SMUGMUG COMMITS TO SPONSOR NEXT FILM
SmugMug has offered to sponsor the making of the next movie and an international search (and/or contest) for the most talented filmmakers, screenwriters, lighting technicians, gaffers, actors – you name it.
SmugMug has agreed to commit an initial $25,000 right now, plus HD hosting of samples, teasers, submissions from everyone particpating, and the final production.
SmugMug will put up another $25,000 once we’ve proven that we can make this happen – and some other sponsors hopefully jump on board to guarantee that we will have the necessary funding and/or access to resources to make this come together!
Here’s how the next chapter (of this crazy experiment) started:
First – one of the posters on my blog wrote:
“There you go, smugmug is onboard… those guys know how to give the camera public what it wants! Could you not bit torrent the feed aswell? Heck put a $1 download on it for smugmug members – youve already got our card details and make some money for charity while your at it – would be a quick $500,000 made – not to mention the sign ups to smugmug to have a look.”
“Then again you;d get done by canon for profiteering 🙂 ”
Comment by Nicko 09.20.08 @ 9:52 pm
Followed by:
“Vincent, Amazing story, beautiful images, thanks for all the work to share this incredible news with us. A question I immediately had was: did you just have $5,000 to pony up for a “demo” project or is there some way you’re going to try and monitize this video? Five grand is a hell of a “proof of concept” project.
Comment by Brock Meeks 09.20.08 @ 11:46 pm”
This got my mind rolling… Some may wonder if two little $ signs flashed in my eyes – but the truth is a light bulb flashed above my head.
Since this project has never been about making money, I asked myself… How can I pay this forward? I then thought… What if I opened up a competition – to all of the best young (actually you don’t have to be young – you just need to have a “young” frame of mind) filmmakers, screenwriters, actors, set designers, wardrobe, you name it – and produced the next short film? If I pulled off the first film with 12 hours notice and a crew of four in 48 hours… imagine what WE could do with a really talented group and a real budget…
The idea: Find the most talented people who are amped about what we can do with this camera. Stay lean and mean – no Hollywood primadonnas, nothing excessive. The whole point of the camera is lean, mean, fast-paced shooting, with a lot of thought beforehand but a HUGE willingness to experiment during the shoot. We won’t spend 4 hours to pre-light… 40 seconds to 10 minutes is more like it. If we need to wait 3 days for the perfect light we can (for one of the key shots that is – not every shot!!!) We can have fun editing & relaxing as we wait, as opposed to being stressed because we have a crew of 100 burning huge budgets and getting antsy…
We’ll be completely independent from the major film studios. Free from anyone telling us what to shoot & what’s appropriate. Free from product placement directives. Free from PR companies or mind-numbing conglomerates to deal with. It’s every filmmaker’s dream!
If there’s anything this project has taught me so far – is that it’s OK to dream – in fact it BEGS YOU TO DREAM BIG.
If there are any other great, forward thinking companies that want to jump into this project now, please contact me (info below). We’re open to a few more great sponsors, and the first to commit will have seniority.
If you’re a company with equipment, facilities, even airlines & hotels that are interested in sponsoring this grass roots movement of independent film making on a budget with revolutionary equipment, we’d love to hear from you. If you have a product we can use in the making of this film – we are also very very interested – I will at the very least review it on this blog. I believe an entirely new market is opening up for you.
So dream big guys! I deleted two thirds of the praise I had for this camera and how I believe it will rock our industry in my initial blog post for the fear of sounding like it was a paid ad. It REALLY was self-driven.
This is the dawn of a new day, where one person can boogie a (revolutionary) camera from a major multinational corporation over a weekend, edit the video in under a day, and post it to his AppleTV and iPhone and the web for ZERO cost. And get sponsored for a new project in less than 24 hours – I had an initial “handshake” commitment from SmugMug within 8 hours to be exact…
More details about this project will follow the launch of the upcoming short film – now less than 6-8 hours away (hint hint…)
Potential sponsors – or anyone who interested in letting us use their gear/software/accomodations/planes/helos/cars/submarines in the making of this next film: Please e-mail me at:
production (at) vincentlaforet.com
students/pros interested in being notified when more details become available (all responses will be kept strictly confidential – i.e. your boss won’t find out…) please e-mail me at:
contest (at) vincentlaforet.com
Can’t tell you how excited we are to be collaborating with you on this. The cool thing is, you’re so passionate about it it swept our whole company up over the weekend – we’re all geeky, we’re certain too that high def video is here to stay, and going to be more and more an important part of photography as the technologies converge!
