“Sugared Art”, a new short film on the Sony FS100

Ethics Statement: I was paid by Sony to make three short pieces with detailed “how to” shoots on how to use the camera. I am not in the permanent  employ of Sony or under contract. I took on this job as it excited me, was a chance to get more experience on the FS100, and was fun!

This is part two of three films I have shot on the FS100 for Sony, as part of their Extra.Ordinary competition to win an FS100. The first film was Evening Waltz and the competition is now closed. The winner will have submitted an idea for something everyday with a unique treatment. They get an FS100 for and I will film the idea for them!

“Sugared-Art” was filmed at the Choccywoccydoodah cake studio in Brighton. We had total control over the kitchen for the day, which was essential. I wanted to follow the progress of making this crazy big decorative cake, but not show the finished product until the very end.

There are two detailed behind the scenes videos on the Sony portal here and here.

I have to say my back had given out the night before the shoot, and I was in agony. Hence I look particularly rough after no sleep, and I was wearing a large back brace to let me continue to work! Ouch! Fine for being behind the camera but not so much for BTS!

HUGE thanks to James Miller and Sarah Estela for their help on the day! Even though all three of us had out backs out!

Gear wise, obviously the FS100 and Zeiss ZF macro lenses 50mm and 100mm. The Zeiss ZF 50mm and 85mm F1.4 too. I widest lens I used was the Samyang 35mm F1.4. So no wide angles in this piece! Lights were the Litepanel 1x1s. One bi-colour and 1 bi-focus. One Dedo 150. One 2k light blasting through the window for the baking shots. The monitor was my trust TV Logic 5.6″. An MTF services adaptor was used to use Nikon mount lenses on the FS100

I also used the Kessler Crane Philip Bloom Pocket Dolly traveller version a Miller Compass 20 tripod/ Head. Vinten sticks and a Kessler Hercules Head!

Phew!

Initially it was going to be shot on the F3 as it’s my best camera, but as the competition was to win an FS100 it made sense to keep using that camera for all three…and to be honest I was really impressed with the camera on this shoot. The most impressed I have been on anything I have shot with the FS100. The image was rich and very detailed and held up astonishing well in grading with Magic Bullet Colorista II and a touch of Looks 2 (both available for 20% off at checkout with code bloom20!) despite being all internal recording at 24mb/s. I know I was paid to make these by Sony, but my opinion is still my own and hand on heart I was damn impressed!

Sony Professional: Philip Bloom ‘Sugared Art’ in HD from Sony Professional on Vimeo.

 

 

 

44 comments

  1. Sugar and spice, and all things nice – that’s what little cameras are made of. 😉

    Little things like use of S&Q’s 1080p50 and the low light yet noise free images are lovely, but then again it takes expertise, talent, experience and more than a drop of passion to make little gems like this.

    Thanks also for sharing the BTS stuff too!

    1. I’ve been shooting extensively with this camera over the last few months and it’s a little pocket rocket. But the low light images are not noise free. Not at all. What you get is a very acceptable noise pattern that’s very easy to deal with afterwards. Weirdly, it can come out looking a bit like S16 if you’re up in the high gain levels. Compared to a DSLR with all its weird colour artifacts, it’s very nice to lean on when you’re in a hurry.

    1. I have one (though it is also known as a Rokinon 35mm f/1.4) and I love it. When my FS100 comes in, I have a feeling I will want more of these due to the adjustable Iris on the lens. You can see a few shots of the lens from this music video I shot recently (testing out a T2i). Once the video is complete (shooting the story part mid January with the FS100) you can see more. Be sure to watch it in HD.

      Shots at 0:52, 2:06, 2:27, 2:35
      http://exposureroom.com/wichita

  2. Hi Philip,

    nice work…

    Wanted to see the “More Info” but Sony, as usual is foot-shooting themselves, no way I am going to waste my time setting up an account and logging in to see that…

    Internet should be easy…. Sony makes it difficult ;-))))

    1. Sorry, forgot to add…. Highlights on the Sugar movies are really intense, would have thought that camera would handle that a whole lot better !

      You have a great eye, IMO — making trivial things like churning dough look really interesting 😉

      1. Hi Phil,

        yeah, I do need to log on to comment here… But l value your efforts.
        Not saying I dont value Sony’s… But I have to draw a line somewhere, I have so many accounts in so many places…

        If it wasn’t for 1PassWord I dont know what I would do….

        Sony let you download your video for free but you have to register to watch the making off. IMO, it would be in SONYs best interest to let as many as possible see the making of…. You know ? I bet that more than 75% of those wanting to see is not going to bother setting up an account to do so…

        Well, I am running my mouth here with off topic chatter… I’ll leave it at that..

        Take Care 😉

        M.

        1. agree. i really wanted to check the bts, but the need to sign up, feels a little…

          my first thougt was “damn. i don´t want another company to send me spam every day.” so i also refused to sighn up. extortion is not a good marketingidea.

          i hope they will understand, that choosing philip is not just a good idea for artistic reasons, but also to get a lesson in internetmarketing.

          free the knowledge and get more eyes on your stuff!

