Reel Inspiration: Take 5 with Ron Dawson

Ron Dawson is an accomplished screenwriter, director, award-winning video producer, speaker and author. He is the founder and president of Dare Dreamer Media, a boutique new media marketing agency and production company specializing in online marketing and viral videos. For the second consecutive year, he was named to the EventDV 25, one of the top 25 event videographers in the industry as voted by his peers.

Ron is also host and producer of the weekly photographers podcast, F-Stop Beyond (both the video and audio versions). Billed as the “Fresh Air” of photographers, beyond business and branding, Ron gets into the heart and soul of the guest. Ron gets personal with some of the nation’s leading photographers from all fields.

As a producer of original online entertainment, Ron has produced or co-produced a number of other programming including Me2WeTV, Real Women Scrap TV, F-Stop Beyond: In Living Color, and a handful of Dane Sanders‘ Photo Minute series. Most recently, Ron was the creator and executive producer of the first  online reality TV show for and about professional photographers, “The Longest Day.”

In July 2009, he and his wife released ReFocus: Cutting Edge Strategies to Evolve Your Video Business, published by PeachPit Press.

"I've been passionate about filmmaking since 1992. I started my business ten years later in 2002. I left a high paying marketing job to pursue my passion. Since then I've been blessed to be named to the Event DV 25 the last two years. However, I've built a reputation in the video biz and among my peers as primarily a marketing guy. I left a marketing job to be a filmmaker, and now my filmmaking job has turned into a marketing job. What happened?


I'm on a personal quest to return to my roots as a filmmaker. To focus on doing work that I'm passionate about as an artist. Canon's 5D and 7D HD DSLRs have made filmmaking fun again for me. As much as possible we're using those cameras on most of our jobs now. We just finished a short film series for our long standing client, Pictage. It explores the themes of Dream, Create, and Inspire. It's my favorite work to date. I also recently completed my first 100% 5D photographer promo video for a photographer in Calgary, AB Canada. I also hope to start making personal films. One of the best ways to stay fresh, inspired, and creative, and to avoid burn out, is to invest time in personal work. There are a bunch of stories I want to tell. Now is the time to start telling them." - Ron Dawson


FAVORITE MOVIES
I don't have a "favorite" movie. That's an impossible question for me to answer. But, the five films which have most influenced my style of storytelling are (in order of release):
The Graduate
Do the Right Thing
When Harry Met Sally
Strictly Ballroom
Swingers
All of these films are ones in which character, dialog, and story play an integral part of the films' successes. That's where I feel I'm the strongest as a filmmaker: in my storytelling abilities. Weaving audio and visuals in a way to convey an emotionally powerful message. I'm also a huge fan of documentaries and love the work of Errol Morris and Janette Burstein. (I can do without Michael Moore though. However, he is a great storyteller.) And because of the 5D, I've lately taken great interest in movies characterized by stunning cinematography. Two films which I've recently seen whose cinematography I really admired are "Revolutionary Road" (Sam Medez director) and "Defiance" (Ed Zwick director).


INSPIRATION FROM THE STARS
Lastly, I have to give a shout out to SyFy's Battlestar Galactica. I've been watching the show for the first time on DVD and it is by far the BEST sci-fi drama EVER. (This coming from a huge Star Trek:TNG fan). Ironically though, the thing about BSG is that it's not even really at heart science fiction. Space is just a backdrop for what in essence is a well written soap opera and character drama. The themes, character development, and story arcs in that series are absolutely enthralling. Every episode ends with a cliffhanger (borrowing from the age-old days of "Flash Gordon" serials). The "bad" guys are not 100% bad. The "good" guys are not really all "good." Everyone is flawed, broken, and no one is above judgment. Even the most despicable character, the traitor Baltar, is a complex character who at times makes you actually root and care for him. That, my friends, is excellent storytelling. Whether or not you consider yourself a sci-fi fan, if you're at all interested in excellent storytelling and character development, rent—no, BUY, the BSG DVD series.


THE FUTURE
I'm excited about what's in store for our future. In many ways I feel like I'm starting all over again. And that's a fun feeling.


HOW DOES THE CREATIVE PROCESS LOOK TO YOU?
Below is the "Create" film we produced for our client Pictage. The password to view it is ppc09nola. Entirely shot with the 5D MarkII with Magic Bullet color grading in post.


Links:
Website: daredreamer.net
Blog: bladeronner.com
Book: ReFocus: Cutting Edge Strategies to Evolve Your Video Business (Peachpit Press): peachpit.com/refocus

Read more...

Happy Holidays!

Thank you to everyone who has been reading this blog. Thanks for all the kind words,support and inspiration you have all given us over the last year. In 2010 we have some exciting stuff planned for the site that we are sure will make it more useful and interesting for everyone! Stay tuned!

Christmas Tree from Cristina Valdivieso + Jon Connor on Vimeo.

Abominable Snowman from Cristina Valdivieso + Jon Connor on Vimeo.

Read more...

When Disaster Strikes: Oops I deleted all of my footage two weeks ago!!!

