Sydney Makeup by Paula

Sydney Makeup by Paula

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Technical Sales Copy - Home

Technical Sales Copy - Home


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No Rig? No Problem. Handheld Footage with the Blackmagic Cinema Camera

We’ve discussed the ergonomics of the Blackmagic Cinema Camera on numerous occasions, and there are plenty of people who refuse to believe the camera in its current form is capable of any sort of decent handheld without a serious rig. I’m of the persuasion that pretty much any camera has a specific way that it can be held to maximize stability and get great footage without a rig, though there are certain shooting instances where a rig will make your life easier. But what if you can’t afford one, or you need to shoot in a very confined space or without calling attention to yourself — is the Cinema Camera up to the task? John Brawley thinks so, and he shot quite a bit of handheld behind-the-scenes footage on a recent TV show he DP’ed called Puberty Blues. Click through for his thoughts and some of the footage.

This is some of what John said about the footage:

Several shots in this are actual shots as used in the series. Mostly shot with the 15-85 EF-S canon EF and the Leica 35mm F2 and 50mm R mount lenses. The shot’s of the girl on the bed, Ashleigh Cummings, and the couple nearly kissing are both directly taken from scenes where I shot with the camera on set. There is still the occasional pink highlight which is now addressed with V1.1 firmware. This was all shot ProRes Film and had a simple single node grade done in Resolve. This is a good example of what to expect when shooting handheld with a BMCC. The camera had no rig at all and I was just handholding a straight body. I spent a single day shooting this and a day editing it together.

I try to avoid rigs in my own shooting if I can help it when I’m trying to go light and simple, and at NAB this year I was using a 7D without a rig at all, even though I shot a decent amount of footage over the course of the show. It certainly depends on what the situation is, too, because if you need a follow focus, there’s not much you can do about avoiding a rig. Can you see a little bit of rolling shutter in the footage above? Yes, absolutely, but I think if you’re smart about the way you’re shooting, and you have as many points of contact to the camera as possible, you will end up with much smoother footage. It’s also interesting that this was an early pre-production version of the camera, and it did not yet have image stabilization, which would have made these clips even better.

On another note, there is a reason I chose the still image above, and that’s because it shows how beautifully this camera renders skin tones. I feel like I’ve said this a thousand times now, but there isn’t a camera in this price range that has such naturalistic color rendition right out of the camera with minimal tweaking. There are always tradeoffs when it comes to a lower price, however, and the camera does have a bit of rolling shutter and moire — but as John has shown, if you’re careful about what you’re doing, you can avoid both of them.

What do you guys think? For those of you getting the BMCC, are you planning on getting a rig, or will you attempt to handhold without one?

Link: Handheld with a BMCC – Behind the scenes with Puberty Blues — John Brawley

Blackmagic Cinema Camera Gets Its First Real Low-Light Test. Watch Footage from 'Afterglow'First Blackmagic Cinema Camera Footage Since NAB, Camera Won't Have Optical Low-Pass FilterA Mini Alexa for $3,000? New Blackmagic Cinema Camera Clip Proves Comparison Isn't That Far-Fetched

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Breaking Screenwriting Rules with 'The Princess Bride': Unfilmables

Screenwriting is a topic broached fairly regularly, and often authorities on the subject talk about the rules that govern scripts. An aspect of screenwriting discussed less often that seems to govern all other rules, however, is the Secret Rule, which is: “Feel free to break any of the aforementioned Rules if necessary.” Scott Myers at Go Into the Story recently posted about doing just that with screenwriting, and why The Princess Bride should never have worked as a film.

Interestingly enough, the whole script is full of things that seem to violate the heck out of that universal Screenwriting 101 stipulation — that anything and everything in the script must be filmable. The post contains several excerpts from the script, which was written by Oscar-winner William Goldman. Here is a good example:

And what we are starting now is one of the two
greatest swordfights in modern movies (the other one
happens later on) and right from the beginning it
looks different.

Aren’t there consequences to this type of abstract description? Comments under the post propose that it allows each reader to see the writer’s vision of the film in his or her head — and indeed, sometimes it can create a mental image even richer than concrete, tangible language. This is a technique common to novels, but isn’t the Golden Rule of screenwriting in place for serious reasons? The answer, of course, is yes — in cinema, not everything is up to the writer by any means — and each person crafting the look and feel of the film is responsible for their own respective layer of the final image. The flip side is that many of these artists are chosen because of their individual style.

