Newly Refined Rig for TV Commercials

Since the earlier post detailing the HDSLR rig we were using for the ABC Family commercials, my team has done several more tv commercials and have extensively refined the kit. The last setup was highly functional but a bit of a Frankenstein monster.

The new rig is more compact, cleaner and more functional, especially from the standpoint of pulling focus — which is kind of a big deal. You can see the new rig in the slideshow below. The major changes outlined underneath.

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Camera Selection & Production Speed

For a recent project I just completed, we needed a lot of footage from many locations but were on a tight budget and even tighter time schedule. This is a common situation in commercial work. Speed of production is where HDSLR cameras can make the previously impossible more viable.

On the “Cages & Light” branded film, we needed to shoot many different settings, and do it quickly as well as inconspicuously. The 5D we shot it on made this possible.
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Road to Nowhere Shot on Canon 5D Mark II

The NY Times has an interesting article about auteur filmmaker Monte Hellman’s new feature Road to Nowhere, which is showing at Cannes and was shot on a Canon 5D Mark II.

“Road” may also be as significant to the indie feature as “Avatar” is to the popcorn movie: the entire film was shot on what is essentially a still camera (the Canon 5D Mark II), while looking like a mega-million Hollywood production. (“Road” cost “under five million,” Mr. Gaydos said.)

It’s very cool to see old school directors choosing to use HDSLR cameras on relatively large indie projects. In addition to saving the production over $7 million (projected budget was $12 million), the small size offered other advantages: … Continue Reading

16×9 Cinema Interviews DP of Fox’s House MD

16×9 Cinema blog has an audio interview with Gale Tattersall, DP of Fox’s House MD. The interview is a result of the recent buzz about how the season finale of House was shot using Canon HDSLR’s.

Gale discusses the reasons why they chose to use video DSLR’s to shoot the season finale and his experience and impression of using these cameras. Also, in this episode, Gale talks about the challenges of filming episodic television – sticking to traditional shooting schedule while more producers are seeking a cinematic style of filming.

You can access the podcast here

Steadicam Merlin VS Flycam 5000 review – FStoppers.com

Steadicam Merlin VS Flycam 5000 review from FStoppers on Vimeo.

Lee Morris of R.L. Morris Photography explains the pros and cons of both the steadicam merlin and the flycam 5000. Both of these can be used with the Nikon D300s or Canon 5d Mark 2 or 7 D to get smooth moving video. You can view Lee’s website at www.rlmorrisweddings.com and view more videos at www.fstoppers.com.

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CHRYSALIS

Check out Jeremy Thomas’ new short CHRYSALIS. You might remember Jeremy from the webcast I hosted back in January as well as from his other short film which cost $3 to produce. He is a very talented guy who knows how to create interesting visuals and stories for very little money. CHRYSALIS was shot on location using two Canon 7D’s and cost him $1000. PCN will have an interview with Jeremy about this project in the very near future.
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