Scenario: Two weeks later you realize the footage you deleted off of your desktop is somehow not backed up anywhere!! Now what?

CF cards the media used for recording with the Canon line of DSLR's are a very robust media. They can withstand a lot of punishment that a DV tape never could.

Due to the cost of CF cards, however, you need to be constantly offloading the cards and backing them up. The importance of this was driven home to me at Re:Frame San Francisco by Den Lennie , the tapeless workflow guru and co-founder of F-Stop Academy . During his presentation he talked about the majority of problems with this type of media boiling down to one thing, human error. Well, anytime I do something good, or take part in something I am proud of, I am very quick to toot my own horn. Why should it be any different when I do something bad? Really bad. We had a few consecutive jobs that put us out in the field and had us juggling our Seagate 1 TB drives like a circus performer. Everything was backed up at least twice across 2 MacBook Pro's,an iMac,a Mac Pro with a RAID 5 Array,four 1 TB Seagate Drives and

two 500 GB Seagate Drives. Seems like a year or two ago that would have lasted us a lifetime as far as storage goes. Well not anymore. The Mac Pro was filled to the brim and therefore I could no longer edit on it properly. I called my partner in crime,asking what could be deleted off of the desktop. The answer was "Make sure Everything is backed up before you delete anything!" I did. I checked and double checked. Everything on the desktop was backed up on external drives.

Delete.

I then began working on the task at hand. Fast forward two weeks.

I am starting to work on the next job in line.I go into the folder and... empty. "Hmmmm, that's weird." I thought. So for whatever reason I check another project folder on the external. Nothing. Another. Nothing. I am officially at DEFCON 1!!! Alarms are going off! I'm officially freaking out!! It feels like my life is over.

It's too painful to remember everything I lost that day. Lets just say it was about 450 GB of video footage that I could never recreate.

If I would have shot these on a regular video camera I would still have the tapes. Damn you!! I cursed my ambition. My reliance on this new technology and my idiotic finger for hitting that delete button. In an utter panic and in between sobbing uncontrollably(some details have been altered for dramatic impact) I turned to Twitter. I downplayed the severity of the situation but my sheer panic must have resonated because in a matter of minutes I had a number of replies. They ran the full gamut from, please tell me this is a joke, to surely there's a backup somewhere, to condolences on your loss. Then I got a direct message from @CodyPChristian. It said he had a similar problem once and was able to recover his files. We went back and forth as he diagnosed the problem. What OS are you on? Where were the files? Back and forth.Back and forth. Then he sends the Tweet heard round the world.(some details have been altered for dramatic impact)

Data Rescue II. Two words and a Roman numeral.That was the solution. I ended up using Data Rescue III just because it was newer and I felt like I needed any new developments in technology to save me as this was a hopeless cause in my mind. The most tedious part of the entire task was going into the preferences and un-checking the majority of the massive list of files this thing can recover/reconstruct. I was only interested in Quicktime files as I wanted this thing to just focus on recovering all of that footage that was lost. It cost $99 but this thing worked a miracle. It recovered over 450 GB of information that was gone!! It had a specific search function for just such an occasion aptly called Deleted Files.

This tale serves a few purposes. Always,always,always back-up. Then back-up your back-up's back-up before you ever even think about hitting delete. If you do find yourself in this predicament, and you are using Mac OS, Data Rescue III worked a miracle for me.

 Lastly,but probably the most important, I owe a huge thank you to @CodyPChristian This guy does a little bit of everything check him out at http://codypchristian.net/ He didn't need to help me out. He gained absolutely nothing from doing that, other then the satisfaction of helping a poor sap out that just deleted a lot of valuable footage. Regardless,he spent his time to find out what my problem was and to find a solution for me. That speaks volumes to me about the kind of guy he is,his character and willingness to help out when he can. So for data recovery I recommend Data Rescue III. For virtually anything else I recommend http://codypchristian.net/ 

Read more...

Reel World: Charles Son Talks Canon 7D and the City of Black & White Documentary

I caught up with Charles Son the co-director of an amazing short film, shot on the Canon 7D, about Mat Kearney’s last show of the City of Black & White tour. It’s really exciting to see what he and Ryan McNeil were able to do with this piece. The Reel World series is all about the practical application of DSLR’s as a filmmaking tool.

It’s one thing to go out and shoot cool beauty shots for fun,but this series is an attempt to highlight filmmakers in the field using these cameras in real world settings.

City of Black & White — Canon 7D documentary from Charles Son on Vimeo.

“Everything I've learned has come from watching movies and shooting them myself. Going to college for video production didn't help me much, other than meeting like-minded people with whom I still work today.  I think I had already learned the basics in high school, studying Scorsese and making movies with my parents' camcorder.  Since I graduated three years ago, I've been working in Hollywood at a great production / editorial company called Pictures in a Row.  So many great minds there, who have taught me a lot.I do a lot of editing as well as shooting, and it's great to do both.  If you think like an editor when you shoot, you're not going to be kicking yourself in the edit bay.

