A new kickstarter.com project for a Digital Bolex camera is trending fast (almost 3x their $100 minimum in a couple of days! In fact, their initial product run on 100 cameras is sold out.

The question is…

Can a camera promising 2K film-look video for $3,000 be the answer to your dreams or is it too good to be true?

Right now there’s no easy way to know. And, as their initial run is sold out you’ll have to wait until they release more to the market to get your hands on one. The initial footage doesn’t make me excited but it is a prototype and the footage wasn’t shot by a top shooter.

So, I wondered, what do the experts have to say about this?

Here are links to Philip Bloom and Stu Maschwitz – both top shooters who know their way around professional cameras. Interestingly, both of these guys stand on opposite sides of the issue.

Philip has put his money where his mouth is - http://philipbloom.net/2012/03/13/digitalbolex/

Stu has some tough questions and lots of skepticism - http://prolost.com/blog/2012/3/13/digital-bolex.html

I tend to go more with Stu – there’s a lot more to getting a working product out the door than having a good idea and money.  And I celebrate Digital Bolex’s entrepreneuring spirit – here’s to their continued success!

Here’s a link to an update from Stu – he talked at length with the camera makers and still has reservations. He knows about waiting on promised high end cameras and the real world.

http://prolost.com/blog/2012/3/15/the-passion-of-the-bolex.html

What do you think? Are you interested in a camera like this?

How would it change your production workflow?

Someone just asked…

What do you think about the decision from Apple to stop upgrading Color and the new relase of FCPX.
I’ve been working the past two years on FCP7 and just recently I started learning how to use Apple Color and the Technicolor cinestyle display LUT, but I’m worried that this program could become obsolete along with FCP7 because the new policy of Apple.

Perfect timing for this question because you can make the decision and save a ton of money if you move before October 31, 2011. Here’s why.

Adobe is offering Premier Pro CS5.5 for 50% off until 10/31/2011 to encourage people to switch from FCP7. That makes it just about $100 more than FCPX. For a program that offers as much as Premier that is too good to pass up. I just took them up on their offer and suggest you consider doing the same.

Reason Why #1

FCPX is not compatible with previous versions of FCP. If you have projects that will have new segments you’d have to start over. Premier Pro can import and export XML edit lists so you can bring all your cuts and some effects from any FCP project into Premier.

I have lots of clients who add a new testimonial or product video to an existing series. I don’t want to start over and Premier will let me keep most of my work.

Reason Why #2

Premier Pro edits DSLR footage native in the timeline with no rendering required. This alone will save hours and tons of hard drive space. FCPX renders DSLR footage in the background which does save time but you’re still consuming lots of hard drive space for converting everything to ProRes.

Reason Why #3

As much as Apple holds that DVD’s are a dying media, the rest of the world keeps burning DVD’s and Blu-Ray’s like crazy. Premier Pro includes Adobe Encore so you can author SD and HD DVD’s. FCPX can burn a project to DVD but there is no menu authoring or DVD flow structuring. Many of my clients like to mail DVD’s to prospects and I need solid authoring tools.

Reason Why #4

Adobe is committed to supplying professionals with the tools to do superior work. Premier Pro interfaces with key Adobe apps like After Effects and Photoshop. Apple has walked away from the professional video market. It may make sense to them from a business perspective but it does not make sense to me for my business. I need to know that my investment will last long enough to gain significant return.

I’m grateful for all the good years I’ve enjoyed FCP and disappointed that Apple has left the party. I’m excited to make the move to Adobe Premier. There’s nothing like learning a new tool to spark your creativity!

Here’s a link to Adobe’s page for Premier Pro CS5.5. Or, if you want to make a big jump, get the same 50% off on Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Production Premium. I chose to go with the Premium package to get After Effects and Audition – it’s time to find out what those can do for my projects.

Let me know what you think…

What happens when you add a Zoom recorder and a shotgun mic to your DSLR rig?

You’re going to need something to hold all that gear securely.

That’s where the Alzo DSLR Transformer rig becomes an invaluable part of your kit. Here’s a short video showing how this works.

And, as I said in the video, the Alzo DSLR Transformer rig does double-duty. Besides holding all your kit, those handles produce a much more stable image when you’re shooting handheld. For the price, I think this is the best rig like this on the market.

PS – yes, I’m an affiliate of Alzo products. Hopefully you’ll like them as much as I do.

Thinking about moving into Final Cut Pro X? Not sure yet?

Watch this video where two guys take the same footage, load it into FCP7 and FCPX, then race to see who can get the final edit uploaded to Vimeo first.

Clearhead // FCP7 vs FCPX Deathmatch! from Clearhead on Vimeo.

