 Joel Alis @ work Sorry for keeping this blog silent for so long but I had a good reason. I co-wrote and directed my first independent movie. " The eye of silence" in Beijing. This production allowed me to gather experience that I will not hesitate to share with you guys in the next few weeks. Key elements that makes this movie totally unusual are : - A very low budget ( sub 100k€ ) - 35 days of shoot on location in Beijing without any permission. - 10 crew members - Shot entirely with a Blackmagic Cinema Camera in Raw 2.5k. ( Converted to ProRes 4444 ) - A real anamorphic image ( achieved with a Panasonic AG-LA7200 converter ) - Using mostly a Ready Rig. - Edited with Final Cut Pro X on a Hackintosh with a Drobo 5D Thunderbolt connection. I used all the modern tools available to make it happens. None of this would have been possible without BMCC China, and the knowledge from various websites that I need to publicly thank for their valuable insights : eoshd.com, cinema5D.com, philipbloom.net, planet5d.com, nofilmschool.com. And of course my faithful crew members. We are the next generation of directing. We do not ask permission to make movie. We just do it ! More infos to come next...
Beijing nights !!!
Last September, Tom Shanahan, actor, tv host, and producer for Chinese television, asked me to direct a pilot for a Travel show / comedy called "Show me China" and shot in the Yunnan province. This incredible journey forced me to travel with a light and versatile equipment. I had to do everything by myself : frame / sound / light and running after Tom all day long. I was also my first real life field experience with the new Blackmagic Cinema Camera. So I feel right now like sharing my thoughts ( and a trailer ) on a week and a half shoot ( very different from a simple test with no stress ). Remember this statement is real in February 2013, some of my thoughts won't be accurate tomorrow...( maybe ). - Even with a ProRes codec, you end up with tons of Giga bytes. It was a minimum 150 Gb / Day ( just for the blackmagic ). I also had a GoPro and a 5D as B-rolls. If you want to shoot raw, I guess it is time to win the lottery cause this will cost you a lot lot of money. Aside from that, Tom wanted to see the dailies everyday, and Raw is not famous for being playable everywhere. We ended up with 4Tb of footage including backups. We all love 2.5k Raw image but let's face it, it is not for Documentary shoot.
- I experienced a major glitch with my SSD cards. It just stopped working after a while. I blamed Crucial first but I eventually find out it was my fault. You need to format the cards, and not just erasing them. Once formatted, it will work perfectly. Otherwise, well... Face risks of loosing files.
- I bought an HD-SDI EVF from Cineroid ( the retina one ) just before the shoot. I sensed like it was the right move. And it turned out to be vital ! The Blackmagic tactile screen is simply IMPOSSIBLE to use in broad daylight ( framing and menu selection ). EVF is a must have ! You can buy the brand you like ( Alphatron, Zacuto etc... ) But don't be cheap on this one ! Otherwise you are totally blind.
- I am a big fan of prime lenses, but Zoom are more pratical on a Documentary. Due to it's smaller sensor. You do not have many choices. Either you buy or rent an expensive on like the Canon 15-47, Angenieux 16-42 ( 20 000$) or use a Tokina 11-16mm. This lens is ok, but lacks a wide range of length. ( it is approximately the equivalent of a 23-34 mm on a 5D ). The Blackmagic Camera handles the aperture control but the way you have to push the buttons make it impossible to use when you hold your camera on you shoulder ( a remote control would be awesome ). GL cinemod and Duclos make cine declicked version of the Tokina for 3000$. That's the best way to go until someone comes up with a decent solution.
- I used a Manfrotto remote control to Record without having to push the camera button. The main issue was I could not see if the camera was actually recording. Nothing showed up on my EVF and when it was too bright I could not see the record info on the main screen. I was told firmware 1.2 solved the issue and sends information on an external monitor. ( haven't tested it yet though ).
- The BMCC is heavy. I mean not as heavy as a red or an Alexa, but considering you have to "see" the screen ( at least for the menu ), the camera is set in front of you (or front/side). Problem is : weight is unbalanced. And your wrists feel painful after a day worth of shoot. Fortunately External batteries ( a Switronix Pro-X) and extra weights helped me push the balance back to the rear.
- Sound : This was another challenge. I had no sound recorder, nor Boom operator. I opted for a dual microphone cocktail. One Rode NTG 2 over my BMCC ( with an XLR/Jack adapter ) and a Tie Clip Microphone from Sony in dual Mono mode. This way I was never out of range. Tom always had is Clipped mic on him, and I could always get some extra sounds with the NTG. This worked seamlessly though sometimes sound just cut off without any reason and I had to reboot the camera.
- The famous "black hole" issue appeared once or twice while filming directly to the sun. I think this is an unacceptable glitch for a 3000$ camera. I hope Blackmagic can fix it. For the moment I just avoid the "magic hour" shoot. I guess This is not a Terrence Malik compliant camera... ;-)
My rig ! Not as heavy as it seems...
