I just completed an HDDSLR project that involved shooting stills and video at several locations across the U.S.    The shoot was commissioned by Greg Sylvester of VSA Partners a well known agency that has a wide range of corporate and commercial clients.  Our goal was to produce an annual report that would live both in print and digitally on the web as both stills and video segments.  While this was by no means a “small shoot” it still lives in the mid-level sized corporate shoot in my book - this is no means what I would bring to an editorial shoot for example.

VSA HDDSLR Still & Video Shoot - HOVER OVER IMAGES FOR CAPTION/GEAR INFO - Images by Vincent Laforet

Given the level of interest in this new technology - I though that readers might appreciate a slide show of images that show what such a production might entail in terms of gear.   Please note that over the next few weeks I will be going over the gear that I used in this production on this blog in detail - so please hold all of your gear questions for now.

I can image some of the reactions to seeing (or trying to find) a Canon HDDSLR buried under all of this gear.  ”Why in the world would one go through this?” - someone might ask.   Why not get “x” camera.  Well the long and short of it:  the LOOK of these cameras is incredibly unique - the video coming out of these camera looks incredibly close to 35mm motion picture film (see image 13 in the slideshow for a good example of what separates this breed of cameras from the others.)   Pulling off a similar production with a 35mm film of system would be significantly more time consuming and expensive - there is absolutely zero doubt about it.   And don’t forget: the way these cameras perform in low light - also separates them from the competition.  So there absolutely is reason behind all of this madness. I had to mention this because I sometimes catch myself asking the very same question…  and then I see the results on screen and all doubt is removed. (more…)

Mystery Gear...

Mystery Gear...

I sometimes wonder if it’s fair to others to share some cool stuff that’s being worked on - without giving them all of the details.   Definitely feels like a bit of a tease for sure.

Then I remind myself of how excited I feel about these things and how a smile is plastered on my face when I get to work with people on these things,  and I’m hoping to share some of that glee with others - albeit without ALL of the information.

Here is a collection of such pictures of prototypes that you’ll see out in the market prior to NAB.

I obviously can’t tell you exactly what these things do, what they will cost, exactly when they will be available - but I have gotten clearance from the people working on them to share these with you w/o a single additional word.  Hopefully you can take it for what it’s worth - and let your imaginations run wild.  I know my imagination is exploding to think of what you all will be able to do with this stuff once it becomes available!  Note that there are many companies working on these types of solutions at once - so it’s an exciting time.

I’m gearing up for a big shoot tonight and tomorrow night in LA and hope to be sharing more about the reason behind the shoot and how it involves you within a week from now. (more…)

I’ve been debating a bit on whether or not to post this one - but I think it’s necessary - so here goes:

New technology is great.  It allows us to do things we previously thought impossible.  It empowers us to “push the envelope” if you will.

That being said, one of my favorite axioms came to mind after I read the PDN Article at left, namely: “Just because you can - doesn’t mean you should.”

First - I should say that I don’t know Jason Lam (the person selling these helicopters) nor is this aimed at him or critical of him.  Jason has EVERY right to sell his services and helicopters - unequivocally.

But I do think it’s a tad bit irresponsible for PDN (and perhaps Jason’s site as well) to fail to mention two very key things in their article/site:

1. Flying a remote control helicopter over New York City (as in the island of Manhattan) is ILLEGAL. (w/o a special permit - which is virtually impossible to obtain due to safety concerns.)

2. It’s extremely dangerous to fly such a helicopter (1. in general and 2. especially over a heavily populated place such as NYC.) Think of a flying blender if you will… if the operator/pilot makes a mistake the thing will crash or worse maim someone.

God forbid an errant radio signal interferes with the helicopter’s signal and the thing goes haywire (these things don’t exactly float down if you catch my drift.)

What I’m trying to say is:  you can kill someone (or yourself) if you don’t know what you’re doing.  Trying to fly a helicopter and trying to take pictures as well - is more that twice as dangerous! (more…)

UPDATE:  CANON HAS REQUESTED THAT THE VIDEO BE TAKEN DOWN FOR NOW.  PLEASE SEE THE MOST RECENT POST.

In 2008 we witnessed the birth of HD-DSLR Cameras.

