Production Notes: San Francesca

San Francesca – “The Strobe LIght Goes On and On” from Evo Collective on Vimeo.

 

Once again, via Content Magazine the team and I were able to capture a live performance of a band. However, this time we were able to focus on San Francesca on a more intimate level – we joined them during their tracking session with Damien Wendell in downtown San Jose. This way we were able to capture the band from multiple angles from their multiple takes.

Gear

Canon 5d mkii, 7d, & 60d

11mm-16mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 105mm

2x Manfroto Monopods

3′ Kenova Slider

“500w” Fancier LED Panel

“500w” bi-color FNV LED Panel

2x “120w” light Panels

H4n

JC stayed on the 5d mkii, NG on the 7d, and myself with the 60d.

We wanted to take what we learned from past Day Dream Nation videos and take it to the next level with this shoot. Since it was in a controlled environment, we were able to get more lighting elements down. We also discovered a new technique involving our slider and tripod.

Lighting

Lighting the scene was a bit of challenge. We first had to figure out how to set up the performers. We felt it best to have them facing towards each other, and lighting around them. We had two keys at about the same intensity and distance. We wanted to light up two band members by themselves. By having two keys at opposite angles, their distance worked to our advantage. While one subject was lit with one key, the other looked more like it was receiving a fill because of the distance between light and subject.

As for hair lights, we put some on top of these PA speakers and pointed them down. Though as the day wore on, those small LEDs died down.

My favorite part of the shoot involved Christmas lights. NG’s shot was tight and focused on the lead singer. Though properly lit, the composition wasn’t balanced. What we did to remedy that was put on Christmas lights in the background in order to create a Bokeh. This turned out great as it really just balanced that important tight shot.

Technique

Most of our technique was similar to the last DDN events. However because we had freedom of multiple takes, we checked shots and moved around with band’s each take of the song.

While I was on 60d, I was very amazed at the tripod/slider setup. With the slider directly mounted on the tripod, I combined the sliding motion with a simply pan. This imitated the look of U-tracks. Such a simple camera movement really makes a shot all that more interesting. But creating it from scaled down approach makes it even more enjoyable.

Also, I timed my movements of the slider/tripod move with each 8 measures of the song. As is common in most pop songs, 8 measures is a good amount of time to go through a verse. Doing this made working in post a lot more intuitive.

Production Notes: Time Lapse

 

Recently, I got to the chance to take my Stage Zero Dolly for a much needed spin. Locations were in Gilroy, Ca and Milpitas, Ca. Since I was using my 60d, I always have to think about the crop factors of 1.6. The Tokina 11mm-16mm works great for crop sensor cameras, especially since it can damage the 5dmk Series’ mirror.

*Note* – When going on roof tops, always bring a partner to watch out for you. Safety should always come first. So lock down, think ahead about how you’re going to get gear up, and make sure parts are assembled before you get up, unless it’s a flat landing. Even then, be careful.

 

Gear

11mm – 16mm f/2.8

24mm f/1.4

Canon 60d

Stage Zero Dolly

2 x Induro AKB1

May 4^th

Shot 1 – 6:15pm – 7:00pm

Camera Settings: 11mm – f/16 – iso 100 – 1/20″

Dynamic Perception Settings: 8″ Interval – 3.15i

Initially I wanted to capture the shadows change over golden over. However, I got there too late, and there was too much shadow on the left side of the composition. Originally, it was supposed to grow. Also, I didn’t like the speed of the shutter speed for this time lapse. Next time, I’d want to try a slower speed, possibly around 1/3”.

In terms of set up, I brought the tripods all the way flat instead of making the tripods upright. It was a windy day so I wanted to reduce movement as much as possible. I just laid them flat and angled the ballheads.

Shot 1

Shot 2 – 7:25 – 8:00

Camera Settings: 11mm – f/16 – iso 100 – 1/20″

Dynamic Perception Settings: 8″ Interval – 3.15i

I made a huge mistake for this shot. I didn’t account for the angle of the roof. I thought that I could save time by using the same motor speed. However, because it is going against gravity, it moves substantially faster.

Also, I didn’t take into account the speed of the sun going down at this point. What resulted was mostly dark exposures. I deleted 40 images simply because there was no detail. Even then, the shots from this run weren’t ideal.

Shot 3 – 11:00 – 11:57 pm

Camera Settings: 24mm – f/4 – iso 500 – 10″

Dynamic Perception Settings: 10″ Interval – 2.06i

Originally, I wanted to get a total time lapse of 90 minutes. It’s suggested that you use this formula:

300 x Interval of Exposure / 60 = Real Time Duration

What I’ve had trouble with is syncing the motor to run a tooth per exposure. What resulted was a slider move too fast.

