tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57565052705511334012024-03-05T21:54:47.705-08:00BSTB FilmUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756505270551133401.post-48683456108523572102019-02-04T11:12:00.005-08:002019-02-04T11:12:52.997-08:00New camera<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, purchased in November 2018 actually. I made the decision to retire my venerable HMC151 video camera that had served me for almost 6 years. It is a reliable camcorder, solidly built and would probably still work after Armageddon, with its last video job serving as a found footage discovery for humanity's successor in the year 20,000. The 10 year old video camera just couldn't match the high demand for its modern cinematic and 4K competition. My Canon DSLR produces very nice footage but at the end of the day, it is a stills camera with a video record function.</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having finished my masters, I decided that the Canon C300 was the camera I needed/wanted. The C300 is like an assimilation of my HMC151 and my DSLR. The major selling point for me was its ability to use the same lenses as my DSLR. With all that glass, it made sense to stick to Canon and save myself a lot money. I chose the C300 because of its recording format which gives it native advantage over the C100. The C100 uses the AVCHD codec which limits its bitrate to 25mbps (The same as my HMC151). The C100 can have its full potential unlocked through the use of an external HDMI recorder but this would have increased my spending. Having used the C100 and Ninja Recorder for most of my final masters project, I found this a little bit awkward and a hassle to setup.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But with the C300, I can record HD footage at 50mbps with 4:2:2 colour straight off the camera onto CF cards. To be honest, I have loads of SD cards and no suitable CF cards but thankfully the C300 package I purchased came with two SanDisk Extreme 32gig cards which makes life very easy. I was also happy to receive the monitor attachment with SDI connectors which allows me to see what I'm recording as well as accept XLR input for my microphone.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Straight away, I jumped into using the C300 for all video jobs. The weight and size of the camera means I can anchor it against my body to keep it steady during shooting. This was something that I could not do with my DSLR unless I used a shoulder rig to prevent the awful rolling shutter jelly effect. But my God, the best part of the C300 is its lowlight performance. As a rule, I would never push my ISO past 800 when using the DSLR but even though the C300's native ISO is 850, going way over 1000 produces very little visual noise. This means, in low light conditions I can correctly expose my shots without worrying about grain/noise ruining my footage.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And all the features and display options that makes life so easy for run and gun video work. With peaking, I can see exactly what's in focus and adjust on the fly without worrying about blurry footage. And all those features that help with adjusting exposure, again, making life so much more easier for me. As you would expect from a professional video camera, you can also manually dial in white balance by specifying the colour temperature in increments of 100.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But all these positive points doesn't mean it's perfect. In fact, my only major criticism came about last week when I found myself shooting a music video. The band's lighting arsenal included strobe lights which I knew straight away would cause issues for the C300's rolling shutter. For the record, my HMC151 uses 3CCDs. Old tech but CCDs don't suffer from the same issue that affect the CMOS sensors in modern cameras. With a rolling shutter, very fast changes in lighting such as strobe lights or cameras flashes will appear in footage on half of the image. Obviously, this affects the aesthetic quality of the footage which can be very annoying for a perfectionist like myself. Imagine a situation where you need to make footage look like film but the rolling shutter artefacts spoil things and reveals a digital camera in disguise.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Thankfully, I don't see myself facing this situation with fast flashing lights often so I'm prepared to let it slide. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Overall, I definitely don't regret choosing this camera and I am certain I will still be using it for the next 10 years. As a tool for my video production work, it's perfect. For Visual Effects where high quality is important, it's also perfect. And, I'm certain that when I eventually get round to putting my film projects into production, it will also score perfectly in that capacity too. </span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756505270551133401.post-32375313436352934252017-11-21T12:55:00.004-08:002017-11-21T12:55:51.328-08:00Why I went back to using my video camera<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My venerable Panasonic HMC-151 video camera was gathering dust for years but I recently brought it out of storage and gave it another chance at life. The reason? It's a proper video camera. I had been using my Canon DSLR on a shoulder rig while performing my duties as a B cameraman, filming corporate stuff. The main camera guy would do interviews and such like and he had all the necessary audio bits to record sound and stuff. However, as my role became more prominent, I found myself on shoots where I was the only cameraman and this of course meant that I was now responsible for filming interviews. Without adequate audio input for my DSLR, I found myself recording interview audio separately, using an external recorder. Camera work then became a balancing act where I had to simultaneously monitor and adjust audio levels while keeping my eye on the camera. </span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And so, that was when I decided to dust off the Panasonic video camera and here's why:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Audio Input:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For me, film/video production requires equal attention to both audio and visuals. Many times I have found myself watching content that has good quality visuals but the audio is lacking, perhaps because the creator neglected to give this any attention and might have relied on their camera's internal mic. With my Panasonic video camera being semi-professional (prosumer?) I have the option of two XLR inputs for audio and man, the clarity and control you have is beautiful. You get a levels monitor on the LCD display and a physical dial on the camera body. Furthermore, you can actually hook up headphones for listening which is something my DSLR lacks. Granted, the DSLR does have a standard jack for mic input but I always struggle with getting decent audio without noise.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The DSLR's ability to achieve shallow depth of field is also its weakness. Sure, manual focus is something that should be practiced as a skill but the auto focus that you take for granted on video cameras is a lifesaver when you need to quickly get a shot without spending a second racking the focus wheel. With my Panasonic video camera, shallow depth of field is not something that can be achieved easily but the ability to switch between manual and auto focus is still present on the camera. Having said that, if I want to throw the background out of focus I can easily do so by zooming in on the subject from a distance while ensuring the background is a fair distance away. By doing this, it becomes possible to achieve a shallow depth of field without a large sensor DSLR, which leads me onto my next point.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Zoom:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The DSLR is brilliant for its ability to changes lenses which is something that makes them really attractive for film makers. However, it can sometimes get frustrating when you want to switch lenses or have to move around more if you're using prime lenses. With the Panasonic video camera, you can go from wide to very tight telephoto with either servo or even faster with the manual zoom ring. You forget how useful this is when you become so used to swapping DSLR lenses. Plus, all those DSLR lenses can get rather expensive when you realise you need so many different ones. Plus, think of weight and space when you need to bring them along on a shoot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yep, the large sensor on the DSLR produces a really decent image with all that shallow depth of field goodness but rolling shutter CMOS can produce some rather nasty artifacts. Jelly footage during fast panning and awful looking shaky handheld shots (in the absence of adequate stabilisation) can really ruin the look of an otherwise decent looking shot. Plus, sometimes the footage can look like it was shot on a mobile phone camera which begs the question, why not just shoot on your phone? With the Panasonic and its CCD sensors, these problems are not present and believe me, it really gives you peace of mind not having to worry about all those additional implications. Plus, the weight of the camera makes handheld shots appear fairly stabilised without the need to use a shoulder rig.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The Professional image:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm not talking about the quality of footage here, I mean the way others perceive you. Turn up to a shoot with a DSLR and people assume you're there to take photos. This is common when I'm out on a shoot and suddenly your subject stops whatever they're doing to pose for what they think is a photograph. I then find myself having to "politely" inform them that I'm shooting video and not taking photos...Also, there's just something about having a big black video camera that screams pro which is something you don't get with a consumer DSLR and cheap 1.8 lens. Every time I'm out on a shoot and someone sees me with my Panasonic video camera, I get comments like "Wow, that's an impressive camera" and so on. You really establish your reputation as a serious and professional cameraman when you have a professional video camera. