In the monkey cage!
Well, there’s one thing that you can’t complain of with this job, and that’s the variety it provides!
I was asked if I was scared of Baboons. Wasps and Bees and anything with more legs than me – Yes. But Baboons – No. ‘Great’, said the producer on the other end of the phone. ‘They’ll be 150 of them and they’ll be inside a car and you’ll be in the enclosure filming them…’.
‘Hmmm… right… OK…’
So, it’s as simple as that. You get yourself a car, fill it with Baboons and you’ve got yourself a PR stunt!
It’s for the launch of the new Hyundai i30. They say it’s kiddie proof. To prove it, fill it with real monkeys and if it survives, then your little monkeys won’t break it.
To be honest, I was a little anxious about getting in there with them. I think we all were. But the viewfinder has a wonderful effect of making the subject you’re filming, somehow unreal. It was only when the big guys were walking around the back of me, that I got a little cautious. They have massive teeth!
We were working with the wonderful keepers and the manager of Knowsley Safari Park, but all they had to defend themselves with, was a four foot long stick! They said that if it all kicks off, then just run for the exit, or climb through the electric fence. The fence was switched off just before going in.
I think in our minds, we’d come to think it was going to be like this…
The reality was somewhat more down to earth!
Whistling the Jurassic Park theme before going inside the enclosure didn’t do wonders for the nerves of my producer though!
This is how the edit came out. No music, as it’s a news piece.
Latest little promo ditty
Quick post.
Here’s the latest little promo ditty for a client.
Be good to know your thoughts please!? Comment below (when you open this post in it’s own page).
Why the Blackmagic Cinema Camera fails to excite…
As I sit here reading about all the exciting developments coming out of NAB 2012, the one piece of ‘shock news’ that came out of left field, was the Blackmagic Cinema Camera. Blackmagic’s first camera from a company usually associated with post production hardware and software.
Am I alone in being unmoved by the sleek curves and integrated loveliness of this camera?
Everyone seems to have taken leave of their senses? Seduced by RAW acquisition (just like the RED boys!) and low price point?
Sure, these things are, indeed, good. But there is so much missing from this camera.
- Lens options
- ND filters (remember the FS100, people?)
- XLR inputs
- Ergonomics (a handle?)
- A viewfinder
- Separate battery – integrated? Really Blackmagic?
- No overcrank
There’s the wonderful addition of DaVinci Resolve and Ultrascope, RAW recording in 2K onto SSD, fantastic post production workflow, but it’s not for me – not yet anyway.
If they add in the features above, then they’ll have a fantastic camera.
At the moment – it just isn’t exciting. It’s like a concept car that looks great at the motor exhibition, but no one has bothered to drive. It reminds me of the Aston Martin Lagonda. A car that really should have stayed on the drawing board.
What the shallow depth of field fraternity are asking for, seems elusive for most manufacturers it would appear. They seem to be circling around the golden egg of price versus features, but unable to find that killer mix of features and price.
I suspect it’s entirely achievable, but at the expensive of profit. Not a good business model…
NAB 2012: Blackmagic $2995 Digital Cinema Camera – Detailed Interview
NAB 2012: Blackmagic $2995 Digital Cinema Camera – Detailed Interview from Dan Chung on Vimeo.
The Lilliput 5D-ii Field Monitor
Using a large sensor camera can be a bit of a nightmare when it comes to focussing.
The LCD panel on the AF-101 is pretty good and with EVF DTL switched on and with the red peaking turned on too, you can get a good idea whether or not you’re in focus.
But. I’ve missed a few shots recently, some that were a bit soft and it was becoming more obvious that I needed a field monitor to help out. Something that had a larger image and some aids to help in focussing (maybe a better pair of glasses?!).
After a bit of internet trawling, I came across the Lilliput range of monitors. There’s one in particular that seems to fit the bill and it’s this one.
http://www.lilliputuk.com/monitors/hdmi/5D-ii/
What’s astonishing about this monitor is the price. Delivered, I paid £231.99 inc VAT. Pretty darn unbeatable with the features it has.
It was designed for Canon 5D users but it just great on the Panasonic as well.
- 7inch LCD panel with LED backlight – 1024 x 600 native, 1920×1080 (maximum)
- HDMI in and out
- Built in sunshade
- Powered by with a standard Sony or Canon camera battery
- Focus peaking
- 1:1 pixel mapping
- False Colour exposure checking
- Zebras
- Histogram
Powered off a standard camera battery
Good set of additional controls
On playback, it shows the camera’s interface without HDMI LCD panel display mirroring switched on
A pretty cool feature about using a monitor, and something that I hadn’t realised, was that you can check you focus and exposure on playback.
That’s pretty cool I think. To be able to go back and check these things retrospectively is brilliant! Very handy.
The unit has some good colour controls to be able to match it to your camera LCD panel as well.
Focus Peaking
Check out the red outlines on the monochrome background.
False Colour
The higher up the colour spectrum the colours are (indigo through to red) the brighter the exposure is.
Histogram
Pixel to Pixel mapping
Enables you to see the 1080p images natively 1:1
To sum up, for the price, I can’t recommend this field monitor enough. It does a great job, looks good and is a real asset in your toolkit to create properly exposed and in focus HD images.
Arsenal versus Man City concourse event coverage
I’m reporting to you from a Starbucks on the M1. The first one out of London actually and it’s nice to sit down! Today’s shoot was a first for me with this particular camera. The Panasonic AF101. Not particularly new anymore, but my experience today could apply to any shiny new large sensor camera coming out of NAB next week.
I’ve been at the Emirates Stadium shooting footage for a client that wants a short montage of their promotional activities that have been happening on the concourse outside the stadium. All football and fitness related stuff.
I was curious how a large sensor camera would cope with this, normally quickfire, type of shooting. It’s ideal territory for an EX1 or EX3. Powered zoom and a bit of shallow depth of field if you want it.
The AF101 coped better than I thought. I took a bag of lenses in a Tamrac Adventure ruck sack and carried the camera. I also had my new Manfrotto 504HD head and 546BK tripod along for their first spin out.
The biggest headache with shooting on a large sensor camera, is being on the right lens at the right time. For sure, it slows you down. ‘hang on, just wait a minute while I change my lens’, doesn’t really work when there are thousands of people around you and you’re having to be completely self-contained. In fact, the biggest headache was the logistics of the camera and lenses. Additionally, I could have really done with a Cinesaddle as well. That would have been really helpful.
On the upside, the slow motion facility of the camera adds massively to the production value as does the focus pulling, matte box and filters and the overall look of the image.
I’m looking forward to getting the footage back in the edit and seeing what I’ve really got!
Lunch!
Shooting a little time-lapse sequence