For this shot, I used a shutter speed of 10” because of the rule of 500, with the crop factor in mind. (500/focal length = maximum shutter speed). This makes it difficult to use lenses larger than 14mm on my 60d, as I’m forced to boost up my iso, making the image noisier.

Another mistake I realized was that by using foreground so close on a cropped lens, I didn’t focus on the stars. What I want to try next time for a time lapse is to pick a foreground further and large for comparison of the time lapse, as well as getting the correct speed.

May 5

After a prior shoot, I noticed that clouds were rolling in. I wanted to take advantage of that movement in the clouds. I waited for golden hour to arrive, and came to a spot I encountered earlier. I’ve been wanting ot get a great shot of these large man made structures, and use them for a time lapse. And the day finally came.

Shot 4 – 6:15 – 6:27pm

Camera Settings: 11mm – f/16 – iso 160 – 1/160″

Dynamic Perception Settings: 3″ Interval – 5.09i

This show was fun to compose since I had both the fence on the left as well as the larger structure. I also used grid marks on my camera to make it easier to set up the comp. I also thought about which way the clouds were moving so that I wouldn’t’ move with the clouds. I’d want to try and move with the clouds next time, just to see that effect.

I’m especially happy about this shot except for one detail.

There is a small dry water mark spot on the lens.

Shot 5 – 6:45 – 7:00pm

Camera Settings: 11mm – f/16 – iso 160 – 1/160″

Dynamic Perception Settings: 3″ Interval – 3.15i

I also wanted to try and get a falling shot with my new dolly. At first it’s a fantastic shot, then a few seconds in, I see the rail.

Whenever I try a movement on the dolly, I always do a video to see that movement. Then I think about what it would look like over time. However, I failed to see that impending rail coming into the bottom of the shot. Regardless, I thought the shot was a fantastic movement, and that next time, I’ll be conscious of getting the rail in the shot.

Over the weekend, it was a bit frustrating getting the numbers right, but practice makes perfect. Until next time, player.

Production Notes – Dream house

Earlier this year, we had the pleasure of meeting Dream House. Molding elements of Folk Rock and Alternative Country, they are an amazing quartet, unique to the sound of the South Bay Area scene. For your enjoyment, we present you a small behind the scenes of Dream House at San Pedro Square Market.

<p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/65031584″>Dream House – “We Eat Islands” and “Track Walker”</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/evocollective”>Evo Collective</a> on <a href=”http://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a&gt;.</p>

During this shoot, we luckily had 4 shooters with us. Myself, JC, NG, and JH. As usual with these situations, we had 3 cameras on monopods and on on our Jib. Our technique has been to record songs 2, 3, and 4 and further work with those in post. Again recording from the board using our Fostex FR2 LE. After capturing those three songs, we switch to B Roll mode for a couple songs, for those little nice details to add in the editing stage. However, the set was shorter than our expectations, so we were lucky to get some great steady shots.

As per environment, used two LEDs for backlights, which make the visuals pop out just a bit more. Overall, it was great shoot without any major upsets.

For more information on Dream House, check out their pages here:

http://dromhus.bandcamp.com

Production Notes – Loopkicks Harlem Shake

In the wake of the Harllem shake viral video craze, we couldn’t resist making a special one in collaboration with team Loopkicks and Twister in Mountain View. JC, NG and myself joined Chris De Vera for this devonsupertramp inspired video.

Gear List
Canon 5d
Canon 7d
Canon 60d
Go Pro Hero 3
Go Pro Hero 2 x 2

11mm-16mm f/2.8
24mm f/2.8
35mm f/1.4
50mm f/1.4
85mm f/1.8
135mm f/2

Manfrotto Monopod
Glidcam
Kenova Sllider
“Skateboard Handheld rig”
3″ monitor

Capturing the performances in a unique way was difficult. We wanted to avoid staying sticks and panning. Devonsupertramp is possibly youtube’s premier filmmaker for these “active lifstyle” videos. If you haven’t seen one, check out his youtube channel here:

We wanted to keep with the action. So glidecam, go pro and a “Skateboard” rig was the way to go.

JC manning glidecam

On glidecam we had a 60d and 24 mm. Our 24mm is actually a Nikon lens, but we used a fostodiox adaptor ring. The image is generally nice I feel, and the sharpness doesn’t suffer. The weight of the lens allowed us to us it on Glidecam with ease as opposed to using our 2 lbs 35mm. The crop sensor of the 60d also allowed me to keep a good distance – 11mm – 16mm was too close. JC and I switched off half and half in the shoot.

