Special thanks to Matt Breivogel for shooting all the b-roll for this review.

I spent a few days shooting with Zacuto’s Scorpion rig designed for HDSLR’s. It was a dream to shoot with. I have the most experience with the Striker, and do most of my handheld work with it, but I needed something I could shoot with all day and not get fatigued. If you shoot for long periods of time I would highly recommend this rig.

At this point I’m not sure what my next camera purchase will be. If it’s the C300 I’d seriously consider one of Zacuto’s latest offerings such as the Recoil. I got to play with one at NAB, and it felt fantastic. With the Recoil design you can actually get the camera on your shoulder! I tried to demo one for this last project, but Zacuto was still working on finalizing its design.

This past weekend I DP’ed my first true narrative short film. It was a huge learning experience to say the least. I can say I learned what not to do. I also carried the responsibility of executive producer, which is always nice to have as a title, but at the same time creates loads of detailed management. I’m not the best logistical person, and I’m most comfortable DP’ing or directing. I’ll post more on that later.

In the mean time here are some pics of the rig I used to accomplish all of our handheld shots. It’s all about the gear anyway, right (insert sarcastic tone).Thanks to Zacuto for rushing the Scorpion down to me so quickly in order to have it in time for the shoot. This rig is a HDSLR dream. If you have a full day of shooting this is the way to go. Typically I use a smaller lighter rig for run and gun shooting, but his was different. I had the camera on my shoulder 90% of the day, and it made a huge difference in avoiding fatigue. Plus the shots I got were very controlled thanks to the Scorpion’s balance. I hope to do a video review of the rig later today.

Note the loads of stuff hanging off the back. I could only do this with the Scorpion.

I’ve been itching to write a post about my NAB/Critics experience for the past week, but I’ve had to delay things a bit due to the production of a short film I’ve been working on. I’ve wrapped the shooting, and now I’ve safely made my way into post production. So with a little time to breathe I thought I’d make an attempt to get caught up.

This was my first visit to NAB ever, and day one alone made it worth the trip to Las Vegas. As soon as I hit the floor I made my way to the Zacuto exhibit. I’d been messaging with Steve Weiss over the past few months about when we could arrange a date to do a review of my film “Open Your Eyes” as promised by Steve. Due to Philip Bloom’s travel schedule we had not set a date to do the show. I probably bugged Steve and Philip a bit much about doing the show. My wife told me I was like Kenny Bania on Seinfeld. I bugged Philip more than anyone. Philip, I promise to leave you alone. I’m in a 12-step Bloom non-annoyance program now!

I’m not sure if I was persistent or annoying, but either way both Steve and Philip agreed to do the show. When I met with Steve he said, “I just had this idea. Philip is doing a live show today and we’ll review your film then.” I wasn’t expecting that at all. I was just hoping to nail down a date sometime in the future. From there it was a scramble to download the file from Vimeo so the guys could watch the film one more time before going live. We had major issues trying get a decent internet connection. While this was happening Steve decides to invite Steve Goldblatt to review my film as well. I was completely dumbfounded when he said, “Sure.”

Pre Review:
Things were becoming surreal to say the least. Honestly, a part of me had given up on having the show come together. I knew everyone was willing, but scheduling was next to impossible thanks to Philip’s crazy job schedule. Now Weiss throws a LA Cinematographer into the mix. I didn’t know what to think.

Just before going live for the impromptu Critics I jumped in the Zacuto viewing tent and stood behind Weiss, Bloom, and Goldblatt as they watched Rebecca’s story on an iPad. It was a holy moment for me. To watch guys I have so much respect for watch something I was a part of producing was mind-blowing.

From there we jetted over to the Teradek booth to do the show. For me it was like some sort of time vortex where everything was sped up. I stood on the sidelines watching Steve and Philip figure out the flow of the show, where I was going to sit, when do they bring me up, and where does “the kid sit”. That’s what Weiss kept saying (I don’t think he knows I’m pushing 40).

