One thing I personally really enjoy about shooting with DSLR's is taking everyday activities and adding a little "epic" to them. That's why I am featuring this next film. It takes place on a day when it's tough to get much shooting done. It's raining outside and was probably not the greatest day to feel inspired to shoot as the weather could have easily squashed Daniel's creative aspirations. Instead, he picked up his camera and documented his dogs and developed a nice little storyline of how they were depressed and sleepy and dreaming of when the weather was nice outside.
Enjoy.
Quick Note: This trailer hasn't been color corrected yet.
Director Kyle Day just directed an action/revenge feature that was shot entirely on the 7D.
"We did it for an insanely low amount of money so given our shooting schedule, our DP, Andrew Barrera,utilized the 7D in a very "run-and-gun" mentality with little to no lighting most of the time. The story is a classic female revenge plot that we wanted to be a homage to many of the 80s movies that myself and the writer grew up on." - Kyle Day
Insanely low budget films that are super high quality mean one thing: Creativity is no longer constrained in filmmaking by the need for a huge amount of up front capital. In my book, that means people are now afforded the opportunity to take a lot more risk creatively without suffering the devastating financial repercussions. Anything that allows more creativity in filmmaking: I'm all for it.
For more information on this film go to www.CherryBombFilm.com
Woven Spring is a visual sketch of the colorful enchantment of springtime. This film was shot in the Texas hill country and on Padre Island using the Canon 7D and L series prime lenses.
We are honored to premiere this film here. For more info visit www.ryanhunts.com
So this is pretty awesome. This Nissan commercial was shot with the Canon 5D MKII R/C cars and a helicopter. Make sure you check out the Making of Video. Watch it here
Thanks to @GaryNevittJr for finding this one.
Do you know John Hyland? If you don't and you are on Twitter, follow him now, his handle is @johnhyland . He is the brains behind this little short film about building a snowman. It is a little over a minute long and covers the full range of emotions. There is laughter,there are tears, there is hope and utter disappointment. The fact that he was able to capture so much in such a short piece is astounding. He is very talented and this is hilarious to me. Anyway watch it for yourselves then let me know what you think.Oh yeah and listen carefully to the audio throughout in the background.
This was our first Same Day Edit. It was shot entirely on Canon 5D's and Canon 7D's.
We had hoped to include more audio but we had to show this while the band was on break
and after color grading it, we just ran out of time. It was very cool to finally get some
live feedback on an edit. The crowds reactions made all the time spent in pre-production
well worth it.
A: They are all awesome and I will be talking about them in this post.
I must apologize. It probably seems like I have been slacking with my posts lately. I promise I am not. I have been very busy with an awesome venture and so now I would like to proudly announce the launch of a new company that Amy Reese, Cristina Valdivieso and I have been putting together for a little while now. Our site is finally live! The company is called Society Hill Studios we will be producing hand-crafted,high definition wedding films. We are all very excited and we plan on having a helluva first year. We have some very cool projects coming up so, stay tuned!!
So that's one part but what about stillmotion and Converse? Watch the video below and then I'll explain.
One thing I really have always loved about stillmotion is their dedication to education and pushing the envelope. This was a little of both. During evo 3.o they challenged the attendees to really push themselves. The contest: come up with a 30 second commercial for one of three pairs of shoes. The shoe of choice here, Converse. I think it says a lot that these guys were so inspired/educated at this event and were able to pull this off in 2 hours and 30 minutes. That's for everything: conception, pre-production (including storyboarding),and shooting. Then they only had overnight to edit it.
Hats off!! Brilliant work guys! Go here for more information on the stillmotion evo experience
So, it was very cool for Cristina and I to be a part of the Zacuto Great Camera Shootout of 2010. They really pushed the envelope with this one and did a great job seeing how all of the DSLR's would stand up against the gold standard of film. Check it out here... The Great Camera Shootout 2010
Also sorry I haven't been blogging as much but I have been extremely busy with a really cool project that I hope to be sharing more of very soon.
As some of you know, we just spent a week in Vegas... Why? Because I had a great opportunity to shoot with some of the top filmmakers in the wedding industry. Julie Hill from Elysium Productions came up with a very cool, unique concept for a same day edit and on top of that, brought together an all female crew. Event DV's top 25, Julie Hill and Kristen*, along with Kara Jensen and myself shot at the brand new Mandarin with one very cool couple.
