The following is a compilation of some video from Comicpalooza, a multi-format convention celebrating not just comics, but also sci-fi and fantasy, horror, steam punk, New Media, movies, film, electronic music and gaming of all types. I shot it with my 7D and edited it with Adobe Premiere CS5. The effects are from Magic Bullet.
Vodpod videos no longer available.
In case you’ve missed out on one of the greatest opportunities for those endeavoring to make films with the HDSLR. Did I mention this webcast that goes on for 3 days is totally FREE??? There are so many people trying to capitalize on every aspect of the HDSLR revolution which in my opinion is in conflict with the spirit of it, Vincent La Foret once again, expels the money changers from the temple and puts filmmaking back in the hands of the people. Just tune in at http://creativelive.com/live/ today and Sunday to catch the last two days of the webinar — again FOR FREE!!!
Last night I tuned in just to see what’s on, because even during the breaks they’ve left one of the cameras streaming, and they were replaying Friday’s webinar. Average number of viewers online has been averaging 2000+. Also, you can particapate with questions on twitter by typing #creativelive Again, much respect for Vincent Laforet for giving back to the film community by making his knowledge and experience available to everyone who seeks it. Just as a disclaimer, they are charging for a copy of this webinar that will be available for download next week for about $80. However, it’s clear to see that the amount of work it took to produce this, they will barely recoup there cost. Way to give back gentlemen! Here’s Saturday and Sunday’s schedule.
DAY TWO: Saturday May 1st. PART I: Introduction to Cinema Language and Concepts. 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. We’ll make sure you know what panning vs tilting is and what a locked off shot it. CU / ECU / Medium Shot / Establishing shot will become part of your vocabulary – as well as a lateral move, a push or a pull. We’ll define what a hyperfocal is to you and how to use is to tackle focusing challenges. We’ll ask the important question of: how shallow is too shallow in terms of depth of field – especially when it comes to working with actors. We’ll get into lens choice and discuss compression and distortion. PART II: Cinema lighting and camera support. 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. We will not be going into complex lighting on this one – in fact lighting is one of the areas we will be spending the least amount of time on during this workshop given the complexity of the concepts involved and time / gear constraints. We’ll discuss how to use a variety camera support tools – at various price points. Students will get hands on time with the gear and discuss HOW and WHY it is used (and to what EFFECT.) We’ll start off by looking into a wide variety of handheld rigs and tools. We’ll also look at a variety of sliders, dollies, JIB, Pan/Tilt Heads and time lapse tools. We’ll then discuss wireless focus solutions, wireless video transmitters, and video conversion solutions. We’ll be discussing gear from: Redrock Micro, Zacuto, Arri, Broncolor, GlideTrack, O’Connor, Cinevate, Kessler Cranes, MicroDolly Hollywood, and Porta Jib, Lite Panels, Black Magic, IDX, and Viewfactor amongst others. BREAK – LUNCH FROM 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. PART III: The Makeup of a Film Crew – 2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. We’ll quickly discuss the business of film and also make sure you know what a director’s responsibilities are – as well as what a 1st AC does vs a gaffer or script supervisor. We’ll also discuss what a treatment is and when film permits are needed and/or clearances. PART IV: First Shoot – 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. The students will gather to shoot their first min-documentary. They will shoot a sit down interview as well as some B-Roll and learn how to mix an interview with B-Roll footage effectively. PART V BONUS – Live Video Editing Session – 7 p.m. – 8 p.m. DAY THREE:
Sunday May 2nd PART I: NARRATIVE SHOOT – Pre Pro – 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Students will get back together and work on the pre-production of a short narrative piece that they will shoot in the next section. We’ll discuss storyboarding, managing a shot list and equipment list – and the concept of shooting a scene / piece in a non-linear manner to save time (and expense.) PART II: NARRATIVE SHOOT – 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Students will break up into various roles and shoot a short narrative piece together – utilizing the tools and techniques discussed over the prior two days. This will give us a chance to see everything come together – and also to pick up on some very common mistakes that first time filmmakers make. BREAK – Lunch 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. PART III: WORKFLOW – 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. We’ll discuss converting footage and a variety of editing tools for both Mac and PC. We’ll cover Final Cut Studio, Compressor, Adobe CS5 (we’re still working on this detail given how new the software is) , MPEG Streamclip, and Plural Eyes. We’ll also discuss backup strategies, from the Canon/Apple FCP Log and Transfer plugin, to Servers, LTO Tape and Drobo. PART IV: FINISHING 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. We’ll also get a basic introduction to editing – and bring together the pieces we shot together earlier in the day. Students will get an introduction to editing by qualified FCP and CS5 instructors (see above- we’re trying to get CS5 in…) The class will culminate with a discussion on how to grade the footage in Apple’s
Color software. And we’ll discuss how to deliver the final media to a variety of devices – from iPhones, AppleTV, streaming web movies, all the way to BluRay.
