ETHICS STATEMENT: I made this in my own time (and it took A LOT of time!) for the readers of my blog. I was not paid by any manufacturer to do this. The FS700 was supplied to me on loan as review cameras for 3 days by Sony Europe. I asked for the camera so I could review it. Sony as always have given me a free hand to be as honest as I want. No stipulations other than to say it’s a pre-production camera. 

I have never and will never be paid by a manufacturer to review a product. My opinions are my own and always will be. If you think otherwise then you are wrong!

I own far too many cameras. Most do similar things, just some better than others. One camera I used to own but now no longer do (for previously documented reasons), the Red Epic, I miss enormously. Not for the problems associated with it but for the image and especially the slow motion. I was able to shoot 120 FPS at 5K and 300 FPS continuously at 2k cropped. I miss that. One of my favourite pieces I made in this mode was the Turin Brakes video “Chim Chim Cher Ree”.

You see we love time-lapse, we love slow motion. Why? Because it is something we cannot see with our own eyes naturally. I love to use both and am very much obsessed with ultra slow motion right now. The slowest I have ever shot, or the fastest frame rate to be correct, is 5000fps at 720p on the Phantom Flex. Mostly at 2564 at 1080p. You can see it in my piece “The Redneck Hippy”. Now I used the slow motion to give visuals to a story. Videos with slow motion just for the sake of it are very common, and I am as guilty as many. In fact, I will be posting one such video on this page. Why? Because I love the way things looks shot at ultra high speed. Should everything we watch have a story? Nope. Sometimes it’s nice to just sit back and enjoy visuals and evoke emotion that images can easily do (photography anyone?). BUT a story IS better for sure. Just don’t get your knickers in a twist if there isn’t a story! Let’s just call it “test footage,” there I just made up a phrase! But all kidding aside, the piece “Two Forty from Brighton” below for me sums up a weekend at an English beach perfectly!

We will see a lot of slow motion, ultra slow motion, soon. Why? Well the new Sony NEX FS700 is about to come out, and it shoots 1080p at up to 240FPS, or at lower resolutions at 480 fps and 960 fps. This camera will also cost around £6k+Tax. Crazy stuff. As soon as people get this camera they will use this feature to death. Why? Because it’s bloody fun, that is why and we love to over use our new toys. Of course after a short time the owners will start scaling back their slow motion shooting and just use it when they need to. I am pretty sure of that. Then of course other manufacturers will bring out their cameras with high frame rates to compete. GREAT! Competition is the best thing! Without it we would not be shooting on super 35mm sensors for a few thousand dollars right now!

So my review is currently being edited, by moi, and is about 3 days out from being finished. Yes, it focuses heavily on the slow motion modes but it also focuses on the image itself, the improvements and lack of improvements in the camera, low light and a lot more. It’s very in depth and I hope it is rather educational too! I don’t cover 4k as I didn’t have the feature enabled yet.

The FS700 is not a replacement for the excellent-image-producing but a wee bit plasticky and frustrating FS100. It’s a model up. Is it worth the upgrade? Have they improved on some of the more annoying aspects of the camera? Will I buy one?! All these questions will be answered by Friday, so stay tuned!

So in the meantime here are two bits of video. One a short clip which is just a shot at 480 FPS in 24p. Shot on a 50mm F1.2 and hand focus pulled by myself. The resolution is slightly more than halved vertically but maintained horizontally. This causes some image issues as you can see on Sarah’s hat. I found the 1/4 resolution 960fps too poor to use in this pre-production camera. The other clip is a montage of some shots I got down in Brighton. Much BTS was filmed of this and will be part of the review, explaining what lenses I used, how I used the features and things to be aware of.

I used the excellent METABONES EF adaptor for the Canon lenses and the MTF services adaptor for the Zeiss ZF ones.

The vast majority was shot on the Canon L Series 100-400mm lens. A couple on the Tokina 11-16 and the Canon 50mm F1.2.

Picture profile was all over the place, as the pre-production camera kept resetting to default. So half shots were shot on the cine gamma I wanted. The rest were not!

Music is once again from the brilliant Music Bed

Big thanks as always to Sarah Estela who shot the BTS and James Miller who came along for the ride!

See you on Friday for the review!!

ETHICS STATEMENT: I have not been paid by Adobe to use Premiere. I have all the main NLEs and I have been BETA testing CS6 for a few months. The improvements as detailed below convinced me to go with the CS6. I have no financial relationship with Adobe. Read more on my ethics statement here.

I learnt to edit tape to tape about 16 years ago at Sky News whilst working as a News Cameraman. It made my camerawork SO much better. It was a great way to learn to edit. No “Apple Z” – you had to make hard decisions and stick with them. You also had to be FAST. First time I cut my own work, I said “Who the f*** shot this?!” I didn’t hold shots long enough, didn’t get enough coverage…etc, etc. Knowing how to edit makes you a better shooter. Fact.

My first editing experience on an NLE (Non Linear Editor) was Final Cut Pro 1. I used this for personal stuff on my Mac. It was fun and very freeing. I loved it and could afford it! At work I trained up on Avid Newscutter and Media Composer. It felt very natural and easy too. I loved it. Way better than FCP 1 but very expensive.

When I went freelance 6 and a half years ago, I invested in Final Cut Studio as it was the most affordable editing solution for me. I knew it well and Avid was still too expensive for me and (at the time) needed additional hardware. Once I made that investment, I stuck with it and used Final Cut Pro 7 very happily ever since then.

Now, I love Final Cut. I am incredibly fast on it and I can almost edit blindfolded. But for over 3 years it stayed stuck where it was. It didn’t use the hardware of my fancy new Macbook Pros or iMacs or Mac Pros. It barely used any of my system’s memory. It stayed at 32 bit. Speed performance just stayed where it was. It was frustrating. I desperately wanted a Final Cut Studio 4. It didn’t come.

Last year Apple came out with FCPX. A revolutionary editing system that is very progressive and bold. But it didn’t and still doesn’t do a lot of what I want. I bought it, tried it and went back to 7. It is getting better and better though. I have friends who use it and like it. I am sure I will give it another try at some point. The problem is that, when it came out, it simply was not a replacement for FCP 7. Just a different way of editing, I wanted FCP 8 essentially.

So I messed around with the Avid MC5.5 and now 6. MC6 is a huge improvement and is one of the best editing platforms out there. Keeping up to speed on it for me is essential, even though it is not something I use professionally right now. It’s fast, stable and easy to use, and the price has crashed down since I first went freelance. MC6 finally opening up to 3rd party plug ins is a huge step for it.

I tested out Premiere CS5.5 last year and found its interface clunky and unattractive but with nice features. It wasn’t for me. Especially as without an Nvidia card I wasn’t getting the full speed benefits of the Mercury Playback Engine.