The job just kind of fell into my lap at the last minute. My co-director Ryan McNeill got a phone call from Mat's record label the night before the show to ask if we could fill in for another shooter.  We figured it'd be a quick little fluff piece, but we didn't realize how charismatic and insightful Mat would be on camera.

I had just bought the 7D a couple weeks before and I was dying to use it for more than just tests.  And since this was going to be at night with dimly lit rooms and exteriors, it was a no-brainer to use the 7D and test out its low-light capabilities in a real situation.

Simply put, the 7D kicked major ass.It more than exceeded my expectations.I couldn't believe the latitude it gave me and how well it worked in low light.I don't think we would've been able to do this shoot without it.  It's great to have so much control over the depth of field.  When I watched the raw footage, I was amazed at how "big" it made everything feel... there's a larger-than-life quality you get, where you can almost feel the size of the sensor in the images, as opposed to smaller chip cameras.And using interchangeable lenses, like a tilt-shift, is definitely a blast.

I love the Zacuto Rapid Fire.  It's so small you might not think it'll help that much, but it really does.  It's extremely easy to customize to your body.  And it's light enough that when I wasn't shooting I could leave it attached and carry it around by the 7D's neck strap.  I definitely want to try out a bigger rig at some point with a counterweight that goes over the shoulder to make it feel even more like a film camera.After the shoot, my back-ordered Z-Finder finally arrived and it too is glorious.

Ryan and I really need to thank Mat for being such a great subject to document! It was his idea to climb up on the roof for the main interview, and a lot of people have said that the roof shots are the most beautiful.He actually kept a lookout on the security guards there, and found the right time to sneak up the ladder.Maybe he should be a location scout...

Since most people don't know that DSLRs shoot video now, it's pretty entertaining to me when ordinary people start posing for you like it's a picture at events like these. If I tell them I'm actually shooting video, many will get self-conscious and don't want to be on video. And there have been a couple times when people looked so happy to be in a picture, that I pretend to snap one before walking away!("Oh that was a good one!Great smile!")I'm sure that's going to change quickly as these cameras get more popular.

Although the 7D is great in low light, the noise can be distracting in really high ISO shots.  Our colorist, Adam Sakellarides, used a great noise reduction program by Neat Video on a lot of shots.  It's a great program, extremely easy to use, and it helped immensely.  We did keep the noise in the black-and-white shots because it felt right.
And some noise can be very beautiful. However, you can definitely see the junk from the H.264 codec in a few shots... that blocky pattern that looks terrible and you can't do anything about.  If only Canon could give us uncompressed video...

These video DSLRs are such a huge step toward the democratization of filmmaking. I equate it to the release of the Panasonic DVX-100 with its 24p video. Anyone can now have professional tools and techniques at their disposal at an affordable price.  It's very exciting times. But we all need to watch out for the next generation, since there are 8-year-olds running around now with 7Ds and editing in Final Cut Pro on their new iMacs! ” – Charles Son
Check out Charles Son on Vimeo.

I couldn't agree more. I think we are living in exciting times as filmmakers.It's more about the person behind the camera
and having talent but this is a perfect example of someone gifted going out, and getting amazing results with the Canon 7D.

Read more...

Not a Good Time to Be a Field Mouse...

  This was shot on a Photron SA-2 High Definition High Speed Camera. Shot of 'Checkers' the eagle owl, 1000fps 1920x1080 resolution. Shot by  www.slowmo.co.uk 


Dear Santa,
 How about a little 1000 fps in that firmware upgrade?  
Thanks. I'll leave the milk and cookies in the usual spot.

Read more...

Everything I Know About the Canon 7D I Learned from Louis C.K.

So I have been getting a lot of emails and messages on Twitter asking me all sorts of questions about shooting with the Canon 7D . I am going to attempt to cover the majority of everything I've learned about the 7D since I started shooting with it.
The Canon 7D has limitations that have been well documented all over the web. I recently watched
A Constant Forge , a documentary on director John Cassavettes
And one line, in particular, rang true. He was talking about never wanting to shoot another commercial film because money ruined the creative process for him.
He said something to the effect of, “ Limitation is the key to inspiration.”
I think in the day and age we live in we have become a society with a short attention span.We want it bigger,better,faster and NOW.

It’s like the bit by comedian Louis C.K., Everything's Amazing and Nobody's Happy.
(Although I'm a huge Louis C.K. fan I missed this so  I'd like to thank
@AmyPruett for sharing this with me)




