Metabones Speed Booster – An Unbelievable Adapter
This is the new Metabones Speed Booster EF to E Mount adapter, and it’s mind blowing. You probably wouldn’t expect that from a lens adapter, but then again, you wouldn’t expect an adapter to give your lenses a 1-stop speed boost, a wider field of view, and a sharper image. Yep, you heard it right. [...]
My FS100 Build
One great thing to come from modern camera technology is the versatility of their modular designs. Camera operators and cinematographers have an extensive set of tools to make their camera builds completely unique and effective for whatever the shoot requires (RED for high res, DSLRs for quick/small set ups, GoPros for crash cams, etc). No longer [...]
Using Dropbox for Client Access
I’ve briefly chatted about Dropbox before (and mentioned how to increase your storage size for free), but within the past few months I’ve found myself using the service more than ever. Dropbox is a file sharing site that simplifies the process of passing files around to clients (or friends and family). The first feature that [...]
Production Notes: Wander My Friends
Tomorrow we will officially be half way through filming Wander My Friends, a feature indie comedy film based on three comic book creators. I’m the cinematographer, and I’ve learned quite a bit already about what has and has not been working in terms of camera gear. I chose to film on the Sony FS100 with [...]
Current Happenings – July 2, 2012
Today I filmed some quick person-on-the-street type shots for an upcoming Obama related video series. The plan was to match footage that was shot in New York City a couple of weeks ago (I couldn’t attend because of a location scout). I really haven’t shot much video on my 5DMK3, or really on any DSLR [...]
Current Happenings – June 13, 2012
So, a lot is going on right now. Location scouting for the feature I’ll be cinematographer on in July-August, Wander My Friends, went well last weekend. I’ve purchased some new gear for the shoot—the SmallHD DP4 monitor and Viewfinder, as well as the Redrock MicroMatteBox. Both pieces of gear (as well as the 4×5.6″ filters) [...]
KUA Live Shoot Highlight Reel
I don’t think I’ve had a day off from working for at least two weeks…anyway, this is what I shot yesterday. We did some interviews as well, but I’m really happy with how fantastic our props were. I love shooting lowlight scenes, and the FS100 really held up well (with a couple ƒ1.4 lenses, too). [...]
Last Haul Trailer
The Trailer Here’s a trailer for Last Haul, a short sci-fi film I shot a while ago. My girlfriend and go-to editor Meagan Frappiea cut it together yesterday, and I did a quick color correction in DaVinci Resolve (lite). Adam Wilkins made the awesome title (I ran it through After Effects to give depth to the [...]
Roger Deakins Forum
I don’t know how it’s taken me this long to find out about it, but Roger Deakins has a forum online where he answers questions about his techniques used and other very helpful advice for aspiring filmmakers/cinematographers. Is it possible to love this guy anymore than I already do? I don’t think so. Check [...]
Interview with Geoff Ward
The interview with Geoff Ward that I shot last week (about Daisy Suckley) went pretty well. Ken Burns led the interview, and I somehow managed to light, run sound, and control two cameras all by my lonesome (I definitely wouldn’t recommend it). It was quick (about 30 minutes), but Geoff squeezed some great info into [...]
Free 3GB Upgrade For Your Dropbox Account
The title sounds spammy, but trust me, it’s not. In a move to strike at Google’s GDrive news, Dropbox is giving anyone using their camera upload utility a free, permanent 500MB upgrade to an account. Then if you continue to upload using their utility, you can get up to 3GB of additional storage for free [...]
About That Blackmagic Cinema Camera…
NAB has come and gone, but there’s still so much to discuss. Without a doubt, the biggest surprise event was Blackmagic’s Cinema Camera. Obviously I haven’t been able to give this thing a test run, but I’ve had some time to digest all the information given about it, and the following is what I’ve concluded. I [...]