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I still use my DSLR though, don't get me wrong, the footage you can get is fantastic looking but it's better off being treated as a B Camera and not your main one. These days, on a shoot, I take both. You setup the video camera with all of its peripherals so people can see that you're a pro camera guy. You then go around getting a few shots with the DSLR before switching over to the video camera when you need to do interviews with decent audio. I've even reached the point, in my mind, where I want to shoot movies with my Panasonic video camera. I know, with proper attention to lighting and composition, I can achieve results that are on par with the DSLR footage while benefiting from all the advantages that a dedicated video camera provides. </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756505270551133401.post-68822923131026859392017-09-12T14:48:00.003-07:002017-09-12T14:53:55.857-07:00Budget (or how to fund your film (or how to spend as little money as possible making your film))<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ambition is a good thing but being an ambitious filmmaker can cost you a lot of money. If I want to make a film, I don't feel satisfied enough making one with available resources. I often get told to just make loads of films, keep that ball rolling but it's not that easy for me. I can't motivate myself to do something just for the sake of it. For me, there has to be specific purpose. I won't just go for a drive unless I need to be somewhere, for example, so I won't just make a film spontaneously. I wasn't always like that though. When I was younger, I would randomly make a film, as an activity with friends, with a senseless plot and random tomfoolery. These shorts that we used to make are a source of great embarrassment for my friends who don't take kindly to me talking about them. But still, I could learn a lot from my younger self, during those awkward times growing up. For me, "experimenting" as a teenager meant filming anything with a camera. The main difference these days is, if I start a project I <i>have </i>to finish it, meaning, I <i>have </i>to be sure that I will finish it before I attempt it. Used to, I would just start something without the end goal in mind and often the project would remain incomplete. Naturally, I now do fewer projects these days since the recent compulsion to finish what I started has taken over my life and guided me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anyway, I digress. It's easy to forget that you're not just spending money on props and equipment. You have to pay actors and crew. Okay, so you can get people to work on your film for expenses and food only but this still costs you money. Personally, I would not make a film without paying my cast and crew. I know how frustrating it is to work for experience and exposure so the philanthropist in me feels obliged to help people out. In my first year at university, the lecturer showed us this triangle where each point was labelled with "Good idea, time and money". He then said, if you have two of these points then you can make a great film. Okay, so it's probably more complicated than that but it's a good starting point. So, for me, money is a major constraint which means I have to make do with good idea and time. The two complement each other, somewhat. If you have a lot of time, no looming deadline for example, then you can formulate your idea and write a great story. With all that time, you can also save up money and gradually build your film up from scratch. Patience and commitment is important under these circumstances and it becomes very easy to give up. You spend a little bit of money here and there, while working your day job (or jobs) then it all adds up. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So what I am going to do over the next few months, is share my methodology for producing a movie and saving money wherever possible, hopefully helping other people in a similar situation. I have numerous documents on my computer where I have attempted to write up a proposal to use for a indie go go or kick starter campaign but I thought screw it. It won't work for me if I have a load of money suddenly thrown at me. Granted, it might be different for other people but part of me likes the challenge, the struggle and the uncertainty. As some people tell me, "beg, borrow and steal" basically do whatever is necessary to get something done. Obviously, don't steal but you get what I mean. Why not take on the role of DOP as well as director? </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Why pay someone to make music for your film when you can learn to do it yourself? Think of the satisfaction! There's no excuse not to these days with the internet and its ever expanding well of resources. Can't afford certain equipment? Buy second hand or borrow. Again, use the internet to find cheaper alternatives. For example, with YouTube, you can assess the suitability of certain equipment by watching reviews or examples of someone else's work and then make your mind up about a camera that shoots pro looking footage and is cheaper than the camera you originally considered. But remember, a</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">s long as you have your great idea and time then it'll be fine. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756505270551133401.post-1151492250420106042017-09-04T03:47:00.002-07:002017-09-04T03:47:41.099-07:00My time at university as a film student<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I started university at a very interesting time for film/video technology. It was 2009 and I had only been using a solid state video camera for 9 months. This was around the time when 35mm DOF adapters were the craze and the must have accessory for getting that coveted "film look". Many people were still using mini-DV camcorders, the same format that many of the early high def camcorders used. There were no separate tapes for high definition, HDV was a format that simply recorded high definition footage onto a standard mini-DV tape. My only experience using HDV was in sixth form that year when the school bought an entry level "professional" Sony camera to use for the newly founded (and short lived) school television channel. At the time, I had just about forgotten how awkward and annoying tapes were, since I had transitioned to the SD card format only three months prior.</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, when I started my film technology course at university, September 2009, they were still issuing first years Canon XL1 cameras. This camera was used extensively in Danny Boyle's 2002 movie <i>28 Days Later </i>so it was interesting to make use of the same technology. The footage from the camera was okay with decent colour thanks to the 3CCD spec but the picture was 4:3 only. Its saving grace was the ability to changes lenses, something that was quite rare for the format. Despite this, we only ever used or had access to the default lens. Another interesting implication was when our lecturer told us not to use Sony brand DV tapes...Even though these were the only brand sold in the Student Shop. So there we were, a class full of students, eagerly waiting to take these cameras home for testing but unable to do so because of dodgy tapes. Thankfully, I had an unused Panasonic tape knocking about in storage at home so didn't have any issues. However, I believe some students took a chance and used the Sony tapes but later encountered problems with corrupt video/missing audio. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In second semester, we had the opportunity to use a slightly better video camera, whose name escapes me. After first year, we never touched tape again and it wasn't missed. We now had access to the infinitely superior solid state high definition Panasonic HMC-151. During 2011, the DSLR revolution had begun, and my fellow third years were spending their students loans and grants on Canon DSLRs and lenses. That coveted film look was now a doddle with a T2i and 50mm 1.4 lens. Because it was now so easy, our lecturers sighed at the sudden influx of shallow depth of field films that saturated assignment submissions that year. Apparently a poor narrative could be forgiven when the background (and actors' ears) was out of focus. Gone were the days of complex, cumbersome, expensive and exposure darkening depth of field adapters. You could now make nice looking films using equipment worth only a few hundred pounds. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm no stranger to the DSLR craze. I used borrowed ones for assignments before finally getting my own in 2012 and made good use of it for my Final Year Project film. I still use it to this day, for corporate videos with a shoulder rig to make up for that fact that it's not a proper video camera. It seems many of the major camera manufacturers became aware of the DSLR's popularity and subsequently released dedicated video cameras that offer the same large sensor and interchangeable lens capability as their DSLRs. The DSLR video revolution may be over soon but it's still a preferred solution among many film makers. Will it head the same way as mini-DV? A few years ago, I felt nostalgic about the tape format and dug out my venerable JVC camcorder. I thought it would be quite interesting to apply my current cinematography and tech knowledge to try and make something with this camera again, hopefully producing something better than my 12 year old self.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756505270551133401.post-20579382444094410582017-08-18T15:54:00.003-07:002017-08-18T15:54:42.660-07:00My hiatus <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Once again, I find myself making another Blog Post, 2 years since the last one. I guess I'm a commitment-phobe, albeit a selective commitment-phobe. When it comes to regularly creating YouTube videos, writing blog posts or even maintaining high marks in assignments, I'm useless. But on the flip side, I committed to taking a photograph of my ageing face every single day since August 2012, with 5 full years worth of photos detailing all the changes from age 21 to 26. My facial hair fills in, my acne clears up completely and I go through three separate periods of growing my hair out, each time leaving it longer until I chop it all off. From December 2015 to December 2016, I left my hair to grow long for the first time ever. My "face a day" project is one of my many ongoing film projects that will never be completed. But, hitting the 5 year mark is pretty significant so I'm planning on completing the sequence so I can export a video finally and add "experimental art film" to my filmography. Other projects include my lost in limbo Vietnam War horror movie and my "Grand Theft Auto set in the UK" video game that has been in development since 2014.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So what have I been up to since July 2015? Around that time, I applied to my University to go back and do a masters which I started in September of that year. I began a master by negotiated study course that confuses a lot of people when I tell them what I do. In simple terms, it's a "do whatever the hell you want" masters where you're given complete freedom to study everything and anything. With my interest in special effects and visual effects that was only briefly touched upon during my undergraduate degree, I decided to look at green screen and digital environments in order to become better acquainted with the technology. I like being in an academic environment but I know I can't be a student forever which is why I want to get into lecturing, specifically film visual effects. Returning to university has also opened up many job opportunities and I'm currently working as a barista (coffee not law) in the Student Union cafe along with my job as a student ambassador. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But, University is not the only thing that I've been doing since 2015. Around the same time, I got my foot in the door at the local football club. And no, I don't mean a minor village team, I'm talking about a Premiership Football club with its own 30,000+ capacity stadium and a dedicated media team. My Dad knows people. He's been working in the football industry since before I was born, before the Premiership was even born. Nepotism is a great thing when it happens to you. Football is big money in the UK and I am very fortunate to have tapped into it. During August 2015, I went along to observe a game and shoot a pre-match interview that was then edited an hour before it was due to go out onto the big screen in the stadium. Though I wasn't paid at the time, the feeling of having something you created play out to tens of thousands of people was surreal and extremely satisfying. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fast forward to a year, and I find myself back at the stadium but this time, I'm getting paid. I'm there on match days creating graphics for the the big screen and updating scores, times and player lists but the content that I film and edit is also getting played out to all those fans. I'm filming and editing on a regular basis now and it really gives you such a strong sense of achievement doing something that is directly related to your degree. I struggled for several years with finding work but persistence pays off. You may get rejected after attending many interviews for jobs (like I was) but sometimes, opportunities present themselves via non-conventional means and all it takes is the willingness to say yes. Believe!</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756505270551133401.post-6613728988748221142015-07-03T15:19:00.002-07:002015-07-03T15:20:07.899-07:00What's a matte box? (and what is it used for)<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To put it simply, a matte box is the square thing that you see on the end of movie/video cameras. They have three uses.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1. It prevents lens flare</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unless you want it in your shot, a matte box is designed to cut out lens flare. Usually, a matte box will have adjustable fins on the top and sides. This is its main purpose.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2. It holds filters</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">More expensive matte boxes allow you to slot filters, like neutral density filters, in front of your lens. This allows you to replace filters faster than the ones that screw directly onto your lenses. Obviously this doesn't really work well if you're using a zoom lens that extends in and out since the matte box is usually fixed to rails beneath the camera.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3. It looks pro</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You put a matte box in front of your camera and it automatically looks 100% cooler. Yeah, I know this isn't a proper reason for having one but it does make a DSLR look less like a photography camera and more like a proper movie camera. Image is everything and you should do everything you can to disguise your DSLR when you take it to a video shoot.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756505270551133401.post-42013124049555535122015-07-03T14:09:00.004-07:002015-07-03T15:19:30.693-07:008 ways to make money as a filmmaker or videographer<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As an independent filmmaker, making money and funding your films can be a challenge. You might have to get a job that you don't like to save up or you might be lucky enough to get funding off someone. Either way, there are a number of ways you can make some cash so I wrote this guide to help you out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1. Make videos for other people </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This should be fairly obvious but you need to spend a bit of time networking and making contacts. The good thing is, once you get the ball rolling and you end up producing high quality content for people, they're likely to recommend you and soon enough, you've got your own video production business. You've got the equipment, you just need the work. Start with shooting wedding videos for family members or friends. You might not be interested in making wedding videos but you get to put into practice all you know about cinematography and editing. People spend a lot of money on weddings and they want their special day preserved forever. Plus, with many guests, weddings are a perfect place to network and make new contacts. You never know who you might meet and what opportunities they could have waiting for you. Don't restrict yourself to wedding videos either. Music videos, artists and bands are a perfect way to make money shooting video. Videos are a great way for musicians to get noticed and many are willing to hire someone to shoot a video for them. Many music videos have a narrative which means they're basically short films and provide you with an opportunity to be creative. </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Edit videos for other people </b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You might be the sort of person who prefers editing to going out and shooting. If that's the case, why not offer your services as an editor? There could be people out there who shoot so much video on a regular basis that they have very little time to sit down and edit. They might be earning enough money from their shoots to allow them to hire someone else to do the editing for them. You can then spends hours in the comfort of your own home doing something creative and film related. If you're good enough, you might be hired by the same person again or even get recommended. Also, with services like Dropbox and WeTransfer, you might not even have to travel to collect footage. Your client simply uploads their raw files, you download, you edit and then you upload it for them to download.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. Take photos for other people</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While at University, the DSLR revolution happened. Loads of people (including me) bought DSLRs and lenses but used them for filmmaking and video production instead of photography. I've mentioned in the past the reasons why (interchangeable lenses, large sensor, shallow depth of field etc). The thing is, the same principles for cinematography (composition, lighting etc) can be applied to photography. Many people from my film course at university ended up taking up photography and offered their services as a photographer as well as videographer. You've got a DSLR, you can do both! From my experience, there are more opportunities for taking photographs than there are for creating videos. Shooting video then spending hours editing it can be stressful. Taking pictures and then working on them a bit in Photoshop can be easier and you might actually prefer it. It's just a suggestion but I recommend becoming a photographer if you have a DSLR and currently use it for filmmaking/videos. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>4. Make videos for YouTube</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's face it. YouTube has changed things for filmmakers. Thanks to the internet, many people have become famous and their work has more chance of getting noticed. There are plenty of YouTubers out there with hundreds of thousands and even millions of subscribers. With so many views per video, these people have started to make a living through AdSense. Unfortunately, it will be a struggle and it requires a lot of work and dedication. It might be years before you get regular money and it might never happen. Still, you only have to look at popular vloggers and their videos to become optimistic and imagine one day being in the same situation. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's all about regular content. Just create lots of original videos. If you've got the video production skills and are capable of creating high quality content but you're not getting regular work then do it! You've got nothing to lose but a lot to gain. Start with creating and uploading at least one video per week. After a few months, if you start getting more subscribers or loads of views, try increasing your uploads to two videos per week. I've seen videos with a million or so views but very few subscribers on the channel. Even if you don't get the subscribers you hoped for, you're still getting revenue for each and every view. You're only limited by your imagination. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Create vlogs, short films, product reviews or even </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">tutorials. Be inspired. Learn from successful YouTubers and see what attracts millions of viewers. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>5. Hire your equipment out</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you're serious about filmmaking, you've probably got loads of equipment in storage just sitting there, collecting dust. If you're not getting regular work, what's the point of just leaving it all there? It could still earn you money even if you're not the one using it. This is also why networking is important. You might own certain pieces of equipment that one of your contacts requires for a job. If they're not prepared to buy their own, why not offer to lend it to them for a reasonable price? You're effectively earning money for doing nothing. Just be warned, you might want to start with hiring equipment out to friends and people you know. Unless you have insurance that covers the hiring out of equipment, you might end up losing money if someone breaks or loses it. However, there <i>are </i>companies (such as <a href="http://www.allouthire.co.uk/" target="_blank">All Out Hire</a> ) that provide a service for those who want to hire their equipment out and this includes insurance cover. If you're happy with sitting back while someone else uses your equipment then fine but chances are there'll be times when they want to hire you as well. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>6. Sell your equipment </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Okay, you might not want to do this but sometimes you really need to stop and think. Is the £500 lens that sits on my shelf for 90% of the year really worth keeping? Am I likely to get much more use out of it? Will the price depreciate by next year? If you're asking yourself these questions then why not sell it? You probably won't get what you paid for it but is it really worth keeping if you hardly use it? What seemed like a good investment a few years back might have been a bad decision. Sell now and get more money for it than you'll end up getting if you leave it any longer. </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7. Crowdfunding</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Remember earlier in this post when I talked about the power of the internet? It's not just YouTube but popular crowdfunding websites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo exist to help people like you raise money for projects and that includes film projects. It's no guarantee but it's still worth a shot. You simply create a campaign for your project, set a target, offer incentives/rewards for each pledge and if you're lucky, you might end up raising thousands, tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of pounds/dollars etc. Take the movie "Kung Fury" for example. Originally, the goal was to raise $200,000 but the Kickstarter campaign ended up raising $600,000! That's three times the target amount! Just think, that could happen to you. If you've got a great idea but very little money to make it happen, you might as well. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>8. Enter competitions</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Again, there's no guarantee of making money out of this but you should be constantly making films if you want to get noticed. Competitions are great for getting exposure plus there's the chance that you might win a cash prize. With the internet there's no excuse. The competition can be anywhere in the world but you can still enter it. Even if you get no money out of it, you've at least produced something original. You can then do what I suggested above and upload it to your YouTube channel.