I shot and edited this on the fly.... 4 hours.... very easy workflow in fcp. ( export appletv qt, then open that file in qt and save as a qt.... no fps conversion other then appletv codec.

The Mercantile Lofts

I took a SUV load of lights and c-stands but never set one up.... the client had such a short timeframe to get the job done that I just shot it all avail light.

5d2 on indiesliderpro, canon ef 35mm L f1.4 ( mostly shot at f2 ) and 85mm f1.2 L @f2

It could use some more work in 3-way color... but I'll get to it later.

overall I'm surprised at how quick and easy it was to shoot vid with the 5d2.... I had the ex1 in the SUV just in case, but never brought it out. The client was a little freaked out at the sight of a little SLR on the slider... but after a quick test shot and a full screen play on the MBP 17"HD they were game.

Probably my favorite thing about shooting with the 5d2 is the 10x lupe view on the back.... get absolute focus very easy. Also... the white balance scroll wheel function is a treat.... choose icon based presets, or kelvin degrees.

I have some advise for anyone in the business of manufacturing lighting and camera support products for the indie market.... jump on the 5d2 band wagon ASAP! Start offering sliders, dollies, led lights, small par or fresnels..... you will sell a boat load if you market it right. I think the steadicam merlin will also find a new rebirth on the 5d2.

Interesting

Are you a pro vid guy or a stills photographer ?

it all looks good to me (technically)

I dont know about video narative yet but there wasnt really an establishing shot - the outside of the building - does this matter ?

The musak - is there a source for getting this stuff cheap/free without breaking copyright ?

S

I'm primarily a commercial still photog... 20 years now.... but have delved into vid in the last few years.... now accounts for about half my billing.

it was cold, ugly, and snowing outside.... my storyboard does have an outside shot though... will get on a sunny and decent day.

the music is from soundtrack pros royalty free loops.

That indy slider - how long is it - it gives significant 'movement' to the image - very smooth

Do you see ending using the EX1 - do you have a 35 adapter for it

(cos I just bought a adapter and EX1 ! )

How would it compare in terms of indoor - im finding that to shoot natural indoors (with the EX1 720p 50/th shutter) im mainly using F2.0 or 1.4 - is the 5d2 better 'ISO'

It is interesting your comments about the steadycam etc - im playing in my studio with homemade indy sliders / dollies and for the Ex1/Letus they need to be built like tanks to be smooth - weight massivly against small dollys etc

A merlin would be in my price range wheras a proper steaicam would not..

S

yes the indie slider is fantastic.... mine is the 36" model with the bowl adaptor for my 501 head. I also have their indiefocuspro that I use with the ex1/letus and the ex1 by it's self.

The ex1 still provides a much better controlled workflow..... and of course really good audio. I do have a letus extreme and use it all the time.

The 5d2 can practically see in the dark.... the ex1 is very good, but no where near as clean in low light as the 5d2.

For higher level work I will continue to use the ex1.... it flies perfectly on my steadicam pilot with senn g2 wireless receivers. The 5d2 will be used for more artsy shallow dof projects like music vids where sounds is not needed.

Haha, very nice. They were probably like "WTF?" when you showed up with a still camera.

A couple questions: Any problems with the 35L breathing? I notice my 24 f/1.4 breathes like crazy when I focus in video mode on the 5DII.

Is that indie rail slide thing good for outdoors? will dust and dirt cause problems for it?

not any noticeable problems.

the indie slider is a pretty simple thing.... easy to clean.... but heavy and awkward to carry around.

Really nice work!

I think you're a brave guy to dive in like this but the result is great.

How did you handle the exposure issues? Did you have to use any of the "workarounds" to get the DoF you wanted or did you just let the camera do it's thing. The shots with bright window light look like they could have confused any auto-exposure but they were shot perfectly. I'm impressed.

I'd rush off now and buy one of these things but I already got one


steve

There has been a raft of new continuous lights, cheap to expensive come out in the last few years, though most from leds, to flourescent don't pack a lot of punch.

I am a little suprised that profoto dropped their line of hmi lights, since it was such a natural move for a still photographer to go from flash to continuous using the same modifiers.

Regardless, I think you will see a lot of new stuff coming our way centered around these comobo cams, from lights, sleds, focus and lens adapters.

