Yesterday I  posted a trailer for the new “Twisted Metal“ Playstation game that we shot in downtown Los Angeles.    That shoot also happened to be the first time that I was able to put my iPad 3G to use on set.  I have always found iPads to be a helpful tool for creative professionals -  especially in film and photography - for sharing images, videos, and other multimedia material with potential clients and collaborators.  This shoot marked the first time that I found it served an important role on set for me (albeit a high tech one.)

As is often the case with commercial shoots - storyboards, shot lists, and schedules are constantly changing until the last minute (if not during the shoot itself   In this case critical information changed and was e-mailed to everyone just ten minutes before I arrived on set - the clients and creatives made some important changes to the storyboard.

Here’s where that can get tricky:  I always like to arrive early to any job - at least 1-2 hours before my “call time.”    Doing so helps me to relax and to feel ahead of the curve, it also allows me to chat with people and also to avoid any potential traffic nightmares in LA.    The problem with doing this is that I am often out of touch during that time - i.e. away from my computer and printer for a few hours.

If schedules change, I can always deal with that on my iPhone, and the same goes for shot lists.   But when storyboards change - that’s another issue entirely.   Downloading storyboards in a trailer and printing them can take 10-15 minutes - way too long on set.   And that’s where the iPad 3G comes in - I can download the files and view them on screen immediately - plus they are ALWAYS on hand from that point on (no more rolling them up and putting them in my back pants pocket…)

Obviously, as either a Director and/or DP,  having access to the latest information is incredibly important - if I don’t have access to the latest, I could potentially make incorrect decision that could waste very valuable time - not to mention thousands of dollars…   (more…)

Playstation 3 “Twisted Metal” Trailer from Vincent Laforet on Vimeo.

Here is a trailer that I worked on with the incredibly talented folks at Zoic Studios that was revealed at the Sony Playstation press conference today at E3 gaming convention.

We shot the “Twisted Metal” trailer over one night in downtown Los Angeles a few weeks ago.   I was the DP on the gig with director Levi Ahmu, producers Chris Jones, Loni Peristere, and EP Erik Press - and a pretty fantastic crew.

This shoot was a blast - I think it’s safe to say that everyone on the crew had fun hanging out with a couple dozen actors dressed up as crazy clowns and freaks ready to light their hair on fire.   While the cast and camera moves were real - the flames were all VFX of course.

The original plan was to use the Canon 1D MKIV or 5D MKII as this would be a low light shoot.     I worked with the VFX team and we were worried that the H.264 compression would bring up too many potential headaches given that some of the characters had to be comped in - and each character had to have the flames added to their heads with VFX.    Therefore we decided to work with the Red Mysterium-X.   I was really impressed with how well the new sensor handled a pretty incredible range of exposure / latitude - far in excess of what I’m used to working with on digital.    I’ve since used the Mysterium-X on two separate videos and keep being surprised at how well it holds highlights and shadows at the same time.

Someday - I’d love to see how the Canons would do relative to this sensor - but until the Canons can offer RAW recoding  (i.e. not H.264 compressed footage that they currently do) we’ll never really know…  As I’ve said - each camera has it’s unique place in the market today - each has pros and cons and I love to work with both of them.

Huge kudos goes to the crew and especially gaffer Mark Lindsay for finding us a spare generator at midnight when ours died at a pretty inopportune time - (anytime a generator dies on an exterior night shoot is a pretty inopportune time!)  - Mark had a new one delivered within less than 30 minutes believe it or not… that’s something VERY few gaffers can pull off out there…and the guy can light circles around you too…

And kudos to Christian Hurley the Technochrane operator who pulled off the wicked shot with the cigar - the shot of the cigar being thrown from the cab ( that cigar in mid-air was CGI - but it was a real move on a real cigar from there on)  the 180º turn back to Sweet Tooth (the clown) all the way to the pan up to his head is a SINGLE shot… and it was done on INCREDIBLY uneven ground mind you.   Sweet.   Always nice to work with pros/veterans.

I’d of course mention the dozens of SFX people - but I don’t yet have all of their names.  I also hope to put up a higher res video on Vimeo (full 1080) to show off the quality of the Mysterium X camera.

