El Skid Creates Redrock Beastmaster Dual DSLR Rig

El Skid also known as British filmmaker Robin Schmidt, has created what he is calling the Redrock BEASTMASTER which is two DSLRs mounted vertically on top of each other allowing him to shoot two lens sizes simultaneously.

From Robin’s blog:

I’ve been talking about the ‘Beastmaster’ for a couple of weeks now, a kind of skunkworks project I’ve had in mind for a particular style of shooting, one which you could only really achieve with DSLRs. The idea was to build up my Redrock handheld rig to take not one but two DSLRs and shoot two lens sizes (not angles) concurrently . . . .
. . . . everything that’s on my rig I actually need. I have the Zoom, I have the monitor, and I have the two cameras. I have the 7D mounted vertically, upside down directly underneath the 5D and that keeps all the weight over my shoulder. The 7D is tethered to the frame of the rig, just in case anything happens, and, would you believe it, I actually managed to find a use for my Z-Finder, using the handy lanyard to attach the 7D – surely the most expensive lanyard on the planet? Finally I have not one, not two, but three Redrock counter weights slung over the back using the micro-balance vertical drop system. I love that microbalance because it gives you another point of contact to brace yourself with and keep the beast stable.

Check out the rest of the article and the video on Robin’s Blog and be sure to say hi to him at the PhotoCine Expo this weekend – he’ll be easy to recognize if he’s shooting with the Beastmaster.

More PCN stories about Robin Schmidt here.

Ladies and Gentlemen Trailer

Robin Schmidt has been guest blogging here on PhotoCineNews about his experience filming an ultra low budget pilot for British television called “Ladies and Gentlemen”. All his hard work has paid off and the trailer for the pilot is ready for screening. Be sure to follow the whole story by clicking here and don’t miss the chance to meet Robin at the PhotoCine Expo. Rumor has it he’s coming over the pond to hang out with us at the show.
… Continue Reading

8 Things I’ve Learned From Shooting Long Form Drama on the 5D That I didn’t Know Before I Started

Yeah yeah, long title for a blog entry but this is an important one. I consider myself pretty savvy about shooting on DSLRs and have made a monstrous heap of mistakes over the last eight months, enough to have learned some things. Having now wrapped production on Ladies and Gentlemen I think it’s only fair that I share a few things that I’ve learned that I simply wouldn’t have learned any other way. I’m not talking about moiré or rolling shutter, we all know about those already, more about the consequences of working with DSLRs over a protracted period on a big project.

1. Shooting handheld is nothing to be scared of

We all worry about the rolling shutter issue, and shooting handheld is a sure way to get that monstrous CMOS sensor jiggling like a jelly in a hurricane. Hurlbut shoots handheld all the time, he shot a bunch of marines (hoohah) running around and got away with it. If you’re properly kitted out (we had a fully featured Redrock setup) then those no reason to be scared of it. Oh but what about focus? – I hear you say. True that, focus is a problem, but only if you’re not ready for it. Don’t go shooting on an 85mm, wide open … Continue Reading

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: THE FINAL DAY

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN – WEEK 7 DAILIES from Robin Schmidt on Vimeo.

We’ve wrapped, and I’m sad. Ladies and Gentlemen has become a big part of my life over the last couple of months, frustrating at times, infuriating at others, but what a thrilling journey. The unique challenges thrown up by shooting drama on a budget, coupled with the camera’s ability to deliver time and time again, have made this easily the most rewarding production experience of my career.

. . . . plenty of lessons have been learned which I’ll share in a future post, but if an opportunity like this falls in your lap, just say yes [and] get hold of a 5D . . . . We’ve shot a one hour drama pilot for $6,000.

Our final day was a night shoot, starting in a toilet and moving outside for the big climax to the show, a fight and a car crash that brings many of the cast together for the first time. As always, having no money means we … Continue Reading

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN WEEK 6 DAILIES

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN – WEEK 6 DAILIES from Robin Schmidt on Vimeo.

Week 6 dailies from Disclosure Productions (disclosureproductions.co.uk/) forthcoming one hour drama pilot ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’. Shot on the Canon 5D using L series primes supplied by Canon. Directed by Robin Schmidt (elskid), Produced by Robert Lucas, Jo Defendi and Linda Taimre, written by Robert Lucas. Full blog writeups can be found on photocinenews.com, more info about canon DSLR filmmaking on the el skid blog: elskid.com/blog

Music: Bloc Party – ‘On’

… Continue Reading

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN WEEK 5: OH YES!

Praise be, a good day, no, a very good day. After the debacle of the week five weekend that was only a day with everything going wrong we really needed this weekend to be a monster but things didn’t start too well with our gaffer finding paid work that took him off the shoot, and the permissions we needed to shoot in Soho for our grand finale being denied at the last minute… Nonetheless Saturday dawned bright and sunny, and since we were … Continue Reading