Thanks for having us as partners on this, now, let’s get to work on this awesome project!
By the way, who else wants in? 🙂
This sounds amazing Vincent. Props to you for making the initial movements and pushing this forward.
Wow…the ball has started to roll. Wondering what will tomorrow bring. Great stuff, Vincent!
gr8 stuff vincent…
i have always been interested in photography & cinematography…. used to trick out and try lots of crazy stuff with my casio exilim ex s1 a lot…
well with the big gun like a mark II, GOD!!!
i cant dream enough…
COUNT ME IN!!!!
Wow – congratulations!
Would love to be involved somehow!
Dude, if it was practical for me to travel across the atlantic to be a part of this – believe me I would. I’ve got a heap of camera-op experiance, mainly in music videos so am gutted to miss out on this
I hope you take the example of Pixar, who could just go ahead and make the most beautiful movies in the world of computer animation, but consistently win Oscars by starting with a comprehensive and singular idea of they story they want to tell. It’s all very nice to get beautiful low-light footage of models in expensive clothes, but if you want this to be more than a proof-of-technology stunt or a Canon promotional piece, start with a good script and some actors to tell the tale! Take the first $2,000 and sponsor a writing competition.
Other than that, I wish you great success! It sounds like you’re going to have a ball.
Joshua… there’s no reason this can’t be an international contest… and if we get enough of a budget or airline sponsor somehow… I can’t see why you or anyone else shouldn’t be given the chance to apply… geographical limitations should not be a factor in the world of the internet..
“Story first” getting a good script and screenwriters has always been my first step of the process indeed – we’re absolutely on the same page… screen writing (and scripts) will be the key part of this …thanks
What kind of scripts are you looking for vincent? Shorts only?
Cheers, Adam
http://www.levinspictures.com
My wife is a very talented screen writer and has a 5D MkII pre-ordered for a documentary she is shooting in New Orleans (based on your recommendations…). You have no idea how excited she was when she read your post on Saturday, and I know she will be even more excited to hear this. I am sure she will be in touch to see what she can do to help!
Vincent – folks over at reduser.net are wondering if you did a test to check for any rolling shutter issues. Can you tell us more about this? Thanks!
Can’t wait to see some details.
Adam (and everyone) let me launch the video and rest up a bit for 1-2 days (not going to be possible – but I can try.) We’re not going to rush anything from this point on – the sprint has ended – now time for the marathon… I’ll release more details to everyone within a few days. Thanks for the interest. I doubt it will be a short.. (at best it could be a series of shorts…) but most likely longer and with a bit more depth… (that’s easy;) remember – we (Yoni Brook and I) scripted/story boarded this in 2 hours from midnight to 2 a.m. that first Friday – I come from a photojournalism background- so story, depth, and subtlety are key – finding a perfect mix is the goal… “Brazil” “Blade Runner” “The Color Purple” “Cinema Paradiso” “Full Metal Jacket” and anything from Hitchcock or Orson Welles films are some of my favorites – just to give you an idea of where I’m coming from – and the variety of styles I’m drawn to… -v
Great idea Vincent with a super partner – I’m sure you’ll get some quality submissions that will be better than what some “pro’s” do and much better than Watching Grass Grow.
P.S. So is the 5DM2 video 1080i or 1080p – i.e. interlaced or progressive – seems to be confusion there?
Fred – it’s 1080p – v
Hold on luminous landscapes says it 1080i – not that you would ever believe that if you saw the raw footage.. let me get the CORRECT answer from Canon…
Top drawer. You sir, are an emblem of what sharing and consideration is all about.