For instance, many directors will seek out certain cinematographers because of the trademark look that they bring to the moving pictures. Vittorio Storaro and Chris Doyle are two classic examples — and both are considered to be among the greatest DPs of all time. They are renowned for their uncompromisingly unique styles and working habits, and both have been in high demand by directors. (And both are famous — or maybe infamous — for the time it takes them to set up a shot. If you want that amazing, special look, Mr. Director, you’d better be ready to wait for it.)

There is no question it’s helpful to have scripts that are interpretable by the various creative people working on a film, but if directors, cinematographers, production designers, art directors, and all of the other artists are sought for the individualistic voice with which they carry out their work, why should a screenwriter and his/her unique style be any different?

I know that questions sounds rhetorical, but I’d love to know what everybody thinks about this!

Link: Go Into The Story – Why The Princess Bride Should Not Work As a Movie: Part 3

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Seafood Fights Back in Epic Short 'Monster Roll', Plus VFX and Behind the Scenes Videos

It’s becoming increasingly more practical for indie filmmakers to bring the impossible into the realm of possibility, even in terms of visual effects. This has allowed low-budget productions with small or skeleton crews to make high-concept films with great production value (see Monsters). A recent short called Monster Roll fits into this categorization, but puts a bit of a twist on the formula. It has the effects, it has the style, it has that fantastical element — except it’s about sushi chefs battling gigantic sea-monsters, and the creators made Monster Roll with the hope of demonstrating its potential for a feature. Click through to check out the movie (if it doesn’t put a smile of pure joy on your face, I don’t know what will).

Here’s what director Dan Blank had to say on the film’s about page:

We’re really excited to finally release MONSTER ROLL online.  This short was created as a proof-of-concept for a feature about sushi chefs fighting sea monsters.  It’s a crazy idea, but one we just really wanted to see made.  So, we made it.

We sorely miss the tone of those big, fun fantasy movies we grew up with–movies like Ghostbusters, Gremlins, and Big Trouble in Little China.  We also want to continue the tradition of more recent movies like The Host and District 9 where strong story, characters, and humor take priority over expensive VFX sequences.

If you like MONSTER ROLL and want to help it get to the next stage, please share the film with friends.  Just by spreading the word, you can help prove that we’re not totally crazy in thinking this is a movie a bunch of us want to see.

I can certainly appreciate those sentiments, and I too miss the sense of both hilarity and wonder of films like those Mr. Blank mentioned. One of the things I think cinema is really about at heart is that sense of wonder, and nowadays, visual effects are a primary force in the portrayal of amazing worlds – and one that more and more of us can use to our advantage. Dan has posted several videos on Vimeo detailing how they achieved the final product. Here’s a great side-by-side demonstration of where and how VFX come into play in Monster Roll:

Monster Roll’s story-reel is also posted on Vimeo. It’s interesting to see because some of the film is straight out of the animated storyboards, while other shots were apparently added later in the development process (likely to add to the kinetic flow of the final cut). The interesting differences and overall close-resemblance remind me of the Looper sizzle reel we recently posted about. Check out the story-reel below:

Finally, Dan Blank has also posted an early video-matic created by some of the film’s team. Used in pre-production for preliminary blocking, ironing out the action, and anticipating VFX shots, this humorous but helpful video also bears plenty of similarities to the final film. Dan notes that once a shooting location for the scene was obtained, he replaced this pre-vis of the scene with an all-CG one which represented the restaurant more closely.

Consider me sold. I’d say modern cinema could use more films like this — plenty of giant monsters and effects to keep everyone interested (and that is a consideration these days), but with a real heart and joy to it as well. I’m not saying there aren’t films with these qualities being made at all today, but I would like to see Monster Roll in a real theater as soon as possible — preferably among a packed, cheering crowd.

Would anyone be as excited as I would be to see this made into a feature-length film, along with a full theatrical release?

