So You Want To Start Shooting Your Own Video….
Technology advancements are allowing film & video equipment to become accessible to anyone who wants to try their hand at making the next hit. For as low as $800, you can own your own DSLR camera that shoots 1080p video with as much depth of field that you could ever want. However, there are a few things you need to know before you should think about taking the step out of your comfort zone to try your hand at your 15 minutes of fame.
1. Motivation
Before you even think about making the plunge, what is your motivation? Do you have a story that you want to tell and only you can tell it? Is it unique? Why do you want YOUR story to be told? It is very hard these days to create a film that is uniquely yours. Originality in film making is becoming harder everyday. Now your asking yourself, who cares about originality? Well, everyone does. You also may be asking, well is originality the most important aspect? No. It is how you tell your story and how you reach your audience that really matters.
2. Pre-Production, Production, Post-Production
Once you have decided that your story must be told and have found a unique way to tell it, you need to decide what is required to accomplish this feat. Now you ask, where do I start? Well, you need a cast, crew, and most importantly, cash. Although by following this model you can accomplish this on a tight budget, you still need some start up cash to make it happen.
3. Be Prepared
Pre-production is the most important part of the process. With solid pre-production planning, almost any shoot will go smoothly. A recent example was the murder mystery documentary that I just finished working on tentatively titled, ‘Confluence’ which was in pre-production for many months before the camera even started to roll.
4. The Equipment
Now, everyone knows it is “possible” to make a good movie with a handy cam. However, if that is what you are going for, then you don’t need any of these tips. What I am going to recommended is an indie package that will help you make your films look great.
Doing it Right Package
Now there are many different options that are available and in every case, it is how they are used that is important. I am going to use ‘Confluence’ as an example as all the equipment (If you were to buy it all verses rent) runs you under $20,000 including lights and cameras.
The Camera & Media
The first thing you will need is a camera. For this, I am recommending the 5D Mark II, a full-frame sensor camera. It will help you achieve film-like DOF. As for media, the most cost effective according to Philip Bloom is the Transcend 16 GB 133x CompactFlash Memory Card.
The Lenses
The next thing you will have to worry about is lenses. Lenses are one of the most important elements of your kit, if not the most important. The more you are able to add to your arsenal, the better. However, here are two that will allow you cover “most” of the shots you want to capture. These two lenses are the “L” Series 24-105 F4 and the 70-200mm F2.8. The 24-105 is not a fast lens and won’t work wonders in low light. However, if your goal is to shoot mainly in low light, then you should start looking at prime lenses. The 24-105 is a very sharp lens that offers amazing versatility. Now you may be asking, why not the faster 24-70 F2.8L. Well, it is a faster lens but is NOT as sharp as the 24-105. One lens I have tried out with some good results was the Sigma 24-70 f2.8 HSM. Although I did like the lens, for most applications, I still choose the 24-105.
Now shooting in sunlight requires some special attention. When shooting in direct sunlight with either of these lenses, you will have to sacrifice DOF. For me, I combat this by shooting a higher shutter because I am a huge fan of the staccato effect in my work. However, in most applications, this is not what people want. In most cases, this effect will start showing up when the shutter is 1/120 of higher. In order to combat this, you will need the Singh Ray Vari ND. This is one of the more expensive filters but when it is going infront of your lens, it is important that it is a sharp filter as cheaper filters start to muddy the image. The Vari ND allows you to close down the filter to achieve the F stop and Shutter that you desire.
Camera Support & Movement
One of the most important elements of your kit is your camera support. Although hand held camera work has it’s place, such as drama or action films, the ability to film rock solid images is essential. When looking at good camera support, there are a few things to keep in mind. The first is the way in which the legs are extended and collapsed. Each company offers different solutions for this. Out of all the options, twisting, in my opinion, is the quickest and most secure. The second is the the height — how high and also how low it can go. Third is the weight. Carbon fiber legs are the best in my opinion. Lastly is the quality of the head. To get the best results, fluid heads are essential. The only system that I have come across that takes all this into account and is still reasonably priced is the Miller Solo 3 stage carbon fibre with DS20 head. It is the set-up that Philip Bloom uses and is remarkable!