Best regards – B
I was correct – it’s definitely 1080 p – so no interlacing… one of the criticism’s I’ve heard from what I’d like to call – the film snobs – is that this camera does not do 24 fps… it shoots at 30 fps… but that’s got me thinking: does anyone out there know why a firmware update would not be able to allow this camera to shoot at 24 fps on a CMOS chip? I can’t think of one…
My guess is that 24 fps it totally doable with a firmware upgrade…
Great to see you doing this Vincent! I’m looking forward to seeing what everyone is able to do with this camera. And I have one on order myself, so I’m looking forward to using it for my nature photography but also getting into video.
@Frederic – If rolling shutter is the same “jellocam”, luminous-landscape.com says they didn’t see any problems yet.
23.976 fps would be better 🙂 Although it doesn’t stop there. Some filmmakers look for anything between 1 to 3-figure fps. Add in a way to properly record sound to a separate source and you’ve got yourself an industry changer.
And to be clear – that is an uneducated guess – I’m sure people out there might actually know more about the technical factors behind pulling 24fps from the camera – w/ a firmware upgrade….I will forward the request for 24 fps to Canon for sure… to be fair (to you and to me) remember that I am new to this “film” / video world – so far from an expert – I think I’ve been pretty open with this stuff – definitely not an expert like Jim Jannard is – and I make ZERO claims to be so…remember I’ve made no definitive claims of whether or not the video has that “jello” effect – although I never noticed one… and apparently neither did Luminous Landscapes… v
Will the next video be shot with a 5DmkII again?
in regards to the framerate is it 30i/30p/60p? if they are just saying 30fps im guessing its 30p/60p?
err sorry correction –
if they are just saying 30fps im guessing its 30p/60i
The next video will be shot with the best available tool made available to us at that time… right now my plan is not to rush this next project… so it will likely be a few months before anything is shot again – the competition alone will take some time to set up properly – and I want to give everyone ample time to prepare their entry material – as well as a fair amount of time to review material… who knows what Canon will have out months from now – or others… I’ve always been very intrigued by the RED – and other stuff I’ve been hearing about… if a camera is extremely portably and doesn’t require a support staff to make it operate – I’m into it… remember – this is an INDEPENDENT project… there are and were never any strings attached w/ Canon at any point. Right now however – the Canon EOS 5D is the clear direction that I’m looking at – but who knows (given how fast things move these days) what I’ll be thinking in 3-6 months or so… the whole idea with this project is to keep an open mind… and experiment… I am not married to anything right now… but I am of course a pretty loyal person by nature.
24p is most likely 100% doable with a firmware update…
Stu Maschwitz has a blog post which details how non-Explorers-of-Light can request the update. It essentially boils down to this:
Call Canon at +1 (800) 828-4040
Press 3
You’ll be passed to an operator who will take your suggestion.
From what I hear, the representatives have been very receptive so far. If enough of us call, I’m hopeful that they’ll make the change.
So everyone should call!
Canon’s site says “1080” – no p or i…
Frank T – Canon has confirmed it with me directly: 1080p
a firmware upgrade for 720(24p) would also be great…cause 1080(30p) is a LOT of storage space!!!!
In regards to the 30fps vs 24fps…
Maybe you can inverse telecine the capture. Though I don’t know what the result will be if the source material wasn’t originally telecine?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecine#Reverse_telecine_.28a.k.a._IVTC.2Finverse_telecine.29
to luminous landscape: dude, its not 360GB/minute.
its h264 = compressed. = NOT RAW.
aint nobody gonna have raw video from that chip.
any info how long the chip can be ON ?
up to today people were hacking up their cams for astrophotography because long exposures were heating up the camera…
1080(30p) is not really a lot of storage space as storage space is quite cheap these days. The highest rated Transcend 16gb cards are like $150 now. If you are shooting stills with the 5d mkII that is a large amount of space. If you are shooting video buy 4 of them. If people are going to be seriously shooting videos with this thing the cost of the body, 4-5 lenses of varying focal lengths and 4 compact flash cards, portable hard drive and extra batteries is actually dirty cheap.