NG was on both monopod for a few shots using the 135mm as well as teh skateboard rig. For the skate board rig was wanted slower shots. Equipped with the 7d, 11mm-16mm, and monitor, we were able to mimic the body of a larger body camera which are more optimized for lower angle filmmaking. Overall, the footage was fairly good. With practice, we can get this shot to be a lot smoother.

Go Pro wise we used the Hero 2 for time lapse. Personally, I’m not totally in love with their look, but it works in a pinch.  The Hero 3 excelled; we got a take advantage of its wifi mode via our iPhones. We attached our Hero 3 onto MIKEL. The footage was really great to see afterwards.

Mikel using our Hero3

Editing wise, we needed a fast turn around. JC took the horns and work with Chris on the final cut. Overall, I really felt this video was very unique and I was really happy with our first video in”Active videography.”

Loopkicks 2013 Harlem Shake Sampler from Evo Collective on Vimeo.

Production Notes – Stroy Moyd

Glidecam Shot. Canon 60d with 11mm.16mm f/2.8

In early January, bay area comedian Stroy Moyd asked me to help produce his EPK video (Electronic Press Kit). Let me first say that Story Moyd is an amazing comedian. If you’re ever in San Francisco, check out his show #hellafunny. You can check out all of his information at http://www.stroymoyd.com

This was a one man shoot, and I used pretty much the standard gear as usual

Gear
Canon 5d
Canon 60d
35 f1.4
50 f1.8
11mm – 16mm f/2.8

Manfrotto monopod
Zoom H4n
Sony Wireless Lac
Rode NT1
Glidecam
Konova Slider
Check out Stroy Moyd EPK here!

For both interviews I used a 35mm lens on the 5d. After shooting on the 35 for close ups, I fell in love with compression. And with the sharpness of the Rokinon, it makes for all the more beautiful image.

The first interview was shot on UC Berkeley Campus near a science hall. I shot against the mountain side because of Stroy’s complexion. Without enough light, the sky would of course be blown out. I had a reflector but it did little to serve any effect. And of course, shooting on the monopod gives me more control and ease than if I had use a hand held rig, and more of a natural feel than if I had used sticks.

Interviewing by the railroad tracks. Canon 5d 35mm f/1.4

The second interview scene was shot near the rail road tracks. Specifically, Stroy wanted to use a graffiti wall as a back drop. We weren’t able to find the original location he chose, but I felt the mis en scene was a creative choice. Again I used the 35mm with the monopod.

I also had the chance to use ND’s glidecam. This was my second time using the glidecam for an extended time. My setup was using a the 11mm-16mm with my 60d, set on 16mm. Watching videos is the best way to learn how to use the glide cam, in my opinion. Figuring out how to balance the rig is the hardest part, but afterwards it’s all about practice. I always make sure to get the glidecame set up before the shoot itself and I generally stick with the same lens. Even the slightest change in focus changes the balance.

Slider shot. Canon 60d, 11mm-16mm f/2.8. 60fps.

My favorite sequence in the video is the low angle shot of Stroy in front of the graffiti wall. This was an idea I came up with on the spot in that location, and I felt it turned out really well. I used the 11mm-16mm with the 60d. The swivel screen made it really easy to check focus and framing. I shot it in 60fps for slow motion.

Lighting-wise, I kept it simple. Lucklily the light was even throughout the day.

In post, there were two things I picked up that were very useful. Mvintage and Luca’s Light Leak plug ins. I ultimately decided to purchase the Light Leaks plug in. It’s flashiness can be fine tuned really well, and with a nice color scheme, it really spices up transitions. With M Vintage, I actually only used the demo version and matched looks within FCPx. It worked really well and gave me some preset “hipster” looks.

M Vintage – http://www.motionvfx.com/mplugs-9.html

Luca Light Leaks – http://www.lucavisualfx.com/Light_Leaks_Generator.htm

As per music, JC recommended Kali Mist. He has a wide collection of great hip hop beats to use for a low price.

Kali Mist – http://kalionthebeat.bandcamp.com

Image Challenge 13 Production Notes

January 27th, 2013

This Sunday, NG, DN, JC and myself were invited to shoot a short spot for Content Magazine on Image Challenge 13, which is – in the filmmaking a circle – a 13 hour marathon.

Make up. Wardrobe. Hair. Shoot. Post.

All in 13 hours.