It was Labor Day in 2009 when I became aware of just how bad things have gotten in the US. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think I’ve been naïve. I’ve been a student of free speech and the political landscape of the US since high school, but Labor Day was the first time I have come into contact with a violation of my civil rights in a very real way.
Our office had a loaner 5D Mark II, and I took it for the weekend for a test drive. I’ve had a fascination with the Houston light rail since they started laying track, and shooting it with the 5D seemed like the thing to do. So my friend and I were standing on the platform when an angry homeless guy came up to us and starts harassing us for change. I look to my right, and there was a Metro Police Car. I waved at him hoping he would keep this guy moving who was now becoming belligerent. I’m usually not so nervous in these situations, however, I did have $3500.00 worth of camera strapped around my neck. The cop yelled out something: ”NO PICTURES OF THE TRAIN!”
Could he actually be serious? After several calls to the Houston Metro Police Department, I come to find he was. However, it seems there is no law on the books prohibiting photography of a train. Nevertheless, Homeland Security has endowed local police departments nationwide with violating the first amendment rights of would be train photographers by harassing them and/or detaining them.
When I hung up the phone, I knew for the first time, I wasn’t dealing with some rogue cop or an over zealous police captain, I was dealing with the New American Police State. The kind of police state they warned us about in speeches on Veteran’s Day when I was in elementary school.
It turns out, my experience isn’t unique in any fashion, except I might have gotten off easy. Last February in New York, Robert S. Taylor of Brooklyn was taking photos for fun in a subway station. Police saw him and cited him for unauthorized photography, even though the crime doesn’t actually exist. Taylor states that charge was dropped, however, they also charged him disorderly conduct. Ironically, Taylor works for MTA. He was off duty at the time. More recently, on the other side of the country in California, Andrew Cichowski was taking pictures of the Diridon train station in San José.
I was taking a picture of the barbed wire fence, I heard someone shout “TURN AROUND SLOWLY!” I said “excuse me?” confusedly, and then slowly turned around. To my surprise, two police officers were staring at me. They asked what I was “suspiciously photographing industrial stuff for…” After about 30 minutes, they realized I wasn’t some sort of strange train terrorist, but were still asking me questions. A third officer and third and fourth squad car then arrived. Eventually, they copied the entire contents of my CF card to their police laptop and two flash drives, I told them they could have a copy of the photos as long as they didn’t sell any of them. They smiled and promised not to. Aside from this being a terribly obnoxious waste of time, it was an interesting experience, and I’m now very likely on some sort of terrorist watch list for being a suspicious photographer…
Just today, someone posted the image at the top of this article which is a sign on a train in Chicago. It asks citizens to call 911 if they see any suspicious behavior, and it explicitly lists photography and video as one of those suspicious activities. So where does this leave free citizens who wish to maintain their Constitutional rights? It leaves us with the burden of asserting ourselves I’m afraid.
Sometimes, the only way to keep a right is by exercising that right. Therefore, take pictures whenever possible of everything possible, especially of trains, planes and buses. We must report any police officers, security guards or other so-called officials who attempt to infringe upon our rights to their superiors and watch dog groups such as the ACLU. Become locally active in photography groups in your area and most importantly, talk about these issues. Post your experiences online using blogs and social media
. Above all, write your mayor, congressman and senators and tell them if they are incapable of stopping these attacks on our civil rights, we will elect someone who will.
The bottom line, there is now a real threat to the rights of free citizens everywhere, and no one is going to rescue you. If you want to enjoy the freedom to use your camera when and where you want, you’re going to have to fight. It’s up to you.
Other sites to check out:
http://tinyurl.com/nopicsinca
Shopping for someone who shoots video or stills either professionally or on the side, is a daunting task. Buying camera gear for someone is a bit like shopping for a teenage girl. The type of gift is as important as the name brand. Get the wrong thing or the wrong name and you can expect an instant request for a receipt. Most gift givers concede defeat almost immediately and go for a gift card from Best Buy or Walmart.