When I was offered the chance to BETA test CS6 I jumped at it. This was about 6 months ago and I was still using FCP 7 after trying the other systems as described above and needed to find a replacement I was happy with. It’s not that FCP7 was getting slower for me, I just knew I could work a lot faster than it was letting me.

Since getting CS6, I have been sinking my teeth into it and found it incredibly rewarding and exactly what I needed FCP to become. It’s also better for mac users without Nvidia cards as the Open CL means we can get the Mercury Engine working on non-Nvidia graphics cards. Multi-format timelines with NO TRANSCODING? Brilliant! I can even mix 24p and 25p on the same timeline. One of the projects I am editing currently is a documentary with epic, F3, a f100,5dmk2 footage all on the same timeline, all native. It works. Yeah the 5k stuff struggles on my laptop and I have to drop resolution, but you can do it. The rest of the stuff works beautifully.

In some ways I miss editing on Final Cut, and in other ways I don’t. I am not as fast or confident with CS6 yet but I am getting there… Does this mean I won’t still keep checking out Final Cut X? Of course not. I am always watching what is going on. For now, CS6 is the best editing system for me. Is it for you? Maybe. I cannot say! It depends on your needs! FCP X is revolutionary in its design and will I am sure become a great platform. MC6 is a powerhouse and used all over the industry. CS6 though, and in particular with the production premium suite, gives you integration with After Effects and much more. Premiere CS6 on its own is incredible for me. With the integration, again for me, it cannot be beaten. I am using it, loving it and very importantly I save so much time now. My computers are being used to their max and finally I have software that has caught up to my hardware.

You can read more about my experiences in this interview that was original published on provideo coalition below. 

You can also buy the bundled production premium boxed version from B&H or the download from Amazon below. It doesn’t cost you anything but it helps to keep my site running! You can also get just Premiere via the link below too!

Adobe: When did you first start learning to edit video?

Bloom: I was trained to edit approximately 15 years ago using a tape-to-tape workflow. I initially learned how to use Avid at work, and became very familiar and fast with it. For personal work, when the first version of Final Cut Pro came out, I began using that because it was more affordable than Avid.

Adobe: Why did you start looking at Adobe Premiere Pro for editing?

Bloom: With the more recent Final Cut Pro releases, I felt the hardware wasn’t being utilized to its full potential and the software should have been faster. Time is important and doing things quickly is a huge benefit in my line of work. I started exploring alternatives and purchased Avid Media Composer and Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.

Adobe: What did you think when you first started using Adobe Premiere Pro?

Bloom: In all honesty, I thought it was ugly and not very intuitive. Avid was good but it lacked integration with third-party plug-ins. When Final Cut Pro X was released, it became even more difficult to do what I wanted to do. I was a bit stuck, but then I upgraded to Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5 and felt it was much better than the previous version. Still, I kept going back and forth between Final Cut Pro 7 and Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5.

Adobe: What finally convinced you to switch to Adobe Premiere Pro?

Bloom: I got to test a prerelease version of Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 and felt like I was finally making a natural progression from Final Cut Pro 7. It was intuitive and looked clean. After working with it on two or three different kinds of projects, I was comfortable using it. When I tried going back to Final Cut Pro 7, it was like taking a big step backwards.

Adobe: What do you like most about Adobe Premiere Pro CS6?

Bloom: It’s really a long list of little bits and pieces. Overall, Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 feels more fluid. The interface is cleaner and simpler to use, which makes it an easy transition from Final Cut Pro 7. I spend 90% of my year traveling and I often have to edit on my laptop so the ability to go full screen is very important. The enhanced audio controls are simpler and much easier to use. I love the integration of Warp Stabilizer, which I would Dynamic Link to in After Effects when I was using Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5. It’s great to be able to link to other software, but it’s also nice to be able to do everything in a single program because it conserves resources.

Adobe: What do you find different about working in Adobe Premiere Pro CS6?

Bloom: Initially it can be tricky to move from one NLE to another. The analogy is like driving on the right versus left side of the road – you know you can do it, but you need to get your head around it each time. With Adobe Premiere Pro CS6, I actually felt like I needed to re-learn how to do things, but it was like I was now learning to drive properly. I realized that the way Final Cut Pro did things worked, but I never realized how clunky the implementation was. The way Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 works now makes more sense and seems more thought through. It’s like Adobe took what was great about Final Cut Pro and Premiere Pro and put them together.

Adobe: What would you say is the best thing about working with Adobe Premiere Pro CS6?

Bloom: The ability to play various formats on the timeline is wonderful. I’ve recently been editing native footage from the new Canon 5D Mark III. Even with a totally new format like the Mark III, Premiere recognized it and let me work with it natively, whereas other NLEs would not recognize it and try to convert it. Another documentary I’m editing has a mixture of footage, including RED Epic, Sony F3, Panasonic AF100, and Canon Cinema EOS C300. If I was working in Final Cut Pro I would have to transcode everything to ProRes, which would take a long time. I also just shot a documentary on a boat using a Canon C300 and was able to just offload the cards, throw the footage on the timeline without transcoding, throw on some color grades, and do rough edits in my cabin. The ability to edit these different types of footage natively is huge.

I don’t often do posts just on other people’s work unless it is pretty special. I have my own Vimeo Channel that has my favourite work from other people on it. Please check it out here by clicking the image below. The stuff there is wonderful!

My friend Shawn Reeder has made this beautiful video Yosemite: Range of Light. It is one of the most beautiful timelapse films I have ever seen. The way Shawn follows the light is masterful. My favourite shot is the reflection of the stars in the water. This is a man at the top of his game. Epic! Enjoy!

Yosemite Range of Light from Shawn Reeder on Vimeo.

I am a destination visual artist who specializes in photography, timelapse cinematography, & filmmaking.  I love to travel, so if you have a project in some far flung location, lets talk.

Yosemite National Park, the High Sierra, and the Eastern Sierra are some of the most beautiful places on earth. Ever since I serendipitously won a trip to Yosemite when I was 18, the beautiful Range of Light has captured my heart and become my home. Nothing brings me more joy than to share this life changing beauty with others.

Ever since I became fascinated with timelapse photography almost 2 years ago, after seeing the work of Tom Lowe, I’ve wanted to do a piece on Yosemite and the Sierra. Now after almost 2 years of shooting, I’m thrilled to share. I hope you enjoy my vision of my home, the majestic Yosemite & Sierra. Best viewed Full Screen with Sound

If you would like to license any of my clips or hire me to shoot for you, please be in touch.

