Towards the end of my classes and workshops I show a summary slide and make the joke that I could have just shown this slide and sent everyone home 2 hours earlier. I realized that I’ve never published it on PhotoCine News so here it is, the information you need to get started shooting Canon HDSLR video distilled down to 4 steps:
In our book and in my DSLR Video classes I show what it takes for photographers to shoot professional video. As most of you can attest, it takes a lot of gear and often a larger crew than we are used to working with. At the end of my class or lecture I show examples of what a lone photographer or small crew can accomplish including time lapse, motion portraiture/fashion, cinemagraphs and stop motion.
I came across this short on Vimeo that is a great example of an experience or slice-of-life video. It happens to be travel related (unless you live in Vietnam) but the concept works for any interesting local. This video is made up of short snippets that looks like were shot hand held and then cut together to music. It’s basically a video diary from a 2 week trip condensed into 3 minutes. This is the perfect way to get your feet wet with video. … Continue Reading
One of the bizarrely distressing aspects about using a Mac to watch DVDs is the 5 time limit that you can switch the region code of your DVD player. Although less and less of an issue now that we can download movies, it’s still annoying when I want to watch a DVD that was manufactured in another country.
Down to my last allowed region switch on my Mac, I had to make a commitment to the US region 1 which effectively locked me out of watching any of my foreign purchased DVDs ever again on my laptop. So I sought a way to circumvent the security measure. … Continue Reading
Just in time for Christmas 1974 2011, the wacky low-fi analog film lovers over at Lomography have come up with another nostalgic treat for the serious toy camera market – the LomoKino, a hand cranked 35mm movie camera.
Bringing analogue back to the movies with a bang in the 21st century, the LomoKino is a Lomography movie camera that shoots short, creative movies on 35mm film – LomoKino
The camera uses 35mm rolls of still photography film which will yield 144 frames shot at 1/100th of a second. There are aperture settings between f/5.6 to f/11 and you control the film advance with a manual crank. There’s also a hot shoe that can be used with Lomography flashes such as Fritz the Blitz and other strobes.
I can see where shooting a series of rough hand cranked stills using a strobe could open up some creative photo opportunities and I’m sure there are a ton of people out there who would spend $80 to give this little camera a try. There’s even a screening room on the LomoKino site with sample movies. After watching a couple of these I realized that we’ll be seeing a lot of LomoKino footage in opening credit sequences of movies and HBO shows. It’s absolutely the perfect vehicle for establishing a quick nostalgic burst of imagery to grab the viewers attention.
Today Redrock Micro released microTies to help clean up cable clutter on rigs:
microTies are an accessory for any rig that enables you to wrangle your cables, reduce cable strain and accidental disconnects, and add a touch of professionalism to your setup. Each microTie has inside and outside channels for inserting up to 3 different cables and securing to a 15mm rail. Any type of cable can be used with the microTie, SDI, HDMI, audio, lanc; almost any cable that goes on your rig can be better organized with microTies. Keeping your cables close to the rig reduces chances of snags or
In addition to cables, the microTie’s outside channel can be used to hold a grease pencil for your follow focus. Keep it tight and organized with Redrock microTies
Leo C. Wolinsky pens a nice article about how DSLR and small camera technology is inspiring Hollywood outsiders to make movies.
But a new generation of young movie producers also has appeared on the scene, armed with a visceral understanding of new filmmaking technologies and determined to forge their own creative paths.
Using inexpensive, but professional-quality digital cameras and off-the-shelf editing software that works on any PC or Mac, they are making low-budget films without the backing — or interference — of big studios.
He goes on to compare this time to the 60′s and 70′s where movies shifted away from the studio system:
…the dogged determination of these filmmakers reminds me of the generation that broke down the doors of moribund studios in the 1960s and 70s. They revolutionized filmmaking with the likes of “Easy Rider,” “Bonnie and Clyde” and “Harold and Maude”
Be sure to read the full article on Huffington Post.