However, if you want to do something more personal this year or impress that special someone with a gift that will say, “I care about what you do and want to support you”, then this gift guide will help you make the right choice.
Storage
No matter what they shoot, everyone needs storage, and too much is never enough. All you need to know is what kind of camera they use. This is easy to find out, because most shooters LOVE nothing more than talk about their camera. Trust me when I say you don’t have to worry about arousing suspicion as much as you do about being trapped while they go on and on for hours about why their’s is so much better than everyone else’s.
Gadgets
Bags and Case
If they complain about their current bag, you might inquire as to what they would ideally like. Key fishing questions include hard or soft case and backpack or sling. You’ll need to know what and how many things they want to fit into the bag or case. Standard brands are Kata, Pelican, Porta Brace, Petrol Tamrack and Lowepro. These range in price from $20 to several hundred depending on size and manufacturer.
Prepaid Premium Memberships
Magazine Subscriptions
Although print media isn’t as relevent as it was ten years ago, trade magazines are still a great way to stay up to date with industry. Subscriptions to ICG, American Cinematographer, POST, HD Video Pro or Digital Photo Pro, The Hollywood Reporter or The Daily Variety will all be a most welcomed gift.
iPhone Apps
Is there anything the iPhone can’t do..? If you’re not aware, there have been production applications available for the iphone for well over a year. You can find them all at itunes. Here are just some of the proffesional applications to choose from.
Training Videos
Training videos are great gifts provided you choose a subject in the person’s area of interest. Also, don’t make the mistake of buying someone a video for beginners if they are an expert and vice versa. Here are some great training DVDs. Google search the titles for information on where to buy.
Gift Certificates
If you’re still at a loss, you can get a gift card from a store that specializes in camera gear.
HD camcorders gave us the freedom to shoot without the expense of film and development cost. The drawback was the inability to achieve shallow depth of field. With a fixed lens HD camcorder, everything is in focus down to the smallest detail. In the late 90s, filmmakers using HD video, were forced to use tricks such as lighting in layers with the subject lit the brightest.
Without these creative but limited solutions, the audience can become distracted by a pretty extra in background or billboard that is part of the set. The result: your scene loses its impact due to lack of control over the image. The advent of the DOF or 35mm adapter gave us the ability to achieve a shallow depth of field giving you more artistic control of the image. For those who don’t know, the device works like a telecine using the macro focus of the camcorder to capture the image on a ground glass screen. The glass is spun using a miniature motor.
The shear weight of these devices and their components can be in excess of 20 pounds. This paved the way for an entire industry of camera support systems to redistribute the weight of the device, the lens, the follow focus and the HD monitor, which is critical to ensure clear, sharp focus.
Enter the 1080P Full Frame DSLR The Canon 5D and now the 7D have only been on the scene for a short while, and now video shooters everywhere are ditching their EX1s, HVX200s and even their XHA1s for the affordable full frame DSLR. Indeed, many fortunes have been made by those manufacturers of the 35mm adapter, but I’m afraid it’s all over now. Prices are falling, and it’s no secret why.
You can buy a Sony EX1 for $6.5k with a Letus Ultimate for $4k, totaling more than $10k without support railings, lenses or an HD monitor. Those accessories could easily jack up the price another $10k depending what you get.
However, I can buy a 5D Mark II and a good lens with an ikan monitor for under $5k. If you’re still convinced you have to have a traditional video camera with a 35mm adapter, but your on a budget, you can buy the Panasonic DVX100 for $2.7k and get a Redrock Micro M2 Encore DOP Adapter and support system for $2k bringing you in just under $5k with no lens or monitor.
On the other hand, you can go to B&H and get a 7D with a lens for under $2k. That leaves some extra cash to get the V5600 from ikan for $630, and then you’re ready to shoot for under $3k. Final Analysis The Canon 5D Mark II ushered in a new era of video production that has left Sony, Panasonic, JVC and even Canon’s Video division standing on the sidelines to make way for the multitudes who are literally grabbing them from stores before they can be shelved.
In the meantime, the DOF Adapters are not moving, and the prices are dropping. Some are 50% cheaper then they were just six months ago. How low will the prices go in the coming months? Who knows. One thing is certain; the full frame DSLR revolution has rendered the 35mm adapter irrelevant and obsolete. The question isn’t, “Will they stop manufacturing,” but “When.”
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