For you and I, yes its kind of expensive, but I’d much rather they keep it at 1080p with optionally varying frame rates instead of overcomplicating it with further resolution options.
I may be alone on this.
could not do pre-order 5dmkii on amazon, it said “out of order”. any recommendation?
Leop, you can always try here:
http://www.adorama.com/ICA5DM2.html?searchinfo=5d&item_no=1
Vincent
It is so interesting. I’m from Thailand with a handful of lens and totally amateur.
Hope that I can be a part of the project.
Cheersss
leop – no not really… I do know how to get cameras quickly by ordering from certain places and not others… that’s the only hint I will give… if I give it away – everyone will do it…. and then the tips is no longer worth anything …
Hey Vincent,
I am planning on using the 5DMK2 to replace some of my in car mini-cams for TV and commercial work using an external audio recording source. Do you know if it’s possible to get any time coding on to the video at source or if it’s possible to do anything post shoot, time code wise?
Cheers, Rod
Vincent
Inspiring, Exciting, Exhilarating and I cant wait to see what you can do!
Andy Williams with Smugmug just turned me on to your blog and project. I have been working with Andy and Chris for years now as a artist and residence at Smugmug and only have the very best of complements for who they are and what they have done for pumping creativity into the photo community. If there is anything I can do, What the hell, I’m in!
I know I’m going to get lynched for this – but why do we need 24fps anyway? That’s the old film standard, but last time I checked, we’re shooting digital now – not film.
So what if our shots and video don’t have film grain on them? It feels sorta like arguing that color film should have a black & white “mode” or like a HD camera should have a “blurry YouTube” mode. 🙂
Hey Vincent,
I just wanted to thank you for all you’ve done over the last few days. My first reaction to your original article was “holy crap, that’s the most droolingly positive review of anything I’ve ever read.” But as I continued to read, I could tell how deep and legitimate your excitement over this camera is. Even WITHOUT your new venture with Smugmug, all of this interest you’ve generated will, I think, set off a wave of hopeful anticipation throughout the indie film community. I have a feeling that lots of people with the ingenuity and ideas to produce amazing stuff who to date have lacked the financial means are about to experience a bit of a renaissance.
I can’t wait take a shot at submitting a script!
(And count me amongst those hoping for 24fps!)
Dave
I”d 2nd the request for a 720p option. My understanding is that the current options are 1080p or 480p (standard def). Odd that they left out 720p.
Rod, I have a very interesting and cheap timecode solution that should work great with the 5D.
If you have a moment, email me at my
first at firstlastname.com
I would love to have beta testers who work in production.
Don, 24p is a big deal.
Not only does it look more filmic than 30p, but it makes distribution much easier. And no, I’m not talking about film; I’m talking about BluRay, which does not support 30p at all.
30p makes this a cool camera. 24p would make this THE camera.
Well said Ben! And thanks for the links.
Vincent, should you ever feel compelled to put your Canon friends in tough with someone from the “film snob” community (who happens to be an active 5D shooter), I would be delighted to speak with them.
Your blog, images, and enthusiasm are all splendid. Keep it up.
-Stu
http://prolost.blogspot.com/2008/09/ok-guys-if-youre-serious-about-this.html
Tough? Touch.
Don,
I definitely understand the “move along from the past” feeling regarding 24p, but I don’t know…I’ve always hated 30p. 24 just looks so much more organic. And yes, I know that’s counter-intuitive! (Which makes me wonder, by the way, if there’s a quantifiable method for testing the frame-rate of human perception)
When I was in high school (a couple of years after the XL1 came out) I went so far as to very misguidedly delete 4 frames out of every second of footage to try to get the 24p effect. Clearly it didn’t work…but you see how important it is to some people!
This excitement is palpable! I guess I should apologize for wasting your bandwidth, though. What with refreshing your blog at least once an hour to see what’s happening. =P
I’ve always been fascinated with cinematography but haven’t really had the right equipment. My little p&s doesn’t quite cut it, so I’m reeeallly excited to start experimenting with the 5Dii next Spring!
Thanks for providing such an interactive blog, Vincent!