Set up:

Canon 5d mkii
Canon 7d
2x Canon 60d

11mm-16mm f/f.8
50mm f/1.4
35mm f/1.4

Konova slider

Glidecam HD4000

2x Manfrotto Monopod

This event was put on by both Content Magazine and Umbrella Salon. The winner of the event will have their photographs published in Content’s 5.0 Underground issue.

We were only able to shoot for 4 hours (10 – 2pm). Unfortunately, we were only able to follow one team to their shoot location for that day. Most of our time was spent at the salon. DN hung onto the glidecam for the majority of the shoot. I really love his ease of use on something that is takes hours of practice to really get control. There were also mirrors in the salon, which posed a problem.

We generally stuck to our 3 shot strategy of B-roll. Three shots are needed to create a story/sequence. We did that for the majority of the models. We also got a few close up shots. A few shots I shot in a high frame rate to catch a more elegant flow the hair dressers and make up artist’s actions.

One of the main advantages of the salon was the large open windows, which flooded the space with light. Nice even lighting.

In post, I ultimately went for a warmer look. I also wanted to a short video and went with a chronological storyline (starting from the announcement of the teams, hair, make up, and finally shoot).

Ideally, I would have liked to get on more locations. But unfortunately, the team had time constraints.

Managing Your FCP X Events & Projects

Larry Jordan already covered this in his own blog, so it makes no sense to write about it verbatim. If you’re working with FCP X, this is such an easy thing to do to speed up your start up. But, you might as well get the App.

http://www.larryjordan.biz/fcpx-manage-media/

Speed up your Render Times!

As you know, working on digital video, there are 3 parts to the workflow: shoot, edit, export. And with each process comes different sets of challenges. Exporting isn’t relatively hard to do creatively, but what it really comes down to is the factor of time. JC passed this on to me, and it really saved himself, and myself a lot of time in the exporting section. Try 36 hours of export being turned into 5 hours. And even that’s long. This process is a great way to get multiple formats done faster for you upload or burn. Hope this helps you out!

 

Flugtag at Covey Cove!

For those of you who don’t know what Flugtag is – and I can’t say I did until last Saturday – it is an ancient term to describe the process of throwing crafts into the water. Or possibly, a visual example would be best:

A great human achievement.

I was lucky enough to get the day off, and witness the 10th anniversay of Red Bulls Flugtag event. Over 100,000 people came to see the event. Luckily, I came prepared (least minimally):

 

Gear List

Canon 60d

50mm f/1.8

35mm f/2.8 (Nikon)

24mm f/2.8 (Vivitar)

Manfrotto Monopod

 

If you’re confused about the Nikon and Vivitar lenses, JC and I just recently went on a shopping spree on old Nikon manual lenses. I bought two different adaptors to the EOS bracket, and they work well. I got a random ephoto brand as well as a Fostodiox adaptor ring. The 35mm fit perfectly, but the barrel on my 28mm is broken – you can see a jump in exposure without even touching the aperture. But with a $60 offer, I figured it was worth a shot. However, it is still capable of some great exposures.

Taken with my 28mm f/2.8.

 

 

Taken with my 28mm f/2.8

The big tip I have is variety.

 

 

What I’ve learned about capturing a good “vacation” video is to think of the video as a collection of sequences. A mistake that many people make is shooting wide. What really speaks in a video are collection of close ups, medium shots, and wide shots; combining those into a 3 shot sequence in order to tell a short story. I tend to find a good subject and think of how I’m going to edit it once I get home. You can make a story in as little as three shots.

 

Another tip I suggest is the 8 second rule. I’m not talking about food. I’m talking about keeping your composition constant for a good 8 seconds. A lot of new videographers tend to move on to the next subject after glance. Keeping steady on your subject gives solid, usable footage to work with.

 

Camera movement is also essential in order to have a variety of footage. I tend to find two usable compositions for panning during these types of events. I also move back and forth between first and second composition in case of error. The flexibility of a Manfrotto monopod really helps out under these situations because you can keep steady, but you don’t have a strain of a handheld rig on your shoulders and back.

 

Another goodie that I always use in event situations is an ND filter + the fostodiox step up ring. I recommend buying a variable ND filter at 77mm and then buying the step up ring. That way you can easily change between all your lenses.

 

Also, don’t forget to get footage of yourself and your party in the video. The personal element really adds to the experience while you where there.

He’s a Maniac!

 

Finally, support local music. Find musicians around your area and ask if you can use their music for your video. It’s a win-win. They get you to listen to their music and spread it around, and you don’t get your video taken off the internet.