The Review:
You can watch the review and make your own judgements. I don’t want to rehash everything that was said here so I’ll do a quick summary. It was a huge honor to have these guys critique the story. I was shocked as they kept calling it a “film”. I always call my stuff “video”, but if they elected to use the word “film”. I was okay with that.

I agreed with most things that were said in the critique and even anticipated some of what was said. I love that Goldblatt and Weiss argued over the religous content. The biggest takeaways were the need for natural sound, a custom score, eliminating titles in favor of narration, and a trim of footage to shorten the length. I hope to re-cut the story using some of their suggestions.

Post Review:
After the show I got a chance to talk with Steve Goldblatt. The biggest take away from that discussion was to get more people involved in your projects and raise the level of collaborative art. I couldn’t have agreed with Steve more. For some time I’ve worked as a one man band. The more I can pass off things, such as editing, to people who are far more talented than I the result, in the end, will be a higher level of art. I will never forget that discussion.

Weiss told me repeatedly I was the luckiest kid on the planet to have Goldblatt review Rebecca’s story. I didn’t argue that fact. I told Weiss how much I appreciated what he was doing through Zacuto and Critics. The thing I love about Steve is he hangs with some of the most talented film makers in the world, and then gives someone like me the same respect. It was totally Steve’s idea to add Goldblatt to the panel. There aren’t many people like Steve Weiss who are willing to make those types of connections happen. I owe a lot to Steve.

I also owe a great deal of thanks to Philip Bloom. If it wasn’t for him pushing to get “Open Your Eyes” on Critics originally none of this would have happened. I ran into Philip a few months after meeting him in Chicago and he remembered my name. He’s met thousands of people and he went out of his way to remember me. I don’t say that to brag about me, but to say that’s the type of guy Philip is. He’s a popular guy with loads of talent, but he’s still willing to hang out with folks that are on the ground level of film making. I owe Philip as well.

Conclusion:
In the end “Open Your Eyes” received over 6,000 views after the show aired and was posted on Philip’s site. I’m very grateful to all three guys for giving their feedback on how to make Rebecca’s story better. I’m even more grateful to Brandon and Jessica for allowing me to be a part of telling their story. They are the true heroes in my book. To document a tragic loss is difficult, but to experience it is something I cannot even fathom. I’m honored to be their friend.

I wish I had more time to blog about my experiences at NAB. I had an amazing time visiting with my friend Thomas Bernardin who shot the short just above. I love Thomas’ eye. If I was shooting at his level of creativity at his age no telling what my work would be like. I’m at least 10 years older than the kid and I’m still learning from him.

In short my first day at NAB was the most exciting. My film “Open Your Eyes” was critiqued by Steve Weiss and Philip Bloom along with DP Steve Goldblatt on an impromptu “Critic”. I’ll dedicate a full blog to that experience in a few days. Due to a production I’m currently shooting my time and brain are completely consumed with a three part short film.

The critique of “Open Your Eyes” is posted below.

I get caught watching movies with my 3 and 4 year old daughters from time to time. If you’re a parent you know this can be a complete drag. Not because it’s spending time with your kids, but because the movie and television shows created for this age range can be mind blowingly boring. I love watching movies, however I hate wasting my time watching poorly told stories. So when I get a chance to watch a Pixar movie with my kids it’s like the planets have alined and all is good in the world. At least for 90 minutes or so.

The video above is a very insightful TED Talk by Andrew Stanton that Brian Notess shared with me. Stanton is a director, screenwriter, and producer for Pixar. I have the utmost respect for what Pixar has produced through out the years. Their ability to tell a story that appeals to both adults and children is rare. It’s quality story telling at its best.

As a storyteller I find the most encouraging take away from Stanton’s talk is when he notes, “…use what you know. Draw from it…capture a truth from your experiences. Expressing values you personally feel deep down in your core…”. I love this insight. Often I think I need to become an expert before I can do something well. However, no one really knows it all, and we all have to start somewhere. So build something great from your own experience.