Voilà ! I hope all those experience sharing helped you with your own projects. Feel free to comment... ( politely ; ) )
Emmanuel
 This precious took her time to arrive from Australia, but it is finally here and I must say the wait was worth it. The Blackmagic Cinema Camera is the new best thing you can buy under 5000 $. PhotoCineRent, my usual dealer kept his word and fought to get it. It is just out of the box so I only got time to shoot the dog with it, but I promise I will come with more detailed tests Asap. I feel very lucky being one of the first European to get my hands on it, so I will pay this luck back with some intensive tests. Especially "raw" footage, and Anamorphic ( and not RAW as Philip Bloom would nail it ;) ). I would also like to take that opportunity to thank my dear old 5D Mark II who just retired from a faithful three years of intensive work...
 Magic Lantern 2.3 ( Paypal donation ) is an HDSLR hack for Canon cameras. It's a software layer over the usual camera functionalities. Stabilized 2.3 version is out, and it is a bless for your 5D MII ( and also 60D, 600D, 550D...). It gives any user a real video camera menu ( audio levels, color histograms ) and most of all new features like higher bitrate, Scope CropMarks, HDRI etc... It's a nice way to extend your 5D's service in the field. I just got back from a "real life" shoot with it and I must say this hack was a bless ! I much appreciated the exposure clipping on the image, the percentage picker which gives you an accurate keylight spotter and the aspect ratio locker via HDMI when you push the record button ( those who got fatter just by pressing rec will thank ML ). Also some may like the silence of the locked mirror during the whole shoot. Downsides are the lack of focus magnifier via HDMI, and the obnoxious re-install manipulation every time you grab a new CF Card. But let's face it ! Magic Lantern is a total no brainer for professional Directors searching for a better user experience.
I am currently in China where I was hired by the City of Dalian to make a promotional short film. The challenge is to make it look expensive with a tight budget. Thanks to a lot of new gears. Hollywood fits in your luggage nowadays. Here is how...  First of all we bought a Skater ! It is a cheap efficient alternative to a track/dolly system. Overall, you can use it not only on a floor, but also a table even a car. This is a simple marvelous piece of metal that will give you impressive shots with a minimal setting. It does exist for every budget. I am down for the three wheel heavy duty one. it is stiff and precise. And it is much cheaper in China !
 The second piece of equipment that is a "must have" today is the slider. I opted for the Beijing Wieldy one. It is better than most cheap sliders that are made with a simple piece of aluminum. This one has four independent wheels that makes your slide smooth and precise. This easily replace small tracks and it is perfect for objects or establishing shots.
 Las but not least, make steady cam takes without a steadicam thanks to After Effects CS 5.5 incredible Warp Stabilizer. It does not only solve the rolling shutter issues from your DSLR but ultimately makes your shots look like if you had a 15000$ equipment. vibrations issues solved. And creativity unleashed.
Last tip... leave the tripod at Home and buy a shoulder rig. Tripods are heavy and make you waste time every time you move them. Time is valuable on small unit productions. The final result will be available soon. Stay tuned...
With the release of the new BlackMagic Cinema Camera, everybody focused on the device specifications. For me the real revolution brought by BlackMagic Design is the way they handle Workflow. Until now, Cameras tend to ignore post like if it was another world. At most, they released codecs and plug ins, but not much more. BlackMagic has a Post Production DNA. And they intended to erase many steps between shoot & Edit. Here is a little schematic I did to show you how much Workflow has been simplified in 20 years.
It is obvious Canon, Nikon, Sony Red or any other Camera manufaturer out there didn't do much form Filmocracy those days. We expected a lot from C3000, Red Scarlet, D800, 5dMIII and they failed to blow us away. The real thing might come from BlackMagic design, known for DaVinci Resolve and Video Acquisition Cards. They unveiled the dream cam @ NAB today with their Camera Cinema. It's just competition's biggest issue right now cause this baby Does 2k, 12 stops, EF-ZF Mount, ProRes, DNxHD, Adobe Cinema DNG files for less than 3000$... Don't be fooled by its iPad like simplicity. It is a beast that belongs to our time. We can trust blackMagic on their Shoot 2 Post reliable Workflow. And for the very first time, Thunderbolt connexion from Apple makes sense. Available in July... Images thereThe 5DMII of 2012 ?
Most professionals are now using the Technicolor Cinestyle for Canon DSLR to flatten their image and get the best of it in post. Unfortunately, the picture profile tends to add much noise and banding on high iso. This is why I started to use the Cinema picture profile. ( Cineplus.ch 19$). I must say I am quite satisfied by the result. Of course, you get less informations available for color correction. But let's face it, we did not have much juice to squeeze out anyhow from a compressed H264 codec. The Cinema picture style has a soft filmic latitude and mostly preserves skin tones at every color temperature, for a smoother less noisy image.
Back from a Beijing shoot, I had the opportunity to buy a local brand slider from " Wieldy". The greatest asset of this device is its incredibly low price : 1800 RMB ( 280$ ) and for a decent 1m20 length. This is far way below what you can usually buy at your local store. And believe me, this is not one of those crappy piece of aluminum you could find on ebay. this is a robust design a little ( lot ) inspired by Cinevate's device. It rolls on 15mm rigs with smooth wheels. This might be a choice for any indy director with no money in his pocket....
|
RSS Feed