Web: http://shawnreeder.com
Email: shawn@shawnreeder.com
Facebook: facebook.com/shawnreeder
Twitter: twitter.com/shawnreeder

Music licensed and used with permission by: www.shaunpaul.com
Composition used: Sounds of Peace

Huge thanks to Kessler Crane and Lens Pro To Go. Without their help this piece would not have been nearly as good.

http://kesslercrane.com

http://lensprotogo.com

Also a huge thanks to all of you who help support me with your warm comments and continuing encouragement. It means more to me than you know.

I hope this inspires everyone to get outside and explore the beautiful outdoors, especially magical places like Yosemite National Park and the High Sierra. It’s National Parks week and all of our national parks are free this week, so get outside and explore!

*So it seems like a lot of people are asking what gear I used. I’m not going to detail every little thing, but here’s the core of what I used: (Shot at 5k in Canon RAW)

Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 5D Mark III
Canon 14L II & 16-35L II (rented from LensProToGo)
Canon 17-40L, 24-105L, 50L, 70-200L IS
KesslerCrane 5 foot Cineslider, Revolution Head, Oracle’s & Basic controller, Elektra Motors, AT Outrigger Feet

I am sure there are other great rigs for the camera. I can only talk about what I have used. I hope to get some Letus stuff soon…

First off, I need to make one thing clear. Despite having lots of gear, I prefer to shoot with minimal equipment. It’s generally faster, but there are some jobs where pimping up your gear is needed. It’s not for show but for practicality. When doing narrative work, you generally need more stuff on your camera than doco work which is my main area. There are a number of mentions of my site sponsor Zacuto’s gear as mentioned in the above Ethics Statement. 

FRAME GRABS COPYRIGHT: PHILIP BLOOM/ DANNY LACEY

BEHIND THE SCENES PHOTOS COPYRIGHT: JULIAN HOLTOM

BEHIND THE SCENES iPhone PHOTOS COPYRIGHT: PHILIP BLOOM

EDIT MARCH 2012: Behind the scene video now up! Film not yet

Making ‘That Day’ (Behind the Scenes) from Danny Lacey on Vimeo.

A fly-on-the-wall style look at how we made That Day, a short sci-fi film shot over 3 days on an incredibly low budget.

10 actors, 15+ crew, 3 locations, 11 page screenplay

Written, produced and directed by Danny Lacey

The short film will be released in Summer 2012.

www.facebook.com/thatdayfilm
www.dannylaceyfilm.co.uk

Making of videography by Tom Chapman
www.twitter.com/tommychappersII

Screen Grab 120mm F2 ISO 850

Before heading off to Australia and New Zealand for 5 weeks, I had a substantial period of time (for me!) at home in England. A whole month! Of course I was working, but it was nice to be home. When I knew I had this time, I got in touch with Danny Lacey, for whom I shot the short film Host on the Epic, and I asked him last month if he was up for anything else…He said “Absolutely! Let me write something!” That something turned out to be “That Day.” A sci-fi mystery film set in the past and in the present day.

My good friend Ronald Vonk who acted as 1st or 2nd for me. Depending on how I felt!

With such a short turnaround, it was a hell of a challenge for Danny. Not just writing it, but producing and directing it. Getting the locations, props, actors. A huge task even though the end film will only be 10 minutes or so long. The logistics for one person are huge.

So for my part as DP, I had to decide which camera I was going to shoot this on, how to shoot it, and what I needed to achieve this.

I decided upon the C300…why the C300? Well first off it is my newest camera and I really wanted to see it pushed in this situation. I was looking at the F3 which would have worked great, but for me this camera made more sense. Especially as it’s the EF version and there would be some hand-held work. Those IS lenses are a dream for that.

Anyway…I am already rambling so let’s go through day by day what we did and why.

Screen Grab 70-200 F2.8 II ISO 6400

Testing out the handheld rig for the C300 from Zacuto

First off prep of gear. 

David Beaumont was my lighting chap and he got hold of some of the lights we needed. A 2.5k HMI and a 4 foot 2 bank Kino Flo Diva. My assistant James Miller brought 3 x 800 watt lights and just as a backup, his 2k. I brought 3 x Dedo 150s and 2 x Kino Flo Divas. We also used a lot of practical lights for the Attic scene and some bounce boards and reflectors for day 1 in the woods. More on the lighting setups later.

We had 3 days of shooting and 3 locations. The woods, the attic and the office. For the woods we had originally planned to shoot with a Steadicam, but our guy was unable to make it so it had to be handheld. This was not ideal as I wanted more movement in the woods. Handheld is a totally different look, and doing the amount of movement I wanted handheld would look very ugly compared to the fluid beauty of Steadicam. To make the handheld as good as possible, I needed a decent hand held rig. The camera is relatively ok to use with the built in EVF but it really needs a rig, especially as we would need to have a follow focus on there and other bits and pieces. My favourite doco rig for the C300 is based upon the Gorilla rigs by Zacuto, very simple and light. If you already have one for your DSLR you just need the C300 gorilla plate and away you go ($150 from the Zacuto store). This rig was no good for this project though as it needed to be bigger and have stuff attached to it… for my other stuff it’s perfect though.

the $510 target shooter gorilla rig

The more expensive Target Shooter.

Zacuto, sent me their C300 baseplate. This was essential for me, as due to the slightly odd design of the camera, the base plates I currently owned were too low for the follow focus really. The baseplate is clever in its design as it puts the rods on top of the plate, meaning the follow focus and matte box will fit on perfectly. The rods are held in securely. For anyone using a C300 with any of the above mentioned gear, this is an essential purchase. It also gave me the ability to put 15mm rods into the side for easy mounting of monitors and other stuff. Even if you use other rigs, this plate is essential, as long as your rig works off of 15mm rods it will be compatible. It really is the dog’s bollocks!

The essential Zacuto Z300 base plate

The rest of the rig was trickier. I am 6’2″ and the kids we were shooting handheld in the woods were mostly under 4 foot. The camera needed to be the same height as them. The handheld rig I have is essentially the C300 Stinger. The same rig I use for other cameras with counterweight for the shoulder but with the above base plate.

This rig is great for on the shoulder but too high for what I needed. In hindsight, I should have used their DSLR rig the Scorpion with a modified lower front end but I didn’t. Holding it under my arm without the counterweight seemed the best compromise solution.

The last of the Zacuto mentions, as I am talking about their C300 stuff, the RECOIL is probably their best rig. I have all the bits to make it up, that is the joy of Zacuto stuff…it’s great as it sits exactly where a camera should be. On your shoulder. Zacuto are doing a spring special on it at the moment…What I like about it is that the position of the camera negates the need for a counterweight. This makes the whole rig much lighter and its position makes it super steady.