Most of my commercial work is product demonstrations. Ranging from 20 foot umbrellas to industrial lifts. The challenge in shooting stagnate objects is creating visuals that will keep people interested. At least that’s my part of the job as the voice over explains what the product is, or how one can buy it.

To keep things interesting I try to do three things. Create camera movement, compose interesting angles within the frame, and light the scene in a way that compliments the subject. Of course these three things not only apply to product shoots, but most anything I shoot. However the big three, that’s what I’ll call it for now, become increasingly important because of the lack of other creative elements one can rely on such as acting, which creates human interest.

For movement I rely heavily on tracking. I do most of this with the Kessler Crane Philip Bloom Signature Series Slider (could they have a longer name?). I also have access to a longer Kessler CeniSlider as well. With a small camera a slider can give you amazingly smooth tracking and dolly shots. I’ve found my favorite tracking move is to have a dominate foreground tracking with a wrack focus to a complimentary background. It’s something I’m sure I pickup from my days of shooting stills. I can still hear my professor say, “You could have used a dominate foreground with a contributing background.” I love to layer information in my shots, and this is one of the best ways to do it.

My second favorite way to move the camera is by the use of a crane. Again, I have access to a Kessler Crane KC 8/12 with a Revolution head. I’ve been using it for the past few weeks, and a crane can really up your creative game. Talk about creating epic shots. When folks see what a crane can do for their video it’s an automatic yes when I pitch the extra cost.

Composition is just a basic function of what we all do. Creating negative space, using the rule of thirds, breaking the rule of thirds, center weighted framing, and more are all a part of composition. The biggest suggestion I can pass on is to be discipline in your framing. Don’t just go for being arty, but make sure you have your horizon straight (unless you want a Dutch angle) and check the edges of your frame to make sure you don’t have anything in the shot you don’t want. I often build from the background forward. I prefer a clean background, but I don’t always get one. From there I move to the subject, and then to any foreground information that helps compliment the product.

Sometimes I don’t get to control the lighting on a product shoot. I often walk in and have to deal with available light. This is where a large sensor camera really helps. I also come from a documentary background so I’m use to dealing with what I’m given. I hope someday I can up my game enough to have a gaffer assist me in lighting. Quality lighting can have a profound effect on creating a mood. It also separates pros from amateurs in my opinion.

Hope this helps is anyway. Of couse the biggest deal of all is telling the story. It’s seems funny to apply story telling to product shots, but it is relavent. I’ll save that for a future post.

Josh’s Story is the first short I shot with the Canon 7D. Notice most shots were done on a tripod, and note the stutter created by the use of incorrect shutter speeds. I had no clue what I was doing with this camera and the quality was far superior to the video above.

I’m currently in the middle of preproduction of a short film that I’ll be producing and DPing. I’m location scouting, researching gear needed to be purchased vs. rented and storyboarding. The geeky camera side of me was hoping to rent the new Canon C300 and use it as our primary camera. However, all the rental houses I’ve checked aren’t getting the camera until late March which is too late for my needs.

Today I got into the subject of comparing DSLR’s with the newer C300. There’s no argument the new cinema camera offered by Canon is superior in quality. I’ve watched what folks have been posting on Vimeo and it doesn’t take a rock scientist to see the quality difference. As Mike Collins tweeted earlier today, “…that’s what’s so great about the C300. Everything that is right about DSLR and none of the wrong.”

This is why I wanted to use the C300. It’s not to be cool and have the latest gear, but it’s about improving the quality of the tool I use to produce a quality images. DSLR’s are limiting mainly with moiré and the well known rolling shutter effect. This led me to think, “does the camera really matter?” Of course it does. Now, I’ll be the first to say story trumps gear any day. I don’t care if you shoot a compelling story on an iPhone it’s the content that matters most.