I’m still running on FCP7 because all my projects are there and can’t be imported into FCPX. But the next new project is when I’ll take the plunge.

I’ve said it before but it’s worth repeating. If you are deep into FCP7 you’re not going to be happy with this update. But if you’re just getting into DSLR video and want a powerful tool set at a great price then this might be the one for you.

Here’s a link to their site with more information - clearheadmedia.com/​blog/​news/​fcp-x-initial-thoughts/​

Do you want to be excellent at video production?

I’m sure you want to be good at it. But how good do you want to be? And what would it take to reach excellence?

I just read an article from the Harvard Business Review titled, “Six Keys to Being Excellent at Anything” by Tony Schwartz. It changed how I look at what I’m doing and how I want to work in this business.

I know a lot of people who are happy to just get by everyday. They want to do a good job but they are really just showing up enough to keep their jobs and feel okay about it.

I know a few people who pursue something much higher.

Sometimes I find myself looking at those striving to be excellent and put them down. I mean, really… who are they trying to fool? They’re just being cocky, strutting around with that “hey, look at me” attitude.

Then I realize what’s really going on. I’m taking them down to make it okay that I’m not operating at the same level as they are. Maybe I never will (sob, sob, sob…)

I remember turning 25 years old and feeling totally depressed because I wasn’t rich or famous yet. I was positive that I’d missed the window and it was all downhill from there.

That’s the same feeling as “maybe I never will”. Which is always followed by “so what’s the use of trying, who am I trying to fool?”

But I’ve had enough training in personal development to know that these feelings are a distraction designed to keep me from failing. Failure is painful and there’s a part of me that’s hell-bent to make sure I don’t feel that kind of pain every again.

Then I come across something like this article on excellence and another part of me remembers all the technologies I’ve mastered, all the productions that were voyages into the unknown that landed on safe shores.

And I know.

I know how to do this. I know how to be excellent at anything I choose. I just don’t always do what it takes.

Maybe that’s why this article caught my attention and why I’m passing it on to you.

That being said, here are the six keys from Tony Schwartz but I recommend reading the full article. He uses sports as a model for gaining excellence but I’m adding my own perspective using film and video production.

1. “Pursue what you love. Passion is an incredible motivator. It fuels focus, resilience, and perseverance.” What do you love about this business? What fires your passion for it? Spend some time considering what you get from it when you do it well. Here’s a hint – it’s not just money.

2. “Do the hardest work first.” Who wants to spend the time to read all the manuals, scroll through all the menu items, try every combination, push hard for more innovative concepts, do all the pre-production, learn best practices for work flow at every phase, apprentice to people who know more than you do, take everything to heart all the time? Come on, that’s just too hard.

3. “Practice intensely, without interruption for short periods of no longer than 90 minutes and then take a break.” How does this apply to production? Ever tried to keep a crew inspired and productive hour after hour, day after day? How do you treat yourself when the crunch is on? Lots of studies show that you’ll get more done when you take short breaks every hour or so. It seems most people think that’s just not true for production people.

4. “Seek expert feedback, in intermittent doses.” Who do you go to for expert feedback? Who do you trust to tell you the truth? High quality coaching is hard to find but worth it’s weight in gold.

5. “Take regular renewal breaks.” What do you do to relax? What renews you? If you don’t feed your body you’ll die. If you don’t feed your soul you’re as good as dead but you just don’t know it. This is a creative business so find out what gets your juices flowing that doesn’t involve a computer, the internet or any kind of camera.

6. “Ritualize practice.” Take the time to consider how you do your work. Get intensely interested in the process you use. How deliberate is it? How much is habit? What would happen if you changed your work flow with the intention of getting lots more done with lots less energy expended? What could you ritualize so it became invisible, effortless?

So that’s it. Six keys to being excellent at production. Interesting that it has nothing to do with which camera you’re shooting.

The article is worth the few minutes it takes to read. I believe Tony’s book is also likely to be worth the read. I’ve just downloaded the Kindle version to my phone. Here’s a link to check it out at Amazon.

The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working: The Four Forgotten Needs That Energize Great Performance

So, what do you think? How do you plan to be excellent and what do you think will happen along the way?

If you’re shooting with a Canon T2i (550D) and want to record decent audio directly in the camera you now have a choice to make.

Here are some options:

• You can buy a JuicedLink DT454 for $419
• You can buy a BeachTek DXA-SLR for $399
• You can donate $25 to Tramm Hudson to support Magic Lantern development

Tramm isn’t asking for your $25. He’s not asking for any money. But it seems to me that it’s worth $25 to move this effort forward.