Thanks to Loni, Chris, Erik, and Nick C. for thinking of me on this one.    More Behind the scenes videos on the shoot to come in the next few days.

Millions across the country are unable to pre-order the iPhone 4G - apparently (once again) AT&T doesn't have it's act together. FAIL

If there’s been one SIGNIFICANT strategic blunder that Apple has made since the launch of the iPod and the incredible (some would say historic) resurgence of their company - it is  to have associated themselves with AT&T.     For those of us who have been online to get the first iPhone, and the second, and third - and been through all of the incredibly headaches of failed activations, endless lines and horrid customer service from AT&T (to be fair the people on the phone you get when calling customer service at AT&T are actually great - I’m referring to the service at the stores) - I can’t believe that with the iPhone 4,  Apple and AT&T have still not been able to get their act together.   It’s an embarrassment - and mostly to Apple.

It’s safe to say that no one expects much from AT&T.  I never have.   But I am a huge backer of Apple.   However, by associating themselves with a subpar company, their value - and record of near perfection - has been tarnished - badly.   I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that Steve Jobs has lost many nights of sleep due to his decision to go with AT&T and sign that exclusivity agreement.

And don’t even get me started on the phone service - basically the running jokes these days (and for awhile now) is that the iPhone is the best phone in the world - that can’t actually make any phone calls.    I drop 2 out of 3 calls on average.   And it’s taken every bit of self control not to throw the phone against a wall/car/you name it - on a number of occasions.

In the end - I’m not debating whether or not to get the iPhone 4 at all.   I debated setting my alarm last night for 1 a.m. to get online and order one.   I guess part of me is growing up (or becoming fed up with the hype) and I decided not to.  I decided I could wait a few extra days/weeks to get the phone if that’s what would result in putting the order in the next morning.

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The ARTEMIS app (by Chemical Wedding) is a fancy director’s viewfinder for the iPhone that answers the digital age question any director, DP, or photographer going into film might have: what lens should I use given the size of the sensor (and the resolution it is currently set to) that I am using today?

Most photographers and filmmakers know instinctually what field of view they are looking for in a lens, and can tell you exactly what lens they want on their 35mm camera. However, this process can become complicated as you begin to use a number of different cameras with different sensor sizes and their accompanying crop factors (for example, the Red One shoots a Super 35 format at 4k, but it crops into the sensor when it shoots 2k).

ARTEMIS is an elegant solution that allows you to point your iPhone in the direction you are shooting and, using the iPhone’s camera, see the exact outlines of what each standard lens will bring given the particular format and resolution setting on the camera you are using.

It works with everything from a Canon HDDSLR to a 65mm film camera - and pretty much every camera and lens in between - and at $29.99 it is pretty much a no brainer (especially when traditional viewfinders can cost hundreds).   There is also a nifty iPad app that I have yet to try out that apparently allows you to tether the iPhone to the iPad.

If you are interested in this app, go to the following link on iTunes by CLICKING HERE.

Vimeo has been at the forefront of creative online video since its inception in 2004. It is unique because everything posted on Vimeo must be created by its users - creating a viable social network for filmmaking professionals, amateurs, and hobbyists, in which they can interact and share their work.

As I’m sure you all know, Vimeo, in association with Canon, created “The Story Beyond the Still” contest, which helped to further this unique filmmaking community by allowing users to submit videos that continue where the last frame of the previous winner’s video left off (By the way this contest is on going…there are 2 more opportunities/chapters to enter!  learn more HERE).

Now, Vimeo has created an online festival to award the creators of the best online video content out there -a simply amazing opportunity for the plethora of filmmakers in online communities today.

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I came across this video today that takes footage from Marc Webb’s “(500) Days of Summer“, and cuts them into a new trailer for the film - with a slightly darker twist.  The re-edited trailer gave me a good laugh, but also reminded me how important a trailer can be in providing an impression of the film they represent.  All the footage here is from the original film, but when select shots are re-ordered and set to moodier music (from the upcoming “Inception“), it advertises a film that is much the opposite of the original’s light and quirky tone.  It sort of makes you wonder how much you can trust a movie trailer to begin with?

