I was never a big fan of monopods. But if you need one that works for both motion and still photography, the Manfrotto 682b Monopod system may just be the ticket. [click to continue…]
Controlling household or “practical” lighting within a scene is something we deal with all the time in the film industry.
To really set a scene appropriately, a cinematographer needs to be able to use light like a paintbrush. That’s why you need dimmer switches, which are the subject of this week’s Quick Take. [click to continue…]
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As the DSLR market continues to grow, so does the number of audio kits. There are now plenty to choose from, but Que Audio’s DSLR Video Kit is probably one of the most compact ones we’ve ever seen.
This short video shows you what it includes, and we’ve included a full list after the jump. [click to continue…]
Every year, the National Association of Broadcasters holds the NAB Show, one of the year’s most important events for people in the film industry.
Even though film makers technically don’t qualify as broadcasters, this is the event where many manufacturers debut the newest technology and support equipment. And now that video-enabled still cameras have penetrated the market, this year really featured something for everybody.
NAB Shows offer a mix of notable personalities and very intriguing pieces of kit, and NAB 2011 was no exception. Here’s a quick run-down of the things I saw last week. [click to continue…]
Audio is a very important aspect of any video. Even if your primary focus is on the visual side, bad sound will turn any audience off, so it is essential to get the best possible audio while you are shooting.
But on-camera microphones are some of the worst out there. [click to continue…]
Sandy Puc and Mike Long BTS Before Upcoming Tour
Trying to shoot video and stills at the same time is enough to make anyone’s head explode. I have a few recommendations for how you can keep it together while doing both. [click to continue…]
Chase Jarvis was chilling at the Polaroid lounge at CES when I got the opportunity to hit him up with a few questions. He recently teamed up with the establish brand alongside Lady Gaga to be part of their creative team. Chase has propelled himself to photographer super stardom. I really admire the way he has put together an amazing team and built himself into a brand name. I truly believe that this is the new way for creative professionals to present themselves to potential clients. Letting your work speak for itself, is simply not enough. In today’s super competitive world we must do something to set ourselves apart from the pack. Chase Jarvis and company have done this perfectly. They have managed to retain a personal feel to everything they do, which is a key element in today’s impersonal world, a philosophy that has resonated soundly for me personally.
I’ve never been afraid to show both the good and bad work that I have done. In a way, it shows growth. I would attribute my own personal success to this. In today’s world, it’s important to connect with potential clients. Putting myself on camera is my way of doing it. I will admit that it is not nearly as much fun as being behind the camera but I felt that it was worth the risk in order to get the information out to my viewers. It eventually snowballed into a mass number of informational videos. We are shooting an average of twenty videos a month and while most of them are crap, every once in a while we hit the sweet spot. I am not suggesting that this is the only path to success. However, the market is still rapidly moving into a hybrid of Motion and Stills. This process has given us the opportunity to shoot almost every day of the week. In the course of doing it, we have learned much about the craft and about ourselves, something that cannot be learned by sitting at a desk. So, heed Chase’s words and get off your ass and away from your computer and go “Shoot More Pictures!”
Example of the False Color Feature and IRE Scale. Photo courtesy of Marshall Electronics.
There are many ways to manipulate DSLR cameras for video work. Here are a few tips I have picked up along the way that I would recommend to anyone shooting video with a HDSLR.
1. For all Professional Canon HDSLR’s, we have discovered what we call “Native” ISO’s. They are 160, 320, 640, 1250 and 2500. We have found that the other ISO’s are either a pull down or push up from the native ISO’s. This will improve the quality of the video dramatically.
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