The second investment that will enable you to increase the production quality is the addition of a slider so you can so simple dolly moves. For this, I am recommending ANY slider from Kessler Cranes. One worth noting is the soon to be released Philip Bloom slider. I was lucky to have the opportunity to try it out in Lewiston and it is incredibly smooth. The most notable addition is the tension knob which allows you to create different speeds for your slide while ensuring they remain butter smooth. All sliders vary in length but I have found that the shortest length available is more than enough of a move for your shots — anything more and you should be using a full size dolly.
Lighting, Grip & Sound
Depending on your set-ups, lighting, grip, and sound packages will vary. Because of the varying set-ups, I will post kit options at a later date.
The Gear, the Gusto, and the Glory – An Internship with Philip Bloom
For the past three weeks, I have been on the road shooting 3 Minute Shorts (3MS+) as well as a murder mystery documentary with Philip Bloom, as both his intern and second unit DP. My trip started out in Glacier National Park in Montana where I spent three days traveling through Flathead National Forest, Glacier National Park, Lolo National Forest, and Clearwater National Forest. While on the road, I set up an editing station in my car as well as a charging station for my batteries and it worked very well. It enabled me to edit while sitting by the campfire.
Here are the films from these three days:
Out of the four shorts I completed before making it to Lewiston, Huckleberry Lookout was by far the most work to complete. For this film, I hiked 9km’s to Huckleberry Lookout — the most excruciating experience of my life. All bones and muscles in my body ache. Lesson learned; Realize how far 9 vertical km’s is, bring more water, bring food, and pack WAY less gear. I managed to get to the top of the mountain with four cameras — 5D Mark II, 7D, HVX 200, and D80 — along with two tripods. I am currently sitting in Rawhide restaurant and am about to head back to my campsite to try sleep off my aching muscles.
Following my stint in Montana, I headed over to Idaho to prep for my internship with Philip Bloom. On the first day of production I was lucky to meet up with some really cool people. The producer/director duo for the project (Murder mystery doc — 5 unsolved homicides between 1978-1982) Vernon Lott and Jennifer Anderson (Bad Writing) were more than welcoming. They were very prepared for the project and offered very light production days. Also on board for the project was Christian Kinnard as editor (Religulous, Sin City, Hellboy) and Steven Bechtold for sound (World’s Toughest Fixes, Hoarders). Both Christian and Steven are clearly masters of their craft.
After each day of production, I wanted to continue to shoot a short a day so decided to check out a few things around town. On many of the days, I got very little sleep as I was either up for sunrise or filming late into the night. For one of the shorts, I was lucky enough to tag along with Steven as he tried his hand at some small mouth bass fishing.
Below are the shorts that I managed to shoot/edit/post:
Out of the films above, the one film that I am very excited about is The Bean Stock. Over the next month, I will be shooting a short film — with the only crew member/actor/etc outside of me working on the project will be Julia-Lee Fullerton, who is acting as writer and adviser on the project.
The Philip Bloom Experience
Working with Philip was a great experience. I learned a new method of production utilizing new equipment — offering a superior image with very little equipment. For most of the documentary, we used five primary pieces. We used the 5D Mark II, the 7D, Singh Ray Vari ND (Essential) the 24-105 and 70-200 L series lenses. Although we did pull out other lenses and equipment for the project, these were the lenses that were used most often. If you are looking for a tripod, Miller (which we used on the project) is the way to go. Philip is a great guy who knows his shit — almost a cyborg with the way in which he is always ‘connected’ to either an iPhone or iPad. The best thing about the experience and knowing Philip is the way in which he is willing to answer questions at anytime (even if he has already been asked the same question a million times). I don’t know how he deals with it.
I am hoping Philip’s experience was as good as mine and would love the opportunity to work with him again on one of his personal projects.
Following the experience in Lewiston, I headed to Banff, Alberta, Canada to see Julia-Lee Fullerton and shoot a week of 3 Minute Shorts.
Here are the films that I produced while in Banff:
The three weeks on the road was a great experience and I feel the quality of 3MS+ has increased dramatically in comparison to the shorts before the trip. At the end of the documentary, tentatively titled (working title) “Confluence”, I was given a Pocket dolly by Philip Bloom and a tripod from Vernon Lott. I plan on using both on every short from here on in. Overall, a great learning experience.
3 Minute Shorts at Profusion 2010
Tomorrow morning I take off for Toronto for the Profusion conference. ProFusion is a 2-day event filled with cutting-edge seminars & training sessions with industry experts, Keynote speakers, and a one-of-a-kind Product Demonstration Theatre. There aim is to create the most dynamic, technologically-advanced Pro Video event in Canada.