This doesn’t completely negate the quality we as shooters choose to use. The general rule is use the best camera you have available for the story you are trying to tell. You don’t see folks in LA shooting movies with lesser gear just because. Gear is just a tool, but the better the tool the better the quality. So really it’s a “tension to be managed”. If you can afford a better tool use it! If not use what you can and tell the story.

I’m at a point where I’m frustrated with the limits of DSLR’s. This doesn’t mean I’ll abandon my 7D, or look down on anyone using one. In fact I’ll be using mine for the next year if not longer. But if I can justify a C300 or even a FS100 I’ll make the climb up. An improvement in quality often brings inspiration by breaking limitations. With a higher quality camera I can pan and tilt quickly without worrying about the jello effect of rolling shutter. Even hand held shots look better without rolling shutter.

The biggest plus of moving up is the improved quality achieved in post production. Less compression helps images hold up better in grading and color correction.

When I look at my own work it’s funny to see what a difference DSLR’s have done for my shooting. I started shooting shorts with the Sony PD-150. It was a nice prosumer camera. When I moved to the 7D it was like night and day in quality. I really didn’t even know what I was doing when I first got to use the 7D. I shot my first two projects with no ND filters or proper support gear!

So remember content is king and cameras do matter.

I’m constantly looking for inspiration and today I ran across this video on Phillip Bloom’s favorites page on Vimeo. It’s a touching story of a high school cross country team pushing to win a state championship for their coach who’s suffering from ALS disease.

This story has great visuals, but even better it has a story with content and emotion. These are the types of stories I strive to tell. Kudos to Evolve Digital Cinema for a job well done.

Yesterday I got together with several of my video making friends to test some new Kessler Crane gear that Josh Fulkerson had purchased. Our main focus was to use the Kessler KC 12/8 Crane with Revolution Head and Oracle Controller. Josh also purchased a Cineslider, but I’ll save that for a rainy day.

As we gathered I threw out the idea of trying to create a short film using the equipment rather than just shooting shots. So we come up with an “Untitled” piece. Since this was a short, and there was some sort of storyline we reserved the crane for epic shots. The rest of the shooting was mostly handheld using a Zacuto Striker and Crossfire. We threw in an occasional tripod shot using the Vinten Vision Blue as well.

Chris Neal was gracious enough to be our on camera talent. Brian Notess did most of the directing and let Thomas Bernardin and I throw in our two cents worth as we shared DP responsibilities.

Damon Hancock (Fat Head Media) shot behind the scenes footage for us, which I hope to use in a review of the KC12/8.

It was a fun day work with these guys. The team has amazing talent and yet everyone was willing to work with each other with a very give and take attitude. It’s not the most amazing story and we are considering redoing the end to create a bit more of an emotional take away, but only time will tell. We all have busy schedules so we’ll see if we can pull something together.

In the end it’s about testing and getting experience with the Kessler gear before using it in the real world on a paying gig. I can say we accomplished that and a bit more.

This is a story I’m in the process of working on. I’ve got about a third of it shot, and I’m still re-working the script for voice over. Not to mention this is a very rough cut!

From the beginning I wanted this project to have a bit of a vintage vibe to it so I started experimenting with 5D Leaks.

I’ve found turning the opacity down around 50% has worked best for this project so far. The challenge is finding balance. What’s too much and what leak looks best (there are 50 clips included in the package). It’s all about patience and experimentation just like any other effect.

I didn’t spend much time creating a grade so I think tying the leak pallet to the color grade will help in the future.

I like the ease of use of 5D Leaks. It’s very simple to use in Final Cut. Drag clip on to the top most layer of your timeline, control click and use composite mode. I used “add” for the project. You can find a tutorial here.

You can also create light leaks in camera. James Miller has a guest post on Philip Bloom’s site on the art of lens whacking. It’s not for the faint of heart! Check it out.