_Nate from Orlando
If it’s possible via firmware upgrade, 24P would be nice to save some space, but the lack of that isn’t going to keep me from buying this camera.
Vincent – I would be very interested to know what your contacts at Canon have to say on this front…not that 24P shooting is high up on my priority list, but because indie filmmakers would go ga-ga over it, and I could see the demand for this camera jumping by a large margin with the addition of such a feature.
blu-ray does support 30fps.
You also need to keep in mind the target display. Many TVs in the US will just convert your 24 fps to 30 fps for display purposes anyway. I’m not saying they shouldn’t have provided a 24 fps option (and 720p). Just that there are pros and cons to everything. Perhaps there is a forthcoming 1D model that will have all those options, so Canon is protecting that future product’s sales. Again, not defending such a decision…just saying…
Vincent,
I am starting a not-for-profit film production company that goes anywhere in the world to produce documentaries and promotional films for missionaries and ministries that are not backed by big organizations but have compelling stories to tell.
As traveling means we have to carry-on-bag anything we want to take with us, the whole idea of ditching Sony Ex1’s for 5D mkii’s is tremendously exciting… More exciting than Scarlet.
We are going back to Lusaka, Zambia to follow up on two groups – one was covered by CBS during the final four this year, a boy from Arizona that has raised over $200k to build schools and hospitals south of Lusaka, the other is the extraordinary tale of a man that is building churches all over Zambia in the small villiages, like where he grew up.
If this is the kind of project your looking for – we are totally independent and are trying to raise money to get there in March 09. I’m bringing a team of 3 – two cameras and a sound guy. We have a shot sheet, planned interviews and a rough list of things we want to shoot – but it’s really by-the-seat-of-your-pants and come back with tons of footage to edit – Dirty Jobs style.
Pleas email me if this sounds like something interesting.
Of this ok d of
There is a huge difference between 24P and 30P, and it has a lot to do with perception. I’ve been involved in digital film production and special effects for 14 years, and there are some very good reasons for wanting to shoot with 24/25P.
When motion is smooth, everything from makeup to bad lighting shows, especially at HD or 2K resolution. 24 fps disguises this with the increased jitter from frame to frame. As a test try interpolating a hollywood film to 30P or 60i (with Twixtor, or a fancy TV with ‘natural motion’) and you will instantly see shadows from sidelights, makeup texture and flimsy backdrops.
This is important, particularly for low-budget/lightweight film production.
From what I understand, the Blu Ray spec supports 60i, but not 30p. So interlaced displays (and high-speed progressive displays) will incorrectly display it as interlaced (effectively halving the resolution and creating slight motion artifacts).
It’s not the biggest deal in the world, but it’s not fun either.
I have to say I am excited as the rest over this camera, but really, what I have to ask is this: If you’re into making movies, why not just get yourself an HD camera? I’m not talking about a RED, but there are other options out there. The 5D is a still camera first, and a motion picture camera second. Yeah, it does great video, but why is it such a huge deal?
Vincent – THANK YOU! Nice that you’ve got the ear of Canon.
Vincent
can you change focus while shooting a video? – focus points etc ???
the luminouslandscape had static focusing in the clips…. thanks.
Andreas, there will be plenty of comparison shots posted once the 5D is out.
It boils down to unprecedented low-light performance, the ability to use EF lenses, and the full-frame sensor.
You’re exactly right Timo.
That said, 30p will be perfect for many. 24p is a must-have for some, and for others it would be a lovely option to explore.
It’s interesting how different 24p looks than 30p. In a way, it’s like DOF. We love the 5D because, among other lovely features, it allows greater control over DOF. Shallow DOF is more cinematic because it lets you show the audience less of what’s not important to your story. 24p is cinematic in part because it shows less.
http://prolost.blogspot.com/2006/03/less-is-more.html
But don’t see this as me trying to convince anyone that 24p is the only way. I want it in addition to 30p, not instead. To each his own!
“If you’re into making movies, why not just get yourself an HD camera?”
