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.

Everything you always wanted to ask about FCP X...

but were afraid to know... Apple posted a page on the most asked questions about FCP X and about what they are planning for the future. They also posted a nice overview of the 50 most important features of FCP X. How kind of them!
(by the way, the response to my post yesterday about 5 kilo's of FREE FCP TRAINING BOOKS has been overwhelming. But no one wants to be photographed?!)

This picture is not just gratuitous sex aimed at luring you to my blog. (although it helps!) This is the result of googling for pictures on 'FCP X' and using the 'Large' filter! There were more scarcely clad ladies but this one appears to be the most X in my view...)

Free! 5 kilo's of Apple Certified Training

Anyone interested in a vintage series of Apple Pro training books? Five volumes including Motion, Color Correction, Optimizing your FCP system and Advanced Editing Techniques. Hundreds of highly informative pages, each book including a DVD. New price between $400-500! I'll throw in the unforgettable Final Cut Pro 4: time-saving tips and shortcuts from the pros, just for the hell of it.
There's only one 'but': you have to collect them at my place and agree to have your picture taken for this blog! Alternatively, the whole lot will be donated to the Apple Museum of Brutalized Applications.

Beauty of Bokeh

A first experiment in defocus. Edited in... tadaa FCP X! Hard to say anything about it because I just delved in. It's a completely new and unfamiliar program... Will say more about it once I get to know the app. Definite iMovie feature: exported my timeline straight to Vimeo. But do I like that? The export editor is limited and I have no idea where the QT file is on my computer?! Or has my creation merely been absorbed by The Cloud?
But back to bokeh. It's just as hard to get a consistent bokeh as it is to get accurate focus!

Soft Summer in the City from Filmersblog on Vimeo.

7UP in the USSR

I'd like to mention a documentary series that ranks high in top documentaries of all times: the 7-up series. The idea is simple: follow a group of children from the age of 7 and revisit them every 7 years. Take children from various social backgrounds and from different parts of the country and ask them about their dreams, their fears, their passions, struggles and daily lives.
What you get is a extremely personal and confronting portrait of a people and a nation. With every 7 years added to the series, the project becomes more interesting because all the (unfulfilled) dreams and (unexpected) developments have a history we know of. Once we meet people as children, you understand and sympathize with them as grownups.

New: Camera pants

It's sunday, I have an incredible hangover, I visit my mother and she gives me these (swimming)pants. The upside is that I have a subject for my blog. The downside is that I'll look like a freak the entire summer... Love ya, mom, thanks.

I did it - FCP X is mine

I have to say, much of what is missing in FCP X, I really won't be missing. I don't work in a complex editing environment. I hardly use third party software. I am a one man band. I don't work with tape. My current FCP system is not stable. I want that lightning fast 64-bit rocket speed. I like new stuff. Lots of reasons to take the plunge. And then I read this, which tipped the scale in Apple's favor. I think Apple will deliver the goodies (for me, at least). In the meantime, this setup will work fine for me.

(One more thing: who says it's only €240? You're not going to leave out Compressor and Motion so it's actually €320. (or US $400))

Mailbox: Slik Pro 700 DX tripod

I received my Slik tripod today that I was very much looking forward to. My Manfrotto 525P kit is just too bulky and heavy when riding my bicycle around town to shoot video. (or the occasional photograph)
Besides, I already had a Fancier 717AH video head and only needed an extra pair of legs to have a second tripod for events and video registrations.
I bought this from a US eBay seller and got slapped with €30 VAT and import taxes when the courier delivered at the door. As a business, I get the VAT back (€20) and the import tax I can deduct later on but still... this was the first time in years I had to pay for importing gear. I had practically forgotten about these taxes! It's probably because it's the biggest piece of gear I have imported in years.

(e)X Final Cut Pro?

This hurts. A lot of bad stuff has been written about the new Final Cut. And rightly so. It appears Apple has said goodbye to professional video editing environments. There's just too much to neglect. No backwards compatibility with 'vintage' FCP, no multicam editing, lousy compatibility with other postproduction software, no professional external monitoring, no way to customize media organization, no capture from or to tape (aside from firewire), the list goes on.
And yet... FCP could still be for me. I am a one man band and almost exclusively deliver finished projects, quicktime files. I just signed up for an informative meeting around FCP X, to get the nitty gritty from the pro's. I am unsure whether to buy: should I go Adobe Premiere, AVID?

The world has changed. FCP is no longer the realm of video professionals. It belongs to the masses. A revolution is about to take place. What will happen to all the usergroups? Los Angeles Final Cut Pro User Group? L-AVID-UG? LA-AP-UG. Or the more generic LA-VIDEOEDIT-UG? The base of these groups may very well disintegrate. Macvideo? Will it lose its following? The Mac has lost its exclusive, cutting edge image. It aims for the Big Numbers. If financial success is a measure, then hipster Mac has become the new nerdy Microsoft...

Final Cut Pro X hands-on!

The first video's are starting to appear where people are actually using FCP X. I just watched one and I am excited and disappointed at the same time. Excited because it's new, fast and full of good stuff... and disappointed because I feel iMovie users will be faster at editing than I am with my 10 years of FCP experience...