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Today was was all about sound. As we are nearing the end of production on our documentary Electronic Crack Film. We picked up some ambient sounds of the stream to match a b roll shot that we have in the film. Equipment used was the Sennheiser ME66/K6 - Super-Cardioid Microphone Sennheiser MZW 60-1 Blimp Windscreen Tascam DR-701D 6-Track Field Recorder for DSLR with SMPTE Timecode  The recorded sound of water in the stream.
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After checking out several different cameras to film our new documentary Electronic Crack Film, we decided to go with the Blackmagic Ursa Mini. We looked at the Red cameras, Sony FS5, and Canon EOS Cinema Cameras. While all these cameras produce a wonderful image, but with our budget , we went with the Blackmagic Ursa Mini. No other reason other than cost.
A 42 Second local car commercial filmed on the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera and Sony Nex 7. The talking people & corvette was shot on the Blackmagic Pocket and all moving car & truck shots were shot on the Sony Nex 7 using the Fat Gecko Daul - Suction Car Camera Mount. Lenses used on the Blackmagic Pocket for the talking people Xeen 24MM Cinema Prime and the corvette Rokinon's DS 14MM. The lens on the Sony Nex 7 was the kit lens 18-55MM sony lens. both cameras was shot at 24P other equipment used Kessler Slider and Kessler Crane HERE IS THE COMMERCIAL THESE CINEMA PRIME LENSES PRICED AT $2495.00 JUST A SHORT TIME AGO. XEEN HAS IMPLEMENTED AN EARLY ADOPTER'S PROGRAM Now you can receive a $1500 INSTANT REBATE on a 24mm/50mm/85mm Canon, Micro 4/3, Nikon, PL, or Sony E mount lens set or get started with a $300 INSTANT REBATE on any XEEN Professional Cine Lens! Offer strictly limited to purchases completed 9/16 - 9/24, 2015. Three lens maximum per customer. LIMITED QUANTITIES AVAILABLE #XEEN #Zeiss #Xenon #Schneider #CP2 #CNE #Sony #Prime #Lens#Videography #Blackmagic #Red #JVC #CineAlta #Bolex Expand your video and filmmaking experiences with XEEN cinema lenses. With a T1.5 and outstanding optical performance for 4K+, focus on the Mise-en-scène of the images you want to create. XEEN lenses feature declicked gear rings in identical locations, so that changing lenses is no longer a hassle. Mounts are interchangeable, meaning each lens can be used on a variety of cameras. The XEEN series aims to delivers unparalleled performance with affordability to satisfy the needs of videographers and filmmakers, regardless of the situation or equipment.  I want to talk a little about the filmmaking tool call The Fat Gecko Daul – Suction Camera Mount. I orded this equipment from B&H video to use in an upcoming car commercial. I was a little skeptical about using this being that I wanted to film with my Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera, now this would be fine with just the Blackmagic camera with no cage or any other gear to rig it out and add to its weight. I also though about using my Canon 5D III, but opted to use my Sony Nex 7. I have to say that I was really pleased with this device. Even with the Rokinon Cine DS 50MM Lens attached. You can
Dual Suction CupsAdheres to any smooth surface on a vehicle with enough suction to hold an 8 lb cameraDouble Knuckle DesignEnables 360 degree tilt, turn and rotation for the best possible camera angleUniversal Mounting ScrewThe 1/4-20" mounting screw is the standard size for still video and still camerasRemovable Extension TubeThe removable 2" extension tube gives the Fat Gecko clearance over obstructions and offers expanded camera-angle optionsSteel ConstructionSteel construction makes the Fat Gecko rugged enough to stand up to extreme use and at only 1.25 lbs, light enough to take anywhere The lenses cost $2495.00 almost half the price of Canon’s Cine Primes. These lenses provide a wide apertures and resolution, which will come in handy when shooting 4K footage. At the present time there are 3 lenses 24mm, 50mm and 85mm focal lengths with more coming in the near future. Users will be able to switch from PL, Canon, Nikon, Sony E and Micro Four Thirds bodies, and all have identical dimensions and layout so operators can quickly become familiar with controls across the range. Each lens has a maximum aperture of T1.5 and a minimum of T22 via an 11-blade iris, and elements feature the company’s X-Coating for sharpness and contrast. The series features distance scales and aperture readings on both sides of the barrel and an accessory thread of 114mm. There will be no problem lining your follow focus after changing lenses.