Isn’t having decent sound on a T2i worth as much as a cheap dinner out for two?

He’s already got a good start as you can see on the Wiki.

I don’t recommend installing the pre-alpha code unless you’re highly technical and extremely bored. Funny how those two things seem to go together a lot.

But I do recommend taking the step to make a donation to Tramm. I don’t know him personally but I do know that there are few things more encouraging than someone sending cash to tell you they appreciate your efforts.

Here’s how to do it.

Click here to go directly to PayPal.

Click here to go to the 5D Magic Lantern wiki, scroll to the bottom and click on the PayPal link.

I sent my donation because I know how much time and effort goes into building and supporting a product. I appreciate Tramm’s efforts and look forward to enjoying the results.

I prefer using a separate audio recorder but there are times when it would be great to just plug in a small shotgun mic mounted on the camera and start shooting.

Click here to donate on PayPal

Do you always need a high end tripod to shoot great video with a DSLR?

Conventional wisdom says that you need a stable tripod with a smooth fluid head for shooting professional video. And that’s what I recommended in the Buyer’s Guide.

But Rodney Charters, DP for the Fox series “24″, in a recent interview on ProVideo Coalition had this to say about shooting with DSLR cameras.

“Park the camera.”

Check Philip Blooms videos and you’ll see that most of the shots are static. If the camera is moving it most often is mounted on a slider. Sometimes you’ll see a smooth, slow pan.

So, why would you spend hundreds (maybe thousands) of dollars buying a high-end fluid head then just “park the camera”?

I received an email from Scott, who purchased the DSLR Video Buyer’s Guide, with this same question:

I’ve found your guide and website very helpful already. I did have one question, though, that I hope you could perhaps help with.

I’m preparing a line of guitar lessons to be sold online and I need to add some video guides. Digital audio is my strength, and I’m only learning how to speak the video language.

Your buying guide and website have confirmed that the Canon T2i is likely the best camera for me. Fortunately for me it’s under $1,000, because I actually need two of them (one for each playing hand at different angles).

You also confirmed that a Sennheiser lavalier and Zoom H4N were the best ways of capturing audio. So far, my instincts have proven to be good ones.

However, I am on a relatively limited budget, and I don’t think there’s any way my boss (i.e. my wife) will let me spring for $1,500 for a couple of the Manfrotto tripod stands your eBook recommends. She’s onboard with the cameras, Final Cut Studio (we already have a couple of good Macs), a $700 lighting kit, but I think a grand and a half for tripods would put her (and our budget) over the edge. I’m running out of money, and I haven’t even shot a single frame yet!

Regarding my needs, please know that the tripod will be used only for indoor use and no panning or the like will be involved. The tripods will be set up once and remain stationary during the entire shoot, so the “glide” and ability to remain stable during hurricane force winds are not a factor. It needs to be stable for light indoor use, but still high quality.

It’s clear that Scott would be wasting good money on high-end tripods. After reading Rodney Charters’ interview, I think most people need a better way to shoot solid DSLR video than the conventional fluid head video tripod.

I wrote Scott back with some affordable camera support alternatives:

Jobi GorillaPod
The Jobi GorillaPod Focus and Ballhead bundle is a heavy duty flexible table-top tripod. You can wrap the legs around most anything if you take it on location. I have a couple of sizes and use them all the time. You need the Focus model to handle the weight and the ball head will give you all the rotation and angles you need.

SLIK Video Sprint
If you want the lowest priced regular tripod with a ‘fluid-effect’ head I like the SLIK Video Sprint II Tripod.

It’s very light weight, easy to carry and fairly stable. The head has some smoothing action to it so you can do a pan if you need to.

I use an old trick to smooth out pans – get a large rubber band and tie it to the handle. Use the rubber band to pull the pan and it dampens the movement so much you can actually start or end a pan while shooting.

I had a SLIK that I loved for years until someone liberated it from me. For $90 it’s hard to beat.

Davis & Sanford PROVISTAGR18
Looking on B&H I found this David & Sanford video tripod with lots of positive reviews at a cost of about $160. One reviewer called it “the poor man’s Manfrotto.” Another had used several high-end pro tripods and said it performed very well at a much lower cost. I haven’t used it personally but B&H is great about returns so you can see how it works for you.

Hey, it even comes with a carrying bag.

So, you can lock your DSLR camera for great stable shots without spending hundreds of dollars. You just need something that works for you.

What’s your experience? What works for you?

-a-

PS – have you checked out the Resources section of this site? More good stuff there.

Okay, this has nothing to do with the technology of 1080p in a timeline or any of that. It’s just a clear explanation and example of the power of editing from a master film maker.