Link: Monster Roll — Website

Behind the Scenes on 'Canis Belli,' an EPIC Short Film (Part 3)Behind the Scenes on an EPIC Short Film, 'Canis Belli'Behind the Scenes on 'Canis Belli,' an EPIC Short Film (Part 2)

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Magic Lantern Alpha 2 for Canon 5D Mark III Adds Clean HDMI, Gradual Exposure, and HDR

The first alpha for Magic Lantern on the Canon 5D Mark III added quite a few of the basic functions that were released in the major 2.3 release. The second alpha has just been released, and it brings some interesting features, including clean HDMI, a High Dynamic Range (HDR) mode in video, and gradual exposure, which allows the camera to slowly ramp up to the selected exposure settings, rather than abruptly changing them. Check below for the rest of the details.

Here is an example of HDR on the Mark III from Luke Neumann:

Some of the new additions in this Alpha 2 firmware:

Gradual Exposure

In movie mode, just change your exposure settings (ISO, shutter or aperture) and Magic Lantern will perform a smooth transitionCan be useful, for example, when filming from indoors to outdoorsThis feature is new, and so far the 5D Mark III is the only camera that handles it almost perfectly

Focus assist tools

Magic Zoom (zoom box or full-screen – 2.6x while recording)Experimental focus peaking modes (alpha blending, raw display)

Display tweaks:

Brightness, contrast, saturation (useful if you record with flat picture styles or you use the camera in bright sunlight)Display gain (LiveView usable in very dark environments)Anamorphic lens correction (preview only, in LiveView)Fisheye correction for Samyang 8mm, using rectilinear or Panini projection (LiveView and Playback)Clean HDMI out with pillar boxes (just erases the overlays)Screen layouts, especially for HDMI (16:10, 16:9 etc)Customize menu colors (e.g. dark themes – easy on your eyes during night shooting)UniWB correction (attempt to remove the green color cast from the screen when you use UniWB)Upside-down display (for inverted tripods)

These new additions make this a far more fully-featured camera than Canon ever intended. The HDR mode is particularly impressive, and even though it may not work correctly in all shooting situations, it can make a huge difference in a pinch when you don’t have complete control of your environment. Autoboot, HDR photos, timelapse, and long exposures are still disabled, but we should be getting them soon enough as the firmware becomes more stable and more of the kinks get worked out.

The clean HDMI is now available for all Canon cameras that use Magic Lantern (except for the 7D, but it’s coming), but with the Mark III, the HDMI preview does not completely fill the screen, so you’ll have to enlarge in post to fill a full 1080. One of the other big features, anamorphic lens correction, gives you a proper picture to judge the frame when you’re using anamorphic lenses. While this doesn’t affect the actual recording area, it is still useful if you don’t have an external monitor capable of correcting.

You can try out this new firmware and also read about the other intracacies of the release using the link below.

Link: Second alpha for 5D Mark III — Magic Lantern

Magic Lantern Alpha for the Canon 5D Mark III is Now AvailableMagic Lantern for the Canon 5D Mark III Coming This WeekMagic Lantern Unified: Clean, Uncompressed HDMI May be Coming to Most Canon DSLRs

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A Complete Guide to Turning Your Garage into a Video Studio for Under $500

This is a guest post by Cinematographer Ryan E. Walters.

I’ll be the first to admit nothing replaces a professionally built sound stage or studio. I’ve had the opportunity to shoot on a wide variety of stages and I appreciate what they bring to a production. However, I have also needed a space where I could shoot some of my stock footage, as well as record my training videos. And I need that space to be affordable and accessible to me at any time. So I converted my garage into a mini “studio.” To learn how I got this done for under $500, continue reading …

Before you begin any project, I highly recommend clearly defining the objectives you want to accomplish. A set of clear goals will help you plan so that you can meet all of your objectives when the project is done. And more importantly, it will help you to figure out if the project is even attainable before you start spending money. My objectives were:

A space that is always available to meHave complete control over the lightAble to store equipmentHave multiple circuits, and be able to run up to 80 amps worth of lightMaintain the use of the garage door (not block it off)Be able to hang lights from a gridBe able leave some lights set up and ready to go for my training videosKeep costs to a minimum, but spend money where it is neededAudio is a secondary issue, as MOS* stock footage shot will be the primary use of the space

(*MOS = Without sound)

Having completed this project, I can say that I have met all of my goals and then some. :) I even stumbled across some handy tools that I have repurposed for daily use on some of my productions, which I’ve listed at the end of this article.

