the incredible documentary 'Stand van de Sterren' (Position of the Stars) the other night. It is the last part of a trilogy on three generations of Indonesians: an old woman, her middle aged son and a granddaughter. The maker, Leonard Retel Helmrich, is a completely original and tenacious filmer who has developed a unique way of operating and using a camera. His films have a 'fly on the wall' feel but now 'the fly has left the wall' and circles and flies with & around his subjects. His aim is to shoot a scene with as few interruptions as possible; as one long, smooth shot.
He does this with amazing agility and I believe he has developed special gear to fly high or low and get incredible perspective. Sometimes he approaches the face of his protagonists within inches and, amazingly, they don't even flinch an eye. It's like the filmer and his camera are not there.
Not only his style, but the content of this trilogy is baffling as well: at once extremely personal and dramatic, showing his characters vulnerable, flawed and at all times captivating and intimate against the backdrop of social turmoil and changing times, religious differences and inequality.
This is a film that every film and documentary maker should see, as an example how style and content come together to form a masterpiece.

A bag for my new tripod

fancy but heavy

 

It seems like I'm spending a few bucks more on this tripod than planned... Funny, hasn't that happened before... with other purchases?
But I have to protect my new investment. Can't go around slugging and beating it against the pavement, in and out of cars, on and off my bike without some sort of protection. So I started hunting for a tripod carrying bag and found a really nice, affordable 'Slik' bag, designed specifically for my tripod, but it seems just a bit short for the legs and leveler and head combo. Another downer is that this bag adds 3/4 kilo's to the weight I'm trying to save...
So after a little more research I think I found what I'm looking for. 20 euro's incl shipping.

slim and lightweight

Tripod on the way: Slik 700DX Pro

I went ahead and ordered this set of tripod legs. These legs combined with the Fancier 717 AH video head and Manfrotto 438 ball leveller will form my new portable tripod set, while serving double-duty as a second pair of decent legs for event registration. The set weighs around 4 kilo's, which is a whopping 3 kilo's lighter than my Manfrotto kit. With a maximum load of 6,5 kilo and rising up to 1.90 meter this tripod fulfills more than all my needs.
Strange that these Slik legs are not available in the Netherlands. I decided to order from a US eBay seller for 92 euro's all in, a very decent price for a solid yet light set of legs. Below a guy doing a review who was advised to buy this combo by a knowledgeable photographer who contributes to the B&H photo and video website. My combo beats that by a 100 bucks.

(royalty) free music

Who doesn't need it? A soundtrack for a commercial, a soundbite here, a musical interlude to spice up a clip... When I just started out in this business, I would simply pick a nice tune from my extensive music collection, add it as a soundtrack and everyone was happy... I never imagined I had to pay copyrights for these 3 minute budget productions I was making. But then a client of mine was approached by a copyright organization about the music I used for a video I produced for them.

It just happened to be that I 'composed' it myself in Garageband but it was a warning nonetheless.

Lately I've pretty much exhausted all the Garageband tunes and was looking for something else. A friend and colleague of mine pointed me to this online library where you can find a lot of great tunes, many of which you can use for commercial purposes, as long as you credit the makers. With over 90.000 tunes available -and growing- there must be something for every clip and every mood. Some of them sound more professional than others but if you take the time to explore, this is a very worthwhile place for finding royalty free music for your videos.

I need some legs

SILK PRO 700DX legs

I've got a head, so that's taken care of. I've also got a ball leveler, thanks to a good tip from Neil, a loyal reader. Now I just need a nice set of legs. After doing a lot of reading and clicking, somewhere along the line I stumbled on a set of Slik Pro 700DX legs for US $89,- That's a price I can live with, especially considering the raving reviews.
These sticks are very hard to find in Holland and if you do, they are 2 to 3 times the US price... Maybe another purchase during my trip to the States this summer..? The only doubts I have about this tripod is the weight: 2.7 kgs for the legs only. If I add that to my fluid head and ball leveller, won't it match my big Manfrotto kit in weight? There must be something lighter, I don't mind if it only carries a few kilo's. But carbon is way out of my budget... Any ideas anyone?

Sex sells

I just watched the latest episode of this informative series by Larry Jordan & Co on 'sounddesign' ie the importance of adding layers of sound to create an extra dimension -or extra dimensions- to your film. I have a great deal of respect for Larry Jordan and have learned much from his tutorials on FCP and the entire FCS over the last years. But the 2 Reel Guys don't cut it for me.
I have to start out that content-wise I have nothing but praise so that's not the issue. Larry and his partner are knowledgeable and the topics covered are relevant.
But I cannot help feeling that I'm looking at two very nerdy schoolteachers who talk too much and really like to listen to themselves. And they use too little examples to clarify their points. And when they do, it's pretty lame: a cheapish highschool theatre setting with overacted dialogue. (Or is it a joke? I couldn't tell.) Everything screams 'zap me outta here'...
Yes, watching this episode is like being in high school all over again: when can I get outta here? But just as it was in high school, sex saves the day. Larry introduces the biggest set of tits and suddenly I'm all eyes and ears! Tell me, Larry, and look me straight in the eyes, was this girl a lucky break or was this 'n old trick of the trade..?