Well, if you already shoot with Canon still cameras, then you certainly have a road paved with glass as far as cost-of-entry goes. I could spend a kajillion dollars on a Red system with one lens, or I could get into video ridiculously cheaply and use gear I already have. Hard not to be excited about that.
@ben syverson:
The “more filmic” look is certainly true, but it’s less so than you might think. 1080p30 looks very close to 1080p24 – much much closer than 1080i60 does, which is what most people have been exposed to at 1080 resolutions that aren’t 24p. I’d never dream of arguing with an artist though – if they want 24p, they should have it. But 30p and 24p are remarkably close.
Your distribution argument though, I’m afraid, doesn’t hold as much water. Two important reasons:
– You can take a 1080p30 source and make a 1080i60 version from it that is identical to the 1080p30. And when I say “identical” I mean it – humans perceive it identically *and* a computer that takes that 1080i60 back to 1080p30 will see them identically. They’re indistinguishable, no data is lost, and no artifacts are introduced (as opposed to filming a 1080i60 source, which does introduce artifacts – but also gives you the tradeoff of a higher framerate, which the method I’m describing does not).
– Physical distribution is coming to an end. Blu-Ray is likely the last of its breed (possibly one more generation of video game consoles, but music is already over, and video soon to be). So limiting yourself (if there was a limit, and there isn’t in this case as I’ve already established) because of an aging distribution mechanism isn’t necessarily wise.
🙂
@Timo
Wait, so you’re arguing for 24p because it hides all the awesome detail that comes with HD? So why bother shooting in anything other than SD?
That’s exactly the sort of thing that makes this a game-changer. The entire game – from lighting to makeup – gets improved out of necessity.
Sign me up!
@Don: Going from 60i to 30p is no problem, you’re right. The problem is that displays (TVs, projectors) don’t know to do that, because there’s no progressive tag for them. So it can introduce small visual and motion artifacts. Again, not the end of the world, but not great either.
I actually like 30p a lot; I’ve shot it off and on since 1999. But I like 24p better, and there’s no reason why Canon couldn’t offer the option.
Don, as I said, to each his own—but 30 fps is 24% more information than 24, and to my eye it is substantially different.
http://prolost.blogspot.com/2008/09/my-letter-to-canon.html
Oops, meant 25% more. Darn fingers.
Absolutely not, sharpness is intact, it’s the perception of motion. Besides, 30P is almost useless for us Europeans.
First – I’m personally BIG into 24p – the first camera I bought was the Panasonic DVX100 – I returned it because I didn’t like the range of the lens and I didn’t like the “feel” of it… but I’m big into 24 p – it CLEARLY has a unique look to the discerning eye…
Stu – I hesitated about the “film snob” comment – I must admit to being a bit of a hypocrite on that one… as I am a film snob too…
Jason… Canon is definitely listening…
don s- pls e-mail me at production (a) vincentlaforet.com and we’ll follow up soon – anyone w/ future projects or sponsorship ideas should do the same
andreas – don’t forget the access to prime canon lenses… that’s huge… and writing to CF cards saves TONS of post time…
Depndomatic – didn’t have a chance to test that… sorry
Thanks Vincent, I took the film snob comment in good spirits.
By the way, a common practice in TV commercials (and, to a lesser extent, movies) is to shoot “30 for 24,” i.e. shoot at 30 fps for 24 fps playback. The result is a subtle slow motion effect that is often said to “take the edge off.” Very appropriate for certain heightened-reality looks, especially when shooting MOS.
That’s what I’ll be doing with my MkII until the 24p firmware update! 🙂
thanks a lot. i already get one mkii ordered, from another place. very interested in your project — it appears to me like a new type of tv network, more than youtube, and birdging the gap between youtube and traditional networks.
@Depndomatic
I was lucky enough to hold one of these babies in my arms today. Pressing the AF-ON button engages the contrast detection AF, which takes the contrast of the subject into consideration rather than utilizing the focus points.