</span><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756505270551133401.post-84269340547629409122015-07-03T12:15:00.004-07:002015-07-03T12:15:51.453-07:00If you can't see it, you don't need it<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is kind of an obvious one but it's easy to overlook. Say you're making a film and you've got a fairly low budget (or no budget) you're going to have to make a few sacrifices. With regard to set design, does it really matter if you've got a ceiling if the camera can't see it? Do your actors even need trousers if they're shown from the waist up? Okay, that's taking it to the extreme but you get the point. It's not just low budget productions though. A while back, I read about the costume design for period dramas. Very often, the designers would make parts of the costume as a one piece item. For example, the shirt part of a character's costume, underneath their jacket, might only be the part that can be seen. The reason is simple. With the same amount of material it takes to make a full shirt, you could probably make 3 or 4 other "fake" shirts which saves money. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Obviously, this only matters on a large scale where you have many actors/extras who require costumes. Chances are, if you're producing a low budget movie, you wouldn't hire a costume designer. You'd just buy the required clothing items </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">since it would be more practical than getting someone else to design/make them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For my upcoming Vietnam War movie, I need to save as much money as possible. I simply can't afford full costumes for every single character so chances are, some costume items will be shared. I want every helmet to be a genuine Vietnam War era US Army helmet but I'll probably only buy four. However, if ten characters require a helmet, there won't be enough. The solution? Share the helmets and only give them to characters who appear in the current shot. The same strategy can be used for prop guns as well. Supplying ten characters with M16 rifles would cost me in the region of £3000. This is money that could be spent on others things so I'm better off having two M16s and sharing them between the characters in different shots. Storyboarding and previsualisation can be utilised to plan what needs to appear on camera for each shot. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Furthermore, do you really need genuine and authentic props/costume? Does the US Army helmet need to be a genuine 1960s era one? A genuine one would cost you upwards of £100 but for the same price, you can make two replica ones. A few years ago, I bought an Austrian issue M1 Helmet, replica cover and modern scrim band which ended up costing me less than £50. I intend to do this for the remaining three helmets that I require which means it will only cost me £200 instead of £400. Spend a lot of time on planning and pre-production and you'll save money.</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756505270551133401.post-4111472008962134132014-12-10T14:22:00.001-08:002014-12-10T14:22:52.975-08:00Film is nearly dead<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had a conversation with someone recently about movie stuff and the subject of projection came up. They just could not get their head round film projection. It seems that certain people just don't consider what the world was like before digital. It's sad really that film (as in celluloid) is slowly being forgotten about. I also have a friend who has recently started using 35mm cameras to take photographs. I remember one situation where we took a group photo with someone else and that someone else then asked to see the photo (facepalm). I'm grateful for digital, don't get me wrong, but I just think 35mm film still has its place in the modern world. Movies shot on film just have that dreamlike quality to them and it's something that I feel modern movies are missing. Ideally, digital and film should coexist. Modern film cameras have all these digital features to assist the operator but they still use 35mm to record images and I think that's the way it should be. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Film projection is still very common and in a lot of cases, movies shot in a digital format get printed to film so they can be shown at cinemas that don't yet have the facility to digitally project. I feel that shooting on film also encourages filmmakers to take more care since film stock is expensive and once it's exposed, you can't go back and record over it like you can with video tape. Video should be used for TV and film should stay with the motion picture industry...</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756505270551133401.post-82913913987908200652014-11-01T12:34:00.002-07:002014-11-01T12:34:39.218-07:00Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZP9WwGsMCbJVNvcRLrD4HAEtQwIUTfrb0j5ldrdia2K0KlqOsOCr2pjpmGTdky5RGEX75QrW2XWjBVsbWyOoNyDqJ4S_o8Vg9PO4ofMyLC8h3tEvM_TL88HvSJNCUu-NmJrQZRtWww8k/s1600/Klowns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZP9WwGsMCbJVNvcRLrD4HAEtQwIUTfrb0j5ldrdia2K0KlqOsOCr2pjpmGTdky5RGEX75QrW2XWjBVsbWyOoNyDqJ4S_o8Vg9PO4ofMyLC8h3tEvM_TL88HvSJNCUu-NmJrQZRtWww8k/s1600/Klowns.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last week, a friend of mine convinced me to watch this movie. The title alone make this sound like that typical cheesy horror movie that some kid in a 1950s movie watches on the television set while his parents are away one evening. Killer Klowns from Outer Space is exactly what it says on the tin. Alien clowns land near a small American town in their circus tent spaceship and start killing the locals for their blood. This film is so cheesy and that's what makes it so hilarious. Seriously, the makers <i>must</i> have genuinely planned this from the start. Looks like they succeeded though because this is now a cult classic, apparently. There are a lot of funny moments and many of the deaths made us laugh out loud because they were absolutely ridiculous. The first victim in the film is a dog called "Pooh Bear" and his death is implied off screen after one of the clowns scoops him up in a net (Why would an advanced alien race use something as archaic as a net to capture their victim?) People who suffer from coulrophobia should probably avoid seeing this movie but it's definitely something to see if you want a good laugh. 6/10 </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756505270551133401.post-90438710185376695212014-11-01T12:12:00.000-07:002014-11-01T12:12:24.376-07:00How Sleep the Brave (1981)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwijoes2hzSiJ9cq6EEtgrh48vijppWzE5et-KLZPmDjD_sKLvwygPZfIZXf9OlvxaUv65AJPLDj23nCXtKBKsMelrcw5WSzRY2xVuRV43LZ9aABTxWhSZKIA-c2KV_8Lmq1s-3thDpOg/s1600/HSTB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwijoes2hzSiJ9cq6EEtgrh48vijppWzE5et-KLZPmDjD_sKLvwygPZfIZXf9OlvxaUv65AJPLDj23nCXtKBKsMelrcw5WSzRY2xVuRV43LZ9aABTxWhSZKIA-c2KV_8Lmq1s-3thDpOg/s1600/HSTB.jpg" height="320" width="235" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also known by the more generic sounding title of "Combat Zone", this is a low budget Vietnam War movie, filmed in the UK. Made before similar big budget films like "Platoon" and "Full Metal Jacket", this film probably won't appeal to everyone. Lots of cheesy dialogue and poor acting but there's something about its depiction of the Vietnam War that feels real. The American troops are too stereotypical and it's hard to feel sorry for them when they die. If you're a huge fan of war movies (like me) then you can probably forgive the negatives and enjoy the film. It's sometimes hard to pretend that this film is set in Vietnam because the English countryside sticks out too much. Full Metal Jacket was filmed in the UK but they did a better job at passing it off as Vietnam. This could have been a better movie but despite its negatives, it has inspired me. 4/10 (Watch it while you're getting drunk with your friends. Drink every time someone say f*ck)</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756505270551133401.post-67331165226155790082014-10-29T09:19:00.001-07:002014-10-29T09:20:42.800-07:00Dead Eyes<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I made my Final Year Project film (Malice) in 2012, I made a lot of mistakes. Despite being at University for three years, most of the stuff that I was taught had been forgotten. I didn't really pay attention to stuff like lighting in <i>Malice </i>especially in subtle things like the eyes. Take this screenshot from the movie as an example.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIwUTSWJ-4SssOsnGCQDDorVPM4MNB91QqukqLO5X3hCIC_ovk6R9t_VnTUBxgFYM3HEnB3QxbFZDrWhEiiAOrxXdRPuJJ1xfSDgf8u5evAqgFQHFPvH08Dmma78MMtGra5ZIu8g558XI/s1600/NoEyeDots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIwUTSWJ-4SssOsnGCQDDorVPM4MNB91QqukqLO5X3hCIC_ovk6R9t_VnTUBxgFYM3HEnB3QxbFZDrWhEiiAOrxXdRPuJJ1xfSDgf8u5evAqgFQHFPvH08Dmma78MMtGra5ZIu8g558XI/s1600/NoEyeDots.jpg" height="362" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Look at the eyes. There's no life in them. They look dead. Granted, this could be interpreted as "losing his soul when he was sent to prison" but that wasn't my intention. Now, look at this screenshot.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwr4EdTD1g4eu6TiH1ZgACMnHeJMk97iGK9eXEvgnr0ut3AOHAYpBjGr9iG1QSyu53RS3bD25FCXRaTKaTZ4V047GDqrIWrEphVcJx397WDJkW2aCoRGjrbxAntMd1gq6gnxgeJkZDb0U/s1600/EyeDots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwr4EdTD1g4eu6TiH1ZgACMnHeJMk97iGK9eXEvgnr0ut3AOHAYpBjGr9iG1QSyu53RS3bD25FCXRaTKaTZ4V047GDqrIWrEphVcJx397WDJkW2aCoRGjrbxAntMd1gq6gnxgeJkZDb0U/s1600/EyeDots.jpg" height="300" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Look at <i>his </i>eyes. Those white dots from the light are reflected in his eyes and he looks more alive. This guy was the antagonist though so it would have made more sense for him to have the "dead eyes" instead. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had an LED panel on the camera for the second shot, the intention was purely for illuminating his face. It just so happened that the light also put those white dots in his pupils. Watch any movie and I guarantee that you'll see white dots in the characters' eyes. This is carefully thought about because it gives the characters life. Remember that old saying "the eyes are the windows to the soul". It should be your obligation as a film maker/director of photography to consider this.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The angle of your lighting set-up might not always allow you to get this result. Ideally, you should have a specific light whose sole purpose is to give your character the white dots in their eyes. This could be a studio light with a diffuse filter on it or a simple torch taped to your tripod. Your audience will notice this and your shots will look more professional and beautiful.