I spent less than $150 total on all of the following items. Your cost will depend on how you configure your mobile breaker box.

Other tools you will need:

Stud FinderMeasuring TapeScrewdriverWrenchHack SawPaint Brushes & Rollers

This first step to the conversion is the easiest- paint the garage black. I went with a flat black paint as it will help me control the light. The white paint that was originally there would have reflected any stray light adding to the overall ambience, which is not always desirable. Unlike the setup for my Grading Suite where the quality of the paint matters, here, the purpose of this paint is to absorb light. So it is not crucial to get technically perfect black paint. Get something that works and fits your budget. Paint every wall, and let it dry before continuing. If you want to go above and beyond, you can also paint the floor black. You’ll want to use specialized paint for that purpose and you should consult the experts at your hardware store for what will work for your application. (I opted to not paint my floor).

My garage measures 19 feet wide by 18 feet long, so as I drew my plans for where I would hang the grid from, I decided on a distance of about 3 feet. Or, to be more precise, 32 inches, as the building code specifies a separation of 16? between studs, so I went with every other stud in the ceiling. This meant I would have a grid with 6 rows. To hang the 1? rod, I used 6 hangers per row and spaced them evenly across the row. Using my stud finder, measuring tape, and screwdriver, I attached the hangers to the ceiling. (The spacing in-between hangers on my setup was 36 inches).

Pipe Hanger

Pipes Hanging From the Ceiling

Theses hangers worked great, as they allowed me to hang the grid as close as possible to the ceiling, keeping it out of the way of the garage door, while at the same time allowing enough room to use an end jaw Cardellini to rig lights from.

Out of the way of the garage door

Cardellini’s hanging from the pipe

Then, using a hack saw, I cut 12 inches off of 6 of the pipes. Once everything was cut, I began to insert the pipe into the hangers. As you do this, it is best to take out the screws from all of the hangers and push the pipe into the hanger. After it has been inserted into the hanger, you can bend it back around the pipe and it should hold without the screw. Do not insert & tighten the screws until the very end. If the pipe is falling out, you can insert a screw into the hangers, but leave them loose. After you have inserted one length of pipe into all of the hangers, then attach the pipe connector. You’ll want to tighten the connector to the hanging pipe, and then unscrew the open end of the connector. Next, you’ll take the second section of pipe and insert it into the connector and continue to insert the pipe into the remaining hangers. Once this section of pipe is hung, go back and tighten the connector and then tighten the screws to the hangers. By leaving the screws to the last step, you will give yourself the ability to move and adjust the pipe as needed. If you tighten everything as you go, you’ll inevitably get the pipe stuck, and have to loosen everything anyway. (Trust me, I know from experience … :) ).

Pipe Connector

Now that the grid is hung, it is time to add the lights. One of my goals was to have a lighting setup ready to go for the tutorial videos I produce, while at the same time allowing for the garage door to open. Ideally, I wanted to use film lights, but when I rigged them up, they prevented the garage door from opening. So I headed over to Ikea and found a small halogen lamp that would work perfectly for this one setup. Their small profile, goose neck design of the lamp, along with the snoot, meant that it would work well as a background light and as a hair/rim light. Since it had a halogen bulb in it, I could also put it on a dimmer to control its intensity. (Even though the color temperature will change as it dims, I’ve found that often times a warm hair light has a nice effect on the talent, and provides for nice color separation in the image).

Lights with garage door down

Lights with garage door up

The second set of lights I wanted to install was a set of work lights above my camera cart. As these are lights that allow me to see what I’m working on, I was not concerned with installing real overhead lights. Instead, I opted for two clip lights positioned overhead and attached to the grid. I also plugged them into one of the existing overhead light outlets. That way, the lights will turn on and off with the light switch. I chose daylight balanced CFL’s in all of the overheads, as they provide the most light output for the wattage, and they also wouldn’t burn out the Edison adapter I was using in the light socket. And this completed the building of my lighting grid.