Button: http://a.img-dpreview.com/previews/CanonEOS5DMarkII/Images/allroundview.jpg
Focusing: http://a.img-dpreview.com/previews/CanonEOS5DMarkII/Images/Screens/movie2.jpg
For high-def nature/documentary/news (non-fiction), I much prefer 30p. I think 24p better suits the cinema “let’s make a fictional movie” crowd. I would just think by the nature of a ‘photographer’ shooting with a Canon 5D, such as landscapes, sporting events, family, etc., I’d say Canon nailed the demographics in this market place by choosing 30p. I don’t think the 5D will replace larger cinematic cameras better suited for shooting 24p using tripods/jibs/dolly-track, etc. But that’s just me. I realize some others smarter than me may disagree.
Vincent, you are truely an inspiration. I have already pre-ordered my 5dmk2, cant wait to see your video later.
One thing i have on my mind is how the 5D MK2 is going to be delt with when it comes to limitations set by a contract for shooting stills. I have shot several events where i was never allowed to shoot video and not allowed to carry a video camera since i was contracted to only shoot stills, yet with this camera i wonder how i can guarantee that it will be used only for stills. This was mainly because the organization had negotiated a media contract with a production to shoot the video. How did you deal with this in China at the Olympics, i’m almost positive you must have delt with a contract that limited you to still photography?
in those cases, i wonder if they would even care, but its something that i think will stir up some buzz.
-Cheers
Vincent, can you comment on what kind of manual exposure control is available in HD video mode?
I contacted Canon using the number posted by syverson. When I asked about adding a feature to a firmware of an upcoming camera, they transfered me to tech support where it was essentially a dead end. Does anyone know which department exactly you suggest it to? I’m figuring the original representative was the one that would take down the suggestion and there wouldn’t be a need to transfer, especially to tech support.
And if Canon is looking at this blog.
GIVE US 24p!!
=)
should this not be called a movie instead of film ?
Screenwriters have a lot of ideas. If your project has even vague goals (length, desired production values, documentary or fiction), it would help to shape the dialogue. Or is the idea that the new camera will shine now matter how quiet the story or production values?
Armen, a couple of the people I talked to at that number today seemed very confused by my desire to provide feedback on an unreleased product. One was very kind and helpful and then accidentally disconnected me just as we were finishing up.
Hence this:
http://prolost.blogspot.com/2008/09/my-letter-to-canon.html
I see the video is up but….Password protected?! Don’t torture us like this!
reverie 😉
Vincent,
The video is fun and stuff, but you’re a photographer, where’s the photography? You had a 5DmkII for 48hrs and only fired off a few still? Is the still camera portion really so bad that you didn’t want to use the 5DmkII as a still camera for photographs? The “stunning” quality of the images didn’t make you want to fire off more than a few frames? I don’t get it.
Next, I’m having a hard time embracing (and wrapping my head around) the thought of a video that requires so much bandwidth that a guy who will drop $5K on a video shoot won’t put it on his website. I get that it’s too expensive to post, but what does that mean for us commoners? Is Smugmug going to hook us all up?
Thanks,
Juan
Juan,
I can’t speak to why he didn’t do more on the photography side other than to assume that he was so blown away by the video capability that he said to himself “I can do the photo stuff the next time I get my hands on one.”
But I think that the video bandwidth issue has more to do with the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of people chomping at the bit to see it than anything else. But, unfortunately, I doubt that us commoners are going to be doing a whole lot of HD video hosting for the time being anyway.
This is really exciting, Vincent! It kind of reminds me of American Idol, where we find amazing talent by looking into our very own public. I’m very much looking forward to seeing what results from this contest. Thanks to Smugmug, too, for sponsoring this event! They’ve always been very cool people, both the company itself and the people running the show.
Vincent and others: with the 5D MkII you DON”T NEED CF CARDS!!! the new wifi grip has a USB port for connecting a pendrive or external 2,5/3,5″ HDD – muuuuuuuuuuuch cheaper option than big CF cards. If only Canon could confirm that this USB port can power 2,5″ HDDs…
AFAIK, the new grip does indeed permit one to write to an attached HDD; however, I was under the impression that this would only work for stills and not for video. Is that not the case? If it works for video, does that mean that the wireless transmitter will also transmit video? Aren’t the bitrates too high?
man this is awesome. Will be checking your site more often now, hope to be part of this project!