We need to master our craft and get back to the basics. Shot composition and storytelling. I plan on working on those two myself.
Be thankful for the amazing technology we have at our disposal and stop whining like a bunch of spoiled children. Aliasing,WAHHHH. Moire,WAHHHH.
12 minute limit WAHHH, No Audio Control WAHHHHHHH. What do you want Canon to give you for $1700 ? Should it come with your own personal DOP to set all the shots up for you too? Do you remember what it took a few short years ago to get this type of look for a film? It would have been impossible to do what you can now for this type of money.
So, instead of this RED vs. the Canon DSLR civil war that is erupting in the filmmaking community, How about this ?
Take whatever equipment it is that you have the good fortune of owning and go shoot something amazing. Let your limitations be your inspiration.
Force yourselves to think in a way you never have before. Can’t afford a 7D ? Go get a Flip HD, shoot it on your iPhone. Just do it.
Sorry. Now back to the original point of this whole post.
What do I know about the Canon 7D that could be helpful?
Something simple yet one of the most important steps when shooting with the Canon 7D , Canon 5D MKII, and any other camera really, is flattening the color.
It may seem pointless to you. Why would I flatten the color? I want it to come out of the camera with rich vibrant colors. No you don’t. That’s why God invented color grading.
My weapon of choice for color grading is Red Giant’s Magic Bullet Looks . It is an absolute necessity for me. The things I can do with it in post are absolutely fantastic.
It’s one of those things where you can download the software and begin using it almost immediately. A very intuitive interface, and the ability to save your own custom
looks actually makes color grading fun. Who knew? Here is how you Flatten the Color on Your 5D (also works on 7d ) Thanks to Stu from ProLost for this.

Turn Auto Lighting Optimizer OFF. I haven’t seen this documented anywhere but I hate this feature. It basically sucks to me. Should be called Auto Make picture look crappy
IMHO. So disable this feature. Period.

You need one or all of the following. A tripod, a monopod, Glidetrack , Glidecam , Zacuto Rapid Fire or Tactical Shooter . Get yourself something to stabilize your camera.
There’s nothing that turns me off more then shaky handheld footage. It looks amateur.
With HD video it is very noticeable and rolling shutter is not kind to this type of shooting.
Not saying handheld shooting can’t be done with a Zacuto Z-Finder and sniper like breathing tactics it was actually done quite well as demonstrated in this post by John Moon of Northernlight Filmworks .
However,for the average shooter, myself included, shooting handheld is a good way to end up with a lot of useless shaky footage.

Lenses. Lenses. Lenses.
A very common question is what lens should I get? Well that is a difficult one to answer specifically,it depends on what you are shooting, but I can offer some guidelines. The 7D works with a 1.6
Crop factor so here is your simple math equation to figure out what a non APS-C lens becomes effectively on the 7D. Take the lens (i.e. 50mm ) multiply by 1.6. Here are a few lenses
already figured out for you.
16-35mm = 25.6 -56mm
35mm = 56mm
50 mm = 80mm
24-70mm = 38.4 -116mm
85mm- 136mm
70-200mm= 116 -320mm
Now which lens do you want to buy? I am a bit of a lens snob and also one of the key reasons I shoot with the 7D is for low light capabilities. So I personally would avoid buying a lens higher then a 2.8. Unless,you will be shooting in well lit situations or it is a lens to compliment the prime lenses you already have.
I have heard the 70-200 F/4 is sharper then the 2.8 but it also can’t shoot in low light so, I like the 50mm 1.4  as a very cheap workhorse lens. At a little more then $350 if you’re just starting out it’s a good lens to get you up and running. The 24-70 2.8 has a great range and is one of my favorite lenses.
Let’s say you shoot weddings, or you want to get close ups of people/things but from far away the 70-200mm 2.8 is absolutely wonderful. As far as the rest of the lenses go I haven’t had much experience with them so I can’t say a lot about them.
Here’s an idea though. Either rent the lens first or better yet see if any of your friends who are photographers already shoot with Canon. If you are out shooting something and you ask very nicely they may just let you try one
of their lenses. If they aren’t that nice? Maybe you will have to go out and shoot a little behind the scenes piece for them in exchange for some of their knowledge on lenses and to try out some of theirs.You not only will gain valuable insight but you may also make a great business connection and perhaps even a friend.
So there you have it. Hopefully that helps someone. It’s not everything I know about the Canon 7D but it’s a start.

Read more...

Canon 1D MKIV Footage

Not saying this is the first footage ever shot with a Canon 1D MKIV but Canon hasn't made him take these down yet. I haven't had a chance to really watch these yet so I have no helpful input.

Canon 1DmkIV at the races - test shoot from Dan Chung on Vimeo.
For more info on the always amazing Dan Chung or this video check out www.dslrnewsshooter.com

1DmkIV - Singapore night drive from Dan Chung on Vimeo.

Read more...

6 Year Old Director Wins Bronze for Film Shot on Canon 5D MKII

Last night the GPVA (Greater Philadelphia Videographers Association) held it's very competitive annual film festival. My cousin Frankie, who is 6 years old, won a bronze for his directorial debut of "Frankie and Brett" which was shot on the Canon 5D MKII. Special thanks to Cristina Valdivieso for all her hard work on this film. Make sure you watch until the end, when we interview him about making his first film. He's got some valuable insight on how this business works. Congratulations buddy!!!

Frankie and Brett from Cristina Valdivieso + Jon Connor on Vimeo.

Read more...

Reel World: with Patrick Murphy-Racey

Some of you saw my earlier blog post which included this amazing video shot with the Canon 7D.

SEC Championship Game 12.5.2009, GeorgiaDome from patrick murphy-racey on Vimeo.