Personally, this was my first all 5d wedding with a same day edit and what an experience. Check out the piece and let me know you thoughts :)
~Oh... side note: This is a new series featuring female filmmakers... If you are or know of women in the film industry producing great work please contact me: cristinamvaldivieso@gmail.com
The thing that I really love about this piece is that it takes something I absolutely loathe,taking a car to get serviced, and makes it fun. This was also the first thing he shot on the Canon 7D, so stay tuned. I have a feeling we are going to be seeing a lot more.
I am a cinematographer who shoots and edits commercial and corporate videos for an Advertising Agency in Upstate NY.
Did you have any problems you had to over come when shooting this?
This was the first thing I shot on the Canon 7D.It was hard to choose the correct exposure when shooting the scenes with the flying sparks. I felt I coudn't get a setting where the sparks were orange enough without darkening the rest of the image.
What was your favorite thing or things about the Canon 7D?
The Sharpness of the image straight of the camera is amazing. Coming from an HVX200 with a Cinema lens adapter to the 7D is an amazing transition as a filmmaker. Easier rig to use and focus, especially in tight situations like the ones in this video. And image quality is superb!
How about the glidetrack? Which version do you have? How do you like it?
I have the Glidetrack SD range 1 Meter version. It's a great piece of equipment. The Glidetrack is a compact, bring-anywhere piece of equipment that makes it easy to add a cinematic look to your films.
Do you have any plans for shooting with the Canon 7D in the future?
I plan on shooting all of my future films with the 7D: Music Videos, Wedding Videos, Commercials and more short films are in the works.
Honestly I haven't had a chance to sit down and watch this video, but I had the good fortune of meeting JJ Kim, at InFocus in Austin, and he's a stand up guy. He did this because he's cool. Read below for my take on the 7D vs. T2i so far. I have only had the camera for a day and I am slightly biased, as I paid good hard earned money for my 7D, and it hasn't failed me but has never failed to impress me.
7D vs. T2i Comparison Video from Orange Wedding Films on Vimeo.
If you own a 7D should you dump it and grab a T2i and a lens.
In good conscience I could not advise that.
If you don't have enough for 7d + lens and cards,and batteries. Yes. You can always keep your lenses just don't buy crop lenses, get full frame lenses.
If you want a B-Roll camera and already own the 7D and can't afford another one. Yes. However you will have to buy all new batteries and cards,and a card reader that reads SDHC cards so calculate the difference between T2i and 7D. Then add new cards and batteries/reader to price of T2i. If you already have a decent supply of cards/batteries stocked up for 7D and it will cover both cameras on most shoots. Get another 7D that camera is still a massive steal at $1600.
If your on the fence and can afford it or are close to affording it, get the Canon 7D or 5D. Depending on the body of work that you will do.
Advantages of T2i much crisper LCD. Cheaper.
Disadvantage
Loss of a LOT of ISO's that I use. A LOT. You have to jump from 100 to 200 to 400 to 800 to 1600. You completely skip ISO 1250, which I use a lot in fairly dark rooms.
If you have a 7D, and have to,then, get another one for B-Roll. If your strapped for cash,and want to shoot DSLR,well then jump in my friends, the water is warm.
Disclaimer: This camera just arrived. If anything bad happens a month from now contact Canon. I receive nothing from them. I'm not a fanboy. I'm a blue collar guy, trying to help if I can. If you have specific questions, let me know, I'll do my best to get back to you as fast as possible. Stay tuned! Footage is on it's way. Loads more reviewing to come before I make any definitive conclusions. This is just a real-time spewing of my impressions thus far. I just hope I can help people make educated decisions regarding camera purchases. I have learned a lot from people like David Perry, stillmotion, Philip Bloom and many others over the last year plus about giving out information and help just to do it. I have gotten a lot of positive feedback thus far. For that I thank you all. Oh yeah. Keep on rocking in the free world. We are lucky to be alive in the greatest Renaissance independent filmmaking has seen in a long, long,time. Never forget that.
The body of the 7D is way better. More rugged build. When you hold the T2i (if you are used to the 7D it feels like a toy. This is a very stupid thing I guess but I prefer my 7D a lot in this way.
I still have to get used to the button configuration/controls which I found to be a bit harder to figure out where the 7D it just makes sense. A few interesting things I will explore further is that while in Movie Mode you can very easily switch between a variety of White Balance presets as well as a custom one you can set yourself. Another feature I do prefer in the T2i is the ability to switch the framerate you are shooting in without ever leaving Live View. There is a setting in the Menu as well for Automatic focus while in Movie Mode. I would never shoot in Auto and I am not sure if that actually works or I am a fool but found that interesting. I plan on shooting a bit tonight when we go out for dinner to see how it holds up in a real life situation. Here's another odd thing I noticed
The ISO for the T2i in Movie Mode
100
200
400
800
1600
3200
6400
There seems to be quite a few ISO settings missing that are available in the Canon 7D .
