How to use the EOS Movie Plugin-E1 Final Cut Pro with the Canon Rebel T2i 550D | The Bui Brothers Blog

If you are a Canon Rebel T2i user and are bummed about your inability to use the new Final Cut Pro plug-in from Canon – be bummed no longer. Our friend Lan Bui has it all worked out for you!

A few days ago Canon released the EOS Movie Plugin-E1 for Final Cut Pro. It is very exciting for all of us using the Canon DSLRs and Final Cut Pro. We (Vu and I) mostly use the Canon 5D mark II and Canon 7D for our videos… both cameras are supported natively in the new E1 plugin. Unfortunatley the new Canon T2i is not supported in the E1 plugin yet.

This is very upsetting because the video quality from this T2i is actually very good!!! I had a chance to play with Rodney Charters’ T2i a few weeks ago and talk to him about it… basically the T2i is a 7D in a plastic body.

So, for all of you that want to use the T2i in Final Cut Pro and want to use the E1 plugin for FCP… watch the video above to see how to get it to work. I basically follow this method (by Nathan Beaman) on finalcutuser.com) I found on a post on Planet5D.

[From How to Canon T2i 550D with EOS Movie Plugin-E1 Final Cut Pro | The Bui Brothers Blog]

Canon 7D Suzuki Spot by Seth Epstein – Pt 3

Seth Epstein from The Group Digital Agency answered my email questions with this great write up about his experience shooting a Suzuki ad spot using Canon 7D cameras. Part 1 was a breakdown of the production and actual shoot day, Part 2 was all about post issues. Up next is part 3 which is about how he pitched the job and set up the shot list.

I have seen a lot of information and behind the scenes footage for video DSLR shoots, but this is the first time I have seen someone sharing their complete process from inception through to delivery. A lot of the discussion in the forums and on blogs like PCN have been about how to use the technology. The next conversation needs to be – “how do we make money shooting motion with video DSLRs”? Monetizing this newly available technology is really the big question. How do you go from still photographer to filmmaker? Where does a creative visual person fit into the motion world as the barrier to entry lowers? Seth provides a good roadmap to achieving micro production. This shoot was for an online ad and had a budget that would have given most large agencies pause. As a matter of fact, I would bet this level of ad couldn’t have easily been achieved without the use of video DSLRs and a micro production approach.

Part 3 really gives us a look at the work that went into the concepts for this spot. Seth didn’t just get handed the job because of his past experiences or portfolio. He had to present his ideas in a framework that the client could understand and that the small crew could get behind. Being able to story board and present pitch treatments are the skills needed to move visual ideas into paid motion jobs. Take a look at what Seth went through to present his ideas before he began shooting.
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Canon 7D Suzuki Spot by Seth Epstein – Pt 2

In Part 1 of this series, we took a look at Seth Epstein’s Suzuki spot that he shot using Canon 7D’s. For part 2, we are looking at how he handled post for this shoot. Don’t miss part 3 where we will be showcasing Seth’s pitch boards as well as the story boards for this shoot.

I asked Seth how he handled post and his response was so detailed, I will let him tell it here.

“Once we wrapped, I chose to cut myself because I knew the client would make a lot of changes and tweaks. I did not have the budget to ride an editor for that level of micro changes. I figured I could handle it….  I immediately converted the footage to Apple Pro-Res high using MPEG StreamClip and also backed up the original footage in case of a drive crash. … Continue Reading

Break Bread by Jeremy Thomas

PCN friend Jeremy Thomas from Hdi RAWworks, has released a great short film called Break Bread. He showed this short at the ETE Expo Canon Seminar to great reactions. He also used it to illustrate shooting sound in a workshop he taught later in the day where he brought in actor Mike Wade and collaborator Robert Lehman. They literally shot this short for $3, no joke. That is what the lunchmeat and bread cost for props (and craft services).

7D Break Bread (short film shot on the Canon 7D) from RAWworks on Vimeo.

…rather than write about someone stuck in a house, or a bar or the desert I thought about a man living in his car, and what that would look and feel like.

… Continue Reading

Philip Bloom Workshop in Los Angeles

Our good friend Neil Smith over at Hdi RAWworks is presenting a workshop with Philip Bloom on March 6th. Philip lives on the other side of the pond so it is a rare opportunity to learn in person from this photographer filmmaker. He will be in town after finishing up some work for George Lucas at Skywalker Ranch.

From the Hdi RAWworks site:

World renowned filmmaker and Canon HD DSLR expert, Philip Bloom will be in Los Angeles on Saturday March 6th, 2010 to present the Canon HD DSLR Master Class.

Philip will be showing many examples of his filmmaking and will be sharing his experiences of shooting the pick-ups shots for ‘Red Tails’ a Lucas Films production.

Philip will be explaining and demonstrating all aspects of Canon EOS based filmmaking, workflow and output, including:

Main differences between EOS 1D Mk iv , 5D Mk ii and 7D for movie shooting
In camera settings to maximize image quality in post
Lens selection
Stabilization platforms and accessories
Exposure and shutter speed options
Focusing and framing tips
Audio
Codecs and transcoding options
Editing and Color correction
Output for Web, BluRay, HDCAM SR and film
Question and Answers

Follow this link for more info.

Canon 7D Suzuki Spot by Seth Epstein – Pt 1

Seth Epstein from The Group Digital Agency has a great Suzuki spot up on Vimeo. But wait, thats not all, I contacted Seth and asked if he would elaborate on the shoot process. He got back to me with a bunch of behind the scenes information including client presentation treatments (3 different concepts), story boards and a breakdown of the whole shoot process. It was so much good information that I am breaking this article into 3 pieces and serializing them over the next few weeks. Lets start off by watching the Suzuki Directors Cut and then getting into what happened during the shoot. Future installments will cover the pre-production client process and then Post issues.

HD Directors Cut_Suzuki from Seth Epstein on Vimeo.

From Seth:
The Suzuki project was interesting because I played the roles of agency and production company. I was approached out of Japan to develop a spot for the European market based on some previous work. … Continue Reading