Nerd mom turned filmmaker with help of the 5D mark ii
I think you should know before anyone tells you different that I’m a girl. (gasp) I know! I’ve infiltrated this tech heavy, man crazy, photocine blog, and I’m about to blow your mind. Not really, I mean maybe, if you’re easily impressed. I’m going to take you on my journey from taking my new 5D Mk II out of the box (Happy Valentines me!) to shooting my first music video; that I’m also going to be starring in…dancing…wearing gold lame panties. I KNOW!! And you thought you logged in today to read about bandwidth, interpolation, and gigawatts.
I started shooting sometime in the last century as a shim to keep my artistic world from toppling over. I make my living as an actor. Being a good midwesterner the moment I started making a living as such, I started hoarding nuts for winter so to speak. I bought a nice camera (Canon A2e) and started taking headshots of my fellow actors to make money. You know just in case the bottom dropped out and the crop was ruined. Was that too many metaphors? Because I’m in LA, shooting headshots turned to shooting fashion, turned to me having a baby and shooting nothing but snapshots on my iPhone. The best camera is the one you have in your hand, right?
Over the years I went digital and was shooting the Canon 20D, but never had the financial incentive to buy the 5D or better. When shooting for paying clients, I sometimes used my assistant’s 1D. Cue super talented assistants nationwide sighing loudly. I try to learn enough of the technical to be able to make my stuff look the way I want it to look and no more. I know this is going to make some of you cringe, but sometimes I feel like the facts can get in the way. Paralyze you. It’s like shooting in the Matrix, If you believe you can’t breathe, you will suffocate. I know there are rules, but I think breaking them is how you learn. (thanks mom) I know this tack also causes me to miss powerful things my camera is capable of for years. I’ll be clicking through a menu and realize “OH! THAT’S what that button is for!” If you can find me, you’re welcome to slap me silly.
Ok,so that’s my shooting history, and that brings us to present day. My husband is a writer and we’ve decided it’s about time we start shooting our own stuff, because why not? All the kids are doing it. I’m kind of a bossy type, so I immediately offered myself up as director of photography for anything we shoot. Although I’m not even sure I know what that means. I’ve been giving the dps and acs the third degree on every job I’ve been on the for the last few months. And while they’ve been happy to answer my questions (led ring light, and no they don’t know if they make one that big that you can mount to a canon 24-105mm lens, dumb dumb), I’m sure they kind of wished I would just sip diet coke and get powdered in between takes, like a good little actress.
My first project as I said before is a music video. I’m shooting it, and I’m going to be in it. A friend of mine who teaches at Cal State Northridge is going to get some of her students to pa for me on the day. And we are hopefully getting some hair and make-up help from an artist friend. But that’s it. Bare bones down and dirty back yard video shoot in the San Fernando Valley. Wait. That doesn’t sound right. It’s a parody of a popular Lady Gaga song and that’s all I can say about it for now. Don’t want to spoil the surprise, and I don’t want Andy Samberg to end up on SNL next week in my American Apparel mash up costume (more on that next post). It’s a small world and things get around.
So here goes, I’m opening the box… Wish me luck.