Camera cart with overhead clip lights

Clip light attached to the grid

With the grid complete, all I was missing was the required power and proper power distribution system. This is the part of the build that can get dangerous very quickly. And since I value my life, and it is worth more to me than the savings of a couple of bucks, I opted to hire an electrician friend of mine to help me with that part of the build. And I STRONGLY recommend that you do the same. When I met with him, I explained what I wanted to do: have a mobile breaker box that supplied 60 amps of power routed into two legs. And I wanted the other end to be a traditional dryer plug. The reason I went with these specs is that most dryer outlets have a breaker of 60 amps, and I wanted to be able to use this box with me in my studio, as well as take the box with me on location. By having it be a standard dryer plug, I can tap into someone’s dryer outlet and instantly have 4 more circuits, and 60 more amps to work from. (See- thinking & planning ahead can pay off … ;) )

After a quick trip to the hardware store, and in under an hour, he had installed an additional 60 amp circuit in my garage and built a mobile breaker box. I really appreciated his help on this, as it went smoothly, quickly, and it all works perfectly. I’m not sure I could have said the same if I tried to do it on my own… It also helped that the main circuit breaker was already located in the garage. :)

My mobile breaker box

Close up of the box

Plastic dolly used for easy positioning

Below is what the completed garage looks like from all four corners. To store my gear and other household items, I’m using wire shelving. As you look at this setup, you may be wondering about how I deal with sound issues? Well, as I stated from the outset, sound was not a major consideration in my design, as I don’t need the control of a sound stage. However, I have been recording my tutorials in this space. And when I need to control sound, I’ll hang furny blankets from the grid and they do a great job at helping cut down on any sound issues I may have. If you want to hear what kind of results I get, listen to the audio in this video). If this isn’t acceptable for your needs, then you’ll want to invest in some professional sound dampening materials and apply them to the walls. (I also recommend consulting with a sound expert to help you if you go this route).

I now have 80 amps of power- 20 amps from the circuit that was already there, and an additional 60 amps from my box. This should provide me with all the power I need for just about any setup I’ll have in this space. (And as LED lighting gets better, I’m sure 80 amps will be more than overkill …)

SIDE NOTE: I also installed an Apple TV along with a small stereo system so that I can stream music, podcasts, and any other content I want from my media library. The addition of this little setup has been nice for adding ambience during a shoot, or giving me something to listen to when I’m working in the garage.

So far I have been very happy with the results from this setup. I have thought about installing an additional breaker box in the ceiling so that I can plug lights directly into that instead of having to run them down to my mobile box. (This would just be for convenience). And I’m also working on building flats that I can use in my stock footage shoots. I’ll be sharing more about that in a future post…

Throughout this process, I have stumbled upon some tools that I have repurposed for film work and you may find them helpful for your own productions. I found all of these tools at my local Harbor Freight store. My experience with Harbor Freight has been very mixed. If you need a speciality tool to only work once, and you want to save money, then this is a great place to get it. If you need it to last, then look elsewhere. However, I have found the following gems…

1,500w Dimmer
Originally designed for use with a router, this can also be used as a dimmer. And at 1,500 watts, it covers most lights that I use on small productions. This item goes on sale periodically for around $10-$12, and when it does, I’ll usually pick up one or two. They’ve lasted me about 3-5 years depending on how roughly they are treated.

1,500w “Dimmer”

Spring Clamps
These are nothing new, as spring clamps are commonplace, but they can be bought cheaply from Harbor Freight. If I’m already at the store, I’ll pick up a couple. It is hard to ruin a spring clamp. I usually lose them before they ever go bad… In my studio setup, I use them to keep cable runs neat.

Spring clamp used to manage cable runs

Equipment Case
These come in black or silver, and they come with dividers and foam, all for $25 – $30. While I wouldn’t use these cases to carry something as sensitive as a lens or a camera, I have found these cases to be great for all of those items that need protection, but don’t quite need the level of protection that a Pelican case provides.

Equipment cases

Case with a TV Logic stored inside

I hope that this has given you some ideas on how you can repurpose your garage and use it as a small shooting space for some of your productions.

This post originally appeared on Ryan’s Blog.

Ryan E. Walters is an award-winning Oregon-based cinematographer. His work has allowed him the opportunity to travel worldwide in the pursuit of telling stories that are visually compelling. His experience includes feature films, documentaries, commercials, and shooting for Comcast, TLC, Oxygen, and the Discovery Channel.

A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Turning a Home Garage into a DIY Prison SetA Complete Guide to Setting Up a Home Color Grading SuiteThe Best DIY Dolly Might Already Be Sitting in Your Garage (Yes, a Car)

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