To me, the importance of this interview is not so much about editing. It’s about the director shooting for the edit. And that only comes with experience of going through the process from concept to distribution many times.

When he says there are 78 pieces of film in about 45 seconds, you’ve got to know that didn’t happen by accident. It was planned and shot that way deliberately.

I’m sure there were clips that weren’t planned that made it into the final scene but all of the key angles were known before the film was loaded in the camera.

Most successful directors say they can see the entire movie in their head before they shoot it. I believe that’s the job of the director.

The opposite approach is something I call the ‘shoe-box’ production method.

You have some idea of a movie and go shoot a bunch of stuff that looks cool. When you get to edit, you find a piece of music that fits your idea of the movie then start looking in your ‘shoe box’ of clips.

You find something visually interesting, drop it in the timeline and keep going until you’ve used all the clips or the music ends.

If you’re doing commercial work, you might have a narration that you’re covering with B-roll but the same thing applies.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m just as guilty of this as anyone. It’s the visual version of cotton candy, sweet but no substance.

Run-n-gun is fun. But it’s not the way great art is created. After watching this clip of a great master, I feel more dedicated to doing the work it takes to create art.

Leave your comments and let me know what you think.
-a-

BTW – there are several other clips from Hitchcock around this one on youtube worth watching if you’re interested in being a student of film making.

“Apple of My Eye” is an HD video shot and edited entirely on the iPhone in 48 hours.

There are three important lessons this video can teach film makers about DSLR video.

“Apple of My Eye” – an iPhone 4 movie / film -
UPDATE: Behind the scenes footage included
from Michael Koerbel on Vimeo.

#1 – Play To Your Strengths

While I’m sure they struggled with the limitations of this camera, one of its strengths is that it’s light-weight and very small.  Someone on the team must have been looking at the iPhone and wondered, “What if we mounted it on a model train and went for a ride!”

While there are other small HD cameras that could have been used – like the GoPro HD – they used the thin, light-weight form factor of the iPhone 4 to get shots where most cameras would never fit.

There is power in taking a limitation and turning it into an advantage.

For instance, if you’ve got a Canon T2i and are using the 18-55mm kit lens you’ll find it’s very hard to focus manually. I saw this as a limitation when I first got the camera and believed I’d need to replace the lens. Then I discovered how to use the auto-focus while shooting video and everything changed.

Auto-focus on the T2i is fast, accurate and can even be set to find and focus on faces. While you can’t use it when recording video, just click the shutter part-way down while you’re setting up the shot and it will hit the focus in a couple of seconds.

What looked like a problem became a strength when I worked with the tool rather than fighting it.

#2 – You Have To Shoot It Like A Movie If You Want It To Look Like A Movie

Check out the credits and making-of shots in this project. From top to bottom, they had people to play all the major production roles:

• They filled the key roles of Director, Producer, Set Design, etc. Even if the same team is just ‘changing hats’ it’s important to make sure the key roles are covered.
• They had a Writer. It’s true, all good movies are made from good scripts. This one came up with a sweet story that even leaves you wanting to know more as the movie ends. That’s good writing.
• Professional talent in front of the camera makes a huge difference in the emotional impact of the work.
• Original music grabbed your attention and led you through the emotional story line.
• No zoom? No problem. They used a variety of camera support equipment including dollies, glide tracks and cranes to move the camera into the action.
• The lighting was solid and fit the mood of the piece.
• They recorded the voices after shooting the video (ADR) and mixed them into the final sound track to get the best audio.
• The editor understood how to use the language of cinema to tell the story and maxed out the functions of the editing tool.

One of the things that impressed me about Vincent LaForet’s first DSLR movie – Reverie – was that it looked like a good movie in all respects. The fact that it was shot on a DSLR was stunning but it would have been worth watching no matter what the camera.

Making movies is not like shooting video for events or training. It’s not like shooting stills. Yes, they share common elements but the depth of skill and the breadth of specialties required for movies is unique and demanding.

If you aspire to make movies with a DSLR you may want to forget the camera for a while and learn more about the art and craft of movie production.

#3 – Movies Are Made For The Audience To Enjoy

I remember the first time I saw one of my productions on a large screen. No only were the sound and images completely different from all the times I watched it in edit suites and conference rooms, the reaction of the audience changed everything for me.

I realized that my job was to create entertainment. Sometimes the film had to help sell a product or influence opinions and beliefs. Sometimes it was to convey information required to get from point A to point B.

But if that was all I did then the film became one of thousands of meaningless productions cranked out like someone mowing a lawn.

The concept of an iPhone HD movie made me willing to take a look at this film. The opening shot and the entrance of the actors looked nice, kept me watching for a bit more to see what else they did with the camera.