FIRST LOOK OF THE XEEN LENSES IN ACTION. https://vimeo.com/135852481 Xeen website. These are the two items you will need. I used 5 CRISPER LINERS and 4 Disc Foams 1 Disc on each corner of the monitor speakers. Each item I picked up at The Dollar Tree for $1.00 each total $11.00 I have been experimenting with different ways to produced better sound by isolation vibration coming from my studio monitors and what I have found that you can get really close to isolating the vibration sounds just as if you were using the professional isolating foam – MoPad $34.00  CineFocus & Media Productions LLC was at The Blackmagicdesign Event in New York July 22, 2015. Director Joe Piner got to hold and check out the new highly anticipated Blackmagic Ursa Mini 4.6 K. Hear what Blackmagic's spokesperson has to say. Good News for Florida's Drone Pilots. The FAA has approved new rules to fly drones. Could other States follow?  THE BLACKMAGIC URSA MINI BLACKMAGIC'S NEW CAMERA.
The compact URSA Mini camera with PL lens mount, 4K Super 35 image sensor and global shutter is lightweight and perfectly balanced for handheld use and comfortable enough for all day shooting. URSA Mini 4K EF features professional 12G-SDI connections, 5” fold out touchscreen monitor and side grip with camera control functions as well as dual CFast card recorders, built in stereo microphones and more. This is the camera I would like to film my next film production with. What is yours? The Red Epic- has a 5K sensor capable of capturing 1 to 120 frames per second at full resolution. From fashion spreads to 3D IMAX features, Red Epic has crossbred elite photography with unrivaled cinema capability—all in a camera the size of a DSLR. Red EPIC aligns hi-resolution with hi-speed, capable of reaching maximum speeds of up to 300 fps at 2K. For robust efficiency, you can capture video and photos simultaneously, using an HDRx track to draw sharper stills. These are the lenses I would like to have in my production bag.  Do we have better options for getting our independent films noticed other than film festivals? I don't think I will be entering my film into any film festivals with my current film Free Spirits - Saving America's Wild Horses. There are so many platforms out for independent filmmakers to have their film screened and get noticed. Many independent filmmakers are not even considering the film festival route for many reasons. I for one consider it to be too expensive with no guarantee of your film ever getting picked up. I don't want to pay the fees of anywhere from $45.00 to $75.00. 95% of the time your film gets turned down and you are out of a lot of money. Every year there are very few films that get picked up by major film studios.
Don't get me wrong I am not saying that film festivals are bad or not really worth it, it is just in most cases your film in unlikely to get picked up. You may win some type of reward such as best picture, best documentary all for what? bragging rights to say my film won, look at my trophy. Okay great I can show off my little trophy NOW WHAT? did Lion's Gates, Sony Pictures or any other main stream movie studio pick your film up. Lets say you entered your film into 35 film festivals at 75.00 a piece you would have paid $3,750 For my film Free Spirits - Saving America's Wild Horses film, I took a different route. I am spending all of my time an effort getting my film out there by working with the company Tugg. Tugg is a crowd funding corporation that helps independent filmmakers get their film into the theaters. There are no fees up front to pay. All you have to do is sign up with Tugg and agree to their contract agreement and provide your film, Mainly they would like your film to be in a DCP (Digital Cinema Package) go here for more information on DCP format. After you are all set up with Tugg and your film is in their line up people can go to the Tugg web site and request your film in major theaters. Tugg will take care of setting everything up with the theaters. All you have to do is direct people to your Tugg event to buy tickets. Tugg sets a number of tickets to be sold for the event to happen this number is between 70 to 90 tickets. With everyone connected to some kind of social media this can be very easy to pull off. You can check out a video about DCP files at this blog. go down to WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT DCP FILES For every Indie filmmaker to be able to go over and beyond in getting beautiful footage, drones could play a big part in making that happen. Radio-controlled drones have been a dream of Indie filmmakers and photographers for some time now. Commercial drones have been used around the world for many purpose such as surveillance, rel estate footage just to name a few. Most recently drones have brought about protests, debates, and even concerns over privacy. Currently using drones for commercial purposes is illegal. The FAA does not want you making money off your drone. You can fly your drone and take pictures or video for personal use. This puts a hold on using your drone for Indie filmmaking, which I am concerned about. I think in the long run after everything is said and done the FAA should allow permits for using your drone for commercial use at a reasonable fee. This should include filmmaking, rel estate photography, TV and news gathering. Hobbyist should be exempted. WHAT DO YOU THINK  Being a documentary filmmaker I have always felt compelled to produce films that matter and Free Spirits – Saving America’s Wild Horses fits that mold. This is a very important film because many people don’t know that we have wild horses running free on open ranges of the west. These magnificent creatures deserve to be free, running the Great Plains and open ranges of the west. When I first heard of the wild horse situation I didn't know how to approach the subject in the form of a documentary film, but it soon became clear that this story needed to be told,especially to people on the East Coast. There are so many people and organizations that helped tell the horse’s story in our film, without the much needed interviews and the guidance of people who knew where the horses were so we could film them the task would have been much harder. We are very grateful to the many people and organization in this film. |
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