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756505270551133401.post-2989444486925851242014-07-08T14:02:00.002-07:002014-07-11T11:48:10.444-07:00How to make video look like film<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you want to get the perfect film look, shoot your movie on film. Unfortunately, this isn't always an option for the budget filmmaker so the next best thing is making your video look like film. This is the method I normally use when I attempt a film look. Some might disagree with it but really it's all about what works best for you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Start by watching a movie and analysing it. It's always useful to take screenshots so you can compare it against your footage as you're grading it. I'm going to show you how to create a 16mm look because I've always loved the way 16mm footage looks. Here's a screenshot of the raw footage.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE_5Tty3dnp_s4cSJAFSjUolc8AXHG-V_M_cKSy9NiGBfFerFs2XdsGL53v_p6J8G7E6AlPmxVsXmldbDRlV0uyuEt3EGzAAq9Si4V6sYhwrdLnRGPbi7d18RdPo_j5v8z9YfcQXSNqFs/s1600/FilmLook1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE_5Tty3dnp_s4cSJAFSjUolc8AXHG-V_M_cKSy9NiGBfFerFs2XdsGL53v_p6J8G7E6AlPmxVsXmldbDRlV0uyuEt3EGzAAq9Si4V6sYhwrdLnRGPbi7d18RdPo_j5v8z9YfcQXSNqFs/s1600/FilmLook1.jpg" height="356" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is from my 2012 university movie "Malice". I shot this on a Canon DSLR with a 50mm lens during daylight. Picture profile was set to CineStyle so we have a flat sort of look which gives us more room for manipulation in the software. The footage is not very sharp. I can't remember if I properly focused during filming but this is okay because 16mm footage often has a soft look. Aperture was quite narrow (because of the daylight) so there's a greater depth of field. A more shallow depth of field would look more cinematic and help sell the effect better though. I also filmed at 25 frames per second and shutter was set to 1/50. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm using Premiere Pro because there's an interesting effect that I discovered years ago which if useful for creating a film look. In the Utility folder under Video Effects you'll find an effect called "Cineon Converter".</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqzxU6PARx30hmgbLwextkRTtAjgkfUJVyyeS5bnQq2kQB5_T-xGZIJFGxIzzuv9n2ScLu7RyMeLizoFw2VGHI4oHAPxbp8-HVGGTgXHeJuMnQihrgMhTQt-vpOdO2RRHIEuDl2Ru14I/s1600/FilmLook2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqzxU6PARx30hmgbLwextkRTtAjgkfUJVyyeS5bnQq2kQB5_T-xGZIJFGxIzzuv9n2ScLu7RyMeLizoFw2VGHI4oHAPxbp8-HVGGTgXHeJuMnQihrgMhTQt-vpOdO2RRHIEuDl2Ru14I/s1600/FilmLook2.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Straight away you can see that this has increased contrast and the shot now looks less flat. Go to "Window</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Reference Monitor" and compare the YC waveform before and after.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfRIt912rGkMKVdi60nwxXpQIAf98IInkX_DZe-rqhwyMOhbID9PP65Gpsoixdsns49DBHhEYREkSOic6I9J0EYoEG9a8o7D72R93WIyxD1CAmFghlCC4rmfHAnLPEsgs8vxpFbItjNSc/s1600/FilmLook3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfRIt912rGkMKVdi60nwxXpQIAf98IInkX_DZe-rqhwyMOhbID9PP65Gpsoixdsns49DBHhEYREkSOic6I9J0EYoEG9a8o7D72R93WIyxD1CAmFghlCC4rmfHAnLPEsgs8vxpFbItjNSc/s1600/FilmLook3.jpg" height="212" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">See the difference? The waveform monitor is a very useful tool so make sure you check it on a regular basis while grading your footage. You can also check RGB values which is useful for correcting wrong white balance (if you ever find yourself in that situation). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Using the values within the Cineon Converter effect, I increased the contrast until I got this. Notice "Conversion" is set to "Log to Linear", the default setting. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8BaeDlZYL6tuDf-c8Zj6Kg2KE5tACbYMbpcIFBj7eXOGRREi3aLRaLSii4fFq1kGXc_udT_b3oXbmKZE4XxjEskQUACYCeB4eTmybc-FIHK9aOpAl1ZT-Tp0pzak4FksGVuEtMlss_yc/s1600/FilmLook4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8BaeDlZYL6tuDf-c8Zj6Kg2KE5tACbYMbpcIFBj7eXOGRREi3aLRaLSii4fFq1kGXc_udT_b3oXbmKZE4XxjEskQUACYCeB4eTmybc-FIHK9aOpAl1ZT-Tp0pzak4FksGVuEtMlss_yc/s1600/FilmLook4.jpg" height="252" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The blacks in the footage are crushed and overall contrast has been increased. Most film look attempts I see have really high contrast with crushed blacks and blown highlights. This doesn't really make video look like film. From what I can see, film usually has a low contrast look so </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">blacks aren't actually black but a sort of grey instead. Don't worry, we're going to sort this out in the next few steps. You might have to tweak the Gamma and Highlight Rolloff values later to get the desired look since your footage might look different to mine. Try adjusting the other values as well and experiment until you get what you want. Remember, film has more dynamic range than video so you won't be able to get exactly the same contrast in the detail.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Add a channel</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">invert effect and select "Green". We're going to add an invert effect for each colour channel (Red, green and blue). Set the "Blend with original" to 85% but try playing around with the values to get what you want.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbWB1SO1NenUSo6JPtn6EXZ6XDRl0iK40td_JEqz2zQAWznTmjY7N3a7iE3sDIiH8xckOrD8c5tQ8kCIp61kCt5PQaMMEJvO3orDJyzxaIJIqG54BguqFe-Wc3xX6cXlG41NUMSFNCFJM/s1600/FilmLookChannels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbWB1SO1NenUSo6JPtn6EXZ6XDRl0iK40td_JEqz2zQAWznTmjY7N3a7iE3sDIiH8xckOrD8c5tQ8kCIp61kCt5PQaMMEJvO3orDJyzxaIJIqG54BguqFe-Wc3xX6cXlG41NUMSFNCFJM/s1600/FilmLookChannels.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-FJ7z-wIJRm7NxzomTT2FieoNLhL5NUc06nElYDTQRdaLBVSKbP8DxmXyCuy9bXIIvJ9i_s9mEy3qnGhQWxIQsjbk0_dhIdqYAfzbcRLFOM2nIUcYzleP2x0yRVjDE0I2dO_mk77auLo/s1600/FilmLook5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-FJ7z-wIJRm7NxzomTT2FieoNLhL5NUc06nElYDTQRdaLBVSKbP8DxmXyCuy9bXIIvJ9i_s9mEy3qnGhQWxIQsjbk0_dhIdqYAfzbcRLFOM2nIUcYzleP2x0yRVjDE0I2dO_mk77auLo/s1600/FilmLook5.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We now have this low contrast shot but it's a bit dark so add a "Brightness</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Contrast" effect. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Very subtle difference. I set Brightness to 10 and contrast to 25. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Furthermore, you might want to apply the "Color Balance HLS" effect and desaturate the colour a little bit. I also adjusted the hue to -0.5 to push the skin tones to red more.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwoty7KplvnSs0ngaUe-xXZvLiV4YKsoQkEw57aLgPJMSSqCLorXoXTB88iYfXcs_Ut9XpIjzauf3t0KRc_2T1JXKLhYjZR5EWBTuBKtifE4CW7V0EvkSlhaL3A_dtPual7pm6yaC4Kg/s1600/FilmLook6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwoty7KplvnSs0ngaUe-xXZvLiV4YKsoQkEw57aLgPJMSSqCLorXoXTB88iYfXcs_Ut9XpIjzauf3t0KRc_2T1JXKLhYjZR5EWBTuBKtifE4CW7V0EvkSlhaL3A_dtPual7pm6yaC4Kg/s1600/FilmLook6.jpg" height="358" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I then added film grain which I got for free off <a href="http://gorillagrain.com/features">GorillaGrain</a>. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I just put it on a video layer above my footage and set the blend mode to overlay. Use a Brightness</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Contrast filter to make the grain more or less intense. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhivdy1O-GdptM4yAW50y1cuaxkVBdvj_Dyn12F0G032TEQx5f9F0irp_aYDLc0Xy6xPyX8RwjYUa2vfk8O_iUgwC8dWDSYEvMDhIc32IjiRoh6s5OTnEIPI_xfYxYN5jvH5haPac-ePBc/s1600/FilmLook7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhivdy1O-GdptM4yAW50y1cuaxkVBdvj_Dyn12F0G032TEQx5f9F0irp_aYDLc0Xy6xPyX8RwjYUa2vfk8O_iUgwC8dWDSYEvMDhIc32IjiRoh6s5OTnEIPI_xfYxYN5jvH5haPac-ePBc/s1600/FilmLook7.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I posted a breakdown on YouTube.</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/NVhEQjzb4SA" width="640"></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, there we have it. Film has a very unique sort of motion to it though and I have yet to find a way to replicate that. There are hundreds of film look tutorials out there and I really think it's up to the individual to develop their own style. I just keep tweaking settings until I get the look I want and it's not always as simple as copying and pasting the effects to all clips on your timeline. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Feel free to comment with feedback or any suggestions/ideas you might have. </span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756505270551133401.post-70071565856195111822014-01-28T13:46:00.000-08:002014-01-28T13:46:05.305-08:00Is that a DSLR? You must be taking photos then??<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Typical scenario. I have my Canon 600 DSLR setup on a tripod and I'm filming an event. I <i>always </i>get some "expert" coming up to me to say something like "taking photos are you?" or "are you a photographer?" and I always end up explaining (in the nicest way possible) that I'm shooting video. Yes, I know DSLRs were designed primarily for the taking of still images but I just find it so annoying when people can't get their head round their use for video. I <i>do</i> have a dedicated video camera (Panasonic 151) but for certain situations I prefer to use my DSLR to get that particular look. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm in the process of turning my DSLR into a movie camera. I'm doing this for two reasons. Number one, to add a greater level of control so the DSLR becomes a better video camera and Number two, so people know I'm shooting video! They see the DSLR body by itself with a little prime lens and they assume you're a photographer. But, if they see a shoulder rig, big lens, matte box, follow focus, viewfinder, HDMI monitor and a microphone then they'll be more inclined to think you're shooting video. I recently purchased a shoulder rig kit for my DSLR and it came with a follow focus and matte box. The matte box is kind of cheap but it really transforms the look of your DSLR. Once my DSLR movie rig is complete, I'll post some photos to this blog. Ironically, I'll have to take them photos with my phone...</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756505270551133401.post-37526917732178523092013-10-27T16:54:00.004-07:002013-10-27T16:54:47.489-07:00DSLR movie making tips<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">More and more people are now using DSLR cameras to shoot their movies on. However, for the serious filmmaker you need to know how to get the best quality footage off your DSLR. That means ignoring automatic mode and getting used to all the manual controls for aperture, ISO etc. Most of the tips in this article are common knowledge but hopefully it'll be useful for some people. </span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Start by setting your DSLR (A Canon 600d in my case) to automatic mode. Simply press the menu button while in movie mode and it's the first option "Movie exposure". Set this to Manual and you're done. At the bottom of this menu, there's something called "Highlight tone priority". Disable this then go to the next page in the menu. Set the Movie rec. size to 1920x1080 and if you're camera is set to PAL you can choose to shoot in either 24fps or 25fps. Personally, I shoot all my footage at 25 frames per second.