There were a ton of questions about how this was done. First a little background on Patrick
Murphy-Racey because as we all know the toys are great but it's the man behind the camera
that makes the biggest impact.

"I'm a former Sports Illustrated photographer. I did a lot of work for SI from 1992-1998. I then began working on a book project on Tennessee football that took me away from the SI work, which I self published in 2003.

I've worked for a number of newspapers in my career as a full-time shooter but quit in 1992 to pursue a freelance career instead.  I've been doing that ever since.  I am really loving this new twist on how to communicate and tell stories. The Canon video capabilities are truly remarkable and simply produce eye candy every time I hit that button. Being able to shoot motion picture quality video on the full-frame chip of the 5DMKII is awesome.

My inbox is jammed with people asking me questions about how I did the SEC Championship video.  Rather than try to answer everyone, I simply made another video explaining the process and what I did to get the results...  I think it will prove helpful for many." - Patrick Murphy-Racey

I'd like to thank Patrick for taking time out of his busy schedule to help educate the filmmaking community 

on this new technology. It is an exciting time we live in for filmmakers and photographers alike. So here it is.

Enjoy!

SECHD: how it was shot... by Patrick Murphy-Racey from patrick murphy-racey on Vimeo.

Check out Patrick's photography here.

Read more...

Twitter Love: Part 2 @TRStudios Takes it to The Next Level

This is #followfriday on steroids. If @TRStudios does something he does it over the top!! There is no half stepping with this man. That's why you need to follow him. He's a great guy,very informative and funny to boot. Check this video out...

Follow Friday Video 12/4/09 from T R on Vimeo.

Announcing your first Canon Filmmakers shooting assignment :
A very great potential shooting experience check this out
http://yearinreview.yahoo.com/2009/blog/13
Take this info and get creative. If you shoot something cool make sure to let me know so I can do a post highlighting how different people captured this event. Photographers and filmmakers alike!
We are looking for cool photos or films of this event.

Read more...

Reel Inspiration: Take 4 with Kevin Shahinian

Kevin Shahinian is an award-winning filmmaker. He graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts before starting Pacific Pictures, a film production company in Los Angeles, CA. Kevin has been featured  in EventDV Magazine and in Zacuto's webisodic series Film Fellas. I met Kevin first at WEVA Expo in Orlando and then saw him again earlier this year in Re:Frame San Francisco. He's a great guy,very down to earth and geniune. Here is a sample of the absolutely groundbreaking work he has done.

"Can a love story be told as a thriller? Megan and Narbeh's true romance seemed to inspire the myth, conventions, and iconography of the great international suspense films, set in the iconic Uppsala winter of their hometown. Knowing only that Narbeh was a member of the Swedish Air Force, and that he used to sneak off the base at times just to see Megan, we took a little dramatic license in this one-of-a-kind love story-thriller hybrid, and hope to have celebrated the places that remind these two what made their very first moments together unforgettable."-Pacific Pictures

Megan + Narbeh's Sweden Thriller Concept "Snow" from PACIFIC PICTURES on Vimeo.

Now in all fairness to Kevin when I talked to him via email I originally thought I needed one movie
pick as I was going to do one post with all the filmmakers and be done with it. Since we spoke the format has changed, but I liked his response so much, I decided to leave it in it's original form.

"You asked the wrong guy to pick one movie. I am a huge fan of "invisibility" when it comes to visual aesthetics. Most of the time, unless the story is about a drug trip or a dream (like The Cell), something that strikes you visually tends to pull you out of the story and remind you that you are watching a movie. I find these films balance cinematography, art direction, and score in a way that really adds to the story and characters in an immersive way." - Kevin Shahinian
by Cinematographer:

Conrad Hall ( Road to Perdition, American Beauty)

Roger Deakins (Shawshank Redemption)

Janusz Kaminski (Saving Private Ryan)

Darius Khondji (Seven)

Paul Laufer (The Cell)

For more info or to view more of Kevin's work check these out:

 http://www.PacificPictures.net

 http://www.PacificPicturesBlog.net

 http://twitter.com/kevinshahinian

Read more...

Twitter Love

Been feeling a lot of love lately and just wanted to genuinely thank everyone for

all the support, help, compliments, feedback etc. When you make an endeavor out of love and passion

and not for profit things like this email make it all worthwhile:

"Hey, I've been following your blog canonfilmmakers for a couple weeks now and I'd first like to say I really love it! Great information on there and good interviews to boot. I actually saw your New York piece you did and loved it... Did some research on the 7d, got the glide track etc etc etc Basically, I completely changed tracks from being a nikon and ex1 guy to giving the canon 7d a go. I have to say, I am loving the 7D so far and I'd like to thank you, your blog and films for the confidence to pull the trigger on the 7d. Cheers, Brian "

Read more...

Canon 7D isn't a proper video camera ? Yeah OK...

SEC Championship Game 12.5.2009, GeorgiaDome from patrick murphy-racey on Vimeo.