James Miller checking out the lenses

Lens wise, I brought a large amount of lenses with me. Mostly because I brought my Sony F3 with me as backup. Why? Paranoia! After our Epic nightmares on Host, I wanted another large sensor camcorder JUST IN CASE. I didn’t want to put Danny through that stress again. Of course the C300 is a different beast entirely and has no reported reliability issues. As I have no decent EF adaptor for my F3, I brought my Nikon lenses with me and my Zeiss ZFs (which I used on the C300 too with a simple adaptor).

Although I brought many lenses with me, I can list the ones I actually used on the shoot here.

Tokina 11-16 F2.8

Canon 17-55 F2.8 IS (VERY useful for handheld but the focus is fiddly)

Canon 50mm F1.2

Canon 100mm Macro IS F2.8

Canon 135mm F2

Canon 70-200mm F2.8 IS II

Zeiss ZF 35mm F1.4

Zeiss ZF 85mm F1.4

I had two monitors with me. The 5.6″ TV Logic and the 7″ TV Logic LVM-074W which acted as a Director’s monitor. Both excellent quality with SDI/ HDMI inputs. Very good waveforms, vectorscopes, peaking, audio and the ability (not needed here) to convert HDMI to SDI. I bloody LOVE these monitors. Best I have used. Pin sharp with great features and wonderful image.

My assistant Ronald checking out the director's monitor

Ronald on the camera mounted 5.6" TV Logic monitor

I brought two tripods with me. My Vinten Vision 8 AS tripod, a really robust tripod and piece of cake to change height, and my normal travelling tripod, the Miller Compass 20 with Solo legs due to their ability to go really low for the high hat-esque shots. I am using Really Right Stuff clamps and QR plates. I have got them on all my heads and cameras. So robust. I cannot recommend these enough.

Really Right Stuff Quick Release clamp

They were lovely to have around, with barely a complaint about the cold…unlike me!

For the most part I was handheld with the camera under my shoulder to keep their height. There were very few walking shots. Mostly static with pans. For the real statics I put the rig on my shoulder and kneeled down on my cinesaddle. Perfect height and way more comfortable!

Sound recordist Johan Maertens

All sound was recorded dual system, timecode was locked in via Johan’s wireless TC sync box. I did also record reference audio. Why not record in camera? Well the C300 can only record 2 tracks and at times we had more than that. It’s way better to keep things unmixed. Hence the majority of narrative is recorded dual system.

The 17-55mm Canon IS lens is great for handheld with one caveat. The focus throw is quite short meaning focus pulls are very fiddly. Jamie was my focus puller for the shoot, but there were times when it was easier for me to pull off the barrel of the lens, like this one. Especially when the difference was so small.

Screen Grab 17-55 F5.6 850 ISO

I had a pretty small team. There was myself, Jamie, James Miller, Ronald Vonk and of course David working the lights. There were times when we really needed one or two more people. There were also times when it would have been quicker without all the extra stuff, and I just got on with it. That is the documentary filmmaker in me who operates alone!

Make up trailer!

Ronald with script supervisor Henrik

Despite all my layers it was freezing. Here with director Danny

I friggin love this monitor!

My focus puller Jamie behind to the right...you can't pull from there Jamie!!

We used no extra light for the day light scenes. Occasionally a reflector was used but not often. The light was very flat and even, making it pretty easy to deal with. It was nice when the sun came out, streaming through the trees. The problem with that was clouds and branches. When exposing for the sun it was damn tricky with it going in and out and moving take to take, causing branches to shadow our actors when they hit their marks…very time consuming, but when it worked it made all the difference rather that the flat lighting.

What this camera excels at is the detail off the sensor. It loves fine details, so often I was shooting quite stopped down to see all the details in the woods. This not being a DSLR meant there would be no image issues, so I felt comfortable and safe shooting this way. The camera’s image really is exceptional and this came through will the daylight filming. The ability to hold highlights and shadow detail using the cinema lock mode and C-Log, giving us 12 stops of dynamic range camera was really handy when we were shooting out of the woods. Inside the woods…not needed so much!

Screen Grab 17-55 F2.8 850 ISO

Our last “daylight” scene we barely scraped in. Light was dropping fast and we were behind. This is where another joy of the C300 came in. With barely any light left, I pumped up the camera to a ridiculous 10,000 ISO. Unsable on most cameras. Not here. Yes there was noise, but incredibly easy to clean up with Magic Bullet Denoiser or Neat Video with just a few clicks. Incredible. Even without doing this, the noise is remarkable grain-like. Still, cleaner the better.

I was able to knock off a tight shot of one of young actor’s eyes as well as tight shot of his face. The 100mm Macro with IS was used at F2.8 for his eye and the 50mm F1.2 for the tight shot of his face as the light had all gone and we were in the woods. VERY DARK!!

I won’t talk about the nighttime shots here as I don’t want to give any spoilers. But there are two frame grabs from the HMI scene. The hand holding and the down the line shot.

Screen Grab 120mm F2 iSO 6400

Screen Grab 50mm F1.2 6400 ISO

Screen Grab 100mm Macro F2.8 10000 ISO

Screen Grab 120mm F2 ISO 850

Day two: The Attic

This was immensely more complicated than day one. An intricate lighting set up was needed and 58 set ups to rattle off. That’s a LOT of shots.

The location was above a storage locker in Batley, Yorkshire…again…ABSOLUTELY freezing.

Screen Grab 18-55 F2.8

Screen Grab 70-200 F2.8 II ISO 6400

The attic location at lunchtime...

Danny did immensely well getting our talented adult cast. Matt Sutton, Julia Mallam, Holly Matthews, George Banks and John Guilor.

Going over the script with script supervisor Henrik

The main lighting set up consistied of a 15 watt domestic bulb hanging from a light fitting. A Dedo 150 watt to replicate it stuck onto a beam pointing down, various other kinos, and dedos lighting up different areas and giving extra light to our actors for the close ups. David used a reflector at times to bounce the light into the actors but all of it was pretty dark to the eye and the camera. Quite a different way to light and very fun and creative. I have never shot like this before, so it was a lot of fun. Generally I light for 640-800 ISO indoors…Shooting at high ISOs of 6400 on this camera meant candles made a huge difference to the light, so there was no need to fake the flickering, we were seeing it clearly on camera. The downside to using very subtle lighting was the room didn’t heat up (which normally is an upside but not in this freezing location!) This was a really freeing experience, and the camera really comes into its own here.