In 2009 you will be introduced to cameras that can see in the dark better than the naked eye.

Just a little over a year ago my jaw dropped when I stumbled upon the 5D MKII and saw 1080p video coming off of a full frame chip for the first time.

Just a little over two weeks ago my jaw dropped even harder when I took a prototype of the Canon 1D MKIV outdoors to test it at night.  I was on the road, it was late and I had just rushed back to my hotel to get to the unit.  I was expecting a 1D body, with 24p, a 1.3 crop factor sensor, 10 fps for stills, a new AF system - 60 fps at 720p - and of course 1080p video.

Nothing prepared me for what happened next.

I set the ASA to high - and I pointed it towards an area lit by a single flood light.  The image was overexposed by 4-5 stops.  I then started to play with the settings, pointing my light into an area in complete shadow (my eye saw nothing but black) but on the rear of the LCD I saw sharp, green leaves as crystal clear as if it were shot in daylight.

I think it’s safe to say that every single filmmaker and photographer has always dreamed of cameras that can see what our naked eyes can see.  This time these cameras can actually see more.   Sure - they may not have the dynamic ranges of our eyes just yet - but they see more than my naked eyes can see in low light.

Period.

And that’s qualifies as a paradigm shift in my book.

The next few years will see photography and filmmaking redefined by technology.   While there is no substitute for exquisite lighting - artists will now be able to explore areas once thought impossible to photograph.

Think of all of the images you’ve missed throughout your career.   Think of all of the places you didn’t even consider going to film - because they were too dark.   Those days are now but a distant memory.  Even if you don’t need to go into the shadows - imaging photographing at f 5.6 or at f 8 at some point soon in areas you are struggling to capture at 1/50th, f 2.8 at 1600 ASA currently…

In many ways these past two weeks felt like Reverie all over again.   I had not expected to get the 1D MKIV until after the Photo Plus Expo.    When I got a voicemail letting me know in a very unceremonious way that two units were waiting for me to try  ”we need your shipping address” the message said - I was surprised.  Canon did not have any plans to have me or anyone shoot anything this year in time for the announcement.

When I saw what this camera did at night, I pushed the all hands on deck button - calling my friends and colleagues to engage in an “interesting project” that I could not elaborate on.   They pretty much had to trust me that it might be worth their time and commit to it blind.

Once again - we had very very little time to prepare.  Just under 72 hours.  And we were ALL busy working on other jobs as this economy seems to be awakening again.

What you will see below - is what we were able to pull together under a pretty ridiculous deadline.  Once again there were no film permits (no time… no time to location scout and apply) no fancy anything.  But I did have some incredibly talented people out here in LA willing to help on such short notice - we shot over two nights in downtown Los Angeles.  Most of the cast and crew had worked a 10-12 hour day shift.  We all worked close to 48 hours straight last weekend.  Everyone was bitten by the bug if you will - once they saw what this camera could do. I was incredibly fortunate to work with one of the best group of people out there -period.

Here is the main point that I hope you take into account: the short film you are about to watch was shot in pretty much the very worst light that I could possibly find in an evening urban landscape.  I did not chose “pretty lighting” in a mall or under neon signs.  That would have been cheating in my book.

The short was shot near East 6th and Mateo St. in Los Angeles - in an industrial part of the city.   If you live in the area - go check out the area - you won’t believe the video you see below came from the poor lighting in that area.   Sodium and mercury vapor lights.   That’s it.  Really awful lighting.

Not a single external light source was used / added.  In other words I did not use a single flashlight, LightPanel, flood light - nothing.   For one shot only I pulled out a silver reflector… just to say we did it really.  And yes it worked (see the shot of the young girl.)

The ISO stayed locked in the 6400 ASA range - with a very few shots hovering 1 stop above and one or two set to 3200 ASA because we had TOO MUCH depth of field…(on the bridge.)  At one point I found myself shooting at 12,800 ASA by mistake - and I didn’t even notice any noise on the rear LCD in the skies… 6400 ASA is the new 1600 ASA - maybe even the new 800 ASA.  Stop to ponder that for a second  - and what it can mean to the way you approach your craft.