I'd like to thank Patrick  from Patrick Murphy-Racey Photography for sharing this with me.
I think this really shows the ability of a DSLR to be used to cover live events and the
amazing shots he was able to capture here are a very good look at the future of
 where filmmaking with DSLR's is heading. When I watched this after he emailed me the link,
I have to say I was absolutely floored! During a high pace game like football for him to be able to capture the shots he did with no noticeable rolling shutter, to me anyway, and keep things in focus is beyond me. I hope to be able to talk more in depth with him about this. Oh yeah and if you didn't notice I said Patrick from  Patrick Murphy-Racey Photography a photographer shot this. Convergence. Fusion.
Whatever you call it. It's here. So get used to it. You might learn a thing or two. Thank you again, Patrick for sharing this phenomenal piece !!
The lenses he used for this were the Canon EF400mm f/2.8L IS, EF200mm f/2L IS, EF15mm f/2.8

Read more...

Filmmaking Genius + InFocus 2010

I am posting this video by Joe Simon because it is pure genius.



If you haven't seen the movies that inspire Joe Simon click here for some Reel Inspiration.

Read more...

Reel Inspiration: Take 3 with Sara Collaton

Buying the Canon 7D has given me a new passion and appreciation for photography and I am also a firm believer that inspiration knows no bounds. So I am thrilled that our next set of picks come from rock star photographer, literally and figuratively, Sara Collaton. She's photographed the likes of ( brace yourselves for my shameless name dropping ) Weezer, Ben Folds, the Cranberries, Moby and countless others. Now tell me that isn't a sweet job!! So, what movies does a rock star photographer watch on her day off you may ask. Without further ado here's the picks from Sara Collaton:

"My films seem to follow a theme.  As a photographer, I am continuously inspired by all of the arts, mainly music.  Whether I have lyrics to a song in mind while composing a shot, or pulling a title from a song that represents my feelings while looking at an image, music and images go hand in hand for me.  I guess it's part of the reason why I'm currently working as a concert photographer.  So here are my picks for some of my favourite films in the past 10 years that also have an amazing soundtrack."

The Fountain (2006) Directed by Darren Aronofsky, Score by Clint Mansell (Performed by Kronos Quartet & Mogwai)

"After "Pi" and "Requiem for a Dream" I knew I would be rushing to the theatres for whatever Darren had in store next.  "The Fountain" was announced.  Sadly, I had to wait six years to see it.  Sometimes having an actor walk away from a project (Brad Pitt), production coming to a halt, only to start up again with an incredibly small fraction of the original budget can be a blessing in disguise.  Six years of waiting was worth it.  Choosing to move away from CGI (for the most part) and rely on classic chemical reactions for scenes that take place in space, Darren creates these wonderful images in white, black and golds.  Incredible performances from both Rachel Weiz and Hugh Jackman as well as Clint creating my favourite score of all time, make this a film not worth watching, but experiencing."

Song: The Last Man

Le Scaphandre et le Papillon (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) (2007) Directed by Julian Schnabel, Theme by Paul Cantelon

"It's pretty amazing, when a director can actually make you feel what the character is going through.  Based on the true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, who after suffering a stroke, wakes up in a hospital to realize he is trapped.  Although his mind is perfectly fit and healthy, he awakens to a condition known as locked-in syndrome.

You can't help but feel trapped yourself when watching this opening scene. Blurred images and muffled voices, the viewer is witnessing the scene from Jean-Domnique's point of view.  Perhaps it's because I have spent the last 3 years watching my uncle suffer from a similar condition (ALS, or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) but I find Julian's filming technique incredibly powerful.  Paul Cantelon's theme for the film is a beautiful and delicate piano piece in the mix of a soundtrack with artists such as Tom Waits, U2 and the Velvet Underground."

Song: Theme for the Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Mulholland Drive (2001) Directed by David Lynch, Score by Angelo Badalamenti

"A Director that often leaves you with more questions than answers, David Lynch is my tied for my favourite director, Stanley Kubrick being the other.  I find David absolutely fascinating as a true artist that is not afraid to take (many) risks and often starts his films without a finished script, but instead, works on feelings and cueing actors with single words instead of actual direction.  As much as David Lynch is the visual element to his films, they would not be complete without Angelo's contributions to some hauntingly beautiful pieces.

Probably proving to others and myself by this point - I am not a writer. I wouldn’t even know how to begin to review or describe a Lynch film in full sentences.  Instead, like he does with actors, I'll leave you with words that come to mind when thinking about his films: dark, mysterious, surreal, beautiful, film-noir, woman-in-trouble, warm, voyeuristic, desire, nightmare."   

Song: Go Get Some

Now put down "I Love You, Beth Cooper" (why did that even come out on DVD) you have some serious film watching to do.
To see some of Sara’s amazing work vist www.saracollaton.com 

Read more...

The "F" Word : Fusion

Coney Island Dream from Joshua Brown on Vimeo.

The "F" word. You've heard it a million times. Fusion. Or worse the "C" word...Convergence. A world where Photographers become Filmmakers and Filmmakers become Photographers. Well get over it. It's here. Primarily a still photographer Joshua Brown has delved into filmmaking armed with his Canon 5D MkII.
"Coney Island Dream" was shot B.F. (before firmware) and therefore he didn't really have maual exposure control. Check out more of his work here  joshuabrownphotography.com

Read more...

