One year on from “Venice’s People”

DSLRs Film

It’s Halloween again, am not in sunny LA this time but in currently pitch black but sunny and cold Calgary in Canada to do some DSLR workshops. Paul Reynolds reminding me that it’s a year since our big Venice Beach meet up. Which means it’s a year since I shot one of my favourite personal shorts and a perennial at my DSLR workshops as all the audio was recording with a simple Rode Video Mic plugged into the 7D with just AGC and no headphones and I got cracking sound.

You can read the original blog here….with loads of info on lenses etc. This was all shot handheld using the basic Zacuto rig and Z-Finder. This was one of my favourite shooting experiences and thanks to Sara Collaton for her help on that day.

The AGC is the only thing bothering me in this. You can hear it in between grabs when “New York” pauses the AGC brings the background noise up. But there is very little I would change in this piece. I am not someone to go back and tinker with old work. This is a snapshot in time of my skills with DSLRs and the work I was doing then. I would like to do another People series soon…bit tough in England as everyone is so miserable and my schedule in Canada is so tight! This was the last People film I made. I really need to do another one soon!! Maybe Amsterdam’s people in December if I go there or Stockholm’s people when I got there at the end of November.

New visitors to my site won’t know a lot of my earlier work so I will be doing the odd blog to highlight some of my favourites. I will add a commentary to this later.

Venice’s People: Canon 7D 24p from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

Fourth in the unintentional “series”, after Sofia, Dublin and San Francisco.

Original cut and ungraded version here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl1g6SisLTM

Original cut and ungraded version here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl1g6SisLTM

29 comments

  1. simply great… i, here in khi pakistan can only pray to have such professionals like you to teach us this art…we can just learn from these blogs..ironic 😛

  4. Hi Philip,

    I think you’re right. Learn from the past, and add it to your advantage in future.
    It would be great if you could come to Amsterdam.
    Drop me a mail if you need some help here.

    Hope to see you in December then 😉

  6. A year ago?!? damn… It still doesn’t even feel that long ago when I was reading up on your EX3 letus blogs…!

    I know people say this a lot – but this year seriously has gone insanely quick.

    looking forward to your next People phil!

    Cheers

    seb

  7. To any wannabe film students, this is a perfect example of what you should be doing to learn the craft of film making. The craft of film making is different from becoming an expert in the technology and equipment, like many HDSLR users do. Phil’s short would be an excellent film if this was 1960 and he shot it with a Bolex. Our latest technology is a wonderful tool. Aids the creative juices with possibilities, but its just technology. I think that is what you should get from Venice People. Cheers!

    1. Marc,
      I’m not sure you understand…Most of Philips work about people is “Docu style”
      And no it’s not just Technology, There is plenty of skill involved.

      Philip as I told you before, I think you nailed Venice’s People, I was just there
      last weekend with a director shooting some spec work, and the whole time all I wanted to do was shoot the locals 🙂

        1. Correct, I intention was to point out that Venice People is a great example of telling a short story, nicely edited, and beautifully composed. It is also a great demonstration of the new technology. But more importantly it stands on its own as a successful film. And if Phil shot it on 16mm, it would still be a complete and satisfying film.

            1. Great work Philip, but, most of us are consumed with technique. And, as the teacher, we want to know more about how things were done as opposed to why things were done. This stuff is expensive for most and to learn the right way the first time (I know the right way is really how you interpret the scene) is crucial to how we spend our money. I work a shitload of overtime to buy the things I want and I rely on you to guide me the right way. It might sound lame but it’s true. I started out by just catching your films on vimeo to really getting interested in how you do things. Now, hell yeah, I own a Sony PMW EX1R, a Varizoom AntiGravity tripod and head, Varizoom AntiGravity Rig, and lots of accessories. Love your website and check in multiple times a day.

  10. That was a good time. Thanks Mr. Bloom for hangin’ with us in SoCal. On one hand it seems so long ago and then on the other, it seems like just yesterday. That was a great experience not only meeting you but meeting all those other people.

    Cheers! Here’s to another year of film making.

  13. I think the people element is why I still rate this as one of your best. I do enjoy your timelapses but there’s nothing like hearing great stories told first hand from people like ‘new york.’ Also going to LA and down to Venice beach for the first time this August, I strangely felt like I’d seen the skatepark and basketball courts etc already. It’s such a wonderful place, and you captured the vibrancy of it really well with your film.

  14. Of all your people series… this is one of my favorites simply because of the unique aesthetic and culture of Venice’s people. However out of all of your films… I love your Homeless series… and the Alone in Tokyo short!

    It’s amazing to see how far you’ve come with Tweetups, your blog, your workshops, and the whole gamut. I’m proud to say that I know you… and hope you become even more of a viral/social media success. I want to see you move into the world of the silver screen even more so than you already have. You constantly give back… helping others… providing tutorials and blogs for the world to read. With that sort of generosity and your already evident success… your future can only be filled with unpredictable success.

    I’m in a happy mood… and know we haven’t email/spoken in a while… so figured I’d comment on your blog a little more than I usually do!

  16. I agree this is one of your best. There’s a real atmosphere, good pacing (most people erroneously disregard pacing in a non-narrative film). I visited the place while on holiday in the states and you got the feel of it across. This is actually one of those pieces that convinced me to get a DSLR over a camcorder. Top notch.

Leave a Reply