In the upcoming days I will share more details, behind the scenes, post workflow etc. A huge thanks goes out to my co-directors Stu Maschwitz, David Nelson and our incredibly resourceful Uber Producer Michele Abbott - and every single member of the cast and crew.  For now - if you even made it this far - take a look into the shadows:

CANON HAS REQUESTED THAT THE VIDEO BE TAKEN DOWN FOR NOW.  PLEASE SEE THE MOST RECENT POST.

Nocturne from Vincent Laforet on Vimeo.

P.S.  Before the end of the year - I plan to release a series of downloadable videos - that cover numerous production tips/aspects of these HD-DSLR cameras - as well as post workflow.  Basically everything I know.  If you are interested - pls send an e-mail to production@vincentlaforet.com - with the word “NOTIFY” in the subject only.  I will then contact you when those are available.  No obligation on your part of course - just send me an e-mail if you’d like to be notified.  We are already in pre-production for the series.

P.P.S. - on a technical note: because I know everyone will ask: the footage was graded with Stu’s Magic Bullet Colorista software (PLEASE CHECK OUT STU’S BLOG POSTING ON THIS SHOOT HERE) that he helped design and treated for noise (not a significant amount at all to be honest - at some point I may put up raw clips.) The point here is to show what this footage CAN look like when processed on an average laptop (i.e. nothing fancy!)

The 1080p footage on SmugMug is pretty incredible - but remember that a 365 MB compressed file was initially uploaded and then re-compressed a second time - from a 2.32 GB original uncompressed file. You can expect that the blacks will be a bit clamped, and that there will be a loss in sharpness relative to the original.

It’s been awhile since I’ve updated my gear list on this blog to reflect some of the new toys that I’ve put into the mix of my HD-DSLR kit.

I’d like to share three pieces that I think might be relevant to many out there.

First I’ve been using a new rig quite a bit that Bruce Dorn makes -it’s called the IDC U-Boat Commander Rig for HD-DSLR Video. I’ve had it since January and I’ve found myself using it more and more.

As you may know - I’m a big fan of the RedRock Micro DSLR Rig - and I tend to use that when I need to mount a Marshall Monitor, the 5D MKII or 7D together on a rig such as a set of sticks, dolly, jib or Steadicam.  However for some - I can see others needing a slightly more compact rig.  One can of course customize the RedRock Micro rig down to be pretty compact - but I have to say that both of these solutions are quite elegant.

Bruce Dorn’s design is economical, sturdy, and quite elegant - so much so that he’s sold quite a few to the US Military’s combat photography unit - and that’s a stamp of approval if I’ve ever heard of one.

His rigs come in two flavors - the U-Boat Commander which is perfect for attaching a external mic to, and the even smaller iDC Run & Gun Kit / Follow-Focus & Viewfinder Kit - which is easily the single most understated way of intelligently building up your 5D MKII without making it too intimidating / apparent to others. (more…)

Above: These are a series of shots made with the unit pictured below - of a runner jogging down country roads, shot with a Canon 5D MKII and a 24~105mm lens (w/ stabilization turned off on that lens) during the Maine Media Workshops.  See a larger version of this video here.

I’ve just gotten my hands on a very promising gadget that I think is perfect for anyone using the 5D MKII in a situation that requires external stabilization.  The ATM is short for “Advanced Travel Mount” and was designed by Aerial Exposures primarily for aerial and ground based video (i.e. to shoot aerials from a helicopter or plane, or to shoot from a ground-based device such as a vehicle or even a boat.)  But something tells me that creative filmmakers will be able to come up with many, many uses for this unit that no one has thought of yet.

The Aerial Exposures ATM Gyro Mount on the flatbed of a pickup truck as part of class on the 5D MKII at the Maine Media Workshops. I was able to get fantastic results with the 70~200mm pictured above - set to 105mm.

(more…)

Sorry - couldn’t resist this one.

A good friend e-mailed this to me today and it’s so cool that I had to post it.  (Try this link should the eBay listing go offline.)

Apparently the Hong Kong Canon Club had these limited edition 4GB USB flash drives made in the shape of the Canon 5D MKII with a 24~105mm lens.

I can’t help but appreciate the level of intricacy of this - not to mention the cool idea.