The Heirloom-Northernlight Filmworks

www.northernlightfilmworks.com

by John Moon (Northernlight Filmworks)

Many of us can look around our studios and think of our favorite tools or cameras to use to tell a story.  As I look around our studio, we have different cameras that we use to achieve our vision.  We shoot with all Canon cameras.  At Northernlight Filmworks, we shoot with Canon XH-A1’s for HD video and we shoot Super 8 Film with Canon 814 and 16mm film on a Canon Scoopic M Camera.  All of these cameras have specific roles to play and are our go to cameras in certain situations.  Earlier this year we added the Canon 5D Mark II.   We have also incorporated the Canon 7D in many of our shoots.

I have some background in photography and ever since I was young, I enjoyed taking photos.  I remember our family vacations and taking photos with Dad’s Polaroid and with his 35mm camera.  My first 35mm camera was a Canon AE-1.  When I look back at all the photos we have they bring back many memories.  I’m a sentimental person, so anything that takes me back to a period or preserves a memory, hits close to my heart. 

The Canon 5D Mark II has been an incredible camera for us to use and has opened up our creativity.   I like this camera because it is full frame and a huge sensor.  This camera has caused me to think about the shot and to be somewhat selective when composing the shot.  I have always thought about how I want to shoot something before this camera but now you have to be cognizant of the best lens for the situation, the f-stop, shutter speed and ISO.  If you are going to use a prime lens, what are its limitations? What is the lighting and how will you use it?  Will your subject be moving are fairly static?  There are number of things that you process to achieve an optimal composition.   

We recently used the 5D on a family shoot with Carpenter Photography and Design, to explore using this camera as a documentary tool with those types of sessions.  All of us can look back at old photographs but you can only rely upon your memory to recollect how people moved, what they said, mannerisms, etc.  We approached this shoot as a documentary and “in the moment” type of shoot.  With children, this often works best.  The Heirloom is meant to be a reflection of family and can expand to simple interviews with the parents, children, grandparents, etc.    The concept was to create something that 20 yrs from now, would remain relatively timeless and be an accurate depiction of what the family may have remembered about that day.  The Canon 5D and 7D from a filmmaking standpoint, allows you even greater access to the subject.   I’m not sure why that is but my theory is that the still camera has been romantisized for so long and people understand it better and therefore have a greater comfort level with it.   We shot this Heirloom session using the 5D and the lenses were 70-200 2.8 IS and an 85 1.2.  I love both of these lenses.   The prime was a little more challenging because the children were being children and they were all over and wanting to explore.  I love how they just went and did their thing because this was them and this is what they do.  The 70-200 gave me more flexibility.   I shot this particular film without the Zacuto Z-Finder but have since purchased the Z-Finder.  The Z-Finder, in my opinion, is an absolute must.   Shooting in video mode, you loose auto focus but before the 5D I primarily shot manual focus anyway.  But shooting in HD and with this camera, anything that is just a little out of focus, you are going to see it.  For me, the Z-Finder does 2 things: (1) More accurate critical focus and (2) Stability.  You pull focus much quicker and more accurately because the Z-Finder allows you to really see the edges and blocks out sunlight that might interfere.  Greater stability is achieved because when you press the eyecup against your eye, your body then becomes the stabilizer.   I tend to do a lot of breath holding.  I think that comes from my experience in shooting rifles.

I think the key to any type of documentary style shooting is to be able to anticipate movements and how those movements might connect to another.  I’m always trying to think what the subject is going to do next and then anticipate their interaction with someone or something.

What I enjoy about the Heirloom piece is how authentic it is.  It portrays a sense of warmth and in this brief moment you get a glimpse of this family’s personality. 

Heirloom Session - Moore Family from Northernlight Filmworks on Vimeo.

We transcoded the footage from 30p to 24p and edited with Final Cut Pro.   Although the footage that comes straight out of the camera is very good, I color grade every clip using Magic Bullet.  I don’t do heavy grading but primarily work the curves to get the blacks the way I want them.

Become a fan of Northernlight Filmworks on facebook here
 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Noblesville-IN/Northernlight-Filmworks/42551964984 

Read more...

Reel Inspiration:Take 2 with Philip Bloom

If you don't know who Philip Bloom is you must be living under a rock.

 He's boldly trailblazing a new breed of cinematography, filmmaking without the film, 

utilizing 35mm adapters and VDSLR's. His recent work, besides being co-founder of the 

highly popular online training resource F-Stop Academy , includes films for 

Discovery HD, Five, Living, Sky One, Greenpeace and too many others to list here.

 He's an invaluable asset to the filmmaking community. I am very glad to have met him and consider him a true friend. He tirelessly works doing what he loves most and in the process educates, inspires and sets the bar higher in the filmmaking community. Visit his website to see some of the amazing work he's done and while you're there check out the bevy of useful information. It's filled to the gills. 