Review: C mount 4-12mm Tamron 1.2

Here's a kid who's made a nice, thorough video review of this C mount lens on the Panasonic GH2. Also interesting information about using C mount lenses in general and surveillance lenses (such as this Tamron) in particular. Only critique I have is that there's no link to a seller of this lens! (he mentions he bought it for around 90,- but didn't say where)

Special offer: DVD Willem + book for 15,-

A few years ago I made a film, my first feature documentary, about a Dutch artist called Willem van Malsen. In Dutch the film is called: 'Willem, een duivelskunstenaar'.

The literal translation would be something like 'Willem: a devilish artist'. But the word 'duivelskunstenaar' in Dutch has several meanings: someone who is a master in his trait, a sorcerer. In relation to Willem it has even more meaning because he had a devilish/dark side to him. First off, he was funny as hell but it was it was the (d)evil in him, his substance abuse, that ultimately killed him at the age of 65.

These are the first 6 minutes of an intimate portrait of an irresistible, gregarious individual and wildly versatile talent through the eyes of some of his best friends, family members and colleagues.

This film was selected for the Nederlands Film Festival and was broadcast by the AVRO (public broadcasting) in 2008.

'Willem: een duivelskunstenaar' from Imagine Video on Vimeo.

The DVD plus a special edition sketchbook by Willem can be ordered for 15,- excl shipping for a limited time. (month of June) To order, please send an email to info@imaginevideo.nl

Biking in Belgium- no filmpost!

Just finished 120 km in the Belgian Ardennes and driving back to
Amsterdam, wasted and satisfied with my performance. Two things on my
mind: bath and beer!

great deal on a DSLR-bag

Late last year I bought a LowePro Slingshot 102AW for a decent price. I had (and still have) a LowePro backpack for DSLR and laptop and love the quality of their products. The Slingshot seemed ideal for running (biking) around with a DSLR, extra lens and tripod.
But the design never really worked for me. I used it a few times but it never became a love affair, to say the least... I want to be able to quickly have access to my camera: open a velcro flap and that's it. I wound up using an old Sony mini-camcorder bag and the LowePro disappeared in a closet. But the camcorder bag does not hold an extra lens and LCD viewfinder. So I decided to look for a new bag; a shoulderbag that can hold 2 extra lenses and a viewfinder, plus an extra compartment for cards and batteries.

Now I've always liked Crumpler bags. I like their look, the padded, waterproof nylon and thick shoulderpad. And one eBay seller had the right Crumpler bag for the right price: the Messenger Boy 8000 for 45,- incl shipping. That's less than half of what they charge in a store here in Amsterdam. UPS delivered it blazing fast; the very moment a lady stopped by to buy my LowePro Slingshot. The nice thing about the Crumpler is that it is much more versatile than the Slingshot: it holds a DSLR but also my Sony EX1-R videocamera. And take the dividers out and you have a regular messenger bag. I think I love this bag...

Dirtcheap steadycam: first impression

If you can offer a metal camera stabilizer including shipping for 50,- you deserve the label 'dirtcheap'. The Turkish company Lensse does exactly that. Today I received my 'steadycam' and I was very curious to see what I would get. Shipping: not in a box but in a bubble envelope. And inside the bubble envelope were two additional bubble envelopes: a big one holding the stabilizer and a small one holding the weights. There is a single piece of printed paper with very basic instructions how to set the unit up.
FEEL & FINISH
The stabilizer itself feels far from dirtcheap. It's a simple yet solid design with a nice, comfortable handgrip, an all-metal gimbal and nice little details like anti-slip strips where the camera sits on the stabilizer, a comfortable plastic knob professionally lined with metal threading for attaching (and removing) the weights and a black finish all over. The only part that slipped through quality control is where there is some 'play' between the plastic cap and the screw that holds the weight. But that doesn't affect functionality and is purely cosmetic.
BALANCING
I tried balancing my Canon 550D/T2i with batterygrip and Helios 58mm on it but that didn't work out. Without the batterygrip I'm sure it would have worked. Then I mounted my Panasonic GH2 with Lumix 20mm and that felt right. I was able to balance it fairly quickly.