In the past weeks I have written about some cool apps for the iPhone and iPad that are incredibly useful for directors, DP’s, and photographers.  Of course there are a number of other tasks that must be accomplished on set outside of the technical - and unfortunately a lot of it is release paperwork. Now, thanks to HDDSLR technology, crews are becoming smaller and more efficient, and there may not be someone around to handle getting all of those pesky releases printed, signed, and filed.  That’s why at $2.99, mRelease is an incredible resource.

The mRelease app (by beingMEdia) is a helpful tool that drafts releases for talent, location, props, or crew, based on a few basic bits of information about your shoot that you input yourself.  You can then use the built in camera to take a picture of your subject, and have them sign the release via the touch screen.  From there, the app makes a .pdf and sends it straight to your email inbox.

Having this sort of tool in your pocket as a filmmaker is incredibly helpful and can make your shoot more efficient - but having this tool as a photographer can be a life saver.

If you are interested in this app, go to the following link on iTunes by CLICKING HERE.

I’m sure by now many of you have already seen this - but it is still worth mentioning.  Nike’s new ad for their “Fight the Future” campaign in conjunction with the World Cup 2010 is simply stunning. The three minute spot, directed by Oscar nominated director Alejandro González Iñárritu, is a finely crafted piece of visual storytelling - a different league than your typical advertisement.  As a commercial director, I can only aspire to get the chance to do something like this someday .  Enjoy.

I’m excited to finally see iPad apps come out that take full advantage of the device’s size and functionality relative to the smaller iPhone/iTouch.

I can’t wait for the day where we will be able to use an iPad to interact with our HDDSLR cameras - let alone alone use one as a wireless reference monitor.  What excites me even more is the potential to do some color correction or pre-visualization on location, fine tuning the look of an image live on set.  Countless hours of adjusting light and color balance could be saved if they could be done on the fly with a computer. (What I’m saying here is: a lot of a film’s look today is created in the grading/color timing/color correcton suite… a lot more than most of us know.   Back in the day most of the film’s look depended much more on film stock selection, lighting, filters and gels… now it’s often done more easily and cheaply with a mouse in post… Either way a DP/Gaffer STILL need to know what they’re doing and how to light of course - but giving them the ability to see how things will look after a certain post-processing look is applied - while STILL ON SET - is a huge benefit.)

Can you imagine plugging your iPad into your 5D MK II, RED, Genesis, or Alexa and doing this someday? It would be wild!  But we will probably have to wait a little while for such things.

For now let’s take the first babystep in that direction.

The DSLR Slate App (by Chris Bayol) is a digital slate specifically designed for use with HDDSLR productions and works with iPads and the iPhone/iTouch. The app operates as a traditional slate, providing you with all the standard information (see picture above), but it also goes a step further and provides information tailored to HDDSLR production, allowing you to log shutter speed, ISO, aperture, lens, and many other details (which can come in handy while shooting tests).  All of this additional information is stored by the app, and then displayed for the camera in quick bursts so that each page of information is captured for only a few frames.  This makes slating on set efficient, and ensures that you have all the information you need in post-production.

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A few months ago Canon came to me asking if we could do a shoot together that demonstrated the unique capabilities of their newest HDDSLR cameras - in this case the Canon 1D Mark IV.  We decided to shoot a spec ad for the VW Bug.  It was shot over two days in downtown Los Angeles with a Canon behind-he-scenes crew on site that documented each step along the way.

Go check out Canon's really great site with behind the scenes footage.

Today, I am happy to be able to share the final product with you, as well as a link to the Canon Digital Learning Center. Canon has just published the first installment of their behind-the-scenes series on this project, and are planning on releasing a new episode each week for the next five weeks.

Following my initial shoot with the 1D Mark IV on “Nocturne” - which highlighted the camera’s incredible low light performance - I decided to explore another facet of its capabilities with this project.  I wanted to show how the camera could perform on a multitude of platforms - in this case the Filmotechnic crane mounted to a car.  I really wanted to see how this camera would work on the crane when connected to the zoom and focus controllers and live feed - confirming that Canon HDDSLRs could drop into a system designed to house motion picture cameras and pull off the same cinematic results.  Another goal was to show that the camera performs well while in motion and with moving subjects, and I found that 1D Mark IV has significantly corrected the “jell-o effect” relative to the 5D Mark II.

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