So here's part two of the series Reel Inspiration, I started this because I'm sick of watching crappy movies. Therefore, I decided to see what the best of the best recommend . Here's Philip Bloom's picks:

"These are not my favourite films of all time, but films I saw this year that had a real impact on me. As time goes on I am getting more and more jaded with modern cinema, so it's great to still be surprised and excited despite the best efforts of 2012, Transformers 2 and that godawful New Moon. " - Philip Bloom

Moon (2009) Directed by Duncan Jones

"I only saw this for the first time last month. I had heard great things about it and often when that happens you will be disappointed. Not this time. Moon is the debut feature from Duncan Jones, formerly know as "Zowie Bowie" son of David. It essentially is a one man film. Sam Rockwell plays the man running the mining operation of the moon. His only company is the computer voiced by Kevin Spacey. Despite these limitations Jones has managed to create an utterly engrossing film that harkens back to the likes of Silent Running and 2001 but with a low budget. It's miniatures  and real sets here all held together by a mesmerising Sam Rockwell. Anyone who things CGI and large casts (Michael Bay) is the way to make a movie then they should watch this. Easily one of the best films I have seen this year." - Philip Bloom

Colin (2008) Directed by Marc Price

"Going even further down the low budget route is another debut feature by a friend of mine, Marc Price. Shot over an extended period of time, his Zombie flick was shot for about £50. Everyone worked for free, gear was borrowed, locations were guerilla. Pretty impressive for a film with this subject matter. He shot it himself using a knackered old SD 4:3 mini DV Sony camcorder and cut it on a very old version of Premiere. Despite this is has made huge waves in the market. Lauded at Cannes and praised by Horror fans as a really fresh take on the Zombie film, Colin really is an inspiration to aspiring filmmakers." - Philip Bloom

The Fall (2006) Directed by Tarsem Singh

"Another one I saw this year but has made it into my top 5 films of all time. Simply the most beautiful film I have ever seen. Incredible real locations, almost no CGI. A script that was organic and heavily improvised due to the nature of the story and the interpretation of the young girl. This film has to be seen to be believed. This film will make you fall in love with Cinema all over again after the excesses of some of this year's movies. It takes the beauty of Ron Fricke's "Baraka", real global locations, and fashions a wonderful story that utterly captured me as much as the visuals did. Watch this on Blu Ray and prepared to be slack jawed." - Philip Bloom

So there you have it folks. Now pick one of these films up and put back Paul Blart: Mall Cop. No, seriously. Put it back. 


For more information or to view Philip Bloom's work check out
www.philipbloom.co.uk

Read more...

Reel Inspiration:Take 1 with Joe Simon

Joe Simon is a BMX paragon, a four-time Telly Award-winning artist, an Event-DV Top 25 honoree, a presenter at Re:Frame San Francisco  and In-Focus 2010 and owner of Joe Simon Productions, an Austin, Texas-based studio specializing in cinematic high-definition and vintage wedding films. At the heart of it all though, Joe Simon, simply put, is an amazing filmmaker. With a keen eye for composition and a fearless disposition; he wields his Glidecam like a weapon in the hands of a warrior. He sleeps,eats,and breathes filmmaking. His body of work spans a multitude of genres from indie films,to music videos. Here is a link to his latest work. http://joesimonproductions.blogspot.com/2009/12/kim-adam-sea-dream-yacht-virgin-islands.html  
It is an amazing film that speaks for itself. When I saw one of the opening shots that seamlessly glides around the yacht. I had to wonder if he can walk on water, too. It wouldn't surprise me.

As a filmmaker, I am constantly looking for a good flick to watch but, it can be tough to pick one sometimes. After recently suffering through a series of poor Netflix decisions, Blockbuster blunders, and Hollywood Video horrors that left my soul empty and my brain craving more I decided it was time to leave the movie picking in the hands of an adept expert in the field. So here they are: Joe Simon's quick picks...


"Memento" (2000) Directed by Christopher Nolan -
"Amazing time-shift editing. The way the story unfolds forces you to think like Lenard (the main character). Love the directing and Guy Pearce's acting is amazing. If you haven't seen this, then do. If you have,then watch it again." - Joe Simon

"Traffic" (2000) Directed by Steven Soderbergh
"I love the cinematography in this movie, it's beautiful. It's amazing that Soderbergh is both the director and cinematographer of this film, that's a tough job on a small set, I can't imagine doing it in the Hollywood scene. While you're at it watch Oceans 11!" - Joe Simon

"Children of Men"  (2006) Directed by Alfonso Cuaron
"Another movie with amazing cinematography. There are quite a few one take sequences that are just ridiculous. The amount of rehearsing and set up needed to pull these off is mind blowing. Rent the Blu-ray and make sure to watch the special features."- Joe Simon
Here's one of the single take shots .


So, there you have it folks. The first installation of Reel Inspiration. Now take "Cloverfield" out of your Netflix queue and watch an epic movie not "Epic Movie". 


For more information about Joe Simon or to view some of his work be sure to check out: 
www.joesimonproductions.com 
 www.joesimonproductions.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/pages/Joe-Simon-Productions/44417640774

Read more...