But when they dissolved to that first train shot with the music twinkling magically, I forgot all of that and slipped inside their movie completely. I had to force myself to stop now and then to check out the tech. That’s an entertaining movie.

It’s a lot more work to get into the head of your audience and create something that speaks their language, something that pulls them in and entertains them, maybe even something that brings a deeper emotional moment to their lives.

But that’s the key to making movies that will keep you working in this business for years, no matter what camera you shoot it with.

Take a moment and leave a comment, let me know what you think.

-a-

I just came across another example of a production where you should leave the DSLR in the bag.

This time it’s something that I believe a sane person should avoid at all costs anyway. But shooting it with a DSLR? Well…

Scenario

You’re working on a project shot with DSLR cameras where a character has a scene in front of a well known landmark in a city far from the rest of your story. You look at the budget to get those shots and start talking about other ways to accomplish the scene. Someone pipes up and says, “Why don’t we just green screen it? No need to travel, we’ll shoot in the studio.”

Question

Do you check that problem off the list and schedule the time in the studio?

Reality

Green screen, blue screen, it doesn’t matter which color you use. This is a difficult production technique to pull off correctly under any circumstances. But doing it with a DSLR can make everything even more troublesome.

Pulling a good chroma key requires good chroma. That’s the color information in the video. That’s also the “4″ in the three numbers you see after some codec definitions, like Apple’s ProRes 422.

The best video for pulling a chroma key is uncompressed 10 bit video with a 4:4:4 color space. DLSR cameras produce highly compressed 8 bit video with a 4:2:0 color space. The differences are significant.

Highly compressed 8 bit video with 4:2:0 color is one reason why it’s difficult for high end film producers to embrace DSLR cameras. There’s just not as much information in DSLR video as in an uncompressed codec with 4:4:4 color space. It’s why professional color graders say it’s more difficult to grade DSLR footage. And it’s why you can’t pull great chroma keys from DSLR footage.

Besides, it’s easy to record uncompressed 4:4:4 video. Just get something like the DeckLink Extreme from Blackmagic and tap the full resolution HDMI or SD/SDI outputs of your camera.

What… your DSLR doesn’t have full resolution HDMI or SD/SDI outputs?

Neither does mine, no DSLR camera has these outputs. But you’ll find either HDMI or SD/SDI outputs on all professional camcorders, most prosumer camcorders, and even quite a few high end consumer camcorders.

If you plan to shoot much chroma key video I’d suggest going with one of these setups rather than a DSLR. You can spend about the same money and end up with a much better result. And the good news is that’s it easy to simulate the shallow DOF of a DSLR with a chroma key. Just dial in some Gaussian blur on the background.

But, just for the sake of argument, let’s assume that you take the time to set up the perfect green screen shot. You have your background loaded into your laptop with software that can generate the key. You’re able to overlay the key and view the results on a high quality monitor so you can match lighting and align the shot perfectly. You have the staff on hand to control everything for the perfect shot.

How long do you want to live with that shot on a timeline? Five seconds? Maybe a bit longer?

If you want to cut to a closeup you’ll need to shift your background to match the new camera angle. In fact, if you move the camera at all you’re going to need to adjust everything.

What if you’ve got two actors and need an over the shoulder shot? You’re going to need the reverse of your background that matches perfectly.

What if you want to pan or zoom or make any kind of live action move? You’re going to need to have a system that allows you to move the virtual camera on your background to perfectly match the live camera move.

I’m not saying that any of this is impossible. I am saying that getting great special effects shots take much more preproduction, production and post-production to pull off. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. How many high budget films have you seen with poor chroma key effects?

On the other side of this situation, there are times when the visual design of the production makes such special effects necessary. If you have to take on such a project here’s a video with the best chroma key product I’ve seen. It will work with your clips from a DSLR and even an HDV camcorder.

Guy Cochran over at dvestore.com sells a product called Reflecmedia. Rather than paint a wall green and light it very carefully, Reflectmedia uses a special cloth that reflects light directly back to the camera. It has an LED light ring that you attach to the front of the camera. The light from the LED is very pure color and bounces off the special cloth to produce a great source for pulling a chromakey. Watch the video and Guy will show you how it works.

Reflecmedia in action – Chroma key made easy from Guy Cochran on Vimeo.

Chroma key is one of those things that people seem fascinated with and can’t wait to try. If you must include a chroma key shot in your project then the good news is that you’ll get to bill your client a lot more. If you’re the client I’d think of other ways to solve the problem than chroma key.

Tell me what you think? What’s your experience with chroma key?