        2. It’s a tradeoff, I guess. I know it worries them that people will be turned off by having to register but I suspect they feel the ones that feel strongly enough to register are more likely to buy the camera. I hate having to register for stuff too, but really it doesn’t take that long, and I find get at least something out of most BTS vids.

  3. Bad ass, as usual. Forgive me as I haven’t read everything on your site, as yet, but do you story board all your sequences first or do you just have the idea in your head and then flow with it…just “see” the shots as you progress through the film? Reason being, that is what I usually do and I am wondering if you do the same.
    Great work! Oh, and when are the next batch of sliders coming out????????

  4. Hi Philip,

    Great video … great lenses!

    Just wondering what picture profiles you are using with the FS100 before grading.

    Have you a “secret sauce” of your own – or do you use something like the AbleCine settings?

    I’m looking for a good flat profile to get the most out of the camera before grading.

    thanks … keep up the great work.

    cheers

    1. There’s a few guys out there sharing picture profiles, Frank Glencairn and James Miller being just a couple. I used James’s profile heavily while shooting in Mauritius and it was a lifesaver pulling seemingly lost detail from the high contrast sunlit skies I was shooting against. The raw footage looks flat and lifeless but rewards a good grade. There’s another profile I shoot which is much more DSLR like, juicy and beautiful straight out of the camera but far less room for manoeuvre afterwards.

      Stuff like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI1DASDmHzk&list=UUDFeHAOPBDfR6TbnOHGQqiw&index=10&feature=plcp

      1. The marketing is the free movie Phil made, “look at what this camera can do.”

        We need to be willing to pay for knowledge. What Phil is teaching goes beyond the camera, A good bit is great general production info. Useful if you are using a Canon, a Nikon or Panasonic. Sony places a value on having your name and email, so much they are willing to pay to have this extra stuff produced. To me it is a fair and reasonable exchange.

  5. Mr David Schmaus, no offence but its not a poor marketing plan. It fulfills CSR ( Corporate social responsibility). It is brilliant from both business as well as social point of view to me.

    How else are the likes of me going to learn. I have seen some “poor” marketing plans and believe you have too. I simply don’t get it, whats it that you find poor, developing through educating others?

    Ps: If you are in a rival company, or have a grudge against this company, or are simply angry and taking out your frustrations, I can understand that but please I would really appreciate it if you don’t take it out on nice people.

    Thank you.

    PPS: Seriously no offence.

    1. I think Mr David Schmaus is referring to the fact that you have to register with ‘mysony’ in order to view the behind the scenes etc. Personally I am intrigued and would love to see the behind the scenes etc. but not enough to register (but that is my choice)
      Incidentally, Phillip’s little film is absolutely beautiful – so well shot and edited, good choice of music too. I like it because it has a different look to most commercials, it’s very warm, naturalistic and slightly dreamlike, most inspiring! It is a very good advert for Sony’s new camera but don’t be fooled, it takes a tremendous amount of skill and years of experience to produce work of this quality. I am sure Phillip could also make this film with cheaper equipment (DSLR’s) It’s not so much the camera but the person operating.

    2. he is not against the education and not against philip, sony or the project. he just means, that it is not a smart idea to take the knowledge hostage and forcing people to sign up, instead of just showing it to everybody and earn the reward in form of respect and appreciation.

      why signing up? what do they want with the data? sending spam, is my concern. the conclusion is, that taking the way without raising concern is much smarter and a little more up to date. iam more open to more open marketing plans.

  6. Philip, you mentioned “Sugared art” being a 10 hour shoot in one of the BTS. I was wondering how much footage you shot in total (time wise). And considering the final video’s duration is 2min45sec, what was the ratio of shot footage to the material appearing in the final edit.

    Does this ratio represent a usual standard of yours when working on projects.

    Also, do you pre-plan a shotlist, and how many additional shots do you end up taking, that weren’t on the shotlist.

    I ask this because sometimes I feel like I shoot way too much footage than what I need for a given project. I’m just always scared that I’m missing great shots so I tend to shoot everything! Of course it serves me well for the edit, but at the same time I sometimes find myself with overloads of footage to log and go through… And storage space fills up that much more quickly.

    A sincere thanks for your response!

      1. I watched both “Sugared Art” BTS and did not seem to find the specific info I am asking… I will most certainly watch the other BTS during the holidays and get more info there!

        I’d be very appreciative if you would watch a very short and simple HOLIDAY themed film I made with the T3i, using the digital zoom for many shots. I found that the focus was very soft when going past 5x, but it can still be very handy to use! A sincere thx for any feedback! Happy holidays!

        http://vimeo.com/34130035

          1. I was curious as to how much footage you ended up with for this 10hrs shoot/project (time wise). Was wondering if it was normal practice for you to shoot this amount of footage for projects which final outcome is 3min final version. I just sometimes find that I end up shooting so much for relatively short projects. Was wondering what yours and others common practices were as regards to this shooting ratio…

  7. Beautiful work. Fun to see the finished product and its light quality as compared to the documentary. It illustrates what happens when the light is set up for a very specific point of view. Thanks for all you do.

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