The majority of these shots were shot underexposed by a stop to 2 stops deliberately. This does give you more visible noise, as the sensors copes great with high ISOs as long as the shot is exposed. But with a very quick pass of magic bullet/ neat video de-noiser it vanished (I tend to leave some as it’s aesthetically pleasing)

Loads of stuff on the tripod/ camera using the C300 Zacuto plate again

The above 17-55 lens was used less here. The main lens was the 70-200mm F2.8 for tight shots of actors with compressed backgrounds. This was VERY fiddly for focus on the end of the lenses. I often stopped down to F5.6 but the throw on the focus at this point is so tiny it meant that keeping focus was very hard. In the end, we switched to the Zeiss ZF 85mm as the throw was huge in comparison, meaning getting focus was much easier. Although it meant a change in perspective as we had more background, less compression due to it being wider and me having to move closer.

Screen Grab 70-200 F4 6400ISO

Screen Grab 17-55 F2.8 6400 ISO

Screen Grab 50mm F1.2 3200 ISO

There was a dolly shot needed, and I used my lightweight and simple to use Wally Dolly for this big track-in. Ideally, I could have done with a heavier duty dolly that someone could have pushed with me on it. But this was all we had, and it did the trick.

We got all the shots done and the C300 did a smashing job again. An absolute joy to work with.

DAY 3: The Office

The office set up was a lot simpler. We had 3 setups and around 2 shots needed for each one. The main one being the opening of the film which was a wide dolly left going past an object to naturally wipe to a tighter shot of one of characters asleep at his desk.

David set up the HMI to light the building opposite through the window. Dedos were used the most here, to replicate light from the computer screen. The below screen grab is coloured to represent approximately what the final image would look like (Perhaps a bit too dark!)

Screen Grab 70-200 F2.8 850 ISO

Screen Grab 17-55 F2.8

So now the film is out of my hands and into Danny’s. This will hopefully be entered into festivals before being shown online, much like Host. I don’t know the timescale, but keep tuned to the Facebook page for more info!

The camera turned out to be the perfect camera for the job. Everything about it worked perfectly. For a camera that I will mostly be shooting documentaries with, it excels at narrative work too.

Huge thanks to all the cast and crew for making this pretty painless. Especially to Danny Lacey of course and my team.

We’re disappointed to report that on Friday 17th February 2012 CVP became the victim of one of the industry’s largest thefts when a substantial quantity of cameras, camcorders, lenses and ancillaries with a street value of around £1M was stolen from our warehouse.

STOLEN PRODUCT LINES INCLUDE QUANTITIES OF:

• Canon  XH-A1S, XF100, XF105, XF300, XF305, EOS C300EF, EF24-70 f/2.8 camcorders
• Sony HVR-Z5E, HVR-Z7E, PMW-EX1R, PMW-EX3, PMW-F3L, PMW-F3K, PDW-700, HDVF-20A, CBK-VF01, HKSR-9004
• Sennheiser Evolution radio microphone systems

BUSINESS AS USUAL!
Whilst the loss is substantial, we are fortunate to be a large and resourceful organisaton which remains fully operational. Please be assured that the effect on our ability to fulfil orders is minimal as we are already working closely with our key partners to replenish ‘lost’ stock on an accelerated basis.

I do a lot of work with CVP (I represented them at BVE through talks just a few days ago) and buy most of my gear from them (including my new C300). They are pretty much one of the biggest dealers for professional TV equipment in the UK. This is a lot of gear, and the only place it can really end up is on sale through dodgy channels. If you see any of the above gear for sale new and its price is too good to be true, then be careful. Don’t buy anything without getting the serial number of the gear first and making sure it is kosher by using the above linked stolen equipment register! Be safe by only buying from dealers!

A lot of this gear was about to be shipped out to people. I know of at least one person, my friend Paul Joy who helped me with the Christmas shootout , whose C300 has just come in and was one of the cameras stolen, and that really sucks. All because of  dirty stinking thieving gits!! Let’s hope they catch them!

The amount of gear is huge, 40 XF300/305s, 5 C300s, 9 F3, 12 Z5/Z7s and so much more as you can see below.

Win a Kessler Crane Stealth Pocket Dolly here and help a great charity!

Back in the summer of 2010 I shot a documentary in Lewiston, Idaho for directors Vernon Lott & Jennifer Anderson. Influenced by the style I shot “A day at the races,” in they hired me to DP their movie.

From the blurb

“The Lewiston / Clarkston valley has a rich history. It is here, at the confluence of the Clearwater and Snake Rivers, where Lewis and Clark camped on their westward journey over two hundred years ago. Residents boast that the valley is the gateway to Hells Canyon, that Lewiston was Idaho’s first capital. However, the valley also has a much darker past, one that many know about, but few publicly acknowledge. From 1979 to 1982, five people disappeared. Only three of the bodies have ever been found. All share one suspect.”

Don't mount your pocket dolly to your head like I did!!

It’s an intense and very moving documentary. My sometime assistant Preston Kanak was my assistant for this (the first time we met) and also did some pick ups for it after I left. Further pick ups were done by Mark McKnight. Sound was beautifully recorded by Steven Bechtold and the masterful editing was done by Christian Kinnaird.

Having Christian at the location made things so much easier for us. We would shoot an interview and he would ingest the footage and make a shot list of things we needed to shoot based upon what was said by the interviewee. A really efficient way to shoot a documentary under a tight time constraint.

The music by Peter Broderick, available too on iTunes, is haunting. Check out the video below the trailer for more of it.

This was the first feature documentary I had shot fully on the Canons, it came just after the Red Tails shoot at the absolute height of DSLR mania.

Were they the right cameras for the job? Absolutely. There was nothing else on the market that came close in our budget. A hugely cinematic look with a small footprint, something that also required very subtle lighting which is key when shooting docs. Would I shoot with them for a similar project today? Probably not. With a C300, F3 and FS100 in my arsenal, it would make more sense to use one of them. The 12 minute recording issue was a major pain, as was the dual system recording. It just would be easier without them, and my current cameras all have better image handling than DSLRs, so it would make sense to use them today. But if that is all you had? Absolutely. As you can see from the trailer and the film, the image is gorgeous. If shot well and coloured well, DSLR footage bats way over its average.

I had a very simple system for getting past the 12 minute issue. As the director’s questions were not needed for use in the film, at the 6 minute mark I waited for the interviewee to finish their current answer. That gave me 6 minutes for them to finish before it cut out. For 99% of the time, these was enough time for that to happen so I could simply press STOP START on the camera and start another clip. The sound was not stopped but kept recording the whole way. Nice and neat. Pluraleyes then came in and auto synced the whole lot!

You can buy or rent the movie from iTunes, hopefully in your region. Please try and watch in HD. It makes a difference. It’s available in the following regions currently: Ireland, UK, Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada.. More to follow I hope!

CONFLUENCE Official Trailer from Morris Hill Pictures on Vimeo.

Peter Broderick – Old Time (Official Music Video) from Erased Tapes on Vimeo.

Helicopter 5DmkII FCP smoothcam test from Philip Bloom extras on Vimeo.

