Category: Creative Filmmaking

4K, 48p HFR and the challenge for set designers and makeup artists

Tuesday, 11 December, 2012 23:04

“Photography is truth. The cinema is truth twenty-four times per second.” – Jean Luc Godard

“Cinema is the most beautiful fraud in the world.” – Jean Luc Godard

Cinema used to be an illusion, but now the camera is putting extra pressure on filmmakers to keep up the illusion. Drawing on a conversation I had a few months ago with a VFX supervisor, EOSHD presents the challenges and problems that 4K and 48p (HFR) bring to the film set.

48p The Hobbit – British and American critics verdict

Monday, 10 December, 2012 23:15

Above: Cate Blanchett receives some all-too-real makeup on the set of The Hobbit

Peter Jackson shot The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey at 48 frames per second (HFR) in 3D. So what is the verdict on HFR technology… More immersive? Helps the story? More beautiful?

LOMO anamorphic goes Super 35mm – my music video shot on the FS100

Tuesday, 27 November, 2012 07:08

Get Dreamleaver by Herdwhite on iTunes

Embedded video not showing? Click here to view or download on Vimeo

A big thanks to Ciecio7 for donating his superb OCT19 to E-Mount lens adapter for this shoot. This is available on eBay.

We shot this with the young German movie actress Lili Zahavi (IMDB) and theatre actor Niklas Brubach. A big thanks to both of them for their performances. This is a music video for my fellow friend from Manchester “Herdwhite” whose track Dreamleaver was recorded here in Berlin.

The Sony FS100 has a nice image but it isn’t as organic as the Blackmagic Cinema Camera. To make it more organic you use organic lenses. Actually as Herdwhite would tell you it is the same with music. You can use a drum sample – but it is not as organic as a real drummer. Anamorphic gives you instant production value if used well.

Panasonic GH3 – my short test “Civilian”

Monday, 26 November, 2012 17:01

At the moment I am using the Panasonic GH3 like a bit of a director’s viewfinder. But the advantage is, it is a rolling one. You can then put a draft cut together of the concept you’re thinking of shooting – like a live action storyboard, see if it gives you an emotional response and if it succeeds – hire actors, and go back out and shoot it fully.

SLR Magic Prototype Anamorphic footage and feedback request

Thursday, 15 November, 2012 22:34

Above: A message from Andrew of SLR Magic

SLR Magic are stepping into the world of anamorphic lenses. Developed afresh, this will be a 100% new custom designed anamorphic lens for filmmakers but priced accessibly for DSLR filmmakers as well as pros. The footage above is from the early prototype and I have been speaking to Andrew Chan of SLR Magic about the early development of the lens.

Filmmaker Andrew Wonder on anamorphic and modding his Iscorama 36

Friday, 09 November, 2012 04:27

Filmmaker Andrew Wonder (Undercity) has had some interesting modifications done to his Iscorama. Not a cheap modification but re-housed as a cinema lens by Van Diemen and optimised for closer focus.

The test above is shot on the 5D Mark III and there’s more from Andrew below, on his ‘Wonderscope’ anamorphic.

Adventures with the 5D Mark III and Canon 135mm F2L in Croatia

Wednesday, 31 October, 2012 17:41

The Canon 135mm F2L is at the moment my favourite lens on full frame.

For the kind of shooting I am doing here, I wanted to stand back from the scenery and punch in.

How does it perform?

Interview with Yoshiyuki Inoue, Senior Engineering Planner for the Panasonic GH3

Thursday, 20 September, 2012 12:01

Above: Inoue helped conceive the GH3 and was a mechanical designer on the well regarded Panasonic L1 (inset)

For my hands on test of the Panasonic GH3 pre-production model read this!

Yoshiyuki Inoue is the senior engineering planner at Panasonic. A mechanical designer on the Panasonic L1 back in the Four Thirds days, that camera is now fondly rememberd for a beautiful optical viewfinder, Leica M style build and cutting edge design. Inoue also worked at Minolta before joining Team Lumix.

I caught up with Inoue yesterday at Photokina to ask him about the design and technical workings of the new Panasonic GH3 at Photokina in Germany.

Lossless Blackmagic Cinema DNG 2.5k workflow for Adobe Premiere CS5.5 / CS6 with smooth playback and editing

Thursday, 23 August, 2012 17:52

DOWNLOAD 2.5K BLACKMAGIC H.264 FOOTAGE HERE

(Important: on the Vimeo page for this clip, click download to get the 2.5K 80Mbit clip. Don’t bother watching it full screen from the stream as it is a pale imitation of the full 2.5k file)

I’ve been experimenting today with Blackmagic Cinema Camera workflows.

I use Adobe Premiere as my main NLE. I am not an FX guy so rarely use After Effects. But it comes in very handy here.

Premiere cannot yet edit the CinemaDNG files natively, performance is very limited, it interprets the footage at 1fps, requiring you to fix this for every clip and image quality suffers greatly, possibly because it doesn’t allow you to edit in glorious 12bit.

Here’s the solution that’s working best for me…

What the Canon 1D X 14 fps burst mode looks like as a 5K video

Wednesday, 22 August, 2012 04:07

YouTube Preview Image

This from Michael Hession at Gizmodo. It really is a great idea – he has used the stills burst mode (the fastest ever on a DSLR) of the Canon 1D X to piece together a short video at 14 fps. The video has the dynamic range, resolution and overall quality of photographs. It is a massive step up from the video mode but of course 14 fps is shall we say – a retro frame rate.

However I actually think it is a valid style. It has a certain appeal, a certain old Super 8 magic to the motion – but from a far larger sensor.