I've been using ( for both still and vid ) the 500LED lights from flolight and the 150cdm HMI fresnels from coollights.biz ( Richard's a good guy... and his products and customer service are fantastic ) for a while now... and love them.... the 500led's only draw about 30 watts and can run off 12v. I also have 4 of the 6 bank flo lights from flolight.... these are fantastic. All these lights mentioned are daylight balanced. Also.... I have a zylight z90 that is a fantastic led light.... can be dialed to any gel color, daylight, tungsten, +_ green... pretty much any color under the sun..... also runs off 12v. 3 or 4 of these suckers ( z90 ) would be a great kit for the 5d2!

In fact.... I rarely use my speedtron force10 mono heads these days.... and my broncolor hazylight only gets used for tabletop work.

these times... they are a changing.

Can I use the Indi Slider with my 5D? Also - has anyone used the Merlin Stedicam with a 5D?

what is an indie slider?

google is your friend.

http://www.indifocus.com/products_indisliderpro.htm

It moves the camera along three feet left ot right or front to back - very smooth

I didnt think it would make a big difference compared to panning but if you look it does..

1) because the camera is moving - it feels a bit like more like 'proper' television or film in a client pleasing manner*

2) because it changes how things are lined up in the frame - the most dramatic effect is where there is something close to the camera at this point three feet is a long way


*im not actually sure I like the camera to move - a stationary camera can add drama but that is a phillosophical discussion - I think clients are more wowed by a camera that moves - if you watch that film again does the moving camera actually add any real substance to the film - Im not sure - but it certainly looks 'cool and pro' on the first watch but doesnt really bring anything really (this is not a critism just a comment) a real camera move would reveal somthing - like circling a talking couple so you can see the face on the one who is talking

Its just a fashion, unless you find a really serious filmmaker. In ads and commercial it's just 'a look' with no specific meaning only a vague one of 'coolness', the camera has to be in constant smooth motion. Max Headroom satirised this idea in the 1980's proposing 'blipverts' that advertise but only appear on screen for infinitesimal moments.

I was watching 'The Leopard' by Visconti the other day and the lack of camera movement is jarring. Some classic movies can seem almost 'motionless' when you start watching, then as the drama and character involvement takes over you don't see it any more.

From the 1960's when the flickering 'glass teat' began to be perpetually switched on in the corner of the living room, the human eye and brain have become addicted to constant stimulus. My theory is that the hyperactivity problems in children is due to early influence from the flickering 'idiot box' that burbles away constantly in many homes.

When I feel myself getting addicted then I prescribe myself to watch Stalker or Solaris by Tarkovsky, and to only allow myself one intermission to visit the bathroom. Alternatively I can look at a big Jeff Wall picture for a while.

;-)

The indislider looks like a great bit of kit.

Utter nonsense. Besides the main reason cameras move more than they used to, is that equipment is so much better now. Particularly since the advent of the steadicam. And one of the first films to feature it [and upside down to boot] was 'The Shining' by Kubrick, one of the most serious of filmakers.
Used well, movement is an important part of the story telling process.

Many older movies can also seem quite flat these days, with the staid, limited and at times very clunky camerawork and the stories don't always stand the test of time either. The overated chase scene in 'Bullit' is very boring to my mind - it may have been great in it's time, but time passes.

I should also point out I like long takes and I also really like fixed cameras, as long as they serve the story. I saw Tarkovsky's stuff many years ago and seem to recall it was all a bit boring. Which reminds me - I recently saw a 1970s film that a friend thought was the most boring film ever [Vanishing Point] and what struck me most, was how oddly contemporary the cinematography and camera work was.

One of the benfits of taking story telling out from underneath the proscenium arch is that you free up the 'stage' and alllow movement of the viewing experience. If you want no movement, go to the theatre. Camera movement is part of the essence of the cinematic experience, so why not use it?

Aye, there's the rub. I was simply pointing out that the moving camera in an advert for a new sofa (for example) communicates nothing but a fashionable technique. Obviously I'm not talking about Welles, Kubrick, or a plethora of other great film makers.

As we have become addicted to the constant flicker of the idiot lantern from an age when we are still sucking on the teat, it becomes less possible for us to sit still for a moment, physically and mentally. Unless the camera is constantly hosed over a scene we get bored, the incessant movement provides a proxy for the consciousness we have surrendered to the boob tube.

Your comment about the theatre is tongue in cheek, but quite clearly the existance of the proscenium (assuming we aren't performing in the round) doesn't preclude the audience from moving their head from side to side.