Shot with a Canon 5DmkII and a 24-105mm IS resting on a pillow!

Smoothcam test done with it.

Available now on iTunes

DVDs for sale at confluencethemovie.com

Credits

Directed by
Jennifer Anderson
Vernon Lott

Cinematography by
Philip Bloom

Produced by
Diana Anderson …. executive producer
Jennifer Anderson …. producer
Gina Lott …. executive producer
Vernon Lott …. producer
Kenneth Merrill Sr. …. executive producer

Original Music by
Peter Broderick

Film Editing by
Christian Kinnard

Sound Recordist
Steven Bechtold

Additional Photography
Preston Kanak
Mark McKnight

Audio Post-Production by
Jason Devore

Trailer Edited by
Alan Canant

So here I am sitting in yet another hotel room, this time in Porto Portugal. Thankfully the internet is not as pants as most hotel internet is (at the moment but that could change!). Why is this good? Well Karen Abad and Cristina Valdivieso have dirt on me and have blackmailed me into doing their podcast on Sunday night! Damn Las Vegas…NAB 2012 warning…always remember there are cameras EVERYWHERE!

All joking aside I can’t wait to do the podcast. Both Karen and Cristina are AWESOME (I understand Americans say that a lot? Personally I would go with smashing!) and it should be an insightful and interesting conversion…So at 5pm USA Eastern, that’s 10pm Portugal/ London time I will be exposing myself to them live on air, metaphorically speaking I must add (much to everyone’s relief!) to answer all their probing questions and hopefully yours!

So click on the image below and I hope to see you all there!

EDIT: Fantastic news. The finished movie won Best Documentary and Mass impact award at the Boston Film Festival. A massive boost for the film. I couldn’t be happier. Well done Ruaridh Arrow the Director!

EDIT: It’s also just won Best Documentary at Raindance!!

2 years ago in Boston I shot the bulk of a documentary on Nobel Peace Prize nominee Gene Sharp. This film is now finished and premiering at the 27th Boston Film Festival on the 18th of September then will be part of the Raindance Festival in London on the 2nd and 3rd of October.

Blog from May 29th 2009. This was shot in my first month of owning a Canon 5DmkII, so I wasn’t using it for the bulk of the filming. I was still using my EX3 and Letus Ultimate.

From wikipedia:

Gene Sharp (born 21 January 1928) is known for his extensive writings on nonviolent struggle: he has been called both the “Machiavelli of nonviolence” and the “Clausewitz of nonviolent warfare.”^[1]

Sharp is a political scientist, professor emeritus, and founder of the Albert Einstein Institution, a non-profit organization which studies and promotes the use of nonviolent action in conflicts around the world.

Working with producer/ director Ruaridh Arrow, I am making a documentary on current Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Gene Sharp.

I have to plead ignorance and didn’t know of his work until I was approached for this gig, and he is an amazing man to be around, very kind, zen like and incredibly intelligent. A fascinating man whose life should have been documented well before now.

I wanted to share with you some black and white screen grabs from the Canon 5dmk2. Most of it is being shot on the EX1 and Letus, especially all the talking heads. But the more stylized shots and the other B-roll is being done on the 5dmk2 which is very new to me. It gives me the freedom to take down my lights, use available light and work REALLY fast, knocking of shots really quickly. It’s a great combo, I just wouldn’t do the whole thing on the 5dmk2 mainly due to the sound and recording length limitations. Oh and the 30p….which of course means I need to convert all my lovely footage to 25p, most likely in compressor.

Anyway, below here are some frame grabs from the footage in black and white from the 5dmk2. Love that image!

I have one and a half days of filming before I go home…it’s been great. It’s also been wonderful meeting so many people I just know over the internet at my first ever “Meet up”

DECEMBER 2011: It’s two years ago that I was in Skywalker Ranch. This was the single most exciting thing to happen in my career, I am an utter geek and this story still makes me smile! What a great time! I went back 4 times after this and of course then shot 2nd unit RED TAILS for them on the cameras. I do  have an open invite to go back whenever I want. I must take them up on it. An amazing place and amazing people!

The problem with email, especially getting several hundred a day, is you miss some. Some more important than others. One email I completely missed was from Rick McCallum. Producer of the Star Wars prequels and many other films and TV shows at Lucasfilm. He said he loved my work and wanted to talk to me about working together on a movie they were making. I missed this email. Not good.

Fortunately they didn’t give up on me. Head of post production Mike Blanchard phoned me up 3 weeks later to see if I could come over and consult about the potential of using video DSLRs for their productions. He called whilst I was shooting so it went to voicemail. I picked it up the next day and thought holy shit! They must have thought I was playing hardball by not replying to Rick. I wasn’t. I am just a bit useless with all the emails!

“Star Wars” has been a part of my life for over 30 years. I saw it as a child when I was 7 and the second film, “The Empire Strikes Back” affected me enormously. I was in tears when I came out of the cinema. My hero…Han Solo, frozen in carbonite taken by Boba Fett! Anyway, I digress…

NOOOOOOOO.....

Of course I phoned Mike back said yes please! 5 days staying at Skywalker Ranch as their guest and showing them how to get the best out of the Canon 5DmkII and the Canon 7D. They also wanted to be shown how to use the EX3, Letus Ultimate and Nanoflash.

So I flew to San Francisco on Saturday last week and drove to the ranch (via Best Buy of course!). What a stunning place. In the middle of nowhere with enormous beautiful natural grounds and complimentary buildings. I was put in the Federico Fellini apartment. Each apartment is named after a famous person. From architects to actors, composers, writers, photographers, filmmakers. The one I was in is the one where Clint Eastwood always stays. Yes, I slept in Clint’s bed!

The first night, knowing the weather was not supposed to be great over the next few days I did some night timelapses using my 7D and 5DmkII. I left them running until 3am when they froze over!

All photos are taken with the Panasonic GF1 with the 20mm F1.7 Pancake lens.

The next day I spent the afternoon filming around the ranch, the morning was a washout but it was dry enough to start. Using my 5DmkII, Miller DS20 Solo tripod, 16-35mm F2.8, 24mm f1.4, 35 f1.4, 50mm f1.2, Shift Tilt f3.5 24mm and my 70-200mm IS f2.8. I also brought with me the new Glidetrack Shooter. Rick asked me to bring it and Alastair from Glidetrack kindly shipped one over to me straight away to take with me. The shooter gives you the ability to do really lovely simple dolly shots without the drag of a full dolly and track set up. I also used both the Fader ND 72mm variable ND filter and 77mm thin Singh-Ray vari-nd on every shot to keep my shutter to double the shooting frame rate for optimum film motion. That means when shooting on the 5d I was at 1/60th and on the 7d I was at 1/50th.