Count me in if you need anything!
Count me in. I am amazed at what this camera can do! I am pre-odering one this week. HOWEVER, as a filmmaker and a still camera photography newbie, can someone recommend a better than average assortment of accessories? Feel free to email me.
angelo.bell (at) gmail (dot) com
www. AngeloBell .com
THANKS!!
Vincent, I’m hoping that you’re in direct communication with someone HIGH UP at Canon about their silliness over at SmugMug. Really hate to see this great thing you’re doing turning into a bad Canon PR nightmare.
Congratulations Vincent. I’m a west-coast DP and Steadicam operator (i.e. I’m “Hollywood” but not a “primadonna!”); I’d love to lend a hand. Just finished a two-year project putting together a “running rig” Steadicam to complement my big rig that would be perfect for this little guy. Seems like it would be a lot of fun. Check out my credentials at charlespapert.com if you are interested in having me.
What about sound???
Hi Vincent,
“Reverie” looks great. I am very excited about this camera. However, there seems to be one huge flaw that holds me back:
It seems like the camera only has an automatic exposure in video mode. In many of the sample videos (on Canon’s website and some shots in your movie, like the guy washing his face in the bathroom), it’s obvious that the exposure adjusts with the change of the overall brightness in the frame. Since the video recording is done through the live-view mode, the viewing, itself (I tried it on my 40D), is made to have automatically adjusting exposure/view. If the 5D mark II has no option to set manually a constant exposure, this whole video feature is not for professional use but rather for home videos.
Someone on dpreview.com said, there is a way to lock down the exposure by pressing the ” * ” button and, he said, you didn’t use that feature because you didn’t have the operator’s manual. If that’s true, it might be a way to deal with the automatic exposure.
Since this camera is still in pre-production, I hope my concern gets to the Canon decision-makers, so that they can fix this problem before getting it out on the market. I really hope (and I’m sure, many people out there do too) that I can buy this camera and produce some professional HD video.
Cheers
P.S. Sorry, I didn’t post this on the right discussion board.
Vincent, amazing video footage.
Please count me in as another person who has a photo/ video company that NEEDS 24p! There is no way to shoot 99% of professional commercials and film in 30p. This camera has come very close to perfect, but without this small upgrade Canon is missing out on a lot of potential customers from Sony, Panasonic and JVC shooters.
Vincent,
So Vincent I was wondering if you know or anyone knows if B&H or Adorama going to re-open preorders on the 5D MkII cause when I went to pre order they stop accepting them. this is a sad day.
-Nick
Hey Vincent.. really excites and interested about the project.
I’ll be going to the digital imaging show this Sat here in Toronto.
The rumor is the 5D M2 will be on display there.
Can’t wait 2 play with it. I’m getting there early because I expect a line up. I noticed in the “Making of” video you had some camera armour around the body. True? Hw did you find the durability of the camera?
Thank you for useful information. With love …
reklam ajansları
No new news since October ’08 on the smugmug / HD film collaboration? Or am I missing it somewhere else on the site??
Anyhow, stunning work Vincent, I have to say the post-Katrina house-on-the-truck (tilted lens?) is great, though your sunset image of the silhouetted horseback Paniolo cowboys is definitely my favorite.
amazing!!!..still photo camera for video..what a gr8 work..your site will be my priority bookmarks…make me learn a lot..thanks
Any updates on this collaboration?
Well that was very nice of them. What ever came of this?
I love seeing stories like this with independent filmmakers getting some of the support that is needed so badly.
Gotta agree with that sentiment – it is certainly great for those well deserving independent artist to get some support from the big timers.
Well this is to thank the smugmug for their wonderful job.I’m a kenyan reader and movie fan.For the past five years,i have been looking for a filmmaker in whose i intend to present a story into consideration of a movie shooting in kenya.The story is set in the so called white highlands during the 20 to 30 years preceding kenyas indepedence.It delves into the inner lives of the natives and settlers alike laying bare their fears,prejudice,suspicion and hopes.I would be happy if you people agree to help a kenyan dreamer.