The only catch:  they’re probably as difficult to get - if not more - than a real 5D MKII.  Apparently orders for the real 5D MKII were starting to catch up to demand - and then the new firmware was announced and they’re once again back-ordered.

Speaking of gadgets - I have a few posts lined up to discuss some of the gadgets that I’ve been playing with over the past few months.  I’m waiting to get some of the material and to do a bit of video editing - but hope to have something up within the week.

One of the most important accessories that you can purchase to help you get better results with the video from your Canon 5D MKII is an external LCD monitor (a video assist monitor.)   

The Canon 5D MKII was designed as a still camera first, therefore when you shoot video you will often find that the placement of the LCD screen, not to mention the ergonomics of the camera body itself are not ideally suited to shooting video.  Being able to hold the camera below your eye-line (or any angle for that matter) become quite important when shooting video vs stills.

I’ve had a chance to play with a variety of monitors out there - and for now Marshall Electronics’ V-LCD70P-HDMI is the clear standout both for the quality of the image it displays, as well as all of the extra features it offers.  This is a 7″ lightweight monitor that comes in at just over a pound, and offers an 800X480 resolution image.   I was able to work with a prototype of this monitor in January for 3 weeks of the Jamie O’Brien shoot and it was simply fantastic.  I should also mention that I am also testing out Ikan’s V5600 5.6″ TFT LCD Monitor and will write about that at some point as well - it’s small size may be very attractive to some. (I’ve yet to put it through it’s paces, but I plan to do so in the upcoming weeks.) (more…)

See it bigger on SmugMug!

(Due to the length and size of this piece I am putting it up at 720p.)

Please note that Tiffen and Formatt BOTH make screw on filters and 4 X 5.65 filters for the matteboxes.   I use a variety of filters from both companies - I use 1-6 stop Neutral Density filters as well as a few 10 stop screw on filters. (The RED One camera became part of our production a few days before we left and we had to scramble to find the appropriate filters in time - luckily both Tiffen and Formatt helped save the day in last minute fashion.)

Both companies also make graduated NDs and Hot Mirror filters that cut out infra red light when using the RED One camera.   The 4 stop and 6 stop are the NDs we’re using most often.   I personally like the 10 stop to use my 1.2 lenses wide open in sunlight.   Also - if you want to stay very light and mobile - I recommend you use the screw on filters - I travel with a set of 72mm and 77mm filters for my Canon lenses - but you could also buy a step-down adapter to screw on your 77mm filters onto your 72mm if you’re looking to economize.  I tell every friend buying a 5D MKII to:  1. buy ND filters right away and 2. an good video head (see the Gitzo G2180 below) 3. an extra battery for the 5D MKII 4. and look into audio (see previous posts for the Rode mic and other options.)

We’ve also been using a variety of Manfrotto Tripods and video heads that we mention in this Behind The Scenes on this project that have allowed us to pull of some very nice pans of Jamie surfing.   I can’t overstate how important it is for you to get a good tripod set to shoot nice pans - and you’ll need the heavy duty stuff to shoot with the heavier RED and long Canon glass.   If you want a simple setup to start off with a 5D MKII and shorter lenses - we’ve found the Gitzo carbon fiber tripods and the Gitzo G2180 Fluid head to perform quite remarkably (but don’t overload it or any fluid head with weight - unlike still photography you can’t really get away with overloading a head with video as your pans and tilts will suffer.)  Another really nice option are these self-standing monopods by Manfrotto that I recommend you use with a quick release plate.

Check out the RedRock Micro DSLR Rig and long lens support that I’ve mentioned in the past as well as the Wicked Circuits EF Lens adapter for the RED One Camera.

I will be posting a DETAILED list of all of the gear described within this and the first behind the scenes clip in a few days after we put up the 3rd installment of the Behind the Scenes up (it’s a long list and I want to add links so it’ll take me a better part of a day to do and we’ve only got a few days of shooting left on this project.)

To view a larger video of this click here.

Here is the first installment of our behind the scenes footage.   I will be detailing every piece of gear used as we go through this production - and tomorrow I will post the model numbers etc. of what we are using as I’m sure a few of you might be interested in those specifics.   I was planning on doing that in this post - but it’s late and we’re a little behind given the 18-hour island-wide power failure, so stay tuned.