But still the weather was crappy. Very grey overcast day. Everything looked very flat and lifeless which makes it that much harder to make things look beautiful.

The ranch is beautiful and reminds me a little of Scotland mixed with Italy. Rolling hills, horses, cows, a stunning lake and beautiful buildings. It was even cold, very much like Scotland. I left the rushes converting to Pro Res overnight and at 7 in the morning i put together a rough edit to show Rick and Mike at 9am.

I had, at this point, never seen my work projected on a really good projector before so this was going to be a real test of the cameras. Rick and Mike wanted to see how well the footage held up on the big screen. They had shot some stuff and weren’t happy with what they were getting. So they converted my edit into an MXF to play through Avid and I sat down to watch the edit. I was nervous. Never having seen my work on a big screen as good as this, but also George Lucas came in to watch and also the legendary sound designer Ben Burtt. My heart was racing. I watched as the edit played and they loved it. My favourite moment was when the star timelapse came on and Ben Burtt said “Hey, now, hang on!!” This was a very quick ungraded draft edit knocked together from a crappy grey day as a test, not supposed to be shown as an example of my work! Then Quentin Tarantino came in as he was due to talk at a screening of “Inglorious Basterds” and George said to Quentin, come see this. Quentin waxed lyrical, calling it Epic and William Wylersesque and was shocked it was shot on a DSLR. He had no idea you could shoot HD video on them or they were so good. I love George Lucas and Quentin Tarantino, so to have my work screened to them was pretty special to me. Rick, Mike and I also watched some of my other work on the big screen. “Venice’s People”, “San Francisco’s People”, “Cherry Blossom Girl” and “Sofia’s People”. They all looked incredibly good on the big screen. Better than I could ever have imagined. We watched everything in the Stag theatre at the ranch too. Probably one of the best screens in the world. 40 foot screen and it looked incredible.

Ben Burtt with his Zacuto iphone grip junior

Mike and Rick were over the moon. They didn’t know how well these cameras would hold up on the big screen and it passed with flying colours. Lots of swear words of incredulity were used!

80% of the footage was shot on the 5DmkII at 30p, then conformed to 23.98p in Cinema tools, effectively causing a slight slowdown but as no sync was used this was fine. All the timelapses were done on the 7D apart from the first star one. Some shots of the mist on the lake were done on the 7D too in 23.98p mode. I found them indistinguishable in the edit. Picture profile was Neutral, sharpness all the way down, contrast all the way down and saturation down one notch on both cameras.

Original poster art in the main house

During the day I also went through the cameras with Mike and Rick on how to get the best out of them. Rick has my 7D training dvd so already knew a lot. I went through all the Zacuto gear with him. He particularly was impressed with the Tactical Shooter with Z-Finder. We also used the Marshall monitor and Miller DS20 Solo (and of course the Glidetrack)

Rick McCallum

Rick shooting with the Zacuto Tactical and Z-Finder

Rick McCallum with the Zacuto sniper kit

Mike Blanchard

The next day we shot with the Sony EX3, Letus Ultimate, relay and Nanoflash recording at 280mbs. Testing out this combination for the big screen too and it also looked pretty good! Although we did a lot less filming with this combo as it was the DSLRs that we really wanted to see how well they stood up.

Ex3 with Nanoflash

Letus Ultimate with Relay

So why were we shooting with these cameras and why is Lucasfilm’s producer Rick McCallum interested in them?

First off Lucasfilm has been at the forefront of digital technology. They were instrumental in getting a 24p Sony HD camera to use for some shots in Episode 1 of Star Wars and shot episode 2 & 3 entirely digitally. So being ahead of the pack has always been something they do. Pushing the reluctant industry forward kicking and screaming!

George Lucas with the Sony F900 on Episode 2

Rick and Mike had seen what these cameras were capable of and wanted to really know just how much you could push them. They had seen mine and others work online but really wanted to see how well they performed projected. The joy of these guys is they have a great attitude. If it looks great on the big screen then that is the most important thing. Not codecs, limitations, bit rates etc…all those are very important but the most important thing by far for them is how it actually looks and it passed with flying colours. That is what they really care about.

On the day I left, Wednesday, I got up at the crack of dawn as I knew it would be really frosty. It paid off. I got some lovely shots of the frost and the mist which meant I could finish the edit properly as I had more footage to complete it. Which I did on the plane home using my 13″ MBP and then graded it using Magic Bullet Looks as well as tidying up the earlier edit and creating the new timelapse from stills.

Below is my polished edit of my film of Skywalker Ranch that I did on the plane home, not the rough cut that was shown. It’s a very gentle piece that captures the feel of the grounds. Mostly shot on the 5DmkII, conformed to 24p as it was non sync and the timelapse was all done with stills. I have to say as fan, a geek and a filmmaker. Being at the Skywalker ranch and being made so welcome by all these incredibly talented people has been a highlight of my career. Next week I get to meet up with Rick again in Prague, along with Albert Hughes (of the Hughes Brothers) who has just finished his latest film “Book of Eli” with Denzel Washington to do some test shooting with the new 1DmkIV. I will post footage and my review of that camera as soon as I can.

HUGE thanks to Lucasfilm for giving me permission to post this short!

Am hoping to get a red lightsabre in the post for Christmas! EDIT: I did, Lucasfilm sent me some goodies, check out this silly video of me unwrapping them here

All large photos are ©2009 www.philipbloom.co.uk

**Note: I am not an expert — these are just my opinions on collaboration. I will also be focusing on how it relates to film making and will provide some real world examples. Comments are encouraged **

Collaboration is the Key to Success

By Preston Kanak

Collaboration is the key to success in virtually every situation. It not only allows you to focus on a specific element of the creative process, but it also brings a fresh set of eyes to a project. In virtually all collaborative projects, new ideas and perspectives lead to something unique. Collaboration also allows you to draw upon a knowledge base that would otherwise be inaccessible by taking advantage of tools and skill sets unique to each individual. Most importantly however, collaboration helps form new relationships, establish new audiences, and in most cases, substantially improve the final product.

Taking Extreme Measures

One of the best examples of how collaboration was the impetus for success in film making was with the film El Mariachi by Robert Rodriguez. In 1992, this film was produced for $7,000 and was targeted towards the home video audience. However, Columbia Pictures ended up buying the American distribution rights, making it Rodriguez’s break-out hit.

This film would not have been made if it wasn’t for the collaboration of many individuals involved in the project (although almost half the financing came from Rodriguez’s participating in experimental clinical drug testing). For example, actors were forced to also act as crew members and real-life people were used as characters in the film. This example is obviously an extreme form of collaboration but if it wasn’t for collaboration, this film would not have been made.