As for my trip, it is jam packed with things to do. I arrive in Toronto at 4pm — with my hotel only 5 minutes away from the conference center. As soon as I arrive, I will be rushing to my hotel and then back to the airport district for the Toronto meet-up with Philip Bloom and Tej Babra. I am sure it will be a late night of filming.
Thursday I am hoping to meet up with Tahirih Vejdani to shoot her music video and then a 3 Minute Short with the things she likes about Toronto. Friday and Saturday are set aside for the conference. Each of these days I am hoping to get my fill of filming — capturing timelapses from my hotel room.
I leave for Montreal on Sunday and will be spending my time both there and Québec city filming the shorts. I will be taking the train from Toronto to Montreal but will have to bus it back as the G20 Summit is on at the same time — restricting trains back to Toronto. While in Montreal, I am hoping everything goes well filming wise as I have been told that you need a permit to film (same as everywhere else) and enforce this. We will see how it goes!
I will be posting from Toronto and Montreal — both 3 Minute Shorts as well as my experiences of my trip on this site. I have my hands on 4 cameras for this trip — The HVX200, Nikon D80, Canon 7D, and Canon 5D. Anything I learn in regards to workflow or special techniques will show up on both sites under Production Tests and Camera Tests.
Social Media, Online Marketing, and the Digital Filmmaker
The business model that many people are used to seeing is continually evolving. Everyone is overwhelmed with the viral nature of social media. This new form of media is taking the globe by storm and still, people believe that social media, to some extent, is in its infancy. This is because most people still lack the knowledge and skills to harness its potential. Here are some simple points to consider when optimizing social media avenues for your business.
Follow the stream: One of the hardest parts when trying to create a following is tapping into the community in which you want to belong. What community fits your company mandate? Who bests resembles your customer base. The only way to find this out is by exposure and time behind your computer screen.
Strategy matters: Be strategic in your method of reaching out. Identify what knowledge your consumers want to ingest. Don’t simply focus on YOU and the products and services that you offer. Be a source of knowledge for your followers rather than an online billboard. Show people how you are different than your competitors rather than telling how you are different.
Quality of content: Getting people to visit your site for the first time is only the first step. Remember that the quality of information is critical. This is the catalyst for your site’s online presence.
Engage your audience: Get people to participate in discussions about the content you are posting. Get people to start learning along side you and becoming apart of your learning process. For many people starting up, they feel the content must be about one’s products and services. This is the biggest mistake one can make. You need to participate religiously in other discussion sites and maintain a strong presence. When people see you in other sites sharing simple, wise, and credible opinions and pieces of advice, they will most definitely start to visit your site.
Those are the four crucial tips that I could share with you in order to fully maximize social media to promote your business. Again, the reasons why you should really consider this new media are mainly because it is viral and it is the perfect sanctuary where you can locate your target audience.
One such individual tapping into this opportunity is Philip Bloom, a DoP based out of the UK. Through his hard-work and dedication to social media networks, such as Twitter and Facebook, he has managed to create a massive following all around the world, with over 8 million views on his site. He was even given the opportunity to work with the heavy hitters such as George Lucas because his work was seen by the right people.
Now, even though you really do not need to invest huge amount of resources to be able to create a strong presence and reach your target consumers — with the opportunity available for anyone that wants to grab it, it does require many hours in front of your computer. Mr. Bloom dedicates at least 3 hrs a day to this, where most days — he far surpasses this number.
“Sulfur Mountain” Playing at the Brooklyn Bowl
“Sulfur Mountain”, a film I produced that was part of the “Banff” series, was selected to play in the Eye Candy For Strangers screening at the Brooklyn Bowl. The screening is on April 22nd and is sponsored by Vimeo.
An all new Eye Candy For Strangers is back and ready for you to blow all of our minds! From the last Eye Candy, Brooklyn Bowl has been playing the previous winners work on their 10 HD projection screens while people are eating, bowling, and rocking out to live concerts. The winners videos will be chosen [before] and then [shown] on April 22nd, MachineDrum will take the stage.
Click here to view other films that were selected for the screening. Some pretty impressive work I must say!!! (Note “Sky” by Philip Bloom — it has received 390K views on vimeo!)