If you own a 7D I wouldn't feel bad about your purchase. I am certainly still very happy with mine. I absolutely love it and it definitely seems to have a much better build, as I would assume. Now for $800 I think it may be a great camera for someone who wants to get there feet wet in the DSLR video world. I plan on shooting more as I said and hope to have various videos up tomorrow. Two other things of note if you already own Canon DSLR's you will need new batteries and you will need new cards. The T2i takes SDHC not CF cards.
You will notice the Canon 5D MKII in the second or third shot. Thanks to Anthony Quintano for the heads up on this one. Further proof that DSLR's are making a huge impact in mainstream television, music videos, and movies.
First off I'd like to thank Brian Marks, a cinematographer from Red Bicycle Media ,
for sending me a nice email and sharing their work with me. I was so impressed by it I had to talk to owner James Pizzaro and get the behind the scenes scoop on this fresh Trash the Dress they did.
Tell me a little bit about Red Bicycle Media. Who are you guys and what do you do?
We are a Cleveland based studio specializing in wedding films. There has been an evolution in the wedding videography industry where we have tried desperately to shed the tacky, cheesy way of capturing a wedding. The advent of digital SLRs has aided in this process of creating a more film-like "experience". We have noticed recently that there also is a danger of falling into the same trap and having our work look similar to others. Shallow depth of field, better low light ability, and camera stabilizers do not necessarily equate to a cinema. We have had to work harder in improving our story telling and making sure we use these tools in a motivated and innovative way.
For people that don't understand "Trash the Dress" what is it?
In simple terms, "Trash the Dress" is a way of prolonging the wedding experience. It has been controversial in that some people think that we are desecrating a symbol of one's wedding. We feel that it is the marriage , not necessarily the wedding, that is the bond between the couple. (Sorry, not to get too philosophical). Some brides realize that they will never be able to wear their wedding gown again and "Trash the Dress" is a way of immortalizing the dress and capturing that on film. It is meant to be fun and a form of artistic expression.
What do you think TTD sessions bring to the wedding filmmaking industry that wasn't there before?
For us it helped push our creativity and brings an element of fun into our filmmaking process. It also gives us another opportunity to work with the couple after their big day. Cinematography is no longer limited to just the day of the wedding, again, a way of prolonging the wedding experience.
What camera equipment did you use for this film and what motivated these camera choices?
What was the biggest challenge you faced on this shoot?
Keeping the paint and the rain out of the equipment was a challenge. Rachael was a great sport and fully cooperated with what we had her do...we must have made her jump through puddles for a half-hour trying to get the perfect shot. We were soaked but luckily did not damage any of the cameras or ancillary equipment. I had actually rigged an umbrella to the steadicam vest to keep me dry during many of the outdoor shots. As an additional note, one of the condemned buildings we shot in was the site of many an unsolved crime. Not a place you want to be after dark.
My name is Jon Connor. Yes, like the Terminator movies. I am the leader of The Resistance. I am the only hope for the future of mankind. So don't take anything I say lightly. Oh yeah, and "Come with me if you want to live..." or at least follow me on Twitter @jonconnorfilms
Hi my name is Cristina Valdivieso. Also know as Jon's better half. Follow me on Twitter @cristinavaldivi
Jon: My Canon 7D Cristina: My Canon 5D MKII, Glidecam, Glidetrack
We like: Great Films, Inspiration, Old English Bulldogs named Bruiser, Photography, Cooking, Sushi, Sriracha, Stand Up Comedy,Photoshop, After Effects, Final Cut Pro 7, Apple, Vimeo, popurls.com, Figuring out how to do complicated tasks just using Google, Technology, Lo-Fi grunge in a technology obsessed culture, Traveling, Connecting, Social Networking in Real Life, Polaroids, People
This is a community effort to help further the ongoing education of professionals and hobbyists interested in shooting HD video with Canon's line of professional DSLR's. Namely the Canon 5D MarkII and the recently released Canon 7D. We will also feature work by users of these cameras to give them exposure and to create a place to be inspired by others. This is a friendly effort so if all you bring to the table is negativity kindly go somewhere else. For all suggestions for article topics or if you have an article or film you would like to have published here please send all info to jonjconnor@gmail.com or send me a tweet at @jonconnorfilms
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