Collaboration Comes in Many Forms (Here are 3)

Collaboration can be broken down into many areas. For this article, I am going to focus on three different forms of collaboration. It can exist in either roles, relationships, or skill sets. For collaboration to exist in roles, it is key that the people you are working with specialize in a specific area of production — different than what you specialize in. For example, if you specialize in cinematography, it makes sense to find someone who specializes in editing or vise versa. This form of collaboration is present in virtually all productions.

The second and most common form of collaboration are relationships, both working and personal. When starting out, I found it very helpful to collaborate with an adviser/mentor figure. The transfer of knowledge that happens in these relationships are invaluable. Now, I turn to my colleagues for advise/recommendations/constructive criticism. It is absolutely key to have people you can turn to. One thing to keep in mind however, is that you should not forgo your own opinions about your work. Be open-minded and willing to take constructive criticism but also stick to your guns in some situations. A lot of the time it boils down to taste. For example, Eric Kessler likes Dub Step. Philip Bloom doesn’t . Most of these decisions are based on your client or target audience.

The last form of collaboration that I am going to touch on is collaboration by skill set. Similar to roles, this one focuses on your strengths. When working in a team environment, such as on an indie film set, everyone has a dedicated responsibility on set. However, if someone needs help, you help them. Everyone is working towards a common goal and it is this approach that I prefer in most situations.

Collaboration is Common

Collaboration is extremely common in virtually every industry. Many workplaces function with multiple departments that work in unison towards a common goal. It is extremely rare to find a single individual in charge of everything (although somewhat commonplace for independent freelancers). It is far more likely and practical for people to build upon their strengths and focus on developing your skill set.

Collaboration is extremely important for start up businesses (freelancers). This can come in many forms. In many situations, I find that I play many roles in a production and am able to comfortably produce, shoot, edit, and write but I also know that a project is MUCH stronger when I bring on a team to help. In situations when I am doing it all myself, I make sure to ask colleagues their opinions before sending to a client. That extra set of eyes is key. Another way in which you can collaborate is by sharing resources (equipment). One of the biggest obstacles for film makers starting out is the ability to afford new gear. When I started out, and even now, I borrow equipment as much as possible as it keeps the overhead costs low.

A Focused Approach

Building upon the role approach, by working with a team you are able to focus on a specific aspect of the production. Instead of having to worry about every element of production, when you collaborate, you are able to rely on others to perform tasks that you otherwise would have had to take care of. This allows you to focus on what you are good at.

There is always a new way to approach a situation and it is really hard to become a master in a specific field, especially when technology is involved. However, when you are able to focus your energy in one area, you have a much better chance of pushing your creative boundaries. In my short time with film making, I have found that I was only able to push my abilities so far without the help of others. The second I started to incorporate the advice and skill set of others, my quality of work improved drastically.

A New Vision

No matter the scale of production, I always try something new — be it a new editing or story-telling technique. It is critical that when you are producing a film that you try and push boundaries and try things in new ways. By bringing on other people to collaborate, you are also introducing unique perspectives and this is key. You are able to draw upon pieces of each others vision to create a cohesive idea — introducing a new idea and a new way of looking at something. This happens many times on larger scale productions.

Collaboration also forces you to accept other people’s viewpoints and perspectives. I come from an indie background and have a specific way/style in which I like to do things. When you collaborate, you are taken out of your comfort zone and encouraged to see things in a new way — which is super important because the people you are collaborating with are as much your audience as is everyone else! However, you MUST be open to their ideas and be willing to move outside your comfort zones — and also forced to grow thick skin.

When working with others, you are exposed to things you may never see or hear and the more you collaborate, the more diverse your work will become. One such example is music selection. Recently, I produced a video with music I felt fit the mood of the piece perfectly. However, a friend of mine recommended a completely different piece of music that ended up evoking a completely different emotion that actually fit the piece much better then what I had picked. The piece would not of been as good as it was if I wasn’t willing to try new things.

Forming New Relationships

Relationship building on both a personal and professional level are very important aspects of film making — if not more important than the actual film making itself. It is important to view relationship building as an investment. Positive experiences will more than likely lead to more work and this is the ultimate goal.

Forming new relationships opens up opportunities you otherwise would not have had access to. Everyone has a set of contacts and a pool of talent they draw upon. If you are able to gain access to this list by simply providing something in return, you are only increasing your chances of success. It’s about give and take — just like in any relationship.

Establishing New Audiences

For me, one of the biggest driving forces for collaboration has been the way in which new audiences are established. Normally when I produce a film, I only have access to the people who are following my work. However, when you collaborate with others, you have now gained access to the collaborators audience as well via social media and other avenues. If this doesn’t drive someone to collaborate then I don’t know what will .

The Final Product

Although just a brief look at why collaboration is key, it is easy to see it’s importance. By collaborating with others, you are able to draw upon a wealth of knowledge from people with completely different life experiences. It opens up opportunities you otherwise would not have had. Most importantly however, it helps generate a new vision, new audiences, and new relationships.

Below are two different pieces I recently produced in two very different collaborative projects.

Karrnnel – Coast/Rain – ‘A Clear Vision’

About the Film

For this film, I collaborated with four other artists/musicians (Karrnnel, Louis-Charles Vigneau, Daniel Koulack, & Amy Matysio). We wanted to capture a live jam session. In relation to our collaborative model, we took the skill set approach — focusing on everyone’s strengths but also helping each other in areas that weren’t covered. We only had an hour and a half to set everything up and film the project so we were all forced to pitch in and help. When it came to editing, I edited it all together, relying on the artists to make note of sections that had instruments out of sync as the final recording was not the same as what they were playing live. Amy, who acted as the creative director and co-producer/co-director, set the tone/grading for the piece.

Composer: Karrnnel

Fiddle: Karrnnel
Guitar: Louis-Charles Vigneau
Double Bass: Daniel Koulack

Produced by Amy Matysio, Preston Kanak & Karrnnel

Filmed & Edited by Preston Kanak

Triple Americano – ‘A Fresh Set of Eyes’

About the Film

This project was filmed over a week and a half and I wanted to encompass as many filmmakers in it as time would allow. It was filmed in Regina, Saskatchewan & Ausin, Texas. In regards to the approach, I based it off of all the above forms of collaboration (roles, relationships & skill set). Everyone involved helped at various stages of the video. First, they helped shoot it (roles) — focusing on their skills as a shooter, and then they gave feedback on the film once it was edited (building on both the relationship and skill set approach).

List of Filmmakers

Dustin & Zach Wilson
Riley Moynes
Jeremy Drummond
Michael Pavlovsky
Andrew Taran
Braden Jobson
Daniel Lowe
Eric Kessler
Joel Graves