We read the friggin' manual! (update)

A while ago I wrote about my struggles with a brand new Sennheiser wireless G3 set that would not work. Three experienced videographers and a professional sound engineer could not get a signal out of that particular set. It was a frustrating and humbling experience. My friend spent an entire evening knitpicking the manual, came to me in sheer desperation the morning he was supposed to shoot with it for the first time and finally took my G2 set because I wasn't succesfull, either.
He sent the set back to the store and received a new one a week later. He hooked the set up to his camera, turned it on and... no signal... Not again! But a second later he discovered he had hooked up the transmitter to the camera instead of the receiver... Switched them around and by god, a signal! So yes, very once in a while you have memorized the manual and things still don't work... you just happened to have that one-in-a-thousand-lemon...

new and improved!

 

I discovered a new way of viewing the blog which, for us visually oriented readers, is a lot quicker and more interesting way to browse through all the entries in the blog! In the right top corner you can actually select a few different ways of viewing the blog archive in a pictoral overview. (now I just have to find a way to permanently display my blog that way... anyone?) Did I produce all of that content..?

Shooting football

A very nice day to shoot a football tournament. No rain! Hamburgers!
Relaxed people! And even time to catch a nap in the grass. Lovely.

Mailbox: Manfrotto 438

MANFROTTO 438: BUILT TO LAST

A few days ago I wrote about my frustrations about not being able to find a practical solution for leveling a portable tripod without a bowl. I have a decent tripod head, the Fancier FT-717, but it's not a bowl head. I also have a cheap Velbon tripod I can only level by extending/retracting legs: tedious and impractical. My Manfrotto 525P kit is too heavy/big for portable use. Reader Neil McDiarmid suggested the Manfrotto 438 ball camera leveller which turns my Fancier tripod head into a bowl-type tripod head. It is certainly not cheap, but very well-built and very practical.
Aside from using it on a tripod, the 438/head combo also comes in very handy in combination with a slider like the Konova. Leveling made easy and lightweight- without a bowl!

438 and FANCIER HEAD COMBO

A new job

I started a new career as a hart surgeon! Here I am after a
succesful open heart operation.
(ok, I lied. I'm just filming surgery... 3 operations. Got up at 5.45
and won't be ready before 5 om. Then I'll be picked up for the next
job at 6pm. (my wife needs money...)

The Great Adapter Shootout

You have two C mount to Micro 4/3 adapters. One costs 17,67 euro, the other 7,50. Is the expensive model twice as good? Is is superior build quality? Better fit? Filmersblog took these babies to the limit and came with some suprising results...

First off, the adapters were weighed and measured for thickness. Next, they were scrutinized by a panel of experts consisting of my wife and I to see if different designs and metals were used and if they had any imperfections. And finally, they were mounted to a GH2 with a Pentax 6mm and Wollensak Cine-Velostigmat.

Outcome:

• Weight and thickness: no difference
• Design: no difference
• Imperfections: no difference
• Materials used: no difference
• Functionality: no difference

Et voila our shocking conclusion of the Great Adapter Shootout, Edition One. For a simple C mount to M43, the model that costs 133% more is not even a fraction better than the budget model. However there seems to be another contender who uses different materials and at a whopping 42 euro's must be in a league of his own. Will this infamous Kipon adapter finally allow me to focus on infinity using my Pentax 6mm f1.2? Follow Filmersblog and find out in our next edition of the Great Adapter Shootout!


                                                   Find the differences

THE 17,67 MODEL

THE 7,50 MODEL

A boxer who doesn't like to fight

A new trailer for a doc I've been working on for 2 years with co-director Mark Limburg, a classical from rags to riches story about a man who's taken many beatings but refuses to go down.

As a boy growing up in a small village in Nigeria, Innocent Anyanwu realized that the cycle of poverty and illiteracy had to be broken. He took the fate of his village on his shoulders and started on an a journey that forced him to overcome many challenges. Three continents later he is faced by the greatest challenge of them all: to become a world boxing champion and earn enough money to realize his dream.

Shot on two EX1's (one was upgraded to an EX1R). Now in postproduction. (looking for funding & partners)

I am Innocent - 4 minute trailer from Filmersblog on Vimeo.

Tripods: why you need 2

Well, actually, YOU don't need two. It's just that I need two. I am riding around town on my bicycle a lot lately, carrying a small (DSLR) camerabag and a tripod and it's not working out. I tried shooting with a light, plasticky Velbon tripod but you really can't shoot video with these. It's a pain trying to level without a proper bowl; extending and retracting legs. Then I took out my Manfrotto with 503 fluid head but that's too bloody heavy when you're setting up and breaking down 25 times a day...
So I have been looking into a nice, multi-purpose tripod: I want to be able to use it for my second camera when shooting events but it has to be portable as well. I want something much lighter than my Manfrotto 525P kit yet it has to go as high as 6 feet. I want a bowl in a portable package.
Well, forget it... It doesn't exist. Either you go high and heavy or short and light. And in the latter case, you can forget the bowl. I'm open to suggestions. Anyone know something close to the Best of Both Worlds?