New Video Shoot Imminent

Ok so, I'm jumping on the bandwagon and shooting my next project on a HDSLR. I've managed to get my hands on a Canon 500D aka Rebel T1i. This is NOT the new fancy shmancy 7D in a plastic body aka Rebel T2i aka 550D, this is its 30fps 720p little sister. (No disrespect to Wil for lending it to me) but on closer examination, I'm learning the hard way of all the limitations this camera has in terms of video use or what canon like to call-Movie Mode. I'm shooting for a music video with a web release only so 30fps will be fine in this instance & I really want to try out a HDSLR on the field before I take the plunge myself. At this stage I'm tempted to go for the 7D as the build quality of the T1i is more plasticy than I expected. My cheap as chips Nikon D50 is more sturdy than this fella.

Anyway, I'm beginning to realize why the T1i 500D did not make the impact it could have when first released. I can't seem to find a way to manually control ANYTHING with this camera. The flicker from a tungsten source is maddening as you can't do anything to compensate it, but hay, its for a music video, so I'll live with it for now. No control over ISO and its a night shoot, I'll just have to push the exposure compensation up 2 stops and cross my fingers. The only saving grace is that I'll have total control over aperture. I have ordered a EOS to Nikkor lens adapter off Ebay allowing me to use my Nikon glass with this camera and thus giving me aperture control. (you can set the aperture with the stock lens, by setting the camera to aperture priority mode, choosing the aperture and the unlocking the barrel and twisting the lens slightly till you get an error reading, then flicking back to movie mode, essentially disconnecting the lens from the camera).

So until that part arrives from the UK (hurry up! it was ordered on saturday! It's only ash!) I've been experimenting with the camera and popped it on my Fig Rig. With the strap round my neck pulled taught, I can get surprisingly very smooth movements & its much lighter that having the HV30/Letus35 rig attached. Only problem is focus, but again its a music video, so I'm allowing for these inadequacies now and calling it "style" later on. I'm not prepared to fork out for a remote control follow focus just yet.

Funny thing is, I was contacted by a record label in London to make this video and it turns out to be for me old mucker Corrugated Tunnel! (see below).

I'll be posting more progress as this experiment continues.

New Video Online

First attempt using my HV30/Letus35 rig and failing miserably.

This shoot was the maiden voyage of that rig and boy did I find out about its limitations the hard way.

The single (Holiday Blues) that this was shot for was never released and the footage has resided on my hard drive for a little over a year now.

I hate leaving things unfinished & dusted this project off and finshed it.

I decided to ignore the mistakes apparent in the footage and make it work to my advantage instead.

The end result is... not... too... bad...

Thank goodness for post processing software, its not what I set out to make, but it is what it is now. I kinda like it if I don't remind myself of what I intended to make...

This was shot in Bray, Co Wicklow & th Dublin seafront in december 2008 mere days before my son was born (another contributing factor to the delay in completing this project).

Music is by Corrugated Tunnel from the album I Am Corrugated. corrugatedtunnel.com

Lone Gun Manifesto

I'm a little belated with this post, but I forgot to mention that my viral IN TOWN SLOW DOWN has been included with Clive Davies-Frayne's Lone Gun Manifesto films.


Heres a LINK to view all the films.


You can download his manifesto from HERE


In his words: "We realised the digital revolution and web 2.0 would change every aspect of our industry… and, that many people were struggling to adapt to the new business environment. We are not a film production company… we are a completely different beast. What we are trying to do, is to write the rule book for the future, by creating unique production, marketing, finance and distribution strategies for each story, across a wide range of traditional and new media. Sometimes that will involve collaboration with the fragmented remnants of the existing industry and traditional distribution… sometimes it won’t. 

This why we created the Lone Gun Manifesto"

You can visit his sister site Film Utopia HERE

Nice to be included & have my piece acknowledged in some way.

If you have a film that you think should qualify, drop him a line, he's good people.

New Website Launched

A Beta version of my new website went live last night.

Its a little rough an ready at the minute and still under construction, a lot more to get done.

Please take a moment to have a look & I'm more than open to suggestions/comments.

Thanks

Philip Bloom interviews Greg Yaitanes about Canon 5DmkII

The whole world at this stage knows that the season finale of the TV show HOUSE has been shot on the Canon 5D mkII and DSLR whore Philip Bloom has been sniffing around and has uploaded quite and insightful & inspiring interview with the shows executive producer & director Greg Yaitanes to Soundcloud.

Thankfully Greg does about 90% of the talking and waxes lyrical about the pro's and cons of using a DSLR stills camera to shoot a TV show.

A really good listen.

New viral video now online

My new viral video is now online. To view it in HD please visit Vimeo or Youtube also in HD. I recommend Vimeo as you can download the full 720HD file if you wish.


Please feel free to share the video, its a viral, so please spread it around, cough in peoples faces if you have to, but get it seen.


I'll be using Tubemogul to spread it even further, but email your friends etc... Thats what a viral is right?


Below is the blurb from Vimeo:


I came up with the concept for this many months ago, originally it was going to be a still photograph project to perhaps print out and vandalize the streets of Dublin with my message.

There's a lot of dickheads on the road in Dublin, particularly in the city and I wanted a strong image to get the point across that there are repercussions to driving recklessly in the city. Since becoming a father it has become more apparent & more scary.

I took that idea and thought, I make films, I'm no photographer, it would make a (hopefully) stronger impact on film (no pun intended).

So I took out my HV30 attached the Letus35 and attached a Nikon 50mm prime and shot on the pavement behind my house.

Recently a new law has been passed in Dublin restricting speeds to 30km per hour, which I don't agree with as the supposed city limits run for miles. I seriously cycle faster that 30km per hour on some roads, so this film does not endorse that law, in fact that law being passed almost prevented me from making this. But what I want to promote is the use of common sense. 

I don't want to rant too much so I'll end that there and just mention that I shot this mute and all audio was added in post production.

I do apologize to anyone I have upset with this image, I find it troubling as I used my own son's soother (pacifier) for this shot, but I do hope I have made a very real and valid point about using common sense driving in a built up area. If your in town, slow down.

If you feel the same way, feel free to link this, embed or email & please leave a comment if you do so.

Thanks

Guerilla Filmmakers Handbook guys start TV show

I have high hopes for this new TV venture by the guys (n' gals) who brought us the indispensable Guerilla Filmmakers Handbook.

Word on the "street" is a pocket version of the handbook is soon to be available and ready for pre-order on Amazon. No word yet as to what is in the book and whether or not it is a necessary purchase for those of us who already own the mammoth handbook already.

That said, I'm looking forward to tuning in later at 7:30GMT