Variety is the key.

 

Talk is Cheap … and Lights Are Expensive

Light Is Expensive.

Say what you will about theory and composition.

Say what you will about a good script and a great ensemble.

You can say whatever you want about the theory of film production, but one thing is a constant in all matters of skill and reputation – talk is cheap.

Many things are needed to produce an amazing story. But fundamentally, we as artists sometimes lack the most fundamental skills of photography and filmmaking. At its core, a camera is nothing more than a box that lets light in, and we control that light. For me, the theory of lighting is useless unless you have the technical know how.

And the funds.

And the time.

 

As the title of this article says, it is easy to talk about great cinematography, but actual practice is both technical and artistic.

When it comes to light, I lack the skills to create contrasted images, subtle details, or gorgeous canvases (in FCP at least). And thus, the time has begun to truly focus on this largely overlooked tool of filmmaking.

Getting Started

JC and I recently purchased some gear to get us started. Turns out – just like a camera – your light is only part of the budget: We spent half the budget on stands, sand bags, and diffusers.

2 x 120w LED’s

My Fancier 500LED Light

1 x Fancier 500 LED

(Both of the above are 5600 lights)

1 x FNV 500 LED bicolor.

2x C Stands

1 Westcott Lightstand

1 x Cymbol Stand

1 x Mic stand

5 Flags (5 stops)

1 x 22″ reflector 5-in-1

1×48″ rectangular reflector

Many thanks to Digital Juice for providing a great bargain on the C Stands. They constantly have some sort of sale so I recommend going there for budgetary Light accessories (especially the C Stands, got 2 for $244). As you also noticed, we were hunting all around for any sort of stand to hold up flags.

I got to try out a few setups over the last few weeks. My basic understanding of bouncing, scrimming and flagging is to basically to control light. Generally for Content interviews, we have a 1k light in a soft box hanging overhead. This really spreads out the light, and diffuses it evenly at a larger angle. I’m curious to know if LEDs can transfer this technique. However, from my understanding, LEDs can only emulate our fondness for tungsten lights.

What I did for these following interviews was bounce, scrim and flag.

MG interview

Of course finding a good composition that reinforces what the movie is about is always important. I thought it was cheesy to turn on the computer, but again I thought it was a good simple set up. I used my Fancier500LED at  full blast and bounced it off my 48″ reflector. This was really nice and even. It spread the light out well, but it didn’t create any harsh shadows. I also had a small 120w LED set off to the left of a small amount of catchlight.

MP interview

In this setting, I wanted to try out a different composition by showing more of the space. I really liked this set up since it uses the space and creates more depth. Similar to the previous set up, I set MP on a third, opposite of what MG was at to compliment the two (a sort of 2 sides of the same coin metaphor since they were producer and director of Refuge). In this set up, there was already a lot of light within the room, really nice natural light. But it was dark on MP without the light. Again I sent it on full blast, but instead of bouncing, I took off the cover, and shown the light through the scrim section. What resulted was a slightly diffused,  yet large illumination over the subject. I also placed a small 120 w LED right of frame for a small catch light.

Shining Through

MP Producer of Refuge

JC Setup

Note: The previous interview setups utilized a 50mm, whereas this used an 85mm.

At first I just set up a key light. It seemed really dark despite going full blast with the Fancer500LED. Let me just first say that we were using our new flag kit at this point in time. This flag kit comes with 1 black flag, 2 black scrims (2 different stops) and a couple white flags to use as scrims (two stops). For an even look, we discovered the white stop down was the appropriate flag to use. In this set up, we didn’t account for a better background until later, but once we did, we utilized a black flag to draw less light to the back and more towards JC. We also used a 120w LEd full blast on a bounce card to fill in the shot. Finally we added in a hair light to separate JC from the background.

With & Without Black Flag

With and Without Hair Light

Working with light thoughtfully for the first time takes hours.

Problems

This all applies to JC’s set up. The hair light really needs to be on the back of the head and far away. This is just to separate the subject from the background more. Problem though was a glare on JC’s cheek. We just moved the light further around the axis behind JC.

Also, we initially wanted to a create split shadow image, as most deep, sensitive photographers love to take. However, I don’t think this was possible on our scenario. We didn’t have a proper space nor back drop. On one side of the light was a white wall, so even though we shown our stronger LED on JC from the side, the white wall bounced it back onto JC. Also, our light wasn’t strong enough. In hindsight, I think it would have been better to try adding in the small LED lights to make it stronger, and to buy a black canvas.

Note: Buy Clamps. Buy lots of them. And stands too.