Light for free using natural light sources

Tuesday, 21 August, 2012 00:40

Lighting - Tokyo

Imagine if every photo was lit using a flash gun, well the same goes for cinematic scenes. Often some of the most interesting and varied light is already right in front of you. Not everything has to be studio light rig based.

I don’t think of ‘lighting a scene’ as always directly controlled, often it is wild. Lighting you can control is only half of the cinematographer’s job and so many films make use of the sun as a key light. Terrence Malick has based a career on magic hour light!

The world of natural light is expansive and varied. As someone who has chased light a lot with DSLRs, and avoided the expense, power requirements and weight of having to carry lights around with me, here are some of my tips for a successful natural light shoot.

Revenge of the Zacuto Shootout 2012 – Part 3 review

Saturday, 18 August, 2012 12:15

Zacuto shootout 2012 - part 3

The third and final part of Zacuto’s debate provoking documentary on cinematography and cameras is out. Part 3 is to me kind of like Revenging the Revenge because it goes back to a non-creative scientific (empirical) test of the cameras.

They appear in order of cost from the $700 iPhone to the $70,000 Sony F65 and each are treated with the same lighting, similar settings and the same grading to match as closely as possible.

Shooting a trailer for theatre production Säure on the Sony FS100

Tuesday, 31 July, 2012 01:25

Above: Säure trailer on Vimeo by Andrew Reid

Book tickets to see Säure here

I was cinematographer recently on a trailer for Berlin theatre production Säure (which translates as ‘Acid’).

Mac AVCHD gamma issues – the fix

Friday, 27 July, 2012 01:12

FS100 with SLRmagic Hyperprime

As I recently found with my FS100 Macs really seem to hurt your AVCHD footage from Sony cameras and the Panasonic GH2… But especially the Sony FS100.

It is no wonder these cameras often get a bad reputation for limited dynamic range, crushed shadows and blown highlights – when you are only seeing the middle part of the full 8bit range of luma.

This Rec.709 portion of a 601 space (16-235 instead of the full 0-255 the FS100 shoots in) is incorrectly remapped to 0-255 by Quicktime. Therefore apps that use Quicktime at their core like Premiere, trip up. This makes a huge difference to the image. When fixed, you recover over 10% of your dynamic range, highlight and shadow detail, along with a much smoother roll off to whites and blacks.

Is this bone chilling timelapse shot in space onboard ISS the best ever?

Saturday, 21 July, 2012 14:41

Set to the theme of Danny Boyle’s Sunshine here is what I think could well be the best timelapse ever shot.

Watch the first five minutes of GH2 feature film Musgo (warning – NSFW)

Monday, 16 July, 2012 15:22

Warning – this video contains content some viewers may find disturbing. Not suitable for work.

One of the best looking trailers I’ve seen on Vimeo from anyone has been for a tense Spanish thriller called Musgo. It now appears the feature length film itself could as thrilling as many were expecting.

This looks like being a real breakout hit.

Zacuto Revenge Shootout 2012 Part 2 shock – Francis Ford Coppola and majority prefer Panasonic GH2

Sunday, 15 July, 2012 23:22

Francis Ford Coppola gives his answer in the Zacuto Shootout, choosing in order of preference the Panasonic GH2, Alexa and Epic

Francis Ford Coppola gives his answer in the new Zacuto Shootout, choosing in order of preference the Panasonic GH2 (lit by Colt Seaman), Alexa and Epic

Get the most from the GH2 – Read the EOSHD GH2 Shooter’s Guide

The results are in from Zacuto’s Revenge Of The Great Camera Shootout 2012. The majority of those at the cinema screenings – including Francis Ford Coppola preferred Colt Seaman’s lighting and the capturing of it by the Panasonic GH2.

This choice was above the stiffest possible competition including the Sony F65, Red Epic, Canon C300 and Arri Alexa. There’s a comment from Part 2 which really stands out for me and it sums up the reason EOSHD and my passion to write my GH2 book and the blog exists -

“The thing I was most impressed with is that some guys or gals with something to prove did better at lighting than the established cinematographers with a good camera” - Bruce Lundeen (33 min 13 seconds)

This is how you make a great film, a great shot, a great scene - Passion, hunger, creativity and a $700 camera.

Revenge of the Great Zacuto Shootout Part 1 – Review

Sunday, 17 June, 2012 00:12

Above: one of my favourite scenes from the episode, click it to enlarge to 1080p, the colour on this shot is ‘early Technicolor’ and ‘Hitchcockian’. But I am not 100% sure which camera was used to shoot it (although I have a gut feeling!) – and that tells you a lot about how evenly matched cameras like the FS100 and GH2 are with much more expensive offerings (if viewed at 1080p)

If you haven’t already I advise you to watch the episode before reading this and draw your own conclusions first. If you have seen the full screening please do not reveal the results on the comments forum.

Watch episode 1 here!

The Zacuto Shootout is like a torch light in the dark for many aspiring, young filmmakers and it is useful – not to mention fascinating and enjoyable – to see these incredible tools fight for the best image. Now the Revenge series has added people into the mix it is even more interesting and educational.

Reel 2012 – Digital Cinematography Reel by Andrew Reid

Monday, 04 June, 2012 16:21

Quick update: I’ve uploaded a new cinematography reel. These are the favourite parts of my DSLR-shot footage of the past 2 years. Enjoy!

Filmmaking tips from a legend – Interview with Francis Ford Coppola

Tuesday, 15 May, 2012 17:18

Coppola Godfather BTS

THREE RULES

1) Write and direct original screenplays

2) Make them with the most modern technology available

3) Self-finance them

EOSHD takes a look at Francis Ford Coppola’s approach to filmmaking with the help of the 99%

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