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next up is exposure. You can check for correct exposure by hitting the Av +/- button and a meter will pop up. Press the * button and a little tab will appear on the meter and you need to get this tab in the middle between the 1s for correct exposure. You can adjust exposure through the ISO, aperture and shutter controls. The dial on the top of the camera controls the shutter. Ideally, you should leave this set to 50 but in certain situations you might want a fast shutter so you can capture fast motion with more detail. Slow shutter = more motion blur. Fast shutter = less motion blur. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Holding down the Av +/- button while moving the dial will adjust the aperture. A wide aperture (such as 1.8) will give you very shallow depth of field which will make it harder to focus but you get a very cinematic blurred background so your subject stands out more. A tighter aperture will provide a greater depth of field meaning more of the scene will be in focus. A tight aperture will make it easier to focus but it will require more light in the scene. You need to decide what's important for a particular shot(depth of field, motion blur etc) so plan beforehand.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The last setting which controls exposure is ISO. Press the ISO button and make sure it's not set to AUTO. The ISO on a DSLR is similar to the gain on a video camera. With a high ISO you get more exposure but it also introduces more visual noise on your footage. You shouldn't rely on high ISOs as an alternative to lighting your scene properly. On the preview LCD screen, your footage might look okay but when you play it back at full resolution on your PC, you'll see a lot of noise and this doesn't look very professional.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's generally recommended to set the ISO to a multiple of 160. On the Canon 600 however the ISO options are 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400. Personally, I wouldn't go higher than 400 and 800 would be my absolute maximum. However, for outdoor night shots you might have to bump the ISO up to 1600 and beyond. If you're shooting indoors, always light your scene properly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Focus is something that you have to get used to when using a DSLR. On most DSLRs, autofocus is useless on video mode during recording. Set your lens to MF for manual focus. You can then twist the lens and focus on certain parts of the scene. There's also a focus check button on the back of the camera represented by a magnifying glass and + icon. You press this once to expand the frame by x5 and then again for x10. Pressing it for a third time will take you back to normal view. This is very useful as you can "zoom" in to part of the scene and get a nice sharp focus. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last of all, you may want to invest in some accessories to make your DSLR more practical for video work. Get a decent tripod with a quick release plate so you can quickly go from static to handheld. The Konig Kn-tripod is a decent affordable tripod which I recommend. For handheld camera work, look into buying a shoulder rig so you can get steady shots. Finally, the standard kit lens isn't that good so buy some prime lenses. The Canon 1.8 50mm lens is a good quality and affordable prime lens. Most beginners buy this lens before investing in more expensive lenses. If you're serious about film making, be prepared to spend hundreds of pounds (or dollars) on lenses. </span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756505270551133401.post-91305576012214752512013-04-27T13:14:00.004-07:002013-04-27T13:14:46.916-07:00Video shoot for Vodafone awards<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On Thursday I got a call asking me if I could film an event on Friday. This was perfect timing because I had everything I needed whereas 1 month ago I would have had to borrow a camera. So Friday came and I packed up my camera and tripod then drove to the hotel where the event was held. The journey took me through the Peak District and the scenery was amazing. My sat nav got me there no problem and my contact there then briefed me about what they wanted. The event started at 7:00PM I got a lot of footage of guests arriving and mingling. They then entered the hall and sat down at their tables so I filmed a lot of this as well. The theme was Mardi Gras complete with Samba Girls and a band. My goal was to get a lot of footage and I filled up half of a 32 gig card (About 100 minutes).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was using my recently purchased Panasonic HMC-151 video camera. I was a bit apprehensive about the quality of footage because cameras in this price range struggle with low light. You can't really judge how much visual noise there is in footage on the small LCD screen. I was filming at maximum quality (1080/50i) with 1/50 shutter speed and I decided to leave the Iris and Focus on auto. I didn't dare use gain because this would have introduced visual noise for certain. I just hit record and hoped for the best. They only wanted visuals so I didn't have to worry about sound at all. I kept bringing up the waveform monitor to check exposure and inevitably parts of the image <i>were </i>underexposed but most of the light was being directed to the stage which was the priority anyway. I had zebra stripes activated as well so I could check for overexposure. Certain parts were overexposed (such as light sources and white shirts) but overall I maintained correct exposure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I got home at about 1:30 in the morning and connected the camera up to my plasma TV to check through the footage. It was a lot better than I expected and I breathed a sigh of relief. Couldn't see any visual noise but this TV does have pretty good noise reduction. I then transferred the footage to my laptop and played it back on there. The footage still looked great and there was visual noise but only in dark underexposed areas. Overall, I was content with what I had shot and packed everything up so I could finally get some much needed sleep. I'm so glad I bought this camera now and that night was the first time I used it properly. It definitely passed the test and I'm sure I'll still be using it in a few years time. </span><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756505270551133401.post-25694572647873475532013-04-20T05:01:00.002-07:002013-04-20T05:02:22.158-07:00Panasonic AG-HMC151<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well I finally did it and got a proper video camera. The Panasonic AG-HMC151 is a full HD solid state video camera and I chose this one because I've used it throughout my time at university. The HMC151 is a few years old but the build quality and the image quality is great. The camera has three CCD sensors instead of a CMOS chip which is what my DSLR uses. The DSLR has a few problems that are not present in video cameras like this one. I realised that I needed a proper video camera to do certain projects. For a start, the weight and size of the video camera means it's easy to keep steady handheld. Handheld DSLR footage is atrocious sometimes and this problem forced me to use a tripod when making films. Also, the shallow depth of field capability found in the DSLR is good for cinematic shots but keeping a moving subject in focus is hard work.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The HMC151 pretty much stays in focus all of the time because of the greater depth of field and auto focus feature. Yeah, the Canon 600d </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">does </i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">have auto focus but it's useless for video. I still love my Canon 600d to pieces though and I'll continue to use it for making films because the image quality is fantastic. Thing is, the Canon DSLR's data rate is 42mbps but this Panasonic camera is only 24mbps. This is almost half but it doesn't bother me because the pros outweigh the cons in my opinion. With the Panasonic 151 you get 13x optical zoom, dual XLR input for audio, manual control (no navigating through menus), HDMI output, half a dozen HD formats, zebra pattern and waveform monitor (for checking exposure). I have the zebra pattern feature in my little Panasonic video camera and it's a feature that I found very useful. Unfortunately, my DSLR doesn't have this feature and I struggled for awhile with exposure. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've done a few tests with the camera already and overall the footage is good. Getting this camera once again reminded me of the importance of having well lit scenes and subjects. With dull afternoon light coming through a curtain, my footage looked flat and average but when I attached my LED light, the camera was able to capture a lot more detail. I'm definitely going to have to invest in some proper lights for future projects. University has taught me a lot but the most important lesson learnt is about lighting. A lot of amateur productions overlook this and suffer in quality as a result. Anyway I'm digressing now so back to the camera.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've tried mixing footage from this camera with footage from my DSLR (which is currently having a new LCD screen fitted). As I suspected, it's very hard to make a seamless transition between each shot because to the trained eye the differences are blatant. Footage from my DSLR is softer with certain parts of the shot out of focus (shallow depth of field etc) but footage from the Panasonic is sharp and not just the subject but the whole scene including the background. This is the most obvious difference but the colours and contrast (which can be adjusted in software anyway) are also different. Data rate (as previously mentioned) is also different with the Panasonic having half as many megabytes per second than the DSLR. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite these differences, I'm confident that I can use footage from both in the same projects. I'm tempted to label the Panasonic my <b>A </b>camera and the Canon DSLR my <b>B </b>camera but for different reasons those labels should be swapped. I would definitely favour the Pansonic for moving shots where there's a lot going on and I need the greater depth of field. Conversely, the Canon DSLR would be better for close ups where the shallow depth of field is needed to blur the background for cinematic effect. Chances are, I will end up doing whole projects with just the Panasonic in the same way that I have done whole projects with just the DSLR. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756505270551133401.post-91352524806982212602013-04-09T14:07:00.003-07:002013-04-09T14:07:59.478-07:00Film shoot with Canon EOS-1D C camera<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today I helped out on a film which was shot on Canon's top of the line DSLR, the<a href="http://www.parkcameras.com/23711/Canon-EOS-1D-C.html?referrer=Froogle&gclid=CNLG0PC3vrYCFQLHtAodYHQAfA"> EOS-1D C</a>. This is a serious camera and they were using thousands of pounds worth of equipment. The hire package featured several different prime lenses including 100mm, 50mm and 35mm. There was also a matte box, follow focus, shoulder rig, external monitor and viewfinder. It also came with 128gb compact flash cards and I've just googled them and they cost something ridiculous like £500+ each. </span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The hire package cost was about £700 for the week, quite a lot of money. And here's me using a £400 consumer DSLR with £80 lens. This doesn't bother me however because I stand by what I always say. You can still create a brilliant movie with inexpensive equipment. All you need is a great idea and determination. </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756505270551133401.post-10820483641539824422013-04-02T12:38:00.000-07:002013-04-02T12:38:06.322-07:00New Phone<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This post has nothing to do with film but it's sort of related. I realised 2 months ago that my humble Samsung d500 was outdated and I just could not keep up with the modern world. I needed a phone with more connection ability. So, I decided to upgrade and it was a very big jump. I had my Samsung d500 for 7 years and I noticed an advert for the Samsung Galaxy Ace smartphone in the newspaper. So, I got myself down to the phone shop and bought a Samsung Galaxy Ace on contract. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I like the phone, especially the touch screen and virtual keyboard. The best part is being able to connect to the internet easily. My previous phone <i>could </i>browse the internet but it was slower than dial-up and cost me a lot of credit. It's also very handy being able to connect to the internet wherever and whenever. The video camera is nothing special (not even HD) but I don't plan on using it much so that's alright. I have problems with the signal sometimes so really that's the only negative point I've got. Overall I'm happy with it (9/10). </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chances are, I'll still be using this phone in another 7 years.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756505270551133401.post-84392376008814642072013-04-02T12:02:00.000-07:002013-04-02T12:02:30.241-07:00How to make professional looking films?<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like many filmmakers, I started out by teaching myself and learning from my mistakes. I would often attempt to replicate what I saw in movies and this taught me a lot of what I know. I have a degree in Film Production Technology and since I started that course my filmmaking became more serious. I want to share some tips to help other aspiring filmmakers. Hopefully this will be useful and might benefit those who are starting out. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>SOUND</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I always pay very close attention to the audio in my films and I put an equal amount of effort into it as I do with visuals. Try turning the volume down next time you watch a film. Sure, the cinematography might be stunning but without sound you've only got half a film. You want to ensure your dialogue is crisp and can be heard clearly over the soundtrack and sound effects. By using an external microphone, you get more control over sound acquisition than your camera's built in microphone. However, not all cameras have microphone ports. I use a <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/search?aq=f&sugexp=chrome,mod=2&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=tments#hl=en&sclient=psy-ab&q=marantz+pmd660&oq=marantz+pmd660&aq=f&aqi=g4&aql=&gs_l=serp.3..0l4.1613.4567.0.4702.14.11.0.3.3.0.136.916.6j5.11.0...0.0.lQfHtKjfwL8&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=b83b5ae595993639&biw=1920&bih=979">Marantz pmd660</a> to record my sound and it works great. I need an extra crew member to operate it on set but it's worth it in the end. Next time you make a film, try spending more time on sound design and you'll be glad you did. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>COMPOSITION</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In film, photography, painting etc there's something known as the "rule of thirds". Just divide your scene into 9 equal blocks and position your actors on the vertical lines. This creates a visually pleasing shot and I was surprised at how effective this technique was. I don't know exactly what it is but it makes your film look a lot better. Every feature film I've seen does this. You don't have to do it for every single shot but it's good to have a few where your actor isn't dead centre. Check out the Wikipedia article <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds">here</a> to learn more about the rule of thirds. Also, try and use a variety of Close Up, Medium and Long Shots because sticking to one shot type is boring. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you don't have a tripod then buy one now. Every film maker needs a tripod because it will help you a lot. Handheld shots are good for certain scenes like if you're conveying a sense of disorientation but an audience doesn't want to sit through an hour of shaky footage that will make them sick. A tripod also lets you pan the camera smoothly and can make a scene seem more interesting. Have a balance of static, moving and handheld shots in your film and it'll look great. Buy a <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=tripods&x=0&y=0">tripod</a> from Amazon and don't worry about it fitting your camera because they're universal. If you're filming with a mobile phone then don't. Buy yourself a camera because you can't attach a phone to a tripod. (Just googled "mobile phone" tripods and they actually exist. I've seen it all now) </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>LIGHTING</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Light is very important because without it your movie will be a black screen. Outside during the day is perfect for filming because the sun is the best light source out there and it's free. However, if you're filming in your mom's basement you're gonna need some artificial lights. Most standard light bulbs won't do because they're not powerful enough.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> You can buy special light bulbs that are more intense but I prefer using LED light panels because they're cheap, bright, use very little power and can be mounted on tripods. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's something that your camera probably has which you should never use and that's artificial gain. If you increase gain, your image becomes brighter but it also adds a lot of visual noise. This may look okay on your camera's small LCD screen but when you play it back on your computer or TV you'll realise too late how crap the image looks. Your camera has an aperture that restricts how much light enters it. Obviously, when there's too much light (like outside in daylight) you'll want to reduce the amount of light that enters the camera. If you're indoors, set the aperture to as wide as possible and increase the light in the room without touching that gain button. Make sure your shutter is set to at least 1/50 because if you decrease it further then you're going to be getting a lot more motion blur. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>FILMING</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many cameras these days have 25p (or 24p if you're in the USA) which offers "cinema" like video. If your camera has this option then use it if you want that film look. Also, shoot in high definition because your footage will obviously look better. Many filmmakers are using DSLRs to make movies these days because they're cheap, have large sensors and can accept a wide variety of different lenses. I use a Canon 600 DSLR which is a consumer camera but it's great because of its ability to use all those Canon lenses on the market. The lenses are expensive but they will greatly improve the quality of your footage. </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">PLANNING</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before you even start filming your production you must complete the pre-production stage. Plan every aspect of your film beforehand so you know exactly what you want. Obviously you'll have to write a script or at least some sort of guide (if you want your actors to improvise) but it's also worth making a storyboard. If you can't draw that well then just do it on a computer. There's plenty of storyboard software on the web which will make storyboarding fast and easy. Last of all, compile a shot list and shooting schedule for effective time management. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>EDITING</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After you get your footage it's time to put it all together. I'm not going to say one editing application is better than another but you're going to need something a bit more advanced than Windows Movie Maker. Movie Maker is good if you're starting out but it's limited in what it can achieve. I personally use Adobe Premiere Pro and that provides everything I need for editing. When I film on my DSLR, I tone down all the settings so I get as flat an image as possible. This allows more scope for colour grading in post production so I can shift contrast and adjust whites and blacks more. Pay close attention to the pace of you film as well. Think about the sort of mood you're trying to convey. Action sequences should be fast with a lot of cuts while a slow pace with very few cuts will build up suspense. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>KEEP AT IT</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's probably the best advice I can give. Everyone has to start somewhere but if you're dedicated enough then eventually your films will look better. I look back at my old stuff and it makes me laugh and cringe but it all helped me get to where I am today. I'm still learning everyday though and my stuff is still far from perfect.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756505270551133401.post-86631500396711738302013-04-01T07:08:00.000-07:002013-04-01T07:08:17.585-07:00I want to shoot on film<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I want to shoot on film because the film look has always appealed to me. There are three main formats to choose from. 8mm is the smallest and the cheapest and was targeted at consumers for home movies before video cameras became affordable. The quality of 8mm is not great because of its small size but using it will make you appreciate film. Once you expose that reel of film there's no going back and you must then pay to get it processed before you can view your footage. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Did you know: </b>It's called "footage" because they used "feet" to measure the length of a film reel.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next up there's 16mm film which is a favourite for low budget productions because it's cheaper than the professional 35mm format but better quality than 8mm. The BBC used to film a lot of outdoor scenes for their programs using 16mm film because decades ago the film cameras were more portable than studio video cameras. Take <i>Only Fools and Horses </i>for example. Interior shots such as the flat and pub were filmed in a studio set so they were filmed with video cameras. Exterior shots however were filmed using the 16mm film format and t</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">here's an obvious difference between the interior and exterior shots because of this. Believe it or not, a lot of modern TV dramas in the UK are actually shot on 16mm film. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can see what's shot on what on imdb by clicking on the "see full technical specs" option. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last of all we have 35mm film which is the industry standard and the format that most films are shot on. It's expensive to buy, process and scan to a digital format and the equipment required to use it is also very expensive. This makes it unsuitable for amateur filmmakers but the quality is fantastic which is why it's still used to this day. A lot of US TV shows are shot on 35mm film which is why American shows generally look better. I just hope that they continue to use 35mm because I would love to work with it someday if I ever get into the film industry. I</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">f I had more money then I would probably buy a 16mm camera and experiment with real film. Eventually (if I get even more money) I'll make a full movie shot entirely in 16mm. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756505270551133401.post-50945617699767198422013-04-01T04:49:00.002-07:002013-04-01T04:49:32.204-07:00My journey into filmmaking<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I started making films in 2003 when we got our first digital video camera, a JVC mini-dv one. I still can't believe that was 10 years ago. I spent the summer making random videos with my brother and I had no editing capability. Being able to tell a visual story appealed to me and I wanted to learn more about filmmaking. In 2005 I finally got hold of a firewire cable and this allowed me to transfer footage to my PC so I could edit it for the first time. This opened up a whole new dimension for me and the quality of my films would increase from that point. Initially, I used <i>Windows Movie Maker </i>but then I moved onto<i> Pinnacle Studio </i>which had a lot more features. During the summer of 2005 I made a weird horror movie that I forgot all about until I found it on my old computer recently. This was probably the first time I used fake blood extensively and it looked like crap. Too pink and obviously fake. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My special effects improved the following year when I found a tutorial on the internet demonstrating the compressed air blood squib effect. Eventually, I was able to create this special effect myself but it took many years for me to perfect it. I still had a lot to learn but the internet was there and much of what I know is down to stuff I have found on the web. In 2007 I delved into visual effects and this allowed me to experiment with adding muzzle flashes to gunshots. A year later, I started to experiment with green screen effects which I created using a Subbuteo</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> mat. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That same year, I discovered </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Grindhouse</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. This inspired me to make my films look old and damaged like the exploitation films from the 70s and 80s. I actually made my own fake trailer back then titled </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>MacHaggis </i>which was about a stereotypical Scottish guy defending his village from the British army. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I got a High Definition Panasonic video camera for Christmas and I used it a lot throughout 2009. This was also my last year at sixth form and I had to start planning for the the future. My school organised a lot of visits to different universities and one particular university made me finally realise what I wanted to do. Staffordshire University had a <i>Film Production Technology </i>course and their facilities and equipment impressed me a lot so I decided that I wanted to do film after I left school. In my last year of sixth form, I was a senior member of the school's newly established TV channel and I coordinated the production team as we reported on events. This developed important skills in teamwork and communication that would no doubt benefit me when I started projects at university. After my A-levels, I had the whole summer to make more films. I also filmed a band at a local venue and produced a DVD for them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In August, I went to the school for the last time to collect my A-level results and I was disappointed because I didn't get the required grades. For half an hour I thought that I had missed out on my chance to study film at university but at home I checked online and to my relief the university had offered me a place on their film foundation course. This would last for 2 years but would then allow me to top-up with the degree course. I was so relieved because it meant that I would be going to the same university and eventually I would get to do the degree.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So the summer ended and I started university. Everybody was a stranger but I made new friends straight away because for the first time I was around people who had the same passion as me. In my first year I studied many different modules including film, scriptwriting, digital image production, 3D modelling, website design and history of film. My first year at university was probably the happiest I've even been in my life. The work became more intense in my second year but I still enjoyed it because it was something I loved doing. By summer 2011 I had done my big project for the foundation course and got a very high mark (a distinction). This allowed me to move onto the degree course and I graduated with a HND that same year. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In my third year (technically my second according to the university level) the modules became harder but I managed. I passed all my modules but I was close to failing a few of them. In my final year, I only had to do the Final Year Project dissertation but I only had 3 months to do it in. I worked very hard and I no longer had the support of working in a team. I managed though and got all my work in before the deadline. I also started my own film production company. So what does the future hold?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I want to get more experience working in a film environment. I've already worked on a few video projects for my local football club and I've approached various organisations offering my film and video services. I'll also continue to make my own films and maybe one day I'll get a top job in the film industry. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756505270551133401.post-39165918096275118802013-03-30T10:30:00.000-07:002013-03-30T10:30:13.614-07:00DSLR problem and insurance<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I haven't used my DSLR (Canon 600D) for a few months. In fact, the last time I used it was for my Final Year Project in November 2012. One day I picked it up and I found the switch was in the on position and it must have been like that for a week or so. This didn't worry me because I knew the camera turned itself off after a few minutes anyway. So I flicked it off and then on and to my horror the LCD screen was all messed up. What should have been black in the menu was actually a pale green colour (like a calculator display sort of green). I hoped that this was just a rogue menu setting but when I recorded some video the dark parts of the image were that weird green colour. I had to establish whether it was a sensor problem or just the LCD so I played it back on my computer and thankfully the footage had come out okay. I then connected it up to a TV and used the TV as a monitor and all the colours were fine. So, it looked like I had a broken LCD screen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I doubt it being left on caused the problem but who knows. DSLR users, be warned. I enquired about repairs at several different camera shops and I was quoted around £120-130. Can't really afford that right now so I've decided to keep my DSLR on the shelf. I <i>could </i>buy an external monitor with a hot shoe mount but this would just add more weight to the camera. I actually wanted to get an external monitor anyway. It's on my list of things to get for my DSLR:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1. Tripod (My current one is too light and doesn't have fluid movement)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2. Monitor (A larger screen would make focusing a lot easier)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3. Matte Box (I actually want it for cosmetic reasons so my DSLR can look more like a movie camera)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>4. Wide angle prime lens (I love the image quality of my 50mm 1.8 but it's just not wide enough and it can be really restrictive)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>5. NTG-2 Microphone (My university have these and the quality of audio is superb)</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wouldn't mind some sort of stabiliser device either and I feel with all this equipment I could use my DSLR for more opportunities. And with all that said I have to consider insurance as well. It suddenly occurred to me only recently that my film equipment could be stolen or accidentally broken. I phoned up one insurance company but they said my equipment would have to be less than a year old for it to be covered? Insurance <i>is </i>gambling because I could just take a chance and hope that nothing bad happens to my equipment. Obviously I have no legal obligation to insure my film equipment but it would ensure that I don't lose money should the worst happen. </span><br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756505270551133401.post-79386103805684489582013-03-30T10:05:00.000-07:002013-03-30T10:05:36.732-07:00Using the JVC ProHD GY-HM700<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I recently had the opportunity to use a professional video camera to shoot some footage for Stoke City football club as part of their 150th anniversary. The camera seemed quite complicated but it didn't take me long to get used to it. It can be mounted on the shoulder and this is something which I think is very important for a video camera. I use my DSLR mostly and handheld shots can be very shaky which forces me to use a tripod and this of course restricts movement. Unfortunately, I won't be able to afford a professional video camera any time soon so I'm going to have to continue borrowing for now. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756505270551133401.post-63958834510974185142013-03-29T13:11:00.002-07:002013-03-29T13:11:45.472-07:00Got my degree<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I got the results for my degree in the post today and I ended up getting a 2.2. I was aiming for a 2.1 but <i>c'est la vie. </i>For those who don't know about the university grading system it goes like this... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1. FIRST: </b>Top grade, the best you can get at uni.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2. SECOND CLASS 1st division (2.1): </b>Second best, like getting a B in school.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3. SECOND CLASS 2nd divison (2.2): </b>Average, not the best but it's still a pass</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>4. THIRD: </b>It's still a pass but only just.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>5. FAIL: </b>No degree.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I've got a BSc Hons in Film Production Technology degree now. Letters after my name. I might do a Masters in a year or so and maybe a PhD eventually. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0